Fetcham - Fincham

Fetcham

FETCHAM, a parish, in the union of Epsom, Second division of the hundred of Copthorne and Effingham, W. division of Surrey, 1¼ mile (W.) from Leatherhead; containing 373 inhabitants. The parish is bounded on the north-east by the river Mole, and comprises by computation 1800 acres, of which 1300 are arable, 400 pasture, and 100 woodland. The living is a rectory, valued in the king's books at £21. 10. 5.; net income, £363; patron, the Rev. R. Downes. The church is an ancient structure of flints, pebbles, chalk, and Roman tiles, and, though now small, appears to have been formerly large and cruciform: in 1838, the Rev. J. Craig, then rector, considerably increased the accommodation, and, with J. B. Hankey, Esq., of Fetcham Park, in which the church is situated, beautified the interior. A parochial school was established in the same year. Sir George Shiers bequeathed in 1690 a rent-charge of £24. 2., for apprenticing children, and other charitable purposes; and Henry Smith left 27½ acres of land for the use of the poor. The bones of about 20 human bodies were found in 1758; and on the top of a hill, other bones have been discovered, supposed to be the remains of Saxons killed in the pursuit of the Danes after the battle of Ockley, in 851; which seems to be countenanced by the name of Standard Hill having been given to a neighbouring eminence.

Fewcot

FEWCOT, a hamlet, in the parish of Stoke-Lyne, union of Bicester, hundred of Ploughley, county of Oxford, 4 miles (N. W.) from the town of Bicester; containing 220 inhabitants.

Fewston (St. Lawrence)

FEWSTON (St. Lawrence), a parish, in the Lower division of the wapentake of Claro, W. riding of York; comprising the townships of Blubberhouses, Clifton with Norwood, Fewston, Thurcross, and Great Timble; and containing 2218 inhabitants, of whom 850 are in the township of Fewston, 8 miles (N. by W.) from Otley. This parish, which is on the road from Knaresborough to Skipton, is 15 miles in length and about 6 in average breadth, and comprises by computation 16,600 acres. Little more than one-half is productive; the surface is varied, and the scenery in many situations bold and romantic. There are five flax-mills and a corn-mill; one of the former is very extensive. The village is pleasantly situated in the vale of the Washburn rivulet, which abounds with trout. The living is a discharged vicarage, valued in the king's books at £5, and in the patronage of the Crown; impropriators, W. Smith, Esq., and the Rev. T. Shann; net income, £150, with a good house, surrounded by 18 acres of glebe. The church, first built in 1167, was burnt down, and the present edifice was erected in 1697, and repaired in 1811. There is a chapel of ease at Thurcross, where are also places of worship for Primitive Methodists and Wesleyans.

Fiddington, with Natton

FIDDINGTON, with Natton, a tything, in the parish of Ashchurch, union, and Lower division of the hundred, of Tewkesbury, E. division of the county of Gloucester, 3 miles (E. by S.) from the town of Tewkesbury; containing 194 inhabitants.

Fiddington (St. Martin)

FIDDINGTON (St. Martin), a parish, in the union of Bridgwater, hundred of Cannington, W. division of Somerset, 2½ miles (N. E. by E.) from Nether Stowey; containing 220 inhabitants. It comprises by measurement 874 acres, of which 408 are arable, 387 meadow and pasture, 40 glebe, and 39 orchard and gardens. The living is a discharged rectory, valued in the king's books at £6. 10. 2½.; patron and incumbent, the Rev. H. W. Rawlins, whose tithes have been commuted for £190. The church is a small edifice, in the early English style.

Fiddington

FIDDINGTON, a tything, in the parish of West Lavington, union of Devizes, hundred of Potterne and Cannings, Devizes and N. divisions of the county of Wilts; containing 41 inhabitants.

Field

FIELD, a township, in the parish of Leigh, union of Uttoxeter, S. division of the hundred of Totmonslow, N. division of the county of Stafford, 4½ miles (W.) from Uttoxeter; containing 86 inhabitants. This township lies on the river Blythe, and its small village on the road from Uttoxeter to Stone. It anciently belonged to Burton Abbey, of which it was long held by the family of Pipe, from whom it passed to the Bagots. Field was formerly covered with wood, and among many immense trees that grew here, was the prodigious elm, called the Witch elm, which fell down in 1680; it was 120 feet in height, 17 yards in circumference at the butt end, and 25½ feet in the middle, and produced 96 tons of solid timber, and its branches 61 loads of firewood.

