Framfield - Freethorpe

Framfield (St. Thomas à Becket)

FRAMFIELD (St. Thomas à Becket), a parish, in the union of Uckfield, hundred of Loxfield-Dorset, rape of Pevensey, E. division of Sussex, 2 miles (S. E.) from Uckfield; containing 1434 inhabitants. It comprises by computation 6700 acres, whereof about 2450 are arable, 1550 meadow and pasture, 1500 common, 1000 woodland, and 200 hop and garden grounds. The surface is boldly diversified with hills, and intersected by various nameless streams, one of which gives motion to three large mills: the soil is in part sandy, in part clayey, and there is much gravel covered with thin light mould. Here are quarries of sandstone; and iron-works were formerly carried on. The living is a discharged vicarage, valued in the king's books at £13. 6. 8.; patrons, the Hoare family; impropriator, J. Fuller, Esq.: the great tithes have been commuted for £465, and the vicarial for £590; and the glebe comprises 42 acres. The church is a handsome cruciform structure, in the early and decorated English styles. A school is supported by endowment.

Framingham, Earl (St. Andrew)

FRAMINGHAM, EARL (St. Andrew), a parish, in the union and hundred of Henstead, E. division of Norfolk, 5 miles (S. E.) from Norwich; containing 100 inhabitants. It is on the road from Norwich to Bungay, and comprises about 500 acres. The living is a discharged rectory, united to that of Bixley, and valued in the king's books at £3. 6. 8. The church is a small Norman edifice, with a circular tower; the nave is separated from the chancel by a richly decorated arch.

Framingham, Pigot (St. Andrew)

FRAMINGHAM, PIGOT (St. Andrew), a parish, in the union and hundred of Henstead, E. division of Norfolk, 5½ miles (S. E. by S.) from Norwich; containing 289 inhabitants. It comprises 618a. 3r. 26p., of which 425a. 2r. 12p. are arable, 141a. 1r. 16p. pasture, and 42 acres woodland. The living is a discharged rectory, valued in the king's books at £3. 6. 8., and in the gift of the Bishop of Norwich: the tithes have been commuted for £216. 17. 6., and the glebe comprises 25 acres. The church is in the early English style. There is a place of worship for Baptists.

Framlingham (St. Michael)

FRAMLINGHAM (St. Michael), a market-town and parish, in the union of Plomesgate, hundred of Loes, E. division of Suffolk, 18 miles (N. E. by N.) from Ipswich, and 87 (N. E.) from London; containing 2523 inhabitants. This place is of very remote antiquity, having been one of the chief towns of the Iceni, a British tribe in alliance with the Romans, to whom their king Prasutagus bequeathed a part of his dominions, in the hope of securing to his queen, Boadicea, the undisturbed possession of the remainder. On the death of Prasutagus, the Roman procurator seized the whole, and upon Boadicea's remonstrating, ordered her to be scourged like a slave, and violated the chastity of her daughters. Boadicea, in revenge for this outrage, excited the Trinobantes and other tribes to revolt, and, heading her own forces with masculine intrepidity, obtained a victory over the Romans, of whom 70,000 were slain in battle, though she was subsequently defeated and lost her life, or, as some say, took poison.

