Whitton
WHITTON, a township, in the parish of Grindon,
union of Stockton, N. E. division of Stockton ward,
S. division of the county of Durham, 5½ miles (N. W.
by W.) from Stockton; containing 52 inhabitants. The
township comprises 750 acres: the main line of the
Clarence railway passes through it. The vicarial tithes
have been commuted for £11; and the impropriate for
£106. 17. payable to Christ's Hospital, Sherburn.
Whitton, with Tripleton
WHITTON, with Tripleton, a township, in the
parish of Leintwardine, union of Ludlow, hundred of
Wigmore, county of Hereford; containing 72 inhabitants, of whom 40 are in Whitton.
Whitton (St. John the Baptist)
WHITTON (St. John the Baptist), a parish, in the
union of Glandford-Brigg, N. division of the wapentake of Manley, parts of Lindsey, county of Lincoln,
11 miles (W. N. W.) from Barton-upon-Humber; containing 217 inhabitants. The living is a discharged rectory, united to the vicarage of Aukborough, and valued
in the king's books at £6. 10.
Whitton
WHITTON, a township, in the parish and union of
Rothbury, W. division of Coquetdale ward, N. division of Northumberland, ½ a mile (S.) from Rothbury;
containing 82 inhabitants. In 1381, Earl Gilbert Umfraville died possessed of this manor, which his relict
conveyed in marriage to the first lord Percy, by one of
whose descendants it was given in exchange to the rectory of Rothbury, for the old hall and glebe of that
benefice, "which lay intermixed through the demesne of
Rothbury." The village is pleasantly situated a short
distance west of the road from Rothbury to Rothley.
Whitton Tower, formerly a very strong fortress, is a
commodious edifice, still occupied by the rector of the
parish; near it is a circular observatory, built by the
late Dr. Sharp.
Whitton
WHITTON, a chapelry, in the parish of Burford,
union of Tenbury, hundred of Overs, S. division of
Salop, 3¾ miles (N. W. by N.) from Tenbury; containing 61 inhabitants. Here is a farmhouse formerly a seat
of the Charltons, where James II. visited: a chamber
in it contains some superior tapestry of that period. The
chapel is annexed to the second portion of the rectory of
Burford: the interior of the edifice was restored in
1844, and a parsonage-bouse built in 1845.
Whitton (St. Mary)
WHITTON (St. Mary), a parish, in the union and
borough of Ipswich, E. division of Suffolk, 2½ miles
(N. N. W.) from Ipswich; containing 422 inhabitants,
and comprising 1462a. 1r. 9p. The Stow-Market and
Ipswich navigation passes through the parish. The
living is a rectory, with the living of Thurlton annexed,
valued in the king's books at £6. 11. 5½.; patron, the
Bishop of Ely. The manor and impropriation of Thurlton were granted to Cardinal Wolsey by Henry VIII.,
and now belong to the Rev. Edward Woolnough. The
impropriate tithes of Whitton with Thurlton have been
commuted for £170, and the incumbent's tithes for
£259; the glebe comprises 39 acres. Thurlton church,
dedicated to St. Botolph, has long been used as a barn.
Whittonditch
WHITTONDITCH, a tything, in the parish of
Ramsbury, union of Hungerford, hundred of Ramsbury, Marlborough and Ramsbury, and N. divisions of
Wilts; containing 135 inhabitants.
Whittonstall
WHITTONSTALL, a chapelry, in the parish of Bywell St. Peter, union of Hexham, E. division of Tindale ward, S. division of Northumberland, 10 miles
(S. E. by E.) from Hexham; containing 184 inhabitants.
It is situated on the Roman Watling-street, and is the
property of Greenwich Hospital. The living is a perpetual curacy; net income, £45; patrons, the Dean and
Chapter of Durham. The chapel, dedicated to St.
Philip and St. James, has been rebuilt. The governors
of the hospital allow £15 a year to a master for teaching
children.
