^ ^ BERKELEY LIBRARY UNIVERSITY OF CAUFORNIA ^'>, / ^f.L^^-. , HISTOEY, GAZETTEER, AND DIRECTORY OF LEICESTERSHIRE, AND THE SMALL COUNTY or RTTTLAND; TOGETHER WITH THE ADJACENT TOWNS OF GRANTHAM & STAMFORD ; COMPRISING &tmvaX ^xixbt^^ uf iotf^ Counties, AND SEPARATE HISTORICAL, STATISTICAL, & TOPOGRAPHICAL DESCRIPTIONS OF ALL THEIR HUNDREDS, TOWNS, PARISHES, TOWNSHIPS, CHAPELRIES, VILLAGES, HAMLETS, MANORS, LIBERTIES, AND UNIONS; SHEWING Their Extent and Population ; tlieir Agricultural and Mineral Productions ; Trade and Commerce ; Markets and Fairs ; Charities and Public Institu- tions ; Churches and Chapels ; the Value, and the Patrons and Incumbents, of the Benefices ; the Lords of the Manors and Owners of the Soil and Tithes ; the Addresses of the Inhabitants, the Public Conveyances ; the ^eat^ oC 0ohilit^ anli (&tntvp ; MAGISTRATES AND PUBLIC OFFICERS; And a Variety of other agricultural, statistical, & biographical information. In One Volume, with a Map of the Counties. BY WILLIAM WHITE, AUTHOR OF SIMILAR WORKS FOR LINCOIXSHIRE, YORKSHIRE, NORFOLK, SUFFOLK, AND OTHER COUNTIES. PRINTED FOR THE AUTHOR, BY ROBT. LEADER, INDEPENDENT OFFICE, SHEFFIELD And Sold by Wm. White, 200, Brook Hill, Sheffield; BY HIS AGENTS, AND THE BOOKSELLERS. Price to Subscribers J 12s. in Boards, or 135. Qd. in Calf^ with the Map, [Entered at Stationers' Hall.] 1846. bl^^f) HAfkJ PREFACE. The Author, in presenting to an indulgent Public this first essay towards a popular History, Topography, and Directory of the Counties of Leicester and Rutland, has to tender his grateful acknowledgments to many literary and official Gentlemen of both counties, as well as to most of the resident Clergy, for the valuable and interesting communications with which they have furnished him, in answer to his multifarious in- quiries ; and also to a very numerous list of Subscribers, who have honoured him with their patronage, to such a liberal extent, that their orders are nearly equal to the number of the large edition now printed. The prompt and extensive patronage which the Author has received in these and many other counties, shews clearly that Works of this descrip- tion are highly interesting and useful, not only to the Merchant, Manu- facturer, Farmer, and Tradesman, but also to the Nobility, Gentry, Clergy, and Professional Men. When carefully and faithfully compiled, they are invaluable as books of local reference. Authenticity being the grand requisite of topography, all possible care has been taken to avoid errors in the following pages ; every Parish, and almost every House in both Counties, has been visited, and the information either collected or verified on the spot ; it is therefore hoped that the volume will be found as free from inaccuracies as is compatible with the vast body of informa- tion, and the great variety of subjects compressed within its closely printed pages. Among many other works which have been consulted in its compilation are — " The Description of Leicestershire,''^ in folio, pub- lished by Wm. Burton, Esq., of Lindley, in 1622 ; " The History and Antiquities of the County of Leicester,''^ in four folio volumes, by John Nichols, F.S.A. ; " Select Views of Leicestershire,^^ accompanied with descriptive and historical relations, in two quarto volumes, published by John Throsby, in 1780 and 1790 ; and '* A Topographical History of the County of Leicester,'''^ in one octavo volume, published in 1831, by the Rev. J. Curtis, then head master of the Free Grammar School at Ashby- de-la-Zouch. The History of the East Hundred, by Thos. Blore, and other works relating to Rutlandshire, have also been consulted ; but most of the statistical information in the following pages has been drawn from personal enquiry in every parish, and from the voluminous Parliament- ary Reports of Public Charities, Church Livings, Population, Sfc, The 390 4 PREFACE. Report of the Leicestershire Charities alone, occupies a folio volume of 628 pages, the substance of which has been incorporated with this Work. The Plan of the Work embraces brief Generaly Historical, and Descriptive Surveys of Leicestershire and Rutland, commencing at pages 12 and 600, and shewing their Extent, Population, Soil, and As- pect ; their Agricultural and Mineral Productions ; the Seats of their Nobility, Gentry, and Clergy ; and their Magistrates and Public Officers ; followed by Separate Histories, Topographies, and Directories of Leices- ter, and all the Hundreds, Parishes, Towns, Townships, Chapelries, Vil- lages, and Hamlets ;— so arranged, that the History, lham, 528 Wellesborough, 592 West Goscote Hundred, 269 Westrill, 417 Whatborough, 461 Whatton Long, 364 Wheeler Lodge, 507 Whetstone, 418 •Whissendine, 617 Whittington Grange, 685 •Whitwell, 618 Whitwick, 365, 369 Wibtoft,387 Wigg's Wood, 579 Wigston Magna, 418 Wigston Parva, 386 Willoughby Waterless, 422 Willoughes, 447 Wilson and Tong, 328 Wimeswold, or Wymeswold, 465 •Wing, 641 Wistow, 528 Withcote, 267 •Witchley Warren, 628 Witherley,529 Woodcote, 295 10 INDEX OF PLACES. Wooden Box (now Woodville^) 304 Woodhouse, 322 Woodhouse Eaves, 322 Woodthorpe, 281 Woodville (late Wooden Box,) 304 Worthington, 331 •Wrangdike Hundred, 659 "Wreakdale, 447 Wycombe, 451 Wyfordby, 267 Wykin, 557 Wymondham, 267 Zouch Bridge, 344 INDEX OF SUBJECTS. Abbeys, 18, 82, 367 Agriculture, 32 Agricultural Societies,95, 265,296,277,606,649 Aikin, Dr John, 510 Allotment System, 67, 221, 489, 610 Ancient Britons, 14 Syston ; Wm. Condon, Melion Mowbray ; John Tieokms, Kibworth Harcourt ; Joseph Fjie, Lutlenvorth i John Goodall, liinchley ; and Saml. Hague, Zoj/^/j^oroj/^*. Tliere are 19 police consta- bles, and 12 special constables. d 2 G. J.D.B.Danvers, Esq., Swithland W.W.Abney,Esq.,Measham(Z)er/)ys.) R. G. Crcswell, Esq., Ravenstone J. B. Story, Esq., Lockington E. A. Holden, Esq., Ashton Hall, (Derbyshire) Sir G. Crewe, Bart., Caulke Abbey, (Derbyshire) SirG. Palmer, Bart., Wanlip Hall Rev. Sir W.N. Gresley, Bart., Nether Seal Hall Sir J. R. B. Cave, Bart.,Sretton Hall, (Derbyshire) GUTHLAITON HUNDRED. Rev.W.Pearson,LL.D.SouthKilworth Rev. T. Belgrave, North Kilworth T. E. Dicey, Esq., Claybrooke Rev. R. T. Adnutt, Cadeby Richd. Gough, Esq., North Kilworth Rev. J. P. Marriott, Cottesbach Sparkenhob Hundred. Rev. S. B Heming, Fenny Drayton S. F. S.Perkins, Esq.jSuttonColdfield, near Birmingham Earl Howe, Gopsal Hall Re V . W.W.G reenway,Newbold Verdon Joshua Grundy, Esq., The Oaks C. H. Bracebridge, Esq., Atherstone, C Warwiekshire) Rev. J. P. Newby, Enderby Rev. J. M. Cooper, Peckleton W. R. Walker,Esq.,LeieesterGra«ge George Moore, Esq., Appleby Charles Mowbray, Esq., Ov«r Seal R. S. J. Winterton, Esq., Sketchley H. R.Harper, Esq., Coton, (Warks.) Sir W. W.Dixie,Bart.,Mkt. Bosworth Hon. Viscount Curzon, Gopsal Rev. F. C. Roberts, Witherley William Martin, Esq., Stewardshay Rev. George Dealtry, Hinckley 42 SEATS OF NOBILITY, GENTRY, AND CLERGY, TN THE COUNTY OF LEICESTER. ^^ Those tvith an * affixed^ are Acting Magistrates; and those marked thus f, are Deputy Lieutenants. Abkettleby, 3 miles N.W. of Melton Mowbray, William Guy, Esq. Allexton, 12 miles N.E. of Market Harborough, Rev. J. White, B.A. Alton Grange, 4 miles S.E. of Ashby-de-la-Zouch, Rev. William Roby Anstey Pastures, 3§ miles N.W. of Leicester, Rev. Robert Martin, M.A.* Anstey, 4 miles N.W. of Leicester, B. B. Burgin, Esq. Appleby Magna, 6 miles S.W, of Ashby-de-la-Zouch, Rev. J. M. Echalazj^ Rectory ; Misses and John Moore, Esq., White House; and Thos. Foster. Esq., Heath Cottage Appleby Parva, 7 m. S.W. of Ashby-de-la-Zouch, Geo. Moore, Esq., Hallf; Capt. J. Alldritt, Villa ; and P. Cooper, Esq., M.D., Tylecoat House Asfordby, 3 miles W. of Melton Mowbray, J. D. Burnaby, Esq., House; and Rev. A. Burnaby, M.A.. Rectory Ashby-de-la-Zouch, 7f miles N.W. of Leicester, T. Piddocke, Esq., Rother- wood House ; H. Pilkinton, Esq., Ivanhoe Cottage; and Rev. M. Vava- sour, M.A., Vicarage Aston Flamville, 3 miles E.S.E. of Hinckley, Rev W. W. Balfour, B.A. Atterton, 3 miles E. by N. of Atherstone, Capt. Charles Weaver Aylestone Rectory, 2f m. S. by W. of Leicester, Rev. G. W. Straton, M.A. Baggrave Hall, 8 miles E.N.E. of Leicester, Edwyn Burnaby, Esq.*f Bagworth Park, 9 miles W. of Leicester, William Harrison, Esq. Bardon Hall, 8 miles E.S.E. of Ashby-de-la-Zouch, R. J. Hood, Esq. Barkby, 5 miles N.E. of Leicester, William Ann Pochin, Esq., Hall* ; and R(>v. Edward H. Hoare, M.A,, Vicarage Barrow-on-Soar, 3 miles S.E. of Loughborough, Rev. R. Gwatkin, Vicarage; J. Jelley, gentleman, Cliff House Barwell,2 miles N. by E. of Hinckley, Rev. George Mettam, M.A., Rectory ; William Milhouse, Esq., Barwell House ; and W. H. Power, Esq. Beaumanor,3m.W.ofMountsorrel,Wm.Herrick,Esq.,andMissM.A.Herrick Beeby, 6 miles E.N.E. of Leicester, Rev. George Calvert, M.A., Rectory ; J. Marriott, Esq., Manor House Belgrave, If mile N.E. of Leicester, Rev. R. Stephens, M.A. Belton Vicarage, 6f ra, E.N.E. of Ashby-de-la-Zouch.. Rev. R. Blunt, M.A. Belvoir Castle, 12 miles N. by E. of Melton Mowbray, Duke of Rutland* ; Marquis of Gran by*; and others. (See page 215.) Billesdon, 9 miles S.'e. of Leicester, C. T. Freer, Esq., The Coplow ; Rev. J. B. Stuart, M.D., Vicarage Birstall, 3^ m. N. by E. of LeiccL-ter, Robt. Browin, Esq.; &; H. Paget, Elge ; and A. H. Lafargue, and W. Marshall, Esqrs. y Bosworth, (Market) 7 miles N. by W. of Hinckley, Sir W. W. Dixie, Bart.^ Hall; and Rev. B. Dixie, Recton/ Bottesford Rectory, 7 miles S.W. of Grantham, Rev. F. J. Norman, M.A. Bowden, (Magna) I mile N.E. of Harborough, Henry Chapman and John C hater, Esqrs. Branston Rectory, 8 m. N.E. of Melton Mowbray, Rev. Wm. Selwyn, M.A. Braunstone Hall, 2 miles S.W. of Leicester, Clement Winstanley, Esq.f Breeden, 5 miles N.E. of Ashby -de-la Zouch, N. Curzon, Esq. Brookesby Hall, 6 miles W.S.W". of Melton Mowbray, John Hunter, Esq. Broughton Astley Rectory, 5^ miles N. by W. of Lutterworth, Rev. G. Rawlinson, M.A. Broughton, (Nether) 6 m. N.W. of Melton Mowbray, Rev. W. Slater, M.A. Bruntingthorpe, 6 m. N.E. of Lutterworth, Rev. Charles Longhurst, M.A. v'Buckminster Hall, 7 miles E. by N. of Melton Mowbray, Earl of Dysart Burbage House, 2 miles S. of Hinckley, J. S. Crosland, Esq. Burleigh, If mile S.W. of Loughborough, Miss Tate, Hall; Col. CM, Clanchy, Burleigh Field Burrough, 6 miles S. of Melton Mowbray, Robert Peake, Esq. Bushby,4 m. E. of Leicester, Mrs. and J. Elverson,Esq.; and O. Hunt, Esq. Burton on the Wolds Hall, 3f m. E . of Loughborough, Lord Archibald St. Maur Burton Overy, 7f miles S.E. of Leicester, Rev. Thomas Thorp, M.A., Rec- tory ; and Brookes Stephenson, Esq. Cadeby Rectory, 1 mile E.S.E. of Market Bosworth, Rev. R. T. Adnutt* I/* Carlton Curlieu Hall, 7 miles S.E. of Leicester, Dowager Lady Hazlerigg, and Grey Hazlerigg, Esq. Castle Donington Park, 9 miles S.E. by E. of Derby, Marquis of Hastings Calthorpe Hall, 4f miles S. of Lutterworth, Rev. Thomas Smith Charley Hall, 8 miles E. of Ashby-de-la -Zouch, W. Bosworth, Esq. Claybrook, 4 miles N.W. of Lutterworth, Thomas Edward Dicey, Esq,* and Lieut. Col. Everest, Hall ; Rev. R. H. Johnson, M.A., Vicarage , Coleorton Hall, 2 m. E. of Ashby de-la-Zouch, Sir G. H. Beaumont, Bart. Congerstone Rectory, 3 miles N.W. by W. of Market Bosworth, Rev. Robt, Edward Hall, B.A. Coplow House, (Billesdon) 8 miles E. of Leicester, C. T. Freer, Esq. Cossington Rectory, 6^ miles N. by E. of Leicester, Rev. J. Babington Coston Rectory, 6 miles E. by N. of Melton Mowbray, Hon. and Rev. J. Sandilands, M.A. V Cottesbach Rectory, If m. S. of Lutterworth, Rev. J. P. Marriott, B.A.* Cranoe Rectory, 6 miles N.N.E. of Harborough, Rev. J. H. Hill, B.A. Croft Hall, 8 miles S.W. by W. of Leicester, William Brookes, Esq. Croxton Park, 9 m. N.E. of Melton Mowbray, (hunting seat) vide page 231 Dalby, (Little) 4 miles S. of Melton Mowbray, E. B. Hartopp, Esq.,* Hall ; Rev. S. Hartopp, LL.D., Vicarage Dalby-on-Wokls Hall, (or Old Balby,) 6 miles W.N.W. of Melton Mowbray, Rev. W. G. Sawyer, M.A. Danett's Hall, 1 mile W. of Leicester, J. W. Noble, Esq., M.B. Desford, 5 miles E. by N. of Market Bosworth, Thomas Prior, Esq. Drayton (Fenny) Rectory, 6 m. W. by N. of Hinckley, Rev. S. B. Hcming* 44 SEATS IN LEICESTERSHIRE. Eastwell Rectory, 8 miles N.N.E. of Melton Mowbray, Rev. C. T. J. Baines Edmondthorpe Manor House, 8 m. E. by S. of Melton, Hon. Wm. Edwardes Enderby, 4| miles S.W. of Leicester, Rev. 1. P^ Newby*, Hill House ; Richard Mitchell, Esq., Hall Evington, 3 miles E.S.E. of Leicester, Col. J. D. Burnaby*f, Evington House ; and H. F. Cojeman, Esq., Evington Hall Frith House, 2 miles N.W. by W. of Leicester, Mrs. L. Oldham Frowlesworth Rectory, 5 m. N.N.W. of Lutterworth, Rev. S. L. Noble, B.A. Gaddesby, 6 miles S.W. of Melton Mowbray, George Williamson, gent., (see also Packc Hall) Galby Rectory, 8 miles E.S.E. of Leicester, Rev. W. E. Rawstorne, M.A. Garendon Park, 2 miles W. of Loughborough, Chas. M. Phillipps, Esq.* Gilmorton Rectory, 2 m. N.N.E. of Lutterworth, Rev. D. J. Burdett, B.A. Glenfield, 3f miles W.N.W. of Leicester, Isaac Hodgson, Esq., Frith Hall ^ Rev. G. Winstanley, M.A., Rectory Glenn Magna, 6 miles S.E. of Leicester, C. W. Packe, Esq., M.P*., Hall, {and Prestwold;) Rev. F. T. Corrance, LL.B., Vicarage ; and G. Cooper and Robert Haymes, Esqrs. Glooston Rectory, 6 miles N. by E. of Harborough, Rev. John Davies, M.A. Goadby Marwood, 5 miles N. by E. of Melton Mowbray, Roger Manners, Esq.*f ; Rev. Edward Manners, M.A. ; and George Norman, Esq. Gopsal Hall, 4^ miles N.W\ of Market Bosworth, Earl Howe*f ; and Vis- count Curzon* Grangewood House, (N»ther) Seal 4^1 miles W. by S. of Ashby-de la-Zouoh, Thomas Mowbray, Esq.* Gracedieu Manor, 5m. E.by N. of Ashby-de-la.Zouch,A. L. Phillipps, Esq.f Gumley, 4 miles W.N.W. of Market Harborough, Sir E. C. Hartopp, Bart*., Hall; and Rev. Frederick Apthorp, M.A., Rectory Hallaton, 8 miles N.E. of Harborough, Rev. T. C. Peake, M.A., Rectory ; Thomas Vowe, Esq., Manor House; and Rev. J. H. Dent Harborough, (Market) I4| miles S.E. of Leicester, William De Capell Brooke, Esq.,* The Elms Harby Rectory, 8 m. N. of Melton Mowbray, Rev. Wm. E. Hartopp, M.A.* Harston, 6 miles W.N.W. of Grantham, Rev. John Earle Welby, Rectory} and T. C. Beasley, Esq. Hathern Rectory, 2^ miles N.W. of Loughborough, Rev. E. T. M. Phillipps Heather, 5 miles S.S.E. of Ashby-de-la-Zouch, Rev. tJ. P. Belcher, B.D., Manor House ; Robt. Goode, Esq., Hall ; and T. Clare, Esq. Higham Grange, 3 miles W.N.W of Hinckley, Hon. M. W. B. Nugent Hinckley Vicarage, 14 miles S.W. of Leicester, Rev. Geo. D(jaltry, M.A,* Hoby Rectory, 6 m. W. by S. of Melton Mowbray, Rev. G. Beresford, M.A. Holt Hall, 8 miles N.E. of Market Harborough, Charles Nevill, Esq. Hothorpe Hall, 4 miles N.N.W. of Welford, John Cook, Esq. Houghton on the Hill Rectory, 6 miles E. by S. of Leicester, Rev. J. S. Coleman, M.A. Kugglescote, 5 miles S.E. by E. of Ashby-de la-Zouch, James Whetstone, Esii.i Spring Cottage Humberstone, 2§ miles E. by N. of Leicester, T. and T. T. Paget, Esqrs. Husband's Bosworth, (see Bosworth Husband's) Ibstock, 6 miles S.E. of Asbby-de-la-Zouch, Rev. C. Goddard, D.D., Rec- tory ; and S. Weston, Esq., Grange Kegworth Rectory, 6 miles N.W. of Loughborough, Rev. P. Eraser, M.A. Key ham, 6 miles E. by N. of Leicester, Thomas and R. D. Miles, Esqrs. Keythorpe Hall, 12 miles E. by S. of Leicester, Hon. Henry Wm. Wilson*f Kibworth Beauchamp Rectory, 6 miles N.N.W. of Market Harborough, Rev. E. S. Bathurst, M.A. SEATS IN LEICESTERSHIRE. 45 Kibworth Harcourt, 8^ miles S.S.E. of Leicester, J. B. Humfiey, Esq,^ Hall ; Rev. C. M. Hesilrige, M.A., and J. and W. Marriott, Esqrs. Kilby, 6^ miles S.S.E. of Leicester, William Draycott, Esq. Kilworth, (North) 5 miles E. of Lutterworth, Admiral A. Dobson ; Rev. T. Belgrave, M.A.,* Rectory ; and Richard Gough, Esq., Kilworth House Kilworth (South) Rectory, 5 ra. E. by S. of Lutterworth, Rev. Dr. Pearson* Kimcote Rectory, 3 miles N.E. of Lutterworth, Rev. Thomas Cox ^ Kirby Frith House, 3 miles W. of Leicester, Isaac Hodgson, Esq.* Kirkby Mallory Hall, 4 miles S.E. of Market Bosworih, Lady De Clifford Knighton Hall, 2 miles S. by E. of Leicester, {hunting box) Sir E. C. Har- topp, Bart., (see Gumlcy Hall) Knossington Rectory, 4 miles VV. of Oakham, Rev. J. Connor Langley Priory, 3 m. S. by W. of Castle Donington, J. Shakespeare, Esq. Langton (Church) Rectory, 4 m. N.ofHarborough,Rev.Thos. Hanbury,M.A. Laughton Rectory, 5 m. W. by N .of Harborough, Rev. W. C. Humfrey, M.A. Launde Abbey, 5 miles N.W. of Uppingham, Henry Dawson, Esq.*; and Mrs. Finch Simpson Leesthorpe Hall, 4^ miles S.S.E. of Melton Mowbray, A. Smith, Esq. Leicester Grange, 3^ miles W.S.W. of Leicester, VV. K. Walker, Esq. Leicester Frith House, 2 miles N.W. of Leicester, Mrs. L. Oldham Leire Rectory, 4 m. N. by W. of Lutterworth, Rev. H. K. Richardson, M.A. Lindley Hall, 4 miles W.N.W. of Hinckley, D. Heming, Esq. •^Lockington Hall, 7 miles N.W. of Loughborough, J. B. Story, Esq.* Loddington Hall, 5 miles W. of Uppingham, Charles C. Morris, Esq.*f Lowesby Hall, 10 miles E. by N. of Leicester, Sir F. G. Fowke, Bart.*f Lutterworth Rectory, 14 miles S. of Leicester, Rev. R. H. Johnson, M.A. Markfield Rectory, 7 miles N.W. of Leicester, Rev. James Coghlan, M.A. Measham,(Z> Woodgate, pariyli 5 tSt. Margaret (part of) parish, } with Bishop's Fee 3 •siSt. Martin's parish tSt. Mary's pariah ? South Fields Liberty 5^ Newarke (The) Liberty llSt. Nicholas's parish II White or Augustine Friars, ex.p. OTAL 10,636 1201 Houses in 1841. Inha- Uuiuha Build- bited. bited. ing. 997 218 30 99 6496 538 1139 560 176 341 42 103 47 2 12 626 42 199 74 22 69 5 175 35 ij3 49 4 300 Population, 1841. Males 2175 469 53 230 14,690 1358 2913 1122 382 727 127 24,24' Fe- 2433 523 67 236 16,094 1531 2927 1444 460 774 118 26,607 Total. 4608 992 120 466 30,784 2889 5840 2566 842 1501 245 50,853 .^^^ Thus it appears, that out of the 12,1^1 houses, when the census was taken, 300 were in course of erection, though 1201 were unoccupied, owing to a depression in trade, and an over-speculation in building. The number of houses in the borough, in 1821, was only 6627 ; but in 1831, they had increased to 8348. Of the 50,853 inhabitants, in 1841, no fewer than 9253 were returned as not bora in the county, and 27,707 were above 20 years of age. Of the latter, 12,878 were males, and 14,829 females. Of the»e adults, 774 were upwards of 70 years of age ; 139 upwards of SO ; and 12 upwards ox 90. There are now 12,673 houses ia. the borough, and they are rated to the poor at the following annual rents, viz., — 7322, at £5 and under ; 2899, at £10 ; 1397, at £20 ; 482, at £30 ; 232, at £40 ; 128, at £50 ; 132, at £60 to £100 ; and 21, at £1 10 to £180. * All S'awi* included 41 persons in the Borough House of Correction, t St. Margaret' sxetmn included 3] 9 persons in the Union IVorhhouse. Its parish includes also Knighton Chapelry, in Guthlaxton Hundred. § St. Martin's included 23 persons in the Borough Gaol. X St. Mary's parish includes the now populous Liberty of South Fields, and its return, in 1841, included 100 persons in the County Gaol; 110 in 'the County House of Correction ; 122 in the Infirmary ; and 1 18 ia the County Lunatic Asylum, II ffhite or Augustine Friars' return included Freak's Ground (13 souls,) New Parks (34 souls,) and New-Found Pool, all extra- parochial, though now, toge- ther with the Black Friars, annexed to St. Nicholas's parish. There were 4!i peroons in beats, on the Soar, when the census was taken. HISTORY OF LEICESTER. 51 1^^^ The number oi deaths in the borongli, in 1841, was 1358 ; and tlie num- ber of births, 197'2. The proportion of the former to the whole population was ai 1 to 38, and of the latter as 1 to 2G. VOTERS. — The number of burgesses enjoying ihe municipal franchise should be more than 7000, as every male househoLler rated to the poor is entitled to vote in the election of the members of the Town Council, for which purpose the borough is now divided into seven wards. The register of persons entitled to vote ill the election of the two Parliamentary Representatives of the borough, as revised in 1843, comprises an enumeration of 4007, of whom 1876 were freemen, iucluding about 450 non-residpnt. The remaindei consisted of 2045 entitled as occupiers of houses of the yearly value of ten pounds or upwards, and of 86 en- joying the parliamentary franchise in virtue of paying scot and lot, according to tue old chartered rights, which have not been abrogated by the Reform Act of 1832. The owners generally pay the rates and taxes levied on houses under the yearly value of £10, or the list oi scot and lot voters would be numerous ; but the tenants may claim to be rated, if they wish to obtain the franchise, which many of them, however, enjoy as freemen. Upwards of 520 freemen have also the £10 qualification, and are consequently registered in both lists, so that the total num- ber of voters is only about 3500. The Register of the " Ten Pound Lists," in 1843, comprises 8 in Castle J'iew ; 18, in St. Leonard's \ 17, in the Newarke ; :]S2, in St. Man/' s; 1444, in St. Margarefs ; 345, in St. Martin's; 102, in St. Nicholas's, (including the Black and Augustine Friars ;) and 127 in ^11 Saints parish. Leicester Union, which comprises the whole of the borough, will be noticed with the fForkhouse and the numerous Borough Charities, at subse- quent pages. ANCIENT HISTORY. Leicester, commonly pronounced Lester, was formerly variously written Lege-cestria, Legeocester, and Leger-ceaster, — all, probably, a corruption of Leircester, signifying a castle or city on the river Leir, now called /S'o/77' ; though the foundation of the town is traditionally ascribed to King Leir, or Lear, an ancient British king who lived at least eight centuries before the Christian era, and is said by ancient chro- niclers to have reigned sixty years, and to have been buried in the tem- ple of Janus, which he had built near the river, and in which his be- loved and only faithful daughter, Cordelia, is said to have been interred by his side. Tradition and poetry have each contributed to render the spot on which Leicester stands, rich in interest and fertile with romantic associations, but no gleam of authentic history sheds its light upon the town till after the invasion of the Romans, As these con- querors marched gradually from the south-east towards the central and northern parts of the island, they could not obtain possession of this county, till the intermediate places between it and the sea had been sub- jugated, and competent garrisons established. Having accomplished this and overpowered the Coritani, (that numerous tribe of the ancient Britons which occupied Leicestershire and adjacent counties,) they took possession of all the towns of that people, among which Leicester is said to have been the principal, and to have been called Rath, signi- fying a cleared space. In accordance with their custom of Latinizing the Celtic or British names of places, the Romans, after their conquest of this strong-hold, called it RatcB, and made it a stipendiary town, contributing a regular tax to the commander of the district. Camden considers Leicester the site of the Roman station Ratse or Ragce, (as it is sometimes called,) because it is near that part of the Roman FosS'ivay which answers to the distances of the Itinerary of Antoninus. Baxter is of opinion that, upon a Roman colony being settled at Liii- 52 BOMAN ANTIQUITIES. coin, Leicester became, until it was conquered, the chief city of the Coritani ; and for that reason it is called Rates- Corion in Revennas, and CoritanoTum in the Vatican. To illustrate the Roman history of this station, it will be necessary to notice some of the remains that have been found here, among which are many tessellated pavements, coins, urns, and other domestic and military relics, some of which are still preserved. One of them is a Milliary or Roman Mile-stone, which was found about two miles N. of the town, on the side of the Roman Foss-way, in 1771} and was removed by the Corporation in 1783 into Belgrave gate, where it was fixed upon a square pedestal, exposed to every species of injury that ignorance and wantonness choosed to exercise upon it, till its removal in 1844 to the Museum of the Literary and Philosophical Society. It is now 38 inches high, and 63 in cir- cumference. The inscription upon it was tolerably legible in 1781, when it was translated by Mr. Bray as follows, supposing the abbre- viations to be filled up : — Hadrian Trajaniis JugustuSy Emperor and Ccesar^ the Son of the most illustrious Trajan Parthius, in thejourth year of his reign, and his third Consulate. From liatae ( Leicester) two miles. If the Roman milliary stones were ever general in Britain, it is singular that so few have been preserved. Horsley only notices three, and says the one at Leicester is the most curious that has hi- therto been found, as it defines the station of Ratse, and contains the name of Hadrian, the earliest Roman Emperor recorded on any British inscriptions. Hadrian reigned in the early part of the second century, consequently this antique relic must have been set up, on the Foss-way, more than 1700 years ago. In different parts of the town, and at various periods, have been found •many Roman Coins, among which are several of Nero, Titus, Trajan, Dioclesian, Constantine the Great, Constantine junior, Constantius, Hadrian, Theodosius, Honorius, Valens, &c. Besides these, broken pottery, urns, jugs, and at least eleven pieces of Roman Pavp:ments, have been found here. In the cellar of Mr. Bolton's house, in High- cross street, is part of a Mosaic pavement, which was discovered in 1675. It is of an octangular form, about three feet in diameter, and consists of variegated tesserse, laid in cement, on a bed of oyster shells. The figures represent a stag, with a female naked figure resting against it, and before both is a figure with wings and a bow and arrow ; pro- bably intended for Cupid. Gilpin calls it a curious, but miserable piece of workmanship. In 1754, three other pieces of tessellated pave- ments were found in that part of the town called the Black Friars, These consisted of as many square compartments, ornamented with the guilloche border, engrailed fret, &c. Under. the parlour of a house in .Teivry ivall street, now occupied by Mr. Willey, is the only Roman pavement now exhibited to the public. It was discovered in sinking the cellar in 1830, and the part uncovered is nearly 18 feet square and five feet below the surface of the street. Where it is still unmutilated, it exhibits a regular pattern, divided into compartments with double borders, arranged in squares, circles, octagonal lorms, with diamonds, cinque foil, &c., in an uniform design ; and were it fully explored, it is no doubt extensive and splendid. The tessellse are very small, and consist of white, black, red, yellow, and two shades of slate or grey Btoues, or probably some artificial composition, embedded in a strong HISTORY OF LEICESTER. 53 ime cement, upon a bed of red clay or sand. The design seems laid out with almost mathematical correctness, and the colours are con- trasted with great effect. Whether it was the floor of a Roman man- sion or bath, or at what period it was covered up, and whence such a mass of covering was obtained, are facts long lost ; indeed, as more than fourteen centuries have elapsed since the Romans withdrew from Britain, the preservation of some of their works of art to the present time excites more astonishment than that their history and purpose should be now unknown. The Jkwry Wall, near the west end of St. Nicholas' church, is evidently the remains of a Roman structure, and is about 25 yards in length and five or six in height. It is about five feet thick, and is built in alternate courses of rag-stone and brick, with several dilapidated arches. The bricks or tiles are of the sort called *' Lydian," and are generally about 18 inches long, 10 or 12 broad, and \\ thick. Each course generally consists of three rows, and the mortar between each row is nearly as thick as the bricks themselves. The courses of stone are irregular, consisting sometimes of four or five rows of rough forest stone, in some places thrown carelessly into the mortar. The arches are turned entirely of tiles, bound together by masses of mortar. On the western side, now blocked up from public inspection, are two arches, or gateways, about nine feet wide and 14 high ; and on the other side, facing the church, are four arches of larger dimensions, with the re- mains of a niche between the two centre ones. This singular wall has attracted the attention and baffled the enquiries of many antiquarians; some considering it a remnant of a temple of the Roman Janus ; whilst others have described it as the Januay or great gateway to the Roman town. Throsby considered the latter as the more probable conjecture, and thought the road from the great gateway lay in a straight line up to the Foss-ivay^ near Danett's hill, passing over the old Bow bridge, which was a little below the present one. In August, 1844, a cottage, built against the south arch of the Jewry Wall, was taken down at the cost of a few parishioners, who were desirous that the most complete of the arches in this interesting ruin should be opened out to public view. At the east end of St. Nicholas' church, within a short distance of this wall, is the site of two small chapels, where great quantities of the bones of oxen, of large size, have been dug up, from which circumstance the spot has obtained the name of Holy Bones, and is supposed to have been a place of Pagan sacrifice. The common sewer of the Ro- man town was discovered half way between the Jewry Wall and the river in 1793. The Raw-dykes constitute another evidence that the site of Lei- cester was occupied by the Romans. They consist of two parallel banks of earth, which extend about 67 yards in length, at the distance of 15 yards from each other, in a north-easterly direction, behind the Aylestoue toll-gate, about two miles from the centre of Leicester. In 1760, they were about 630 yards in length ; but in 'that and subsequent years, all those parts lying nearest the town were almost levelled with the soil. The ridges were formerly about four yards in height, and eight feet broad at the top. Stukeley suggested that the Raw-dykes were the bounds of a British circus, and others have conjectured that they formed a Roman race-course, if not an encampment. The Roman E 2 54 HISTORY OF LEICESTER. military road, called the Foss-ivay^ which passed on the Western side of Leicester, from the Humber to Totuess, in Devonshire, is already noticed in the general survey of the county. Of Leicester during the Saxon Heptarchy, the history is vague and uncertain, though, from the concurring testimony of all writers, it was a place of considerable note from the departure of the Romans in the fifth, to the invasion of the Normans in the elevenJh century. Being nearly in the centre of the large Kingdom of Mercia, it must have participated in the barbarous wars that were constantly occurring during the incursions of the Picts, Scots, Danes, &c» From the Saxon annals, it appears that Ethelfrid, King of Northumbria, being an avowed enemy to Christianity, marched an army to Leicester, where he slew many of the inhabitants. It has been noticed that the Danes made themselves masters of the town, and kept possession of it for some time. Jowallensis relates that Ethelred, King of Mercia, and his Queen Elfreda,who was daughter of Alfred the Great, repaired the town, and rebuilt and enlarged the ivall, about the year 914. Matthew Paris, in his lesser History, says, *' Legercestria is a most wealthy ciiyi and encompassed with an indissoluble wall^ of which, if the foun- dations were strong and good, the place would be inferior to no city whatever." About 680, the See of Mercia, which had comprised the whole of that kingdom (of which Lichfield was the capital,) was divided into four separate bishoprics, of one of which Leicester was made the episcopal seat. The fourteen successive Bishops of Leicester are said to have been Ciithwen, Saocividfe, Wilfrid, Hedda, Aldwine^ Totta, Edherty Unuwna, JVerenbert, Rethun, Jldred, Aldre, Lewine, and Ceoldred. The last, after the irruption of the Danes, in 874, transferred his See to Dorchester, and it was united to Sidnacester in 970, and finally removed to Lincoln in IO7O. The Cathedral and Bishop's Palace are supposed to have stood on or near the site now occupied by St. Margaret's Church. The great importance of Leices- ter in the Saxon and the early part of the Norman era, is evident from its having a MINT, at which a regular succession of coinage was pro- duced, from the reign of Athelstan to that of Henry II. This mint stood near the North Bridge, and its governors, or 7nonetarii, were entitled to many privileges and exemptions. The Leicester coins of Athelstan and Edmund I. have only a rose, with a legend of the King's name, that of the moneyer, and Leicester. From Etheldred II., they bear the impress of the royal head and sceptre, with the same style of legend, as is shewn by the engravings of this series in Nichols' valuable work. ^ , . The following is a translation of that part of Domesday Book relating to Leicester, in' the reigns of Edward the Confessor and William the Con- queror:—" The city of Leicester, in the time of King Edward, paid yearly to the king thirty pounds by tale (every one of the value of tenpence,) and fifteen sexlaries of honey. When the king marched with his army through the land, twelve burgesses of that borough attended him. If the king went over sea' against the enemy, they sent four horses from that borough, as far as London, to carry arms, or such other things as circumstances required. At this time, King William has, for all rents from that city and county, forty-two pounds and ten shillings in weight. Instead of one hawk, he has ten pounds by tale ; and instead of a baggage, or sumpter horse, twenty gbillings. Of the mint-masters he has yearly twenty pounds, every ore of EARLS OF LEICESTER. 55 the value of twenty-pence. Of this twenty pounds, Hugh de Grentemaisnel has the third penny. The king has in Leicester thirty-nine houses. The Archbishop ot York, two houses, with sac and soe ; and they belong to Cherlintone. Earl Hugh has ten houses, which belong to Barhou, and six belonging to Cacheworde, and one house belonging to Locteburne. The Abbey of Coventreu has ten houses. The Abbey of Cruiland has three houses. From all which the king has his geld. I]ugh de Grentemaisnel has a hundred and ten houses and two churches ; besides these, he has, in common with the king, twenty-four houses in the same borough. In the same borough has the same Hugh two churches and two houses, and four houses decayed. The Countess Judith has in the same borough twenty- eight houses ; and from the moiety of a mill she has five shillings and four- pence. "Without the borough, she has six plough-lands belonging to the borough ; and she has there one plough, and her homagers three ploughs. There are eight acres of meadow, and a wood six furlongs long, and three broad. The whole is worth forty shillings." As an Earldom, Leicester dates from as early a period as most towns in England. Its last seven Sa^on Earh were Leofric, Algarus, Leo- fric 11., Algarus II., Leofstan Leofriclll., Algarus III., and Eadwin. The latter was also Earl of iMarch,and fled the kingdom, after fighting bravely with his brother the Earl of Northumberland, against the Nor- man invaders. As soon as William Duke of Normandy had gained the battle of Hastings, he set forth to take possession of the cities, boroughs, and principal towns of the kingdom, and to garrison them with his Norman followers. Oxford fell, Warwick next, and then Leicester. A vigorous stand was made here against the invaders ; the inhabitants fought stoutly, and a great part of the town was destroyed in the struggle for home and homestead. Having seated himself on the throne of England, by the sword, the Conqueror, in order to ensure the entire submission of the inhabitants, bnilt here, (as he did at all other important stations,) a Caitlfy or rather enlarged and more securely- fortified the old one, which had long been the residence of Saxon Earls of Leicester. The custody or wardenship of the castle, was given to Hugh-de-Grentemaisnel, who held the office and title of Vicecomes, or Viscount Leicester, Baron Hinckley, and High Steward of England, which had been attached, from early times, to the Earldom of Leicester. The town became a part of the royal demesne, and from its close proximity with the castle, it was involved in the issue of the contests that frequently arose from the caprice or ambition of the occupiers of that fortress. Soon after the death of William the Conqueror, Hugh de Grentemaisnel, who had indeed, revolted during the Conqueror's lifetime, took part with Robert, the Conqueror's eldest son, and thus brought upon himself, his castle, and the town, the vengeance of Wm. Rufus, who was in possession of the kingdom, and by whom the castle was nearly demolished, together with the church adjoining, and a con- siderable part of the town. Ivo de Grentemaisnel, (third son of Hugh,) after the death of Wm. Rufus, joined other powerful Barons, in iheir invitation of Robert Duke of Normandy to make a second attempt to seize the crown of England, which had passed to his younger brother, Llenry I, in 1101. By this act of rebellion, Ivo lost most of his estates, and the castle of Leicester. Robert de Bellomonte^ Earl of Mellent, in Normandy, having espoused the cause of Henry I., was created Earl of Leicester y III 1103, and immediately set about repairing the castle, 56 EARLS OF LEICESTER. where he chiefly resided, till his death, in 1118, when he was succeeded by his son Robert de Bossu. Like his father, this earl was very liberal to the town, hut hy his arrogant behaviour to the King, he often in- volved it in broils of war ; it being the practice, in those times, for the sovereign to revenge the ofiences of the discontented barons, on the places and people under their protection. Of this a remarkable instance took place in the reign of Henry II., when Robert Blanchmains, the third Earl of Leicester, leaguing with the King's son, in his unnatural rebellion, Leicester, the chief resort of the disaffected, stood ^ long siege. The Earl and his adherents were defeated near Bury St. Edmund's, in 1173, by the King's forces, under Richard Lucy, chief- justice of England. The Earl was taken prisoner; and the King's forces afterwards gaining possession of Leicester, fired it in several places, and overthrew by the force of engines, what the flames did not consume. The castle held out some time longer than the town, but the garrison was at length compelled to yield, and the fortress was laid in ruins. This almost complete destruction of Leicester has often been visible in the frequent discoveries of foundations of buildings and walls, many of them lying within the lines of the present streets. The Earl, however, regained the King's favour in 1177> and was restored to his estates, but both he and his son, Robert Fitz-Parnell^ engaging in the crusades, the town, though it had a Merchants' Guilds was but ill- rebuilt, and the castle remained many years in a state of dilapidation. Fitz-Parnell dying vv'ithout issue, in 1204, the earldom became extinct; but the Honor of Leicester passed to Simon de Montfort^ who was created Earl of Leicester, in J 206. His son, Simon, (one of the rebellious barons,) was slain at the battle of Evesham, in 1264, and being attainted, the Earldom and Honor were forfeited to the Crown, and conferred by Henry III., on his second son, Edmund Plantngenet, Earl of Chester, who was soon afterwards created Earl of Lancaster, He died in 1295, and was succeeded by his eldest son, Thomas, Earl of Lancaster, &c., who was, in his own right and that of his wife, possessed of six earldoms. He was of a factious and turbulent disposition, and was the chief in- stigator of the measures which led to the capture of Gaveston, the King's favourite, whom he caused to be beheaded, in 1312. He was taken by the King's forces, near Boroughbridge, in 1321, and after being treated with similar indignities to those he had inflicted on Gave- ston, he vv-as beheaded at his own castle of Pontefract. In 1327, his honors and estates were conferred on his brother ILc.nry^ who made Leicester his chief residence, and was buried there in 1345. His son Henry succeeded to the earldom, and was created Duke of Lancaster^ in 1351. The latter was called, by way of distinction, *'the good duke," and died in 1360, leaving only two daughters ; of whom Blanche, the survivor, married John Pkmtagenet, Earl of Richmond, (fourth «on of Edward III.,) popularly called John of Gaunt ^ who was created Duke of Lancaster, in 1362. Henry, the son of this renowned Duke, ascended the throne of England in 1399, and since then the Honor of Leicester has been held by the Crown, as part of the Duchy of Lancas- ter ; and the title of Earl of Leicester has, at various times, been con- ferred on families having no property here, being held by Sir Robert Dudley, from 1563 to 1588 ; by the Sydney family, from 1618 to 1743 ; and by Fiscount Coke, of Hoikham, Norfolk, from 1744 to 1759. In HISTORY OF LEICESTER. 