Stoke-Bruerne (St. Mary)
STOKE-BRUERNE (St. Mary), a parish, in the
union of Towcester, hundred of Cleley, S. division
of the county of Northampton, 3½ miles (E. N. E.)
from Towcester; containing 800 inhabitants, of whom
436 are in the township. The whole parish comprises
2616a. 1r. 23p., whereof 1319 acres are in the township.
The Grand Junction canal passes through a tunnel two
miles in length, partly in this parish and partly in that
of Blisworth. The females are employed in bobbin-lace
making. At the inclosure of the parish in 1840, five
acres were appropriated for recreation. The living is a
rectory, valued in the king's books at £30; patrons, the
Principal and Fellows of Brasenose College, Oxford:
the tithes have been commuted for £539, and the glebe
consists of 64 acres. The church is ancient, in the later
Norman style, with a tower: it contains a brass monument to the Rev. Dr. Lightfoot. A national school was
built by subscription in 1840. Thomas Bosenhoe, in
1510, left 14 acres of land now producing £28 per
annum, one moiety for the repairs of the church, and
the other for the poor. Another sum, derived from the
rent of two cottages and 2½ acres of land, is applied to
charitable purposes.
Stoke-By-Clare (St. Augustine)
STOKE-BY-CLARE (St. Augustine), a parish, in
the union and hundred of Risbridge, W. division of
Suffolk, 12 miles (N. W. by N.) from Halstead; containing 868 inhabitants. Richard de Clare, Earl of
Hereford, in 1124 removed the monks of Bec, whom his
father had placed in the castle of Clare, to this village,
first into the parochial church of St. Augustine, and
afterwards to a church built for them, and dedicated to
St. John the Baptist. In 1415, Edmund Mortimer, Earl
of March, then patron, procured power to change the
society into a college of secular priests, for a dean, six
prebendaries, eight vicars, and other officers; and this
college was valued in the 26th of Henry VIII. at £324.
4. 1. per annum: Matthew Parker, Archbishop of Canterbury, was the last dean. A modern house which now
stands upon the site was the residence of the well-known
miser, John Elwes. The parish comprises 2361 acres,
of which 48 are common or waste land: the navigable
river Stour passes on the south. The living is a perpetual
curacy, with a net income of £130; it is in the patronage of Lady Rush, and the tithes have been commuted
for £740. 18. Sir Gervaise Elwes, Bart., in 1678 bequeathed a rent-charge of £10 for teaching children;
and there is a fund for apprenticing children amounting
to £33 per annum, the rent of 12 acres of land. An
almshouse, consisting of three cottages occupied by six
widows, was founded by Richard Brown in 1526.
Stoke-Cannon (St. Mary Magdalene)
STOKE-CANNON (St. Mary Magdalene), a parish, in the union of St. Thomas, hundred of Wonford,
Wonford and S. divisions of Devon, 4 miles (N. N. E.)
from Exeter; containing 490 inhabitants. The parish
comprises by computation 1100 acres, and is crossed by
the rivers Exe and Culm; the latter intersects the
village, and turns a paper-mill giving employment to
about 30 persons. The railroad from Bristol to Exeter
also passes through the village. Thirty-two houses, and
as many barns, out-houses, and stables, were destroyed
by fire here, in April, 1847. The living is a perpetual
curacy, in the patronage of the Dean and Chapter of
Exeter, the appropriators: the great tithes have been
commuted for £140, and those of the perpetual curate
for £128. The church and manor were given by King
Athelstan to the Cathedral of Exeter: the edifice, with
the exception of the tower, was rebuilt in 1836; the font
is an object of great interest, supposed by antiquaries to
be at least 700 years old, and the church contains a
monument to the memory of a son of Bishop Hall.
Stoke-Charity (St. Michael)
STOKE-CHARITY (St. Michael), a parish, in the
union of Winchester, hundred of Buddlesgate, Winchester and N. divisions of the county of Southampton,
6½ miles (S. by E.) from Whitchurch; containing 167
inhabitants. The South-Western railway passes on the
south. The living is a rectory, valued in the king's
books at £15. 13. 6½., and in the gift of Corpus Christi
College, Oxford: the tithes have been commuted for
£420; there is a glebe-house, and the glebe comprises
20 acres. The church is a very ancient massive edifice,
and contains several curious monumental inscriptions.
