Radnage (St. Mary)

RADNAGE (St. Mary), a parish, in the union of Wycombe, hundred of Desborough. county of Buckingham, 3 miles (E. N. E.) from Stokenchurch; containing 401 inhabitants. It comprises 1254 acres, of which about 800 are arable, 231 grass-land, 73 wood, and the remainder common. The living is a rectory, valued in the king's books at £6. 13. 11½., and in the patronage of the Crown; net income, £220. There is a place of worship for Wesleyans. A fund of about £24 per annum, arising from bequests, is appropriated to the poor.

Radnor

RADNOR, a township, in the parish of Astbury, union of Congleton, hundred of Northwich, S. division of the county of Chester, 1¾ mile (N. W.) from Congleton; containing 11 inhabitants, and comprising 176 acres. The tithes have been commuted for £24.

Radstock (St. Nicholas)

RADSTOCK (St. Nicholas), a parish, in the union of Clutton, hundred of Kilmersdon, E. division of Somerset, 8 miles (N. W.) from Frome; containing 1447 inhabitants. It comprises by measurement 1005 acres, and is bounded on the north-west by the Roman fosse-way, and intersected by the road between Bath and Exeter: some small rivers flowing here, run into the Avon. The chief part of the population is employed in five coal-mines; and there are several quarries of corngrit and lias stone, used for rough building, and which make excellent brown lime that hardens under water. Tramroads run from all the pits, for ten or twelve miles, to the Kennet and Avon canal. In 1845 an act was passed for constructing the Wilts, Somerset, and Weymouth railway, with a branch of nearly nine miles to Radstock. The living is a rectory, valued in the king's books at £6. 11. 0½., and in the gift of Earl Waldegrave: the tithes have been commuted for £264, and the glebe comprises 35 acres. The church was enlarged in 1832. Here is a place of worship for Wesleyans. Radstock gives the title of Baron to a branch of the family of Waldegrave; the late admiral Lord Radstock, brother of George, fourth earl Waldegrave, having been created a peer by this title.

Radston (St. Lawrence)

RADSTON (St. Lawrence), a parish, in the union of Brackley, hundred of King's-Sutton, S. division of the county of Northampton, 1½ mile (N.) from Brackley; containing 189 inhabitants, and comprising by measurement 1224 acres. The living is a perpetual curacy; net income, £90; patron and impropriator, W. Holbech, Esq.

Radway (St. Peter)

RADWAY (St. Peter), a parish, in the union of Banbury, Kington division of the hundred of Kington, S. division of the county of Warwick, 4 miles (S. E. by E.) from Kington; containing 374 inhabitants, and consisting of 1408 acres. This place is said to have derived its name from the red colour of the soil, and from its situation near the passage leading up to Edge-Hill, on the borders of the parish. The battle of Edge-Hill was fought upon the 23rd of October 1642, and Charles I. slept at Radway the night after the engagement. The living is a discharged vicarage, valued in the king's books at £5. 12., and in the patronage of the Crown; net income, £111; impropriators, the family of Blencowe, and others. The tithes were commuted for land at the inclosure; the glebe comprises 87 acres. The church is a plain old edifice. There is a place of worship for the Society of Friends.

Radwell

RADWELL, a hamlet, in the parish of Felmersham, hundred of Willey, union and county of Bedford, 7 miles (N. W. by N.) from Bedford; with 204 inhabitants. Here is a Wesleyan place of worship.

Radwell (All Saints)

RADWELL (All Saints), a parish, in the union of Hitchin, hundred of Odsey, county of Hertford, 1½ mile (N. W. by N.) from Baldock; containing 98 inhabitants. The living is a rectory, valued in the king's books at £13. 6. 8., and in the gift of Francis Pym, Esq.: the tithes have been commuted for £200, and the glebe comprises 9 acres.

Radwinter (St. Mary)

RADWINTER (St. Mary), a parish, in the union of Saffron-Walden, hundred of Freshwell, N. division of Essex, 4½ miles (N.) from Thaxted; containing 915 inhabitants. The parish is intersected by a rivulet, which flows through the village to Great Sampford; the surface is varied and richly wooded, and the soil is fertile. The living is a rectory, valued in the king's books at £21. 12. 11., and in the alternate gift of Lord Maynard and the Rev. John Bullock: the tithes have been commuted for £700; the glebe comprises 62 acres. The church is an ancient structure, with a square embattled tower surmounted by a lofty spire; the parsonage-house is a neat modern residence.

