Tiverton
TIVERTON, a township, in the parish of Bunbury,
union of Nantwich, First division of the hundred of
Eddisbury, S. division of the county of Chester, 1¾
mile (S.) from Tarporley; containing 687 inhabitants.
It comprises 1488 acres, the soil of which is half clay,
half sand. At Four-lane Ends, in the township, an old
established corn-market is held every Monday. The
Chester canal passes in the vicinity. The impropriate
tithes have been commuted for £116, payable to the
Haberdashers' Company, London. There is a place
of worship for Wesleyans.
Tiverton (St. Peter)
TIVERTON (St. Peter),
a borough, market-town, and
parish, possessing exclusive
jurisdiction, and the head of a
union, locally in the hundred
of Tiverton, Collumpton
and N. divisions of Devon,
14 miles (N. by E.) from Exeter, and 175 (W. by S.) from
London; containing 10,040
inhabitants, of whom 7769
are in the town quarter. This
place, formerly Twy-ford,
Twy-ford-ton, or Two-ford-ton, derives its name from its
situation between two rivers anciently called Fords, the
Exe and the Lowman. It was known as the village of
Twyford so early as 872. A castle was erected here
in 1106 by Rivers, Earl of Devon, which continued for
many ages the head of a barony, and, with the lordship of the hundred and the manor, is now the property
of Sir W. P. Carew, Bart. In 1200, the town had a
market and three annual fairs; and in 1250, it was
first supplied with water by means of a stream called the
Leat, at the expense of Isabel, Countess of Westmorland.
In the year 1353 the wool-trade was introduced, and
about 1500 the inhabitants were extensively engaged in
the manufacture of baizes, plain cloths, and kerseys.
For this manufacture the town enjoyed considerable
repute in the time of Elizabeth; and although in 1591
the plague greatly checked its prosperity, destroying
nearly 600 of the inhabitants, and although a destructive fire occurred in 1598, Tiverton was regarded, in
1612, as the chief manufacturing place in the west of
England. About this time, however, a second fire consumed 600 houses, and occasioned very great distress.
During the contest between Charles and the parliament,
the townsmen were much divided; in 1643 they were
for a time subject to the king, but in 1645 the republican forces effected the entire subjugation of the town,
and the castle, church, and outworks were taken, together with the governor and 200 men. In 1731, a third
fire destroyed 300 houses; and ten years after, onetwelfth of the population was cut off by a severe epidemic fever. In 1745, the introduction of Norwich stuffs,
and the subsequent establishment of a manufactory at
Wellington, occasioned the decay of the woollen-trade,
which in 1815 was entirely superseded by the patent-net
manufacture, now the staple trade of the place.
Corporation Seal.
The town is pleasantly situated on elevated ground
between the rivers Exe and Lowman, which unite their
streams a little to the south. It consists of several
streets of respectable appearance, paved throughout
under an act obtained in 1794, and lighted with gas by
subscription; some of the houses are spacious, and the
inhabitants are well supplied with water. At its eastern
extremity is a wharf, whence a canal extends to Burlescombe, passing near the rocks of Canonsleigh, which
yield excellent limestone. In 1845 an act was passed for
a branch to Tiverton of the Bristol and Exeter railway,
4¾ miles in length. The lofty factories on the west side
of the Exe have an imposing effect, and the river is
crossed by a handsome stone bridge originally erected in
1590, by the munificence of Walter Tyrrel, a linendraper of the town, and lately rebuilt: from this bridge
is a fine view of the castle and church. A subscription
reading-room, a theatre, and assembly-room, are the
chief sources of amusement. About 1500 persons are
employed in the lace manufacture. The markets are on
Tuesday and Saturday, the former being the principal;
there are four great markets for cattle during the year,
and fairs are held on the second Tuesday after WhitSunday and on Michaelmas-day.
