Rame - Rapps

Rame (St. German)

RAME (St. German), a parish, in the union of St. Germans, S. division of the hundred of East, E. division of Cornwall, 4½ miles (S. S. W.) from Devonport; containing 800 inhabitants. It comprises 1247 acres, of which 272 are common or waste land. Here is a noted promontory on the shore of the English Channel, called Rame Head, the nearest point of land to the Eddystone lighthouse, and on which are slight remains of the ancient chapel of St. Michael. Cawsand bay is partly in the parish, and at the entrance of it, on Penlee point, is a beacon. The living is a rectory, valued in the king's books at £12. 7. 6.; net income, £206; patron, the Earl of Mount-Edgcumbe.

Rampisham (St. Mary)

RAMPISHAM (St. Mary), a parish, in the union of Beaminster, hundred of Tollerford, Dorchester division of Dorset, 6½ miles (E.) from Beaminster; containing 420 inhabitants. The living is a rectory, with that of Wraxhall united, valued in the king's books at £11. 17. 8½.; net income, £444; patrons, St. John's College, Cambridge. The tithes of the parish have been commuted for £198, and there are 62 acres of glebe.

Rampside, Lancaster.—See Ramsyde.

RAMPSIDE, Lancaster.—See Ramsyde.

Rampton (All Saints)

RAMPTON (All Saints), a parish, in the union of Chesterton, hundred of Northstow, county of Cambridge, 6½ miles (N. by W.) from Cambridge; containing 194 inhabitants. The parish comprises 1311 acres. An inclosure act was passed in 1839, and an act for draining certain fens and low grounds in 1842. The living is a rectory, valued in the king's books at £9. 10., and in the patronage of Mr. Taylor: the tithes have been commuted for £297. 6., and there are 9 acres of glebe.

Rampton (All Saints)

RAMPTON (All Saints), a parish, in the union of East Retford, South-Clay division of the wapentake of Bassetlaw, N. division of the county of Nottingham, 6¾ miles (E. S. E.) from East Retford; containing 420 inhabitants. It comprises 2155a. 2r. 22p., including 232 acres of common, &c. About one-half of the district is inclosed, and has a rich clay soil; the rest consists of a common, and a large open fertile marsh protected by a strong embankment on the Trent, from which river the village is about a mile distant. The living is a discharged vicarage, in the patronage of the Prebendary of Rampton in the Collegiate Church of Southwell, valued in the king's books at £10. 0. 3.: the great tithes have been commuted for £349, and the vicarial for £120; the glebe consists of 41 acres. The church is a spacious and lofty structure with a high tower, and contains several monuments to the Eyre family. The Wesleyans have a place of worship. Here is a curious ancient gateway, which belonged to Rampton Hall.

Ramsbottom

RAMSBOTTOM, an ecclesiastical parish, in the parish and union of Bury, hundred of Salford, S. division of Lancashire, 4½ miles (N.) from Bury; containing 3700 inhabitants. This parish was formed in 1844, under the provisions of the act 6th and 7th Victoria, cap. 37; and is a mile and a quarter in length and about three-quarters of a mile in breadth, being in the township of Lower Tottington, and forming part of the rich and beautiful valley that extends from Bury to the vale of Rossendale. The village is rapidly increasing in buildings and population, and is likely to become, ere long, an important town. The late Sir Robert Peel, father of the present baronet, commenced his manufacturing career at Ramsbottom, and here acquired a large portion of his wealth; he may, indeed, be regarded as the founder of the place. The population is chiefly employed in cotton spinning and printing; here are the cotton-works of Messrs. Ashton, and the cotton and print works of Messrs. Grant, two of the largest and wealthiest firms in Lancashire. The parish is separated from the northern part of Walmersley township by the river Irwell; and the East Lancashire railway has a station here. The living is a perpetual curacy, in the patronage of the Crown and the Bishop of Manchester, alternately; net income, £150 per annum: first incumbent, the Rev. James Hornby Butcher. The church, built in 1847, is a small structure in the pointed style, with a handsome tower and spire, and is a good specimen of ecclesiastical architecture: the cost, £3000, was raised by subscription There are places of worship for Presbyterians, Wesleyan Methodists, Primitive Methodists, and Swedenborgians.