At what time the castle was originally built is uncertain, but it is a very ancient structure, and it is known that a fortress existed here in the time of Redwald, third king of the East Angles, who occasionally retired to it from his court at Rendlesham. Framlingham was also the retreat of King Edmund the Martyr, who, when pursued by the Danes, fled from Dunwich, and took refuge within the castle walls, whence endeavouring to escape when closely besieged, he was overtaken, and beheaded at Hoxne. The castle was either repaired or rebuilt by Hugh Bigod, Earl of Norfolk, and became in 1173 the temporary asylum of Prince Henry, whom Queen Eleanor, his mother, had incited to rebel against his father Henry II. In 1248, Henry III. made this his place of abode for some time; and Henry, Prince of Wales, son of Henry IV., to whom the castle was granted by his father, kept his court here in 1404 and 1405. Edward VI. held his first court at Framlingham, where, after his decease, Mary was joined by the inhabitants of Suffolk and the neighbouring counties, who, to the number of 13,000, accompanied her to London to take possession of the crown. The castle was a spacious and noble structure, the surrounding walls including an irregular quadrilateral area of nearly an acre and a half; they were 44 feet in height and 8 feet in thickness, and defended by 13 square towers of considerably greater elevation, of which one towards the east, and one towards the west, were watch-towers: the whole was inclosed by a double moat, over the inner line of which was a drawbridge. The walls are in a tolerably perfect state, and in front of the gatewaytower are the arms of Howard, Mowbray, Brotherton, &c., quartered in one shield. The site was purchased from the Howard family by Sir Robert Hitcham, who gave it to Pembroke Hall, Cambridge. Within the walls, and on the site of the ancient buildings, which were demolished about the year 1670, a workhouse for the poor was built in 1724 with the materials of the castle; the building has since been fitted up for public meetings, assemblies, and other uses, and contains a spacious room 72 feet in length.

The town is pleasantly situated on a hill, near the source of the river Ore, which rises to the north of the castle and falls into the sea at Orford; it contains many respectable and well-built houses, and is amply supplied with water, and lighted with oil. The air is salubrious; the approaches are good, and the town is generally improving. The parish, by recent survey, comprises about 4657 acres, the soil of which is fertile. An agricultural society established in 1840, now consists of more than 100 members. The trade is principally in malt: the market is on Saturday, for corn, and occasionally for cattle; the fairs are on Whit-Monday, and October 12th, for toys. The powers of the county debt-court of Framlingham, established in 1847, extend over part of the registration-districts of Hoxne and Plomesgate. Petty-sessions are held every alternate Friday. The living is a rectory, with that of Saxtead annexed, valued in the king's books at £43. 6. 8., and in the patronage of Pembroke Hall: the tithes have been commuted for £1250, and there are 70 acres of glebe. The church, said to have been built by Lord Segrave, whose armorial bearings are in the tower, is a stately structure, partly in the decorated and partly in the later English style, with a lofty embattled tower strengthened by buttresses: the chancel, which, both in style and workmanship, is superior to the rest of the edifice, is supposed to have been rebuilt in the reign of Edward VI., when the church was thoroughly repaired. The nave is lighted by clerestory windows; the oak roof, which is elaborately carved, is supported by octangular pillars, and the roof of the chancel by clustered columns of very graceful proportions. The church contains monuments of Henry Howard, Earl of Surrey, and his countess; Thomas Howard, third duke of Norfolk, and his duchess: the two wives of Thomas, fourth duke of Norfolk, who was beheaded in the reign of Elizabeth; and Sir Robert Hitcham and his wife. Here are places of worship for Independents, Wesleyans, and Unitarians.

Sir Robert Hitcham, in 1636, bequeathed to Pembroke Hall certain lands now producing £900 a year, in trust for the erection of a workhouse, and the foundation and endowment of an almshouse for twelve aged persons, and of a school for the apprenticing of boys with a premium of £10; also, £20 per annum of the income, to be paid to a minister to read prayers daily in the church, £5 to the sexton, £15 to a Sunday-school, and the remainder for distribution in money, clothes, and coal to the most needy of the poor. Thomas Mills, Esq., in 1703 bequeathed property now yielding £700 per annum for similar purposes. The free school founded by Sir Robert is now conducted on the national system, as is another school to which £19 are yearly allowed by the trustees of Mr. Mills. There are also 31 acres of land, producing an income of £100, for the benefit of the poor. Here was a religious house dedicated to the Virgin Mary, the site of which is occupied by a dwelling-house. In 1823, some remains of elephants' tusks were dug up at the depth of ten feet from the surface, in a field to the north of the town; and while enlarging the parsonage-house in 1839, several coins, boars' tusks, and stags' horns were discovered. Robert Hawes, a zealous investigator of antiquities, who compiled a history of the hundred of Loes, still in manuscript (with the exception of the parish of Framlingham, which has been published), was buried here in 1731. Thomas Dove, Bishop of Peterborough in the reign of Elizabeth, by whom he was styled the "Dove with silver wings," was rector of the parish.

