Abingdon - Ackton

Abingdon

ABINGDON, a borough and market-town having exclusive jurisdiction, and the head of a union, locally in the hundred of Hormer, county of Berks, of which it is the county town, 6 miles (S.) from Oxford, 26 (N. W. by N.) from Reading, and 56 (W. N. W.) from London; containing, exclusively of that part of the parish of St. Helen which is without the borough, and actually in the hundred of Hormer, 5585 inhabitants; of whom 4947 are in the parish of St. Helen, and 638 in that of St. Nicholas. This place, according to a manuscript in the Cottonian library quoted by Dugdale, was, in the time of the Britons, a city of considerable importance, and distinguished as a royal residence, to which the people resorted to assist at the great councils of the nation. By the Saxons it was called Scovechesham, or Sewsham; but it acquired the name of Abbendon, "the town of the abbey," on the removal hither, in 680, of a Monastic institution previously founded at Bagley Wood, now an extra-parochial liberty in the vicinity, by Cissa, viceroy of Centwine, ninth king of Wessex; on which institution Ceadwalla, the king's son and successor, bestowed the town and its appendages. After the establishment of the monastery, Offa, King of Mercia, on a visit to Abingdon, was so much pleased with the situation that he erected a palace here, in which he and his immediate successors, Egferth and Cenwulf, occasionally resided. The monastery continued to flourish till 871, when it was destroyed by the Danes; in consequence, Edred, grandson of Alfred, in 955 laid the first stone of a new monastery, which was completed after his death by the abbot of Ethelwold and his successor Ordgar, and which, from the extent of its endowments and privileges, subsequently augmented by Edgar and Canute the Great, was raised to the dignity of a mitred abbey. William the Conqueror in 1084 celebrated the festival of Easter at Abingdon, where he was sumptuously entertained by Robert D'Oilly, one of the most powerful barons of the time, under whose care the king left his son Henry to be educated in this convent, where the prince imbibed those acquirements which afterwards procured for him the surname of Beauclerc. At the Dissolution, the revenue of the abbey was £1876. 10. 9. A nunnery was also founded here by Cilla, niece of Cissa, who presided over it till her death, when it was removed to Witham: the site was afterwards given, by Edward VI., to Christ's hospital in this town. The Guild of the Holy Cross was instituted in St. Helen's church prior to the reign of Richard II., and appears to have been refounded in that of Henry V., when the brethren erected bridges at Burford and Culhamford, where the ferry across the river Thames was so dangerous that passengers and cattle had been frequently lost. It was dissolved in 1547, at which period its revenue amounted to £85. 15. 6.

In the early part of the civil war of the seventeenth century, Charles I. garrisoned Abingdon, where he established the head-quarters of his cavalry; but on the retreat of the royal forces to Oxford, in 1644, the Earl of Essex took possession of it, and garrisoned it for the parliament; and a few days afterwards, Waller's army, which had been stationed near Wantage, entered the town, and among other excesses destroyed the cross in the market-place, at which, in 1641, the accommodation with the Scots had been celebrated by 2000 choristers. This cross is particularly noticed by Camden for its beauty, and was the model of one afterwards erected at Coventry. Sir Stephen Hawkins in 1645, and Prince Rupert in the following year, attacked the garrison unsuccessfully: on these occasions the defenders put every Irish prisoner to death, without trial; whence the expression "Abingdon law."