57 1784, George Townshend, son and heir of Viscount Townshend, was created " Earl of the County of Leicester^' which is now held as a secondary title, by the Marquis Toumshend^ of Staffordshire, whose eldest son is in courtesy called Earl of Leicester. In 1837, that vrealthy commoner and eminent agriculturist, Thos lf^m» Cokey Esq.y of Holkham, Norfolk, was created Earl of Leicester and Viscount Cokey of Holkhaniy — titles which had been extinct since the death of his uncle, in 1759. He died in 1842, in his 89th year, and was suc- ceeded by his eldest son, Thos. Wra. Coke, the present Earl. Several monastic institutions and colleges were founded in Leicester, in the 12th, 13th, and 14th centuries, as will be seen at subsequent pages. The Jobber/ was founded by Robert Bossu, the second Norman Earl of Leicester, in 1143, and he, and several of the succeeding Earls and Countesses, were buried within its walls. An Assembly of Barons was held at Leicester, in 1201, at the commencement of that great movement which was associated with the obtainment oi Magna Charta. A few years afterwards, the borough received from King John, (an oc- casional visitor at the castle,) a confirmation of its right to hold a separate jurisdiction from the county. In 1224, a second assembly of the Barons was held here ; and in 1228, the right to hold a fair was jjranted. In 1294, a burgess was sent to represent the borough in Parliament, for the first time. The overthrow of the celebrated Simon de Montforty Earl of Leicester, and his compatriots, in 1265, was followed, as has just been seen, by his attainder and the forfeiture of his possessions. After the transfer of the Honor of Leicester to the Earls of Lancaster, the town continued to rise in importance and prosperity. Another grant of a fair was made in 1305, and a gaol was built in 1309. Under Henry Earl of Lancaster, and the two succeeding Dukes of Lan- caster, the castle was restored with much splendour. Richard II., and his Queen passed through Leicester, and rested at the Abbey, in 1385 and 1388. Constantia, Duchef^s of Lancaster, and Mary de Bohun, mother of Henry V., were interred in the Collegiate Church of the Newarke, in 1394 ; and an adjourned Parliament was held here in 1399, when Henry, Duke of Lancaster, succeeded to the crown as Henry IV. In the fifteenth century, the borough continued to flourish, and a Parlia- ment was held here in 1414, at which a statute against heretics and Lollards was enacted. A second sitting was also held in the same year, in which the law for the suppression of Alien Priories, was passed. Twelve years afterwards, the famous *^ Parliament of Bats y'' so called because the members, being forbidden to wear swords or weapons, came armed with staves and bludgeons, assembled in Leicester. A fifth meeting of the legislative body took place here, in 1450, owing to the insalubrity of the air of Westminster, at that period. Justices of the peace were first appointed for Leicester, in 1464, by Edward IV., who was met here, in 1471, by 3000 armed men, with whom he went against the Earl of Warwick, the last of the refractory Barons, then in Coven- try, with 7000 soldiers. For the services rendered by the burgesses, on this occasion, Edward IV. granted them £20 yearly for twenty years ; and in 1473, he granted them another fair, to be held in May. Though the town prospered, the castle appears to have been neglected after it fell into the hands of royalty, and was so far decayed in the time of Richard III., that he chose rather to sleep at an inn, on the 58 HISTORY OF LEICESTER. evening before his death, at the Battle of Bosworth Field, rather than occupy the royal apartments in the castle. On the 21st of August, 1485, that treacherous and ill-fated monarch arrived here after sun-set, at the head of his army, mounted on a large white courser, and arrayed and accoutred with much pomp and splendour. He slept that night at the Blue Boar, then the principal inn in the town, and departed next morning, with a stern countenance, in which marks of indignation and revenge were strongly pourtrayed. His hod}" was brought from the field of battle, and interred in the Grey Friais' Church, after being ex- posed for two days, at the Town-Hall, then situated at one end of Blue Boar lane. His successor, Henry VII., terminated the wars of the rival houses of York and Lancaster, by marrying the heiress of the former. These contentions, popularly called the IVars of the Roses ^ (white and red,) had, for a long period, deluged the country in blood, but were ultimately productive of beneficial consequences, by depressing the power of the barons, and establishing a regular Government on the ruins of feudal anarchy. In 1530, as will be seen at a subsequent page. Cardinal Wolsey, after he had lost the King's favour, rested and died at Leicester Ab- bey ; and about nine years afterwards, that and most other monastic institutions here and in other parts of the kingdom, were suppressed by Henry VI IL, and the remainder were dissolved in the reign of his son, Edward VL The former granted two additional fairs, to be held in June and at Christmas ; and in his reign, one of the representatives of the borough in Parliament, was elected by 4;he mayor and his brethren, and the other by the commonalty of the town. When Queen Mary ascended the throne, she attempted to suppress the Reformed Re • ligion, and re-establish the Roman Catholic faith ; and we find that, in June, 1 hh^, Thomas Moore was huyni at the stake^ in Leicester, because he denied that the bread and wine used in the sacrament, were really the body and blood of Christ. John Jackson and a merchant's servant are said to have been burnt here for the same offence, about the same time. A tempest, in 1563, unroofed 411 bays, or projecting gables and windows of houses, in the town. In 1573, Queen Elizabeth sold all the materials of St. Peter's Church for .£35, to the Corporation, in consideration of their building a new grammar school, and bringing a conduit of water to the town. About fourteen years afterwards, the I'own Hall, near St, Martin's Church, was built, and a festival was held in commemoration of the defeat of the Spanish Armada. This annual repast was continued till the Municipal Reform of 1835, under the name of the Venison Feast, The Corporation obtained a charter from Queen Elizabeth, in 1587, ^^^ ^ confirmatory grant in 1599. Among many similar evidences of the moral and mental degradation of the people of England so late as the 16th and 17th centuries, are the burning of AI other Cook, in the latter part of the former, and of nine poor womejiy on the 18th of July, 1616, at Leicester, under the super- stitious delusion that they were ivitches. The Queen of James T., and Prince Henry, visited the town in 1603, and slept at Sir William Skipworth's. The King and Prince were herein 1612, and the former was here again in 1613, when he slept at the Earl of Huntingdon's house, in High street. In 161/, Leicester was made a staple toivn for buying and selling wool. The misguided and HISTORY OF LEICESTER. 59 unfortunate Charles I. visited Leicester, and stayed here from the 22ud to the 2jth of July, 1642, when preparations were in active pro- gress for the turbulent and destructive wars between hiin and Parlia- ment, which disturbed the kingdom nearly seven years, and ended with his own decapitation, and the subversion of mon ircliy and episcopacy. He attended divine service at St. Martin's church, where a throne was placed for his accommodation. In the early part of this year, the King left London for York, where he determined to support his authority by arms, and issued a commission of array to the respective counties, and appointed Lord- Lieutenants and persons of distinction in each, to array, train, and muster the people. This was followed by a procla- mation, requiring all men who could bear arms to meet him at Not- tingham, on the 25th of August, when he would set up the Royal Standard. In reply to the speech delivered by his Maj<'sty at Leices- ter, during his visit in July, the town expressed its sorrow for his long estrangement from his Parliament, but offered no show of favour to either party; and the Grand Jury would give up the County Maga- zine, only under the promise that the arms and other stores should be distributed throughout the county, to the several Ilimdreds. The Royal Standard was erected at Nottingham, on the evening of the 25th of August, in the presence of the King, who is said to have spent the morning of that day at Leicester Abbey, then the residence of the Countess of Devon. Next day, Prince Rupert^ (the King's nephew,) and Colonel Hastings, and the head of the advanced guard of the Royal Army, surprised the Earl of Stamford's house, q,t Bradgate Park, where they carried off a great quantity of arms and ammunition, after destroying much of the furniture, and threatening the household. The whole tody of the King's horse was shortly after pushed forward towards Leicester, and on the 5th of September arrived at Quenibo- roughy which was for some time the head quarters of this division of the army. From this village, Prince Rupert sent a letter to the Mayor of Leicester, dated Sept. 6th, demanding that he should forthwith send him, for the service of the royal cause, £2000, or in default thereof, his troops would on the morrow appear before the town, in such a pos- ture as would make him know it was '* more safe to obey than to resist his Majesty's command." The authorities sent in all haste to Not- tingham, to crave an exemption from this demand ; and on the 8th, they received a letter of exemption from the King, but before its arri- val, Prince Rupert had succeeded in extorting £500 from the Cor- poration. Soon after establishing his head quarters at Leicester, Rupert was summoned with the whole of his cavalry to join the king, then march- ing towards Shrewsbury. The Earl of Essex, commander-in-chief of the army of the Parhament, at the same time left Northampton on his way to Worcester ; thus, many great battles were fought in the west and north of England before Leicester became the scene of any of the desperate conflicts of this unhappy period. Before the close of 1642, a committee of 21 members, including the Mayor of Leicester, was ap- pointed to levy men, horses, arms, and ammunition, for the use of the Parliament, in the Associated Counties of Leicester, Derby, Notting- ham, Buckingham, and Bedford. In April, 1643, a commission was issued for sequestrating the estates of notorious delinquents, as tha i 60 SIEGE OF LEICESTEE. royalists were called by their opponents. At the beginning of the year, Belvoir Castle had been seized and fortified for the king, and Newark- upon-Trent was soon afterwards secured by the royalists, to prevent communication between the parliamentarian troops under Fairfax, in. Yorkshire, and those under the Earl of Manchester, at Lincoln. Col, Hastings having received from the King at Oxford, a commission of Col. -General of Leicestershire, marched to Ashby-de-la-Zouch, and maintained his position there with such determined zeal and valour, that in October, the same year, he was created Baron Hastings of Lough- borough^ by royal patent. To guard against his plundering excursions, which were sometimes carried to the very walls of Leicester, garrisons were established by Lord Grey (son of the Earl of Stamford), in Leices- ter Abbey and at Bagworth ; and the people in the surrounding villages were furnished with arms and ammunition, to defend themselves in their churches upon any sudden emergency. Strong outposts were also stationed at Thurnby and Kirby Bellers, as some protection against the parties of horse constantly issuing from Belvoir and Newark. Early in 1644, a large combined force, detached from the parliamen- tarian garrisons in Derby and Leicestershire, assembled at Melton Mowbray, and marched for the siege of Newark, which, however, was not taken till the following year. Whilst the garrisons of Leicester- shire were thus weakened by the withdrawal of so many troops. Col. Hastings made many predatory excursions from his stronghold at Ashby; but one of his parties of cavalry was surprised at Hinckley, and driven out of the town with considerable loss. In November, Lord Beau- mont's house at Coleorton was strongly fortified, and not only caused Col. Hastings' cavalry to keep closer quarters, but on one occasion, its troops pursued them and beat them into the tower at Ashby. In Feb., 1645, Leicestershire was the scene of two more serious conflicts than had yet taken place in the county. Sir M armaduke Langley having been sent with 2500 cavalry to throw supplies into Newark, found his way obstructed between Leicester and Harborough by 800 dragoons, who were routed with considerable loss, after a determined resistance. On their further advance, the royalists were met near Melton Mow- bray, by Col. Rossiter, at the head of 3000 horse and dragoons. The royalists having had time to cover their flanks with their baggage wag- gons, sustained the repeated charges of the enemy, till the latter drew off and suffered them to continue their march to Belvoir, after a loss of 300 killed and wounded on both sides. In the anticipation of a Siege, great exertions were now made to strengthen the fortifications and garrison at Leicester; arms and am- munition were sent, by Parliament, from London ; the line of defence which, in the compass of three miles, surrounded the town, was care- fully examined and improved ; the tradesmen were ordered to close their shops ; and the Mayor made out a list of 900 townsmen capable of bearing arms. In addition to these, the garrison only comprised about 1100 regular troops and 150 recruits from the country. Colonel Grey was the governor, and was assisted in the command of the gar- rison by Col. Sir Robert Pye, Col. Vermuyden, and Lieut.-Col. Whit- brooke. The royalists were now drawing their forces in the midland counties towards Leicester. On the 28th of May, the King left Ashby, and marched through Coleorton to Grace dieu Abbey, the seat of Sir HISTORY OP LEICESTER. 61 Thos. Beauxnont, and thence to Cotes, where he halted at Sir Harry Skipwith's. A considerable portion of his army had reached Lough- borough on the 27th, and an advanced guard of 2000 pushed forward almost to the walls of Leicester, and were joined the next morning by Sir M. Langley, at the head of the main body of the royal cavalry. Their advanced picquets were repeatedly driven back by the Leicester cavalry, under ISIajor Innes, Capt. Babington, and Lieut. Davis, and pursued as far as Belgrave bridge. During these skirmishes, several prisoners were made on both sides, and the besiegers were prevented from preparing their batteries. On the following day (May 29th,) the main body of the royal infantry approached Leicester in three divisions, and in the afternoon, the King and Prince Rupert arrived at Ayle- stone. In the meantime the besieging army, being stationed on all sides of the town, began to bring down their cannons towards the weak- est parts of the fortifications, which are said to have been pointed out by some townsmen who had escaped to the enemy's camp. Part of the royal troops endeavoured to make a lodgement in some of the houses near St. Sunday's bridge, but a body of volunteers sallied over the bridge, and, after dislodging them, set the houses on fire. During the night, the royalists laboured vigorously at their battery opposite the South Bridge, notwithstanding a heavy fire of musketry and cannon di- rected at them from the town. Before daybreak, the battery was com- pleted, and mounted with heavy guns. In the morning (May 30,) Prince Rupert, after discharging two heavy pieces of ordnance against the walls, despatched a trumpeter into the town, offering pardon to the Mayor and Burgesses, on condition of an immediate surrender; but this was refused, after some consideration, though it was not probable that so small a garrison could long withstand the besiegers, whose forces amounted to more than 10,000. About three o'clock, Rupert gave orders for commencing a furious cannonade and fire of musketry against the town. The stone wall of the Newarke, in the space of three hours, was so shattered that it offered a breach of considerable breadth to the assailants. Whilst part of the garrison was busily employed in returning the enemy's fire, others, assisted by the women of the town, were actively engaged in throwing up a breastwork of woolsacks, &c., within four or five yards of the wall. For six hours after the breach had been considered practicable, the firing was continued on both sides, and during the whole time the royalists were preparing for a general assault. At midnight, the storm was announced l3y a discharge of the whole of the besiegers' artillery at the same moment ; and a simulta- neous assault was made on all sides of the town ; but the principal points of attack were the breach in the Newarke, the horn-work before Belgrave gate, and the defences at G alio wtree gate and near St. Mar- garet's church. The breach at the Newarke was bravely defended through five determined attacks, in one of which. Col. St. George ven- tured so close upon a loaded gun that he fell nearly at the cannon's mouth. The attacks on other parts of the fortifications were more suc- cessful, although the first efforts of the royalists, in an attempted esca- lade, were repulsed with great loss. On the second attack on the horn- work before Bel grave- gate, such a quantity of hand grenades was poured in, that the defenders were obliged to abandon it. On possess- ing themselves of this post, the royalists let down the draw-bridge, and F 62 SIEGE OF LEICESTER. gave admission to the Earl of Northampton's horse. Nearly at the same time, Gallowtree-gate and several other entrances were carried, and, by half-past one o'clock, the defenders were driven from every part of the fortifications except the Newarke; but the garrison and townspeople having retired to the Market place, continued the struggle nearly an hour longer. Here the royalists had to win their ground step by step, and were much annoyed by the fire from the windows, and the stones and tiles thrown from the tops of the houses, in which the women are said to have taken an active part. The Newarke was still defended by about 600 men, who, finding further opposition useless, consented to surrender themselves prisoners of war, on the condition of personal safety and exemption from being plundered. At their first entrance into the town, the royalists refused quarter to all they came in contact with, and in one house, every person, without respect to sex or age, was slain, because several dragoons had been shot from its windows ; but in this they only followed the example of the parliamentarians at Wexford and some other places. "The conquerors," says Clarendon, " pursued their advantage with the usual license of rapine and plunder, and miser- ably sacked the whole town, without any distinction of persons or places. Churches and hospitals, as well as the houses, were made a prey to the greedy soldiers, to the exceeding regret of the King." It is said that no less than 140 waggon loads of goods, constituting the most valuable spoils of Leicester, were sent off to Newark. Many of the town records were destroyed, and for a time the charters were lost, as well as the seal and mace of the corporation. The number slain on both sides during the siege was upwards of 700, and among them were many officers. Mr. Palmer and Mr. Brown, two Independent minis- ters, both fell in the defence of the town. After appointing Lord Hastings governor of Leicester, with a garrison of 1200, the King, with the rest of his army, proceeded on his original design of relieving Oxford. After his departure, his soldiers set fire to the Abbey, which had been his residence for two days after the siege ; and the garrison set about repairing the fortifications with all haste. The news of the fall of Leicester caused great excitement in Lon- don, where the Corporation petitioned Parliament forthwith to march a sufficient force for its recovery. With this view. Sir Thomas Fair- fax's army left the siege of Oxford. The battle of Naseby, where the royalists were routed with great loss, followed, and the wreck of the royal army entered Leicester, closely pursued by the parliamenta- rians. The King passed through the town on the same day, continu- ing his flight to Ashby-de-la-Zouch ; and General Sir Thos. FairfaoCy advancing by Great Glen and Oadby, appeared before Leicester on the 16th of June, the town having, on the preceding night, been invested on all sides by his cavalry, under ihe command of CromivelL As the wall of the Newarke had been but imperfectly repaired, a second breach was soon effected, while Fairfax began to collect ladders, carts, and hand-grenades, in full view of the garrison, as an intimation of his intention to attempt the place by storm. Leicester, however, was for- tunately spared the horrors of a second assault. Lord Hastings, after making some shew of defence, sent out a trumpeter, desiring permission to treat for the surrender of the town. After a night spent in negotiation, it was agreed that the garrison should be allowed to HISTORY OF LEICESTER. 63 withdraw on the following morning, (June 18th,) with only staves in their hands, to Lichfield. The military spoils acquired by Parliament on the evacuation of the town by tlie royalists, comprised 2000 stand of arms, 500 horses, 14 pieces of cannon, 30 colours, and an abundance of ammunition and other stores. Fairfax, after this success, pursued his march rapidly to the west, but blockaded the garrison at Ashby by a division under Col. Needham, who was provisionally appointed go- vernor of Leicester for the Parliament. Ashby surrendered in the following March, but its garrison were allowed to march out, with loaded muskets, to Bridgenorth. Belvoir Castle, which had stood a long siege, capitulated in the preceding month, and the cause of King Charles was now considered hopeless in this and many other counties. The battle of Marston Moor, in Yorkshire, fought July 2nd, 1645, sealed the fate of the royal cause ; and in the follovnng year, the King surrendered to the Scots, who, after keeping him a prisoner in the north about four months, basely transferred him to the hands of his enemies. He passed through Leicester, as a captive, in 1647, on his way to London* where he was beheaded January 30th, 1649. Lord Grey, of Groby, was one of the judges who sat at his trial, and a peti- tion was sent to the House of Commons, from the committee, gentry, and other inhabitants of Leicestershire, ** darkly, but by no means feebly," advocating the decapitation of the fallen monarch, against whom many false accusations were brought, to justify the regicidal act which his inveterate enemies then in power were bent upon. Among those who signed his death warrant, were Lord Grey, Peter Temple, and Colonel Hacker; but Sir Arthur Haselrig, though nominated as one of the judges, took no part in the trial. During the Commomcealth^ in which Cromwell reigned under the name of Protector, the asperities of party feeling both in politics and religion, were the sources of much discord and discontent ; and the Puritans, sometimes in ridicule of the ordinance cf baptism, led asses before the altars of the churches. After the death of Cromwell, Lei- cestershire hailed with satisfaction and assurances of fidelity, the re- storation of Charles 11.^ who was not long in raising monarchy and episcopacy to their former splendour. In 1682, the borough charter was surrendered to the King, but was restored by James II., in 1688. The custom of putting culprits to death by burning^ was continued here so late as 1684, when a woman was burnt for murdering her hus- band at Ibstock. The eighteenth century was a happy era in the his- tory of Leicester, for in it the town made considerable progress in its staple manufacture, (introduced in 1680,) and in the foundation of schools and charitable institutions, as will be seen at subsequent pages, though its peace from 1750 to 1816 was sometimes disturbed by violent contested elections, machine-desiroying mobs, and provision riots. In \'] 09 y ihe Conduit, which supplied the inhabitants freely with water, was rebuilt. The Eoccliange was built in 1 747. The first coach from Leicester to London commenced running in 1774, and the first TwazY in 1785. The former was drawn by six horses, and the passengers slept two nights on the road, at Northampton and Dunstable. In the early part of the 19th century, Leicester, like all other manufacturing towns, suffered severely from the exhausting and paralysing effects of the Wars of the French Revolution, and other political evils, which 64 HISTORY OF LEICESTER. brought about great depressions of trade, low wages, dear provisioiij?^ and increased taxation. In February, 1811, such was the depressed state of the hosiery trade, that large numbers of half famished work- men were reduced to pauperism ; and in the following month, several meetings were held, at which many of the framework knitters resolved to organise themselves with those of Nottingham and other places, for the purpose of advancing wages, and destroying such improved ma- chinery as they supposed injurious to manual labour. They now held secret midnight meetings^ in various parts of the county, attended by delegates from other districts, and attributed most of their distress to> the introduction of wide machines, in some of which several stockings were woven at one time ; and in many others, shapeless pieces were ex- tensively made for the low priced stockings called cut ups. Bands of tbem often prowled about in the night, to destroy the obnoxious frames and machines ; and they were so disguised, and organized in bonds of secrecy, that very few of them were brought to justice, compared with , their great numbers and the vast amount of property which they de- stroyed. The system on which they acted was called Luddism, and they themselves were called Luddites, an appellation which well suited their character, as it is said to have been derived from one Ludlara, aii ignorant youth of Leicestershire, who, when ordered by his father, a framework knitter, to " square his needles," took his hammer and beat them into a heap. Their destructive operations were repeated at inter- vals from 1811 to 1817, in which period more than a thousand stocking frames, and a great number of lace machines, were destroyed in Not- ' tinghamshire, and the damage in Leicestershire and Derbyshire was perhaps of about the same amount. In 1813, no fewer than 18 Luddites^ some of whom were guilty of murder and arson, were hung at York* In March, 1812, an Act of Parliament was passed, making it death to break a stocking frame, and, in the same month, seven Luddites were transported from Nottingham. The leaders of these deluded men, in the different districts, bore the popular name of Ned Lud. Many of them were tried at Leicester, in 1816 and 1817, and afterwards executed (six- at one time,) on the drop in front of the County House of Correction. Since then, the miserably remunerated fi^amework knitters have occa- sionally resorted to more sensible and legitimate measures in their en- deavours to better their condition, and, in 1819, those in Leicester and the neighbourhood formed themselves into a Society or Union, in which those who were employed contributed to the support of the unemployed, in order to prevent the ruinous decline in wages, which had fallen nearly one-half since 1815. In this work they were assisted by the contributions of the benevolent, to the amount of more than ^63000, as well as by loans of money, and the advice and assistance of many of the principal manufacturers and other inhabitants. About the close of 1823, trade was so much improved that in a few months there was not a man out of employ, and the '^ Framework Knitters'' Society''^ was dissolved, after having distributed, during a period of four years, no less than £16,182 among the unemployed. Unfortunately, though more goods have been made in Leicester than formerly, the wages of the framework knitters have declined from year to year, till they have dwindled to an average of 5s. per week, after deducting frame rents and other " shop charges ;" but some expert hands can earn more than double that amount. FRAMEWORK KNITTERS. 65 Tn 1843, a Petition^ signed by upwards of 2b ^0^^ framework knitters of Leicestershire, Nottinghamshire, and Derbyshire, was presented to the House of Commons, praying for an inquiry into their distressed condition, arising from the low rate of wages ; the enormous exactions for frame-rent, &c. ; the prevalence of the " truck system ;" and the manufacture of spurious articles, called " cut-ups," &c. In Feb., 1844, her Majesty issued a Commission^ appointing R. M. JMuggeridge, Esq., to inquire into their grievances. In the course of this commissioner's laborious inquiry, he examined a great number of workmen and mas- ters, and elicited a considerable body of information, which has been published in his copious report ; from which it appears that the average clear weekly earnings of the frame-work knitters, in 27 parishes, in this and adjoining counties, varies from 4s. to 8s. : — Hinckley being only 5s. 3d.; Bosworth, 4s. Gd.; Ibstock, 4s.; and Sheepshead, 5s. Gd. lu Leicester, those employed upon what are termed season fabrics, are much better remunerated, one class earning from 9s. to 12s., and others from 12s. to upwards of 20s. per week, but, during a great part of the year, they are generally only half employed. The heaviest grievance complained of in this inquiry was i\\^ frame rents^ which vary from Is. to 3s. per week on frames that may be bought second-hand at from «£ 4 to £12, and the full week's rent is charged when only half employed. Many of the framesraiths, and also persons not otherwise connected with the trade, let frames to hosiers and to middle-men^ or master frame- work knitters, who rent or own several frames, and employ journeymen to work up the materials which they receive from the manufacturers. To prevent the frauds to which the journeymen are often subject, the masters are now compelled, by an Act of Parliament, passed in 1845, to supply them with tickets^ stating the warehouse prices of the differ- ent kinds of work. It was also stated that some of the middle masters and bag-hosiers (small manufacturers) either directly or indirectly compel the journeymen to take most of their wages in stuff, notwith- standing the Acts of Parliament, passed in 1832 and previous years, to enforce the payment of wages in money. This truck system is con- fined chiefly to the manufacturing villages, and, having been much checked of late years, we trust it will soon be extinct, as it is highly injurious to the money paying masters and the shopkeepers, as well as the workmen at large. The HOSIERY MANUFACTURE, as already noticed, is the staple trade to which Leicester owes its prosperity, and the encrease of its population, during the j)resent century, from iG,900 to upwards of 52,000 souls. Of this branch of British industry Leicester may now be considered the principal seat, especially of worsted hose and fancy articles, there being more stocking frames in Leicestershire than in any other county. The Stocking Frame was invented in 1589, by the Rev. fVm, Lee, of Calverton, Nottinghamshire, who, beintj- a poor curate with a large family, and observing that his wife was obliged to spend much of her time in knitting, is said to have been prompted to attempt the invention of a machine, which would enable her to devote more at- tention to other parts of her household affairs. He took his machine to London, to sohcit the patronage of Queen Elizabeth, but the science of political economy was then so little understood, that the invention, notwithstanding its acknowledged ingenuity and utility, was discoun- F 2 66 HOSIERY MANUFACTtfRE. tenanced, on the humane principle that its adoption would tend to throw out of employment great numbers of those artisans whose subsistence depended on the knitting of stockings. Mr. Lee subsequently, at the invitation of Henry IV., King of Fiance, settled at Rouen, and had made preparations for establishing a manufactory there, when the King was murdered, and all his hopes of success were overturned. He af- terwards died of grief at Paris, and his few surviving workmen returned to England, and, under the direction of one Aston, a miller at Thoro- ton, in Nottinghamshire, who had improved Mr. Lee's machine, com- menced the manufacture. Charles IL granted the stocking makers of London a charter, (wiiich Cromwell had refused,) giving them some exclusive privileges, and a jurisdiction ten miles round, but the com- pany was dissolved some years afterwards, through the unfavourable issue of an action at law against a stocking maker at Nottingham. In 1680, a perton named Alsop, from Northamptonshire, came to Leices- ter, and commenced stocking-making in a house at or near the North - gate. By his means, the knowledge of the manufacture was extended to his apprentices (Saml. Walker and Saml. Wright,) and was gradu- ally diffused through the town and neighbourhood, from the profit at- tached to it ; though the frames met with much opposition from the knitters, and for some years were obliged to be worked secretly, in cel- lars and other obscure places. In 1773, the workmen of the neighbour- ing villages assembled for the purpose of breaking a frame, which had been much improved by some ingenious mechanic; and in 1787, another mob collected for the purpose of destroying a spinning machine. The family of Pougher was the first that made much progress in the manu- facture. The original salesmen went out to obtain orders with horses, carrying panniers containing the hose. In 1712, Alderman Cowper stated that 20,000 tods of wool were then worked up yearly; em- ploying in town and country, about 1000 hands to sort, comb, and dye; 6000 to spii, double, and throw; and 6000 to weave, seam, and dress up. Deering, in his History of Nottingham, published in 1751, says, no town came into competition with Leicester, at that period, for the quantity of goods produced; though the best goods were made at Nottingham. In 1^92, there were upwards of seventy hosiers in Leicester, who employed about 3000 frames in the town and surrounding villages ; — a stimulus having been given to the manufac- ture by the spinning machine, invented by Mr. Joseph Brookhouse, about 1785, before which time all worsted was spun by hand, in a similar way with flax, on the domestic wheel. In 1831, it was esti- mated there were 6000 frames in Leicester; and, in 1812, it was cal- culated there were 2600 in Nottingham, 2000 in Leicester, 1500 in Hinckley, and 900 in Sheepshead. The total number of stocking fraw.es in the United Kingdom was estimated, in 1669, at 660; in 1714, at 8000; in 1753, at 14,000; in 1782, at 20,000; in 1812, at 29,590; in 1832, at 33,000; and in 1844, at 48,482. The 7iumber in Leicestershire, in 1812, was estimated at 9083 ; in 1832, at 11,200; and in 1844, at 20,861. In the latter year, there were 16,382 in Not- tinghamshire, 6797 in Derbyshire, 930 at Tewkesbury, 2605 in Scot- land, 265 in Ireland, and the remainder were in small numbers in various parts of England. The total number of ivide frames now in the counties of Leicester, Nottingham, and Derby, is 8470; but in 1832 HOSIERY MANUFACTURE. 67 there were only 6030 in the United Kingdom. Of the frames now in Leicestershire, 1 1,457 are employed in making ivorsted, Inmbs* -ivool^ and merino liosiery ; Gi)33 in ujaking cotton goods ; and 104 in making silk gloves. In Nottinghamshire, the worsted branch employs only 61, but the cotton 12,440, and the silk 2094. The ultimate results of the Hosiery trade in this kingdom, as shewn in a tabular statement in 1844, are to turn imported raw materials, and those of home growth, of the collective value of £705,900, into the selling value of £2,562,713; but as only £304,880 worth of materials are imported, the real gain to the country in this year, by this trade, was, in wages and profit, £2,257,833. Employment is aftbrded, including those engaged in preparing the wool and yarn, and those who finish, make-up, and sell the articles, to about 100,000 ; but, as to many of the seamers and winders, it is supplementary to their domestic engagements, being often the wives or children of the frame-work knitters, whose individual wages (see page i!>5y) are so low that most of those who have families, are obliged to set their children to work at a very early age, and suffer them to grow up in gross ignorance, except what instruction they may receive at Sunday schools. The declared value of British hosiery eoo- ported\\\ 1814, '15, and '16, averaged £1,156,022 per annum; whilst the average for the ten years from 1834 to 1843, was only £410,408; though 147,507 dozen pairs of worsted stockings were exported in 1843, and only 100,630 in 1814. The condition of the frame- work knitters, and other workmen and labourers in many parishes, is somewhat alleviated by the introduction of the j4llotment System^ under the patronage of land-owners and other principal inhabitants. W. Biggs, Esq., is president of the Leicester Allotment Society, which has 860 members, who rent and cultivate 100 acres by spade husbandry. The benefits of- this system were greatly extended in the borough in 1845, by the conversion of a large portion of the Freemen'' s Piece into upwards of 1400 garden allotments, in- stead of keeping the whole in pasturage. The prices paid for weaving hosiery have been reduced from 30 to 40 percent, since 1815, as shewn by tables in Mr. Muggeridge's Report, from which it appears the reduc- tion per dozen pairs in some of the principal articles is as follows: — Women's 24-guage worsted stockings, 104 leads wide, from 7s. 6d. to 4s. 6d. ; maid's cotton hose, 30-guau:e, from 15s. to 8.-^. 6d.; men's ditto, from 19s. to 12s. 6d. ; and men's 48-guage, from 51s. to 31s. 9d. Not- withstanding this great reduction, the hosiery manufacturers of Saxony are enabled to undersell the British manufacturers in foreign countries, and are said to have exported 1,500,000 dozen pairs of stockings to the United States alone, in 1843, when the British hose exported to all parts of the world only amounted to 479,621 dozens. In some of the northern dales of Yorkshire, near Hawes and Dent, the primitive ma- nufacture Qi knit ivorsted hosiery is still carried on, and as low as 3|d. is paid there for knitting and scouring a pair of men's stockings. At present tliere are in Leicester and the surrounding villages about 10,000 frames, employed in the manufacture of Worsted, Lambs'-wool, Me- rino, Angola, and {^Si\\(^T stockings^ shirts^ drawers^ socks ^ and caps; about 2000 in making gloves and mitts ; and 750 machines in the pro- duction of Fancy Hosiery,— a branch of trade that has sprung up almost entirely within the last thirty years, and includes in its lits of 68 HISTORY OF LEICESTER. articles nearly 1400 different specimens for use and ornament; — the principal of which are crava/s, shaivlSy scarfs^ dresses for cldldren^ muffs and hoots for infants^ braces^ mitts ^ boas^ S^c.^ <^c. This im- portant branch now gives employment to more than 7000 persons ; many of the articles being knitted by women and children in the vil- lages, but the greater part are made by machinery in the town. The sewing and seaming of the articles made by machinery furnishes em- ployment to a great number of females in the town. There are also employed in fancy hosiery about 500 stocking frames, which have been adapted for the purpose, by various alterations and the inventions that have been applied to them. In the same branch about 100 warp looms and 100 ^?7?ic/e;-.s are employed. The last-named is a machine which was originally patented by one Dawson, about 1797> hut has since been greatly improved. The Slocking Frame has undergone many improvements. The first made Only plain work. The Derby-rib machine was invented in 1758, by Mr. J. Strutt ; the knotting machine^ in 1776, by Mr. Hor- ton ; and the ivarp machine, in 1775, by Mr. Crane, of Edmonton. The latter was superseded in 1782, by Mr. Tarrant's ivarp frame, which makes an inferior kind of shapeless stocking called cut-ups. In 1839, Mather^ s patent stocking frame was introduced. It is a rotary frame, with double tire, and parallel motion, and makes four or six stockings at a time, and can be worked by steam power. The last re- turns to Governnjent relating to the numbers and occupations of the people, state that 50,956 persons are engaged in the manufacture of hosiery, and of these it is alleged that 31,700 are exclusively em- ployed in the worsted branches. At least 1600 tods of wool is said to have been worked up annually of late years, which is about eight times the consumption of 1712, and more than double that of thirty years ago. Besides more than 4000 stocking frames, and a large number of hosiery machines, warp looms, &c., there are in the town many mjills and factories ^OT spinning and doubling ivorsted yarn, lambs'' wool, sewing cotton, &c. ; many dying and trimming establishments, several lace manufacturers, two extensive iron foundries, m^iwy m^istev frame- smiths, corn inillers, maltsters, and brewers ; and two large coach and harness manufactories, one of which is conducted by Messrs. Kinder and Wheeler, and was established nearly a century ago. In 1838, three cotton and 23 worsted mills in the town employed 1662 hands. The making of cotton or Berlin gloves has long been an important branch of trade here ; but the bobbin net, or twist lace manufacture, of which Nottingham is the chief seat, never made any great progress in Leicester, and has of late considerably declined, both here and at Loughborough, From a calculation recently made, it was found that there were in Leicester 59 steam engines, having the power of 723 horses, or 3615 men, though forty years ago there was not one in the town. With few exceptions, the stocking frames are scattered about the town and country, in small shops and the houses of the workmen. It is only during the last i^^iv years that some of the fancy manufacturers have resorted to the factory system, and the men em- ployed on their frames earn much higher wages than they did on the domestic system. 'Y\iQ prices of new frames employed in the worsted and cotton branches, vary from j616 to £48, according to guage and HISTOBY OF LEICESTER. 69 width, but, VI ith periodical repairs, they last many years ; and frames in good working condition, may often be bought second-hand, at from ^3. 10s. to £5 each. New silk frames vary in price from £20 to £70 each. Weekly MARKETS are held here on Wednesday and Saturday. The former is well supplied with cattle, and the latter is an extensive mart for corn, provisions, and general merchandise, being numerously attended by farmers, dealers, gardeners, and others from the villages, &c., within the circuit of 15 or 20 miles, between which and the town, a regular intercourse is maintained by railways, coaches, omnibusses, and about 200 local cnrriei's^ some passing daily, and others twice or thrice a week. According to the Corn Inspectofs Returns, the quan- tities of various sorts of grain sold here in the year ending Michaelmas, 1845, were, wheaty 52,109 qrs. ; barley^ 23,253 qrs. ; oats^ 6567 qrs. ; beansy 4916 qrs. ; and /jeor^, 648 qrs. Mr. J. Brooks is the corn in- spector, and has his office in the Exchange. Before the introduction of railway travelling, upwards of 50 coaches passed through the town daily to London, and all parts of the kingdom. No fewer than twelve FAIRS are held here annually, for the sale of horses y cattky sheep, &c., on the following days : — January 4th, March 2nd, Sat. before and Sat. after Easter Week, May 12th, June 1st, July 5th, August 1st, Sept. 13th, Oct. 10th, Nov. 2nd, and Dec. 8th. The October and Decem- ber fairs are also for the sale of cheese ; and in June, a wool fair is held, under the patronage of the Leicestershire Agricultural Society, at which upwards of 20,000 fleeces are usually pitched. Races are held on the second Wednesday in September. There are in the town four BANKS, viz., Messrs. Pagets and Kirby's, and three belonging to joint stock companies, viz., the Na- tional and Provincial Bank of Englandy which has many branches ; the Leicestershire Banking Company, established in 1829, with 144 partners ; and Parens Leicestershire Banking Company y which was a a private bank from 1800 till 1836, when it was converted into a joint stock bank, with 48 partners. The banking house of Messrs, Clarke, Mitchell, Phillips, and Smith, failed in April, 1843, and their debts amounted to about £540,000, on which a dividend of 4s. in the pound was paid in January, 1846. The transatlantic commerce of Leicester, is facilitated by a resident consular agent of the United States of Jme- ricay (William Freer, Esq.,) appointed by the consul at Leeds. The general trade of the town is greatly facilitated by the extensive lines of inland communication, with which it is connected by means of the River Soar, the Leicestershire and Northamptonshire Union Canal, and the Midland Counties Raihvay ; and the inhabitants are supplied with excellent coaly stone, and li7ne, at a reasonable rate, by the Lei- cester and Swannington Railwayy as well as from the Derbyshire mines, by means of canals communicating with the Trent and the Soar. It is in contemplation to extend the railway facilities of Leices- ter, by several other lines, for the formation of which application has been made for acts of Parliament. Among these projected schemes, are direct lines from Leicester to Bedford, Burton-on-Trent, Coventry, and Birmingham, and to Melton Mowbray and Boston. The exten- sion of the navigation of the River Soary in the 18th century, by deep- ening the channel in some places, and making side cuts, or artificial W HISTORY OF LEICESTER. canals in others, is already noticed with the general survey of the rivers, canals, and roads which intersect the county in every direction. The Soar is crossed here by four bridges^ and runs along the east side and north end of the town. In the low grounds to the south-west, it opens out into two channels, encompassing an island, partly traversed by the Union Canal. The two branches of the river unite a little be- low the Leicester and Swannington Railway Station, near which are^ commodious ivkarfs, as well as on the canal which diverges from the' river at Frog Island, and extendi? along the north side of the town, nearly in a straight line, crossed by a good bridge in Northgate street. The fFest Bridge was rebuilt a few years ago, at the cost of £4000 ; and Bow Bridge is about to be enlarged or rebuilt. The waters of the Soar, and the dikes and dams which it gives out, are of essential use to the mills, factories, and dyehouses in the lower parts of the town. MUNICIPAL GOVERNMENT. Though Leicester was a borough enjoying prescriptive rights from a very early period, its first royal charter was granted by King John, who, in 1190, confirmed its right to hold a separate jurisdiction from the county, and either laid or strengthened the basis of its corporate character. At the same time, Robert Fitz Parnell, Earl of Leicester, invested the burgesses with the right of buying and selling lands, &c, Simon de Montfort, the next Earl of Leicester, extended and ratified the rights of the burgesses, by a charter dated the 23rd of Henry III. His son, Simon de Montfort, after succeeding to the earldom, granted to the burgesses another charter, which particularly specifies, ** that no Jew or Jewes, in my time, or in the time of any of my heirs, to the end of the world, shall inhabit or remain in the town of Leicester." Henry VII., having won his crown by the defeat of Richard III., near this borough, seems to have paid particular attention to it. In 1487, he granted the burgesses a charter, to appoint 48 *' most wise and sad commoners," to manage the town aifairs, and elect its representatives. His charter of 1504 confirmed all their former privileges, and em- powered the justices, or part of them, to *' take cognizance of treasons, murders, felonies, rapes, and other transgressions." A charter of the 41st of Elizabeth, specifies that the borough of Leicester is very an- cient and populous, and from remote times has been a borough incor- porate, " and the inhabitants thereof and their predecessors, have hitherto had and held divers liberties, franchises, privileges, and immu- nities, as well on account of different prescriptions and customs," as from royal grants. It granted to the Corporation, for the first time, a common seal, and ordained that the governing body should consist of a mayor, two bailiffs, 24 aldermen, and 48 common councilmen, the latter to act as assistants to the mayor and aldermen, and the title of the Corporation to be, " the may or ^ bailiffs^ and burgesses of the borough of Leicester.''