Norton, Bishop's (St. Peter)
NORTON, BISHOP'S (St. Peter), a parish, in the
union of Caistor, E. division of the wapentake of
Aslacoe, parts of Lindsey, county of Lincoln, 10
miles (W. N. W.) from Market-Rasen; containing, with
the township of Atterby, 475 inhabitants. The living is a
discharged vicarage, in the patronage of the Prebendary
of Bishop's-Norton in the Cathedral of Lincoln, valued
in the king's books at £9; net income, £185. There is
a place of worship for Wesleyans.
Norton, Brize (St. Brise)
NORTON, BRIZE (St. Brise), a parish, in the
union of Witney, hundred of Bampton, county of
Oxford, 5 miles (W. S. W.) from Witney; containing
687 inhabitants. It comprises by measurement 4000
acres, of which the principal portion is arable: the soil
is rather shallow, and in some parts stone brash; the
surface is generally flat. There are good stone-quarries.
The living is a discharged vicarage, valued in the king's
books at £9. 7. 11.; net income, £165; patrons and
appropriators, the Dean and Canons of Christ-Church,
Oxford. The tithes were commuted for land and a
money payment in 1775. The church contains a beautiful effigy in stone of John D'Aubigny, in the costume
of the time of Edward III.
Norton-by-Bredon
NORTON-BY-BREDON, a chapelry, in the parish
of Bredon, union of Tewkesbury, Middle division of
the hundred of Oswaldslow, Pershore and E. divisions
of the county of Worcester, 4½ miles (N. E. by N.)
from Tewkesbury; containing 287 inhabitants. It is
situated on the left bank of the river Avon; and the
road from Pershore to Tewkesbury and the Birmingham
and Gloucester railway traverse it in a parallel direction,
from north to south. The area is 1097a. 30p. To the
east of the village, at the foot of Bredon Hill, is Norton
House, a handsome Elizabethan structure. The tithes
were commuted for land and a money payment in 1814.
The chapel, near the centre of the village, is a stone
edifice, capable of seating 120 persons. When excavating for the railway, some Romanized-British or early
Saxon remains were found, consisting of spear-heads,
beads, &c.
Norton-by-Kempsey (St. James)
NORTON-BY-KEMPSEY (St. James), a parish,
in the union of Pershore, Lower division of the hundred of Oswaldslow, W. division of the county of
Worcester, 3½ miles (S. S. E.) from Worcester; containing 601 inhabitants. This place, which by the adjunct to its name is distinguished from other Nortons
in the county, was during the reigns of Henry IV. and
V. the residence of the Gowers of Warwickshire, escheators of Worcestershire, of whose ancient seat, Woodhall,
little more remains than the stately avenue of elm-trees,
that formed the approach. One of this family married
a daughter of the house of Dudley, who was styled
Lady Dudley of Woodhall; and in the reign of James I.,
the estate was sold by William Gower to Mr. Stevens,
of Newington, in the county of Middlesex, whose tomb
is still preserved in the church. The parish is situated
near the turnpike-road to Pershore, and comprises by
measurement 1846 acres, of which 1157 are arable, 600
meadow and pasture, and the remainder woodland,
plantations, and roads. The surface is pleasingly varied,
and in many places very picturesque. From the hamlet of Hatfield are obtained beautiful views of the surrounding country, embracing the Bredon and Malvern
hills, with the town of Malvern, the Woodbury and
Cruckbarrow hills, Worcester cathedral, the spire of
St. Andrew's church, and other interesting objects.
