Rufford (St. Mary)
RUFFORD (St. Mary), a parish, in the union of
Ormskirk, hundred of Leyland, N. division of Lancashire, 5½ miles (N. E. by N.) from Ormskirk, on
the road to Preston; containing 866 inhabitants. A
moiety of this manor appears to have been granted
in the reign of Henry I., by Richard Bussel, the second
baron of Penwortham, to Richard Fitun or Fitton.
John Fitton, his great-grandson, was also lord of
half of Rufford; and the grandson of the latter, by a
charter without date, gave the moiety of the town to his
daughter Matilda, or Maud. This Matilda married Sir
William Hesketh; and by the marriage of Sir William's
grandson with the heiress of Edmund Fitton, lord of
half Rufford, he became sole lord of the manor, which
has since been vested in his descendants. Rufford was
formerly a chapelry in the parish of Croston, and was
made parochial by act of parliament in 1793. It comprises 2996 acres, whereof 1369 are arable, 1214 pasture, 178 woodland, and 129 heath and common: the
soil is a vegetable loam, producing abundant crops of
excellent potatoes; and though the surface is flat, by
the aid of good cultivation it is rendered tolerably interesting. The river Douglas separates the parish from
that of Croston; and the Leeds and Liverpool canal,
and the Liverpool and Preston railway, pass through.
The Old Hall bears date 1662, but from its appearance,
it must have been built a century earlier; the banqueting-room is rich in carved oak, and contains a huge
screen of massive cut beech. The New Hall, the seat of
Sir Thomas George Hesketh, Bart., stands in a large wellwooded park. The living is a rectory not in charge, in
the gift of Le Gendre Nicholas Starkie, Esq.: the tithes
have been commuted for £390, and the rector receives
£190 out of those of Ulnes-Walton. The church was
in existence (as a chapel) five centuries ago, when Sir
Robert Hesketh, Knt., was licensed to found a chantry;
it was rebuilt in 1735, and is a plain brick building with
a cupola: a small gallery and an organ were erected in
1829. On the north side of the family pew of the Heskeths, is a venerable marble slab, on which are represented a knight and his lady, the former being Thomas
Hesketh, who died Oct. 1363. The Wesleyans have a
place of worship. Sir Thomas Hesketh in 1816 built a
school, which is supported by the present baronet.
Rufford
RUFFORD, an extra-parochial liberty, in the union
of Southwell, Hatfield division of the wapentake of
Bassetlaw, N. division of the county of Nottingham,
2 miles (S. S. W.) from Ollerton; containing 363 inhabitants. It extends southward from the vicinity of
Ollerton, for more than six miles, along the banks of the
Rainworth-water, and consists of 10,221 acres. An
abbey for Cistercian monks, in honour of the Blessed
Virgin Mary, was founded here in 1148, by Gilbert, Earl
of Lincoln: at the Dissolution it possessed a revenue of
£254. 6. 8. The remains have been incorporated into a
spacious mansion, situated in a richly-wooded park of
1400 acres; the large hall was altered to its present
state in the reign of Elizabeth. An apartment in which
his Majesty George IV. slept on one of his visits to the
north, when Prince of Wales, is still called the Prince of
Wales's bed-room.
Rufforth (All Saints)
RUFFORTH (All Saints), a parish, in the E. division of Ainsty wapentake, W. riding of York, 5 miles
(W.) from York, on the road to Wetherby; containing
276 inhabitants. The parish comprises by computation
2350a. 3r. 27p., whereof three-fourths are arable, and
the rest pasture with a little woodland. The surface is
generally flat, and the soil of various qualities, some
portions being a strong clay, and others of a lighter
nature. The living is a perpetual curacy, valued in the
king's books at £4. 13. 4., and has a net income of
£100; the patronage belongs to Mr. and Mrs. Siddall.
The tithes were commuted for land and a money payment in 1794. The church, which has a small bell
turret, was fully repaired in 1832.
