Poolton, Cheshire.—See Seacombe.
POOLTON, Cheshire.—See Seacombe.
Poorstock (St. Mary)
POORSTOCK (St. Mary), a parish, in the union of
Beaminster, partly in the hundred of Eggerton, but
chiefly in the liberty of Poorstock, Bridport division of
Dorset, 4 miles (N. E. by E.) from Bridport; containing,
with the tythings of West Milton, Mappercombe with
Nettlecombe, South Poorton with Loscombe, and Witherston, 1090 inhabitants. It is said, traditionally, that
King Athelstan had a castle here; a hill called Castle
Hill is pointed out as its site, and some fields in the
vicinity bear the name of Park fields. In the 7th of
Edward III., a market on Thursday, and a fair on the
eve, day, and morrow of St. Philip and St. James, and
two days afterwards, were granted to John Wroxhale,
to be held here; but no market or fair now takes place.
The parish comprises 3317 acres, of which 422 are common or waste land: stone for paving, and an inferior
freestone, are quarried. The living is a discharged
vicarage, valued in the king's books at £16. 16. 8.; net
income, £195; patrons and appropriators, the Dean and
Chapter of Salisbury. The great tithes have been commuted for £303, and the vicarial for £230; there is a
glebe-house, on about ¾ of an acre of land. The church
is a handsome edifice, erected about the beginning of
Henry VIIth's reign. At West Milton is a chapel of
ease, and at Mappercombe are the remains of an ancient
chapel.
Poorton, North (St. Mary)
POORTON, NORTH (St. Mary), a parish, in the
union of Beaminster, hundred of Beaminster-Forum
and Redhone, Bridport division of Dorset, 5 miles
(S. E.) from Beaminster; containing 112 inhabitants.
The living is a discharged rectory, valued in the king's
books at £5. 11. 5½., and in the gift of the Rev. W.
Jenkyns: the tithes have been commuted for £79, and
the glebe comprises nearly 2 acres.
Poorton, South
POORTON, SOUTH, a tything, in the parish of
Poorstock, union of Beaminster, hundred of Eggerton, Bridport division of the county of Dorset; containing 114 inhabitants.
Popham (St. Catherine)
POPHAM (St. Catherine), a parish, in the union
of Basingstoke, hundred of Mitcheldever, Basingstoke and N. divisions of the county of Southampton,
7 miles (S. W.) from Basingstoke; containing 99 inhabitants. The London and South-Western railway passes
on the west, through two tunnels each 200 yards in
length, separated by a cutting nearly 100 feet in depth.
it attains its summit here, being about 400 feet above
the level of the terminus at Nine Elms, London; and at
the Andover road is a station on the line. The living is
annexed, with the livings of Northington and East Stratton, to the vicarage of Mitcheldever.
Poplar (All Saints)
POPLAR (All Saints), formerly a hamlet with
Blackwall, but now a parish, and the head of a union,
in the Tower division of the hundred of Ossulstone,
county of Middlesex, 3 miles (E. by S.) from London;
containing 20,342 inhabitants. This place, which was
separated from Stepney by act of parliament, in 1817,
derived its name from the number of poplar-trees with
which it anciently abounded, and for the growth of
which its situation near the river Thames was highly
favourable. It is at the south-eastern extremity of the
county, and is bounded on the east, west, and south by
the river, and on the north by the parishes of Bromley
and Limehouse. The parish is inhabited chiefly by persons engaged in the shipping interest, by numerous artisans occupied in the different yards for building and repairing ships, and by a multitude of labourers, who find
employment in the East and West India docks. The
West India docks were constructed here, in 1802; and
the works of the Thames Plate-Glass Company, various
iron and brass foundries, and several establishments for
engineering and the manufacture of machinery, are in
the parish. It is partially paved, well lighted with gas,
and supplied with water by the East London waterworks. The Poplar institution for the promotion of
literature and science, is a neat building on the East
India road. The town-hall, forming part of the present
workhouse for the union, was erected in 1810, on the
removal of an ancient edifice, which stood in the highway.