^ It also extended the jurisdiction of the Corporation over those parts of the parishes of St. Margaret, St. Mary, and St. Leonard, not within the prescriptive borough, but preserved the con- current jurisdiction of the county magistrates in those parts of the said parishes. The officers of the Corporation were appointed to con- sist of a recorder, town clerk, two bailiff's, steward of the borough court, chamberlain, mace bearer, four Serjeants at mace, chief con- HISTORY OF LEICESTER. 71 stable, &c. The mayor, recorder, and the four aldermen who had last served the office of mayor, were appointed to act as justices of the peace, and to hold a Court of Quartkr Skssions, with jurisdiction over all cases not toucliing life and limb ; the recorder presiding. A Borough Court of Rkcord was established by the same charter, in which real, personal, and mixed actions may be brought to any amount; and it is directed to be held weekly, or oftener, if necessary, before the mayor, recorder, bailiffs, and steward, or any of them. It also granted a vieiv of frankpledge^ to be held twice a year, and a market for ivool yarn, ivorstedy &c. It empowered the Corporation to buy and sell lands, houses, &c. ; to constitute freemen, and to re- fuse the building of malt kilns within the distance of 30 yards from any other buildings ; and directed that all fines and amercements should be applied to the use of the poor. The borough charters were surrendered to Charles and James II., who assumed the right of re- moving the members of the corporate body at will ; but the latter hav- ing become very unpopular by these arbitrary measures, at length re- stored the charters, and confirmed the ancient rights of the Corpora- tion. As already noticed at page 50, the Borough was extended by the Parliamentary and Municipal Reform Ads of 1832 and 1835, to the Castle View, and other liberties in which the Corporation and county raatristrates exercised conjoint jurisdiction. The latter act re- duced all the Municipal Corporations in England and Wales to one common standard of popular election, by the ratepayers at large, as well as freemen, and created many new ones in the populous towns, most of which had been made parliamentary boroughs by the act of 1832. Before this great change, the mayor, aldermen, and councilmen of Leicester were self-elected. In the Municipal Act, Leicester is placed in section one of schedule A, amongst boroughs having a com- mission of the peace y and a court of quarter sessions ^ &c. Under this act it is divided into seven ivards; and the corporate body consists of a mayor, 14 aldermen^ and 42 councillors, under the style of the '•' Mayor, Aldermen, and Burgesses," but commonly designated the Town CounciL The mayor and his predecessor in office are justices of the peace, and have concurrent jurisdiction with about 20 borough magistrates, appointed by the Lord Chancellor. The first corporate body elected under this act, in November, 1835, having among its members a large majority opposed to the old Corporation, dismissed most of their officers, who, under the provisions of the act, claimed compensation for the loss of their offices. Among these claims, is about £6000, demanded by the late town clerk. By the same act, the charities formerly under the management of the old Corporation, (producing about about £1500 per annum,) were placed under the ma nagement of 30 trustees, as noticed at a subsequent page. A Court of Pleas may be held here every three weeks before the steirardoi the Honor of Leicester (Mr. R. Miles,) appointed under the seal of the Duchy of Lancaster, for the recovery of debts and damages under 408., arising in the borough or in any parishes in the county, which are within the Honor of Leicester, parcel of the Duchy of Lancaster, or within the Honor of Tut- bury, parcel of the same duchy ; but this court has not been much resorted to since the recent establishment of a COURT OF REQUESTS, under the Small Debts Act, for the recovery of debts to the amount of £5, arising 72 HISTORY OF LEICESTER. in the borough, or in any of the 75 parishes named in the Act, and lying within the distance of about ten miles round the town. It is now held every alternate Tuesday, at the old banking bouse in Gallowtree gate, under the provisions of the New Small Debts Act, passed in 1845, and its jurisdiction is about to be extended to the recovery of debts to the amount of £20. Its limits are also about to be extended to 30 other villages, &c., in Guthlax- ton Hundred, and to such parishes in Gartree Hundred as are not within the limits of the Uppingham and Oakham Courts. About seventy gentle- men are Commissioners^ and J. Hildyard, Esq., the Recorder, is the Judge, The orders of the Court can be enforced against the goods of debtors, and under the new Act, fraudulent debtors may be imprisoned for any period not more than 41 days. Though a debtor resides beyond the limits of the court, if a summons can be served upon him when he is within the jurisdic- tion, ihe subsequent process can be made equally effectual whether he and his goods are within or without the jurisdiction. Mr. J. Loseby, of Bow- ling-green street, is clerk of the court; Mr. Wm. Jackson, criei' ; and the sergeants are Mr. Wm. Dexter, for the borough, and Mr. Henry Wilford, for the country. Petty Sessions for the borough are held every Monday and Friday morn- ings at the Town Hall^ and for the adjacent parts of the county, every Saturday at the County Public Office^ in Hotel street, where there is a po- lice station, and where the chief constable of the county resides. The Borottgh Police Force consists of a superintendent, five sergeants, and 45 police constables, who act also as nocturnal watchmen. Under the old corporation, the police was complained of as ^ery inefficient, there being no regular nightly watch, and in consequence, burglaries and other offences were of frequent occurrence. In 1833, the whole expense for constables, night-watch, &c., amounted only to £398. 3s. 4d., but in 1839, the expense of the present efficient force was £2556. The annual income of the old Corporation^ in 1833, applicable to general purposes, was £4323. Is. 9|d., and their expenditure^ as exhibited in tabu- lar returns, presented to the Municipal Commissioners, amounted to £3508. 14s. 8§d., which left a balance of £814. 7s. Ifd. unaccounted for on the year's expenditure. The receipts of the new Corporation, in 1839, amount- ed to nearly £21,000, including £10,567. 5s. 2d., derived from the sale of property ; but in the same year, they paid off debts and interest to the amount of ^11,177. 4s., and they have since paid off the whole of the debts (amounting to about £25,000,) which were owing by the old Corpora- tion in 1835. The receipts of the borough treasurer for the year ending September 1st, 1845, comprised £3211. I6s. 9|d., in rents and tithes from the Town Estate; £1588. 6s. 8d. from Market Tolls and Stallage; £3892. 13s. 6d. from the Watch and Borough Rates; and several smaller items, among which is £22. 5s. for grants of freedom. After paying inci- dental expenses and salaries, the Estate Account left a balance of £2270, and the Market Tolls and Stallage Account, a balance of £1078. The Gaol and House of Correction expenses in the same year were ^'1270, in- eluding the following salaries : — £313 to gaoler and matron ; £58 to chap- lain; £50 to schoolmaster, and £26 to the cook and turnkey. Salaries to recorder, town clerk, accountant, &c., amounted to about £600, and the expenses of ihe police force to £2966; the prosecutions at sessions and as- sizes to jC942, and the conveyance of transports to £97. After paying these and all other expenses, there remained in the treasurer's hands a balance of £2999. Though some of the Corporation property, or Town Estate, has been sold at various periods for the liquidation of debts, it still yields an annual income of more than £3000, and comprises many buildings, &c., in the town, and many fields, meadows, gardens, &c., in the vicinity, exclusive of the large llace Course and the New Walk. HISTORY OF LEICESTER. 73 Much of the land is progressively increasing in value, especially the South Fields Estate^ which comprises about 500 acres, and Freakes Ground^ about 40a. Of the land authorised to be sold by the Town Council in 1836, upwards of £30,000 worth is still undisposed of, and the sale of it will con- siderably reduce the sums to be levied in rates for the highly necessary town improvemejits vrhich are now in contemplation. The average sum levied annually in borough rates during the last five years was about ^'4U00. The number of Municipal and Parliamentary voters is already noticed at page 51. The borough has returned members to the national councils since the reign of Edward I. The freedom of election excited much popular dis- turbance even so far back as the reign of Henry VII., who ordained that " the mayor and his brethren should choose 48 of the most discreet inhabi- tants of the town," who, with them, should make elecrion of all officers for the borough, as well as Members of Parliament. Thus it continued till the reign of Charles II., when Sir John Pretyman solicited their votes, and was returned by the burgesses at large. Though the Corporation endea- voured to overrule this election, the House of Commons admitted its validity. In 1790, the borough was contested by two Tory and two Whig candidates, and a serious riot ensued, which would have caused a great destruction of property " had it not been for the timely interference of the military." In 1829, the Corporation borrowed £10,000, to pay off a debt which they had incurred in the election of 1826. The present Parliamentary Repre- sentatives OF THE Borough, elected in 1841, are Wynn Ellis, Esq., of PoDsborne Park, Hertfordshire, and Sir John Easthope, Bart., of Mill- field, Middlesex. Leicester is one of the polling places y an^l the principal place of election for the Southern Division of the County. Prior to the passing of the Reform Act of 1832, the parliamentary franchise was enjoyed by all freemen by birth, servitude, and gift, in conjunction with the inha- bitants of the old borough paying scot and lot. (See page 51.) Among the political societies of the town, are no fewer than seven " Operative Conser- vative Societies,^^ which act in unison with each other, and contribute to a funeral fund. Here is also a numerous Reform Society, an Anti-Corn Law Association, and a Conservative Municipal Registration Society. FREEMEN'S PIECE.— The South Fields, in St. Mary's parish, were formerly one extensive open common, belonging to the Corporation, in which every resident freeman, or freeman's widow, had the right of pastur- age from Autumn until Spring, In 1804, the Corporation obtained an Act of Parliament for the enclosure of the open fields in St. Mary's parish, and for assigning to the sole use of the freemen and freemen's widows, so much of the gaid fields as should be a full compensation for their commonright. This was done in 1811, when the Commissioners awarded them three allot- ments, comprising 124a. 2r. 2p., commonly called the Freemen's Piece y on which every resident freeman and freeman's widow had the right of turning one head of cattle during the whole year, subject to the yearly payment of about 15s. for the expenses of the trust, repairing fences, ike, and the pay- ment of the neatherd's salary. About 3 acres were added to it by purchase in 1823, but certain parts of the allotments were sold to the Midland Counties Railway Company for ^1980, including .£494. 19s. 6d., given as compensation for injury done to other parts of the allotments, under which the railway passes by a tunnel. About £1500 of this money was paid to the Corporation for the purchase of 5a. 27p. of land, which swells the total contents of the Freemen's Piece to 132a. 1r. 34p. The number of free- men has greatly increased since the enclosure of 1804, and at least three- fourths of them, being too poor to keep a cow or horse, derived no benefit fr®m this land till 1845, when an Act of Parliament was obtained, em- powering the deputies to divide six closes, comprising 95a. 1r. 25p , into Garden Allotments of not more than 500 square yards each, and to let the 71« freemen's piece. same at rents not exceeding 2s. Id., nor less than Is. per 100 square yard^^ to such resident freemen ami freemen's widows as have no cattle on the Holm Close and Large Meadow, which comprise 37a. 9p., and are still to- remain as common pastures; but part of them, not exceeding 13a., may be mown yearly by the deputies, to provide for the payment of taxes, &c. For the management of these lands, the freemen and freemen's widows elect eleven deputies yearly ; three for St. Mary's, one for St. Leonard's, and two for each of the other four parishes. They have already broken up 80a. 2r. 14p. into 1406 garden allotments. After paying about £1 100 for the expenses incurred in obtaining the Act of 1845,* they had in hand a balance of £500. Such allotments as are not applied for by freemen or their widows are to be let by auction. After the expiration of ten years from the passing of the Act of 1845, all rents and other moneys belonging to the trust are to be appropriated in the building and endowrnent of cottages for the residence o^ the most aged and destitute resident freemen or free- men's widows, who are to have equal weekly stipends of not more than 4s. The number of cottages is to be increased from time to time, as the funds will admit, and the deputies are empowered to buy and sell lands for the improvement of the trust estate. The first DEPUTIES, elected under this Act in 1845, were Messrs. L. Staines (chairman,) S. Noon, William Clark, L. Goodrich, "Wm. Barsby, I. Noon, J. Larrad, J. Clarke, B. Dud- geon, J. Hiam, and J. Slater. BOROUGH MAGISTRATES, Recorder — John Hildyard, Esquire. The Mayor and late Mayor ; R. Brewin, T. Paget, J. Ryley, J. W.. Noble, D. Gossett, W. Parsons, T. Stokes, I. Hodgson, J. Biggs, J. Hudson, J. Taylor, J. Nedham, R. Harris, J, Whetstone, G. 8haw, T-- Macaulay, and J. Moore, Esqrs. — The following are in the Coinmission^ hut have not qualified — C. Inman, Esq., H. Brown, Esq., Dr. W, Arnold, and R. W. Wood, Esq. Clerk to the Magistrates — Samuel Stone, Esq. Inspector of Weights and Measures — Mr. W. Baines, High street, CHARITY TRUSTEES. T. Paget, T. Stokes, R. Brewin, I. Hodgson, J. Biggs, J. W. Noble, R. W. Wood, J. Whetstone, W. E. Hutchinson, J. Taylor, J. Sarson, W, Jackson, J. Manning, T. Nunneley, and I. Hudson, Esqrs,, form the General List, and have the management of Sir Thos. White's, Elking- tou's, the W^ood and Coal, the Earl of Devonshire's, the Countess of Devon's, Ossiter's, Bennett's, Ward's, Pultney's, Botham's, Acham's, Ives', and other charaties, for which Mr. S. Kirby is treasurer; and Mr. S. Stone, solicitor. The Church List, comprises the Rev. A. Irvine, and J. Oldacres, C. Inman, T. W. Dabbs, D. Gossett, J. Phillips, R. Mitchell, J. Nedham, W. Dalton, J. Hudson, and I. Hodgson, Esqrs., who have the management of the Free Grammar School, St. John's and Bent's Hospital, and New- ton's, Read's, Hayne's, Tamworth's, and some other charities, for which Mr.R. W. Wood is treasurer ; and Mr. H. Adcock, solicitor. These trustees meet on the first Thursday of every alternate month, at the Town Library. They were appointed in 1836, to manage the charaties previously vested with the Corporation, but the Mayor is still master, and four of the Alder- men and the two Chamberlains, are the six assistants of Trinity HosptaL CORPORATION, (1845-6.) .Mayor — Edward Weston, Esquire. Aldermen — Gooift in 1847 — John Biggs, Esq., William Biggs, Esq., Thomas Paget, Esq., Thomas Nunneley, Esq., Joseph Cripps, Esq., Dr. Noble, Edward Weston, Esq. — Go out in ISbO — John Mellor, Esq., John HISTORY OF LEICESTER. 75 ;Eilis, Esq., R. Harris, Esq., Joseph Fielding, Esq., Jam€S Hudson, Esq. Thomas Stokes, Esq., Robert Brewin, Esq. COUNCILLORS. 1. St. Martin's Ward — Messrs. T. Moxon, R. Morley, J. A. Atkins, F. Fullagar, VV. Parsons, S. Berridge. 2. North St. Margaret's Ward— Messrs. T. Biggs, T.Wheeler, E. Git- tins, W. Mowbray, R. Briggs, W. Rowlett. 3. Middle St. Margaret's Ward — Messrs. R. Palmer, Richard Cooke, William Baines, John Holland, J. Thompson, S. Barrow. 4. East St. Margaret' s Ward — ^Messrs. Samnel How, S. Waters, Joseph Whetstone, W. E. Hutchinson, Thomas Burgess, John Allen. 5. East St, Mary's Ward—Messrs. Charles Billson, John Moore, Thos. Rodgers, George Viccars, John Baines, J. D. Harris. 6. West St. Mary's fVard — Messrs. C. Bedells, J. Collier, Richard Harris, jun., S. Cartwright, Wm. Kirk Earaes, E. S. Ellis. 7. Ail Saints' Ward— George Wykes, Matthew Clarkson, VV. Bates, S. S. Harris, M. Graham, John Crow. OFFICERS OF THE CORPORATION. Town Clerky Samuel Stone, Esq., Welford place. Treasurer, Samuel Kirby, Esq., High street. High Bailiff', Mr. \V. K. Eames ; Junior Bailiff', Mr. John Moore. Clerk of the Peace, Richard Toller, Esq., Cank street. Coroner, John Gregory, Esq., New walk. High Constable and Billet-master, R. Charters — Station-house, Town-hall. Accountant aiid Inspector of Nuisances, Mr. Bown — Office, Town Library. Town Hall Keeper, Mr. W. Jackson, South Bond street. Exchange Keeper, Mr. Birtchnell, Millstone lane. Crier, William Smith, Humberstone gate. Messengers, J. Hodson, Stamford street, and T. Rose, 47, Albion street. Police Sergeants, Jas. Sheffield, Thos. Agar, Thos.Haynes, Fras. Tarratt, Joseph Wright, and Thomas Foxcutt. BOROUGH COURT. Steward, Richard Toller Esq. | Crier, Mr. S. Fewkes. Bailiffs, Messrs. S. Fewkes, W. Jackson, and J. Birtchnell. BOROUGH GAOL. -Gaoler and Keeper of the Hotcse of Correction, Mr. G. W. Owston. Matron, Mrs. Owston. I Schoolmaster^ Mr. Edw. Marshall. Chaplain, Rev. Geo. Barker, | Surgeon, Mr. Chas. Bowmar. Turnkeys, Thos- Riley, Mary Yates, and Ruth Taylor. THE MARKETS. Clerk and Superintendent, Mr. Christopher Froane. Collectors, Messrs. William Scott, sen., and William Whitwell. Assayer of Flesh and Fish, W. Smith. Scales and Weights, J. Hodson, in the Exchange. Inspector of Corn Returns, Mr. John Brooks, The COUNTY MAGISTRATES, who usually sit at the Petty Sessions for the Leicester Division, held every Saturday, at the Police Office, in Hotel street, are— Sir G. J. Palmer, C. W. Packe, M.P.; Sir H. Halford, M.P. ; I. Hodgson, Esq. ; Edwyn Burnaby, Esq. ; W. K. Walker, Esq. ; Joshua Grundy, Esq. ; J. King, Esq. ; J. D. Burnaby, Esq. ; Rev. J. P. Newby; Rev. J.M. Cooper; and Sir E.G. Hartopp. Mr. C.C. Macaulayis their clerk ; and Mr. Frederick Goodyer is the chief constable, and resides is Leicester, adjoining the County Public Office and the Judge's '?'6 HISTORY OF LEICESTER. Lodgings, in Hotel street, where there is also a Police Station, o{ the- County Constabulary Force. The STAMP OFFICE is in New street and Capt. Richard Cheslyn is distributor for Leicestershire. The sub-distributors are Messrs. Thomas Abbott, oi Market Harborough; Thomas E. Burton, o^ Market Boswm-th; Wm. Clarke, oi Melton Mowbray ; Jas. Cowlishaw, of Castle Donnington ; "Wm. Daulby, of Loughborough; H. C. Dewen, of J shby-de-la-Zouch ; G. F. Lee, of Hinckley ; and Richd. Lakin, of Lutterworth. The EXCISE OFFICE is at the White Lion Inn, but Leicester is in the Coventry Collecton, and S. C. Brown, Esq., is the collector. The Permit Office is in South Bond street; Mr. Thos. Burton is supervisor ; Mr. H. L Garter, permit writer ; Mr. G. Metcalfe, ride-officer; and Messrs. S.Smith, C. Keen, G. Lowe, R. Powell, J. Mott, and G. Little, are division officers. Commissioners op Income T;ix, Samuel Harris, Joseph Knight, Thos. W. Dabbs, John Moore, J. S. Hardy^ John Taylor, and Geo. Shaw, Esqrs. — Mr. Thos. Burbidge is their clerk. The TOWN HALL, near St. Martin's Church, occupies the site of the Hall, which belonged to the Guild of Corpus Christi, and is a gloomy and inconvenient Elizabethan structure, which was built about 1586, and was enlarged by the addition of the Town Library, in 1632, and the Mayor's Parlour, in 1636. The great-hall, or court-room, in which the borough assizes, quarter and petty sessions, and town meet- ings are held, is decorated with portraits of Sir Thomas White, Henry, Earl of Huntingdon, and other paintings. The Mayor's Parlour is remarkable for the quaint character of its ornaments ; and on the side facing the yard is a long range of lights, containing painted glass, illustrative of the seasons and religious subjects. This *' old and crazy" pile of buildings, will be superseded by a New Town Hall, intended to be built, under a Town Improvement Act, in a more central and open situation, and on a more spacious and handsome plan, adapted to the present magnitude and importance of the Town. The Borough Gaol, in Highcross street, was formerly the County Gaol and Bridewell, being purchased for its present use about 1829, at the cost of .£5000, by the borough magistrates, who immediately built adjoining it, a new House of Correction^ at the further cost of .£8000, The gaol was built for the county, on the site of an ancient prison, at the cost of jG6000, in 1791, and the architect, Geo. Moneypenny, wa& doomed to be one of its first prisoners for debt. In the front are sculptured in bold relief, the Cap of Liberty and the Roman fasces and pileus, enriched with heavy chains. The old borough gaol was rebuilt in 1792, when the workmen discovered the remains of the Chapelof St, John, supposed to have been destroyed in the wars between Henry VII. and his son. The COUNTY GAOL stands on rising ground, on the south side of the town, near the junction of the Lutterworth and Welford roads, and its outer boundary walls enclose an area of more than three acres. It was commenced in 1825, and opened in 1828. Externally it bears some resemblance to a baronial castle, having at the entrance gate flanking towers and a portcullis, with turrets at short intervals round the boundary walls. It was made to accommodate I7O prisoners, on the old system of discipline, but it is now undergoing extensive altera- tions, and several new wings, &c., are erecting, as a House of Correc- HISTORY OF LEICESTER. 77 tiotiy on the plan of the model prison at Pentonville. The largest of the new buildings, now nearly completed, is 260 feet long, and two stories high, and contains 17^ cells, with store rooms, cookery, &c., in the basement. Behind it are 32 small airing yards, into which prisoners will be admitted, singly^ half an hour at a time. The large octagon building in the centre was the governor's house, but is now (1846) being converted into a chapel, so contrived that the prisoners cannot see each other. The new (io\'€rnor's House is of Gothic architecture, and the total cost of the enlargement and alterations now in progress will be upwards of i)25,000. The average daily number of prisoners confined here, in the old wards and at the House of Correction, during the quarter ending October, 1845, was 155, and the total number 292, of whom 2 were debtors, 125 committed for trial for criminal offences, and 165 sent under summary convictions for minor offences. The number of debtors confined here in 1844 was 49, and in 1845, only 14, but the total number committed for crime in the latter year was 1232, of whom 887 were sent to the House of Correction, noticed below. Mr. \Vm. Musson is gdvernor ; Mrs. H. Dodd, matron ; Rev. Wm. Fox, chaplain ; and Mr. Samuel Waterer, taskmaster. The COUNTY HOUSE OF CORRECTION, which stands within a short distance of the Gaol, on the opposite side of Infirmary square, was built about thirty years ago, and its lofty boundary wall encloses a large octangular space, occupied by the various wings and yards of the prison, and the governor's house. Its wards are so con- structed, that culprits of various degrees of delinquency can be kept se- parate, and for hard labour there are five tread-wheels employed in grinding corn, &c. The number of male prisoners on October 13th, 1845, was 92, of whom 21 were convicted felons, 52 misdemeanants, and 18 vagrants. Some are employed in teazing oakum, weaving door-mats, &c., and others, who are so disposed, are learnt the trades of shoemakers, tailors, or carpenters. This establishment will be con- fined to females after the completion of the new House of Correction, within the walls of the County Gaol, which will be on the plan of the Government model prison at Pentonville, and on the separate system^ each prisoner having a small room to himself, and not being allowed to see any of the others, either in the airing yards or in the chapel. Mr. John Allen is the governor. THE CASTLE. — The building now known by this name, and used for holding the County Assizes, Quarter Sessions^ and other law pro- ceedings, is only the great hall of the once extensive and formidable baronial mansion and fortress of Leicester, which, as has already been seen, was founded or rebuilt by its Saxon lords, nearly destroyed at the Conquest, and le-built by Hugh de Grentemaisnel, one of the fol- lowers of William the Conqueror. It was demolished by Henry II. in 1176, but was restored, about 1210, by Simon de Montfort, Earl of Leicester. It afterwards became a favourite residence of the Earls and Dukes of Lancaster, especially of Henry, " the good Duke," who dated his will hence, and his successor, the renowned John of Gaunt. It was often the scene of festivity and strife during the Barons' AVars and the Wars of the Roses, but was so dilapidated at the close of the latter, that Richard III. chose rather to lodge at an inn, on the night g2 78 LEICESTER CASTLE. before the battle of Bosworth Field. In tbe civil wars of the 17th century, it was much injured, and its outworks nearly destroyed, being occupied alternately by the King and Parliament. (See p. 59 to 63.) The great hall, which has long served as the County Conrt House, has been altered and repaired in modern times, and therefore conveys but a slight idea of its pristine magnificence in the feudal ages. Within the memory of persons now living, the interior was open from end to end, forming one apartment, 78 feet by 51 ; the court held at each end being divided merely by a curtain. It was here, probably, that meetings of Parliament were held in the latter part of the I4th and the beginning of the •! 5th centuries. (See p. 57-) The walls afford in- dubitable proof of their antiquity, by their great thickness; and the lofty and open roofs of the apartments bespeak great age. It is a large oblong building, standing between St. Mary's Church and the river, near the Castle Mill; and a little south of it is Castle Mount, upon which stood for ages i\\e great tower or Jceep, rearing its head in proud strength above the neighbouring edifices, and commanding a prospect of the town and the surrounding country. Though this arti- ficial mount has been somewhat lowered during the last fifty years, it is still of great extent and elevation. It is of Roman, if not of British origin, but was probably enlarged by the Normans. According to tra- dition, the eastern channel of the river Soar, at the foot of the mount, was excavated when the earth-work was thrown up, previous to which the entrance to the town, from the Foss-way, passed in a straight line fiom the old Bow bridge to that interesting Roman remain, called the Jewry JValL (See page 53.) The hallium, or area surrounding the castle, was enclosed with strong walls, a great part of which are still standing ; one portion, on the north, bounding the gardens of the Castle House, and another, on the south (now much decayed,) running from the Turret Gateway down to the river. The cellar, near the Castle, is supposed to have been a butlery,but it is now partly filled with dirt ; and the doorway, which led to the passages under the castle, has been blocked up. Near the north door of St. Mary's Church is a passage, leading under an old building, which forms a gateway to the Castle yard. At this gateway was practised, till the latter part of last century, an ancient ceremony, expressive of the homage formerly paid by the corporation to the feudal lords of the Castle. The mayor, knocking for admittance, was received by the constable or porter, and then took an oath of allegiance to the king as owner of the Duchy of Lancaster, of which the Honor of Leicester is parcel. (See p. b^.^ The TuRRKT Gateway connected the Castle ballium with the Newarke, and is now in a very dilapidated condition. It was formerly embattled, and decorated on both sides with carvings of the Lancaster arms. It was built in the latter part of the 14th century, in the perpendicular style, and had a portcullis on the south side. The NEWARKE, or New-work, is the name given to that space of ground, on the south side of the Castle, which was enclosed with embattled walls, and added to the fortress by Henry, Earl of Lancaster, and his son Henry, the first Duke of Lancaster, between the years 1327 and 1360. It is bounded on the north by the Castle Mount, on the south by part of the town wal', on the west by the river, and on the east by Oxford street, whence it is approached through a strong, heavy, and HISTORY OF LEICESTER. 79 lofty castellated tower gateway, now called the MAGAZINE, from its being used as a dep6t for the arras, &c., of the train-bands, in 1682, and now for the stores of the county militia. This tower has been re- cently repaired, at the expense of the county. Some of its windows, on the west side, appear to be of a later date than the building itself. It was formerly connected with walls on each side, to unite it with the other boundaries of the Newarke, within which is Trinity Hospital^ near the site of the college and church of^^ Our Lady in the Newarke^'' as noticed at subsequent pages. Near Mill lane, on the south side of the Newarke, some portions of the original Town Wall still remains, though it was against this part of the fortifications that the principal fire was directed in the seige of the town in 1G45. (See page 60.) Although a great part of the town wall has been removed during the present century, to make room for new streets, &c., sufficient still re- mains, on the western side, near the river, to give some idea of what the whole once was. The patchings which it has undergone in various parts, bespeak the battering to which it was subjected in the last civil wars, especially at the lower end, where the royalists effected their first entrance into the town. On the inner side of the wall, in the garden of Thos. W. Dabbs, Esq., the embrasures and a sally-port may be plainly discerned, though they are partly filled up with bricks and stones. In a yard near the upper end of the Newarke wall, is a portion of what was once called Prince RuperCs Tower ^ now used as a warehouse. The Town Wall was of great strength in the Saxon era, as noticed at page 54. It encompassed the old borough on all sides but the river, where the town was defended by the walls and towers of the Castle and the Newarke. As noticed in the historical sketch at pages 51 to 62, the fortifications of Leicester were often destroyed and repaired in the Saxon and Norman eras, and were again strengthened and dilapidated in the civil wars of the 17th century, since which all of them but the portions already noticed have been swept away for the improvement and extension of the town. The Roman Antiquities of Leicester are noticed at pages 52 and 55. The Town is pleasantly situated, and, although some parts of it are low and badly drained, the streets are generally wide, and the houses of the labouring classes are not crowded so closely together as at Not- tingham and many other towns. Beneath the soil is a bed of stiff c/fl^^,. of which excellent bricks are made ; and below it are beds of indurated marls of the new red sand-stone formation. It is proved by analysis that the ivater from the numerous ivells with which the inhabitants are chiefly supplied, is charged with sulphate of lime, to an extent which renders it unsuitable for domestic use. Though there are many private, there are but few public wells and pumps in the town, and consequently a large portion of the inhabitants have to purchase much of their sup- ply from ivater carriers, at the rate of about a half-penny per pailful. 'J'he Leicester Water and Sewerage Company^ formed in 1845, with a capital of i;i50,000, in £2o shares, are now (February, 1846,) apply- ing for an Act of Parliament to enable them to furnish the town with an abundant and constant supply of the pure beverage of nature from distant and unpolluted sources; and also to effect the complete drain- age and cleansing of the town, and to carry off the refuse to be applied to agricultural purposes. The plans and estimates of the proposed 80 HISTORY OP LEICESTER. works have been approved by the *' Metropolitan Towns' Improvement Company," who have agreed to take two- thirds of the shares. John Loseby, Esq., is solicitoi^ to the company, and Thos. Hawksley Esq., is the engineer. It is proposed to bring the chief supply of water from the lands, brooks, and streams in and near the parish of Thornton, about eight miles W. of Leicester ; and that the company shall receive * about jCIGOO a year from the borough rates as a remuneration for the sewerage and drainage of the town. The want of public loater ivorks and a better drainage has long been felt in Leicester, where the condi- tion of the river water is denoted by the fact, that, twenty years ago, it yielded a good supply of fish ; but now fish are only to be obtained at a distance of several miles from the town. In 1573, Queen Eliza- beth granted to the Corporation the materials of the decayed church of St. Peter, partly in consideration of their bringing a conduit of wa- ter to the town. This they did by carrying water in pipes from a spring near Conduit street to the Market place, where they erected the foun- tain called the Conduit, which they rebuilt in 1709, when the town had only about 6500 inhabitants ; and although it has now upwards of 50,000, no other public conduit has been provided. The " Conduit" is a heavy octagonal building, covering a large cistern, and the water with which it is supplied is purer than that of any other spring in the town or neighbourhood. The Gas Works, from which the town is now well lighted, were completed in October, 1821, by the *' Leicester Gas Light and Coke Company^'' which was incorporated by an Act of the J St and 2nd George IV., the powers of which have been enlarged by an Act of the 1st and 2nd of Victoria. The company's capital is about ^35,000, in ^10 shares, and the works are leased to Messrs. C. B. and H. M. Robionson. There are five gasometers, which will hold collec- tively 120,000 cubic feet of gas, sold to the consumers at the rate of 7s. 6d. per 1000 cubic feet, subject to a discount of from 5 to 25 per cent, on half-yearly rentals of from ^* 10 to j£60. The Town Improvement Act, which the Corporation are now applying for, embraces the enlargement of the Market place ; the for- mation of an extensive Cattle Market on the south side of the town ; and the erection of a new Town- Hall and Post Office ; and such other improvements as have long been wanted, for the better accommodation of the increasing population of the town, and its busy markets and fairs, which are thronged with country people from the distance of many miles round. It is estimated that these contemplated improvements will cost only about .£50,000, as some of the buildings to be removed, and the site of the intended cattle market, belong to the Town Estate. (See p. 72.) It was proposed to borrow the £50,000 at four per cent., and it was calculated that the increased stallage, tolls, and rents, with a rate Id. per pound per quarter on the inhabitants, would be sufficient to liquidate the debt in thirty years ; and thus leave the improvements ever afterwards, a clear benefit to the town of more than j£500 per an- num ; but owing to the bill being strongly opposed by part of the Council and burgesses, it has been determined to defer the erection of a new Town Hall for some years, and to apply at present for power to raise only £25,000, of which £10,000 is to be raised by the sale of part of the town estate, and the remainder to be raised by bo- rough rates, not to exceed fourpence halfpenny per pound per year. TOWN IMPEOVEMENTS. 81 The present Market Place comprises only an irregularly formed area of less than four acres, which it is proposed to enlarge by taking down the long building called the Exchange (built in 1 7-170 and all the buildings behind it as far as the Bull's Head, or as far as the Sa- racen's Head, in Hotel street, which latter would open out a very com- modious area, and render any subsequent enlargement unnecessary. The Sheep Market^ formed about 20 years ago, occupies a small ob- long area between Bishopgate street and Horsefair street. The Beast Market is held in the latter, and in Bowling-green street. It is pro- posed that the intended I^eiv Cattle Market and Fair Ground shall comprise ten acres of land, on the south side of the town, near the junction of the Lutterworth and Welford roads; one-half to be kept in grass, and the other half to be paved, drained, and fitted up with pens, &c., for sheep, oxen, and all other descriptions of live stock, instead of liaviug them spread over the streets near the Market place as at pre- sent, to the great annoyance of the inhabitants and the danger of pas- sengers. Several eligible sites are pointed out for the new Town Hall ; and the old one is so inconvenient and dilapidated, that of late years the Judges have refused to hold the borough assizes in it. The Old Strekt Architecture of Leicester is rapidly vanish- ing before the hand of modern improvement ; the greater part of the half-timbered lath and plaster houses, remarkable for their grotesque gables and picturesque appearance, having given place to plainer, but more comfortable and convenient dwellings, some of which have hand- some fronts, especially in the principal streets, where there are many elegant and well-stocked retail shops. The Old Blue Boar, some- times called King Richard's House, which was the capital hostelry of Leicester in the fifteenth century, was taken down in 1836, when seve- ral neat houses were built upon its site. Its strong and regular frame- work of timber, its curious projecting window in front, and its carved work in various parts, were fine specimens of the domestic architecture of the period. As noticed at page 58, it was in this inn that Richard III. slept on the night before the battle of Bosworth Field. The large ivooden bedstead on which he slept remained in the house many years, and is now preserved by the Babington family, of Rothley. It is said that a Mr. Clark, who kept the inn in the reign of Elizabeth, found several secret recesses in this bedstead filled with gold, partly coined by Richard HI. and partly in earlier reigns. From this dis- covery, Mr. Clark became suddenly rich ; but after his death, the inn was still kept by his widow, who was murdered and robbed by her maid servant and seven men, who were alf hanged at the same time in 1613. The Brick Tower, in High street, forms a fragment of what was anciently called Lord's Place^ and was a town mansion, which was sold in the llth of Elizabeth by John and Ralph Eaton to Henry, Earl of Huntingdon. During the Earl's occupancy of this house, he enter- tained in it many persons of the highest rank and distinction. It after- wards passed to various owners, and was partly demolished about 1702. The Tower is all that is left of this once extensive mansion, and its decayed walls are now cased in brick. It is five stories high, and is ascended by an old oak staircase, placed in a square turret of sandstone. 