Rugby (St. Andrew)
RUGBY (St. Andrew), a market-town and parish,
and the head of a union, in the Rugby division of the
hundred of Knightlow, N. division of the county of
Warwick, 16½ miles (E. N. E.) from Warwick, and 83
(N. W. by N.) from London; containing 4008 inhabitants. At this place, anciently called Rocheberie, afterwards Rokeby, and in the reign of Elizabeth by its present name, is supposed to have been one of those fortresses which Stephen, expecting Matilda's invasion,
permitted his nobles to erect upon their estates. The
town is pleasantly situated on rising ground, on the
south side of the Avon. Within the last few years
several new streets have been formed, among which are
Elborow-street, New-street, Church-street, and Eldon
and Union places; the principal thoroughfares have
been flagged, and lighted with gas. The houses are in
general well built of brick, and of modern appearance,
though occasionally intermixed with some of ancient
character, with plastered walls and thatched roofs.
Rugby has become important of late as the point of
junction of several lines of railway. The London and
Birmingham railroad passes a short distance to the
north of the town, and the Midland railway unites with
it here, being carried over the river Avon by a viaduct
of 11 semicircular arches of brick, of 50 feet span.
There are railways from Rugby to Stafford and to Stamford; a line to Leamington will probably be opened at
the close of 1848, and one to Oxford in 1849. The
station here was originally small; but the London and
North-Western Company in 1846 obtained an act to
build new offices, which will be completed in 1849, and
will be among the most extensive in the kingdom. The
Oxford canal is in the vicinity of the town. The market, which is well attended, and abundantly supplied
with provisions of every kind, is on Saturday. Fourteen
fairs are held annually, the greater number of them for
cattle; these are on the second Tuesday after Twelfthday, on February 17th, March 31st, the last Monday in
April, May 5th (chiefly a pleasure-fair), the second
Monday in June, July 7th, the ninth Monday before
New Michaelmas-day, on August 21st, the Monday before Michaelmas-day, the Monday preceding October
22nd, on November 22nd (a great horse-fair), the Tuesday before St. Thomas's day, and the Monday after
Christmas-day. The powers of the county debt-court
of Rugby, established in 1847, extend over the registration-district of Rugby. The parish comprises by measurement 1560 acres, of which the greater portion is
meadow and pasture.
The living is a rectory, valued in the king's books at
£17. 19. 2.; net income, about £600; patron and impropriator, the Earl of Craven. The tithes were commuted for land and a money payment in 1773. The
church is an ancient structure, partly in the early English style, with a massive square embattled tower, having
a turret at the south-east angle; the tower appears to
have been erected as a place of security after the demolition of the castle. The roof of the nave is supported
on the north side by massive octagonal piers and sharplypointed arches, of which those nearer to the chancel are
much more lofty than the others; the building was enlarged on the south, after a design by the late Mr. Rickman, and the windows on that side have been enriched
with flowing tracery. The church contains an elegant
modern font, executed in Caen stone, and designed in
the style of the 14th century; it is octagonal in form,
with projecting ogee arched canopied niches, within
which are alternately displayed the Evangelistic symbols
interspersed with shields bearing various crosses and the
sacred monogram I H C. Affixed to the north wall of
the church is a chaste mural monument, with a Latin
inscription, to the memory of a sister of the late Sir
Thomas Lawrence, P.R.A., whose father died, and was
buried, at Rugby. A district church in honour of St.
Matthew was erected in 1841, at a cost of about £3000,
and endowed by individual donations; it is a chaste and
handsome structure in the early English style, and consists of a nave and aisles, neatly ceiled: the font is a
beautiful piece of workmanship, of hexagonal form. The
living is in the gift of Trustees. There are places of
worship for Baptists and Wesleyans; and a Roman
Catholic chapel dedicated to St. Marie, built by Captain
Hibbert, and consecrated in Sept. 1847. A charity
school was founded in 1707, by Mr. Elborow, who endowed it with a house and 50 acres of land; and adjoining it, and supported out of the same funds, are six
almshouses for aged widows. There is also a national
school, and various bequests have been made for distribution among the poor. The union of Rugby comprises
40 parishes or places, 31 of which are in the county of
Warwick, 8 in that of Northampton, and one in the
county of Leicester; the whole containing a population
of 20,601.