Field-Dalling (St. Andrew)

FIELD-DALLING (St. Andrew), a parish, in the union of Walsingham, hundred of North Greenhoe, W. division of Norfolk, 5 miles (W. N. W.) from Holt; containing 403 inhabitants. A priory was founded here in the reign of Henry II., by Maude de Harscolye, as a cell to the Cistercian abbey of Savigny, in Normandy; after the suppression of alien houses, it was granted to the Carthusian monastery near Coventry, and subsequently to the priory of Mountgrace. The parish comprises 1619a. 3r. 2p., of which 150 acres are meadow, and the remainder good arable land in high cultivation. The living is a discharged vicarage, valued in the king's books at £5. 8. 1¼.; patron, the Rev. E. Bellman; impropriator, the Rev. S. F. Rippingall: the great tithes have been commuted for £302, and the vicarial for £152; the glebe comprises about 29 acres. The church is a handsome structure in the decorated and later styles, with a tower, and contains a fine font. An allotment of 24 acres of land was made to the poor at the inclosure, in 1808.

Fifehead-Magdalene (All Saints)

FIFEHEAD-MAGDALENE (All Saints), a parish, in the union of Sturminster, hundred of Redlane, Sturminster division of Dorset, 6 miles (W. by S.) from Shaftesbury; containing 229 inhabitants. This place belonged to the celebrated abbey of St. Augustine, Bristol, and in the 34th of Henry VIII. was, with the advowson of the vicarage, granted to the bishops of Bristol, under whom the manor was held for several generations by the family of Newman. The parish is situated on the river Stour, near the road from Exeter, viâ Yeovil, to London, and comprises 956 acres by measurement; the land is fertile, and principally pasture. The living is an endowed vicarage, valued in the king's books at £7, and in the gift of the Bishop of Gloucester and Bristol: the tithes have been commuted for £245, and the glebe comprises 24 acres. The church has been repaired; the walls have been raised, the building new roofed, and a tower added.

Fifehead-Neville (All Saints)

FIFEHEAD-NEVILLE (All Saints), a parish, in the union of Sturminster, hundred of Pimperne, Sturminster division of Dorset, 10½ miles (N. W. by W.) from Blandford; containing 83 inhabitants. It comprises 794 acres, of which 120 are waste or common. The living is a discharged rectory, with that of Bellchalwell united in 1776, valued in the king's books at £5. 1. 5½.; net income, £360; patron, Lord Rivers.

Fifield (St. John the Baptist)

FIFIELD (St. John the Baptist), a parish, in the union of Chipping-Norton, hundred of Chadlington, county of Oxford, 4½ miles (N. by W.) from Burford; containing 213 inhabitants. It is partly bounded by the river Evenlode, and comprises by computation 1227 acres, of which 1100 are arable and pasture, and 127 wood. The surface is hilly, and the soil various; the arable land is chiefly stone brash, and the pastures are clayey. The living is a perpetual curacy; net income, £49; patron and appropriator, the Bishop of Carlisle. The church is a handsome edifice, with an ancient octagonal tower, and contains some monuments of the families of Golafre and White.

Fifield

FIFIELD, a hamlet, in the parish of Bensington, union of Wallingford, hundred of Dorchester, county of Oxford, 3 miles (N. E.) from the town of Wallingford; containing 21 inhabitants.

Fifield-Bavant

FIFIELD-BAVANT, a parish, in the union of Wilton, hundred of Chalk, Salisbury and Amesbury, and S. divisions of Wilts, 6¾ miles (S. W.) from Wilton; containing 58 inhabitants. This parish, which is situated between two ranges of hills extending from Salisbury towards Shaftesbury, comprises about 1000 acres. The living is a discharged rectory, valued in the king's books at £7. 10.; net income, £170; patron, the Marquess of Bath. The glebe comprises 24 acres, with a rectory-house, rebuilt by the patron and rector. The church is an ancient and exceedingly small edifice.

