Westcote - Westley-Waterless

Westcote

WESTCOTE, a hamlet, in the parish of Tysoe, union of Shipston-on-Stour, Kington division of the hundred of Kington, Southern division of the county of Warwick, 5 miles (S. E. by E.) from Kington; containing 23 inhabitants.

Westcott

WESTCOTT, a hamlet, in the parish of Waddesdon, poor-law union of Aylesbury, hundred of Ashendon, county of Buckingham, 7 miles (W. N. W.) from Aylesbury; containing 303 inhabitants.

West Derby, Lancashire.—See Derby, West.

WEST DERBY, Lancashire.—See Derby, West.

Westend

WESTEND, a hamlet, in the parish of Northolt, union of Uxbridge, hundred of Elthorne, county of Middlesex; containing 214 inhabitants.

Westend

WESTEND, a tything, in the parish of Worplesdon, union of Guildford, First division of the hundred of Woking, Western division of Surrey; containing 341 inhabitants.

Westenhanger, or Ostenhanger (St. Thomas à Becket)

WESTENHANGER, or Ostenhanger (St. Thomas à Becket), anciently a parish, now a manor in the parish of Standford, poor-law union of Elham, hundred of Stouting, lathe of Shepway, E. division of Kent, 3 miles (N. W.) from Hythe; containing 50 inhabitants. The living is a rectory, valued in the king's books at £7. 12. 6., and in the patronage of the Crown. The church has been long demolished.

Westerdale

WESTERDALE, a parish, in the union of Guisborough, E. division of the liberty of Langbaurgh, N. riding of York, 7½ miles (S. S. E.) from Guisborough; containing 265 inhabitants. The parish comprises 15,930 acres, of which 14,000 are common or waste; it is in the district of Cleveland, in one of the wildest parts of which is the vale, pleasingly sequestered, and watered by the river Esk. The soil of the valley is in general dry; the crops are tolerably good, and numerous sheep are pastured upon the adjoining commons. The Yowards were anciently resident here, and possessed considerable property. The living is a perpetual curacy, annexed to the rectory of Stokesley: the tithes have been commuted for £250, and the glebe comprises 11 acres. The church was rebuilt in 1839, by the inhabitants, at a cost of £400, and contains 200 sittings. Some children are gratuitously instructed in a parochial school, for £15 a year, arising from bequests.

Westerfield (St. Mary Magdalene)

WESTERFIELD (St. Mary Magdalene), a parish, in the union of Ipswich, partly within that borough, and partly in the hundred of Bosmere and Claydon, E. division of Suffolk, 2½ miles (N. N. E.) from Ipswich; containing 324 inhabitants, and comprising 1070a. 3r. 32p. The living is a discharged rectory, valued in the king's books at £11. 10. 7½., and in the gift of the Bishop of Ely: the tithes have been commuted for £350, and the glebe comprises 4 acres. Bridget Collett, in 1662, bequeathed land now producing about £10 per annum, in support of a school; and Frauds Brooke, Esq., appropriated a moiety of the interest of £300 to provide clothing and books for the scholars, and the other half to purchase coal for the poor.

Westergate

WESTERGATE, a hamlet, in the parish of Aldingbourn, union of West Hampnett, hundred of Box and Stockbridge, rape of Chichester, W. division of the county of Sussex, 4¼ miles (E. by N.) from Chichester; containing 260 inhabitants.

Westerham (St. Mary)

