Thornton - Thornton, West

Thornton (St. Michael)

THORNTON (St. Michael), a parish, in the union, hundred, and county of Buckingham, 4½ miles (E. N. E.) from Buckingham; containing 101 inhabitants. The living is a rectory, valued in the king's books at £11. 16. 3., and in the patronage of Sir T. C. Sheppard, Bart.: the tithes have been commuted for £224. 5. 4., and there are 2 acres of glebe. William Bredon, noted for his skill in calculating nativities, and who had a share in composing Sir Christopher Haydon's Judicial Astrology, died rector of the parish in 1638.

Thornton (St. Mary)

THORNTON (St. Mary), a parish, in the union of Great Boughton, Second division of the hundred of Eddisbury. S. division of the county of Chester; containing, with the townships of Dunham-on-the-Hill, Elton, Hapsford, and Wimbolds-Trafford, 914 inhabitants, of whom 165 are in the township of Thornton-inthe Moors, 6 miles (N. N. E.) from Chester. The parish is situated on the banks of the river Mersey, and comprises between 4000 and 5000 acres, of which 1161 are in Thornton township. The surface is in general flat; the soil partakes of the nature of peat, and on the rising grounds is either marl or a strong clay. There is a packet daily by the river; and the Ellesmere and Chester canal, which passes about a mile from the western boundary of the parish, also affords facilities of conveyance. The living is a rectory, valued in the king's books at £24. 7. 8½., and in the gift of Hulme's Trustees: the tithes have been commuted for £500, and the rector has a house, with about 60 acres of land. The church contains portions of several styles, with a handsome tower. A national school is endowed with £15. 10. per annum.

Thornton

THORNTON, a tything, in the parish of Marnhull, union of Sturminster, hundred of Redlane, Sturminster division of Dorset, 3½ miles (N. N. E.) from Sturminster-Newton-Castle. This place was a distinct parish, but was united to Marnhull at the Reformation, and the church, which was dedicated in 1464 to St. Martin, is now used as a stable.

Thornton

THORNTON, a township, in the parish of Poulton, union of the Fylde, hundred of Amounderness, N. division of Lancashire, 1¾ mile (N. by E.) from Poulton; containing, with the town of Fleetwood (which see), 3847 inhabitants. In the Testa de Nevill is mentioned Matilda de Thorenton, who was at the king's donation, but unmarried. In the 17th of Edward II., half the town of Thornton was held by William Banastre, and the other moiety by Laurence de Thorneton, a descendant probably of the above-named Matilda; in the 13th of Henry VIII., Thomas, Earl of Derby, held the manor. It is now considered merely a manor by reputation, of which Sir Peter Hesketh Fleetwood, Bart., is lord. Singleton-Thorpe, a village in this part, was entirely washed away by a sudden irruption of the sea in 1555. The township is bounded on the north by Morecambe bay, on the west by the Irish Sea, and on the east by the estuary of the Wyre; and comprises 4688 acres, equally divided between arable and pasture: the Marsh was inclosed in 1800, and is now celebrated for its corn. Burn Hall, here, is a dwelling of the 15th century, now used as a farmhouse. A church, dedicated to Christ, was erected in 1835, at a cost of £800: the living is a perpetual curacy, in the patronage of Five Trustees; net income, £110, with a house. The impropriate tithes have been commuted for £244. 2. 6., and a rentcharge of £40 has been awarded to the perpetual curate. James Baines in 1717 bequeathed land now producing £40 per annum, for teaching children.

Thornton

THORNTON, a township, in the parish of Sefton, union and hundred of West Derby, S. division of the county of Lancaster, 6½ miles (N.) from Liverpool; containing, in 1846, 158 inhabitants. The township is bounded on the north by the small river Alt, and comprises about 700 acres of land, the property of the Earl of Sefton, whose ancestors were early proprietors. The village of Sefton is distant about a mile eastward, and Crosby Hall about the same distance on the west. The tithes have been commuted for £144.

