Camden-Town - Cannington

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

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'Camden-Town - Cannington', in A Topographical Dictionary of England, (London, 1848) pp. 497-501. British History Online https://www.british-history.ac.uk/topographical-dict/england/pp497-501 [accessed 19 March 2024]

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Camden-Town

CAMDEN-TOWN, a chapelry, in the parish of St. Pancras, Holborn division of the hundred of Ossulstone, county of Middlesex, 3¼ miles (N. W.) from St. Paul's; containing 14,987 inhabitants. This place takes its name from the Marquess Camden, lessee of the prebendal manor of Cantelows, in which it is situated. The principal part has been erected within the last few years; the houses are in general well built and regular, and the crescent, terrace, and other ranges in the upper part of it, are of handsome appearance, and command a partial, but pleasing, view of the Hampstead and Highgate hills. Among the most recent improvements, those in the direction of the road to Holloway, along the sides of which many elegant residences are still in progress of erection, are particularly deserving of notice, and, together with the formation of buildings in other parts of the neighbourhood, have contributed greatly to increase the importance and enlarge the limits of this appendage to the western part of the metropolis. The streets, which are wide and regularly formed, are lighted and partially paved; and the inhabitants are supplied with water from a conduit, into which it is conveyed from Hampstead. The Camden-Town station of the Birmingham railway forms one of the most extraordinary assemblages of buildings in the country. Besides twelve acres at Euston-square, thirty acres are occupied here by the company, who have lately made most extensive alterations in their works, and just completed new buildings of remarkable size, at this station. The Regent's canal passes through the northern part of the district. A veterinary college, in which lectures are delivered on the anatomy and diseases of the horse, was established in 1791, and subsequently confirmed by royal charter; the premises, which are neatly built of brick, include a spacious area, and comprise a school for the instruction of pupils, a theatre for dissections and the delivery of lectures, a museum for anatomical preparations, and an infirmary, in which is stabling for 60 horses, with paddocks adjoining.

The chapel, erected in 1828, on ground given by the Marquess Camden, is a neat edifice of brick, with a handsome stone portico of the Ionic order at the west end, above which rises a circular turret with a cupola. The living is a perpetual curacy, in the gift of the Vicar; income, £200. A temporary church was opened in 1845; and a second, at Agar Town, in April 1847. Near the chapel are a chapel and cemetery belonging to the parish of St. Martin in the Fields, in connexion with which parish, also, are nine almshouses in Bayham-street. The Independents and Wesleyans have each a place of worship. On the eastern side of Haverstock-hill is a range of neat and commodious almshouses, in the Elizabethan style, erected for decayed journeymen tailors by the master tailors of the metropolis; the ground was given by Mr. Stultz, who also built a chapel, which was consecrated in June 1843, and to which there is a chaplain, who has apartments on the spot. At Haverstock-hill are also the buildings of the Orphan Working School, which was removed hither from the City-road in 1847.

Camel, Queen (St. Barnabas)

CAMEL, QUEEN (St. Barnabas), a parish, in the union of Wincanton, hundred of Catsash, E. division of Somerset, 7 miles (N. N. W.) from Sherborne; containing 739 inhabitants. This was a place of some note previously to its being burnt, about the close of the sixteenth century; and a charter was anciently possessed for a market to be held twice a week, and four fairs annually: the former has long been discontinued, and only two of the latter are now held, one on TrinityTuesday, and the other on Oct. 25th. The parish comprises by admeasurement about 2500 acres. The living is a vicarage, valued in the king's books at £17. 16. 8., and in the gift of P. S. J. Mildmay, Esq.: the great tithes, payable to the family of Rogers, have been commuted for £337, with a glebe of 73 acres; and those of the incumbent for £177, with a glebe of 41½ acres. There is a place of worship for Wesleyans. Opposite the hamlet of Wales, near the bank of the river Camel, is a spring, the water of which has been successfully used in scrofulous cases.

