Westcote
WESTCOTE, a hamlet, in the parish of Tysoe, union
of Shipston-on-Stour, Kington division of the hundred of Kington, Southern division of the county of
Warwick, 5 miles (S. E. by E.) from Kington; containing 23 inhabitants.
Westcott
WESTCOTT, a hamlet, in the parish of Waddesdon,
poor-law union of Aylesbury, hundred of Ashendon,
county of Buckingham, 7 miles (W. N. W.) from Aylesbury; containing 303 inhabitants.
West Derby, Lancashire.—See Derby, West.
WEST DERBY, Lancashire.—See Derby, West.
Westend
WESTEND, a hamlet, in the parish of Northolt,
union of Uxbridge, hundred of Elthorne, county of
Middlesex; containing 214 inhabitants.
Westend
WESTEND, a tything, in the parish of Worplesdon, union of Guildford, First division of the hundred
of Woking, Western division of Surrey; containing
341 inhabitants.
Westenhanger, or Ostenhanger (St. Thomas à Becket)
WESTENHANGER, or Ostenhanger (St. Thomas
à Becket), anciently a parish, now a manor in the parish
of Standford, poor-law union of Elham, hundred of
Stouting, lathe of Shepway, E. division of Kent, 3
miles (N. W.) from Hythe; containing 50 inhabitants.
The living is a rectory, valued in the king's books at
£7. 12. 6., and in the patronage of the Crown. The
church has been long demolished.
Westerdale
WESTERDALE, a parish, in the union of Guisborough, E. division of the liberty of Langbaurgh,
N. riding of York, 7½ miles (S. S. E.) from Guisborough;
containing 265 inhabitants. The parish comprises 15,930
acres, of which 14,000 are common or waste; it is in
the district of Cleveland, in one of the wildest parts of
which is the vale, pleasingly sequestered, and watered
by the river Esk. The soil of the valley is in general
dry; the crops are tolerably good, and numerous sheep
are pastured upon the adjoining commons. The Yowards were anciently resident here, and possessed considerable property. The living is a perpetual curacy,
annexed to the rectory of Stokesley: the tithes have been
commuted for £250, and the glebe comprises 11 acres.
The church was rebuilt in 1839, by the inhabitants, at
a cost of £400, and contains 200 sittings. Some children
are gratuitously instructed in a parochial school, for £15
a year, arising from bequests.
Westerfield (St. Mary Magdalene)
WESTERFIELD (St. Mary Magdalene), a parish,
in the union of Ipswich, partly within that borough,
and partly in the hundred of Bosmere and Claydon,
E. division of Suffolk, 2½ miles (N. N. E.) from Ipswich; containing 324 inhabitants, and comprising 1070a.
3r. 32p. The living is a discharged rectory, valued in
the king's books at £11. 10. 7½., and in the gift of the
Bishop of Ely: the tithes have been commuted for
£350, and the glebe comprises 4 acres. Bridget Collett,
in 1662, bequeathed land now producing about £10 per
annum, in support of a school; and Frauds Brooke,
Esq., appropriated a moiety of the interest of £300 to
provide clothing and books for the scholars, and the
other half to purchase coal for the poor.
Westergate
WESTERGATE, a hamlet, in the parish of Aldingbourn, union of West Hampnett, hundred of Box
and Stockbridge, rape of Chichester, W. division of
the county of Sussex, 4¼ miles (E. by N.) from Chichester; containing 260 inhabitants.