Thornton (St. Peter)

THORNTON (St. Peter), a parish, in the union of Market-Bosworth, hundred of Sparkenhoe, S. division of the county of Leicester, 10 miles (N. by W.) from Leicester; containing, with the chapelries of Bagworth and Stanton-under-Bardon, 1375 inhabitants, of whom 491 are in Thornton township. The parish is situated on the ridge of a hill, and comprises 2000 acres: two coal-mines are in operation in Bagworth. About 50 persons are employed in stocking-weaving. The living is a discharged vicarage, valued in the king's books at £6. 10. 2., and in the gift of Viscount Maynard, who, with the Duke of Rutland, is impropriator: the ancient glebe consists of 2 acres, and there are 120 acres received in lieu of tithes in 1794, valued at £200 per annum. The south door of the church is a very curious piece of workmanship, said to have been brought from Ulverscroft Priory. Here are places of worship for dissenters. About £18 per annum, the produce of benefactions, are distributed among the poor.

Thornton (St. Wilfrid)

THORNTON (St. Wilfrid), a parish, in the union of Horncastle, S. division of the wapentake of Gartree, parts of Lindsey, county of Lincoln, 1½ mile (S. W.) from Horncastle; containing 236 inhabitants. It comprises about 1196 acres, of which 346 are meadow, 590 pasture, and 260 arable. The living is a discharged vicarage, valued in the king's books at £5. 12. 1.; patrons and appropriators, Dean and Chapter of Lichfield. The great tithes have been commuted for £145, and the vicarial for £168; the glebe contains 2¾ acres.

Thornton

THORNTON, a township, in the parish of Norham, union of Berwick-upon-Tweed, N. division of Northumberland, 5¼ miles (S. W.) from Berwick; containing 178 inhabitants. This place was the manor and residence of a family named Heron. It is situated on the borders of Scotland, and on the south side of the road from Berwick to Cornhill. The township comprises 1398 acres, of which 1250 are arable, 140 pasture, and 8 wood; the surface is elevated table-land, the soil loamy, and there are fine views of the Cheviot hills and of Scotland. In the township are three farms and a colliery belonging to Lord Crewe's trustees; and good freestone is wrought. A school has been endowed by the trustees with £20 per annum, and the master has a house, and grass for a cow.

Thornton (St. Michael)

THORNTON (St. Michael), a parish, in the union of Pocklington, partly in the Wilton-Beacon, but chiefly in the Holme-Beacon, division of the wapentake of Harthill, E. riding of York, 4¼ miles (S. W.) from Pocklington; containing, with the townships of Melbourne and Storthwaite, 814 inhabitants, of whom 202 are in Thornton township. The parish comprises about 6615 acres, of which 2410 are in Thornton township, and chiefly the property of Colonel Wyndham, who is lord of the manor: the village is situated near the Pocklington canal, which passes on the south. The living is a discharged vicarage, with the living of Allerthorpe annexed, valued in the king's books at £7. 5. 10.; net income, £210; patron, the Dean of York. The church is a small ancient edifice with a bell-turret.

Thornton

THORNTON, with Baxby, a township, in the parish of Coxwold, union of Easingwould, wapentake of Birdforth, N. riding of York, 3 miles (N. by E.) from Easingwould; containing 78 inhabitants, of whom 50 are in Thornton. It comprises 1440a. 3r. 15p., of which about 350 acres are arable, and 1090 grass; the soil is generally fertile, with a substratum of limestone.

Thornton

THORNTON, a chapelry, in the parish and union of Bradford, wapentake of Morley, W. riding of York, 4½ miles (W.) from Bradford; containing 6788 inhabitants. This chapelry is situated on the south side of the valley of Bradford, and comprises by computation 4638 acres, of which 1148 are arable, 3444 pasture, and about 45 wood. The arable land is in good cultivation; the pasture is chiefly high moor, let out in dairy-farms: the surface is undulated, and the lower grounds are watered by a rivulet that has its source in the township, and flows through the town of Bradford into the river Aire. The district abounds with coal, of which several mines are in operation, and with freestone, of which there are not less than six different quarries. The scenery is pleasingly diversified, and enriched with wood. Thornton Hall, the property of the Horton family, an ancient quadrangular structure of great size, and formerly of considerable importance, is now occupied as farm-buildings and cottages. Leventhorpe Hall, also in the township, was the seat of a distinguished family; and at Headley is an old mansion in the Elizabethan style, in former times occupied by a branch of the Midgleys. The village, which is large and irregularly built, is on the southern acclivities of the vale; the township comprises also the village of School-Green, and the scattered hamlets of Clayton, Denholme, Thornton-Heights, and Leventhorpe. The population is chiefly employed in two large worsted-mills, and in the collieries and stonequarries.

