Northiam (St. Mary)
NORTHIAM (St. Mary), a parish, in the union of
Rye, hundred of Staple, rape of Hastings, E. division
of Sussex, 7¾ miles (N. W. by W.) from Rye; containing 1329 inhabitants. This parish, which is bounded on
the north by the river Rother, separating it from the
county of Kent, comprises about 4000 acres; the surface is finely undulated, and the village pleasantly situated on the road from London to Rye. The living is a
rectory, valued in the king's books at £15. 10. 2½.; net
income, £786; patron and incumbent, the Rev. W. E.
Lord. The church, partly in the early and partly in
the decorated English style, was greatly enlarged in
1837, at an expense of £1400, by the present rector,
and is a handsome structure, with a square embattled
tower surmounted by a lofty spire. The parsonagehouse is also a handsome building; the glebe comprises
30 acres. There are places of worship for Wesleyans
and Unitarians.
Northill (St. Mary)
NORTHILL (St. Mary), a parish, in the union of
Biggleswade, hundred of Wixamtree, county of Bedford, 4 miles (W. N. W.) from Biggleswade; containing,
with the hamlets of Caldicott, Ickwell, Thorncote with
Brookend and Hatch, and part of Beeston, 1280 inhabitants. It is situated on the road from Biggleswade to
Bedford, and comprises by measurement 3939 acres of
land, chiefly arable, with a little pasture; the soil is
partly gravel. Straw-platting and lace-making are carried on. The living is a perpetual curacy, endowed
with a portion of the tithes; net income, £395; patrons,
the Master and Wardens of the Grocers' Company,
London; impropriator of the remainder of the tithes,
J. Harvey, Esq. The tithes were commuted for land,
money payments, and corn-rents, under acts of inclosure
in 1780 and 1796. The church is a handsome structure
in the ancient English style, the east window exhibiting
some beautiful stained glass. It was endowed and
made collegiate by Sir John Traylly, Knt., in the reign of
Henry IV., for a master, warden, and six fellows, whose
revenue was estimated at £61. 5. 5.: the establishment
was dissolved in the reign of Edward VI. The stalls
belonging to the monks are still in the church.
Northington (St. John)
NORTHINGTON (St. John), a parish, in the union
of Alresford, hundred of Mitcheldever, Winchester
and N. divisions of the county of Southampton, 3¾
miles (N. N. W.) from Alresford; containing 286 inhabitants. The parish comprises by measurement 3103
acres; the soil is fertile, and the scenery richly diversified. Grange House, formerly the seat of the earls of
Northington, and now the property of Lord Ashburton,
is a handsome mansion, built by Inigo Jones; the portico has been altered to the style of that of the temple
of Theseus at Athens. The living is annexed, with the
livings of Popham and East Stratton, to the vicarage of
Mitcheldever. The church was rebuilt in 1830, by Lord
Ashburton, at an expense of £1500; it is a neat edifice
in the later English style, and contains a monument to
the Earl of Northington, lord lieutenant of Ireland
in 1783.
Northleach (St. Peter and St. Paul)
NORTHLEACH (St. Peter and St. Paul), a
market-town and parish, and the head of a union, in
the hundred of Bradley, E. division of the county of
Gloucester, 20 miles (E. by S.) from Gloucester, and
82 (W. N. W.) from London; containing, with the
tything of Eastington, 1290 inhabitants. This is a small
town, consisting principally of a long irregular street,
situated in a vale at the base of the Cotswold hills, near
the source of the little river Leche, from which it derives
its name, and on the road from Gloucester to London.
The ancient British road called the Lower Salt-way,
leading from Droitwich to the eastern parts of the
island, is here crossed by the Roman Fosse-way, which
forms the north-western boundary of the parish. About
the beginning of the sixteenth century, Northleach was
one of the most considerable clothing towns in the
county, and a principal mart for the sale of wool; but
the deficiency of water occasioned a gradual decay of
the manufacture, and the trade is no longer carried on.
The market is held on Wednesday. There are fairs on
the Wednesday before May 4th and on that day month,
August 3rd, and the first Wednesday in September, for
sheep; and the Wednesday before October 11th, for
cattle, and for hiring servants. The town is governed
by a bailiff and an indefinite number of burgesses, not
exceeding twelve; the bailiff and two constables are
chosen annually at the manorial court leet, when also
two tythingmen and two cardinals are appointed. The
powers of the county debt-court of Northleach, established in 1847, extend over the registration-district of
Northleach. Near the town is a house of correction for
the county.
The parish comprises by admeasurement 3380 acres,
which, with the exception of about 300 of pasture, are
arable: Eastington comprehends the rural district, and
most of the gardens and grounds attached to the houses
in the town. The living is a vicarage, valued in the
king's books at £11; net income, £228; patron and
appropriator, the Bishop of Gloucester and Bristol. The
tithes were commuted for land and a money payment
in 1782. The church is a large handsome edifice in the
decorated English style, with a lofty tower at the west
end, and contains several sepulchral brasses, one of
which is to the memory of John Fortey, a rich clothier
of the town, who rebuilt the nave in 1458. There are
places of worship for Independents and Wesleyans.
