Widcombe, Somerset.—See Lyncombe.
WIDCOMBE, Somerset.—See Lyncombe.
Widcombe
WIDCOMBE, a tything, in the parish of ChewtonMendip, union of Clutton, hundred of Chewton, E.
division of Somerset, 5 miles (S. W. by S.) from Pensford; containing 145 inhabitants. It comprises 705
acres, of which 39 are waste. The vicarial tithes have
been commuted for £35, and the impropriate for £30.
Widdington (St. Mary)
WIDDINGTON (St. Mary), a parish, in the union
of Saffron-Walden, hundred of Uttlesford, N.
division of Essex, 8 miles (N. N. E.) from BishopStortford; containing 377 inhabitants. It comprises
2087a. 2r. 37p., of which 1375 acres are arable, 337
pasture, and 248 woodland. The living is a rectory,
valued in the king's books at £25, and in the gift of
W. J. Campbell, Esq.: the tithes have been commuted
for £570, and the glebe comprises 42 acres. The church,
a small edifice of stone, partly rebuilt with brick, retains
several details in the Norman style.
Widdington
WIDDINGTON, a township, in the parish of Little
Ouseburn, Upper division of the wapentake of Claro,
W. riding of York, 8¼ miles (S. E. by E.) from Boroughbridge; containing 25 inhabitants. It is situated on
the river Ouse, which passes on the north and east; and
comprises 694 acres of land, in four farms.
Widdrington
WIDDRINGTON, a parochial chapelry, in the union,
and E. division of the ward, of Morpeth, N. division
of Northumberland, 8 miles (N. E. by N.) from Morpeth; containing 447 inhabitants. This place was long
the seat of the Widdrington family, many of whom at
various periods greatly distinguished themselves against
the Scots, and on other occasions. Sir William Widdrington, in 1642, was expelled from the house of commons for raising forces in defence of Charles I., by whom,
in the following year, he was elevated to the dignity of
baron; after the battle of Marston-Moor, he left the
kingdom, when his estates were confiscated by the parliament, but returning in the service of Charles II., he
was slain at the conflict of Wigan. William, 4th lord
Widdrington, was attainted in 1715, for his share in the
rebellion of that year, and his property, to the amount
of £100,000, was sold for the public advantage; thus
consummating the downfall of a family that had flourished during a space of seven centuries. The ancient
castle, which stood in a noble park of 600 acres, was
razed to the ground about 60 years since, and a new
edifice, now much out of repair and uninhabited, was
built upon its site.
The district was separated from the parish of Woodhorn, and invested with distinct parochial rights, in
1768. It chiefly belongs to Lord Vernon, and comprises
4902a. 1r. 30p., mostly tithe-free, and of which a fifth is
pasture land. The soil is a strong clay, producing fine
crops of wheat and beans, and the surface is generally
level, with a gentle elevation towards the village, which
commands extensive views in every direction, and the
vicinity of which formerly abounded in wood: on the
cast is the sea. A small colliery is in operation, and
there is a quarry of freestone. The living is a perpetual
curacy, in the gift of Lord Vernon, with a net income of
£67; the impropriation belongs to the Mercers' Company, and the incumbent of Hampstead, London. The
chapel had parochial limits so early as 1307, and was
originally dedicated to St. Edmund; at the Dissolution
it was called Holy Trinity chapel, from which period it
continued dependent on Woodhorn. The edifice was
repaired by Sir George Warren, in 1768, and comprises
a nave, chancel, and south aisle; the chancel has an
oratory or chantry porch projecting from it on the south,
lighted by two windows. There is a place of worship
for Presbyterians. In 1843, a skeleton with the teeth
perfect, and an urn, were found in ploughing a field.
