Seaton - Sedgwick

A Topographical Dictionary of England. Originally published by S Lewis, London, 1848.

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'Seaton - Sedgwick', in A Topographical Dictionary of England, (London, 1848) pp. 40-44. British History Online https://www.british-history.ac.uk/topographical-dict/england/pp40-44 [accessed 19 March 2024]

In this section

Seaton

SEATON, a township, in the parish of Cammerton, union of Cockermouth, Allerdale ward below Derwent, W. division of Cumberland, 1¾ mile (N. E.) from Workington; containing 787 inhabitants. Here are extensive collieries and iron-works, near which the Derwent is crossed by a stone bridge, opposite to Workington. The tithes have been commuted for £295, payable to the Dean and Chapter of Carlisle; and there is a glebe of nearly 7 acres.

Seaton (St. Gregory)

SEATON (St. Gregory), a parish, in the hundred of Colyton, Honiton and S. divisions of Devon, 2½ miles (S.) from Colyton; containing, with Beer tything, 1996 inhabitants. This place is situated on the sea-coast, and is supposed to have been the Moridunum of Antoninus, and a landing-place of the Danes: Leland speaks of it as having been " a notable haven," and of the unsuccessful attempts of the inhabitants "to make a waul within the haven." The village has been much improved of late years, and is now a bathing-place: a pleasure-fair is held on Whit-Tuesday. The parish comprises 2532 acres, of which 65 are common or waste land. The living is a vicarage, valued in the king's books at £17. 0. 7½., patrons and impropriators, the family of Rolle: the great tithes have been commuted for £300; and the vicarial for £260, with a glebe of 12 acres. At Beer is a chapel of ease. There are places of worship for Independents and Primitive Methodists; also three schools, one of them endowed with £30 per annum.

Seaton

SEATON, with Slingley, a township, in the parish of Seaham, union of Easington,N. division of Easington ward and of the county of Durham, 5½ miles (S. by W.) from Sunderland; containing 175 inhabitants. At an early period, Seaton seems to have formed but one integral manor with Seaham: the principal families that have held lands here, are those of Hadham, Blakiston, Middleton, Hebborne, and Wilson. The Durham and Sunderland railway has a fixed engine here, of 42-horse power, for working the trains up from Ryhope. The village is cheerful, and situated on an easy swell of country, surrounded by green inclosures. Slingley, anciently called Slinglaw, lies to the south-west of Seaton.

Seaton (All Saints)

SEATON (All Saints), a parish, in the union of Uppingham, hundred of Wrandike, county of Rutland, 2½ miles (E. by S.) from Uppingham; containing, with the hamlet of Thorpe-by-Water, 446 inhabitants, of whom 362 are in Seaton hamlet. The parish comprises 1395a. lr. 21p.; the soil is chiefly a red mould alternated with blue clay, and is of great fertility. The living is a rectory, valued in the king's books at £20. 7. 6.; income, £649; patron, the Earl of Harborough. The church is in the later English style.

Seaton

SEATON, a township, in the parish of Sigglesthorne, union of Skirlaugh, N. division of the wapentake of Holderness, E. riding of York, 10½ miles (N. E. by E.) from Beverley; containing, with the hamlet of Wassand, 338 inhabitants. This place, in Domesday book called Setton, at an early period gave name to a resident family; and in the thirteenth century, the abbey of Meaux received a grant of some property here. The township comprises about 1000 acres of land: the village is pleasantly situated on an eminence near Hornsea mere, which is on the east. The tithes have been commuted for £260. There are two places of worship for dissenters.

Seaton-Burn

SEATON-BURN, a village, in the township of Weetsleet, parish of Long Benton, union of Tynemouth, E. division of Castle ward, S. division of Northumberland, 6¼ miles (N.) from Newcastle, on the road to Morpeth. Here is an extensive colliery, leased by Lord Ravensworth and Partners, from the Rev. Ralph Henry Brandling, and employing about 300 men and boys. Seaton-Burn Hall, skirted by plantations, is one of the residences of the Rev. Mr. Brandling.