Hugh Westwood founded a free grammar school in the
first year of the reign of Elizabeth, and endowed it with
the impropriate tithes of Chedworth, and a messuage
and tenement. It has fifteen scholars on the foundation, who are entitled to share with the schools of
Gloucester, Cheltenham, and Chipping-Campden, in the
exhibitions at Pembroke College, Oxford, instituted by
George Townsend, Esq. An hospital for six men or
women was founded by Thomas Dutton, in 1615, and
endowed with about £30 per annum. In 1816, Mrs. Mary
Harritts Allen bequeathed £2649 for charitable purposes. The poor-law union of Northleach comprises 30
parishes or places, containing a population of 10,661.
Adjoining the Fosse-way is an intrenched camp with a
double vallum, called Norbury, and supposed to be of
Roman origin.
Northmoor (St. Denis)
NORTHMOOR (St. Denis), a parish, in the union
of Witney, hundred of Chadlington, county of Oxford, 6¾ miles (W. S. W.) from Oxford; containing
367 inhabitants. It comprises 2038a. 1r. 21p., of
which 534 acres are arable, 800 meadow, and 656 pasture. Fairs are held on March 31st and September 28th.
The living is a perpetual curacy; net income, £140;
patrons, the President and Fellows of St. John's College,
Oxford. The tithes have been commuted for £504, and
the glebe comprises 40 acres. The church is a handsome cruciform structure, chiefly in the early English
style: in the chancel are two stone coffins, on the lids
of which are recumbent effigies of a crusader and a
female, the former richly clad in armour, and the latter
remarkable for the graceful attire of the head.
Northolt (St. Mary)
NORTHOLT (St. Mary), a parish, in the union of
Uxbridge, hundred of Elthorne, county of Middlesex, 2¾ miles (S. W. by S.) from Harrow; containing,
with the hamlet of West-End, 653 inhabitants. This
parish, the name of which is supposed to be of Saxon
origin, comprises by measurement 2156 acres, whereof
394 are arable, 1717 meadow, and 4 wood. About 100
persons are regularly employed in brick-making, and
during the summer the same number in addition. The
land springs generally are highly impregnated with iron;
and a well at the vicarage-house, containing sulphate
of magnesia in considerable quantity, is noticed in old
surveys as being of the same class as the springs at
Epsom. The village is situated between the Harrow
and Uxbridge roads, and is equidistant from the Birmingham railway at Harrow, and the Great Western
railway at Southall. The Grand Junction canal intersects the parish. The living is a vicarage, endowed with
a portion of the rectorial tithes, valued in the king's
books at £15, and in the gift of the Bishop of London:
the tithes have been commuted for £668, and the glebe
comprises 44 acres. The architecture of the church is
of the latter part of the fourteenth century; Dr. Lisle,
Bishop of St. Asaph, and previously vicar of Northolt, is
buried in the chancel. Traces of a Roman road are
found in the north-western part of the parish.
Northorpe
NORTHORPE, a hamlet, in the parish of Thurlby,
union of Bourne, wapentake of Ness, parts of Kesteven, county of Lincoln; with 182 inhabitants.
Northorpe (St. John the Baptist)
NORTHORPE (St. John the Baptist), a parish, in
the union of Gainsborough, wapentake of Corringham, parts of Lindsey, county of Lincoln, 8 miles
(N. E.) from Gainsborough; containing 141 inhabitants.
This parish, which was formerly the residence of the
Monson family, comprises 1813 acres; the soil is chiefly
clay, the surface in some parts elevated and in others
flat, and occasionally subject to inundation from the
river Ean, a tributary of the Trent. The living is a discharged vicarage, valued in the king's books at £4; net
income, £100; patron and appropriator, the Bishop of
Lincoln. The appropriate tithes have been commuted
for £418, and the glebe comprises 30 acres.
Northover (St. Andrew)
NORTHOVER (St. Andrew), a parish, in the union
of Yeovil, hundred of Tintinhull, W. division of
Somerset, ¼ of a mile (N.) from Ilchester; containing
114 inhabitants. It is situated on the road to Exeter,
and comprises 437a. 2r. 11p.; the Ivel flows through
the lower lands. The living is a discharged vicarage,
endowed with the rectorial tithes, valued in the king's
books at £6. 12. 11., and in the gift of J. H. Chichester,
Esq.: the tithes have been commuted for £120, and the
glebe comprises 10 acres. The church is an ancient
structure.
Northsceugh
NORTHSCEUGH, a township, in the parish of
Cumwhitton, union of Brampton, Eskdale ward, E.
division of Cumberland, 6½ miles (N. N. W.) from
Kirk-Oswald; containing 216 inhabitants.
Northumberland
NORTHUMBERLAND, a maritime county, and
the most northern of England, bounded on the east by
the North Sea, or German Ocean; on the south, by the
county of Durham; and on the west by Cumberland,
and by Roxburghshire in Scotland. On the north is
the Scottish county of Berwick, from which it is separated by the Tweed. The county extends from 54° 48'
to 55° 46' (N.Lat.), and from 1° 26' to 2° 40' (W. Lon.),
and includes an area of 1,251,980 statute acres: there
are 51,644 houses inhabited, 3213 uninhabited, and 480
in course of erection; and the population amounts to
266,020, of whom 128,899 are males.