Camel, West (All Saints)

CAMEL, WEST (All Saints), a parish, in the union of Yeovil, hundred of Somerton, W. division of Somerset, 4 miles (E. N. E.) from Ilchester; containing 344 inhabitants. This parish, which is within a quarter of a mile of the road from London to Exeter, comprises by admeasurement 2034 acres. Stone of good quality for building is extensively quarried. The living is a rectory, valued in the king's books at £13. 8. 9., and in the patronage of the Bishop of Bath and Wells: the tithes have been commuted for £250, and the glebe comprises about 65 acres, with a good house, mostly rebuilt in 1836. The church is a very ancient edifice, and has a pulpit of stone, and a handsome sculptured font. There is a place of worship for Wesleyans. Near the close of the last century, in a hill about half a mile to the north of the church, were discovered two catacombs, in which were several human bodies, arranged in rows.

Cameley (St. James)

CAMELEY (St. James), a parish, in the union of Clutton, hundred of Chewton, E. division of Somerset, 12 miles (S. by E.) from Bristol; containing 643 inhabitants. It is thought to have been the site of a Roman station, where, in the time of Ostorius, was a temple in honour of Claudius Cæsar, from which circumstance, Temple-Cloud, a tything in the parish, derived its name, supposed to be a corruption of Templum Claudii; and this opinion is in some degree confirmed by the frequent discovery of relics of Roman antiquity. The parish is on the road from Bristol to Wells, and comprises by measurement 1633 acres, mostly fertile land in profitable cultivation: stone of a peculiarly good quality for flagging, and of which considerable quantities are sent to Bath, is extensively quarried. In Temple-Cloud are a respectable inn and a post-office: a considerable business is carried on by a firm as cheesefactors and wool-staplers; and many of the inhabitants of the parish, of whom the greater number reside in this part, are employed in collieries in the neighbourhood. The living is a rectory, valued in the king's books at £6. 18. 4., and in the patronage of the family of Hippesley: the tithes have been commuted for £218. 12., and the glebe comprises 96 acres. The church has been enlarged by the erection of a gallery.

Camelford

CAMELFORD, an incorporated market - town, having separate jurisdiction, and the head of a union, in the parish of Lanteglos cum Camelford, locally in the hundred of Lesnewth, E. division of Cornwall, 16 miles (W. by S.) from Launceston, and 228 (W. S. W.) from London; containing 705 inhabitants. This place, supposed to have been the Guffelford of the Saxon Chronicle, takes its name from a ford on the river Camel. It is generally thought to be the scene of a memorable battle between King Arthur and his nephew Mordred, about the year 542, when the former was mortally wounded, and the latter killed on the spot; and about a mile to the north of the town, where the road crosses a small brook, is a place called "Slaughter Bridge" in allusion to the carnage which then ensued. In 823, a battle took place between the Britons and the Saxons under Egbert, the former of whom were defeated with great loss. The town, though in a dreary part of the county, has a pure air, and is considered healthy: it is indifferently built, and consists principally of one street, part of which is spacious, and was macadamized a few years since; it is well lighted, and the inhabitants are amply supplied with water. The Camel is noted for its trout and salmon-peel, and is much resorted to by anglers. There is a manufactory on a small scale for the making of serge; and the spinning of yarn affords employment to a few persons. The market is on Friday: fairs are held on the Friday after March 10th, May 26th, July 17th and 18th (the former day being noted for the sale of sheep and lambs), and Sept. 6th, chiefly for cattle; another fair has been lately established, on the second Wednesday in November.

Seal and Arms.