The town, which is pleasantly situated at the influx of the small river Ock into the Thames, is handsomely built, and consists of several spacious streets diverging from the market-place; it is well paved and lighted, under a local act of the 6th of George IV., and is amply supplied with water. The several bridges near the town have been widened and improved by voluntary contributions, and the causeway connected with Culham bridge forms a pleasant promenade. An act for inclosing lands was passed in 1841. Races take place in September, at which time, also, assemblies are held in the council-chamber. The manufacture of woollen goods was formerly carried on to a great extent, but has quite declined; and during the late war, Abingdon had a good trade in sail-cloth, sacking, and coarse manufactures of a similar description; but, owing to the competition of the establishments in the north of England and in Scotland, this source of employment has also declined. The trade now consists in corn and in malt, which are sold to a considerable extent. Several wharfs and warehouses have been constructed, where the Wilts and Berks canal joins the Thames, near its confluence with the Ock; and the Oxford branch of the Great Western railway has a station three miles south-east of the town, in the county of Oxford. The market-days are Monday, chiefly for corn, and Friday, for provisions only: fairs for horses and horned-cattle are held on the first Monday in Lent, May 6th, June 20th, Aug. 5th, Sept. 19th, the Monday before Old Michaelmas-day (a statute fair), Monday after Oct. 12th (a great market), and Dec. 11th; and there is also a fair for wool.

The borough was incorporated by Philip and Mary in 1555-6, and other charters were granted by Elizabeth, James I., and George III., chiefly confirmatory of the original, by which the corporation was styled the "Mayor, Bailiffs, and Burgesses of the borough of Abingdon." Under the Municipal act of 1836 the corporation is now styled the "Mayor, Aldermen, and Burgesses," which has been adopted as the motto of a new seal; and consists of a mayor, 4 aldermen, and 12 councillors: the burgesses are about 300 in number, and the mayor, late mayor, and recorder, with four others, are justices for the borough, of which the municipal and parliamentary boundaries are the same. There is a court of sessions quarterly, with jurisdiction over felonies and misdemeanors; the magistrates hold a petty-session every Tuesday; and courts leet and view of frankpledge are held by the mayor within a month after Easter and Michaelmas. The county debt-court of Abingdon, established in 1847, has jurisdiction over the greater part of the registration-district of Abingdon. The old borough gaol has been converted into a police station-house and other uses, and the borough justices have the privilege of committing prisoners to the county bridewell; the prisoners, however, being supported out of the borough rate. The town returns a member to parliament; the mayor is returning officer. The members for the county are elected at Abingdon; and the county magistrates hold a petty-session on alternate Mondays for the Abingdon division. The market-house is a spacious and elegant building of freestone, erected by the corporation in 1678, having a commodious hall in which the Nisi Prius court at the assizes is held, and public business connected with the borough or county is transacted. The county bridewell, a handsome stone edifice, erected in 1811, at an expense of £26,000, comprises a courthouse, in which the crown court at the summer assizes, and the July county sessions, are held; the October sessions take place here and at Reading alternately.

Abingdon comprises the parishes of St. Helen and St. Nicholas; the former including, in the out-parish, part of the townships of Shippon and Northcourt, and the whole of Sandford, Barton, and Pumney; and the latter, the remainder of Shippou and Northcourt, with some lands in Sunningwell and Bayworth, which are all without the limits of the borough. The living of St. Helen's is a vicarage, with the rectory of St. Nicholas and the chapelry of Drayton annexed, valued in the king's books at £29. 11. 3., and having a net income of £255; it is in the patronage of the Crown. The church is a handsome structure in the early English style, with a square embattled tower surmounted by a lofty spire. The church of St. Nicholas, built about the close of the thirteenth, or commencement of the fourteenth, century, has some remains of Norman architecture. Mr. Wrigglesworth left lands and tenements, in Abingdon, for the support of a lecture in St. Helen's church, to be delivered every Saturday evening from Michaelmas to Lady-day, and at the church at Marcham (a village two miles and a half distant) on every Sunday morning from Lady-day till Michaelmas. There are places of worship for Baptists, the Society of Friends, Independents, and Wesleyans. The Free Grammar school, for the education of "Threescore and thirteen" boys, was founded in 1563, by John Royse, and endowed with two messuages in Birchin-lane, London, now occupied by part of the premises belonging to the London Assurance Company. In 1608, William Bennett, of "Marlborowe," left land in "Brodeblunsdon" for the maintenance of six poor scholars in Royse's school; these are elected by the master and governors of Christ's hospital in this town, and, from the increase of the funds, are clothed, and instructed also in writing and arithmetic. In 1609, Thomas Tesdale gave certain lands in the county of Warwick, to maintain an usher, whose salary is £120 per annum. The school is entitled to six scholarships at Pembroke College, Oxford, established by Thomas Tesdale, two to be filled by the founder's kin, and the others from the school at large; and to four more scholarships at the same college, instituted by Richard Wightwick, two for the founder's kin.

