Fremington - Fring

Fremington (St. Peter)

FREMINGTON (St. Peter), a parish, in the union of Barnstaple, hundred of Fremington, Braunton and N. divisions of Devon, 3 miles (W. by S.) from Barnstaple; containing 1326 inhabitants. This place, which formerly was a borough, and sent members to parliament in the reign of Edward III., is situated on the shore of Barnstaple bay, at the estuary of the river Taw, called Fremington Pill, where coal-barges deliver their cargoes, and merchant-vessels frequently wait for the spring tides. The parish comprises 6810 acres, of which 999 are waste land or common; the soil is generally a stiff close earth, very rich within a mile of the river, but coarse on part of the high ground. The valleys in some places are finely wooded; the scenery is enlivened by numerous handsome villas, and the views are interesting and extensive. There are several weirs for salmon and other fish, which are found in great quantities. In the neighbourhood are veins of limestone, imbedded in strata of stone of a blue colour, adapted for building: pipe-clay and potter's-clay are also obtained, and the latter has been an article of considerable exportation for more than a century. In 1838 an act was passed for making a railway from Penhill, in the parish, to the town of Barnstaple, and for constructing a dock here. The living is a vicarage, valued in the king's books at £20. 0. 5., and in the patronage of Lady Francis Trail; impropriator, G. A. Barbor, Esq.: the great tithes have been commuted for £416, and the vicarial for £355; the glebe comprises 84 acres, with a house. The church, a plain ancient edifice, contains memorials of the Barbor family. There are places of worship for Baptists, Independents, and Methodists. John Doddridge, in 1650, bequeathed a rent-charge of £50 for a lecture in the church, and £10 per annum for a scholar in either of the universities.

French-Moor

FRENCH-MOOR, a tything, in the parish of Broughton, union of Stockbridge, hundred of Thorngate, Romsey and S. divisions of the county of Southampton, 7¼ miles (N. W.) from the town of Romsey; containing 58 inhabitants.

Frenchay

FRENCHAY, a tything, in the parish of Winterbourne, union of Clifton, Upper division of the hundred of Langley and Swinehead, W. division of the county of Gloucester; containing 594 inhabitants.— See Winterbourne.

Frensham (St. Mary)

FRENSHAM (St. Mary), a parish, partly in the hundred of Alton, Alton and N. divisions of the county of Southampton, and partly in the hundred of Farnham, W. division of Surrey, 4 miles (S.) from Farnham; containing, with the tythings of Churt and Pitfold, 1583 inhabitants, of whom 700 are in the tything of Frensham. The parish comprises 11,151 acres, of which about one-third is inclosed and cultivated, and the greater part of the remainder waste; the soil is generally sandy, with some portions of clay. The surface is hilly; the low grounds are watered by the river Wye, and there are two extensive sheets of water called Frensham ponds. The living is a perpetual curacy; net income, £106; patron, the Rev. Richard Stephens: the tithes have been commuted for £660, and the glebe comprises 5 acres. The church, a handsome structure in the later English style, was enlarged in 1827. A chapel has been erected at Churt; and there is a small place of worship in the parish for Bryanites. Near Manor Hill is a mineral spring.

Frenze (St. Andrew)

FRENZE (St. Andrew), a parish, in the union of Depwade, hundred of Diss, E. division of Norfolk, 1¼ mile (E. by N.) from Diss; containing 46 inhabitants. It is situated on the road from Thetford to Yarmouth, and comprises about 420 acres. Frenze Hall is a good residence, in a picturesque valley. The living is a discharged rectory, valued in the king's books at £2. 13. 4., and in the gift of S. Smith, Esq.: the tithes have been commuted for £105, and the glebe comprises 3 acres. The church, an ancient structure in the early and decorated English styles, beautifully situated, consists only of a nave, the chancel having been taken down within the last thirty years, at which time several brasses were removed.

Fresdon

FRESDON, a tything, in the parish of Highworth, union of Highworth and Swindon, hundred of Highworth, Cricklade, and Staple, Swindon and N. divisions of Wilts; containing 43 inhabitants.

