Willingdale-Doe - Williton

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

This free content was digitised by double rekeying. All rights reserved.

'Willingdale-Doe - Williton', in A Topographical Dictionary of England, (London, 1848) pp. 579-581. British History Online https://www.british-history.ac.uk/topographical-dict/england/pp579-581 [accessed 20 April 2024]

In this section

Willingale-Doe (St. Christopher)

WILLINGALE-DOE (St. Christopher), a parish, in the union of Ongar, hundred of Dunmow, N. division of Essex, 5½ miles (N. E.) from Ongar; containing 529 inhabitants. It comprises 1736a. 3r. 37p., of which 1408 acres are arable, 320 meadow and pasture, and 8 woodland; the soil is a rather strong clay. The small river Roden flows on the east. The living is a rectory, with that of Shellow-Bowels consolidated, valued in the king's books at £16, and in the gift of T. W. Bramston, Esq.: the tithes of the parish have been commuted for £489, and the glebe comprises 31 acres. The church, consisting of a nave and chancel with a square embattled tower, stands in the same churchyard as that of Willingale-Spain, and the parishes are much intermixed, though distinct both as to ecclesiastical and civil concerns.

Willingale-Spain (All Saints)

WILLINGALE-SPAIN (All Saints), a parish, in the union of Ongar, hundred of Dunmow, N. division of Essex, 6 miles (N. E.) from Ongar; containing 207 inhabitants. The parish derives the adjunct to its name from the family of Hervey de Spain, to whom it belonged at the time of the Norman survey. It comprises 1200a. 31p., of which 970 acres are arable, 200 pasture, and 30 wood; the soil is similar to that of the preceding parish. The living is a rectory, valued in the king's books at £7. 13. 4., and in the patronage of the Crown, on the nomination of the Bishop of London: the tithes have been commuted for £322. 12., and the glebe comprises 29½ acres. The church has a handsome altarpiece, the gift of William Brocket, Esq.

Willingdon

WILLINGDON, a parish, in the union of Eastbourne, hundred of Willingdon, rape of Pevensey, E. division of Sussex, 2¼ miles (N. by W.) from Eastbourne; containing 621 inhabitants. This parish comprises 3822 acres, of which about 600 are common or waste. The village is pleasantly situated on elevated ground, on the road from London to Eastbourne, commanding very extensive views of the surrounding country. Langley Point, with its forts and martello towers, on the coast, is in the parish. The living is a discharged vicarage, valued in the king's books at £12; net income, £67; patrons, the Dean and Chapter of Chichester; impropriators, Inigo Thomas, and R. Newman, Esqrs. The glebe consists of about 3 acres, with a small house. The church, principally in the early English style, contains portions in the decorated and later styles, with a square tower, and some interesting monuments to the Parker family. Henry Parker, who was secretary to Cromwell, and author of various tracts on religion and politics, was born at Ratton, in the parish. On the downs are several barrows; and in 1825, on lowering the road over Ocklynge, several skeletons were discovered, lying in rows, side by side, with their feet towards the east.

Willingham (St. Mary and All Saints)

WILLINGHAM (St. Mary and All Saints), a parish, in the union of Chesterton, hundred of Papworth, county of Cambridge, 6¼ miles (E. by S.) from St. Ives; containing 1454 inhabitants. The parish comprises 4663 acres, of which 1638 are common or waste. Much of the cheese which takes its name from the neighbouring village of Cottenham is made at this place, where about 1200 milch-cows are usually kept. An act for draining certain fen land and low grounds was passed in 1842. The living is a rectory, valued in the king's books at £18. 8. 1½ and in the patronage of the Bishop of Ely: the tithes have been commuted for £670, and there are 80 acres of glebe. The church is an ancient edifice: on the north side of the chancel is a chapel in the decorated English style, with a stone roof of singular construction. Here is a place of worship for Baptists. A charity school was founded by subscription, in 1593, and an estate purchased for its endowment, which now produces £20 a year; it is further endowed with a rentcharge of £10, bequeathed in 1700 by Dr. Saywell, Master of Jesus College, Cambridge. An almshouse for four widows, founded in 1616 by William Smith, provost of King's College, Cambridge, is endowed with £18 per annum.

Willingham

WILLINGHAM, a chapelry, in the parish of Carlton, union of Linton, hundred of Radfield, county of Cambridge, 5½ miles (S. by E.) from Newmarket. The chapel is dedicated to St. Matthew.