The soil is a rich clay and marl, producing excellent
crops of wheat, beans, and peas; and the substratum
chiefly blue lias, which is quarried for building, and for
burning into lime. The Birmingham and Gloucester
and the Oxford and Wolverhampton railways intersect
the parish. Norton Hall, the seat of Benjamin Hooke,
Esq., an old mansion previously the residence of Thomas
Bird, Esq., has been greatly improved and enlarged
by the present proprietor. Norton Villa, the residence
of George J. A. Walker, Esq., is pleasantly situated on
the north-east side of the road, in grounds tastefully
laid out, embellished with thriving plantations, and
commanding extensive and finely varied prospects:
Newland House, the residence of Thomas Hooke, Esq.,
is also pleasantly situated. The living is a perpetual
curacy, in the patronage of the Dean and Chapter of
Worcester, valued in the king's books at £2. 12. 6.; net
income, £100, with an excellent house. The appropriate
tithes were commuted in 1841 for £460, and the appropriate glebe comprises 41 acres. The church is a very
ancient structure with a tower. There is a place of worship for Wesleyans; a parochial school is supported by
subscription, and a Sunday school by Mrs. Walker, who
has presented a library for the use of the children attending it. Thomas Knight in 1652, and Elizabeth
Stevens in 1668, bequeathed each £100 to the poor.
Norton-Canes.—See Norton-under-Cannock.
NORTON-CANES.—See Norton-under-Cannock.
Norton-Canon (St. Nicholas)
NORTON-CANON (St. Nicholas), a parish, in the
union of Weobley, hundred of Grimsworth, county
of Hereford, 3¼ miles (S. S. W.) from Weobley; containing 282 inhabitants. The parish comprises 2072a.
2r. 23p., of which rather more than one-half is arable,
and the remainder, with the exception of 90 acres of
woodland, meadow and pasture. It is intersected by
the road from Hereford to Kington. The living is a
discharged vicarage, valued in the king's books at £5;
net income, £120; patrons and appropriators, the Dean
and Chapter of Hereford. The great tithes have been
commuted for £310, and the vicarial for £119; the
glebe contains 4 acres.
Norton, Chipping (St. Mary)
NORTON, CHIPPING (St. Mary), an incorporated
market-town, a parish, and the head of a union, in
the hundred of Chadlington, county of Oxford, 19
miles (N. W.) from Oxford, and 74 (N. W. by W.) from
London; containing, with the hamlet of Over Norton,
3031 inhabitants, of whom 2629 are in the town. This
place derives its name from its northern situation, and
appears from its Saxon prefix to have been of some
importance at the time of the heptarchy: it occupies a
picturesque situation, surrounded by undulated hills, on
the road from Oxford to Worcester. The streets are
partially paved, and lighted with gas, and there is a
plentiful supply of water. Many remains of ancient
buildings have been incorporated in the present houses;
the most interesting are in a house in the High-street.
The woollen manufacture, which formerly flourished, is
now reduced to one establishment, chiefly in the horsecloth and girth branch. The market is on Wednesday;
and great markets for cattle are held on the last Wednesday in each month, and the Wednesday next after
Dec. 11th; also statute-fairs on the Wednesday before
and after the 10th of October.
The charter was granted by James I. in 1607, and
under it the officers of the corporation were, two bailiffs,
two chamberlains, twelve burgesses, a town-clerk, and
two serjeants-at-mace; the government is now vested in
a mayor, four aldermen, and twelve councillors, agreeably with the act 5th and 6th of William IV., cap. 76,
and the mayor and late mayor are justices of the peace.
The freedom is acquired by birth or servitude. By
charter the late corporation had cognizance of, and the
power of trying, all offences the punishment of which
did not extend to loss of life or limb; the present corporation, however, hold no other than courts of pettysession. The powers of the county debt-court of
Chipping-Norton, established in 1847, extend over the
registration-district of Chipping-Norton. The town
anciently returned two members to parliament, but discontinued from the reign of Edward III. Belonging to
the borough are two commons, one called the Great
common and the other Southcomb, on which the occupier of every ancient tenement may turn a horse or a
cow from May-day till the end of October.
The living is a discharged vicarage, valued in the
king's books at £10. 6. 8.; net income, £150; patrons
and appropriators, the Dean and Chapter of Gloucester:
the tithes were commuted for land in 1769. The
church, situated in a beautiful valley, is in the decorated English style, and once had an elegant and highlyenriched tower, which, being in a very dilapidated state,
was taken down, and a square embattled tower erected,
in 1819; the interior was repewed and beautified, at a
cost of about £2000, in 1839. The edifice contains the
chantry chapels of St. John, St. James, and the Virgin,
founded respectively by John Tanner, Margaret Pynner,
and Master Lee; and some very handsome monuments
with recumbent effigies. Here are places of worship for
Baptists, the Society of Friends, and Wesleyans; also a
Roman Catholic chapel, which, standing on an eminence,
is a prominent object. On the dissolution of the Trinity
guild, the grammar school, which for a long period had
been endowed with £6 per annum from the funds of
that establishment, was re-founded by Edward VI., and
the sum has since that time been paid at the Salt-office,
out of the land revenue belonging to the crown. Mr.