82 MONASTIC INSTITUTIONS. LEICESTER ABBEY, which was the glory of the town and neighbourhood in the ages of monachism, and of which there are still some interesting remains, stood a little north of the town, on the oppo- site side of the river Soar, beyond the limits of the borough. Its site and precincts form an ewtra-parochial liberty, in West Goscote Hun- dred, containing about 25 acres, three houses, and 22 souls. It was founded by Robert de Bossu, second Earl of Leicester, in 1143, for Augustine Canona^ and he endowed it with all the lands with which his father had endowed the college of St. Mary-de-Castro, which latter he afterwards re-founded. Being advanced in age, the founder became one of the regular canons in his own abbey, where he was buried in 1 167. The abbey soon acquired sanctity and celebrity, and thence ob- tained numerous liberties and immunities. It was dedicated to St. Mary, and its church, which was solemnly consecrated in 1279, was commonly called St. Mai'y-de- Pratis,({n the meadows,) to distinguish it from the churches of St. Mary-de- Castro and St. Mary in the Ne- warke. Petronilla, the wife of the third Earl of Leicester, built the nave of the abbey church, and was buried in the choir, where a plait of her hair was long used to draw up the great lamp. The Abbots sat in Parliament until the middle of the 14th century, when an exemption from this duty was obtained, owing to the expense it caused the com- munity. Throsby says, this abbey " supported almost the whole poor of Leicester and its neighbourhood," and was, " on all pressing occa- sions, subsidiary to the King, and hospitable to travellers, who were fed and often lodged here on their journeys." Like most other exten- sive monasteries, it was frequently honoured by visits from the Kings of England. Richard II. and his Queen, with a numerous retinue, were sumptuously entertained and lodged here ; and it was here that Cardinal IV obey breathed his last, on November 29th, 1530, when on his journey from York to London, just after he had been stripped of his dignities by his royal master, who had before loaded him with riches, honour, and power, unequalled by the first of princes. He was so weak and depressed when he came to the abbey gate, that he could only thank the abbot and monks for their civility, and tell them that he came to lay his bones among them. He immediately took to his bed, and died three days afterwards, sur- rounded by the monks, to whom he said in his last moments, ** If I had served my God as faithfully as I served the King, he would not thus have forsaken me in my old age." Though the abbey was extensive, and richly endowed, it is said never to have had more than twenty monks. Besides the appropriation of 36 parishes in and about Lei- cester, it had lands, privileges, &c., in many manors in this and other counties, as well as " great bequests of deer, fuel, pasturage, cattle, fish-pools, and corn." Stoughton Grange was the abbey farm. At the dissolution, the clear yearly income of the abbey was valued at .£951. 14s. 5d. Jt was dissolved in 1534, and its possessions granted to various persons. The site of the abbey was purchased by the Mar- quis of Northampton, and was sold in 1562 to Henry Hastings, Earl of Huntingdon, who, in 1568, sold it to Sir Edward Hastings. In 1622, Wm. Cavendish, Earl of Devonshire, held it by purchase from James First. In 1733, it was sold to Lord Wm. Manners, but it is now the HISTORY OF LEICESTER. 83 property of the Earl of Dysart. Part of the ahbey was converted into a large mansion after the Reformation, and that portion of this house which is now habitable, is occupied by Mr. \yarner, nurseryman and florist. A walk round the gardens, on the southern side; an inspec- tion of the gateway through which Cardinal Wolsey entered, in the eastern wall ; and the ruined turrets there and elsewhere, afford much pleasure to the lovers of the picturesque. Every object around marks the decay which time has wrought in what was once grand and solemn ; the thick branches of old trees, the dense masses of ivy, and the crumbling character of the ruins, with the sluggish water beneath, that formerly rolled briskly from the abbey mill, remind us how brief and passing are the proudest works of man. St. Catherine's Priory was a house of Jugustine Friars, or Eremites^ which stood a little above the West Bridge, on the west side of the Soar, in the extra-parochial suburb still called the White or Augustine Friars. It was founded about the close of the 13th cen- tury, and was valued, at the dissolution, at only £1. 2s. per annum. The site was granted to John Bellowe and John Broxholme, and is now occupied by modern buildings. The Black Friars, on the east side of the Soar, in the extra-parochial liberty still bearing their name, was founded about 1250, by Simon de Montfort, sixth Earl of Leicester. At the dissolution, it was valued at <£2. Is. 8d. per annum, and granted to the Marquis of Dorset and Thomas Duport. The Grey Friars' Priory was founded by the same Earl as the Black Friars, and stood on the south side of St. Martin's churchyard. It was in their church, (St. Trinity,) where Richard III. was buried, and where Henry VII. erected an alabaster monument to his memory ; but there are now no traces of either the church or priory. The site is crossed by New street, and an unsuccessful attempt was made about twenty years ago to prove it extra-parochial. The priory was valued, at the dissolution, at £\. 4s. per ann., and granted to John Bellowe and John Broxholme. . The College of St. Mary de Castro stood near the Castle and St. Mary's Church, and was founded by Robert, second Earl of Lei- cester, about 1144, for a dean and seven prebendaries, in lieu of the college which was founded by his father, and which he had removed to the Abbey. fn 1252, this college had a grant of 300 acres in the Forest near Leicester. At the dissolution, its clear yearly income was =£23. 12s. lid., and its possessions were granted in fee-farm to the Corporation. Nothing remains of this college but its church, which has undergone many reparations, and is now the mother church of St. Mary's parish, as afterwards noticed. Newarke College, which had a handsome church, stood on the west side of the Newarke, near Trinity Hospital, and was founded in 1354, by Henry, Duke of Lancaster, for a dean, twelve prebendaries, thirteen secular canons or vicars choral, three clerks, six choristers, and a verger, in honour of the Annunciation of the Virgin Mary. The founder was buried here, in 1360, and the college was finished by his successor, John of Gaunt, Duke of Lancaster. This college was richly endowed, and many dis- tinguished persons were buried in its church. (See Trinity Hospital.) All that remains of it is an arch or two of the vaults, in the cellars of a house now standing on the site. Its clear yearly income was va- luedj at the dissolution, at .£595. 7s. 4d. A considerable part of its 84 ECCLESIASTICAL COURTS. possessions were granted to John Beaumont and Wm. Gyes, and the remainder to the Corporation, One of the ten English houses of Pcenitentia Christi Friars^ was at Leicester, but it was dissolved in 1307, by order of the council of Lyons. The ARCHDEACONRY OF LEICESTER has been severed from the Diocese of Lincoln, and added to that of Peterborough, in pursuance of the plans and reforms of the Ecclesiastical Commissiotiers ; but under acts of Parliament, which have been from time to time renewed, it is still within the jurisdiction of the Bishop of Lincoln^ with respect to probates of wills, marriage licenses, and general matters connected with the pro- ceedings of Ecclesiastical Courts. In other matters, it is under the juris- diction of the Bishop of Peterborough, It comprises the whole of Leices- tershire, except five small peculiar jurisdictions ; but the Registries for all the courts are kept at Leicester. St. Margaret's parish is a prebendal peculiar ; and the other five parishes of the Borough of Leicester form the Deanery of Christianity. The following is an enumeration of the six Rural Deaneries in the county, with the names of the Deans : — Ackley Deanery — Rev. John Dalby, M.A., of Castle Donington, and Rev. Marmaduke Vavasour, M,A., of Ashby-de-la-Zouch. Guthlaxton Deanery--'Re\. Thos. Belgrave, of North Kilworth; Rev. Edw. Butterworth Shaw, M.A., of Narborough ; and Rev. John Bickersteth, M.A., of Sapcote. Sparkenhoe Deanery — Rev. John Manuel Echalaz, M.A., of Appleby, and Rev. John Fisher, M.A. of Higham-on-the-Hill. Gartree Deanery — Rev. Fredk. Apthorpe, M.A., of Gumley, and the Rev. Wm. Cave Humfrey, B.A., of Laughton. Goscote Deanery — Rev. Nathaniel Morgan, M.A., of Rearsby, and Rev. Robert Gutch, M.A., of Segrave. Framland Deanery— Rev. Gabriel Edwards Gillett, M.A., of Waltham, and Rev. "Wm. Selwyn, M.A., of Branston. The Court of the Commissary of the Bishop of Lincoln, FOR THE Archdeaconry of Leicester, is held in St. Martin's church. The Rev. Cphr. Hodgson, M.A., is commissary; J. S. Hardy, Esq., registrar; and the Revds. Jemson Davies, M.A., Halford Henry Adcock, M.A., Thos. Stevenson, M.A., Mdk. Vavasour, M.A., Wm. Scar- brough, M.A., Thos. P. Outram, M.A., and John Healy, B.A., are sur- rogates. The Court of the Archdeacon of Leicester is held in the same church. The Ven. Thos. Kaye Bonney, M.A., is archdeacon ; John Stockdale Hardy, Esq., registrar ; and the Rev. J. Davies, M.A. , Halford Hy. Adcock, M.A., Thos. Stevenson, M.A., Mdk. Vavasour, M.A.,Wm. Scarbrough, M.A., Ths. P. Outram, M.A., Arthur Benonilvans, D.D., Geo. Dealtry, M.A., John Fisher, M.A., Chas. Heycock, M.A., and Charles Swann, M.A., are surrogates. The Registry Office is in Friar lane. ^^ Both the above Ecclesiastical Courts ewercise jurisdiction over the whole county^ except in the five undermentioned Peculiars. The Appa- ritors are Wm. Adcock, Jas. Craswell, Benj. Savage, John Long, and Richard Hardy. PECULIAR AND EXEMPT JURISDICTIONS. The Court of the Prebendary of the Prebendal Church of St. Margaret, in Leicester, has a peculiar jurisdiction over St. Margaret's Parish, and the chapelry of Knighton. The Rev. Sir Hobart Culme Seymour, Bart., M.A., is prebendary ; the Rev. A. Irvine, B.D., and the Rev. Rt. yiuniBhj, B.A.J surrogates ; B. Buruaby, Esq., registrar; J. S. Hardy, Esq., deputy registrar ; and Wm. Sturges, apparitor. HISTORY OF LEICESTER. 85 Xhe Commissary Court of Evington has jurisdiction over that parish. The Rev. James Sherard Coleman, M.A., is commissary ; B. Burnaby, Esq..) registrar ; J. S. Hardy, Esq., deputy registrar; and Mr. Horse- pool, apparitor. The Commissary Court of the Peculiar of Rothley has jurisdic- tion over the parish of Rothley, the chapelries of Wykeham and Cawd- "well, Gaddesby, Keyham, Grimstone-and-Wartnaby, and over parts of a few other parishes. The Hon. and Rev. Hy. Dd. Erskine, M.A., is com - missary ; the Rev. John Babington, M.A., surrogate ; J. S. Hardy, Esq., registrar; and Mr. Richard Lowe, apparitor. 'Ihe Commissary Courtof the Peculiar of Groby has jurisdiction over Groby, Glentield, Anstey, Ratby, Newton-Linford, Bradgate-and- Holgate Ward, Swithland, Cropston, and part of Stanton-under-Bardon. The Rev. Richd. Martin, M.A., is commissary, the Rev. Rt. Wm. Close, M.A. J surrogate ; Roger Miles, Esq., registrar; and "Wm. Matts, ap- paritor. The Peculiar of Old Dalby is an exempt jurisdiction, but no ofl&cers have been appointed for it for many years. CHURCHES AND PARISHES. There are ia the town five ancient parish churches, and three new 'chapels of ease, or district churches, of whicli the following is a brief description. Besides these, there were formerly four other parish churches in the borough, but they were demolished many years ago, and thwr parishes dissolved and annexed to other parishes, except the now churchless parish of St. Leonard, where the churchyard is still used. SL Clement's Church, which stood near the North Gate, was ^iven to the Black Friars, in 1220, but was destroyed some centuries ago, and its parish added to those of All Saints and St. Nicholas. St. MichaeVs Church, which stood in the Back lanes, was injured by fire in 1173, and demolished about 1490, when its parish was added to that of AH Saints. St. Peter's Church, which stood between All Saints' and St. Martin's, was sold to the Corporation, in 1573, and its materials were partly used in erecting the Free Grammar School and Conduit. Its parish was united to that of All Saints, in 1590, Here were also several churches, chapels, and chantries, connected with the monasteries, colleges, guilds, and hospitals, which flourished in the town before the Reformation. All Saints' Church, in Highcross street, is a small structure, consisting of a nave, two side aisles, and a modern brick chancel, with a curious tower on the north side, formerly open to the church by a lofty pointed arch. The fabric has recently undergone a thorough repair. The west front has a fine large Norman door, and the ancient clock has two quaint figures, that strike the hours with hammers. At the west end is an old stone coffin, and a curious antique chest. The font is a fine specimen of the early English style, and the pulpit is richly carved. In some of the windows are portions of painted glass. This church was formerly appropriated to Leicester Abbey, and its parish has 4608 souls, and comprises the greater part of the dissolved parishes of St. Clement and St. Peter, and the whole of that of St. Mi chael; — the/owr discharged vicarages being consolidated as one bene- fice, in the patronage of the Crown. The living is valued in K.B. at £"6. 3s. 8d., and was augmented with j£400 of Queen Anne's Bounty, H 86 CHURCHES AND PARISHES. in 1762 and 1802, and with .£1400 in two parliamentary grants, iii 1815 and 1824. It was valued in 1831 at £148 per annum. The Rev. Geo. Barker is the v/car; the Rev. P. B. Power, B.A., curate; Mr. Thos. Kenney, clerk; and Henry Beaumont, sexton* Christ Church, a neat structure, in Bow street, near Bedford street and Wharf street, was erected hy subscription, in 1839, at the cost of about .£6000, for the accommodation of the inhabitants of the north-east part of the town, where many new streets have been built during the last twenty years. \i stands in St. Margaret's parish, and has 1200 sittings. Its perpetual curacy is in the patronage of five trustees ; viz., the Rev. A. Irvine, and Messrs. John Taylor, Isaac Hodgson, Richard Mitchell, and John Nedham. The Rev. Richard Fawssett, M.A., is incumhoit, and Mr. John Wortley, clerk. St. Gkorgk's Church, in a large burial ground near Rutland street and George street, is a handsome fabric, erected by Government, for the accommodation of the inhabitants of the south-east part of the town ; having a large district allotted to it in the populous parish of St. Margaret. The site was purchased by subscription, and the first stone was laid Aug. 29th, 1823, by Earl Howe. The church was opened Feb. 18th, 1827, and has about 2000 sittings, about half of which are free. It is an elegant specimen of the decorated English style, from a design by Mr. Wm. Parsons, the architect, and cost about £16,000. It is 92 feet long, and 64 broad ; and its tower and spire rise to rhe height of 170 feet. The beautifully painted east window was pur- chased by subscription, and the clock was the gift of George Pochin, Esq., of Barkby Hall. The perpetual curacy^ valued in 1831 at £160, is in the patronage of the Vicar of St. Margaret's, and incumbency of the Rev. Robert Burnaby, B.A., who is assisted by the Rev. A. R. Harrison, M.A. Mr. Isaac Handscombe is clerk ; Mr. J. Dye, sexton; and Miss Waldrom, organist. St. Margaret's Church, one of the largest and most interest- ing churches in Leicester, is, parochial and prehendal. It stands in a large burial ground, at the junction of Churchgate and Sanveygate, near the Parsonage House, in the northern part of the town, called Bishop^s Fee'y from its being the seat of a bishop, till the removal of the see of Leicester to Dorchester, and finally to Lincoln, as already noticed at page 54. The Parish of St. Margaret, with Bishop's Fee, (exclusive of Knighton chapelry,) comprises about half of the town, and increased its population from 15,409 souls, in 1821, to 30,784, in 1841. The Earl of Dysart is lord of the manor, but the land and buildings belong to various proprietors. The church stands on or near the site of the Cathedral Church and Bishop's Palace, which stood here in the seventh century, and of the latter of which some re- mains were extant in Leland's time. It is remarkable for its handsome lofty tower, containing a fine peal of ten helh^ and for its large orna- mented jwo/c^, on the south side. The tower is 108 iaei high, with pinnacles and an embattled parapet, below which are several rows of panneling, in the perpendicular style of the 15th century. The south doorway is in the early English style, forming a compound arch, the shafts being recessed, and each corresponding, with caps, to the carved parts above. The nave is lofty and spacious, and the arches and pil- lars are early English, — a style which prevailed in the thirteenth cen- HISTORY OF LEICESTER. 87 tury ; but the clerestory windows are in the perpendicular style, like the chancel, which contains, besides the large east window, now blocked up, four others in each wall, some of which are also closed. The east window is about to be opened, and filled with stained glass. On each side of the altar picture are beautifully carved niches, formerly occupied by figures of the Virgin Mary and St. Margaret. The stalls for the priests, and the piscina, are also richly carved. Sonae carved stall- work, of the same early date, was removed a few years ago to Swith- land, and replaced by modern sittings. The chancel belongs to Miss Fenwick, as lessee impropriator of the great tithes of the parish, and she is bound to keep it in repair. The ancient font, which was cleansed and restored at the expense of Mrs. Irvine, the vicar's lady, some years ago, is octagonal, and its pannels are richly carved. The organ was finished in 1773, and is a fine-toned instrument, which has been used on several occasions of unusual interest to the musical world. A guilds in connexion with this church, was incorporated in the reign of Richard II., in the name of two masters, for the payment of two priests, to perform divine service and pray for the souls of the founders. It was endowed with property worth about £21 a year, which was sold at the dissolution to Robert Cuteler. The parish is a peculiar juris- diction of the Prebendary of St. Margaret^Sf Leicester, in Lincoln cathedral, who is a\so patron of the vicarage ; but on the death of the present prebendary, (the Rev. Sir J. H. C. Seymour) the prebend will be abolished, and its revenue and patronage will be transferred to the Ecclesiastical Commissioners. (See page 84.) The parish was en- closed, and the tithes commuted, in 1764. The discharged vicarage of St, Margaret, with the curacy of Knighton annexed to it, was valued in 1535, at £17* 8s. 6|d., and in 1831, at £440 per annum. The Rev. A. Irvine, B.D.,is the incumbent; the Revds. J. T. Debri- say, M.A., and H. D. Hilton, B. A., curates; Mr. George A. Lohr, organist; Mr. W. Kirby, clerk; and Mr. Robert Stringer, sexton. Prayers are read in the church every morning : in summer, at half-past seven, and in winter at a quarter past nine. St. Martin's Church, formerly called St. Crosse, stands near the Town Hall, and is the largest and most central church in the town. Here the assize sermons are preached, and the archdeacon holds his courts, and the bishop his confirmations. The edifice is of very early foundation, and comprises a spacious nave, chancel, and three aisles, with a tower and lofty crocketted spire, rising in the centre from four semi- circular arches, resting on massive Norman pillars. Rickman says " the spire and upper part of the tower are of much later date than the lower part, and the spire has been nearly, if not entirely, re- built." The materials of the north side appear to have been taken from an old ruin, " probably (as Nichols remarks) from the town wall, which, at the Conquest, lay in massy heaps." It has already been seen that the town was nearly destroyed both in 1068 and 1173, and no doubt this and other churches here were partly rebuilt after each of these periods. A great part of the fabric is early English, with the later windows inserted. The chancel is in the perpendicular style, and has three flat stalls CsediliaJ under the south-east windows. The south aisle, where the archdeacon holds his courts, was built long after the rest of the church. The east end of it was formerly " our Lady's 88 HISTORY OP LEICESTER. Chapely^ and the west end St. George's Chapel. Over where the altar stood in the former, hangs a fine picture of Charles I., painted hy Row- ley, in 1686. The latter belonged to St. George's Guild, and here was another chapel belonging to a Guild called Corpus Christie which- Throsby says was the " most ancient and principal in Leicester." The- effigy of St» George''s Horse, splendidly caparisoned, formerly stood in his chapel. The chancel belongs to the Crown, and is said to have been built in 1409. The altar piece is a fine painting of the Ascen- sion, executed by Vanni, an Italian artist, in 1563, and presented ta the church by Sir Wm. Skeffington, about 1790. On the north side is " Heyrick's Chancel," supposed to have been formerly called St. Dunstan's Chapel, but since the Reformation, it has been occupied by the tombs of the ancient family of Hey rick. That part of the edifice now used as the vestry is supposed to have been St. Catherine's Cha- pel^ and is the place where the Parliamentary troops are said to have quartered their horses in the civil war. Much damage was done to the church by the " idol breakers" after the Reformation, when we find it recorded that 20d. was paid to a person " for cuttynge downe the ymages' hedes ;" and 12d. for taking down the angels' wings.^ A chantry belonging to this church formed part of the house now occu- pied by S. Harris, Esq., nearly opposite the Nag's Head, in High cross street. It was founded by Wm. Humberstone and John Ive in the reign of Edward III., for the support of four priests. In the middle ages, religious processions were the chief holidays of the people. On Whit-Monday, twelve persons representing the Apostles, with other attendants, went in great pomp and show with the image of St. Mar- tin to St. Margaret's church. A similar procession went from St. Ma- ry's, carrying the image of the Virgin Mary, under a canopy, borne by four persons, with a quinstrel harp, and other music, playing before her. St. George's Guild, a fraternity which was invested with peculiar privileges, held yearly a sort of jubilee, called ^^ the Riding of St^ George,^ whose horse, already noticed as formerly standing in the guild chapel, was sold for 12d., when the monkish mummeries, which so in- consistently blended religion with pastime, were overthrown by the Reformation. The nave and its two aisles are neatly pewed^ and will seat about 1800 hearers. The organ was erected by subscription, and' opened in 1774, at the anniversary meeting of the supporters of the In- firmary, when Lord Sandwich was present and accompanied the band upon the kettle drums. Omiah, a native of Otaheite, brought over by Capt. Cook, was also present. St. Martin's Parish has 2889 inhabi- tants, and occupies the most central part of the tawn. Chpr. Tam- worth, in 1624, left 200 marks, to be vested in trust by the Corpora- tion, for the support of a minister to read prayers every morning and afternoon in St. Martin's church. The estate purchased comprises 40a. at Whetstone, let for £5^2 a year ; in consideration of which, prayers are read every morning by the Vicar, when there is a congre- gation. The Vicarage, which has no glebe, was valued in 1535 at ^6. 13s. 4d., and in 1831 at £140. The patronage is in the Crown, and the Rev. Edw. Thos. Vaughan, M.A., is the incumbent ; Mrs. Scott,. organist; Mr. John Thirlby, clerk ; and Mr. Eras. Johnson, sexton. St. Mary's Church was formerly called St. Mary -ds- Castro, and sometimes «S^. Mary-the-less^ to distinguish it from the Abbey church ST. mart's church. 89 of St. Mary-de-Pratis, and the collegiate church of St. Mary in the Newarke. It stands near the Castle, on the south side of the Newarke, and is a large pile of various styles of architecture, with a tower at the west end containing ten bells, and surmounted by a lofty and elegant crocketted spire, which was rebuilt in 17^3, in consequence of consi- derable damage having been done to it by lightning, from which it had also received injury in 1757 and 1763. The rebuilding of the spire cost X245. lOs., besides the value of the old materials. The church was repaired and partly rebuilt by Robert de Bellomont, Earl of Lei- cester, in 1107, and by succeeding lords of the Honor of Leicester in or about 1400, 1500, and subsequent years ; so that the present edifice is a work of *' shreds and patches," arising from its contiguity to the Castle, and its sharing the fate of that fortress in the intestine wars already noticed. That there was a church on the same site in the Saxon era is evident from some bricks of that age found in the chancel. When the first Earl of Leicester had repaired the damage done to it at the Norman Conquest, he founded in it a college consisting of a dean and 12 canons, and among other donations for their support, he endowed them with the patronage of all the other churches in Leices- ter, except St. Margaret's. (See page 8.3.) The north porch has a fine double recessed Norman arch, ornamented with chevron moulding. The spacious interior, when viewed from this end of the church, has a truly imposing appearance, embracing a wide range of clerestory win- dows and lofty arches, a richly carved roof, and many other objects in- teresting to the architect and the antiquary. The font is in the tran- sition style of the twelfth century, decorated with angels and other ornaments. In the chancel, the richly carved sedilia on the right, the windows on both sides, and the broken round arches which flank the entrance, are all of the pure Anglo-Norman character, but the piscina is supposed to be of Saxon origin. The south side, which is divided from the chancel by a handsome screen, is said to have been built by the renowned John of Gaunt, Duke of Lancaster. The east end of it, where there is still an altar, was the chapel or choir of the Guild of the Holy Trinity, founded in the reign of Henry VII. by Sir Richard Sa- cheverel, kt., and the good Lady of Hungerford. A list of articles bought by the members of this guild in 1508, shews the low price of provisions at that time : — A dozen of ale, 20d. ; a fat wether, 2s. 4d. ; seven lambs, 7s. ; fifteen capons, 5s. ; half a quarter of malt, 2s. ; four gallons of milk, 4d. ; a pig, 5d." An opening in the north aisle is said to have been St, Ann'^s Chapel, and to have belonged to the ancient? owners of Dannett's Hall. Wicliff, the morning star of the Reforma- tion, is said to have preached in St. Mary's, when he was a guest of John of Gaunt, at the adjacent Castle. In July, 1844, through the exertions of the Rev. John Brown, A.M., the late vicar, a subscription was opened to repair and restore this ancient church, and about XllOO towards the i)2700 required for effecting this desirable object, was raised before the close of 1845, when the work was commenced. The south boundary of the church yard is a fragment of the old town wall, which also encompassed the western side, and divided it from the Cas- tle. The Parish of St. Mary had 8406 souls in 1841, including South Fields Liberty, which has 2566 inhabitants, and includes all those suburbs of the town lying in the west and south beyond the H 2 90 CHUBCHES AND PARISHES. boundary of the old borough, in and near Braunstonegate, DaneWs Hall, Dane Hills, Bromkinsthorpe, Enderby road, Occupation road, and the south end of the New Walk. St. Mary's is a discharged vicar- age, valued in K.B at i)8, and in 1831 at ^£221, being augmented in 1756, 1767, and 1792, with £600 of Queen Anne's Bounty; and in 1814 and 1817, with ^61600 in two Parliamentary grants. The patron- age is in the Crown. The late respected vicar died in the latter part of 1845, and a monument is about to be erected by subscription to his memory. His successor has not yet (Feb. 10th, 1846,) been appoint- ed. The Rev. H. Lowe, A.M., is curate ; Miss Newcombe, organist; INFr. Fdk. Ross, clerk ; and Mr. Wm. Cleveland, ^ei^-^ow. The even- ing lectureship was established in 177^' St. Nicholas' Church, in the street to which it gives name, is said to be the oldest in Leicester, being built of the same kind of materials as the venerable Jewry fVall, to which it nearly adjoins, as noticed at page 53. It has a square tower of Saxon architecture, much patched with brick work, and formerly surmounted by a spire, which was taken down about half a century ago. Two round arches in the north side were walled up in 1697, when the north aisle was taken down. Two chapels at the east end, dedicated to St. Augustine and St, ColumbuSy were taken down as early as 1087, and their site has since been called " Holg Bones, '^ from the bones of oxen that have often been found there. In the chancel are some curious pillars of the early English character. After being thoroughly repaired and beautified, at a con- siderable expense, the church was reopened in the summer of 1830, and the interior now presents an air of comfort and neatness. The living is a discharged vicarage, valued, in 1535, at £3. 1 Is. 3d., and in .1831, at only jC85, though it was augmented with Jt'800 of Queen Anne's Bounty, from 1714 to 1800, and with £1000, in Parliamentary grants, from 1813 to 1824. The patronage is in the Crown. The Rev.Jemson Davies, M.A., is the incumbent ; the Rev. F. S. Barker, curate ; Mr. S. Langton, clerk and sexton ; and Mrs. Gill, organist. Trinity Church is a neat modern structure, on the south side of the town, in Regent street, opposite the top of King street, in South Fields Liberty and St. Mary's parish. It was built at the sole expense of Frewcn Turner, Esq., and opened in June, 1838. It cost about £3000, and is in the patronage of Thomas Frewen, Esq., of Cold Over- ton. It has 1050 sittings, of which one-third are free; and its con- gregation support a Sunday school and several charitable institutions. The Rev. Wm. Hill, A.B., is minister; Mr. Thomas Ellis, c/erA-; Mr. John Ellis, sexton ; and Mr. Wm. Rawson, organist* St. Leonard's Parish is of small extent, comprising only Abbey- gate, JVoodgaie, and part of B^og Island, and having only 466 inhabi- tants. Its church, which stood near the North bridge, was destroyed during the civil wars in the time of Charles I., but its churchyard is still used as a burial ground. The sequestrated vicaraqe, valued in 1535 at £6, and in 1831, at £40^, was augmented with £200 of Queen Anne's Bounty in 1737, and is in the gift of the Crown, and usually held by the vicar of St. Martin. The Earl of Dysart is lord of the manor. The Extra-Parochial Liberties of Leicester, in which the borough and county magistrates have concurrent jurisdiction, are HISTORY OF LEICESTER. 91 Castle VieWi the New ark e^ Black Fjiars, and PThite Friars. The Liberty of Bishop's Fee is part of St. Margaret's parish ; those of jibheygaie and ff^oodgate are now returned as parts of St. Leonard's parish ; and South Fields and Bromkinsthorpe as parts of St. Mary's parish. South Fields Liberty lies south and west of the town, and increased its population from 7^^ souls, in 1821, to 2566 in 184L Its large open common, called the South or St. Mary's Field, was enclosed by the Corporation in 1804, and comprised the Freemen's Piece, no- ticed at page 73. CASTLE VIEW belongs to the Duchy of Lan- caster, and comprises 120 inhabitants, 32 houses, the Castle yard, and all the land lying within the boundary line of the outward wall of the ancient Castle. (See page 77-) The NEVVARKE is bounded oa the north by Castle View, and is extra-parochial, as being under castle guard, by an ancient grant from the Crown, as noticed at page 78. It is approached from Oxford street by an ancient castellated gateway, and comprises about 30 acres of land, Trinity Hospital, 200 houses, and 842 inhabitants. The Collegiate Church of Our Lady in the Newarke stood nearly opposite Trinity Hospital, and was founded in 1355, by Henry, Duke of Lancaster, as noticed at page 83. It was a small but handsome church, and had four chantries, one founded by Wm. Wigston. Many wealthy and distinguished individuals were buried in it, among whom were Constance, wife of John of Gaunt, and Mary Bohun, Countess of Hereford, and mother of Henry V. The alabaster tomb of the latter lady has long been in the chapel of Trinity Hospital, but the features of the effigy are much mutilated, though the drapery is fine and well preserved. The church was demolished before 1690, and is supposed to have been connected with the College and Trinity Hospital by a quadrangular cloister or piazza, the last remains of which disappeared in 1776, when the Hospital was repaired and new fronted, the present front being plain, and the original one having "a range of fine arched pillars on the side of a spacious aisle." Black Friars, containing 992, and the White or Augustine Friars, 245 inhabitants, lie near the river, on the west side of the town, and are both extra-parochial, though, in the lists of voters and some other parochial affairs, they are included with St. Nicholas' Parish. (See page 50.) CHAPELS. — Besides the eight churches, affording seat room for about 12,000 hearers, there are in the town 26 places of public worship,, belonging to Dissenters, and one to the Roman Catholics. Some of these chapels are large and commodious, and their aggregate number of sittings is about 16,000. In connexion with them (as with the churches,) are Sunday schools and charitable societies, and some of them have circulating libraries. The Catholic Chapel is a handsome Gothic structure, in Welling- ton street, erected in 1817, by subscription, to which the Earl of Shrewsbury contributed munificentl3^ It has sittings for more than 400 hearers, and connected with it is a day and Sunday school, the former attended by about 90, and the latter by 150 children. Father Caestryck, the first priest, through whose indefatigable exertions the funds were raised for building the chapel, lies buried here. Over the altar is a splendid painting of the Crucifixion, by Flower. The school 92 HISTORY OF LEICESTER. was built in 1824, and enlarged in 1845. A new confessional was built in 1824, and in Belgrave gate is an Infant School, connected with this chapel. The Rev. Wm. Nickolds is the priesty and Miss Gill is the organist. The Friends' Meetinghouse is a plain building, in Friars' road, Northgates, rebuilt in 1770, and having about 250 sittings, and a small burial ground. The Unitarian Chapel, in East Bond street, formerly called the Great Meeting, was built in 1708, by a congregation of Presbyte- rians, the immediate successors of the Nonconformists of the reign of Charles II. It has about 700 sittings, and a small endowment. A day school has been connected with it since a few years after its erec- tion, and is now attended by about 130 children. The chapel has also a circulating library, and is now under the ministry of the Rev, C. Berry. BAPTISTS are very numerous in Leicester, where they are said to have had a congregation as early as 1688. They have now in the town no fewer than thirteen chapels, viz., three belonging to the Par- ticular Baptists, in Belvoir street, Harvey lane, and Charles street; seven to the General Baptists, in Friar lane. Archdeacon lane, Carley street, Dover street. Soar lane. Burgess street, and Vine street ; and three to the Calvinistic Baptists, in York street, St. Peter's lane, and Alfred street. Harvey lane Chapel, the oldest Par- ticular Baptist meeting-house in the town, has room for 1000 hearers, and was for some time under the ministry of the late Rev. Robt, Hall, of Bristol, one of the most eloquent preachers of the present century. It is now used chiefly as a school, its numerous congregation having erected, for their better accommodation, Belvoir street Chapel, a large and handsome structure, which has about 1500 sittings, and was opened Oct. 15th, 1845. It is on a circular plan, with an elegant ex- terior of stone and stuccoe-work, and cost about jCGOOO. Under the chapel is a spacious Sunday-school. The Rev. J. P. Mursell is the minister. Charles street Chapel, built in 1830, has 700 sittings, and is now under the ministry of the Rev. J. Green. Friar lane Chapel, the oldest General Baptist chapel in Leicester, has 1070 sittings, and is under the ministry of the Rev. S. Wigg. It was built in 1785, and enlarged in 1818. That in Archdeacon lane vvk^ rebuilt in 1836, at the cost of JC2300, and has 1150 sittings, and the Rev. Thos. Steven- son is its pastor. That in Dover street was enlarged in 1828 and 1840, and has room for 800 hearers, besides 300 Sunday scholars. The Rev. Joseph Goadby is the minister. The other four General Baptist cha- pels are small, and service is performed in them by the ministers of the other three, or by the students of the academy at Spa place. Zoar Chapel^ in York street, one of the three belonging to the Calvinistic Baptists, was built in 1818, and has 500 sittings. That in Alfred street has 800, and that in St. Peter's lane (built in 1802) about 350 sittings, but they have no regular ministers. The General Baptist Col- lege^ at Spa place, is an academy for educating and training young men for the ministry, and was commenced in 1798, by the Rev. Dan Taylor, afterwards of Mile-end, Loudon. It is endowed with houses at Not- tingham, let for .£70, and is supported by donations and collections, to the amount of about ^480 per annum. The Rev. Joseph Wallis is the HISTORY OF LEICESTER. 93 ^utor, and the Revs. J. Goadby and J. Ferneyhough are the secretaries. There are generally about twelve students. The l^ D KPE^sDE-sTSy or Canp7'egationalistSy have two chapels here. That in Bond street was rebuilt in 1821, and is a commodious fabric, under the ministry of the Rev, Jph. Smedmore, and has 1160 sittings. That in Gnllowtree gate^ was built about 1823, and has upwards of 800 sittings. The organ was erected in 1844. The Rev. G. Legge, LL.D., is the minister, and a Sabbath and daily infant schools are connected with the chapel. The Huntinotonians, (followers of Wra. Hun- tington,) have a chapel with 800 sittings, in Freeschool lane, under the pastoral care of the Rev. Jph. Chamberlain. Here are two Wksleyan Mkthodist Chapei.s, one a large struc- ture, with 1600 sittings, in Bishopgate street, built in 1815 ; and the other a small building, in Millstone lane. They use the latter chiefly as a Sunday school, of which they have two others, in Metcalf street and Braunstone gate. The Independent Methodists have a chapel in Denman street, with 250 sittings ; and the j4ssociation Methodists have one in Hill street, built in 1833, with seat room for 700 hearers, under the ministry of the Rev. Thos. Ellery. The Primitive Methodists have three chapels, situated in George street, (built in 1820,) Alexander street, and York street, Welford road. Providence Chapel^ in Newarke street, was built in 1835, and has about 500 sittings. Its congregation assumes no name but that of" Christian^'' and Mr. J. W. Bloodworth is the minister. The Irvingites had a chapel in Northampton street, but it is now disused. A GENERAL CEMETERY is about to be formed on the south side of the town, near Knighton hill, upon about 12a. of land belong- ing to the Corporation, and well adapted for such a purpose, having a gentle slope, and commanding pictaresque views of the town and adja- cent country. The site is to be purchased and the cemetery formed by a company of shareholders, instituted in 1845. The want of such a dormitory has long been felt, owing to the over-crowded state of the present places of interment, where the natural feelings of humanity are often shocked by observing the resting places of the dead prematurely disturbed. Religious Institutions, for the propagation of the Gospel both at home and abroad, are liberally supported in Leicester, both by the members of the Established Church and the various congregations of dissenters. The Leicestershire Auooiliary Bible Society was estab- lished in 1810, and has its depository in Cank street, and Branch Associations at the market towns and some of the principal villages in the county. It remits yearly to the British and Foreign Bible Society, London, upwards of £1200, about half for the purchase of bibles, &c., and the rest for the general objects of the institution. The Places of Amusement and Recreation in the town, com- prise the Theatre, the Assembly Rooms, the New Hall, where con- certs, &c., are held ; the Cricket Ground, the Baths, the Race Course, and the New Walk. The Thkatre, in Horsfair street, was erected by a body of share- holders, at the cost of £9000, in £25 shares, and opened in 1836. It 8 a handsome and commodious structure, from a design by Mr. W. 94i HISTORY OF LEICESTER. Parsons, and has an elegant Ionic portico, the entire height of the building. The old Theatre, near the same site, was a smaller and much plainer building. The AssKMBLY Rooms and Judge's Lodoings, in Hotel street, were erected in the latter part of last century, by Mr. J. Johnson, the architect who founded the almshouses called the Consanguinitarium. They were originally called the Assembly Rooms and Hotel, being in- tended for a Coflfee Room and Tavern. They form a spacious and handsome building, with a highly ornamental front, having noble win- dows, statues, basso-relievos, and other decorations. These premises were purchased by the County Magistrates about twenty years ago, and that portion which was the Hotel, was handsomely fitted up for the lodging and accommodation of the Judges, during the Assizes, except one portion, which is called the County Public Office, and is the place where the magistrates hold petty sessions every Saturday. Adjoining it is the county Police Station, and the house of the chief constable of the county. The Assembly Rooms are an elegant suit of «parrments, still used for their original purpose, and often the scene of fashionable balls, patronized by the nobility and gentry of the neighbourhood, and sometimes held for the benefit of charitable institutions. The Ball Roomh 75 feet long, 33 broad, and 30 in height. It has a coved ceiling, enriched with three paintings, in circular compartments, repre- senting Aurora, Urania, and Night. The walls are decorated with painted representations of dancing nymphs, and the room is fitted up in an appropriate style of elegance. There is in the town a " Classical Musical Society,^' and also some other societies, distinguished for both vocal and instrumental talent. The New Hall, in Wellington street, was built in 1831, by a com- pany of proprietors, in shares of £20 each, and was intended principally as a place of meeting for the Liberal party, to whom the old Corpora- tion refused the use of the Town Hall. Since the latter has been thrown open to all sects and parties, the New Hall has become more a Lecture and Concert Room, than an arena for political discussion. It contains a spacious saloon, adjoining to which are two smaller rooms, one used as the Museum of the Literary and Philosophical Society, and the other as the Reading Room of the Mechanics' Institution. The Cr[Cket Ground, with a Bowling-Green attached, occu- pies an enclosed area of about ten acres, on the east side of the town, adjoining Wharf street, and was opened in 1826 by a company of pro- prietor?, to supply that want of a suitable place for out-door games and exercises which was felt after the enclosure of the South Fields, and after the Bowling-green in St. Peter's lane had been built upon, and Vauxhall Gardens and Bowling-green had been converted into a coal wharf and warehouses. The Cricket Ground is one of the best in the kingdom, and islet to Mr. Barker, of the Anchor Inn, who admits the public on moderate terms, and provides excellent accommodation, especially at the races and principal fairs, when there are exhibitions of fireworks, and other amusements. In the town are several cricket clubs, and many interesting matches have been played since the open- ing of the ground. The Albion Tepid Baths, which have entrances from New walk and King street, are the property of Mr. J. P. Clarke. The large HISTORY OF LEICESTER. 