Soughton, or Sychtyn
SOUGHTON, or Sychtyn, a township, in the parish of Llansillin, hundred of Oswestry, N. division
of Salop, 3¾ miles (S. W. by W.) from Oswestry; containing 251 inhabitants.
Soulbury (All Saints)
SOULBURY (All Saints), a parish, in the union
of Leighton-Buzzard, hundred of Cottesloe, county
of Buckingham, 5 miles (W. N. W.) from LeightonBuzzard; containing, with part of the hamlet of Hollingdon, 615 inhabitants, of whom 499 are in the township of Soulbury. The London and Birmingham railway intersects the parish. The living is a perpetual
curacy, with a net income of £116; the patronage and
impropriation belong to Miss Lovett. Here is a place
of worship for Wesleyans. Robert Lovett, in 1710, and
the Rev. John Sambee, in 1728, endowed a school with
property now producing an income of £77; and there
are also some trifling bequests appropriated to charitable
purposes.
Soulby
SOULBY, a township, in the parish of Dacre, union
of Penrith, Leath ward, E. division of the county of
Cumberland, 5 miles (S. W.) from Penrith; containing
61 inhabitants. The village is situated on the margin
of the beautiful lake Ullswater.
Soulby
SOULBY, a chapelry, in the parish of KirkbyStephen, East ward and union, county of Westmorland, 4 miles (S. W. by W.) from Brough; containing
300 inhabitants. It comprises 2475a. 2r. 5p., of which
about 936 acres are arable, and 1539 meadow and pasture. The village is considerable, and is situated on the
rivulet Scandale, which is here crossed by a bridge of
three arches, erected in 1819. Fairs for cattle and sheep
are held on the Tuesday before Easter and on August
30th. The living is a perpetual curacy; net income,
£78; patron, Sir George Musgrave, Bart.; impropriator,
J. Wakefield, Esq. The chapel was erected in 1663,
and the living endowed at the expense of Sir Philip Musgrave. Land was assigned in 1806, in lieu of all moduses
and small tithes.
Souldern (St. Mary)
SOULDERN (St. Mary), a parish, in the union of
Bicester, hundred of Ploughley, county of Oxford,
4 miles (E. by S.) from Deddington; containing 604
inhabitants. The Oxford and Birmingham canal passes
through the parish, and the river Cherwell forms the
western boundary. The soil on the lower grounds is
clay, and stony on the hills: strong plank-stones are
quarried here, and used extensively in the neighbourhood. The living is a rectory, valued in the king's
books at £8. 14. 2., and in the gift of St. John's College,
Cambridge: the tithes have been commuted for £428. 11.;
there is a glebe-house, and the glebe contains 13¼ acres.
The church is a curious ancient structure, with a tower
in the Norman style; a Norman arch which separated
the nave from the chancel was destroyed in rebuilding
the latter, and other alterations and repairs have defaced
the original character of the edifice. The churchyard
and parsonage are the theme of Wordsworth's beautiful
sonnet entitled A Parsonage in Oxfordshire. There is a
place of worship for Wesleyans. In 1844 some sepulchral remains, believed to be Roman, were discovered
in digging stone near the village; a description has been
published by Sir H. L. Dryden, Bart., accompanied by
drawings. Ploughley Hill, whence the name of the hundred, is in this parish.
Souldrop (All Saints)
SOULDROP (All Saints), a parish, in the hundred
of Willey, union and county of Bedford, 5½ miles
(N. E. by N.) from Harrold; containing 332 inhabitants.
This parish, which was inclosed under an act passed in
1770, is situated in the north-western part of the county,
upon the road between Bedford and Higham-Ferrers.
A branch diverges from that road, in the immediate
vicinity of Souldrop, to Harrold. The living is a discharged rectory, united in 1735 to that of Knotting,
and valued in the king's books at £10. The tithes were
commuted for land and a money payment in 1770, and
under the recent Tithe act have been further commuted
for a rent-charge of £8. 17. 4.; there are 68 acres of
glebe. The body of the church has been rebuilt, but the
ancient steeple remains, and, though not lofty, forms a
conspicuous object for several miles round.
Soulton
SOULTON, a township, in the parish and union of
Wem, Whitchurch division of the hundred of North
Bradford, N. division of the county of Salop; containing 34 inhabitants.
Sound
SOUND, a township, in the parish of Wrenbury,
union and hundred of Nantwich, S. division of the
county of Chester, 3 miles (S. W. by S.) from Nantwich;
containing 255 inhabitants. It comprises 1067 acres,
of which 37 are common or waste: the soil is partly
clay and partly sand. The impropriate tithes have been
commuted for a rent-charge of £92. 5.; and the vicarial
for £21. 3. 11., payable to the vicar of the parish of
Acton. The Primitive Methodists have a place of worship in the township.
Sourton (St. Thomas à Becket)
SOURTON (St. Thomas à Becket), a parish, in
the union of Oakhampton, hundred of Lifton, Lifton
and S. divisions of the county of Devon, 4½ miles (S.
W.) from Oakhampton; containing 732 inhabitants.
The parish comprises about 3740 acres, exclusive of a
large tract of common formerly belonging to Dartmoor;
the surface is hilly. The village is on the road from
Oakhampton to Tavistock. The living is annexed to the
rectory of Bridestowe.
South Ambersham.—See Ambersham, South.
SOUTH AMBERSHAM.—See Ambersham, South.
— And other places having a similar distinguishing prefix
will be found under the proper name.
Southacre (St. George)
SOUTHACRE (St. George), a parish, in the union
of Swaffham, hundred of South Greenhoe, W. division of Norfolk, 3½ miles (N. by W.) from Swaffham;
containing 100 inhabitants. It comprises 2492a. 6p.,
of which 2066 acres are arable, 123 pasture, and 207
woodland. The river Nar runs along the northern
boundary. The living is a rectory, valued in the king's
books at £10. 18. 1½., and in the gift of A. Fountaine,
Esq.: the tithes have been commuted for £510; there
is a glebe-house, and the glebe comprises about 44½
acres. The church contains portions in the three styles
of English architecture, with a square embattled tower;
at the east end of the north aisle is a chapel, in which is
the effigy of a Knight Templar, supposed to represent
Sir Eudo Harsick, who died in 1292, and by whom it is
thought the church was erected. At Racheness, in the
parish, in the time of Henry II., was an hospital for
lepers, subordinate to the priory of Castle-Acre. There
are slight remains of the ancient Hall, the seat of the
Harsicks.
Southall
SOUTHALL, a hamlet, in the parish of Hayes,
union of Uxbridge, hundred of Elthorne, county of
Middlesex, 9½ miles (W.) from London. A considerable market for fat-cattle is held every Wednesday; and
the place is much benefited by the Great Western railway, which has a station here. A chapel dedicated to
St. John was built and endowed at Southall Green, in
1839, by Henry Dobbs, Esq., in whose family the patronage is vested.
Southam, with Brockhampton
SOUTHAM, with Brockhampton, a hamlet, in the
parish and hundred of Bishop's-Cleeve, union of
Winchcomb, E. division of the county of Gloucester,
2½ miles (N. E.) from Cheltenham; containing 278 inhabitants, and comprising 1743 acres. The Birmingham
and Gloucester railway passes through the hamlet.