Francis Barnes in 1762 bequeathed £300, now producing £17 per annum, to the school. The poor-law union
of Chipping-Norton comprises 33 parishes or places, 30
of which are in the county of Oxford, 2 in that of Warwick, and one in that of Gloucester, the whole containing
a population of 16,151.
At Over Norton was an Augustine priory, founded in
the reign of Henry II., by William Fitz-Alan, and dedicated to the Virgin, St. John the Evangelist, and St.
Giles; having escheated to the crown in the reign of
Henry VII., it was purchased by Dr. William Smith,
Bishop of Lincoln, and given to Brasenose College, Oxford, its revenue then amounting to £50. Close to the
church, and surrounded by a moat, is the site of a castle
supposed to have been built in the reign of Stephen;
and on the road to Birmingham, half a mile distant, was
an ancient chapel, the site of which is now occupied by
a posting-house and hotel called Chapel House. On
digging for the purpose of enlarging this building, stone
coffins were found containing human bones, among
which were beads and a silver crucifix; and three urns
were discovered in a vault, with some fragments of masonry. There is a curious crypt under a house in the
town, and a Saxon arched doorway in another dwelling.
Norton, Cold (St. Stephen)
NORTON, COLD (St. Stephen), a parish, in the
union of Maldon, hundred of Dengie, S. division of
the county of Essex, 5 miles (S.) from Maldon; containing 264 inhabitants. It comprises 1651a. 1r. 28p.
of land. The soil is chiefly clay; the surface is hilly,
and was formerly enriched with oaks of luxuriant growth,
of which a few still remain. The living is a rectory,
valued in the king's books at £16. 13. 4., and in the
gift of the Governors of the Charter-House, London: the
tithes have been commuted for £385, and the glebe
comprises 42 acres. The church is a small edifice with
a shingled spire, situated on an eminence, and contains
some ancient monuments.
Norton, Cold
NORTON, COLD, a township, in the parish of
Chebsey, union of Stone, S. division of the hundred of
Pirehill, N. division of the county of Stafford, 2¾
miles (N. E. by E.) from Eccleshall; containing 41 inhabitants. It is situated on the road from Stone to
Eccleshall, near the river Sow; and a station on the
Liverpool and Birmingham railway is fixed here.
Norton-Coleparle (All Saints)
NORTON-COLEPARLE (All Saints), a parish, in
the union and hundred of Malmesbury, Malmesbury
and Kingswood, and N. divisions of Wilts, 3¾ miles
(S. W. by W.) from Malmesbury; containing 116 inhabitants. It comprises by computation 948 acres, of
which 324 are arable, 535 pasture, and 4 woodland: the
surface is elevated, and enriched with wood; the soil
is chiefly clay, alternated with stone brash. The living
is a discharged vicarage, valued in the king's books at
£2. 19. 9½., and in the gift of J. Neeld, Esq.; the impropriate tithes have been commuted for £77. 14., and
the vicarial for £100. The church is of modern date.
Norton-Conyers
NORTON-CONYERS, a township, in the parish of
Wath, wapentake of Allertonshire, N. riding of
York, 3½ miles (N. by E.) from Ripon; containing 60
inhabitants. This was the seat of Richard Norton, lord
chief justice of England in the early part of the reign of
Henry IV.; and subsequently of the gallant royalist,
Sir Richard Graham, who, having received numerous
wounds in the battle of Marston-Moor, and finding it
lost, fled to his house here, and died the same night.
The township comprises 985a. 1r. 9p., of which 368 acres
are arable, 377 meadow and pasture, 98 woodland, and
115 open common. A rent-charge of £156 has been
awarded as a commutation for the tithes.