Whitwell (St. Lawrence)
WHITWELL (St. Lawrence), a parish, in the
union of Worksop, hundred of Scarsdale, N. division
of the county of Derby, 10¾ miles (E. N. E.) from Chesterfield; containing 1157 inhabitants. This place, like
some of the neighbouring villages, has been on the decline since the opening of the Chesterfield canal; but
frame-work knitting is still carried on to a small extent.
The ancient Hall has been converted into a farmhouse.
The living is a rectory, valued in the king's books at
£20. 3. 4., and in the gift of the Duke of Portland: the
tithes have been commuted for £642, and the glebe
comprises 143 acres. The church has a Norman tower.
At Steetly, said to have been at one period a distinct
parish, are the remains of an ancient church, exhibiting
a fine specimen of the later and more enriched style of
Norman architecture; it is an interesting ruin, and is
preserved with great care.
Whitwell
WHITWELL, a parish, in the union of Aylsham,
hundred of Eynsford, E. division of Norfolk; adjoining the town of Reepham, and containing 519 inhabitants. It comprises 1494a. 18p., of which 1064 acres
are arable, 346 meadow and pasture, 24 woodland, 6
occupied with buildings and waste, and 52 common
land allotted to the poor for cutting turf; the surface is
undulated, and the scenery in many parts picturesque.
Here are two extensive tanneries. The living is a discharged vicarage, united to the rectory of Hackford.
The church, situated in the same burial-ground as that
of Reepham, is an ancient structure in the later English
style with a square embattled tower and south transept,
the whole thoroughly repaired in 1834; it serves also as
the church for Hackford parish. There is a place of
worship for Primitive Methodists.
Whitwell (St. Michael)
WHITWELL (St. Michael), a parish, in the union
of Oakham, hundred of Alstoe, county of Rutland,
7 miles (W. by N.) from Stamford; containing 139 inhabitants. It comprises about 600 acres. The soil is a
light loam, alternated with clay; the surface is undulated, and the lower grounds are watered by a small
brook which divides the parish from Hambleton. Stone
of inferior quality is raised for building and for the
roads. The living is a rectory, valued in the king's
books at £5, and in the gift of the Earl of Gainsborough: the tithes have been commuted for £140, and
the glebe comprises 54 acres. The church is ancient.
The water of the place is slightly impregnated with
iron.
Whitwell (St. Radegund)
WHITWELL (St. Radegund), a parish, in the liberty
of East Medina, Isle of Wight division of the county
of Southampton, 8 miles (S. by E.) from Newport; containing 660 inhabitants. The living is a perpetual
curacy, united, with the vicarage of Godshill, to the
rectory of Niton. The church, an ancient structure
built and endowed by De Estur, lord of Gatcomb, contained chapels in honour of the Blessed Virgin and St.
Radegund.
Whitwell, in Kendal ward, county of Westmorland.—See Selside.
WHITWELL, in Kendal ward, county of Westmorland.—See Selside.
Whitwell
WHITWELL, a chapelry, in the parish of Catterick, union of Northallerton, wapentake of Gilling-East, N. riding of York, 3 miles (E.) from Catterick 5 containing 79 inhabitants. It comprises about
490 acres of land, and is partly the property of the Earl
of Tyrconnell, who owns the manor. The river Swale
pursues its devious course on the west and south.
Whitwell-House
WHITWELL-HOUSE, an extra-parochial liberty, in
the S. division of Easington ward, union, and N. division of the county, of Durham, 2¾ miles (E. S. E.) from
Durham; containing 173 inhabitants, and comprising
540 acres of land. It lies north of Quarrington; adjoining the grounds of Shincliffe, in St. Oswald's parish, and
is held by lease under Sherburn Hospital. Among the
families that formerly resided here, were those of Brasse
and Teasdale. The produce of two coal-mines in the
liberty respectively A. pit and B. pit, is shipped at Sunderland.
Whitwell-On-The-Hill
WHITWELL-ON-THE-HILL, a township, in the
parish of Crambe, union of Malton, wapentake of Bulmer, N. riding of York, 5¾ miles (S. W.) from Malton;
containing 215 inhabitants. It comprises about 1640
acres of land, late the property of the Graham family,
by whom it was sold for 95,000 guineas to J. Haigh,
Esq., whose executors are now lords of the manor. The
Hall, a fine mansion, built by Mr. Haigh at an expense
of £30,000, is at present occupied by his widow. The
village is on the road from York to Malton.
