Worplesdon - Wortwell

Worplesdon (St. Mary)

WORPLESDON (St. Mary), a parish, in the union of Guildford, First division of the hundred of Wokeing, W. division of Surrey, 3½ miles (N. N. W.) from Guildford; containing, with the tythings of Burgham, Perry-Hill, West-End, and Wyke, 1424 inhabitants. The parish comprises 6795a. 3r. 34p., of which about 300 acres are woodland, and 1367 common or waste. The Wey and Arun navigation passes through it. The living is a rectory, valued in the king's books at £24. 13. 9., and in the gift of Eton College: the tithes have been commuted for £1068, and the glebe comprises 76 acres. The church, an ancient structure in the early English style, contains some interesting monuments; the east window is embellished with stained glass, collected and arranged in 1802, at the expense of the Rev. W. Roberts, then incumbent. At Wyke is a separate incumbency. The Rev. Dr. Moore in 1706 bequeathed £200, directing the interest to be applied in teaching children. In 1829, the remains of a Roman tessellated pavement were discovered on Broad-street common: the building of which it formed the floor, was 62 feet long and 23 wide within the walls, and was divided into five separate apartments, with a passage on the western side extending through the whole length; the tesseræ were of ironstone about one inch square.

Worsall, High

WORSALL, HIGH, a chapelry, in the parish of Northallerton, union of Stockton, wapentake of Allertonshire, N. riding of York, 3 miles (S. S. W.) fromYarm; containing 143 inhabitants. This chapelry, which forms a widely-detached portion of the parish, lying at a distance of twelve miles from the church, is pleasantly situated on the Tees. It comprises 1505a. 1r. 10p. The surface is undulated; the soil, which is a strong clay, is fertile, and near the river the scenery is picturesque. The chapel is a neat structure, containing 60 sittings: the living is a perpetual curacy; net income, £80; patron, the Vicar of Northallerton.

Worsall, Low

WORSALL, LOW, a township, in the parish of Kirk-Leavington, union of Stockton, W. division of the liberty of Langbaurgh, N. riding of York, 3 miles (S. W.) from Yarm; containing 146 inhabitants. This township is situated in the district of Cleveland, on the southern acclivity of Teesdale, and comprises au area of 1190 acres.

Worsbrough

WORSBROUGH, a chapelry, in the parish of Darfield, wapentake of Staincross, W. riding of York, 3 miles (S. by E.) from Barnsley; containing 3800 inhabitants. The chapelry comprises 3261a. 1r. 28p., of which 1301 acres are arable, 1481 meadow and pasture, 341 woodland, and 75 water. There are extensive mines of the Ten-foot coal in operation, and several quarries of stone of good quality for building. The village is beautifully situated on an eminence, surrounded on all sides with richly-diversified scenery, and commanding fine views, embracing the mansions and grounds of Wortley Hall, the seat of Lord Wharncliffe, and Wentworth Castle, that of T. F. Vernon Wentworth, Esq. The living is a perpetual curacy; net income, £150; patron, the Rector of Darfield. The tithes have been commuted for £500. The chapel, dedicated to St. Mary, was rebuilt, with the exception of the tower and spire, in 1839, at a cost of £1200; it is a handsome structure in the later English style, and contains 800 sittings, of which 350 are free in consideration of a grant of £200 from the Incorporated Society. A free school is endowed with an annual pension of £4. 15. from the crown, and an annuity of £13. 6. 8. bequeathed in 1631 by John Rayney, who also endowed a lectureship in the chapel with £30 per annum. Rockley Hall, now a farmhouse, was the seat of the family of Rockley, of whom Sir Simon Rockley founded the chapel in 1300.

Worsbrough Bridge and Dale

WORSBROUGH BRIDGE and DALE, a populous district, in the chapelry of Worsbrough, parish of Darfield, wapentake of Staincross, W. riding of York. It abounds with coal and ironstone, both of which are wrought by Messrs. Field, Coopers, and Faulds, and others, whose works afford employment to more than 1000 persons: the coal is sent to all parts of Lincolnshire, the eastern coast, London, &c.; and pig-iron is manufactured in large quantities. There are also glass-works on an extensive scale, works for making naphtha and pyroligneous acid, kilns for burning lime, and works for the preparation of charcoal. A branch of the Dearne and Dove canal, communicating with the river Don, affords facilities of conveyance to the ports of Goole, Hull, &c, and of shipping the produce of the district to all parts of the world. Here is a place of worship for Wesleyans.

