Whitacre, Nether (St. Giles)
WHITACRE, NETHER (St. Giles), a parish, in
the union of Meriden, Coleshill division of the hundred of Hemlingford, N. division of the county of
Warwick, 3¼ miles (N. E.) from Coleshill; containing
498 inhabitants. It comprises by measurement 1926
acres. The surface is generally flat: the soil varies
from a stiff clay to a light sand and gravel; grain of
every kind is grown, and the meadows and pastures are
rich. The river Tame bounds the parish on the west
side; the road from Coventry to Tamworth passes
through, and the Birmingham and Hampton-in-Arden
branches of the Derby railway meet and have a station
here. The living is a perpetual curacy, endowed with
the rectorial tithes; patron, Earl Howe: the tithes
were commuted for land and corn-rents in 1825; the
glebe comprises about 80 acres. The church is ancient,
has a square tower, and contains a monument to Charles
Jennins, Esq., who in 1775 bequeathed one-third of the
interest of £1000 in support of a school. There is a
place of worship for Wesleyans.
Whitacre, Over (St. Leonard)
WHITACRE, OVER (St. Leonard), a parish, in the
union of Meriden, Coleshill division of the hundred of
Hemlingford, N. division of the county of Warwick,
4½ miles (E. N. E.) from Coleshill; containing 330 inhabitants. This parish comprises about 1375 acres;
the soil is rich, and the substratum contains buildingstone of excellent quality, which is extensively quarried.
The Atherstone and Coleshill, and the Coventry and
Tamworth, roads, intersect each other here. The living
is a donative; net income, £142; patron, Earl Digby.
The tithes have been commuted for £118. 7., and the
glebe comprises 30 acres, with a house. The church,
rebuilt about the year 1770, is a handsome structure in
the Grecian style, with a tower surmounted by a dome
and cupola. A school, for which a good stone building
was erected in 1836, receives one-half of £12 per annum
arising from land bequeathed for charitable uses; onefourth of the rent is distributed in Bibles and prayerbooks, and the remaining fourth among the poor, who
have also the interest of £150 regularly divided among
them at Christmas.
Whitbeck (St. Mary)
WHITBECK (St. Mary), a parish, in the union of
Bootle, Allerdale ward above Derwent, W. division
of Cumberland, 3 miles (S. S. E.) from Bootle; containing 208 inhabitants. The parish is situated between
the Black-Combe mountain and the sea, and comprises
2279 acres, whereof 1754 are arable, 205 meadow, 35
woodland and plantations, and 285 pasture and peatmoss; exclusively of about 3000 acres of common and
waste. The surface presents an uneven appearance,
falling from the base of Black-Combe to a level or flat
nearly as low as high-water mark, and again rising to
the margin of the sea. About 26 years ago, Dr. King,
now president of Queen's College, Cambridge, drove a
level about a hundred yards high in the mountain, and
obtained cobalt, but not in sufficient quantity to induce
him to persevere. The road from Dalton to Ravenglass,
and the Whitehaven and Furness railway, intersect the
parish. The living is a perpetual curacy; net income,
£76, with a glebe of four acres, and a house; patron,
the Earl of Lonsdale. The small part of the parish that
is titheable pays a rent-charge of about £60; the rest
has from time to time been made free by purchase. The
church is a plain oblong structure, of which the chancel
was rebuilt about 20 years since by the late Earl of
Lonsdale. An almshouse for six poor persons was
erected in 1632; the income, £24, is derived from an
estate left by Henry Parke, a native of the place: at
present but two old men are inmates.
At a short distance below the spot where Dr. King
commenced his mining operations, rises a spring of
water forming a considerable brook that passes by a
farm belonging to the Earl of Lonsdale. In this water
no ducks can thrive; they soon hang their wings, and
pine away: neither are fish found in it, although at the
distance of a few hundred yards it empties itself into a
pool in which are trout and eels. The water has no bad
effect upon geese; it is used for domestic purposes, and
is considered pure and good. A religious house, under
the abbey of Furness, is supposed to have existed here,
at a farm called Monkfoss: in digging on the site a few
years ago, some human bones were discovered. In the
peat-mosses are found trunks of oak and fir so large,
that they have been used for roofing barns and other
buildings.
Whitbourne (St. John this Baptist)
WHITBOURNE (St. John this Baptist), a parish,
in the union of Bromyard, hundred of Broxash, county
of Hereford, 6 miles (E. by N.) from Bromyard; containing 824 inhabitants. The parish is bounded on the
east by the river Teme, which separates it from the
county of Worcester; and comprises 3056a. 33p. The
Bishop of Hereford is lord of the manor, and courts leet
and baron are periodically held in an ancient episcopal
palace here, now occupied by a tenant. The river
abounds with fish, and the vicinity is much frequented
by anglers. The living is a rectory, valued in the king's
books at £14. 14. 9½., and in the gift of the Bishop: the
tithes have been commuted for £542; the glebe contains 35½ acres. The church is partly in the early and
partly in the later English style of architecture, with a
square embattled tower.
Whitburn
WHITBURN, a parish, in the union of South
Shields, E. division of Chester ward, N. division of
the county of Durham, 3½ miles (N.) from Sunderland;
containing, with the township of Cleadon, and part of
North Bidick, 1061 inhabitants, of whom 777 are in
Whitburn township. This parish, which is bounded on
the east by the sea, comprises 4184a. 1r. 13p., and is
about three miles square. Coal is found here, at a considerable depth; and in the north-eastern part are quarries of magnesian limestone, which is used both for
building and for agricultural purposes, considerable
quantities of it being exported from the Tyne. The village, which is equally noted as a fishing and a bathing
place, is pleasantly situated on the southern inclination
of a hill, near a fine sandy bay; it contains several respectable lodging-houses, and the view to the south is
cheerful. The Lizard, a high dry sheep-walk to the
north, commands a prospect of great variety and extent.
A curious brick building, in the Tudor style, was erected
here in 1841-2 by Mr. Barns, a principal resident, presenting a good specimen of the art of ornamental brickmaking; the plain walls are of red brick, and the mouldings, enrichments, and coats-of-arms, in all which it
abounds, of blue brick, made of a fine bed of clay leased
to Mr. Barns by the corporation of Newcastle. The
Brandling Junction, and the Pontop and South Shields,
railways, pass through several detached parts of the
parish; and the road from South Shields to Sunderland
intersects Cleadon.