According to Ptolemy, the people inhabiting the tract
of coast stretching from the river Tyne to the Firth
of Forth, were called the Ottadini; while to the west,
in the mountainous districts, and in Tiviotdale, were
seated the Gadeni. Both of these tribes appear to have
been either dependent on, or confederated with, the
Brigantes, whose extensive territory, lying southward, included some portion of the south-western part of the
county. The Romans did not penetrate into this part
of Britain until the year 79, when Agricola led his legions
into the north, and partly by the terror of his arms, and
partly by the fame of his clemency, subjugated the
country; to secure which he erected a chain of forts reaching from the Solway Firth to Tynemouth. But this barrier being soon broken through by the British refugees in
conjunction with the Britons of Caledonia, the Emperor
Adrian constructed a rampart of earth, which, connecting the forts of Agricola, likewise extended across the
country from sea to sea. The Brigantes who settled
north of this wall appear to have assumed the name of
Meatæ, supposed to be derived from the British word
meath, "a plain." In the reign of Antoninus Pius, about
the year 140, the Meatæ fought several severe battles
with the Romans under Lollius Urbicus, who at length
re-conquered the whole country as far as the isthmus
between the Firths of Forth and Clyde, where the Roman
commander, by the emperor's order, constructed a
second rampart, after the manner of Adrian's, and upon
the same line along which Agricola had previously
built a second chain of forts. The district between the
two ramparts being again devastated by the barbarians, the Emperor Severus, about the year 207, took
the field in person; and entering Caledonia at the head
of a large army, compelled the inhabitants to purchase
peace by the surrender of a large portion of territory:
on his return he repaired and strengthened Adrian's
rampart. During his subsequent indisposition at York,
the Meatæ and Caledonians re-commenced hostilities,
which so much exasperated him, that he resolved upon
their utter extermination: his son Caracalla led the
army to the north, but on the death of his father, which
soon afterwards ensued, he hastily concluded a dishonourable peace, and returned to the southern provinces of Britain, the more effectually to prosecute his
claims to the empire.
From this period we find nothing on record regarding this particular district until the year 306, about
which time Constantine the Great, having allayed the
disturbances on the northern frontiers, entrusted their
defence to an officer styled Duke of Britain, who had
under him 14,000 infantry and 900 cavalry, being more
than two-thirds of the whole Roman forces in the island.
In the reigns of the succeeding emperors, the rampart
of Antoninus was frequently broken through by the
northern tribes denominated Scots, Picts, and Attacotes;
and the contiguous districts on the south were depopulated in the most savage and unrelenting manner. At
length, the Emperor Valentinian sending over Theodosius with a formidable body of troops, that commander
repelled the barbarians, and recovered all the country
between the rampart of Severus and that of Antoninus;
the tract now received the name of Valentia, and was
added as a fifth province to the four into which the
southern part of the island was divided. About the
year 380, Maximus having withdrawn the Roman forces
from Britain, the Scots and Picts renewed their incursions with dreadful success, until the arrival of the legion
under the command of Stilicho, which was sent over to
expel the northern invaders and to guard the rampart,
but which, on the death of Theodosius in 402, was recalled to Italy to oppose the Gothic invaders under
Alaric. It was probably during the continuance of this
legion in Britain that the wall was added to the former
line of defensive works across this part of the country:
the wall was a massive bulwark of stone, defended by
an outer ditch, and guarded by an interior chain of forts
and military stations, extending in a line nearly parallel
with Adrian's barrier, and at a very short distance from
it. After the final departure of the Romans, several
petty states sprang up, which being continually involved
in sanguinary dissensions, the barbarians of the north
succeeded in carrying their devastations into the very
heart of South Britain: the district north of the Tyne,
under the name of Bernicia, formed one of those numerous independent sovereignties.
The Saxon dominion was established in this part of
the country about the year 547, when the Saxon chief,
Ida, after many obstinate conflicts, having driven the
Northumbrian Britons from the vicinity of the coast,
became sole ruler in the province of Bernicia; he assumed the title of King of Bernicia, and erected as his
principal residence the strong fortress of Bambrough, on
the coast opposite to the Farn Isles. At the same period, Ælla, one of the chieftains who had come over with
Ida, obtained the dominion of the province or kingdom
of Deïra, being the whole of the country lying between
the Tyne and the Humber. The two sovereignties were
united by Ethelfrith, grandson of Ida, who, having ascended the Bernician throne, successfully invaded Deïra,
and thus became the first king of Northan-hymbraland,
as it is called in the ancient Saxon tongue, signifying the
"land" or "country north of the Humber." This name
was contracted by the Anglo-Saxons into Northymbraland, which has since been slightly altered into Northumberland; but in modern times the appellation has
been confined to that portion of the country on the
eastern side of the island, between the rivers Tyne and
Tweed, which was but a small part of the ancient Northumberland or Northumbria. The reign of Edwin, who
ascended the Northumbrian throne in 617, was distinguished, amongst other things, by the introduction
of Christianity into the north of England, at the instance
of his queen, a daughter of the Christian king of Kent,
under whose auspices the Romish missionary Paulinus
succeeded in converting the Northumbrian sovereign
and his people. On the death of Edwin, who was slain
in battle, Northumbria was again divided into two
kingdoms, and reverted to paganism; but in 634 they
were re-united. The see of Lindisfarne was founded
soon afterwards, and in a few years the church of
Northumbria was fixed on a solid and permanent basis;
but various changes in the temporal condition of the
kingdom took place during the tumultuous period that
ensued, until its union with the rest of England in 828,
it being the last kingdom of the heptarchy which acknowledged subjection to Egbert.