95 plunging bath is nearly 100 feet long, and from 3 to 4 deep, and con- tains 216,000 gallons of pure spring water, raised from a depth of 90 feet, and constantly flowing and changing, at the rate of 9000 gallons per hour. The private swimming bath is 24 feet square. Here are also china baths, a vapour bath, and a powerful shower bath. Con- venient dressing rooms are attached to the baths, and the charges are very moderate. A sulphureous sprinff was discovered about 1787, at Spa place, in Humberstone road, and its water was said to possess similar properties to those of Harrogate and Keddleston, but it did not remain long in repute, and was disused many years ago. The Race Course, opened in 1806, occupies about G8 acres of elevated ground, near Market Harborough road, about half a mile south of the town. It is rather more than a mile in circuit, and is moderately level and convenient. It has the accommodation of a stand and weigh- ing booth. The Races are held on the second Wednesday in Septem- ber, and are patronised by the Duke of Rutland, and other noblemen. In the week following the Races, the County Yeomanry meet for an- nual inspection on the same ground, and usually conclude the week with an amusing and amicable contention of skill and speed in horse- manship. Mr. J. D. Jackson is clerk of the course and judge of the races. The New Walk was formed by the Corporation in 1785, as a pub- lic promenade, and place of healthy exercise for the inhabitants, but since that period the town has been so greatly extended, that a large portion of it is now in close proximity with lines of streets and rows of houses, many of which are handsome buildings, with small but tasteful shrubberies. It commences at Welford place, and crossing King street, extends about a mile S.S.E., to the London road, within a short distance of the Race Course. It is 20 feet broad, and the upper part of it, beyond the Midland Railway, is prettily planted, and being still in the open country, commands fine views of the town and neigh- bourhood. At this end, it has recently been extended by the Corpora- tion, who have it in contemplation to provide additional places of re- creation for the inhabitants. The Leicestershire Agricultural Society, for the protection and advancement of the agricultural interest in general ; for the ex- citement of enterprise and emulation among the owners and occupiers of land ; and for the encouragement of skill, industry, and good con- duct among servants and labourers, holds its annual meeting at Lei- cester, in December, and a wool fair in the latter part of June. The Duke of Rutland is president ; Sir Wm. Heygate, Bart., treasurer ; and Mr. John Bailey, secretary. The LITERARY INSTITUTIONS of Leicester comprise se- veral Public Libraries, a Literary and Philosophical Society, with a highly interesting Museum ; a Mechanics' Institution, a society called the Athseneum, four weekly Newspapers, and two large Proprietary Schools. The Town Library, in the Town Hall, is rich in works of the Fathers and early Reformers ; comprising many volumes of divinity of the 16th and 17th centuries ; a few on medical, historical, and scientific subjects ; the Public Records and other Parliamentary folios ; and a 96 (TOWN LIBRARY,) LEICESTER. few very curious and ancient manuscripts. The apartment which it occupies was built by the Corporation in 1632, previous to which, the Earl of Huntingdon had given many books which were placed in St. Martin's Church, for the help and benefit of ministers and scholars. These, with many others given by former benefactors, were removed to the Town Library, with the consent of the Bishop of Lincoln ; and for the better furnishing thereof, a general but voluntary collection was made in Leicester, and in every deanery in the county. In 1640, Mr. Thomas Hayne, bequeathed 600 volumes to this library, and consider- able additions have been made by other benefactors. Being repaired about ten years ago, the books are in good condition ; but they are, generally speaking, of little use to modern students. Among a few of the tomes of this repository of ancient literature maybe enumerated : — Walton's Polyglott, 6 vols. ; a Missal from Salisbury Cathedral ; Stephens's Greek Testament, folio, Paris, 1600; Gerson's Opera, 3 vols., 1497; ^'•Voragine Aurea Legenda Sanctorum^'' 1476 ; " Speed's Historie of Great Britaine;" Clarendon's History, 1786; Lanquette's Chronicle, black letter, imperfect ; Sir Walter Raleigh's History of the World, folio ; and the Codex LeicestriensiSy in M.S., supposed to be of the fourteenth century. The books were formerly fastened to the shelves by chains. Among the relics shewn here are, a carved chair in which King Charles is said to have once sat ; and the seat of a still greater person, Daniel Lambert, which was used by him when he sat in court as keeper of the Bridewell. Here are also portraits of George HI., and two borough members — Messrs. Darker and Wigley ; and over the fire-place is an old painting of St. Jerome, on a pannel. Mrs. Eliz. White is the librarian. The General News Room and Library, at the junction of Bel- voir and Granby streets, is an elegant edifice which was finished in January, 1838, at the cost of .£3400, exclusive of .£2100 given for the site. It was erected by a proprietary of XIO shareholders, and is a great ornament to the town ; being in the rich Ionic order of the Minerva Polias at Athens. The south front presents four three- quarter columns and antse, and in the five centre intercolumniations are as many windows, with pannels over them, forming a continuous line of beautiful sculpture, designed and modelled by the late Mr. Pitts, of London, and representing Eminent Men of ancient and modern times, and emblems of the four quarters of the Globe, England, and many foreign countries. In the portico, fronting Granby street, are two entrances, one to the News Rooms, and the other to the Library Gallery. The New.? Room measures 60 feet by 34, and is 30 feet high to the ceiling, and 41 to the highly enriched lanthorn. The Gallery, which runs round the room, is supported by twelve Corinthian columns, in imitation of Scagliola marble, and contains the Library, which com- prises about 6000 volumes of modern standard authors, deposited in nine large cases placed in compartments. The building also contains a Committee Room, a Reading Room, attached to the Library; and other apartments. The annual subscription to the News Room is £1. 6s. to shareholders, and £1. lis. 6d. to others. Admission to the Library requires the previous purchase of a share, and an annual sub- scription of one guinea. The Library was commenced many years ago, and the shares are charged three guineas each to proprietors of the HISTORY OF LEICESTER. 97 building, and six guineas to others. Mr. John Plant is secretary ; and Mr. Geo. Nicholas, librarian, Mr. Crossley, in Gallowtree gate, has a valuable Library of more than 4800 volumes, which is circulated among subscribers of £\. 5s. per annum, and there are smaller CircJilating Libraries^ at some of the other booksellers. The Church of Englandman'' s Book Society for the town and county of Leicester, holds its meetings at Messrs. Brown and Hewitt's, booksellers, and is limited to thirty members, subscribing one guinea per annum. It was commenced in 1845. At Mr. Daniells', is a Medical Library ^ of about 500 valuable works, established in 1805. The library at Mr. Crossley's is the successor of the " Permanent Library^'' which was established by IVIr. (afterwards Sir Richard) Phillips, in 17^2, and was destroyed by fire in 1805. Messrs. Brown and Hewitt have recently established an Agricultural Library y for the Leicestershire farmers, on very liberal terms, and it already comprises many valuable works. The Literary and Philosophical Society has its Museum at the New Hall, and holds its meetings at the Town Library. It was esta- blished in 1835, and its members consist of gentlemen of the town and neighbourhood, associated for the cultivation of the higher branches of literature, science, and philosophy. The museum (commenced in 1 841,) is already rich in ornithological, entomological, geological, and anti- quarian specimens, and is vested in trustees. Among the relics of antiquity is the Roman Milestone^ noticed at page 52. The Rev. C. Berry is president ; Dr. Noble, Dr. Shaw, and others are vice-presi- dents ; and Mr. Samuel Cleaver is curator of the museum, which is open gratuitously to the public on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Satur- days, from twelve to four o'clock. The Athen^um, in Humberstone gate, was instituted in 1845, for the support of a News Room and Coffee Room^ and the occasional use of a Lecture Roomy with the view of affording facilities for moral and intellectual improvement, and rational recreation to the middle class of Leicester and its neighbourhood. The society already numbers up- wards of 200 members ; each subscribing one guinea yearly, except those residing out of town, who pay only half- a- guinea. John Mellor, Esq., is president ; Messrs. T. Podd and J. H. Webb, vice-presidents ; and Mr. T. C. Brown, honorary- secretary. The Mechanics' Institution, which occupies part of the New Hall, was commenced in 1833, and has a well supplied News Roomy and a Libraryy of about 2500 volumes, many of them presented by gentle- men of the town and neighbourhood. As has been the case with those of some other towns, it has been found necessary to make this useful institution more attractive by blending amusement with instruction. Under its auspices popular concerts and other entertainments, as well as lectures, are now held occasionally in the spacious saloon of the New Hall. John Biggs, Esq., is the president, and the lowest subscription paid by the members is 2s. per quarter. The number of members is about 450, and Mr. Thos. Windley is the librarian. Newspapers. — Though the printing press had made but little progress in Leicester at the beginning of the eighteenth century, four weekly newspapers are now published in the town ; viz., the Journaly commenced in 1753, and professing Conservative politics ; the Chro- 98 HISTORY OF LEICESTER. nicle, established in 1791, as an advocate of Whig principles; the Mercury^ commenced in 1836, in the Liberal interest ; and Payne's -^c?yer^25e?', established in 1842, and professing neutrality in politics. The price of the latter is 2|d., and of each of the others 4|d. The Journal is published on Friday, and the others on Saturday. Another weekly journal, called the Herald, was commenced here in 1792, by Mr. (afterwards Sir Richard) Phillips, but it was discontinued about the close of the following year. The Baptist Reporter is a monthly periodical, (price 3d.,) commenced in January, 1826, and printed and edited by Mr. J. F. Winks, who also publishes a monthly " Children's Magazine,'' (price Id.,) and many pamphlets and tracts, in the Bap- tist interest, which is very prevalent in Leicester. The Free Grammar School, in High cross street, is an ancient building, which has no pretensions to architectural beauty, and has been for some time without scholars* It is supposed to have been founded by Thomas Wigston, brother of William, in the early part of the sixteenth century. In 1564, Queen Elizabeth granted it ^10 a-year out of the revenues of the Duchy of Lancaster; and in the fol- lowing year. Sir Ralph Rowlatt endowed it with £o. 6s. 8d. per an- num, out of the manor of Theddingworth. In 1573, Queen Elizabeth sold all the materials of the decayed church of St. Peter to the Corpo- ration, for £35, in consideration of their erecting a more commodious school-house, and employing what remained of the lead, timber, and stone of the said church, in bringing a conduit of water to the town. The school and master's house were finished in 1574. The latter is now a kitchen, &c. attached to the present master's house, which was purchased by the Corporation about 1730. The school has £2\ a-year from the revenues of Wigston's Hospital ; viz., £10 as the gift of the Earl of Huntingdon, in 1574 ; £10, as Sir William W^igston's gift; and £1 as the gift of Thomas Wigston. From the above sources, and a few smaller benefactions, the yearly income is about £47, to which the old Corporation voluntarily contributed about £75, but this was discontinued in 1836, so that the income is now too small to induce a talented master to take charge of the school. The Earl of Hunting- don, in 1576, left £10 a year to be divided into two exhibitions of £2 each, to two boys, whilst at school, and two exhibitions of £3 each to scholars at the University, to be paid out of the revenues of Wigston's Hospital. As noticed with his charity at a subsequent page, Thomas Hayne left £6 a-year for two scholars at Lincoln College, Oxford. Since the death of the Rev. Richard Davies, B.D., the late head mas- ter, there has been no appointment to that office ; though the Rev. Jem- Bon Davies, M.A., still holds the office of second master. The Collegiate School, at the end of Prebend street, is an elegant edifice, in the Tudor- Gothic style, built in 1836, by a company of shareholders, from a design by Mr. Weightman, of Sheffield, on the same plan as the Collegiate School in that town. It stands on a plea- sant eminence, and near it is a commodious house for the head-master, with accommodations for a large number of boarders. Adjoining the playground are several acres of meadow land, appropriated to the use of the pupils. The Earl of Warrington and Stamford is president of this ...stitution for the instruction of youth in classical, scientific, and HISTORY OF LEICESTER. 99 commercial knowledge, under masters belonging to the Established Church ; and the Bishop of the diocese is visitor. The charge for education is from £10 to £12 ; and for board, from £30 to £35 per annum. The Rev. A. Hill, M.A., is headmaster; the Rev. P. S. Ashurst, M.A., is second master ; and Mons. Caillard, French master. Both this and the following school were designed for the reception of 300 pupils, mostly day scholars. The Proprietary School, betwixt the New walk and Princes st., was opened in 1837, and is, like the above, on the proprietary principle, but in connexion with Dissenters. The building is heavy in appear- ance, but well arranged in the interior. The design of the sharehold- ers is to impart a complete commercial, classical, and scientific educa- tion, on reasonable terms, without regard to creeds or forms of wor- ship. The charge for instruction is from £8 to £10, and for board £30 per annum. Mr. Cyrus R. Edmonds is head master ; and Mr. James Fras. Rollings, second master, CHARITY, NATIONAL, and other SCHOOLS for the gratui- tous education of the poor, or for imparting instruction on the lowest terms, with the aid of subscriptions and donations, are as numerous in Leicester, and as early in their foundation, as those of most other towns of similar magnitude. Alderman Newton's, or the Green Coat School, in St. Nicho- las street, was founded in 1761, and now afi^ords education and cloth- ing to 100 poor boys, as will be seen at a subsequent page, with the account oi Jllderman Newton's Charities to Leicester and other places. The National School, near St. Nicholas' church, was erected in 1814, on land given by the Crown, and is designed as a central or model school for the county, under the patronage of the Duke of Rut- land and many other persons of rank and distinction. Under the tui- tion of a master and mistress, it affords instruction to about 300 chil- dren. All Saints' School, in High cross street, was founded by sub- scription, in 1819, and affords instruction to about 100 children, on the infant system, in connexion with the National schools. It is supported by voluntary contributions, and an annual sermon. St. George's Charity School, in Rutland street, was esta- blished by subscription, in 1828, and is now attended by about 100 boys and 80 girls. St. Margaret's Charity School, in Church gate, was built by subscription, in 1810, with dwellings for the master and mistress. It is conducted on the National system, and attended by about 100 boys and 70 girls. It is supported by voluntary contribution, under the manage- ment of a committee of the subscribers, and the scholars are partly clothed at the expense of the charity, each having two suits in three years. The Rev. J. T. Debrisay is secretary, St. Margaret's National School, near the church, is supported by subscription and the small payments of the children. It was built in 1834, and is at- tended by about 200 boys and 150 girls, who pay 2d. each per week. It is one of the training schools to which persons are sent to be qualified as teachers of other schools in the county. Christ Church School was built in 1840, and is conducted on the National system. It is at- tended by about 150 boys and 100 girls. 100 HISTORY OF LEICESTER. St. Martin's Charity Schools, in Friar lane, were built by sub- scription, in 1789, with residences for the master and mistress. They are liberally supported by voluntary contributions, and are sometimes called the Blue Coat Schools, from the charity affording blue cloth- ing as well as instruction, to 60 boys and 40 girls, besides whom about 80 other children are educated gratuitously. St. Mary's Charity School, near the church, was built by sub- scription, in 1785, with a house for the master, and vested in trust for instruction in reading, writing, and accounts, of at least 50 poor chil- dren of the parish of St. Mary, and the liberties of the Newark e and Castle View. The establishment has since been so liberally supported by subscriptions, donations, and an annual sermon, that it now affords instruction to about 80 boys and 40 girls, and the latter are instructed also in needlework. St, Mary's Sunday School was built in 1800, and was opened also as an Infant School, in 1845. Here are four Infant Schools, situated in Archdeacon lane, (built in 1838,) Metcalf street, Charlotte street, and Oxford street; and small Free Schools are attached to the Catholic and Unitarian Chapels. In the town are four large British Schools, founded by subscription, with the aid of the British and Foreign School Society, and supported by the contributions of dissenters, and the weekly payment of two- pence by each of the scholars. Those in Hill street are under* the care of the " Leicester British School Society," established in 1831, and were built in 1834. They are attended by about 300 boys and 200 girls. That in Osborne street is attended by about 180 boys; and that in Gallowtreegate by 150 girls. The two latter are supported chiefly by Independents, and the two former chiefly by Baptists. The Sunday School Teachers' Institute was established in 1842, by the friends of the Sunday School Union, for the purpose of imparting to its members, about 350 in number, such an amount of mental and religious knowledge as shall fit them for the office of teachers in the Sabbath schools. Lectures on various subjects are occasionally deli- vered ; and there are classes for instruction in sacred geography, sing- ing, &c. Honorary members pay 5s., and teachers 2s. per annum. The classes meet in Gallowtreegate school room, and the institution has an increasing library. The Female Asylum, in the Newarke, was established in 1800, for the maintenance of 12 poor girls, who are admitted at the age of 13, and remain three years, during which time they are trained for do- mestic servitude, and taught reading, writing, and arithmetic. They partly contribute towards their own support, by the needlework and washing which the institution undertakes for the public. Great atten- tion is paid to their moral and religious instruction, and Mrs. Mary Brown is the matron. Among the Provident Institutions of the town, are the Savings' Bank, a Building and Investment Society, (established in 1845,) nu- merous Benefit Societies, and several lodges of Odd Fellows, and other seci^et orders, supported by the operative classes, for mutual assistance in cases of sickness, misfortune, superannuation, and death. At the Bell Hotel, is a Lodge of Freemasons, (No. 348,) open on the first Wednesday of every month. The Savings' Bank, in the Market place, was established in 1817, HISTORY OF LEICESTER. 101 and is open on ISIondays and Saturdays, from eleven to one o'clock. Its deposits in November, 1845, amounted to ^674,226. 14s. 5d., of which £65,643. 13s. 4d. helonj?ed to 2193 Depositors; £2440, to 54 Charitable Societies ; £3738. 15s., to 35 Friendly Societies ; and £2404, to the separate surplus fund. The Duke of Rutland is president ; the Earl of Stamford and Warrington and Earl Howe are vice-presi- dents ; seventeen gentlemen of the town and county are /rw.9/^^5; and about 90 others are managers, R. W. Wood, Esq., of Knighton, is treasurer ; and INIr. Wm. Cooke, secretary. CHARITABLE INSTITUTIONS. The Blanket Lending Society was established in 1 830, and lends* every winter upwards of 700 pairs of blankets to the most destitute families in the town, besides giving about 100 pairs of old ones. It expends about £120 yearly in purchasing, scouring, and repairing blankets; and its depository is in the Bible Rooms, in Cank street. Here is also a society for supplying the poor vf\t\i cheap clothing; a Dorcas Society^ for clothing the destitute ; a Ladies' Charity^ for the relief of poor lying-in women ; a fVidoiu and Orphans'* Friend So- ciety ; a Society for Visiting and Relieving the Sick ; several excellent Medical Charities ; and a Society for the Relief of Indigent Old Jge. The latter is supported by annual subscriptions, and collections at the churches, to the amount of about £200 a year. The Leicester Infirmary and House of Recovery from Conta- gious Fever ^ occupy a spacious building, in an airy situation, on the south side of the town, near the County Gaol. This useful charity, for affording medical and surgical aid to the lame, infirm, and sick poor, both as in and out patients, is open for the reception of patients from any county or nation, recommended by subscribers. The In- firmary originated from the benevolent exertions of the late William fVatts, Esq.^ an eminent physician of the town, who resided atDanett's Hall, and made the first successful appeal to the wealthier inhabitants of the town and neighbourhood, showing the want of such a Samaritan institution in this populous district. After the example of a few liberal subscriptions, the generous flame soon spread, and in a short time, ample funds were raised for the erection of this house of mercy. The building was opened in 1771) for the reception of about 60 patients, but it has since been considerably enlarged. In 1781, an additional wing was built, at the south-west angle, as 2iW. Asylum for Indigent Lunatics^ for the foundation and support of which Mrs, Topps left £1000, and Mrs. Ann Wigley £200 ; but no lunatics have been re- ceived here since the opening of the County Asylum. In 1816, a large additional wing was added at the south-east angle, and appropriated to the reception of patients afflicted with contagious fevers. On January 1st, 1845, the number of patients in the Infirmary was 108, and in the Fever House 12. The total number admitted during the succeeding year, was 1089 in the former, and 145 in the latter, besides about 1900 out-patients. The list of benefactions and legacies comprises many sums of one, two, and three hundred pounds, and some of larger amounts, among which are £500, left by Dr. Tate, of Loughborough , in 1821 ; £1000, by Viscount Maynard, in 1828; £500, by Wm. Brad- ley, Esq., in 1836 ; and £500, by the Earl of Stamford, and £300,. by I 2 102 HISTORY OF LEICESTER. Kobert Foster, Esq., in 1845. The Infirmary receives about ^1200 per annum from yearly subscriptions, and possesses £10,500 three per cent, consols, purchased with benefaction money at various periods. The subscriptions to the Fever House produce about i)300 annually, and it has also received many benefactions and legacies. Collections at churches, and donations, &c., swell the yearly income of the two branches of this valuable charity to about £3000, which in some years scarcely covers their expenditure. The principal yearly salaries paid by the institution ^yq— Chaplain, (Rev. J. Davies, JNJ.A.,) £120; ikotise Surgeon, (Mr. H. Harding,) £100; Matron, (Miss Bankart,) £40 ; and Secretary, (Mr. J. D. Jackson,) £40. The Duke of Rut- land is the president ; the Earl of Stamford and Warrington and Earl Howe, are the vice-presidents ; the Bishop of Peterborough is the visitor; and Isaac Hodgson, Esq., is the treasurer. The medical gen- tlemen who lend their aid gratuitously are — J. B. Freer, and G. Shaw, physicians ; and J. Nedham and T. Paget, surgeons. Benefactors of £50 or more at one time, and subscribers of two guineas or more an- nually, are governors for life. The General Dispensary, in Charles street, was established in 1833, for affording medical and surgical aid to the sick and lame poor of the town and neighbourhood, as out-patients. The number of pa- tients admitted in 1844 was 1429, though the subscriptions and dona- tions during the same year only amounted to about £368 ; but it is hoped that this institution for prompt attention to the poor in slight cases of accident and disease, will not he suffered to languish for want of neces- sary funds. The Duke of Rutland is president ; Messrs. Stallard, Denton, Bowmar, Throsby, and Macaulay, 5?^7'^ in the reign of James or Charles I., allowing them the above-named annuity of 55s. In 1686 and 1713, the Corporation purchased for the hospital a garden, and it has received augmentations froqi Palmer's, Heyrick's, Cammach's, Cooper's, Holmes', and some other charities, but its certain yearly income only amounts to about X59. The hospital adjoins the old town gaol, and contains eight small rooms in the chamber stoi^y^ each occupied by a poor widow, two having been added to the original number of inmates, by the gift of the Rev. J. Joanes^ about 1700. They have each 2s. a week, and several distributions of money, clothing, and coals. Each receives a gown yearly, from Mrs. Ward's and Mrs. Twickden's charities ; and two pair of shoes from Wright's charity. The ground story of the same building is called BENT'S HOSPITAL, being altered and repaired pursuant to the will oiJohn Bentf whOy in 1697, left 38a. 1r. 35p. of land at Enderby, to the Corporation, in trust to apply the rent in supporting four poor widows, in the hospital of St. John the Baptist. The land, with a cottage, barn, &c., is now let for £65 a year. Each widow receives 4s. per week, and the same stipend is paid to a nurse. They have also distributions of coals, oatmeal, and gowns. In 1736, George Bent left a yearly rent-charge of 50s. out of a house in Silver street, for the widows of Bent's and St. John's Hospitals, and the former have £2. 10s. yearly from Holmes's charity. The Spittle House is supposed to have been an ancient hospital, which stood on or near the site of the Pack Horse public-house, which is sometimes called the Spittle House, and has behind it a field called Spittle- House Close^ which has long been private property, and was charged by that name with the yearly payment of £3. 6s. 8d., to the Corporation for charitable uses, in 1618, by Robert Heyrick, as already stated. The public-house is an ancient building which has been long held by the county magistrates, who let it for £20 a year, out of which they allow Is. a week to five poor people, and 6d. a week to a sixths LEICESTER CHARITIES. 113 These pensioners are appointed for life, by the county treasurer. Nicholls says, the Spittle-house, (or St, Andrew^s Hospital^ was founded by fVm, Leprosus, in the 13th century, and it was probably for the reception of lepers ; but it is not known how the county magis- trates became possessed of it. The Countess of Devonshire's Hospital, which stood in Abbey gate, nearly opposite the gateway leading down to the Abbey, was said to have been founded for six poor women, in the reign of Charles I., by the Countess of Devonshire, who lived in the Abbey when it was burnt. After being long in a ruinous state, this hospital was pulled down about 179^> by Sir \Vm. Manners, the then owner of the Abbey estate, which is charged with a yearly rent-charge of jC30 for the sup- port of the hospital and almswomen, though it has not been paid for more than half a century. The estate charged was sold by \Vm. Duke of Devonshire to Lord ^ym. Manners, in 1731, subject to the yearly payment of several quit and other rents to this and Wigston's Hospital, amounting in the whole to £87. 7s. 8d. Of this, £56. 13s. 4d. is still paid to Wigston's Hospital; and in 1836, the Charity Commissioners certified the case of the Countess of Devonshire's Hospital, to the Attorney General, so that it is hoped that this charity will be re- established. The property charged now belongs to the Earl of Dysart, and was held by his predecessor, the late Lord Huntingtower, more than 40 years. Simons' Hospital and Charities: — In 1^12 j Matiheiv Simoits, Esq., by will, reciting that his late mother-in-law, Susannah Cook, ap- pointed that he should lay out £60 for the benefit of the poor in Sr. John's and Trinity Hospitals ; and that he had laid out the said £60, and with it a larger sum of his own, in the purchase of a moiety of the manor of Hambleton, and several closes and tenements there and at Scraptoft and Knighton ; devised the said property to trustees, in satisfaction of the will of his mother-in-law and his own charitable in- tentions. He also vested with the same trustees the messuage and garden in Blue Boar lane, which he had converted into an Hospital tor six poor aged women of Leicester. The estate devised by the testator is now worth £600 per annum, but it is held by the Rev. N. Simons', as heir-at-law, subject only to the yearly payment of £130 for the purposes of the charity, and to the expense of repairing the testator's hospital, which was rebuilt in 1817, at the cost of £372. The follow- ing annual charges are now paid by the trustees, out of the £130 ; viz., to the widows of St. John's Hospital, £4. 6s. ; bread to the poor of Trinity Hospital, 14s. ; for 45 pair of stockings, 45s. in money, and 45 four-penny loaves, to the poor of Trinity Hospital^ £6. 7s. 6d. ; for apprenticing eight children, £40 ; for schooling 12 boys at the National School, £4 ; for clothing the said boys, £18 ; for four bibles, £1 ; for 5s. worth of bread weekly to 30 poor families, £13 ; bread to the poor of All Saints, 13s. ; shoes for women in Trinity Hospital, 12s. ; to six women in Simons' Hospital, £18 ; coals to ditto, £2. 10s.; and to Mr. W. Cook, the charity treasurer, £15. Mr. Simons also left £200, to he lent free of interest, in sums of £10, on bond, for nine years. The trustees are the Rev. N. Simons, C. \\^instanley, C. W. Packe, and A> L. Keck, Esqrs. k2 lU LEICESTER CHARITIES. The CoNSANGUiNiTARiuM, in Highcross street, is a commodious hospital of ten rooms, built in 1794, by John Johnson^ a nativ^e of Leicester and an eminent architect, of London, for the residence of five of his poor relations. By indenture of bargain and sale, in 1795, he vested it in trust with his son and other trustees, and endowed it with £']0 a year, out of an estate of 337a. at Lubbenham, to be applied in providing each of the five inmates with 5s. weekly and a ton of coals yearly. By his will, proved in 1815, he augmented the endowment with the bequest of £20 a year, to be paid out of four houses in High- cross street, to be divided among the five inmates after deducting for the necessary repairs of the Consanguinitarium. Miss Mason's Almshouses, in Vauxhall street, consisting of four convenient dwellings for four poor aged widows or maids of Leicester, were built in 1832, by Eliz. Chai'lotte Mason, at the cost of £373, ex- clusive of £81. 18s. lid., paid for the purchase of the land. She died in December, 1833, and bequeathed the residue of her personal property for the endowment of the almshouses. The property derived from her will consists of £1420. 1 5s. 3d. three-and-a-half per cent, stock, out of the dividends of which each of the four almswomen have 4s. a week, and the rest is reserved for repairs, &c. Messrs. O. Raworth, H. Ad- cock, C. luman, T. Geary, and R. Mitchell, are the trustees. PAROCHIAL CHARITIES:— Besides their joint participation in the charities already noticed, there are several benefactions belonging separately to the different parishes, of which the following is a brief notice : — All Saints : — A yearly rent-charge of 15s. left by Wm. Norrice, in 1611, out of a garden behind the Nag^s Head, in Soar lane, for 41 poor people, has not been received for a great number of years. Jph. Wright, left 20s. for the poor of All Saints, and 5s. for the widows of St. John's Hospital, to be paid yearly out of a garden, in Elbow lane, now built upon. A yearly rent of Ss. 4d. for the repairs of the church, was left by John Saunders, and is paid out of land in Northgate street. St. Leonardos Parish has 21s. a year for the poor, out of Freaks Ground, held by the Corporation ; and 20s. a year, left by Robt. Awceter, in 1632, out of tenements in Abbeygate. St. Margarefs : — In pursuance of an ancient custom, a collection is made through the town, from house to house, shortly before Christmas, by the vicar, churchwardens, and vestry, which amounts generally to about £50, which is distributed, with about £10 from charities already noticed, among the poor parishioners. In 1774, Sarah Ward left £60, the interest to be distributed on New Year's day, among six widows, by the vicar and church- wardens. On St. Thomas's day, about 40 poor widows have divided among them £4, 7s. 6d. from £125 three and a half per cent, stock, purchased with £100 left from John Nichols, in 1812, The poor parishioners have a House in Loughborough, derived from an unknown donor, and now let for £11 per ann. They have also 20s. a year, left by Eliz. Awceter, in 1656, and now paid out of an orchard in Belgravegate. An annuity of £5, left by John Bass, Esq., in 1763, out of his third share of the Coal Machine, has not been paid since 1828. For many years previous to 1782, there were six old almshouses called Cock-muck-hill Houses, which stood in the centre of Belgravegate. Being a public nuisance, they were pulled down in 1782, and six other almshouses were built by subscription, in lieu of them, in Abbey street. These houses are occupied by six poor parish- ioners, placed there by the parish officeris. Pursuant to the bequest of Ca LEICESTER CHARITIES 115 iherine Holmes^ each inmate has 6 cwt. of coals yearly, out of the poor rates ; but formerly charged on the Black Lion public-house. St. Martin's Parish : — To about ^£12, received yearly from charities already noticed, is added about £30, arising from a parochial subscriptiou at Christmas, for distribution among the poor parishioners, who have also the following yearly doles, viz. :— 30s. from a slip of land in Abbeygate, left by Eiiz. Awceter, in 1665 ; 5s. left by a Mr. Garlajid^ and paid by the Corporation ; 20s. left by Robt. Heyrick ; 25s. given by a Mrs. Ward, out of laud now belonging to R, Rawson, Esq. ; 52s. for a weekly distribution of bread from Bent's Charity, (see page 1 12,) and £4. 7s. 6d. from £125 three and a half per cent consols, purchased with ^100 left by John Nichols, in 1812. For apprenticing poor boys, Thos. Topp, in 1716, left ^'200, which was laid out in the purchase of a cottage and 12a. 3r. 37p. at En- derby, now let for £20 a year, which is given in premiums with two boys, bound apprentice by the minister and churchwardens, to trades in the town. Lewis's Almshouses, being much decayed, were sold in 1732, and three small tenements, in Millstone lane, were appropriated by the parish, iu their stead. The original almshouses stood in the church yard, and were given in 1651 by Hugh Lewis, for the residence of three poor widows. St. Mary^s Parish has £5. 3s. 4d. a year for distributions of bread, and £5. 2s. 8d. for distribution in small sums at Christmas, from charities al- ready noticed. To the latter is added about £25, raised by a parish collec- tion. The poor have, or ought to have, the following yearly doles, viz. : — 24s. as interest of money left by Mrs. Lacey and Mr. Sherman, and vested with the Corporation; ISs. 4d. left by Joseph Wright, out of premises in Belgravegate ; 13s. 4d. left by John Nurse in 1624, out of land in Sanvey- gate; £2. 2s. from a small house in Green's lane, left by John Lacey, in 1765, and the interest of £20, left by Lucy Fownes, in 1716. St. Nicholas' Parish has £2. 11. 6d. yearly from various charities, vest- ed with the Corporation; and also the following yearly doles, viz.: — lOs. left by Fras. Palmer, out of building sites in Jewrywall street ; j£2. 10s. as the interest of £50, left by Eliz. Clarke in 1780, and expended in re- pairing the parish workhouse, in 1801 ; and £1. 12s. 4d. from £53. 18s. 2d. three per cent, consols, purchased with ^50, left by Thos. Read in 1821. Sir Wm. Wilson, in 1710, left £10 a year out of his estate at Sutton-Cold- lield, to be applied iu apprenticing two poor boys of this parish. LEICESTER UNION, constituted by the Commissioners of the New Poor Law, in 1837, comprises all the six parishes and liberties of the Borough of Leicester. (See page 50.) The Workhouse^ which stands in an airy and elevated situation, on the south-east side of the town, is a spacious and lofty brick building, with stone dress- ings, in the Gothic style, and was finished in 1838. It has room for about 600 paupers, and is divided into wards for the separation of the sexes, and the aged and young. The average annual expenditure on the poor of the several parishes, during the three years preceding the formation of the Union, was only .£12,274, but these were years of manufacturing prosperity. The sums levied in poor rates in the bo- rough amounted, in I8l9, to about £24,000 ; in 1823, to £1 1,500 ; in 1829, to £20,000 ; and in 1842, to upwards of £23,000. The Board OF Guardians comprises 35 members, of whom 14 are elected yearly for St. Margaret's parish, 2 for St. Leonard's, 4 each for All Saints and St. Martin's, 6 for St. Mary's, 3 for St. Nicholas's, and one each for the Newarke and Castle View. Mr. John and INIrs. Cole are master and matron of the Workhouse, and the Rev. A. R. Harrison is the 116 LEICESTER UNION, chaplain, Mr. Benj. G. Chamberlain is union clerk and superintend' ent registrar^ and has his office at the Eastgates. Messrs. Thomas Cape and H. Roslin are registrars of marriages. Messrs. Thomas Yates and William Mitchell are registrars of births and deaths ; — the former for the East District, which comprises St. Margaret's pa- rish, and the latter for the West District, which comprises the other parishes, &c. Mr. Edw. Glover acts as deputy to the former, and Mr. Wm. Hackett to the latter. Mr. Thomas Pickering and Mr. Wm. Camberlain are the relieving officers ; assisted bo Mr. Wm. Dickisson^ St. Margaret's parish comprises about half the borough, and its poor rates are levied by a Select f^estry, established in 1832, by a local act ; and collected by Messrs. Chappel, Gamble, and Bosworth. Mr. John Ogden is vestry clerky and the vestry office is in Humberstone gate. LIST OF STREETS, LANES, COURTS, &c., IN LEICESTER, WITH REFERENCES TO THEIR RESPECTIVE LOCALITIES. Abbey gate, Wood gate Abbey street, Belgrave road Adams's yard, 6 Redcross street Albion street, Belvoir street Albion hill, Albion street Albert street, Humberstone road Albert street, New Bridge street Alexander street, Charlotte street Alfred street, Lee street Allsop's yard, 10 Redcross street All Saints' open, High cross street Applegate street. Bridge street Archdeacon lane, Burley's lane Arnold's yard, Southgate street Ashton's yard, Oxford street Ashwell street, Albion hill Asylum street, Newarke Atkin street, Jarrom street Augustine Friars, Bridge street Ball's yard, 21 Welford road Baker street, St. George's street Baker's yard, Curzon street Bakehouse lane, Southgate street Baldwin's yard, Charlotte street Barlow's yard, Belgrave gate Barlow's yard, Northgate street Barlow's yard, New walk Barstan street, Devonshire street Barnes's yard, Green street Batemau's row, Sandacre street Bath lane, Bridge street Bath street, Jewry wall street Bath street, Carlton street Bay street, St Margaret street Baxter's court, 22 Bakehouse lane Bedford street, from the Cross, Bel- grave gate Belgrave gate, from Haymarket Belvoir street, Granhy street Bell's yard, 198 Jewry wall street Benford street, Carley street Bethell court, Jurywall street Bigg's yard. Garden street Bishop street. West bridge Bishopgate street, Granby street Blair's yard, Blackfriars' street Birkley street. Old Mill laue Birtchnell's yard, Kutlaud street Blackfriars' street, Ruding street Bland's yard, Jewrywall street Bland's buildings, Bath street Blount's yard, Huding street Blue Boar lane, Highcross street Bond street, (New,) Eastgate Bond street, (East,) New Bond st Bond street, (West,) St Peter's laue Bond street, (North,) St Peter's lane^ Bond street, (South,) New Bond st Bonnett's yard, Friday street Bonner's yard, 60 Redcross street' Bonner's lane, Oxford street Bosworth's yard, Britannia street Bow bridge, Augustine friars Bowling-green street, Belvoir street STREETS, &C. IN LEICESTER. 