The living is a rectory not in charge, in the gift of
Brasenose College, Oxford; net income, £632. The
church, erected by the parishioners at an expense of
£37,000, is a handsome structure in the Grecian style,
with a lofty steeple of the composite order; the interior
is conveniently arranged and chastely ornamented. The
building is situated on the south side of the East India
road, in the centre of a spacious cemetery, on the west
of which is a house for the rector. A chapel, dedicated
to St. Mary, was built by subscription in 1654, at an
expense of £2000, on a piece of ground given by the
East India Company, by whom it was almost entirely
rebuilt in 1776; it is a neat building, with a large
burial-ground. The living is a perpetual curacy, in the
patronage of the Company, and is attached to the hospital supported by them here. A chapel has been recently erected on the East India road at the expense of
George Green, Esq., for the accommodation of the numerous persons employed in his building-yards, and of the
seamen with which the neighbourhood abounds; it is a
neat edifice in the Grecian style, with a handsome campanile turret, and contains 1100 sittings. Within a few
yards of it the same gentleman has built a large house
called the "Sailors' Home," for the temporary lodging
and accommodation of sailors while on shore. There are
places of worship for Baptists, Independents, Wesleyans,
and Roman Catholics.
The boys' school, established in 1711, affords instruction on the national system. The free school, founded
in 1816, contains 300 boys and 200 girls; a schoolroom for boys, and another for girls, with houses for the
master and mistress, have been erected at an expense of
£3037, on a piece of ground given by the East India
Company, and the institution has an income of £240,
arising from bequests. A Roman Catholic school is
maintained; and in the Ladies' charity school, in union
with the National Society, 90 girls are taught. An infants' school is supported by Mr. Green, who has been
a munificent benefactor to the parish, and a zealous promoter of the schools, to the establishment and support
of which, and to other charitable uses, he has appropriated more than £10,000. There is also a school for
Irish Protestants, of whom 125 are clothed and partly
supported. The East India hospital was established for
the maintenance of widows of officers and seamen in the
company's service. It was rebuilt in 1802, and is a
spacious and substantial quadrangular structure, comprising 38 tenements: the south front contains the
chaplain's residence in the centre, and on each side
dwellings for the hospitallers; and to the north of the
chapel are 18 dwellings for the widows of superior officers. There are various bequests for distribution among
necessitous and aged parishioners. The poor-law union
comprises Poplar, Blackwall, Bromley, and Stratford-leBow, and contains a population of 31,091.
George Steevens, editor of Shakspeare's plays, was
born here in 1736, and was buried in the chapel, where
is a monument to his memory, with a fine bas-relief, in
which he is represented contemplating the bust of his
favourite author. In the cemetery are the tombs of Dr.
Glo'ster Ridley, minister of Poplar, who died in 1774,
and of his son, the Rev. James Ridley, author of the
Tales of the Genii, who died in 1765. Among the literary
men who occasionally resided here were, Robert Ainsworth, compiler of the Latin Dictionary, who kept a
school in the neighbourhood; and Sir Richard Steele,
who is said to have had a laboratory here.
Poppleton, Nether
POPPLETON, NETHER, a parish, in the E. divivision of Ainsty wapentake, W. riding of York, 4 miles
(N. W.) from York, on the road to Boroughbridge; containing 240 inhabitants. It comprises 1169 acres, of
which 669 are arable, and 500 pasture and meadow:
the surface is level; the soil is various, but rich, except on
the moorland, and the scenery is pleasing, embracing
views of the river Ouse, and York cathedral. The York
and Newcastle railway passes east of the church, and
crosses the Ouse on a bridge of three semi-elliptical
arches, thirty feet above the bed of that river, which
forms the northern boundary of the parish. The living
is a perpetual curacy; net income, £155; patron and
appropriator, the Archbishop of York, whose tithes are
held under lease by Richard F. Wilson, Esq. The church
was rebuilt, with the exception of the chancel, in 1842,
at a cost of £400; it has a turret with two bells of reverberating sound, and contains some monuments to
the family of Archbishop Hutton, who resided here in
1620. Prince Rupert, with his army, crossed the river
at this place, on his way to Marston-Moor, in 1644.