Seaton-Carew

SEATON-CAREW, a township and ecclesiastical district, in the parish of Stranton, union of Stockton, N. E. division of Stockton ward, and S. division of the county of Durham, 3 miles (S. by W.) from Hartlepool, and 10 (N. E. by N.) from Stockton; containing 588 inhabitants. The township comprises 2870 acres, of which 590 are common or waste. The surface is generally level, but with fine views of the Cleveland hills, the towns of Redcar and Hartlepool, the mouth of the Tees, and the bold headlands of Huntcliff, and Rowcliff; and in clear weather the eye can reach nearly as far as Whitby. The village is much resorted to during the bathing season; the sands are firm and level to an extent of several miles, affording great convenience for bathing. The Stockton and Hartlepool railway passes through the vicinity by an embankment of puddled clay, which has effectually resisted the inroads of the sea: there is a station a quarter of a mile from the village. Here was a chapel dedicated to St. Thomas à Becket, the site of which is still called Chapel-opening. The present church was built in 1831, and a chancel added in 1842, with a burialground, the whole cost being £1600; it is in the early English style, with a square tower, and has an eastern window of stained glass, executed by Wailes, of Newcastle, after a window in York cathedral. The living is a perpetual curacy; net income, £ 120; patron and incumbent, the Rev. John Lawson. The tithes have been commuted for £131 payable to the impropriator, and £105 to the vicar of Stranton. There are places of worship for Wesleyans and the Society of Friends.

Seaton-Delaval

SEATON-DELAVAL, a township, in the parish of Earsdon, union of Tynemouth, E. division of Castleward, S. division of Northumberland, 6½ miles (N. by W.) from North Shields; containing 1568 inhabitants, and comprising 2676a. 2r. lp. The surface is undulated and well wooded; and the soil, which is generally a strong clay, and partly arable, produces good crops of wheat and beans. The township abounds with steam-coal, which is extensively wrought under Lord Hastings, and mostly by the Seaton-Delaval Company, who commenced the sinking of the pits in 1838: a tramway to the Tyne facilitates the shipment of the produce. The village is neat and uniform. Here are the ruins of one of the most magnificent mansions in the north of England, erected from a design by Sir John Vanbrugh, in 1707, by Admiral Delaval, of freestone from the quarries of the place, and destroyed by fire on January 3rd, 1822; one roof was saved, and portions have been restored. Around are extensive gardens, and the views of the sea and adjacent, country are beautiful. Near the ruins is the site of the ancient castle of Seaton-Delaval, of which little remains except the chapel, a fine specimen of Norman architecture, containing two noble arches, some monuments, and numerous escutcheons, banners, and pieces of armour: divine service is performed every Sunday, for which Lord Hastings presents £40 annually to the minister. The impropriate tithes, including those of Hartley, have been commuted for £416. There is a place of worship for Wesleyans.

Seaton-House.—See Boulmer.

SEATON-HOUSE.—See Boulmer.

Seaton, North

SEATON, NORTH, a township, in the parish of Woodhorn, union of Morpeth, E. division of Morpeth ward, N. division of Northumberland, 6¾ miles (E.) from Morpeth; containing 157 inhabitants. This place appears to have been at an early period in the possession of the Seaton family, and in the thirteenth century part was owned by the priory of Tynemouth and the hospital of St. John of Jerusalem. Since that date the families of Widdrington, Thornton, Ogle, Lumley, and Rogers have all held lands. The township is now the property of William Watson, Esq., who has an elegant mansion here, surrounded by pleasing scenery. It comprises 1431 acres; the soil is strong, well adapted for the growth of wheat, and under profitable cultivation. There is a quarry of gritstone, of good quality for grindstones. The village is situated half a mile from the sea; and on the sea-shore was formerly an hospital.

Seaton-Ross (St. Edmund)

SEATON-ROSS (St. Edmund), a parish, in the union of Pocklington, Holme-Beacon division of the wapentake of Harthill, E. riding of York, 4½ miles (S. by W.) from Pocklington; containing 540 inhabitants. The parish comprises 3252a. 33p., of which 135 acres are woodland, and the remainder arable and pasture in nearly equal portions. The village is long and straggling, and pleasantly situated about a mile and a half north of the road from Holme to Harlthorpe. The living is a perpetual curacy, in the patronage of W. C. Maxwell, Esq., the impropriator, and has a net income of £93. The church is a neat brick edifice, built at the expense of the parishioners and W. H. M. Constable, Esq., in 1789. There are places of worship for Wesleyans and Primitive Methodists.

