Heavitree - Hednesford

Heavitree (St. Michael)

HEAVITREE (St. Michael), a parish, in the union of St. Thomas, hundred of Wonford, Wonford and S. divisions of Devon; containing 3048 inhabitants. This place, which is supposed to derive its name from having been the spot of execution for criminals, was the western head-quarters of the parliamentary forces, during the civil war. The parish is bounded on the south-west by the river Exe, forms a suburb to the city of Exeter, and comprises 3032a. 1r., whereof 2000 acres are pasture, and 1000 arable; the surface is boldly undulated, in some parts rising into hills of considerable elevation, and the scenery is embellished with numerous lofty elms, growing in the hedge-rows. Stone of good quality for building is quarried, and facility of conveyance is afforded by the Exe, which is navigable by aid of canal up to Exeter. The villages in the parish are lighted with gas, under an act of parliament passed in 1836. The living is a vicarage, valued in the king's books at £34. 3. 4.; net income, £641; patrons and appropriators, the Dean and Chapter of Exeter. The church, an ancient structure in the later English style, has been rebuilt by subscription, at an expense of £3300, and is now one of the largest churches in the county, containing 1220 sittings, of which 550 are free: it was consecrated in Aug. 1846. Here is a place of worship for Independents. Dennis' almshouses, for twelve aged poor, are endowed with a rent-charge of £45; and there is an almshouse, founded in 1603 by R. Duck, consisting of four tenements. A cell of the Cluniac order, dedicated to St. James, existed here, the estates of which were given to King's College, Cambridge, by Henry VI.

Hebburn

HEBBURN, a township, in the parish of Chillingham, union of Glendale, E. division of Glendale ward, N. division of Northumberland, 6 miles (E. S. E.) from Wooler; containing 108 inhabitants. It lies south from Chillingham, and near the extremity of the ward; the surface is hilly, and the soil a rich gravelly loam. There are some remains of an ancient castle, built, and long occupied, by a family which took its name from the village. The estate has been lately purchased by the Earl of Tankerville, and the greater portion inclosed within his park of Chillingham.

Hebburn

HEBBURN, a chapelry or parish, in the union of Morpeth, W. division of Morpeth ward, N. division of Northumberland; containing 633 inhabitants, of whom 124 are in the township of Hebburn, 3 miles (N. by W.) from Morpeth. It comprises the townships of Causey-Park, Cockle-Park, Earsdon, Earsdon-Forest, Fenrother, Hebburn, and Tritlington, and has the great road from London to Edinburgh running through it for above four miles; the whole lies high, and where the aspect is eastern the sea is visible. In Hebburn town ship are 970a. 2r. 14p., of which 849 acres are in tillage, 110 in grass, and 11 wood; the soil is of a rich clayey quality, well suited for tillage or pasturage. The village consists of a few farmhouses and cottages, standing in good gardens, and Hebburn hill, which had formerly a beacon upon it, shelters it well from the north. The tithes have been commuted for £174. 7. The chapel or church, which is subordinate to the church of Bothal, was rebuilt in 1793, at a cost of £700; it is bald and plain, but the masonry and interior fittings are good: the nave is 55, and the chancel 25, feet long. In levelling a road some years since, four cannon-balls were found buried in the earth.

Hebden

HEBDEN, a township, in the parish of Linton, union of Skipton, E. division of the wapentake of Staincliffe and Ewcross, W. riding of York, 11 miles (N. by E.) from Skipton; containing 480 inhabitants. The township comprises by computation 2840 acres, of which about 600 are pasture, and the remainder moorland; the scenery is wild and romantic. The village is situated on the north side of the river Wharfe, and on the road from Grassington to Pateley-Bridge; the population is chiefly employed in a cotton-mill, and in lead-mines in the vicinity. St. Peter's church here, consecrated on the 27th of October, 1841, is in the early English style, and has a chancel with a beautifully groined ceiling. There are places of worship for Primitive Methodists and Wesleyans.