Worsley

WORSLEY, a township, in the parish of Eccles, hundred of Salford, S. division of Lancashire, 7 miles (W. by N.) from Manchester, on the road to Leigh and Wigan; containing 8337 inhabitants. One of the earliest crusaders, Elias or Elizeus, founder of the family of Worsley, is said to have held the manor of Workesley soon after the Conquest. It remained in this family until the reign of Edward III., when Alice, sister and sole heiress of Sir Geoffrey Worsley, conveyed it by marriage to Sir John Massey, of Tatton, who, with his eldest son, Thomas, by this marriage, was attainted 1st Henry IV. The manor and estate remained in the Masseys three generations, when the heiress of Sir Geoffrey Massey married into the Stanley family; and the property came subsequently (temp. Elizabeth) to the family of Egerton. Worsley is eminently celebrated in connexion with inland navigation. In the 10th of George II., an act was obtained for making the Worsley brook navigable, but the design was not carried into effect. In the 32nd of the same reign, the Duke of Bridgewater obtained an act, and afterwards other acts, enabling him to construct a series of canals from his extensive collieries here to different places, affording the means of conveying coal and other necessaries through a populous manufacturing district. A canal, one of the earliest undertakings of the duke, and the first great canal constructed in England in modern times, runs through the village, and penetrates by a tunnel upwards of three miles in length to the collieries of Walkden. The under-ground canals and tunnels at Worsley are said to be 18 miles in length, reaching nearly to Deane, and their construction to have cost £168,960.

The township comprises 2584¾ acres, Cheshire measure, whereof one-eighth is arable, and 82¼ acres woodland. The surface in the upper part is undulated, but the greater part is flat, with hedge-rows and many plantations, of which more are being made; the soil in some places is a light sandy clay, in others peat, and the views are fine and extensive. The coal wrought here is oi very superior quality, and produces the best coke in England. In the township are several cotton-mills (some established upwards of forty years), employing about 1500 hands.

Worsley Hall, the seat of the Earl of Ellesmere, is a stately modern structure with an elegant portico, erected on an elevated site which overlooks the park-like grounds, and commands a view into seven counties. The old Hall, seated at the northern extremity of the gardens of the present mansion, was successively the residence of the Worsleys, Masseys, Stanleys, Breretons, and Egertons; and was remarkable as the depository of a series of spirited grotesque and allegorical heads, with an intermixture of ornamental devices, engraved in oaken panels, and brought, within the present century, from one of the state rooms of Hulme Hall, Manchester. This sculpture, referred to the 16th century, has been removed to the new Hall. Among other ancient mansions in the township are, Kempnall and Wardley Halls. The village has the appearance of neatness and comfort, and its inhabitants are extensively employed by the Earl of Ellesmere, owner of large property around: in its vicinity is the working-establishment for boat-building, and for the manufacture of all articles necessary for the canals. There are several useful institutions, among which are, a reading-room and library, supported mainly by the earl, and which numbers more than 150 of the villagers as subscribers; a savings' bank; and a clothing-fund, A troop of Yeomanry has lately been formed here, called the Worsley Troop, consisting of fifty members and three officers, and commanded by Viscount Brackley: it has a superior band.

A very handsome church in the decorated style, dedicated to St. Mark, has recently been built at the sole expense of the Earl of Ellesmere, by whom it is endowed. It stands on elevated ground, and consists of a nave, south aisle, chancel, and private chapel, with a square tower and graceful spire 185 feet high, having pinnacles and flying buttresses springing from the angles. The arch of the west door is of elegant design, and above it is a three-light window with bold tracery; there is also a fine arch between the chancel and nave: the eastern window is of five lights. The living is a perpetual curacy, in the patronage of the noble Earl; income, £100, with a residence. On the borders of the township is the chapel of Ellenbrook: the living is a perpetual curacy, also in the patronage of the Earl of Ellesmere; income, £137. At Swinton and Walkden, which see, are other incumbencies. The Wesleyans have a small place of worship; and schools for boys, girls, and infants, in which about 350 children are instructed, are supported principally by the noble family of Egerton. Three of these schools, and St. Mark's church, have been erected in a field called Cross Field.