WESTERHAM (St. Mary), a market-town and parish, in the union of Seven-Oaks, hundred of Westerham, lathe of Sutton-at-Hone, W. division of Kent, 22 miles (W.) from Maidstone, and 21 (S. S. E.) from London; containing 2162 inhabitants. The name of this town implies its situation on the western border of the county. Two remarkable phenomena, called landslips, occurred here on the southern escarpment of the Sand hill in 1596 and 1756; in the former, nine acres of ground continued in motion for eleven days, and in the latter about two acres and a half, some parts sinking into pits, and others rising into hills. The town stands on the northern declivity of the same formation, and is of neat and clean appearance; near the centre is the market-house. The parish comprises 5676 acres, of which 1364 are in wood: the river Darent rises here, and, after watering the ancient park of Squerries, takes a north-eastern direction. The market, which was granted in the 25th of Edward III. to the abbot of Westminster, who possessed the manor, is on Wednesday; and there is a cattle-fair on May 3rd. The living is a vicarage, with that of Edenbridge annexed, valued in the king's books at £19. 19. 4½.; net income, £608; patron and incumbent, the Rev. Richard Board. The church is a large and venerable structure. At Crockhamhill is a church dedicated to the Holy Trinity, in the gift of C. Warde, Esq. There is a place of worship for dissenters. Bishop Hoadly and the celebrated General Wolfe were natives of the town; in the church is a simple tablet, with the well-known elegant tribute to the memory of the latter, and in the grounds of Squerries is a pillar, erected for the like purpose.

Westerleigh (St. James)

WESTERLEIGH (St. James), a parish, in the union of Chipping-Sodbury, hundred of Puckle-Church, W. division of the county of Gloucester, 3 miles (S. W. by W.) from Chipping-Sodbury; containing, with the hamlets of Coal-Pit-Heath, Henfield, Kendalshire, Mayshill, and Nibley, 1776 inhabitants. This place anciently formed part of the parish of Puckle-Church, and was not invested with parochial rights, nor had a church, till the fourteenth century. The parish comprises 4009 acres, of which 577 are common or waste land. Coal is procured in considerable quantities, and conveyed to Bristol by railway. The living is united, with that of Abson, to the vicarage of Puckle-Church: the church is a handsome structure in the later English style, with a lofty tower, and a stone pulpit. There is a second church at Coal-Pit-Heath. Sir John Smythe, Bart., in 1715 gave an annuity of £20 in support of schools. Edward Fowler, Bishop of Gloucester, a theological writer of the 17th century, was born here.

Westerton

WESTERTON, a township, in the new district of Coundon, parish of St. Andrew Auckland, union of Auckland, S. E. division of Darlington ward, S. division of the county of Durham, 2½ miles (E. by N.) from Bishop-Auckland; containing 89 inhabitants. It comprises by computation 650 acres, and is situated on a commanding eminence, on the road from St. Andrew Auckland to Durham: the village lies a little eastward of the road. There is a circular tower called Westerton Folly. The tithes have been commuted for £84.

West-Fen, Lincoln.—See Frithville.

WEST-FEN, Lincoln.—See Frithville.

Westfield (St. Andrew)

WESTFIELD (St. Andrew), a parish, in the union of Mitford and Launditch, hundred of Mitford, W. division of Norfolk, 2½ miles (S.) from East Dereham; containing 138 inhabitants. It comprises 569a. 13p., of which 470 acres are arable, and 88 pasture and meadow. The living is a discharged rectory, united to that of Whinbergh, and valued in the king's books at £4. 4. 2.: the tithes have been commuted for £145, and the glebe comprises 20 acres. The church is chiefly in the early English style, with a square tower. At the inclosure, 5½ acres were allotted to the poor for fuel.

Westfield (St. John the Baptist)

WESTFIELD (St. John the Baptist), a parish, in the union of Battle, hundred of Baldslow, rape of Hastings, E. division of Sussex, 6 miles (E. by S.) from Battle; containing 866 inhabitants. This parish is bounded on the north by the Brede channel, and intersected by the new road from Hastings into Kent; the surface is beautifully diversified with hill and dale, and embellished with wood. The substratum contains ironstone and sandstone, and the former was anciently smelted here. The living is a vicarage, valued in the king's books at £11. 6. 8.; net income, £372; patron, the Bishop of Chichester; appropriator, the Bishop of Winchester. The church is in the early English style, with some Norman details, and a low massive tower.

