Middleton-in-Teesdale - Midley

Middleton-in-Teesdale (St. Mary)

MIDDLETON-in-Teesdale (St. Mary), a markettown and parish, in the union of Teesdale, S. W. division of Darlington ward, S. division of the county of Durham; comprising the chapelry of Egglestone, and the townships of Forest with Frith, Middleton, and Newbiggin; and containing 3787 inhabitants, of whom 1770 are in the township of Middleton, 10 miles (N. W.) from Barnard Castle, and 253 (N. N. W.) from London. This town, which of late years has been very much improved, and through the whole of which neat and convenient footpaths have been constructed, presents a handsome appearance, and is situated in the midst of hills, and the most picturesque and romantic scenery. The environs abound with great varieties of rocks; the basalt forms a striking feature, and, in connexion with numerous waterfalls, adds much to the beauty of the landscape. The fertile valleys and sloping eminences in the neighbourhood of the town, enriched by the rapid and serpentine river Tees, a fine trout-stream, which meanders through the vale, and bounds the parish on the south, cannot fail to attract the attention of the lover of nature. About three miles above the town is Wynch bridge, a light and neat suspension chain-bridge, seventy feet in length and two feet in width, thrown from rock to rock across a tremendous chasm about fifty feet in depth; and higher up the river are the stupendous cataracts of High Force and Caldron Snout. The inhabitants are principally occupied in raising, washing, and smelting lead-ore, produced in considerable quantities in the vicinity. The market is on Saturday; and there are fairs on the third Thursday in April, July 7th, and the second Thursday in September. The townhall is a neat edifice with a market-place beneath it, erected at the expense of the Duke of Cleveland. Courts leet and baron are held annually for the manor. The living is a rectory, valued in the king's books at £25. 17. 1., and in the patronage of the Crown. The church is a small ancient edifice, the tower of which is several yards distant from the rest of the building; the parsonage is neat, with hanging-gardens and a terrace, and forms a handsome object in the scenery. At Forest, a chapel and a parsonage-house were built in 1844, by the Duke of Cleveland, who maintains the minister; and at Egglestone and Harwood are other incumbencies. There are places of worship for Primitive Methodists, Wesleyans, and Baptists. The inhabitants of Middleton and the neighbourhood, chiefly miners, are remarkable for their orderly and peaceable conduct, and evince considerable intelligence.

Middleton, North

MIDDLETON, NORTH, a township, in the parish of Ilderton, union of Glendale, N. division of Coquetdale ward and of Northumberland, 2½ miles (S. by E.) from Wooler; containing 129 inhabitants. This place was, with South Middleton, anciently the estate of Robert de Muschamp, and a member of his lordship of Wooler: the manor became divided into North and South about the end of the reign of Henry III., and in the time of Henry IV. the former part was held by John de Farmelawe. The township comprises about 2000 acres, of which 700 are arable, 1200 heath and green pasture, and 100 natural wood, and waste; the surface is hilly, varied by dells, and the soil gravelly and good turnip land. The Caldgate rivulet passes on the north, and the Newcastle and Edinburgh road on the east. Some vestiges of camps may be traced; and bones, spears, and daggers have been found.

Middleton, North

MIDDLETON, NORTH, a township, in the parish of Hartburn, union of Morpeth, W. division of Morpeth ward, N. division of Northumberland, 8¾ miles (W. by S.) from Morpeth; containing 92 inhabitants. This place, which was also called MiddletonMorell, from an ancient proprietor named Morell, was afterwards divided among various proprietors. The township comprises 1078 acres, of which 130 are arable, 900 pasture, and 48 woodland; the soil is generally a rich loam, and the scenery is pleasingly varied. The tithes have been commuted for £31 payable to the impropriator, and £60 to the vicar of Hartburn. There is a place of worship in connexion with the United Secession of Scotland. A chantry endowed with 60 acres of arable and meadow land in 1397, appears to have existed in a chapel here, but nothing of the history of either of these institutions is now known.

