Wookey (St. Matthew)
WOOKEY (St. Matthew), a parish, in the union
of Wells, hundred of Wells-Forum, E. division of
Somerset, 1¾ mile (W.) from Wells; containing, with
the tything of Yarley, and part of Wookey-Hole, 1187
inhabitants. The living is a discharged vicarage, in the
patronage of the Subdean of Wells, valued in the king's
books at £12. 15. 10.: the great tithes have been commuted for £212, and the vicarial for £299. 5.; the
glebe comprises 5 acres. At Henton is a second church,
dedicated to Christ. In the side of the Mendip hills,
about a mile and a half from the village, is the curious
cavern termed Wookey-Hole, the approach to which is
surrounded by scenery extremely picturesque. The
entrance is very narrow, but within are several spacious
apartments, one of them resembling the interior of a
church, the roof and sides of which are encrusted with
concretions of most fantastic form, while on the floor
are other large petrifactions, formed by the water dropping from above. Beyond is a smaller cavity, and this
leads to a third, the diameter of which is about 120 feet,
its roof cylindrical, and its bottom composed of a fine
sand. On one side of the last cave runs a very cold
and pure stream of water, the primary source of the
river Axe.
Wookey-Hole
WOOKEY-HOLE, a tything, partly in the parish of
Wookey, and partly in the parish of St. Cuthbert,
without the limits of the city of Wells, union of Wells,
hundred of Wells-Forum, E. division of Somerset;
containing 132 inhabitants.
Wool (Holy Rood)
WOOL (Holy Rood), a parish, in the union of
Wareham and Purbeck, liberty of Bindon, Wareham
division of Dorset, 6 miles (W. by S.) from Wareham;
containing 505 inhabitants. It comprises about 2100
acres, of which 1700 are arable, meadow, and pasture,
and 400 heath; the soil of the cultivated land is fertile.
From a copious spring at the head of the parish, issues
a stream that flows through the village into the river
Frome. A fair for cattle and general traffic is held on
the 14th of May. The living was until recently annexed
to the vicarage of Coombe-Keynes; it is now a distinct
perpetual curacy, in the gift of the Bishop of Salisbury,
with a net income of £80. The church is an ancient
structure, partly Norman, and partly in the early English
style, with a massive tower; the pulpit hangings, though
much decayed, are embellished with representations of
the Twelve Apostles, worked in embroidery with gold
and silver thread enriched with beads. Nearly half a
mile to the south, are the remains of Bindon Abbey,
founded in 1172, by Robert de Newburgh and Matilda
his wife, in honour of the Virgin Mary, for monks of
the Cistercian order, whose revenue at the Dissolution
was £229. 2. 1. Of part of the ruins, a building of corresponding character has been erected on the spot, by
the proprietor, Joseph Weld, Esq., of Lulworth Castle.
The site is beautifully laid out, and is much frequented
by parties of pleasure.
Woolard
WOOLARD, a hamlet, partly in the parish of
Compton-Dando, but chiefly in that of Publow, union
of Clutton, hundred of Keynsham, E. division of
Somerset; containing 191 inhabitants.
Woolascott
WOOLASCOTT, a township, in the parish of St.
Mary, Shrewsbury, hundred of Pimhill, Northern
division of Salop; containing 23 inhabitants.
Woolavington (St. Mary)
WOOLAVINGTON (St. Mary), a parish, in the
union of Bridgwater, hundred of Whitley, W. division of Somerset, 4 miles (N. E.) from Bridgwater;
containing 448 inhabitants, and comprising by measurement 1735 acres. Stone of good quality is quarried for
building, and for the roads; the best is a blue lias,
which is much esteemed. A cattle-fair is held on the
18th of October. The living is a vicarage, endowed
with a portion of the rectorial tithes, with the living of
Puriton annexed, and valued in the king's books at
£11. 7. 11.; net income, £352; patrons, the Dean and
Canons of Windsor, who are appropriators of the remainder of the rectorial tithes. The glebe comprises 36
acres, and there is a good house, built by the present incumbent. The church has a small sepulchral chapel
attached. Here are places of worship for Wesleyans;
and a national school.