Camelford was made a free borough by Richard, Earl of Cornwall: its privileges were confirmed by charter of Henry III., in 1259; and in the 21st of Charles II. it received a charter of incorporation, by which the government is vested in a mayor, nine capital burgesses, and an indefinite number of free burgesses, assisted by a recorder, town-clerk, sergeant-at-mace, and subordinate officers. The mayor, who is elected on the Monday after Michaelmas, by the capital burgesses, from their own body, is a justice of the peace. The county debt-court of Camelford has jurisdiction over the registration-district of Camelford. The elective franchise was granted in the reign of Edward VI., from which time the borough returned two members to parliament, until disfranchised by the act of the 2nd and 3rd of William IV., cap. 64: the right of election was vested in the free burgesses, being householders, residing in the borough, and paying scot and lot, in number about twenty; the mayor was returning officer. The town-hall, begun in June, 1806, was built at the expense of the Duke of Bedford, then proprietor of the borough; the lower part forms the market-place. The ancient chapel, dedicated to St. Thomas à Becket, has long been desecrated, and a new chapel has been built. There is a place of worship for Wesleyans. A school was founded in 1672, by Sir James Smyth, and endowed with the tenement of Great Tregarth, now producing £28 per annum; the schoolroom was rebuilt in 1823, at the expense of the Duke of Cleveland, on land belonging to the corporation. There is an estate worth £60 per annum, which are distributed in clothing among the poor. The union of Camelford comprises 14 parishes or places, and contains a population of 8063. The renowned King Arthur is said to have been born at Tintagel Castle, about five miles north-west from the town.

Camerton (St. Peter)

CAMERTON (St. Peter), a parish, in the union of Clutton, hundred of Wellow, E. division of Somerset, 7 miles (S. W. by S.) from Bath; containing 1647 inhabitants. The parish comprises by computation 1810 acres; the Somersetshire coal canal crosses it, and an old Roman fosse-way traces its south-eastern boundary. Here is a coal-mine, where impressions of fern, rushes, and other plants, have been dicovered. The living is a rectory, valued in the king's books at £15. 9. 2.; patron, John Jarrett, Esq.: the tithes have been commuted for £408, and the glebe consists of 53 acres. There are meeting-houses for Baptists and Wesleyans. Various relics of the Britons, Romans, and Saxons, have been found in the vicinity.

Camerton, York.—See Ryhill.

CAMERTON, York.—See Ryhill.

Cammeringham (St. Michael)

CAMMERINGHAM (St. Michael), a parish, in the W. division of the wapentake of Aslacoe, parts of Lindsey, union and county of Lincoln, 7¼ miles (N. N. W.) from Lincoln; containing 139 inhabitants. Limestone is obtained. The living is a discharged vicarage, valued in the king's books at £5. 4. 2.; net income, £140; patron and impropriator, Lord Monson. The glebe comprises about 60 acres, which, with an annual money payment, were awarded in lieu of tithes. The church is a modern building, constructed with the materials of a former edifice.

Cammerton

CAMMERTON, a parish, in the union of Cockermouth, Allerdale ward below Derwent, W. division of Cumberland; containing 941 inhabitants, of whom 154 are in the township of Cammerton, 2 miles (E. N. E.) from Workington. The parish comprises 3384a. 2r. 20p., and is bounded on the north by the Solway Firth, and on the south by the river Derwent, whence passes a canal to the Seaton iron-works; there are some mines of coal within its limits. The living is a perpetual curacy; net income, £100; patrons and appropriators, the Dean and Chapter of Carlisle, whose tithes have been commuted for £327. 1. 6., and who have 18 acres of glebe. The church, rebuilt in 1794, contains an effigy in full length, the feet resting on a lamb, of a person called "Black Tom of the North," whose seat here, according to tradition, was Barrow Castle, now in ruins.

Campden, Broad

CAMPDEN, BROAD, a hamlet, in the parish of Chipping-Campden, union of Shipston, Upper division of the hundred of Kiftsgate, E. division of the county of Gloucester, 1 mile (S. E.) from ChippingCampden; containing 230 inhabitants.