Seaton-Sluice, or Hartley-Pans

SEATON-SLUICE, or Hartley-Pans, a sea-port, in the township of Hartley, parish of Earsdon, union of Tynemouth, E. division of Castle ward, S. division of Northumberland, 6 miles (N.) from North Shields; containing 744 inhabitants. This place is situated at the mouth of a rivulet called Seaton-burn, where Sir Ralph Delaval, with great difficulty, formed a harbour, and constructed a sluice upon the brook, with flood-gates to retain the water from the flow of the tide till the ebb: the body of water thus collected is then discharged, to cleanse the bed of the harbour, and remove from it every impediment to its navigation. Considerable improvements upon the original plan were subsequently made by the late Lord Delaval, who formed a second entrance, or channel, through the solid rock to the sea, by which larger vessels can enter with facility, and which is crossed by a drawbridge. From fifteen to twenty vessels, of 300 tons' burthen each, can now ride in safety at the port, and vessels can sail in or out with any wind. Coal is shipped for the London and other markets, from the Hartley colliery, the produce of which is in much request for the use of steam-vessels: here, likewise, are the extensive glass-bottle works of Messrs. Jobling and Company, some malt-kilns, and a brewery. A blockhouse and battery were erected during the late war, for the defence of the port. Salt was formerly made here in huge pans; hence the affix to one of the names of the place.

Seavington (St. Mary)

SEAVINGTON (St. Mary), a parish, in the union of Chard, hundred of South Petherton, W. division of Somerset, 3 miles (E.) from Ilminster; containing, with the tything of Seavington-Abbott, 374 inhabitants. The living is a perpetual curacy, with a net income of £50, in the gift of Earl Poulett: the tithes have been commuted for £390, of which £350 are payable to his lordship.

Seavington (St. Michael)

SEAVINGTON (St. Michael), a parish, in the union of Chard, hundred of South Petherton, W. division of Somerset, 3½ miles (E.) from Ilminster; containing, with the chapelry of Dinnington, 506 inhabitants. The living is a rectory, valued in the king's books at £6. 15., and in the gift of Earl Poulett: the tithes have been commuted for £132, and the glebe comprises 26 acres.

Sebergham (Virgin Mary)

SEBERGHAM (Virgin Mary), a parish, in the union of Wigton, ward, and E. division of the county, of Cumberland; containing 853 inhabitants, of whom 495 are in the division of High bound, and 358 in that of Low bound, the former 8¾ miles, and the latter 6¼ miles, (S. E. by E.) from Wigton. The parish is situated on the river Caldew, of which the south branch becomes subterraneous at Haltcliffe bridge, disappears under the high land for nearly three miles, and re-issues at Hives-Hill mill. Near the church the river is crossed by a bridge erected in 1689, by Alexander Denton, one of the justices of the court of common pleas; and about a mile below is another bridge of one arch, built in 1772, near the site of a structure destroyed by a great flood the year before. A considerable quantity of limestone is quarried, and burnt into lime; there are extensive mines of coal, and a powerful mineral spring. The living is a perpetual curacy; net income, £139; patrons and appropriators, the Dean and Chapter of Carlisle. The church, a very neat structure, occupying the site of an ancient hermitage, was repaired in 1774, and in 1785.

Seckington (All Saints)

SECKINGTON (All Saints), a parish, in the union of Tamworth, Tamworth division of the hundred of Hemlingford, N. division of the county of Warwick, 3¾ miles (N. E. by E.) from Tamworth; containing 118 inhabitants. It comprises by measurement 816 acres, exclusively of roads; 450 acres are arable land, producing wheat and barley, and the remainder pasture. The soil is chiefly clay, and the scenery is diversified with wood, principally oak, ash, and larch. The Birmingham and Derby railway passes through the parish. The living is a rectory, valued in the king's books at £5. 16. 0½., and in the patronage of Sir R. Burdett, Bart.: the tithes have been commuted for £213, and there are 28 acres of excellent glebe, with a good parsonage-house. The church is a handsome structure in the later English style, and contains an ancient monument in fine preservation to an ancestor of Sir R. Burdett's. Near the church are vestiges of a large encampment; and in the neighbourhood is the site of a small priory, founded by William Burdett in the reign of Henry II.