Ramsbury (Holy Cross)

RAMSBURY (Holy Cross), a parish, in the union of Hungerford, hundred of Ramsbury, Marlborough and Ramsbury, and N. divisions of Wilts, 5½ miles (N. W. by W.) from Hungerford; containing, with the tythings of Axford, Eastridge, and Whittonditch, 2552 inhabitants, of whom 1759 are in Ramsbury tything. This place is of considerable antiquity, and in the beginning of the 10th century was made the seat of a diocese, to which thirteen bishops were appointed in regular succession. The see was afterwards annexed to that of Sherborne in the county of Dorset, and in 1072 the united sees were removed to Sarum. The ancient episcopal palace is still remaining near the church, with which it had a subterraneous communication. The parish is on the river Kennet, and comprises 9741a. 3r. 34p. of land, chiefly the property of Sir R. Burdett, Bart., whose seat, called the Manor House, contains a valuable collection of paintings. Littlecote, the residence of General Popham, is also situated here, in an extensive park, richly wooded, and embellished with the windings of the Kennet; the mansion is handsome, and has a gallery of well-executed paintings, and a large collection of ancient armour. Fairs are held on the 14th of May for cattle and toys, and on the 11th of October for hiring servants. The living is a vicarage, valued in the king's books at £9. 12. 1½., and in the patronage of the Crown; net income, £219. The great tithes have been commuted for £374, and the small for £125: the glebe comprises about 70 acres, with a house, erected by the late, and enlarged and improved by the present, incumbent. The church is ancient, with a massive tower strengthened by buttresses, and contains many interesting details in various styles, and some handsome monuments, among which is one to Sir William Jones, formerly lord of the manor. There are places of worship for Independents, Primitive Methodists, and Wesleyans. About two miles from the town is a Roman encampment called Membury Fort.

Ramsdean

RAMSDEAN, a tything, in the parish and hundred of East Meon, union of Petersfield, Petersfield and N. divisions of the county of Southampton; containing 156 inhabitants.

Ramsden

RAMSDEN, a chapelry, in the parish of Shiptonunder-Wychwood, union of Witney, hundred of Chadlington, county of Oxford, 3½ miles (N.) from Witney; containing 365 inhabitants. It comprises 739 acres, of which 150 are common or waste land. The chapel, in the later English style of architecture, is of recent date.

Ramsdon-Bellhouse (St. Mary)

RAMSDON-BELLHOUSE (St. Mary), a parish, in the union of Billericay, hundred of Barstable, S. division of Essex, 4 miles (E.) from Billericay; containing 462 inhabitants. The lands of this place were held before the Conquest, by Godric and three freemen; and at the time of the survey, were owned by the Bishop of London and Robert Gernon. They afterwards formed two manors, of which that of Ramsdon-Bellhouse has belonged to various families, among whom occur those of Bellhouse, Knivet, Clopton, Gerard, and Downing. The manor of Ramsden-Barrington, the other of the two, has been successively held by the families of Barrington, Bohun, Bourchier, Devereux, and others. The parish is intersected by the river Crouch, and comprises 2688 acres, of which 172 are common or waste; the soil is strong and heavy, producing fair average crops. The living is a rectory, annexed to that of Stock, and valued in the king's books at £14: the tithes have been commuted for £450, and there are 22 acres of glebe. The church is small, with a tower surmounted by a spire.

Ramsdon-Crays (St. Mary)

RAMSDON-CRAYS (St. Mary), a parish, in the union of Billericay, hundred of Barstable, S. division of Essex, 2 miles (E. S. E.) from Billericay; containing 282 inhabitants. This place, named in Domesday book Ramesdan, belonged at the time of that survey to Odo, Bishop of Bayeux, and Ralph, brother of Ilger; there were then two manors, which are now united and have one manor-house. The parish comprises by computation 1199 acres, is situated on the road from London to Southend, and intersected by the river Crouch. The soil is various, the lower part consisting of a fine hazel mould, and the upper of a mixture of clay with loam, forming good corn land; the parish borders on the north upon some extensive woods and commons. The living is a rectory, valued in the king's books at £20, and in the gift of the family of Knox: the glebe consists of 80 acres, and the tithe rent-charge is £290. The church is a small ancient edifice.