Whitwick (St. John the Baptist)
WHITWICK (St. John the Baptist), a parish, in
the union of Ashby-de la-Zouch, hundred of West
Goscote, N. division of the county of Leicester, 5½
miles (E. by S.) from Ashby; containing, with the townships of Swannington and Thringstone, 4286 inhabitants, of whom 2310 inhabitants are in Whitwick township. Whitwick is a small town, and, since 1838, has
had a market for flesh, butter, poultry, &c., on Wednesday. It is picturesquely seated in the coal district, below the rocky hills at the south-west angle of Charnwood
Forest; and about a mile westward of the town is a
large modern village called Coalville, mostly occupied
by colliers. In the parish are 6407 acres, whereof 3378,
including Mount St. Bernard and other parts of Charnwood Forest, are in Whitwick township. The soil on
the south and west is in general thin, with a cold clay
substratum, and the surface flat; on the east, or forest
side, the soil is partly a red earth and partly an indifferent black peat, and the surface very uneven and
rocky. Whitwick colliery was opened in 1824: for
some years, a stratum 4 feet 3 inches in thickness, at
the depth only of 119 yards, was worked; but the pit
is now sunk for a depth of 259 yards, to a thick and
excellent bed of coal, which has obtained the name of
"brilliant" in the Leicester, London, and other markets.
In the other townships of the parish coal is also abundant: at Thringstone several strata have been reached
at various depths, from ten to 150 yards, five and six
feet thick, and of excellent quality. The parish is traversed by the Leicester and Swannington railway, and
the lines branching to the neighbouring collieries and
limeworks, and to Ashby.
The living is a discharged vicarage, valued in the
king's books at £9. 14. 7., and in the patronage of the
Duchy of Lancaster; net income, £179; impropriator,
hir G. Beaumont, Bart.: the tithes were commuted at
the inclosure of the parish in 1801. The church is an
ancient structure with a tower. At Swannington is a
separate incumbency. The Baptists, Primitive Methodists, and Wesleyans have places of worship; and there
is a handsome Roman Catholic chapel, built in 1837.
On the south side of the immense rock called Mount St.
Bernard, is the monastery of St. Bernard, occupied by a
number of English Cistercian monks of La Trappe, in
France, who returned to this country and settled in the
forest, where a wild tract of desert land, comprising
about 250 acres, was purchased for them in 1835, of
Thomas Gisborne, Esq., by Ambrose Lisle Phillipps,
Esq., and his lady. Only 35 acres of the land were in
cultivation when the monks entered upon it, and they
lived for more than a year in a miserable cottage. In
1839, the Earl of Shrewsbury made a munificent gift
which enabled them to build the present abbey, from a
design by Pugin: it was consecrated by Dr. Wiseman
in August 1844, when the domestic and other buildings,
including the cloister, chapter-house, refectory, dormitory, and prior's-house, were all completed. The scenery
in the neigbourhood is remarkably stern and wild. The
parish receives about £20 per annum for the support of
a school, £10 for distribution among the poor, and means
for apprenticing four boys, from funds bequeathed by
T. Monks to the parish of Austrey, Warwickshire; and
a boy is apprenticed every fourth year from Lady Beaumont's charity at Cole-Orton. There are several Sunday
and other schools. Near the town are some slight vestiges of Whitwick Castle, built by one of the earls of
Leicester.
Whitwood
WHITWOOD, a township, in the parish of Featherstone, Lower division of the wapentake of Agbrigg, W. riding of York, 4¾ miles (N. W. by W.) from
Pontefract; containing 417 inhabitants. It includes the
hamlet of Whitwood-Mere, and comprises about 1012
acres of land: the commons were inclosed in 1806. The
village is on the south side of the river Calder. There
is an extensive manufacture of earthenware; also large
glass-bottle works.