117 Bow street, Bedford street Bowman's lane, Frog island Bowman's yard, High street Bradley's yard, 49 Northgate street Bradley's yard. Causeway lane Braunstone gate, Dunn's lane Bread street, Belgrave street Breedon's square, Archdeacon lane Breedon's yard. Navigation street Bridge street, West bridge Bridge street, Russell street Britannia street, Belgrave street Brook street, "Wharf street Brown street, (L. & U.) York street Brunswick street, Humberstone rd Burrows's yard, High street Burgess street, Sanvey gate Burley's lane, Church gate Butt close lane, Church gate Byron street, Bedford street Calais street and place, Granby st Cambrane cottages, Narborough rd Camden street, "Wharf street Campbell street, London street Cank street, Market place Canning street, St John street Canning place, Canning street Cannon street, Nelson street Cannon yard. Church gate Carley street, "Wharf street Carlton street, VVelford road Carlton place, Welford road Caroline street, Gas street Carr's yard, Upper Charles street Carrington street. Queen street Cart's lane. High street Carter's yard, Burley's lane Castle street, Southgate street Castle view, Castle st. to Newarke Castle square, 6 Castle street Causeway lane, High cross street Chamberlain's court, Bakehouse In Chancery street. Marble street Chapman's yard, Sanvey gate Charlotte street, Alexander street Charlotte street, Foundry square Charles street, Humberstone gate Chatham street, London road Cheapside, Market place Chew's open, Crab street Cherry orchard, Hinckley road Cherrytree yard, East Bond street Christian's yard, Grove street Church gate, East gates Church gate, (Lower and South,) Sanvey gate Church street, Upper Charles street City wall street, Sanvey gate Clarence street, Humberstone gate Clarke's yard. Crab street Clarke's yard, Thornton lane Clarke's yard, 203 Jewry wall street Clay's yard, Upper Charles street Clifton's yard, 43 Northgate street Collins's yard, Navigation street Coleman's building, 2 Green's lane Colton street, Rutland street Coltman's yard. Upper Charles st Coltman's square. Green's lane Conduit St. (Upper,) Sparkenhoe st Conduit street, London road Cook's yard, Humberstone gate Corah street. Duns lane Cottage square, Marlborough street Cort's yard, Peter's lane Cox's yard, 14 Red cross street Crab street, Belgrave street Craven street, Sanvey gate Crescent, King street Crescent buildings, King street Crescent street, Regent street Crescent cottages. King street Cresswell place, Granby street Cricket ground, "Wharf street Crown street, Jarrom street Cumberland street. North gates Curzon street, Humberstone road Dane's hills, Hinckley road Dannett's hall, Watts causeway Dawes's yard, Belgrave gate Dawes's yard, Northgate street Dawes's yard, 23 Mansfield street Dawes's yard, Britannia street Dawes's yard, Bedford street Deakin's yard, 51 Marble street Denman street, Wharf street Dent's yard, Green street Devonshire street. South Church gt Dick's yard, Colton street Dover street, Granby street Dryden street, Pike street Duke street, Marlborough street Dunkirk street, East street Duns lane. Bridge street Durham street, Olive street East street, London road East gates, Hay market Eaton street. Wharf street Earl street, Eldon street Edwards's buildings, Black Friar's st Elbow lane, Cumberland street Eldon street. Wharf street Elton's yard, 50 Belgrave gate Elton street, Welli:ngton street 118 STREETS, &C. IN LEICESTER. Evington place, Upper Charles st Evington lane, London road Falcon yard, Granby street Farmery square, Wigston street Fennell street, Bedford street Fenton street. Bridge street Fleet street, Bedford street Fleece yard, Woodgate Fleur-de-lis yard, Belgrave gate Foundry square, Belgrave gate Foundry lane, Foundry square Forsell's yard, 18 Upper Brown st Foss road, Hinckley road Fox lane, Humberstone gate Foxes street, Northampton street Free lane, Halford street Free School lane, High cross street Friar lane, Hotel street Friar's causeway, High cross street Friar's place, All Saints' open Friar's road, All Saints' open Friday street, Pasture lane Frog island, North bridge Gallowtree gate, Haymarket Gallaway's square, Colton street Gamble's yard, Belgrave gate Garden street, Belgrave gate Gas street. Navigation street George st. (& Upper,) Bedford st Glebe street. Conduit street Glover's yard, 49 Duke street Godber's yard, 4 York street Goddard's place, Belgrave gate Goddard's buildinss, Belgrave gate Goddard's square, Upper Brown st Goodacre street, "Wharf street Goswell street. Asylum street Grafton place, Burley's lane Granby street, Gallowtree gate Granby place, Granby street Granby row, Granby street Granby court, Granby street Grape street. Burgess street Gravel street, Abbey street Gray street, Goswell street Gray square, Gray street Great Holme street, Hinckley road Green street, Belgrave gate Green lane, Oxford street Grey Friars, Friar lane Grimsby's yard, Northgate street Grosvener's street, Belgrave gate Grove street, Bedford street Gunton's yard, Archdeacon square Haddon's yards, Britannia street Haddon's yard, Woodboy street Halford street, Granby street Hallam's yard, Wharf street Hames's yard, 224 Jewry wall st Hames's yard. High street Hampton street, Belgave road Hanover street. Conduit street Harcourt street. Archdeacon lane Hardy's yard, 62 Mansfield street Hall's yard, 22 Green's lane Harvey lane, Thornton lane Hawley's lane, Northgates Haymarket, Eastgates Henshaw street. Asylum street Hewitt's yard, Highcross street Herbert's yard, 45 Welford road Hickling's square, Granby street Highcross street, Highcross High street, Eastgates to Highcross High fields, London road Hill street, Bedford street Hill st. (Upper,) Humberstone gate Hinckley road, Great Holme street Hincks's square, Stamford street Hodson's court, 2 Duns lane Hollow, (The,) Redcross street Hollyoake's yard, Sanvey gate Holy bones, St Nicholas square Hopkins's yard. Church gate Horsefair street, Gallowtree gate Hotel street, Cank street Hubbard's yard, Oxford street Hull street. Archdeacon lane Hull's row, Frog island Humberstone gate, Gallowtree gate Humberstone ter. Humberstone road Hungerford street, Sanvey gate Hunt's yard, 1 Church gate Iliffe's yard, Charles street Infirmary square, Oxford street Inglestone's yard, Britannia street James's street, Welford road Jarrom street, Infirmary square Jewrywall street. Holy bones Johnson's yard, 35 Northgate street Johnson's yard, Belgrave gate Johnson's yard, Sanvey gate Johnson's yard, Sycamore lane Johnson's street, Birkley street Jones's yard, 16 Green's lane Junior street. Burgess street Keane's yard, Sanvey gate Keane's yard. Long lane Kenney street. Lord street Kent street. New Bridge street Kent street, Humberstone road Kenyon street. Wharf street Kilby's yard, "Woodboy street Kilbourne's yard, Mansfield street STBEKTS, &C. IN lEICESTER. 119 King street, Belvoir street Kinton's yard, Belgrave gate Knighton street, Aylestone road Lancaster place, London road Langley's yard, York street Leicester and Swannington Railway Station, West bridge Lead street, Wheat street Leadenhall street, Belgrave road Leech's yard, Bonner's lane Lee street, Bedford street Lewin's cottages, Bedford street Le win's yard. Frog island Lewin's square, Oxford street Lewin street, Metcalf street Little Holme street, Great Holme st Little lane, High street London road, Granby street Long lane. Burgess street Lord street, Kenney street Loseby lane, Silver street Luke street, St John street Lutterworth road, Princes street Machine yard, Northgate street Market street, Hotel street Martin's yard, Southgates Market place, Market street Marble square. Marble street Marble street, Newarke street Mansfield street, Church gates Marston's yard, 11 Thornton lane Marlborough street, King street Marquis street, King street Meadow's yard, George street Measures's yard, Sanvey gate Mercer's yard, High street Metcalf street. Wharf street Midland street, Morledge street Middle street, Goswell street Millard's yard, Sanvey gate Mill street, Duke street Mill street, Russell square Millstone lane, Oxford street Mill lane, Bonner's lane Milton St. Bedford st. and Russell st Mill hill lane, London road Montague place, VVelford road Morledge street, Humberstone gate^ Morton's yard, Wigston street Morton's yard, Church gate Morton's yard, 59, Thornton lane Mount Pleasant, Bedford street Moxon's yard, Sanvey gate Musaon's yard, Northgate street Musson's yard, Cumberland street Nag's Head yard, Granby street Narborough road, Braunstone gate Navigation street, Belgrave gate Neale street, Denman street Neale's yard, Church gate Needle gate, Sanvey gate Nelson street, London road Nelson street, Humberstone gate Nelson place, Nelson st. Humbergt Nelson square, Nelson street New buildinar yard, Sanvey gate New lane, Burley's lane New Parliament street, Belgrave gt Newport place, Northampton street Newtown street. Regent street, Wed. New Bridge street, Infirmary square New parks, Grooby road New road, Burley's lane New row, Belgrave gate New walk, Welford place Newarke street, Welford place Newarke (The,) Oxford street Newarke terrace. Mill lane New street, Friar lane North gates, High cross street North gate street, North gates North VVoodgate, Abbeygate Northampton street, London road Northumberland road, Northgate st Northumberland street, Old mill lane Northampton street, Granby street Norton street, York street, Wrd Occupation road, London road Old yard (The,) Belgrave gate Osborne street. Gravel street Oxford street, Southgates Old Mill lane, Sanvey gate Old King's Arms yard, Cumberland st Olive street, Burgess street Olive hill, Olive street Orchard street, Belgrave gate Orchard row, Cumberland street Orton street, Mill lane Osborne street, Burley's lane Paddock street, Clarence street Paradise place, Oxford street Paradise row. Mount pleasant Parliament street, Welford road Fare's street, Devonshire street Park street, Wellington street Pasture lane, Burley's lane Peacock lane, Southgate street Pelham street, Welford road Peel street. Saint George's street Piccadilly, Wharf street Pickering's yard, Humberstone gate Pickering's yard, Redcross street Pike street. Wharf street Pingle street, Highcross street 120 STREETS, &C. IN LEICESTER. Pleasant row, Thornton lane Pocklington's walk, Welford place Portland street, Welford road Prebend street, London road Pringle street, Norfhgate street Princess street, King street Providence place, Navigation street Providence place, Eaton street Public wharf yard, Belgrave road Py well's yard, Frog island Queen street. Foundry square Queen street, Rutland street Railway Station, Campbell street Rathbone place, East street Rawson's yard, Southgate street Rawson street. West street Redcross street, Southgate street Regent street, Welford road Regent street, London road Ross's yard, Sanvey gate Royal East street. Orchard street Royal Kent street, Sanvey gate Ruding street, Narbro' road Ruding street. Black friars Rupert street. Chancery street Russell street, Russell square Russell square, bottom of Wharf st Russell yard, Belgrave gate Rutland street, Humberstone road Rutland square, Rutland street St. George's street, Rutland street St. George's gate, Colton street St. James's street, Humberstone gt St. James's place, St. James's st St. John's street, Archdeacon lane St. Martin's, Cank street St. Martin's churchyard, Feacockln St. Martin's yard, Town Hall lane St. Nicholas sq. St. Nicholas's st St. Nicholas street. High cross St. Peter's lane, High cross street St. Peter's court, St. Peter's lane St. Margaret street. Church gate St. Margaret's pasture, Frog island Salisbury's yard, East Bond street Sandacre street. Mansfield street Sanderson's yard, Sanvey gate Sanvey gate, Northgate to Churchgt Sarah street, Friar's causeway Sash row, Humberstone gate Saunt's yard, Sanvey gate Saunt street, Blackfriars Sedley's yard, 46, Thornton lane Sheen's yard, Bath street Shipley's court, High cross street Short street, Mansfield street Short street, Vine street Silver street, Eastgates Simon street. High cross street Simpson street, Devonshire street Slate street. Conduit street Slater street. Frog island Skelton's yard. Church gate Soar lane, Northgates South fields, Welford road South fields place, Regent street South fields cottages. Regent street Southgates, Oxford street Southgate street, Southgates South Church gate, Lower church gt Southampton street, Rutland street Spa place, Humberstone road Spa gardens, Humberstone road Sparkenhoe street, Conduit street Spencer's yard, 11 Harvey lane Spencer street, Devonshire street Spring gardens. Pasture lane Springthorpe's buildings. High st Stamford street, Belvoir street Stanley street, Humberstone road Stead's yard, 4 Millstone lane Stockdale terrace, London road Stonygate, London road Sturge's square, Mansfield street Swain's yard, Sanvey gate Swan's Mill lane. Asylum street Swine market. New Bond street Sycamore lane, Simon street Talbot lane, Applegate street Talbot square, Talbot lane Tebbutt's square, Albion street Tebbutt's yard, Southgate street Temple row. Regent street Thames street. Archdeacon lane Thompson's square. Fleet street Thornton lane, Southgate street Townhall lane. Silver street Tower street, South fields Twisling Twine yard, 33 Green's In Union cottages, Marlborough street Union street. High street Union Workhouse, near Conduit st Vauxhall street, St. Peter's lane Yauxhall court, Bath street Victoria place. New walk Victoria street, New Bridge street Victoria street, Lee street Vine street. Causeway lane Vine street (Lower) Vine street Wale's yard. Bakehouse lane Warner's yard, Northgate street Waterloo street, Wellington street Watling street, St. Margaret st Watling square, Watling street STREETS, &C. IN lElCESTEB. 121 Watts causeway, Bridge street Welford place, Belvoir street Welford road, Welford place Wellington street, Market street West Bridge, Redcross street West Cotes, Narborough road West street. South fields West street, Belgrave gate West street square, West street Wharf street, Humberstone gate to Russell square Wheat street. Wharf street White street, Grape street White Horse yard, Belgrave gate White Swan yard, Belgrave gate Whitworth terrace, London road Wicliflfe street. Friar lane Wide yard, Burley's lane Wigston street, Rutland street Wigston yard, Bath lane Wood boy street, Belgrave gate Wood gate, North bridge Wood street. Royal East street Workhouse yard. Wood gate World's end yard, Frog island Worth's yard, Dover street Yeoman street, Rutland street Yeoman lane, Yeoman street Yeoman square. Yeoman lane York street, London road York street, Welford road . York square, York street DIRECTORY OF THE TOWN AND BOROUGH OF LEICESTER. The following ALPHABETICAL DIRECTORY contains the Addresses of all the Inhabitants, except Journeymen and Labourers, arranged in the order of SiRNAMES, and is followed by another arrangement, classified under the heads of Trades and Professions ; after which will be found the Post Office Regulations and the Public Conveyances. The CONTRACTIONS used are such as, it is hoped, will be readily under- stood : those most frequently used are, the usual abbreviations of christian, names ; and bdg, for bridge ; bldgs. buildings ; ct. court ; fmktr. framework knitter; fmsmith. frame smith ; gt. gate; Humbs. gt. Humberstone gate; Gallw. gt. Gallowtree gate ;hs. house ; In. lane ; Lrd. London road ;rd. road; St. street ; sq. square ; whsman. warehouseman ; & Wrd. for Welford road. Aaron Joseph, tailor, York street Abell John and Isaac, tarmers, lea- ther dressers, parchment manfrs. and glue boilers, Frog island Abbott Jno. druggist, 113 Belgrv. gt Abbott John, hair dresser, Churchgt Abbott A. dressmaker. New street AbbottThs. framework ktr. Benford st AbramJno.vict.RobinHood,Abbeygt Abram Wm. clerk, Wigston street Adams Fras. baker and flour dealer, Dover street Adams Hy. surgeon & drgt. Northgts Adams John, cowkeeper, Alfred st Adams John Johnson, law stationer, accmpt. and clerk to commission- ers of taxes, Newarke Adcock and Dalton, solictrs. Friar In Adcock Halford, solicitor, and clerk to the Leicester Canal Co. Friar lane ; house Humberstone Adcock Edw. hair dresser and bird preserver, Market place Adcock Mary, milliner, Sandacre st Adcock Rt. beerhs. 122 Belgrave gt Adcock Sarah, dyer, Bath lane Addison My. A. pawnbrkr.20HajTnkt Addison Thos. warehsman. Duke st 122 LEICESTER DIRECTORY. Addison Wm. baker, Lee street Adkins Tlios. Andw. grocer, High st Adnutt Mary, milliner. East st Adshead and Goodband, merchants, 4 Rutland street Adshead Chas.; house New walk Agar Chas.framewk. kntr. Fenton st AgarThs.police sergt. Nelson st.Hgt Agar Thos. gent. London road Agar Wm. woolstapler, Duke street ; house New walk Allen David, tailor, Thornton lane Allen Edward, bookseller & account book manufacturer. King street Allen George, baker. Pike street Allen George, shopkeeper, Bedford st Allen Henry, shopkeeper, sub post office, Oxford street Allen John, wine and spirit mer- chant, 2 Gallowtree gate Allen Jno. hairdresser, Belgrave gt Allen John, furniture broker, 66 Belgrave gate Allen John Wm. engraver (jour- neyman,) Humberstone road Allen John, governor of the County House of Correction, Infirmary sq Allen Joseph, porFl3utcher& grocer, Oxford st. and 83 Belgrave gate Allen E,d. green grocer, Chatham st Allen Samuel, egg dealer. Pasture In Allen Samuel,hairdresser,&c.High st Allen Thos. warehouseman, East st AUenThomas, baker, 103 Belgrave gt Allen Thomas, shopkeeper, Eldonst Allen Wm. fmktr. Northampton st Allen Wm. shopr.& joiner, Applegt. st AUsop Misses, Humberstone road AUsop Thos. shopr. 183 Belgrave gt Amatt Edw. butcher, 68 Welford rd Amatt Edw.umbrella mfr. Belvoir st Amatt Harry Alfred, 68 Welford rd Ancliff Wm. shopkeeper. Gray st Anderson George, draper. East st Anderson James, surgeon and drug- gist, 74 Churchgate Anderson Jph.framewk. ktr. Pike st Anderson John, grocer and hop merchant, 54 Humberstone gate Anderson Cath. dressmkr. Northgtst Andrews Chas. shoemkr. Applegt. st AndrewsThos. shoemkr. UprChas. st Angrave Richard, hosiery manufac- turer. Silver st ; house New walk Angrave Thomas, silk mercer and draper. Market place Applebee Robt. academy, Charles st Appleton Wm. vict. Clarence Ta- vern, Clarence street Archer Thos. and Wm. tea dealers and hop merchants. Market place Archer Wm. tea dlr. &c ; h Union st ArmstrongThs. beerhs. 31 Chatham st Armstrong Eliz. dressmkr. York st Arnold John, plumber and glazier, Jurywall street Arnold Thomas, timber dealer, York street, London road Arnold Wm. Withering, MD., Wel- ford road Arnold Wm.beerhouse, Wellington st Ashby Thos. farmer, Braunstone gt Ashton John Swan, druggist, Mkt. pi Ashton Samuel, boot and shoe mkr. High street Ashurst Rev. Pp. Sidney, M.A., se- cond master. Collegiate School Ashwell James, baker, Sanvey gate Aspell Samuel Christopher, frame- smith, Navigation street Aspell Samuel, engraver & printer, South Bond st ; h 21 Halford st Aspell Wm. weighing machine and scale beam, &c.mfr. South Bond st Astill Eliz. milliner, Horsefair st Astill John, baker and confectioner, 62 Gallowtree gate Astill Wm. baker, Braunston gate Atchinson John, clerk. Burgess st Atherstone Eliz. dyer, Canning pi Atkin Stpn. saddler, &c. Haymarket Atkin John T. saddler ; h Haymkt Atkins Edw. framework ktr. Fleet st Atkins Elizabeh, vict. Rodney, High cross street Atkins Eliz. dressmkr. Redcross st Atkins Jas. shoemkr. 51 Colton st Atkins John, hosier. Yeoman street Atkins Robt. fmktr. Royal East st Atkins Thomas, assistant surveyor of taxes. Nelson st. London road Atkins Thomas, maltster and vict. Bishop Blaize, Causeway lane Atkins Mr Thomas, Archdeacon In Atkins Wm. shoemkr.Archdeacon In Atkins Wm. tailor, St. Peter's lane AtkinsonGeo. managr, Braunstone gt Atkinson Mrs Mary, Welford road Aulsebrook Jane, confectioner,High cross street Austin Fredk. hair drsr. Welford pi Austin John, grocer. Bridge street ; house Welford road LEICESTER DIRECTORY. 123 Austin John, cheese factor, &c. Rut- land street AustinRowlnd. porter agt. Halford st Avins Thos. shopkeeper, Wharf st Ayres Jas. tailor, Archdeacon lane AjTes John, shoemkr. 8 Conduit st Bagley Wm. vict. Blue Boar, South- gate street Bailey Benj.framesmith, 20 Brdg. st BaileyEdw.vety.surgeon,46Belgrvgt Bailey John and Son, hosiery ma- nufacturers, Charles street Bailey John Peach, mfr ; h Halford st Bailey John, manfr ; h Belgrave Bailey John, sharebroker,&c. Cank st Bailey John, finsmith.183 Belgrv gt Bailey Mary, beerhouse, York st.Wrd Bailey Thomas, tailor and grocer, Halford street Bailey Thos. eating hs. ISOBelgrv.gt Bailey Thos. framesmith, Bedford st Bailey Wm. huckster, York st. Lrd Baines Eliz. school. Burgess street Baines Edw. chair mkr. Wheat st Baines Geo. hatter ; h New walk Baines John, hosiery manfr. Bowling green st ; house Welford road Baines Joseph, grocer, 88 Belgrv. gt Baines Saml. grocer, Northgate st ; house Nelson street Baines Thos. tailor, 30, Belvoir st Baines Wm. ironmonger, brazier, gas fitter, and inspector of weights & measures. High st ; h London rd Baines Wm. and Geo. hosiers, hat- ters, and furriers, Market place Bairstow John, news agent and tem- perance coffee house, Churchgate Baker Chas. horsebreaker, Wharf st Baker Mrs Phcebe, Southfields Baker Robert, draper. Market place BakewellJph.basketmkr.StMrtn's st Bale Thos. provision dlr. Burgess st Ball Fdk. Thos. beerhs. Brunswick st Ball Sarah, leecher, 74 Humbs. gate Ball Thos. shoemaker. Wharf st Ball Wm. gardener, Wellington st Ballard Edw. boot and shoe maker, 202 Belgrave gate Ballard Jas. shoemaker, Woodboyst Balmer Richard, vict. Three Cranes Inn, 82 Humberstone gate Bamford Mary, shopkpr. 49 Colton st BamfordSeth, boot&shoemkr.Chas.st Bamkin Samuel, beer house. Lord st Bamkin Hanh. dressmkr. S. Churchgt Bank of England Branch, 10 Gallow- tree gate; T. C. Turner, Esq. age?it; and R. L. Burne, su/j-agent Bankart Miss Ann, 83 Conduit st Bankart John and Co. worsted spin- ners, Welford road Bankart John ; h Humberstone rd Bankart Chas. Hy. Price ; h High st BankartMrsElz. & Ed.P. ; h High st Bankart SI. Stephens, gent.Oxford st Bankart Miss, matron, Infirmary Banks Geo. shopkpr. 72 Belgrave gt Banks L. and W. clock and watch makers, 66 Humberstone gate Banks Wm. ; h 68 Humberstone gt Banks Mrs. My. 68 Humberstone gt Banton George, blacksmith, Rutland street; house 12 Charles street Barber Ann Erpe, academy,Londn.rd Barber Augustine, silversmith and jeweller, Gallowtree gate Barber Miss Eliza, Crescent Barber Rd. confectioner. Hotel st Barber Harby, dyer and fuller, Northgates ; house Belgrave Barber Richard Augustus, sewing cotton manfr. Highcross street Barclay John, M.D., High street Barfoot Wm. vict. Druid's Arms, Dryden street Bark Thos. lace dealer, High street; house Belgrave gate Bark Thomas, tailor and draper, New Bond street Barkby Joseph, shoemkr .23Conduit st Barker Eras, beerhs. Southampton st Barker Rev. F. S., curate of St. Ni- cholas's, Simon street Barker Rev. George, vicar of All Saints, Simon street Barker John, hairdresser, Northgt Barker Wm. vict. Anchor, Charles street, and Cricket ground Barlow John Clay, gent. Horsefair st BarlowChs.whitesmith,West Bond st Barlow Wm. Hy. railway engineer ; house Derhy Barnacle Wm. shoemkr. Foundry sq Barnes Mr John Spence,86Belgrv.gt Barnes John, shopkeeper, Grave st BarnesMy. Ann, beerhs. 98 Belgrv. gt Barnes Sar. grocer, 100 Belgrave gt Barnes Wm. beerhs. 98 Belgrave gt BarraclifiWm. butcher, 11 2Belgrv. gt BarraclufF Cath. dressmkr.Granby st Barradale Charles, cattle salesman, Humberstone road Barradale Isaac,tailor, Wellington s 124 LEICESTER DIRECTORY. Barradale Jas.shopkpr. Wellington st Barradell Edw. shopkpr. Welford rd Barradell Geo. tailor, Grape st Barradell JohnjWarehsman.Union st Barrand Jpb. mason, Upr Charles st Barratt Aiin^ dressmaker, North- ampton street Barratt Miss A. Friar lane Barratt George, yarn agent, Hal- ford street ; h New Bond street Barratt John, gent. Nelson street Barratt Lydia, straw hat maker, Duke street Barratt Wm. vict. Hen & Chickens, Eaton street Barratt Wm. & Co. pasteboard box, &c. manfacrs. Rutland street Barrow Ann, strawhat mkr.Sanvey gt Barrow John Stertivant, butcher, 134 Belgraye gate Barrow John, turner, Applegate st Barrow John, dyer, Curzon street Barrow Wm. brickmaker, Stanley st Barsby Eras, flour dlr. E-edcross st Barrow Eras, bookkeeper, Abbey st Barsby Henry, shoemkr. Wigston st Barsby Saml. grazier, Humbs. road Barsby Samuel, baker and brewer, East Bond street Barsby Wm. beerhouse. Conduit st Barsby Wm. coal dealer and vict. Heanor Boat, Pasture lane Barston Benj. seedsman, Horsefair street; house Bclgrave Barston Misses Sarah and Emma, King street Barton Eliza, confectioner, 10 Hum- berstone gate Barton John, bricklyr. SouthBond st Barton Louisa, dressmkr. Wharf st Barton Robert, painter. Wharf st Barwell Thomas, clerk, Chancery In Barwell Wm.shoemkr. Lower Vine st Barwick Frederick Wishart, clerk, Wellington street Barwick Samuel Lonsdale, sinker maker, Orchard street Bass Chas. pawnbroker, Applegt st Bass Mary Ann, straw bonnet mkr. High Cross street Bassett Thos. framesmith. Church- gate ; h 62 Upper Charles street Basford Mrs Hanh. Friars causeway Basford James, sinker mkr. Crown st Basford Saml. cowkpr. Thornton In Bate John, carriers' agt. Humbs. gt Bateman Wm. shoemkr. Stamford st Bateman Wm. shopkpr. Churchgate Bates Geo. tailor, Humberstone rd Bates Henry, hosiery mfr. King st house Welford road Bates John, brewer. Friars causeway BatesMrs Mary, New walk Bates Richd. commercial academy and land surveyor, Colton street and Church street Bates Saml. tailor, 41 Charles st Bates Thomas y fancy dyer, Bath In Bates Wm. brazier, &c. Churchgate Bates Wm.hairdresser,Wellington st Bates Wm. brewer, &c. Southgate st Batty Mrs Ellen, 63 Humbs. gate Battersby Samuel Edmund, needle maker, Marlborough street Baulding Jph. beerhs. Alexander st Baxter John, baker, Redcross st Baxter John, butcher, Braunston gt Baxter Jph. wire worker, 127 Bel- grave gate Baxter Mrs Sarah, Conduit street Baxter Thos. fancy worsted cravat, scarf, and shawl manufcr. High- cross street and Frees chool lane Baxter Thos. clerk. Conduit st Bayley Mrs Mary, New walk Beale Wm. gent. Welford road Beales James, clerk, Rupert street Beales John,hosiery, &c. agent,Wel- lington street ; h Sparkenhoe st Beales Thos. silk mercer & draper. Market place Beadman Sarah, poulterer, High- cross street Beasley Thomas, baker and beer- house, Marlbro' street Beasley Wm. baker, Humbs. road Beattie Dd. draper, Southampton st Beazley Jph. bricklayer, Newarke st Beazley Geo. pork bchr. Belgrv. gt Beaumont Eliz. baker, Eaton st Beaumont Hy. sexton, Highcross st Beaver Sar. dressmaker. Hill st Beavington Wm. vict.Three Crowns Hotel, Granby street Beck Jas. bricklayer, 73 Humbs. rd Beck Wm. tailor, Burgess street Beckett Henry, vict. Nelson, 14 Humberstone gate Beckett Samuel, cashmere trimmer and dyer, Friday street B8ckwithRevJohn,(Wes.)Bisopgt.st Bedells Caleb & Co. elastic india- rubber fabric, &c. manfrs. South- gate st ; house Oxford street LEICESTER DIBECTOBY. 125 Bedells Wm. merchant and paper dealer, Southgt. st ; h Newarke st Bee Martha, fmktr. Fleet street Beeby Wm. fmktr. Archdeacon lane Beedham Thos. joiner. Wharf st Beeson George, vict. Railway Hotel, Campbell street Beeson John, shoemkr. 32 Belgrv. gt Beeson Richd. currier, &c. High st Beeson Thos. shoemkr. Burgess st Beighton Coniah, vict. Admiral Rodney, Highcross street Bell Mr Alfred Howard, New walk Bell Alex, and Wm. plumbers and glaziers, High street Bell Hy. & Son, painters, Southgt.st Bell Henry ; h Northampton street Bell James, farmer, 79 Humbs. gt Bell John Fox, Esq. coal merchant, Fox'^s wharf; G. Midwinter, agf Bell Joseph, founder, Belgrave gt Bell Thos. painter ; h Newarke rd Bell Thos. clerk. King street Bellairs Geo. yam agent and wine and spirit merchant. Silver street; house Hanover street Bellamy John, corn dlr. Market pi Bellamy John, shoemaker. Hotel st Bellamy Joseph, tailor, Luke st Bellamy Robt. butcher,Highcross st Bellamy Thomas, tailor and draper, Highcross street Bellamy Ths. gardener, St.Nichls.st Bellman Rt. hairdresser. Market pi Bellward Ann, dressmaker, Vine st Bellward John^shoemkr.St.Peter's In Benford Nathl.shopkr.New Bridge st Benn Mrs C. 2 Conduit street Bennett Miss Ann, Crescent bldgs Bennett Charles, carpenter aud vict. New Town Arms, Milton street Bennett John, brazier, &c. 94 Bel- grave gate Bennett John, hairdsr. Highcross st Bennett Jph. comss. agent; house • Newarke street Bennett and Katterns, commission agents, Newarke street Bennett Mary Jane, vict. Mitre and Keys, Applegate street Benp'5tt Mrs Sarah, London road Bern ^tt Philip, broker, Churchgate Bennett Robt. brush and pipe mfr. Free lane ; h 39 Charles street Bennett Thos. greengrocer, Wharf st Bennett Wm. tailor, Applegate st Bennett Wm. tailor, Camden street Bennett Wm. tailor, Blackfriars Bentley Jph. porter agt & maltster, 4 Sparkenhoe street Bentley Thos. brush & pipe maker. High street Bentley W^m. framesmith,Bedford st Berridge Misses, New walk Berridge and Macaulay, solicitors, Friar lane Berridge Saml. solr; h Friar lane Berridge Wm. auctioneer and share broker, Market pi ; h The Newarke Berridge Wm. picture frame maker, 157 Belgrave gate Berrington Wm. engraver & printer. New Bond st ; h London road Berrington John, butcher, Wharf st Berry Rev Chas. (Unitn.)Narbro' rd Berry Edward K. foreman, Vv^est Bridge street Berry David, shoemkr. Oxford st Bethway John, shopkr. S. Church st Betts Thos. shoemkr. Nelson st. Hgt Bevin Joseph, farrier, Frog island Biddle Ann, comss. agent. Silver st Biddle John, glove & cashmere yarn, &c. manfr. 81 Humberstone gate Biddle Thos. ftnktr. Grosvenor st Bigley Geo. glove hand mkr. East st Biggs Edw. vict. Geo. IV. Abbey st Biggs Eliz. china,&c.dlr.Sbuthgt.st Biggs John & Sons, hosiery & glo\e manufacturers, Bel voir street Biggs John & Jph. mfrs ; h Stonygt Biggs Michl. fmktr. St. James' st Biggs Thos. wholesale druggist, dry- salter, and wine & spirit mercht. Hill St. & 19 Brad st hill^ London Biggs Wm. mfr; h Highfield house Biggs Wm. shoemkr. St. Peter's In Biggs Wm. shoemaker. Silver st Billing Mrs Cath. Regent st. Wrd Billing Geo. L. & Co. fancy hosiery manufacturers, Market street Billing Jas. Brooks, trvlr.Welford rd Billing Wm. gent. Southfield place Billings Mrs Johannah, Crescent Billington Eliz. gardener, Mkp Billington Henry, butcher. High st Bills John, painter, Clarence street Bills Thos. sinker maker, Churchgt Billson Mr Charles, sen. Southgates Billson Chas. & Co. hosiery manfrs. Newarke st ; house New walk Billson Daniel, confectioner, 106 Belgrave gate L 2 126 LEICESTER DIRECTORY. Billson Eliz. vict. Nag's Head, Granby street BillsonEliz. straw hat mkr.Dunkirk st Billson John, fmsmith. Southgate st Billson John, clerk. New walk Billson John William, schoolmaster, Highcross street Billson Robt. shopkpr. & rope and twine manfr. 228 Belgrave gate Billson Mr Samuel, Newarke st Billson Mrs Sarah, Regent st. Lrd Billson Thos. tailor, 45 St. George st Billson Thos. tailor, Applegate st BillsonWm.bank cashier, St. Martin's Billson Wm. tailor, Albion hill Birch John, basket maker, Churcgt Birch Thos. basket mkr. Cheapside Bird James, builder. Nelson place Bird Joseph, tailor. Archdeacon In Bird Captain John, New walk Bird Edw. shoemaker. Bow street Bird Wm. millwright and millstone mkr. 76 Humberstone gate Bird Mary, midwife, Knighton st Birkley Thomas, farmer, Woodgate Birtchnell James, ale and porter mert. Horsefairst; h FreeschooUn Birtchnell J. bailiff, Millstone lane Birtchnell L. F.and E. C. milliners, Horsefair street Birtchnell Joseph, gravestone cutter, &c. West Bridge street Bishop Mrs Jane, New walk Bishop Timothy, tailor, 67 Colton st Bishop Hariet and Eliza, milliners, Campbell street Bishop Wm. vict. Champion, 61 Humberstone gate Black John Wm. baker & maltster, Charles street Black Mr. Wm. Albion hill BlackwellJohii,shopman, Clarence st Blackwell Jph.traveller, 5 Nthmtn. st Blackwell Wm. tobacconist and im- porter of cigars, Gallowtree gate BlakeChas. Jas. optician,8Rutland st Blakesley John, fmsmith. Free lane Blakesley Charles, grocer. East st Bland Hy. dancing master, New st Bland Thos. bricklayer, Applegate st Blood Ann, vict. Marquis Welling- ton, London road Bloodworth Jph. W. academy, and Minister of Providence Chapel, 41 Conduit street Bloomar Isaac Dawson, gent, and Miss Charlotte, Sparkenhoe st Blount John Kettlebarrow, school-' master, Sycamore lane Blunt Edw. eating house, Market st Blunt Mr Edward, Princes street Blyth Thos. jeweller, Chatham st Blyton Jas. joiner, Wellington st Boden John, shopman, Glebe street Bodkin Wm. sweep, Harvey lane Bodle Mary Ann, haberdasher, Highcross street Body cot Chas. dyer, Highcross st Bodycot Saml. shopr. Highcross st Bolton John, gent. Highcross st Bolton Eliz. school, Highcross st Bolton Horatio, merchant. New st Bolus Jph.&Co.hat mfr. Gallowtree gt Bonner Jno. weigher, Braunstone gt Bonner Samuel, vict. Turk's Head, Welford road BombroffJno.sinkr.mkr.l 9 Albion hill Bond Henry, vict. Generous Heart, Canning place Boot Henry, butcher. Wharf street Boot Harry, sinker maker. Silver st Boot Mary Ann, straw bonnet maker, 21 St. George's street Boot Sarah, milliner, Marquis st Boot Rt. fellmonger, &c. Abbey gt Boot Wm. butcher, Churchgate Booth Isaac, painter, Highcross st Booth George, cabinet maker and upholsterer, 76 Granby street Booth John, shopkeeper, Abbey st Booth Mrs Mary, Friar lane Booth Jas. ftr. broker, Highcross st Booth Wm. shopkpr. Rathbone pi Boothby John, hairdsr. Southgt. st Borham Wm. corn dlr. 2 Humbs. gt Borrowbridge Mary, milliner, 106 Granby street Bostock Fdk. huckster, Northmtn. st Boswell Saml. tailor, 28 Belvoir st Bosworth John Alleyne, brick & tile mfr. & dlr. in gypsum, ike. South- ampton street ; h Humberstone Bosworth Mrs C. The Newarke Bosworth and Piatt, coal agents, Ibstock wharf, Pingle street Bottrill John, woolstapler. Bowling- green street ; house Sanvey gate Bottrill SI. manure dlr. Chatham st Boultbee Alpheus ,earthenware dealr. 192 Belgrave gate Boulton Fras. butcher,44 Belgrave gt Boulton Ann Jane, drssmkr. Asylum st Boulton Joseph, butcher. Wharf st Boulton Wm. butcher, Chatham st LEICESTER DIRECTOBy. 12T Bourne Daniel, tailor, 2 Charles st Bower Mr Benjamin, London road Bower E. haberdasher, Hi<2:hcross st Bower Jno. cattle dlr. 11 Albion hill Bowles Kichd. shopkeeper, Mill In Bowman Jph. shopkeeper, Craven st Bowmar Cnas. surgfn. St Martin's st Bowmar Charles Brunt, currier and Lapland wool rug mfr. High st Bowmar Mrs Elizabeth, Pasture In Bowmar Jph. (exors. of,) millers, and corn and flour dealers, 13 Hay- market ; house Pasture lane Bowmar Mrs Sarah, Canning place Bowmar Thomas & Sons, bleachers, fullers, dyers,& dressers, North bdg Bowmar Jno. & Wm. ; h North bridge Bown Samuel & Co. cabinet makers, &c. 20 Market street BownAnn, strw.hat mkr.St.Peter's In Bown George, corporation clerk, and inspector of nuisances. Town Library ; house Morledge street Bown John Lambert, solicitor's clerk, Humberstone road Bown Joseph, fmktr. Benford street Bown Wm. hosiery mfr. Highcross st Bown Wm. jun. glove mfr. Milton st Bowra Hannah, milliner, Charles st Boyer Arthur, vict. Bell Hotel, Humberstone gate Boyne Robt. tobacco mfr. Humber- stone road (J. Garsed, agent) Bradbury Thos. tailor, Haymarket Bradley Geo. dyer, 93 Belgrave gate Bradley Richard Wm. schoolmaster, Chatham street Bradley Sophia, beerhs. Orchard In Bradley Thomas, engraver, and cop- per plate and lithographic printer, Haltbrd street ; h 36 Humbst. gt Bradley Vincent, \ict. Richard III. Highcross street Bradley Wm. P. hairdsr.Welford rd BradshawRd.whitesmith,Wtllgtn.st Bradshaw Wm. whitesmith, ditto Bramley Ts. foreman, West Bond st Bramley Geo. cowkeeper, Baker st Bramley Wm. gardener, Oxford st Brampton Isaac, glove and fancy hosiery manfr. Highcross street Branson Wm. beerhouse, Watt's causeway BrayEliz.vict. Pelican, Gallowtree gt Bream Martin, corn and flour dealer, 23 Humberstone gate Breedon Wm. salt dlr. Britannia st Breedon Thos. builder, Navigatn. st Brett Samuel, warehsman. Church st Breefit John, vi'ct. King's Head, King street Breward Benj. hosiery mfr; hKingst BrewardWm. butcher, Ruding st.Bfa BrewinFanny,milliner,Braunston"egt Brewin Geo. whip maker, Northgt.st BrewinJohn,glove,&c.manufacturer, Regent street, Welford road Brewin Robert, worsted spinner ; house Birstall House Brewin Robt. fmktr. Bridge street Brewin S. and J. coal merchants, West Bridge and Melttm Mowbray Brewin Thos.vict.GreenDragon,Mkp Brewin and Whetstone, worsted spinners. Frog island Brke Mrs Ann, Newarke street Brice John, saddler, Horsefair st Bridgart Wm. tailor, and C. and S. milliners, Welford road Brierley Jonathan, lambswool yarn manufacturer. Causeway lane Briggs Dd. warp mfr. Cumberland st Briggs Jerh. solicitor; h 4 East st Briggs John George, vict. George Hotel, 9 Haymarket Briggs Robert, maltster and vict. Crown & Anchor, 170 Belgrave gt Briggs and Sculthorpe, solicitors, Horsefair street Briggs Wm. shoemaker. Silver st BristowGeo. master of British SchooJ, Hill street ; house Clarence street Britton Wm. solicitor's clerk. East st Broad George & Sons, woolstaplers, Harvey lane and London ; J. Poole, agent Broad Jas. pipe maker, Talbot lane Broadbent and Hawley, sculptors, masons, &c. Horsefair street Broadbent Benj ; h Horsefair st Brodhurst John, shopr. Bedford st Bromhead Ann, baker, Wharf st Bromhead Richard, miller, baker, and maltster, 42 Granby street Bromley Edward, joiner, and china and glass dealer, Church gate Brookhouse Benjamin and Joseph, gentlemen, 40 Granby street Brooks Benj. schoolmaster, Oxford st Brooks John, corn inspector, Ex- change ; house London road Brooks Joseph, stationer and book- seller, 32 Belgrave street Brooks Mr Thomas, Slate street 128 LEICESTER DIRECTORY. Broughton Ts. beerhs. Sparkenhoe st Browett Edw. rope,&c.mkr.Wharf st Brown Mrs Ann, Temple row BrownA.&H. straw hat mkrs. East st Brown Miss Ann, Humberstone rd Brown Charles, butcher, York street Brdwn, Brown, and Preston, hosiery manufacturers, Rutland street Brown Mrs Elizabeth Sarah, manu- facturer ; house Rutland street Brown Mrs Eliz. 37 St George st Brown and Drayton, hosiery manu- facturers, Castle yard Brown Mr George, Humberstone rd Brown Geo. shoemaker. Church gt Brown and Hewitt, booksellers, printers, &c. Photographic Por- trait Gallery, Market place Brown Hy. hosiery mfr ; hCastle view Brown Jas.boot & shoemkr. Northgts Brown James, chemist & druggist, 66 Granby street Brown James, butcher. Market st Brown Jarvis, butcher, 39 Market st Brown John, maUster, &c. St. Nicholas street Brown John, wools tapler, High st ; house New walk Brown John, tailor, Northgates Brown Mr John, jun. Queen street Brown John, tailor. Burgess street Brown Joseph, solicitor (firm Brown and Palmer ;) h Regent street, Wrd Brown Joseph, fmktr. Benford st Brown Joseph, carpenter and vict. Foundry Arms, Foundry square Brown Joseph, vict. White Horse, 27 Belgrave gate Brown Lawrance, joiner and builder, Churchgate Brown Mrs Margt. Southfields pi Brown Mrs & Miss Mary, Crescent Brown Mrs Mary, female asylum, The Newarke Brown & Palmer, solrs. Friar lane Brown Richd. tailor, 98 Granby st Brown Samuel, fmktr. Fleet street Brown Mrs Sarah, Nelson street Brown Thomas, millwright and tim- ber merchant, Humberstone road Brown Thomas, beerhouse, Eaton st Brown Thos. fmwk. knitter, Carley st Brown Thomas Chapman, bookseller, &c ; house Market place Brown Mr Wm., Clarence street BrowTi Wm. wood turner, Churchgt Brown Mr Wm., Chatham street Brown Wm. druggist. Bridge street Brown Wm. vict. Craven Arms, 20 Humberstone gate Brown Mr Wm. London road Bruce John, vict. Cricketers, Chgt Bruce Wm. butcher, Wharf street Bruce Maria, straw hat maker, Wellington street Bruin Charles, boot and shoe maker, 74 Granby street Bruin Mr Wm., Nelson street Bryan John, coal merchant, 125 Belgrave gate Bryan Thomas, vict. Vine, Vine st Bryant Wm. broker, Eldon street Brydon Mrs Eliz. Church street Buckingham Abm. framesmith, St. Peter's lane Buckley John, shopr. Braunstone gt Bucknall Wm. upholsterer. Friar In Bucknall Thos. shopman, Humbs. rd Budworth Thos. cork cutter, New Bond street Budworth Mr Joseph, New Bond st Bull John, cowkpr. Northampton st Bull Henry, shoemaker, York st Bull Mrs Sarah, Sparkenhoe street Bunting Geo. livery stable keeper, Chatham street Bunney John, gardener, &c. King street ; house Aylesto7ie Burbidge Dnl. joiner, 179 Belgrvgt Burbidge Ths. solicitor. New street; house Welford road Burbitt Thos. shoemkr. Northgt. st Burchnall Jph. vict. Fish & Quart, Churchgate Burden Fdk. hairdsr. Infirmary sq Burden Geo. beerhs. Infirmary sq Burdett Jas. beerhouse, Welford rd Burgess Alfred & Co. worsted spin- ners, &c. Bath lane; house Brook- field, London road Burgess Mrs Ann, Newarke Burgess* Brothers, woolstaplers, 1 Belvoir street Burgess Mr Joseph, St. Peter's In Burgess Jph. shopkr. 213 Belgrv. gt Burgess Martha, vict. Bumper, 15 Belgrave gate Burgess Rd. needle mkr. Russell st Burgess Thos.woolstplr ; h fVigston Burley Jph. fmktr. Freeschool lane Burley Wm. gent. Princes street Burley Wm. jun. veterinary surgeon? Rutland street LETCESTEE DIRECTORY. 129 Burnaby Rev. Robt. B.A. min. of St. George's, Rutland street Burnaby Beaumont, solicitor & regr. of the Prebendal court, Friar In Burne Richd. Leyland, Esq. sub- agent, Branch Bank of England ; house Crescent Burness Mr Thomas, Morledge st Burnham Saml. fmktr. Metcalf st Burnett Wm. vict. Woolcombers' Arms, Lower Church gate Burrell Chas. tailor and clothes dlr. Sanvey gate Burrows Joseph, master of British School, Osborne st ; Nelson st. Lrd Burrows Jas. Gabriel, auctioneer, estate agent, and undertaker. Ho- tel street ; h Sparkenhoe street Burton Eliz. umbrella mkr. High st Burton Edwin, tailor, Lee street Burton Eras. vict. Crown & Thistle, Townhall lane Burton Hy. tailor & bhs. Charles st Burton Hy. tailor, Campbell street Burton John Palmer, worsted spin- ner. Frog Island ; h Eldon st Burton John, bookseller, stationer, fancy box mfr. printer and joint propr. of the Mercury ^ 3 Haymkt Burton and Smallfield, printers and proprs. of the Mercury^ 3 Haymkt Burton Thos. shoemaker. Junior st Burton Ths. fly owner, 65 Humbs. gt Burton Thos. supervisor. East st Burton Wm. gent. New walk Burton Wm. Hy. bookseller, printer, and stationer, 82, Granby street Burton Wm. & Son, dyers, Bridge st Burton Wm. jun ; house Bridge st Bussey Ths. gun mkr. Gallowtree gt Buswell John, gent. New Town st Butcher Wm. hosiery mfr. King st Butler Ths. Edw. druggist, Sanvey gt Butler John, butcher, "Milton st Butlin Rd. builder, Harcour^ st Button Benj. broker, Highcross st Button Saml. fmtr. 50 Colton street Buxton Thos. shoemaker, Junior st Buxton Wm. shopkeeper, London rd Buzzard Wm. shoemkr. Causeway In Buzzard Wm. vict. Lord Durham, Albion hill Cadness Geo. shoemaker. Hotel st Caillard Mons. C. teacher of french, Crescent buildings Cain Jas. shoemaker, Church st Cain Richd. vict. Castle Tavern, Gal- lowtree gate Calladine E. A. schoolmrs. Loseby In Callis Eliz. dressmaker, Belgrave gt Callis Jph. frame smith. South Bond street ; house Vauxhall street Canner My. grocer, sub-post office, Highcross street Canner Saml. shopkeeper, Bedford st Canner Wm. baker, High street Cape Ths. solicitor and regr. of mar- riages, Bowlinggreen st ; house 9 London road Cardale Jph. Spencer, gent. Lon. rd Carman Jno. butcher, 193 Belgrave st Carley Mrs Elizabeth, New walk Carnall Abram, ironmonger and auc- tioneer, 22 Haymarket Carnall Chas. tailor, Albion hill Carnall John, tailor, Freeschool In Carnall Sar. clothes dlr. Loseby In Carr Chs. shopr. Northumberland st Carr Eras, hosier, &c. Gallowtree gt Carr John, grocer. Church gate Carr Robert, shopkpr. Church gate Carr Wm. druggist, Upr. George st Carrington John, painter, Vine st Carryer John, gent. New walk Carter Edw. framewktr. Wharf st Carter Hy. Iredall, permit writer, Waterloo street Carter Mrs Eliz. Albion hill Carter My. Ann, haberdasher, New Bond street Carter Robt. tailor and woollen dra- per, 11 Haymarket Carter Robt. tailor, High street Carter Rd. and Son, worsted mfrs. Friday street ; h Churchgate Carter Samuel ; house Friday st Carter Thos. shopkpr. Morledge st Carter Thos. clerk, Queen street Carthy Mr Wm. York st.Welford rd Cartwright Chas. Newsam, lambs^ wool, &c. spinner, Friars mill, Sarah street Cartwright David Sajnl. dyer, &c. Sarah street Cartwright Davenport, manager, Nelson street, London road Cartwright Henry, shoemkr. Wel- lington street Cartwright Sml. dyer, Braunstone ^t Cartwright John, cowkpr.Welford st Cartwright Sampson, trunk maker^ 59 Belgrave gate 130 LEICESTER DIRECTORY. Cartwright Wm. vict. Eobin Hood, Abbey gate Cartwright Wm. dyer, 47 Colton st Case Maria, baby linen whs. High st Case Thos. glove and sock mfr. New- arke street ; house Soar lane Case Robt. coal mercht. Soar lane Casteletti Job, straw hat, borometer, and looking glass mfr. High st Castings Hiram, tailor,Wellington st Catlin Rd. plumber, &c. and licensed to let post horses, &c. Highcross st Catlin Mattw. plumber, &c. New Bond street Catlow John, grocer and butcher. Frog Island Cattle Thos. wood turner, 120 Bel- grave gate Cave Edw. beerhs. Upr. Charles st Cave & Tyler, dressmkr.Bowlingn. st Cave John, beerhouse, Byron street Cave John, cooper, Upr. Charles st Cawrey Eras, baker, Sanvey gate Cayless Chas. vict. Rose and Crown, Crab street Cayless and Sons, wharfingers, lime burners, and hair and reed merts. Public wharf, Belgrave gate, and Barrow-on-Soar Cayless Elijah, ditto ; h Canning pi Cayless Wm. ditto ; h Belgrave gt Cayless Wm. ftnktr. Bedford street Chamberlain Ann, school and cow- keeper, 110 Granby street Chamberlain Benj. Goodman, supt. registrar and Union clerk. East- gates ; house New Bond street Chamberlain Benj. Storer and Son, booksellers, printers, &c. East- gates ; house New Bond street Chamberlain Mrs Jane and Charles, 79 London road Chamberlain Jas. tailor, 41 St. Geo.st Chamberlain Rev Jph. (Huntington, min.) Prebend street Chamberlain Jph. & Co. hosiery and glove mfrs. South gate street Chamberlain Mrs Jane, London rd Chamberlain Wm. relieving officer of 2nd dist. Wicliflf street ; house Pocklington's walk Chamberlain Wm. clerk, Morledge st Chamberlain Wm. Liptrott, law sta- tioner, Eastgates ; h Hanover st Chamberlin Jph. jun. hosiery mfr. Wellington st ; h Pocklington's wk Chamberlin Miss,milliner,Cheapside Chambers Henry and Son, joiners and builders, 158 Belgrave gate Chambers Maria, dressmaker, Bel- grave gate Chambers Sar. midwife, Highcross st Chambers Wm. shopkpr. and shoe- maker, Southgate street Chaplin, Home, & Briggs, carriers, Midland Station Chapman Miss Ann, 79 Conduit st Chapman George, vict. Black Swan, 145 Belgrave gate Chapman Geo. clerk. Conduit street Chapman Thomas, worsted spinner, Frog Island ; house Stonygate Chapman Wm. woollen draper; h 8 Upper market Chapman Wm. engineer and mill- wright, Highcross street Chappel Wm. grocer, 133 Wharf st Chappel Thos. fancy box maker, St. Nicholas street ; house Carts In Charlesworth Mrs Eliz. Princes st Charlesworth Edw. needle maker and leeach dealer, Northgate street Charlesworth Henry, vict. Wheat Sheaf, Gallowtree gate Charlton Mrs Eliz.bathkpr.Newwk Charlton Charles, cheese and bacon factor, 43 and 45 Gallowtree gate Charters Robt. high constable of the borough, Townhall lane Chatwin John, baker, Churchgate Chatwin Edw. tailor & dpr. Hotel st Chatwin Mr Joseph, Conduit street Chatwin Mattw. Freeman, builder and grocer, Welford road Chatwin Saml. vict. Lion and Lamb^ Lee street Chatwin Saml. shoemkr. Church st Chawner John, hosiery mfr ; house Princes street Chawner Jph. solr's. clerk, New wk Chawner Jph. pawnbkr. E. Bond st Chawner Ths. grocer, 36 Belgrave gt Cheatle Mrs Cath. Northampton st Checkland Edw. vict. William 4th, 58 Colton st Checkland Mrs. My. Upper Chas. st Checkley Thos. tailor, Waterloo st Cheney Jon. shoemaker, Metcalf st Cheney Wm. beerhouse, Colton st Cheshire Thos. brhs. Wellington st Cheslyn Rd. Esq. stamp distributor, New St. ; house, Welford rd Chester Wm. vt. Vine, Highcross st. LEICESTER DIEECTOBY. 