The Grammar School, which is the distinguishing
feature in Rugby, is a noble and magnificent establishment, and has for many years maintained a high degree
of reputation. It was founded in the 9th of Elizabeth,
by Lawrence Sheriff, of London, a native of Brownsover,
in the neighbouring parish of Clifton, who endowed it
with a house and some land in that parish, and with
about eight acres called the Conduit close, near the
Foundling Hospital, London. At this time the income
was inconsiderable, and in the year 1780 the rental did
not exceed £116 per annum; but from the subsequent
improvement of the estate, by the erection of numerous
dwelling-houses, and the laying out of several streets,
upon the site, the revenue has been augmented to more
than £5000 per annum. Belonging to the institution
are 21 exhibitions of £60 per annum, tenable for seven
years, at either of the universities, to which, by the
regulations of the school, boys on the foundation have
the preference; also several fellowships, varying in value
from £100 to £300 per annum, but not exceeding £1000
per annum in the aggregate amount, which are given at
the discretion of the trustees to the head master and
ushers who have been ten years in the establishment, or
have retired after that period. Boys are eligible to the
foundation who live within ten miles of the town, if in
Warwickshire, or within five miles, if in any other
county. The total number of boys is 450.
The school premises, taken down and rebuilt in 1808,
form a splendid range of building in the Elizabethan
style. The principal entrance is under a square gateway
tower with octagonal turrets at the angles, through a
richly-groined archway, above which is a beautiful oriel
window embellished with stained glass; the archway
leads into a spacious quadrangle, of which two sides are
cloistered. The schoolrooms are lofty, and the great
school, as it is called, in which the annual Prize Compositions are recited, is of stately elevation; the room
in the gateway tower, over the principal entrance, is
appropriated to the library. Through an archway
diagonally opposite to the principal entrance, is the
approach to the chapel, a detached edifice in the later
English style, to which is also an entrance from the
public road. The sides of the chapel are strengthened
with ornamented buttresses, and relieved by three elegant windows with dripstones resting on corbels with
antique heads; the east and west ends are decorated
with crocketed pinnacles at the angles, and a cross on
the apex of the gable. The interior is fitted up like the
choir of a cathedral: the roof, which is flat, and painted
to resemble oak, is panelled, and ribbed with diagonal
intersections. The east window is embellished with
painted glass representing the Offerings of the Magi;
in a tablet over the communion-table is a painting after
Murillo, of the Saviour bearing his Cross, and four of
the side windows are also ornamented with stained
glass. At the west end are two canopied seats for the
head master and the chaplain, over which is a gallery,
with an organ of appropriate design. On the north side
near the altar, is a monument of white marble, by Chantrey, erected to the memory of Dr. James, a former head
master; and on the south side is a monument by Westmacott, to Doctor Wooll, a subsequent master. At the
east end, also, is one recently erected to the memory of
the late distinguished Dr. Arnold: it is of Caen stone,
and executed with great taste; the figure is recumbent,
and exquisitely sculptured. The entrance to the head
master's apartments is through a large octagonal turret,
forming the hall and staircase, and the whole range
of buildings is relieved with turrets at various intervals.
From the funds of the institution are supported twelve
almshouses, lately refronted in a corresponding style.
At Lawford, one mile west from Rugby, are large
quarries of blue lias, covered with a thick bed of gravel,
in which elephants' bones, and the remains of other
animals, have been found in considerable quantities.
On the road to Lawford is a British tumulus; and at
Brownsover, one mile north-west of Rugby, is an earthwork, supposed to be a British camp, surrounded by the
rivers Swift and Avon. Skeletons, buried in the ancient
British manner, with the limbs contracted, have been
discovered.
Rugeley (St. Augustine)
RUGELEY (St. Augustine), a market-town and
parish, in the union of Lichfield, E. division of the
hundred of Cuttlestone, S. division of the county of
Stafford, 9 miles (E. S. E.) from Stafford, and 127 (N.
W. by N.) from London; containing 3774 inhabitants.
This parish includes a portion of Cannock chase, the
whole of which, comprising nearly 20,000 acres, still
uninclosed, was, together with the manor of Rugeley,
granted by Henry VIII. to William, first Lord Paget,
ancestor of the Marquess of Anglesey, the present lord
of the manor. The town is agreeably situated near the
south bank of the river Trent, on the road from Stafford to Lichfield; it is lighted with gas, is remarkably
clean, and of respectable appearance. There are several
good streets; two of them, called Albion-street and
Church-street, have been lately formed, and many of
the houses in the latter are of a superior order. The
trade is greatly promoted by the proximity of the Grand
Trunk canal, which connects the navigation of the rivers
Trent and Mersey, and passing northward of the town,
between it and the river, communicates with the Brereton collieries, in the parish, by a tramroad, and not far
distant is carried over the Trent by a fine aqueduct.