Middleton-on-the-Hill (St. Mary)

MIDDLETON-on-the-Hill (St. Mary), a parish, in the union of Leominster, hundred of Wolphy, county of Hereford, 6 miles (N. E.) from Leominster; containing 388 inhabitants. The parish is situated on the borders of Worcestershire, and comprises 2541 acres. The living is a perpetual curacy, annexed to that of Kimbolton. The tithes have been commuted for £185. 10., payable to the Bishop of Hereford.

Middleton-Quernhow

MIDDLETON-QUERNHOW, a township, in the parish of Wath, wapentake of Hallikeld, N. riding of York, 5 miles (N. N. E.) from Ripon; containing 119 inhabitants. It comprises 732a. 12p., of which 366 acres are arable, 348 meadow and pasture, and about 18 woodland; the soil is generally fertile, and the surface picturesquely broken into hill and dale. The village is secluded; in it stands part of an ancient Hall. A tithe rent-charge of £249 has been awarded.

Middleton-Scriven (St. John the Baptist)

MIDDLETON-SCRIVEN (St. John the Baptist), a parish, in the union of Bridgnorth, hundred of Stottesden, S. division of Salop, 5½ miles (S. S. W.) from Bridgnorth; containing 108 inhabitants. The living is a discharged rectory, valued in the king's books at £4. 6. 8.; patron and incumbent, the Rev. T. Rowley, whose tithes have been commuted for £115, and who has a glebe of 33 acres.

Middleton, South

MIDDLETON, SOUTH, a township, in the parish of Ilderton, union of Glendale, N. division of Coquetdale ward and of Northumberland, 2¾ miles (S.) from Wooler; containing 78 inhabitants. It anciently belonged to the Northumberland family; and in the 26th of Edward III., Henry Percy died seized of the place as a member of his manor of Alnwick, and left it to his son Henry. The township is bounded on the south-west by the Cheviot hills, and comprises about 1600 acres, of which 700 are arable, of a dry turnip soil, and the remainder heath and green pasture. The road from Newcastle to Edinburgh passes on the east.

Middleton, South

MIDDLETON, SOUTH, a township, in the parish of Hartburn, union of Morpeth, W. division of Morpeth ward, N. division of Northumberland, 10 miles (W. by S.) from Morpeth; containing 19 inhabitants. This place continued to be held of the Bolbeck barony by the barons of Bolam and their descendants till the beginning of the 17th century; it then passed to the Fenwicks, shortly after to the Aynsleys, and subsequently to other families, The township comprises 609 acres, of which 174 are arable, 379 meadow and pasture, and 56 waste. The village was formerly of considerable extent. The tithes have been commuted for £44. 15. 6., payable to the vicar of Hartburn.

Middleton, Stoney (All Saints)

MIDDLETON, STONEY (All Saints), a parish, in the union of Bicester, hundred of Ploughley, county of Oxford, 3 miles (W. by N.) from Bicester; containing 309 inhabitants. The village is very neat, and uniformly built; and in the neighbourhood is the spacious park of the Earl of Jersey, who has a seat here. The living is a rectory, valued in the king's books at £12. 16. 0½., and in the gift of the Bishop of Lincoln: the tithes have been commuted for £416. 10., and the glebe contains 107¼ acres. The church is partly in the early and partly in the decorated English style, with a massive square embattled tower; on the north and south sides are Norman doorways, and on the north of the chancel is the sepulchral chapel of the Villiers family. Near the church are the interesting remains of a chapel, supposed to have been built in the reign of Stephen, on the site of a Saxon fortress.

Middleton, Stony

MIDDLETON, STONY, a chapelry, in the parish of Hathersage, union of Bakewell, hundred of High Peak, N. division of the county of Derby, 5½ miles (N. by E.) from Bakewell; containing 532 inhabitants. The living is a perpetual curacy; income, £88; patron, the Vicar of Hathersage. The chapel, dedicated to St. Martin, was rebuilt in 1759, in the form of an octagon. There is a place of worship for Unitarians. A considerable quantity of limestone is burnt for manure.