The short period of tranquillity it now enjoyed was
interrupted by the descents of the Danes, who inflicted
upon it a devastation still more horrible than any it had
ever before experienced. In 867, Ivar the Dane assumed the government of all the country between the
Humber and the Tyne; but in the time of Sygtryg it
was reduced by King Athelstan, and annexed to his
paternal dominions. The Northumbrian Danes, however, revolted against Athelstan's successor, Edmund,
and subsequently against Edred, who desolated their
country, and under whom it ceased to be even a nominal
kingdom, being reduced to an earldom. In this part of
England, the resistance to the Norman conquerors was
the most obstinate, and the unsparing devastation which
the persevering opposition of the northern English
brought upon them from the vengeance of the Conqueror, was such, that Northumberland, in common
with the remainder of the district, lay uncultivated and
unpeopled for nearly a century afterwards. To this desolation is attributed the omission in the Norman survey, of the counties of Northumberland, Durham, Cumberland, and Westmorland. About the year 1170, however, the county was included in a survey made by order
of Hugh Pudsey, Bishop of Durham, of all the ancient
demesne lands and possessions of his bishopric, which
are recorded in a small folio volume called "Boldon
Buke," still kept in the office of the bishop's auditor at
Durham.
The period of the Norman conquest may be regarded
as the commencement of that long era of rivalry between the English and the Scottish crowns, which occasioned an almost uninterrupted series of hostilities upon
the common border of the two kingdoms, until the accession of James VI. of Scotland to the English crown.
Of the three marches into which the English borders
were anciently divided, the middle march, comprising
Tyndale and Redesdale, was within the present limits
of Northumberland; the greater part of the western
march was included in Cumberland, and of the eastern
in Norhamshire, lately a detached portion of the county
of Durham, but now a part of Northumberland, and
which extends to the mouth of the river Tweed. Each
of the marches was governed by a lord-warden, with
almost unlimited authority. These border jurisdictions
and their laws were abolished in the early part of the
17th century, on the accession of James; but many of
the moss-troopers, as the border plunderers were commonly called, still continued their depredations, until
checked by an edict which prohibited all borderers, except gentlemen of rank, from wearing weapons. Some
of them took advantage of the opportunity afforded by
the civil war, in the reign of Charles I., to resume their
former mode of life; insomuch that, in the following
reign, several fresh statutes were enacted against the
moss-troopers, who had then become very numerous.
Even at the beginning of the last century, the police of
Tyndale and Redesdale was maintained by officers called
Country keepers, who, for a certain sum, ensured their
respective districts against theft and robbery. Many of
the borderers were engaged in the rebellion of 1715. In
the course of the last century, however, their ancient
peculiarities entirely disappeared, and their habits, manners, and customs, became assimilated to those of their
countrymen in general.
The county is contained in the diocese of Durham,
and province of York, and consists of the archdeaconries
of Northumberland and Lindisfarne, each having several
deaneries, and the whole comprising 87 parishes. For
purposes of civil government it is divided into the six
wards of Bambrough (North and South divisions),
Castle (East and West), Coquetdale (East, North, South,
and West), Glendale (East and West), Morpeth (East
and West), and Tindale (East, North-East, North-West,
South, and West); also the districts called Bedlingtonshire, Norhamshire, and Islandshire, all three until lately
in the county of Durham. It contains the borough,
market, and sea-port town of Newcastle; the borough
and market-town of Morpeth; the newly-enfranchised
borough of Tynemouth; the market and sea-port town
of North Shields; the market-towns of Allendale, Alnwick, Belford, Bellingham, Haltwhistle, Hexham, Rothbury, and Wooler; and the small sea-ports of Alnmouth,
Bambrough, Blyth, Hartley, Seaton, and Warkworth.
Under the act of the 2nd of William IV., cap. 45, the
county was divided into the Northern and Southern
divisions, each sending two members to parliament;
two representatives are returned for Newcastle, and one
each for Morpeth and Tynemouth. The county is included in the Northern circuit; the assizes are held at
Newcastle, and the quarter-sessions by turns at Newcastle, Morpeth, Hexham, and Alnwick. The county
gaol is at Morpeth; and there are houses of correction
at Alnwick, Hexham, and Tynemouth.
The surface is much diversified: along the coast it
is almost level, but near the middle it rises into large
swelling ridges, which are separated by the principal
rivers; and the whole of the western side is mountainous and uncultivated. Of this mountainous tract,
the parts around Cheviot are the most valuable, in
general forming fine green hills, inclosing numerous
deep, narrow, and sequestered glens, and occupying an
area of at least 90,000 acres; the rest of the tract is
not marked by any striking irregularities of surface,
being commonly an open, extensive, elevated, and solitary waste, having little vegetation besides heath. The
whole of the mountainous districts are included in the
wards of Tindale, Coquetdale, and Glendale, and comprise about 450,000 acres of land. Woods growing in
a natural state are found on the banks of the rivers,
those of the greatest extent being on the North and
South Tyne, the Wansbeck, the Coquet, and their tributary streams. The demand for small wood at the
collieries and lead-mines has induced proprietors on the
Derwent, Tyne, &c., to cut the oak, ash, and elm which
they contain, at from 25 to 30 years' growth; birch,
willow, and alder, at a somewhat shorter growth; and
hazel, for corf rods, once in three or four years: these
corves are a kind of large wicker baskets, used for drawing up the coal from the pits. Flourishing plantations
on a large scale are spread over the country: of the
great variety of trees of which they are composed, the
larch is one of the most prevalent and conspicuous.