Worstead (St. Mary)

WORSTEAD (St. Mary), a parish, and formerly a market-town, in the Tunstead and Happing incorporation, hundred of Tunstead, E. division of Norfolk, 2¾ miles (S. S. E.) from North Walsham, and 121 (N. E. by N.) from London; containing 834 inhabitants. This place was celebrated for the manufacture of woollen twists and stuffs, thence called Worstead (worsted) goods; but this branch of trade, after its introduction by the Flemings in the reign of Henry I., was, on the petition of the inhabitants of Norwich, removed in the time of Richard II. to that city, where it was finally established in the reign of Henry IV. The navigable river Ant, which joins the sea at Yarmouth, passes through the parish. A fair for cattle is held on May 12th; and a court takes place annually, under the lord of the manor, at which constables and other officers are appointed. The parish comprises 2599a. 1r. 32p., of which 2084 acres are arable, 330 pasture, and 152 woodland; the soil is fertile. The living is a discharged vicarage, valued in the king's books at £10; net income, £251; patrons and appropriators, the Dean and Chapter of Norwich. The church is a spacious and elegant structure, partly in the decorated and partly in the later English style, with a lofty square embattled tower, strengthened by enriched buttresses, and crowned with pinnacles, forming, both in its combinations and details, a beautiful specimen of the decorated style. ' The chancel and nave are ornamented with screen-work of carved wood, and there is a screen separating the nave from the tower, adorned with emblematic figures of Faith, Hope, Charity, Justice, Fortitude, aud other virtues; the font is peculiarly rich, and its cover is of tabernacle-work elegantly designed. Here is a place of worship for Baptists; also an almshouse founded in 1821. The Rev. Henry Wharton, in 1694, bequeathed a rental of £30 to be applied in beautifying the church; and about £12 a year, arising from bequests by Charles Themylthorpe (in 1721) and others, are distributed among the poor in bread and money.

Worsthorn

WORSTHORN, a township, in the parochial chapelry and poor-law union of Burnley, parish of Whalley, Higherdivision of the hundred of Blackburn, N. division of Lancashire, 2¼ miles (E.) from Burnley; containing 817 inhabitants. Worsthorn, or Wrdest, belonged to Henry de Wrdest in the reign of Stephen or Henry II.; and was granted in that of Edward II., by Henry de Lacy, to the Stansfield family. It afterwards became the property of the Halsteads, a branch from High Halstead: the House bears the date 1593. Hurstwood is a hamlet in the township. Hurstwood Hall, a well-built mansion, has in front the name of "Barnard Townley," who died in 1602. The estate attached to it eventually passed to Richard Chamberlain, by whose representative it was sold to William Sutcliffe, Esq., of Burnley and Leeds: in 1803 it was sold to Charles Townley, Esq. The township lies on the borders of Yorkshire, and comprises 2127 acres. On Worsthorn moor are some valuable flag and slate quarries, principally belonging to C. Townley, Esq., and leased to Messrs. Thomas and Benjamin Chaffer, who have large depots in Manchester and Liverpool: the stone obtained from them has been used in many public and other buildings both at home and in the colonies. The common itself is now being inclosed. The foundation stone of a district church was laid in Sept. 1834, and the church was consecrated in Sept. 1835; it is dedicated to St. John, and contains 650 sittings, 450 of which are free. The living is a perpetual curacy, in the patronage of Hulme's Trustees; net income, £150.

Worston

WORSTON, a township, in the parish of Whalley, union of Clitheroe, Higher division of the hundred of Blackburn, N. division of the county of Lancaster, 2¼ miles (E. N. E.) from Clitheroe; containing 111 inhabitants. This township lies under Pendle Hill, and is within the limits of the parliamentary borough of Clitheroe. The village is distant about a mile southward from the village of Chatburn.

Worston

WORSTON, a township, in the parish of St. Mary and St. Chad, Stafford, S. division of the hundred of Pirehill, union, and N. division of the county, of Stafford; containing 23 inhabitants. It comprises 166 acres of land; and has a large corn-mill and a silkmill.