Sedbergh (St. Andrew)

SEDBERGH (St. Andrew), a market-town and parish, in the W. division of the wapentake of Staincliffe and Ewcross, W. riding of York; containing, with the chapelries of Dent, and Garsdale with Grisdale, 4836 inhabitants, of whom 2268 are in the township of Sedbergh, 10 miles (E.) from Kendal, in Westmorland, 77 (W. N. W.) from York, and 260 (N. W. by N.) from London. The town is neatly built, and consists of one street. Two cotton-mills, the property of James Upton, Esq., of Akay Lodge (a beautiful residence), employ 250 hands, and are propelled by water-power: one of them, called Old Milthorpe, was erected in 1797; the other, Birks Mill, was built in 1802, burnt down in 1825, and rebuilt in 1828. A mill for coarse woollens employs 25 persons. The market is on Wednesday; and fairs for cattle are held on Feb. 26th, March 20th, April 20th, and October 29th. The parish lies in a mountainous district, on the rivers Rother or Rawthey, Dee, and Clough; and comprises by computation 50,000 acres, whereof more than 30,000 are uninclosed and moorland. In Sedbergh township are 22,521a. 2r. 25p., of which 14,550 acres are common or waste; 750 are arable, 383 woodland, and 32 glebe. The surface of the parish is boldly varied, and the scenery abounds with features of romantic grandeur, backed by the Howgill fells, rising majestically 2320 feet above the town. The four hamlets of Marthwaite, Frostrovv and Soolbank, Cautley and Dowbiggin, and Howgill with Bland, are in the township. The Lowgill station on the Lancaster and Carlisle railway is distant five miles north-westward from the town.

The living is a discharged vicarage, valued in the king's books at £12. 8.; net income, £184, with a house; patrons and impropriators, the Master and Fellows of Trinity College, Cambridge. The vicarial tithes of the township have been commuted for £129, and the glebe consists of 32 acres. The church, from its Norman arches and piers, is evidently of ancient date; but seems to have been partially rebuilt, the windows being all of a debased character: a baptismal window of stained glass by Wailes, of Newcastle, was presented in 1844, by a stranger. The font, a beautiful specimen of Garsdale marble, has been restored; and marble steps to the altar have been added by the Rev. G. Platt, the vicar. At Cautley, Dent, Garsdale, and Howgill, are other incumbencies. There are places of worship for Independents, Methodists, and the Society of Friends.

The free grammar school was originally founded by Roger Lupton, D. D., provost of Eton College in the reign of Henry VII.; and the lands with which it was endowed having been sequestrated by Henry VIII., the school was refounded by Edward VI., who endowed it with the estates belonging to several dissolved chantries. The management of the property is vested in twelve governors, who reside in the township, and by whom the whole of the rents, about £600 per annum, are paid to the head master, the usher receiving out of them £100 yearly. The school is free to boys from any parish on the payment of entrance fees and "cockpennies." The appointment of the master belongs to the Master and Fellows of St. John's College, Cambridge, where are three fellowships and ten scholarships appropriated to students from this school; there is an exhibition to either of the universities, for natives of the township, and the school sends a candidate for Lady Hastings' exhibitions. The present head master is the Rev. J. H. Evans, M. A. About £90 per annum are distributed to poor householders in the township, not receiving parochial relief, at Easter and Christmas; £15 per annum are given to poor children at Whitsuntide, for clothing, and about £8 are expended in bread for the poor. These sums are paid from bequests left in small sums from time to time, and invested in real property. The remains of a camp are visible round a conical hill called Castle How Tower; and as a curiosity of the neighbourhood may be mentioned Dowker Fell cave, of considerable extent, with a stream of water passing through: the roof, however, is broken in the centre.

Sedbury

SEDBURY, a hamlet, in the parish of Tidenham, union of Chepstow, hundred of Westbury, W. division of the county of Gloucester; containing 173 inhabitants. It is bounded on the east by the Severn, and on the west by the river Wye, by which it is separated from Chepstow.