Middleton-Tyas (St. Michael)

MIDDLETON-TYAS (St. Michael), a parish, in the union of Richmond, wapentake of Gilling-East, N. riding of York, 5 miles (N. E.) from Richmond; containing 795 inhabitants, of whom 586 are in the township of Middleton-Tyas with the rural hamlet of Kneeton. This parish, including the township of Moulton, comprises about 5750 acres. The surface is undulated, and the scenery in many parts beautifully picturesque; the soil is generally fertile, resting on limestone, which is extensively quarried, and there are several limekilns. Copper-ore is found in considerable quantities, and some extensive works were formerly carried on here, but they have for more than half a century been discontinued. In a limestone-quarry on the lands of Geo. H. Pybus, Esq., has been discovered a bed of variegated marble, which is susceptible of a high polish, and, from a specimen that has been dressed by a skilful workman, seems likely to be brought into general use The village is pleasantly situated on the road to Darlington. The living is a vicarage, endowed with a portion of the rectorial tithes, valued in the king's books at £15. 10., and in the patronage of the Crown; net income, £705. The incumbent's tithes in the township of Middleton-Tyas have been commuted for £337, and the impropriator's for £33: the vicar has a glebe of 149 acres. The church is an ancient structure, with some Norman details. There are remains of a chapel at Kneeton.

Middleton-upon-Leven

MIDDLETON-upon-Leven, a chapelry, in the parish of Rudby-in-Cleveland, union of Stokesley, W. division of the liberty of Langbaurgh, N. riding of York, 3¾ miles (S. E. by E.) from Yarm; containing 114 inhabitants. The lands, in the Conqueror's time, were within the soke of Seamer, held by Robert, Earl of Morton; soon after the Conquest the Meinells were lords here, and from them the estate descended to the D'Arcys, the Conyers', and others. The township lies in the northern part of the parish, upon the east side of the river Leven, and near the road from Stokesley to Yarm: the area is 1129a. 2r. 21p. The living is a perpetual curacy, in the patronage of Lady Amherst: the tithes have been commuted for £125 payable to the impropriators, and £5 to the perpetual curate. The chapel is dedicated to St. Cuthbert, and is of modern date.

Middlewich (St. Michael and All Angels)

MIDDLEWICH (St. Michael and All Angels), a market-town and parish, in the union of Northwich, S. division of the county of Chester; comprising the townships of Byley with Yatehouse, Clive, Croxton, Kinderton with Hulme, Middlewich, Minshull-Vernon, Mooresbarrow with Parme, Newton, Occlestone, Ravenscroft, Sproston, Stublach, Sutton, Wimboldsley, and part of Leese, all in the hundred of Northwich; and the township of Weever, which is in the First division of the hundred of Eddisbury; the whole containing 4755 inhabitants, of whom 1242 are in the town, 20 miles (E.) from Chester, and 167 (N. W.) from London. The name of this place is derived from its central situation with respect to the Wiches, or salt towns. The Romans had a station here: there are traces of a road formed by that people; and in the township of Kinderton is an intrenched camp, supposed to be the site of the Roman station called Condate. The earliest notice of the manor is in the reign of Edward the Confessor, when it appears to have been held by the Earl of Mercia under the king; after the Conquest it was annexed to the earldom of Chester, and subsequently to the crown, from which it has been lately purchased by James France France, Esq., of Bostock Hall, Cheshire. Middlewich was one of the burghs of the palatinate, and the burgesses received grants of various privileges from some of the baronial proprietors, which they pleaded in answer to a writ of Quo Warranto issued against them in the 15th of Henry VII. On the occasion of a contest here between the royalists and the parliamentary forces, March 13th, 1642, the former experienced a signal defeat; but in a second engagement, about nine months afterwards, the parliamentarians were vanquished, in consequence of a reinforcement of their opponents by troops from Ireland.