Worth

WORTH, a township, in the parish of Prestbury, union and hundred of Macclesfield, N. division of the county of Chester, 6 miles (S. S. E.) from Stockport; containing 655 inhabitants. The township comprises 452 acres, of a greyish soil; and is situated on the road from Stockport to Macclesfield. The population is chiefly employed in the neighbouring collieries.

Worth, or Word (St. Peter And St. Paul)

WORTH, or Word (St. Peter and St. Paul), a parish, in the union and hundred of Eastry, lathe of St. Augustine, Eastern division of Kent, l½ mile (S.) from Sandwich; containing 452 inhabitants, and comprising 3863 acres. The living is annexed to the vicarage of Eastry.

Worth

WORTH, a parish, in the poor-law union of East Grinstead, hundred of Buttinghill, rape of Lewes, E. division of Sussex, 2 miles (E. S. E.) from Crawley; containing 2423 inhabitants. It comprises about 12,440 acres, chiefly woodland forming the forest of Worth; the surface is undulated, and the substratum abounds with sandstone, which is raised for building, and contains various fossils of leaves and plants. The London and Brighton railway passes through the parish. The living is a rectory, valued in the king's books at £13. 13. 4., and in the gift of the Bethune family: the tithes have been commuted for £1021. 15. 6., and the glebe consists of l½ acre. The church is an ancient structure in the Norman style, of which it has some highly-enriched details: the tower, which is placed on the north side, is surmounted by a spire. The building was repaired and new pewed a few years since, by subscription, aided by a grant from the Incorporated Society; and contains some monuments to the Bethune family. There are places of worship for dissenters.

Worth-Matravers (St. Nicholas)

WORTH-MATRAVERS (St. Nicholas), a parish, in the union of Wareham and Purbeck, hundred of Rowbarrow, Wareham division of the county of Dorset, 2½miles (W. by S.) from Swanage; containing 376 inhabitants, and comprising 2646 acres by measurement. The substratum contains Purbeck stone of fine quality. In the hamlet of Woodhide is a quarry of green marble; pillars have been erected of it in some of the cathedrals, and during one year more than a hundred tons have been sent to London for the decoration of the Temple church. The living is a discharged vicarage, valued in the king's books at £8. 8. 4., and in the gift of the Rector of Swanage: the great tithes have been commuted for £214, and the vicarial for £152. The church is a very ancient structure in the Norman style, with a tower banded near the summit with a fillet sculptured in grotesque heads. The parish has the English Channel on the south, where is the noted cliff called St. Alban's Head, with a signal-house on its summit; also the remains of a very old chapel dedicated to St. Aldhelm, built and vaulted with stone, and supported by a single massive pillar with four arches, meeting in a point at the crown. Mr. Benjamin Jesty, said to have been the first person who tried with success the practice of vaccination, which he performed on his own children, resided and lies interred here.

Wortham (St. Mary)

WORTH AM (St. Mary), a parish, in the union and hundred of Hartismere, W. division of Suffolk, 2 miles (W. S. W.) from Diss; containing 1116 inhabitants. It is bounded on the north by the river Waveney, separating the counties of Norfolk and Suffolk; and comprises 2694a. 21p., of which 2445 acres are under cultivation. The living is a rectory, once in medieties called Everard and Jervis, now consolidated, the former valued in the king's books at £13. 2. 8½., and the latter at £13. 1. 0½.; patron and incumbent, the Rev. R. Cobbold. The tithes have been commuted for £860, and the glebe comprises 41 acres. The church is in the decorated English style, with a circular tower of more ancient date, now in ruins. On Wortham Ling are some remains of a Roman camp.

Worthen (All Saints)