Willingham (St. Helen)

WILLINGHAM (St. Helen), a parish, in the union of Gainsborough, wapentake of Well, parts of Lindsey, county of Lincoln, 6 miles (S. E.) from Gainsborough; containing 426 inhabitants. It is situated on the road from Lincoln to Gainsborough, and comprises by measurement 2200 acres, of which about two-thirds are arable, and one-third is pasture; the soil is a strong clay. The living is a rectory, valued in the king's books at £18. 6. 8.; net income, £352; patron, the Rev. J. Peel: the tithes were commuted for land and a money payment in 1779. The church is an ancient edifice. There is a place of worship for Wesleyans.

Willingham (St. Mary)

WILLINGHAM (St. Mary), a parish, in the union and hundred of Wangford, E. division of Suffolk, 4 miles (S.) from Beccles; containing 156 inhabitants. It is computed to comprise 1000 acres. The living is a rectory annexed to that of North Cove, and valued in the king's books at £6. 13. 4.: the tithes have been commuted for £236, and there are 19½ acres of glebe, of which 3 belong to the rector, 15 to the rector of Ellough, and 1½ to the rector of Sotterley. The church was standing in 1529; but only a very small portion of the edifice now remains.

Willingham, Cherry (St. Peter)

WILLINGHAM, CHERRY (St. Peter), a parish, in the wapentake of Lawress, parts of Lindsey, union and county of Lincoln, 4 miles (E. by N.) from Lincoln; containing 111 inhabitants. It comprises 1096 acres, of which the soil is a light clay. The surface forms a gently-rising hill, washed on the south by the river Witham; the lower grounds have been well drained. The living is a discharged vicarage, valued in the king's books at £6. 13. 4.; net income, £95; patrons and impropriators, Messrs. Cock, Gordon, and Ellis.

Willingham, North

WILLINGHAM, NORTH, a parish, in the union of Ca istor, S. division of the wapentake of Walshcroft, parts of Lindsey, county of Lincoln, 4 miles (E. by S.) from Market-Rasen; containing 210 inhabitants. It comprises about 3000 acres: the soil varies, consisting of clay, sand, and loam; the surface is generally hilly. The living is a discharged vicarage, valued in the king's books at £5. 4. 4½.; net income, £69; patron and impropriator, Ayscoghe Boucherett, Esq. The glebe contains about 27 acres, in different parishes.

Willingham, South (St. Martin)

WILLINGHAM, SOUTH (St. Martin), a parish, in the union of Louth, E. division of the wapentake of Wraggoe, parts of Lindsey, county of Lincoln, 5 miles (E. N. E.) from Wragby; containing 296 inhabitants. It is computed to contain 2000 acres. The living is a discharged vicarage, valued in the king's books at £13. 10. 10.; income, £389; patron, G. F. Heneage, Esq. The tithes were commuted for land in 1769.

Willington (St. Lawrence)

WILLINGTON (St. Lawrence), a parish, in the hundred of Wixamtree, union and county of Bedford, 4 miles (E.) from Bedford; containing 268 inhabitants. The navigable river Ouse bounds it on the north. The living is a discharged vicarage, valued in the king's books at £7. 17., and in the patronage of the Duke of Bedford, the impropriator. The great tithes have been commuted for £300, and those of the vicar for £227: there are 19 acres of glebe. The church is principally in the later English style, and contains some old monuments to the Gostwicke family.

Willington

WILLINGTON, an extra-parochial district, locally in the parish of Tarvtn, union of Great Boughton, Second division of the hundred of Eddisbury, S. division of the county of Chester, 1½ mile (S. by E.) from Kelsall; containing 103 inhabitants. It is situated on the south-west side of Delamere Forest, and comprises 977a. 3r. 17p., of which, deducting 30 acres of wood, two-thirds are pasture and one-third arable land, mostly the property of Colonel Tomkinson. The upland is a strong red loamy soil, adapted to the culture of potatoes, of which great quantities are grown for the Manchester market, a hundred bushels being now produced where thirty years ago there was but one bushel. In the lower part of the township, the soil is a strong clay, and excellent cheese is made. Red stone and sandstone are quarried. The mansion of Colonel Tomkinson, standing on the borders of the forest, is a modern and elegant building in the Elizabethan style. For the performance of ecclesiastical rites the inhabitants resort to the church of St. Oswald, Chester. The tithes on 327¾ acres are paid to the Dean and Chapter of Lichfield; 620 acres are tithe-free. A school for boys and girls is supported by Col. Tomkinson.

