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Raby
RABY, a township, in the parish of Neston, union
and Higher division of the hundred of Wirrall, S.
division of the county of Chester, 2 miles (N. E.) from
Great Neston; containing 190 inhabitants. At the
time of the Domesday survey, Raby was divided into
two parts, severally held by the monastery of St. Werburgh, and William, the Norman baron of Halton, who
afterwards exchanged his portion for other lands, with
the monks, who thereby became possessed of the whole.
They did not, however, long retain the manor; although
they still held some lands here in the 31st of Edward
III. In the reign of Henry V. the manor was in the
family of Hulse or Hole, who were succeeded by the
Troutbecks; their heiress married John Talbot, of Albrighton, Salop, through whom Raby has descended to
the present Earl of Shrewsbury. The township comprises 1106 acres, of which the prevailing soil is clay.
A court leet and court baron are held. There is a place
of worship for Wesleyans.
Raby, with Keverstone
RABY, with Keverstone, a township, in the parish
of Staindrop, union of Teesdale, S. W. division of
Darlington ward, S. division of the county of Durham, 1 mile (N. by W.) from Staindrop; containing
284 inhabitants. The township comprises 2736 acres;
the surface is finely undulated, and the scenery beautiful, especially in the park attached to Raby Castle.
The castle, the seat of his grace the Duke of Cleveland,
is situated on an eminence commanding a wide prospect,
and is a noble pile, surrounded with ramparts and a
deep fosse inclosing an area of two acres. From its
stately exterior, which retains much of its original appearance, a good idea may be formed of the grandeur of
a baronial mansion in early times; the style of the
south front, with the elegant symmetry of the windows,
has a pleasing effect, and the interior comprises numerous convenient apartments furnished with great taste.
A carriage-road now passes through the hall, or ancient
place of rendezvous, which is a truly magnificent apartment, having two rows of octagonal piers, and a beautiful groined roof. Keverstone Grange, about half a mile
from Raby Castle, a modernised house where the Duke
of Cleveland's auditor resides, was the residence of Sir
George Freville, Knt., the commissioner sent to take
possession of the Raby estates, when they were forfeited by the Nevills, earls of Westmorland, in the reign
of Queen Elizabeth. It is finely situated, and commands extensive prospects. There are some good
ashlar-stone quarries in the township. Raby confers
the title of Baron on the Duke of Cleveland.
Rackenford (All Saints)
RACKENFORD (All Saints), a parish, in the union
of South Molton, hundred of Witheridge, S. Molton
and N. divisions of Devon, 8¼ miles (N. W. by W.)
from Tiverton; containing 562 inhabitants. The parish
comprises 3170 acres, of which 1167 are common or
waste; and is intersected by the road from South
Molton to Tiverton. Stone is quarried for building
purposes, and for roads. A weekly market and an
annual fair were granted in 1235: the former has been
long disused, but fairs are held on July 8th and the
Wednesday before September 19th. The living is a
rectory, valued in the king's books at £19. 17. 3½.;
net income, £311; patrons, Thomas Comins, Esq., and
the Rev. W. Comins, incumbent: the glebe comprises
48 acres, and there is a glebe-house. The church is an
ancient edifice.
Rackham
RACKHAM, a hamlet, in the parish of Amberley,
hundred of West Easrith, rape of Arundel, W. division of Sussex; containing 188 inhabitants. The
chapel of Rackham is demolished.
Rackheath (All Saints)
RACKHEATH (All Saints), a parish, in the union
of St. Faith, hundred of Taverham, E. division of
Norfolk, 5 miles (N. E. by N.) from Norwich; containing 276 inhabitants. Here was a small priory, the
revenue of which was valued in 1428 at £2. 1. 3. The
road from Norwich to North Walsham intersects the
parish. The Hall, the residence of Sir E. H. J. Stracey,
Bart., who is owner of the soil, is a modern building
of white brick, situated in a fine park. The living
is a discharged rectory, valued in the king's books at
£6. 13. 4., and in the gift of Sir E. Stracey: the tithes
have been commuted for £416, and the glebe comprises
26 acres. The church is chiefly in the early English
style, with a square tower, and contains some handsome
monuments to the Potter and Stracey families. Rackheath formerly comprised two villages and parishes,
Magna and Parva; but the church of the latter, which
was dedicated to the Holy Trinity, and situated in the
park, no longer exists, and the livings have been consolidated. A Roman urn was discovered in a marlpit, a few years since; it is now placed in the museum
at Norwich.
