Wisbech (St. Mary)
WISBECH (St. Mary), a parish, in the union and
hundred of Wisbech, Isle of Ely, county of Cambridge, 3 miles (N. W.) from the town of Wisbech:
containing, with the chapelry of Guyhirn, 1931 inhabitants. The parish comprises 9483a. 1r. 5p., of arable and
pasture land in nearly equal portions; 186 acres are
common or waste. The living is annexed to the vicarage
of Wisbech St. Peter. The church is principally in the
later English style, with a large square tower. At Guyhirn is a neat chapel, built in 1666, of which the living is
a perpetual curacy, in the patronage of the Vicar. A
school is endowed with 21 acres of land.
Wisbech (St. Peter and St. Paul)
WISBECH (St. Peter
and St. Paul), a sea-port,
borough, market-town, and
parish, and the head of a
union, in the hundred of
Wisbech, Isle of Ely,
county of Cambridge, 43
miles (N.) from Cambridge,
and 94 (N. by E.) from London; containing 8530 inhabitants. This place is of
great antiquity, being noticed in 664, in a charter by
which Wulfhere, son of Peada, King of the Mercians,
granted to the abbey of Medehamstead, now Peterborough, "the lands from Ragwell, 5 miles to the main
river that goeth to Elm and to Wisbece." In the Norman survey it is mentioned under the same appellation,
which it retained till the reign of Edward I., from which
period till the time of Henry VI. it was invariably written
Wysebeche. The name is supposed to be derived from
the river Ouse, then called the Wise, and from the Saxon
bec, signifying either a running stream, or a tongue of
land at the confluence of two rivers: before the diversion of their streams, the town might be described as situated at the confluence of the Ouse with the Nene.
Corporation Seal.
From the date of Wulfhere's charter, little is recorded
of the history of the place till the year 1000, when the
manor is said to have been given to the convent of Ely,
by Oswi, and Leoflede, daughter of Brithnod the first
abbot, on the admission into that monastery of their son
Ailwin, afterwards bishop of Elmham. William the
Conqueror, in the last year of his reign, erected a strong
castle here, which he placed under the command of a
governor, styled a constable, with a strong garrison, to
keep the refractory barons in submission, and to check
the ravages of the outlaws, who made frequent incursions
from the neighbouring fens into the upland parts of the
county. In 1190, Richard I. granted to the tenants of
Wisbech Barton Manor exemption from toll in all towns
or markets throughout England. This privilege was confirmed by King John, who, in 1216, visited the town,
and is supposed to have taken up his residence in the
castle, on leaving which the king attempting to cross the
Wash at an improper time, lost all his carriages, treasure, and regalia. The greater part of the town, together
with the castle, was destroyed in 1236, by an inundation
of the sea, but it was soon afterwards restored; and the
castle subsequently falling into dilapidation, Bishop
Morton, towards the close of the 15th century, erected
on its site another of brick, which became a palace of
the bishops of Ely. In the reign of Elizabeth, the castle
was appropriated to the confinement of state prisoners,
and during the protectorate of Cromwell was purchased
by Thurloe, afterwards his secretary, who made it an
occasional residence. Upon the Restoration, it reverted
to the bishops; but it was sold in 1793, and all remains
of it have disappeared in the recent improvements of the
town, which is at present the most flourishing place in
the Isle of Ely.
The town is situated on both sides of the river now
called the Nene, over which is a handsome stone bridge
of one elliptical arch, 72 feet in the span. The streets
are regularly formed, the houses in general well built;
and on the site of the ancient castle, which was purchased by an architect and taken down in 1816, a crescent of more than 50 houses has been erected. The
town is paved, and lighted with gas. From the late improvement in the system of draining, a great portion of
previously unproductive land in the vicinity has been
brought into a high state of cultivation, and on every
side are seen fertile corn-fields and luxuriant pastures.
A building, in the Doric style, was erected for literary
purposes, in 1847, at a cost of £3000: it comprises a
museum of some years' founding, and a public library
established in 1781; the library contains more than
3000 volumes. There is also a theological library, in
which are many valuable works of the old divines. In
the town are a reading-room, and a neat theatre: assemblies are held in some rooms appropriately fitted up,
and a commodious building has been some time erected,
in which are hot, cold, and sea-water baths.