Figheldean (St. Michael)

FIGHELDEAN (St. Michael), a parish, in the union and hundred of Amesbury, Everley and Pewsey, and S. divisions of Wilts, 4¼ miles (N.) from Amesbury; containing, with the hamlet of Ablington, 510 inhabitants. This parish, called in the Domesday survey Fisgledene, is within the borders of Salisbury Plain, and comprises about 5600 acres, chiefly in large sheep and corn farms; the soil is generally a light loam, mixed with flints, resting on a deep substratum of solid chalk. The chalk is quarried for building and for manure, and considerable quantities are manufactured into lime and whiting. The village is pleasantly situated on the eastern bank of the river Avon, which is here a clear and rapid stream, abounding with trout. The living is a discharged vicarage, with a sinecure rectory, in the patronage of the Bishop of Salisbury, valued in the king's books at £37: a rent-charge of £852 is paid to the impropriators; the vicarial tithes have been commuted for £176. 14. 8., and a glebe-house is attached to the living. The church, situated on an eminence rising from the Avon, is a massive structure, chiefly of Norman character, containing the remains of the ancient rood-loft, a piscina, and a stoup.

Filby (All Saints)

FILBY (All Saints), a parish, in the East and West Flegg incorporation, hundred of East Flegg, E. division of Norfolk, 3 miles (W. by N.) from Caistor; containing 553 inhabitants. It is intersected by the old road from Norwich to Yarmouth; and comprises 1425 acres, of which a broad lake extends over 160 acres. The living is a rectory, valued in the king's books at £11. 1. 5½.; patron and incumbent, the Rev. Gibson Lucas, whose tithes have been commuted for £588. 5., and whose glebe comprises 20½ acres. The church is chiefly in the decorated style, with a lofty embattled tower. There are places of worship for Wesleyans and Unitarians.

Filey

FILEY, a sea-port town and a parish, in the union of Scarborough, partly in Pickering lythe, N. riding, but chiefly in the wapentake of Dickering, E. riding, of York, 7½ miles (N. by E.) from Scarborough; containing, with the townships of Gristhorpe and Lebberston, 1590 inhabitants, of whom 1231 are in the town. This place is on the coast, and is bounded on the northnorth-east by a long ridge of rock, anciently called the File, and now Filey Bridge, which, projecting from a narrow tongue of land, forms an excellent natural pier. The bay, which is open to the east, is protected from the north-easterly winds by Filey Bridge, and on the south by Flamborough Head, affording secure shelter for ships of any burthen, and admirably adapted by nature for a harbour of refuge. There can be little doubt that, as observed by a writer in the Archæologia, it was anciently the Portus Felix, or Sinus Salutaris, of the Romans, by whom it was considered the finest harbour round the island. It has long been celebrated as a fishing-station for lobsters, cod, ling, herrings, and other fish, in taking which 40 boats and 100 men are constantly employed during the season; and after the herring-fishery is over here, 13 boats go annually to Yarmouth. The town is situated in a spot marked by boldly romantic features, and has become a favourite resort for sea-bathing, for which the extent of the beach and the superior smoothness of the gently sloping sands, render it peculiarly adapted. It is gradually improving in appearance; a handsome crescent has been built for the accommodation of the increasing number of visiters, and there is every prospect of its becoming one of the best frequented watering-places on the Yorkshire coast. The Scarborough and Bridlington railway passes within two or three miles. There is a chalybeate spring, possessing qualities similar to that of Scarborough, and from which, most probably, the water will be conveyed by pipes to a spot more convenient for general use. The parish comprises by admeasurement 2000 acres, whereof about 1200 are arable and the remainder chiefly pasture, with a small portion of wood; 710 acres are in the township of Filey, more than two-thirds of which are pasture. The soil is a strong clay, and the grounds on the sea-shore, for about four miles, are deemed the most fertile on this coast; the substrata are chiefly chalk and calcareous sandstone. The living is a perpetual curacy; net income, £75; patrons, the family of Mitford: the tithes were commuted in 1788, for land and a money payment. The church, an ancient cruciform structure, with a square embattled tower rising from the centre, is situated on a rugged acclivity, and has a truly romantic appearance; it was repaired in 1840, at an expense of £1500, and contains 600 sittings, of which 200 are free: the churchyard has been recently enlarged. The Primitive Methodists and Wesleyans have places of worship.