Woolbeding
WOOLBEDING, a parish, in the union and borough
of Midhurst, hundred of Easebourne, rape of Chichester, W. division of Sussex, 1½ mile (N. W.) from
Midhurst; containing 311 inhabitants. The parish is
intersected by the river Rother, and comprises about
2300 acres, of which 767 are arable, 250 meadow and
pasture, 517 woodland, and the remainder waste; the
surface is undulated, and the scenery pleasingly varied.
Near the conservatory of Woolbeding House is a bronze
fountain, removed from the quadrangle at Cowdray;
also a remarkable tulip-tree, the trunk of which is eight
feet in girth, at a height of three feet from the ground.
The living is a rectory, valued in the king's books at
£7. 0. 10., and in the patronage of the Hon. Mrs. George
Ponsonby: the tithes have been commuted for £280,
and the glebe comprises 27 acres. The church is in a
very sequestered spot; in the chancel window is some
ancient stained glass, from the priory of Mottesfont, in
Hampshire.
Woolborough (St. James)
WOOLBOROUGH (St. James), a parish, in the
union of Newton-Abbott, hundred of Haytor, Teignbridge and S. divisions of Devon, 5 miles (W. S. W.)
from Teignmouth; containing, with the town of Newton-Abbott, 2609 inhabitants. The parish lies on the
road from London to Plymouth, about half a mile south
of the river Teign, and comprises by computation 1600
acres. Limestone is extensively quarried for building,
and burning into lime. The living is a donative; net
income, £235; patron and impropriator, the Earl of
Devon. The church, situated about a mile from Newton-Abbott, has an inscription on the outside of the
south aisle bearing date 1516; the other portions of the
structure are considered to be much more ancient.
There is some fine screen-work across the nave and aisles,
and the building contains a monument to the memory
of Sir Richard and Lady Lucy Reynell; the chancel
underwent great improvement a few years since, and a
handsome altar-piece of stone has been erected.—See
Newton-Abbott.
Woolcombe
WOOLCOMBE, a tything, in the parish of Portbury, union of Bedminster, hundred of Portbury,
E. division of Somerset 3 containing 15 inhabitants.
Wooldale
WOOLDALE, a township, in the parish of KirkBurton, union of Huddersfield, Upper division of
the wapentake of Agbrigg, W. riding of York, 6¼
miles (S.) from Huddersfield; containing 4806 inhabitants. It was anciently called Wolves-dale, from its
abounding with wolves. The manufacture of woollencloth is carried on extensively. There are places of
worship for the Society of Friends, and Unitarians.
Wooler (St. Mary)
WOOLER (St. Mary), a market-town and parish,
in the union, and E. division of the ward, of Glendale,
N. division of Northumberland, 16½ miles (S.) from
Berwick-upon-Tweed, 18 (N. W.) from Alnwick, 45
(N. N. W.) from Newcastle-upon-Tyne, and 318 (N. N.
W.) from London; containing, with the township of
Fenton, 1874 inhabitants. This place occupies the eastern
declivity of the Cheviot hills; and near it is the village
of Humbleton, celebrated for the victory gained by Percy,
Earl of Northumberland, in the reign of Henry IV., over
a Scottish army of 10,000 men, under the command of
Earl Douglas: the engagement occurred on a plain
within a mile north-west of the town, where a stone
pillar has been erected, commemorative of the event.
A great part of the town was destroyed by fire in 1722,
since which period it has not made any considerable
advances towards improvement. It consists of several
streets diverging from a market-place in the centre, is
indifferently paved, and supplied with water from a
fountain erected at the public expense; a good troutstream flows through the lower part of it, and falls into
the river Till. The houses are mostly old, and the
general appearance of the place is unfavourable; but the
situation, though mountainous, is extremely salubrious,
and the town was formerly much resorted to by invalids,
for whose use many goats were kept. Here is a branch
of the North of England bank; a public subscription
library is supported, and a mechanics' institute was
established in 1827. The market is on Thursday. Fairs
are held on May 4th and October 17th, for horses,
cattle, and sheep; and on the third Tuesday in May a
general fair takes place on Weetwood Bank, a mile and
a half distant from the town. The powers of the county
debt-court of Wooler, established in 1847, extend over
the registration-district of Glendale. The lord of the
manor holds a court leet and baron within three weeks
after Easter.