Sedgeberrow

SEDGEBERROW, a parish, in the union of Evesham, Middle division of the hundred of Oswaldslow, Pershore and E. divisions of the county of Worcester, 4 miles (S. S. W.) from Evesham; containing 318 inhabitants. It is bounded on the east by the Isperne rivulet, and comprises by measurement 1014 acres of land, chiefly arable: the soil is a strong reddish clay, producing good wheat and beans; the surface is generally undulated. The road from Evesham to Cheltenham and Wincbcomb passes through. The living is a rectory, valued in the king's books at £13. 15. 7½.; net income, £228; patrons, the Dean and Chapter of Worcester. The tithes were commuted for land and money payments in 1810; the glebe altogether comprises about 200 acres. The church has a small octagonal tower surmounted by a spire, and contains portions in the decorated and later English styles.

Sedgebrook (St. Lawrence)

SEDGEBROOK (St. Lawrence), a parish, in the union of Newark, wapentake of Loveden, parts of Kesteven, county of Lincoln, 4 miles (W. N. W.) from Grantham; containing 250 inhabitants. The living is a rectory in medieties, one valued in the king's books at £7. 18. 9. and the other at £7. 4. 7., and has the living of East Allington annexed to it; patron, the Crown; net income, £638.

Sedgefield (St. Edmund)

SEDGEFIELD (St. Edmund), a market-town and parish, and the head of a union, in the N. E. division of Stockton ward, S. division of the county of Durham; comprising the chapelry of Embleton, and the townships of Bradbury, Butterwick, Fishburn, Foxton with Shotton, Mordon, and Sedgefield; and containing 2015 inhabitants, of whom 1345 are in the town, 5 miles (E.) from Rushyford, and 11 (S. E. by S.) from Durham. This place occupies an eminence commanding an extensive prospect to the south and south-east, and is remarkable for the peculiar salubrity of its atmosphere and the longevity of its population, attributable, in a great degree, to the openness of its site, and the fine gravel soil on which it stands. The inhabitants are supplied with water from springs. The centre of the town forms a spacious square, where the market, granted in 1312 by Bishop Kellaw, is held every Friday; and a fair takes place on the first Friday in each month, for the sale of hogs. The parish comprises 17,471 acres; the greater part is arable, but there is fine pasture land all round the town.

The living is a rectory, valued in the king's books at £73. 18. 1½., and in the gift of the Bishop of Durham. The tithes have been commuted for £1481. 7., with a glebe of 385 acres in Sedgefield township; the glebe of Bradbury comprises 60 acres, that of Fishburn 69, and of Embleton 2. The church is a handsome cruciform structure in the early and later English styles, with a square embattled tower crowned by pinnacles; the interior has many features of interest, and a fine old organ. There is a place of worship for Wesleyans. A free grammar school here has an income of about £50 per annum, for which eight children are instructed; and six children are educated and clothed at another school from a benefaction of £400 three per cent. Bank annuities, by Richard Wright, Esq., in 1790. The grammar school and master's house were lately rebuilt, partly from the accumulated funds of a school at Bishop Auckland, and partly by subscription, towards which £600 were given by the trustees of Bishop Barrington, £100 by the Rev. Viscount Barrington, and £150 by the trustees of Lord Crewe. In 1782, John Lowther, Esq., bequeathed £600 three per cent. Bank annuities, for the instruction and clothing of girls. An almshouse for ten men and women was founded, and endowed with £44 per annum, by Thomas Cooper; and additional benefactions were made by William Wrightson and Thomas Foster, the latter of whom bequeathed the interest of £3435 three per cent. consols. for the inmates. Upwards of ninety-one acres of land belong to a charity instituted by Lady Frevill, in 1630. The union of Sedgefield comprises 23 places, containing a population of 6113. The pious and erudite Bishop Lowth was rector of Sedgefield prior to his elevation to the see of London.

Sedgeford (St. Mary)

SEDGEFORD (St. Mary), a parish, in the union of Docking, hundred of Smithdon, W. division of Norfolk, 2½ miles (N. E.) from Snettisham; containing 669 inhabitants. It comprises 4181a. 1r. 37p., of which 3892 acres are arable, 151 meadow and pasture, and 86 in plantations, with about five acres of osier beds. The surface is undulated, and the views from the high grounds extensive and richly diversified. The living is a vicarage, in the patronage of the Dean and Chapter of Norwich (the appropriators), valued in the king's books at £8; the great tithes have been commuted for £385, and the vicarial for £330; the glebe consists of about 3½ acres, with a house lately built. The church is a handsome structure in the early and later English styles, with a circular tower surmounted by an octagonal turret; it was thoroughly repaired in 1842, and on cleaning the south wall a painting of St. Christopher was discovered. There is a place of worship for Wesleyans. At the inclosure of the parish, thirty acres were allotted to the poor. On the road to Docking is an ancient building, now a cottage, which was used as a magazine in the reign of Charles I.; and near the church, according to tradition, was a Roman camp.

