Warmfield, or Kirkthorpe (St. Peter)
WARMFIELD, or Kirkthorpe (St. Peter), a parish, in the union of Wakefield, Lower division of the
wapentake of Agbrigg, W. riding, of York; containing,
with Sharleston township, 1050 inhabitants, of whom
829 are in the township of Warmfield with Heath, 3½
miles (E.) from Wakefield. The parish comprises 2592a.
3r. 17p., of which 1318 acres are arable, 967 pasture
and meadow, 33 woodland, and 203 common or waste.
Heath is remarkable for the salubrity of its air and the
beauty of its situation on an acclivity rising gently from
the borders of an extended and verdant plain; the
higher grounds command a fine view of the course of
the Calder river, flowing through a rich and well-cultivated district. In the parish are some mines belonging
to the Earl of Westmoreland, producing inferior coal;
at Heath is a valuable stone-quarry. The Leeds and
Manchester railway skirts the parish, and the Midland
railway runs through it: the village is situated a short
distance east of the Calder. The living is a vicarage,
endowed with a moiety of the rectorial tithes, and valued
in the king's books at £5. 4. 2.; net income, £148;
patrons, the Master and Fellows of Clare Hall, Cambridge who are impropriators of the other half of the
rectorial tithes. The impropriate tithes in Warmfield
with Heath have been commuted for £250, and the incumbent's for £125: the incumbent has a glebe of 15
acres. The church is a neat substantial fabric, with a
square tower, and contains handsome monuments to
the Smyth family, of Heath Hall. Lady Mary Bowles,
in 1660, conveyed to trustees a building to be used as
a school-house for 10 boys, and a rent-charge of £20;
and John Smyth, Esq., in 1729 left three houses and an
annuity of £3, for educating six children. Othoneus
Sagarin 1558 founded, and endowed with a rent-charge
of £12, an almshouse for four women, at Kirkthorpe;
and there is another house at the same place, containing
a common hall, with seven apartments, for aged unmarried men, and an adjoining cottage for a matron,
founded, and endowed with about £30 per annum, by
John Freeston in 1592.
Warmingham (St. Leonard)
WARMINGHAM (St. Leonard), a parish, partly
in the union of Nantwich, but chiefly in that of Congleton, hundred of Northwich, S. division of the
county of Chester; containing, with the townships of
Elton, Moston, and Tetton, 1396 inhabitants, of whom
420 are in Warmingham township, 3½ miles (W.) from
Sandbach. The parish comprises 4732a. 1r. 18p., of
which 1970 acres are in the township of Warmingham;
of the latter portion, the soil is partly clay and partly
moss. The Trent and Mersey canal, and the Liverpool
and Birmingham railway, pass through the parish. The
living is a rectory, valued in the king's books at £ 12. 4. 7.,
and in the gift of Lord Crewe: the tithes have been commuted for £556. 12.; there is a parsonage-house, and
the glebe contains 116 acres. A free school, founded by
Thomas Minshull, has endowments in land of the annual value of £23.
Warminghurst
WARMINGHURST, a parish, in the union of
Thakeham, hundred of East Easwrith, rape of Bramber, W. division of Sussex, 12 miles (N. W. by N.)
from Shoreham; containing 117 inhabitants. It comprises by computation 1120 acres, of which 700 are
arable, 300 pasture, and 120 woodland. The incumbent
receives a voluntary stipend from the Duke of Norfolk:
the church is in the later English style, and contains
neat monuments to the families of Shelley and Butler.
Penn, the founder of Pennsylvania, resided for several
years in the parish.
Warmington (St. Mary)
WARMINGTON (St. Mary), a parish, in the union
of Oundle, chiefly in the hundred of Polebrook, but
partly in that of Willybrook, N. division of the
county of Northampton, 3¼ miles (N. E.) from Oundle;
containing 640 inhabitants. The parish extends from
the right bank of the river Nene to the borders of
Huntingdonshire, and consists of 3732 acres; it is intersected by the road from Oundle to Stamford and
Peterborough. The living is a discharged vicarage,
valued in the king's books at £13. 6. 8.; net income,
£107; patron, the Earl of Westmoreland; impropriator,
T. Gardner, Esq. The church is a beautiful structure,
principally in the early English style, with an enriched
tower and spire. There is a place of worship for Wesleyans. The water of Chadwell Spring, in the neighbourhood, possesses some mineral properties.