About a century since, the principal articles of trade
were, oil, for the preparation of which there were seven
mills in the town; and butter, of which not less than
8000 firkins were sent annually to London. The importance of the place as a sea-port has much increased
of late years, and the trade has been greatly augmented.
The main exports are corn, rape-seed, long wool (of
which great quantities are sent to the clothing districts
in Yorkshire), and timber, which is brought hither from
the county of Northampton: Wisbech is now one of the
principal places of export for wheat in the kingdom.
The chief imports are wine, deals, and coal. The navigation of the river above the town was, many years
since, greatly improved by a straight cut from Peterborough, forming a communication with the upland
country, and supplying Peterborough, Oundle, and
Northampton with various commodities. Below the
town, very extensive works have been executed by the
commissioners of the Nene Out-fall, which have greatly
improved the drainage of large tracts of land in the
neighbourhood, and made the navigation to the sea perfect: vessels of large burthen now approach the town,
and load and unload at the quay and granaries. In a
recent year, tonnage duties were paid on 97,119 tons;
the number of vessels of above 50 tons registered at the
port is 56, and their aggregate burthen 5200 tons. In
1794, a canal was cut from the river at Wisbech to the
Old Nene at Outwell, and thence to the Ouse at Salter's
Lode Sluice, opening a way to Norfolk and Suffolk. An
act was passed in 1845, for a branch from the Lynn and
Ely railway, to Wisbech, 10 miles in length; and in
1846, for a railway from Wisbech to March and St. Ives,
27¼ miles long: another act was passed in 1846, for
a railway from Wisbech to the Syston aud Peterborough
line near Stamford, in length 22 miles. The market is
on Saturday. Fairs are held on the Saturday before
Palm-Sunday, and the Saturday before Lady-day, for
hemp and flax; also a considerable horse-fair on the
Thursday before Whit-Sunday, which is numerously
attended by the London dealers; and a large cattle-fair
on August 12th, at which as many as 3000 head of
cattle have been brought for sale. The market and fairs
are held by the corporation on lease from the Bishop of
Ely, who is lord of the manor. The market-place is a
spacious open area.
The guild of the Holy Trinity, established in 1379,
being found at the time of the Dissolution to have supported a grammar school, and maintained certain piers,
jetties, and banks, "against the rage of the sea," was in
1549 restored by Edward VI. The king also gave the
inhabitants a charter of incorporation, which was renewed by James I. in 1611, and confirmed by Charles
II. in 1669. The corporation, however, at present consists of a mayor, 6 aldermen, and 18 councillors, under
the act 5th and 6th of William IV., cap. 76; the borough
is divided into two wards; the mayor and late mayor
are justices of the peace, and the number of other magistrates is 3. The quarter-sessions for the Isle of Ely take
place here and at Ely alternately; petty-sessions for
the division are held here, and there is a county debtcourt, established in 1847, whose powers extend over
part of the registration-district of Wisbech. The townhall is embellished with the town arms, a painting of
Edward VI., and portraits of Dr. Jobson, the late vicar,
who was a considerable benefactor to the town, and
Thomas Clarkson, the strenuous advocate of negro
emancipation. The shire-hall is annexed to the gaol,
which was rebuilt in 1807. The parish comprises 5750a.
3r. 12p., of which about 2887 acres are arable, and 2792
pasture.
The living is a vicarage, with the living of Wisbech
St. Mary annexed, valued in the king's books at £26.
13. 4.; patron, the Bishop of Ely; appropriators, the
Dean and Chapter of Ely. The great tithes of the two
parishes have been commuted for £1840, and the vicarial
for £2175; the appropriate glebe contains 15½ acres,
and the vicar's 51½. The church is a spacious structure,
partly Norman, but chiefly in the decorated. English
style, with a lofty embattled tower in the later style. It
has two naves under one roof, divided in the centre by
a beautiful range of light clustered pillars with pointed
arches, and separated from their respective aisles by low
massive pillars and circular Norman arches; the north
aisle of the chancel is in the decorated style, and there
is a fine window of the same character at the west end
of the south aisle of the nave. A handsome chapel, of
octagonal form, was erected in 1828, on the opposite side
of the river, in the old market, at an expense of £9364.
