Willand (St. Mary)
WILLAND (St. Mary), a parish, in the union of
Tiverton, hundred of Halberton, Collumpton and
N. divisions of Devon, 2½ miles (N. N. E.) from Collumpton; containing 345 inhabitants. This parish,
which is situated on the road between Exeter and Bristol,
comprises 983a. 2r. 37p. The soil is various; some
portions consist of a light black earth: the meadow land
is generally level, and subject to flood, the river Culm
flowing through the lower part of the parish. A pleasurefair is held in September. The living is a discharged
rectory, valued in the king's books at £7. ]0. 5., and in
the gift of the Messrs. Salter: the tithes have been
commuted for £103. 9., and the glebe consists of less
than 2 acres. The church contains a monument to a
member of the Bindford family. There is a place of worship for Wesleyans.
Willaston
WILLASTON, a township, partly in the parish of
Nantwich, but chiefly in that of Wybunbury, union
and hundred of Nantwich, S. division of the county of
Chester, l½ mile (E. by N.) from Nantwich; containing
272 inhabitants. It comprises an area of 499a. 2r. 16p.,
of a sandy soil.
Willaston
WILLASTON, a township, in the parish of Neston,
union, and Higher division of the hundred, of Wirrall,
S. division of the county of Chester, 2¾ miles (E.) from
Great Neston; containing 332 inhabitants. It is a singular circumstance that Willaston is not mentioned in
Domesday book, although it was of sufficient importance
to confer its name upon the hundred, then called Wilaveston. The township comprises about 2300 acres, partly
a sandy and partly a clay soil. The village is seated in
about the centre of the hundred, and contains several
substantial farmhouses. Willaston Hall, an ancient
brick building, was erected by the Bennett family in
1558, and continued to be their residence until a very
late period. The great tithes belong to Sir William
Stanley, Bart.
Willen (St. Mary Magdalene)
WILLEN (St. Mary Magdalene), a parish, in the
union of Newport-Pagnell, hundred of Newport,
county of Buckingham, l½ mile (S.) from NewportPagnell; containing 97 inhabitants. The living is a
vicarage, valued in the king's books at £7. 10.; net
income, £115; patrons, the Trustees of Dr. Busby, who
nominate a Westminster student of Christ-Church College, Oxford. The church was erected in 1680, at the
expense of Dr. Busby, head master of Westminster
school, who endowed it with the rectorial tithes, and
gave a library for the use of the vicar, who now receives
a stipend in lieu of the rectorial tithes.
Willenhall
WILLENHALL, a chapelry, in the parish and union
of Wolverhampton, S. division of the hundred of
Offlow and of the county of Stafford, 3 miles (W.)
from Walsall, on the road to Wolverhampton; containing 8695 inhabitants. This place, at the period of the
Norman survey, was called Winehala, the Saxon term
for victory, probably from the great battle fought near
it in 911. The village began to thrive in the reign of
Elizabeth, when, from the extensive mines of ironstone
and coal in the neighbourhood, the iron manufacture
was first established here: at present it is noted for its
collieries and its flourishing trade in locks, the latter of
which it produces to a greater extent than any other
place of its size in Europe. Many other articles of
hardware are made, particularly currycombs, gridirons,
screws, &c. The township comprises 2050a. 3r. 17p.,
in nearly equal portions of arable and pasture: the soil
varies exceedingly. The Tame brook passes through;
also the Wyrley and Essington canal; and the Liverpool
and Birmingham railway has a station here. Courts
leet and baron are annually held. In the neighbourhood
are the remains of an old Hall, the seat of the maternal
ancestors of the Duke of Cleveland. The living is a
perpetual curacy; net income, £300; patrons, the Inhabitants: the tithes, which belong to the duke, have
been commuted for £640. The chapel, dedicated to St.
Giles, was rebuilt about 1748, and repaired in 1844.
Two districts, named respectively St. Stephen's and Holy
Trinity, were endowed in 1846 by the Ecclesiastical
Commission: each contains a population of about 3000,
and the living of each is a perpetual curacy; net income,
£150; patrons, the Crown and the Bishop of Lichfield,
alternately. There are places of worship for Baptists
and Weslfeyans; and national and British schools.
Willenhall
WILLENHALL, a hamlet, in the parish of Holy
Trinity, Coventry, union of Foleshill, Kirby division of the hundred of Knightlow, N. division of the
county of Warwick, 2¾ miles (S. E.) from Coventry;
containing 117 inhabitants, and comprising 726 acres.
The estate was bought by Lord Craven in 1846, for
51,800 guineas.