Ragdale (All Saints)

RAGDALE (All Saints), a parish, in the union of Melton-Mowbray, hundred of East Goscote, N. division of Leicestershire, 7 miles (W. by N.) from Melton-Mowbray; containing 121 inhabitants. The living is a perpetual curacy; income, £40 per annum; patron, H. Jolliffe, Esq. In the churchyard is an ancient stone cross.

Raglan (St. Cadocus)

RAGLAN (St. Cadocus), a parish, in the division and hundred of Raglan, union and county of Monmouth, 7½ miles (S. W. by W.) from Monmouth; containing 766 inhabitants. Raglan Castle, said to have been mostly built by one of the lords Herbert, is among the finest remains of the kind in this part of the kingdom. Charles I. was entertained here by the Marquess of Worcester with great magnificence, in 1645; and the castle was gallantly defended for three months by the marquess, against General Fairfax, after the entire reduction of Wales, and until the king's imprisonment at Holmby, when he surrendered it on honourable conditions. The parish comprises by measurement upwards of 4000 acres, and is situated nearly midway between Monmouth and Abergavenny, the higher grounds presenting some fine prospects; the soil is gravelly, intermixed with a loamy clay, and there are good quarries of wall stone. A fair is held on March 31st, for cattle, horses, &c. The living is a discharged vicarage, valued in the king's books at £4. 6. 3.; patron and impropriator, the Duke of Beaufort: the vicarial tithes have been commuted for £301, and the glebe consists of 25 acres, with a small house. The church is principally in the early English style, and consists of a nave and chancel, with a chapel on the north side, and a tower at the west end; in the chapel are mutilated monuments to some of the earls of Worcester. There are places of worship for Baptists and Independents. Raglan confers the title of Earl on the Duke of Beaufort.

Ragley

RAGLEY, a hamlet, in the parish of Arrow, union of Alcester, Alcester division of the hundred of Barlichway, S. division of the county of Warwick, 1¾ mile (S. W. by S.) from Alcester; containing 301 inhabitants. Ragley Hall, one of the seats of the Duke of Sutherland, is a superb building with four fronts, of great architectural beauty; the entrance hall is spacious, lofty, and of elegant design, and the principal apartments are sumptuous. The demesne is laid out with much taste; the gardens are almost unrivalled, and the park is embellished with majestic oaks.

Ragnall

RAGNALL, a chapelry, in the parish of Dunham, union of East Retford, South-Clay division of the wapentake of Bassetlaw, N. division of the county of Nottingham, 4¾ miles (E. N. E.) from Tuxford; containing 203 inhabitants, and comprising 1009 acres. The chapel is dedicated to St. Oswald. The tithes were commuted for land and a money payment in 1803.

Rainford

RAINFORD, a chapelry, in the parish and union of Prescot, hundred of West Derby, S. division of Lancashire, 4½ miles (N. N. W.) from St. Helen's; containing 1855 inhabitants. At a very early period this place was vested in the Lathoms, of whom Isabella de Lathom married Sir John Stanley, who thus acquired the estate. Rainford afterwards became the property of the family of Molyneux, of Hawkley, but by what means does not appear; and this family inhabited the manorhouse until Mossborough Hall and manor were sold by Mrs. Molyneux to the Stanleys, in the last century. The Earl of Derby is now the principal proprietor. The chapelry comprises 5803 acres, of which 1500 are uninclosed. The surface is undulated, the soil chiefly clay and light bog, and beneath are found coal, fire-clay, and sand suitable for making glass: a large tract of moss has been reclaimed, and much improved by draining. About 50 persons are employed in making pipes, the clay for which is procured from Devonshire. The Liverpool and Bolton railway passes through. The living is a perpetual curacy; net income, £135, with a house; patron, the Vicar of Prescot, whose tithes here have been commuted for £350: the impropriate tithes, payable to King's College, Cambridge, have been commuted for £320. The chapel, dedicated to All Saints, is mentioned in an episcopal order, in 1634; it has been twice rebuilt, in 1758 and 1781. A place of worship here for Independents has an endowment of £35 per annum, from land; and a school is endowed with £16 per annum.

Rainham, county of Essex.—See Raynham.

RAINHAM, county of Essex.—See Raynham.