This sum was raised by subscription among the inhabitants, to meet a liberal offer of Dr. Jobson, who conveyed
in fee a real estate of more than £5000 in value, as an
endowment for the minister, to whom the rents and
profits are given in perpetuity. The chapel was opened
for divine service on January 13th, 1831, and contains
about 1100 sittings, of which 300 are free; the preferment
is in the gift of Trustees, and the net income is £200.
There are places of worship for Baptists, the Society of
Friends, Independents, Johnsonians, Wesleyans, Presbyterians, and Unitarians.
The free grammar school is of very ancient foundation,
the appointment of a master in 1446 by the guild of the
Holy Trinity being still on record. Its original endowment was augmented by bequests from Thomas Parke
and John Crane, for increasing the master's stipend,
which, including perquisites, amounts to £200 per
annum. Belonging to the school are, four by-fellowships of £10 per annum each, founded at Peter-House,
Cambridge, by T. Parke, in 1628; and two scholarships
for youths of Wisbech, originally of £8, which are now
worth £70 per annum each. Archbishop Herring, and
Thomas Clarkson, were educated at the school. There
is a national school endowed with lands producing £55
per annum. A fund for lending money to tradesmen
free of interest, was bequeathed by John Crane in 1652;
it was increased by a gift of £300 from William Holmes.
In the town are several almshouses for the poor, and it
has many valuable charities. The union of Wisbech
comprises 22 parishes or places, of which 13 are in the
county of Norfolk, and 9 in that of Cambridge; and
contains a population of 31,484. Here was an hospital
dedicated to St. John the Baptist, of which no traces are
now discernible.
Wisborough-Green (St. Peter)
WISBOROUGH-GREEN (St. Peter), a parish, in
the union of Petworth, partly in the hundreds of
Rotherbridge and West Easwrith, but chiefly in
the hundred of Bury, rape of Arundel, W. division of
Sussex, 10 miles (W. by S.) from Horsham; containing
1807 inhabitants. It is bounded on the north by the
county of Surrey, and comprises 8276 acres, of which
1220 are pasture and meadow, 4423 arable, and the
remainder wood and waste. Several feeders to the river
Arun flow through the parish, which is also intersected
by the Arun and Wey canal. The village is pleasantly
situated on the road from Billinghurst to Petworth;
fairs are held in it on the 16th of July and 20th of November, for horses, cattle, sheep, and pigs. The living
is a discharged vicarage, valued in the king's books at
£9. 18. 0½., and in the patronage of the Bishop of Chichester: the tithes here of the Ecclesiastical Commission
have been commuted for £1171, and those of the vicar
for £440; the former has 19½, and the latter 4, acres of
glebe. The church is principally in the early English
style, with a tower surmounted by a lofty shingled spire;
it contains some monuments to the Napper and King
families. At Loxwood-End is a chapel; and there is a
place of worship for Independents in the parish. The
workhouse here has been appropriated for the children
of the union.
Wisby, county of Lincoln.—See Whisby.
WISBY, county of Lincoln.—See Whisby.
Wiseton, or Wyeston
WISETON, or Wyeston, a township, in the parish
of Clayworth, union of East Retford, North-Clay
division of the wapentake of Bassetlaw, N. division
of the county of Nottingham, 5 miles (E. S. E.) from
Bawtry; containing 133 inhabitants, and comprising
about 930 acres. The tithes have been commuted for
£243, and there is a glebe of 12½ acres. The hamlet
of Drakeholes or Drakelow, partly in this township, and
partly in the parish of Everton, is one of the depôts for
the Chesterfield and Trent canal, which passes through a
tunnel here 250 yards in length, in cutting which many
coins of Constantine, and human bones were found.