Norton-Cuckney.—See Cuckney.
NORTON-CUCKNEY.—See Cuckney.
Norton-Disney (All Saints)
NORTON-DISNEY (All Saints), a parish, in the
union of Newark, Lower division of the wapentake of
Boothby-Graffo, parts of Kesteven, county of Lincoln, 7 miles (N. E. by E.) from Newark; containing
206 inhabitants. This parish, which is bounded on the
east by the river Witham; comprises by measurement
2306 acres: the soil is very various, in some parts a stiff
tenacious clay, in others sand and gravel; the lands are
chiefly arable. The living is a discharged vicarage,
valued in the king's books at £6. 6. 10., and in the gift
of Sir Thomas Clarges, Bart.: the tithes have been commuted for £115, and the glebe comprises 60 acres. The
church is an ancient structure.
Norton, East (All Saints)
NORTON, EAST (All Saints), a parish, in the
union of Billesdon, hundred of East Goscote, N.
division of the county of Leicester, 6 miles (W. by N.)
from Uppingham; containing 137 inhabitants. This
parish, which is situated on the road from Leicester to
Stamford, comprises 1062a. 1r. 30p. of land, inclosed in
the year 1651, and in profitable cultivation; the surface
is varied, and the scenery generally pleasing. The living
is annexed to the vicarage of Tugby: the impropriate
tithes have been commuted for £7. 2., and the vicarial
for £147. 8.; the glebe comprises 6 acres. The church
is ancient. At the inclosure, 12 acres were allotted to
the poor, who have also some small bequests.
Norton-Falgate
NORTON-FALGATE, an extra-parochial liberty, in
the union of Whitechapel, locally in the Tower division of the hundred of Ossulstone, county of Middlesex; adjoining the ward of Bishopsgate Without in
the city of London, and containing 1674 inhabitants.
Norton Falgate or Folgate, called also Norton-Folley,
derives its name from its situation north of Bishopsgate, and the adjunct to its name probably from the
Saxon Foldweg, "a highway," the Roman Ermin-street
having passed through the place. It is a precinct exempt
from archidiaconal jurisdiction, being subject to the Dean
and Chapter of St. Paul's, to whom the manor belongs,
and who are stated in Domesday book to have held ten
cottages and nine acres of land here in the reign of
Edward the Confessor. In Elder-street are almshouses
for six members of the Weavers' Company, founded and
endowed in 1729 by Nicholas Garrat, Esq.; and adjoining them are others for the poor of Norton-Falgate,
erected in the previous year. St. Mary Spital, a priory
for canons and brethren of the order of St. Augustine,
was founded by William Brune, a citizen of London, in
the year 1197: its revenue at the Dissolution was
£557. 14. 10.
Norton-Ferris
NORTON-FERRIS, a tything, in the parish of Kilmington, hundred of Norton-Ferris, union of Mere,
E. division of Somerset; containing 95 inhabitants.
Norton-Fitzwarren (All Saints)
NORTON-FITZWARREN (All Saints), a parish,
in the union of Taunton, hundred of Taunton and
Taunton-Dean, W. division of Somerset, 2¾ miles
(W. N. W.) from Taunton; containing 606 inhabitants.
It comprises 1257 acres. The canal from Taunton to
Tiverton passes through. The living is a rectory,
valued in the king's books at £20. 10. 10., and in the
gift of Charles Welman, Esq., lord of the manor: the
tithes have been commuted for £283, and the glebe
comprises 7½ acres. The church is an ancient structure;
the chancel is separated from the nave by a richly-carved
screen. On an eminence above the church are traces of
a circular encampment.
Norton, Greens.—See Greens-Norton.
NORTON, GREENS.—See Greens-Norton.
Norton-Hautville
NORTON-HAUTVILLE, a ville, in the union of
Clutton, hundred of Chew, E. division of Somerset;
containing 32 inhabitants.—See Chew Magna.
