Tatchbury
TATCHBURY, a tything, in the parish of Eling,
union of New-Forest, hundred of Redbridge, Romsey
and S. divisions of the county of Southampton; containing 50 inhabitants. Tatchbury Mount is supposed
to have been a British military station; and the tything
is said by tradition to have subsequently contained a
royal hunting seat.
Tatenhill (St. Michael)
TATENHILL (St. Michael), a parish, in the union
of Burton-upon-Trent, N. division of the hundred of
Offlow and of the county of Stafford, 3½ miles
(W. S. W.) from Burton-upon-Trent, containing, with the
chapelries of Barton-under-Needwood and Wichnor,
and the township of Dunstall, 2229 inhabitants, of whom
435 are in Tatenhill township. The parish comprises
9435 acres, and is crossed by the Grand Trunk canal.
Tatenhill is an ancient village, seated in a deep romantic glen, between two high hills which gradually descend
from the eastern border of Needwood Forest. The hamlet of Callingwood is beautifully situated near the confines of the forest, and contains a wood called Knightley
Park, and the site of an old moated house that belonged
to a family of that name. The manor of Callingwood is
the property of Sir Oswald Mosley, Bart., by purchase
from the late Abraham Hoskins, Esq., of Burton. The
living is a rectory, annexed, with the prebend of Adbaston, to the deanery of Lichfield, and valued in the king's
books at £26. 1.8.: the tithes have been commuted for
£1337, and the glebe comprises 123½ acres. The church
is in the early English style, with a tower: the interior
was renovated and new pewed in 1838. At Barton and
Wichnor are separate incumbencies. A national, an
infants', and a Sunday school, are supported by subscription. In 1786 a Roman urn was ploughed up at
Knightley Park, which contained a number of gold coins
of the twelve first emperors.
Tatham (St. James)
TATHAM (St. James), a parish, in the hundred of
Lonsdale south of the Sands, N. division of Lancashire; containing, with the chapelry of Tatham-Fell,
677 inhabitants, of whom 324 are in Tatham township,
11 miles (N. E. by E.) from Lancaster. Whitaker explains Tatham to signify "the habitation of Tata."
Before the reign of Richard I., a family of the local
name possessed lands in Tatham, but the estate passed,
before the 34th of Edward III., into the Dacre family.
Elizabeth, co-heiress of Thomas Dacre, married Sir
Thomas Harrington, of Hornby; and Tatham has since
invariably passed with the honour of Hornby, not as an
integral portion, but as an independent and distinct
manor held by the lords of that place. The parish comprises 6343a. 2r. 16p., the soil of which is chiefly clay:
the face of the country is in some parts extremely rugged;
the scenery is frequently grand, and sometimes highly
beautiful. The river Wenning flows through the north
of the parish, which it partly bounds; and the Hindburn, a mountain torrent issuing from the moorland
ravines south of Lowgill, mingles with the Wenning
between the parishes of Tatham and Melling. A few
mines of coal are in operation; and there is a good
freestone-quarry: a bobbin-mill employs about 20
hands. The North-Western railway, from Lancaster
into Yorkshire, intersects Tatham. A fair for cattle is
held on March 12th, in the village of Lowgill. The
living is a rectory, valued in the king's books at £12. 5.;
net income, £195, with a house; patron, Pudsey Dawson, Esq., of Hornby Castle. The church is a small
neat edifice of ancient date, with a tower built in 1722.
At Tatham-Fell is a chapel, which was restored in 1840:
the living is a perpetual curacy, in the patronage of the
Rector of Tatham; net income, £125. A school is
endowed with £26 per annum. A Roman road passes
through the parish.
Tathwell (St. Vedast)
TATHWELL (St. Vedast), a parish, in the union of
Louth. Wold division of the hundred of Louth-Eske,
parts of Lindsey, county of Lincoln, 3¾ miles (S. by
W.) from Louth; containing 365 inhabitants, and comprising about 4350 acres. Tathwell Hall, erected by the
Hanby family, from whom the estate passed in the latter
part of the seventeenth century to the Chaplins, was
rebuilt in 1841, by Charles Chaplin, Esq., the present lord of the manor and impropriator. The living is
a discharged vicarage, valued in the king's books at
£10, and in the gift of the Bishop of Lincoln, with a net
income of £345. The church contains monuments to
the Hanby and Chaplin families. On Bully Hill, in the
parish, are six barrows, in a line from east to west; and
on another eminence, situated at the distance of about
half a mile from the barrows, are the remains of two
encampments.
Tatsfield, or Tattesfield
TATSFIELD, or Tattesfield, a parish, in the union
of Godstone, Second division of the hundred of Tandridge, E. division of Surrey, 3 miles (N. W. by W.)
from Westerham; containing 172 inhabitants, and comprising 1280a. 12p. The manor belonged to Odo, halfbrother of William the Conqueror, and is mentioned in
Domesday book under the appellation of Tatelefelle;
among later proprietors may be named the Uvedales,
Greshams, and Gowers. The living is a discharged
rectory, valued in the king's books at £5. 0. 5.; net
income, £150; patron, William L. Gower, Esq. The
church is principally in the early English style; the
body was almost entirely rebuilt in 1838, by subscription, and the tower and south porch, which are elegant
specimens of that style, at the expense of the Rev.
Thomas Streatfeild, the curate.