WORTHEN (All Saints), a parish, partly in the hundred of Cawrse, county of Montgomery, North Wales, but chiefly in the hundred of Chirbury, S. division of Salop, 9 miles (N. E.) from Montgomery; containing 3195 inhabitants, of whom 2823 are in Salop. This place had a market on Wednesday, and two fairs, granted by Henry III.; the fairs, for cattle, horses, pigs, and sheep, are still held in April and October. In this and the neighbouring parishes is a very singular ridge of stones termed Stiperstones, extending several miles towards Shrewsbury, and said to be the ancient boundary between England and Wales. The parish comprises nearly 20,000 acres, and is rich in mineral produce. At Sirail beach is a mine of lead-ore, which has been profitably worked for more than forty years; at Perkins' beach a lead-mine was discovered a short time since, and at Penally a strong vein has also been found: there are grit and gravel mines, worked by a company, and stone is quarried, chiefly for the roads. The living is a rectory, valued in the king's books at £28. 14. 7.; net income, £1279; patrons, the Warden and Fellows of New College, Oxford. The church is a plain structure. At Trelystan is a chapel of ease. There is a place of worship for Baptists; and a fund of £42. 7. per annum, arising from the bequests of John Powel, Robert Nicholess, and Martha Scarlet, is distributed among the poor. Sir Thomas Bromley, lord chancellor in the reign of Elizabeth, and successor of Sir Nicholas Bacon, was born at Bromblow, in the parish.

Worthing (St. Margaret)

WORTHING (St. Margaret), a parish, in the union of Mitford and Launditch, hundred of Launditch, W. division of Norfolk, 4 miles (N. by E.) from East Dereham; containing 158 inhabitants. It comprises by measurement 788 acres, of which 700 are arable, and the remainder meadow and pasture. The living is a rectory, annexed to that of Swanton-Morley. The church is a small structure, with a round tower, and a rich Norman doorway on the south side.

Worthing

WORTHING, a market-town, in the parish of Broadwater, hundred of Brightford, rape of Bramber, W. division of Sussex, 20 miles (E. by S.) from Chichester, and 56 (S. by W.) from London; containing 4702 inhabitants. This fashionable and attractive watering-place, which at the close of the last century was a mere village, is indebted in a great degree for its celebrity to the late Princess Amelia, who was advised by her physicians to reside here during the summer of 1797. It was subsequently honoured by the visits of the Princess Charlotte, the present King of Hanover, the Duke of Gloucester, and the Princesses Augusta and Sophia. Its position forms a strong recommendation to visiters, more especially to invalids, as the South Down hills, which approach to within two miles of the town, completely shelter it from the north and east winds, and protect it from the cold to which many other places on this coast are in the winter subject.

The town is lighted with gas, paved, and abundantly supplied with water by commissioners appointed for its improvement, who have erected an elegant town-hall, in which the magistrates for the division hold petty-sessions every alternate week. It contains some good streets, handsome terraces, crescents, and villas; in front of the esplanade are two or three hotels, some baths, &c, and the town has every requisite to render it not only a place of fashionable resort during the summer, but also a favourite winter residence. The esplanade is nearly three-quarters of a mile in length, and is twenty feet wide, forming a neat gravelled terrace, the waves flowing up to its base; the views from it are most extensive, commanding the English Channel, the Isle of Wight, Brighton, and the whole range of coast as far as Beachy Head. The sands, which are level, extend for several miles, affording excellent carriage-drives, and facilities of equestrian exercise. The Royal baths, erected in 1823, comprise India, medicated, vapour, champooing, shower, and Douce baths, with readingrooms; and the Parisian baths, a similar establishment, are also elegantly fitted up. The theatre, a small neat building, is opened in the season; there are libraries and reading-rooms, and a literary society and a mechanics' institution have been lately established. The Brighton and Chichester railway was opened to Worthing at the close of 1845: a station is fixed about half a mile from the centre of the town. The principal market is on Saturday; a corn-market is held on alternate Wednesdays, and one for vegetables daily: the market-place is a neat quadrangular erection. A fishery for mackerel in the spring and herrings in the autumn, has been established, and great quantities of mackerel are sent to the London market; soles also, cod, shrimps, and prawns, are caught in abundance. The powers of the county debt-court of Worthing, established in 1847, extend over part of the registration-districts of Worthing, Thakeham, and Steyning.

Here is a chapel, a handsome building, erected in 1812, at an expense of £14,000, by the inhabitants: it has a portico of mixed Doric and Tuscan character, with a bold though low turret; and contains 1100 sittings, 150 of which are free. The living is a perpetual curacy; net income, £ 150; patron, the Rector of Broadwater. Christ-church, of which the first stone was laid in Oct. 1840, was also erected by subscription, aided by a grant of £500 from the Incorporated Society, and is a neat structure, containing 929 sittings, of which 572 are free. The living is a perpetual curacy; patron, the Rector. There are places of worship for Independents and Wesleyans. Miss Hawes, in 1828, bequeathed £1000 four per cents., one-fourth part of which she appropriated to schools, and the remainder to be distributed in clothes and food among the poor. A savings' bank was founded in 1817; and a dispensary, and several other charitable institutions, have been formed.