Among the Fish on the coast are the lump-fish and the
porpoise; vast quantities of cod are taken; and ling,
haddock, soles, plaice, flounders, turbot, herrings, skate,
and thornback also abound. Mackerel, basse, gar, sturgeon, and halibut are very scarce. Lampreys are procured near the mouths of the large rivers, and congereels are plentiful in the sea sands. A variety of flat fish
is found in the Tyne and other rivers. Crustaceous and
testaceous fishes are taken in great diversity on the seacoast; cockles are very abundant along the coast, the
best and largest being found at Budle; and oysters of
an excellent quality are sometimes obtained among the
rocks.
The most important mineral productions are coal
and lead. The great coal-field of the north-eastern
extremity of England, which extends over the larger
part of this county, and that of Durham, forms a most
important object in the national economy. The district
is included within an irregular triangle, having its apex
at Berwick, and the river Tees for its base; it consists
of a series of beds, which, including several smaller
ones of nearly the same material, amount to 229, and
are composed of five different substances, some of which
alternate with each other several times, viz., coal, sandstone, slate-clay or shale, limestone, and basalt. The
whole district has been divided into two separate formations, the Independent Coal Formation and the Newcastle
Coal Formation, and familiarly into "lead measures"
and "coal measures." The tract of the lead measures,
so called from the veins of lead which abound in a particular part of it, extends from Berwick on the north, to
the Tees on the south: its northern part is bounded on
the east by the sea, and on the west by the Cheviot hills;
and its southern part, on the east by the coal measures,
and on the west by a range of high land, of which Cross
Fell is the apex. The coal measures stretch from the
river Coquet on the north, nearly to the Tees on the
south, the length of the tract being about 58 miles, and
its greatest breadth about 24; the surface comprises by
computation 180 square miles, but the majority of the
numerous mines are situated on the sides of the river
Tyne, and not far distant from its banks. In these
measures, 40 beds of coal have been seen, some of which,
however, are of inconsiderable thickness; the two most
important are distinguished as the high main and the low
main, the former being six feet thick, and the latter six
feet six inches. The high main coal is about 60 fathoms
above the low main, which, at St. Anthon's colliery,
near Newcastle, is 135 fathoms from the surface; between them occur eight beds of coal, one of which is
four feet thick, and another three: seven beds have
been found under the low main, but the quality is inferior. The great coal-trade of the district has been
flourishing for the last five centuries, and constantly increasing with the increasing population of the country.
The Lead veins are chiefly situated in a space of about
fifteen miles from north to south, and twenty from east to
west, the southern boundary of which, lying partly in this
county and partly in that of Durham, may be defined to be
a line extending about twenty miles eastward from Cross
Fell. The only lead-ore procured in abundance is galena,
which here contains silver, varying in proportion from two
to forty-two ounces in the fother of twenty-one cwt., and
averaging twelve ounces. When it is of good quality,
thirty-two cwt. of clean ore yield twenty cwt. of lead. The
richest fields are at Allenhead and Coalcleugh, which,
with five other mines in the parish of Allendale, furnish
an annual produce of about 2500 tons of lead. Lead
is also found in some of the northern parts of the county;
and small veins have been discovered on the coast
at Elwick, and on the eastern side of Holy Island.
The ore is wrought by a measure containing 800 cwt. of
clear ore, called a "bing," most of the proprietors having
smelting-mills. Iron-ore is found both in the coal and
lead districts; and vast quantities of iron pyrites lie
imbedded in the strata of indurated clay through all the
coal-field. The iron-works at Leamington are chiefly
supplied with iron pyrites from the neighbouring collieries.
Ironstone is still more abundant in the shale of the
lead-mines; but owing to the comparatively high price
of fuel, and the great distance from water-carriage, it
cannot be advantageously manufactured. There were
formerly furnaces at Leehall (near Bellingham) and
Bebside: iron-ore was got about four miles west of
Blyth; and the Carron Company were accustomed to
collect on Holy Island a part of the ore smelted at their
furnaces. The remains of ancient blomeries are found
in different parts of the county, indicating that the
Romans were acquainted with the iron-mines, which is
corroborated by the discovery of a Roman altar, at
Benwell, inscribed to Jupiter Dolichenus, the deity who
presided over iron.