Warmington (St. Michael)
WARMINGTON (St. Michael), a parish, in the
union of Banbury, Burton-Dassett division of the hundred of Kington, S. division of the county of Warwick, 6 miles (N. W. by N.) from Banbury; containing,
with the hamlet of Arlescote, 496 inhabitants. It is intersected by the road from Warwick to Banbury, and
comprises 1779 acres, chiefly pasture. Here is a fine
old manor-house of the 16th century, now occupied by
a farmer. The living is a rectory, valued in the king's
books at £16. 3. 11¾.; net income, £450; patrons, the
Trustees of Hulme's exhibitions to Brasenose College,
Oxford. The tithes were exchanged for land and a
money payment in 1776, except those of Arlescote,
which have been commuted for a rent-charge of £187.
The church, which is in the style of the 14th century,
is situated on the edge of a hill, and commands a rich
and extensive prospect. Captain Alexander Gordon,
who was killed in the battle of Edge-Hill, was buried
in Warmington churchyard. There is a place of worship for Wesleyans. A school, in connexion with the
Church, is supported by subscription. The Benedictine
priory here, subordinate to the abbey of St. Peter and
St. Paul de Pratellis, or Preaux, in Normandy, was
founded in the time of Henry I., and, after the suppression of alien houses, was granted by Henry VI. to the
Carthusian priory at Witham, in Somersetshire. Nadbury camp, in the vicinity, where some fix the ancient
Tripontium, is of a square form, rounded at the angles,
and comprises about twelve acres.
Warminster (St. Denis)
WARMINSTER (St. Denis), a market-town and
parish, and the head of a union, in the hundred of
Warminster, Warminster and S. divisions of Wilts,
21 miles (W. N. W.) from Salisbury, and 97 (W. S. W.)
from London; containing 6211 inhabitants. According
to Camden, this place was the Verlucio of the Romans,
and the first syllable of its name is considered by him
to be a corruption of that of its ancient appellation.
Others deduce the name from the little stream Were that
runs through the town, and from a minster, or monastery, stated to have been situated in its vicinity; a spot
is still called The Nunnery, and a walk upon the neighbouring hill, Nuns' Path. At the Conquest, the place
was denominated Guerminstre, and, having been held in
demesne by Edward the Confessor, paid neither danegeld nor hidage: at a later period it became celebrated
for its corn-market, which, in the time of Henry VIII.,
appears to have been of considerable note.
The town is situated on the river Willey, near the
south-western extremity of Salisbury Plain, and consists
principally of one street, nearly a mile long, well paved,
and of clean appearance. It is one of the most healthy
towns in England, and has been remarkable for the
longevity of its inhabitants. The malt-trade was formerly carried on to a greater extent here than at any
other town in the west of England, and it is still a
considerable branch of trade. The manufacture of broadcloths and kerseymeres was also extensive until of late
years, but these branches are at present entirely discontinued: the silk business has been introduced, and
affords employment to many females and children. An
act was passed in 1845 for making a railway from near
Chippenham, by Warminster, to Salisbury. The market
is on Saturday, and is very considerable for the sale of
corn, of which the whole is previously warehoused in
the town, and a sack from every load pitched in the
market-place. Fairs are held on April 22nd, August
10th, and October 26th, the last being pre-eminently
called "The Great Fair." A high constable, deputy
constables, and tythingmen, are chosen annually at the
manorial court of the Marquess of Bath. The countysessions of the peace for the summer quarter take place
here in July; petty-sessions occur monthly. The
powers of the county debt-court of Warminster, established in 1847, extend over the registration-district of
Warminster. The town-hall was pulled down a few
years since, and the Marquess of Bath erected, at his
own expense, an elegant building in the centre of the
market-place, comprising every accommodation for
holding the sessions, and a handsome suite of apartments for assemblies, public meetings, &c.
The living is a vicarage, valued in the king's books
at £18. 0. 2½.; net income, £324; patron, the Bishop
of Salisbury; appropriators, the Dean and Chapter.
The tithes were commuted in 1780, for land and annual
money payments. The parochial church, situated on
the Bath road, near the north-western extremity of the
town, is a spacious and handsome structure of various
styles, with a low tower rising from the centre; the
body and aisles were rebuilt on the old foundation, in
1724. A chapel, founded in the reign of Edward I.,
and dedicated to St. Lawrence, stands near the marketplace: it was endowed by two maiden sisters named
Hewett, and after the general surrender was granted by
Edward VI. to Richard Robertes in free socage; at
present it is vested in feoffees. The original tower remains, but the body of the chapel was rebuilt in 1725,
and has lately been repaired and beautified. Christ
Church, to which a district has been assigned, was built
in 1831, at an expense of £4708, defrayed by subscription, aided by a grant from the Parliamentary Commissioners; it occupies an elevated site, and forms an interesting object in the view of the town. The living is a
perpetual curacy; net income, £150; patron, the Vicar.