Widecombe-in-the-Moor (St. Pancras)
WIDECOMBE-in-the-Moor (St. Pancras), a parish, in the union of Newton-Abbott, hundred of
Haytor, Teignbridge and S. divisions of Devon, 5¾
miles (N. W. by N.) from Ashburton; containing 1106
inhabitants. It is bounded on the west and south by the
river Dart, and comprises about 12,800 acres, of which
one-half is open common; the soil is light and sandy,
and the parish is more adapted to rearing live-stock than
to the purposes of agriculture. The surface is varied,
consisting of several valleys bordering on Dartmoor,
inclosed with rugged hills, and watered by three streams
which flow into the river Dart. Tin has been found,
and there are remains of ancient stream-works of considerable extent; granite is also abundant on the commons. Many of the inhabitants are employed in weaving
serges at their own dwellings. The living is a vicarage,
valued in the king's books at £25. 13. 9.; net income,
£268; patrons and appropriators, the Dean and Chapter
of Exeter. The church was greatly injured by lightning
during the performance of divine service, on Oct. 21st,
1638, when portions of the stone and woodwork fell in.
There are places of worship for Calvinists and Wesleyans.
The last Lord Ashburton, of the Dunning family, and the
late Gilbert Dyer, of Exeter, who collected the most
extensive library in the west of England, were natives of
the parish.
Widford (St. Mary)
WIDFORD (St. Mary), a parish, in the union and
hundred of Chelmsford, S. division of Essex, 1½ mile
(S. W.) from Chelmsford; containing 362 inhabitants.
This parish, which is supposed to have derived its name
from a ford over the river Chelmer, comprises 690a. 3r.
29p.; the soil is rich, and around the village the lands
are in a high state of cultivation. The living is a discharged rectory, valued in the king's books at £8, and
in the gift of the Rev. W. Buswell: the tithes have been
commuted for £250, and the glebe comprises 20 acres.
The church is a small ancient edifice, partly in the early
and partly in the decorated English style, situated on
the west side of the road from London to Chelmsford.
Widford (St. John the Baptist)
WIDFORD (St. John the Baptist), a parish, in
the union of Ware, hundred of Braughin, county of
Hertford, 4½ miles (E. by N.) from Ware; containing
539 inhabitants, and comprising by measurement 1150
acres. A pleasure-fair is held about the middle of June.
The living is a rectory, valued in the king's books at
£12. 13. 4., and in the gift of W. P. Hamond, Esq.:
the tithes have been commuted for £290, and the glebe
comprises 27 acres. The church has a square embattled
tower with a tall slender spire, and occupies a considerable eminence. There is a rent-charge of £5, for teaching three boys; and the poor have 13½ acres of land,
given by an unknown benefactor, producing £18 per
annum, and £370 in the 3½ per cents., given by Mrs.
Mason, producing £13 per annum.
Widford (St. Oswald)
WIDFORD (St. Oswald), a parish, in the union of
Witney, W. division of the hundred of Bampton,
county of Oxford, 1½ mile (E. S. E.) from Burford;
containing 45 inhabitants. The parish comprises 564
acres, including 98 common or waste. The living is a
discharged rectory, valued in the king's books at
£3. 14. 2., and in the gift of Lord Redesdale: the tithes
have been commuted for £86.
Widley (St. Mary)
WIDLEY (St. Mary), a parish, in the union of
Fareham, hundred of Portsdown, Fareham and S.
divisions of the county of Southampton, 5½ miles (E. by
N.) from Fareham; containing, with part of the hamlet
of Potwell, 607 inhabitants. The parish comprises 1106
acres, of which 59 are common or waste; a very considerable portion is woodland, abounding with timber of
stately growth. The soil is fertile, resting on chalk, of
which there are several pits. The living is a rectory
with the vicarage of Wymering annexed, valued in the
king's books at £14. 11. 10½.; net income, £678;
patrons, the Nugee family and Winchester College, alternately. The tithes of Widley have been commuted for
£250, and the glebe comprises 11 acres. The church
has been enlarged.