Stoke-Climsland
STOKE-CLIMSLAND, a parish, in the union of
Launceston, N. division of the hundred of East, E.
division of Cornwall, 3 miles (N.) from Callington;
containing 2073 inhabitants. This parish is bounded on
the north by the river Inney, which runs into the Tamar
on the east; and is situated on the road from Launceston to Callington. It comprises 8717a. 1r. 12p., of
which about 5500 acres are arable, 800 pasture, 760
woodland, coppice, and plantation, 180 orchard, 1300
common, and the rest waste, &c. The soil is light; the
surface hilly, and the scenery picturesque and beautiful.
A fair for cattle is held on May 29th. The living is a
rectory, valued in the king's books at £40, and in the
patronage of the Crown, in right of the duchy of Cornwall; net income, £621. The church is a very spacious
structure, with a fine tower. There is a place of worship
for Wesleyan Methodists.
Stoke-D'abernon (St. Mary)
STOKE-D'ABERNON (St. Mary), a parish, in the
union of Epsom, Second division of the hundred of Elmbridge, W. division of Surrey, 1 mile (S. E. by E.)
from Cobham; containing, with the hamlet of Oxshot,
352 inhabitants. This place formerly belonged to the
Vincents, who were visited here by Queen Elizabeth.
The parish is bounded on the south and west by the
river Mole: in the eastern part the soil is a deep clay;
towards the north-east it is gravelly, and in other parts
there is a good hazel mould. The living is a rectory,
valued in the king's books at £13. 11. 3.; net income,
£418; patron, the Rev. Hugh Smith. The church contains monuments to the Vincent family; the pulpit is
richly embellished.
Stoke-Damerall
STOKE-DAMERALL, a parish, in the hundred of
Roborough, Roborough and S. divisions of Devon;
adjoining the borough of Plymouth, and containing
33,820 inhabitants. This parish, which includes Devonport and Morice-Town, is one of the most extensive in
the county; the village occupies an elevated site, and
comprises several rows of excellent houses, a crescent,
and some private mansions of more than ordinary beauty.
Among the important public structures in the parish are,
the immense reservoir of the Devonport Water Company,
which supplies the government establishments and the
neighbourhood in general; the military hospital, a spacious edifice of grey marble, erected in 1797, on the
west side of Stonehouse Creek, comprising four large
square buildings, of similar size and form, connected
by a piazza of forty-one arches; and the Blockhouse,
occupying an eminence north of the village, surrounded
by a fosse and drawbridge, and commanding a most
magnificent prospect. On the eastern bank of the
Hamoaze is Morice-Town, consisting principally of four
streets, and so named from a former lord of the manor.
A ferry was established here in 1800, to communicate
with Cornwall, at Tor Point, on the opposite shore: a
floating bridge, worked by steam, and held in its course
by chains across the bed of the river, was subsequently
completed. The sides of the harbour are lined with
wharfs, and in the town is a large establishment called
the Tamar Brewery, At a short distance is the powdermagazine, which, although it covers an area of five acres,
was insufficient in time of war, when line-of-battle ships
were fitted up as floating magazines. At Cross Hill is
a very extensive quarry of durable slate. A fair is held
on Whit-Monday. The living is a rectory, valued in the
king's books at £18. 18. 9., and in the gift of the family
of St. Aubyn: the tithes have been commuted for £628,
and the glebe contains 23½ acres. The church is a mean
but spacious edifice, with a low tower. A second church
has been erected, dedicated to St. Michael, which is in
the gift of the Rector; and other churches are noticed
under the head of Devonport.
Stoke-Doyle (St. Rumbald)
STOKE-DOYLE (St. Rumbald), a parish, in the
union of Oundle, hundred of Navisford, N. division of
the county of Northampton, 2 miles (S. W. by S.)
from Oundle; containing 169 inhabitants. It is bounded
on the east by the navigable river Nene, and comprises
1600 acres, of which about 40 are wood, and the rest
arable and pasture. The living is a rectory, valued in
the king's books at £20. 2. 11.; income, £142; patron,
G. Capron, Esq. There is a glebe-house, and the glebe
consists of 36 acres. The church, built about 1715, is
in the Grecian style, and contains a fine monument to
the memory of Judge Ward.