Filgrave (St. Mary)

FILGRAVE (St. Mary), an ancient parish, in the union of Newport-Pagnell, hundred of Newport, county of Buckingham, 3¾ miles (N.) from NewportPagnell; containing 175 inhabitants. The living, a rectory, is united to that of Tyrringham, and valued in the king's books at £5. 19. 7.: the church is in ruins.

Filkins

FILKINS, a hamlet, in the parish of Broadwell, union of Witney, hundred of Bampton, county of Oxford, 3 miles (N. E.) from Lechlade; containing 556 inhabitants. A school is supported.

Filleigh (St. Paul)

FILLEIGH (St. Paul), a parish, in the union of South Molton, hundred of Braunton, South Molton and N. divisions of Devon, 3 miles (W. N. W.) from South Molton; containing 395 inhabitants. This parish, which is intersected by the road from South Molton to Barnstaple, comprises by computation 2038 acres, whereof 660 are arable, 1308 meadow and pasture, and 70 woodland; it abounds with varied scenery, enriched with some fine plantations. Castle-hill Park, the splendid mansion of Earl Fortescue, is pleasantly situated on the acclivity of a well-wooded eminence, whose summit is crowned by an artificial ruin of a castle; the grounds contain a beautiful sheet of water. Limestone and hard blue stone, adapted for building, are obtained in the parish. The living is a rectory, consolidated with that of East Buckland, and valued in the king's books at £12. 5. 2½.: the tithes have been commuted for £97, and the glebe comprises 88½ acres. The church was rebuilt on its present site, at the expense of Lord Clinton, in 1732; it contains some interesting monuments, among which is one to Lady Susan Ebrington. The parsonage-house was rebuilt in 1823, by the late Earl Fortescue.

Fillingham (St. Andrew)

FILLINGHAM (St. Andrew), a parish, in the union of Gainsborough, W. division of the wapentake of Aslacoe, parts of Lindsey, county of Lincoln, 10 miles (N. by W.) from Lincoln; containing 312 inhabitants. The parish is situated a mile and a half north of the road from Lincoln to Hull, and comprises about 4000 acres, rather more than a moiety being arable land; the scenery, which is very beautiful, includes a lake extending over more than 50 acres. Fillingham, or Summer, Castle, built by Sir Cecil Wray in 1760, stands in a park of 400 acres, and commands a fine prospect. There are fairs for pigs on the Thursday in Easter-week, and on November 22nd. The living is a rectory, valued in the king's books at £22, and in the gift of Balliol College, Oxford, with a net income of £437: the tithes were commuted for about 500 acres of land in 1759. The church, a plain edifice, was erected on the site of a former church, about 70 years ago. In the grounds attached to the castle are vestiges of a Roman camp, where coins, spear-heads, and fragments of armour, have been discovered.

Fillongley (St. Mary and All Saints)

FILLONGLEY (St. Mary and All Saints), a parish, in the union of Meriden, Atherstone division of the hundred of Hemlingford, N. division of the county of Warwick, 6½ miles (N. W. by N.) from Coventry; containing 1030 inhabitants. This place, the name of which is variously written in Domesday book, is supposed to have been the earliest seat of the rich and powerful family of Hastings, who held many offices of distinction during several reigns. The parish comprises 4553 acres of profitable land, enlivened with several streams which rise within the parish, and of which some abound with trout; the surface is hilly, the soil of a sandy nature, and the scenery very beautiful and much wooded. Sand-rock and plum-pudding stone are quarried for the roads and inferior uses. The Coventry and Tamworth road passes through the parish. Fillongley Lodge, with its fine park, is the property and seat of Alfred Ashley Vaughton, Esq. The living is a discharged vicarage, valued in the king's books at £8. 9. 9., and in the patronage of the Crown; net income, £249. The church is a venerable and spacious structure in the pointed style, but it has undergone so many successive alterations and repairs that little of the original character remains: in the churchyard is the remnant of a cross. The dissenters have a place of worship; and there are two parochial schools, and a Sunday school, the last lately erected by J. Johnson, Esq., on a site given by Lord Leigh. In the vicinity of the village of Fillongley are the remains of two ancient castles.