Southam (St. James)
SOUTHAM (St. James), a market-town and parish,
and the head of a union, in the Southam division of the
hundred of Knightlow, S. division of the county of
Warwick, 10 miles (E. S. E.) from Warwick, on the
road to Banbury, and 84 (N. W.) from London; containing 1670 inhabitants. This town, anciently called
Suthau, is of great antiquity, and possessed a mint. The
monks of Coventry had a religious establishment here;
and in Bury orchard, near the churchyard, foundations
have been discovered, and many skeletons dug up. In
an old mansion near the centre of the town, which appears to have been built before Queen Elizabeth's reign,
Charles I. and his two sons are said to have slept, on
the night before the battle of Edge-Hill, in which engagement a son of the Earl of Pembroke, who was buried
in Southam church, was slain. The parochial register,
under the year 1641, contains an entry of money paid
to the royal footman for opening the church doors,
which had been locked and sealed by the king's order,
as a punishment to the inhabitants for not ringing the
bells on his entering the place.
The town is situated on an eminence rising from the
eastern bank of a tributary of the river Leam, and consists of two streets; the houses in general are modern
and well built, the inhabitants are adequately supplied
with water from springs, and the surrounding scenery
is pleasingly diversified. The stream is crossed by a
neat stone bridge of two arches, at the lower extremity
of the town; and on rising ground on the opposite side,
an antique mansion forms a striking contrast with the
other buildings. The market is on Monday, and is well
supplied with corn. Fairs are held for cattle and horses
on the first Monday in every month: at the June fair is
occasionally celebrated the procession of Lady Godiva,
in imitation of that at Coventry. The powers of the
county debt-court of Southam, established in 1847, extend over the registration-district of Southam. The
parish comprises 2976 acres, whereof two-thirds are
arable, and the remainder pasture; the surface is elevated, the soil a fertile clay: limestone of good quality
is quarried for building purposes and agriculture.
The living is a rectory, valued in the king's books at
£22. 17. 6., and in the patronage of the Crown; net
income, £534. The church is a handsome structure in
the decorated and later English styles, with a tower and
fine spire; the chancel has some remarkably good
windows in the former, and the clerestory is lighted by
windows in the latter, style. The roof of the nave contains some remains of rich ornamental work; an old
pulpit from a neighbouring church has been erected, and
there is a new and handsomely-carved reading-desk.
The Independents have a place of worship. A free
school was founded in 1762, and endowed with land
now producing about £60 per annum. The townlands estate produces £178. 15. per annum, for the relief
of the poor, and the repair of bridges and highways;
and £24. 10., left by the Rev. Henry Edmunds, go to
the clothing of ten poor men. An infirmary for curing
diseases of the eye and ear, established by Mr. Smith, a
resident surgeon, in 1818, under the patronage of the
nobility and gentry of the neighbourhood, is supported
by subscription. The union of Southam embraces 19
parishes or places, and contains a population of 9907.
Here is a mineral spring with the same properties as the
waters at Leamington; also a spring called Holywell.
Francis Holyoake, author of the first collection of English words published in the form of a dictionary, was
rector of the parish in the seventeenth century.
Southampton
SOUTHAMPTON, a seaport, borough, market-town,
and county of itself, locally
in the S. division of Hampshire, 75 miles (S. W. by
W.) from London; containing 27,744 inhabitants. This
place probably derives its
name from the ancient British Ant, the original appellation of one of the rivers
which empty themselves into
its fine estuary. To the
north-east of the present town, on the opposite bank of
the Itchen, the Romans had a military station called
Clausentum, which was succeeded by the Saxon town of
Hantune, on the site of the modern Southampton. In
838, the Danes with a fleet of 33 ships effected a landing on the coast, but were repulsed with considerable
loss by Wulphere, governor of the southern part of the
county, under Ethelwolf; in 860 they again penetrated
into the county, and burned the city of Winchester.
During the reign of Athelstan two mints were established
here. In 981, a party of Danish pirates having made a
descent from seven large vessels, plundered the town,
and laid waste the neighbouring coast. In the reign of
Ethelred II., Sweyn, King of Denmark, and Olave,
King of Norway, landed here with a considerable force,
burned the place, massacred the inhabitants, and committed the most dreadful depredations in the surrounding country, till Ethelred purchased peace by the payment of £16,000, on the receipt of which the invaders
embarked at Hantune for the continent. Canute, after
his establishment on the throne, made this town his occasional residence; and it was whilst seated on the beach
here, at the influx of the tide, that he took occasion
to make that memorable reproof of his courtiers,
for their gross flattery, which has been recorded by
historians.
Arms.
At the time of the Conquest, the town had been so
much reduced by the repeated incursions of the Danes,
that King William had only 79 demesne tenants here.
Henry II. and his queen landed at the port, on their
return from France, in 1174. In the reign of John,
Adam de Port was governor of the castle; in that of
Edward III. the town was completely destroyed by the
French and their allies, the Spaniards and Genoese, but
they were at length repulsed, with the loss of the Prince
of Sicily and other commanders. Richard II. enlarged
the castle, and strengthened the fortifications that had
been erected for the defence of the harbour. Henry V.,
previously to the battle of Agincourt, marshalled his
army here; and during his stay in the town, detected a
conspiracy formed against him by the Lords Cambridge
and Scroop, and Sir Thomas Grey, who were at once
executed at Southampton for treason, and buried in the
chapel of an ancient hospital, still remaining, called
God's House. In the reign of Edward IV., the town
was the scene of a sanguinary contest between the partisans of the houses of York and Lancaster, in which the
former gained the victory, and many of the Lancastrian
chiefs were by the king's order executed with extreme
barbarity. The place had so much increased in extent
and importance, and its trade had become so flourishing,
that, in the reign of Edward V., the lord mayor of London was appointed collector of the king's duties at the
port. In 1512, Grey, Marquess of Dorset, embarked
here with a force for the assistance of Ferdinand, King
of Spain, and ten years later, the Emperor Charles V.
sailed from Southampton, on his return to his own
dominions, after having visited Henry VIII. Edward
VI., in his tour through the western and southern parts
of the kingdom for the benefit of his health, visited the
town, and was sumptuously entertained by the mayor
and corporation; and Philip, King of Spain, on his arrival in England to espouse Queen Mary, landed at the
port, and was entertained at the sheriff's house by the
mayor and his brethren, who sent him a present of
wine, which he received on board his ship, the Grace de
Dieu.
The town is situated on a peninsular tract of ground
rising from the north-eastern shore of Southampton
Water, and bounded on the east by the river Itchen,
over which a floating or steam bridge, leading to the
Gosport road, was constructed under an act obtained
in 1834. On the south and west is a fine open bay
formed by the confluence of the Itchen with the river
Test. The shores of the bay, or estuary, are richly
clothed with wood, and afford a succession of diversified
scenery, the vicinity being studded with villages, mansions, and villas. Southampton Water, about two miles
broad at its entrance near Calshot Castle, stretches
north-westward from opposite the Isle of Wight for
nearly seven miles; on the eastern shore are the ruins
of Netley Abbey, forming an object romantically picturesque. The town, rising gradually from the margin of
the water, is distinguished for the beauty of its situation;
and the approach from the London road, through an
avenue of stately elms and a well-built suburb, is exceedingly striking. The principal entrance to the old
town is through Bar-gate, one of the ancient gates, on the
north front of which are two gigantic figures representing Sir Bevois of Southampton and the giant Ascupart:
according to a legendary tale, Bevois is said to have
slain the giant in combat. From this gate, which is
embattled and machicolated, a spacious street more than
half a mile in length leads directly to the quay. The
old town was inclosed with walls nearly a mile and a
quarter in circuit, of which considerable portions, with
their ruined circular towers, are still entire, the principal
part being that reaching from the south-east of Westgate along the shore northward. Of the ancient gates,
the chief now remaining are West-gate and South-gate,
in addition to Bar-gate, in relation to which last, the
more modern part of the town is distinguished by the
appellation of Above-Bar, while the other part is called
Below-Bar. In Above-Bar are many fine ranges of
building, and a new street of handsome houses has been
erected leading to the western shore, with a terrace
commanding a view of the surrounding scenery. The
town is well paved, lighted with gas, and supplied with
excellent water. An act for its general improvement
was passed in 1844.