The living is a rectory, valued in the king's books
at £39. 19. 4½., and in the patronage of the Bishop of
Durham: the incumbent's tithes have been commuted
for £862. 15., and a rent-charge of £6. 1. 8. is payable
to the master of Kepier grammar school; the glebe
comprises 210 acres, lying in three detached parts of the
parish. The church is a neat and ancient edifice, consisting of a nave, chancel, aisles, and a good tower; the
whole was thoroughly repaired some years since, and
portions modernised. The parsonage stands embosomed
amid lofty sycamores, and its sheltered garden contains
plants which do not usually flourish in a district so exposed and northerly as this county. There is a place
of worship for Wesleyans; also a national school, endowed with £10 per annum by Lord Crewe's trustees.
Dr. Triplett in 1664 bequeathed a rent-charge of £18,
since increased to £61, which is appropriated to apprenticing boys and girls of the parishes of Whitburn,
Washington, and Woodhorn. In the neighbourhood are
several springs, the water of which is slightly impregnated with alkaline salt, and was formerly in great request among the inhabitants. On the sea-shore, some
copper coins of Constantine, Licinius, Maxentius, and
Maximian, have been discovered. Flexible limestone is
found in the quarries; and on the beach, near the village, at a very low ebb-tide after a storm, some years
since, were observed the trunks of large trees, supposed
to be the remains of a forest, imbedded in what appeared
to have been a clayey soil: hazel-nuts were also found,
scattered among them.
Whitby
WHITBY, a township, partly in the parish of Eastham, and partly in that of Stoak, union, and Higher
division of the hundred, of Wirrall, S. division of the
county of Chester, 6¼ miles (N.) from Chester; containing, in 1841, 839 inhabitants, of whom 767 were in
Eastham. The area of the township is 1153 acres; the
soil is clay. Tithe rent-charges have been awarded, of
which £111. 10. are payable to the impropriators,
£35. 15. to the vicar of Eastham, and £21 to the perpetual curate of Stoak. The township lies east of the
Chester and Birkenhead road, and includes the village
of Ellesmere-Port, which see.
Whitby (St. Mary)
WHITBY (St. Mary), a
sea-port, borough, markettown, and parish, and the
head of a union, partly in
the E. division of the liberty
of Langbaurgh, but chiefly
in the liberty of WhitbyStrand, N. riding of York;
containing, with the chapelries of Aislaby, Eskdaleside,
and Ugglebarnby, and the
townships of Hawsker with
Stainsacre, Newholm with
Dunsley, and Ruswarp, 11,682 inhabitants, of whom
7383 are in the town, 48 miles (N. N. E.) from York,
and 241 (N. by W.) from London. This place was called
by the Saxons Streanes-heale, which Bede interprets
Sinus Phari, or "the bay of the lighthouse;" and in the
Domesday survey is styled Whitteby, or "the white
town." It owes its origin to the foundation of a monastery here by Oswy, King of Northumbria, in fulfilment of a vow made prior to the battle of Winwidfield,
in which he defeated and killed Penda, the pagan king
of Mercia, who had invaded his territories in 655. This
monastery, which was dedicated to St. Peter, and contained an establishment both for monks and nuns of the
Benedictine order, was placed under the superintendence
of Hilda, grand-niece of Edwin, a former king of Northumbria, who in 653 came from Hartlepool to assist in
its formation, and was made the first abbess. Subsequently Ælfleda, daughter of the founder, in fulfilment
of her father's vow, became a nun in the establishment.
Under Hilda, it acquired a high degree of celebrity; and
in 664, a national synod, at which Oswy presided, was
held here for the regulation of some ecclesiastical affairs
about which considerable differences prevailed. Several
bishops, and many men eminent for learning and sanctity, were educated here; and several cells were founded
as appendages to the abbey, during the administration of Hilda, who died in 680, and was succeeded by
Ælfleda.
Arms.
In 867, the monastery was destroyed by the Danes,
who laid waste the town, and massacred the inhabitants;
the abbot is said to have effected his escape, and to have
carried with him the relics of St. Hilda to Glastonbury,
but so complete was the devastation of the invaders that
the monastery remained a heap of ruins till after the
Conquest. The site of the town was then granted to
Hugh, Earl of Chester, and by him assigned to William
de Percy, who in 1074 rebuilt the monastery, which he
dedicated to St. Peter and St. Hilda, and endowed with
240 acres of land, for Benedictine monks. Its revenues
were subsequently augmented by the Earl of Chester,
who conferred on it numerous privileges; and notwithstanding the attacks of pirates to which it was continually exposed, the monastery continued to flourish
till the Dissolution, when its revenues were estimated
at £437. 2. 9. The site and ruins were granted in the
4th of Edward VI. to John, Earl of Warwick, and in
1555 were purchased by Sir Richard Cholmeley, by
whose descendants they are still held. According to
tradition, Robin Hood and Little John paid a visit to
Richard de Waterville, who was then abbot, and as a
proof of their dexterity in archery, shot an arrow each
from the summit of the tower to the distance of more
than a mile; to commemorate which event, pillars were
raised on the spots where the arrows fell, and the inclosures are still called Robin Hood's and Little John's
fields. About six miles from the town is Robin Hood's
bay, where that celebrated outlaw is said to have kept a
small fleet to assist his escape in times of emergency.