The chapel, dedicated to St. James, a small structure chiefly in the later English style, was built in 1612, and has since been enlarged and frequently repaired: the living is a perpetual curacy; net income, £150; patron, the Vicar of Bradford. At Denholme (which see) is another incumbency. There are places of worship for Independents, Primitive Methodists, and Wesleyans. The free grammar school, originally established by subscription, was endowed by George Ellis and Samuel Sunderland, Esqrs., with a house and 18 acres of land called Wilcock Royd, and a house and 8 acres at Lester Dike, the former producing £20 and the latter £15. 15. per annum, and with a rent charge of £3 by Thomas Sagar in 1672. The endowment has been augmented by the trustees with nearly 9 acres of land, worth £8 per annum, and the school is open to all boys of the chapelry: a few of the scholars learn Latin. James Sagar in 1665 bequeathed Randalwell Close, valued in 1821 at £8 per annum, but since exchanged for a farm at West Clayton, yielding £50 a year; he appropriated 20s. to the minister of Thornton, and the remainder for distribution among the poor.

Thornton, or Thornton-in-Craven (St. Mary)

THORNTON, or Thornton-in-Craven (St. Mary), a parish, in the union of Skipton, E. division of the wapentake of Staincliffe and Ewcross, W. riding of York, 6 miles (W. S. W.) from Skipton; containing 2354 inhabitants. This place in the reigu of Edward I. belonged to Walter de Muncey, who obtained from that monarch the grant of a weekly market, and a fair on the festival of St. Thomas the Martyr and four following days, both of which have been long since discontinued. The parish includes the manors of Earby, Kelbrook, and Harden, and comprises 5338a. 3r. 26p., of which 152 acres are arable, 219 wood, and the remainder meadow and high moorland pasture. The property belongs to various families, the principal owner being Sir John Lister Kaye, Bart., lord of the several manors. The soil of the arable and meadow land is fertile, and the substratum chiefly limestone of good quality, which is quarried for building, and for burning into lime; the surface is generally elevated, in some parts diversified with hill and dale, and a rivulet abounding with trout flows through the lower grounds into the Aire. The living is a rectory, valued in the king's books at £19. 15. 2½.; net income, £250, with a house; patron, Sir J. L. Kaye: the tithes were commuted for land and a money payment in 1819. The church is an ancient structure, with some additions in the later English style. At Kelbrook is a separate incumbency. Almshouses for five women were founded in 1815, by Mrs. Rachel Smith, who endowed them with £2000 three per cent. consols., and placed them under the control of the Society of Friends' quarterly meeting for Westmorland.—See the articles on Earby and Kelbrook.

Thornton, Bishop

THORNTON, BISHOP, a chapelry, in the parish and liberty of Ripon, W. riding of York, 6 miles (S. W.) from Ripon; containing 610 inhabitants. It comprises about 3200 acres; the soil is generally fertile, the larger part of the land in good cultivation, and the scenery pleasingly diversified. The chapel, dedicated to St. John, was rebuilt in 1825, at a cost of £1000, raised by subscription, and a grant from the Parliamentary Commissioners. It is a neat structure, with a handsome east window presented by the late Mrs. Lawrence, embellished with emblematical devices and armorial bearings in stained glass. The living is a perpetual curacy; net income, £85; patrons and appropriators, the Dean and Chapter of Ripon: the appropriate tithes have been commuted for £57. 10., and the impropriate for £263. 18. 9. There is a Roman Catholic chapel.

Thornton-Bridge

THORNTON-BRIDGE, a township, in the parish of Brafferton, wapentake of Hallikeld, N. riding of York, 4¼ miles (N. E. by N.) from Boroughbridge; containing 49 inhabitants. The village is situated on the west side of the river Swale.

Thornton-Childer

THORNTON-CHILDER, a township, in the parish of Eastham, union, and Higher division of the hundred, of Wirrall, S. division of the county of Chester, 5 miles (E.) from Great Neston; containing 361 inhabitants. It comprises 693 acres of land, chiefly the property of Sir William Stanley, Bart. The soil is partly sand and partly clay. The impropriate tithes have been commuted for £58, and the vicarial for £55. 10.