Ramsey (St. Michael)

RAMSEY (St. Michael), a parish, in the union and hundred of Tendring, N. division of Essex, 3 miles (W. S. W.) from Harwich; containing 649 inhabitants. The parish is bounded by the river Stour, here navigable for vessels of 200 tons' burthen; and is indented by a narrow creek, over which is a bridge on the road to Harwich. It comprises 3212a. 7p., whereof 2559 acres are arable and meadow, 250 marsh, 230 saltings, 150 wood, and 21 in lawns. The surface in some parts is considerably elevated; and of the large tract of marshy land, a great portion has been reclaimed from the sea, and is protected by an embankment. The village, called Ramsey-street, is situated on the west side of the creek; a fair is held in it on the 15th of June. The living is a discharged vicarage, valued in the king's books at £15, and in the patronage of the Crown; income, £200; impropriator, N. Garland, Esq. The church is a neat edifice, with a tower of stone. There is a place of worship for Wesleyans; also a school, founded by Thomas Duval, in 1771, and the income of which is £14 per annum.

Ramsey (St. Thomas à Becket)

RAMSEY (St. Thomas à Becket), a market-town and parish, in the hundred of Hurstingstone, union and county of Huntingdon, 10 miles (N. N. E.) from Huntingdon, and 68½ (N. by W.) from London; containing 3680 inhabitants. A mitred abbey of Benedictine monks, of great magnificence, was founded here in 969, by Ailwine, alderman of all England, and duke or earl of the East Angles; it was dedicated to St. Mary and St. Benedict, and the revenue at the Dissolution was valued at £1983. 15. 3. The site is now occupied by a private residence, partially consisting of the remains of the ancient fabric; the gateway is in a fine state of preservation. The town is situated at the bottom of a hill, on Bury brook; the market is on Wednesday; and a fair takes place on July 22nd, for cattle and toys. A manorial court leet, at which a constable is appointed, is held in May or June. The parish comprises by computation 16,000 acres, of which about one-third is arable, and the remainder pasture, with the exception of 2000 acres of fen land, used for cutting turf, and growing sedge; the surface is exceedingly flat on the verge of the fens, and the soil generally rich. The living is a perpetual curacy; net income, £47; patron and impropriator, Edward Fellowes, Esq., whose tithes have been commuted for £648. 2. 10. The church is partly Norman, and partly in the early English style. Here are places of worship for Independents, Baptists, Primitive Methodists, Ranters, and Wesleyans. Various benefactions in land were made for the support of a free school and a spinning school, but owing to frequent inundations, the school-house became ruinous, and the institution declined: about forty years since, however, the land was drained, and a new school-house and dwelling for the master were erected. The rental of the fen land is £227; the spinning school, for 50 girls, has an income of £34. 10. There is a poor-fund of about £52 a year.

Ramsgate (St. George)

RAMSGATE (St. George), a sea-port, market-town, and parish, in the cinque-port liberty of Sandwich, of which it is a member, union of the Isle of Thanet, locally in the hundred of Ringslow, or Isle of Thanet, lathe of St. Augustine, E. division of Kent, 4½ miles (S.) from Margate, 17 (E. N. E.) from Canterbury, and 72 (E.) from London; containing 10,909 inhabitants. This place was a hamlet in the parish of St. Laurence until the 21st of June, 1827, at which period it was constituted a distinct parish, of 307 acres, by an act of parliament. It is said in the maritime survey of Kent in the reign of Elizabeth, to have contained 25 houses; and when Leland wrote his Itinerary, it was protected from the sea by a small wooden pier, which had existed from time immemorial, and for the maintenance of which the merchants of London paid dues by order of Henry VII. In 1688, the inhabitants commenced trading with Russia. From this period the buildings increased, and Ramsgate is now a town of importance, celebrated as a watering-place of considerable resort, and particularly distinguished for its harbour, which was commenced in 1749, under an act passed in the 22nd of George II. On the 25th of September 1821, George IV. embarked hence for Calais, in his progress to Hanover; and on the 8th of the following November, landed here, on his return, to commemorate which event, the inhabitants, trustees of the harbour, and visiters, erected an obelisk at the entrance of the pier on the land side. Townley House, for several seasons the residence of Her Majesty when Princess Victoria, and of the Duchess of Kent, is now a ladies' boarding-school.

