Dirham - Dittisham

Dirham, or Dyrham (St. Peter)

DIRHAM, or Dyrham (St. Peter), a parish, in the union of Chipping-Sodbury, Lower division of the hundred of Grumbald's-Ash, W. division of the county of Gloucester, 4 miles (W. N. W.) from Marshfield; containing, with Hinton, 530 inhabitants. This place is distinguished as the scene of a sanguinary conflict between Ceawlin the Saxon, and Commeail and Condidam, petty kings of the Britons, both of whom he slew; and there are still some remains of the vast ramparts, called Barhill Camp, near which the battle occurred. The parish comprises 2500 acres: the soil is partly rich loam and partly sand; the surface is diversified with hills, and the low grounds are watered by the river Boyd, which has its source in several small springs that unite their streams here. The living is a rectory, valued in the king's books at £14. 12. 6.; net income, £501; patron, W. Blathwyt, Esq. The church is a handsome building, with portions in the early and later English styles of architecture.

Discove

DISCOVE, a hamlet, partly in the parish of Bruton, and partly in that of Pitcombe, union of Wincanton, E. division of Somerset, 1 mile (S. E. by S.) from Bruton; containing 32 inhabitants. At this place, called in Domesday book Dinescove, some remains of a Roman tessellated pavement were discovered in 1711.

Diseworth (St. Michael)

DISEWORTH (St. Michael), a parish, in the union of Shardlow, hundred of West Goscote, N. division of the county of Leicester, 6 miles (N. W. by W.) from Loughborough; containing 739 inhabitants. The living is a discharged vicarage, valued in the king's books at £4; net income, £197; patrons, alternately, the Haberdashers' Company and Christ's Hospital; impropriator, R. Cheslyn, Esq. The tithes were commuted for land and a money payment, in 1794. The church has been repewed by aid of a grant from the Incorporated Society. There is a place of worship for Wesleyans; and a school is endowed with £10 per annum, and a house, the bequest of William Lane, in 1720. William Lilly, the astrologer, was born here in 1602.

Dishforth

DISHFORTH, a chapelry, in the parish of Topcliffe, union of Great Ouseburn (under Gilbert's act), wapentake of Hallikeld, N. riding of York, 4 miles (N. N. W.) from Boroughbridge; containing 363 inhabitants. It is situated on the road from Boroughbridge to Thirsk, and comprises about 940 acres, of which the soil is generally fertile: the river Swale passes about two miles to the east of the village. The living is a perpetual curacy; net income, £80; patron, the Vicar of Topcliffe; appropriators, the Dean and Chapter of York, and others. There are places of worship for Wesleyan Methodists and Particular Baptists; and an endowed school.

Dishley

DISHLEY, a chapelry, in the parish of Thorp-Acre, union of Loughborough, hundred of West Goscote, N. division of the county of Leicester, 1¾ mile (N. W.) from Loughborough; containing 33 inhabitants. It is situated on the river Soar, and the Loughborough canal. The living is a donative curacy, with that of Thorp-Acre united; net income, £70; patron, C. M. Phillips, Esq. The chapel is dedicated to All Saints.

Disley, in the county of Chester.—See Distley.

DISLEY, in the county of Chester.—See Distley.

Diss (St. Mary)

DISS (St. Mary), a market-town and parish, in the union of Depwade, hundred of Diss, E. division of Norfolk, 22 miles (S. S. W.) from Norwich, and 92 (N. E.) from London; containing 3205 inhabitants. This place, formerly Disce or Dice, was held in royal demesne in the reign of Henry I., and in that of Edward I. became the property of Robert Fitzwalter, who obtained for it the privilege of a market. The town is pleasantly situated near the river Waveney, by which it is separated on the south from the county of Suffolk, and consists of several streets, whereof the principal are spacious, macadamized, and lighted with gas; the houses are in general well built, and the inhabitants are amply supplied with water. A book society has been established for nearly a century, and is supported by subscription; there are also a subscription library, and a literary and scientific institution. At the extremity of the town, and nearly in the centre of the parish, is a mere five acres in extent, which abounds with eels. The principal branch of manufacture is the weaving of coarse cloth and sacking, and there are several breweries. An act was passed in 1846 for a railway from Norwich, by this town, to Stow-Market. The market is on Friday, and chiefly for corn: a fair for lambs on the first Friday in July has been established; a statute-fair is held on the third Friday in September, and a fair for cattle and toys on the 8th of November. The petty-sessions are held here on the second and fourth Monday in the month.