Norton, Hook (St. Peter)
NORTON, HOOK (St. Peter), a parish, in the
union of Banbury, hundred of Chadlington, county
of Oxford, 5¼ miles (N. E. by N.) from Chipping-Norton; containing, with the township of Southrope, 1525
inhabitants. The parish comprises by survey 5310 acres
of arable and pasture land in nearly equal portions. The
living is a perpetual curacy; net income, £180; patron,
the Bishop of Oxford; impropriator, Lord Talbot. There
are places of worship for Baptists and Wesleyans.
Norton-in-Hales (St. Chad)
NORTON-IN-HALES (St. Chad), a parish, in the
union of Drayton, Drayton division of the hundred of
North Bradford, N. division of Salop, 3½ miles (N.
E. by N.) from Drayton; containing 312 inhabitants.
It comprises by measurement 1846 acres of land, of
which the substratum abounds with red-sandstone of
the new formation, quarried for building. The living is
a discharged rectory, valued in the king's books at
£5. 9. 4.; net income, £305; patron, F. B. Pearson,
Esq. A school has an endowment of £10 per annum.
The learned Dr. Lightfoot, master of Clare Hall, Cambridge, was rector of the parish.
Norton-Juxta-Twycross (Holy Trinity)
NORTON-JUXTA-TWYCROSS (Holy Trinity), a
parish, in the union of Market-Bosworth, hundred of
Sparkenhoe, S. division of the county of Leicester,
6½ miles (W. N. W.) from Market-Bosworth; containing, with the chapelry of Bilstone, 526 inhabitants, of
whom 400 are in the township of Norton. The living
is a rectory, valued in the king's books at £14, and in
the gift of the Crown; income, £273. William Whiston, the celebrated divine and mathematician, was born
here in 1667, during the incumbency of his father.
Norton, King's (St. John the Baptist)
NORTON, KING'S (St. John the Baptist), a parish, in the union of Billesdon, hundred of Gartree,
S. division of the county of Leicester; containing,
with the chapelry of Stretton Parva, 172 inhabitants, of
whom 64 are in the township of King's Norton, 7½ miles
(E. S. E.) from Leicester. The living is a discharged
vicarage, valued in the king's books at £7; net income,
£103; patron and impropriator, Henry Green, Esq.
The tithes were commuted for land in 1770. At Stretton Parva is a chapel of ease.
Norton, King's (St. Nicholas)
NORTON, KING'S (St. Nicholas), a parish, and
the head of a union, in the Upper division of the hundred of Halfshire, E. division of the county of Worcester, 5 miles (S. S. W.) from Birmingham; containing, with the chapelries of Moseley and Wythall, 5550
inhabitants. This place was formerly a town of some
importance, and in the reign of James I. had the grant
of a weekly market. In the parliamentary war, Hawkesley, in the parish, the seat of the Middlemore family,
was attacked and burnt by a party of royalists, on the
14th of May 1645. The parish comprises 11,502a. 3r.
37p., of which about 4500 acres are arable, and the remainder meadow and pasture, with the exception of 49
acres of woodland and plantations, 19 in beds of osier,
and 31 covered by the reservoirs of the Worcester and
Birmingham canal. The surface, especially around the
church, is undulated, presenting a pleasing variety of
hill and dale; the scenery is enriched with numerous
hedge-rows of well-grown timber, and the small river
Rea flows through the lower grounds. The soil near
the village is of a strong stiff nature, well adapted for
the growth of wheat and beans; the grass-land, also, in
that part of the parish, is luxuriantly rich, and, from its
vicinity to Birmingham, lets at a high rent, chiefly for
pasturing milch-cows. In the north-eastern portion,
which extends to within a mile of Birmingham, and in
which is the chapel of Moseley, the soil is of a lighter
quality, with a substratum of gravel, and produces excellent crops of potatoes and turnips. In the southeastern district, at Wythall, it is dark coloured, and
peaty, resting on clay, and is less fertile than in any
other part of the parish.
A considerable number of the inhabitants are employed
in the manufacture of nails; there is also a manufactory
for swords and gun-barrels, which is in a very flourishing state, and one for the making of fire-irons. The
market has been long discontinued; but fairs are still
held on the 25th of April and the 5th of September.