Framlington, Long

FRAMLINGTON, LONG, a parochial chapelry, in the union of Rothbury, E. division of Coquetdale ward, N. division of Northumberland; containing 702 inhabitants, of whom 549 are in the township of Long Framlington, 11 miles (N. N. W.) from Morpeth. It comprises by computation 7000 acres, the soil of which is indifferent, having in general a cold clay bottom; the surface is in some parts hilly, and in others level, and at the north-western extremity is a long narrow tract of wild and dreary moorland, containing about 1000 acres. Limestone, freestone, and coal are found, but the last is not so extensively worked as formerly. Fairs for the sale of sheep, black-cattle, &c., are held on the second Tuesday in July, and on October 25th. Within the last few years the village has been much improved by the erection of several neat houses and shops. The living is a perpetual curacy, annexed to the vicarage of Felton: the impropriate tithes have been commuted for £373. There is a meeting-house for Presbyterians. The Hall hill, at this place, is supposed to have been the site of a Roman station, and the remains of a triple intrenchment are still visible; at Evergreen, near the same spot, are the foundations of a building thought to have been a fort. On a farm called Canada are large heaps of scoria, considered to have been produced by smelting ironstone, in the time of the Romans: the road commonly termed the Devil's Causeway passes near the place, and may be distinctly traced.

Frampton (St. Bartholomew)

FRAMPTON (St. Bartholomew), a parish, and formerly a market-town, in the union of Dorchester, liberty of Frampton, Dorchester division of Dorset, 5¾ miles (N. W. by W.) from Dorchester, and 130 (S. W.) from London; containing 391 inhabitants. The name of this place originally belonged to the site of an ancient priory, and is derived from the river Frome, which passes by; in Domesday book it is written Frantone, and when that record was compiled, the priory was a cell to the abbey of St. Stephen, at Caen, in Normandy. A market, on Thursday, now disused, was granted by Edward III., and four fairs by succeeding monarchs; of the latter, two are still held, on March 9th and May 4th, for cattle, horses, &c. There are courts leet and baron annually, at which the constable and tythingmen for the liberty are appointed. The living is a discharged vicarage, valued in the king's books at £11. 9. 7., and in the gift of the family of Sheridan, the impropriators: the great tithes have been commuted for £453. 5. 6., and the vicarial for £3. 6. 8., with a glebe comprising 68 acres, and a glebe-house. The church is a handsome structure, in the later English style, with an embattled tower crowned by pinnacles, erected in 1695, by Robert Brown, to replace a tower which had fallen down. The pulpit is ornamented with three carved figures in niches: one of these is much defaced; the other two represent monks, one holding the sun in his right hand and a book in his left, the other a cross and a book. The entire edifice has been altered and repaired.

Frampton

FRAMPTON, a tything, in the parish of Sapperton, union of Cirencester, hundred of Bisley, E. division of the county of Gloucester, 6¼ miles (W. by N.) from Cirencester; containing 220 inhabitants. A chapel of ease, erected at the cost of the Earl Bathurst, was consecrated in Oct. 1844. A school is supported by subscription. Two urns filled with denarii and other copper coins were discovered here in 1759, by a waggon passing over and breaking them; and near the spot are vestiges of an ancient camp.