There are places of worship for Baptists, Independents,
Wesleyans, and Unitarians; also a free grammar school,
built and endowed by the first Viscount Weymouth, in
1707. The poor-law union of Warminster comprises 21
parishes or places, and contains a population of 17,109.
Dr. Samuel Squire, Bishop of St. David's, an able and
learned writer, was a native of the town.
In the vicinity are many British tumuli, and several
remains of Roman encampments, including Battlesbury,
a strong earthwork with double sides, where spearheads and other weapons have been ploughed up. Near
this intrenchment, on the edge of the river Willey, a
beautiful tessellated pavement, and the foundations of a
Roman villa, with its hypocaust, sudatory, &c, were
discovered in 1786; among other paintings was a figure
of Diana, with a hare, the former of which was too much
injured to be removed, but the latter is carefully preserved at Longleat House. On the west side of the
town is Clay or Cly Hill, a steep conical eminence
surmounted by a tumulus, 900 feet above low-water
mark at Bristol. The environs are rich in fossil remains,
many of which have been deposited in the British
Museum; in the year 1816, a toad and a newt, both
living, were found imbedded in a thick stratum of rock,
which had not the smallest crack or orifice.
Warmley
WARMLEY, a hamlet and district, in the parish of
Sutton-Coldfield, union of Aston, Birmingham division of the hundred of Hemlingford, N. division of
the county of Warwick, 2½ miles (S. S. E.) from the
town of Sutton-Coldfield; containing 600 inhabitants.
This hamlet, though only consisting of two farmhouses
and some cottages, gives name to a district which is
daily becoming more important and populous, from its
contiguity to Penns and the works in that vicinity. The
road from Birmingham to Tamworth, and the Birmingham and Fazeley canal, pass near the hamlet, on the
south. Nearer to Penns than to Warmley, but in what is
denominated the Warmley district, a church has been
erected on rising ground, forming a great ornament to
the neighbourhood, and, from its position, being visible
at a considerable distance. It is in the Norman style,
of which it presents a very chaste specimen; and is
built of blue brick, excepting the pillars, facings of the
buttresses and windows, and the base, which are of stone:
the flooring is of small square tiles, red and blue; the
seats are open, and will accommodate 300 persons. Adjoining is a neat parsonage-house, which, with the church,
was built at the expense of the neighbouring gentry, at
a cost of £2500. The living is a perpetual curacy, endowed by Miss Riland with £1000, and in the patronage of the Riland family.
Warmsworth (St. Peter)
WARMSWORTH (St. Peter), a parish, in the union
of Doncaster, S. division of the wapentake of Strafforth and Tickhill, W. riding of York, 2¾ miles
(S. W.) from Doncaster; containing 358 inhabitants.
It comprises 1032a. 3r. 33p., of which 652 acres are
arable, 325 in grass, and 55 woodland, &c.; the soil is
fertile, and there are extensive limestone-quarries on the
banks of the navigable river Don, which separates the
parish from that of Sprotbrough. The village is situated on the road from Sheffield to Doncaster, and in the
vicinity is a flint-mill. The living is a discharged rectory, valued in the king's books at £6. 10. 10., and in
the gift of W. B. Wrightson, Esq., who resides at
Warmsworth Hall: the tithes have been commuted for
£59. 17. to the Archbishop of York, £2. 5. to the vicar
of Conisbrough, and £49. 16. to an impropriator; the
glebe contains 44¾ acres. The present church, erected
at the expense of the late Mr. Wrightson, on the site of
the old edifice, which was pulled down in 1810, is a neat
structure about half a mile from the village, overlooking
the river. At an angle of the garden wall belonging to
the parsonage is a tower containing the church bell.
Here was formerly a place of worship for the Society
of Friends, founded in the time of George Fox, and one
of the first meeting-houses belonging to that sect.