Tattenhall (St. Alban)
TATTENHALL (St. Alban), a parish, in the union
of Great Boughton, Lower division of the hundred of
Broxton, S. division of the county of Chester; containing, with the townships of Golborn-Bellow and Newton, 1119 inhabitants, of whom 904 are in Tattenhall
township, 5¾ miles (S. W. by W.) from Tarporley. The
township is intersected by the Chester and Crewe railway, and comprises 2759 acres, the soil of which is
chiefty clay. The living is a rectory, valued in the
king's books at £13. 17. 6.; patron, the Bishop of
Chester: the tithes have been commuted for £282, and
the glebe consists of 23 acres. Besides the church, are
places of worship for Independents and Wesleyans. Dr.
Paploe, rector, who died in 1781, gave a sum of money,
which was afterwards vested in the purchase of £334
three per cents., for education.
Tattenhoe
TATTENHOE, a parish, in the union of Winslow,
hundred of Cottesloe, county of Buckingham, 3¾
miles (W.) from Fenny-Stratford; containing 15 inhabitants. The living is a donative curacy, held by institution as a rectory; net income, £50; patron and impropriator, W. S. Lowndes, Esq. The church was rebuilt
in 1540; but the parish containing only a few inhabitants, it fell into disuse, until the rector of Shenley
claimed the tithes, in 1636, when it was consecrated
anew.
Tatterford (St. Margaret)
TATTERFORD (St. Margaret), a parish, in the
union of Walsingham, hundred of Gallow, W. division of Norfolk, 4 miles (W. by S.) from Fakenham;
containing 59 inhabitants. It comprises 959a. 2r. 37p.,
of which 817 acres are arable, 131 pasture, and 11 woodland. The living is a discharged rectory, consolidated
with that of Tattersett, and valued in the king's books
at £6. 6. 8.: the tithes of the parish have been commuted for £204, and the glebe contains nearly 53 acres.
The church is a small ancient structure, with a belfry
rising from the western gable.
Tattersett (St. Andrew)
TATTERSETT (St. Andrew), a parish, in the union
of Walsingham, hundred of Gallow, W. division of
Norfolk, 6 miles (W.) from Fakenham; containing
160 inhabitants. It comprises 1759a. 3r. 22p., of which
1474 acres are arable, 164 meadow and pasture, 40
woodland, and 81 common. The living is a discharged
rectory, with that of Tatterford consolidated, valued in
the king's books at £11. 1. 8., and in the gift of Sir
Charles Chad, Bart. The tithes of the parish have been
commuted for £474. 11. The church is an ancient
structure in the early and later English styles, with a
square embattled tower: near it are some vestiges of an
old church dedicated to All Saints.
Tattershall (Holy Trinity)
TATTERSHALL (Holy Trinity), a market-town
and parish, in the union of Horncastle, S. division of
the wapentake of Gartree, parts of Lindsey, county
of Lincoln, 9 miles (S. S. W.) from Horncastle, and
125 (N.) from London; containing, with the township
of Thorpe, 907 inhabitants. This place was a Roman
military post, as two encampments at Tattershall Park
in its immediate neighbourhood indicate; and was
granted at the Conquest to Eudo, one of William's followers, whose descendants erected a castle about 1440,
south-westward from the town. The fortress stood on
a moor, and was surrounded by two fosses, which received the waters of the Bain; the principal part was
demolished during the parliamentary war. The northwest tower, still remaining, a rectangular brick structure
100 feet high, flanked by four embattled octangular
turrets, was built by Sir Ralph Cromwell, treasurer of
the exchequer in the reign of Henry VI. He likewise
erected a lofty tower with a spiral staircase leading to
its summit, about four miles northward, as an appendage to the larger structure: this is now in a very dilapidated state. The town is situated on the river Bain,
near its junction with the Witham; it is much decayed,
and the trade is inconsiderable. A canal from the Witham to Horncastle passes through it. The market,
originally granted by King John to Robert Fitz-Eudo,
is on Thursday; there is a market for pigs on Friday, and fairs are held on May 15th and September
25th. The parish comprises by admeasurement 1600
acres.
The living is a donative; net income, £110; patron
and impropriator, Earl Fortescue: the tithes of Thorpe
were commuted for land and corn-rents in 1796. The
church is on the eastern side and in the outer moat of
the castle. It was made collegiate in the time of Henry
VI., for seven chaplains (one of whom was master), six
clerks, and six choristers: at the Dissolution the revenue
was estimated at £348. 5. 11. The collegiate buildings
have been taken down, and the church alone remains, a
venerable cruciform structure, consisting of a nave,
transepts, and choir; the choir was of beautiful design,
but since the removal of its fine painted windows to the
chapel of Burleigh, the seat of the Marquess of Exeter,
this part of the edifice has been allowed to fall into
decay. There is a place of worship for Wesleyans. A
national school, held in the south transept of the church,
is partly supported by £20 per annum from the Gibson
charity; and an almshouse, partitioned into ten separate
apartments, originally established by the licence which
raised the church into a college, has a small endowment
from the same fund. Ammonites and other fossils are
found in a stratum of blue clay.