The first charter of incorporation was granted by
James I., in 1615; in 1723, the mayor absconding on the
day of election, it became forfeited, and a second was
bestowed by George I. in 1737. The corporation now
consists of a mayor, six aldermen, and eighteen councillors, under the act 5th and 6th of William IV., cap.
76; the borough is divided into three wards, and the municipal boundaries are co-extensive with those for parliamentary purposes. The mayor, late mayor, and recorder are justices of the peace, and the total number of
magistrates is nine. The town returns two representatives to parliament; the elective franchise was extended
in 1832 to the £10 householders of the parish: the
mayor is returning officer. The recorder holds a court
of session quarterly, and a court of record occasionally
for all pleas not exceeding £100; petty-sessions take
place every alternate week. The powers of the county
debt-court of Tiverton, established in 1847, extend over
the registration-district of Tiverton and Dulverton, and
the parish of Rackenford. The bridewell, a commodious edifice, was built about 50 years since: among
the other public buildings are the guildhall, and a
spacious market-place, erected in 1830. The parish
comprises about 18,000 acres, the greater part of which
is meadow and pasture, and the remainder arable, with
a small portion of woodland.
At the close of the thirteenth century, the living was
divided by Hugh Courtenay, Baron of Oakhampton and
Earl of Devon, into the portions of Clare, Pitt, Tidcombe, and Pryors. The last of these was given to the
monastery of St. James, Exeter, and having been subsequently assigned with the convent to King's College,
Cambridge, that society, as owners of the impropriate
rectory, appoint the curate. The Clare portion is valued
in the king's books at £27; the Pitt portion, with Cove
chapelry annexed, at £36; and the Tidcombe portion,
at £27. These three, which are rectorial, are in the
patronage of the Earl of Harrowby, Sir W. P. Carew,
Bart., Sir R. Vyvyan, Bart., and the Rev. John Spurway: net income of Clare, £452; of Pitt, £675; and
of Tidcombe, £735. The church has been rebuilt on an
enlarged plan: the altar-piece, the subject of which is
the Deliverance of St. Peter from Prison, was painted
and presented by Mr. Cosway, the eminent artist, a
native of the town. The churchyard occupies a commanding elevation, and forms an agreeable promenade.
A handsome edifice in the Grecian style was erected in
1730, as a chapel of ease; it is dedicated to St. George,
and each of the four portionists officiates in turn. St.
Thomas' chapel, Chevythorne, was consecrated in June
1843; it was built by subscription, aided by a grant
from the Diocesan Society. There are places of worship
for Baptists, Independents, and Wesleyans.
The free grammar school was founded in 1604, pursuant to the will of Peter Blundell, a clothier of Tiverton,
who gave £2400 for the purchase of ground and the
erection of a building, and for its maintenance devised
all his lands in Devon to 27 trustees, directing his executors to apply £2000 of the proceeds in the establishment and perpetual maintenance of six students at
either of the universities. Certain exhibitions were added
by John Ham, in 1678; by John Newte, in 1715; and
by R. Downe, in 1806: there are likewise two exhibitions of £30 per annum each, founded by Benjamin
Gilberd in 1783. The whole income is upwards of
£1100 per annum. The building is a venerable edifice,
having its north front cased with freestone; the facade
exhibits two porches, and is of considerable extent, with
a spacious quadrangular court opposite. The free English school, in Peter-street, was instituted in 1611, by
Robert Comyn alias Chilcot, who gave £400 for its
erection, and an annuity of £20 for the master's salary.
Almshouses for nine men, situated in Gold-street, were
established by John Greenway in 1529; a chapel is
attached, which contains some good carved work. The
Western almshouse, which has also a small chapel, was
founded in 1579, by John Waldron; and another, in
Peter-street, for six aged women, in 1613, by George
Slee. A charitable fund was established pursuant to
the will of Mary Rice in 1697, from which 67 persons
receive life annuities; and other charitable benefactions
are expended in various ways. The poor-law union
comprises 27 parishes or places, and contains a population of 32,499. A few remains of the boundary wall of
the old castle with its flanking and angular towers, are
still perceptible, particularly a portion of the grand east
entrance, and some fragments on the south-west; the
site occupies about an acre of ground, on a level with
the churchyard, and overhangs the river. Mrs. Cowley,
the dramatic writer, was a native of the town.