Racton
RACTON, a parish, in the union of West Bourne,
hundred of Westbourne and Singleton, rape of Chichester, W. division of Sussex, 6½ miles (N. W. by
W.) from Chichester; containing 101 inhabitants. The
living is a rectory, valued in the king's books at
£5. 19. 2.; the Dean and Chapter of Chichester are
patrons, and the tithes have been commuted for £220.
The church is principally in the early English style, and
contains several interesting monuments to the Gocenter
family. Near it are the ruins of a lofty castellated
building, erected by Lord Halifax as a pleasure-house,
and from which there are extensive sea and land views.
Sir Richard Pole, and Margaret, Countess of Salisbury,
his wife, resided at Lordington; where, also, Cardinal
Pole was born. The living of Lordington was united to
that of Racton in 1440.
Radbourn, Upper and Lower
RADBOURN, UPPER and LOWER, an extraparochial district, in the union of Southam, Southam
division of the hundred of Knightlow, S. division of
the county of Warwick, 3½ miles (S. S. E.) from
Southam; containing 26 inhabitants. The district
comprises 1143 acres, of which 513 are in Lower, and
630 in Upper, Radbourn. It is situated on the borders
of Northamptonshire; and the Oxford canal passes in
the immediate vicinity.
Radbourn (St. Andrew)
RADBOURN (St. Andrew), a parish, in the union
of Burton-upon-Trent, hundred of Appletree, S.
division of the county of Derby, 4½ miles (W.) from
Derby; containing 239 inhabitants. At the Domesday
survey this was one of the manors of Henry de Ferrers.
It was subsequently held by Robert Fitz-Walkelyn,
whose co-heiresses married into the families of Chandos
and Stafford; and the whole manor, probably by the purchase of the Staffords' portion, became vested in the Chandos family. On the death of Sir John Chandos, the celebrated warrior, in 1370, the estate passed to his representatives in the female line, and eventually to Sir Peter
de la Pole, from whom the manor has descended to its
present owner, Edward Sacheverel Chandos Pole, Esq.
The parish comprises 2200 acres, of which the soil is a
strong marl and clay, affording excellent pasture, and
the surface is varied with hill and dale: the village is
small and scattered. Radbourn Hall, a large brick
mansion of modern date, the seat of the Pole family,
stands on an eminence in a well-wooded park, commanding extensive views in all directions. The living is a
rectory, valued in the king's books at £8. 3. 4.; net
income, £372; patron, Mr. Pole: there is a neat rectoryhouse, with 150 acres of ancient glebe, and an allotment in lieu of tithe. The church, which was enlarged
in 1844, consists of a nave, chancel, north aisle, and low
embattled tower. German Pole, who died in 1683,
founded and endowed a grammar school, agreeably to
the will of his mother, Ann Pole; the present income
is £26. Various other charities are sustained by bequests made by the family.
Radcliffe (St. Mary)
RADCLIFFE (St. Mary), a parish, in the union
of Bury, hundred of Salford, S. division of Lancashire, 8 miles (N. N. W.) from Manchester; containing 6000 inhabitants. The name of this place is Saxon,
and is derived from a cliff of red rock on the south-east
side of the river Irwell, below the confluence of the
Roche, and opposite to the village of Radcliffe. The
Norman Conquest introduced much of the French language, and hence the appellation "Rugemont" was
often given to the village, and was used also as the
surname of several members of the Radcliffe family in
the early periods of English history. The parish is one
of the smallest in the county, and has no dependent
townships; it comprises about 2435 acres, the greater
portion meadow and pasture land, and situated in a
rich vale, of undulated surface. The population,
which has latterly greatly increased, is employed in
agriculture, in collieries, and in extensive cotton-mills
and bleach-grounds; the manufactures comprehending
spinning and calico-printing, and nankeen, fustian, and
check weaving. The village is large, and consists of
two collections of houses, called Radcliffe and RadcliffeBridge; the latter is about half a mile distant from the
former, and is separated from the township of Pilkington, in the parish of Prestwich-cum Oldham, by the
river Irwell, over which is a bridge of two arches. A
gas company was established in 1846, by act of parliament, but no powers were given in the act for lighting
the place with gas. The Roman Watling-street, the Bolton and Bury canal, and the East Lancashire railway,
all pass through the parish.