Warmwell
WARMWELL, a parish, in the union of Dorchester, hundred of Winfrith, Dorchester division of
Dorset, 5½ miles (S. E.) from Dorchester; containing
94 inhabitants. It is situated half a mile north of the
road from Wareham to Dorchester and Weymouth, and
comprises 1200 acres, of which 800 are cultivated, 250
heath, and 150 rough land. The living is a rectory,
with that of Poxwell united in 1749, valued in the king's
books at £15, and in the gift of John T. Trenchard, Esq.:
the tithes of Warm well have been commuted for £120,
and the glebe comprises 34 acres.
Warnborough, North
WARNBOROUGH, NORTH, a tything, in the parish and hundred of Odiham, poor-law union of Hartley-Wintney, Odiham and N. divisions of the county of
Southampton, 1 mile (N. W.) from Odiham; containing 704 inhabitants.
Warnborough, South (St. Andrew)
WARNBOROUGH, SOUTH (St. Andrew), a parish, in the union of Hartley-Wintney, hundred of
Bermondspit, Odiham and N. divisions of the county of
Southampton, 2½ miles (S. W. by S.) from Odiham;
containing 371 inhabitants. It is on the road from
Odiham to Alton, and comprises 2569a. 2p., of which
100 acres are meadow, 200 woodland, and the remainder
arable. The living is a rectory, valued in the king's
books at £14. 12. 3½., and in the gift of St. John's College, Oxford: the tithes have been commuted for £720;
there is a parsonage-house, and the glebe contains 38½
acres. The church is very ancient, with a fine Norman
arch at the entrance; in the chancel is a curious monument to Sir Thomas White and his family. Tradition
says that Queen Elizabeth, when residing at Odiham,
rode over to the manor-house here, and after partaking
of breakfast with the above-mentioned Thomas White,
knighted him in his own saloon. There is a singular
mound in the churchyard, apparently covering the remains of combatants. The Rev. John Daman, D.D.,
rector, in 1785 gave £200 in the three per cents., the
interest to be applied in support of a school. Peter
Mews, afterwards Bishop of Winchester, and Peter
Heylin, the cosmographer, were rectors of the parish.
Warndon (St. Nicholas)
WARNDON (St. Nicholas), a parish, in the union
of Droitwich, Lower division of the hundred of Oswaldslow, Worcester and W. divisions of the county
of Worcester, 2½ miles (E. N. E.) from Worcester;
containing 187 inhabitants, and comprising 850a. 2r. 12p.
The living is a rectory, valued in the king's books at
£10. 0. 2½.; net income, £151; patron, R. Berkeley,
Esq. The Birmingham and Worcester canal passes
through the parish.
Warnford
WARNFORD, a parish, in the union of Droxford,
hundred of Meon-Stoke, Droxford and N. divisions of
the county of Southampton, 13 miles (S. W. by S.)
from Alton; containing, with the hamlet of Riversdown,
381 inhabitants. The manor, in the reign of William I.,
belonged to Hugh de Port, whose descendant, William,
assumed the name of his maternal grandmother, St.
John: the old manor-house, near the church, is now a
ruin called King John's, by corruption of the family
name. The parish comprises 3010 acres, of which 396
are common or waste land. Warnford Park is a spacious mansion. The living is a rectory, valued in the
king's books at £21. 9. 4½., and in the gift of the Rev.
J. Wynne; the tithes have been commuted for £615;
there is a parsonage-house, and the glebe contains 22
acres. The church, which is in the early English style,
with a Norman tower, was founded by Wilfrid, and rebuilt in the reign of the Conqueror; the font is large and
of Norman character, and among the numerous ancient
details are a confessional, and a recessed niche in which
the sacred vessels were deposited. The building also
contains a marble monument, in the Italian style, to the
family of Neale, with recumbent effigies of the parents,
and effigies of their children in kneeling attitude.
Warnham (St. Margaret)
WARNHAM (St. Margaret), a parish, in the union
of Horsham, hundred of Singlecross, rape of Bramber, W. division of Sussex, 2 miles (N. N. W.) from
Horsham; containing 1007 inhabitants. It is bounded
on the north by the county of Surrey, and comprises by
computation 4100a. 3r., of which 495 acres are coppice;
the surface is diversified with hill and dale, and enriched
with wood. Near Warnham Mill is a sheet of water
covering about 100 acres. Warnham Court is a spacious
mansion in the Elizabethan style, on an elevated site
commanding extensive views. On Oldhouse farm is a
large quarry of stone much used for paving. The living
is a vicarage, valued in the king's books at £10. 1. 0½.;
net income, £191; patrons and appropriators, the Dean
and Chapter of Canterbury. The church is an ancient
structure, containing in the north chancel the effigies of
Sir John Caryll and his lady, with their children. Percy
Bysshe Shelley, the poet, was born at Field Place here,
the residence of Sir Timothy Shelley, Bart.