Westerham (St. Mary)
WESTERHAM (St. Mary), a market-town and
parish, in the union of Seven-Oaks, hundred of Westerham, lathe of Sutton-at-Hone, W. division of Kent,
22 miles (W.) from Maidstone, and 21 (S. S. E.) from
London; containing 2162 inhabitants. The name of
this town implies its situation on the western border of
the county. Two remarkable phenomena, called landslips, occurred here on the southern escarpment of the
Sand hill in 1596 and 1756; in the former, nine acres
of ground continued in motion for eleven days, and in
the latter about two acres and a half, some parts sinking
into pits, and others rising into hills. The town stands
on the northern declivity of the same formation, and is
of neat and clean appearance; near the centre is the
market-house. The parish comprises 5676 acres, of
which 1364 are in wood: the river Darent rises here,
and, after watering the ancient park of Squerries, takes
a north-eastern direction. The market, which was
granted in the 25th of Edward III. to the abbot of
Westminster, who possessed the manor, is on Wednesday; and there is a cattle-fair on May 3rd. The living
is a vicarage, with that of Edenbridge annexed, valued
in the king's books at £19. 19. 4½.; net income, £608;
patron and incumbent, the Rev. Richard Board. The
church is a large and venerable structure. At Crockhamhill is a church dedicated to the Holy Trinity, in the
gift of C. Warde, Esq. There is a place of worship for
dissenters. Bishop Hoadly and the celebrated General
Wolfe were natives of the town; in the church is a
simple tablet, with the well-known elegant tribute to the
memory of the latter, and in the grounds of Squerries is
a pillar, erected for the like purpose.
Westerleigh (St. James)
WESTERLEIGH (St. James), a parish, in the union
of Chipping-Sodbury, hundred of Puckle-Church,
W. division of the county of Gloucester, 3 miles (S.
W. by W.) from Chipping-Sodbury; containing, with
the hamlets of Coal-Pit-Heath, Henfield, Kendalshire,
Mayshill, and Nibley, 1776 inhabitants. This place anciently formed part of the parish of Puckle-Church, and
was not invested with parochial rights, nor had a church,
till the fourteenth century. The parish comprises 4009
acres, of which 577 are common or waste land. Coal is
procured in considerable quantities, and conveyed to
Bristol by railway. The living is united, with that of
Abson, to the vicarage of Puckle-Church: the church
is a handsome structure in the later English style, with
a lofty tower, and a stone pulpit. There is a second
church at Coal-Pit-Heath. Sir John Smythe, Bart., in
1715 gave an annuity of £20 in support of schools.
Edward Fowler, Bishop of Gloucester, a theological
writer of the 17th century, was born here.
Westerton
WESTERTON, a township, in the new district of
Coundon, parish of St. Andrew Auckland, union of
Auckland, S. E. division of Darlington ward, S.
division of the county of Durham, 2½ miles (E. by N.)
from Bishop-Auckland; containing 89 inhabitants. It
comprises by computation 650 acres, and is situated on
a commanding eminence, on the road from St. Andrew
Auckland to Durham: the village lies a little eastward
of the road. There is a circular tower called Westerton
Folly. The tithes have been commuted for £84.
West-Fen, Lincoln.—See Frithville.
WEST-FEN, Lincoln.—See Frithville.
Westfield (St. Andrew)
WESTFIELD (St. Andrew), a parish, in the union
of Mitford and Launditch, hundred of Mitford, W.
division of Norfolk, 2½ miles (S.) from East Dereham;
containing 138 inhabitants. It comprises 569a. 13p., of
which 470 acres are arable, and 88 pasture and meadow.
The living is a discharged rectory, united to that of
Whinbergh, and valued in the king's books at £4. 4. 2.:
the tithes have been commuted for £145, and the glebe
comprises 20 acres. The church is chiefly in the early
English style, with a square tower. At the inclosure,
5½ acres were allotted to the poor for fuel.
Westfield (St. John the Baptist)
WESTFIELD (St. John the Baptist), a parish, in
the union of Battle, hundred of Baldslow, rape of
Hastings, E. division of Sussex, 6 miles (E. by S.)
from Battle; containing 866 inhabitants. This parish
is bounded on the north by the Brede channel, and intersected by the new road from Hastings into Kent;
the surface is beautifully diversified with hill and dale,
and embellished with wood. The substratum contains
ironstone and sandstone, and the former was anciently
smelted here. The living is a vicarage, valued in the
king's books at £11. 6. 8.; net income, £372; patron,
the Bishop of Chichester; appropriator, the Bishop of
Winchester. The church is in the early English style,
with some Norman details, and a low massive tower.