Christ's Hospital, on the west side of St. Helen's church, erected in 1446, originally belonged to the fraternity of the Holy Cross, on the dissolution of which establishment, in 1547, the inhabitants applied through Sir John Mason, to Edward VI., for the restoration of their lost estates, and the foundation of an hospital for the relief of the poor of the town. In compliance with this application the monarch, by letters-patent in 1553, founded the hospital under its present name, and incorporated twelve persons for its government, called "The Master and Governors of the Hospital of Christ." It consists of almshouses for six poor men, six women, and a nurse, with cloisters, and a handsome hall, where prayers are read morning and evening to the inmates. An almshouse was built in 1718, for eighteen men or women; and there is another, near the river Thames, for six men or women, to which Mr. Beasley, in 1826, bequeathed £600 stock, the interest to be paid weekly, and Thomas Knight, Esq., in 1836, left £600 three and a half per cents. St. John's hospital, in the Vineyard, was endowed before the Reformation, for six poor men, and rebuilt by the corporation in 1801; B. Bedwell, Esq., was a liberal contributor to it, and Mr. Beasley added £600 stock to the endowment. An almshouse near St. Helen's church was erected in 1707, by Charles Twitty, for the maintenance of three men and three women; bequests of £200 each, by John Bedwell in 1799, and Samuel Cripps in 1819, and of £600 three per cent. stock by Mr. Beasley in 1826, have been added to the original endowment. There are also houses for four men and four women, endowed in 1733, by Benjamin Tomkins. The union of Abingdon comprises 27 parishes or places, in the county of Berks, and 11 in that of Oxford, and contains a population of 18,789. The remains of the abbey consist chiefly of the gateway entrance, which, though greatly mutilated, displays some beautiful details of the later style of English architecture. St. Edmund, Archbishop of Canterbury; Sir John Mason, British ambassador at the court of France, and chancellor of the University of Oxford; and the late Lord Colchester, were natives of this place; which confers the title of Earl on the family of Bertie.

Abinger (St. James)

ABINGER (St. James), a parish, in the union of Dorking, First division of the hundred of Wotton, W. division of Surrey, 4½ miles (S. W. by W.) from Dorking; containing 920 inhabitants. This parish is noticed in the Domesday survey, under the appellation of Abinebourne; it comprises 5547 acres, of which 374 are common or waste, and includes a small hamlet called Hammer, from an iron-hammer mill formerly here. Abinger Hall is the pleasant seat of Lord Abinger. The living is a rectory, valued in the king's books at £12. 8. 1½., and in the gift of the Evelyn family: the tithes have been commuted for £584, and there are 85 acres of glebe. The church, which occupies an elevated site, is an ancient edifice, with a low wooden tower and pyramidal spire. Sir James Scarlett was raised to the peerage by the title of Baron Abinger in 1835, having previously been appointed chief baron of the exchequer; he died in 1844.

Abinghall (St. Michael)

ABINGHALL (St. Michael), a parish, in the union of Westbury, hundred of St. Briavells, W. division of the county of Gloucester, 4 miles (N. by W.) from Newnham; containing 239 inhabitants. This place, formerly called Abbenhall, derived its name from being the residence of the abbots of Flaxley. It contains 691 acres, of which 306 are arable, 238 pasture, and 121 woodland; the surface is hilly, and the soil in general sandy, but towards the east rich and fertile. There are mines of coal and iron-ore, and stone is quarried; facilities of conveyance are afforded by tram-roads and by the Severn. The manufacture of paper is carried on to a considerable extent at Gun's mills, formerly an ironfurnace; the machinery is worked by a stream issuing from St. Anthony's well, the water of which is reputed to be efficacious in cutaneous diseases. The living is a discharged rectory, valued in the king's books at £6. 6. 8., and in the gift of the Dean of Llandaff: the tithes have been commuted for £136. 17., and there are 26 acres of glebe. The church is an old edifice, in the early English style.