Warningcamp
WARNINGCAMP, an ancient chapelry, annexed to
the parish of Leominster, in the hundred of Poling,
rape of Arundel, W. division of Sussex, 1¾ mile (E.)
from Arundel; containing 119 inhabitants. The tithes
belong to Eton College, and have been commuted for
£191. 10.: there is a glebe of 4 acres. The chapel has
long since disappeared.
Warpsgrove (St. James)
WARPSGROVE (St. James), a parish, in the union
of Thame, hundred of Ewelme, county of Oxford;
containing 23 inhabitants. The living is a rectory, valued in the king's books at £2. 11. 10½., and in the patronage of the Crown. There being no church here, the
parishioners attend that of Chalgrove.
Warrenton
WARRENTON, a township, in the parish, and N.
division of the ward, of Bambrough, union of Belford,
N. division of Northumberland, 2 miles (S.) from
Belford, on the road to Alnwick; containing 163 inhabitants. It comprises about 1380 acres, mostly arable;
the remainder is pasture, with 90 acres of plantation.
The surface is undulated, the soil light and gravelly, and
coal and freestone are wrought.
Warrington
WARRINGTON, a hamlet, in the parish of Olney,
union of Newport Pagnell, hundred of Newport,
county of Buckingham, 1¾ mile (N. by E.) from Olney;
containing 75 inhabitants.
Warrington (St. Helen)
WARRINGTON (St.
Helen), a borough, markettown, and parish, and the
head of a union, in the hundred of West Derby, S.
division of the county of
Lancaster; the parish containing, with the chapelry of
Burtonwood, and the townships of Poulton with Fearnhead, Rixton with Glazebrook, and Woolston with
Martinscroft, 21,901 inhabitants, of whom 18,981 are in the town, 18 miles (E.)
from Liverpool, 19½ (W. S. W.) from Manchester, 52
(S. by E.) from Lancaster, and 188 (N. W. by N.) from
London. Warrington is supposed by Mr. Whitaker, in
his History of Manchester, to have been originally a British
town, and on the invasion of the Romans under Agricola
in the year 79, to have been converted into a Roman
station. This opinion rests chiefly on the circumstance
of three Roman roads leading respectively from the
stations of Condate, Coccium, and Mancunium, to a ford
here over the Mersey: the vestiges of a castrum and
fosse are still discernible; and the discovery of some
coins on both sides of the river, near the ancient ford,
and other antiquities which have been subsequently dug
up, strengthen the result of Mr. Whitaker's investigations. On its occupation by the Saxons, the place
obtained the appellation of Weringtun, from the Saxon
Wæring, a fortification, and tun, a town, and became of
sufficient importance to give name to a wapentake, which
afterwards merged into the hundred of West Derby, and
formed part of the demesne of Edward the Confessor.
It was also made the head of a deanery, of which the
jurisdiction still remains. In Domesday book it is
noticed under the name of Wallintun; and in the reign
of Edward I. was in the possession of William le Boteler,
who obtained for it the grant of a market, and other
privileges. From the earliest period, the Mersey at this
place was passed only by the ancient ford, till the close
of the 15th century, when Thomas, first earl of Derby,
in compliment to Henry VII., on his visit to Lathom
and Knowsley, erected a bridge of stone, soon after
which the passage of the river by the ford ceased. In
the reign of Henry VIII., Leland, speaking of Warrington,
says, "it is a pavid towne of a prety bignes: the paroche
chirch is at the tayle of the towne; it is a better market
than Manchestre."
Corporation Seal.