Basalt is procured both in the lead and coal measures:
in the first it occurs in the form of beds interstratified
with sandstone, limestone, &c., in veins, and in heaps
on the surface termed "over-lying masses:" in the coal
measures it occurs in the general form of a long range,
crossing the country from south-west to north-east,
north of the lead-mines. Nearer the north other masses
are visible, and still further the basaltic eminences form
a striking feature in the country between Alnwick and
Berwick, and have frequently been chosen for the sites
of castles, as at Dunstanbrough, Bambrough, and Holy
Island. Some of the small islands near the coast are
also composed of this rock. The number of basaltic
veins, or dykes, traversing the coal measures, is very
considerable; the largest in the immediate neighbourhood of Newcastle, is that through Coley Hill, about
four miles west of the town, which is twenty-four feet
wide, and in which a long range of quarries has been
opened, in some places to the depth of fifty feet. Limestone is abundant in all parts of Bambrough ward, and
that part of Glendale ward lying east of the river Till;
thence it stretches in a south-western direction, through
the central part of the county. Freestone, of various
kinds, abounds in almost every quarter, and is applied
to all the purposes of building: many of the quarries
afford tolerably good slate for roofing, and flagstones
for floors; and at some of them are obtained excellent
grindstones, of which many are exported. Whinstone
of the blue kind exists in numerous places, particularly
in the district called Bambroughshire; and the tract on
the western side of the river Till, including all the
Cheviot mountains, yields scarcely any other mineral
substance than brown, red, or grey whinstone, which is
an exceedingly good material for making roads. Stone
marl abounds in many parts near the Tweed, and shell
marl is found in a few places in Glendale ward; clay
marl is also discovered in small quantities, but in situations unfavourable to its use as manure. Ore of zinc
can be procured in abundance in most of the veins producing lead-ore; but the distance from any brassfoundries, and the want of water-carriage, render it of
little value. Arsenic occurs in the lead-mines, in which
also is a great variety of the different kinds of spar.
The staple Manufactures are principally derived from,
or connected with, the coal-trade and mines; they include ship-building and rope-making, and there are
numerous forges, foundries, copperas-works, soda or
marine alkali manufactories, white-lead works, potteries,
glass-works, &c. Hexham has long been noted for the
making of gloves, called "Hexham Tan;" and the manufacture of straw-plat is carried on to a considerable extent in the county, much ingenuity being displayed in
some of its branches. Besides the astonishing exports
of coal, the chief articles shipped from the Tyne are,
lead, shot, cast and wrought iron, grindstones, bricks,
earthenware, and glass. The exports through the medium
of the port of Berwick, are mostly corn, flour, oatmeal,
shelled barley, potatoes, eggs, pork, and wool, which are
conveyed coastwise. The port of Alnmouth also employs a few vessels in exporting corn, flour, &c.; and,
during the summer season, a few are engaged in carrying
lime from the neighbourhood of Bambrough to different
parts of Scotland. The foreign trade is mainly to the
north of Europe. Among the chief imports are corn,
flax, hemp, linen, yarn, timber, and iron.
The principal Rivers are, the Tyne, the Tweed, the
Coquet, the Aln, the Blyth, the Wansbeck, and the Till.
The Tyne is formed by the confluence, a little above
Hexham, of two streams of nearly equal magnitude,
called the North Tyne and the South Tyne; it is a tide
river up to a short distance above Newburn, and is navigable as high as Newcastle for vessels of large burthen.
Many steam-boats ply upon it between Newcastle and
Shields. The conservancy of the river belongs to the
corporation of Newcastle, by grant of Edward II.; and
their jurisdiction extends to high-water mark on both
sides of the stream, from Spar-Hawk, a rock at the
mouth of the haven, to Hedwin streams, above Newburn,
a distance of nineteen miles. The Tyne and the Tweed
have been long famous for their salmon-fisheries, especially the latter; nearly the whole of the fish is sent to
London, in pounded ice, by means of fast-sailing smacks
of from 70 to 120 tons' burthen, built for the purpose.
Besides the numerous tramroads leading from the collieries to the staiths or shipping-places, two great railways have been completed for the conveyance of passengers and goods, one from Newcastle towards the
west, named the Newcastle and Carlisle Railway, and the
other in an eastern direction, proceeding to North Shields
and Tynemouth; the course of each is along the banks
of the Tyne, and the Carlisle railway passes by the towns
of Hexham and Haltwhistle. More recently a line has
been opened from Newcastle, by Morpeth, Alnwick, and
Belford, to Berwick; it runs along the coast, and extends
from the extreme south to the extreme north of the
county.
The Roman remains in Northumberland are among
the most interesting in the island. The principal are
those of the great barrier constructed as a defence
against the incursions of the North Britons; and the sites
of eleven of the eighteen stations along its line, enumerated as they occur in succession from the mouth of the
Tyne westward, are in this county, namely, Segedunum,
Pons Ælii, Condercum, Vindobala, Hunnum, Cilurnum,
Procolitia, Borcovicus, Vindolana, Æsica, and Magna.
These were, respectively, at Wallsend, Newcastle, Benwell, Rutchester, Halton-Chesters, Walwick-Chesters,
Carrawbrugh, Housesteads (where the remains occupy
a space two miles and a half in length), Little Chesters, Great Chesters, and Caer Voran. Of all of them
the traces are more or less distinct; and numerous
remains of Roman buildings, utensils, coins, &c., of
almost every description, have been discovered among
their foundations. The most conspicuous fragments of
the wall itself are at Denton Burn, Heddon-on-the-Wall,
Harlow Hill, and near Chollerford Bridge on the Tyne.
In addition to the stations along the wall, there were
stations at Old Town, Bellingham, Corchester, Hexham,
Tynemouth, Elsdon, and Rochester, which have also
furnished many interesting relics. Besides the paved
way that ran from turret to turret, immediately within
the wall, another proceeded by the most direct course
between the different stations of the barrier; it is still
distinguishable in various places. The Watling-street
traversed the county from south to north, entering it at
Corbridge on the Tyne, and crossing the great wall at
Portgate, a mile and a half beyond which it separates
into two branches, one running north-north-east, and
entering Scotland near Berwick, and the other northnorth-west, crossing the border at Black-Halls. The
vicinal road called the Maiden-way, supposed to be a corruption of Madeway, proceeds from Caer Voran, on the
western side of the county, to Whitley Castle, and thence
to Whellop Castle in Westmorland.