The parish is bounded on the south by the river Waveney, and comprises 3625a. 22p., of which 3283 acres are under profitable cultivation, and about 15 in plantation: the soil is various, but in general fertile; the surface is gently undulated, and the low grounds are watered by the river Frenze, which flows into the Waveney. The living is a rectory, valued in the king's books at £33. 6. 8., and in the gift of the Rev. W. Manning: the tithes have been commuted for £900, and the glebe comprises 11 acres, with a glebe-house. The church is an ancient structure in the early and decorated English styles, with a square embattled tower; the nave is lighted by a fine range of double clerestory windows, and the south porch has a semicircular-headed doorway, over which is a large window of seven lights. There are places of worship for the Society of Friends, Particular Baptists, Independents, Wesleyans, and Unitarians, and a Roman Catholic chapel at Thelton. The rent of a house in the churchyard, £25, is given to four widows; and the workhouse, since the formation of the union, has been converted into almshouses for eight widows. A farm in the parish of Framlingham, producing £100 per annum, is applied to the repairs of the church and other parochial uses. Ralph de Diceto, Dean of St. Paul's in the reign of Henry II., and Walter, a Carmelite friar of Norwich, confessor to John of Gaunt, were natives of the parish; of which also John Skelton, poet-laureate to Henry VIII., and styled by Erasmus "the light and ornament of English scholars," was rector.

Dissington, North

DISSINGTON, NORTH, a township, in the parish of Newburn, union and W. division of Castle ward, S. division of Northumberland, 10 miles (N. W. by W.) from Newcastle-upon-Tyne; containing 67 inhabitants. This place was formerly the property and residence of a junior branch of the Delaval family, of whom Admiral Sir Ralph Delaval, a native of the township, sold the estate to Mr. Collingwood, of Byker, from whom it descended to its present possessor. The surface is rather level, sloping to the south; the soil is clay, in the northern part, and gravelly towards the river Pont, which separates this township from South Dissington. The Hall, the seat of Mr. Collingwood, is a substantial stone mansion, erected in 1797, and contains a small collection of pictures. The tithes have been commuted for £5. 10. 3. payable to the vicar, and £119. 19. 9. to the Bishop of Carlisle. There was formerly a chapel in the township.

Dissington, South

DISSINGTON, SOUTH, a township, in the parish of Newburn, union and W. division of Castle ward, S. division of Northumberland, 9 miles (N. W. by W.) from Newcastle-upon-Tyne; containing 76 inhabitants. It was for several centuries the seat of a branch of the Delavals, from whom the estate came to Sir Jacob Astley, and is now the property of Mr. Collingwood. The tithes have been commuted for £196. 7. 8., of which the Bishop of Carlisle receives £190. 16. 5., and the vicar £5. 11. 3.

Distington

DISTINGTON, a parish, in the union of Whitehaven, Allerdale ward above Derwent, W. division of Cumberland, 4¼ miles (N. E. by N.) from Whitehaven; containing 1108 inhabitants. It stretches almost to the Irish Sea, and contains coal-pits, and quarries of excellent limestone, much of which is burnt into lime; millstones and grindstones are also obtained, and there are manufactories for linen-thread, hats, and edge-tools. The living is a rectory, valued in the king's books at £7. 1. 0½.; net income, £301; patron, the Earl of Lonsdale. The tithes were commuted for an allotment of land in 1767.