Stoke, Dry (St. Andrew)
STOKE, DRY (St. Andrew), a parish, in the union
of Uppingham, partly in the hundred of Gartree,
S. division of Leicestershire, but chiefly in the hundred of Wrandike, county of Rutland, 3½ miles (S. S.
W.) from Uppingham; containing, with the liberty of
Holy-Oakes, 51 inhabitants. The living is a rectory,
valued in the king's books at £11. 2. 1., and in the gift
of the Marquess of Exeter: the tithes have been commuted for a yearly rent-charge of £385; the glebe contains 28½ acres.
Stoke, Earl, county Wilts.—See Earl-Stoke.
STOKE, EARL, county Wilts.—See Earl-Stoke.
Stoke, East (St. Mary)
STOKE, EAST (St. Mary), a parish, in the union
of Wareham and Purbeck, hundred of Winfrith,
Wareham division of Dorset, 4 miles (W. by S.) from
Wareham; containing 590 inhabitants. The parish is
situated on the road from Wareham to Dorchester, and
comprises by admeasurement 5860 acres, consisting of
about equal portions of arable, pasture, and heath; the
soil is various, comprehending several sandy and gravelly
mixtures, with a little clay. The situation is pleasant,
commanding a distant view of the Purbeck hills, and
embracing a fertile valley watered by the river Froome.
The living is a rectory, valued in the king's books at
£14. 12. 11.; net income, £326; patrons, Sir W. Oglander, Bart. The church is a neat edifice, built by subscription, in 1827, at an expense of £1700. Bindon
Abbey, in the parish, was founded in 1172, by Robert
de Newburgh and Maud his wife, who endowed it for
monks of the Cistercian order; it was dedicated to St.
Mary, and at the Dissolution its revenue was valued at
£229. 2. 1., and the site granted to Sir Thomas Poynings. The beautiful remains consist principally of an
angle of the tower of the church, and part of the walls,
with the foundations.
Stoke, East (St. Oswald)
STOKE, EAST (St. Oswald), a parish, in the union
of Southwell, N. division of the wapentake of Thurgarton, S. division of the county of Nottingham, 3¾
miles (S. W.) from Newark; containing 385 inhabitants.
On Stoke field was fought, in 1487, the decisive battle
between the armies of Henry VII., and John de la Pole,
Earl of Lincoln, who had espoused the cause of Lambert Simnel; the earl and 4000 of his followers were
slain. This is said to be the first action in which cannon
was used with success. The village is pleasantly situated on the southern bank of the river Trent, and on
the Roman fosse-road. The living is a discharged
vicarage, with the livings of Coddington and Syerston
annexed, valued in the king's books at £8. 13.; net income, £372; patron, the Chancellor of the Cathedral of
Lincoln. The tithes were commuted for 250 acres of
land, in 1795. The church is on an eminence in front
of the Hall. There is a chapel of ease at Elston. An
hospital dedicated to St. Leonard was founded here
before the time of Henry I., for a master and brethren,
a chaplain, and several sick persons; the revenue at the
Dissolution was valued at £9.
Stoke-Edith (St. Mary)
STOKE-EDITH (St. Mary), a parish, in the hundred of Radlow, union and county of Hereford, 7¼
miles (E.) from Hereford; containing 347 inhabitants.
It comprises 1674 acres, of which 20 are common or
waste land. The subsoil is a deep clay; the surface is
flat, except in Stoke Park, which is elevated, and commands extensive and beautiful prospects. The living is
a rectory, with the perpetual curacy of Westhide annexed,
valued in the king's books at £15, and in the gift of
Edward T. Foley, Esq.: the tithes have been commuted
for £320; there is a glebe-house, and the glebe contains
103 acres. An ancient sword, some curious beads,
several human skeletons with their faces downwards,
and other relics, have been found at Radlow Bush, in
the parish.