Hebden-Bridge

HEBDEN-BRIDGE, a village and post-town, partly in the townships of Heptonstall and Erringden, but chiefly in the township of Wadsworth, parish of Halifax, wapentake of Morley, W. riding of York, 7 miles (W.) from Halifax, and 24 (W. by S.) from Leeds. This place, which is situated in the beautiful vale of Todmorden, derives its name from the river Hebden, which divides the village into two portions, communicating with each other by two neat bridges. The village is spacious and well built, and is lighted with gas, from works erected by Messrs. Crossley for their extensive cotton-factory adjoining. A mechanics' institution has been established, and the Calder-Vale Agricultural Society hold their meetings here. The cotton and worsted manufactures are carried on to a great extent, and factories have been erected, affording employment to the greater part of the population; there are also some silk-mills of comparatively recent establishment. Ashlar stone is found in the immediate neighbourhood, in great abundance, and of excellent quality for bridges, canal-locks, and similar purposes, for which its compactness and durability render it valuable. A fair for cattle, horses, and pigs, is held on Whit-Monday; and the village is a polling-place for the West riding of the county. The roads from Halifax to Burnley, and from Keighley to Hebden-Bridge, afford facilities of intercourse; as do also the Rochdale canal, and the Manchester and Leeds railway, of which the former passes near the town, and the latter has a station here. There are places of worship for Baptists and Wesleyans.—See Mytholm.

Heck, or Hick

HECK, or Hick, a township, in that part of the parish of Snaith which is in the Lower division of the wapentake of Osgoldcross, W. riding of York, 4 miles (W. by S.) from Snaith; containing 265 inhabitants. It comprises about 1160 acres, and includes the village of Great Heck, consisting of a line of irregularly built houses; and the small hamlet of Little Heck.

Heckdyke

HECKDYKE, a hamlet, in the union of Gainsborough; partly in the parish of Owston, W. division of the wapentake of Manley, parts of Lindsey, county of Lincoln; and partly in the parish of Misterton, North Clay division of the wapentake of Bassetlaw, N. division of the county of Nottingham; containing 31 inhabitants.

Heckfield (St. Michael)

HECKFIELD (St. Michael), a parish, in the union of Hartley-Wintney, hundred of Holdshott, Odiham and N. divisions of the county of Southampton, 4 miles (N. W. by W.) from Hartford-Bridge; containing, with the tythings of Hazeley-Heath and Holdshott, and the chapelry of Mattingley, 1325 inhabitants, of whom 666 are in the township of Heckfield. This parish, which is on the road from Reading to Odiham and Alton, comprises by admeasurement 5697 acres, whereof about 2400 are arable, 1500 pasture, 810 wood, and 987 common, heath, and roads. The soil on the higher grounds is chiefly a gravelly sand; and on the lower a stiff wettish clay, alternated with gravel and sandy loam. The higher lands command extensive and richly diversified prospects, and the lower are enlivened with the windings of the Whitewater, which flows into the Loddon at the western boundary of the parish, which is skirted on the north-west by the river Blackwater. Nearly one-half of Strathfieldsaye Park, the seat of His Grace the Duke of Wellington, is within the limits of the parish; where is also Heckfield Place, the seat of the Right Hon. Charles Shaw Lefevre, speaker of the house of commons, a handsome mansion beautifully situated in a finely planted demesne. A pleasure-fair is held in the village on the Friday in Easter-week. The living is a vicarage, valued in the king's books at £16. 12. 11.; patrons and impropriators, the Warden and Fellows of New College, Oxford. The great tithes have been commuted for £698. 17., and the vicarial for £398. 3.; the impropriate glebe comprises 96 acres, and the vicarial 5 acres. The church is a very ancient structure, with a massive tower; an aisle was added to it in 1500, and in 1830 it was thoroughly repaired and repewed: it contains several brasses, and a handsome font. There is a chapel of ease at Mattingley. Ambrose Serle, author of the Christian Remembrancer, resided here.