Campden, Chipping (St. James)

CAMPDEN, CHIPPING (St. James), a parish, in the union of Shipston, Upper division of the hundred of Kiftsgate, E. division of the county of Gloucester; containing, with the hamlets of Berrington, Broad Campden, and Westington with Combe, 2087 inhabitants, of whom 1521 are in the market-town of Chipping-Campden, 29 miles (N. E. by E.) from Gloucester, and 90 (N. W. by W.) from London. This place, which is of very great antiquity, is supposed to have derived its name from an encampment formed prior to a battle between the Mercians and the West Saxons. In 689, a congress of the Saxon chiefs, confederated for the conquest of Britain, was held here. In the fourteenth century it became noted as a staple town for wool, and was the residence of many opulent merchants, who exported a great quantity of that article to Flanders; but on the emigration of the Flemings, who settled in England, and introduced the manufacture of woollencloth, Campden lost its trade with Flanders, and its importance from that time rapidly declined. Sir Baptist Hickes erected a magnificent mansion here in the fifteenth century, which cost £29,000, and, with the offices, occupied a site of eight acres; and which, at the commencement of the civil war in the reign of Charles I., its loyal owner demolished, to prevent its being garrisoned for the parliamentarians.

The town is pleasantly situated in a fertile vale surrounded by hills richly wooded, and consists principally of one street, nearly a mile in length; the houses are in general ancient, and some of them fine specimens of the style of domestic architecture prevailing about the time of Elizabeth: the inhabitants are amply supplied with water from numerous springs. On Dover Hill, about a mile from the town, athletic exercises, in imitation of the Olympic games, were instituted in the reign of James I., by Robert Dover, and were resorted to by the nobility and gentry resident in the adjacent country; prizes were awarded to such as excelled in the games, which were continued until the time of the commonwealth. The manufacture of silk and rugs is carried on. In 1845 an act was passed for the construction of a railway from Oxford, by Chipping-Campden, to Wolverhampton. The market is on Wednesday; and fairs are held on Ash-Wednesday, April 23rd, August 5th, and December 11th. In the 3rd of James I., Campden received a charter of incorporation, by which the government was vested in two bailiffs, a steward, and fourteen capital and twelve inferior burgesses, who had power to hold a court of session, and a court of record for pleas and debts limited to £6. 13. 4.; but the charter has fallen into disuse, and though the bailiffs are still appointed on the Wednesday before New Michaelmas-day, they exercise no authority. A court leet is held once a year, in a court-house situated nearly in the centre of the street.

The living is a vicarage, endowed with two-thirds of the great tithes of the parish of Winfrith-Newburgh, in the county of Dorset, and valued in the king's books at £20. 6. 8.; net income, £640; patron and impropriator, the Earl of Gainsborough. The tithes of Campden were commuted for land and a money payment, in 1799. The church, situated to the north of the town, in the hamlet of Berrington, is a spacious and handsome structure in the decorated style of English architecture, with a lofty tower: some portions of the finely-carved oak roof are still preserved in the north aisle, but in other instances the beauty and character of the interior have been defaced by modern alterations and repairs. It contains monuments to the memory of Sir Baptist Hickes, first Viscount Campden; Noel, Earl of Gainsborough; and other distinguished persons. There are places of worship for Baptists and Wesleyans. The free grammar school was founded in 1487, and endowed by John Fereby or Verbey with a moiety of the manor of Lynham, in Oxfordshire; but owing to mismanagement, the estate was sold, and another purchased, producing only £60 per annum, and which in 1627 was vested in trustees. It has an interest in eight scholarships established in Pembroke College, Oxford, by George Townsend, by will dated in 1682, for boys from the schools of Gloucester, Cheltenham, Campden, and Northleach. A Blue school for girls was endowed with £1000 by James Thynne, Esq.; and there is a national school for boys, which has been incorporated with an ancient foundation by George Townsend. Almshouses for six aged men and the same number of women were endowed by the first Viscount Campden, who rebuilt the market-house, and during his life gave £10,000 for charitable uses; he died in 1629. George Ballard, author of Memoirs of Learned British Ladies, was a native of Campden. There are some petrifying springs in the neighbourhood.