Wiseton Hall, a handsome mansion consisting of a centre and two wings, is pleasantly situated on an eminence,
with a lawn of 30 acres in front, interspersed with beautiful clumps of trees, and commanding fine and extensive views of the surrounding country.
Wishaw (St. Chad)
WISHAW (St. Chad), a parish, in the union of
Aston, Birmingham division of the hundred of Hemlingford, N. division of the county of Warwick,
4 miles (E. S. E.) from Sutton-Coldfield; containing 266
inhabitants. This parish, with the hamlet of Moxhull,
comprises 1196 acres, all the property of Mr. Noel, with
the exception of a few small freeholds. The surface is
well wooded, and partly undulated, the soil extremely
fertile, and the scenery embraces pleasing views of the
surrounding country. The London and Liverpool road,
the Birmingham and Tamworth road, and the Birmingham and Derby railway, run through the parish; and
the Birmingham and Fazeley canal passes close to
Wishaw. The living is a rectory, valued in the king's
books at £5. 5., and in the patronage of the Ffolliott
and Jesson families; net income, £370. The church is
an ancient structure in the early English style, with a
square tower. Lady Hacketin 1710 gave £100, directing the interest to be applied to teaching children; and
a parochial and Sunday school is supported by Mr. Noel.
—See Moxhull.
Wishford, Great (St. Giles)
WISHFORD, GREAT (St. Giles), a parish, in the
union of Wilton, hundred of Branch and Dole,
Salisbury and Amesbury, and S. divisions of Wilts.
6 miles (N. W.) from Salisbury; containing 358 inhabitants. It is situated on the river Wily, and on the
road from Salisbury to Bath; and comprises 1610a. 3r.
11p., of which about 900 acres are arable, 649 pasture,
and 61 woodland: the soil is in general chalky. The
living is a rectory, valued in the king's books at £17.
10. 7½., and in the gift of the Earl of Pembroke: the
tithes have been commuted for £430; there is a parsonage-house, and the glebe comprises 17½ acres. The
church, which was repaired, and the gallery enlarged, in
1829, contains an ancient monument to Thomas Bonham, lord of the manor, who is represented in the habit
of a pilgrim, lying at full length; also a beautiful monument to Sir Richard Grobham dressed in armour. Sir
R. Grobham in 1628 founded an almshouse for four
aged men, and endowed it with property now worth
£78 a year. Sir Richard Howe, Bart., in 1728 established a free school, and endowed it with tithes which
now produce £74 per annum. A fund for apprenticing
children, amounting to about £10. 10. per annum, was
bequeathed by Daniel Oland in 1735.
Wisley
WISLEY, a parish, in the union of Guildford.
Second division of the hundred of Woking, W. division
of Surrey, 2½ miles (N. by E.) from Ripley; containing
155 inhabitants. It is called Wiselei in the Domesday
survey, and had a church at that time. The parish is
the smallest but one in the hundred, comprising only
825 acres of rateable land: the main road from Ripley
to Cobham crosses Wisley heath. The living is a discharged rectory, with the vicarage of Pyrford annexed,
valued in the king's books at £40. 19.; net income,
£210; patron, the Earl of Onslow: the glebe consists
of 61 acres. The church is an ancient edifice in the
early English style.
Wispington (St. Margaret)
WISPINGTON (St. Margaret), a parish, in the
union of Horncastle, S. division of the wapentake of
Gartree, parts of Lindsey, county of Lincoln, 4
miles (W. N. W.) from Horncastle; containing 84 inhabitants, and comprising 1194 acres by computation.
The living is a discharged vicarage; patron and impropriator, C. Tumor, Esq. The great tithes have been
commuted for £70, and the vicarial for £140; there is
a parsonage-house, and the glebe contains 70 acres in
this parish, and 30 in that of Stickney.
Wissett (St. Andrew)
WISSETT (St. Andrew), a parish, in the union and
hundred of Blything, E. division of Suffolk, 1½ mile
(N. W.) from Halesworth; containing 470 inhabitants.
