Pleaseley (St. Michael)
PLEASELEY (St. Michael), a parish, in the union
of Mansfield, hundred of Scarsdale, N. division of
the county of Derby, 3½ miles (N. W. by N.) from
Mansfield; containing, with the chapelry of Shirebrook
and the hamlet of Stoney-Houghton, 679 inhabitants.
The parish is situated on the road from Nottingham to
Chesterfield, and comprises about 3000 acres of land,
chiefly arable; 300 acres are woodland and plantation,
consisting of oak, elm, larch, and ash. Limestone
abounds; and here are some considerable manufactories for cotton-thread, hosiery, &c., principally for the
Nottingham market. Pleaseley had anciently a market
on Monday, granted in 1284 to Thomas Bec, Bishop of
St. David's, with a fair for three days; the former has
been long disused, but fairs are still held on May 6th
and October 29th, for cattle, horses, and sheep. The
living is a rectory, valued in the king's books at £11. 4. 7.;
patron, W. P. Thornhill, Esq.: the tithes have been
commuted for £643, and the glebe consists of 55 acres.
The church is an ancient stone edifice, remarkably long
and narrow: in the steeple is a large chasm, caused by
the shock of an earthquake, which was felt over a great
part of the midland counties, on March 17th, 1816.
There is a chapel of ease at Shirebrook. In a park adjoining the cotton-mills is a large inclosure with a double
vallum and intrenchments, two sides of which are
secured by natural precipices; it is 250 feet in length
by 195 in breadth, and is evidently a Saxon work.
Pleasington
PLEASINGTON, a township, in the parish, union,
and Lower division of the hundred, of Blackburn, N.
division of Lancashire, 2 miles (W. by S.) from Blackburn; containing 517 inhabitants. This was the seat
of a family of the local name, whose heiress brought the
estate to the Winkelys. It afterwards passed to the
Ainsworths or Aynesworths; and Thomas Aynesworth,
Esq., the last of this family, who died about forty years
ago, sold Feniscowles, in Pleasington, to the Feilden
family. The township is bounded on the south-east by
the river Derwent or Darwen, and lies between two turnpike-roads, both leading from Preston to Blackburn.
It comprises about 1600 acres, almost equally divided
into arable, pasture, and woodland: coal is pretty
general in the township, and there is an extensive quarry
of very superior hard white freestone. Part of the
population is employed in hand-loom weaving. Here is
a station of the Blackburn and Preston railway. The
house of Feniscowles, built by Sir William Feilden, Bart.,
is beautifully situated in a romantic valley on the banks
of the Derwent. A church was built at Feniscowles in
1840, on a site given by Sir William Feilden, who also
supplied the stone for its erection; it is dedicated to
Emmanuel, is a neat stone structure with a spire, and
cost £2000. The living is a perpetual curacy, in the
gift of the Vicar of Blackburn; net income, £179, with
a house. The district assigned to the church includes
the whole of Pleasington, and parts of Livesey and
Hoghton. A Roman Catholic chapel, a very beautiful
structure, was built and endowed about thirty years
since, by the late John Butler, Esq., of Pleasington Hall,
at a cost of nearly £20,000.
Pleasely-Hill
PLEASELY-HILL, a hamlet, in the parish and
union of Mansfield, N. division of the wapentake of
Broxtow and of the county of Nottingham; containing 400 inhabitants.
Pledgdon
PLEDGDON, a hamlet, in the parish of Henham,
union of Bishop-Stortford, hundred of Clavering,
N. division of Essex, 3½ miles (N. E. by E.) from Stansted-Mountfitchet; containing 162 inhabitants.
Plemonstall, or Plemstall (St. Peter)
PLEMONSTALL, or Plemstall (St. Peter), a
parish, in the union of Great Boughton, chiefly in the
Lower division of the hundred of Broxton, but partly
in the Second division of the hundred of Eddisbury, S.
division of the county of Chester, 4½ miles (N. E.)
from Chester, on the road to Frodsham; containing
804 inhabitants. The parish consists of the four townships of Hoole, Picton, Bridge-Trafford, and Mickle
Trafford. Two-thirds of it are arable, and the remainder
pasture; the surface is level, and the soil various, much
of it alluvial, formed from the sea, as the fossils in the
substratum indicate. The river Gowie separates the
parish from the parish of Barrow. The living is a donative, valued in the king's books at £6. 13. 4.; patron
and impropriator, the Earl of Bradford: the tithes have
been commuted for £360, and the glebe contains 23½
acres, with a small glebe-house. The church is ancient,
with the exception of the tower, which was rebuilt in
1820; it stands in the township of Mickle Trafford, a
mile north-east of the village of that name. There is a
parochial school, the master of which receives £3 for
teaching five children. At one of the Traffords a garrison
was placed for the king, by Sir William Brereton, during
the siege of Chester.