The town is beautifully situated on the declivity of a hill opening southward to the sea, and commands from many points very extensive views, embracing in clear weather the French coast. The recent buildings are generally handsome edifices, and amongst those which more particularly embellish the town may be mentioned, Albion Place, Sion Hill, and Nelson, Wellington, and Royal crescents, with numerous villas. In 1835, a company was incorporated by act of parliament, for supplying the parish and neighbourhood with water; and a reservoir, with the requisite works, was formed. The town is paved, lighted with gas, and watched, under an act obtained in 1838. On the grounds of Mount Albion House, a new square and several streets, with a promenade fronting the sea, were laid out in the same year. To the east of the harbour, in front of a range of chalk cliffs, and on a beach of soft reddish sand, are the Royal Victoria baths; and on the west cliff, 100 feet above the level of the sea, are the Royal Kent warm sea-water baths, constructed of white marble. There are well-conducted assemblies, also two good public libraries; and the boarding and lodging houses are generally of a superior kind. A literary and scientific institution was established in 1835, under the patronage of Queen Adelaide and the Duchess of Kent. The rides and walks in the vicinity are pleasant, but the principal and most attractive promenade is the pier.

The harbour was commenced under the direction of Mr. Smeaton, and after his death, the completion of the undertaking was intrusted to Mr. Rennie, and subsequently to his son and successor, Sir John Rennie. The pier, which forms the harbour, is built principally of Purbeck and Portland stone, and latterly of Cornish granite, and for extent is unequalled by any in the kingdom. It projects 800 feet into the sea before making an angle, and, including the parapet, is 26 feet broad at the top; the front presents a polygon, each side of which is 450 feet long. The eastern arm of the pier extends 2000 feet, and the western 1550. The harbour covers an area of 48 acres, and is 200 feet wide at the mouth, across which the tide was formerly found to run so rapidly in tempestuous weather, as to render it dangerous for vessels entering; the eastern pier was in consequence lengthened 400 feet to the south west. In the upper part of the harbour is a basin capable of containing 200 vessels, the gates of which being shut at high and opened at low water, the stream carries away any drifted mud or sand, and keeps clear a channel under the curve of the eastern pier. This channel is sufficiently wide to admit four vessels abreast, with a depth of water of from 15 to 16 feet at neap tides, and from 20 to 22 feet at spring tides, enabling vessels of 300 tons' burthen to enter at all times, and much larger ones at spring tides. The harbour annually affords shelter to about 1400 vessels, the greater part of which are blown, or run, from the Downs in bad weather. On the western pier-head is a lighthouse. To defray the expenses of the establishment, certain dues are collected from British vessels passing the harbour to or from foreign parts; and coasters which do not belong to similar establishments in the ports of Dover, LymeRegis, Melcombe-Regis, Sandwich, Weymouth, and Great Yarmouth, pay an annual rate: foreign vessels also, if entering or passing the harbour, and bound to or touching at any English port, are liable to the payment of dues. All legal proceedings are carried on in the name of the deputy master of the Trinity House. The harbour affords great convenience to the different steam-packets that arrive, the inner landing being accessible to them at all times of the tide. It has also a dry dock, which is public property; and as there is no port on either side of the Channel, between Sheerness and Portsmouth, where large steam-vessels can dock and repair, the trustees have formed a patent-slip for larger vessels than the dock can accommodate. A railway was opened to Canterbury and Ashford in April 1846, and subsequently a line to Margate: the station here is a light and handsome edifice, on the north side of the town.

The business of the place, which has been greatly improved by the construction of the harbour, principally consists of a large coasting-trade, particularly in coal; and the importation of timber from the Baltic, which was for some time discontinued, is at present reviving. A considerable fishery is carried on off the coast by large vessels from the westward; the choice fish are chiefly sent to the London market. Several small vessels belonging to the port are similarly engaged, and are also often employed in rendering assistance to vessels in distress, particularly to those wrecked on the Goodwin sands, which lie about three miles and a half southeast-by-east from this place. Here are two spacious yards for ship-building, some rope-walks, and warehouses furnishing every description of stores for the shipping. The market is on Wednesday and Saturday, and is frequently attended by French people bringing over fruit and other articles. About 20,000 chests of eggs are annually imported, and shipped off for the London market in the Ramsgate hoys, thus escaping the river pilotage and other dues. Ramsgate being a member of the port of Sandwich, the mayor of that place appoints his deputy, who acts here as constable; the town is also under the jurisdiction of the magistrates appointed agreeably with an act obtained in 1812, for the liberties of the cinque-ports. The powers of the county debt-court of Ramsgate, established in 1847, extend over part of the registration-district of Thanet. A salvage court is held when required.