A literary and philosophical society, established some
years since by a proprietary of 30 members, is further
supported by an unlimited number of annual subscribers
of £1. 1.; and lectures are given periodically. In a
central part of the High-street, during six months of the
year, is an exhibition of paintings for sale, well known
as the Hants Picture Gallery. A medical society was
instituted in 1834. The principal library and readingrooms are in the High-street, and there are two circulating libraries and several reading-rooms in other parts of
the town, together with billiard-rooms. The mechanics'
institute, in Hanover-buildings, was established a few
years since, and is very flourishing; there are nearly
400 members, and it contains a museum, library, and
lecture-room. Near the Platform is a subscription
bowling-green. There are two assembly-rooms, one
called the Long Rooms, erected on the west side of the
town in 1761; and the other recently built, termed the
Archery Rooms. The theatre, in French-street, is well
arranged; the season commences in August. Races
are held in the autumn, continuing two days; the
course, which is well adapted to the purpose, is pleasantly situated on Southampton Common, and was given
by the corporation. The Archery grounds, on the west
bank of the Southampton Water, form an agreeable
promenade; and Mr. Page's botanic gardens adjoining
contain a very extensive collection of indigenous and
exotic plants, constantly keeping pace with the improved
state of botanical science and discovery. The largest
riding-school, it is said, out of London, has just been
completed here; its length is 122 feet, and its breadth
43. A regatta takes place during the summer, at which
prizes, given by subscription, are contested for on the
Southampton river, than which none can be more
favourably adapted to aquatic excursions, the bay being
finely sheltered. The Royal Southampton Yacht-Club
was established some years ago, and a handsome building in the Italian style, for the use of its members, was
opened in Oct. 1846; it stands near the pier, and forms
an ornament to the south part of the town.
The salubrity of the air, and the beauty of its situation, have made Southampton a resort for sea-bathing;
and hot, cold, medicated, and vapour baths have been
constructed. In addition to those previously established,
a handsome and commodious building was lately erected
in the Grecian style, at an expense of £7000, near the
Platform on the beach; but this is now the Southampton dock-house, and stands in the centre of the dock
land: the other baths, however, have been much improved, and the loss is therefore not much felt. Numerous respectable lodging-houses are let to visiters. On
the beach is a causeway planted with trees, extending
above half a mile: the Platform, which has been much
enlarged, contains an ancient piece of ordnance, given
by Henry VIII., and mounted on a handsome cast-iron
carriage, the gift of John Fleming, Esq. The government have presented to the town six pieces of ordnance,
to be used on public occasions of rejoicing, and these
are also on the Platform. Some barracks erected during
the late war, and occupying about two acres of land,
were in 1816 considerably enlarged, and converted into
a military asylum, under the patronage of the late Duke
of York, for the orphan daughters of soldiers, and of
girls whose mothers are dead and their fathers absent
on service; the buildings are of brick, handsome, and
commodious. At Itchen Ferry, and on the western side
of the town, bathing-machines are kept. The environs
are remarkable for the beauty of their scenery, and the
number of elegant mansions and villas they contain;
and in addition to the numerous attractions which the
town itself possesses, and the facilities afforded for
aquatic excursions, extensive rides may be taken through
a country abounding with interest.
The port, whose jurisdiction extends from Langstone
harbour on the east, to Hurst Castle on the west, and
midway from Calshot Castle to the Isle of Wight, carries
on a considerable foreign trade: the imports are, wine
and fruit from Portugal; hemp, iron, and tallow, from
Russia; pitch and tar from Sweden, and timber from
other ports on the Baltic. There is also a good trade
with Jersey and Guernsey; and by act of parliament of
Edward III., making Southampton one of the staple
ports for the exportation of wool, all cargoes of that
material, not originally shipped to those islands from
this port, must either be relanded here, or pay a duty
at the custom-house. A coasting-trade is carried on
with Wales, from which it imports iron and slates;
with Newcastle, from which it obtains coal, lead, and
glass; and with various other places. It is one of the
most interesting of our sea-ports, on account of its
connexion with the new overland route to India: a
steamer leaves on the 20th of every month for Gibraltar,
Malta (where the travellers and expresses from London
viâ Paris and Marseilles are taken up), and Alexandria,
whence the transit is continued to Cairo, across Suez,
and down the Red Sea, to India. A West India mail
steamer, also, leaves the port on the 2nd and 17th of
each month, for Madeira, Barbadoes, &c. There is
steam communication with Portugal, with Havre, New
York, Bremen, New Orleans, and with the Channel
Islands and Dublin; and steam-packets also afford a
constant communication with the Isle of Wight.
The quay, on which stands a convenient custom-house,
is accessible to vessels of 250 tons' burthen, and a spacious stone-faced quay has been added on the eastern
side for smaller craft. A landing pier, for the convenience of passengers to and from the Isle of Wight,
Guernsey, Jersey, and France, was constructed by act
of parliament, in 1832. It is 900 feet in length, curving
at the eastern extremity for the accommodation of the
steam-packets; the carriage-road is 20 feet wide, and
on each side of it is a foot-path protected by railing.
The pier is of timber, is lighted with gas, and forms an
agreeable promenade. In 1837 it was discovered to
have been nearly destroyed by submarine insects, between high and low water mark; and in consequence,
all the piles have been replaced by others thickly studded
with nails. Some very extensive docks have been constructed here. The tidal-dock was commenced in 1838,
and opened August 29th, 1842, having been completed
at a cost of £140,000; it has always 18 feet water at
low-water spring tides, and the entrance is 150 feet in
width, thus admitting vessels of almost any tonnage.
A graving-dock was opened in July 1846, having been
completed in fourteen months at a cost of £60,000; it
is 313 feet long, the width of the gates 66 feet, and at
high-tide it has about 18 feet of water. A second
graving-dock, completed in 1847, is 282 feet in length,
and the width of the gates 51 feet. Buildings, likewise,
have been erected for the storage of goods; and a tramway has been formed to the station of the London railway, distant about 300 yards. The number of vessels
of above 50 tons registered at the port, is 65, and their
aggregate burthen 7520 tons. The harbour is spacious,
and affords good anchorage for ships, which may ride
at any time in security, being sheltered from all winds.