Widmer-Pool (St. Peter)
WIDMER-POOL (St. Peter), a parish, in the
union of Bingham, S. division of the wapentake of
Rushcliffe and of the county of Nottingham, 9 miles
(S. S. E.) from Nottingham; containing 182 inhabitants.
The parish comprises about 2000 acres. The village,
situated on the road from Melton to Nottingham, nearly
equidistant from those towns, has been almost entirely
rebuilt, and is of handsome appearance. The living is a
rectory, valued in the king's books at £14. 16. 0½.; net
income, £232; patron, F. Robinson, Esq. The tithes
were commuted for land in 1803; the glebe altogether
comprises 450 acres. The church, with the exception of
the tower and spire, was rebuilt in 1831: it was soon
afterwards injured by lightning, which damaged the
spire and part of the tower, with the roof; but was in
1836 restored, except the spire, by the patron, aided by
a grant of £300 from the Incorporated Society. There
is a place of worship for Baptists. The parish is bounded
on the west by the old Fosse-road; and several Roman
coins have been found, including a silver one of Adrian,
and a copper coin of Claudius.
Widness, with Appleton
WIDNESS, with Appleton, a township, in the parish
and union of Prescot, hundred of West Derby, S.
division of Lancashire, 6¼ miles (W. by S.) from Warrington; containing 2209 inhabitants. Wydnes was anciently a barony, which, however, was of short continuance. It passed from Eustace Fitz-John to his son
Richard, progenitor of the Lacy family, and from the
Lacys to the dukes of Lancaster, who carried it into the
crown. In the 9th of Elizabeth, Francis Alforde claimed
the manor by grant from the queen: the manorial rights
are now possessed by the Marquess of Cholmondeley.
Appleton gave name to an ancient family, the last of
whom left two children under the guardianship of one
Hawarden, who was reported to have murdered them.
The estate afterwards belonged to the Gellibrands, who
succeeded the Hawardens; and was sold in 1811. The
township is beautifully situated on the river Mersey, and
comprises 3000a. 27p.: the soil is sandy, upon a redstone rock; and there are fine views of the Cheshire
hills and Welsh mountains. The London and Northwestern railway has a station about a quarter of a mile
from the village. The vicarial tithes have been commuted
for £160; and the impropriate for £243. 5. 11., payable
to King's College, Cambridge. There is a church, in the
township, at Farnworth, which see; and the Wesleyans
have a place of worship. At Appleton is a Roman
Catholic chapel dedicated to St. Bede, built in 1847, at
a cost of £2000; it is in the decorated style, with a
tower, and the eastern window is of stained glass: the
priest has an endowment of 13 acres of land, with a
house. There are national schools, which are licensed
by the bishop for divine service.
Widworthy (St. Cuthbert)
WIDWORTHY (St. Cuthbert), a parish, in the
union of Honiton, hundred of Colyton, Honiton and
S. divisions of Devon, 3½ miles (E. by S.) from Honiton;
containing 257 inhabitants. The parish is situated on
the road from Honiton to Axminster, and comprises
1407 acres, of which 205 are common or waste. Freestone of good quality for building is quarried, and chalk
is burnt into lime for manure. A fair is held at Wilmington on the morrow of St. Matthew's day. The
living is a rectory, valued in the king's books at
£11. 16. 0½., and in the patronage of the Elton family:
the tithes have been commuted for £200, and the glebe
comprises 31 acres. The church, an ancient structure,
contains the effigy of a knight in armour, and a fine
monument by Bacon to the memory of James Marwood,
Esq., a liberal benefactor to the parish. Benedictus
Marwood, Esq., in 1742 gave £100, and the Rev. Joseph
Somaster in 1770 left £50, to be applied to education;
the latter also left £50, directing the proceeds to be
distributed in bread among the poor. In 1831, the Rev.
W. J. Tucker, then rector, gave £200 to his successor
for charitable purposes. Near the church is an old
earthwork, and in the north-cast part of the parish are
vestiges of an intrenchment.