The Trent-Valley railway, also, completed in 1847, runs
near the town. Here are an iron-foundry, and mills for
rolling sheet-iron, also a small manufactory for sugar of
lead and verdigris: hats were formerly made to a considerable extent, but this branch of trade has very much
declined. The market is on Thursday. Fairs take place
on April 15th; June 1st, a very large horse-fair, which
continues till the 6th, on which day is also a large cattlefair; October 21st, for cattle, sheep, and horses; and
the second Tuesday in December. The powers of the
county debt-court of Rugeley, established in 1847, extend over part of the registration-district of Lichfield.
A court leet is held in October.
The living is a discharged vicarage, valued in the
king's books at £5. 2., and in the patronage of the Dean
and Chapter of Lichfield, the appropriators: the great
tithes have been commuted for £405; and the vicarial
for £315, with a glebe of 8 acres. The present church
was erected in 1822, with stone given by the Marquess
of Anglesey; it has a tower, and contains 430 free sittings, in consideration of a grant of £800 from the Incorporated Society. Of the old edifice, the tower and
chancel remain entire, and the latter is used as a schoolroom; the arches are in ruins. A district church has
been built at Brereton. There is a place of worship for
Independents, and one for Wesleyans at Glover's-Hill.
The free grammar school is said to have been founded
in the time of Elizabeth, but the date is not known; the
endowment consists of land and houses in the parish,
and produces about £320 per annum. The school is
free to the sons of inhabitants of the parish, and the
average number of free scholars, for some years past,
has been about 50; the master is allowed to take 20
boarders, and may also admit 11 day-scholars from the
neighbouring parishes, who pay for their education.
Bamford's school was established by John Bamford,
who by will dated February 11th, 1733, gave £400: this
benefaction having been augmented, the income is now
£35 per annum. A national school for girls was founded
by the Hon. Mrs. Curzon, now Lady de la Zouche; and
an almshouse, for four women, by Mrs. Hopkins.
Ruishton (St. George)
RUISHTON (St. George), a parish, in the union of
Taunton, hundred of Taunton and Taunton-Dean,
W. division of Somerset, 2½ miles (E.) from Taunton;
containing, with the picturesque hamlet of Henlade, 482
inhabitants. The parish is situated on the navigable
river Tone, and comprises by measurement 1020 acres,
of which about 23 are roads and waste. The village,
which is separated from Henlade by the London road,
is in the lower part flat and marshy, but towards the
south stands on an acclivity, commanding some interesting views. The living is a perpetual curacy; net
income, £84; patron and incumbent, the Rev. G. E.
Peake. The church, situated close to the river, is an
elegant structure in the decorated English style, with a
tower of three stages; near the altar are the remains of a
confessional, and both the exterior and interior of the
edifice display beautiful and interesting details.
Ruislip (St. Martin)
RUISLIP (St. Martin), a parish, in the union of
Uxbridge, hundred of Elthorne, county of Middlesex, 3½ miles (N. E.) from Uxbridge; containing, with
the ville of Eastcott, and the hamlet of North Wood,
1413 inhabitants. The living is a vicarage, valued in
the king's books at £12; income, £462; patrons and
appropriators, the Dean and Canons of Windsor: the
tithes were commuted for land and corn-rents in 1804.
Here was a cell to the abbey of Bec, in Normandy, the
revenue of which at the suppression was £18.
Rumbold's-Wyke (St. Rumbald)
RUMBOLD'S-WYKE (St. Rumbald), a parish, in
the union of West Hampnett, hundred of Box and
Stockbridge, rape of Chichester, W. division of
Sussex; containing 324 inhabitants. This is a small
parish adjoining Chichester, and includes part of the
suburb called Hornett. A branch of the Arundel and
Portsmouth canal, to Chichester, passes through its
western portion. The living is a rectory, valued in the
king's books at £4; net income, £234; patrons, the
Dean and Chapter of Chichester. The church is a neat
building in the later English style.