Westgate

WESTGATE, a township, in the parish of St. John, Newcastle, union of Newcastle, W. division of Castle ward, S. division of Northumberland; containing 10,489 inhabitants. It comprises about 112 acres, forming the north-western suburb of the town of Newcastle; and several streets, containing many handsome residences, have lately been erected. Some of the loftiest ground in the vicinity of Newcastle is here.

Westhall (St. Andrew)

WESTHALL (St. Andrew), a parish, in the union and hundred of Blything, E. division of Suffolk, 3½ miles (N. E.) from Halesworth; containing 412 inhabitants. This place was anciently the property of the Bohun family, of whose castellated mansion the south front is still remaining. The parish comprises 2316 acres, of which 125 are common or waste land. The living is a discharged vicarage, valued in the king's books at £10. 2. 3½., and in the gift of the Dean and Chapter of Norwich: the great tithes have been commuted for £456, and the vicarial for £144; the glebe comprises 82 acres. The church is partly in the decorated and partly in the later style, with a square embattled tower; the entrance from the tower is through a highly-enriched Norman arch, and there are various other interesting details of that style.

Westham (St. Mary)

WESTHAM (St. Mary), a parish, in the union of Eastbourne, lowey and rape of Pevensey, E. division of Sussex, 6 miles (N. E.) from Eastbourne; containing 770 inhabitants. This parish is bounded on the south by the English Channel, and comprises by measurement 4478 acres, of which 1376 are arable, 3050 meadow and pasture, and 52 woodland. On the shore are several martello towers, and a coast-guard station; the village is on the road to Battle and Hastings, and here is a station of the Brighton and Hastings railway. In the vicinity are the ruins of Pevensey Castle. The living is a vicarage, valued in the king's books at £21. 10. 10., and in the gift of the Earl of Burlington: the great tithes have been commuted for £302. 15., and the vicarial for £570; the glebe comprises 1½ acre. The church is partly in the later English style, and partly of earlier date, with a square embattled tower. A national school has been established; and an almshouse containing four tenements, called the hospital of St. John, is endowed with 30 acres of land, given, it is supposed, by one of the religious houses of Layney and Priest Hawes, the remains of which have been converted into farmbuildings. A girls' school was erected in 1813, for the support of which £20 per annum have been granted from the revenue of the hospital.

West Hampnett.—See Hampnett, West.

WEST HAMPNETT.—See Hampnett, West.

Westhide

WESTHIDE, a parish, in the hundred of Radlow, union and county of Hereford, 5½miles (N. E. by E.) from Hereford; containing 159 inhabitants. The parish is situated on the road from Hereford to Bromyard, and comprises by measurement 1100 acres, of which 365 are arable, 425 meadow and pasture, 60 in hop plantations, and 250 woodland. The soil is generally a reddish clay, producing good crops of wheat; the surface is undulated, and there are quarries of limestone, used chiefly for rough building and for the roads. An extension of the Gloucester and Ledbury canal to Hereford skirts the parish. The Court, formerly the seat of the Monnington family, to whom the manor belonged, was originally surrounded with a moat, which is now partly filled up. The living is a rectory, united to that of Stoke-Edith: the glebe comprises about 21 acres. The church is in the early English style, and contains some monuments to the Monningtons.

Westhorpe (St. Margaret)

WESTHORPE (St. Margaret), a parish, in the union and hundred of Hartismere, W. division of Suffolk, 7¾ miles (N.) from Stow-Market; containing 264 inhabitants, and comprising 1301a. 3r. 35p. The living is a discharged rectory, valued in the king's books at £4. 18. 1½., and in the gift of the Rev. R. Hewitt, D.D.: the tithes have been commuted for £346, and the glebe comprises 15 acres. The church is an ancient structure in the decorated English style, with many handsome monuments, and some remains of stained glass. The Hall, a noble mansion, at one time the residence of Charles Brandon, Duke of Suffolk, was taken down about the middle of the last century; his royal consort, Mary, died here in 1533.

Westington, with Combe.—See Combe.

WESTINGTON, with Combe.—See Combe.