Campsall (St. Mary Magdalene)

CAMPSALL (St. Mary Magdalene), a parish, in the union of Doncaster, Upper division of the wapentake of Osgoldcross, W. riding of York; containing 2149 inhabitants, of whom 385 are in the township of Campsall, 8 miles (N. N. W.) from Doncaster. The parish consists of the townships of Askerne, Campsall, Fenwick, Moss, Norton, and part of Sutton; and comprises by computation 9700 acres, of which 1470 are in the township of Campsall, including the hamlet of Barnsdale. The village is pleasantly situated on a gentle acclivity, about seven miles distant from the river Don on the south, and on the north the same distance from the Aire. Stone of good quality is quarried. Camps Mount, the seat of George Cooke Yarborough, Esq., is an elegant mansion, standing at the head of a fine lawn, and embowered in luxuriant foliage; and Campsall Park is also a handsome residence. The living is a perpetual curacy, valued in the king's books at £16. 16. 8.; net income, £128; patron and impropriator, Mr. Yarborough. The tithes were commuted for land in 1814. The church is a large ancient edifice, and has some fine specimens of Norman architecture. The remains of a Roman road may be traced.

Campsey-Ash, county of Suffolk.—See Ash.

CAMPSEY-ASH, county of Suffolk.—See Ash.

Campton (All Saints)

CAMPTON (All Saints), a parish, in the union of Biggleswade, hundred of Clifton, county of Bedford, 6 miles (S. W.) from Biggleswade; containing 1390 inhabitants, of whom 889 are in the town of Shefford. The manor in which the small village of Campton, formerly called Camelton, is situated was anciently possessed by the noble family of Lisle: the manor-house is now occupied as a school. The parish is watered by the river Ivel, and comprises 1350 acres, about three-fourths of which are arable, and the rest pasture and wood; the surface is in general flat, and the soil runs through the several varieties of sand, gravel, and clay. Many females are engaged in making straw-plat, which is sold at Shefford market on Fridays, for the manufacturers of bonnets at Luton and Dunstable; a few hands are also engaged in making pillowlace. Fairs for cattle, pigs, sheep, &c., are held on Jan. 23rd, March 25th, and May 19th; and a pleasure-fair on October 11th. The living is a rectory, valued in the king's books at £11. 9. 7.; net income, £374; patron, Sir J. Osborne, Bart. The tithes were commuted for land and corn-rents in 1797; the glebe contains 65 acres, with a glebe-house. The church is in the later English style. The chapel of ease at Shefford, dedicated to St. Michael, was enlarged about twenty years ago; the late rector, the Rev. Edmond Williamson, contributing £600, the Incorporated Society £200, and the Duke of Bedford £50: there are 600 sittings, all free. The Roman Catholics have a chapel, and there is a place of worship for Wesleyans. A national and infant school was erected in 1840, by the Misses Williamson, the Rev. Dr. Williamson, master of Westminster school, and the Rev. W. Williamson, tutor of Clare Hall, Cambridge; by whom also it is entirely supported. Robert Bloomfield, author of the Farmer's Boy, died at Shefford, in August 1823, and was buried at Campton, where a neat stone was erected to his memory by Archdeacon Bonney.

Candlesby (St. Benedict)

CANDLESBY (St. Benedict), a parish, in the union of Spilsby, Wold division of the wapentake of Candleshoe, parts of Lindsey, county of Lincoln, 3¼ miles (E. by N.) from Spilsby; containing 247 inhabitants, and comprising by measurement 1010 acres. There are considerable pits of chalk-stone, which is turned into lime. The living is a discharged rectory, valued in the king's books at £9. 19. 4.; net income, £200; patrons, the President and Fellows of Magdalen College, Oxford. The tithes were commuted for land in 1777. The church was erected in 1838.