Nothing of importance is recorded of it from this
period till the commencement of the civil war, when the
inhabitants openly declared in favour of the royal cause,
and the town was garrisoned for Charles. In 1643, a
detachment of the parliamentary forces, stationed at
Manchester, laid siege to it, on which occasion the
royalists under Colonel Norris, the governor, took refuge
in the church, and, fortifying that edifice against the
assailants, obstinately resisted their attack for five days;
but the enemy having erected a battery, which they
brought to bear upon it, the king's party was compelled
to surrender. Their number was 1600, of whom 300
were taken prisoners; and ten pieces of ordnance, with
a large quantity of arms and ammunition, fell into the
hands of the enemy. The royalists seem, however, to
have soon regained possession of the town, for in less
than three months it was again attacked by the parliamentarians, who carried it by storm, when the former
lost 600 men and eight pieces of cannon. In 1648, a
numerous body of Scottish troops, under the command
of the Duke of Hamilton, on their retreat from Ribbledale, rallied at Warrington; and after an obstinate but
unsuccessful encounter with the parliamentarian troops
under General Lambert, in which 1000 men were slain,
the remainder, in number about 2000, surrendered themselves prisoners of war. In 1651, Lambert encountered
and repulsed the Scottish army under the command of
the young king, near the town. Towards the close of
the interregnum, in 1658, Sir George Booth, who had
been a strenuous opponent of Charles, being dissatisfied
with the conduct of public affairs, and anxious for the
re-establishment of a free parliament under a legitimate
head, raised a considerable force; but after a severe
engagement with the troops under General Lambert, at
Winnington Bridge, near Delamere Forest, he was
defeated, and part of his army retreating to Warrington,
the men were arrested in their flight by the parliamentary
garrison stationed in the town.
From the erection of the bridge over the Mersey,
Warrington, as a military station, was regarded as commanding the entrance into Cheshire from the north;
and in 1745, on the approach of the army under Prince
Charles Edward, the Young Pretender, who was advancing from Wigan, the central arches of the bridge were
demolished by the Liverpool Blues, who, having thus
intercepted their progress, captured part of the rebel
army, whom they sent prisoners to Chester Castle.
The bridge was repaired in 1747, but afterwards becoming
much dilapidated, it was taken down, and a wooden one
on stone piers was constructed in 1912, at the joint expense of the counties of Chester and Lancaster. This in
1837 was replaced by the present stone structure.
The town, which is pleasantly situated on the river
Mersey, consists of four principal streets diverging from
the centre, and intersected by several smaller ones.
They are in general narrow, but have undergone considerable improvement, under the superintendence of
commissioners appointed by an act of parliament obtained in 1813; the shops are, for the greater part, of
handsome appearance, and the town is interspersed with
numerous respectable public edifices. Prior to the construction of the railroad from Liverpool to Manchester,
it was the great thoroughfare between these two places,
and seventy stage coaches passed through it daily. The
town is well paved, under the provisions of the act just
mentioned, and is lighted with gas by a company incorporated in 1822 and 1847, whose extensive works in
Mersey-street were originally erected at an expense of
£15,000, advanced on shares of £20 each. In 1846 an
act was obtained for its better supply with water. A
public subscription library was established in 1760, now
forming part of a public museum established by the corporation; there is a floral and horticultural society, and
a mechanics' institute has been formed several years.
A neat and well-arranged theatre is opened occasionally
for public lectures and other objects, and there is a spacious assembly-room or concert-hall.
Warrington has been long celebrated as a place of
trade. Until the early part of the 18th century, the
principal branches of manufacture were coarse linen and
checks, to which succeeded sailcloth, which was manufactured so extensively, that one-half of that used by the
British navy is computed to have been made here. On
the decline of this branch of business after the peace,
cotton-spinning was introduced, with the manufacture of
muslin, calico, velveteen, and other cotton goods, which,
with that of sailcloth on a less extensive scale, constitute a very great portion of the trade of the town, and
for which three cloth-halls have been erected. There
are several pin-factories, pins being a staple article of
trade here; and the making of files, for which the artificers have obtained a high degree of reputation, and
other articles of hardware, employs a great number of
men. The manufacture of glass and glass bottles is
also largely carried on, there being several establishments,
of which the Bank-Quay Glass Company's is the chief.
Considerable business is done in malt, and there are
several tanneries, soap-factories, and breweries: the ale
of the place is in high repute. The soil in the neighbourhood is extremely fertile, and productive of early
vegetables for the supply of the neighbouring markets.
The Mersey and Irwell navigation affords a direct
communication with Manchester, and the districts with
which that town is connected by various canals. The
Sankey canal, commencing at the river Mersey, about
one mile westward of Warrington, and approaching very
near its northern extremity, was the first canal formed
in the county, the act for its construction having been
obtained in 1755; it extends about twelve miles to the
collieries near St. Helen's. In 1830, a railway, with two
collateral branches, was constructed from Warrington to
join the line between Manchester and Liverpool, at
Newton-in-Mackerfield; subsequently this railway was
purchased by the Grand Junction Company, and converted into a part of their line from Birmingham to
Liverpool, which has a principal station here. In 1846
an act was passed for completing a railway communication between Birkenhead and Manchester, by way of
Warrington; and in the same year acts were obtained
for making railways from the town to Parkside, 4½ miles
in length, to Kenyon, 5 miles, and to Huyton, 12 miles.