Tattingstone (St. Mary)
TATTINGSTONE (St. Mary), a parish, in the incorporation and hundred of Samford, E. division of
Suffolk, 6 miles (S. W. by S.) from Ipswich; containing 628 inhabitants, and consisting of 1637a. 39p. The
living is a rectory, valued in the king's books at
£6. 13. 4., and in the gift of C. Elliott, Esq.: the tithes
have been commuted for £402; there is a parsonagehouse, and the glebe comprises 38 acres. The Wesleyans have a place of worship; and a national school has
been established. This is the head of a union comprising twenty-eight parishes, and containing a population
of 11,818. On the estate called the Place, in the parish,
is a very thick deposit of marine shells.
Tatton
TATTON, a township, in the parish of Rosthern,
union of Altrincham, hundred of Bucklow, N. division
of the county of Chester, 2 miles (N.) from Knutsford;
containing 69 inhabitants. The seat of the Egertons of
Tatton is here. Tatton Park is one of the largest parks
in England, and contains from six to seven hundred
head of deer. The township comprises 1777 acres, of
which 200 acres are in wood; the soil is stiff, and the
surface level. The Egerton family are owners of the
entire township.
Tatworth
TATWORTH, a tything, in the parish and union of
Chard, E. division of the hundred of Kingsbury, W.
division of Somerset, 1¾ mile (S.) from Chard; containing 383 inhabitants. A church has been erected;
it is dedicated to All Saints, and the living is in the gift
of the Vicar of Chard.
Taunton
TAUNTON, a borough and market-town, and the
head of a union, in the hundred of Taunton and Taunton-Dean, W. division of Somerset, 11 miles (S. by
W.) from Bridgwater, and 144 (W. by S.) from London;
containing 12,066 inhabitants. This place was called
by the Saxons Tantun, and subsequently Tawriton and
Thoneton, from its situation on the river Thone or Tone.
It is of great antiquity; and the discovery of several
urns containing Roman coins, in the neighbourhood,
has led to the conjecture that it existed in the time of
that people. The earliest authentic accounts refer to the
period of the heptarchy, when a castle was built here for
a royal residence, by Ina, King of the West Saxons, who
held his first great council in it, about the year 700.
This castle was demolished by his queen Ethelburga,
after expelling Eadbricht, King of the South Saxons,
who had seized it. The manor is supposed to have been
granted to the church of Winchester in the following
reign; and another castle is said to have been built on
the site of the former, in the time of William I., by the
bishops of Winchester, who principally resided in the
town for some years. At this period Taunton had a
mint, some of the coins, bearing the Conqueror's effigy,
being still in existence. In the reign of Henry VII., in
1497, Perkin Warbeck seized the town with its castle,
which, however, he quickly abandoned on the approach
of the king's troops. In 1645, it again participated in
civil war, and became celebrated for the long siege it
sustained, and the defence it made under Colonel (afterwards the renowned Admiral) Blake, who held it for the
parliament against 10,000 royalist troops under Lord
Goring, until relieved by Fairfax; on which memorable
occasion a public thanksgiving was appointed by the
commons, who voted £500 to the colonel, and £1000 to
the men under his command. The inhabitants thus incurred the displeasure of the king, and at the Restoration, their charter was suspended, and the walls of the
town ordered to be razed to the ground. James, Duke
of Monmouth, was proclaimed king on the Cornhill of
Taunton, June 21st, 1685; and many of his followers,
including some inhabitants of this place, after his defeat
at Sedgemoor, were put to death on the same spot, by
the brutal Kirke, without form of trial, besides those
who were condemned by Judge Jeffreys at the "bloody
assize" which he held here the following September.
The town is situated in a central part of the singularly beautiful and luxuriant vale of Taunton-Dean, and
is upwards of a mile in length. The principal streets,
which terminate in the market-place, are spacious, well
paved, and lighted with gas by a company established
in 1821; the houses, mostly built of brick, are generally
commodious and handsome, and supplied with excellent
water. The respectability of the town, combined with
the beauty of the surrounding country, renders it very
attractive as a place of residence; and many improvements have been lately effected, amongst which are the
erection of a neat crescent and terrace, and the removal
of some old houses at East Gate. In 1833, an act was
obtained for regulating the market, cleansing the streets,
and preventing nuisances; and in 1840 another was
passed for the improvement of the place, and for amending the provisions of the several acts for holding markets. In 1845, an act was passed for better lighting the
town. The Parade, in the centre of Taunton, is a fine
open triangular space, inclosed with iron posts and
chains; on the east side of it is a wide street, built by
the late Sir Benjamin Hammet, which forms a handsome
approach to St. Mary's church. A substantial stone
bridge of two arches crosses the Tone, connecting the
town with the village of North-town, or Nurton; and
several villas, commanding beautiful views, have been
erected in the suburbs of Wilton, Staplegrove, West
Monckton, and adjoining parishes. The Taunton and
Somerset Institution, established in 1823, has a small
but valuable library, and a museum, with a spacious
public reading and news room. The theatre, in Silverstreet, is usually open two months in the year; and balls
and concerts occasionally take place.
Taunton, formerly noted for its woollen manufacture,
was one of the first towns into which that branch of
trade was introduced. The manufacture eventually gave
way to the silk-trade, which was begun here in the year
1778; the chief articles made are crapes, persians, sarsnets, and mixed goods, and the business furnishes employment to a great number of persons, principally
females. Two patent-lace factories have also been established. The river Tone is navigable, but its course to
Bridgwater being circuitous, and the navigation frequently interrupted, the Taunton and Bridgwater canal
was constructed, which has given increased activity to
trade, considerable quanties of Welsh coal being brought
to the town, and, in return, the produce of the Vale of
Taunton being exported to Bristol and other parts of
England. The Grand Western canal, forming a communication with the river Exe, terminates here; and
the Bristol and Exeter railway passes by the town. The
markets are on Wednesday and Saturday, the latter day
being the principal, and are well supplied with fish from
both Channels, with every other kind of provisions, and
with fruit in abundance. The old market-house, at the
south end of the Parade, a lofty brick building supported on each side by an arcade, contains the guildhall,
and a handsome assembly-room, in which is a full length
portrait of George III. in his robes, presented by Sir B.