Tivetshall (St. Margaret)
TIVETSHALL (St. Margaret), a parish, in the
union of Depwade, hundred of Diss, E. division of
Norfolk, 6 miles (N. E. by E.) from Diss; containing
368 inhabitants. The road from London to Norwich,
by way of Bury, runs through the parish. The living is
a rectory, annexed to that of Tivetshall St. Mary: the
tithes have been commuted for £526. The church contains portions in the early and decorated English styles,
with a tower; the nave has a handsomely-carved oak
roof, and is separated from the chancel by an ancient
screen. The Society of Friends have a place of
worship.
Tivetshall (St. Mary)
TIVETSHALL (St. Mary), a parish, in the union
of Depwade, hundred of Diss, E. division of Norfolk,
5¼ miles (N. E. by N.) from Diss; containing 331 inhabitants. It is situated on the road from London to
Norwich, through Bury. The living is a rectory, with
that of Tivetshall St. Margaret annexed, valued in the
king's books at £20; patron, the Earl of Orford. The
tithes have been commuted for £475. 3. 4.; and there
is a glebe of about 28 acres, with a glebe-house much
improved by the Rev. J. N. White. The church is
partly in the early and partly in the decorated style, and
has a square tower at the west end.
Tixall (St. John the Baptist)
TIXALL (St. John the Baptist), a parish, in the
S. division of the hundred of Pirehill, union, and N.
division of the county, of Stafford, 5 miles (W. by N.)
from Rugeley; containing 209 inhabitants. It is situated between the once much frequented London and
Liverpool, and London and Chester mail-roads; parallel
to which, respectively, are the Trent-Valley railway and
the North Staffordshire railway. The Staffordshire and
Worcestershire canal passes through the parish for a
considerable distance, and forms a junction with the
Trent and Mersey canal within a mile of the village.
The parish comprises about 2300 acres, in nearly equal
portions of arable and pasture, with about 25 acres of
plantation; the surface is undulated, the scenery very
picturesque, and some of the prettiest in the vale of Trent.
The whole is the property of Earl Talbot, who purchased
it in 1844, together with 1700 acres in Colwich and
Stowe parishes adjoining, of Sir T. A. Clifford Constable,
Bart., for £240,000. Large quantities of freestone are
quarried in the neighbourhood of Tixall Hall, and much
of it has been used in the construction of the bridges
and locks of the two canals, the stone being peculiarly
adapted for resisting the action of water. The noble
gatehouse in the park was erected in 1580. The living
is a discharged rectory, valued in the king's books at
£8. 0. 8.; net income, £200; patron, Earl Talbot:
the tithes have been commuted for £190; and there
is a parsonage-house, with about 40 acres of glebeland.
Tixover (St. Mary Magdalene)
TIXOVER (St. Mary Magdalene), a parish, in the
union of Stamford, hundred of Wrandike, county of
Rutland, 6 miles (N. W. by W.) from Stamford; containing 102 inhabitants. The parish is situated near the
road from Wansford to Uppingham, and bounded on
the south and east by the river Welland. It comprises
about 900 acres of land, chiefly arable. The living is
annexed to the vicarage of Ketton: the church is in the
early Norman style.
Tockenham (St. John)
TOCKENHAM (St. John), a parish, in the union
of Cricklade and Wootton-Bassett, hundred of
Kingsbridge, Swindon and N. divisions of Wilts,
3 miles (S. W.) from Wootton-Bassett; containing 263
inhabitants. It comprises 761a. 2r. 26p., of which 154
acres are arable, 568 pasture, and 15 wood. The London
and Bath road, the Wilts and Berks canal, and the Great
Western railway, pass through. The living is a rectory,
valued in the king's books at £6. 13. 4., and in the
patronage of the Crown: the tithes have been commuted for £245; there is a parsonage-house, and the
glebe contains 36 acres. In the church are handsome
memorials to the Buxton family, proprietors of the
parish.