Whitworth
WHITWORTH, a parochial chapelry, partly in the
union of Auckland, and partly in that of Durham, S.
E. division of Darlington ward, S. division of the
county of Durham; containing, with the township of
Tudhoe, 617 inhabitants, of whom 290 are in Whitworth
township, 4 miles (N. E. by N.) from Bishop-Auckland.
According to the Boldon book, this manor was held by
Thomas de Acley, by the service of a quarter of a knight's
fee; it was afterwards possessed by the Whytworths
and the Nevills, and subsequently by the Shafto family.
The chapelry comprises about 3250 acres: the village is
pleasantly situated about three-quarters of a mile south
of the river Wear. The living is a perpetual curacy, in
the patronage of the Dean and Chapter of Durham, the
appropriators; net income, £243. The incumbent's tithes
have been commuted for £179, and the glebe consists of
24 acres. The chapel was originally subject to the
vicarage of Merrington: in the cemetery, among other
ancient memorials, are a monument of a knight in
armour, and the effigies of two females.
Whitworth
WHITWORTH, a district chapelry, in the parish
and union of Rochdale, hundred of Salford, S. division of the county of Lancaster, 2¾ miles (N. by W.)
from Rochdale. It lies on the road from Rochdale to
Burnley. The manor was granted by "divers donators"
to the convent of Stanlow in Cheshire, in the reign of
John; among these donors was Sir John de Elland,
parcener of the lordship of Rochdale, who gave one
moiety of the manor. The chapel, which is dedicated
to St. Bartholomew, was founded by the principal inhabitants of the township, about the time when Todmorden
and Milnrow chapels were built, "an era," observes Dr.
Whitaker, "of chapel building." The edifice appears
to have been rebuilt in the reign of William and Mary;
it was again rebuilt in 1775, and the burial-ground was
consecrated twenty years afterwards by Bishop Cleaver.
The living is a perpetual curacy, in the patronage of
Mrs. Langton, Mrs. Hornby, and James Starky, Esq.;
net income, £256. Twelve children are taught to read
for £14. 10. a year, arising from certain cottages bequeathed by James Starky, of Leigh, mercer, in 1724.
Whixhall
WHIXHALL, a chapelry, in the parish of Prees,
Whitchurch division of the hundred of North Bradford, Northern division of Salop, 3¾ miles (N. by E.)
from Wem; containing 978 inhabitants. The living is
a perpetual curacy; net income, £152; patron, the
Vicar of Prees.
Whixley
WHIXLEY, a parish, partly in the Lower, and partly
in the Upper, division of the wapentake of Claro, W.
riding of York; containing, with the townships of
Hammerton-Green and Thornville, 946 inhabitants, of
whom 594 are in Whixley township, 11 miles (W. N. W.)
from York. The parish comprises about 2200 acres,
chiefly the property of Whixley Hospital; the surface is
undulated, and the soil rich, producing fine crops of
wheat, barley, oats, and turnips. The village, which is
large, is neatly built on the gentle acclivities of a hill,
about half a mile west of the road from York to Boroughbridge. The living is a perpetual curacy, valued in the
king's books at £7. 17. 1.; net income, £68; patrons
and impropriators, the Governors of the Taucred charities. The tithes were commuted for land and a money
payment in 1801. The church is an ancient structure
in the early and later English styles, with a square
embattled tower; it was repaired and repewed in 1817.
There is a place of worship for Wesleyans.
Christopher Tancred, Esq., whose family were long
seated at the Hall, at his death in 1754, left his house
to be converted into an hospital for twelve decayed gentlemen, and endowed it with estates which, in 1815,
were let for £2480 per annum. He also assigned to it
£1282. 15. three per cent, consols., directing part of the
income to be appropriated for twelve exhibitions; four
at Christ's College, Cambridge, for divinity, four at Caius
College for physic, and four at Lincoln's-Inn for law.