Rainham (St. Margaret)

RAINHAM (St. Margaret), a parish, in the union and hundred of Milton, Upper division of the lathe of Scray, E. division of Kent, 5½ miles (W. by N.) from Sittingbourne; containing 1175 inhabitants. The parish is bounded on the north by the Medway, and comprises 3608a. 3r. 4p., of which it is computed that 1900 acres are arable, hop-grounds, and market-gardens, 560 meadow and orchards, 725 woodland, 65 in roads, small gardens, &c., and 358 acres salts and waste. The subsoil is chalk; the south part of the parish is poor flinty land, covered with wood, and the lower or northern part a rich loam, producing, besides corn, an abundance of fruit and vegetables for the London market. The village, which is situated on the great London and Dovor road, was of some consideration in the reign of Elizabeth; and had then three quays, with thirteen small vessels. The living is a vicarage, valued in the king's books at £14. 4. 7.; patron, the Archbishop of Canterbury; impropriator, Sir E. Dering, Bart. The great tithes have been commuted for £752, and the vicarial for £519. 17.; the impropriate glebe comprises 62 acres, and the vicarial three. The church is in the early English style, with a lofty beacon-tower, and contains several costly monuments to the Tuftons, earls of Thanet.

Rainham, county Norfolk.—See Raynham.

RAINHAM, county Norfolk.—See Raynham.

Rainhill

RAINHILL, a township, in the parish and union of Prescot, hundred of West Derby, S. division of the county of Lancaster, 2 miles (S. E. by E.) from Prescot, on the road to Warrington; containing 1164 inhabitants. Rainhill was early acquired by the family of Norres, who, after some generations, became connected by marriages with the Molyneuxs. Mabel, an heiress of the latter, was married to William le Norres, who held the manor in the reign of Edward II.; and in the following reign, her nephew Roger, son of Sir Richard Molyneux, was seated here. His grand-daughter brought the property to the Lancasters, whose descendant, Richard Lancaster, died in the 30th of Henry VIII. John Lancaster, the last of the family resident at Rainhill, about 1783 sold the estate, which subsequently passed to Mr. Bretherton. The township comprises 1417 acres; the surface is elevated, and from the higher parts is one of the most extensive and beautiful views in the county, embracing Chester, the Cheshire hills, and the Welsh mountains. There are several good redstone quarries, and an iron-foundry is in operation. The Liverpool and Manchester railway has a station here. The impropriate tithes have been commuted for £165, payable to King's College, Cambridge; and the vicarial for £7. A church was built in 1838, at a cost of £1000, and enlarged in 1840, at a cost of £1000 more; it is dedicated to St. Ann, and is a cruciform structure in the Anglo-Norman style, with a tower surmounted by an open spire: the interior is very neat, with an eastern window of stained glass. The living is a perpetual curacy, with a net income of £160; patron, the Rev. James Brierley, M.A., of Mosley-Moss Hall, near Congleton, by whom the living was endowed. The Roman Catholic chapel here, dedicated to St. Bartholomew, is a beautiful structure in the Grecian style, with a gorgeous interior, and was built at a cost of £4000. Excellent schools are attached to the church.

Rainow

RAINOW, a chapelry, in the parish of Prestbury, union and hundred of Macclesfield, N. division of the county of Chester, 3 miles (N. E. by E.) from Macclesfield; containing 1759 inhabitants, of whom 1069 are in the Higher, and 690 in the Lower, division. It comprises 5419a. 3r. 20p., chiefly pasture land, very little being arable or wood; the surface is hill and dale, and the soil stony, with large barren moorlands divided by stone walls. There are numerous coal-mines; and near Kerridge Hill are extensive quarries of flagstone and slate. The silk manufacture is carried on in a mill built about fifty or sixty years ago, and capable of employing 300 hands. The Roman road from Buxton to Manchester crossed the township, within the limits of which, it is supposed, was a Roman station. The Macclesfield and Chapel-en-le-Frith road runs through nearly the middle of the township. The living is a perpetual curacy, in the patronage of the Vicar of Prestbury; net income, £120. The present chapel, consecrated in 1846, is in the pointed style, and was erected at a cost of about £2000. There is a place of worship for Wesleyans. A boys' school has an endowment of about £10 per annum; and attached to the chapel are infant and Sunday schools.

Rainscombe

RAINSCOMBE, a tything, in the parish of North Newton, union of Pewsey, hundred of Swanborough, Everley and Pewsey, and N. divisions of the county of Wilts; containing 19 inhabitants.