Sedghill (St. Catherine)

SEDGHILL (St. Catherine), a parish, in the union of Mere, hundred of Dunworth, Hindon and S. divisions of Wilts, 4½ miles (S. W.) from Hindon; containing 198 inhabitants. It comprises about 1015 acres; the soil is clay, alternated with sandy loam, and the surface is undulated. The living is annexed to the rectory of Berwick St. Leonard: the tithes have been commuted for £250. The church having been taken down, with the exception of the tower and porch, and rebuilt on an enlarged scale, was consecrated in the summer of the year 1845.

Sedgley (All Saints)

SEDGLEY (All Saints), a parish, in the union of Dudley, N. division of the hundred of Seisdon, S. division of the county of Stafford, 3 miles (N.) from Dudley; containing 24,819 persons. This populous parish is divided into nine hamlets or villages, viz., Brierley, Coseley, Cotwall-end, Ettingshall, Lower and Upper Gornall, Gospel-end, Sedgley, and Woodsetton. It is situated in the midst of a country abounding with coal, ironstone, and limestone; and the working of these furnishes employment to most of the inhabitants. The area by measurement is 7360 acres, of which 3860 are arable, 2000 pasture, 560 woodland, and 500 in gardens; the soil is for the greater part a strong rich loam, well adapted for wheat. The surface is very hilly, and the lower grounds are intersected by numerous rivulets, and canals leading to the different mines. The scenery from the heights is panoramic, including the Malvern and Abberley hills in Worcestershire, the Wrekin in Salop, the Black mountains, the peaks of the Montgomery mountains, and Admiral Rodney's monument, in Wales. The village is supposed to occupy one of the highest sites in the kingdom, and the waters divide on the eminence, one portion running into the Trent and the other into the Severn, which flow into the sea at opposite extremities of the island. The iron is manufactured both into pig-iron in furnaces, and into wrought or malleable in mills or forges, and the latter kind is again converted into bars, rods, hoops, hurdles, nails, coffee-mills, locks, &c.: among the largest manufactories are the Wednesbury-Oak works, established in 1814 by Philip Williams and Sons. The Staffordshire and Worcestershire canal intersects the parish in various directions. A court leet is annually held by Lord Ward, as lord of the manor, at which two constables and four deputies are chosen.

The living is a vicarage, endowed with a portion of the rectorial tithes, and valued in the king's books at £5. 12. 8½.; net income, £503; patron, Lord Ward, who, with others, is owner of the remainder of the rectorial tithes. The church, a beautiful edifice in the purest style, standing on an eminence and seen in all directions, was completed in 1829, at an expense of £10,800, by the late Earl of Dudley. The eastern window is of richlystained glass, representing ten of the Apostles, with the arms of the earl; it cost £300. At Coseley, Lower and Upper Gornall, and Ettingshall, are district churches. There are places of worship belonging to Particular Baptists, Wesleyans, Primitive Methodists, Independents, Presbyterians, and Roman Catholics. The encrinite, and the singular fossil called the trilobite or "Dudley locust," are found at Woodsetton, the latter in an isolated limestone rock termed the Wren's Nest Hill.

Sedgwick

SEDGWICK, a township, in the parish of Heversham, union and ward of Kendal, county of Westmorland, 4½ miles (S.) from Kendal; containing 240 inhabitants. The township comprises 350 acres, all arable land; and the river Kent and the Lancaster canal pass through it. Here is also a cutting, a mile and a half in length, on the Lancaster and Carlisle railway; whence follows an embankment a quarter of a mile long, and upwards of 60 feet high, from which an exquisite view of the fertile and romantic valley of the Kent, in almost its entire length, is obtained. A mill for the manufacture of gunpowder was established about 1770. There is a place of worship for Independents.