Rumbridge
RUMBRIDGE, a tything, in the parish of Eling,
union of New-Forest, hundred of Redbridge, Romsey and S. divisions of the county of Southampton;
containing 661 inhabitants.
Rumburgh (St. Michael)
RUMBURGH (St. Michael), a parish, in the union
and hundred of Blything, E. division of Suffolk, 4
miles (N. W. by N.) from Halesworth; containing 435
inhabitants, and comprising about 1370 acres. The
living is a perpetual curacy, with the vicarage of South
Elmham St. Michael annexed; net income, £130; patron and incumbent, the Rev. L. Atthill; impropriator
of Rumburgh, George Durrant, Esq., whose tithes have
been commuted for £357. The church, an ancient
structure with a low massive tower, was the church of a
Benedictine monastery dedicated to St. Michael, founded
here soon after the Conquest, for monks from St. Bene'tat-Holme, and in the reign of Henry I. given by Allan,
Earl of Richmond, to the abbey of St. Mary at York.
The monastery was suppressed in 1528, and granted to
Cardinal Wolsey towards the endowment of his college
at Ipswich; the remains have been converted into a
farmhouse. There is a place of worship for Wesleyans;
and a school is partly supported by an appropriation of
£10 from the rent of land producing £70 per annum,
for the repair of the church, and for charitable uses.
Rumney (St. Augustine)
RUMNEY (St. Augustine), a parish, in the union
of Cardiff, hundred of Wentlloog, division of Newport, county of Monmouth, 3 miles (N. E.) from Cardiff; containing 305 inhabitants. The parish is bounded
on the north by the river Rumney, which separates the
counties of Monmouth and Glamorgan, and flows into
the Bristol Channel. It comprises about 1900 acres;
and abounds with stone, which is quarried for building
purposes and for the roads. The river is navigable for
small craft, and the road from London to Milford passes
through the parish. The living is a discharged vicarage,
valued in the king's books at £5. 10. 7½.; net income,
£86; patrons and appropriators, the Dean and Chapter
of Bristol. The great tithes have been commuted for
£195, and the small for £45: the vicar has a glebe of
3 acres. On an eminence overlooking the river is an
ancient encampment surrounded by a fosse inclosing an
area of about 40 perches.
Rumworth
RUMWORTH, a township, in the parish of Deane,
union of Bolton, hundred of Salford, S. division of
Lancashire, 1 mile (W. S. W.) from Bolton; containing
1298 inhabitants. The name of the parish, Deane, is
obviously derived from the Saxon Den, a valley, and
expresses not inaptly the situation of this township, in
which are included the village and parochial church of
Deane. Rumworth comprises 1300 acres, and is separated from the township of Heaton by the Croal or
Middlebrook stream, which passes on the north.
Runckton
RUNCKTON, a hamlet, in the parish of North
Mundham, union of West Hampnett, hundred of
Box and Stockbridge, rape of Chichester, W. division of Sussex; containing 98 inhabitants.
Runcorn (St. Bartholomew)
RUNCORN (St. Bartholomew), a sea-port and
parish, and the head of a union, in the hundred of
Bucklow, N. division of the county of Chester; containing, according to the census of 1841, 12,698 inhabitants, of whom 6951 are in the township of Runcorn,
9 miles (S. W. by W.) from Warrington, 12 (E. S. E.)
from Liverpool, and 189 (N. W. by N.) from London. In
the year 915, Ethelfleda, sister to King Edward the
Elder, and widow of Ethelred, Earl of Mercia, built
near the Mersey a town and castle, called Runcofan,
some traces of which are still visible at Castle-Rock, by
the river side, about 300 yards below the church of
Runcorn. The head of the rock once extended much
beyond its present limits, jutting a considerable distance
into the Mersey, and abruptly contracting the bed of
that river: the strait thus formed was called the Gap, a
name which the vicinity still bears, though the stream
at this point is now about 400 yards broad at high
water. The castle commanded the passage from the
kingdom of Mercia to that of Northumberland. In
1153, William Fitz-Nigel founded here a monastery of
Canons regular; but about the reign of Stephen, the
founder's son William, constable of Chester, removed it
to Norton, a township in the parish, east of Runcorn.