Freshford (St. Peter)

FRESHFORD (St. Peter), a parish, in the union of Bradford, hundred of Bath-Forum, E. division of Somerset, 4¾ miles (S. E.) from Bath; containing 645 inhabitants. This parish, which is situated in a district abounding with beautiful scenery, comprises 563a. 3r. 25p.; the surface is hilly, the soil fertile, and the population, with the exception of about 100 persons employed in the manufacture of fine broad-cloth, is agricultural. Bath-freestone, limestone, and fullers'-earth are found in the hills. The river Frome pursues a winding course from south to north-west, and falls into the Avon, which bounds the parish on the north; the Kennet and Avon canal passes in a direction parallel with the Avon, and within half a mile of the village, which is situated on the southern declivity of a richly-wooded eminence. The living is a discharged rectory, with that of Woodwick united in 1448, valued in the king's books at £7. 7. 8½., and in the gift of the incumbent, the Rev. W. Boyle, whose tithes have been commuted for £165, and whose glebe comprises 32 acres. The church is a very neat structure. No remains exist of the ancient church of Woodwick; but in a field near the site some old tombstones have been found. There is a place of worship for Wesleyans. On Staples Hill is a hot spring, supposed to resemble the springs of Bath. The ruins of a hermitage and friary, probably connected with Hinton Abbey, may still be seen; as may also the remains of a Roman encampment.

Freshwater (All Saints)

FRESHWATER (All Saints), a parish, in the liberty of West Medina, Isle of Wight division of the county of Southampton, 1¾ mile (S. S. W.) from Yarmouth; containing 1299 inhabitants. This parish comprises 4430 acres, of which 660 are waste land or common; it has the English Channel on the south and west, and on the north is the Isle of Wight channel, whence the river Yar is navigable to the village. To the west of Freshwater Gate, a small creek in the centre of a bay, is the extensive opening to the sea called Freshwater Cave, the depth of which is about 120 feet, the principal entrance being 20 feet high and 35 wide. The prospect from the lighthouse, on the highest point of the cliffs, is exceedingly fine, and includes a full view of the Needles. Alum bay, in the parish, is much resorted to by geologists, on account of the interesting peculiarity of the strata, unknown elsewhere; and from the cliffs is taken the sand from which the cut-glass of Bristol and other places in the west and north is manufactured. The living is a rectory, valued in the king's books at £ 19. 8. 4., and in the gift of St. John's College, Cambridge: the tithes have been commuted for £800, and the glebe comprises 6 acres, with a house. The church is a well-built structure. There is a place of worship for Wesleyans. In 1714, David Urry gave land now producing £25 per annum, to endow a school. Dr. Robert Hooke, an eminent mathematician and natural philosopher, was born in the village, in 1635.

Fressingfield (St. Peter and St. Paul)

FRESSINGFIELD (St. Peter and St. Paul), a parish, in the union and hundred of Hoxne, E. division of Suffolk, 4½ miles (S.) from Harleston; containing 1456 inhabitants. It comprises by measurement 4567 acres, of which 2568 are arable, 946 meadow and pasture, 135 woodland, and 660 common. A cattle-fair is held on the 29th of May. Whittingham Hall, from which a hamlet in the parish takes its name, was a noble mansion with a chapel attached to it, situated in grounds surrounded by a moat; the chief remains are the stabling, now converted into a farmhouse. The living is a vicarage, with the rectory of Withersdale annexed, valued in the king's books at £17. 17. 1., and in the gift of Emmanuel College, Cambridge; impropriator, Henry Newton Heale, Esq.: the great tithes have been commuted for £919, and the vicarial for £400; the glebe comprises 5½ acres. The church is an ancient structure in the later English style, with a square embattled tower and a handsome south porch; and contains an altar-tomb to the memory of Archbishop Sancroft, who, retiring from public life, spent the remainder of his days in this his native parish, where he was buried. There is a place of worship for Baptists. A school was founded by the archbishop, who bequeathed to it rents amounting to £52 per annum.

Freston (St. Peter)

FRESTON (St. Peter), a parish, in the union of Plomesgate, hundred of Samford, E. division of Suffolk, 4 miles (S.) from Ipswich; containing 224 inhabitants. This parish, which is situated on the estuary of the Orwell, comprises about 1400 acres. The soil is a light loam; the surface on the bank of the Orwell is beautifully undulated and richly wooded, and the general scenery is picturesque. Freston Tower, erected probably during the reign of Henry VIII., is a quadrangular brick building of six stories, about 10 feet by 12 at the base, and has a turret at each angle: from the summit is a fine land and sea view. The living is a discharged rectory, valued in the king's books at £6. 7. 6., and in the patronage of the Bond family: the tithes produce £370, and the glebe comprises 23 acres.