The Religious Houses, probably owing in some degree
to the unfruitfulness of a great part of the county, and
to the insecurity of its border situation, during the
whole period of the existence of those establishments,
amounted only to about forty-nine, including hospitals
and colleges. There are some remains of the abbeys of
Alnwick, Blanchland, and Hulne; the principal, however, are those of the priories of Brinkburn, Hexham,
and Tynemouth, and the abbey of Lindisfarne. Of the
numerous ancient Castles, several are yet standing either
wholly or in part. That of Bambrough is of the highest
antiquity; that of Alnwick is the most magnificent, as
well as of the most distinguished historical celebrity,
and, with its modern additions, enjoys a primary rank
among the present mansions in the county. In this
class of remains may be noticed several of the border
towers, of comparatively small dimensions, but of strong
construction. There are medical Springs at Eglingham,
Halliwell, Snowhope, and Thurston. On the mountain
streams are some cascades of considerable height, but
owing to the extreme barrenness of the tracts in which
they are situated, they are less picturesque than those
of the adjacent county of Durham. Northumberland
confers the titles of Earl and Duke on the representative
of the noble family of Percy, so distinguished in the
border annals, whose chief provincial residence is Alnwick
Castle.
Northway, with Newton
NORTHWAY, with Newton, a tything, in the parish of Ashchurch, union, and Lower division of the
hundred, of Tewkesbury, E. division of the county of
Gloucester, 2¼ miles (E. N. E.) from the town of
Tewkesbury; containing 230 inhabitants.
Northwich
NORTHWICH, a market-town, and the head of a
union, in the parochial chapelry of Witton, parish of
Great Budworth, hundred of Northwich, S. division of the county of Chester, 17½ miles (E. N. E.)
from Chester, and 173 (N. W.) from London; containing
1368 inhabitants. The name of this place is intended
to point out its situation with regard to the other wiches,
or salt-towns. Camden states that it was called by the
Britons Hellath, or Hellah Du, meaning the Black Salt
Town; it is situated on the line of the northern Watlingstreet, and the same author is of opinion that its brine
springs were used by the Romans. At the Norman
survey it constituted part of the demesne belonging to
the earldom of Chester, and eventually the estate passed
to the crown: in the reign of Richard III., the manor
was granted, with many others, to the Derby family;
but it has since been alienated. During the civil commotions, in 1643, the town was fortified, and the parliamentary forces had a garrison here: the first attack of
the royalists was unsuccessful, but on the arrival of a
reinforcement, they obtained possession of the town,
which they garrisoned; it was, however, subsequently
retaken by the parliamentarians, and retained by them
during the remainder of the war. What is usually considered, from the contiguity of the streets, to constitute
the town, lies on the verges of the townships of Witton,
Castle-Northwich, Winnington, Leftwich, Marston, and
Anderton, at the confluence of the rivers Dane and
Weaver, and at the intersection of the road from Chester
to Manchester with that from London to Liverpool.
It is regularly built, and the streets are paved and
lighted; many of the houses are ancient: the inhabitants are supplied with water conveyed by pipes from a
reservoir.
The commercial prosperity of Northwich is entirely
dependent on its numerous brine-springs and extensive
mines of rock-salt. The trade is so great as to produce
an annual export of upwards of 400,000 tons from the
springs alone: these were discovered at a very early
period, and are usually more than 100 yards in depth;
the water is so intensely impregnated as to be fit for
immediate evaporation. The mines of rock-salt were
discovered in 1670; the upper stratum lying about 60
yards below the surface of the earth is ten yards thick.
About 1773, the lower stratum, of superior quality and
ten feet in thickness, was discovered, at the depth of
110 yards, the intermediate space being occupied by a
solid mass of stone: this lower bed alone is now worked.
The pits include an area of two, three, or four acres, one
of them as many as thirty acres, and, when highly illuminated, present a singularly magnificent appearance,
the light being reflected from all points in every variety
of hue, as from a promiscuous assemblage of mirrors
and prisms. The rock-salt is conveyed down the
Weaver: one-third undergoes a refining process at
Frodsham, and at the works on the Lancashire side of the
Mersey, and the remainder is sent to Liverpool, whence
it is exported to Ireland and the ports of the Baltic.
The number of vessels employed in conveying salt to
Liverpool, and which return with coal, is about 300, of
from 90 to 100 tons' burthen; and many others are
engaged exclusively in the importation, from Liverpool,
of timber, grain, wine, spirituous liquors, raw cotton,
grocery, &c., these vessels frequently taking back oak
timber. Facilities of water-carriage are also supplied by
the Grand Trunk canal, which passes in a semicircular
direction through the salt-works, about one mile to the
north; and about two miles distant, on the road to
Chester, is the Hartford station of the Liverpool and
Birmingham railway. Some vessels of small burthen
are built. The market, which is held by prescription, is
on Friday; and there are fairs on April 10th, for cattle
only, and on August 2nd and December 6th, both which
are numerously attended by manufacturers from Manchester, Yorkshire, and Birmingham, with their respective goods, and by venders of Irish linen. A commodious range of booths for the use of the dealers was
erected about a quarter of a mile from the town by Mr.