The town, which is neat and well built, is divided by the Grand Trunk, or Trent and Mersey, canal, here crossed by the river Dane. A branch of the Chester canal, from Wardle to Middlewich, was opened a few years since: the rivers Croco, Weaver, and Wheelock, also run through the parish; and about two miles distant from the town is the Winsford station of the Liverpool and Birmingham railway. The trade consists principally in salt, which is obtained from powerful brine springs; and there are some silk manufactories. The market is on Tuesday; and fairs are held on Holy-Thursday, Aug. 25th, and Oct. 29th: the market-house has been rebuilt by Mr. France. Constables are appointed at the court leet of the manor. The parish comprises about 10,000 acres, of which three-fourths are pasture, and one-fourth arable land: in the township of Middlewich are only 14 acres. The living is a discharged vicarage, valued in the king's books at £14; net income, £150; patron and incumbent, the Rev. Isaac Wood; impropriators, the landowners. The church presents indications of various styles, being the work of different periods; it has a handsome tower, and at the east end of each aisle is a chapel, or chancel, separated by a screen. There are places of worship for the Society of Friends, Independents, and Wesleyans. Middlewich was the birthplace of Thomas Yate, D.D., principal of Brasenose College, Oxford, by whom were founded certain scholarships in that college, with preference, 1st, to members of his own family, duly qualified, 2nd, to persons born in the town or parish of Middlewich, and 3d, to scholars of Northamptonshire and Wiltshire. The Rev. Theophilus Lindsey, a Unitarian divine, was born here in 1723.

Middlezoy (Holy Cross)

MIDDLEZOY (Holy Cross), a parish, in the union of Bridgwater, hundred of Whitley, W. division of Somerset, 5½ miles (N. W. by N.) from Langport; containing 700 inhabitants. The battle of Sedgemoor, between the forces of James II. and the Duke of Monmouth, took place in a valley situated to the north of Middlezoy; and in the church is a brass inscribed to the memory of an officer in the king's troops who fell in the battle. The parish comprises about 2000 acres. The river Parret, and the road between Glastonbury and Taunton, afford facilities of conveyance. The living is a discharged vicarage, valued in the king's books at £12; net income, £185; patron and appropriator, the Bishop of Bath and Wells. The church is a handsome structure in the later English style, with a lofty tower. A national school is partly supported by the rent of a field given by the late Mr. Bailey, who also bequeathed the interest of £600 for distribution among the poor. Trunks of oak and yew trees are frequently dug up in the marshes, though no trees of the kind now grow here.

Middop

MIDDOP, a township, in the parish of Gisburn, union of Clitheroe, W. division of the wapentake of Staincliffe and Ewcross, W. riding of York, 5½ miles (N. W. by W.) from Colne; containing 81 inhabitants. This township is situated on the road from Burnley to Gisburn, and comprises by computation 1090 acres; it lies about three miles south of Gisburn.

Midge-Holme

MIDGE-HOLME, an extra-parochial liberty, in the union of Brampton, Eskdale ward, E. division of the county of Cumberland; containing 88 inhabitants, and comprising 291 acres of land.

Midgham

MIDGHAM, a chapelry, in the parish of Thatcham, union of Newbury, hundred of Faircross, county of Berks, 6¼ miles (E.) from Speenhamland; containing 345 inhabitants. This chapelry, near which passes the Kennet and Avon canal, comprises 1404a. 1r. 8p. The chapel, dedicated to St. Margaret, was rebuilt by John Hillersdon, Esq., in 1714. The tithes have been commuted for £109 payable to the impropriators, and £105 to the vicar.

Midgham

MIDGHAM, a tything, in the parish, union, and hundred of Fordingbridge, Ringwood and S. divisions of the county of Southampton; with 54 inhabitants.

Midgley

MIDGLEY, a township, in the chapelry of Luddenden, parish and union of Halifax, wapentake of Morley, W. riding of York, 4½ miles (W. by N.) from Halifax; containing 2667 inhabitants. This township includes portions of Luddenden, Luddenden-Foot, and Mytholmroyd, and comprises by computation 2110 acres. Here is a thick seam of plate coal, but from its depth, and the want of sufficient drainage, it is difficult to work it. There are places of worship for Wesleyans, Independents, and the New Methodist Connexion.

Midhope

MIDHOPE, a chapelry, in the parish of Ecclesfield, union of Wortley, N. division of the wapentake of Strafforth and Tickhill, W. riding of York, 2½ miles (S. S. W.) from the town of Penistone. This place is situated on an eminence, near the turnpike-road from Sheffield to Manchester; the land is principally arable, with a portion of moor, and the soil is generally productive. A small river called the Porter flows through the lower grounds. The chapel is a very ancient building; the living is a donative; net income, £70; patrons, the family of Bosville. The tithes were commuted for land in 1818.