Stoke-Ferry (All Saints)
STOKE-FERRY (All Saints), a market-town and
parish, in the union of Downham, hundred of Clackclose, W. division of Norfolk, 38 miles (W. by S.)
from Norwich, and 88½ (N. N. E.) from London; containing 663 inhabitants. The town is situated on the
banks of the river Wissey, which is navigable up to it,
and on the road from Lynn to Thetford and Bury. An
extensive traffic is carried on in malt, corn, timber, and
coal. In the reign of Henry III. the inhabitants obtained
a grant for holding a weekly market and an annual fair,
which was confirmed by Henry VI. The market was
for a long period disused, but has been revived, and is
now held on Friday, principally for corn; a large fair
takes place on Dec. 6th, for horses, cattle, &c., and a
statute for hiring servants on the Thursday after Old
Michaelmas-day. The parish comprises 2059a. 3r. 25p.,
of which about 1232 acres are arable, 674 pasture and
meadow, and 59 woodland; the substratum is chiefly
limestone. The living is a perpetual curacy, in the
patronage of the Crown; net income, £100: the great
tithes have been commuted for £247, and the small
tithes for £227. 9. The church had formerly a square
tower. There is a place of worship for Wesleyans.
Stoke-Fleming (St. Peter)
STOKE-FLEMING (St. Peter), a parish, in the
union of Kingsbridge, hundred of Coleridge, Stanborough and Coleridge, and S. divisions of Devon, 2½
miles (S. S. W.) from Dartmouth; containing 736 inhabitants. It is situated on the sea-coast, and comprises
3013 acres, of which 2300 are arable, 500 pasture, and
200 woodland; the soil is light and thin, but of good
quality. The living is a rectory, valued in the king's
books at £31. 6. 0½.; net income, £649; patron, the
Rev. W. Farwell. The church has a Norman tower,
built apparently at a much earlier period than the body
of the edifice: there are some interesting monuments.
Stoke-Gabriel (St. Gabriel)
STOKE-GABRIEL (St. Gabriel), a parish, in the
union of Totnes, hundred of Haytor, Paignton and S.
divisions of Devon, 4 miles (S. E. by E.) from Totnes;
containing 691 inhabitants. It comprises about 2000
acres; the surface is hilly, and the soil in general a rich
loam. The navigable river Dart runs on the south.
The living is a discharged vicarage, valued in the king's
books at £16. 11. 10½.; net income, £163; patrons,
Sir S. H. Northcote, Bart., the Executors of the Rev. J.
Templar, and the Rev. F. Belfield, in turn. The church
contains an ancient wooden screen. There is a place of
worship for Baptists. Capt. John Davis, the discoverer
of Davis' Straits, was born here.
Stoke-Gifford (St. Michael)
STOKE-GIFFORD (St. Michael), a parish, in the
union of Clifton, Upper division of the hundred of
Henbury, W. division of the county of Gloucester,
4 miles (N. N. E.) from Bristol; containing 480 inhabitants. It is situated on the road from Bristol to Gloucester, and comprises 3000 acres by computation; the
surface is flat, the soil in some parts sandy and in others
clayey. In the parish are several quarries; and here is
found a stone called "the landscape stone," which is
sold at Clifton as the produce of that parish. The living
is a discharged vicarage, valued in the king's books at
£6; total net income, £60; patron, the Duke of Beaufort, who holds all the tithes, and pays the vicar a stipend
of £25. The church was built in 1150, and has been
the burial-place of several noble families. John Silcocks,
in 1741, bequeathed £200, directing the interest to be
applied in teaching children.
Stoke-Golding
STOKE-GOLDING, a chapelry, in the parish of
Hinckley, hundred of Sparkenhoe, S. division of the
county of Leicester, 2¾ miles (N. W.) from Hinckley;
containing 663 inhabitants. The Ashby-de-la-Zouch
canal passes through it. The chapel is dedicated to St.
Margaret. A free grammar school was endowed by
Hester Hodges, in 1678, with 74 acres of land, now
producing about £100 per annum.
Stoke-Goldington (St. Peter)
STOKE-GOLDINGTON (St. Peter), a parish, in
the union of Newport-Pagnell, hundred of Newport,
county of Buckingham, 5 miles (N. N. W.) from Newport-Pagnell, on the road to Northampton; containing,
with the hamlet of Eakley-Lanes, 855 inhabitants, of
whom 754 are in the township of Stoke-Goldington.