Tocketts
TOCKETTS, a township, in the parish and union of
Guisborough, E. division of the liberty of Langbaurgh, N. riding of York, 1¾ mile (N. by E.) from
Guisborough; containing 43 inhabitants. This place, at
the time of the Domesday survey, was called Toscutun,
and belonged to the Earl of Morton; it afterwards came
to the family of de Brus, and was more recently held by
the Thwengs, Tocketts, and others. Here was a chapel
dedicated to St. James, which was connected with the
priory of Guisborough. The township is in the district
called Cleveland, and comprises 584 acres, of which 384
are arable, 170 meadow and pasture, and 30 woodland
and plantation; the soil is a rich loam, the surface
undulated, and the high lands command a fine view of
the sea and the Cleveland hills. The manufacture of
tiles and bricks is carried on, for which there is abundance of excellent clay. The tithes have been commuted
for £130, payable to the Archbishop of York.
Tockholes
TOCKHOLES, a township and chapelry, in the
parish, union, and Lower division of the hundred, of
Blackburn, N. division of the county of Lancaster,
3¾ miles (S. S. W.) from Blackburn; the township containing 1023 inhabitants. In the 14th of Henry VII.
Sir Alexander Hoghton held lands here, and in the 17th
of Charles I. Nicholas Wittone died seised of lands and
messuages called " Green Tockholes in Livesey;" the
family of Holinshed more recently held the lordship, and
on the margin of a moor stands an old farmhouse called
Holinshed Hall. Tockholes is a scattered tract, watered
by the river Roddlesworth, or Moulder Water, and its
branches issuing from the adjacent hills. It comprises
1926a. 3r. 13p., of mountainous surface, chiefly meadow
and pasture: there are several coal-mines, which are
partially worked; and sandstone of good quality is
quarried for building purposes. Most of the inhabitants
are employed in the hand-loom weaving of cotton, and
in a cotton-factory. The chapelry hitherto consisted of
Tockholes and Livesey; but by a recent order of the
Ecclesiastical Commissioners, it now consists of the
township of Tockholes, and parts of the townships of
Livesey and Lower Darwen. The living is a perpetual
curacy, in the patronage of the Vicar of Blackburn;
net income, £150. The old chapel was dedicated to St.
Michael: the present edifice is dedicated to St. Stephen;
it was built in 1833, at an expense of £2567, and is in
the early English style. The Independents have a place
of worship. Cannon-balls have been found at various
times; a twelve-pounder was discovered in the garden
of the parsonage, and on clearing out an old pond in
1833, skeletons of 48 horses were found, from which it
would appear that an action took place here, most probably between the royalists and parliamentarians.
Tockington, Lower
TOCKINGTON, LOWER, a tything, in the parish
of Almondbury, union of Thornbury, Lower division
of the hundred of Langley and Swinehead, W. division of the county of Gloucester, 3¾ miles (S. by E.)
from Thornbury; containing 440 inhabitants.
Tockington, Upper
TOCKINGTON, UPPER, a tything, in the parish
of Olveston, union of Thornbury, Lower division of
the hundred of Langley and Swinehead, W. division
of the county of Gloucester, 3 miles (S. by W.) from
Thornbury; containing 769 inhabitants.
Tockwith
TOCKWITH, a township, in the parish of Bilton,
W. division of Ainsty wapentake, W. riding of York,
5¾ miles (N. E.) from Wetherby; containing 557 inhabitants. It comprises 1692a. 1p., the property of
various families, mostly resident: the village is situated
about a mile south of the river Nidd, which flows in a
very devious course. The tithes were commuted for
land and annual money payments in 1792. There is a
place of worship for Wesleyans.