Willington (St. Michael)

WILLINGTON (St. Michael), a parish, in the union of Burton-upon-Trent, hundred of Morleston and Litchurch, S. division of the county of Derby, 7 miles (S. W.) from Derby; containing 409 inhabitants. The property at the Domesday survey belonged partly to the king, and partly to Ralph Fitzhubert. Henry II. gave one of the two manors to Burton Abbey. The other appears to have been given with the church, by the family of Willington, to the prior and convent of Repton; and William Westcote conveyed it, about the year 1554, to Sir John Port, founder of Repton school. The parish is on the road from Derby to Burton, and comprises about 1260 acres, two-thirds of which are grass-land; the soil is of a light quality, chiefly resting upon sand and gravel. The river Trent, over which is a handsome stone bridge of five arches, forms the boundary on the south. The Grand Trunk canal, connecting the Trent and the Mersey, intersects the village; and facilities of communication are also afforded by the Birmingham and Derby railway, which has a station here: the station is a very neat one; the roof is just level with the rails, on account of the height of the embankment. The line crosses two of the streets by stone bridges. The living is a discharged vicarage, valued in the king's books at £4. 17. 3.; net income, £82; patrons, the Corporation of Etwall Hospital and Repton Grammar School. The tithes were commuted for land in 1766: thirty-six acres, and an allowance from Queen Anne's Bounty, have been assigned to the vicar. The church, erected in the 12th century, is in the Norman style, with later additions. There are places of worship for Baptists and Wesleyans

Willington

WILLINGTON, a township, in the parish of Brancepeth, N. W. division of Darlington ward, union, and S. division of the county, of Durham, 4 miles (N.) from Bishop-Auckland; containing 258 inhabitants. It is situated on the north side of the river Wear. The tithes have been commuted for £120. 18. 6. There is a place of worship for Wesleyans; and a school is partly supported by subscription.

Willington

WILLINGTON, a township, in the parish of Wallsend, union of Tynemouth, E. division of Castle ward, S. division of Northumberland, 3 miles (W. by S.) from North Shields; containing 1474 inhabitants. This place is situated on the north bank of the river Tyne, and contains some neat houses. Here is a colliery comprising several seams of excellent quality, of which two are worked: one, the high main seam, occurs at a depth of 100 fathoms from the surface, and is used for household purposes, being sent to London as Bell and Company's Wallsend; the other, which is found at a depth of 40 fathoms below the former, is used only for steam-engines. An explosion took place in this colliery in 1841, by which 31 lives were lost, and the property sustained much damage. An extensive ropery has been established here, also some copperas-works. Near the river, which affords great facilities for the shipment of coal and other produce, is a corn-mill worked by steam; and at Willington quay is a dockyard, with a patent-slip for building and repairing ships. The Newcastle and Tynemouth railway runs through the township, to its station at Howdon, passing over the Willington viaduct, which consists of seven wooden arches, each 120 feet in span, supported on piers and abutments of stone, the whole constructed from the designs of Messrs. Green, of Newcastle, at a cost of £25,000. The channel of the river between Willington quay and Howdon has been greatly deepened and improved by laying ballast in the bed, to contract its width. The tithes have been commuted for £356. 2. 10., of which £90 are payable to the curate of Wallsend. There are places of worship for Wesleyans.

Willington

WILLINGTON, a hamlet, in the parish of Barcheston, union of Shipston-on-Stour, Brailes division of the hundred of Kington, S. division of the county of Warwick, 1¼ mile (S. S. E.) from Shipston; containing 149 inhabitants. The tithes have been commuted for £199, and there is a glebe of 4¼ acres.

Willisham (St. Mary)

WILLISHAM (St. Mary), a parish, in the union and hundred of Bosmere and Claydon, E. division of Suffolk, 3 miles (S. S. W.) from Needham-Market; containing 217 inhabitants. The living is a perpetual curacy; net income, £56; patron, the Rev. E. B. Sparke. The tithes have been commuted for £246. 15., and there are 4½ acres of impropriate glebe.

Willitoft

WILLITOFT, a township, in the parish of Bubwith, union of Howden, Holme-Beacon division of the wapentake of Harthill, E. riding of York, 5¼ miles (N.) from Howden; containing 53 inhabitants. This place was formerly the residence of the Vavasour family; it is now the property of Colonel Wyndham, who is lord of the manor.

Williton

WILLITON, a chapelry, in the parish of St. Decuman, union of Williton, hundred of Williton and Freemanners, county of Somerset, 6¼ miles (E. S. E.) from Dunster; containing 1318 inhabitants. This place is situated about a mile and a half from the coast of the Bristol Channel. It is a polling-place for the western division of the county, and has a county debt-court, established in 1847, whose powers extend over the registration-district of Williton. The living is a perpetual curacy, in the patronage of the Vicar of St. Decuman; net income, £53. The chapel is dedicated to St. Peter. There are places of worship for Baptists and Wesleyans.