The town is situated on the shore of the North Sea,
at the mouth of the river Esk, which divides it into
two nearly equal parts, connected with each other by a
handsome bridge, erected on the site of the old drawbridge, in 1835, at an expense of £10,000, and consisting of four arches, one of which is of cast iron, opening
by swivels for the admission of vessels. The houses,
partly built of brick and partly of stone, are ranged on
bold acclivities on the opposite sides of the river. The
greater number of the streets are narrow, and some
inconveniently steep; the approaches, however, have
been much improved, and many of the modern buildings are spacious and elegant. The streets are paved
under an act of parliament obtained in 1837, repealing
an act granted in 1789, and are lighted with gas from
works established in 1825 by a company of shareholders,
who have since sold them to Mr. James Malam. A
newsroom, a neat and well-arranged building, was erected
in 1814. The assembly-rooms are chiefly appropriated
for public meetings, and the occasional delivery of lectures; and the theatre, erected in 1784, and destroyed
by fire in 1823, has not been rebuilt. The public baths,
on the north pier, a handsome range three stories high,
were erected in 1826, by a body of shareholders. The
lowest story is fitted up with every accommodation for
bathing: the second comprises a subscription library,
established about the year 1760, and containing more
than 7000 volumes, with reading-rooms; and the third
story is appropriated as the museum of the Whitby
Literary and Philosophical Society, founded in 1823.
About half a mile from the pier is Whitby Spa, a
chalybeate spring, of which the water has been analysed
by John Murray, Esq., F.A.S., F.L.S., and found to
contain muriate of soda, muriate of magnesia, sulphate
of lime, and carbonate of iron held in solution by carbonic acid gas. The proportions of the ingredients have
not yet been precisely determined, but the water is in
high repute for its medicinal and tonic qualities. Mr.
Murray has also analysed the water of a spring on the
property of Miss Clark, of Bagdale, and with the exception only of the iron, which he found to be a subcarbonate, it comprises similar ingredients, producing
effects scarcely to be distinguished from the former.
These waters, for some time neglected, are now successfully administered in all cases in which saline tonics are
recommended. Many handsome lodging-houses have
been built for the reception of families, and there are
several taverns and hotels for the accommodation of the
numerous visiters whom the facilities of sea-bathing, the
benefit of the waters, and the beauty of the scenery,
attract during the season to this part of the coast.
The environs, in which are some good mansions, picturesque villas, and gentlemen's seats, abound with interest. In the rocks in the vicinity are found fossils and
organic remains of almost every species, and in the aluminous strata, especially, petrifactions in numerous varieties, some of which cannot easily be assigned to any
specific class. Among the most remarkable remains
that have been discovered, are the petrified bones of a
crocodile nearly entire, deposited in the museum of
the Whitby Philosophical Society. One of the most
perfect specimens of the plesiosaurus ever found was
discovered in the lias strata, in 1841, and is deposited
in the Woodwardian Museum, Cambridge. This fossil
measures 15 feet 6 inches in length, and 8 feet 5 inches
in breadth across the fore paddles; the head and neck
together are 7 feet in length, and the whole in a most
entire state of preservation. Ammonites, or snake stones,
are obtained in great abundance in every part of the
alum-rocks, but more particularly at Whitby Scarr; of
these there are many different kinds, coiled in spiral
folds, and imbedded in stones of elliptical or lenticular
form, of much harder texture than the shells they inclose. The nautilites are also numerous, and many of
them curious and beautiful; they are found generally in
the lower beds of the lias strata, each of which has its
peculiar fossil remains. There are not less than a hundred varieties of multilocular shells. The natural curiosities of this part of the county are fully described in
Young's Geological Survey of the Yorkshire Coast, and his
History of Whitby.
At the commencement, and during the greater part,
of the reign of Elizabeth, the town was small, and inhabited chiefly by fishermen. Its subsequent increase,
and ultimate commercial prosperity, may be attributed
to the discovery of the alum-mines in this part of the
coast, towards the end of that reign. The establishment of some alum-works by Mr. Chaloner, at Guisborough, about that time, was attended with so much
success that works of a similar kind were erected at this
place in 1615; and the large quantity of coal necessary
for the supply of these works, and the facilities required
for conveying their produce to distant parts of the kingdom, appear to have laid the foundation of its maritime
importance. The great increase in the number of vessels
connected with the works, and the abundance of oaktimber in the immediate vicinity, soon afterwards led to
the introduction of ship-building, for which the port has
ever since maintained a high degree of celebrity; many
large and handsome ships have been launched from the
docks, and all the vessels that accompanied Captain
Cookin his voyage round the world were built here.
After the peace in 1815, this trade greatly declined; a
few years ago, however, it revived, and in 1838, twentyfive vessels, of which nineteen were of more than 100
tons' burthen, were launched from the several buildingyards. The ships of Whitby are remarkable for symmetry, strength, and durability, and a very considerable
number are employed in the principal trading ports of
the kingdom. The alum manufacture, which formerly
constituted the main trade of the port, great quantities
of alum being exported to France, Holland, and other
parts of the continent, has very much diminished, and
the chief part now manufactured is sent coastwise to
London, Hull, and other towns, for the supply of the
home market: the extensive works at Kettleness were
totally destroyed in 1829, by the falling of the rock beneath which they were situated; but they have been
recently rebuilt. The Greenland and Davis' Straits
whale-fishery was first established here in 1753, and was
for many years an important branch of trade: upon an
average, about eight ships were sent out annually, with
lucrative success; but about the year 1823, from the
insufficiency of the returns, and the frequent loss of
vessels employed in the trade, it began to decline, and
in 1837 it was totally discontinued. The foreign business of the port at present consists chiefly in the importation of timber from British America, and timber,
wooden wares, hemp, and flax, from the Baltic; the
foreign export trade is inconsiderable. The coastingtrade is very extensive. The principal articles sent
coastwise are, the produce of the alum-mines still in
operation, and large quantities of freestone, grindstones,
whinstone, and ironstone, from the quarries at Aislaby,
Grosmont, and other places, forwarded by the Whitby
Stone Company to London, Hull, Newcastle, Liverpool,
and other towns: the chief articles imported are groceries, salt, bones, and coal. The number of vessels registered as belonging to the port is 327, of which 200
are of more than 100 tons; the aggregate burthen is
51,208 tons. The number of vessels that entered inwards during a recent year was 668, and their burthen
33,634 tons; of this number, 43 were from foreign
ports, and 625 in the coasting-trade. The number that
cleared outwards was 248, of the aggregate burthen of
13,537 tons, of which 7 vessels were in the foreign, and
241 in the coasting, trade; and the amount of duties
paid at the custom-house, during the same year, was
£6968. In 1839, the port obtained the privilege of
bonding goods, for which spacious warehouses have been
appropriated. Its jurisdiction extends from Peasholm
Beck to Huntcliff Foot, a distance of forty miles. The
custom-house is a neat and commodious building, situated in Sandgate; in one of the windows is a portrait of
Charles II., in stained glass.