The trade of the town principally arises from the
wants of the inhabitants and visiters, and is facilitated
by the Itchen canal navigation to Winchester, the river
itself being navigable as far as Northam. At that village
is an establishment for making boilers for steam-engines,
where from 30 to 50 hands are also employed in iron
ship-building. The London and South-Western railway, constructed under an act obtained in 1834, has its
terminus here; the line is76¾ miles long, and has branches
from Bishop's-Stoke, a few miles north of Southampton, to Gosport and Salisbury. A railway from Southampton to Dorchester was completed in 1847; its length
is 62 miles, including a branch of two miles to Poole.
The markets are on Tuesday, Thursday, Friday, and
Saturday, that on Friday being for corn; they are well
supplied with fish, eggs, poultry, and provisions of every
kind. The fairs are on May 6th and 7th, for cows and
pigs, and on Trinity Monday and Tuesday. The latter,
a very ancient fair, is proclaimed by the mayor with
particular ceremony on the preceding Saturday, and
continues till the Wednesday noon following; it is principally for horses, cattle, and pigs, and is held on the
eastern side of the town, near the site of an ancient hermitage which was occupied by William Geoffrey, to
whom its revenue, arising from standings, &c., was
originally granted. A court of pie-poudre is attached to
it, and during its continuance all persons are free from
arrest for debt within the precincts of the borough.
Corporation Seal.
Obverse.
Reverse.
The inhabitants were first incorporated in the reign
of Henry I., whose charter was confirmed by Richard I.,
and by John, who assigned the customs of the port,
together with those of Portsmouth, to the burgesses,
for an annual payment of £200. Their privileges were
extended and confirmed by numerous subsequent sovereigns, and were modified by Charles I. The corporation now consists of a mayor, 10 aldermen, and 30
councillors, under the act 5th and 6th of William IV.,
cap. 76; the borough is divided into five wards, comprising in the whole about 1970 acres, and the number
of magistrates is 14. The town exercised the elective
franchise in the 23rd of Edward I., since which time it
has regularly returned two members to parliament: the
mayor is returning officer. The recorder presides at
quarterly courts of session for all offences not capital;
and the corporation have the privilege of holding assizes,
when the judges are travelling the Western circuit, to
try for capital crimes committed within the limits of
the town and county of the town. A court of record
occurs every alternate Tuesday, for the recovery of
debts to any amount; petty-sessions take place daily,
and a court leet annually. The powers of the county
debt-court of Southampton, established in 1847, extend
over the registration-districts of Southampton, South
Stoneham, and New-Forest. The inhabitants paying
scot and lot have right of common on the Town Lands
adjoining the town, the most extensive of which is the
common, containing about 350 acres.
The audit-house, erected about 70 years since, is a
handsome building, comprising in the upper story a
spacious hall, where the business of the corporation is
transacted, and the records and insignia are deposited;
among the latter, which are very splendid, is a silver oar,
borne before the mayor on public occasions. The guildhall is a room above the arches of the ancient Bar-gate,
already mentioned, which is a beautiful and venerable
structure in the Norman style. The principal archway
is deeply moulded and enriched, and flanked by circular
embattled turrets; the approach is ornamented with
two lions sejant, cast in lead, presented to the corporation in 1744, in lieu of two which were decayed, by
William Lee, Esq., on his being elected a burgess. The
south side of the gateway is neatly faced with stone, with
a niche in the centre containing a statue of George III.,
presented by the late Marquess of Lansdowne, to replace a decayed figure of Queen Anne. The common
gaol for the borough comprises four rooms for 50 prisoners: the bridewell contains three rooms, capable of
receiving ten prisoners, and a small chapel, hi which
divine service is performed once a week; the sheriff's
prison for debtors contains two wards, and is adapted
for ten prisoners.
Southampton comprises the parishes of All Saints,
containing 6901; Holy Rood, 2036; St. John and St.
Lawrence united, 1132; St. Mary, 14,885; and St.
Michael, 2149 inhabitants. The living of All Saints'
is a discharged rectory, valued in the king's books at
£8. 1. 10½., and in the patronage of the Crown; net income, £400. The church, rebuilt on the enlarged site of
the ancient structure, is in the Grecian style, with a
turret at the end rising from a square pedestal, and surrounded by six Corinthian columns, supporting a circular
entablature surmounted by a dome. The area underneath the church is divided into arched catacombs, in
one of which are deposited the remains of Captain Carteret, the celebrated circumnavigator, and of Bryan Edwards, author of the History of the West Indies. The
living of Holy Rood parish is a discharged vicarage,
valued at £12. 1. 10½.; net income, £379; patrons, the
Provost and Fellows of Queen's College, Oxford. The
church is an ancient structure in the High-street, with
a tower and spire at the south-west angle, and has a
portico in front; among the monuments is one by Rysbrach to Miss E. Stanley, sister of the Right Hon. Hans
Stanley, with an epitaph written by the poet Thomson,
who has immortalised her memory in his poem of the
Seasons. The living of St. John's is a discharged rectory,
united to that of St. Lawrence, and valued at £6. 13. 4.:
the church has been demolished. The living of the
parish of St. Lawrence is a discharged rectory, valued at
£7. 10., and in the patronage of the Crown; net income,
£148. The old church, a small building, was taken
down, and a much larger edifice erected, which was consecrated March 31st, 1842, and is an ornamental feature
in the High-street; it is in the later English style, and
contains 600 sittings. St. Mary's is a rectory, in the
precinct of the town, valued in the king's books at
£37. 5. 5., and in the gift of the Bishop of Winchester.
The church is modern; the churchyard is very large.
St. Michael's is a discharged vicarage, valued at £12.
11. 10½., and in the gift of the Crown; net income,
£150. The church is an ancient and spacious structure,
chiefly in the Norman style, with a tower between the
nave and chancel, surmounted by a lofty and well-proportioned octagonal spire. The massive circular columns
that supported the roof have been replaced with lighter
octangular pillars, and sharply-pointed arches. The
tracery of the large west window has been carefully
restored, and the upper compartments embellished with
stained glass; a new window, also, of elegant design
has been placed by the corporation in the chapel of the
church, in which, from time immemorial, the mayors
have been sworn into office. The font is highly enriched; there are some ancient monuments, and in the
chapel is a cenotaph of Lord Chancellor Wriothesley,
who passed sentence of death on Queen Anne Boleyn.
St. Paul's, a proprietary chapel in the parish of All
Saints, erected about 1831, is a handsome edifice in the
later English style, and has an east window adorned
with stained glass. In the town are also, a chapel dedicated to the Holy Trinity, enlarged in 1847, and a free
chapel dedicated to Our Saviour, the livings of both
which are perpetual curacies; net income of the former,
£110; patrons, certain Trustees: and of the latter,
£150; patron, the Rev. W. Davies. The living of St.
Peter's is a perpetual curacy, in the gift of the Rector of
All Saints'; income, £200. There are places of worship
for Independents, Baptists, the Society of Friends, Wesleyans, and Roman Catholics. A cemetery was consecrated in May 1846.
The Free Grammar school was founded in the reign of
Edward VI.; the corporation have erected a convenient
school-house, on the site of an ancient edifice called
Westhall, and the endowment produces about £30 per
annum. Among the eminent men who have been educated in the establishment, was Dr. Watts, a native of
Southampton, whose father kept a boarding-school in
the town. A charity school was instituted in 1760, for
qualifying boys for the sea-service, by Alderman Taunton, who left considerable funds for charitable uses.