Fretherne (St. Mary)

FRETHERNE (St. Mary), a parish, in the union of Wheatenhurst, Upper division of the hundred of Whitstone, E. division of the county of Gloucester, 8 miles (N. N. W.) from Dursley; containing 242 inhabitants. This is supposed to be the place called in the Saxon Chronicle Fethanleage, where Ceawlin, King of Wessex, obtained a victory over the Britons in 584. The parish is situated on the road to Newnham passage, and on the river Severn, and comprises about 500 acres: the scenery is beautifully varied, and in many points strikingly romantic; the banks of the Severn are here precipitously steep, and Fretherne cliff rises to a height of 60 feet above the level of the river. Fretherne Lodge was the birthplace of the celebrated Rosamond Clifford, usually named Fair Rosamond. An act was obtained in 1839 for inclosing lands. The Berkeley and Gloucester canal passes through the parish. The living is a discharged rectory, valued in the king's books at £5. 6. 8.; patron, Sir E. Tierney, Bart.: the tithes have been commuted for £148. 14., and the glebe comprises 20 acres. The church has been just rebuilt. There is a place of worship for Wesleyans.

Frettenham (St. Peter)

FRETTENHAM (St. Peter), a parish, in the union of St. Faith, hundred of Taverham, E. division of Norfolk, 2¼ miles (S. W. by W.) from Coltishall; containing 285 inhabitants. It comprises by admeasurement 1895 acres, of which 1379 are arable, and the remainder woodland and pasture, with 55 acres common or waste; the soil is a light loam on a substratum of marl. The living is a rectory, with that of Stanninghall annexed, valued in the king's books at £10, and in the gift of Lord Suffield: the tithes have been commuted for £476. 14., and the glebe comprises 21½ acres. The church is an ancient structure in the decorated English style, repewed in 1836; it contains a Norman font.

Frickley, with Clayton (All Saints)

FRICKLEY, with Clayton (All Saints), a parish, in the union of Doncaster, N. division of the wapentake of Strafforth and Tickhill, W. riding of York, 8 miles (W. N. W.) from Doncaster; containing 316 inhabitants. This place is chiefly remarkable as the seat of the family of Anne, of whom mention first occurs in the time of Edward II. and III., when Sir William Anne took a considerable part in public affairs, greatly aiding in the suppression of the rebellion of Thomas, Earl of Lancaster, and afterwards serving in parliament: the family ceased to have any connexion with Frickley towards the close of the last century. The parish comprises 1640 acres, of which rather more than one-half is arable, and about 20 acres are woodland; of the soil, one-third is a tenacious clay, and the remainder rests on an inferior gritstone. The living is a vicarage, with the perpetual curacy of Clayton annexed; net income, £69; patron and impropriator, St. A. Warde, Esq.: the tithes were commuted for land and a money payment in 1814. The church is a small ancient structure, with a tower, and is supposed to have been surrounded by a village which has disappeared: in the interior are some cylindrical columns, and between the nave and chancel is a handsome Norman arch. There is a place of worship used by various denominations of dissenters. An old chapel, erected at the period of the Commonwealth, and then used for divine service, has been rebuilt by the incumbent, for a day and Sunday school.

Fridaythorpe

FRIDAYTHORPE, a parish, in the union of Pocklington, wapentake of Buckrose, E. riding of York, 9 miles (N. E. by N.) from Pocklington; containing 320 inhabitants. This parish, which is situated on the western side of the Wolds, comprises by computation 2200 acres; the surface is undulated, and the scenery in some parts pleasing, embracing a view of Sledmere Park. The living is a discharged vicarage, valued in the king's books at £4. 13. 4.; net income, £112; patron, the Archbishop of York. The church is of Norman architecture, and has an apocryphal date "713." There is a place of worship for Wesleyans.

Friermere

FRIERMERE, an ecclesiastical district, in the chapelry of Saddleworth, parish of Rochdale, Upper division of the wapentake of Agbrigg, W. riding of York, 1 mile (N.) from Delph. It comprises about 3800 acres of pasture and meadow land, of which nearly 800 are uninclosed; the surface is hill and mountain, and the soil gravel, with a rock substratum. Coal-mines are in operation, and stone-quarries are wrought for building and the repair of roads. There are various woollen-factories and woollen printing-works, a calico print-work, and a pottery; and much of the manufactures is produced at the houses of the artisans. The living is a perpetual curacy, in the patronage of the Vicar of Rochdale, and has a net income of £150: the church, dedicated to St. Thomas, is a plain edifice, consecrated in 1768. The dissenters have two places of worship; and two schools are in union with the National Society.

Frierning, county Essex.—See Fryerning.

FRIERNING, county Essex.—See Fryerning.

Friesden

FRIESDEN, a hamlet, in the union of Berkhampstead, partly in the parish of Piglesthorne, hundred of Cottesloe, county of Buckingham, and partly in the parishes of Berkhampstead and Northchurch, hundred of Dacorum, county of Hertford, 2 miles (N. E.) from the town of Berkhampstead; containing 268 inhabitants.