The living is a vicarage, not in charge; net income, £400; patron and appropriator, the Archbishop of Canterbury. The church is a handsome edifice, built at an expense of £27,000, towards defraying which the Parliamentary Commissioners granted £9000; it contains 2000 sittings, of which 800 are free. The foundation stone of a church called Christ Church was laid by J. P. Plumptre, Esq., in Aug. 1846, and the edifice was consecrated in 1847; it is in the early English style, with a lofty tower and spire, contains 1000 sittings, and cost about £5300. In Chapel-place is a chapel, the living of which is a perpetual curacy, in the patronage of the Vicar. Cavendish chapel, erected in 1840, displays a compound of Saxon and Norman, with some slight admixture of the pointed style; the seats rise one above another, as in a lecture-room: it is capable of holding 1400 persons, and cost about £4000. There are places of worship for Baptists, Independents, Wesleyans, Calvinists, and Unitarians; and on the road to Broadstairs is a Jewish synagogue, with a house for the minister, both erected by Sir Moses Montefiore, Knt. A charity school, founded in 1779, and to which George Phillips, Esq., bequeathed £200 in 1817, is now conducted on the national plan; and a spacious building has been erected for it in Chapel-place.

Ramsgrave

RAMSGRAVE, a township, in the ecclesiastical district of Mellor, parish, union, and Lower division of the hundred, of Blackburn, N. division of the county of Lancaster, 2¾ miles (N. W. by N.) from Blackburn, on the road to Whalley; containing 453 inhabitants. In the reign of Edward III., Henry, Duke of Lancaster, gave to the monks of Whalley certain lands and tenements here, including 183 acres of pasture, and 200 of wood. The township now belongs to various persons; the land is chiefly freehold. The ancient Hall is a farmhouse.

Ramsholt (All Saints)

RAMSHOLT (All Saints), a parish, in the union of Woodbridge, hundred of Wilford, E. division of Suffolk, 6 miles (S. S. E.) from Woodbridge; containing 192 inhabitants. The parish comprises about 1600 acres; and the navigable river Deben runs on the west, where is a dock. The living is a perpetual curacy, in the gift of the Pennington family, with a net income of £17: the great tithes have been commuted for £453, and there are 16 acres of impropriate glebe. The church is an ancient edifice with a round tower. Here are some remains of Peyton Hall, the original seat of the Ufford family.

Ramshope

RAMSHOPE, an extra-parochial district, in the union of Bellingham, S. division of Coquetdale ward, N. division of Northumberland, 16¼ miles (N. N. W.) from Bellingham; containing 8 inhabitants. This wild region is separated from Scotland by CarterFell, a mountainous ridge rising 1602 feet above the level of the sea. The Redeswire, a less stupendous barrier, extending from the former to Houndlaw, was the spot where, in 1400, Sir Robert Umfraville gained a victory over the Scots. It was also the scene, in 1575, of a warm conflict between the English warden and the Scottish warden, in which the former, who was the aggressor, being defeated and taken prisoner, was conveyed, with several of the border chieftains, to Dalkeith: the old ballad, "the Battle of Reid Squair," was founded upon the affray. Ramshope comprises by measurement 1467 acres of pasture land.

Ramshorn

RAMSHORN, a township, in the parish of Ellastone, S. division of the hundred of Totmonslow, N. division of the county of Stafford, 5¾ miles (E. N. E.) from Cheadle; containing 142 inhabitants. This is a township of scattered houses, having a hamlet situated on an eminence, and including Wootton Lodge, a mansion romantically seated in the vale of Weaver, and surrounded by a park.