Wield (St. James)
WIELD (St. James), a parish, in the union of
Alton, hundred of Fawley, Alton and N. divisions of
the county of Southampton, 6 miles (W.) from Alton;
containing 278 inhabitants. The living is a perpetual
curacy; net income, £64; patron and impropriator, the
Earl of Portsmouth, whose tithes have been commuted
for £218. The church is very ancient, and contains a
marble monument to Sir Richard Wallop, an ancestor of
the earls of Portsmouth.
Wigan (All Saints)
WIGAN (All Saints), a
parish, borough, and markettown, which has separate jurisdiction, and the head of a
union, chiefly in the hundred
of West Derby, S. division
of the county of Lancaster;
containing, with the chapelries of Abram, Billinge, Haigh,
Hindley, Pemberton, and Up
Holland, and the townships
of Aspull, Billinge Higher
End, Dalton, Ince-in-Makerfield, Orrell, and Winstanley, 51,988 inhabitants, of whom
25,517 are in the town, 18 miles (W. N. W.) from Manchester, and 199 (N. W. by N.) from London. This
place is stated by Camden to have been originally called
Wibiggin. The nucleus of the town is supposed by
Whitaker to have been a Saxon castle, but its origin
should perhaps be assigned to a still earlier period, as
three Roman roads unite here. The vicinity is said to
have been the scene of some sanguinary battles between
the Britons, under their renowned King Arthur, and the
Saxons; and the discovery, about the middle of the 18th
century, of a large quantity of human bones, and the
bones and shoes of horses, over an extensive tract of
ground near the town, tends to confirm this opinion.
During the great civil war, several battles were fought
here, Wigan being the principal station of the king's
troops commanded by the Earl of Derby. That leader
was defeated and driven from the town by the parliamentary forces under Sir John Smeaton, early in 1643;
and shortly afterwards, in the same year, he was again
defeated by Colonel Ashton, who, in consequence of the
devotion of the inhabitants to the royal cause, ordered
the fortifications of the town to be demolished. From
this time Wigan remained tranquil (with the exception
of Oliver Cromwell pursuing through it, in 1648, the
Scottish army under the Duke of Hamilton, whom he
had driven from Preston) until 1651, when the Earl of
Derby, having been summoned from the Isle of Man by
Charles II., was again defeated here by a very superior
force under Colonel Lilburne. To record the courage
and loyalty of Sir Thomas Tyldesley, who was slain in
this action, a monumental pillar was erected in 1679, by
Alexander Rigby, Esq., then high sheriff of the county,
on the spot where he fell, at the northern end of the town.
In the year 1745, Prince Charles Edward marched
through Wigan on his route from Preston to Manchester,
and slept at Bishopsgate.
Corporation Seal.
The town is situated on the bank, and within eight
miles of the source, of the river Douglas, which runs
round three sides of it; and is described by Leland as
"a paved town, as big as Warrington, but better builded;"
a patent for paving it, and building a bridge over the
Douglas, having been granted so early as the 7th of
Edward III. The old and greater part of the town consists of irregular streets; the houses generally are of an
inferior description, but some few are good and modern,
and many of the shops present a handsome appearance.
It is lighted with gas by a company established in 1823,
and supplied with water by a company formed under
the authority of an act in 1761. The town is favourably
circumstanced for manufactures, owing to the facilities
of communication afforded by canal and railway. The
manufacture of calicoes, fustians, and other cotton goods,
linens, and checks, and the spinning of cotton-yarn, are
extensively carried on; and there are brass and iron
foundries, pewter-works, several manufactories for spades
and edge-tools, and some corn-mills on the river. In
1846, 26 cotton-mills were employed, having engines of
1417 horse-power, 292,172 spindles, and 1800 powerlooms. Wigan is situated in the very centre of one of
the richest and most extensive coal-fields in England:
the coal is of various qualities, adapted for all purposes,
and here is found the best description of cannel-coal, so
cheerful for domestic use and excellent for the production of gas. Under the authority of an act of parliament obtained in 1820, the Douglas was made navigable
to its junction with the Ribble, but the river navigation
has been since superseded by the canal between Leeds and
Liverpool, which passes close to the town, and by its
branches and various communications with Manchester,
Kendal, and Hull on one side, and Liverpool on the other,
affords every facility for the conveyance of the manufactures, and of the coal. The North-Union railway,
which forms a link in the grand trunk line from London
to the north, has a station at Wigan; and an act was
passed in 1845 for a railway from Liverpool, by Wigan,
to Bolton and Bury, to be constructed by the Manchester
and Leeds (or Lancashire and Yorkshire) Company.