The hospital of Domus Dei, or God's House, was originally founded in the reign of Henry III., as a convent for
nuns, and as a chapel to a neighbouring friary, which
was burned by the French in the reign of Edward III.;
after various changes, it was established as an hospital
for a warden, four brothers, and four sisters. The
buildings are ancient, and retain much of their original
character; the chapel was long used as a place of worship by French Protestants. The Hospital of St. John,
on the site of which the theatre has been built, consisted of a master and six boys, and was sold in 1774,
under an act of the 13th of George III., for the sum of
£425, which was appropriated towards the erection of
the present workhouse. Thorner's almshouses, a neat and
commodious range of building, receive their name from
Robert Thorner, Esq., who in 1690 bequeathed a sum
to accumulate for the foundation; they were built in
1789, and have lately been enlarged. The same benefactor left considerable funds for apprenticing children.
There is also a penitentiary, or refuge for destitute females, a spacious building with a handsome chapel attached to it, in front of Kingsland-place. Miss Elizabeth Bird bequeathed £1400 three per cents, to the
corporation, in trust, for the annual payment of £5
each to six unmarried women, members of the Church
of England, and upwards of sixty years of age; and
the late Mr. Newman left nearly £3000 in the funds
for the erection and maintenance of an infirmary, which
was established in 1839. Southampton is one of the
twenty-four corporations entitled to Sir Thomas White's
lending charity; and there are various other bequests
for distribution among the poor. Southampton gives
the title of Baron to the family of Fitzroy.
Southampton, County
SOUTHAMPTON, COUNTY of, on the southern
coast, bounded on the east by the counties of Surrey
and Sussex, on the north by that of Berks, on the west
by Wiltshire and Dorset, and on the south by the English Channel. Including the Isle of Wight, it extends
from 50° 36' to 51° 23' (N. Lat.) and from 45' to 1° 53'
(W. Lon.), and comprises an area of upwards of 1628
square miles, or 1,041,920 statute acres: it contains
66,617 houses inhabited, 3311 uninhabited, and 502 in
course of erection; and the population amounts to
355,004 persons, of whom 175,023 are males.
At the period of the invasion of Britain by Cæsar,
the southern parts of this district were a portion of
the territory of the Regni, and the more northern tracts
part of that of the Belgæ, who had come over from
Gaul, and violently dispossessed the former inhabitants.
Under the Romans it was included in the division called
Britannia Prima. The Isle of Wight, called by that
people Vectis, is mentioned by Suetonius as having been
conquered by Vespasian; but no other traces of Roman
occupation have been at any time discovered in it than
a few coins. On the establishment of the kingdom of
Wessex, by Cerdic, a great part of the county was included within the limits of that kingdom, while a portion
of its southern shores, together with the Isle of Wight,
was comprised in the Saxon kingdom of Kent. The ancient British name of the district was Gwent, or Y Went,
a term descriptive of its open downs; and hence the
appellation Caer Gwent, or the city of the Gwentians,
now Winchester. When the Saxon dominions in Britain were divided into shires, the district received the
name of Hamtunscyre, from the ancient name of the
present town of Southampton; and this was afterwards
corrupted into Hamptescyre, whence the modern appellations of Hampshire and Hants. The name of the Isle
of Wight is considered by Mr. Whitaker and other antiquaries to have been derived from the British word Guith,
or Guict, signifying the divorced or disjoined, and apparently indicating a supposition that the island was
once connected with the main land: hence also arose
its Roman name of Vectis, or the separated region. By
the Saxons it was called Weet. William the Conqueror,
on his accession to the throne of England, granted the
lordship of the Isle of Wight, with a palatine jurisdiction, to his kinsman, William Fitz-Osbert. It afterwards several times escheated to, and otherwise became
vested in, the crown, and was as often granted to different noble families. Sir Edward Widville, who, in the
first of Henry VII., was made captain of the island, was
probably lord also of it; but since the period of his
death the lordship has remained in the possession of
the crown, although some lands annexed to the castle
at Carisbrooke continue to be holden by the governor
jure officii. From the time that Edward I. purchased
the lordship of Isabella de Fortibus, the defence of the
island was generally entrusted to some person nominated
by the crown, who was at first distinguished by the
appellation of warden, afterwards by that of captain, and,
in later times, by that of governor.
The county is included in the diocese of Winchester,
and province of Canterbury; and the archdeaconry of
Winchester, which is co-extensive with the county, comprises the deaneries of Alresford, Alton, Andover, Basingstoke, Droxford, Fordingbridge, Sombourn, Southampton, Isle of Wight, and Winchester, and contains
305 parishes. The Northern division includes the minor
sessional divisions of Alton, Andover, Basingstoke, Droxford, Kingsclere, Odiham, Petersfield, and Winchester;
and the Southern division those of Fareham, Lymington,
Ringwood, Romsey, Southampton, and the town and
county of the town of Southampton. The ancient hundreds are 39 in number, and besides them are the liberties of Alresford, Alverstoke and Gosport, Beaulieu,
Bentley, Breamore, Dibden, Havant, Lymington, Soke
(Winchester), and Westover; and the liberties of East
and West Medina, in the Isle of Wight. The county contains the city of Winchester; the borough, market, and
sea-port towns of Christchurch, Lymington, Newport,
Portsmouth, and Southampton; the borough and market
towns of Andover and Petersfield; the sea-port and
market-town of Yarmouth; the sea-ports of Newtown,
Emsworth (a dependency on the harbour of Portsmouth),
and Brading; and the market-towns of Alresford, Alton, Basingstoke, Bishop's-Waltham, Fareham, Fordingbridge, Gosport, Havant, Kingsclere, Odiham, Ringwood, Romsey, Stockbridge, and Whitchurch. Under
the act 2nd of William IV., cap. 45, the county was
divided into the Northern and the Southern divisions,
each sending two members to parliament; and the Isle
of Wight was, for electoral purposes, constituted a
county of itself, with one representative. Two members
are returned for Winchester, and two for each of the
boroughs, except Christchurch and Petersfield, which,
under the Reform act, now send only one each. Hampshire is included in the Western circuit; and the assizes
and quarter-sessions are held at Winchester.
In form the county, exclusively of the Isle of Wight,
approaches to a square, with a triangular projection at its
south-western corner. The Isle is separated from the
main land by a strait of unequal breadth, formerly called
the Solent Sea, now the Sound, or, more usually, the
West Channel, the breadth of which, at its western extremity, is about a mile, and towards its eastern end as
much as 7 miles. The form of the island is somewhat
rhomboidal, the greatest diagonal being 23 miles from
east to west, and the transverse diameter, from north to
south, about 13 miles.
The surface of the county is beautifully varied by
gently-rising hills and fruitful valleys, and, in some parts,
with extensive tracts of woodland. In the southern districts, approaching the coast, the population is much
more dense than elsewhere; the mildness of the seasons,
the beauty of the landscapes, and the proximity to the
ports, operating as strong inducements to the continued
residence of many families besides those engaged in commercial pursuits. The agricultural report drawn up by
Charles Vancouver, Esq., for the consideration of the
Board of Agriculture, divides the main land into five
districts. The First, called the woodland division, occupies the northern portion of the county, comprising an
area of 103,944 acres, and includes the woodlands and
wastes of Bagshot, &c. Its soil and substrata are various, but the great mass of the district has a strong
brown and grey loam, resting upon a tough blue and
yellow clay, and having generally an excess of moisture
with numerous unsound and boggy places. The Second
tract comprises the main body of the county from the
borders of Wiltshire to those of Sussex and Surrey, and
is computed to contain 454,295 acres. The higher parts
of this large central district have much the appearance
of an elevated plain, divided into many unequal portions,
and intersected by deep hollows, through which brooks
and rivulets descend, for the most part in a southern
course, towards the sea. The more elevated tracts are
almost wholly in open and extensive sheep-downs. The
substratum is throughout a firm unbroken bed of chalk.