Thornton-Curtis (St. Lawrence)

THORNTON-CURTIS (St. Lawrence), a parish, in the union of Glandford-Brigg, N. division of the wapentake of Yarborough, parts of Lindsey, county of Lincoln, 5 miles (S. E. by E.) from Barton-uponHumber; containing, with the hamlet of Burnham, 393 inhabitants. The parish comprises by computation 5000 acres, of which about 1400 are in Burnham: the village, which is scattered, is on the south side of the Humber, about a mile north of Wootton. The living is a discharged vicarage, valued in the king's books at £5. 18. 4.; net income, £123; patron and impropriator, C. Winn, Esq. The church has a curiously-carved font. A priory for Black canons, in honour of the Blessed Virgin, was founded here in 1139, by William le Gros, Earl of Albemarle and Lord of Holderness, and at the Dissolution had a revenue of £730. 17. 2. Henry VIII., who had visited the abbey in 1541, applied the greater part of its possessions to the erection of a college in honour of the Holy and Undivided Trinity, for a dean and nineteen prebendaries, but this also was dissolved in the 1st of Edward VI., and its site granted to the Bishop of Lincoln. It occupied an extensive area, encompassed by a deep fosse and strong ramparts, and the ruins are approached by a bridge, flanked with embattled walls supporting two round towers. The gate-house is perfect; the ruins of the chapter-house are very fine, and various other portions of these once magnificent buildings exhibit good specimens of the decorated and later English styles. Opposite the entrance are four small mounds called Butts, supposed to be tumuli.

Thornton-Dale (All Saints)

THORNTON-DALE (All Saints), a parish, in Pickering lythe and union, N. riding of York, 3 miles (E. by S.) from Pickering; containing 886 inhabitants. It comprises about 6000 acres, of which a large tract is moorland, chiefly a rabbit-warren; of the productive land, about two-thirds are arable, 200 acres wood, and the remainder meadow and pasture. The surface of the moor is flat; the soil of the cultivated lands is various, and the substratum contains good stone, which is quarried for building and for burning into lime. The village is pleasantly situated; the manufacture of coarse paper is carried on, and there is also a tanyard. The living is a rectory, valued in the king's books at £20; net income, £396, with a good house, erected in 1842; patron, R. Hill, Esq. The church is an ancient structure, with a square embattled tower, and was thoroughly repaired in 1838. Here are places of worship for dissenters. A free grammar school was founded in the year 1657, by Viscountess Lumley, who also erected and endowed twelve almshouses.

Thornton, East

THORNTON, EAST, a township, in the parish of Hartburn, union, and W. division of the ward, of Morpeth, N. division of Northumberland, 6 miles (W.) from Morpeth; containing 51 inhabitants. In the 9th of William III., the moor of East Thornton was found, upon a trial at law, to be within the parish of Hartburn, and tithes were decreed upon it. The township was part of the Radcliffe estate forfeited by the Earl of Derwentwater, and afterwards came to Greenwich Hospital; in 1831 the Hospital commissioners sold the lands, which comprise about 916 acres, to Isaac Cookson, Esq., who has since built a house and offices here.

Thornton-In-Lonsdale (St. Oswald)

THORNTON-IN-LONSDALE (St. Oswald), a parish, partly in the hundred of Lonsdale south of the Sands, N. division of Lancashire, but chiefly in the union of Settle, wapentake of Staincliffe and Ewcross, W. riding of York; containing, with Ireby township, which forms the Lancashire portion, and with Black-Burton township, 1138 inhabitants, of whom 364 are in the township of Thornton, 11½ miles (N. W.) from Settle. The parish abuts on the vale of Lune to the west, and comprises a large area, of which 7402 acres are in Thornton township. A very considerable portion is high moorland, affording tolerable pasture, and the surface in some parts rises to a great elevation; the soil is generally a rich loam, alternated with clay, and the substratum in the northern part is limestone. Leadmines were opened on Gray Gareth many years ago, but they were not found sufficiently productive: slate is procured near Thornton Force, where the vertical slate rock may be seen crested by the limestone in a horizontal position. The population is partly employed in cottonmills; and at Burton are several potteries, where stone ware and coarse brown ware are manufactured. The river Greta, a tributary of the Lune, passes on the south. Near the village is Thornton Scar; a precipitous and rugged cliff partly clothed with wood, rising to the height of 100 yards, and forming one side of a narrow ravine, where a mountain stream, rushing with impetuous violence, forms in its descent several beautiful cascades. At a small distance from this is Thornton Force, a picturesque cataract of one unbroken sheet of water, four yards in breadth, falling from a height of thirty yards into a rocky pool. In the northern extremity of Kingsdale is the celebrated Yordas cave, beneath the mountain of Gray Gareth. This singular excavation is in a solid rock of black marble, and resembles the interior of a cathedral, with the bishop's throne on the right, and on the left another cluster of rock, called the Chapter-house, with petrifactions hanging from the roof, resembling rich and elaborate groining. The discharge of a pistol in the cave produces a reverberation equal to that of a whole park of artillery. The village is pleasantly situated at the foot of the dale, on the road to Kendal, and about a mile from Ingleton. The living is a vicarage, valued in the king's books at £28. 13. 1½.; net income, £120; patrons and appropriators, the Dean and Chapter of Worcester, whose tithes in Thornton township have been commuted for £410, and who have a glebe of 180 acres: the vicar's glebe consists of 3½ acres. The church is in the Norman style, with later additions. There is a chapel in the township of Burton. Ralph Redmayne, Esq., in 1702 founded a free school, and endowed it with £200, which were vested in land now producing annually about £60.