Hammet. On the west side of the Parade is a building
of freestone, erected in 1821, in the lower part and rear
of which, and on the northern side, are the markets for
meat, fish, pork, poultry, and dairy-produce; the upper
being used as the library and reading-room of the institution before mentioned. It is of the Ionic order, the
entablature supported by four columns, and forms a
great ornament to this part of the town. Upon the last
Saturday in every month is what is called the great
market, including the sale of live-stock; there is a fair
on June 17th, and in the suburb of North-town one on
July 7 th, for horses and cattle.
The town was for several centuries under the jurisdiction of portreeves and bailiffs, chosen at the courts
of the bishops of Winchester, as lords of the manor,
which was formerly very extensive and valuable; the
rental at the time of the Conquest appearing, from
a document found amongst the court rolls, to have
amounted to nearly £700 per annum. It was, however,
divided by William, and portions of it distributed among
his favourites. The manor of Taunton, thus diminished
in extent, continued in the possession of the see until
the year 1822, when it was sold by Bishop Tomline to
Thomas Southwood, Esq. It is now the property of
Robert Mattock, Esq., at whose annual courts, held in
the castle, two portreeves, who collect the lord's rents,
two bailiffs, two constables, and six tythingmen, are
chosen. A charter was granted to the inhabitants in
1627 by Charles I., which continued in force until the
year 1792, when, in consequence of the corporation
having suffered a majority of the members to die without filling up vacancies, it became forfeited. The town
is now under the jurisdiction of the county magistrates,
who hold a petty-session on Wednesdays and Saturdays
at the guildhall. The bailiffs usually convene and preside at public meetings, and the constables have the distribution of most of the public charities. The borough
is by prescription, and first sent members to parliament
in the reign of Edward I., in 1295; the boundaries comprise an area of 742 acres, and the bailiffs are returning
officers. The Lent assizes for the county are held in
the castle, as are also the Michaelmas general quartersessions. The powers of the county debt-court of Taunton, established in 1847, extend over nearly the whole of
the registration-district of Taunton.
The castle, supposed to be part of a stately edifice
erected by William Giffard, Bishop of Winchester, in
the reign of Henry I., was thoroughly repaired by Bishop
Langton, towards the end of the 15th century; and in
addition to other improvements, the present assize hall
was built by Bishop Home, in 1577, since which period
various sums have been expended upon it. The building has a south front, with a gateway in the centre, over
which are two escutcheons, one bearing the arms of
Henry VII., with the motto Five le Roi Henri; the other
the inscription Laus tibi Xte., and T. Langto Winto, 1495:
at the east end is a circular tower. The inner courtyard is an irregular quadrangle, the east side being the
shortest, and on the north side are the county courts,
grand jury-rooms, &c.; the access to it is through an
open court, called Castle Green, formerly inclosed with
two gates, one of which still remains, surmounted with
what was the porter's lodge, now occupied as a dwellinghouse. The moat was filled up, and the drawbridge
removed, in 1785. Closely adjoining the town, at Wilton,
is the house of correction: it was erected in 1754, and
enlarged in 1815; and having again been improved, it
was recently determined to make it the county gaol
instead of that at Ilchester.
Taunton comprises the parishes of St. James and St.
Mary Magdalene, the former containing 4047, and the
latter 8019, inhabitants; but many houses extend into
the adjoining parishes of Wilton and Bishop's-Hull.
The living of St. James's is a perpetual curacy; net income, £254; patron, the Rev. Dr. Cottle; impropriator,
Sir T. B. Lethbridge, Bart., whose tithes have been commuted for £420. The church, which was the church of
the priory, was lately considerably enlarged and improved, at a cost of more than £2000, through the exertions of Dr. Cottle, formerly incumbent, and now vicar
of St. Mary's; and is an elegant and commodious structure, containing 1400 sittings, upwards of 600 of which
are free. The living of St. Mary Magdalene's is a vicarage, also in the gift of Dr. Cottle: the impropriate tithes
have been commuted for £380. There is an afternoon
lecture on Thursday, endowed by Thomas Poyntington,
who bequeathed property in 1732, now producing about
£50 per annum, which sum is paid to the vicar agreeably
with the will of the donor. The church, standing near
the centre of the town, was originally a chapel to St.
James, but was made parochial in 1308, under Walter
Huselshaw, Bishop of Bath and Wells, and is a magnificent edifice in the decorated and later English styles,
consisting of a chancel, nave, and four aisles. At the
west end is a quadrangular tower, an elegant structure
in four compartments, containing thirteen windows,
which, by the variety of their ornaments, add much to
its lightness and beauty; it is 121 feet in height, exclusively of its pinnacles of 32 feet, which are richly adorned
with carved work. The restoration of this church was
completed at the close of 1845, at a cost of £7000,
chiefly defrayed by the vicar. Another church has
been erected in the early English style, dedicated to the
Holy Trinity, and containing 1100 sittings; the stone is
a beautiful white lias, and the structure has a neat tower.