The living is a vicarage, endowed with a portion of
the rectorial tithes, valued in the king's books at
£5. 8. 1½., and in the patronage of the Bishop of Durham; impropriator of the remainder of the rectorial
tithes, the Earl of Tankerville. The vicarial tithes have
been commuted for £404. 16., and the impropriate for
£54; there are 56 acres of glebe. The church, built in
1765, on the site of an ancient structure destroyed by
fire, is a neat edifice, occupying an eminence commanding an extensive and richly-varied prospect. There are
places of worship for Burghers and Presbyterians; also
a Scottish Relief church, and a Roman Catholic chapel.
The Glendale union, of which Wooler is the head, comprises 45 parishes and places, and contains a population
of 14,000 persons. On a circular mount near the town
are the remains of a tower, apparently of Norman origin.
There are also many intrenchments in the vicinity, of
which the most remarkable is Humbleton Hugh, circular
in form, with a large cairn on the summit; the sides of
the hill are formed into terraces, about twenty feet broad,
in three successive tiers, which, when they were filled
with soldiers, presented a formidable resistance to any
assailing force.
Woolfardisworthy
WOOLFARDISWORTHY, a parish, in the union
of Bideford, hundred of Hartland, Great Torrington
and N. divisions of Devon, 9½ miles (S. W. by W.) from
Bideford; containing 988 inhabitants. This parish,
which reaches to the sea-coast, comprises about 6000
acres. Stone of good quality for building is extensively
quarried, and shipped from Bideford to various places.
The village, which extends into the adjoining parish, is
chiefly inhabited by fishermen, who are partly employed
in carrying sand from the shore, for the use of farmers
in dressing the lands. There is also a fishing-hamlet in
the parish, situated on the same bay as Clovelly, and
where a commodious quay might easily be formed. Two
fairs for cattle are annually held. The living is a perpetual curacy; net income, £91; patron and impropriator, William Cole Loggin, Esq. The tithes have been
commuted for £470, out of which £20 are payable to the
incumbent, who has about half an acre of glebe and 16
acres of other land, with a glebe-house recently erected.
Here are places of worship for Primitive and Wesleyan
Methodists.
Woolfardisworthy (Holy Trinity)
WOOLFARDISWORTHY (Holy Trinity), a parish, in the union of Crediton, hundred of Witheridge, South Molton and N. divisions of Devon, 6 miles
(N. by W.) from Crediton; containing 220 inhabitants.
The living is a rectory, valued in the king's books at
£9. 19. 4½.; net income, £258; patrons, the Hole family.
Berry Castle, an ancient Roman encampment, is in the
parish.
Woolferton
WOOLFERTON, a township, in the parish of
Richard's-Castle, union of Ludlow, hundred of
Munslow, S. division of Salop, 3 miles (S. E.) from
Ludlow 5 containing 60 inhabitants. The Leominster
canal passes through the township.
Woolhampton (St. Peter)
WOOLHAMPTON (St. Peter), a parish, in the
union of Newbury, hundred of Theale, county of
Berks, 7¼ miles (E.) from Newbury; containing 491
inhabitants. The parish comprises 684a. 17p., and the
navigable river Kennet flows through it. The living is a
rectory, valued in the king's books at £7. 17. 6., and
in the patronage of the Rev. Miles L. Halton: the tithes
have been commuted for £200, and there are 32 acres
of glebe. The Roman Catholics have a chapel.