Abington (St. Peter and St. Paul)

ABINGTON (St. Peter And St. Paul), a parish, in the hundred of Spelhoe, union, and S. division of the county, of Northampton, 1½ mile (E. N. E.) from Northampton; containing 143 inhabitants. This was the residence and burial-place of Elizabeth Hall, granddaughter of the immortal Shakspeare, and widow of Thomas Nash; she married Sir John Bernard, lord of the manor of Abington, and resided here till her death. The parish comprises 1140 acres; it is bounded on the south and south-east by the river Nene, and the roads to Kettering and Wellingborough pass through it. The living is a rectory, valued in the king's books at £20; net income, £200; patron, John Loyd, Esq. The church was rebuilt in 1825, with the exception of the tower, which is ancient and of square form, with pinnacles.

Abington, Great (St. Mary)

ABINGTON, GREAT (St. Mary), a parish, in the union of Linton, hundred of Chilford, county of Cambridge, 2¼ miles (N. W.) from Linton; containing 358 inhabitants. This place was formerly in the possession of the Veres, earls of Oxford, to one of whom a market on Friday, to be held here, was granted about 1256, with a fair on the festival of St. Lawrence, both of which have been long discontinued. The living is a discharged vicarage, valued in the king's books at £7. 16. 3.; net income, £62: patron and impropriator, T. Mortlock, Esq. The tithes, with some exceptions, were commuted for land under an inclosure act passed in 1801.

Abington-in-the-Clay, or Abington-Pigots (St. Michael)

ABINGTON-IN-THE-CLAY, or Abington-Pigots (St. Michael), a parish, in the union of Royston, hundred of Armingford, county of Cambridge, 4½ miles (W. N. W.) from Royston; containing 232 inhabitants. It had formerly the privilege of holding a market on Friday, granted about the year 1335 to the Bassingbourns. The parish comprises 1239a. 8p., of which 885 acres are arable, 268 meadow, 64 wood, and 19 occupied by cottages. The living is a rectory, valued in the king's books at £16. 2. 3½., and in the gift of M. G. F. Pigott, Esq.: the tithes have been commuted for £354, and there are 28 acres of glebe.

Abington, Little (St. Mary)

ABINGTON, LITTLE (St. Mary), a parish, in the union of Linton, hundred of Chilford, county of Cambridge, 2¾ miles (N. W. by N.) from Linton; containing 277 inhabitants. This place appears to be of some antiquity, its church having been given by Stephen, Earl of Brittany, to the monastery of St. Mary in York; subsequently to which, the prior of Pentney, in Norfolk, possessed it. The living is a discharged vicarage, valued in the king's books at £7. 6. 5½.; net income, £87; patron, T. Mortlock, Esq. The tithes were commuted for land and a money payment by an inclosure act in 1801.

Ab-Kettleby (St. James)

AB-KETTLEBY (St. James), a parish, in the union of Melton-Mowbray, hundred of Framland, N. division of the county of Leicester, 3 miles (N. W. by N.) from Melton-Mowbray, on the road to Nottingham; containing, with the hamlet of Holwell, 380 inhabitants. This parish is situated near the border of Nottinghamshire, and comprises 2127 acres, of which 660 are arable, and 1467 pasture. The living is a vicarage, valued in the king's books at £15. 10. 5., and in the patronage of the Rev. Thomas Bingham: the tithes for the waste grounds inclosed in the parish were commuted for land by an inclosure act in 1761. At Holwell is a chapel of ease.