Willerby (St. Peter)
WILLERBY (St. Peter), a parish, in the union of
Scarborough, wapentake of Dickering, E. riding of
York; containing, with the townships of Binnington
and Staxton, 364 inhabitants, of whom 40 are in Willerby township, 6 miles (W. by N.) from Hunmanby.
The parish comprises 4099 acres of arable and pasture
land, and 151 acres of wood. Its small village, which is
on the road from Hunmanby to Sherburn, is seated in a
picturesque valley. The living is a discharged vicarage,
valued in the king's books at £9. 0. 7½., and in the patronage of the Crown; net income, £116; impropriator,
W. J. Denison, Esq. The tithes were commuted for
land and corn-rents in 1801. The church is a neat
building, with a tower at the west end. There is a place
of worship for Wesleyans; and a parochial school is
supported by subscription.
Willerby
WILLERBY, a township, in the union of Sculcoates. partly in the parish of Cottingham, HunsleyBeacon division of the wapentake of Harthill, and
partly in the parish of Kirk-Ella, county of the town
of Hull, E. riding of York, 5½ miles (W. N. W.) from
Hull; containing 214 inhabitants. It comprises about
840 acres of land, and is on the road from Hessle to
Beverley. The mansion of Ray well is situated here.
Willersey (St. Peter)
WILLERSEY (St. Peter), a parish, in the union
of Evesham, Upper division of the hundred of Kiftsgate, E. division of the county of Gloucester, 3 miles
(W.) from Chipping-Campden; containing 375 inhabitants. The parish comprises 1100 acres. Stone is quarried for the repair of roads, and for building. The living
is a rectory, valued in the king's books at £13. 2. 6.,
and with a net income of £162, in the patronage of
Mrs. M. H. Cooper: the tithes were commuted for land
and a money payment in 1767; the glebe consists of 85
acres, with a house. The church is a cruciform structure of various dates, with a tower at the intersection,
crowned by pinnacles. On the hill above the village, is
a camp inclosing about 60 acres, supposed to have been
formed during the incursions of the Danes: from it is
a fine view of the vale below.
Willersley (St. Mary Magdalene)
WILLERSLEY (St. Mary Magdalene), a parish,
in the union of Kington, hundred of Huntington,
county of Hereford, 7½ miles (E. N. E.) from Hay;
containing 13 inhabitants, and comprising 235 acres.
The parish is bounded on the south by the river Wye,
whose banks are adorned with much picturesque scenery.
The living is a discharged rectory, valued in the king's
books at £3. 6. 8., and in the gift of the Rev. Henry
Blissett: the tithes have been commuted for £60.
Willesborough (St. Mary)
WILLESBOROUGH (St. Mary), a parish, in the
union of East Ashford, hundred of Chart and Longbridge, lathe of Shepway, E. division of Kent, 2 miles
(S. E. by E.) from Ashford; containing 641 inhabitants.
It comprises 1458 acres, of which 174 are common or
waste, and 39 in wood. The living is a vicarage, valued
in the king's books at £8. 16. 8.; net income, £167;
patrons and appropriators, the Dean and Chapter of
Canterbury. The church is principally in the decorated
English style. In the parish is situated the East Ashford union workhouse.
Willesden (St. Mary)
WILLESDEN (St. Mary), a parish, in the union
of Hendon, Kensington division of the hundred of
Ossulstone, county of Middlesex, 5 miles (W. X. w.)
from London; containing 2930 inhabitants. This place,
sometimes written in old documents Willesdon, was also
anciently called Willesdune, by which name it is mentioned in a charter of King Athelstan, granting certain
lands to St. Paul's Cathedral. The parish contains the
ancient village of Neasdon, the village of HarlesdonGreen, part of Kensal-Green (the two latter on the
Harrow-road), and a part of the large village of Kilburn.
The London and Birmingham railway passes through
the southern extremity of the parish. The living is a
vicarage, in the patronage of the Dean and Chapter of
St. Paul's (the appropriators), valued in the king's books
at £14; income, £130. The church is principally in
the later English style. There is a chapel at Kilburn.
Willesley (St. Thomas)
WILLESLEY (St. Thomas), a parish, in the union
of Ashby, hundred of Repton and Gresley, S. division
of the county of Derby, locally in the W. division of the
hundred of Goscote, county of Leicester, 2 miles
(S. W. by S.) from Ashby; containing 53 inhabitants.