It comprises 2240a. 1r. 14p., of which 52 acres are
common or waste. The living is a perpetual curacy;
patrons and impropriators, the Hartopp family. The
great tithes have been commuted for £452. 10., and
those of the perpetual curate for £90. The church Us
chiefly in the later English style, with a circular tower';
on the north and south are richly-decorated Norman
doorways.
Wistanstow (Holy Trinity)
WISTANSTOW (Holy Trinity), a parish, in the
union of Church-Stretton, partly in the hundred of
Purslow, but chiefly in that of Munslow, S. division
of Salop, 9¾ miles (N. W. by N.) from Ludlow; containing, with the township of Cheney-Longville, 1051
inhabitants. The parish is situated on the road from
Ludlow to Shrewsbury, and the river Onny flows
through. The surface is undulated, and the scenery
beautiful: good freestone is obtained. The living is a
rectory, valued in the king's books at £18; net income,
£764; patron, the Earl of Craven. The church is an
ancient cruciform structure, with a tower. At CwmHead is a district church, built in 1845, at a cost of
£750: it has a spire. The Wesleyans have a place of
worship; and a national school is supported by subscription. About £15 per annum, the rent of land purchased with bequests by Ann Ball (in 1604) and others,
are distributed among the poor.
Wistaston (St. Mary)
WISTASTON (St. Mary), a parish, in the union
and hundred of Nantwich, S. division of the county of
Chester, 2½ miles (N. E. by E.) from Nantwich; containing 355 inhabitants. It comprises 1500 acres, of
grazing land; the soil is half sand, half clay. The living
is a discharged rectory, valued in the king's books at
£4. 0. 3., and in the gift of J. W. Hammond, Esq.: the
tithes have been commuted for £200; there is a parsonage-house, and the glebe contains 4½ acres. The
church was rebuilt of brick in 1826; it has a square
tower, and the chancel window is of stained glass. A
day school possesses a small endowment. About £3 per
annum, arising from bequests, are paid to the churchwarden by Mr. Hammond.
Wisterston
WISTERSTON, a chapelry, in the parish of Marden, hundred of Broxash, union and county of Hereford, 7 miles (N. by E.) from the city of Hereford;
containing 28 inhabitants. The living is a perpetual
curacy; net income, £48; patron, W. Vale, Esq.; impropriator, James Beebee, Esq.
Wiston, or Wissington (St. Mary)
WISTON, or Wissington (St. Mary), a parish, in
the union of Sudbury, hundred of Babergh, W. division of Suffolk, 7½ miles (N. N. W.) from Colchester;
containing 252 inhabitants. It comprises 1485a. 2r.
34p., and is bounded on the south by the river Stour.
The living is a vicarage endowed with the rectorial
tithes, valued in the king's books at £4. 19. 4½., and in
the patronage of the Crown: the tithes have been commuted for £442; there is a parsonage-house, and the
glebe contains 1¼ acre. The church has a rich and
very curious Norman door, with a north entrance in the
same style; the chancel is separated from the nave by
an enriched arch.
Wiston (St. Mary)
WISTON (St. Mary), a parish, in the union of
Thakeham, hundred of Steyning, rape of Bramber,
W. division of Sussex, 1½ mile (N. N. W.) from Steyning; containing 341 inhabitants. In the southern
portion of the parish is a magnificent sweep of down
land, which rises in one place to an elevation of 820
feet; it commands most extensive views, and its beautiful plantations render it conspicuous from distant parts.
Wiston House, a mansion in the Elizabethan style,
erected by Sir Thomas Shirley about 1576, has been
taken down and rebuilt by the present proprietor,
Charles Goring, Esq., with the exception of the ancient
baronial hall, a noble apartment having a finely-groined
timber roof. The park, the surface of which is undulated, contains some stately forest-trees, and is well
stocked with deer. The living is a rectory, valued in
the king's books at £12. 13. 4., and in the gift of Mr.
Goring: the incumbent's tithes have been commuted for
£436, and a rent-charge of £64 is paid to Magdalen
College, Oxford; the glebe contains 3½ acres. The
church, situated in the park, is chiefly in the decorated
style, and consists of a nave, chancel, and south aisle,
at the east end of which is a sepulchral chapel; there
are monuments to Sir William Shirley, Sir Thomas
Shirley and his wife, and several of the Gorings.