The Birmingham and Worcester canal, and the Birmingham and Gloucester railway, pass through the
parish; the former makes a junction with the Stratford
canal, and is conveyed through a tunnel into the parish
of Alvechurch. The living was till lately annexed to
the vicarage of Bromsgrove; it is now a distinct perpetual curacy, in the gift of the Dean and Chapter of
Worcester. The great tithes have been commuted for
£630, and the small for £175; the impropriate glebe
consists of 300 acres, and the vicarial of 65. The church
is an ancient structure, chiefly in the decorated English
style, with some insertions of later date, and a tower of
elegant design surmounted by a lofty and well-proportioned spire, and contains 800 sittings. At Moseley and
Wythall are separate incumbencies. The free grammar
school was founded by Edward VI., and endowed with
a payment of £15 per annum; it has a library of several hundred volumes, bequeathed by the Rev. Thomas
Hall, a former curate. Fifteen boys are instructed on
the foundation in reading, writing, and arithmetic. The
master has the privilege of taking private pupils; the
present master was nominated by James Taylor, Esq.,
who, as lord of the manor (purchased from the crown
by his father), claims to be the sole trustee. There are
two schoolrooms, which are also used by the boys and
girls of some Sunday schools. The poor-law union consists of five parishes or places, of which three are in the
county of Worcester, and one each in the counties of
Stafford and Warwick, together containing a population
of 21,674.
Norton-Le-Clay
NORTON-LE-CLAY, a township, in the parish of
Cundall, wapentake of Hallikeld, N. riding of York,
3 miles (N.) from Boroughbridge; containing 150 inhabitants. It comprises 1030 acres. The village is pleasantly situated about a mile east of the Leaming-Lane,
and near the road between Boroughbridge and Dishforth.
A neat chapel of ease was built in 1839.
Norton-Lindsey (Holy Trinity)
NORTON-LINDSEY (Holy Trinity), a parish, in
the union of Warwick, Snitterfield division of the hundred of Barlichway, S. division of the county of Warwick, 3¾ miles (W. S. W.) from Warwick; containing
176 inhabitants. From the time of Edward III. this
was the property of the earls of Warwick. The parish
is situated between the roads from Henley and from
Stratford to Warwick, and comprises 600 acres by
measurement. The living is annexed to the vicarage of
Claverdon: the rectorial tithes have been commuted for
£121. 10. The church is a small ancient structure.
Norton-Malereward
NORTON-MALEREWARD, a parish, in the union
of Clutton, hundred of Chew, E. division of Somerset,
2¼ miles (N. W.) from Pensford; containing 98 inhabitants. It comprises 1053a. 1r. 36p. of land, of which
the substratum abounds with stone, quarried for building. The living is a rectory, valued in the king's books
at £9. 2. 6., and in the gift of the Rev. W. P. Wait:
the tithes have been commuted for £223, and the glebe
comprises 57 acres. The church is an ancient structure,
chiefly in the Norman style; the chancel is separated
from the nave by a handsome arch of that character.
There are some traces of a Roman camp.
Norton-Mandeville (All Saints)
NORTON-MANDEVILLE (All Saints), a parish,
in the union and hundred of Ongar, S. division of
Essex, 3 miles (N. E. by E.) from Ongar; containing
134 inhabitants. This place is supposed to have derived
its name from its relative situation to Ongar, and the
affix to its name from an early proprietor. The parish
comprises by measurement 725 acres, of which about
500 are arable, 217 pasture, and 6 woodland. The living
is a perpetual curacy; net income, £83; patron and
impropriator, C. Cure, Esq. The church is a small plain
edifice, with a shingled spire.
Norton, Midsomer (St. John the Baptist)
NORTON, MIDSOMER (St. John the Baptist), a
parish, in the union of Clutton, hundred of Chewton,
E. division of Somerset, 9½ miles (S. W. by S.) from
Bath; containing, with the tythings of Clapton, Downside, and Welton, 3509 inhabitants, of whom 1266 are
in Midsomer-Norton tything. This place derives the
prefix to its name from its situation between the two
branches of the river Somer. The parish is bounded by
the Roman Fosse-way, and comprises about 10,000 acres:
the soil is various, in parts a rich red loam, and in
others of inferior quality; the surface is boldly undulated, and the scenery pleasingly diversified. The district abounds with coal of superior quality, of which
several mines are in operation. The village consists of
one long street; a fair is held in it for cattle, pigs, and
various articles of merchandise, on the 25th of April.