Heckingham (St. Gregory)

HECKINGHAM (St. Gregory), a parish, in the union of Loddon and Clavering, hundred of Clavering, E. division of Norfolk, 1 mile (E.) from Loddon; containing 309 inhabitants. The parish comprises 1132a. 1r. 19p., of which 820 acres are arable, 244 pasture and meadow, and about 38 woodland. The living is a perpetual curacy; net income, £50. 10.; patron and impropriator, Sir E. B. Smijth, Bart., whose tithes have been commuted for £134. 3. The church has a circular tower surmounted by an octagonal turret, with enriched Norman doorways on the north and south. The school of industry for the hundreds of Clavering and Loddon, situated here, affords instruction to about 150 children; and the house of industry and hospital now form the union workhouse.

Heckington (St. Andrew)

HECKINGTON (St. Andrew), a parish, in the union of Sleaford, wapentake of Aswardhurn, parts of Kesteven, county of Lincoln, 5 miles (E. by S.) from Sleaford; containing, with the hamlet of Garwick, 1558 inhabitants. This parish, which is situated on the road from Boston to Sleaford, comprises by measurement 5100 acres; the pastures are luxuriantly rich. A large market for cattle is held on the 10th of October. The living is a discharged vicarage, valued in the king's books at £12. 16. 3.; net income, £203; patron, the Rev. H. B. Benson; impropriators, Sir S. Scott, Bart., and others. The tithes were commuted for land in 1764; the rectorial glebe comprises 500 acres. The church is a beautiful cruciform structure, in the pure decorated English style, with a lofty embattled tower crowned by pentagonal pinnacles, and surmounted by an octagonal spire of fine proportions, with canopied windows on the alternate faces. The interior is good, rather from elegance of composition and arrangement than profusion of elaborate ornament. The font is exquisitely executed, and there are several well sculptured stone stalls and canopied niches; in the chancel is a series of the latter representing the Sepulchre of the Saviour, of which very few specimens now exist. Here is a place of worship for Baptists. Seventeen acres of land, the bequest of William Taylor, Esq., in 1720, yield a rent of £24, which is distributed among the poor; and 41 acres have been left by an unknown benefactor for the same purpose.

Heckmondwike

HECKMONDWIKE, a chapelry, in the parish of Birstal, union of Dewsbury, wapentake of Morley, W. riding of York, 9 miles (S. W.) from Leeds; containing 3537 inhabitants. This place is situated on the Wakefield and Halifax road, and is the principal seat of the blanket and carpet manufacture in Yorkshire. The township comprises by measurement 662 acres: the soil is fertile, and the scenery of a very pleasing character; the substratum is coal, of which several mines are in operation, and there are quarries of good buildingstone. The village is of considerable extent, and has a hall in the centre, which was opened on the 15th of Oct., 1840, for the sale of blankets, for which purpose it contains numerous rooms for the merchants attending the markets, and is open every Monday and Thursday. Fairs, chiefly for cattle, are held on the first Thursday in May and November. The Dewsbury station of the Manchester and Leeds railway is distant three miles. The chapel, now a district church, dedicated to St. James, was erected on a site purchased by the inhabitants, in 1831, at a cost of £2574, by the Parliamentary Commissioners; it is a neat edifice in the early English style, with a tower surmounted by a handsome spire, and contains 750 sittings, of which 300 are free. The living is a perpetual curacy; net income, £150, with a good house; patron, the Vicar of Birstal; impropriators, the Master and Fellows of Trinity College, Cambridge. There are two places of worship for Independents and one for Wesleyans.

Heddington (St. Andrew)

HEDDINGTON (St. Andrew), a parish, in the union and hundred of Calne, Devizes and N. divisions of Wilts, 3 miles (S.) from Calne; containing 342 inhabitants. The living is a rectory, valued in the king's books at £8. 14. 4½., and in the gift of the Trustees of the late J. T. Du Boulay: certain impropriate tithes have been commuted for £53. 10., and the rectorial for £263. 14.; the glebe comprises 18 acres. The church, a substantial edifice, has been recently repaired. Roman coins and other relics of antiquity have been dug up at various times.