Worthington

WORTHINGTON, a township, in the parish of Standish, union of Wigan, hundred of Leyland, N. division of Lancashire, 4 miles (N. by W.) from Wigan, on the road to Chorley; containing 133 inhabitants. This place, anciently called Worthinton, was allotted, soon after the Domesday survey, to Albert Greslet. A family of the local name were resident at the Hall in 1588, and from them proceeded the Worthingtons of Blainscough, of Crawshaw, and of Shevington. The Claytons, of Adlington, subsequently became possessed of the district; and North Hall here was built by Lord Chief Justice Clayton, of Adlington Hall, as a seat for his brother, about the middle of the last century. Worthington does not appear to have been regarded as a manor for some centuries past. The township is situated on the river Douglas, which separates it from the township of Haigh: the surface is undulated; the soil various, but chiefly clay, with a subsoil of clay and gravel; and the scenery pleasing, the views embracing Rivington Pike. Several coal-mines are wrought, and stone is abundant. The Cromptons, of Farnworth, have a large paper-mill in the township. The North-Union railway passes through, and the Standish station on the line is within a quarter of a mile. Among the principal proprietors of land here, are, Richard Clayton Browne Clayton, Esq., of Adlington Hall; Peter Anderton, Esq., of Holland Grove Wigan; James Anderton, Esq., of Burgh Hall, Chorley; and Thomas Watts, Esq., Chorley. The tithes have been commuted for £149. 8.

Worthington

WORTHINGTON, a chapelry, in the parish of Breedon, union of Ashby-de-la-Zouch, hundred of West Goscote, N. division of the county of Leicester, 4 miles (N. E.) from Ashby; containing, with the liberty of Newbold, 1143 inhabitants. It comprises nearly 1500 acres, of which the soil is partly rich and deep, and partly thin clay. In Newbold some coal is obtained; and there is good building-stone. The living is a perpetual curacy; net income, £100, derived from lands at Houghton-on-the-Hill, Stapleton, and Blackfordby, and from £12 per annum formerly payable by the patron, Lord Scarsdale, out of the tithes of Worthington, but now settled on lands in the county. The chapel, an ancient oblong building, is dedicated to St. Matthew.

Worthy, Headbourn (St. Martin)

WORTHY, HEADBOURN (St. Martin), a parish, in the union of Winchester, hundred of BartonStacey, Winchester and N. divisions of the county of Southampton, 2 miles (N. by E.) from Winchester; containing 207 inhabitants. It is bounded on the east by the river Itchen, and comprises about 1793 acres, of which 1230 are arable, 450 down and pasture, and 56 meadow. The river is navigable from Winchester to Southampton; and the South-Western railway, which has a station at Winchester, passes through the parish. The living is a rectory, valued in the king's books at £15. 12. 1., and in the gift of the Trustees of Dr. Radcliffe, for a member of University College, Oxford: the tithes have been commuted for £385, and the glebe comprises 44½ acres. The church is a small structure. Joseph Bingham, the ecclesiastical historian, was rector of the parish, and was interred here in 1723.

Worthy, King's (St. Mary)

WORTHY, KING'S (St. Mary), a parish, in the union of Winchester, partly in the hundred of Mitcheldever, but chiefly in that of Barton-Stacey, Winchester and N. divisions of the county of Southampton, 2¼ miles (N. N. E.) from Winchester; containing 349 inhabitants, of whom 173 are in King's-Worthy tything, and 176 in that of Abbot's-Worthy. The parish is situated on the river Itchen, and comprises by measurement 2130 acres, of which 1465 are arable, and 194 pasture: the soil is chalky. The South-Western railway passes through. The living is a rectory, valued in the king's books at £22. 12. 6., and in the gift of Sir F. T. Baring, Bart.: the tithes have been commuted for £450, and the glebe comprises 10 acres. The church, a very ancient structure in the Norman style, has been enlarged. The rectory-house, situated on rising ground near the river, was built by the late Sir Thomas Baring, and is an exceedingly handsome residence.