Frampton (St. Mary)

FRAMPTON (St. Mary), a parish, in the union of Boston, wapentake of Kirton, parts of Holland, county of Lincoln, 3¼ miles (S.) from Boston; containing 784 inhabitants. The parish is intersected by the road between London and Boston, and comprises 4964a. 3r. 16p., of which about 3000 acres are arable and in cultivation, and the remainder fen and marsh; 500 acres form a salt-marsh grazed by sheep at low water. The surface is perfectly level, and the soil a rich loam, alternated with stiff clay and sand. Several large drains intersect the parish, among which are the North and South Forty-foot, and the Hammond beck. The living is a discharged vicarage, valued in the king's books at £18. 19. 4.; net income, £109; patron and impropriator, C. Keightley Tunnard, Esq. The church is in the early English style, with a decorated chancel and south transept, and a tower and spire at the west end erected probably about 1250; the chancel was built between 1300 and 1400. There is an endowed school, for which a building was erected at an expense of £800, defrayed chiefly from the accumulated savings of property producing £114 per annum. An allotment of land yields a rent of about £38, which is distributed among the poor in coal; and other bequests, producing £30 yearly, are given away in money.

Frampton-Cotterell (St. Peter)

FRAMPTON-COTTERELL (St. Peter), a parish, in the union of Chipping-Sodbury, Upper division of the hundred of Langley and Swinehead, W. division of the county of Gloucester, 5 miles (W. by S.) from Chipping-Sodbury; containing, with the hamlet of Wickwick, 1991 inhabitants. This place derives its name from being situated on the river Frome, and from Cotel, the name of an ancient proprietor, whose family were possessed of the manor until 1245. The parish comprises about 1400 acres, principally laid out in pasture; it is intersected by the road from Bristol to Sodbury, and is distant about two miles from the railroad between Bristol and Gloucester. The soil is in some parts a red grit, and in others a deep clayey loam; the surface is undulated, and the scenery varied and picturesque. The manufacture of hats, which is extensively carried on, affords employment to a great part of the population; and there are some coal-pits and stonequarries in full work. The living is a rectory, valued in the king's books at £11. 16. 0½., and in the gift of the Duke of Beaufort: the tithes have been commuted for £530. 10., and the glebe comprises 60 acres. The church is in the later English style. There are places of worship for Independents and Wesleyans.

Frampton-on-Severn (St. Mary)

FRAMPTON-on-Severn (St. Mary), a parish, in the union of Wheatenhurst, Lower division of the hundred of Whitestone, E. division of the county of Gloucester, 7 miles (N. by W.) from Dursley; containing 1051 inhabitants. This parish, which derives its name from its situation on the Frome, and on the east bank of the river Severn, is memorable as the scene of a sanguinary battle in the year 904, when the Danes, being overtaken here by an army of Mercians and West. Angles, were totally routed, and three of their chieftains slain. The village is near the Gloucester and Berkeley canal; and fairs for cattle and sheep are held in it on the 8th of February and of September. The living is a discharged vicarage, valued in the king's books at £7. 11., and has a net income of £330; the patronage and impropriation belong to Miss Ann Wicks: the tithes were commuted for land in 1813. The church is partly in the decorated English style, with an embattled tower, and contains several monuments of the Clifford family. There is a place of worship for Independents.

Framsden (St. Mary)

FRAMSDEN (St. Mary), a parish, in the union of Bosmere and Claydon, hundred of Threadling, E. division of Suffolk, 4 miles (S. E.) from Debenham; containing 829 inhabitants. This parish, which is bounded on one side by a small stream called the Deben, comprises 2800 acres by measurement: the surface is in some places rather hilly, but chiefly flat; the soil is generally a mixture of loam and clay, and in parts gravelly. The living is a vicarage, valued in the king's books at £10. 0. 2½.; the patronage and impropriation belong to John Tollemache, Esq. The great tithes have been commuted for £560, the vicarial for £340, and the glebe comprises 43 acres. The church is an elegant structure in the decorated and later English styles, with a square embattled tower, and a handsome south porch; the nave is lighted by a fine range of clerestory windows, and in the chancel are six ancient stone stalls. There was a monastery at this place: the part remaining has been converted into a farmhouse, the hall of which, supposed to have been the chapel, has a roof of richlycarved oak.