The living is a perpetual curacy, in the gift of the Bishop
of Bath and Wells, with a net income of £150. There
are places of worship for Baptists, the Society of Friends,
Independents, Unitarians, and Wesleyans; and the
Roman Catholics have a handsome chapel with a portico
of two Ionic pillars, and also a convent of Franciscan
nuns. The nuns emigrated from Brussels during the
French revolution in the last century, and settled at
Winchester, until they became possessed of their present
residence, a noble building at the east end of the town,
near the entrance from London, originally intended for
a public hospital.
The free grammar school was established in 1522 by
Richard Fox, Bishop of Winchester, and was endowed
in 1554 by William Walbee, clerk, with about 96 acres
of land in eight different portions, now producing about
£100 per annum. The premises include a large and
ancient schoolroom, situated within the castle-gate; and
under the same roof is a dwelling-house for the master,
who keeps the building in repair and pays the taxes,
and who is allowed to take private pupils. The Wesleyan Collegiate Institution, about a mile from the town,
in the parish of Trull, is a handsome structure whose
principal front, 250 feet in extent, presents a regular
elevation in the Tudor style: in the centre is a tower 80
feet in height. Some almshouses at East Gate, for ten
women and seven men, were founded in 1635, by Robert
Gray, a native of the town, and endowed by him with
£2000, since augmented with other benefactions. The
almshouses on the north side of Hammet-street were
founded and endowed by Richard Huish, for thirteen
men, one of whom is president, and reads prayers daily
in a chapel attached to the building; the income is £350.
Of the remaining charities, the principal is that arising
from the Town Lands, consisting of some property to
which no claimant appeared after a plague had raged in
Taunton, and which, with land and houses purchased
under bequests by John Meredith and Margery Acland,
produces about £360 per annum. The income from the
Town lands is distributed among the poor of the parish
of St. Mary Magdalene; that from Meredith's bequest,
in clothing; and that from Aclaud's to widows. The
Taunton and Somerset hospital was founded in 1809, in
commemoration of George III. entering upon the fiftieth
year of his reign, and was opened on the 25th of March,
1812. An eye infirmary, established in 1816, is supported by voluntary contributions; and there is a society
for the relief of lying-in women. The poor-law union
comprises 38 parishes or places, all in the county of
Somerset, except one which is in Devon; the whole
containing a population of 33,422. Taunton is the
birth-place of Samuel Daniel, the-poet, born in 1562;
and of the Rev. Henry Grove, born in 1683, an eminent
dissenting minister, who, in addition to other works,
contributed some excellent papers to the Spectator.
Amongst the bishops of Winchester who made it
their occasional residence, were Cardinals Beaufort and
Wolsey.
Taverham (St. Edmund)
TAVERIIAM (St. Edmund), a parish, in the union
of St. Faith, hundred of Taverham, E. division of
Norfolk, 5¾ miles (N. W.) from Norwich; containing
211 inhabitants. This parish, which is situated on the
road from Norwich to Fakenham, comprises 2021a. 2r.
17p.; the scenery is exceedingly picturesque, and enlivened by the course of the river Wensum. N. Mieklethwait, Esq., who is lord of the manor, and proprietor
of almost the whole parish, resides in a beautiful mansion
surrounded by 500 acres of fine woodland. Part of the
parish is included within the episcopal manor of Drayton.
In the village is a large paper-mill. The living is a rectory, formerly in medieties, now united, each valued in
the kings books at £4. 2. 8½.; net income, £300;
patrons, alternately, the Bishop of Norwich and Mr.
Micklethwait. The tithes were commuted in 1844 for a
yearly rent-charge of £310: the glebe contains 42 acres,
and there is a small parsonage-house. The church is
chiefly in the decorated style, and consists of a nave,
chancel, and south aisle, with a tower circular in the
lower part and octagonal above; the nave is separated
from the chancel by the remains of a carved screen: in
the windows are considerable portions of ancient stained
glass, and the font is curiously sculptured. A previous
church, or part of the present building, was destroyed
by lightning in 1458. In a plantation called Friars'
Wood, are some slight remains of a friary.
Tavistock (St. Evstachius)
TAVISTOCK (St. Evstachius), a borough, market-town, and parish, and
the head of a union, in the
hundred of Tavistock, Tavistock and S. divisions of
the county of Devon, 33
miles (W. by S.) from Exeter, and 204 (W. S. W.) from
London; containing 6272 inhabitants. This place, which
takes its name from its
situation on the river Tavy,
was the abode of Orgar, Earl of Devonshire, whose
daughter Elfrida, surreptitiously obtained in marriage
by Athelwold, favourite of King Edgar (for whom he
had been sent to negotiate), became, on the subsequent
discovery of the treachery, the wife of that monarch.
The town appears to have derived its origin from the
erection of an abbey of Black monks, begun in 961, by
Orgar, who, according to tradition, had been admonished
in a dream to found a monastery here. The abbey was
completed in 981, by his son Ordulf, by whom it was
endowed with ample possessions, and dedicated to St.