Wistow (St. John the Baptist)
WISTOW (St. John the Baptist), a parish, in the
union of St. Ives, hundred of Hurstingstone, county
of Huntingdon, 3¾ miles (S. S. W.) from Ramsey;
containing 490 inhabitants, and comprising 2332a. 3r.
7p. The living is a rectory, valued in the king's books
at £10. 17. 8½.; net income, £354; patron, R. G.
Woodruff, Esq. There is a glebe-house, and the glebe
contains 38 acres.
Wistow (St. Winston)
WISTOW (St. Winston), a parish, in the union of
Billesdon, hundred of Gartree, S. division of the
county of Leicester, 7¼ miles (S. E. by S.) from Leicester; containing 296 inhabitants. On the night previous to the battle of Naseby, King Charles I. slept at
Wistow Hall here, which is now the seat of Sir Henry
Halford, son of the late Sir Henry Halford, Bart., G.C.B.,
the distinguished physician, who died in 1844. The
house was considerably enlarged, and the grounds were
laid out with much taste, by the late proprietor, at an
expense of £20,000. In the library is a splendid clock,
ornamented with a bust of George IV., and valued at
600 guineas, which, shortly after the decease of that
monarch, was presented by six members of the royal
family to Sir Henry, as a tribute to his skill and assiduity as their physician. The church is a mile and a
half from the road between London and Leicester by
Welford, and about a mile from that through MarketHarborough; and the Leicester Union canal runs through
the parish. There is only one house in Wistow, besides
the Hall and two tenements belonging to servants of the
establishment. In the chapelry of Newton-Harcourt, in
the parish, are numerous small dwellings, and about 40
or 50 stocking-frames are at work. The living is a discharged vicarage, valued in the king's books at £8. 18. 4.;
net income, £92; patron and impropriator, Sir Henry
Halford. The tithes were commuted for land in 1771.
The church was repaired and beautified by the late
baronet, who erected a burial-place adjoining, in which
are interred the remains of the late Lady Halford, Mr.
Justice Vaughan, and other relatives. There is a chapel
of ease at Newton-Harcourt.
Wistow (All Saints)
WISTOW (All Saints), a parish, in the union of
Selby, Lower division of the wapentake of BarkstoneAsh, W. riding of York, 3 miles (N. W. by N.) from
Selby; containing 756 inhabitants. It comprises 2900
acres; the surface is flat, and the soil loam: the river
Ouse passes within half a mile. The living is a discharged vicarage, in the patronage of the Prebendary of
Wistow in the Cathedral of York, valued in the king's
books at £8; net income, £221: the tithes were commuted for land and a money payment in 1776. The
church is an ancient structure, with a tower. There are
places of worship for Wesleyans and Primitive Methodists. A school is endowed with £5 per annum; and
here is a charity for apprenticing boys, founded by Archbishop Montaigne, the annual value of which is £24.
Wiswell, or Wiswall
WISWELL, or Wiswall, a township, in the parish
of Whalley, union and parliamentary borough of
Clitheroe, Higher division of the hundred of Blackburn, N. division of Lancashire, 3 miles (S. by E.)
from Clitheroe; containing 775 inhabitants. Mention
of Wiswell, or the "spring of Wiga," first occurs in the
reign of Richard I., when it was vested in the de Lacys.
In the 14th of Edward III., Richard Radcliffe held the
manor for the manor of Whalley. The Braddylls and
Sherburnes were subsequently proprietors; and from
the latter the property passed by marriage to the family
of Weld, by whom it was sold, in 1830, to Robert
Whalley, Esq., of Clerk-Hill. The township is intersected by the road from Whalley to Clitheroe: the
village is distant about a mile north-north-east from the
village of Whalley. The extension of manufactures,
comprising the spinning of cotton-thread and the weaving
and printing of calico, has caused a considerable increase
in the population within the last few years. Wiswell
Hall existed in the reign of Henry V.