Westgate
WESTGATE, a township, in the parish of St. John,
Newcastle, union of Newcastle, W. division of
Castle ward, S. division of Northumberland; containing 10,489 inhabitants. It comprises about 112
acres, forming the north-western suburb of the town of
Newcastle; and several streets, containing many handsome residences, have lately been erected. Some of the
loftiest ground in the vicinity of Newcastle is here.
Westhall (St. Andrew)
WESTHALL (St. Andrew), a parish, in the union
and hundred of Blything, E. division of Suffolk, 3½
miles (N. E.) from Halesworth; containing 412 inhabitants. This place was anciently the property of the
Bohun family, of whose castellated mansion the south
front is still remaining. The parish comprises 2316
acres, of which 125 are common or waste land. The
living is a discharged vicarage, valued in the king's books
at £10. 2. 3½., and in the gift of the Dean and Chapter
of Norwich: the great tithes have been commuted for
£456, and the vicarial for £144; the glebe comprises 82
acres. The church is partly in the decorated and partly
in the later style, with a square embattled tower; the
entrance from the tower is through a highly-enriched
Norman arch, and there are various other interesting
details of that style.
Westham (St. Mary)
WESTHAM (St. Mary), a parish, in the union of
Eastbourne, lowey and rape of Pevensey, E. division
of Sussex, 6 miles (N. E.) from Eastbourne; containing 770 inhabitants. This parish is bounded on the
south by the English Channel, and comprises by measurement 4478 acres, of which 1376 are arable, 3050
meadow and pasture, and 52 woodland. On the shore
are several martello towers, and a coast-guard station;
the village is on the road to Battle and Hastings, and
here is a station of the Brighton and Hastings railway.
In the vicinity are the ruins of Pevensey Castle. The
living is a vicarage, valued in the king's books at £21.
10. 10., and in the gift of the Earl of Burlington: the
great tithes have been commuted for £302. 15., and the
vicarial for £570; the glebe comprises 1½ acre. The
church is partly in the later English style, and partly of
earlier date, with a square embattled tower. A national
school has been established; and an almshouse containing four tenements, called the hospital of St. John, is
endowed with 30 acres of land, given, it is supposed, by
one of the religious houses of Layney and Priest Hawes,
the remains of which have been converted into farmbuildings. A girls' school was erected in 1813, for the
support of which £20 per annum have been granted from
the revenue of the hospital.
West Hampnett.—See Hampnett, West.
WEST HAMPNETT.—See Hampnett, West.
Westhide
WESTHIDE, a parish, in the hundred of Radlow,
union and county of Hereford, 5½miles (N. E. by E.)
from Hereford; containing 159 inhabitants. The parish is situated on the road from Hereford to Bromyard,
and comprises by measurement 1100 acres, of which
365 are arable, 425 meadow and pasture, 60 in hop
plantations, and 250 woodland. The soil is generally
a reddish clay, producing good crops of wheat; the surface is undulated, and there are quarries of limestone,
used chiefly for rough building and for the roads. An
extension of the Gloucester and Ledbury canal to Hereford skirts the parish. The Court, formerly the seat of
the Monnington family, to whom the manor belonged,
was originally surrounded with a moat, which is now
partly filled up. The living is a rectory, united to that
of Stoke-Edith: the glebe comprises about 21 acres.
The church is in the early English style, and contains
some monuments to the Monningtons.
Westhorpe (St. Margaret)
WESTHORPE (St. Margaret), a parish, in the
union and hundred of Hartismere, W. division of
Suffolk, 7¾ miles (N.) from Stow-Market; containing
264 inhabitants, and comprising 1301a. 3r. 35p. The
living is a discharged rectory, valued in the king's books
at £4. 18. 1½., and in the gift of the Rev. R. Hewitt,
D.D.: the tithes have been commuted for £346, and
the glebe comprises 15 acres. The church is an ancient
structure in the decorated English style, with many
handsome monuments, and some remains of stained
glass. The Hall, a noble mansion, at one time the residence of Charles Brandon, Duke of Suffolk, was taken
down about the middle of the last century; his royal
consort, Mary, died here in 1533.
Westington, with Combe.—See Combe.
WESTINGTON, with Combe.—See Combe.