On the Mersey was formerly a valuable fishery, which,
about 1763, was let for £400 per annum; it abounded
with salmon and smelts of a very superior kind, but has
now greatly declined, not only in the quantity, but also
in the size and flavour, of the fish. At spring tides, the
water in the river rises to a height varying from about
ten to twelve feet at Warrington bridge, at which time
vessels of 120 tons' burthen can sail up to the quay, at
the town, where convenient warehouses and other accommodations have been erected. The market-days are
Wednesday and Saturday, of which the former, being
the principal, is abundantly supplied with corn; there
is a large cattle-market every alternate Wednesday, and
fairs are held on July 18th and November 30th, each
continuing ten days, for the sale of woollen-cloth and
other goods, and for horses, cattle, sheep, and pigs. The
market-hall is a neat and convenient building, over which
is a good suite of rooms forming the concert-hall already
mentioned, where the winter assemblies were formerly
held. Adjoining it is the principal cloth-hall, occupying
three sides of a quadrangle; and there are others on a
smaller scale, in Buttermarket and Bank-street.
A charter of incorporation was granted to the town
in 1847, by Her Majesty in council. The new municipal borough comprises part of the township of Warrington, and part of the townships of Latchford and Thelwall
in Cheshire; it is divided into five wards, and has a
mayor, nine aldermen, and 27 councillors. The county
magistrates hold a petty-session for the division on
Monday in each week, and the first and third Wednesdays in every month; and constables and other officers
are appointed in October, at the court leet of the manor.
The powers of the county debt-court of Warrington,
established in 1847, extend over the registration-district
of Warrington, and part of the districts of Runcorn and
Altrincham. By the act 2nd of William IV., cap. 45,
Warrington was constituted a borough with the privilege of returning a member to parliament; the boundaries comprise by estimation 5657 acres, and include the
township of Latchford, and part of Thelwall.
The living is a rectory, valued in the king's books at
£40; patron, Lord Lilford. The tithes of Warrington
township have been commuted for £452. The ancient
church, dedicated to St. Elfin, was of Saxon origin, and
existed at the time of the Conquest: of this there are no
remains. The site is occupied by the present church,
dedicated to St. Helen, a spacious cruciform structure,
of various styles, with a central tower, which, with the
piers and arches supporting it, and the chancel, are the
oldest parts, and a fine specimen of the decorated English style. The windows of the chancel, particularly
the east one, are enriched with tracery of beautiful
design, and contain some handsome stained glass; the
north transept is later English, of an inferior character,
and the nave and south transept are modern additions.
Two ancient sepulchral chapels are remaining, in one of
which is the magnificent tomb of Sir Thomas Boteler
and his lady, with their effigies, the former in armour,
and both surrounded by various sculptured figures; in
the other chapel, that belonged to the family of Massey,
are several monuments to the Pattens, one of which, an
elegant specimen of Italian sculpture, is to the memory
of T. Wilson Patten, Esq., who died in 1819. The
church crypt was restored by Mr. Abraham Middleton,
architect, in 1838. Trinity chapel, in Sankey-street, is
a commodious edifice: the living is a perpetual curacy;
net income, £150; patrons, the Legh family. A district
church, dedicated to St. Paul, was erected in Bewseystreet in 1830, at an expense of £5347: the living
is a perpetual curacy; net income, £150; patron, the
Rector of Warrington. At Burtonwood, Hollinfare,
and Padgate are other incumbencies. There are places
of worship for Baptists, the Society of Friends, the
Countess of Huntingdon's Connexion, Independents,
Wesleyans, Independent Methodists, Unitarians, and
Roman Catholics.