Mary the Virgin and St. Ramon. After having been
destroyed by the Danes, it was restored by the contributions of the neighbouring families, of whom the De
Eggecombes were munificent benefactors. Henry I.
granted to the abbots the entire jurisdiction of the hundred of Tavistock, and gave them a weekly market and
annual fairs, with other privileges; in 1513 Henry VIII.
conferred the right of a seat among the peers upon Abbot
Banham, who also procured from Pope Leo X. an exemption from all episcopal and inctropolitical jurisdiction. Soon after the introduction of printing into England, a press was established in the monastery, from
which issued a code of the Stannary laws, and a trauslation of Boëthius by Walton, the latter printed by Dan
Thomas Rychard, one of the monks; perfect copies of
both these are preserved in the library of Exeter College,
Oxford. The monastery flourished till the year 1539,
when it was surrendered to the king by the last abbot,
John Peryn, on whom was settled a pension of £100 per
annum for life: the revenue was £902. 5. 7.; and the
site, with the borough and town, was assigned to John
Russell, ancestor of the Duke of Bedford. A school for
the study of Saxon literature was established here at a
very early period, under the patronage of the abbots,
and continued till the time of the Reformation. While
the plague raged at Exeter, in 1591, the summer assizes
were held in this town, and thirteen criminals were executed on the Abbey green. At a subsequent period, a
market and a fair were held, in time of plague, above
Merivale bridge, about three miles distaut from the
town, where three long rows of stones may still be seen,
pointing out the spot. After the defeat of the parliamentarians on Bradock Down, in 1643, the royalists
were quartered here; and Charles I. visited the town
on his route to Cornwall, subsequently to his unsuccessful attempt on Plymouth.
Arms.
The town is pleasantly situated in a valley, through
which the river Tavy rushes with tumultuous impetuosity over an uneven and rocky bed, and which combines
some of the most beautiful and picturesque scenery in
this justly admired county. It is irregularly built, partly
in the vale, and partly on the acclivities by which the
vale is inclosed: the streets were first lighted with gas
in the year 1832. The approaches are easy and commodious; those from the east of Cornwall, and from the
roads over Dartmoor, underwent considerable improvement, under the auspices of the late Duke of Bedford,
in 1839. On the right of the fine entrance into the town
from Plymouth, and opposite to the church, are various
embattled and turreted buildings originally belonging to
the abbey; a part has been converted into the Bedford
hotel, which has an extensive façade in the ancient
English style. In a building over the grand archway of
the old abbey is a public library, and adjoining it an
edifice in which the members of a literary and scientific
institution have lectures once a fortnight during the
winter months: the library was fitted up, and the
building for the institution was erected, by the late Duke
of Bedford, in lieu of a structure in the Grecian style,
which, not harmonizing with the venerable remains of
the abbey, his grace was anxious to remove. Over the
Tavy are two ancient bridges within the town, and a
third of modern date about a quarter of a mile on the
Plymouth road, near which is a bridge over the Tavistock canal. Races are held on Whitchurch Down.
The manufacture of serge and coarse woollen-cloths,
which formed the principal employment of the inhabitants, has long been on the decline; and the miningtrade, once carried on to a large extent, has also materially diminished. An extensive iron-foundry is conducted in the town; and at a place called Crowndale,
at the distance of a mile from it, is a tin-smelting establishment. The neighbourhood abounds with mineral
productions, and in the section of a mining field between
the rivers Tavy and Tamar, considerable quantities of
porphyritic rock in alternate layers, called Elvan, are
found. From the mines near the town, grey and ruby
copper are produced; in the mine called Wheal Friendship, native rich yellow, red, and crystallized pyrites are
to be obtained in profusion. Lead abounds in the district, and there are also silver, tin, manganese, iron, and
the loadstone. The Tavistock canal, forming a junction
with the Tamar at Morwell-Ham quay, was completed
in June 1817, at au expense of £68,000, and flows in
a tunnel at Morwell Down one mile and three quarters
in length; the boats employed are chiefly of iron, and
the principal articles conveyed are ore, coal, and lime.
The market, which is noted for its ample supply of corn,
is on Friday. Fairs are held on the second Wednesday
in Jan., May, Sept., Oct., and December; and there are
great cattle-markets on the second Wednesday in March,
July, August, and November.
The inhabitants never received a regular charter of
incorporation; the town is
one of the four chief stannary towns, and is governed
by a portreeve elected at the
annual court lect of the
manor. The borough, which
exists by prescription, first
sent members to parliament
in the reign of Edward I.
The elective franchise, formerly vested in the resident
freeholders, in number about 30, was, under the act
passed in 1832, extended to the £10 householders of
the parish (except the detached manor of Cudliptown),
which was constituted the new elective borough, comprising an area of 11,112 acres: the portreeve is returning officer. Among its representatives have been
John Pym, the great opposer of Charles I.; and William,
Lord Russell, who was beheaded in the reign of Charles
II. The powers of the county debt-court of Tavistock,
established in 1847, extend over the registration-district
of Tavistock.
Seal of the Lordship.