Poppleton, Upper
POPPLETON, UPPER, a chapelry, in the parishes
of Nether Poppleton and St. Mary Bishopshill
Junior, E. division of Ainsty wapentake, W. riding of
York, 4 miles (N. W. by W.) from York; containing
373 inhabitants, and comprising by measurement 1340
acres. The living is a perpetual curacy, annexed to
that of Copmanthorpe: the tithes for the manor of
Poppleton were commuted for land in 1769. The chapel is a neat edifice, dedicated to All Saints. There is a
place of worship for Wesleyans.
Porchester (St. Mary)
PORCHESTER (St. Mary), a parish, in the union
of Fareham, hundred of Portsdown, Fareham and S.
divisions of the county of Southampton, 2 miles (E.
S. E.) from Fareham; containing 767 inhabitants. This
place, the Caer Peris of the Britons, and the Portus
Magnus of the Romans, was by the Saxons called Port
ceastre, either from the castle which defended its capacious harbour, or from Porth, a Saxon chief, who landed
here with his two sons, Bieda and Maegla, and, having
obtained a settlement in this part of the island, assisted
Cerdic in establishing the kingdom of the West Saxons.
A castle of great strength was erected on the old Roman
works, which was much enlarged, or more probably rebuilt, soon after the Conquest; and previously to the
destruction of the harbour by the retiring of the sea,
this place was the principal station of the British navy,
subsequently removed to Portsmouth. Porchester Castle
is situated on a neck of land projecting a considerable
way into the harbour. The walls, which are from eight
to twelve feet in thickness, and eighteen feet high, inclose a quadrangular area of nearly five acres, are defended by numerous towers, and surrounded by a broad
and deep moat. The keep is a strong square building,
with four towers, the largest of them forming the northwest angle; it contains many spacious rooms, of which
some are vaulted with stone, and one appears to have
been the chapel. The entrance to the outer area is
through massive Norman towers on the east and west
sides: the parochial church is within the outer area.
Several of the towers, and a considerable portion of the
walls of the castle, are now in ruins. The parish comprises 1113a. 1r. 3p., of which 183 acres are down-land:
the village, called by way of distinction Porchesterstreet, extends for about a mile on the road to Fareham,
and contains some neat houses. The living is a discharged vicarage, valued in the king's books at £6, and
in the patronage of the Crown; impropriator, Lord
Powerscourt. The great tithes have been commuted
for £320, and those of the vicar for £180: there are
11 acres of glebe. The church is a venerable cruciform
structure principally in the Norman style, with a low
central tower; the west front is a fine specimen of that
style: the south transept has been destroyed; the
chancel, which is small, is of later date, and has a window of three lights in the later English style. Numerous Roman coins have been dug up.
Poringland, Great or East (All Saints)
PORINGLAND, GREAT or EAST (All Saints), a
parish, in the union and hundred of Henstead, E.
division of Norfolk, 5 miles (S. S. E.) from Norwich;
containing 520 inhabitants. The parish comprises 916a.
2r. 14p.; and the road from Norwich to Bungay runs
through it. The living is a discharged rectory, valued
in the king's books at £6. 13. 2½.; net income, £274;
patron and incumbent, the Rev. S. Brereton: there is a
glebe of 18 acres. The church was founded before the
Conquest, and the body of it rebuilt about 1432; it is
chiefly in the decorated style, with a tower which in the
lower part is circular and in the upper part octagonal.
Poringland, Little or West (St. Michael)
PORINGLAND, LITTLE or WEST (St. Michael),
a parish, in the union and hundred of Henstead, E.
division of Norfolk, 5¾ miles (S. S. E.) from Norwich;
containing 57 inhabitants. It comprises 629a. 2r. 6p.,
of which 572 acres are arable, and 47 pasture. The
living is a rectory, united in 1728 to the rectory of
Howe: there are no remains of the church.