The free grammar school was founded and amply endowed in 1526, by a member of the Boteler family; the
trustees pay the master a salary of £300, with the use
of the school-house, garden, and land adjoining, and
there are an usher and writing-master. The late Right
Hon. George Tierney was educated here. The Blue-coat
school, in Winwick-street, instituted in 1677, has an
income of £500 per annum; also the reversion of an
estate at Sankey, worth £6000, granted by John Watkins,
Esq., in 1797. A society for the relief of widows and
orphans of clergymen in the archdeaconry of Chester,
was established at Warrington in 1697, under the patronage of the bishop of the diocese, and is liberally supported. As a branch of this, is an institution founded
in August, 1843, in connexion with the Chester Diocesan Board of Education, for the instruction of daughters of clergymen in the archdeaconry, and for the training of young persons as school mistresses and teachers.
The establishment is under the presidency of the bishop,
and direction of boards of trustees and management, and
a sub-committee of ladies. The buildings occupy an
elevated and healthy site, and are so arranged as separately to accommodate the two classes of pupils, who
are lodged, boarded, and educated. A collegiate institution was formed here about the middle of the last
century, to afford the sons of Protestant dissenters the
advantages of an university education: it was dissolved,
however, in 1783. The celebrated Dr. Priestley was
for some time its head, and had for his coadjutors Dr.
Aikin, Dr. Enfield, Dr. Reinhold Forster, the naturalist,
and the Rev. Gilbert Wakefield. The press of Warrington, during the existence of this academy, and for
several years subsequently, stood in high repute. The
well-known work of Howard the philanthropist, On
Prisons, and other works of that honoured man, emanated from it; as did also Dr. Enfield's, Dr. Aikin's, Dr.
Percival's, and Mrs. Barbauld's works; and the highlygifted Roscoe made his literary debut from this press.
It is worthy of notice also, that the first public journal
of Lancashire, called Eyres' Weekly Journal, or the Warrington Advertiser, issued from the town. A dispensary
was formed in 1810, and an appropriate building erected
for its use in 1818, at an expense of £1030; and there
are various other institutions, and some provident
societies, for promoting the instruction and the comfort of
the poor. The union of Warrington comprises parts of
several parishes, containing a population of 31,732.
Orford Hall, about a mile from the town, was the residence of John Blackburne, Esq., a celebrated botanist,
who died in 1786; and Litherland, the inventor of the
patent-lever watch, was a native of the town. Warrington gives the title of Earl to the family of Grey, who are
earls of Stamford and Warrington.
Warsill
WARSILL, a township, in the parish and liberty of
Ripon, W. riding of York, 5 miles (E.) from PateleyBridge; containing 81 inhabitants. There is a place of
worship for Independents.
Warslow
WARSLOW, a chapelry, in the parish of Alstonfield, union of Leek, N. division of the hundred of
Totmonslow and of the county of Stafford, 10 miles
(E. N. E.) from Leek; containing 519 inhabitants. It
lies on the road from Cheadle to Buxton. The living is
a perpetual curacy; net income, £100; patron, the
Vicar of Alstonfield; impropriator, Sir John Harpur
Crewe, Bart. The chapel, dedicated to St. John the Baptist, is a neat structure with a tower. The glebe-house
was built by the present incumbent. A school, erected
in 1728, is endowed with about £17 per annum.
Warsop (St. Peter and St. Paul)
WARSOP (St. Peter and St. Paul), a parish, in
the union of Mansfield, Hatfield division of the wapentake of Bassetlaw, N. division of the county of
Nottingham, 5¼ miles (N. N. E.) from Mansfield; containing with the chapelry of Sokeholme, 1384 inhabitants, of whom 1318 are in Warsop township. The parish
comprises 6953a. 3r. 10p., of which about 200 acres are
in woods and plantations; the soil is of a sandy nature,
and incumbent on limestone, which is quarried for roads
and building, and for burning into lime. The forest
land was partly inclosed in 1775, and the remainder by
an act of 1818. The small river Meden, and the road
from Nottingham, through Mansfield, to Worksop and
Doncaster, intersect the parish. The village is considerable, and fairs for cattle and horses are held in it on the
Monday before Whitsuntide, on September 29th, and
November 17th. The living is a rectory, valued in the
king's books at £22. 15. 2½.; net income, £1020;
patrons, the Knight family. The tithes were commuted
for land in 1818; there is a parsonage-house, and the
glebe altogether contains 713¾ acres. The church is a
neat edifice, thoroughly repaired in 1831, at a cost of
£600. In Sokeholme is a chapel of ease. Thomas
Whiteman, in 1811, bequeathed £400 for instruction,
now producing £15. 15. per annum. Dr. Samuel Hallifax, Bishop of St. Asaph, a prelate of deep erudition,
died also rector of this parish, in 1790.