The living is a discharged vicarage, valued in the king's
books at £10. 3. 4., and in the gift of the Dean and
Chapter of Christ-Church, Oxford: a tithe rent-charge
of £340 is paid to the vicar, one of £70 to the dean and
chapter, and one of £25 to certain impropriators. The
church is a large and handsome structure, with a modern
tower having on the south side a recess containing a
statue of Charles II. A neat district church has been
erected at Downside, and another church at Clandown.
There is a place of worship for Wesleyans. Ann Harris,
in 1719, gave the residue of her personal estate, now
producing about £45 per annum, for teaching children
of the poor.
Norton-on-the-Moors (St. Bartholomew)
NORTON-ON-THE-MOORS (St. Bartholomew),
a parish, in the union of Leek, N. division of the hundred of Pirehill and of the county of Stafford,
5 miles (N. E.) from Newcastle-under-Lyme; comprising the townships of Bemersley and Norton, and the
hamlets of Baddeley-Green, Ball-Green, Brown-Edge,
Ford-Green, Milton, Norton-Green, Smallthorn, and
Whitfield Ville; and containing about 4000 inhabitants.
The parish consists of 3828 acres of inclosed land, with
250 acres of common. The scenery is very bold and
picturesque, and is remarkable for three hills, running
parallel from north to south, one passing through the
village of Smallthorn, another through Norton, and the
third through Brown-Edge, being at about equal distances
from east to west: the valleys contain land of good
quality, but the soil generally is of a cold clayey nature.
Two streams of the river Trent pass through the parish,
one of them at Ford-Green, and the other at NortonGreen; and it has been a matter of controversy which of
the two is the source of the Trent: that at NortonGreen rises furthest to the north, at or near Lask-Edge,
in the parish of Horton, and passing by Knypersley, and
through the parish of Norton, joins the Ford-Green
stream at or near the Abbey Farm, in the parish of
Stoke-upon-Trent. There is an abundance of coal,
varying in quality, suitable for works and household
purposes, and which is obtained at different depths in
beds from four to seven feet thick. The road from
Newcastle to Leek, and the Caldon canal (a branch of
the Trent and Mersey canal), pass through the centre of
the parish.
Norton was separated from the parish of Stoke by act
of parliament in 1807. The living is a rectory not in
charge, in the patronage of C. B. Adderley, Esq., and
incumbency of the Rev. George B. Wildig: the tithes
have been commuted for £550; and there is a substantial parsonage-house, built by the present incumbent in
1826, of stone obtained in the parish. The church,
erected in 1738, stands on the summit of Norton Hill,
and on the site of a former edifice; it is a plain commodious structure of brick, with a tower at the west end
containing six excellent bells. At Brown-Edge is a
district church, dedicated to St. Anne: the living is a
perpetual curacy, in the gift of the Bishop of Lichfield,
with an income of £100. There are several places of
worship for dissenters. Some small sums have been left
for instruction, and for the poor.
Norton, Over
NORTON, OVER, a hamlet, in the parish and
union of Chipping-Norton, hundred of Chadlington,
county of Oxford, ¾ of a mile (N. by E.) from Chipping-Norton; containing 402 inhabitants. Here are the
mansion and beautiful park of Colonel Dawkins.
Norton St. Philip (St. Philip and All Saints)
NORTON ST. PHILIP (St. Philip and All Saints),
a parish, in the union of Frome, hundred of Wellow,
E. division of Somerset, 6½ miles (S. by E.) from Bath;
containing 775 inhabitants, and comprising 1527 acres.