Westlecott

WESTLECOTT, a tything, in the parish of Wroughton, union of Highworth and Swindon, hundred of Elstub and Everley, Swindon and N. divisions of Wilts; containing 36 inhabitants.

Westleigh

WESTLEIGH, a township, in the parish and union of Leigh, hundred of West Derby, S. division of Lancashire, 1½ mile (N. N. W.) from the town of Leigh, on the road to Wigan; containing 3005 inhabitants. A family of the local name is mentioned in the reign of Richard I. The manor is found in the possession of the Urmstons, of Urmston, in the reign of Henry III., and appears to have continued in that family for several centuries. Richard Urmston, the last male, left three daughters, who intermarried with the Heatons, Shuttleworths, and Bradshavvs, by whom the estates were sold in the course of the last century, when the manorial rights passed to the Athertons, of Atherton, and the Hiltons, of Pennington. In 1797, Thomas Powys, first Lord Lilford, acquired one-fourth of the manor, and the remaining three-fourths subsequently became vested in the Hiltons, of Moston-House: the present Lord Lilford, and John Hall, Esq., are now joint lords. There is abundance of coal in the township. Messrs. Isherwood and Hayes have a large cotton-mill, established in 1835, and employing 400 hands; and here is also a flour-mill. Westleigh Hall is the property and residence of Richard Marsh, Esq. A chapel of ease, St. Paul's, of which the foundation stone was laid in June 1846, was consecrated in October, 1847. It is a handsome edifice in the decorated style, and stands on ground given by Lord Lilford, who also gave the greater part of the stone used in its erection; the cost was defrayed by subscription and public grants, aided by £500 left in November 1839 by a lady, who also bequeathed a sum towards the endowment. The chapel will eventually form a separate incumbency.

Westleton (St. Peter)

WESTLETON (St. Peter), a parish, in the union and hundred of Blything, E. division of Suffolk, 2¾ miles (E.) from Yoxford; containing 897 inhabitants. The parish comprises 6011 acres, of which 982 are common or waste. It is bounded on the south by a stream whose mouth, in ancient records, is called the Port of Mismere, from a large sheet of water formerly near it. The living is a discharged vicarage, annexed to the rectory of Middleton, and valued in the king's books at £8: the impropriate tithes have been commuted for £750, and the vicarial for £325. In the chancel of the church are some elegant stone seats.

Westley

WESTLEY, a township, in the parish of Westbury, union of Atcham, hundred of Ford, S. division of Salop, 10 miles (W. S. W.) from Shrewsbury; containing 88 inhabitants. The tithes have been commuted for £186, equally divided between the rectors of the first and second portions of Westbury.

Westley (St. Thomas à Becket)

WESTLEY (St. Thomas à Becket), a parish, in the union and hundred of Thingoe, W. division of Suffolk, 2 miles (W.) from Bury St. Edmund's; containing 144 inhabitants. It comprises by measurement 1232 acres; the soil is chalk, alternated with gravel, and the surface is undulated, in some parts rising into hills of considerable elevation. The living is a rectory, annexed to that of Fornham All Saints, and valued in the king's books at £9. 15. 5.: the tithes have been commuted for £302. 10., and the glebe comprises 31½ acres. The church, whose tower fell down in 1774, having become completely dilapidated, a new and remarkably handsome edifice was erected in 1837, by the liberal contributions of the Marquess of Bristol, Clare Hall, Cambridge, and the parishioners.

Westley-Waterless (St. Mary)

WESTLEY-WATERLESS (St. Mary), a parish, in the union of Newmarket, hundred of Radfikld, county of Cambridge, 5 miles (S. S. W.) from Newmarket; containing 194 inhabitants. It comprises about 2300 acres, of which by far the greater part is arable, about 60 acres woodland, and the remainder pasture. The living is a rectory, valued in the king's books at £10. 5., and in the-gift of R. Chapman, Esq.: the tithes have been commuted for £325, and the glebe comprises 19½ acres. The church is an ancient structure in the Norman style, with a circular tower.