The living is a rectory, valued in the king's books at
£21. 0. 5., and in the patronage of the Earl of Wilton:
the tithes have been commuted for £156. 10., and there
are 55 acres of glebe, with a house. The church, built
at different periods, is in various styles of architecture,
with a low tower, and has a curious window, called "the
east window in the Sun chapel:" the chancel was restored in 1845, by the rector, the Rev. Nathaniel Milne,
and a north transept was added in 1846, by subscription. St. Thomas's district, Radcliffe-Bridge, was formed
in 1839, and has a population of 3000. The living is
a perpetual curacy, also in the patronage of the Earl of
Wilton, with a net income of £150, and a residence:
the church was erected in 1819 by the Dowager Marchioness of Westminster, at a cost of £5000, and is a
substantial stone building, fitted up with solid oak.
There are a place of worship for Wesleyans, an excellent national school, and a large Sunday school adjacent to the church of Radcliffe-Bridge.
Radcliffe Tower, now in ruins, was one of the most
considerable manorial seats in the county. Of its date
there is no precise information, but it appears that
Richard Radcliffe, high sheriff of Lancashire, 32 Edward III., was of "Radcliffe Tower;" as was his predecessor, William de Radeclive, one of the knights of the
Grand Inquest, 13th of John. The tower was rebuilt
in the reign of Henry IV. It was of stone strongly
grouted, and beneath the castellated rampart was a
covering of lead; this last has long since disappeared,
and its place is now occupied by a sycamore-tree growing out of the ruins. Generally, these strongholds were
inclosed by a moat; but there are no traces of such
an external protection to this pile, and it is probable
that none existed. The park attached to it stretched
for some distance along the vale of the Irwell.
Radcliffe-on-Trent, Notts.—See Ratcliffe.
RADCLIFFE-on-Trent, Notts.—See Ratcliffe.
Radcliffe-on-Soar, Notts.—See Ratcliffe.
RADCLIFFE-on-Soar, Notts.—See Ratcliffe.
Radclive-cum-Chackmore (St. John the Evangelist)
RADCLIVE-cum-Chackmore (St. John the Evangelist), a parish, in the union, hundred, and county of
Buckingham, 1½ mile (W.) from Buckingham; containing 364 inhabitants, of whom 126 are in Radclive.
The parish is intersected by the river Ouse, and comprises upwards of 1000 acres, of which one-half is
arable, and the other pasture. The living is a rectory,
valued in the king's books at £8. 1. 3.; net income,
£434; patrons, the Warden and Fellows of New College, Oxford. The tithes were partially commuted for
land in 1773, and under the recent act a rent-charge of
£168 has been awarded; the glebe consists of 13 acres.
Here was formerly a chantry. The old manor-house has
been converted into a farmhouse.
Radcutt
RADCUTT, a hamlet, in the parish of Langford,
union of Farringdon, hundred of Bampton, county of
Oxford, 4½ miles (E. by N.) from the town of Lechlade; containing 54 inhabitants.
Raddington (St. Michael)
RADDINGTON (St. Michael), a parish, in the
union of Wellington, hundred of Williton and
Freemanners, W. division of Somerset, 4¾ miles
(W. S. W.) from Wiveliscombe; containing 126 inhabitants. It comprises 1345 acres, of which 155 are common or waste land. The living is a discharged rectory,
valued in the king's books at £8. 7. 8½.; net income,
£191; patron, the Rev. E. Otto Trevelyan.
Radford
RADFORD, a hamlet, in the parish of Holy
Trinity, Coventry, N. division of the county of Warwick, 1¾ mile (N. N. W.) from the city of Coventry;
containing 251 inhabitants.