131 Chesterton Joseph, silversmith and working jeweller, 14 Granby st Chew Mrs. Lucy, Welford rd Christian Danl. Cook, mercht. and pawnbkr, Oxford st.h. Humbs. rd Christian James, Ricd. pawnbroker, Clarance street Christian Jno. gardnr. Higheross st Christian Mr John, Silver street Church Thos. traveller, Newarke st Church Thos. shopkpr. Southgt st Clapton Isc. butcher, Belgrave gate Claricoates Robert, shoemaker, 107, Belvoir street Claridge Ts. brush mfr. Welford rd Claridge Wm. shoe mkr Carlton st Clark Mrs Eliz. drug, h Cresct. bldgs Clark Ann, straw hat mkr. Wellgn st Clark Fredk. plasterer, East street Clark John, huckster. Church gate Clark John, cvr. & gldr. Welford rd Clark and Hodgson, chemists and druggists, 60 Gallowtree gate Clark K. & H. millinrs. Welford rd Clark Mary, dress mkr. Welford rd Clark Thomos, vict. Spread Eagle, Upper Charles street Clark Thomas, butcher, Chatham st Clark Wm. Cope, beerhouse, Lee st Clark Wm. clerk, Regent st. Wrd Clark Wm. saddler, 16 Belvoir st Clark Wm. beerhouse, Redcross st Clark Wm. fishmonger. High street Clark Wm. carrier and horse letter, Jurywall street Clark Wm. needle mkr. Jurywall st. Carke Ann, milliner, Morledge st. Clarke Chtte. dress mkr. Conduit st. Clarke Eliz. stay & linen dealer, 26 Gallowtree gate Clarke Ed. gunmkr.36 Gallowtree gt Clarke Jas. glove mfr. Wellington st. Clarke Jas. brush mfr. Gallowtree gt. Clarke Jane, butcher, Archdcn. In. Clarke Jane, bonnet mkr. Fleet st. Clarke John, schoolmr. Friar lane Clarke John, shoemkr. Castle view Clarke John Pretty, sewing cotton ^ and fancy hosiery mfr. King st. ^ & propr. of the Baths ^ New walk Clarke John Webster, chemist and druggist, 80 Granby street i Clarke John, butcher & vict. Crown and Magpie, Gallowtree gate Clarke Jph. Hy. hatter, Haymarket Clarke Jph. & John, tailors Newarke street Hull Thomas Pollard, hosiery manu- facturer; h 13 Belvoir street Humberston Mrs Martha, London rd HumberstonJno.woolstapler,Clrnc.st Humphreys Mr Wm. Union place Humphreys Rt. baker, Sparkenhoe st Hunt zham, Gainsborough, and Hull, every Monday, Thursday, and Saturday night. To and from Leeds and "Wakefield, Barnsley, Chesterfield, Mansfield, Burton, Bradford, Hudders- field, and York, every night. To and from Derby, Birmingham, "Walsall, Wolverhampton, Lichfield, Worcester, Cheltenham, Gloucester, Bristol, Bath, Exeter, and all parts of the West, every Monday, Thursday, and Saturday night. And Daily Conveyance by Rails to London, Manches- ter and all intermediate places : — R. B. Willis, agent. CARRIERS TO AND FROM LEICESTER, WITH THE DAY AND TIME OF LEAVING, AND THE INNS AND PUBLIC-HOUSES WHICH THEY USE. Place. Name and Inn. Departure. u4nsty — Lygo,Fish & Quart . . wed.sat.6 Clarke, King Richard U I.. wed. sat.7 j4rnesby — Coleman, Saracen's Head, wed.sat.4 Walker, Town Arms, ..wed.sat.4 ^sforby— Clarke, Fox sat.3 uishby-de-la-Zouch and Burton — Orchard, Falcon sat.4 Redgate, Fox wed.4 Aihby Folville — Foukes, Coach and Horses ..wed.4 Ashby Magna — Gamble, Little Crown .. ..sat.4 Ashley — Edgley, Falcon .. ..sat 3 Aylestone — Towers, Queen'sHd. Friar lane, sat.4 Bagxvorth — Johnson, White Lion, sat.4 Radford, Sbakspeare's Head . . sat.3 Barlestone — Elverson, Nag's Head sat.4 Booth, Wheat Sheaf sat.4 Barkby—Lakin, Fleur de Lis. . . .sat.5 Carnall, White Hart . . . .wed.sat.4 Bar row -upon- Soar — Pryer, Antelope sat.5 Dalby, Saracen's Head .. ..sat.4 Barsby — Fowkes,Coach Normanton h. 3 Branston parish BronghtoiiNeth.p Buckminster p. } Sewstern chap. 5 Burton Lazars p. Claxton Long > (orClawson) par 5 Coston parish .... tCroxton Ker- ^ rial parish . . V Bescahy ex. p. 3 Dalby Little par. Eastwell parish . . Eaton parish .... Edmondthorpe j). Garthorpe parish Goadby Marwood Harby parish.... •fHarstDn parish Hose parisli ^--Trn. 1520 1400 2870 170 5010 960 2110 2080 2060 3450 1680 3900 2180 1370, 2470 2100 1090, 2540 2800' 630; 2140* 224 vl56 403 109 855 417 103 333 412 405 292 262 838 147 650 7 184 131 404 261 135 2021 629 181 4171 Annl. Value £. \ 1326 1520 2382 823 -7766 2500 2818 2536 1623 4125 5037 1946 3788 1245 2352 1764 2512 1900 1814 2420 2840 1322 3207 PARISHES, &C. Kirby-Bellarspar tKnipton parish Melton Mowbray Freeby chap. . . Welby chap... tMuston parish.. *Overton(Cold>p. *Plungar parish tRedmile parish Saltby parish.. .. Saxby parish.. .. Scalford parish . . Somerby parish . . Sproxton parish Staple ford parish Stathern parish.. Stonesby parish Sysonby parish . . Thorpe Arnold p. Waltham-on- > theWolds par. S *Withcote parish. Wyfordby par. > Brentingby ch. ^ Wymondham par. Acres, 2590 1430 3570 920 1120 1500 2320 1310 1170 2680 1430 2520 1000 2360 3960 1420 1370 980 1110 2870 1230 1350 ^°" Total.. 87,540J 18,724 124,464 Popu- lation. 236 363 3740 139 58 351 118 280 518 299 163 517 480 394 184 549 283 68 134 768 30 75 54 766 Annual Value. £. 3784 1583 14,753 1850 1300 2088 2256 1274 2570 1378 1635 3147 2742 2.386 3090 3010 1684 I7I6 2150 2638 1076 1766 4000 § Belvoir is partly in tlie Soke of Grantham, Lincolnshire. Melton Mowhray return included 109 persons in the Union Workhouse, and 14 in barges. The increase of population (417) since 1831, is attributed chiefly to a-ldirge J ox -hunting establishment being kept in the town and neighbourhood. The return for Staj>le- ybrt^ included 40 persons at the annual feast. " Brentingby and JVyfordby'^ supporttheir poor as one township, though the former is a chapelry to Thorpe Arnold parish. The return of fVymondham. states that 36 persons were tempo - rarily absent. ^p^ Framland Hundred has been extended for the purposes of the county rate, (fee, by the Magistrates, in the assessment of 1838, which annexes to it the following 15 parishes, (fee, viz., Asfordby, Dalby-Magna, Balby-on- the-IVolds, Frisby-onthe- fVreake, Grimston, Hoby, Saxelby, Tu-yford, Thorpe - Satchville, IVartnaly, and JVycomb-with-Ckadwetl, va East Goscote Hundred ; and Burroiigh, Knossington, Owston-with-Newbold, and Pickwell-with-Lees- thorpe, in Gartree Hundred. In the census of 1841, the population of these 15 parishes fs returned with the said Hundreds, with which they are described in this Work, though some of them are detached members. Including these parishes, the total rateable annual vakie of property, in Framland Hundred, as assessed in 1838, is £156,144, which, at one penny in the pound, yields a rate amounting to £650. 12s. The number of acres in the above table is from an estimated return, made many years ago, and repeated in the census of 1841, though in some pa- rishes it is incori ect, as will be seen in the descriptions of the parishes. * Unions :—\yithcote is in iizY/ei-f/oTi Union; and Barkestone and Plungar are in Bingham Union, which is mostly in Nottiiighamshire. Cold Overton is in Oakham Uoiion, which is mostly in Rutlandshire. t The six parishes marked thus f are in Grantham Union, which is mostly iii Lincolnshii-e ; and all the 34 others in the foregoing table, not distinguished by any mark, are in Mellon Mowbray Union, except Belvoir, which, being extra- parochial, is not attached to any Union. FBAMLAND HUNDRED. 211 MELTON MOWBRAY UNION comprises 54 parishes, of which 34 are in Framland Hundred, as just noticed, 17 in East Goscote Hundred; one (Broughton Sulney,) in Nottinghamshire, and two (Burrough and Pick- well,) in Gartree Hundred. It comprises an area of 153 square miles, and had 19,297 inhabitants in 1841, of whom 9522 were males and 9775 females. The total average annual expenditure of the 54 parishes on the poor, during the three years preceding the formation of the Union, was £9433. The expenditure of the Union in 1838, was £5793; in 1840, £4895. 9s.; and in the quarter ending September, 1845, £1172. 19s.' 9d. Three guardians are elected yearly for Melton, and one for each of the other 53 parishes. The Union Workhouse was built in 1836, at the cost of about £6000, and has room for about 300 inmates, but has seldom more than half that num- ber. It is a neat and very commodious building, pleasantly situated on the east side of Melton Mowbray, and divided into four wards, with spacious yards. The Rev. G. Oakley is the Chaplain^ and Mr. Jph. and Mrs. Jane Bell are the Master and Matron ; Mr. Edmund Batty is Union Clerk and Superintendent Registrar; Mr. George Needham and Mr. John Higgs Lee are the Relieving Officers; and W. Power, Esq., is the Auditor » The Union is divided into four Medical Districts j of which Messrs. Ber- ridge, Whitchurch, Jackson, and Maryan are Surgeons. The Registrars of Births and Deaths are Mr. J. Towne (and W. Campion, dep.^) for Melton District ; Mr. J. H. Lee (and J. Goodman, dep.^) for Somerby Dis- trict; Mr. Jph. Chamberlain (and Thos. Watkin, dep.^) for Walt ham Dis- trict ; and Mr. Natl. Kemm (and Mr. R. Lord, dep.^) for Clawson District. Messrs. John Towne and Natl. Kemm are Registrars of Marriages. The Independent and Wesleyan chapels at Melton, the Baptist chapel at Hose, and the Catholic chapel at Eastwell, are licensed for marriages. AB-KETTLEBY is a pleasant village on an eminence, 3 miles N.N.VV. of Melton Mowbray, and 15 miles S.E. of Nottingham; being on the turnpike between the two towns, and on the southern acclivity of the red-sandstone hills which bound the vale of Belvoir. \is parish includes also Holvvell chapelry, and its ^oiy^z*/^?/? contains 971a. 2 r. 8p. of land, and 224 inhabitants. The Earl of Dysart is lord of the manor y but the soil belongs mostly to H. C. Bingham and Thomas Butler, Esqrs., Messrs. Wm. and John Guy, and Bottesford Hospital. At the Domesday Survey, Gerard held here under Roger de Buei, 6 caru- cates ; 2 ploughs were in demesne, and here were 7 villans, 4 bordars, 6 socmen ; a priest with 5 ploughs, and a meadow 120 perches long by 20 wide. About 1100, Richard Basset gave the church to Laund Priory. In 1284, Robt. Tateshall had a grant of free warren here, and the parish was enclosed in 1761. The Church (St. James) is an in- teresting pile of great antiquity, with a square tower, containing three bells, and surmounted by a spire. It has a north and south aisles, and a south porch, and the seats are very ancient. The vicarage, valued in K.B. at £15. Os. 5d., has 56a. 2r. .33p. of glebe in Ab-Kettleby, and 35a. 3ii. in Holwell. It is in the patronage and incumbency of the Rev. Thomas Bingham, of Bath. The Clerk's Close, 1a. 38p., wa« awarded at the inclosure, in lieu of other land. Here is a IVesleyan Chapel, built in 1843. The poor have the following charities, viz., a yearly rent charge of 30s. out of the parsonage at Nether Broughton, left by John Neale, in 1606, for distribution in coals; £2. 10s. a year from 1a. 2r. 25p., allotted at the enclosure in lieu of land purchased with j£28 left by John Steele ^ in 1669, (one-third for the poor of Hoi- 212 AB-KETTLEBY PARISH. well;) 10s. a year from the Corporation of Grantham, (half for Hol- well,) out of land at Barrowhy, Lincolnshire ; 63. a year out of the Poor's Close, in Nether Brougliton ; 2s. 6d. out of the poor rates, as interest of ^£2. 10s. left by J. Steele; £\, 5s. a year left by Mrs. Sioakes, out of a farm here; and 15s, a year out of land at Holwell Mouth, left by M?'. Deoote7\ who also charged the same land with 10s. per annum for repairing the spring there. The parish feast is on July 25th. Pick Abraham, baker Smart Jph.schoolmtr.& parish clerk Williamson Mrs Jane FARMERS. (Marked * Graziers.) Barnard Thos. 1| * Bates Wm. Freckingham Rd. || * Smith Geo. • Guy John |1 Guy Wm. (Lodge J * Tuck wood Ann || * Wells Samuel Wilford Samuel Bowley Wm. joiner, &c. Brewin John, corn miller Chettle Dorothy, shopkeeper Dalby Joseph, blacksmith Fardell John, shoemaker Guy Wm. wheelwright Hardinge Rev John, curate Hardy Wm. tailor and shopkeeper Johnson John, vict. Sugar Loaf Martin Wm. farm steward Holwell is a small village, township, and chapelry, in Ab-Kettleby parish, picturesquely situated on a southern declivity, 3^ miles N. by W. of Melton Mowbray ; and contains 156 souls, and 848 acres of assessable land, of which about half is arable. The Earl of Dysart is lord of the manor, but most of the soil belongs to J. B. Crompton, H. Flower, VV.. Holmes, and H. Bingham, Esqrs. The Chajwly which, is annexed to Ab-Kettleby vicarage, is a small antique fabric, with a bell turret. Here is a chalybeate spring, called Holwell Mouth ; and be- sides about 22s. per annum from charities noticed with Ab-Kettleby, the poor have the following yearly doles, — 20s. from 1a. 1r. 8p., called ^^The Poofs Close ;''^ and 13s. 4d. from £20 left by Mai'y BriggSy in 1 771 > and now in the Saving's Bank. John Bursty sen.^ and jun.^ charged the Sand-pit Close, with the yearly payment of 10s. for a dis- tribution of pious books, and 20s. for apprenticing poor children of Holwell. This close now belongs to John Bell Crompton, Esq., of Derby. Low Robert, wheelwright Musson Wm. vict. William IV. Sharp Thomas, shoemaker Steel Thomas, joiner, cfec. farmers. (* are Graziers.) Buck John || * Brown Thomas •Brown Wm. 1| Cross Thomas Gill Josiah || * Goodacre Wm. Shillcock John BARKESTONE or Barkeston, a pleasant village in the vale of Belvoir, on the south side of the Nottingham and Grantham Canal, 9 miles W. by S. of Grantham, 6^ miles E.S.E. of Bingham, and 11 miles N. by E. of Melton Mowbray, has in its pjrish 403 souls, and 2050 acres of fertile clayey land, more than half of which is arable. The Duke of Rutland owns most of the soil, and is lord of the manor ^ which was held at the Conquest by the Todenei family, and passed from them to the Albinis, and from the latter to Lord Roos. It was purchased of the Digbys by the Earl of Rutland, in 1557. The Church (St. Peter and St. Paul) was appropriated to Belvoir Priory, and was enlarged with a new south aisle, thoroughly repaired, and newly fitted with open cai-ved seats in 1840, at the cost of £2364, of which £1000 was given by the present vicar, £400 by the parish, and the rest by subscription, ^lost of the nave was rebuilt, but the chancel remains iu its ancient FRAMLAND HUNDRED. 213 state, and is separated by a finely carved oak screen, with folding doors, A tower and spire rise from the centre, and the former has four bells. The organ was given by the vicar. In the north aisle is a fine marble monument in memory of Daniel Smith, the founder of the free school. The Duke of Rutland is impropriator of the great tithes, and patron of the vicarage, valued in K.B. at £7* 5s. 4d., and in 1B31 at XI 14, and now enjoyed by the Rev. F. G. Burnaby, M.A., who has a neat residence and 59a. 3ii. 12p. of glebe. The living was augmented witli 4J200 of Q. A. B. in 1/^3, and all the tithes and moduses were cam- muted at the enclosure^ in 1791. A farm of 61:^a. in this parish let for jC12G a year, was left in 1703 by fFm. Chester^ in trust that the annual rent should be applied as follows: — one-fifth for distribution among the poor of Barkeston, except 7s. for two bibles ; three-fifths for the poor of Knipton, Croxton-Kerrial, and Buckminster ; and the re- maining fifth for the poor of Burton and llarby. The Churchwardens and Overseers of the respective parishes are the trustees. The Frek School here, for this parish and Plungar, was founded by Daniel Smithy who built the two school rooms and the house for the master and mistress, and vested them in trustees in 1830, endowing them with the adjoining garden, and with a close of 11a. 3a. Up. at Plungar, now let for £25 a year. By will in 1834, he directed his executors to purchase as much stock as would produce £12. 10s. per annum, of which £10 is distributed in equal shares in the two parishes among the poor, and £2. 10s. is applied in purchasing books for the school library. The free scholars are appointed by the ministers and churchwardens of the two parishes, 14 from Barkeston, and 12 from Plungar. They are taught reading, writing, and arithmetic, and the girls also sewing. The ^?Ln^\i feast is on the first Sunday after July 10th. Burnaby Rev. Fredk. Geo., M.A. vicar of Barkeston and Plungar Cant Thos. saddler and beerhs. kpr Cook Wm. gamekeeper Doubled ay Richd. shoemaker and vict. Sun Howard Thomas, tailor Kellam Thomas, baker Marshall Jno. jun. corn miller Sills Wm. bricklayer Simpson Wm. shoemaker Smith Wm. master of free school Stevens John, joiner, &c Watson John, vict. Blacksmiths. Haskard Ann Rear Wm. Farmers &f Gra- ziers. Bouser, Trustees of Cant John Henson Thomas Marshall John, sen. (Lodge) Marshall Thos. Chequers Musson John Musson Wm. Wilders Gervase Wheelwrights. Hombuckle Jno. Pulfrey Wm. Schofield James Carrier to Not- tingham. Kitchen John, (Saturday) BELVOIR CASTLE, the splendid seat of the Duke of Rutland, has been mostly rebuilt during the present century, and occupies the crown of a lofty eminence on the south side of the Vale of Belvoir, and on the north-eastern verge of the county, adjoining Lincolnshire; 12 miles N.E. of Melton Mowbray ; 18 miles E. by S. of Notting- ham ; 6 miles W.S. W. of Grantham, and 28 miles N.E. of Leicester. Belvoir is an extra-parochial i\emQ^ne, partly in the Soke of Grant- ham, Lincolnshire, and comprising 109 inhabitants, and about 170 acres ; but the pleasure grounds, woods, and plantations, extend over more than 500 acres in the adjoining parishes. Except the Inn, the houses are detached offices, belonging to the Castle, which is by far 214 BELVOIB CASTLE. the most superb architectural ornament of which Leicestershire can boast. The cliflf on which it stands is an abrupt termination of a lofty isolated hill, the chief component of which is red grit-stone. The sides of the hill are formed into terraces, at various heights, diversified with shrubs, whilst the base is covered with large forest trees, forming a complete woodland, which gives the Castle a most imposing appear- ance; rearing its majestic towers and turrets, as it were, from the midst of a densely- wooded forest. The present edifice is of Gothic architec- ture, crowned and embattled in the style of the feudal ages, and occu- pying a large quadrangular area, The foundation of the original castle is involved in considerable doubt. Leland was of opinion that there was no fortress here anterior to the Conquest ; but after the Norman invasion, the elevated situation of Belvoirwas of too much importance to be long neglected, when the barons could secure their personal safety only by the fortified strength of their habitations. The Con- queror gave it to Robert de Todeneiy his standard bearer, who built his castle on the summit of the hill, and obtained from it the name of JRohert de Belvedeir. His successors took the name of Albini, Of this building there are now no traces ; but the great tower of the pre- sent edifice is, no doubt, erected on the site of the original keep. The castle continued in the Albini family till the marriage of their heiress Isabel, about 1270, with Robert Lord Roos^ of Bamlake. During the wars of the roses, Thomas Lord Roos espoused the Lancasterian cause, and was attainted in 1461. The baronial lordship of Belvolr and all its members, with the rents called castle- guard, were granted by Edward IV., in 1467, to fFilliam Lord Hastings^ who Leland says, " coming hither upon a tyme to peruse the ground and to lye at the castel, was sodenly repelled by Mr. Harrington, a man of poure thereaboute, and friend to the Lord Rose ; whereupon Lord Hastings came upon another tyme, with a strong poure, and upon a raging wille, spoillid the castel, defacing the rofes, and takeing the leades ot them, wherewith they were al covirid. Then felle the castel to ruine, and the tymbre of the rofes unkeverit rotted away, and the soile betwene the walles, at the last, grue ful of elders, and no habitation was there tyl of late dayes the Eyrie of Rutland hath made it fairer than ever it was." The attainder being removed on the petition of Lord Roos to Parliament, in the reign of Richard IIL, the Castle and its extensive domain reverted to his family. In the latter part of the 15th century, Eleanor, sister and co-heiress, and ultimately sole heiress of Thomas Lord Roos, carried Belvoirin marriage to Sir Robt. Manners y Koiight, whose family had held large estates from the time of the Conquest, in Northumberland, where their chief seat was Ethale or Etal Castle. Sir Thomas Manners, the grandson of Sir Robert, was summoned to Parliament as Lord Roos in 1515, and was created Earl of Rutland in 1525. Having restored the Castle, which had been in ruins since Lord Hastings' attack, he made Belvoir his chief residence. George, the seventh Earl, was honoured with a visit from Charles I. in 1634. John, the eighth Earl, attaching himself to the Parliamentarians in the Civil Wars (see pages 59 to 63,) involved his Castle in the conse- quences of attacks from the royal army. It was occasionally garrisoned by each party, and in the struggles for victory, the building was nearly destroyed. In 1648, it was surrendered to the Parliamentary forces, EARLS AND DUKES OF RUTLAND. 215 and the House of Commons ordered it to be dismantled. In 1654, on the petition of the Earl of Rutland, that in consequence of the unhappy- wars, his estates had been devastated, whereby he was reduced to great straits for the maintenance of his family, and that Viscount Campden had been a principal instrument in the ruin of the petitioner's castle, lands, and woods about Belvoir, he (Viscount Campden) being a chief commander of the royal garrison there, it was ordered by both Houses of Parliament, that satisfaction should be made the Earl to the amount of £5000, out of Lord Campden's estates. This Earl restored the Castle in 1668, and dying in 1679, was succeeded by his third son, John Manners, first Baron Manners^ of Haddon, Derhy- shirey who was by Queen Anne advanced to the titles of Marquis of Gbanby and Dukk of Rutland, in 1703. He made Belvoir his chief seat, and greatly enlarged the Castle, where he spent a sort of rural life. He died in 1711, when his son, John, became the second Duke of Rutland, &c. The latter died in 1721, and was succeeded by his eldest son, John, the third Duke^ who was the last of the Rutland family who made the ancient baronial mansion of Haddon Hally in Derbyshire^ an occasional residence, though they still keep it in re- pair, as an interesting object of antiquity, and maintain the shooting box of LonghhaWy in the moorlands of that county. The third Duke built the hunting seat of Croscton Park, 5 miles south of Belvoir, about 1730. He also made great improvements at Belvoir about the year 1750. He died in 1779, and was succeeded by his grandson, Charles, who was made Lord-Lieutenant of Ireland, in 1784, and retained that high office till his death, in 1787, when he was succeeded by his eldest surviving son, the Most Noble John Henry Manners^ (born January 4th, 1778,) the present Duke of Rutland ^ Marquis of Granby^ Baron Manner Sy of Haddon, K.G., Lord- Lieutenant of Leicestershire , Col, of the Leicestershire MilitiOy and a Trustee of the British Museum. His Grace married, in 1799, Elizabeth, second daughter of the Earl of Carlisle, who died in 1825. His Grace's surviving children are, Lord Chas. CecilJohn Manners y Marquis ofGranby, and M.P. for Stamford, born in 1815 ; Loi'd John James Robert Manner s, M.P. for Newark, born 1818 ; Lord George John MannerSy (of the Horse Guards,) born 1820 ; Lady Elizabeth Frederica, born 1801, and married in 1822 to A. R. Drummond, Esq., of Cadlands, Hants. ; Lady Emmeline Char- lotte Elizabethy born 1806, and married, in 1831, to the late Hon. Charles Stuart Wortley, second son of the late Lord Wharncliffe ; Lady Katherine Isabellay born 1809, and married in 1830, to Earl Jermyn; and Lady j4deliza Elizabeth GertrudCy born in 1810. The present Duke of Rutland had expended at least £200,000 in re- building Belvoir Castle, and it was estimated thatX20,000 more would have completed the work, when 's^fire broke out on the 26th of October, 1816, which nearly consumed the whole of the extensive and stately building, except the south-west and south-east fronts. The fire did not reach the chapel, but most of the costly furniture, with many valu- able paintings, by the first masters, in other parts of the Castle, were totally destroyed. The portraits of the Earls of Rutland, and of the three first Dukes, were fortunately among those that were saved. The Duke's splendid design of rebuilding the Castle vt?.5 formed during his minority, the work being commenced in 1801. Soon after the cala^ 216 BELVOIR CASTLE mitous fire in 1816, he resumed his plans, and erected on the ruins of his mansion a Castle far superior in size and grandeur to any of its predecessors. The whole of the building, since the fire, has been con- structed from the plans and designs of his Grace's late domestic chap- lain, the Rev. Sir John Thoroton, Kt. ; and the south-east and south- west fronts, and such other parts as were left uninjured by the confla- gration, were designed by Wyatt. Belvoir Castle, from the admirable natural advantages of its situation, from the skill and taste which have been displayed in adapting the architecture, both to the site and the importance of the historical recol- lections with which it is associated, has acquired a celebrity by no means confined to England ; for scarcely any foreigner of cultivated taste, visiting this country, omits the gratification of visiting it. This superb edifice is built of freestone, andoccupies the whole summit of the hill, presenting a coup dfceil at oncJRiposing and majestic. The most promnient features in the north-east front are Norman. The great tower of Norman massiveness in the basement, first, and principal iBtories ; slightly, but appropriately, decreasing in its solid proportions towards the turrets and battlements, forms, in connexion with the Staunton and north towers, and the projections of the porch and clois- ter-like entrance, on the north-west side, a magnificent arrangement of castellated architecture. The beautiful windows of the Elizabeth Saloon in the great tower are ornamented with multiplied courses of zig-zag mouldings, and the panelled butresses are decorated with ar- morial insignia. The corbel table on this and the north-west, or grand entrance front, presents a series of elegantly elongated, moulded trefoils ; but in the other fronts, the battlements are marked by a series of segmental blocks, which show also the parts which were left untouched by the fire of 1816. The principal feature in the north-west front is the Grand Entrance^ forming a highly decorated Gothic archway, on each side of which are tastefully arranged firelocks, swords, and other arms, for about 120 men. This entrance passage leads from the porch to the Guard Room, or Entrance Hall, which is fitted up in the ancient baronial style; and the stranger is at once reminded of the sombre grandeur of the feudal ages by two full-length figures of knights, in gilded armour, and by complete suits and detached pieces of steel armour, banners, &c., arranged in niches, or against the panels. The architectural or- naments of this grand apartment, and its vaulted roof, are of the most elaborate character, and four of its windows are enriched with beau- tiful designs in stained glass. Two flights of steps lead into the Gothic Gallery, executed in the purest style of the art, with windows of stained glass, representing figures of the ancient barons of Belvoir, in full mail. The Regent's Gallery, in the south-west wing, is a magnificent apartment, 131 feet long, 18 feet 2 inches high, and 17 feet 8 inches broad at each end, but forming in the centre a semi-rotunda, 41 feet 6 inches in length, and 35 feet 8 inches in breadth. It was tempora- rily fitted up for the reception of George IV., when Prince Regent, and is ornamented in compartments, by eight pieces of beautiful gobe- lin tapestry, on which are delineated, with the brilliancy of colouring, and the minute finish of the most accomplished pencil, the adventures of Don Quixote. Many beautiful paintings and finely executed mar- BELVOIR CASTLE. 217 ble busts decorate the walls, and the furniture is of the most costly description. The Picture Gallery ^ 31 feet 5 in. high, 25 feet 8 in. broad, and 61 feet 10 in. long, is lighted from above by a series of windows, filled with ground glass. The walls are appropriately covered with crimson cloth, and present a magnificent array of first-rate paint- ings, by ancient and modern masters, in the highest state of preserva- tion ; among which are some fine family portraits, one representing the present Duke and his eldest sister, when children ; and another the celebrated Marquis of Granby, resting on the mouth of a cannon, bareheaded, and in the military uniform of the period. At the end of the Regent's Gallery, the Chapel is entered, which is fitted up with great taste and neatness, and has a beautifully painted altar-piece by Murillo, representing the Holy Family, and insured for 3000 guineas. The gallery over the altar is £^ed with tabernacle work, consisting of five canopies. The Aivaiting9oom^ formerly used as a billiard room, is 30 feet 4 in. by 21 feet 6 in., and is lighted chiefly by a lantern in the roof. It contains several cases of books, some valuable paintings, and a model of the former Castle and its out- works, cut in wood, ac- cording to scale, by the Rev. Mr. Mounsey. The Library is 47 feet by 23 feet 9 inches, and IB feet high. It has a very neat and unique appearance, being fitted up altogether with oak panel and furniture, and having deeply recessed and elaborately moulded windows, and a gilded panel roof. The number of volumes in this and the ante- room amounts to about 7>000 ; and with the exception of a few modern works of imagination, there is scarcely a volume that does not possess great intrinsic value. The collection comprises many manuscripts, and is rich in divinity, classics, and illustrated works. The Boudoir of the late Duchess is the apartment in which she usually indulged in those pursuits congenial to her highly culti- vated mind. Its windows command beautiful and extensive views, and its internal character is rather that of simple elegance than elabo- rate decoration. The ceiling is coved, and decorated with gilded mouldings and cornice. Beneath the latter, there is a series of classi- cal designs, bronzed on a warm, salmon-coloured ground ; and in single panels round the room are many repetitions of Venus and Cupid. There are a few first-rate gems of the pictorial art in this room, inter- mixed with others, whose chief value is of a domestic kind. The Grand Corridor is one of the most imposing portions of the Castle, being designed from models of various parts of Lincoln Cathedral. It is upwards of 120 feet long, and about 24 broad. The central portion, which is occasionally used as a ball room, is lighted by nine windows, with multifoil heads and double lights, divided by transoms. The roof is a groined vault, intersected by ribs springing from vaultng shafts ; and some of the windows are enriched with painted glass. That portion of the corridor leading to the Grand Dining Room, &c., is so rich a specimen of English architecture, that a mere description would not do justice to its beauties. The Green^ or Assembly Room, in which the family and visitors assemble previous to dinner, is only 27 feet by 24, and 17| high ; exclusive of the bay window, which in- creases the width 71 ft^et, and commands a magnificent prospect, ex- tending over the lake to the village of Woolsthorpe, and the splendid newly built mansion of Harlaxton, in one direction ; and across the T 218 BELVOIR CASTLE. vale and the adjoining county to Lincoln, in another. The grand charm in this room are seven paintings by Poussin ; formerly compris- ing the Seven Sacraments, but that of Pennance is gone, and its place is supplied by ** John baptising Christ." The CMnese Rooms are a suite of apartments, each lighted by two lofty windows, and having many decorations, curiosities, &c., of genuine Chinese workmanship. The Elizabeth Saloon is a beautifully imagined and well-proportioned room, 55 feet by 30|, and 20 feet 10 inches in height. It has its name from the late lamented Duchess, who designed it and intrusted the arrangement and superintendence of the decorations to Mr. Matthew' Wyatt, who also painted the ceiling, and sculptured the beautiful mar- ble statue of the Duchess, which is seen immediately on entering^ standing before a magnificent pier glass in one of the panels of the whole height of the room. She is represented in simple drapery, with sandals. The style of the room is lA gorgeous fashion of Loui* Quatorze, and the ceiling is divided into one circular, and three semi- circular compartments. In that over the statue of the Duchess, ia painted Jupitor with the eagle and thunder bolts, despatching Mercury on a mission ; and the others are also filled with mythological sub- jects, painted in the same style. The head of Jupiter is an admirable likeness of the late Duke of York. In the Saloon are four cabinets of black marble, ebony, and gilded carving, with shallow panels, deco- rated with birds and fruit in Florentine mosaic. Another beautiful casket is formed of rich compartments, designed and painted by the late Duchess, to whose memory it bears an inscription. The Grand Dining Room is a splendid apartment, 55 feet by 31, and 19 feet high ; lighted by four spacious windows, and having at each end a shallow recess, with circular arch and broad pillasters of Derbyshire marble. These recesses are filled with plate glass, from the ceiling to the side- boards ; and there are three similar recesses opposite the windows, and also two elegant fire-places, with chimney-pieces of statuary marble^ sculptured in the finest style of the art. The most ancient portion of the Castle is the first story of the Staunton Tower ^ which had its name from the Stauntons, of Nottinghamshire, wtio held of the Lords of Belvoir by the service of castle-guard. Thoroton, the historian, says this tower is yet to be found '* sufficiently guarded by the strength of its own liquor, with which the bottom of it is usually replenished." What Thoroton has thus quaintly alluded to, is still the fact ; for the vault under the tower is now divided into wine bins, capable of holding 16,750 bottles. The roof is a groined vault, intersected with eight plain bevelled ribs, springing from the rock, or floor of the cellar ; and the keystone is rudely sculptured with monograms of Longobardic character. In the other cellars are many large barrels, one of which holds 1,300 gallons, and was filled with ale May 16tb, 1815, when the present Marquis of Granby was born, and tapped when he came of age. It would require a volume to describe all the rooms, works of art, and other objects of interest in this magnificent castellated mansion ; which is only excelled by the abode of Royalty — the similarly situated Castle of Windsor. The Pleasure Grounds vire very extensive; em- bracing terraces, connected by flights of steps, guarded by balustrades, and adorned with statues; fountains and ingenious water-work ma- chinery; shady avenues, terminated by Grecian temples, Gothic arches, BELVOIB CASTLE. 219 statues, obelisks, and grottoes ; tasteful lawns, gardens, and shrub- beries ; an ornamental farm ; flourishing woods and plantations ; and several beautiful gardens. A lake of 15|a., and a wood of 90a., with other parts of the pleasure grounds, are in VVoolsthorpe parish, Lincolnshire, near the small river Devon. The Bastion^ on the west side of the Castle, commands the only accessible approach, and is mounted by eight pieces of brass cannon, which would sweep a de- structive fire, over an area of three- fourths of a circle. An avenue, called the Duke's IFalky extends in a winding direction towards the west, for nearly two miles. On the summit of Blackberry Hill, is an elegant Mausoleum, the first stone of which was laid by the late Duke of York, March 1st, 1826, and the building was consecrated by the Bishop of Lincoln, in 1828. After its completion, the body of the late Duchess, and those of more than twelve others of the Rutland Fa- mily, indudiug that of the celebrated Marquis of Granby, and those of theibur Dukes, were removed from the vault at Bottesford, to the Mausoleum, which was designed by Wyatt, and is of the mixed style of Saxon and Norman architecture. It consists of two stories ; — the lower is supported by massive Norman pillars, between which are recesses for the coffins; and the upperone is enriched with all the luxuriant ornaments of the Saxon style, with a rich groined ceiling, surmounting the whole. In a recess at the eastern end of this apartment, and lighted by an in- visible window, is introduced a Statue of the late Duchess, executed in Parian marble, by Matthew Wyatt, in the act of ascending the skies. This beautiful structure is enveloped in a dense grove of forest trees, which throws a still and hallowed gloom over the whole scene. From Belvoir Inn, on the western side of the hill, a private railway extends about two miles across the vale, to the Grantham Canal. Petty Ses- sions are held at this Inn, on the first Monday of every month. The dovecote near it, stands on the site of BELVOIR PRIORY, which was founded about 1076, by Robert de Todenei, for four black monks of the order of St. Benedict, as a cell to St. Albans. It was dedicated to St. Mary, and was endowed by the founder with the manor of Horn- inghold, 4 carucates and 20 acres in Belvoir, and the tithes of his Tineyards. At the dissolution, its clear annual value was £98. 19s. 5d., and it was granted to Thomas, Earl of Rutland. Traces of its foun- dation may still be seen. In its church were interred the founder, three of the Alhinis ; several of the De Roos family; a D'Eincourt ; a Staunton ; and a De Vaux. Several ancient leaden coffins were re- moved to Bottesford Church many years ago, and are still carefully preserved. According to Nichols, the priory church consisted of a tower, nave, side- aisles, and choir, with a presbytery, and three small chapels dedicated to St. Mary, St. Nicholas, and St. Osyth ; and on the north side of it were the cloisters, with the chapter-house in the centre. A brief genealogical account of the successive owners of Belvoir is given at page 214, to which may be added the following notice of some of the most distinguished. By a survey taken at the death of Robert de Todenei, the first Norman lord of Belvoir, it appears he was in possession of 80 lord- ships, many of which, by uninterrupted succession, are now the property of the Duke of Rutland. His son, Wm. de Albini, was a celebrated warrior, ajad distinguished himself at the Battle of Tenerchebray, in Normandy, 220 MANNERS FAMILY. where Henry I. encountered his brother, Robert Curthose. He obtained a royal grant for an annual fair at Belvoir, to be continued eight days. Wm, de Albinij the third of the name, was a distinguished character in the reign of Richard I., and went with him to Normandy, in 1195. He was one of the 25 barons who swore to the observance of Magna Charta and the Charter de Foresta^ sealed by King John, at Runnemede. Afterwards he was engaged in the barons' wars, and was taken prisoner by the King's party, at Rochester. In 1304, Wm. de Roos was allowed to enclose 100 acres in the parish of Redmile, under the name of Belvoir, or Bcver Park, His son, Wm. Lord Roos, was appointed Lord High Admiral of England, in 1342. Sir Wm. de Roos, kt., held several offices of state, and was Lord High Trea- surer in 1402. John, the eldest son of the above, succeeded to the estates in 1414, and was slain, with his brother William, at Bauge, near Anjou. Henry, the second Earl of Rutland, was appointed by Philip and Mary, in 1556, Captain- General of all the forces then going to France, and also chief commander of the fleet. In 1559, he was made Lord-Lieutenant of Nottinghamshire and Rutland. Edward, his son and successor, was made Lord -Lieutenant of Lincolnshire, in 1582, and Camden calls him '^a pro- found lawyer, and a man accomplished with all polite learning." John, t\ie fourth Earl, was constituted Constable of Nottingham Castle, and Lord-Lieutenant of that county, in 1587. Francis, the sixth Earl, was a great traveller, and was appointed to several great offices of state. By his second marriage he had two sons, who, according to a monument at Bot- tesford church, were murdered by '•'■ wicked practice and sorcery. ''^ As illustrative of the folly and superstition of the times, it may be amusing to explain this. Joan Flower and her two daughters, who were servants at Belvoir Castle, having been dismissed the family, in revenge, made use of all the enchantments, spells, and charms, that were at that time sup- posed to answer their malicious purposes. Henry, the eldest son, died soon after their dismission; but no suspicion of witchcraft arose till fi^e years after, when the three women, who are said to have entered into a formal contract with the devil, were accused of " murdering Henry Lord Roos, by witchcraft, and torturing the Lord Francis his brother, and Lady Cath- arine his sister." After various examinations, before Francis Lord Wil- loughby, of Eresby, and other magistrates, they were committed to Lincoln Gaol. Joan died at Ancaster, on her way thither, by wishing the bread and butter she eat might choke her if guilty. The two daughters were tried before Sir Henry Hobart. Chief Justice of the Common Pleas, and Sir Edward Bromley, one of the Barons of the Exchequer ; confessed their guilt, and were executed at Lincoln, March 11, 1618-19. John, the eighth Earl, in the wars between Charles I. and his Parliament, espoused the cause of the latter, as noticed at page 214, and his Castle was early taken pos- session of by the royalists. After a long siege, the royal garrison surren- dered the Castle to the parliamentarian forces, on Feb. 3rd, 1648, when it was stipulated that the garrison, and Sir Gervase Lucas, the governor, should have liberty to march away to Lichfield, with their horses and arms, with colours flying, drums beating, matches lighted, and muskets laden with bullets. John, the celebrated Marquis of Granby, was the eldest son of the third Duke of Rutland, (see p. 215,) and was born in 1721. Entering early into the army, he raised a regiment for his Majesty's service, in the re- bellion of 1745. He was afterwards colonel of the horse guards, (blues,) and was made lieutenant-general in 1759, when he went as second in com- mand (under Lord George Saekville,) of the British troops co-operating with the King of Prussia. Being present at the Battle of Minden, he re- ceived the thanks of Prince Ferdinand of Brunswick. On Lord Sackville's resignation, the Marquis was appointed chief in command of the British FBAMLAND HUNDRED. 