The Town has much increased within the last few
years in magnitude and importance. At the time when
the Old Quay and the Duke of Bridgewater's canals
(both of which pass through a great portion of the
parish) were cut, it was a romantic and secluded village;
it is now a town of considerable size, with every indication of becoming much larger. Improvements of every
description are taking place in the town and neighbourhood; whole streets of houses have been lately built,
others are in the process of building, and more are
planned. An act for better lighting the place was passed
in 1847. There is a town-hall; and petty-sessions are
held. The powers of the county debt-court of Runcorn,
established in 1847, extend over the greater part of the
registration-district of Runcorn.
This was made a Port in 1847. The limits of the
port commence at Warrington bridge, following the
course of the Mersey westward, and including both
shores, to Chapel Farm on the Lancashire side, and
Eastham church on the Cheshire side, with the shores
and waters of the Weaver up to Frodsham bridge. The
privilege of bonding goods in general has been extended
to the port. New dock, Old dock, the Lower Basin,
Old Basin, Francis' dock, and Old Quay docks, have
been appointed legal quays; warehouse accommodation
has been prepared for the reception of bonded goods,
and a yard for bonding timber of all kinds has been
completed. There is also storage for merchandise not
for bond; and the warehouses being immediately contiguous to the docks, no expense for the cartage of goods
to them from the vessels is incurred. The canals already
mentioned, which here form a junction with the Mersey,
are the great route by water for goods passing between
Liverpool and the eastern and southern parts of the
kingdom. The position of Runcorn with respect to the
manufacturing districts of Lancashire, Yorkshire, Cheshire, and Derbyshire, the Potteries, and the iron-districts of Wolverhampton, Birmingham, &c., renders the
port especially eligible for purposes of traffic; and the
coal-fields of Lancashire and salt-works of Cheshire give
facilities to ships in procuring cargoes here with the least
possible delay, ready and economical communication
existing with both the collieries and the salt-works.
In the three quarters of a year ending 5th January,
1848, the trade of the port was as follows. The number
of vessels in the foreign trade, inwards, was 18, of the
aggregate burthen of 2140 tons; outwards, the same
number, of 2328 tons. The coasting-trade vessels subject to coast regulations were: Irish, inwards, 198, of
8950 tons; outwards, 419, of 22,757 tons: English, inwards, 925, of 48,835 tons; outwards, 884, of 40,169
tons. The actual number of vessels that arrived at and
sailed from the port, including those not subject to coast
regulations, was, inwards, 1853; outwards, 1821. The
goods imported and warehoused comprised timber, deals,
tea, coffee, and wine. The grain and meal imported
from Ireland, were, wheat, 915 quarters; oats, 6768
quarters; and oatmeal, 264 tons: the quantity of salt
exported amounted to 75,780 bushels, and of coal to
620 tons. The duty received in the three quarters was
£2551. The port is yet in its infancy; but the more its
accommodation and convenience are known, the more
its traffic may be expected to increase.
The Bridgewater canal is 82 feet above the level of
the river, with which it communicates by a series of
locks. The Old Quay canal is of a much lower level,
and joins the Mersey by the aid of a single lock only.
The river is navigable to Runcorn by vessels of 350 tons:
the class usually seen here are coasters, varying from 20
to 180 tons. Steamers ply daily with the tide between
Runcorn and Liverpool, one or more, according to the
season, being engaged in the conveyance of passengers,
and others in towing vessels: in connexion with the
steamers for passengers, and also independently of them
at fixed periods of the day, are canal boats to and from
Manchester that travel at the rate of ten miles an hour.
There is also a ferry across the river, on the other side of
which commences the Runcorn-Gap and St. Helen's
railway. An act was passed in 1846 for a railway from
the Huyton station of the Liverpool and Manchester
railway, to run across the Mersey, past Runcorn, to
Aston-by-Sutton, there to join the Liverpool and Birmingham railway. The line is to be 12 miles in length,
with a branch of nearly a mile at Runcorn; and, when
constructed, will form part of the most direct route
between Liverpool and London.