Ramsyde, or Rampside

RAMSYDE, or Rampside, a chapelry, in the parish of Dalton-in-Furness, union of Ulverston, hundred of Lonsdale north of the Sands, N. division of Lancashire, 5¼ miles (S. by E.) from the town of Dalton; containing 561 inhabitants. This place is delightfully situated at the southern extremity of the large peninsula formed by the Irish Sea on the west side, and Morecambe bay on the east; it is resorted to for sea-bathing, for which there is ample, though not elegant, accommodation, at very moderate expense. Opposite to Ramsyde is Pile or Peel Harbour, a commodious port, protected by Walney Island on the south-west, and where a first-rate ship of war may float at low water. By an act of the 6th of Her present Majesty, John Abel Smith, Esq., was authorised to construct a pier or jetty from Ramsyde to Roe Island, and thence into Pile Harbour, with the necessary wharfs and works for the convenience of shipping and of passengers. The Furness railway was opened in June 1846; it is 14 miles in length, and runs from Pile Harbour, by Ramsyde, past the town of Dalton to Kirkby-Ireleth, where the Whitehaven railway commences. The chapel, standing on an eminence, is a neat whitewashed structure, lately built, and in the later English style, with a tower: the living is a perpetual curacy, in the patronage of the Vicar of Dalton; net income, £100. A national school has been established.

The Pile (of Fouldrey) is a rocky island, of a few acres, about a mile to the north of the lighthouse on the isle of Walney. Here, according to Camden, one of the abbots of Furness built a castle, in the first year of the reign of Edward III., to guard the entrance to the harbour; the castle was probably intended also as a retreat for the monks and their vassals on the approach of an enemy, and as a place of security for their effects against the Scotch invaders. The strength and magnitude of the structure prove how ample were the means of the monastic institution by which it was built. In the Burghley Papers, temp. Elizabeth, it is stated that "betweene Mylford Haven in Wales, and Carhill on the borders of Scotlande, ther is not one good haven for greate shyppes to lond or ryde in, but one, whiche is in the furthest part of Lancashire, called the Pylle of Folder;" and it is added, that "the same pylle is an old decayed castell of the dowchie of Lancaster, in Furnes Felles." The period when the castle was reduced to ruins is not well ascertained; but it was probably one of the fortresses that fell under the dismantling ordinances of the Commonwealth. Great part of the ruins have been washed away by the sea, and the falling walls only are now to be seen, in solitary grandeur above the waters between Walney lighthouse and the shore at Old Garth below Ramsyde.

Ranby (St. German)

RANBY (St. German), a parish, in the union of Horncastle, N. division of the wapentake of Gartree, parts of Lindsey, county of Lincoln, 7 miles (N. by W.) from Horncastle; containing 116 inhabitants. It comprises about 1200 acres, and is intersected by the old Roman road from Horncastle to Caistor. The estate was forfeited by the family of Dicconson, at the time of the Gunpowder Plot; but was afterwards restored to them. The living is a vicarage, valued in the king's books at £4. 13. 4., and has a net income of £86; the patronage and impropriation belong to Miss A. Otter. The church is a neat structure, lately repaired and beautified.

Rand (St. Oswald)

RAND (St. Oswald), a parish, in the W. division of the wapentake of Wraggoe, parts of Lindsey, union and county of Lincoln, 2 miles (W. N. W.) from Wragby; containing, with the chapelry of Fulnetby, 147 inhabitants. This parish, which is intersected by the road from Lincoln to Horncastle, comprises about 1000 acres. The living is a rectory, valued in the king's books at £8. 5.; net income, £402; patrons, W. Wyld and J. Hall, Esqrs. There are 3 acres of glebe, with a house, rebuilt in 1834. The church is a plain edifice with a tower, and contains several ancient monuments.

Rands-Grange

RANDS-GRANGE, a hamlet, in the parish and union of Bedale, wapentake of Hang-East, N. riding of York, 1 mile (N. W.) from the town of Bedale; containing 12 inhabitants, and comprising 344a. 3r. of land. It was formerly extra-parochial.