Worthy, Martyr (St. Swithin)

WORTHY, MARTYR (St. Swithin), a parish, in the union of Winchester, partly in the hundred of Bountisborough, but chiefly in that of Fawley, Winchester and N. divisions of the county of Southampton, 3 miles (N. E. by N.) from Winchester; containing 257 inhabitants. The living is a rectory, valued in the king's books at £15. 10. 2½., and in the gift of the Bishop of Winchester: the tithes have been commuted for £485. 5. 9., and the glebe comprises 11 acres. Twelve boys and ten girls are instructed in a national school, for a rent-charge of £6. 13., the bequest of Agnes Parnell in 1589.

Worting (St. Thomas à Becket)

WORTING (St. Thomas à Becket), a parish, in the union of Basingstoke, hundred of Chutely, Basingstoke and N. divisions of the county of Southampton, 2¼ miles (W.) from Basingstoke; containing 148 inhabitants. It is intersected by the London and Southwestern railway, and comprises about 1100 acres, of which the soil is principally chalk, and the surface boldly undulated. The living is a rectory, valued in the king's books at £8. 17. 8½., and in the gift of the Rev. Lovelace Bigg Wither: the tithes have been commuted for £277, and the glebe comprises 5½ acres. Dr. Pelham Warren, an eminent physician, lived and was interred here.

Wortley

WORTLEY, a tything, in the parish of Wottonunder-Edge, union of Dursley, Upper division of the hundred of Berkeley, W. division of the county of Gloucester; containing 170 inhabitants.

Wortley

WORTLEY, a chapelry, in the parish of St. Peter, liberty of the borough of Leeds, W. riding of York, 2 miles (W. S. W.) from Leeds; containing 7090 inhabitants. This place, in the Domesday survey styled Wyrteley, formerly belonged to the Farrars, of Halifax, from whom the manor was purchased in 1766 by the family of the present owner. The chapelry comprises an area of 1036a. 2r. 34p., which, with the exception of a few fields of arable land, and about 4 acres of plantation, is divided in nearly equal portions into meadow and pasture; the soil is fertile, and the commons have been recently inclosed. A stratum of fine clay is found, of which the best fire-bricks are made. The population has greatly increased, and the village of New Wortley, which has arisen within the last twenty or thirty years, now extends to Holbeck; it is neatly built, and contains many handsome houses. The old villages of Upper and Lower Wortley, with some scattered hamlets, form a semicircular range of buildings at the base and on the acclivities of an eminence commanding a view of Leeds and the adjacent country. The inhabitants are chiefly employed in the manufacture of woollen-cloths, which is carried on to a great extent. The Leeds and Bradford canal bounds the chapelry on the north. The chapel, originally built in 1787, at the expense of the late John Smith, Esq., lord of the manor, and other contributors, is a neat structure containing 650 sittings: the living is a perpetual curacy; net income, £147; patrons, the Trustees of the founder; impropriators, the Dean and Chapter of Christ-Church, Oxford. There are places of worship for Independents, Primitive Methodists, and Wesleyans. A free school derives an income of £40 per annum from various donations and endowments; and adjacent to the chapelyard is a national Sunday school, built by subscription in 1822, and enlarged in 1836 so as to accommodate 200 children. Zion School, at New Wortley, was built at an expense of £1040, towards which £400 were obtained out of the grant by parliament; it is conducted on the plan of the British and Foreign Society. In 1825, a spring of remarkably fine water was discovered on the premises of James Bateman, Esq., by boring to a depth of about sixty yards; it is slightly impregnated with sulphur, and affords relief in cases of ophthalmic inflammation, especially if used in the early stages of the complaint.