The living is a discharged vicarage, valued in the
king's books at £10. 17. 6.; net income, £298; patron
and impropriator, the Duke of Bedford, whose tithes
have been commuted for £364. The church is a neat,
spacious, and ancient structure, with a lofty tower supported on arches, affording a thoroughfare underneath it
for carriages; and contains some good monuments, including those to Sir John Fitzand Sir John Glanville, the
latter of whom was judge of the common pleas, and died
in 1600. There are places of worship for the Society of
Friends, Independents, Wesleyans, and Unitarians. The
grammar school is of very ancient though uncertain foundation, and under the auspices of the abbots was for many
years pre-eminently distinguished. In 1552, John, Earl
of Bedford, granted for 200 years the amount of dues
claimed by him within the borough, for its support;
and in 1649, Sir John Glanville, Knt., speaker of the
house of commons, gave an estate at South Brent-Tor,
producing £25 per annum, for the better maintenance
of a scholar at either of the universities. Since the expiration of the earl's gift, his successors have allowed
the master a residence, school-house, and garden, rentfree, and a stipend of £20. A new and handsome building was erected by the late duke, in 1838; and the
school, which had fallen almost into disuse, has again
begun to flourish. In 1674, Nicholas Watts bequeathed
land and houses, the rent of which is £65. 18., for the
benefit of poor persons, a part to be appropriated to the
assistance of a scholar of Tavistock at the university.
Several benefactions called the Ford-street charity,
producing £120 per annum, were by act of parliament
vested in the Russell family for various purposes, in
fulfilment of which an almshouse has been erected for
fifteen persons, who receive each £3 per annum in quarterly payments; the balance is chiefly distributed among
the indigent. The poor-law union of Tavistock comprises 24 parishes or places, containing a population of
23,995.
The principal remains of the monastery are the gateway, the refectory (now used as a place of worship for
Unitarians), some traces of the boundary walls, and an
entire gateway near the canal bridge, probably forming
a private entrance to the gardens and orchard of the
abbey. They are chiefly in the later English style, and
being in many parts mantled with ivy, have an interesting and picturesque appearance. Within the parish are
the remains of Old Morwell House, the hunting-seat of
the abbots; and in the woods attached to the mansion
is a precipitous cliff, from whose summit is a fine view
of the river Tamar winding through a valley of great
beauty. Within a mile of the town, in the parish of
Whitchurch, is Holwell House, the ancient seat of the
Glanville family, of which the last male representative of
the elder branch, by whose father the property had been
alienated, died in 1830: the appearance of the mansion,
which is in good preservation, bears testimony to its
original magnificence. Among the eminent natives of
Tavistock, have been, Sir Francis Drake; Judge Glanville; his son, Sir John Glanville; and William Browne,
author of Britannia's Pastorals, the Shepherd's Pipe, and
other works. The town gives the inferior title of Marquess to the Duke of Bedford.
Tavy (St. Mary)
TAVY (St. Mary), a parish, in the union of Tavistock, hundred of Lifton, Tavistock and S. divisions of
Devon, 4 miles (N. E. by N.) from Tavistock; containing
1552 inhabitants. It is situated on the road from Plymouth to Barnstaple, through Tavistock and Oakhampton; and comprises about 1143 acres, exclusively of the
glebe and of waste land. A lead and a copper mine are
in operation, employing together 627 hands. The river
Tavy runs through the parish. The living is a rectory,
valued in the king's books at £14. 5. 7½., and in the gift
of John Buller, Esq.: the tithes have been commuted
for £207. 10., and there are about 30 acres of glebe
land, independently of a field of 8 acres which has been
rendered waste by mining operations. The church is
partly in the later English style, and contains the staircase to the ancient rood-loft. Here are two places of
worship for Wesleyans. Tungstate of lime has been
found among other geological curiosities.
Tavy (St. Peter)
TAVY (St. Peter), a parish, in the union of Tavistock, partly in the hundred of Lifton, but chiefly in
that of Roborough, Tavistock and S. divisions of
Devon, 3½ miles (N. E.) from Tavistock; containing,
with the hamlet of Willsworthy, 587 inhabitants. The
living is a rectory, valued in the king's books at £17. 1. 8.,
and in the patronage of the Bishop of Exeter: the tithes
have been commuted for £235, and the glebe contains
64 acres. The church contains a monument to the Rev.
Mr. Pocock, a former rector; and, with the burialground, forms a strikingly picturesque feature in the
scenery. At Willsworthy was a chantry chapel, which
has been converted into a barn.
Tawney-Stapleford.—See Stapleford.
TAWNEY-STAPLEFORD.—See Stapleford.
Tawstock (St. Peter)
TAWSTOCK (St. Peter), a parish, in the union of
Barnstaple, hundred of Fremington, Braunton and
N. divisions of Devon, 2 miles (S.) from Barnstaple;
containing 1429 inhabitants. It comprises 5000 acres,
including 400 common or waste land. The manorhouse, which was garrisoned by Sir T. Fairfax in Feb.
1646, was almost consumed by fire in 1787, and was
rebuilt by the late Sir B. Wrey, Bart., except the ancient
gateway, which still remains, bearing date 1574. The living is a rectory, valued in the king's books at £69. 12. 1.,
and in the patronage of Sir B. Wrey: the tithes have
been commuted for £930, and there are 93 acres of
glebe. The Independents and Roman Catholics have
places of worship.
Tawstock, county Suffolk.—See Tostock.
TAWSTOCK, county Suffolk.—See Tostock.
Tawton, Bishop's (St. John the Baptist)
TAWTON, BISHOP'S (St. John the Baptist), a
parish, in the union of Barnstaple, hundred of South
Molton, Braunton and N. divisions of Devon, 2 miles
(S. by E.) from Barnstaple; containing 1827 inhabitants.