Midhurst (St. Denis)

MIDHURST (St. Denis), a borough, market-town, and parish, and the head of a union, in the hundred of Easebourne, rape of Chichester, W. division of Sussex, 11½ miles (N. by E.) from Chichester, and 49¼ (S. W.) from London; containing 1536 inhabitants. This place, which was a town even prior to the Conquest, is agreeably situated upon a gentle eminence surrounded by hills, and on the banks of the river Rother; the streets are clean, and the houses generally well built: the inhabitants are remarkable for longevity. The market is on Thursday; and fairs are held on April 6th, Whit-Tuesday, and October 29th. The Rother, or Arundel, navigation commences at the town. A bailiff is chosen annually at the court leet of the lord of the ancient borough, and the petty-sessions for the lower division of the rape of Chichester take place on alternate Thursdays at the Angel inn: the powers of the county debt-court of Midhurst, established in 1847, extend over part of the registration-districts of Midhurst and Farnham. Midhurst is a borough by prescription, and has sent members to parliament ever since the 4th of Edward II. By the act of the 2nd of William IV., cap. 45, it was provided that in future it should send only one representative, and the right of election was extended to the £10 householders of an enlarged district, comprising an area of 22,188 acres; the old borough contained only 650 acres: the bailiff is returning officer. The military order of the Knights of St. John of Jerusalem had a commandery here, among the privileges of which was the jurisdiction in a certain district, now recognized as "The Liberty of St. John of Jerusalem," which still enjoys several exemptions, being independent both of the borough and manor.

The living is a perpetual curacy; net income, £160; patron and impropriator, the Earl of Egmont. The church consists of a nave, chancel, and south aisle, in the later English style: the tower rises from between the south aisle and a small chapel, in which latter is a lofty altar-tomb composed of marble and alabaster. On the lower altar of the tomb are two recumbent figures of females in robes of state, the effigies of the two wives of Anthony Browne, first lord Montague; between them another altar rises, upon which is an effigy of that nobleman in the habit of the order of the Garter. There is a place of worship for Baptists. A free grammar school was founded in 1672, by Gilbert Hannam, of Midhurst, who granted a rent-charge of £20; and the late head master, Dr. Bayly, having made large additions to the schoolhouse, and, with aid from the old scholars, erected a detached schoolroom, it has now become a school of considerable importance. A national school is supported by subscription; and there are four almshouses, and several charitable donations for the poor. The union of Midhurst comprises 26 parishes or places, 24 of which are in the county of Sussex and 2 in that of Hants, the whole containing in the year 1841 a population of 13,320.

In the immediate vicinity is Cowdray Park, which contains about 800 acres, diversified with dells and knolls commanding pleasing views, and adorned with timber of luxuriant growth, especially a noble avenue, nearly a mile in length, of magnificent Spanish-chesnut trees, for dimensions and beauty scarcely to be exceeded in England. The mansion, which was chiefly built by the Earl of Southampton, occupied more than an acre of ground, and in form was a quadrangle, with the principal front towards the west; it was destroyed by fire, with its valuable contents, on the 24th of September, 1793, and now presents a splendid pile of ruins, in many places mantled with ivy, which gives it an exceedingly picturesque appearance. In 1547, King Edward was entertained here with great splendour. Close to the town of Midhurst, near the church, on the west bank of the Rother, rises a mound, on which was anciently a castle surrounded by moats: within its walls was a chapel, dedicated to St. Anne.

Midlavant, Sussex.—See Lavant, Mid.

MIDLAVANT, Sussex.—See Lavant, Mid.

Midley

MIDLEY, a parish, in the union of Romney-Marsh, hundred of Martin-Pountney, lathe of Shepway, E. division of Kent, 3 miles (W. S. W.) from New Romney; containing 53 inhabitants. It comprises 2153 acres. The living is a rectory, valued in the king's books at £30; net income, £129; patron, Sir J. T. Tyrell, Bart. The church is in ruins.