Runcorn Hill, or the Beetle, as it is provincially
termed, and its environs, present an almost inexhaustible supply of stone; and from the quarries opened there
and in other parts of the parish, considerable quantities
of stone are sent by water to Chester, Liverpool, and
Manchester. At Runcorn are also extensive soap and
chemical works, in connexion with which are two circular brick chimneys, surmounted by capitals of hewn
stone, and forming columns of great beauty. There are
several large ship-building establishments by the side of
the river; two foundries; and a chain-factory.
The parish includes the chapelries of Aston-by-Sutton,
Daresbury, Halton, and Thelwall; and the townships of
Acton-Grange, Aston-Grange, Clifton, Hatton, Keckwick, Moore, Newton-by-Daresbury, Norton, Prestonon-the-Hill, Stockham, Sutton, Walton Inferior and
Superior, and Weston. In Runcorn township are 819
acres of land. The Living is a vicarage, valued in the
king's books at £10. 4. 2.; net income, £320; patrons,
the Dean and Canons of Christ-Church, Oxford, who,
and the vicar, are appropriators. The church was originally founded by Edward, son of Alfred the Great. It
belonged to the convent of Norton, and after the Dissolution the appropriation and advowson were given by
Henry VIII. to Christ-Church College: the present
church was erected in 1847-8. A district church, Trinity, was built a few years ago, by subscription, and
endowed by John and Thomas Johnson, Esqrs., who hold
the patronage. At Aston-by-Sutton, Daresbury, Halton,
Thelwall, and Weston Point, are other incumbencies;
and the town contains places of worship for Independents, Wesleyans, Lady Huntingdon's Connexion, and
Primitive and Independent Methodists; a Welsh chapel,
and a Roman Catholic chapel. The poor-law union of
Runcorn comprises 37 parishes or places, and contains
a population of 23,000.
Runcton, North (All Saints)
RUNCTON, NORTH (All Saints), a parish, in the
union and hundred of Freebridge-Lynn, W. division
of Norfolk, 3 miles (E. S. E.) from Lynn; containing,
with the hamlet of Hardwick, 289 inhabitants. It
comprises 1416 acres, of which 700 are arable, 610
meadow and pasture, 20 woodland, and 86 common;
the surface is undulated, and the scenery pleasingly
diversified. The Hall, the seat of D. Gurney, Esq.,
F.S.A., is a handsome mansion. The living is a rectory,
with the living of Setchey, valued in the king's books at
£8. 10., and in the gift of Mr. Gurney; the tithes have
been commuted for £623, and the glebe comprises 26
acres. The church was nearly destroyed by the fall of
the tower in 1701, and after being for many years in
ruins, was rebuilt by subscription, aided by grants from
the Incorporated and Diocesan Societies, and reopened
in 1839; it is a neat edifice in the Grecian style, with a
cupola.
Runcton, South (St. Andrew)
RUNCTON, SOUTH (St. Andrew), a parish, in the
union of Downham, hundred of Clackclose, W. division of Norfolk, 4¼ miles (N. N. E.) from Downham;
containing 144 inhabitants. It is on the road to Lynn,
and comprises 831a. 3r. 24p., of which 593 acres are
arable, 181 meadow and pasture, and 25 woodland. The
living is a rectory, with the livings of Holme, Thorpland, and Wallington annexed, valued in the king's
books at £12, and in the gift of the Representatives of
the late R. Peel, Esq.: the tithes of the parish have been
commuted for £246. 13., and the glebe comprises 13½
acres. The church, a handsome structure in the Norman style, was restored in 1839, at an expense of £700,
towards which the Incorporated Society granted £170.
Runhall (All Saints)
RUNHALL (All Saints), a parish, in the incorporation and hundred of Forehoe, E. division of Norfolk, 5¼ miles (N. W. by N.) from Wymondham;
containing 248 inhabitants. It is bounded on the south
by a stream tributary to the Yare; and comprises 848
acres, of which the principal portion is arable, and the
remainder, with the exception of 45 acres of woodland
and 74 open common, is meadow and pasture. The living
is a perpetual curacy, valued in the king's books at
£6. 18. 1½.; net income, £65; patron and impropriator,
Lord Wodehouse, whose tithes have been commuted for
£80. The church is in the early and later styles, and
consists of a nave, with a circular tower; the chancel is
in ruins.