Frankby

FRANKBY, a township, in the parish of West Kirby, union, and Lower division of the hundred, of Wirrall, S. division of the county of Chester, 7 miles (N. N. W.) from Great Neston; containing 125 inhabitants. The manor passed by marriage from the Orrebies to the Ardernes; it was alienated by the latter about the year 1305, and subsequently went to various families. The township lies about two miles from the shore of the estuary of the river Dee, and comprises 433 acres; the soil is clay and sand, with rock.

Frankley (St. Leonard)

FRANKLEY (St. Leonard), a parish, in the union of Bromsgrove, Lower division of the hundred of Halfshire, Stourbridge and E. divisions of the county of Worcester, 3¾ miles (S. E. by S.) from Hales-Owen; containing 170 inhabitants. The parish consists of 1711 acres, of which the surface is hilly. The Birmingham and Gloucester railway passes on the east. The living is a donative, in the gift of Lord Lyttelton, who enjoys the title of Baron Frankley. The church is a small ancient edifice. Judge Lyttelton, who died here in 1481, was a native of the parish; and a piece of water called Westminster Pool, from its area corresponding in extent with that of Westminster Hall, was formed by him.

Frankton (St. Nicholas)

FRANKTON (St. Nicholas), a parish, in the union of Rugby, Rugby division of the hundred of Knightlow, N. division of the county of Warwick, 4 miles (W. by S.) from Dunchurch; containing 282 inhabitants. It is situated about three-quarters of a mile from the road between Leamington and Dunchurch, and comprises about 1650 acres, of which two-thirds are arable, and one-third pasture and woodland. The surface is level on Frankton-heath side, but towards Birdinbury and Marton is very picturesque, commanding extensive views; the soil is chiefly a stiff clay. On the south of the parish, the river Leam flows towards the west. The living is a rectory, valued in the king's books at £5. 12. 1.; net income, £190, with a glebe-house; patrons, Mrs. Biddulph, and the Trustees of the late Rev. John Biddulph. The church is very old, and has a tower. A free school was endowed upwards of a century ago, by Mrs. Ann Biker.

Fransham, Great (All Saints)

FRANSHAM, GREAT (All Saints), a parish, in the union of Mitford and Launditch, hundred of Launditch, W. division of Norfolk, 6¼ miles (N. E. by E.) from Swaffham; containing 329 inhabitants. It comprises 1901a. 1r. 37p., of which 1416 acres are arable, and 457 meadow and pasture. The living is a rectory, valued in the king's books at £7. 15. 10., and in the gift of F. R. Reynolds, Esq.: the tithes have been commuted for £534, and the glebe comprises 62½ acres, with a house. The church is in the early English style, with a tower surmounted by a small spire, and contains some ancient monuments, among which is a recumbent effigy in brass, of Galfridus Fransham, in complete armour, under a canopy.

Fransham, Little (St. Mary)

FRANSHAM, LITTLE (St. Mary), a parish, in the union of Mitford and Launditch, hundred of Launditch, W. division of Norfolk, 5¾ miles (E. N. E.) from Swaffham; containing 263 inhabitants. The parish comprises about 1030 acres; 750 are arable, and 280 meadow and pasture. The old Hall, now a farmhouse, contains a room in which Queen Elizabeth is said to have slept one night, when on a tour through Norfolk. The living is a discharged rectory, valued in the king's books at £6. 8. 4.; patron and incumbent, the Rev. A. W. Langton, whose tithes have been commuted for £305, and whose glebe comprises 37 acres. The church is a small ancient edifice; on the south side of the chancel is a piscina.