Porlock (St. Dubritius)
PORLOCK (St. Dubritius), a parish and small
port, and formerly a market-town, in the union of
Williton, hundred of Carhampton, W. division of
Somerset, 6 miles (W.) from Minehead; containing,
with the tythings of Bossington and Yearnor, 892 inhabitants, of whom 106 are in the hamlet of Weir-Porlock,
and 100 in that of West Porlock. This place, which
derives its name from the Saxon Portlocan, "an inclosed
harbour," is of considerable antiquity, having been a
residence of the West Saxon kings, who had an extensive chase here. About the year 918, a band of pirates
entered the harbour; but the greater number were slain
by the inhabitants, and the rest escaping to the island
of Steepholmes, died of hunger. In 1052, Harold, son
of Earl Godwin, having sailed from Ireland with nine
ships, entered Porlock bay, and, being unsuccessfully
opposed by the inhabitants, slew great numbers, set fire
to the town, and carried off much booty. The village
is romantically situated near the Bristol Channel, and
surrounded on all sides, except in the direction of the
sea, by lofty hills, winding valleys, and deep glens: it
comprises two streets, composed of straggling houses of
a mean order. The trade consists in the importation of
coal and lime from Wales; fairs are held on the Thursdays before September 13th, October 11th, and November 12th, for cattle, and a small breed of sheep called
Porlocks. A manorial court occurs annually. The
parish contains 5075 acres, of which 2850 are common
or waste land. The living is a rectory, valued in the
king's books at £18. 11. 8.; and in the patronage of
the Crown; net income, £339. The church is a fine
structure in the ancient English style, and contains
some monumental effigies, supposed to represent the
early feudal lords. In an adjacent wood are the remains
of an imperfect oval encampment, thought to have been
constructed at the time of Harold's invasion, and within the area of which swords and other warlike implements have been dug up. John Bridgewater, a controversial divine, and Matthew Hales, D.D., the intimate
friend of Dr. Stukeley, and author of Vegetable Statics,
were rectors of the parish.
Portbury (St. Mary)
PORTBURY (St. Mary), a parish, in the union of
Bedminster, hundred of Portbury, E. division of
Somerset, 6 miles (W. by N.) from Bristol; containing, with the tythings of Abbot's, Caswell, Clapton'sWick, Court, Cross, Failand, Hamgreen, Happerton,
Honor, Peter's, Sheepway, Watchhouse, and Woolcombe,
647 inhabitants. This place, which gives name to the
hundred, was occupied by the Romans, as is evident
from the discovery of foundations, and from traces
of a Roman road being still visible through the parish to the sea at Portishead, whence was a passage
to Caerleon, anciently Isca Silurum. Here was subsequently a cell to the Augustine priory of Breamore,
Hants. The parish is situated a short distance south
of the navigable river Avon, and is intersected by the
road between Bristol and Portishead. An act for the
construction of a pier here, and the formation of a railway to Bristol, was passed in 1846; the railway to be
eight miles in length, independently of a branch of
nearly a mile. Stone is quarried for building and roadmaking. The living is a discharged vicarage, with that
of Tickenham annexed, valued in the king's books at
£10. 11. 3.; net income, £379; patron, the Bishop of
Gloucester and Bristol; impropriator, J. Adam Gordon,
Esq.: there are a few acres of glebe. The church is a
plain edifice.
Portcassegg
PORTCASSEGG, a hamlet, in the parish of St.
Arvans, poor-law union of Chepstow, Upper division
of the hundred of Raglan, county of Monmouth;
containing 29 inhabitants.
Port-East, Cornwall.—See Chapel-Point.
PORT-EAST, Cornwall.—See Chapel-Point.
Portfield
PORTFIELD, a tything, in the parish of CurryRivell, union of Langport, hundred of Abdick and
Bulstone, W. division of the county of Somerset;
containing 9 inhabitants.
Portfield
PORTFIELD, a ville, in the parish of Oving, union
of West Hampnett, hundred of Box and Stockbridge, rape of Chichester, W. division of the county
of Sussex; containing 379 inhabitants.
Portgate
PORTGATE, a township, in the parish of St. John
Lee, union of Hexham, S. division of Tindale ward
and of Northumberland, 5 miles (N. E. by E.) from
Hexham; containing 18 inhabitants. It was so called
from a passage through the great Roman wall, the site
of which at this place has been levelled with the plough.
Here is an old border tower, near which the Devil's
Causeway branches from the Watling-street. The impropriate tithes have been commuted for £8.