Runham (St. Peter and St. Paul)
RUNHAM (St. Peter and St. Paul), a parish, in
the East and West Flegg incorporation, hundred
of East Flegg, E. division of Norfolk, 6¾ miles
(W. N. W.) from Yarmouth; containing 290 inhabitants.
The parish comprises 1715a. 1r. 18p., of which 1060
acres are marsh; the navigable river Bure bounds it on
the south, and the Vauxhall gardens, near Yarmouth
bridge, are within its limits. A market, and a fair on
the vigil and festival of St. Peter ad Vincula, were granted
by King John to Robert de Evermere, for the village of
Runham. The living is a discharged vicarage, valued
in the king's books at £4; patron and appropriator,
the Bishop of Ely. The great tithes have been commuted for £223. 16., and the vicarial for £145. 5., besides a rent-charge of £32. 4. payable to the vicar of
Gorleston; the glebe comprises 24 acres. The church
is chiefly in the decorated English style, with a square
embattled tower. Some poor persons are supplied with
coal from a sum of £30, the rental of land awarded
under an inclosure act in the 42nd of George III.
Runnington
RUNNINGTON, a parish, in the union of Wellington, hundred of Milverton, W. division of Somerset, 2 miles (W. N. W.) from Wellington; containing
107 inhabitants. The parish is situated on the river
Tone, and the Taunton and Tiverton canal passes near
its boundary. It comprises 323 acres, and the substratum contains good limestone, which is quarried for
burning into lime. A few persons are employed in the
woollen manufacture. The living is a discharged rectory,
valued in the king's books at £5. 1. 5½., and in the patronage of the Crown: the tithes have been commuted
for £84, and the glebe comprises 16 acres. The church
is ancient.
Runsell
RUNSELL, a hamlet, in the parish of Danbury,
union and hundred of Chelmsford, though locally in
that of Dengie, S. division of Essex, 1 mile (E.) from
Danbury; containing 313 inhabitants.
Runston
RUNSTON, an ancient parish, in the union of
Chepstow, division and hundred of Caldicot, county
of Monmouth, 3¾ miles (S. W. by W.) from Chepstow.
The church has been demolished. For parochial purposes
the place is connected with St. Pierre, and for ecclesiastical purposes with Mathern, to the vicar of which the
tithes are payable.
Runton (Holy Trinity)
RUNTON (Holy Trinity), a parish, in the union of
Erpingham, hundred of North Erpingham, E. division of Norfolk, 2½ miles (W. by N.) from Cromer;
containing 424 inhabitants. The parish lies on the
coast, and comprises 1253a. 3r. 5p., of which 934 acres
are arable, 28 meadow and pasture, 129 plantation, and
45 common. There are two villages, East and West
Runton, the former situated on a green, sheltered in the
rear by an amphitheatre of hills, but open to the beach,
where a fishery is carried on, in which 4 large and 10
small boats are employed. The living is a discharged
rectory, united to the livings of Felbrigg, Metton, and
Aylmerton, and valued in the king's books at £10: the
tithes have been commuted for £240, and the glebe comprises 20 acres. The church is a handsome structure
in the early and later English styles, with a square
embattled tower; in the chancel is a piscina of elegant
design. A school is supported; and £30 per annum,
arising from bequests, are distributed to the poor.
Runwell (St. Mary)
RUNWELL (St. Mary), a parish, in the union and
hundred of Chelmsford, S. division of Essex, 1 mile
(N. by E.) from Wickford; containing 324 inhabitants.
It is situated on the navigable river Crouch, and comprises about 1790 acres, of which 1533 are arable, 217
meadow and pasture, and 40 woodland; the soil is
principally a deep loam, and the surface is partly hilly,
commanding fine views. The living is a rectory, valued
in the king's books at £13, and in the patronage of the
Knox family: the tithes have been commuted for £550,
and the glebe consists of 20 acres. The church, a neat
edifice of brick, with a square embattled tower of stone
surmounted by a shingled spire, contains some ancient
monuments and brasses.
Runwick
RUNWICK, a tything, in the parish and hundred of
Farnham, W. division of the county of Surrey; containing 305 inhabitants.