Woolhope (St. George)
WOOLHOPE (St. George), a parish, in the union
of Ledbury, hundred of Greytree, county of Hereford, 7¾ miles (W. by S.) from Ledbury; containing,
with the townships of Buckenhill and Putley, 813 inhabitants, of whom 568 are in Woolhope township. The
parish consists of 4129 acres. The living is a discharged
vicarage, valued in the king's books at £7. 12. 8½.; net
income, £326, with 20 acres of glebe, and a good house;
patrons and appropriators, the Dean and Chapter of
Hereford. A school is endowed with £6 per annum.
Woolland
WOOLLAND, a parish, in the union of Sturminster, hundred of Whiteway, Sturminster division
of Dorset, 5 miles (S.) from Sturminster-Newton;
containing 124 inhabitants, and comprising about 1020
acres. The living is a donative, in the patronage of
G. C. Loftus, Esq.; net income, £35. The church was
rebuilt in 1745, a little westward of the ancient site.
There is a place of worship for Wesleyans.
Wool-Lavington, East and West
WOOL-LAVINGTON, EAST and WEST, a parish,
in the borough and union of Midhurst, hundred of
Rotherbridge, rape of Arundel, W. division of
Sussex, 4½ miles (S. W. by S.) from Petworth; containing 418 inhabitants. This parish is pleasantly situated
at the base of the northern acclivity of the downs, and
comprises 2530a. 1r. 14p., of which 957 acres are arable,
312 meadow and pasture, 380 wood, and 859 common,
down, and waste. The downs are here extremely picturesque, including the hanging woods in Wool-Laviugton Park, and most extensive views over the Weald;
the cultivated lands are widely detached, some portions
of the parish being nine miles distant from each other.
The present mansion in the park was built by the late
John Sargent, Esq., the intimate friend of Hayley the
poet, and himself author of several elegant poems. The
living is a rectory, valued in the king's books at £9, and
in the patronage of Bishop Wilberforce: the tithes have
been commuted for £210, and the glebe comprises 17
acres. The church is a neat structure in the early and
later English styles.
Woolley
WOOLLEY, a tything, in the 'parish of Chaddleworth, union of Wantage, hundred of KintburyEagle, county of Berks, 6 miles (W.) from East Ilsley;
containing 61 inhabitants.
Woolley (St. Mary)
WOOLLEY (St. Mary), a parish, in the hundred of
Leightonstone, union and county of Huntingdon,
5 miles (N. E. by N.) from Kimbolton; containing 79
inhabitants. The living is a rectory, valued in the king's
books at £9. 9. 2., and in the gift of J. Cockerell, Esq.:
the tithes have been commuted for £110, and the glebe
contains 2 acres. The church has a western tower,
crowned with a handsome cupola.
Woolley
WOOLLEY, a chapelry, in the parish of Royston,
wapentake of Staincross, W. riding of York, 5¾ miles
(N. by W.) from Barnsley; containing 418 inhabitants.
It lies on the road from Wakefield to Barnsley, and
comprises 2569a. 14p., of which 1339 acres are arable,
836 meadow and pasture, 353 woodland, and 40 road
and waste. Coal is obtainable, though not wrought;
and there are quarries of good building-stone, in which
are curious fossils. The living is a perpetual curacy;
net income, £220; patron, G. Wentworth, Esq. A
rent-charge of £370 has been awarded as a commutation for the tithes, payable to the Archbishop of York.
The chapel, dedicated to St. Peter, is an ancient structure with a tower; the windows are decorated with
stained glass, and the building contains some monuments to the Wentworth family. Sixteen children are
instructed for £16. 7. per annum, arising from land bequeathed by Nicholas Burley, and from the interest of
£140, the amount of various benefactions.
Woollos, St.
WOOLLOS, ST., a parish, in the union and division
of Newport, hundred of Wentlloog, county of Monmouth; containing, with the town of Newport, 13,766
inhabitants. The living is a discharged vicarage, with
the perpetual curacy of Bettws annexed, valued in the
king's books at £7. 3. 11½., and in the gift of the Bishop
of Gloucester and Bristol: the great tithes have been
commuted for £281, and the vicarial for £200.—See
Newport.