On the division of the West Saxon see of Sherborne,
this was made the seat of the Devonshire diocese by
Werstan, its first bishop, soon after his consecration in
905. He was succeeded by Putta, and then by Eadulphus, who was installed at Crediton, to which place he
removed the see, and who died in 931. Some remains
of the episcopal palace are still discernible, and in the
churchyard are the ruins of the deanery. The parish
comprises about 4000 acres, of which 400 are common
or waste. The living is a vicarage, valued in the king's
books at £21; net income, £440; patron, the Dean of
Exeter. The church is a neat ancient structure, with
a handsome stone spire, and contains some monuments
to the Chichester family.—See Newport.
Tawton, North (St. Peter)
TAWTON, NORTH (St. Peter), a parish, in the
union of Oakhampton, hundred of North Tawton,
South Molton and N. divisions of Devon, 12 miles (W.
by N.) from Crediton; containing 1728 inhabitants.
This place was anciently called Cheping-Tawton, "a
market-town on the river Taw." Its market-charter
was confirmed in the year 1270, and the market was
held until about 1720; at the former period Tawton
was a borough-town, and it is still governed by a portreeve, elected annually at the manorial court. The
parish contains 3551 acres of fertile land, and 1088 of
common or waste: the soil is a red gravelly earth; the
surface is undulated, and comprises several well-watered
meadows. Ashbridge, one of the most ancient demesnes
in the county, has nearly 100 acres of woodland, containing a vast quantity of fine oak-trees. A quarry of
good freestone is worked: here was formerly an extensive woollen manufacture, and a mill still employs 200
persons in spinning yarn. Cattle-fairs are held on the
third Tuesday in April, October 3rd, and December 18th.
The living is a rectory, valued in the king's books at
£32.4.7.; net income, £751; patron and incumbent,
the Rev. George Hole: there is a parsonage, with a
glebe of 98 acres of good land. The Independents have
a meeting-house. Chapels formerly existed at CrookBurnell, Nichols-Nymet, and Bath-Barton, in the parish;
the last hamlet is the birthplace of Henry de Bathe,
who was in 1238 made a justice of the common pleas,
and in 1240 one of the justices itinerant. Henry Tozer,
expelled from Exeter College for his loyalty, in 1648,
and who was author of Directions for a Devotional Life,
which passed through ten editions, was also a native of
the parish. In the neighbourhood, a small brook sometimes issues out of a large pit ten feet deep, called Bathe
Pool, and continues running for several days together.
Tawton, South (St. Andrew)
TAWTON, SOUTH (St. Andrew), a parish, in the
union of Oakhampton, hundred of Wonford, Crockernwell and S. divisions of Devon, 3¼ miles (E. by S.)
from Oakhampton; containing 1871 inhabitants. The
living is a vicarage, valued in the king's books at £10;
net income, £150; patrons and appropriators, the Dean
and Canons of Windsor.
Taxall (St. James)
TAXALL (St. James), a parish, in the union and
hundred of Macclesfield, N. division of the county of
Chester; containing, with the township of Yeardsley
with Whaley, 853 inhabitants, of whom 190 are in Taxall
township, 4 miles (W.) from Chapel-en-le-Frith. The
parish comprises 4933 acres, whereof 3667 are in Taxall
township: the soil is various, clay, stony land, and
common; and a large portion is plantation. There are
several stone-quarries and coal-mines; some of these
are not in operation, but the coal in Whaley is regularly worked, as well as the stone there: the quarries
produce slate and good building and flag stone. The
village occupies a pleasing situation on the bank of the
river Goyt, which separates it from Derbyshire, and
near which, in a parallel direction, runs the Buxton and
Manchester road; the Peak-Forest canal passes through
the parish to Manchester, and is met at Whaley by a
tramroad to Cromford, near Derby. A small bleaching-mill in Taxall, and a wire-mill in Whaley, each
employ about fifty persons. The living is a discharged
rectory, valued in the king's books at £9. 5. 6,; net
income, £250; patron, the Rev. J. Swain: there is a
parsonage-house, and the glebe contains about 20 acres,
Cheshire measure. The church, with the exception of
the tower, was taken down and rebuilt on a larger scale,
in 1825: against the north wall is a monument to
Michael Heathcote, Esq., gentleman of the pantry to
George II.; and in the chancel are several memorials
to the Shallcross family. This family were patrons of
the living in the early part of the last century, and
resided at Shallcross Hall, in Derbyshire, which is on
the east bank of the river, immediately opposite the
church. There is a place of worship for Wesleyans.
Taynton (St. Lawrence)
TAYNTON (St. Lawrence), a parish, in the union
of Newent, hundred of Botloe, W. division of the
county of Gloucester, 3½ miles (S. S. E.) from Newent;
containing 634 inhabitants. The living is a rectory,
valued in the king's books at £9. 6. 8.; net income,
£321; patrons, the Dean and Chapter of Gloucester.
The church was rebuilt in 1647.
Taynton (St. John)
TAYNTON (St. John), a parish, in the union of
Witney, hundred of Chadlington, county of Oxford,
if mile (N. W.) from Burford; containing 381 inhabitants. It comprises about 2150 acres, a small portion of which stands detached in the forest of Wychwood; the soil is partly light, and partly a strong clay,
and the river Windrush runs through the parish.
There are considerable quarries of excellent freestone.
The living is a discharged vicarage, valued in the king's
books at £7. 9. 4½.; net income, £56; patron and impropriator, Lord Dynevor: the tithes were commuted
for land and a money payment in 1821. The church is
an elegant edifice in the later English style, and contains
an ancient font highly enriched.