Distley

DISTLEY, a chapelry, in the parish of Stockport, union of Hayfield, hundred of Macclesfield, N. division of the county of Chester, 6¾ miles (S. E.) from Stockport; containing 2191 inhabitants. A family which took its name from the place, held lands here at an early period as foresters of Macclesfield. The manor has been for many generations in the Leghs, of Lyme. The township comprises 2372a. 3r. 11p., of a clayey soil, with moss; it lies on the road from Stockport to Buxton, and is crossed by the Peak-Forest canal. The living is a perpetual curacy; net income, £117; patron, Thomas Legh, Esq. The chapel, dedicated to All Saints, and rebuilt in 1558, in the later English style, has an embattled tower, and contains windows of stained glass, exhibiting several portraits and armorial bearings. A school is endowed with £15 per annum and a house.

Ditchampton (St. Andrew)

DITCHAMPTON (St. Andrew), formerly a parish, but now a hamlet partly in the parish of Wilton, hundred of Branch and Dole, and partly in the parish of South Burcombe, hundred of Cawden and Cadworth, union of Wilton, Salisbury and Amesbury, and S. divisions of Wilts, ¼ of a mile (N.) from Wilton. The living is a vicarage, united to the rectory of Wilton, and valued in the king's books at £10: the church has been demolished.

Ditchburn, East and West

DITCHBURN, EAST and WEST, a township, in the parish of Eglingham, union of Alnwick, N. division of Coquetdale ward and of Northumberland; containing 60 inhabitants; the former village 8½ miles (N. N. W.) and the latter 8 (N. W. by N.) from Alnwick. The township comprises 1520 acres, of which 47 are common or waste; the soil is of a light quality, and coal and stone are obtained. East Ditchburn is situated to the west of the road between Belford and Alnwick, in the western part of the parish, and near the Eglingham burn, which afterwards falls into the river Aln; West Ditchburn is close to the western boundary of the parish, which also divides the ward of Bambrough from that of Coquetdale. There was formerly a fortified tower in the township, with a place of safety for cattle in times of intestine wars. The estate belonged to Admiral Lord Collingwood. The tithes have been commuted for £85 payable to the impropriator, and £10. 12. to the vicar. A strong petrifying water here, acts as a diarrhœtic.

Ditcheat (St. Mary Magdalene)

DITCHEAT (St. Mary Magdalene), a parish, in the union of Shepton-Mallet, hundred of Whitestone, E. division of Somerset, 3 miles (N. N. W.) from CastleCary; containing, with the tythings of Alhampton and Lottisham, and the hamlet of Wraxhall, 1244 inhabitants, of whom 593 are in the tything of Ditcheat. It is bounded on the north-west by the old Roman fosseway, and comprises 4407 acres of profitable land, of which 800 are arable; there are also 104 acres of common or waste. The living is a rectory, valued in the king's books at £46. 5., and in the gift of the Rev. W. Leir: the tithes have been commuted for £775, and the glebe comprises 103 acres, with a glebe-house. There is a place of worship for Wesleyans.

Ditchelling, or Ditchling (St. Margaret)

DITCHELLING, or Ditchling (St. Margaret), a parish, in the union of Chailey, hundred of Street, rape of Lewes, county of Sussex, 3 miles (E. S. E.) from Hurst-Pierrepoint; containing 1148 inhabitants. This place, which is situated on the road from London, by way of Lindford, to Brighton, was once a market-town of some note; it contains several ancient houses of timber frame-work and plaster, and is seated on a gentle acclivity, sloping to the downs. The market has been long discontinued; but fairs, formerly for sheep and hops, and for pedlery, are still held on the 5th of April and 12th of October, though chiefly as pleasure-fairs. The parish comprises 4050 acres, whereof 260 are common or waste; it abounds with interesting features; and Ditchelling Beacon, the most elevated ridge of the South Downs, and which is 858 feet above the level of the sea, commands a view of the English Channel and the Isle of Wight. The soil is various; in the northern part a stiff clay alternated with veins of Sussex marble, and between the village and the downs a rich calcareous loam resting on a clay bottom. The living is a discharged vicarage, valued in the king's books at £11; patron, the Chancellor in the Cathedral of Chichester: the vicarial tithes have been commuted for £210. The church is an ancient structure, chiefly in the early English style, with some windows of the decorated style. There are places of worship for Baptists, Independents, and Unitarians. On Ditchling common is a chalybeate spring, the water of which is similar to that of Tonbridge Wells; and in the neighbourhood is a spring strongly impregnated with sulphur. Near the Beacon are the remains of a Roman encampment.