The parish comprises 1675 acres, two-thirds arable and
one-third pasture, well wooded. The soil is strong, and
suited especially to the growth of wheat and beans; the
substratum, to a considerable extent, consists of limestone. The river Ouse bounds the parish on the east.
The females are employed in making lace. The living
is a rectory, united in 1736 to that of Gayhurst, and
valued in the king's books at £14. 6. 3. The tithes of
the commons were commuted for land in 1770. The
church is in the early English style, with two chancels
and a tower. The Independents have a place of worship;
and a national school is supported by subscription.
There was formerly a chapel at Eakley, which place is
said to have been a distinct parish.
Stoke-Hammond (St. Mary)
STOKE-HAMMOND (St. Mary), a parish, in the
union of Leighton-Buzzard, hundred of Newport,
county of Buckingham, 3 miles (S.) from Fenny-Stratford; containing 407 inhabitants. It is situated near
the London and Birmingham railway, and comprises by
admeasurement 1523 acres of land, nearly equally divided between arable and pasture. The living is a
rectory, valued in the king's books at £19. 9. 4½.; net
income, £249; patron, the Bishop of Lincoln. The
tithes were commuted for land and a money payment
in 1774. There is a place of worship for Wesleyans.
Stoke-Hill
STOKE-HILL, a hamlet, in the parish of Stoke St.
Mary, union of Taunton, hundred of Taunton and
Taunton-Dean, W. division of the county of Somerset; containing 80 inhabitants.
Stoke-Lacy (St. Peter and St. Paul)
STOKE-LACY (St. Peter and St. Paul), a parish,
in the union of Bromyard, hundred of Broxash, county
of Hereford, 4 miles (S. W. by S.) from Bromyard;
containing 413 inhabitants. The parish is situated on
the road from Bromyard to Hereford, and comprises
1992a. 1r. 8p., of which nearly half are arable, and the
remainder meadow and pasture, with 64 acres of hopgrounds. The surface is hilly, and the subsoil a strong
clay; stone of excellent quality is quarried for building,
and limestone is extensively used for agricultural purposes. The living is a rectory, valued in the king's
books at £8, and in the gift of John Kempson, Esq.:
the tithes have been commuted for £315. 12.; there is
a glebe-house, and the glebe contains about 20 acres.
The body of the church is dilapidated; the chancel has
lately been rebuilt by the incumbent, and is considered
one of the finest specimens in the county of the early
English style. There is a place of worship for Wesleyans.
Stoke-Lane (St. Michael)
STOKE-LANE (St. Michael), a parish, in the
union of Shepton-Mallet, hundred of Whitestone,
E. division of Somerset, 4 miles (N. E.) from SheptonMallet; containing 1056 inhabitants. The parish is
situated about a mile north of the road from Wells to
Frome, and comprises 2074 acres, of which about 256
are arable, 1607 meadow and pasture, and 165 in woods
and plantations. The soil in general is shallow and
damp; on the north side of the Mendip hills it rests
upon a layer of red gravel, and in the other parts there
is a substratum of limestone and firestone. The living
is a perpetual curacy; net income £120; patron, the
Vicar of Doulting; impropriator, Richard Strachey,
Esq.: the great tithes have been commuted for £75, and
the vicarial for a like sum. The church was rebuilt in
the early English style in 1838.
Stoke, Limpley
STOKE, LIMPLEY, a tything, in the chapelry of
Winsley, parish, union, and hundred of Bradford,
Westbury and N. divisions, and Trowbridge and Bradford subdivisions, of Wilts, 3 miles (W. by S.) from
Bradford; containing 377 inhabitants. There is a
chapel dedicated to St. Mary.
Stoke-Lyne (St. Peter)
STOKE-LYNE (St. Peter), a parish, in the union
of Bicester, hundred of Ploughley, county of Oxford, 4¼ miles (N. by W.) from Bicester; containing,
with the hamlets of Bainton and Fewcott, 601 inhabitants, of whom 347 are in Stoke-Lyne township. The
living is a discharged vicarage; net income, £173;
patrons, the Trustees of J. Bullock, Esq.; impropriators,
the family of Coles. The tithes of the township were
commuted for land and a money payment in 1793.