The living is a vicarage, valued in the king's books at
£5. 11. 3., and in the gift of the Bishop of Bath and
Wells; the impropriation belongs to Mrs. Day. The
vicarial tithes have been commuted for £123, and the
glebe comprises 4 acres. The church is partly in the
later English style, with a very handsome tower. There
is a place of worship for Baptists; also a school supported by two endowments, one of £10 per annum, bequeathed by Mr. Coles, and the other of £50, the interest
of money given in 1827 by Joseph Neeld, Esq., who, in
the same year, built schoolrooms.
Norton, Pudding (St. Margaret)
NORTON, PUDDING (St. Margaret), a parish, in
the union of Walsingham, hundred of Gallow, W.
division of Norfolk, 1½ mile (S.) from Fakenham;
containing 25 inhabitants. It comprises by survey 809
acres, of which 480 are arable, 256 meadow and pasture,
and 25 in plantations, chiefly of fir. The living is a
discharged rectory, valued in the king's books at £6;
patron, A. G. W. Biddulph, Esq. The church is in
ruins, and the rector receives a modus of £10 per
annum in lieu of tithes.
Norton-Subcourse (St. Margaret)
NORTON-SUBCOURSE (St. Margaret), a parish,
in the union of Loddon and Clavering, hundred of
Clavering, E. division of Norfolk, 6 miles (N. by W.)
from Beccles; containing 356 inhabitants. It is bounded
on the north by the navigable river Yare, and comprises
about 1800 acres. The living is a vicarage; patron
and impropriator, Sir Edmund Bacon, Bart. The great
tithes have been commuted for £179, and the vicarial
for £160; the glebe comprises 16 acres. The church is
an ancient structure in the decorated English style, with
a circular tower. A chantry, or college of eight secular
priests, was removed to this place from Raveningham in
the reign of Richard II., when the number was increased
to thirteen; in 1395 the society was transferred to
Mettingham, in the county of Suffolk.
Norton-Under-Cannock (St. Margaret)
NORTON-UNDER-CANNOCK (St. Margaret), a
parish, in the union of Penkridge, S. division of the
hundred of Offlow and of the county of Stafford,
8½ miles (W. by S.) from Lichfield; containing, with
the township of Little Wyrley, 755 inhabitants. The
parish comprises 4077a. 2r. 14p., of which 2529 acres
are inclosed, and the remainder open common. It
abounds with coal and ironstone, and of the former,
which is of excellent quality, there is an extensive mine
in operation at Brown Hills, opened about a century
ago, and the property of the Hussey family, leased to
William Hanbury and Son: clay, also, for brick-making,
is obtained in abundance. The Wyrley and Essington
canal passes through the parish. The living is a perpetual curacy; net income, £94; patron, the Bishop of
Lichfield: the tithes have been commuted for £353. 16.
The church is a handsome structure of Tixall stone, with
a tower and pinnacles; it was built by subscription, in
1832, at a cost of £1220. R. Gildart and P. Hussey,
Esqrs., in 1776 founded a school, and, with the consent
of the freeholders, inclosed 55 acres of land from the
common, for the purpose of increasing the endowment,
as well as the stipend of the minister: out of the rent,
now £40 per annum, £30 are paid to the schoolmaster,
and £10 to the minister. There is likewise a school
supported by subscription.
Norton-Under-Hambdon (St. Mary)
NORTON-UNDER-HAMBDON (St. Mary), a parish, in the union of Yeovil, hundred of Houndsborough, Berwick, and Coker, W. division of Somerset, 4½ miles (N. N. E.) from Crewkerne; containing
527 inhabitants. The parish is situated on the southwestern side of Hambdon Hill, in a retired and pleasant
vale, richly wooded, and comprises 642 acres, of which
74 are common or waste land. The manufacture of sailcloth is carried on to a small extent, and a few of the
inhabitants are employed in the glove-trade; stone of
good quality for building is quarried. The living is a
rectory, valued in the king's books at £9. 16. 3., and in
the gift of W. Locke, Esq.: the tithes have been commuted for £240. The church is a handsome structure
in the later English style, with an embattled tower
crowned by pinnacles, and is supposed to have been
built in the reign of Henry VII., whose bust, as also
that of his queen, is sculptured in alto-relievo in the
north aisle.
Norton, Wood.—See Wood-Norton.
NORTON, WOOD.—See Wood-Norton.