Ablington

ABLINGTON, a tything, in the parish of Bibury, union of Northleach, hundred of Brightwell'sBarrow, E. division of the county of Gloucester, 5¼ miles (N. W. by N.) from Fairford; containing 96 inhabitants. The vicarial tithes have been commuted for £364.

Ablington

ABLINGTON, a hamlet, in the parish of Figheldean, union and hundred of Amesbury, Everley and Pewsey, and S. divisions of Wilts; containing 137 inhabitants.

Abney

ABNEY, a hamlet, in the parish of Hope, union of Bakewell, hundred of High Peak, N. division of the county of Derby, 4¾ miles (N. E.) from Tideswell; containing, with Abney-Grange, 102 inhabitants.

Abram

ABRAM, a township, in the parish and union of Wigan, hundred of West Derby, S. division of the county of Lancaster, 3 miles (S. S. E.) from Wigan; containing 901 inhabitants. This township was originally called Adburgham, and afterwards Abraham, and gave name to an ancient family of landowners, of whom Gilbert de Abram and John Abraham are mentioned in the reigns of Henry IV. and Henry V. It comprises 1769 acres, of which 442 are arable, and 1327 pasture; the soil is chiefly clay. Several coal-mines are in operation; and the Duke of Bridgewater's canal skirts the township. There are some ancient seats, among which is Abram Hall, a moated brick mansion existing since the time of Henry VI. A district church dedicated to St. John has been built, towards defraying the expense of which the Incorporated Society granted £200: the living is a perpetual curacy, in the gift of the Rector, with a net income of £146. A school-house was erected in 1824, at the cost of Mrs. Bevan, of Lowton House. The tithes have been commuted for £242.

Abridge

ABRIDGE, a hamlet, in the parish of Lambourn, union and hundred of Ongar, S. division of Essex, 6½ miles (N. N. W.) from Romford. This place, which is on the high road to Chipping-Ongar, and is bounded on the north by the river Roding, was formerly called Affebruge, or Affebridge; it has within the last few years rapidly increased, and contains several handsome houses. A chapel of ease was erected in 1833; and there is a place of worship for Wesleyans.

Abson.—See Wick and Abson.

ABSON.—See Wick and Abson.

Abthorpe (St. John the Baptist)

ABTHORPE (St. John The Baptist), a parish, in the union and hundred of Towcester, S. division of the county of Northampton, 3 miles (W. S. W.) from Towcester; containing, with the hamlets of Charlock and Foscot, 449 inhabitants. This parish was formerly a chapelry dependent upon the vicarage of Towcester, from which it was separated by act of parliament in 1737. It is situated on the right bank of the river Tow, which bounds it on the north-west; and consists of 1895a. 3r. 17p., whereof two-thirds are arable and the remainder pasture. Limestone is quarried. The female population is employed in the manufacture of lace. The living is a vicarage not in charge; net income, £184, with a house; patrons, alternately, the Bishop of Lichfield (to whom the impropriation belongs) and the trustees of Mrs. Jane Leeson's charity estate. The tithes were partially commuted for land under an inclosure act in 1822, and those of the Bishop have been recently commuted for £220; there are about 50 acres of impropriate glebe. Mrs. Leeson, by will dated in 1646, bequeathed certain property to the poor in this and other villages, and also for the instruction of children in a school-house here, previously erected at her expense: the estate at Abthorpe comprises a dwelling-house and about 60 acres of land, together with an allotment of nearly 57 acres under the act of inclosure.

Aby (All Saints)

ABY (All Saints), a parish, in the union of Louth, Marsh division of the hundred of Calceworth, parts of Lindsey, county of Lincoln, 3 miles (N. W. by W.) from Alford; containing, with the hamlet of Greenfield, 312 inhabitants. The living is a discharged vicarage, united, in 1732, to the rectory of Belleau, and valued in the king's books at £6. 3. 6.