Port-Gavorn
PORT-GAVORN, a small sea-port, in the union of
Bodmin, parish of Endellion, hundred of Trigg, E.
division of Cornwall, ½ a mile (E.) from Port-Isaac.
It is on the coast of the Bristol Channel, and enjoys a
considerable trade in the shipping of slate from the
Delabole quarry, and the importation of coal from
Wales. The pilchard-fishery, also, is carried on, for
which there are four large warehouses.
Port-Guin
PORT-GUIN, a sea-port, in the parish of Endellion, union of Bodmin, hundred of Trigg, E. division
of the county of Cornwall, 2 miles (W.) from PortIsaac. This was once a large fishing-town; the trade
is now confined to the importation of coal.
Port-Isaac
PORT-ISAAC, a small sea-port, in the parish of
Endellion, union of Bodmin, hundred of Trigg, E.
division of Cornwall, 8 miles (N. W.) from Camelford.
It formerly carried on a very extensive trade in pilchards.
The principal business at present is the shipping of corn,
and the importation of coal from Wales; and thirty
boats, averaging ten tons each, belong to the place,
which is a member of the port of Padstow, and accessible to vessels of one hundred tons' burthen. A market
is held on Friday, for provisions. There are meetinghouses for Baptists and Wesleyans.
Portingscale, or Coledale
PORTINGSCALE, or Coledale, a township, in
the parish of Crosthwaite, union of Cockermouth,
Allerdale ward above Derwent, W. division of Cumberland, 1¼ mile (W. by N.) from Keswick; containing
262 inhabitants. The village is situated on the margin
of Derwentwater, of which, and of the lake Bassenthwaite, with the romantic tract from Swineshead to
Skiddaw, there are fine prospects to be obtained from
the adjacent heights.
Portingten, with Cavil
PORTINGTEN, with Cavil, a township, in the
parish of Eastrington, union of Howden, wapentake
of Howdenshire, E. riding of York, 3¼ miles (N. E.)
from Howden; containing 123 inhabitants. It comprises by computation 1490 acres of land, partly the
property of Viscount Galway. The vicarial tithes have
been commuted for £46. 10. 8.
Portisham (St. Peter)
PORTISHAM (St. Peter), a parish, in the union
of Weymouth, hundred of Uggscombe, Dorchester
division of Dorset, 7¾ miles (S. W. by W.) from Dorchester; containing 746 inhabitants, and comprising
about 1500 acres. Stone is quarried for farm-buildings.
The living is a vicarage, valued in the king's books at
£8. 14. 2.; net income, £74; patron, William Mansfield,
Esq. There are nearly 5 acres of glebe, and a new vicarage-house has just been erected. The church is a large
ancient structure, with a lofty embattled tower crowned
by pinnacles. Here is the largest cromlech in the
county, consisting of a flat stone ten feet by six, which
rests horizontally on nine upright ones; it stands on a
tumulus, having on the north-west an avenue leading
to it, and to the east is a small barrow.
Portishead (St. Peter)
PORTISHEAD (St. Peter), a parish, in the union
of Bedminster, hundred of Portbury, E. division of
Somerset, 8½ miles (W. N. W.) from Bristol; containing, with the hamlet of North Weston, 1079 inhabitants. This parish is bounded on the north by the Bristol Channel, and at Portishead Point is a battery for the
defence of King's-road, where ships-of-war on the station
usually anchor. The Britons, Romans, and Danes successively occupied the district. Here is an ancient camp,
the form of which approaches an irregular rhomboid, its
longer diameter being 400, and its shorter about 200,
yards; it was converted to a similar purpose during the
great civil war, and according to the parliamentary records
of that period, the royalists posted at Portishead surrendered to Sir Thomas Fairfax, who had been sent against
them. The ancient boundary called Wansdyke terminates here. The parish comprises about 2000 acres;
coal is supposed to exist, and limestone, firestone, and
flagstone are found. The living is a rectory, valued in
the king's books at £32. 15. 7½., and in the gift of J.
Adam Gordon, Esq.: the tithes have been commuted for
£628. 12., and the glebe comprises 30 acres. The church
is an ancient structure, with a fine tower. There are
places of worship for Independents, Wesleyans, and the
Society of Friends.