Ditches, in the county of Salop.—See Lowe.

DITCHES, in the county of Salop.—See Lowe.

Ditchford, in the county of Warwick.—See Stretton-on-the-Foss.

DITCHFORD, in the county of Warwick.—See Stretton-on-the Foss.

Ditchford

DITCHFORD, a hamlet, in the parish of Blockley, union of Shipston-upon-Stour, Upper division of the hundred of Oswaldslow, Blockley and E. divisions of the county of Worcester, 4¼ miles (S. W. by W.) from Shipston; containing 36 inhabitants. It is situated in the north-east extremity of the parish, and on the road from Shipston to Moreton-in-the-Marsh.

Ditchingham (St. Mary)

DITCHINGHAM (St. Mary), a parish, in the union of Loddon and Clavering, hundred of Loddon, E. division of Norfolk; adjoining Bungay, and containing 1124 inhabitants. This parish is situated on the road from Bungay to Norwich, and separated from the former place by the river Waveney, which bounds the district for a considerable way on the south; it is embellished by numerous elegant mansions, of which that named Ditchingham Hall is a splendid residence. Near Bungay is a Norwich-crape factory, employing about 650 hands. The living is a rectory, valued in the king's books at £16, and in the alternate patronage of the Howard family, and St. John's College, Cambridge, with a net income of £482: the glebe comprises about 33 acres, with a commodious house. The church is a handsome structure, chiefly in the later English style, with a very fine lofty embattled tower; the windows of the chancel are filled with stained glass, and in various parts of the building are interesting relics, including the remains of an exquisitely carved screen, a painting of Our Saviour, and some well-executed figures. There are town lands which let for about £150 per annum, applicable to the repair of the church, bridges, &c.

Ditchley

DITCHLEY, a hamlet, in the parish of Spelsbury, union of Chipping-Norton, hundred of Chadlington, county of Oxford; containing 47 inhabitants.

Ditteridge

DITTERIDGE, a parish, in the union and hundred of Chippenham, Chippenham and Calne, and N. divisions of Wilts, 7 miles (W. S. W.) from Chippenham; containing 95 inhabitants. It comprises 356a. 3r. 31p., of which about 205 acres are arable, 100 meadow, and 18 wood: much of the land is scattered in insulated portions in the adjacent parish of Box. The living is a discharged rectory, valued in the king's books at £2. 8. 9., and in the gift of W. Northey, Esq.: the tithes have been commuted for £86. 13., and the glebe comprises 26 acres. The church is very ancient.

Dittisham (St. George)

DITTISHAM (St. George), a parish, in the union of Totnes, hundred of Coleridge, Stanborough and Coleridge, and S. divisions of Devon, 3 miles (N. by W.) from Dartmouth; containing 917 inhabitants. It is situated on the western bank of the navigable river Dart, and comprises 3098a. 1r. 36p., of which 2046 acres are arable, 261 pasture, 105 orchard, and 188 timber, coppice, and furze: there are some quarries of building-stone of ordinary quality. The living is a rectory, valued in the king's books at £34. 15., and in the gift of the Earl of Mount-Edgcumbe: the tithes have been commuted for £465, and the glebe comprises 60 acres, with a glebe-house. The church is a neat edifice in the later English style, with a handsome porch; the pulpit is of stone elegantly sculptured, and the screen is in good preservation. There is a place of worship for Independents.