The Third district is small, containing only 49,525 acres,
and includes the forests of Woolmer and Alice-Holt;
the hills of Binfield, Great and Little Worldham, Selborne, and Empshott; together with all the lower sides
of the chalk hills surrounding the vale of Petersfield, the
soil of which is, for the most part, a grey sandy loam of
good staple, lying on a kind of soft sand rock. The
Fourth division consists of the whole southern part of
the county situated on the main land, excepting a tract
of 26,895 acres at its south-eastern extremity; and comprises an area of 333,489 acres. This large area, besides
many extensive wastes and commons, comprehends the
Forest of Bere, the New-Forest, and Waltham Chase.
Its soils are various, but consist chiefly of light sandy
and gravelly loams, intermixed with clay and brick earth,
and resting on substrata of argillaceous and calcareous
marl. The Fifth district contains 26,895 acres. It includes Hayling Island, forming the south-eastern extremity of the county; and Portsea Island, containing the
town of Portsmouth; together with the tracts on the
main land immediately opposite to them. In the islands
and the low grounds of the main land, a strong flinty
and a hazel-coloured loam prevail. The soil and substrata of Portsdown Hill, in the different degrees of its
elevation, are similar to those of the chalk district.
Through the centre of the Isle of Wight, from east
to west, extends a range of lofty hills, affording pasturage for sheep, and commanding views over every part of
the island, with the ocean on the south, and the beautiful shores of Hampshire on the north. On the coast
of the isle, the land is in some parts very high, particularly on the south, where the cliffs are steep, and
where vast fragments of rock, which the waves have at
some time undermined, lie scattered below. Towards
the Needles, also, at the western extremity, the rocks
are bare, broken, and precipitous. The cliffs of which
the Needles form the extreme point, are in some places
600 feet above the level of the sea; in some parts they
are perpendicular, and in others overhanging: they contain many deep caverns. The Needles derive their name
from a lofty pointed rock rising to the height of about
120 feet above low-water mark, and severed, with others,
from the main land by the force of the waves: part of
this rocky projection, about 80 years since, having been
undermined by the sea, fell and totally disappeared.
St. Catherine's Hill, the highest point in the island, rises
750 feet above the level of high-water mark, and commands magnificent prospects; as also do the Culver
cliffs, at the eastern end of the island; Carisbrooke
Castle; and Bembridge down. The soil and substrata
of the isle are extremely various. The chalk downs of
Brading and Arreton form an unbroken range from
Culver cliff, on the eastern coast, to the valley that separates them from Staple's heath. Those of Gatcombe
and Shorwell are bounded on the west by a highly cultivated valley, extending from Shorwell to Newport, and
terminating northward in the waste called Parkhurst
Forest. From the vale of Shorwell to the western extremity of the island the high chalk downs are broken
only by three gaps, or carriage roads, one of which is
the passage between the head of the Yarmouth river, and
the innermost cove of Freshwater bay. The tract of
down situated towards the southern extremity of the
island terminates abruptly towards the sea, in a precipice
of limestone rock, having the appearance, particularly
when seen from a distance, of an immense stone wall,
and overhanging the romantic tract called the Undercliff,
which extends along the sea-shore for a distance of
nearly six miles.
With regard to the agriculture of the county, the
rotations of crops on the arable lands are various; the
grain and pulse generally cultivated consist of wheat,
barley, oats, rye, peas, and beans. The usual artificial
grasses are the common broad clover, rye-grass, trefoil,
sainfoin, and lucern. Burnet forms a large portion of
the herbage of the downs; a much larger and stronger
species is found on many of the low grounds, and upon
the cold clay loams, where, as upon the downs, it has
every appearance of being indigenous. In the parish of
Alton and its vicinity, on the borders of Surrey, hops
are grown to a great extent; the produce varies greatly,
but may be estimated, on an average, at about five cwt.
per acre. Their culture has been much encouraged by
the reputation of the hops of Farnham, that town, in
Surrey, being situated only at the distance of a few miles.
The entire extent of hop plantations throughout the
county is at present 1609 acres. Many cows are kept in
different parts; and the markets of London, Chichester,
Newbury, Reading, Salisbury, &c., are largely supplied
with veal from Hampshire: the number of sheep is also
remarkably great. Numerous hogs are fed for a few
weeks, at the close of the autumn, upon the mast produced
in the forest and other woodlands; and a superior mode
of curing being practised, the Hampshire bacon has
become famous for its excellence. Upon the heaths and
forests vast numbers of light small horses are bred, provincially termed heath-croppers, which propagate indiscriminately on these wastes, where they succeed in maintaining an existence throughout the year. Gardening
is largely carried on in the vicinity of all the populous
towns, and Portsea Island is considered to produce the
finest brocoli in the kingdom. The county has also long
been celebrated for its honey, called heath honey and
down honey, from the different districts in which the
bees collect it; the latter being the more valuable.
The woods are numerous and extensive. The NewForest comprises a large tract in the south-western part
of the county. Its boundaries, according to the oldest
perambulation extant, which is dated 8th of Edward I.,
were, the Southampton river on the east, the Sound and
the British Channel on the south, and the river Avon
on the west; northward, it reached as far as North
Charford on the west, and Wade and Ower bridge on
the east. According to a perambulation made in the
22nd of Charles II., the forest then stretched from Godshill, on the north-west, south-eastward to the sea, a
distance of about 23 miles; and from Hardley on the
east, to Ringwood on the west, about 15 miles; and contained 92,365 statute acres. The extent of the wood
and waste lands of the tract was, however, at that time,
reduced to 63,845 acres, which belonged to the crown,
and were subject to certain rights of commonage, pasturage, pannage, and fuel, possessed by the proprietors
of estates within, or adjacent to, the forest. These rights,
and those of the crown, are defined by an act of the 9th
and 10th of William III., for the increase and preservation of timber in the forest. In consequence of this act,
the woodlands, which, according to surveys made at different periods, had been long in a neglected state, received some attention; but that, after a time, was withdrawn from them, when the superintendence of the
surveyor-general of the crown lands ceased, and the
whole fell by degrees under the direction of the surveyorgeneral of the woods. By a return just presented to
parliament, the New-Forest contains 57,684 acres of
open land, 5605 under inclosure for the growth of timber,
and 813 occupied as encroachments; also 2307 acres
royal property, 25,830 freehold belonging to private persons, and 122 copyhold. The scenery is remarkable for
its beauty, presenting magnificent woods, extended lawns,
and vast sweeps of wild heath, unlimited by artificial
boundaries, together with numerous river views and the
prospect of distant shores. The oaks seldom rise into
lofty stems; and their branches, which are more adapted
to what the ship-builders call knees and elbows, are
commonly twisted into the most picturesque forms. The
advantage of water-carriage to the various royal or private
dockyards in which its produce is employed, is superior
to that of any other forest in the kingdom.