Westlecott
WESTLECOTT, a tything, in the parish of Wroughton, union of Highworth and Swindon, hundred of
Elstub and Everley, Swindon and N. divisions of
Wilts; containing 36 inhabitants.
Westleigh
WESTLEIGH, a township, in the parish and union
of Leigh, hundred of West Derby, S. division of Lancashire, 1½ mile (N. N. W.) from the town of Leigh, on
the road to Wigan; containing 3005 inhabitants. A
family of the local name is mentioned in the reign of
Richard I. The manor is found in the possession of the
Urmstons, of Urmston, in the reign of Henry III., and
appears to have continued in that family for several
centuries. Richard Urmston, the last male, left three
daughters, who intermarried with the Heatons, Shuttleworths, and Bradshavvs, by whom the estates were sold
in the course of the last century, when the manorial
rights passed to the Athertons, of Atherton, and the
Hiltons, of Pennington. In 1797, Thomas Powys, first
Lord Lilford, acquired one-fourth of the manor, and the
remaining three-fourths subsequently became vested in
the Hiltons, of Moston-House: the present Lord Lilford, and John Hall, Esq., are now joint lords. There
is abundance of coal in the township. Messrs. Isherwood and Hayes have a large cotton-mill, established in
1835, and employing 400 hands; and here is also a
flour-mill. Westleigh Hall is the property and residence
of Richard Marsh, Esq. A chapel of ease, St. Paul's, of
which the foundation stone was laid in June 1846, was
consecrated in October, 1847. It is a handsome edifice
in the decorated style, and stands on ground given by
Lord Lilford, who also gave the greater part of the
stone used in its erection; the cost was defrayed by
subscription and public grants, aided by £500 left in
November 1839 by a lady, who also bequeathed a sum
towards the endowment. The chapel will eventually
form a separate incumbency.
Westleton (St. Peter)
WESTLETON (St. Peter), a parish, in the union
and hundred of Blything, E. division of Suffolk, 2¾
miles (E.) from Yoxford; containing 897 inhabitants.
The parish comprises 6011 acres, of which 982 are
common or waste. It is bounded on the south by a
stream whose mouth, in ancient records, is called the
Port of Mismere, from a large sheet of water formerly
near it. The living is a discharged vicarage, annexed
to the rectory of Middleton, and valued in the king's
books at £8: the impropriate tithes have been commuted for £750, and the vicarial for £325. In the
chancel of the church are some elegant stone seats.
Westley
WESTLEY, a township, in the parish of Westbury, union of Atcham, hundred of Ford, S. division
of Salop, 10 miles (W. S. W.) from Shrewsbury; containing 88 inhabitants. The tithes have been commuted
for £186, equally divided between the rectors of the
first and second portions of Westbury.
Westley (St. Thomas à Becket)
WESTLEY (St. Thomas à Becket), a parish, in the
union and hundred of Thingoe, W. division of Suffolk, 2 miles (W.) from Bury St. Edmund's; containing 144 inhabitants. It comprises by measurement
1232 acres; the soil is chalk, alternated with gravel,
and the surface is undulated, in some parts rising into
hills of considerable elevation. The living is a rectory,
annexed to that of Fornham All Saints, and valued in
the king's books at £9. 15. 5.: the tithes have been
commuted for £302. 10., and the glebe comprises 31½
acres. The church, whose tower fell down in 1774,
having become completely dilapidated, a new and remarkably handsome edifice was erected in 1837, by the
liberal contributions of the Marquess of Bristol, Clare
Hall, Cambridge, and the parishioners.
Westley-Waterless (St. Mary)
WESTLEY-WATERLESS (St. Mary), a parish, in
the union of Newmarket, hundred of Radfikld, county
of Cambridge, 5 miles (S. S. W.) from Newmarket;
containing 194 inhabitants. It comprises about 2300
acres, of which by far the greater part is arable, about
60 acres woodland, and the remainder pasture. The
living is a rectory, valued in the king's books at £10. 5.,
and in the-gift of R. Chapman, Esq.: the tithes have
been commuted for £325, and the glebe comprises 19½
acres. The church is an ancient structure in the Norman style, with a circular tower.