Pleshey (Holy Trinity)
PLESHEY (Holy Trinity), a parish, in the union
of Chelmsford, hundred of Dunmow, N. division of
Essex, 6½ miles (N. N. W.) from Chelmsford; containing 337 inhabitants. This place was the seat of the
high constables of England, from the institution of
their office till nearly four centuries after the Norman
Conquest; and from discoveries made, it seems to have
been previously the site either of a Roman station or a
villa. The village consists principally of one long street,
and is surrounded by an intrenchment, inclosing also
the keep mount of the Norman fortress, of which only a
stone bridge remains, of singular construction, across
the moat that separated the castle and its keep. The
treacherous arrest of the Duke of Gloucester by Richard
II. was planned while the former lay at this castle, from
which the king himself decoyed him under the pretence
of a friendly invitation to London. The living is a perpetual curacy; net income, £50; patron and impropriator, J. Tufnell, Esq. The body of the church was
rebuilt of brick in 1708, chiefly by the munificence of
Bishop Compton; but the tower which rose from the
intersection of the ancient cruciform structure, remained
in decay until renovated by the late Samuel Tufnell,
Esq., who also added a handsome chancel. To the south
of the church a college was founded about 1394, in
honour of the Holy Trinity, by Thomas of Woodstock,
Duke of Gloucester, sixth son of Edward III., for a
master, warden, eight chaplains, two clerks, and two
choristers, whose revenue at the Dissolution was estimated at £143. 12. 7.
Plessey, with Shotton
PLESSEY, with Shotton, a township, in the S.
division of the parish of Stannington, union and W.
division of Castle ward, S. division of Northumberland, 6 miles (S. by E.) from Morpeth; containing 387
inhabitants. The important family of Plessey were formerly located here, and from them the estate descended
to the Widdringtons, Radcliffs, and Ridleys, the last
being represented by Sir M. W. Ridley, Bart., the present owner. In the 13th century a chapel was founded
by John de Plessey, but it fell into disuse before the
Reformation. Here were also, at a very early period,
the church and hospital of Herford bridge; and among
other interesting objects for which the township was
once remarkable, may be named the mill of Plessey,
built in the middle of the 13th century. Plessey Hall,
now a farmhouse, was erected about 150 years since,
out of the remains of a larger edifice, and is situated in
an exceedingly beautiful and retired part of the township. The village stands on a dry and fertile knoll,
overlooking a fine sweep of the Blyth, the banks of
which are here steep, and covered with fine hanging
woods of oak; the prospect is very extensive. The impropriate tithes have been commuted for £427. 17., and
the vicarial for £14.
Plompton
PLOMPTON, a township, in the parish of Spofforth, Upper division of the wapentake of Claro, W.
riding of York, 2½ miles (S. S. E.) from Knaresborough;
containing 229 inhabitants, and comprising by computation 2870 acres. Plompton Hall was the seat of a
family of that name from the time of the Conquest till
about the middle of the eighteenth century, when the
last descendant sold the estate to the ancestor of the
Earl of Harewood, its present proprietor. An ancient
quarry has been converted into a lake of romantic appearance, inclosed with lofty rocks of gritstone. The
Hall is now occupied as a farmhouse.
Pluckley (St. Nicholas)
PLUCKLEY (St. Nicholas), a parish, in the union
of West Ashford, hundred of Calehill, lathe of
Shepway, E. division of Kent, 3 miles (S. W.) from
Charing; containing 802 inhabitants. It comprises
3047 acres, of which 70 are in wood. Here is a station
of the South-Eastern railway, five miles distant from
the great station at Ashford. A fair is held on WhitTuesday, for toys; and another on Dec. 6th, for cattle
and hogs, which are brought in great numbers. The
living is a rectory with that of Pevington united (the
former valued in the king's books at £20. 1. 5½., the
latter at £5. 13. 4.), and in the gift of the Archbishop of
Canterbury: the tithes have been commuted for £700,
and the glebe comprises 34 acres. The church, said to
have been built by Sir Richard de Pluckley, who lived
here in the reigns of Stephen and Henry II., has been
newly pewed, and is in excellent repair: adjoining the
chancel is the burial chapel of the Derings, of Surrenden-Dering, in the parish, which estate has been in their
possession several centuries. The church of Pevington,
which was dedicated to St. Mary, is in ruins.
Plumbland (St. Cuthbert)
PLUMBLAND (St. Cuthbert), a parish, in the
union of Cockermouth, Allerdale ward below Derwent, W. division of Cumberland, 6½ miles (N. by E.)
from Cockermouth; containing 729 inhabitants. The
parish comprises by computation 2440 acres, of which
about 1000 are meadow and pasture, 1400 arable, and
40 woodland. Coal and limestone abound, and much
of the latter is burned into lime; freestone of an inferior quality is also obtained. The Ellen, a fine trout
stream, bounds the parish on the north and west. The
living is a rectory, valued in the king's books at
£20. 14. 9½.; net income, £371; patron, Henry Curwen,
Esq. The church is a plain building, lately repaired and
improved. There is an excellent parsonage-house, with
about 72 acres of glebe. A free school was founded at
Parsonby in 1759, by Captain John Sibson, who endowed it with lands now producing an annual income
of £87; the school-house was erected in 1800.