The hospital is a spacious and handsome brick building, consisting of a centre and two wings. In the Hall
are portraits of the founder and Queen Mary II., and
the edifice contains separate lodging-rooms for the inmates, with spacious dining and drawing rooms for their
joint use, and a chapel, in which divine service is performed daily by a chaplain, who has a stipend of £20
per annum. Attached to the house are two large gardens, with pleasure-grounds. Each of the inmates has
an annual allowance of about £50, which includes 1s. 6d.
per day for provisions. They are elected on petition,
and are generally decayed clergymen and gentlemen,
being at least fifty years of age previous to admission;
candidates are eligible if born in Great Britain, but must
be members of the Church of England. The hospital
is under the immediate care of a receiver, and the direction of the governors of Greenwich and Chelsea Hospitals, the master of the Charter-House, the president of
the College of Physicians, the treasurer of Lincoln's-Inn,
and the masters of Caius and Christ's Colleges. The
present warden is Mr. John White, nephew of Gilbert
White, the historian of Selborne, Hampshire.
Whixoe, county of Suffolk.—See Wixoe.
WHIXOE, county of Suffolk.—See Wixoe.
Whorlton
WHORLTON, a chapelry, in the parish of Gainford, union of Teesdale, S. W. division of Darlington ward, S. division of the county of Durham, 3½ miles
(E. S. E.) from Barnard-Castle; containing 286 inhabitants. This place formed part of the forfeited estates of
the Earl of Westmoreland, and was purchased from the
commissioners of the crown lands; the manor subsequently became the property of the Sanderson family.
The chapelry is situated on the river Tees, over which is
a handsome suspension-bridge, erected in 1831, after a
design by Mr. Green, of Newcastle, and which connects
the two counties of Durham and York; the surface is
pleasingly varied, and the higher lands command a fine
view of the Rokeby grounds and other interesting
scenery. The soil near the river is rich and fertile, in
other parts a strong clay; limestone of inferior quality
abounds, which forms an excellent material for roads.
There are some petrifying springs. The chapel stands
near the edge of a precipitous cliff overlooking the river:
the living is a perpetual curacy, in the patronage of the
Vicar of Gainford, with 57 acres of glebe. The Independents have a place of worship.
Whorlton
WHORLTON, a township, in the parish of Newburn, union and W. division of Castle ward, S. division of Northumberland, 4¾ miles (N. W. by W.) from
Newcastle; containing 60 inhabitants. This township,
divided into East and West Whorlton, comprises about
582 acres, of a strong clay soil yielding good crops of
wheat and clover. In West Whorlton is the Hall, which
contains some choice paintings, and the scenery around
which is undulated, and very pleasing. The village lies
equidistant between the roads from Newcastle to Heddon and to Ponteland.
Whorlton (Holy Cross)
WHORLTON (Holy Cross), a parish, in the union
of Stokesley, W. division of the liberty of Langbaurgh, N. riding of York; containing, with the township of Potto, the village of Swainby, and part of the
cliapelry of Faceby, 798 inhabitants, of whom 505 are in
Whorlton township, 5½ miles (S. W. by S.) from Stokesley. The parish is situated at the base of the Cleveland
hills, and comprises about 6700 acres, of which 3000
are open hilly moorland, affording rough pasturage, and
abounding with grouse; 250 wood and plantations; and
the remainder arable and pasture in good cultivation.
The scenery is pleasingly diversified, and in some points
strikingly picturesque. There are quarries of good building-stone. The living is a perpetual curacy; net income,
£84; patron and impropriator, the Marquess of Ailesbury. The church is an ancient structure, with a square
tower on the south side; it contains a monument to a
Knight Templar, and is remarkable for a beautiful ivytree, which flourishes in the interior. Faceby chapel
forms a separate incumbency. At Scarth, in the parish,
a cell of Augustine canons, subordinate to the monastery of Gisburn, was founded by Stephen Meinil, in the
time of Henry I. The lofty gateway-tower of a castle
supposed to have been built in the reign of Richard II.,
still remains, bearing the arms of D'Arcy, Meynell, and
Gray, its ancient possessors; the castle and manor passed
in the reign of Charles I. to Thomas Bruce, Earl of Elgin,
who was Earl Bruce of Whorlton, ancestor of the present lord, the Marquess of Ailesbury.