Randwick (St. John)

RANDWICK (St. John), a parish, in the union of Stroud, Upper division of the hundred of Whitstone, E. division of the county of Gloucester, 1 mile (N. W. by W.) from Stroud; containing 979 inhabitants. This was anciently part of the parish of Thornbury; the first notice of it as a parish is in the reign of Edward III. It comprises by measurement about 590 acres, besides land in Standish Park: the pasture consists of rich loam, the arable is light and stony; the surface, for the most part, is hilly, and there are some fine plantations of beech and larch. The summit of the hill on the slope of which the village stands, called Randwick-Ash, commands a beautiful view of the river Severn, of Wales, and the surrounding counties. The Stroud canal passes through the southern part of the parish. Oolite stone is quarried for building purposes. The living is a perpetual curacy; patron, the Vicar of Standish; appropriator, the Bishop of Gloucester and Bristol. The rectorial tithes have been commuted for £84, and those of the incumbent for £72: there are 56 acres of glebe. The church was considerably improved a few years since, and a new chancel was built by Lord Sherborne. There are places of worship for Wesleyans and the Connexion of the Countess of Huntingdon. A national school is endowed with about £40 per annum. On a hill called The Castles are traces of an ancient settlement, supposed, from the discovery of a burial-vault of stone, containing human remains, to be of Saxon origin; and in many parts of the parish have been found small balls of stone, rudely turned, indicative of some battle having been fought in the neighbourhood. The petrifaction termed by geologists calcareous tufa abounds, and the ancient porch of the church is constructed of it. The late Professor White, of Oxford, was born near Randwick.

Rangeworthy

RANGEWORTHY, a chapelry, in the parish, union, and Lower division of the hundred, of Thornbury, W. division of the county of Gloucester, 3¾ miles (S. W. by W.) from Wickwar; containing 353 inhabitants. This chapelry, which comprises by computation 600 acres, is situated on the road from Wotton-underEdge, through Cromhall, to Bristol; and the railroad from Gloucester to Bristol runs within a mile of the village. The manufacture of hats employs a few hands. The living is a perpetual curacy; net income, £80; patron, the Vicar of Thornbury; appropriators, the Dean and Canons of Christ-Church, Oxford. The chapel, dedicated to the Holy Trinity, is a small edifice with a Norman south door. There are places of worship for Independents and Wesleyans.

Ranscliff, or Ravenscliff

RANSCLIFF, or Ravenscliff, a township, in the ecclesiastical district of Tunstall, parish of Wolstanton, union of Wolstanton and Burslem, N. division of the hundred of Pirehill and of the county of Stafford, 3 miles (N. W.) from Burslem; containing 967 inhabitants. The township contains 375 acres, and abounds with coal and ironstone, which are worked to a considerable extent. The population are principally seated at the village of Kidsgrove, of which the greater part is in this township.—See Kidsgrove.

Ranskill

RANSKILL, a township, in the parish of Blyth, union of East Retford, Hatfield division of the wapentake of Bassetlaw, N. division of the county of Nottingham, 3¾ miles (S.) from Bawtry; containing 333 inhabitants, and comprising 1265 acres. The village is pleasantly situated on the great north road: the common was inclosed in 1805. There is a place of worship for Independents.

Ranston

RANSTON, a tything, in the parish of IwerneCourtnay, union of Blandford, hundred of Redlane, Sturminster division of the county of Dorset; containing 39 inhabitants.

Ranvills

RANVILLS, a tything, in the parish of RomseyExtra, union of Romsey, hundred of King's-Sombourn, Romsey and S. divisions of the county of Southampton; containing 100 inhabitants.

Ranworth (St. Helen)

RANWORTH (St. Helen), a parish, in the union of Blofield, hundred of Walsham, E. division of Norfolk, 4 miles (N. W.) from Acle; containing 290 inhabitants. The parish comprises 1865 acres, and contains several lakes, from one of which a canal has been cut to the navigable river Bure. The living is a discharged vicarage, with that of Upton united, valued in the king's books at £4; patron and appropriator, the Bishop of Ely. The rectorial tithes have been commuted for £227. 16., and the vicarial for £132; there are 10 acres of glebe. The church, chiefly in the later English style, consists of a nave and chancel, with a lofty embattled tower, and contains six ancient stalls. There is a place of worship for Baptists.

Rapps

RAPPS, a tything, in the parish of Broadway, union of Chard, hundred of Abdick and Bulstone, W. division of Somerset; with 25 inhabitants.