The harbour has been greatly improved at different times. Previously to 1632, the piers were constructed of wood, with a few loose stones; but in the
course of that year, the west pier of stone was built
under the auspices of Sir Hugh Cholmeley, who raised a
subscription of £500 for the purpose. An act of parliament was obtained in 1702, for the improvement of
the harbour; and the west pier has been rebuilt on a
larger scale, and extended to Haggersgate by a spacious
quay, which has been recently extended to the bridge,
and forms a noble promenade, nearly half a mile in
length to the pier-head. The east pier has also been
enlarged, and both are faced, towards the sea, with
dressed stones of immense size, weighing nearly six tons
each. Two inner piers, called respectively the Burges
Pier and the Fish Pier, have been formed within the
harbour, to break the force of the waves, and give
greater security to the shipping; and several rocks
which obstructed the entrance have been removed. At
the northern extremity of the west pier is a lighthouse,
erected in 1831, after a design by Mr. Francis Pickernell,
the present engineer; it is a handsome fluted column
of the Doric order, seventy-five feet in height, with an
octagonal lantern surmounted by a dome, and displaying at night a brilliant light for two hours before, and
two hours after, high water. During the day, a flag is
displayed on the west cliff, denoting that vessels may
enter with safety; and an apparatus near the lighthouse
shows, by a revolving index, the depth of water on the
bar. At the head of the west pier is a circular battery,
formerly mounted with six pieces of cannon; and since
the erection of the quay, a battery, in the form of a crescent, with a tower at each end, has been built on the
west side of the pier, nearly opposite to the extremity of
the quay, called the Scotch Head, behind which are a
bomb-proof magazine, and offices for the station of the
preventive service. The entrance of the harbour is 276
feet in width between the two outer piers, and 216 between the inner piers; there is also a third entrance,
204 feet wide. The depth of water at spring tides is
from 15 to 18 feet, and at neap tides from 10 to 12 feet;
and within the inner harbour is sufficient accommodation for a large fleet to ride in safety.
There are several wet and dry docks, with slips for
ship-building, and numerous yards for boat-building,
which is carried on to a great extent. The manufacture
of sailcloth, for which the place is celebrated, affords
employment to a considerable number of persons: there
are likewise extensive rope-walks; a large flax-mill
erected in 1807, for dressing, spinning, and weaving,
but now unoccupied; and the saw and bone mills of
Messrs. Chapman and Co., erected in 1836. Sail-making
is also carried on very largely. The Whitby and Pickering railway, which was originally opened in 1838, and
re-opened in 1847, contributes greatly to the prosperity
of the town, affording facility of conveyance for the valuable produce of the quarries in the adjacent districts.
To this important work may be attributed the establishment of the Whitby Stone Company, and of the Brick
and Tile Company. The line passes through the beautiful vale of Esk, and a succession of other valleys
abounding in richly-diversified and highly-romantic
scenery: it communicates with the York and Scarborough line near Malton. The market, granted by
charter of Henry VI., is on Saturday, and is plentifully
supplied with provisions of every kind. A fair in honour
of St. Hilda, originally granted to the abbot of Whitby
by Henry II., is held on the 25th of August and two
following days, and there is a fair on Martinmas-day.
Two fairs, also, have been established by the Whitby
Agricultural Society, one for cattle in August, and the
other in October for cheese: premiums are given on
these occasions by the society.
The fishery on the coast, which has been conducted
for many years with the most profitable success, is still
pursued with advantage, and from the facility of conveyance into the interior by railway, is rapidly increasing. The principal fish taken are cod, ling, halibut,
soles, and haddocks. Salmon and salmon-trout were
formerly abundant in the river Esk, and constituted a
main part of the trade; they are now very scarce, and
are taken only on the coast by a peculiar mode of fishing,
the latter occasionally in considerable quantities. A
herring-fishery has been carried on since 1833, chiefly
through the exertions of the Whitby Herring Company,
established at that time: about 800 lasts are taken annually, of which about one-half are sold to the owners
of vessels from the French coast; of the remainder
about 120 lasts are cured for home consumption.
The affairs of the town are under the superintendence of commissioners appointed by act of parliament
for its improvement, in 1837. The magistrates of the
North riding hold petty-sessions here every Tuesday and
Saturday; a court of pleas for the recovery of debts to
any amount takes place every third Monday, and a
court leet at Michaelmas. The powers of the county
debt-court of Whitby, established in 1847, extend over
the registration-district of Whitby. The town-hall, rebuilt by Nathaniel Cholmeley, Esq., lord of the manor,
in 1788, is a handsome structure of stone, with a cupola
surmounted by a dome. There is a small prison for the
town and liberty, near the battery on the quay. By the
act of William IV., the town was constituted an electoral borough with the privilege of returning one member;
the right of election is vested in the £10 householders
of Whitby, Ruswarp, and Hawsker cum Stainsacre,
comprising 5132 acres, and a population of 9975.
The living is a perpetual curacy; net income, £206;
patron, the Archbishop of York. The church, situated
near the verge of a lofty cliff, and to which is an ascent
of 194 steps, is a cruciform structure of very ancient
foundation; some parts of it are apparently of older date
than the ruins of the abbey, but it has undergone so
many alterations and repairs, that very little of its
original character remains. It was thoroughly repaired,
and the north transept enlarged, in 1823, and is now
adapted for a congregation of 2000 persons. At Baxtergate is a chapel of ease, erected by subscription in 1778,
and containing 800 sittings. At Aislaby, Eskdaleside,
and Ugglebarnby are other chapels. There are places of
worship for the Society of Friends, Independents, Primitive Methodists, Seceders from the Scottish Church,
Unitarians, and Wesleyans; and a Roman Catholic
chapel. The Seamen's Hospital, originally established
by voluntary contribution, in 1676, affords a comfortable
asylum to forty-two, disabled seamen, or seamen's
widows. In 1760 it was placed, by act of parliament,
under the management of fifteen trustees, annually
chosen from the masters and owners of ships, and who
are empowered to levy a monthly contribution of two
shillings for its support from every master, and of one
shilling from every seaman belonging to the port, producing together an income of £800 per annum, from
which a monthly allowance is paid to each of the inmates, and to various out-pensioners. There are likewise numerous provident societies, and a savings' bank,
in which the amount of deposits exceeds £40,000; and
various benefactions have been made for the relief of the
poor. The union of Whitby comprises twenty-two parishes or places, containing a population of 20,100.