Plumbley
PLUMBLEY, a township, in the parish of Great
Budworth, union of Altrincham, hundred of Bucklow, N. division of Cheshire, 3 miles (S. W. by S.)
from Knutsford; containing 385 inhabitants, and comprising 1548 acres of land. The soil is principally clay
and moss; and the surface level.
Plumpton with Westby.—See Westby.
PLUMPTON with Westby.—See Westby.
Plumpton (St. John the Baptist)
PLUMPTON (St. John the Baptist), a parish, in
the union of Towcester, hundred of Green's-Norton,
S. division of the county of Northampton, 6½ miles
(W.) from Towcester; containing 69 inhabitants. It
comprises 811a. 2r. of land; the soil is clay, intermixed
with some limestone and gravel, and the surface rather
undulated than hilly. The living is a discharged rectory, valued in the king's books at £10; patron, the
Rev. Francis Henry White, M.A.
Plumpton
PLUMPTON, a parish, in the union of Chailey,
hundred of Street, rape of Lewes, E. division of
Sussex, 4¾ miles (N. W. by W.) from Lewes, on the
road to Ditchelling; containing 294 inhabitants. The
parish comprises 2423a. 2r. 38p., of which 218 acres are
common or waste. The northern escarpment of the
Downs, here, is extremely bold and precipitous; from
the most elevated spot the views are peculiarly grand,
embracing the Sussex coast, with great part of Hampshire, to the south and parts of Surrey and Kent to the
north. The living is a rectory, valued in the king's
books at £10, and in the patronage of the Rev. William
Woodward: the tithes have been commuted for £375,
and there are 20 acres of glebe. The church is in the
early English style, with later additions, and has a
tower at the west end. Here is a place of worship for
Wesleyans. On Plumpton plain, Sir Simon de Montfort drew up his army previous to the sanguinary battle
of Lewes.
Plumpton, county of York.—See Plompton.
PLUMPTON, county of York.—See Plompton.
Plumpton-Head
PLUMPTON-HEAD, a hamlet, in the parish and
union of Penrith, Leath ward, E. division of Cumberland; containing 87 inhabitants.
Plumpton-Street
PLUMPTON-STREET, a township, in the parish of
Hesket-in-the-Forest, union of Penrith, Leath
ward, E. division of Cumberland, 6½ miles (N. by W.)
from Penrith; containing 190 inhabitants.
Plumpton-Wall
PLUMPTON-WALL, a township and chapelry, in
the parish of Lazonby, union of Penrith, Leath
ward, E. division of Cumberland, 4 miles (N. by W.)
from Penrith; containing 321 inhabitants. This township, the Voreda of the Romans, comprises 2937a. 37p.,
of which 2886 acres are arable, and 49 woodland. The
living is a perpetual curacy; net income, £49; patron,
the Earl of Lonsdale; impropriators, the Vicar of Lazonby and the poor of Witherslack. The chapel dedicated to St. John the Evangelist, and situated at SalkeldGate, a hamlet on the road to Carlisle, was rebuilt by
subscription among the inhabitants, in 1756. A Roman
altar has been found; and at Castle Steads, an inscribed
stone, with a bust, has been discovered.
Plumpton, Wood
PLUMPTON, WOOD, a parochial chapelry, in the
parish of St. Michael, union of Preston, hundred of
Amounderness, N. division of Lancashire, 4¼ miles
(N. W. by N.) from Preston; containing, with the hamlets of Bartle, Catforth, and Eaves, 1688 inhabitants.
The manor of Wood-Plumpton was held by the barons
de Stokeport. Robert de Stokeport, who died 23rd of
Henry III., left an heiress who was married, first to
Nicholas de Eaton, and secondly to John de Aderne.
By her first husband she had Robert, to whom the
second husband released all his right to the manor;
and Cicely, ultimately heiress of the Eatons, who conveyed the estate by marriage to Sir Edward Warren, of
Poynton, in whose descendants it continued until the
heiress of Sir George Warren brought it by marriage,
in 1777, to Viscount Bulkeley. The Fleming-Leycesters
succeeded to the possessions of the Bulkeleys, and
hence Lord de Tabley is the present lord. The chapelry
comprises 4721a. 2r. 6p., of which the surface is undulated, the soil various and fertile, and the scenery picturesque: the arable and meadow land are in equal portions. The Lancaster canal and Preston and Lancaster
railway pass through. The living is a perpetual curacy;
net income, £120, with a house; patron, the Vicar of
St. Michael's. The impropriate tithes have been commuted for £531. 10., and the vicarial for £261. The
chapel has been rebuilt at different periods since 1636;
it has a small tower. There are places of worship for
Wesleyans, Primitive Methodists, and Roman Catholics;
and a school at Catforth with an endowment of 23 acres
of land.