Candover, Brown (St. Peter)

CANDOVER, BROWN (St. Peter), a parish, in the union of Alresford, hundred of Mainsborough, Winchester and N. divisions of the county of Southampton, 4 miles (N. by W.) from Alresford; containing 313 inhabitants. It comprises 2040 acres, of which about 1500 are arable, and 370 wood. The living is a rectory, with that of Woodmancott annexed, valued in the king's books at £23. 4. 2., and in the gift of Lord Ashburton: the tithes have been commuted for £368, and the glebe comprises 59 acres of land, and a house. The old church being in a decayed state, and not having sufficient accommodation, a new one has been built by Lord Ashburton; it stands on a rising ground, is in the early style, and was consecrated in February, 1845. A vase, some coins, and three human skeletons, were dug up in 1830.

Candover, Chilton (St. Nicholas)

CANDOVER, CHILTON (St. Nicholas), a parish, in the union of Alresford, hundred of Mainsborough, Winchester and N. divisions of the county of Southampton, 5 miles (N.) from Alresford; containing 103 inhabitants. The river Itchin has its source in this parish, which comprises between 1400 and 1500 acres; the surface is hilly, and the soil a poor light earth, resting on a substratum of chalk and flint. The ancient mansion here of the lords Cartwright has long since been taken down; but the terraces, which denote its pristine grandeur, are still remaining. The living is a rectory, valued in the king's books at £6. 6. 3., and in the gift of Lord Ashburton: the tithes have been commuted for £232, and the glebe comprises 13 acres, with a residence. The church is approached by an avenue of very old yew-trees, three-quarters of a mile in length.

Candover, Preston (St. Mary)

CANDOVER, PRESTON (St. Mary), a parish, in the union of Basingstoke, hundred of Bermondspit, Basingstoke and N. divisions of the county of Southampton, 6 miles (N. by E.) from Alresford; containing 481 inhabitants. It comprises 3150a. 1r. 24p. Facilities of conveyance are afforded by the Basingstoke canal. The living is a discharged vicarage, with Nutley annexed, valued in the king's books at £18; patrons, the Dean and Chapter of Winchester, the appropriators of Preston-Candover; impropriator of Nutley, G. P. Jervoise, Esq. The vicarial tithes of the united parishes have been commuted for £202, and the appropriate tithes of Preston-Candover for £201; the glebe comprises 16 acres.

Canewdon (St. Nicholas)

CANEWDON (St. Nicholas), a parish, in the union and hundred of Rochford, S. division of Essex, 3½ miles (N. E. by N.) from Rochford; containing 723 inhabitants. This parish, which is bounded on the north by the navigable river Crouch, derives its name from Canute the Dane, who held his court here. It comprises 4857 acres of fertile land, and 652 of common or waste; the surface is finely varied, and the village is pleasantly situated on rising ground commanding an interesting view over the surrounding country. A fair is held on the 24th of June. Canewdon creek, which is navigable for small craft, is in the northern part of the parish. The living is a vicarage, valued in the king's books at £34. 1. 8.; net income, £495; patron, the Bishop of London; impropriator, Thomas Laver, Esq. The church is a large structure, in the later style of English architecture, with a massive western tower. A national school is partly supported by funds arising from land.

Canfield, Great

CANFIELD, GREAT, a parish, in the union and hundred of Dunmow, N. division of Essex, 5 miles (S. W.) from Dunmow; containing 496 inhabitants. The parish obtained the appellation of Canfield ad Castrum, from a castle supposed to have been founded here by the De Veres, but of which there are no remains. It comprises 2471a. 3r. 6p.; the soil is fertile, and the surrounding country is agreeable, and in some parts enriched with wood. The living is a discharged vicarage, valued in the king's books at £13; net income, £140; patron and impropriator, J. M. Wilson, Esq. The church is a small ancient edifice, with a tower of stone.

Canfield, Little

CANFIELD, LITTLE, a parish, in the union and hundred of Dunmow, N. division of Essex, 2¾ miles (W. by S.) from Dunmow; containing 258 inhabitants. The living is a rectory, valued in the king's books at £12. 0. 7½., and in the gift of Christ's College, Cambridge: the tithes have been commuted for £410, and there is a glebe of 70 acres. The church, which formerly belonged to the priory of Lewes, in the county of Sussex, consists of a nave and chancel, with a small belfry surmounted by a spire of wood.