Acaster-Malbis (Holy Trinity)

ACASTER-MALBIS (Holy Trinity), a parish, in the union of York, partly in the Ainsty wapentake, W. riding, but chiefly in the wapentake of Ouse and Derwent, E. riding, of York, 4½ miles (S. by W.) from York; containing 748 inhabitants, of whom 322 are in the township of Acaster-Malbis. This place partly derives its name from the family of Malby, who flourished here for some centuries after the Conquest, until at length a daughter and heiress was married to Fairfax of Walton, created Viscount Emley. It comprises by computation 1839 acres, and is intersected by the navigable river Ouse. The living is a perpetual curacy; net income, £56; patron and impropriator, Sir F. Lawley, Bart. A school is endowed with land given by John Knowles in 1603.

Acaster-Selby

ACASTER-SELBY, a township, in the parish of Stillingfleet, E. division of Ainsty wapentake, W. riding of York, 7¼ miles (S. by W.) from York; containing 188 inhabitants. This place, which anciently belonged to the abbot of Selby, is pleasantly situated on the banks of the navigable river Ouse. A college for a provost and two or three fellows, one of whom was to instruct children, was founded here by Robert Stillington; the revenue, at the Dissolution, was £33. 10. 4.

Acconbury, or Acornbury (St. John the Baptist)

ACCONBURY, or Acornbury (St. John The BapTist), a parish, in the Upper division of the hundred of Wormelow, union and county of Hereford, 4 miles (S.) from Hereford; containing 158 inhabitants. This parish comprises 1590 acres by computation, and is intersected by the old road from Ross to Hereford, and on its western side by that between Hereford and Monmouth. A nunnery of the order of St. Augustine was founded here, in the reign of John, by Margery, wife of Walter de Lacy, to the honour of the Holy Cross; the revenue, at the Dissolution, was £75. 7. 5¼. The remains have been converted into a farmhouse, but some stone coffins are still preserved. The living is a perpetual curacy; net income, £53; patrons, the Governors of Guy's Hospital, London. The vaults of the church contain the ashes of many illustrious persons, among whom are the first duke of Chandos, and an earl of Carnarvon. On the summit of Acconbury hill, celebrated for its fine plantations and its drives, are traces of a large Roman encampment, the rampart of which, on the east side, is plainly discernible.

Accrington

ACCRINGTON, a post-town, in the parish of Whalley, union of Haslingden, Higher division of the hundred of Blackburn, N. division of Lancashire, 5½ miles (E. by S.) from Blackburn; comprising the chapelry of Old, and the township of New, Accrington; and containing 8719 inhabitants, of whom 1811 are in Old, and 6908 in New, Accrington. This place was possessed by the Lacys, by one of whom, Robert, it was given to the monks of Kirkstall; it was subsequently restored by the monks, and, like other lands of the Lacys, came to the crown. Henry VIII. granted lands here to different persons, and among others, probably to the Kenyons: in 1650 Roger Kenyon is described as "the able and orthodox minister of Accrington." Within the last few years the place has acquired considerable importance, from its situation in the calico-printing district; and some large establishments for spinning cotton-thread, and weaving and printing calico, have been formed. An act for lighting the township with gas, and supplying the inhabitants with water, was passed in 1841. Here is a station of the East Lancashire railway: the line runs hence, to Blackburn westward, to Burnley north-eastward, and to Haslingden southward; three branches here uniting. Old Accrington contains about 739 acres, and New Accrington 2450. The living is a perpetual curacy; net income, £180; patrons, the Hulme Trustees; appropriator, the Archbishop of Canterbury. The chapel was taken down and rebuilt upon a larger scale in 1826, and improved in 1838: it is a plain structure, with a tower in which are six musical bells; is elegant within; and has a handsome organ. An additional church was erected in 1840, in the form of a cross, at an expense of above £7000, defrayed by Messrs. Hargreaves and Co., and other inhabitants; it is dedicated to Christ, and the living is a perpetual curacy, in the gift of Trustees. There are places of worship for Baptists, Wesleyans, and Swedenborgians; also a national school, erected by subscription in 1816, and towards the support of which Jonathan Peel, Esq., in 1824, gave £1000.