Frant

FRANT, a parish, in the union of Ticehurst, partly in the hundred of Washlingstone, lathe of Aylesford, W. division of Kent, but chiefly in the hundred of Rotherfield, rape of Pevensey, E. division of Sussex, 2½ miles (S. by E.) from Tonbridge-Wells; containing 2274 inhabitants. The parish is bounded on the north and south by branches of the river Medway, and comprises 8874a. 2r. 25p., of which 1577 acres are arable, 2898 meadow and pasture, 2182 wood, 226 in fir plantations, 239 in hops, and 1603 waste land and heath; the soil is generally a light loam on sandy rock. Eridge Castle, the residence of the Earl of Abergavenny, is a spacious castellated mansion, almost entirely rebuilt by the present earl, situated on a bold eminence, and surrounded by a park of about 2500 acres, finely wooded: the ancestors of the earl entertained Queen Elizabeth here for six days, in 1573. Bayham Park, the seat of the Marquess Camden, is a handsome mansion, in the grounds of which are the remains of Bayham Abbey, forming a romantic feature in the scenery. The village, situated on the slope of a beautiful hill, has a very pleasing appearance; and part of the town of Tonbridge-Wells is within the parish. Petty-sessions are held here. The living is a vicarage, endowed with the rectorial tithes, and valued in the king's books at £8. 5. 5.; net income, £496; patron, the Rector of Rotherfield. The church, lately rebuilt on a larger scale, is a handsome structure; the interior is well arranged, and the east window embellished with stained glass. There are some mineral springs, and vestiges of several iron-works. Bayham Abbey was founded for Præmonstratensian canons, by Robert de Turneham, who, about 1200, gave all his lands here for the purpose; it was dedicated to the Virgin Mary, and was originally established at Beaulieu, near Brockley, but the monks removed, with those of Otteham, to this place. The monastery was one of those which Cardinal Wolsey obtained for the endowment of his intended colleges; and its revenue, in the 17th of Henry VIII., was £152. 9. 4.

Frating

FRATING, a parish, in the union and hundred of Tendring, N. division of Essex, 6 miles (E. S. E.) from Colchester; containing 271 inhabitants. It comprises 1237a. 3r. 29p. The lands are generally elevated; the soil is light and dry, and the surrounding district abounds with pleasing scenery. The living is a discharged rectory, with that of Thorrington united, valued in the king's books at £10, and in the patronage of St. John's College, Cambridge; net income, £799. The tithes of Frating have been commuted for £345, and there are 35 acres of glebe. The church is a small ancient edifice with a tower.

Freckenham (St. Andrew)

FRECKENHAM (St. Andrew), a parish, in the union of Mildenhall, hundred of Lackford, W. division of Suffolk, 3¼ miles (S. W. by W.) from Mildenhall; containing 495 inhabitants. The river Lark is navigable on the north of the parish, where it receives a smaller stream, which runs through the village. The living comprises a discharged vicarage and a rectory, the former valued in the king's books at £3. 15. 2½., and the latter at £16. 11. 5½.; net income, £600; patrons, the Master and Fellows of Peter House, Cambridge: the tithes were commuted for land and a money payment in 1815. Near the church is a mound surrounded by a wide and deep ditch, probably the site of some ancient fortification.

Freckleton

FRECKLETON, a township, in the ecclesiastical parish of Warton, parish of Kirkham, union of the Fylde, hundred of Amounderness, N. division of Lancashire, 2 miles (S.) from Kirkham; containing 995 inhabitants. It is supposed that Freckleton was a Roman town, built with seven others in the autumn of the year 79; it was probably the Setantiorum of Ptolemy, placed by most antiquaries near the mouth of the Ribble. A castle is reported to have stood here in Roman times, until it was washed away by the fury of the tides. In the Domesday survey the township is called Frecheltun; a local family of the name is mentioned in the 3rd year of John's reign, and its descendants were resident in the 30th of Elizabeth, 1587. The township lies near the Neb of the Nase, a small promontory extending into the estuary of the Ribble, nearly opposite to Hesketh Bank, to which there is a passage over the sands at low water. It comprises 1774 acres of good land in equal portions of arable and pasture; the surface is level, the soil clay, and the scenery extensive. A sacking and sailcloth manufactory is carried on, and there is a ship-building yard. Vessels of 100 tons' burthen can come up to Freckleton Pool at high water, and barges bring coal from Wigan. The village is of irregular form, but several of the houses are well built; and a portion of the Nase has been laid out for villas and cottages by Mr. Myres, civil engineer, of Preston. A church, named Trinity Church, was built in 1842, by subscription, at a cost of £2000, on a site given by Hugh Hornby, Esq., of Liverpool, who owns one-half of the township; it is in the Norman style, with a square tower and spire: attached to it are excellent schools. The living is in the gift of the Vicar of Kirkham. The tithes have been commuted for £190 payable to the Dean and Chapter of ChristChurch, Oxford, and £123. 13. 4. to the vicar of Kirkham. The Wesleyans have a place of worship.