Filton (St. Peter)

FILTON (St. Peter), a parish, in the union of Clifton, Lower division of the hundred of Berkeley, W. division of the county of Gloucester, 3¾ miles (N. by E.) from Bristol; containing 276 inhabitants. This parish, which takes its name from the family of De Fylton, its ancient proprietors, is pleasantly situated on the road from Bristol to Gloucester, and comprises by survey 1003 acres. Coal is found, though no mines have as yet been opened; and there are pits from which stone is taken for ordinary farming purposes. The living is a discharged rectory, valued in the king's books at £7, and in the gift of Rear-Admiral Poulden: the tithes have been commuted for £145. 6. 8., and the glebe comprises 60 acres. The church is chiefly in the decorated English style, with a square embattled tower crowned by crocketed pinnacles: in the chancel are two ancient paintings, on panel, presented by the rector and wardens of St. John's, Bristol; and the west window is embellished with drapery of stone.

Fimber

FIMBER, a chapelry, in the parish of Wetwang, union of Driffield, wapentake of Buckrose, E. riding of York, 8¾ miles (W. by N.) from Driffield; containing 170 inhabitants. It comprises by computation 1840 acres, mostly in a deep vale of the Wolds, whose picturesque acclivities rise abruptly from two large lakes. The village is small and scattered. The tithes were commuted for land, under an inclosure act, in 1803. The chapel, which stands on an eminence, is a small ancient edifice. There is a place of worship for Wesleyans.

Finborough, Great (St. Andrew)

FINBOROUGH, GREAT (St. Andrew), a parish, in the union and hundred of Stow, W. division of Suffolk, 2¾ miles (W. by S.) from Stow-Market; containing 467 inhabitants. It comprises by survey 1492 acres; the soil for the most part is a stiff clay, and the surface rises considerably from two streams running through the district. Finborough Hall is a handsome mansion, situated in a well-wooded park, tastefully laid out, and embellished with a sheet of water 140 acres in extent. The living is a discharged vicarage, valued in the king's books at £5. 1. 3.; net income, £130, patron and appropriator, the Bishop of Ely. The church, a neat structure in the later English style, contains good monuments. There is a place of worship for Independents.

Finborough, Little (St. Mary)

FINBOROUGH, LITTLE (St. Mary), a parish, in the union and hundred of Stow, W. division of Suffolk, 3¾ miles (S. W. by S.) from Stow-Market; containing 64 inhabitants, and comprising 367a. 1r. 33p. The living is a discharged perpetual curacy, valued in the king's books at £1. 13. 4.; net income, £11; patrons and impropriators, the Provost and Fellows of King's College, Cambridge, whose tithes have been commuted for £96. The church is ancient.

Fincham (St. Michael and St. Martin)

FINCHAM (St. Michael and St. Martin), a parish, in the union of Downham, hundred of Clackclose, W. division of Norfolk, 5 miles (E. N. E.) from Downham; containing 807 inhabitants. This parish, which was once divided into the parishes of St. Michael and St. Martin, now consolidated, contains 2968a. 3r. 11p., the whole of which, with the exception of about 60 acres of woodland, is good arable and pasture. A fair for horses and for toys is held on the 3rd of March, and there is also a show of horses on the 9th of August. The living is a rectory and vicarage, valued in the king's books at £17. 6. 8., and in the alternate patronage of the Crown and the Blyth family; impropriator of the vicarage, W. Hebgin, Esq. The impropriate tithes have been commuted for £325, and the incumbent's for £675; the glebe comprises 43 acres, with a house. The church of St. Martin is in the later English style, with a lofty embattled tower; the nave is separated from the chancel by a richly-carved screen, and is lighted by a handsome range of clerestory windows. The church of St. Michael was taken down in 1745. There is a place of worship for Wesleyans. Fincham Hall, now a farmhouse, retains some portions of ancient character.