Achurch.—See Thorpe-Achurch.

ACHURCH.—See Thorpe-Achurch.

Acklam (St. John the Baptist)

ACKLAM (St. John the Baptist), a parish, in the union of Malton, wapentake of Buckrose, E. riding of York; containing the townships of Acklam-with-Barthorpe, and Leavening; and having 845 inhabitants, of whom 411 are in Acklam-with-Barthorpe, 7¼ miles (S.) from Malton. The parish comprises about 4000 acres: the surface is elevated, including a portion of the wolds, from which a most extensive view of the surrounding country is obtained; and the scenery is in many parts beautifully romantic. The soil in the valley is a strong clay, in other parts of lighter quality; and stone of a good kind for building is largely quarried. The living is a discharged vicarage, valued in the king's books at £5; net income, £108; patron, the Chancellor of the Cathedral of York. The church, rebuilt in 1790, is a neat structure with a square tower, and contains 250 sittings. There are places of worship for Primitive Methodists and Wesleyans.

Acklam-in-Cleveland

ACKLAM-IN-CLEVELAND, a parish, in the union of Stockton-upon-Tees, W. division of the liberty of Langbaurgh, N. riding of York, 3 miles (S. E. by E.) from Stockton; containing 97 inhabitants. This parish, which is on the road from Stokesley to Stockton, and bounded on the west by the river Tees, includes parts of the townships of Linthorpe and Ayresome, and comprises an area of about 1050 acres; the surface is varied, but generally flat. The soil in the eastern portion is clay, and in the western sandy; the lands are nearly all arable, and in good cultivation. The Stockton and Middlesborough railway passes through the parish. Acklam Hall has been lately re-fronted, and is a spacious and handsome mansion of brick, pleasantly situated in grounds well laid out, and ornamented with plantations. The village is on the road side. The living is a perpetual curacy, in the patronage of the Archbishop of York, the appropriator, and has a net income of £44: the church, which had become dilapidated, was rebuilt in 1772, and is a neat structure, covered with Westmorland blue slates.

Acklington

ACKLINGTON, a township, in the parish of Warkworth, union of Alnwick, E. division of Coquetdale ward, N. division of Northumberland, 10½ miles (S. S. E.) from Alnwick; containing 301 inhabitants. The manor formed a part of the barony of Warkworth, and at a very early period belonged to the Percys, earls of Northumberland, in whose family it still remains. The village, which is pretty large, is situated a little to the south of the river Coquet, and about midway between the sea and the road from Alnwick to Morpeth. The tithes have been commuted for £232. 18. payable to the Bishop of Carlisle, and £50. 9. to the vicar. Coal is obtained in the township.

Acklington-Park

ACKLINGTON-PARK, a township, in the parish of Warkworth, union of Alnwick, E. division of Coquetdale ward, N. division of Northumberland, 9 miles (S. S. E.) from Alnwick; containing 133 inhabitants. This place lies on the south side of the river Coquet, not very far distant from the sea, and in a fine secluded situation: it belongs to the Duke of Northumberland. There is a coarse woollen manufactory. The tithes have been commuted for £55. 11. payable to the Bishop of Carlisle, and £1. 3. to the vicar.

Ackton

ACKTON, a township, in the parish of Featherstone, Lower division of the wapentake of Agbrigg, W. riding of York, 3½ miles (W.) from Pontefract; containing 76 inhabitants. This place, called also Aikton, a probable corruption of Oak Town, from the number of oak-trees growing in its vicinity, comprises by computation 1090 acres of land. Aikton Hall belonged to Langdale Sunderland, Esq., of Halifax, who raised a troop of horse for Charles's service, and was at the battle of Marston Moor: Cromwell fined him £878.