Heddon, Black

HEDDON, BLACK, a township, in the parish of Stamfordham, union of Castle ward, N. E. division of Tindale ward, S. division of Northumberland, 2¾ miles (N.) from Stamfordham; containing 73 inhabitants. The township comprises 1484 acres. It includes a great part of a range of hills formed of millstone-grit rock, on the highest of which was a Druidical circle, whose centre stone still remains; and from this hill, called Black Heddon Law, is a very extensive view, reaching into the counties of Durham, Cumberland, and Roxburgh, as well as over a long course of the sea.

Heddon, East

HEDDON, EAST, a township, in the parish of Heddon-on-the-Wall, union, and W. division, of Castle ward, S. division of Northumberland, 8 miles (N. W. by W.) from Newcastle; containing 42 inhabitants. It is situated about a mile to the north of the road from Newcastle to Harlow Hill, and comprises 842 acres of land. The vicarial tithes have been commuted for £12. On a farm called Heddon Laws, are some remarkable tumuli.

Heddon-on-the-Wall (St. Philip and St. James)

HEDDON-ON-THE-WALL (St. Philip and St. James), a parish, in the union, and partly in the W. division, of Castle ward, but chiefly in the E. division of Tindale ward, S. division of Northumberland; comprising the townships of Eachwick, Heddon-on-the-Wall, East and West Heddon, Houghton with Closehouse, and Whitchester; and containing 753 inhabitants, of whom 391 are in the township of Heddon-on-the-Wall, 7 miles (W. by N.) from Newcastle-upon-Tyne. Heddon derived the affix to its name from its being intersected by the wall of Severus, which may be still traced in several places, and of which the fosse is visible throughout the parish. It anciently formed part of the extensive possessions of the lords Greystock, from whom it descended to the late Earl of Carlisle, who sold it. The parish is situated on the road from Newcastle to Hexham and Carlisle, and is bounded on the south by the river Tyne, here a delightful stream, and on the north by the Pont; it comprises about 4880 acres, of which 1480 are in the township, the latter in the proportion of three-fourths arable and one-fourth pasture. The soil is generally loam alternated with sand and clay, and of good quality; and the surface, though chiefly level, has a gradual ascent from the bank of the Tyne, along which the village, seated on a hill, amidst beautiful and diversified scenery, commands a fine view to Gateshead. Heddon land-sale colliery, which was opened a century ago, produces excellent household and steam coal, wrought at the same time with a valuable clay; the clay is made into fire-bricks, crucibles, draining-tiles, &c. There are also two quarries of freestone, from which blocks of immense size may be obtained. The living is a discharged vicarage, in the patronage of the Lord Chancellor, with a net income of £252, and a vicarage-house, rebuilt in the Elizabethan style in 1841; the impropriation is owned by Mrs. Bewicke. The great tithes of the township of Heddon have been commuted for £140, and the small tithes for £82; the vicarial glebe consists of 17 acres. The church, which belonged to Blanchland Abbey, is an ancient structure, the east end of the chancel being a fine specimen of Norman architecture; it was enlarged in 1841. Many Roman remains are found.

Heddon, West

HEDDON, WEST, a township, in the parish of Heddon-on-the-Wall, union of Castle ward, E. division of Tindale ward, S. division of Northumberland, 8½ miles (W. N. W.) from Newcastle-upon-Tyne; containing 26 inhabitants. It is situated near the Roman wall, above a mile north-west from Heddon, and consists of 328 acres, set out in two farms. The vicarial tithes have been commuted for £51.

Hedenham (St. Mary)

HEDENHAM (St. Mary), a parish, in the union of Loddon and Clavering, hundred of Loddon, E. division of Norfolk, 3¼ miles (N. N. W.) from Bungay; containing 272 inhabitants. This parish, which is situated on the road from Bungay to Norwich, comprises by measurement 1770 acres, whereof 1070 are arable, 500 pasture, and 200 woodland and plantations. The living is a discharged rectory, valued in the king's books at £13. 6. 8., and in the gift of J. J. Bedingfield, Esq.: the tithes have been commuted for £450, and the glebe comprises 30 acres. The church is in the decorated and later English styles, with a square embattled tower, and has some portions of ancient stained glass, inserted by the Rev. J. P. Chambers.