Friesthorpe (St. Peter)

FRIESTHORPE (St. Peter), a parish, in the wapentake of Lawress, parts of Lindsey, union and county of Lincoln, 5 miles (S. W. by S.) from MarketRasen; containing 53 inhabitants. It comprises by measurement 557 acres, of which the surface is level, and the soil fertile. The living is a discharged rectory, in the patronage of the Dean and Chapter of Lincoln, valued in the king's books at £4. 10.; net income, £114: the glebe consists of between 300 and 400 acres. The church was rebuilt in 1840, by subscription, aided by a grant from the Incorporated Society.

Frieston (St. James)

FRIESTON (St. James), a parish, in the union of Boston, wapentake of Skirbeck, parts of Holland, county of Lincoln, 3¼ miles (E.) from Boston; containing 1276 inhabitants. The living is a discharged vicarage, with the vicarage of Butterwick, united in 1751, valued in the king's books at £16. 11. 10.; net income, £380; patron, the Rev. J. Glover; impropriators, the family of Fladgate. There is a place of worship for Wesleyans. A school has an endowment of £8. 15. a year: £20, arising from a bequest, are divided among twelve widows; and £80 per annum, from various bequests, are distributed among the poor generally.

Frilford

FRILFORD, a chapelry, in the parish of Marcham, union of Abingdon, hundred of Ock, county of Berks, 4 miles (W.) from Abingdon; containing 141 inhabitants, and comprising by admeasurement 800 acres. It is near the road between Abingdon and Farringdon.

Frilsham (St. Frideswide)

FRILSHAM (St. Frideswide), a parish, in the union of Bradfield, hundred of Faircross, county of Berks, 7 miles (N. E.) from Newbury; containing 182 inhabitants. It comprises 876a. 30p., of which 636 acres are arable, 60 pasture, 80 woodland, and about 100 waste; the surface is varied with gentle undulations, and the soil is partly clay, and partly sand alternated with chalk. A small stream flows through the parish, abounding with trout. The living is a rectory, valued in the king's books at £8, and in the patronage of Mrs. Floyd: the tithes have been commuted for £188, and the glebe comprises 29½ acres. A school is endowed with the interest of £200, bequeathed by Mr. Hayward.

Frimley

FRIMLEY, a chapelry, in the parish of Ash, union of Farnham, First division of the hundred of Godley, W. division of Surrey, 4 miles (S. W. by S.) from Bagshot; containing 1535 inhabitants. The chapelry comprises 6015 acres, of which 884 are meadow and pasture, 731 arable, 1700 wood and plantations, and 2700 waste land. The village is situated on the road to Southampton by Farnham; and the Basingstoke canal, and the London and South-Western railway, pass near it. The living is a perpetual curacy; net income, £70; patron, the Rector of Ash. The present chapel, a neat building with a small tower, was built in 1825. Near Blackwater are a Baptist meeting-house, and a national school.

Frindsbury (All Saints)

FRINDSBURY (All Saints), a parish, in the union of North Aylesford, hundred of Shamwell, lathe of Aylesford, W. division of Kent, 2 miles (N. by W.) from Rochester; containing 2142 inhabitants. The parish comprises 3595 acres, whereof 140 are in wood. It is bounded on the south and east by the Medway, on the banks of which are several wharfs: brick-making is carried on to some extent, and chalk is found. Upnor Castle, erected by Queen Elizabeth to defend the passage of the Medway, and for some time used as a powdermagazine, is surrounded by a moat, and consists of a central building of oblong form, connected with a round tower at each end. The living is a vicarage, valued in the king's books at £10. 13. 11½., and in the gift of the Bishop of Rochester: the appropriate tithes have been commuted for £693. 5., and the vicarial for £410; the glebe comprises 25 acres. The church stands on a commanding eminence rising from the Medway. There is a place of worship for Wesleyans.

Fring, or Frenge (All Saints)

FRING, or Frenge (All Saints), a parish, in the union of Docking, hundred of Smithdon, W. division of Norfolk, 8 miles (N. W. by N.) from Rougham; containing 162 inhabitants. It is situated in a deep valley, the acclivities of which are richly wooded, and comprises 1730a. 2r. 24p.; about 1500 acres are arable, 100 pasture, and the remainder woodland and waste. The living is a perpetual curacy; net income, £77, with a house; patrons and appropriators, the Dean and Chapter of Norwich, whose tithes have been commuted for £420, and who have a glebe of 48 acres. The church has a small tower of flint with one bell. The foundations are still visible of a cell here belonging to Norwich Priory, to the monks of which Bishop Herbert, in 1001, granted the advowson, tithes, &c.