The remains of the ancient abbey are situated near
the parochial church, and, from their exposed situation,
have at various times sustained severe injury from
storms. The south wall of the nave was blown down
in 1763, to the very foundations: in 1830, the remains
of the central tower with its massive columns fell; and
in 1839, part of the south wall of the choir was levelled
with the ground, so that this once majestic structure is
now greatly mutilated. The style is chiefly the early
and decorated English, of which many elegant details
are discernible; and such of the windows of the later
English style as are still entire, are enriched with elaborate tracery.
Whitchbury, Wilts.—See Whitsbury.
WHITCHBURY, Wilts.—See Whitsbury.
Whitchester
WHITCHESTER, a township, in the parish of
Heddon-on-the-Wall, union of Castle ward, E. division of Tindale ward, S. division of Northumberland,
9½ miles (W. N. W.) from Newcastle; containing 66
inhabitants. This place was for ages the possession of
the Turpin family, from whom it passed to the Widdringtons, whose sole heiress conveyed it by marriage
to Lord Windsor. It is at present the property of
Spearman Johnstone, Esq., of York, and John Dobson,
Esq., the latter of whom resides at High Seat, a handsome mansion erected in 1808, on a site commanding
an extensive view. The township is situated on both
sides of the great Roman wall, on the line of the military
road from Newcastle to Carlisle; and comprises about
786 acres, of which two-thirds are arable, and the remainder meadow and pasture: the surface is elevated,
and the soil generally a clayey loam. The vicarial tithes
have been commuted for £19. In the township is the
site of a Roman station, defended on every side by deep
ravines; and in a large cairn on Turpin's Hill, two stone
coffins were found in 1771 and 1795, in one of which
were two urns, with copper coins of Domitian, Antoninus
Pius, and Faustina.
Whitchurch (St. John the Evangelist)
WHITCHURCH (St. John the Evangelist), a
parish, in the union of Aylesbury, hundred of Cottesloe, county of Buckingham, 4¾ miles (N. by W.) from
Aylesbury; containing 930 inhabitants. A market on
Monday, and a fair on the festival of St. John the Evangelist, were formerly held, under a grant made in 1245.
The living is a discharged vicarage, valued in the king's
books at £8. 17.. and in the patronage of the Crown;
net income, £61. There is a place of worship for Wesleyans. John Westcar, in 1833, bequeathed £500, the
interest to be appropriated in supplying the poor with
clothing.
Whitchurch (St. Andrew)
WHITCHURCH (St. Andrew), a parish, in the
union of Tavistock, hundred of Roborough, Tavistock
and S. divisions of Devon, 1¼ mile (S. E.) from Tavistock; containing 918 inhabitants. Walreddon House,
here, the property of William Courtenay, Esq., a descendant of the Courtenays, earls of Devon, is an ancient
mansion of the time of Edward VI., whose arms in the
hall are still in good preservation. Holwell House, also
in the parish, was, until within a recent period, the
property and residence of the Glanville family, and is
now the property of John Scobell, Esq. The Tavistock
races are held on Whitchurch Down. The living is a
vicarage, valued in the king's books at £16. 5. 5; net
income, £195; patron, incumbent, and impropriator,
the Rev. Peter Sleeman. A chantry chapel was founded
in 1300, by the abbot of Tavistock.
Whitchurch (St. Dubritius)
WHITCHURCH (St. Dubritius), a parish, in the
union of Monmouth, Lower division of the hundred of
Wormelow, county of Hereford, 6½ miles (S. W. by
S.) from Ross; containing 897 inhabitants. This parish
is situated on the bank of the river Wye, and on the
road from Ross to Monmouth; and comprises about
2000 acres, including an extra-parochial district of the
same name, which consists of 130 acres. The surface is
finely diversified, and the soil fertile. In the Great
Doward Hill are large deposits of rich iron-ore of a
peculiar quality, belonging to R. Blakemore, Esq., who
attempted to work it, but relinquished the operations in
consequence of the vast expense. Limestone is quarried
for the supply of the adjacent district. The living is a
rectory, with that of Ganerew annexed, valued in the
king's books at £6. 0. 2½., and in the patronage of
Joseph Pyrke, Esq., with a net income of £300, and a
good parsonage-house, lately erected by the Rev. G.
Pyrke; the glebe comprises 6 acres. The church is
chiefly in the decorated style, and is skirted by the Wye.
There are places of worship for Independents, Primitive
Methodists, and Wesleyans. A tessellated pavement has
been discovered, which is supposed to have been part of
a Roman bath; and several Roman coins have been
found in the neighbourhood. On the slope of the Great
Doward is a cave distinguished by the name of Arthur's
Hall; and in a meadow in the parish is a well called
the Dropping Well, whose waters have a petrifying
quality.
Whitchurch (St. Mary)
WHITCHURCH (St. Mary), a parish, in the union
of Bradfield, chiefly in the hundred of Langtree,
county of Oxford, 6½ miles (N. W.) from Reading;
containing 843 inhabitants. It comprises 2180a. 3r.
35p., of which 301a. 3r. 39p. are in the county of
Berks, and the remainder in the county of Oxford.
The living is a rectory, valued in the king's books at
£16. 2. 8½., and in the patronage of the Crown; net
income, £456. The tithes were commuted for land and
corn-rents, under an act of inclosure, in the 40th of
George III.