Hedgeley

HEDGELEY, a township, in the parish of Eglingham, union of Alnwick, N. division of Coquetdale ward and of Northumberland, 3 miles (N.) from Whittingham; containing 72 inhabitants. On Hedgeley Moor a battle was fought in 1463, between the forces of Edward IV. and a party in the service of the deposed monarch Henry VI., in which Sir Ralph Percy was slain. In memory of Percy's bravery, a stone pillar was erected on the spot, a little to the north-east of the twenty-fourth milestone on the Morpeth and Wooler road; it is ornamented with crescents, and other armorial bearings of the Percy family. The township comprises about 645 acres in equal portions of arable and pasture, interspersed with 45 acres of wood; the surface is undulated, and the soil light, with a gravelly substratum. Hedgeley is intersected by the river Breamish, which here abounds in trout. The impropriate tithes have been commuted for £53. 2. 8., and the vicarial for £37. 17. 10.

Hedgerley (St. Mary)

HEDGERLEY (St. Mary), a parish, in the union of Eton, hundred of Stoke, county of Buckingham, 3 miles (S. E. by E.) from Beaconsfield; containing 161 inhabitants. The parish comprises about 950 acres, of which 70 are woodland and waste, and the remainder good arable and pasture. The soil in the lower parts is a rich loam, and in the higher grounds, sand and clay; the surface is hilly. The living is a rectory, valued in the king's books at £6, and in the gift of Edward Baylis, Esq.: the tithes have been commuted for £200, and there are 3 acres of glebe.

Hedgerley-Dean

HEDGERLEY-DEAN, a hamlet, in the parish of Farnham-Royal, union of Eton, hundred of Burnham, county of Buckingham, 3 miles (S. S. E.) from Beaconsfield; containing 185 inhabitants. Near this place are some large and deep intrenchments, where a battle is supposed to have been fought between the Danes and the Saxons.

Hedingham, Castle (St. Nicholas)

HEDINGHAM, CASTLE (St. Nicholas), a parish, in the union of Halstead, hundred of Hinckford, N. division of Essex, 5 miles (N. W. by N.) from Halstead; containing 1343 inhabitants. This place was the head of an extensive barony belonging to the Norman family of de Vere, one of whom, Aubrey de Vere, Earl of Oxford, is supposed to have built the castle of Hedingham in the reign of Stephen. During the war between King John and the barons, this fortress was taken by the king, in 1216; in the following year it was surrendered to the Dauphin of France, who had been invited to England by the insurgent barons; and soon after the death of John it was recovered by the Earl of Pembroke, regent under Henry III. Many additional buildings were erected during the civil war in the fifteenth century, by John de Vere, Earl of Oxford, a distinguished partizan of the house of Lancaster, who gave a most sumptuous entertainment at Hedingham Castle to Henry VII. A succeeding earl committed great waste on the castle-hill, and most of the buildings were razed to the ground; but the keep, or great central tower, is still standing, and forms an object of considerable interest.

The parish comprises by measurement 2424 acres, of which 1912 are arable, 197 pasture, 63 woodland, 24 acres hop plantations, and the remainder roads and waste. The village is beautifully situated in the midst of a wide agricultural district in the highest state of improvement, and contains some well-built houses. Many females are employed in platting straw for bonnets. A weekly market, granted in the reign of John, and renewed by charter of Henry VII., was formerly held. Fairs take place for toys and for cattle, on May 14th and July 25th; and the petty-sessions for the division of North Hinckford are held here every Tuesday. The living is a donative; net income, £120; patron, Ashurst Majendie, Esq. The church is an ancient edifice in the early English style, with a mixture of Norman, except the tower, which was erected about 1616; in the chancel is a superb monument to the memory of John, fifteenth earl of Oxford, and his countess, with recumbent figures and armorial bearings. Here is a place of worship for Independents; and some small bequests have been left by different persons for the benefit of the poor. In the parish was a Benedictine convent for nuns, established by the de Vere family, in the twelfth century, and the revenue of which at the Dissolution was £29. 12. 10.; on the south-east side of the castle was an hospital, founded by one of the same family about the middle of the thirteenth century, and which has been long destroyed. The renowned soldier, Sir Horace Vere, Baron of Tilbury, and brother of Sir Francis Vere, was born at Kirkby Hall, in the parish.