Thornton-Le-Beans

THORNTON-LE-BEANS, a township, in the parish of North Otterington, union of Northallerton, wapentake of Allertonshire, N. riding of York, 3½ miles (S. E.) from Northallerton; containing 266 inhabitants. It comprises about 1640 acres of fertile and well cultivated land: the village is neatly built, and pleasantly situated. A chapel of ease was founded in 1770, by Mrs. Heber; and there is a place of worship for Wesleyans. The township contains a sulphureous and a chalybeate spring, both of them private property.

Thornton-Le-Fen

THORNTON-LE-FEN, a township, in the union of Boston, soke of Horncastle, parts of Lindsey, county of Lincoln, 8½ miles (N. W.) from Boston; containing 186 inhabitants. Here is a chapel, the living of which is a perpetual curacy; net income, £84 per annum; patrons, certain Trustees.

Thornton-Le-Moor (All Saints)

THORNTON-LE-MOOR (All Saints), a parish, in the union of Caistor, N. division of the wapentake of Walshcroft, parts of Lindsey, county of Lincoln, 6½ miles (S. W. by W.) from Caistor; containing 102 inhabitants. The parish comprises about 1450 acres, and is crossed at right angles by the road from MarketRasen to Glandford-Brigg: the river Ancholme passes on the west, and the Caistor canal on the north side. The living is a discharged rectory, valued in the king's books at £9. 10. 10.; net income, £300; patron, the Bishop of Ely: there is a parsonage-house, with a glebe of 20 acres. The church, which is very ancient, has a Norman doorway.

Thornton-Le-Moor

THORNTON-LE-MOOR, a township, in the parish of North Otterington, union of Thirsk, wapentake of Birdforth, N. riding of York, 5 miles (N. W. by N.) from Thirsk; containing 343 inhabitants. It comprises about 1010 acres. The village is pleasantly situated, and the houses, to most of which gardens are attached, are neatly built; some few of the inhabitants are employed in hand-loom weaving. The York and Newcastle railway intersects the township. There is a place of worship for Primitive Methodists; and the remains of an ancient chapel have been converted into a school, which is supported by subscription. A spring here, remarkable for the extreme coldness of the water, has been walled round by the proprietor.

Thornton-Le-Street (St. Leonard)

THORNTON-LE-STREET (St. Leonard), a parish, in the union of Thirsk, wapentake of Allertonshire, N. riding of York, 3 miles (N. N. W.) from Thirsk; containing, with the township of North Kilvington, 224 inhabitants, of whom 161 are in Thornton township. This place took the affix to its name from its situation on the Roman road from York to Catterick. The parish comprises 2750 acres, of which 1540 are in the township of Thornton, and mostly the property of Sir Samuel Crompton, Bart. The surface is level, with some few undulations, and with numerous fine ash-trees in the hedge-rows. There is rather more meadow and pasture than arable land; the soil is in general a moderately fertile clay. Woodend, the seat of Sir Samel Crompton, is a spacious and handsome mansion in a well-wooded park lying west of the village: on the farm at which his agent resides, Sir Samuel has erected a steam-engine, which is applied to various useful purposes. The village is situated on the west bank of the Codbeck, and the York and Newcastle railway intersects the parish. The living is a discharged vicarage, valued in the king's books at £4; net income, £60; patrons and appropriators, the Dean and Canons of Christ-Church, Oxford. The great tithes of a part of Thornton township have been commuted for £58, and the small tithes for £31; the appropriate glebe consists of 45 acres, and the vicarial of 3 acres. The church is chiefly in the Norman style, with a tower of later date.