Whitchurch (St. Alkmund)
WHITCHURCH (St. Alkmund), a market-town and
parish, chiefly in the Whitchurch division of the hundred
of North Bradford, N. division of Salop, but partly
in the hundred of Nantwich, S. division of Cheshire,
20 miles (N. by E.) from Shrewsbury, and 160 (N. W.
by N.) from London; containing, with the townships of
Alkington, Ash Magna and Parva, Black-Park, Broughall,
Chinnell, Dodington, Edgeley, Hinton, Hollyhurst, Tilstock, Wirswall, and New and Old Woodhouses, 6373
inhabitants, of whom 3403 are in the town. This place
was anciently called Album Monasterium, and Blancminster,
which terms have the same signification as its present
name, and appear to imply the existence of a monastery.
An hospital was standing here in the reign of Henry III.,
which was endowed by the lord of the manor with the
whole town of Wylnecot, for the relief of the poor at its
gate. In 1211, King John assembled his forces here,
prior to attacking the Welsh, on which occasion he
penetrated to the foot of Snowdon, in North Wales.
At the commencement of the civil war of the 17th century, the inhabitants appear to have taken an active part
in favour of the king, and to have raised a regiment in
support of his cause. Of the foundation and history of
the ancient castle, a portion of whose ruined walls was
standing in 1760, nothing is now known.
The town, is situated on elevated ground, in a rich and
picturesque country, and contains some neat streets and
respectable houses. In its neighbourhood are three fine
lakes, called Osmere, Blackmere, and Brown Moss-water,
and several brooks, one of which, Red Brook, is the
boundary between England and Wales; another separates this county from that of Chester. The trade is
principally in malt and hops; shoes are manufactured
for the Manchester market, and near the town is an
establishment for making oak acid, also several limekilns
and brick ovens. A branch of the Ellesmere canal extends to the town, by means of which and other canals
boats ply to London and the intervening towns, and to
Manchester and Shrewsbury. The market is on Friday;
and there are fairs on the second Friday in April, WhitMonday, the Friday after August 2nd, and October
28th. A high steward, appointed by the lord of the
manor, superintends the affairs of the town, and presides
at courts baron and leet held in October, at the townhall, which is the depository for the rolls and archives
of the lordship. The powers of the county debt-court
of Whitchurch, established in 1847, extend over part of
the registration-districts of Ellesmere, Nantwich, Wrexham, and Wem and Whitchurch.
The living is a rectory, with the living of Marbury
annexed, valued in the king's books at £44. 11. 8., and
in the patronage of the Trustees of the Earl of Bridgewater: the tithes of Whitchurch have been commuted
for £1346, and the glebe consists of 35 acres. The
church, erected in 1722, on the site of an ancient edifice,
is a noble structure of the Tuscan order, built of freestone, with a square embattled tower. It contains several
handsome monuments of the Talbot family, and amongst
them an effigy in alabaster of the renowned John Talbot,
Earl of Shrewsbury, who was killed in France, in 1453,
and who, for his remarkable prowess, was called the
English Achilles. At Ash and Tilstock are separate incumbencies. There are places of worship for Baptists,
Independents, Wesleyans, and Unitarians. The free
grammar school, situated at Bargates, was founded in
1550, by Sir John Talbot, who was incumbent of the
parish; and was endowed by him with £200, since augmented by bequests from William Thomas and others,
the whole now producing an income of £454. A charity
school for children of both sexes, and an almshouse for
six decayed housekeepers, were endowed by Samuel
Higginson in 1697, and Jane Higginson in 1707, with
property now producing about £250 per annum; and a
school in connexion with the Presbyterians, was founded
and endowed by Thomas Benyon in 1707. The interest
of £2200, arising from bequests by Elizabeth Turton in
1794 and others, is distributed among persons in reduced circumstances; and a considerable sum is likewise laid out in bread. In 1828, the late Earl of Bridgewater, who was rector of the parish, bequeathed £2000
for charitable uses. At the northern extremity of the
town is an extensive house of industry, built and principally supported from the funds of several bequests left
for general purposes of relief. Whitchurch is the birthplace of Dr. Bernard, chaplain and biographer of Archbishop Ussher; and of Abraham Wheelock, a celebrated
linguist, who died in 1654.
Whitchurch, or Felton (St. Gregory)
WHITCHURCH, or Felton (St. Gregory), a parish, in the union and hundred of Keynsham, E. division
of Somerset, 3 miles (N.) from Pensford; containing
416 inhabitants. The name Filton, or Felton, is derived
from a very old town situated to the north-west of the
present village, in a forest or chace once called Filwood:
a church having been erected on the site of an ancient
chapel dedicated to St. White, the inhabitants of Filton
gradually removed into its vicinity, upon which the new
village and the parish assumed the designation of Whitchurch. The living is a perpetual curacy; net income,
£88; patrons and impropriators, Sir J. Smyth, Bart.,
and the Laugton family.
Whitchurch (All Saints)
WHITCHURCH (All
Saints), a parish, the head
of a union, and formerly a
market-town and representative borough, in the hundred of Evingar, Kingsclere
and N. divisions of the county
of Southampton, 12 miles
(N. by E.) from Winchester,
and 57 (W. S. W.) from
London; containing, with the
tythings of Charlcott, PriorsFreefolk, Cold Henley, and
Whitchurch-Parsonage, 1741 inhabitants. The town,
which is small and irregularly built, is situated on the
river Test, on very low ground, under a range of
chalk hills. Many of the inhabitants are employed in
silk-weaving, and two silk-mills furnish employment to
about 100 persons: there are also several corn-mills on
the river. A pleasure-fair is held on the third Thursday
in June, and another fair on October 19th and 20th, for
cattle, pigs, &c. Whitchurch is a borough by prescription, and has a corporation consisting of a mayor and
bailiff, who do not now, however, exercise any authority.
They are chosen with a constable, at the court leet of the
manor, held in October at the town-hall, a neat building
erected about seventy years since; and another court
takes place at the manor farm, in May, under the Dean
and Chapter of Winchester as lords of the manor. The
town first sent members to parliament in the 27th of
Queen Elizabeth, and was deprived of its franchise by
the act passed in the 2nd of William IV. The parish
comprises about 6450 acres, chiefly arable land. The
living is a vicarage, valued in the kings books at
£13. 12. 8½.; net income, £120; patron, the Bishop of
Winchester; impropriator, J. Portal, Esq. The church,
which is a low plain structure with a tower, contains a
library, chiefly of theological works, bequeathed by the
Rev. William Wood, to which access is obtained by
permission of the vicar. There are places of worship for
Baptists, Independents, and Wesleyans. A quantity of
clothing and bedding, of the annual value of about £80,
is distributed amongst the poor from a bequest made by
Richard Wollaston in 1688. The union of Whitchurch
comprises seven parishes or places, and contains a population of 5496.