Wortley

WORTLEY, a chapelry, and the head of a union, in the parish of Tankersley, wapentake of Staincross, W. riding of York, 8 miles (N.) from Sheffield; containing 990 inhabitants. This place, which had been for many generations the property and residence of the Wortley family, was, on the demise of Sir Francis Wortley, Bart., the last male heir, conveyed, by marriage with his daughter and heiress, to the Hon. Sidney Montagu, second son of the first Earl of Sandwich, and ancestor of the present owner, Lord Wharncliffe. The chapelry is situated on the road from Sheffield to Halifax, and is separated from Bradfield and part of the parish of Penistone by the river Don, which forms its western boundary. It comprises about 6278 acres, of which 2000 are woodland; of the remainder, one-third is arable, and two-thirds meadow and pasture: the soil is a mixture of clay and grit. The surface is boldly undulated, and rises from the banks of the Don to a considerable elevation, commanding extensive prospects over the surrounding country; the hills are finely wooded, and the scenery in many parts beautifully picturesque. Wortley Hall, the seat of Lord Wharncliffe, is an elegant mansion, situated in grounds tastefully laid out, and enriched with flourishing plantations. Wharncliffe Lodge, built by Sir Thomas Wortley in 1510, is seated on the brow of a rocky cliff, rising from a precipitous and thickly-wooded acclivity 1800 acres in extent, at the base of which flows the river Don. It was the occasional residence of Lady Mary Wortley Montagu, who, in her description of the beauties of foreign countries, takes occasion to celebrate the romantic views of Wharncliffe; which is also identified as the scene of the ancient ballad of the Dragon of Wantley.

The district abounds with coal and ironstone. The latter was smelted here from a very early period till after the reign of Charles I., when the furnaces were taken down, and a forge erected on their site, which has been considerably enlarged, and is at present an extensive manufactory for bar, rod, hoop, and sheet iron. There are quarries of excellent building-stone, and a soft grit for grindstones is found. The coal-pits abound with fossils peculiar to the coal formation, and though now only on a small scale, will no doubt be more extensively wrought owing to the completion of the Manchester and Sheffield railway, which passes through the chapelry, and has a station here. The village is pleasantly situated, and consists of neat cottages, to each of which the late Lord Wharncliffe attached a portion of land, rent-free, for warden-ground, as a stimulus to industry and economy. The chapel was thoroughly repaired in 1815: the living is a perpetual curacy; net income, £105; patron, Lord Wharncliffe. The tithes have been commuted for £240. A national school, in which are about 80 children, is principally supported by his lordship; and the poor have a farm producing £29 per annum, given to them in the reign of Charles I., by the widow of Sir Richard Wortley, second wife of the Earl of Devonshire. The union of Wortley comprises 13 townships, containing a population of 23,214. Wharncliffe gives the title of Baron to the Wortley family.

Worton

WORTON, a hamlet, in the parish of Cassington, union of Woodstock, hundred of Wootton, county of Oxford; containing 68 inhabitants.

Worton

WORTON, a tything, in the parish of Potterne, union of Devizes, hundred of Potterne and Cannings, Devizes and N. divisions of Wilts, 3½ miles (S. W.) from Devizes; containing 311 inhabitants. There is a place of worship for Wesleyan Methodists.

Worton, Nether (St. James)

WORTON, NETHER (St. James), a parish, in the union of Woodstock, hundred of Wootton, county of Oxford, 3¾ miles (W. S. W.) from Deddington; containing 59 inhabitants. The parish is watered by the river Swere, which adds much to the interesting scenery of the neighbourhood, and on the banks of which are some rich dairy-farms. The living is a perpetual curacy; net income, £40; patron, Joseph Wilson, Esq. The east and north sides of the church have been rebuilt by the patron.

Worton, Over (Holy Trinity)

WORTON, OVER (Holy Trinity), a parish, in the union of Woodstock, hundred of Wootton, county of Oxford, 4 miles (S. W. by W.) from Deddington; containing 45 inhabitants. It comprises 646a. 2r. 37p., of which 195 acres are arable, 322 meadow and pasture, and 85 woodland; the substratum abounds with building-stone of good quality. The Hall, the rectory-house, and the other houses in the parish, have been rebuild by the proprietor within the last thirty years. The living is a rectory, valued in the king's books at £6. 2. 8½., and in the gift of the Rev. William Wilson: the tithes have been commuted for £136, and the glebe comprises 42 acres. The church is an ancient structure, romantically situated on a rocky eminence richly wooded, and, being almost covered with ivy, has a very picturesque appearance. In front of the rectory-house is the pedestal of an old cross.

Wortwell

WORTWELL, a hamlet, in the parish of Reddenhall, union of Depwade, hundred of Earsham, E. division of Norfolk, 2 miles (N. E. by E.) from Harleston; containing 560 inhabitants. There are places of worship for Baptists and Independents.