The Forest of Bere, situated in the south-eastern part
of the county, and extending northward from the Portsdown hills, which, according to a perambulation made
in 1688, are now considered the boundary, comprises
about 16,000 acres, upwards of one-third being inclosed.
North-westward of it is the chase of Bishop's-Waltham,
containing about 2000 acres, and belonging to the see
of Winchester. The forest of Alice-Holt and Woolmer,
on the eastern border of the county, approaching the
confines of Surrey and Sussex, and to the north-east of
Petersfield, is divided into two parts by intervening
private property. Its limits comprehend 15,493 acres,
of which 8694 belong to the crown; the division called
Alice-Holt contains about 2740 acres of crown land.
Parkhurst or Carisbrooke forest, lying at a short distance
to the north-west of Newport, in the Isle of Wight,
occurs in Domesday book under the appellation of the
King's park, and was afterwards called the King's
forest; it includes about 3000 acres, nearly destitute
of valuable trees. The total quantity of waste land in
Hampshire, exclusively of the forests, falls little short
of 100,000 acres.
The mineral productions are not numerous. On
the southern shores of the county, particularly near the
mouth of the Beaulieu river, ironstone, washed up by
the sea, was formerly gathered, and conveyed to the
iron-works at Sowley. It is also occasionally found in
small quantities in other parts of the county, especially
In the cliffs near Hordwell, which are upwards of 100
feet high, and abound with nodules of iron-ore, together
with pebbles or flints, many of them containing fossil
shells (or their impressions) of various and scarce species, found in a blueish kind of clay or marl. The range
of chalk hills crossing the county from east to west, and
occupying the central part of it, forms a portion of the
vast formation that constitutes so considerable a feature
in the geology of England. The strata of the southern
part of the main land and the northern part of the Isle
of Wight, lie upon a depressed portion of the chalk beds,
which is termed the Chalk Basin of the Isle of Wight.
Between Milton and Christchurch is found a hard reddish stone, of which several ancient structures in that
part of the county are built. The strata in the Isle of
Wight, being of various kinds and formations, and exhibiting great diversity of position, form a remarkably
rich field of study for the geologist. At Alum bay, at
the north-western extremity of the island, is a vein of
white sand, in great demand for the glass-works of
Bristol and Liverpool, as also for others situated on the
western coast of Scotland, and in Ireland. Eastward
of this, along the northern foot of the downs, grist or
quarry stone, of a yellowish-grey colour and very
porous texture, is found in detached masses, and used
for building. A strong liver-coloured building-stone
rising in cubical masses, encrusted with a brownish kind
of ochre, and inclosing specimens of rich ironstone,
occurs on the southern side of the island. Rough calcareous freestone is frequently found in the marl-pits, in
loose detached pieces. Eastward of Staple's heath, and
northward of Arreton downs, a close grey limestone is
raised, the beds of which are separated from each other
by small layers of marine shells, cemented together by
alum, that substance being well known to pervade the
western parts of the island. Freestone is sometimes
found under marl in the northern districts of the isle:
plum-pudding stone exists in large quantities near Sandown Fort, and is much used for paving and flooring.
Potters'-clay occurs in great variety in different parts of
the county; and ochres of divers colours in the Isle of
Wight.
The manufactures are various, but not extensive;
ship-building, however, in addition to the works of the
royal dockyard at Portsmouth, is extensively pursued in
most of the numerous creeks and harbours. The productions are chiefly woollen goods, bed-ticking, light
silk articles, sacking, leather, and a coarse kind of earthenware. At Overton are very large silk-mills, and the
young female peasantry in that vicinity are much employed in the straw-hat manufacture, which is also carried on at many other towns in the county. There are
paper-mills in different parts, those near Overton being
considerable. At Lymington is a manufacture of salt.
The advantages for commerce are very great, and the
shores of the county, especially of the Isle of Wight
portion, are much resorted to for sea-bathing: the most
frequented places on the main land are Christchurch,
Muddiford, Lymington, and Southampton; and in the
Isle of Wight, Cowes, Ryde, Shanklin, and Ventnor.
Salmon are caught in all the rivers and creeks that discharge their waters directly into the sea; the fisheries
of the Southampton Water are particularly extensive,
and the boats engaged in them often make long coasting
voyages to procure other fish, which are sent to the
markets of London, Oxford, Bath, &c. Several persons
are employed on the flat shores of the Isle of Wight in
catching shrimps and prawns, and, on its bolder shores,
in taking crabs and lobsters.
The principal rivers are the Test, the Anton, the
Itchen, the Avon, the Boldre water, and the Exe. The
Test expands below Redbridge, and forms the head of
the Southampton Water, an arm of the sea which extends from the "Above Town" of Southampton to the
Sound at Calshot Castle, and is rendered exceedingly
picturesque by its woody and irregular shores: the
general direction of the estuary is from north-west to
south-east. The Itchen, also called the Arbre, was
brought into a regular channel, and made navigable up
to Winchester, by Godfrey de Lacy, Bishop of WinChester, in 1215: towards its mouth it expands considerably. The Avon, by an act passed in 1665, was
made navigable up to Salisbury; but the works having
been swept away by a flood, the navigation was destroyed. The Boldre water is formed by several small
streams rising in the New-Forest, most of which unite
above Brockenhurst, thence proceeding southward, by
Boldre and Lymington, to the sea. The Exe, frequently
called the Beaulieu river, has its sources in the same
district, flows south-eastward, and, beginning to expand
near Beaulieu, opens into a broad estuary to the sea,
below Exbury. The principal river of the Isle of Wight
is the Medina, anciently called the Mede, which rises
near the botton of St. Catherine's down, in the southern
part of the island, and, flowing directly northward, divides it into two equal parts, each constituting a liberty,
which derives its name from its position on the eastern
or western side of this stream: passing on the eastern
side of the town of Newport, the Medina mingles its
waters with those of the sea in Cowes harbour. The
other main streams of the island are the Yar, the Wootton,
and the Ear; and its shores are indented by various
creeks and bays.
A navigable canal has been made along the valleys of
the Test and Anton, to the head of the Southampton
Water: its course is from Barlowes-Mill, near Andover,
by Stockbridge and Romsey, to its termination at Redbridge, in the parish of Millbrook. From Redbridge a
branch proceeds directly to Southampton, and a collateral branch extends from it in a western direction,
up the valley between East Dean, Lockerley, and East
Tytherley, to Alderbury common, within two miles of
Salisbury; but neither of them is navigable. There is
also a canal, made under the authority of an act of parliament obtained in 1778, from Basingstoke to the river Wey,
in Surrey, by which stream the navigation is maintained
to the Thames. The length of the canal is 37 miles and
a quarter, and the cost of cutting it amounted to about
£100,000, a large portion of this sum being expended
in forming a tunnel through Grewell Hill, near Odiham,
which is nearly three-quarters of a mile long. The
Winchester and Southampton canal is one of the oldest in
the kingdom, the act for its construction having been
procured in the reign of Charles I.; but from the want
of a suitable trade, it does not appear to have realised
the expectations of the projectors. The London and
South-Western railway enters the county from Surrey,
at Farnborough, and passes by Basingstoke and Winchester to Southampton: a branch proceeds from it, at
Bishop's-Stoke, about midway between Winchester and
Southampton, to Gosport; and a second branch from
Bishop's-Stoke proceeds by Romsey into Wilts. The
same company owns the Southampton and Dorchester
railway, which passes through the New-Forest, by
Lyndhurst and Ringwood, into Dorset; and there is a
railway from Portsmouth, by Havant, into Sussex, belonging to another company.