Corporation Seal.
Whitchurch (St. Mary)
WHITCHURCH (St. Mary), a parish, in the union
of Stratford-upon-Avon, Kineton division of the hundred of Kineton, S. division of the county of Warwick,
4 miles (S. S. E.) from Stratford; containing 247 inhabitants. It includes the hamlets of Broughton, Critnscott, and Wimpstone; and comprises 1942a. 2r. 4p.,
of which 313 acres are common or waste: of the tithable land, 799 acres are arable, and 116 pasture. The
soil is moderately good, in some parts very rich, and the
surface is level. The river Stour bounds the parish on
the north-east and north, and the road from Stratford to
Oxford passes through. There are some quarries of
stone used chiefly for mending the roads. The living is
a rectory, valued in the king's books at £20. 17. 3½.,
and in the patronage of J. Roberts West, Esq.: the
tithes have been commuted for £286. 10. 7., and the
glebe comprises 77 acres, with a parsonage-house, built
in 1840 by the present rector. The church is an ancient
structure in the Norman style. £6. 7. left by the Ayshcombe family (to one of whom is a monument in the
church) are distributed in bread and clothes annually to
the poor. Here is a mound marking the site of an old
castle.
Whitchurch-Canonicorum (Holy Cnoss)
WHITCHURCH-CANONICORUM (Holy Cnoss),
a parish, in the union of Bridport, hundred of Whitchurch-Canonicorum, Bridport division of Dorset,
2½ miles (N. K. by E.) from Charmouth; containing
1581 inhabitants. This parish, which is one of the most
ancient in the county, derives its name from the original
dedication of its church to St. Candida, or White, in
honour of whom a monastery was founded here, which
was called Album Monasterium, and at the time of the
Norman survey belonged to the abbey of St. Wandragasil,
in Normandy. The grant of a market and fair made in
the reign of Henry III., was confirmed in the 4th of
Edward II. Chideock, in the vicinity, was distinguished
for its castle, the residence of the Chideocks and the
Arundels, which, during the civil war of the 17th century, was a powerful check upon the garrison of Lyme,
and was alternately in the possession of the contending
parties. The parish comprises 5889 acres, of which 428
are common or waste. The soil of the vale, which
principally affords pasture for cattle, is a cold chalky
clay, but in the parish generally the soil is deep and
fertile; flint, which is much used in building walls, is
found on Hadden Hill. Many of the women and children are employed in making fishing-nets. The living is
a vicarage, endowed with a portion of the rectorial tithes,
with the livings of Chideock, Stanton St. Gabriel, and
Marshwood annexed, and valued in the king's books at
£32. 6. 3.; patron, the Bishop of Bath and Wells; appropriators of the remaining portion of the rectorial tithes,
the Dean and Chapter of Wells and Dean and Chapter
of Sarum, in moieties. The tithes have been commuted
for £1045, and the glebe comprises 35 acres. The
church, originally dedicated to St. Candida, and afterwards
to the Holy Cross, is a handsome cruciform structure in
the Norman style, with a tower eighty feet high, and contains some interesting monuments, among which is one
to Sir John Jeffery, Kot., with his effigy in armour, and
another to one of the Hemley family: the pulpit is
curiously carved. There are places of worship for Baptists and Independents.
Whitchurch-Maund
WHITCHURCH-MAUND, a township, in the parish of Bodenham, poor-law union of Leominster,
hundred of Broxash, county of Hereford; containing
116 inhabitants.
Whitcliff
WHITCLIFF, with Thorpe, a township, in the
parish and liberty of Ripon, W. riding of York, 1½
mile (S.) from Ripon; containing 186 inhabitants. It
comprises by computation 1300 acres, whereof 909 are
in Thorpe, which has a pleasant and well-built village.
The river Ure and the Ripon canal flow at a short distance. The impropriate tithes have been commuted for
£198; and the appropriate for £68, payable to the Dean
and Chapter of Ripon.
Whitcombe
WHITCOMBE, a parish, in the union of Dorchester, hundred of Culliford-Tree, Dorchester division
of Dorset, 2¼ miles (S. E.) from Dorchester; containing 52 inhabitants. It comprises 690 acres, of which
350 are arable, and 340 meadow and pasture; the soil
is a light loam, resting upon chalk. The living is a
donative; net income, £13; patron, the Hon. G. L. D.
Darner. The church is in the early English style.
Whitechapel
WHITECHAPEL, an ecclesiastical parish, in the
parish of Kirkham, union of Preston, hundred of
Amounderness, N. division of Lancashire, 5½ miles
(S. E. by E.) from Garstang; containing about 800 inhabitants. It consists of the Higher end of the township of Goosnargh, and was constituted a parish in 1846.
The surface is hilly, the soil inferior, and the scenery
wild: there are extensive views of the Fylde, &c. Richard
Snell, Esq., of Leyland, is proprietor of White Hill here.
It is not known when the church, formerly a chapel, was
erected, but it was enlarged in the year 1716-17: it is
dedicated to St. John. The living is a perpetual curacy,
in the patronage of the Dean and Chapter of ChristChurch, Oxford; net income, £80. A school is endowed with £40 per annum, and a house for the master,
built in 1840 by Thomas Oliverson, Esq.
Whitechapel (St. Mary)
WHITECHAPEL (St. Mary), a parish, and the
head of a union, in the Tower division of the hundred of
Ossulstone, county of Middlesex; adjoining the
city of London, and containing 34,053 inhabitants.