A bridge of cast-iron beams, 46 feet long and 36 feet
wide, supported on fluted columns of the Doric order,
carries the former railway over Walgate. The market is
on Monday and Friday, that on the latter day being the
principal; and fairs are held on Holy-Thursday, June
27th, and Oct. 28th, on which days the Commercial-hall,
a commodious brick building in the market-place, erected
in 1816, is open for various purposes.
The first charter of incorporation was granted by
Henry III. in 1246, and the privileges it bestowed were
confirmed and augmented by succeeding monarchs; but
the charter under which the corporation acted previously
to the passing of the Municipal act, was conferred by
Charles II. The corporation now consists of a mayor,
ten aldermen, and thirty councillors, under the act; the
borough is divided into five wards, and the municipal
and parliamentary boundaries are co-extensive with the
township. Wigan first sent members to parliament in
the 23rd of Edward I., and again in the 35th of the
same reign, after which period the privilege was not exercised until the 1st of Edward VI.: the mayor is returning officer. The corporation is authorised by its
charter to try all civil actions (a power it never exercises),
and holds a court of quarter-sessions for felonies not
capital, committed within the borough. One of the
county debt-courts established in 1847, is fixed here,
with jurisdiction over the registration-district of Wigan;
petty-sessions for the county take place every Friday,
and for the borough every Monday, Wednesday, and
Friday. The town-hall was rebuilt in 1720, by the Earl
of Barrymore and Sir Roger Bradshaigh, then members
of the borough. The gaol is used only for temporary
confinement, the prisoners being committed to the county
gaol at Kirkdale. The parish comprises 26,262 acres,
of which 2161 are in the township of Wigan; of these
latter, 109 are arable, and 2052 meadow and pasture.
The living is a rectory, valued in the king's books at
£80. 13. 4.; net income, £2000; patron, the Earl of
Bradford. The tithes of Wigan township have been
commuted for £124. 11., and the glebe consists of 85
acres. The parochial church is a handsome edifice, with
a square tower. The chancel having been rebuilt, was
opened on All Saints' day, November 1st, 1847; it has a
noble wiudow by Wailes of Newcastle, given by the
Misses Kenyon, of Swinley, at a cost of £500, a screen
and pulpit of white stone beautifully executed, and a
reading-desk and stalls of massive oak, with other ornamental parts in strict accordance with the original fine
design of the church. About the same time, a vestry
meeting was held, at which it was resolved to restore or
rebuild the body of the edifice, as the different portions
might require: the cost of the additional works, according to the estimate of the architects, Messrs, Sharp and
Paley, of Lancaster, will amount to £4410. A beautiful
font by Carpenter, of London, valued at a hundred
guineas, has been presented by the Misses Kenyon; and
subscriptions have been raised for a west window corresponding with that in the chancel.
St. George's church, in the town, was erected as a
chapel of ease, in 1781. St. Catherine's church, at Scholes,
of which the first stone was laid on the 6th April 1840,
was completed at an expense of £3225, by subscription,
aided by a grant from Her Majesty's Commissioners; it
is in the later English style, with a tower and spire, and
contains 1113 sittings, of which 459 are free. Both these
churches have districts assigned to them, St. George's
comprising a population of 6000, and St. Catherine's a
population of 9000: the living of each is a perpetual
curacy; income, £150; patron, the Rector of Wigan.