Within the limits of the county were the Roman stations of Venta Belgarum, supposed to have been at Winchester; Vindonum, at Silchester; Clausentum, at Bittern; Brigæ, at Broughton; and Andaoreon, at Andover.
The principal remains of Roman occupation discoverable
are at Silchester, approaching the confines of Berkshire,
where gold coins and rings, bricks and pottery, &c., have
been dug up. About three-quarters of a mile north of
Lymington is Buckland Rings, the remains of a Roman
camp. Traces of other encampments are visible in
various parts; among the most extensive and remarkable are those of the camp on Danebury Hill, to the
west and north-west of which are several barrows.
Three Roman roads branch from Silchester, one of them
proceeding to the northern gate of Winchester; another
by Andover to Old Sarum; and the third, northward,
across Mortimer heath: from Winchester also was a
road leading to Old Sarum. The number of religious
establishments was about fifty-three: there are still
interesting remains of the abbeys of Hide, Netley, Beaulieu, and Quarr; and of the hospital of St. Cross, near
Winchester. The castles of Hurst and Porchester, and
that of Carisbrooke in the Isle of Wight, are still standing; also remains of the castles of Christchurch, Odiham, and Warblington. The modern seats and villas of
the nobility and gentry are extremely numerous, more
especially the villas.
Several chalybeate springs are found in different parts
of the Isle of Wight; at Pitland is one impregnated
with sulphur, and at Shanklin another slightly tinctured with alum. The water of the streams in the
northern woodland part of the county is of a strong
chalybeate quality, and that which issues from the bogs
and swampy ground in the same district is charged with
a solution of iron. In the strong loam, woodland clay,
and chalk districts, the want of a regular supply of
water during seasons of drought is severely felt. Fossil
remains of different kinds are contained in some of the
strata of the county. Among the chief natural curiosities may be mentioned the immense chasms near the
sea-shore in the Isle of Wight, called Blackgang, Luccombe, and Shanklin Chines; and a large cavern at
Freshwater Gate. Samphire grows plentifully on some
of the high cliffs of the Isle.
Southay
SOUTHAY, a hamlet, in the parish of KingsburyEpiscopi, union of Langport, hundred of Kingsbury,
W. division of Somerset; with 24 inhabitants.
Southborough
SOUTHBOROUGH, a chapelry, in the parish, union,
and lowey of Tonbridge, lathe of Aylesford, W. division of Kent, 2¾ miles (S. by W.) from Tonbridge;
containing 1217 inhabitants. It is situated about midway between Tonbridge and the Wells, and consists of a
number of scattered houses. A district church in the
early English style, has been erected and endowed at
an expense of £8436, defrayed by subscription: the
patronage is vested in five Trustees; net income, £153.
In 1785, premises for a school were erected by the executors of the Rev. E. Holmes, and the school endowed
with £1050 four per cents.
South-Burn
SOUTH-BURN, a township, in the parish of KirkBurn, union of Driffield, Bainton-Beacon division
of the wapentake of Harthill, E. riding of York, 4¾
miles (S. W.) from Driffield; containing 97 inhabitants.
It comprises about 1030 acres of land. The village is
situated on the south side of the Kirkburn rivulet, between the roads from Driffield to Watton and from Tibthorpe to Bainton.
Southchurch
SOUTHCHURCH, a parish, in the union and hundred of Rochford, S. division of Essex, 3½ miles (S. E.
by E.) from Rochford; containing 432 inhabitants. It
is bounded on the south by the river Thames, and comprises 1882a. 1r. 31p., about one-sixth whereof is pasture, 15 acres woodland, and the remainder arable. A
considerable portion of the shore is flat, and overflowed
by the tide; large oyster-beds have for many years
been preserved. The living is a rectory, in the gift of
the Archbishop of Canterbury, valued in the king's
books at £27. 0. 10.: the tithes have been commuted
for £800, and the glebe comprises 60 acres. The church
is a small edifice with a tower and spire.
Southcoates
SOUTHCOATES, a township, in the parish of Drypool, union of Sculcoates, Middle division of the
wapentake of Holderness, E. riding of York, 1½ mile
(N. E. by E.) from Hull; containing 1167 inhabitants.
It comprises about 1050 acres of fertile land, chiefly in
pasturage; and extends eastward from Drypool, along
the Holderness road, and the shores of the Humber.
Southcot
SOUTHCOT, a tything, in the parish of St. Mary,
Reading, union and hundred of Reading, county of
Berks, 1½ mile (W. S. W.) from Reading; containing
66 inhabitants, and comprising 344 acres. It is situated a little south of the road to Newbury.
Southease
SOUTHEASE, a parish, in the union of Newhaven,
hundred of Holmstow, rape of Lewes, E. division of
Sussex, 4 miles (S. by E.) from Lewes; containing 120
inhabitants. This parish is bounded on the east by the
river Ouse, and situated on the road from Lewes to
Newhaven. It comprises 904 acres, of which 282 are
arable, and 340 down pasture; the surface in some
parts is hilly, and the soil a loam incumbent on chalk.
The living is a rectory, valued in the king's books at
£16. 0. 10., and in the gift of W. Allfree, Esq.: there
is a glebe-house; the glebe contains 9½ acres, and the
tithes have been commuted for £210. The church is
principally in the early English style of architecture,
with a circular tower.
Southend
SOUTHEND, a hamlet, in the parish of Prittlewell, union and hundred of Rochford, S. division of
Essex, 1¾ mile (S. S. E.) from the village of Prittlewell,
and 42 miles (E.) from London. This place is situated
at the mouth of the Thames, directly opposite the river
Medway, and at the southern extremity of the county,
from which last circumstance it probably derives its
name. Though formerly an inconsiderable hamlet, consisting only of a few fishermen's huts, it has within the
last century grown into some repute for sea-bathing,
and, being the nearest watering-place to London, is
rising into importance. It comprises the lower or old
town, and the upper or new town; the former on the
beach, and the latter on an eminence fronting the sea or
river. The old village consists principally of an irregular line of houses facing the water; some handsome
dwellings have been lately added, and a parade formed
and partly inclosed. Nearly in the centre is a commodious inn, and there are two others on a smaller scale;
at the eastern extremity is a small theatre, which is
opened every season, and on the beach are several
bathing-machines. The new town, which is the more
fashionable residence, is superior both in its situation and
in the character of its buildings. It consists chiefly of
the terrace, having a fine promenade; adjoining which
is an hotel, containing several suites of apartments, a
lofty assembly-room, and rooms for cards and refreshments. The library, a neat building in the later English
style, has a good reading-room, and adjoining it is a
billiard-room. In front of the terrace, and extending
the whole length, is a shrubbery tastefully laid out in
walks commanding a fine view of the sea; and within
this inclosure are some baths, in the cottage style. In
the vicinity are many pleasant walks and rides, the
district abounding with richly-diversified scenery. The
pier of frame-work was extended in 1845, and is now 1¼
mile in length. A district church has been lately built,
of which the patronage is vested in Trustees; and there
is a place of worship for Independents.