Mort, a late lord of the manor; but these booths have
since been converted into a market-hall, and booths
have been erected in the town by Mr. Heywood, the
present lord. Courts leet and baron are held, at which
constables and other officers are appointed. The powers
of the county debt-court of Northwich, established in
1847, extend over the registration-district of Northwich,
and the township of Great Budworth. The general
quarter-sessions, formerly held here once in the year,
were removed to Knutsford in 1784. A church, dedicated to the Holy Trinity, has been built and endowed
by the Weaver Navigation Company; it is in the early
English style: the living is a perpetual curacy, in the
patronage of the Bishop of Chester; net income, £150.
There are places of worship for Independents and Wesleyans; and a national school. A savings' bank was
established in 1818. The poor-law union of Northwich
comprises 60 parishes or places, containing a population
of 29,018.
Northwick
NORTHWICK, a chapelry, in the parish of Henbury, union of Thornbury, Lower division of the
hundred of Henbury, W. division of the county of
Gloucester, 6½ miles (S. W. by W.) from Thornbury;
containing 256 inhabitants. The navigable river Severn
runs on the west of the chapelry.
Northwick
NORTHWICK, a hamlet, in the parish of Blockley, union of Shipston, Upper division of the hundred
of Oswaldslow, Blockley and E. divisions of the county
of Worcester, though locally in the Upper division of
the hundred of Kiftsgate, county of Gloucester, 1¾
mile (S.) from Chipping-Campden. About a mile north
of the village of Blockley is Northwick Park, the seat of
Lord Northwick, a noble structure, surrounded by
spacious lawns and well-wooded hills and dales, interspersed with delightful walks and drives; the park is
well stocked with deer, and the eastern part is ornamented with an extensive lake. The mansion contains
a splendid collection of pictures.
Northwold (St. Andrew)
NORTHWOLD (St. Andrew), a parish, in the
union of Thetford, hundred of Grimshoe, W. division
of Norfolk, 3½ miles (S. E. by E.) from Stoke-Ferry;
containing, with the hamlet of Whittington, 1140 inhabitants. The parish is on the road from Lynn to Thetford, and bounded on the north-west by the river Wissey;
it comprises 5232a. 3r. 11p., of which 2855 acres are
arable, 1969 pasture, 138 woodland, and the remainder
common. A fair is held on November 30th. At Whittington is an extensive malting establishment belonging
to Messrs. Whitbread and Company. The living is a
rectory, valued in the king's books at £29. 14. 9½., and
in the gift of the Bishop of Ely: the tithes have been
commuted for £883, and the glebe comprises 57 acres.
The church, built in the reign of Edward IV., has a
stately quadrangular tower of flint, embattled, quoined
with freestone, and crowned with eight richly-carved
pinnacles: the interior contains many beautiful and
interesting details; on the north side of the chancel is
a fine mural monument, and there are memorials to the
families of Carter, Waddington, Holder, and others, and
one to Robert Burhill, D.D., an eminent divine and
author of many learned works. On the inclosure of
the parish, in 1796, 118 acres were allotted to the poor
for pasturage and fuel; and 108 acres, producing about
£100 a year, have been bequeathed by various benefactors for repairing the church.
Northwood
NORTHWOOD, a hamlet, in the parish of Ruislip,
union of Uxbridge, hundred of Elthorne, county of
Middlesex; containing 199 inhabitants.
Northwood
NORTHWOOD, a township, in the parish and union
of Wem, Whitchurch division of the hundred of North
Bradford, N. division of the county of Salop; containing 233 inhabitants.
Northwood (St. John the Baptist)
NORTHWOOD (St. John the Baptist), a parish,
in the liberty of West Medina, Isle of Wight division
of the county of Southampton, 1¾ mile (S.) from West
Cowes; containing, with the town of West Cowes, 5147
inhabitants. The parish is bounded on the east by the
navigable river Medina, on the west by the Newtown
river, on the north by the sea, and on the south by the
forest of Parkhurst. Its surface slopes gently towards
the Medina, with an alternation of meadows and wood,
abounding in picturesque scenery, but the central portion is of less pleasing aspect. The road from West
Cowes to Newport passes through the parish from north
to south. The living is annexed, with that of Newport,
to the vicarage of Carisbrooke.
Northwood
NORTHWOOD, an ecclesiastical parish, in the
parish of Stoke-upon-Trent, N. division of the hundred of Pirehill and of the county of Stafford;
immediately adjoining the town of Hanley. The district
of Northwood was constituted in 1845, under the provisions of the act 6th and 7th Victoria, cap. 37; and is
one mile and a half in length, and the same extent in
breadth, one portion of it very high, and overlooking the
surrounding country. The river Trent runs on the
eastern side, but the Trent and Mersey canal forms the
exact boundary in that direction. Coal and ironstone
are wrought, and the manufacture of pottery-ware is
largely carried on. The district became a parish on the
consecration of the church, which has just been built:
the edifice occupies an eligible site, and is in the early
English style; the cost has been estimated at £2400.
The living is a perpetual curacy, in the patronage of the
Crown and the Bishop of Lichfield, alternately; net
income, £150. The Methodists of the New Connexion
have a place of worship.
Nortoft
NORTOFT, a hamlet, in the parish and hundred of
Guilsborough, union of Brixworth, S. division of the
county of Northampton; with 322 inhabitants.