Rainsthorpe, Norfolk.—See Tasburgh.

RAINSTHORPE, Norfolk.—See Tasburgh.

Rainton, with Newby

RAINTON, with Newby, a township, in the parish of Topcliffe, wapentake of Hallikeld, N. riding of York, 5½ miles (N. N. W.) from Boroughbridge; containing 442 inhabitants. The township comprises about 1500 acres: the village, which is handsome, is pleasantly seated a little to the east of the Leeming-Lane. Newby Hall, a neat and spacious mansion, the ancient seat of the Robinson family, is now the property of their representative, Earl de Grey; it stands in a fine park on the southern acclivities of Swaledale. The tithes have been commuted for £83. 8. payable to the vicar, and £9. 15. to the Dean and Chapter of York. The Wesleyans have a place of worship.

Rainton, East

RAINTON, EAST, a township, in the parish and union of Houghton-le-Spring, N. division of Easington ward and of the county of Durham; containing 1414 inhabitants. This place, formerly called Reynington, was a manor and park belonging to the convent of Durham, and after the Dissolution was given to the new cathedral, though the tithes, which belonged to the house of Kepier, passed into lay hands. The township includes the modern village of Middle Rainton, and comprises 849a. 17p., of which 481 acres are arable, 344 meadow and pasture, and 24 waste. Many of the inhabitants are employed in the neighbouring coal-mines, the produce of which is shipped at Sunderland: Plain pit exploded, and destroyed a number of persons, in 1817, and again in 1823. The Durham Junction railway passes through the township. The impropriate tithes have been commuted for £134, and the remainder for £38. 16. There is a place of worship for Wesleyans.

Rainton, West

RAINTON, WEST, a township, in the parish and union of Houghton-le-Spring, N. division of Easington ward and of the county of Durham, 4¼ miles (N. E.) from Durham; containing 1054 inhabitants. This place, like East Rainton, belonged to the great convent at Durham. The township comprises by measurement 1688 acres, of which 1310 are arable, 358 grass-land, and 20 waste; the surface is undulated, the soil clay, and the scenery embraces fine views of Durham, &c. The population has increased of late years in proportion to the great extension of the neighbouring collieries; and facilities of conveyance are afforded by the Seaham railway, which is joined in the township by the Durham Junction line. A chapel dedicated to the Blessed Virgin, formerly existed, but there are now no traces of it: the present church of Rainton was erected in 1825, at an expense of £1400, and the living is a rectory, with an income of £300, in the patronage of the Bishop of Durham. A rent-charge of £240. 0. 11. has been awarded as a commutation for the tithes of the township. There is a place of worship for Wesleyans.

Raisbeck

RAISBECK, a township, in the parish of Orton, East ward and union, county of Westmorland, 2 miles (E. by S.) from Orton; containing 214 inhabitants. The village is pleasantly situated in a dry limestone district; and to the south of it is Raisgill Hall, the ancient manorhouse, where the courts were formerly held. Limestone of good quality is found in abundance.

Raisthorpe, with Birdall

RAISTHORPE, with Birdall, a township, in the parish of Wharram-Percy, union of Malton, wapentake of Buckrose, E. riding of York, 9 miles (S. E. by S.) from Malton; containing 48 inhabitants. The township is situated in a valley of the Wolds, and comprises about 2130 acres, whereof about 400 are rabbit-warren. The road from Malton to Wetwang passes on the east.

Raithby (Holy Trinity)

RAITHBY (Holy Trinity), a parish, in the union of Spilsby, E. division of the soke of Bolingbroke, parts of Lindsey, county of Lincoln, 2 miles (W. N. W.) from Spilsby; containing 167 inhabitants. It comprises 1131 acres. The living is a discharged rectory, valued in the king's books at £6. 14. 7., and in the patronage of the Crown; net income, £301. The tithes were commuted for land and a money payment in 1776. There is a place of worship for Wesleyans; also a school endowed with about £13 per annum.

Raithby (St. Peter)

RAITHBY (St. Peter), a parish, in the union of Louth, Wold division of the hundred of Louth-Eske, parts of Lindsey, county of Lincoln, 2 miles (S. W.) from Louth; containing, with the hamlet of Maltby, 167 inhabitants. The living is a rectory, with the vicarage of Hallington united; net income, £432; patron, C. Chaplin, Esq. The church was rebuilt in 1836–7, chiefly at the expense of the Chaplin family; some of the windows are decorated with stained glass.