Freeby

FREEBY, a chapelry, in the parish and union of Melton-Mowbray, hundred of Framland, N. division of the county of Leicester, 3½ miles (E. N. E.) from Melton-Mowbray; containing 139 inhabitants. The meadow-lands here are of very rich quality. The whole of the lordship belongs to Sir E. C. Hartopp, Bart. The chapel is dedicated to St. Mary. There is a place of worship for Independents.

Freefolk

FREEFOLK, a parish, in the union of Whitchurch, hundred of Evingar, Kingsclere and N. divisions of the county of Southampton, 1 mile (W. S. W.) from Overton, on the road to Andover; containing 70 inhabitants. This parish is bounded by the river Test, which separates it from the parish of Whitchurch; it comprises about 1600 acres, whereof 310 are coppice and woodland, 130 meadow and pasture, and 1160 arable. The living is a donative, in the patronage of the Hospital of St. Cross, Winchester, with a net income of £15.

Freefolk, Priors

FREEFOLK, PRIORS, a tything, in the parish and union of Whitchurch, hundred of Evingar, Kingsclere and N. divisions of the county of Southampton; containing 173 inhabitants.

Freeford

FREEFORD, a hamlet, in the parish of St. Michael, Lichfield, union of Lichfield, N. division of the hundred of Offlow and of the county of Stafford, 2¼ miles (S. E.) from Lichfield; containing 77 inhabitants. The manor was held by a family of its own name, in the reign of James I., and afterwards passed to the family of Dyott, who suffered much in the parliamentary war for their attachment to Charles I. The hamlet comprises 500 acres of rich and well-wooded land, lying on the road from Lichfield to Tamworth. Freeford Hall stands in a retired situation, and, with the demesne around it, is extra-parochial.

Freeholders' Quarter

FREEHOLDERS' QUARTER, a township, in the parish of Long Horsley, union of Morpeth, W. division of Morpeth ward, N. division of Northumberland; containing 109 inhabitants. Among the ancient proprietors of this place were the families of Ogle, Grey, and Widdrington. It is now the property, as its name imports, of a number of owners, and comprises about 854 acres, having within its limits the hamlets of Blackpool, Muckley, and West Moor; the village of Long Horsley is also partly in the quarter. The land in the vicinity is considerably above the level of the sea. The impropriate tithes have been commuted for £37. 14., and the vicarial for £16; there is a glebe of 54½ acres.

Freeholds

FREEHOLDS, a hamlet, in the parish of Avening, union of Stroud, hundred of Longtree, E. division of Gloucestershire; containing 287 inhabitants.

Freethorpe (All Saints)

FREETHORPE (All Saints), a parish, in the union and hundred of Blofield, E. division of Norfolk, 4 miles (S.) from Acle; containing 383 inhabitants. The parish comprises 912 acres of land in profitable cultivation: the village consists of two scattered hamlets, each pleasantly built round the borders of an extensive green. An act was passed in 1840 for inclosing the waste. The Norwich and Yarmouth railway passes through. The living is a discharged vicarage, annexed to the rectory of Reedham: the impropriate tithes have been commuted for £212. 5., and the vicarial for £95; the glebe comprises 9½ acres. The church is an ancient structure in the early English style.