The manor was given by Wulfric Spott to Burton Abbey,
under which it was held in the 13th and 14th centuries
by the family of Ingwardby, from whom it passed by
marriage to the Abneys, who resided here for many
generations. Thomas Abney (son of Sir Thomas, a
justice of the common pleas), the last male of this family,
died in 1791, leaving an only daughter, married to Captain, afterwards General, Hastings, who distinguished
himself in the American war, and in 1806 was created a
baronet; he died in 1823, at the age of 82, and was
buried at Willesley. His title, and (among other property) the Wlllesley estate, passed to his son, Sir Charles
Abney Hastings, the present baronet.
The parish comprises 910 acres, of which about 25
are woodland, and the remainder arable and pasture in
nearly equal portions: the soil is various. The southwestern boundary of the parish is skirted by the Ashby
and Coventry canal, whence a railway passes to the
former town. The manor-house is a handsome structure in the form of the letter H, built about the time of
Charles I., and situated in a park of undulated surface,
embellished with plantations: the mansion has been enlarged and improved within the last six years. The
living is a perpetual curacy, with a net income of £62:
the patronage and impropriation belong to Sir C. Abney
Hastings. The church, situated a short distance from
the manor-house, is a very small plain edifice, with a
tower at the west end; the walls are turreted, stuccoed
on the outside, and much overgrown with ivy. The
period of its erection is not known: the interior has
been renovated within the last fifteen years.
Willey
WILLEY, a township, in the parish of Presteign,
union of Knighton, hundred of Wigmore, county of
Hereford, 2¾ miles (N.) from Presteign; containing 155
inhabitants, and comprising 2140 acres. It is bounded
on the west by the county of Radnor, South Wales.
Willey (St. John the Baptist)
WILLEY (St. John the Baptist), a parish, within
the liberties of the borough of Wen lock, in the union
of Madeley, S. division of Salop, 4¾ miles (N. W. by N.)
from Bridgnorth; containing 162 inhabitants. The
living is a discharged rectory, with the perpetual curacy of Barrow annexed, valued in the king's books at
£5. 6. 3., and in the gift of Lord Forester: the tithes
produce £245, and the glebe comprises 27 acres.
Willey (St. Leonard)
WILLEY (St. Leonard), a parish, in the union
of Lutterworth, Kirby division of the hundred of
Knightlow, N. division of the county of Warwick, 3
miles (W.) from Lutterworth; containing 138 inhabitants. This place was anciently called Wilega. In the
reign of Elizabeth the manor was possessed by the
families of Winter and Leigh, and was afterwards sold
among various persons; it subsequently became the
property of the noble family of Fielding. The parish
lies on the road from Coventry to Lutterworth, and
comprises 745a. 3r. 20p., of which the soil is clayey, and
the surface elevated, but level: gravel is obtained, of
good quality for roads. The Roman Watliug-street, and
the Midland railway, pass through. The living is a
rectory, valued in the king's books at £8. 6. 0½.; and
in the patronage of the Crown; net income, £250: the
tithes were commuted for land, under an act of inclosure,
in 1769. The church is a very ancient structure, with
a tower. A rectory-house, distant about three-quarters
of a mile from it, was built by the Rev. Frederick Morgan, M.A., in 1844. A parochial school is supported by
subscription. Fossils are found here in abundance,
particularly ammonites.
Williamscott, or Willscott
WILLIAMSCOTT, or Willscott, a hamlet, in the
chapelry of Wardington, parish of Cropredy, union
and hundred of Banbury, county of Oxford, 3¾ miles
(N. N. E.) from Banbury; containing, with Coton, 193
inhabitants. Walter Calcott, in 1575, endowed a free
school here with £13 per annum payable out of his
manor of Williamscott, for 40 boys chosen by lot from
the villages around: the manor is now in the possession
of John Loveday, Esq. Some remains exist of an ancient house in which Charles I. slept, a night or two
prior to the battle of Cropredy-Bridge; and it is said
that the king dined under an ash-tree in Williamscott
fields on the day of the battle.
Willian (All Saints)
WILLI AN (All Saints), a parish, in the union of
Hitchin, hundred of Broadwater, county of Hertford, 2½ miles (S. S. W.) from Baldock; containing
291 inhabitants. This parish was formerly, though not
usually, called Willien and Willei. It comprises 1854a.
3r. 34p., chiefly arable land, with about 150 acres of
pasture, and 10 of wood. The old north road passes on
the west of the village. The living is a vicarage, endowed with the rectorial tithes, valued in the king's
books at £5, and in the patronage of Francis Pym, Esq.:
the tithes have been commuted for £593. 12., and the
glebe consists of 20 acres. The church has been recently beautified, at an expense of £250.