Thornton-Mayow

THORNTON-MAYOW, a township, in the parish of Neston, union, and Higher division of the hundred, of Wirrall, S. division of the county of Chester, 2½ miles (N. N. E.) from Great Neston; containing 208 inhabitants. It comprises 1375a. 31p., of which twothirds are meadow and pasture and one-third arable, chiefly the property of the Hon. E. M. L. Mostyn. The soil is partly clay and partly sand.

Thornton-Rust

THORNTON-RUST, a township, in the parish of Aysgarth, wapentake of Hang-West, N. riding of York, 10 miles (W.) from Middleham; containing 178 inhabitants. It comprises 1923 acres, of which 905 are common or waste, mostly moorland, extending southward. The village, which consists of one street of wellbuilt houses, occupies a lofty acclivity on the south side of Wensleydale, and commands very fine views. The impropriate tithes have been commuted for £29. 10., payable to Trinity College, Cambridge. A school was endowed in conjunction with a Calvinistic place of worship, in 1827.

Thornton-Steward (St. Oswald)

THORNTON-STEWARD (St. Oswald), a parish, in the union of Leyburn, wapentake of Hang-West, N. riding of York, 6 miles (W.) from Bedale; containing 268 inhabitants. It comprises by admeasurement 2040 acres, about two-thirds of which are grass; the soil is for the most part porous and dry. The village is situated on the banks of the Ure, a little below its junction with the Cover, and at the outlet of the two beautiful valleys of Wensleydale and Coverdale. The living is a discharged vicarage, valued in the king's books at £6. 13. 11½.; net income, £234; patron and appropriator, the Bishop of Chester. The great tithes have been commuted for £135, and the vicarial for £164; the appropriate glebe contains 8¼. and the vicarial 54 acres. The church is an old, simple building, with an open belfry. A small school, erected in 1815 at the expense of George Horn, Esq., has an endowment of £10 per annum. Some curious ancient coffins of massive stone were found a few years since.

Thornton-Upon-Clay

THORNTON-UPON-CLAY, a township, in the parish of Foston, union of Malton, wapentake of Bulmer, N. riding of York, 11 miles (N. N. E.) from York; containing 217 inhabitants. It comprises by computation 1270 acres of land, chiefly in the hands of resident proprietors: the village is situated about a mile west of Foston. The tithes were commuted for land in 1777. There is a place of worship for Wesleyans, and another for the Society of Friends with a burial-ground attached.

Thornton-Watlass (St. Mary)

THORNTON-WATLASS (St. Mary), a parish, in the union of Bedale, wapentake of Hang-East, N. riding of York; containing, with the townships of Clifton-upon-Ure, Rookwith, and Thirn, 471 inhabitants, of whom 203 are in the township of ThorntonWatlass, 2¾ miles (S. W.) from Bedale. The parish comprises 3882 acres, of which 1436a. 1r. 27p. are in Thornton-Watlass township. The village is built round a pleasant green, and lies eastward of the river Ure. The living is a rectory, valued in the king's books at £6. 10. 10., and in the gift of M. Milbank, Esq., who is lord of the manor: the tithes have been commuted for £400, and the glebe consists of 48 acres. The church stands on a bold eminence, and is a neat structure with a tower. About half a mile north of the village is a conical hill, where are traces of a moat that anciently encompassed a castellated building.

Thornton, West

THORNTON, WEST, a township, in the parish of Hartburn, union, and W. division of the ward, of Morpeth, N. division of Northumberland, 7¼ miles (W. by N.) from Morpeth; containing 58 inhabitants. This township is supposed to occupy the site of a Roman station; and it is recorded that, till towards the commencement of the eighteenth century, vestiges of an ancient town intersected by a military road were plainly discernible. Between the township and the river Hart is a farm of about 100 acres, which belonged to the Knights Templars, from whom the hamlet obtained the name of Temple-Thornton: this property, on the suppression of the order, was consigned, with their other estates in the county, to John de Kingston. The township comprises 1047 acres, of which 147 are arable, 860 meadow and pasture, and 40 woodland and plantations. The village is situated on a high ridge, from which the grounds slope towards the river Hart, fronting the south; it had formerly a chapel. The tithes have been commuted for £46. 3., payable to the vicar of Hartburn.