Canford, Great

CANFORD, GREAT, a parish, in the union of Poole, hundred of Cogdean, Wimborne division of Dorset, 2¼ miles (S. E. by E.) from Wimborne-Minster; comprising the chapelries of Kingston and Parkstone, and the tything of Longfleet; and containing 3957 inhabitants. The parish is situated on the south bank of the river Stour, and on the road from Poole to Southampton; and comprises by measurement 12,395 acres. The living is a vicarage, valued in the king's books at £11. 9. 9½.; patron, Sir Josiah John Guest. The parish, with respect to tithes, is separated into the eastern, middle, and western divisions: the tithes of the eastern division have been commuted for £380, and are payable every third year to the vicar, and in the two other years to the impropriator; the tithes of the western division have been commuted for £286 payable every third year to the vicar, and £133 two years in three to the impropriators; and those of the middle division for £295 payable every third year to the vicar, and £35 payable two years in three to impropriators. The glebe comprises 86 acres. The church consists of a nave and chancel, with a north aisle to each, and a tower between the two aisles; also a south aisle to the nave, and a south chapel to the chancel: the font, of Purbeck marble, is of great antiquity. There are other churches at Kingston, Parkstone, and Longfleet, forming separate incumbencies. The Independents have a place of worship. A small portion of the ancient manor-house, called John of Gaunt's Kitchen, is still remaining.

Cann (St. Rumbold)

CANN (St. Rumbold), a parish, in the union of Shaftesbury, hundred of Sixpenny-Handley, Shaston division of Dorset, 1½ mile (S. E.) from Shaftesbury; containing 524 inhabitants. The living is a rectory, valued in the king's books at £9. 2. 1., and in the gift of the Earl of Shaftesbury: the tithes have been commuted for £250, and there is about an acre of glebe.

Cannings, Bishop's (St. Mary)

CANNINGS, BISHOP'S (St. Mary), a parish, in the union of Devizes, hundred of Potterne and Cannings, Devizes and N. divisions of Wilts, 3 miles (N. E.) from Devizes; containing, with the tythings of Bourton with Easton, Chittoe, Coate, and Horton, and the chapelry of South Broom, 3843 inhabitants. The manor belongs to the Bishop of Salisbury, whose predecessors had a residence here. The parish comprises by measurement 11,026 acres. The living is a vicarage, in the patronage of the Dean and Chapter of Salisbury, valued in the king's books at £17. 19. 2.; net income, £351; impropriator, under the bishop, T. G. B. Estcourt, Esq. The church is a handsome structure in the early English style, supposed to have been either erected or rebuilt about the same time as Salisbury Cathedral, which it much resembles in its details. There are other livings at Chittoe and South Broom.

Cannington (St. Mary)

CANNINGTON (St. Mary), a parish, in the union of Bridgwater, hundred of Cannington, W. division of Somerset, 3½ miles (N. W. by W.) from Bridgwater; containing 1349 inhabitants. This place is of considerable antiquity, having given name to the hundred, and was formerly of much greater importance than it is at present. Camden derives its name from its having been occupied by a tribe of Britons, called the Cangi. The navigable river Parret flows on the north and east sides of the parish. The living is a vicarage, valued in the king's books at £7. 10. 10.; net income, £371; patron and impropriator, Lord Clifford, whose tithes have been commuted for £965. There is a Roman Catholic chapel at Court House. A national school, erected at an expense of £290, has an endowment of £19. 12. per annum. Mr. Rogers bequeathed £300 per annum, directing that £6 each should be annually given to twenty poor men, and the remainder to the poor generally. A Benedictine nunnery was founded in the reign of Stephen, by Robert de Courcy, and dedicated to the Blessed Virgin; it consisted of a prioress and six or seven nuns, whose revenue was estimated at £39. 15. 8. The buildings are now occupied by a society of nuns, who support a school.