St. Thomas's church, in the Queen-street ward, was
erected in 1848, at a cost of £2500, from the designs of
John Hay, Esq.; it is in the middle pointed style, with
a tower and spire. At Abram, Billinge, Haigh, Hindley,
Holland, and Pemberton are other incumbencies, all in
the Rector's gift. In the town are places of worship for
Baptists and Independents, a handsome meeting-house
for Wesleyans, and a Scottish church, in which the late
distinguished Dr. Chalmers preached his first sermon.
The Roman Catholics have two chapels; St. Mary's, in
the early English style, erected at a cost of £7000, and
having schools adjacent; and St. John's, in the Grecian
style, built in 1819 at an expense of £6500, and to which
schools for 1300 children were added in 1846 at an expense of £2000. In Scholes are St. Patrick's Roman
Catholic schools and chapel.
The free grammar school, at Millgate, appears to have
been founded in the 16th year of the reign of James I.,
when a benefaction was made to it of £6. 13. 4. per
annum, by James Leigh: an act of parliament was passed
in 1812, incorporating fifteen members of the municipal
corporation as governors of the institution, with power
to appoint a master and an usher. The number of
scholars is fixed at eighty, and the income is about £200
per annum. A Blue-coat school wherein 40 boys were
clothed and instructed, was established in 1773, but a
building for a national school being erected in 1825, the
former was united to it. Commodious infant and Sunday
schools, in connexion with St. Catherine's district church,
have been built by subscription, and schools have been
established in connexion with St. George's church. There
have also been recently erected by subscription, aided by
public grants, schools in the Queen-street ward, where
the principal part of the manufacturing population are
located. Schools for the children of dissenters are supported; and the poor have many bequests, amounting in
the aggregate to a considerable sum. The union of
Wigan comprises 20 townships, and contains a population
of 66,032.
Wigborough, Great (St. Stephen)
WIGBOROUGH, GREAT (St. Stephen), a parish,
in the union of Lexden and Winstree, hundred of
Winstree, N. division of Essex, 7 miles (S. S. W.)
from Colchester; containing 479 inhabitants. This
place, which is bounded on the south by a creek of the
river Blackwater, called the Verley, was the scene of a
great battle, probably with the northern pirates, to whose
incursions it was, from its situation, peculiarly exposed.
Near the church is a large tumulus, supposed to have
been raised over the bodies of those who were slain on
that occasion. The parish comprises 2585a. 3r. 34p., of
which 2450 acres are under cultivation, 35 in roads and
waste, and 100 covered at high water. The village is
situated on the road from Maldon to Colchester. It
was formerly of much greater importance, as is evident
from several green lanes still retaining the appellation of
streets; and there were once extensive salt-works in the
immediate neighbourhood, from which circumstance the
hamlet where they were carried on is called Salcot-Wigborough. A fair is held at that place on the 24th of
August. The living is a rectory, valued in the king's
books at £18. 17. 6.; net income, £591; patrons, H.
Bewes, Esq., and the Rev. William Fookes. The church
stands on a considerable eminence, commanding extensive
views of the sea and adjacent country. There is a place
of worship for Independents.
Wigborough, Little (St. Nicholas)
WIGBOROUGH, LITTLE (St. Nicholas), a parish,
in the union of Lexden and Winstree, hundred of
Winstree, N. division of Essex, 7¼ miles (S. by W.)
from Colchester; containing 114 inhabitants. It comprises 1157 acres of land, all in good cultivation with the
exception of 133 acres common or waste; and is bounded
on the north by a creek of the river Blackwater, called
Mersey channel, and on the south by another called
Verley channel. The living is a discharged rectory,
valued in the king's books at £10, and in the gift of the
Governors of the Charter-House, London: the tithes
have been commuted for £220, and the glebe comprises
20 acres. The church is a small edifice with a tower,
romantically situated on the sea-shore.