Radford (St. Peter)
RADFORD (St. Peter), a parish, and the head
of a union, in the S. division of the wapentake of
Broxton, N. division of the county of Nottingham,
1 mile (W. by N.) from Nottingham; containing 10,817
inhabitants. This parish, which was part of the ancient
forest of Sherwood, comprises by measurement 600
acres. Various branches of manufacture, similar to
those at Nottingham, are carried on to a considerable
extent. There are three large bobbin-net manufactories
and several smaller ones, the machinery of which is impelled by steam, two bleach-works, three corn-mills,
two extensive cotton-mills, and a thread-mill. The
Nottingham Gas Company erected works here, on a
very large scale, in 1845. The old village is situated
on the river Leen; the new one forms a modern suburb
stretching from the western limits of Nottingham, on
the Derby and Alfreton roads, and containing some
spacious streets. A branch of the Grantham canal runs
through part of the parish. The Peverel court is held
in Radford, to try pleas, and recover debts as high as
£50; its jurisdiction extends over the whole of the
honour of Peverel, comprising 170 towns and villages in
Nottinghamshire, 120 in Derbyshire, and several in the
counties of Leicester and York. Broxton Hall and
Aspley House, two ancient mansions in the parish, are
the property of Lord Middleton. The living is a discharged vicarage, valued in the king's books at £3. 9. 4½.;
it has a net income of £293, and the patronage and impropriation belong to the Crown: the glebe consists of
57 acres. The present church, a neat structure in the
later English style, with a tower at the west end, was
built in 1812. New Radford was constituted an ecclesiastical parish in April 1845, under the act 6th and 7th
Victoria cap. 37: the district comprises about 30 acres,
with a population of 5045. The living is a perpetual
curacy in the patronage of the Crown and the Bishop of
Lincoln, alternately; income, £150, with a parsonagehouse: the church is in the florid pointed style, contains
1000 sittings, and was completed at a cost of £4400.
There are places of worship for Baptists, Independents,
Primitive Methodists, and Wesleyans; and a large national school, built in 1841, is supported by subscription.
The poor-law union of Radford comprises four parishes
or places, with a population of 22,470. A priory of
Black canons was founded here about 1102 by William
de Luvitot, which at the Dissolution, had a revenue of
£302. 6. 10.
Radford
RADFORD, a township, in the parish and union of
Worksop, Hatfield division of the wapentake of Bassetlaw, N. division of the county of Nottingham;
containing 1664 inhabitants. It forms the eastern suburb of the town of Worksop.
Radford
RADFORD, a hamlet, in the parish of ChurchEnstone, poor-law union of Chipping-Norton, hundred of Chadlington, county of Oxford; containing
90 inhabitants.
Radford
RADFORD, a hamlet, in the parish of RouseLench, union of Evesham, Middle division of the
hundred of Oswaldslow, Pershore and E. divisions of
the county of Worcester; with 80 inhabitants.
Radford-Semele (St. Nicholas)
RADFORD-SEMELE (St. Nicholas), a parish, in
the union of Warwick, Kenilworth division of the hundred of Knightlow, S. division of the county of Warwick, 2 miles (E. by S.) from Leamington; containing
487 inhabitants. The parish consists of 2090 acres,
partly a light and gravelly, and partly a stiff, soil; it is
pleasantly situated on the left bank of the river Leam,
and is intersected by the Warwick and Napton canal,
and by the road from Leamington to Southam. The
living is a discharged vicarage, valued in the king's
books at £5. 16. 0½.; net income, £200, with a house;
patron and impropriator, Henry Greswolde, Esq., of
Malvern Hall, near Solihull: there are 41 acres of glebe.
The church has a square tower, and is in good repair.
A parochial school is supported by subscription.
Radipole (St. Mary)
RADIPOLE (St. Mary), a parish, in the union of
Weymouth, hundred of Culliford-Tree, Dorchester
division of Dorset, 2 miles (N. N. W.) from Weymouth; containing 487 inhabitants. The parish is
situated on the river Wey, near its influx into the sea;
and comprises by measurement 1245 acres, of which the
portions of arable and pasture are nearly equal. Prior
to the dissolution of monasteries, the manor belonged
to the convent of Cerne-Abbas. The living was formerly a separate discharged rectory, valued in the king's
books at £11. 5. 5., but the church at Melcombe-Regis
was made parochial in the 1st of James I., and the living
of this parish was then annexed to it: the tithes have
been commuted for £280, and the glebe comprises 3½
acres. The church was rebuilt in 1817, and is a large
and handsome edifice. A mineral spring was discovered
in 1830. Several skeletons, numerous pieces of pottery,
and other relics of antiquity, were found in the parish in
1844.
Radley (St. James)
RADLEY (St. James), a parish, in the union of
Abingdon, hundred of Hormer, county of Berks, 2½
miles (N. E. by N.) from Abingdon; containing, with
part of the chapelry of Kennington, and with the liberty
of Thrupp and Wick, 475 inhabitants, of whom 377 are
in the township of Radley. The parish comprises 2699a.
1r. 10p., and is bounded by the navigable river Isis.
The living is a donative, in the patronage of Sir George
Bowyer, Bart.