Hedingham, Sible (St. Mary)

HEDINGHAM, SIBLE (St. Mary), a parish, in the union of Halstead, hundred of Hinckford, N. division of Essex, ¾ of a mile (S. W.) from Castle-Hedingham; containing 2322 inhabitants. The soil is generally fertile, consisting partly of light loam on a gravelly bottom, and in other places of deep and rich loam producing abundant crops, among which are considerable quantities of the best Essex hops. The village is beautifully situated near the river Colne, and contains several good houses. The living is a rectory, valued in the king's books at £22, and in the gift of Trustees: the incumbent's tithes have been commuted for £1500, and a rent-charge of £241 is paid to certain impropriators; the glebe contains 37 acres. The church is a spacious and handsome structure in the early English style, with a square embattled tower, and contains the mutilated remains of a splendid monument to Sir John Hawkwood, the Florentine chieftain, who was born here, with other memorials referring to his name and family. Here is a place of worship for Baptists.

Hedley

HEDLEY, a township, in the parish and union of Chester-le-Street, Middle division of Chester ward, N. division of the county of Durham, 6 miles (S. W. by S.) from Gateshead; containing 46 inhabitants. This place belonged to the Mundevill family, and was afterwards annexed to the Gibside estate, in the reign of James I., when it was possessed by the Baxters. It forms one of the four constablewicks of the chapelry of Lamesley.

Hedley

HEDLEY, a township, in the parish of Ovingham, union of Hexham, E. division of Tindale ward, S. division of Northumberland, 3 miles (S.) from Ovingham; containing 229 inhabitants. It lies one mile south from Mickley, which is situated on the Hexham road; the river Tyne runs not very far to the north, and the county of Durham is in the opposite direction. The lands consist of several farmholds, the property of the Duke of Northumberland and a few others. The tithes have been commuted for £120.

Hedley-Hope

HEDLEY-HOPE, a township, in the parish of Brancepeth, union of Lanchester, N. W. division of Darlington ward, S. division of the county of Durham, 6 miles (E. N. E.) from Wolsingham; containing 48 inhabitants. This place belonged to the De Insula family, and afterwards to the Willoughbys, the Coopers, and Nevills. It comprises about 2200 acres, lies east of the road between Wolsingham and Lanchester, and is bordered by a tributary to the river Browney which rises in the vicinity.

Hedley-Woodside

HEDLEY-WOODSIDE, a township, in the parish of Ovingham, union of Hexham, E. division of Tindale ward, S. division of Northumberland, 4 miles (S.) from Ovingham; containing 73 inhabitants. It extends from the river Derwent, near Ebchester, along the banks of a stream, to within four miles of Ovingham, and is on the borders of Durham. The tithes have been commuted for £105.

Hednesford

HEDNESFORD, a township, in the parish of Cannock, union of Penkridge, E. division of the hundred of Cuttlestone, S. division of the county of Stafford, 4 miles (S. W. by S.) from Rugeley, containing 304 inhabitants, and comprising 695a. 3r. 10p. of land. A large lake, called Hedgford Pool, covers about 77 acres, and abounds with pike, perch, and roach. There is a good inn, with extensive stabling for blood horses, of which about 100 are generally trained here in the season, at the various stables, under different public trainers, being exercised on the Hedgford hills, where the ground, a sound gravel, seldom breaks into mire. On the margin of the lake, Edmund Peel, Esq., of Fazeley, built a handsome mansion, named Hedgford Lodge, with stabling for his race-horses.