This populous parish extends in an eastern direction
from Aldgate to Mile-End, a continuous line nearly a
mile in length, and including Whitechapel High-street
and Whitechapel-road, the former a noted market for
butchers' meat, and the latter containing numerous
manufacturing establishments. On the south side of the
road is a long-established bell-foundry. In Fieldgatestreet, nearly adjoining, but within the hamlet of MileEnd Old Town, in the parish of Stepney, is a large ironfoundry, to which is attached a manufactory of gun-carriages and wheelwrights' work, this latter department
of the concern being in Whitechapel parish. In Great
Garden-street, on the north of the road, is a brassfoundry; and nearly opposite is a factory for every kind
of furnishing ironmongery, smoke and wind-up jacks,
scales and scale-beams, and other articles, upon a very
extensive scale. Near this extremity of the parish, and
bordering on Bethnal-Green, is the distillery of Mr.
Smith, for British spirits and compounds, established in
that family for nearly a century; the premises, which
have been rebuilt on a commodious plan, occupy a large
extent of ground, and contain two powerful steamengines. In Thomas-street are some starch-works, which
have been conducted by the Leschers for half a century;
a steam-engine of sixteen-horse power is applied to the
grinding of wheat and to other purposes connected with
the manufacture, and from 800 to 900 hogs are usually
fed on the premises. In Osborne-place is a large establishment for dyeing woollen-cloth. In a southern
direction, the parish extends to Well-Close-square, onehalf of which is within its limits; this portion comprises Goodman's-Fields and several spacious and wellbuilt streets, including Great Prescot-street, Lemanstreet, and Great and Little Aylie-street, in the neighbourhood of which are numerous establishments for the
refining of sugar, which constitutes the principal trade
of the parish. In Church-lane is the proof-house of the
City of London Company of Gun-makers, originally
erected by the company in 1757, and rebuilt in 1818.
There are several manufactories of floor-cloth in Whitechapel-road, and some establishments of coach and
coach-harness makers, with various other works in different parts of the parish. The Royal Pavilion theatre,
on the north side of the road, is a commodious building,
with a principal entrance between Ionic pillars supporting a cornice. In Leman-street is the Royal Garrick
theatre. One of the county debt-courts established in
1847, is fixed at Whitechapel.
The living is a rectory, valued in the king's books at
£31. 17. 3½.; net income, £700; patrons, the Principal
and Fellows of Brasenose College, Oxford. The church,
previously to 1329, was a chapel of ease to St. Dunstan's,
Stepney, the rector of which parish, in that year, made
Whitechapel a rectory; the ancient building was taken
down, and the present church erected of brick, in 1673,
by private subscription. It has a small tower at the
west end with an illuminated dial, surmounted by a
cupola; the interior is handsomely arranged, and the
roof, which is partly arched, is supported on Corinthian
columns. Near the altar is a mural monument by
Banks, erected by the parishioners to the Rev. R. Markham, D.D., formerly rector; and in various parts of the
church and in the burial-ground are other monuments.
St. Mark's district church, on the Tenter Ground, was
erected by the Metropolitan Church-building Society,
and consecrated in May, 1839; it is a neat edifice of
brick in the early English style, with a square tower
surmounted by an octagonal spire, and contains 1200
sittings, of which 500 are free. The living is in the gift
of Brasenose College; income, £150. An additional
church, of which the first stone was laid at Michaelmas
1845, was erected partly by Her Majesty's Commissioners; it is in the early English style, with a tower at
the south-west angle, was completed in 1847, and cost
£8000. This is a free church, for mariners, and dedicated to St. Paul. There are places of worship for Baptists, Independents, Wesleyans, and other dissenters.
In Little Aylie-street is the German Lutheran church,
dedicated to St. George, a neat building with a campanile
turret; and in Hooper's-square is a German Calvinistic
chapel.
The parochial school, originally founded and endowed
by the Rev. R. Davenant, rector of the parish in 1680,
and which was handsomely rebuilt in 1818, has an income of £700, arising from benefactions and annual
subscriptions. The free school in Gower's-walk was
established in 1806, under the immediate superintendence
of the late Dr. Bell, by Mr. William Davis, who erected
the building at his own cost, and endowed the institution
with £2400 three per cents.: the income, including the
profits of a printing-office instituted by the founder for
the use of the boys, is about £1200. The Whitechapel
Society's Institution in Whitechapel-road was commenced in 1814, in union with the National Society,
and is a spacious brick building with a cupola at the
west end; the schoolroom is consecrated, and two regular
services are performed every Sunday by the chaplain
and superintendent of the institution. Almshouses were
founded and endowed in Whitechapel-road, in 1658, by
William Meggs, for twelve aged widows; the endowment, including subsequent benefactions, is £149 per
annum. Eight almshouses founded by Thomas Baker,
Esq., for widows, form a neat range in the Elizabethan
style.
The London Hospital here owes its origin to Mr. John
Harrison, surgeon, who, having conducted a small establishment of the kind near Upper Moorfields, removed
it to Prescot-street, Goodman's Fields, in the year 1740,
under the designation of the London Infirmary. An appropriate building upon a larger scale having been subsequently erected in the Whitechapel-road, the institution was removed to that place in 1758, and the conductors incorporated by the name of the Governors of
the London Hospital. The buildings have been progressively enlarged, and are now adapted to the reception of 370 patients; the average number of in-patients
is about 320, and of out-patients 7000 annually. The
income, including contributions from public bodies and
private subscriptions, is about £9000. The Sailors' Home,
or Brunswick Maritime Establishment, is intended for
the benefit of unemployed sailors belonging to the port
of London; to provide them with board and lodging at
a moderate charge, and with religious and moral instruction, while on shore; to procure for them employment in the navy or merchants' service, and to furnish
such as are needy with the necessary outfits for the
voyage. The building occupies the site of the late
Brunswick theatre, in Well-street, London Docks, and
has accommodation for 500 men; the first stone was
laid in June, 1830. A model establishment of Baths and
Wash-houses has been formed in Goulstone-square, the
building covering about 13,500 square feet, and containing about 100 baths, each in a separate apartment, and
100 pairs of wash-tubs, each with a separate dryingcloset; the whole so arranged as to insure almost entire
privacy to every person. The poor-law union of Whitechapel contains a population of 71,758; there are workhouses in Whitechapel and Spitalfields.