221 troops, which office he retained during the rest of the seven years' war, and both they and he gained honour at the battles of "Warburg, in 1760 ; of Kirchdenkern, in 1761 ; and at Grebenstein and Hornburg, in 1762. After four years' warm services, he was rewarded with the post of master of the ordnance, in 1763; and was promoted, in 1766, to the rank of commander- in-chief. He resigned this otlice in January, 1770, and died much regret- ted, on the 19th of October following, nine years before his father. His popularity as a military hero is shewn by the frequent occurrence of his portrait as a sign for inns and taverns, in all parts of England. He repre- sented Cambridgeshire in I*arliament ; was a privy councillor; and married the eldest daughter of the Duke of Somerset. His son Charles succeeded as the fourth Duke of Rutland, as already noticed. His youngest son. Lord Robert Maimers^ was lieutenant of the Victory, in Admiral KeppePs engagement, July 27th, 177H, and was made post-captain on the day after the defeat of the Spanish fleet, in 1780. At the close of this year, he went to the West Indies, as captain of the Resolution, in which he distinguished himself in the action with the French off the Chesapeak, in 1781 ; and also in that off St. Kitt's, when he was one of the seconds to Commodore Affleck, in 1782. In the memorable action off Dominica, in the latter year, he had an arm broken and was wounded in both legs, one of which was amputated ; but he survived only a few days, and, by his express desire, his remains were committed to the deep. Falling in the bed of honor, he became one of the three heroes, to whom their grateful country decreed, by its repre- sentatives, a monument to be placed among the national worthies, in West- minster Abbey. This monument is by INoUekens, and his two compeers in honor are Capt. Blair and Capt. Bayne. The present Duke of Rutland., as noticed at page 215, is in his 68th year, and succeeded to the dukedom in 1787. He was visited at Belvoir by the Prince Regent, in January, 1814; by the Queen Dowager, in December, 1839; and by Queen Victoria and Prince Albert, in December, 1843. His grace is a liberal patron of the fine arts, and is highly respected by his numerous tenantry in this and other counties. For bettering the condition of agricultural labourers, he is a great promoter of the allotment system^ and has now 1200 allotment tenants in this county, and 400 in Cambridgeshire, to whom he lets land at 30s. per acre, free from rates and tithes. The Rt. Hon. Lord Charles Henry Somerset Manners.^ C.B., his Grace's brother, is a major-general in the army, and one of the M.P.s for the Northern Division of Leicester- shire. He has sat in nine parliaments. BELVOIR DIRECTORY. His Grace the Duke of Rutland; the Marquis of Granby, M.P.; Lord John James Robt. Manners, M.P.; and Lady Adeliza Mariners, reside generally at Belvoir Castle, and occasionally at CheveleyPark, Cambridgeshire. Major Genl. Lord Charles H. S. Planners, M.P., his Grace's brother, also resides occasionally at Belvoir ; and the following are in his Grace's employ : Buckwell Joseph, gardener Cattle Jno.private bailiff, Castle farm Cochrane Thomas, architect and clerk of the works Douglas Thomas, house steward and butler Fletcher John, Esq. land agent Fletcher Wm. office clerk Gibson Richard, vict. Peacock Inn Goater Henry Lipscomb, cook Green John, assistant land agent Hancock Mary, housekeeper Jackson Alexander, engineer Mansel Thomas, gamekeeper Sickler Hy. groom of the chambers Wright John, farm bailiff' BOTTESFORD, a large and well-built village, with a Post Office, in the Vale of Belvoir, and on the banks of the small river Devon, is in the north-eastern apex of the county, extending between Notting- t2 223 BOTTESFORD PARISH. hamshire and Lincolnshire, about a mile N. of the Canal ; and on the Nottingham and Grantham turnpike, 7 miles VV. by N. of the latter, and 16 miles E. of the former town. It is about 4 miles N. of Belvoir Castle, and its parish contains 4872| acres of fertile land, of the gross annual value of<£8940; and 1375 inhabitants, of whom 417 are in Easthorpe hamlet, on the soutli-west side of the river, and 103 in NoRMANTON hamlet, which extends three miles north from Bottesford, to Normanton Thornes and the Ihree Shire Bush^ at the junction of the three counties. The Duke of Rutland is lord of the manor and owner of part of the soil, and the rest belongs to G. Fillingham, Esq., Wigston's Hospital, in Leicester ; the Poor of Dorking, Surrey ; Misses Bartram, Mrs. Ann Orton, and several resident and other small proprietors. The tithes were commuted at the enclosure in 1770, for an allotment of 750 acres, and the soil is chiefly a strong clay, with a portion of sand. The manor anciently called Bottlesfard or Bockles- ford^ has been held by the owners of Belvoir since the time of the Norman Conquest. The Church (St. Mary) is a large and handsome structure, consisting of a nave, a spacious chancel, two aisles, south porch, and north and south transept, with a square tower at the west end, containing a fine peal of six bells, and surmounted by a handsome octagonal crocketted spire, rising to the height of 222 feet, of which the tower measures 87 feat. The tenor bell weighs 27 cwt., and there are in the steeple the remains of chimes, which used to play every three hours. The nave was new roofed in 1740, and the south transept in 1841. Most of the seats are free and open at the ends, and the pulpit is of finely carved oak, dated 1631. The font, which is octagonal and rudely sculptured, stands on four heavy balusters. The chancel is 60 feet long and 27 broad, and underwent considerable alterations and re- pairs in the early part of the 16th century, under the direction of Thomas, the first Earl of Rutland, for the reception of the cofifins and monumental remains of his ancestors, which he removed from Belvoir Priory, and other monastic foundations, after the dissolution. The first Earl of Rutland was interred in the vault which he formed under this chancel; in 1543, and it continued to be the burial place of the Manners family, till the completion of the Moussoleum, at Belvoir, in 1828-9, when the remains of the late Duchess of Rutland, the four Dukes, the celebrated Marquis of Granby, and of several other members, were re- moved to that splendid dormitory, as noticed at page 219. Some of the ancient monuments are so much mutilated that they cannot now be clearly identified. A small figure in armour and mantle, is supposed to be the effigy of Robert de Todenei, the first Norman lord of Belvoir. In the middle of the chancel floor, near the altar rails, is a beautiful alabaster aUar tomh^ upon which are recumbent effigies of the first Earl of Rutland and his Cowitess ; the former dressed in the appro- priate robes of the garter, with his head resting on a helmet, and his feet against an unicorn ; and the latter resting her head on two embroidered pillows. On the north side of the tomb are figures of their six daughters, and on the south side those of their five sons and another daughter. At the west end of the tomb is a statue of a sixth son ; and at the east end are figures of two other daughters. Near this is another alabaster monument, in memory of Henry, the second Earl of Rutland and his Countess ; the former of whom is represented FEAMLAND HUNDRED. 223 in plate armour, with a collar and George hanging" down almost to his waistband ; and the latter in her robes, with her head resting on a scroll. Effigies of their daughter and two sons kneel upon the tomb, and above it is a canopy on heavy-wrought pillars. On the south side of the chancel is a large monument with the figures of Edward, the third Earl of Rntiand, and his Countess; he bareheaded in his robes, ruff, and armour ; and she in ermine robes, high toupee, ruff, em- broidered sleeves, &c. ; with one daughter kneeling at her feet. A long inscription records the Earl's titles, and the various offices of state which he held. Against the north wall is the monument o( John, the fourth Earl, whose effigy is in armour, with a coronet and ruff, a mat under his head, and a bull at his feet. By his side is his lady, in ermine mantle, with a lion at her feet. At their head is a lady kneel- ing ; at their feet the eldest son bareheaded, in plate armour ; and in front of the tomb are three sons and two daughters, all kneeling. On the same side of the chancel is the monument of Roger, the fifth Earl, and his Countess; the former represented in plate armour, with a peacock at his feet ; and the latter with her feet on a porcupine. The last and most magnificent of this series of monuments, is against the south wall of the chancel, and commemorates Eomiicis, the sixth Earl of Rutland, his two wives, and the two children, who died by " ivicked practices and sorcery .'''' (See page 220.) All that a combination of various coloured marbles, painting, gilding, and sculpture can effect, is here displayed. 'J' he Earl rests between his two wives on a marble sarcophagus, with his head on an embroidered pillow, and his feet rest- ing against a peacock. At their head is a female kneeling in the attitude of prayer, and above the entablature of the lower arcade are two black horses, and a smaller arcade of similar character. The other more modern monuments are of a wholly different character from any of the preceding. One consists of a beautiful pedestal on which stands a colossal figure of statuary marble in Roman costume, representing George, the seventh Earl of Rutland, who died in 1641. Another is in memory q>{ John, the eighth Earl, and his Countess, who are both re- presented in a standing posture, with Roman drapery, an urn between them, and two cherubs above. Banners, pieces of armour, escutcheons, &c., are hung on the walls and from the roof of the chancel. The. door of entrance into the family vault is of cedar in the Gothic style. The coffins which remain in the vault are numerous, and are dis- tinguished by inscriptions on brass plates. In the church were formerly chantries dedicated to St. Peterv St. Mary, and S*-. John. The Rectory, valued in K.B. at .£51. 4s. IM., and in 1831 at £1026, has a handsome residence, and 750 acres of land in lieu of tithes. The Duke of Rutland is patron, and the Rev. Chas. Roos Thoroton was the incumbent from 1820 till his death, February 14th, 1846. His predecessor, the Rev. Sir John Thoroton,^^% knighted by George TV., when Prince Regent, and it is to him that Belvoir Castle owes much of its architectural beauty. Both the late rectors were domestic chaplains to the Duke of Rutland. Bottesford has four Dissenting Chapels, belonging to the Independ- ents, Particular Baptists, (built 1789,) and the VVesleyan and Primi- tive Methodists; a Police Station, built in 1842 ; and a fVater Mill, on the river Devon. The annual feast is on the second Sunday after 224» BOTTESFORD PARISH. September 29th. The Free School, adjoining the churchyard, has apartments for the master's residence, and was built about one hundred years ago, by the second Duke of Rutland. It is endowed with 31a. 3r. 29p. of land, awarded at the enclosure, in lieu of twooxgangs, pur- chased in 1730, with £240 left for the education of poor children, in 1711 and 1726, by j^bel Ligonier and Anthony Ravell. The land is let for £32. 7s. 6d. per annum, which, after deducting the quit rent, and the interest of £Q2 poor's money, borrowed for enclosure expenses, is paid to the master for the instruction of 28 free scholars. The Earl of Rutland's Hospital is a stone building, containing four- teen bed rooms, one common room, and a kitchen ; and attached to it is a small orchard. It was founded by Roger, Earl of Rutland, who, by will dated 1612, endowed it with land at Muston, and directed his son, the next Earl, to finish the hospital which his mother had com- menced, for six poor persons to be taken out of the servants at Bel- voir. The charity has been augmented by successive Earls and Dukes of Rutland, and the number of almspeople from time to time increased. The endowment now consists of 277a. 1r. 23p. of land, at Muston; 78a.2r. 37p., at Ab-Kettleby; 60a. Ir. 8p., at Bottesford ; and 3a. IOp. at Long Clawson. These lands are let for about £450 per an- num, to which is added the interest of about £1000, derived from the savings of income. Since 1821, the number of pensioners has con- sisted of 17 poor men, who have been servants or tenants of the Duke of Rutland. Many of them have been non-resident, but it is his Grace's intention to enforce the residence of 14 in the hospital. Each receives in monthly payments £23. 16s. 8d. per annum ; and 14 of them have blue cloth gowns every alternate Easter, and are supplied with all necessary coals, linen, bedding, and furniture. A matron, who cleans the house, -and cooks and washes for the pensioners, is allowed a yearly salary of £15. Here is another almshouse, called Fleming's Hospital, founded in 1620, by the Rev. Saml Fleming y a late rector, for four poor widows, to take place after the death of his sister. Since the enclosure, the endowment has consisted of 75a. 3r. 28p. of land, in this parish, let for £123 per ann. ; several quit- rents, producing £2. 6s. 2d. a year, and the dividends of £252. 153. 3d., three per cent, con- sols, of which £200 was accumulated from a legacy of £50, left by Mary GriflFm, in 1765. The number of almswomen was increased from four to six, in 1827. They are appointed by the trustees, and each receives 25s. per month, and an allowance of coals yearly, in 1690, Thom.as Whiter Bishop of Peterborough ^ gave to the poor of Bottesford £240, to be laid out in land, £10 of the rent of which he willed should be distributed on the 14th of December, by the church- wardens and overseers, in the church porch, to 20 poor persons or families who could repfeat the Lord's Prayer, Apostles' Creed, and Ten Commandments. The land belonging to this charity now consists of 36a. Ir. 34p., in Normanton, let for £37 a year. In the absence of trustees, the rector has had the sole management of this charity, and after paying £10 a year for distribution among the poor, he retains the surplus for his own use. The poor parishioners have the interest of £^2y left by an unknown donor ; 20s. a year out of a close in Acre- lands lane, left by Thomas Bean, in 1734; and £2. 19s. 3d., as the FBAMLAND HUNDRED. 225 interest of i)59. 5s., left by Jnn Bend, in 1822, and vested in the Grantham and Nottinp^ham turnjnke. In the following DIRECTORY of BOTTESFORD PARISH, those marked 1, reside in High street ; 2, Church street ; 3, Queen street ; 4, mEASTHORPE; andb^ in Normanton Hamlet. 1 Bemrose Mrs Alice 3 Bradley Robert, hair cutter Braisby Thomas, rope, a^d the soil is chiefly clay. The Duke of Rutland is lord of the manors and impropriator of the great tithes ; but a great part of the soil belongs to Fredk. P. Newcombe, Esq., Messrs. Thomas Hallam, John Cragg, Joel Shuttleworth, and several resident owners. Since the Conquest, the manor has been a member of Belvoir, and part of it was held by Croxton Abbey and Belvoir Priory. The Church (St. Remegius) is a fine ancient structure, with a square tower, containing six bells. The tithes were commuted for land at the enclosure, except £3 a year from 20 acres. The living is a discharged vicarage, valued in K.B. at jG9. 10s. 2d., and in 1831 at ,£120 per annum, arising from 123a. 1r. 25p. of glebe. Jas. Palmer, Esq., of Lichfield, is patron ; and the Rev, Thomas Hoe, incumbent. In the village is a Wesleyan Chapel, built in 1840 ; and a Baptist Cha- pel, built in 1845. The Frke School, on the north side of the chancel, was formerly part of the church, and is endowed with 39a. 2r. of land, at Frisby-on-the- Wreak, let for £62. 8s. a year, 2inA\ehhy John Gar ton, in 1793. The master has alsoi^'l. 10s. a- year from the following charities, and £4.. 4s. 9^d. as the interest of £106, lehhy Mary Briggs, in 1792. For this income, he and his wife are required to teach as many children of the parish as apply for instruction ; and they have generally about forty free scholars. The sum of £81, given by the Dvke of Rutland and others, was laid out in 1741, in the purchase of two acres of land at Nether Broughton, now let for £5. 10s. per annum, of which thirty shillings is paid to the schoolmaster; and the remaining £3. lOs. is distributed among the poor, on St. Thomas's day. The poor have also 20s. a-year out ofthe Mill field, left by AnnKirhy, 20s. out of Mitchell Land, left by Edward IVright, in 1732 ; and £2. 10s. as a rent-charge out of a house here, belonging to Saml. Littler, purchased with £50 left u 230 LONG CLAWSON PARISH. hy the Rev. W^m. Chamherlayne. Half of the latter hibles and prayer-books. The ^diXish feast is on the S Michaelmas day. Blagden Mrs Elizabeth Farrow Richard, joiner, and ale, porter, and spirit agent Featherstone John, boardg. academy Harvey Charles, farrier Hoe Rev. Thomas, vicar of Long Clawson and Kinoulton Jackson Wm. gentleman Jackson John, surgeon Miller Francis^ plumber & glazier Pears John, vict. Crown and Plough Seaton Rev. Abdiel, B.A. curate Seymour Rev. Wm. M.A. curate of Kinoulton Swain James, vict. Star Stokes Rev. Wm. Baptist minister Walker John, master of Free School Wrath John, vict. Royal Oak Bakers. Caunt Thomas Preston Wm. Blacksmiths. Corner Thomas Peck Wm. Rowbotham Wm Butchers, Doubleday Saml. Pears James Corn Millers. Shilcock John Stokes Edward FARMERS. (■\ are Oumers.) Bailey Richard Bracebridge Hy. Crabtree John Coleman Wm. Doubleday Jas. fDoubledayJohn Doubleday Saml. Hart Richard ' f Hebb Henry Hickling Thos. fHind James Hoe Markham Deveril Lovett Wm. fMarriott Wm. Newcombe Thos. Orson Robert Pogson John t Shuttleworth Joel fStokes Wm. fThurman John tWilfordEdw.(& beerhs. keeper) Whittles Thos. Grocer sSf:Drprs. Barnard Thomas Doubleday Geo. Swain John (and druggist) Joiners. Farrow Richard Harby John is distributed in Sunday after Old Harby Thoma» Saddlers, Dolby John Hart Thomas Shoemakers. Brown John Copley Samuel Kellam John Lockton John Morris John Richmond Rchd. Tailors. Marson Wm. Morris Wm. Wileman Joseph Wheelwrights. Mann Richard Mann Thos. Carriers to Melton^ Tue., & Nottingham^ Sat. Pickard Wm. Shilcock Joseph Wright. Edward Foot Post to Melton Mowbray daily, at 3 aft. COSTON, a small village and parish, on the banks of a rivulet, 7i miles E.N.E. of Melton Mowbray, has 147 inhabitants, and 1760a. 2r. 8p. of fertile land ; having a clayey soil, except on the east, where it is bounded by a yellow limestone ridge of the Wold hills, dividing it from Buckminster. The Earl of Dysart is lord of the manor, formerly held by the Taftous and Phelps, and anciently by the Ferrers, Berke- leys, &c. ; but part of the soil belongs to Mr. W. Fablin, Mr. J. Snodin, and a few smaller owners. At the Domesday survey, Henry Ferrers held 9 carucates ; and here were \\ ploughs in the demesne, 2 bondmen, 12 socmen, 10 villans, and 1 bordar, with 7 ploughs; a mill, and 100 acres of meadow. The Hall^ which was a seat of the Phelp family, is now occupied by a farmer, as also is the Lodge, on an acclivity east of the rivulet, which flows southward to the river Eye. The Church (St. Andrew) is an ancient structure, with a tower and two bells. The seats are open at the ends, and some of them are carved. The rec^o?-^, valued in K.B. at <£16. 6s. 3d., and in 1831 at £351, was appropriated to Tutbury Priory, but is now in the patronage of the Lord Chancellor, and incumbency of the Hon. and Rev. John Sandilands, M.A., who has a good residence, on a pleasant eminence, and 37a. 2r. of glebe, 'i'he parish feast is on the second Sunday after the 19th of September. FBAMLAND HUNDRED, 231 Burbidge Wm. shoemaker Cawthom John, vict. White Swan Sandilands Hon. and Rev. John, M.A., Rectory Dobney Richard, carrier to Melton Mowbray, Tuesday FARMERS. I Marriott Michl. Bell John Rose James Briston Samuel Fardell Richd. Hand Thomas JacksonR. Xorfgr-? SculthorpeTHff// Wakefield John Wakefield Thos. Watchorn Wm. CROXTON KERRIAL, or Croxton Kijriel, is a pleasant village, on a bold declivity of the Wold hills, 3 miles S. by E. of Belvoir Castle, and 9 miles N.E. of Melton Mowbray ; and has in its parish G50 souls, and about 3,500 acres of land, mostly an indiflferent red marl, and the surface hilly ; but more than 2,200 acres are arable. The parish was enclosed in 1766, when the vicarial tithes were commuted for 193a. All the rest belongs to the Duke of Rutland, the lord of manor, who has a pleasant hunting seat, called Croxton Park, bnilt by John, the then Duke of Rutland, about 1730, with extensive stables, near one of the sources of the Devon, about 2 miles S.W. of Croxton village, and 7i miles N.E. of Melton Mowbray. The Park comprises 777 acres, of which about 400 are in the extra-parochial liberty of Bescaby. It has extensive woods, plantations, and fish ponds, and the stables are at present occupied by Lord Forester's hunters. Horse Races are held in the Park yearly, for two days in the last week in March, or first week in April. They were established about 30 years ago, and are highly popular, being numerously attended by the gentlemen of the Melton and neighbouring hunts. The principal stakes are the Granby Handicap, the Gold Cup, the Pillesdon Coplow Stakes, the Farmers' Plate, the Melton Plate, and the Scurry Stakes ; and the sport is usually of the first order, most of the horses being highly bred hunters, attached to the Quorn, Belvoir, and Cottes- more hounds. Queen Victoria and Prince Albert, whilst guests at Belvoir Castle, met the Duke's hounds in this Park, Dec. 6th, 1843, and threw off at Melton Spinney. In 1 086, Croxton was held by the King, and had 24 carucates, and two ploughs in the demesne , 5 bond- men, 22 villans, and 2 bordars, with 2f ploughs; 30 socmen, with 8 ploughs, 30 acres of meadow, and 2 mills. Soon afterwards, William the Conqueror gave it to Robert Mallet, Baron of Eye ; but King Stephen gave it to his natural son, William, Earl of Mortaigne, &c. In the 13th and 14th centuries, it was held, mostly under the abbey, by the Criol, Ciiriei, or Kyriel family. Croxton Abbey, which stood on the Bescaby side of the Park, was founded about 1150, by William, Earl of Mortaigne, Parcarius de Linus, and Sir Andrew Lutterel, for White Canons, or Premonstratensians. It was dedicated to St. John the Evangelist, and was ricldy endowed by subsequent benefactors. Its church was a large and handsome structure, some- times called St. John de Valle. Th« bowels of King John, who died at Newark, were buried here, after the abbot, who had been the King's physician, had embalmed his body, prior to its being sent to Worcester. The clear annual revenue of the Priory was ^£385. Os. lOd. at the dissolution, in 1534, when it was granted to the Earl of Rut- laud. When excavating for stone near one of the fish-ponds in the Park, a i^^ years ago, a stone coffin, ornamented with a griffin's head, was found ; also vestiges of a large oven, and some fragments of a tesselated pavement ; and nearer to Bescaby, are traces of several large 232 CROXTON KERRIAL PARISH. Ijuildings. About half a mile east of Croxton village, are traces of a long entrenchment^ supposed to have been thrown up during the civil wars, when Belvoir Castle was the bone of contention between the Royalists and Parliamentarians. The parish Church (St. John,) has a nave, chancel, side aisles, south porch, and a fine square tower ad- joining the chancel, crowned by eight pinnacles, and containing five bells. The seats are of oak, with finely carved ends, except in the galleries, erected in 1823 and 1836, for the singers and Sunday scholars. The living is a discharged vicarage, valued in K.B. at £7. 14s. 7d., and in 1831 at X208, having 193a. in lieu of tithes. The Duke of Rutland is patron, and the Rev. Fredk. John Norman, M.A., is the incumbent, and has a good residence. In the village is a fVesleyan Chapel, built in 1834, and a National School built in 1844, at the cost of j£330, and attended by 100 boys and girls, of whom 19 of the former are taught free, in consideration of £17 a year, derived as follows. In 1711, ^m. Smith left j6100 to be laid out in land, for the education of poor children of Croxton. This sum, with i!lOOO left to Knossington Hospital, was laid out in the purchase of land at Hose. On the termination of an expensive suit in Chancery, in 1815, it was ordered that £5 a year should be paid to the schoolmaster by the Hospital trustees, together with arrears, amounting to j€60, now lent at 4 per cent, interest. The schoolmaster has also j64 a year, as the interest of £100 left by Anthony Good, in 1796. Edward Hallam^ in 1683, left £100, the yearly proceeds to be divided as follows: — one- sixth to the minister, one-sixth to the children catechised, and four- sixths to the poor. This legacy was laid out in the purchase of 14a.2b. of land, now let for £16. 16s. a year. This parish has £'^^. 4s. a year from Chester^ s Charity (see page 213,) and 7s. of it is distributed in bibles, and the rest in money among the poor at Christmas. The poor have also 6s. a year, left by Edivard Rimington, out of land at Stonesby ; the interest of £10, left by Rachel Ashbourne, and a yearly rent charge of £15, out of land at Wykeham-cum-Chadwell, left in 1831, by George Ashbourne, for six poor old men, who have not re- ceived parochial relief within 12 months preceding. The parish feast is .on the Sunday after Old Michaelmas day. Thurlby Thomas, groom to Lord Berry Robert, stone mason Dent John, park keeper, Park Edlin Wm. grocer, acres of land, of which more than 400 acres form part of Croxton Park. The whole belongs to tlie Duke of Rutland, and was formerly the demesne of Croxton Priory, near which there stood here some extensive buildings, traces of which are still extant, near the place called the Friars' walk. Jn 1382, Wm. Furnival held the manor, with view of frank-pledge, as of the houor of Winton. "Yhefarm is occupied by Mr. John Clarke. DALBY (LITTLE,) is a village and parish, 4 miles S. by E. of ^Melton Mowbray, containing 184 souls and 1850 acres of land, gene- rally hilly, and having a strong blue clayey soil. It has a chalybeate spring, and it is said that Mrs. Orton, a farmer's wife here, was the first who made Stiltan cheese^ about the year 1730 ; but priority in this manufacture was claimed by others in this neighbourhood, as already noticed. Edward Bouchier Hartopp, Esq., is lord of the manor and owner of most of the soil. He resides at the Hall, a large and handsome mansion, in a small park, built by one of his family in the reign of Elizabeth; but the west wing was added in 1682, the east wing in 1816; and the centre was rebuilt in 1838. At the domcsday survey, '* Robert held under Goisfrid de Wirce 4^ carucates ; 1 plough was in the demesne ; 4 socmen, '5 villans, and 1 bordar, had 2 ploughs ; there were 10 acres of meadow : — Roger held under Henry Ferrers 5 carucates, belonging to his manor of Somerby ; 16 socmen, with a priest, had 6 ploughs ; and here were 40 acres of meadow." The manor was afterwards held in several fees, under Valle Dei Abbey, Lincolnshire, Castle Donnington, and the Mowbray, Tateshall, and other families. In 1399, the Duke of Norfolk Jield the manor, and in 1484, it was held by John Brookesby ; but most of the land and the advowson passed to the Hartopps in the reign of Elizabeth. The Church (St. James) is a neat fabric, with a tower containing three bells, and crowned by a spire. It was repaired in 1843, and newly seated about twenty years ago. The vicarage^ valued in K.B. at jC9, and in 1831 at j6300, has a good residence and ^\k. 2r. 20p. of glebe. The vicarial tithes yield about £230 per annum, and the great tithes belong to E. B. Hartopp, Esq., as impropriator and patron. The Rev. Samuel Hartopp, L.L.B., has held the vicarage since 1788, and is assisted by the Rev. Robert Hartopp, M.A. The interest of £20, left by Fras. Ellahy^ is paid for schooling poor children, and the interest of £15, left by Judith and John Briggs and another, is distributed among the poor parishioners. Hartopp Rev Saml. L.L.B.,F/mm^e I farmers. Hartopp Edw. Bouchier, Esq. Hall \ Barnes John Hartopp Rev Rbt. M.A. curate, Hall t Bunney Wm. Cosgrave James, house steward, iJa// | Bunney Sarah Mantle Thos. tailor and shopkeeper | Haseldine Andw. Millar John, farm steward Haseldine Wm. Healy Thomas Thornton Samuel WildJph.G/'a/J^f Wild Thomas EASTWELL, a small village, on a bold southern declivity, near the chief source of the river Devon, 8 miles N.N.E. of Melton Mow- u2 234 EASTWELL PARISH. bray, has in its parish 131 inhabitants, and 1296a. 2r.2p. of land, hav- ing a clayey soil in the lower grounds, and a red marl on the hills. The manor was held by the Mowbrays, (Dukes of Norfolk,) and other families, and was purchased by Rowland Eyre, in 1631, whose family resided at the Hall, now a farm house. The whole parish was pur- chased of the Eyres by the Duke of Rutland, about 40 years ago, but the Earl of Dysart is lord paramount. The Church (St. Michael) has a nave, chancel, side aisles, and a tower, containing two bells. The rectory, valued in K.B. at £^. 12s. Id., and in 1831 at i:374, has 36a. of glebe. The patronage is in the Crown, and the Rev. Edw. BuUen is the non-resident incumbent. Here is a small Catholic Chapel, built about 40 years ago, in heu of one at the Hall, after the Eyres sold the estate to the present Duke of Rutland. It is licensed for marriages. Raines Rev Chas. Thomas Johnson, curate, Rectory Bick Rev Joseph, Catholic priest GiUian Wm. shoemaker FARMERS. Dixon John 11 Goodson James Exton John & Thos. Eastwell Hall Goodson Jph. || Jackson Anthony Holmes Edward, (and shopkeeper) Turner Martin Post fromWaltham, Monday, Wed- nesday, and Friday EATON, a pleasant village, in the vale south of the Wold hills, bounding the vale of Belvoir, 8| miles N.E. by N. of Melton Mow- bray, has in its parish 404 souls, and 1719a. 3r.29p. of land. The soil is various, being a fertile clay in the vale, and a red loam, with some little sand, on the hills. The Duke of Rutland is lord of the manor, and owner of most of the soil ; and the rest belongs chiefly to Wm. Humherston, John Rogers, and Wm. Hirst, Esqrs., the two latter of whom, as impropriators, hold the land allotted in lieu of the great tithes, at the enclosure, in 1769. In the reign of Henry III., the church was appropriated to Leicester Abbey ; and until the dissolu- tion, Croxton Abbey, the Knights Templars, and Laund Priory, had lands here. In 1086, Hugh de Grentemaisnel held the manor under the Countess Judith ; and here was a wood, 160 perches long, and 80 broad. Here is a mill on the main source of the Devon. The Church (St. Denis) has a tower, spire, and four bells; and the living is a dis- chpged vicarage, valued in K.B. at £*]. lis. 2d., and in 1831 at jG83, having 55a. of glebe, mostly allotted in lieu of tithes at the enclosure, and partly purchased with <£200 of Q.A.B., obtained by lot, in 177^. The patronage is in the Crown, and the Rev. W. L. Fowke, B.A., is the incumbent. The fFesleyans have a chapel here, built in 1823. The Church Close, 14a. 3r. 36p., let for ^20, was allotted for the re- pairs of the church at the enclosure, when four acres were allotted for getting stone and gravel for the reparation of the roads, and for the use of the poor for herbage and fuel. These 4 acres are in two closes, let for about jG4 per annum, exclusive of the gravel pit, in which many human bones and the handles of coffins have been found. The poor have X7 a year from the dividends of .£200, three and a half per cent, reduced annuities, purchased with i)200, left by Ann Bates, in 1823. The parish /efl^^ is on the Monday before June 17th. Attewell George, carpenter I George Robert, beerhouse keeper Fowke Rev Wra. Lyme, B.A. vicar J George Matthew, butcher FEAMLAND HUNDRED. 235 Kealey Wm. blacksmith Kemm Nathaniel, registrar of births, deaths, and marriages for Clawson District Lord Robert, carpenter Lowe Eliz. shopkr. the manor and honor of Melton passed to Lord Berkeley. In 1553, the manor was granted to Wm. Betts and Christopher Draper ; but it was restored to Lord Berkeley, in 1579. John Withers held it 1606, and afterwards John Hudson, who sold it in 1688 to John Coke. By marriage with Charlotte Coke, it passed in 1750 to Matthew Lamb, Esq., an ancestor of its present lord, — Viscount Melbourne. Matthew Lamb, Esq., was an eminent conveyancer of Lincoln's Inn, and was created a baronet, in 1755. He is described in the act passed in 1760 for enclosing 2000 acres of com- mon fields and pastures in Melton, as lord of the honor and manor, and proprietor of a considerable part of the soil. He died 1768, and was succeeded by his son. Sir Peniston Lamb, who was created Baron Melbourne of J Iceland in 1770, and Viscount in I78O ; and in 1815, he was created an English peer by the (4 tie of Baron Melbourne, of Mel- bourne, in the county of Derby. In 1828, he was succeeded by his son William, the present Lord Melbourne, who was born in 1779, and is one of the most distinguished statesmen of the age. During the civil war?, a severe battle was fought near Melton, between Sir Marmaduke Langley, who commanded the royalists, and a party of the parliamen- tary troops under Col. Kossiter, as noticed at page 60. About the middle of the I7th century, several tradesmen's ^oA-^^is were issued in the town ; whence Nichols infers that the place was then distinguished for *' considerable traffic." In 1653, and some other years of the Com- monwealth, the publication of banns was announced at the market cross, and the marriage ceremony was performed by two justices of the peace. Here was a manor oven, fourteen feet in diameter, the possessor of which, in the time of Sir Mattw. Lamb, endeavoured to compel all the MELTON MOWBRAY. 213 inhabitants to bake their bread in it ; but the townspeople refused to comply, and established another oven of larger dimensions. There was a small Priory at Melton, valued at the dissolution at the clear annual value of £85. 15s. 5d., and granted, with the advovvson, to John Dudley, Earl of Warwick. The advowson afterwards passed to Lord Howe, who sold it to Peter Godfrey, Esq. The town has given birth to several eminent men, among whom were the following: — viz., John de Kirkhy^ bishop of Ely and lord high treasurer of England, and keeper of the great seal, in the latter part of the 13th century ; IFm. de Mel- toi2f archbishop of York, lord high treasurer, &c., who died in 1340 ; and Joh?i Hcnleyy a distinguished clergyman, who, possessing a pro- lific pen and a flippant tongue, wrote and descanted with great freedom on almost every popular subject of the day, and obtained the appella- tion of Orator Henley. Having left the church, Henley took a room near Lincoln's Inn Fields, London, contiguous to the great Catholic chapel, and called it " The Little Catholic ChapeV^ By quaint and occasionally witty advertisements and handbills, he announced his lec- tures ; and generally attracted great audiences. The prices of admission , were sixpence and one shilling each person. A S3'llabus of his lectures was also given, containing a long list of the various topics on which he proposed to descant during a whole course. When Lord Chesterfield was secretary of state, Henley was arrested, and brought before the privy counsel ; but, careless and unabashed, he there indulged in his usual freedom of language, and was at length dismissed with a repri- mand. Among other public characters whom he attacked, was Alex- ander Pope, who retaliated in that severe satirical poem of his called the " Dunciad." Henley died in 1756, and his collection of MS. lec- tures, common place books, sermons, &c., amounting to about 200 vols, was sold by auction, in 1759. The parish Chur(;h, dedicated to St. Mary, is a large and handsome structure, consisting of a nave, aisles, transepts, chancel, tower in the centre, and a handsome porch at the west end. The latter is a pecu- liar feature in the building, and has an elegant doorway, with ogee arch; also two niches on each side, and two ornamented windows. Above this porch is the large western window, consisting of five hghts, with four lofty raullions, and some decorated tracery. Over the aisles i« a continued, and almost connected, series of clerestory windows, of three lights each, said to have been inserted in the reign of Elizabeth, when the church was heightened. The whole church is crowned with an embattled parapet, and at each angle is a crocketed pinnacle. The tower consists of two stories above the church, of good proportion, and handsome architecture. In the lower tier are three lancet-shaped windows in each face, with long slender columns, having central bands, and plain circular capitals. In these windows the zigzag ornament prevails ; and at the angles of the tower (in this tier) are three quarter columns. The upper tier is of a different and later style of architec- tnre; and the summit is adorned with eight purfled pinnacles, and a richly perforated and embattled ballustrade. At the north-east angle is a circular staircase, projecting beyond the square of the tower. Within, the building presents a neat and nearly uniform appearance. The nave is divided from the aisles by six high pointed arches on each s?de, springing from four clustered columns ; and in the transepts are 244j melton MOWBRAY. aisles, arches, with columns, &c. The transepts measure 117 feet in length, by 38 feet in breadth ; from the western door to the chancel is 113 feet ; the chancel is 51 feet long, by 21 feet in width ; and the nave is 56 feet wide. Leland calls it " a faire paroche church, sumtime an hospital and cell to Lewis in Sussex." On the north side of the chan- cel is an embattled vestry, with the date of 1532 over its eastern win- dow. Here are some fragments and figures of painted glass. Among the monumental inscriptions is one to Robert Hudson^ Esq.^ citizen of London, who was born here in 1578, and founded the hospital adjoin- ing to the church in 1640. Several others of the Hudson family were interred here. In the south aisle, commonly called Dighy'' s aisle, is an effigy of a cross-legged knight, in a round helmet of mail, with a band, his shield on his left arm, bearing a lion rampant. Over him, in mo- dern characters, " This is the Lord Hamon Bkler, brother to the Lord Mowbray. ^^ The church has undergone many repairs during the present century, with a judicious regard to the original style of archi- tecture. The organ is a fine powerful instrument, built by Gray, in 1832. The living is a vicarage, with Freeby and Welby chapelries, and Burton Lazars and Sysonby curacies annexed to it, valued in K.B. at £16. 9s., and in 1831 at X580 per annum. The tithes were commuted at the enclosure, in 1760. C. H. Frewen, Esq., is patron, and the Rev. R. F. Croughton incumbent. The Rev. E. H. Carr is curate ; the Rev. Rt. H. Cobbold assistant curate ; and Mr. Thomas Hickson, organist. The Catholic Chapel^ in Sherrard street, was built in 1842, from a design by Pugin, and will seat 200 hearers. The large cast window is filled with beautiful stained glass, representing our Saviour, with the two principal benefactors to the building kneeling at his feet. The altar and baptismal font are of exquisite workmanship, and the Revs. E. Belisy and B. Crosby are the priests. The IVesleyan Chapel^ on Timber hill, was built about fifty and enlarged about twentyyears ago. It is licensed for marriages, as also is the Independent Chapel, in Cha- pel street, which was built in 1822, and is now under the ministry of the Rev. G. Gogerly. The latter has 600 sittings, and a large burial ground. In Goodrich street is a Primitive Methodist Chapel, built in 1845. The parish churchyard being crowded with graves, a large New Biirial Ground, has been formed in King street, and was consecrated Oct. 3rd, 1845. Sunday Schools and Religious Societies are supported by the congregations of the church and chapels, as well as several day- schools and charitable institutions. In the town is a good Library and News Room. Here is also a Mechanics'' Institution, which was esta- blished May 1st, 1845, and already numbers more than 100 members. It has a library and news room, and has been honoured with the patro- nage of Viscount Melbourne, Lord John Manners, Col. Cheney, and several other gentlemen of the neighbourhood. The honorary members pay 10s. or upwards ; and the benefitted members 6s. each per annum. Mr. W. Baker is the secretary. The Melton Focal Society i^ossesses CDUsiderable talent, and gives occasional concerts. The Saving s"* Bank , in Nottingham street, was opened in 1837, and its deposits amount to upwards of £2 1 ,000. It is open every Tuesday, from i 2 to 1, and Mr. J. Hollins is the secretary. JVIr. H. is also secretary of (he " Medical Club and Provident Society for Melton Mowbray and the Neighbour^ MELTON MOWBRAY. 245 hnodp which was established in 1841, and is subscribed to by about 500 adults and children, of about 40 parishes, who for triflingf pay- ments are provided with medical and surgical aid. The Duke of llut- iand is patron, and E. B. Hartopp, Esq., president of this useful in- stitution. A Garden Allotment Society has recently been formed here, and has taken a large plot of land near Sysonby, to be let to the poor on moderate terms. The Frkk Schools are supported out of the revenues of the Town Estate, the feoffees of which, and the town- wardens, built three school rooms in King street, in 17i'5 and previous years. There was a free school here as early as 1347. The Upper^ or Grammar School^ is limited to 45 bo3^s, and has two exhibitions to Lincoln College, Oxford. '¥\\Q other two are now conducted as National Schools, and are open to all the boys and girls of the parish, free of expense, and usually attended by upwards of 300. The town has two sets of endowed alms- Louses, and several benefactions for the relief of the poor. Hudson's Almshousk, an ancient two-story building, opposite the church, contains one large room, and 12 small bed rooms, and wus founded, in 1G41, by Robert Hudson, who also left X4. 14s. Gd. a year, out of the rectory of Melton, to be dispensed as follows : — 20s. to the vicar, for a sermon on the Tuesday after Twelfth-day ; 2s. Gd. to the ^ clerk ; 20s. for refreshments; and £2. 12s. for a weekly distribution of Is. worth of bread. For building the almshouse for six poor aged men, he left £200, and for its endowment, a yearly rent-charge of X15. 6s. 8d., out of the said rectory, to be applied as follows, — -£2. 3s. 4d. to each of the almspeople ; 20s. for repairing the building ; 16s. 8d. for a supper for the almspeople, and 10s. to one of them for reading prayers. A codicil to his will declares that he had built the almshouse, and, after revoking the bequest of jC200, grants a further yearly sum of £3 out of the rectory, to buy coals for the .ilmspeople. From 1745 to 1779> the endowment was augmented with JG150, left by Mary Reeve, Anthony Wadd, and Mary Briggs. This sum, with £\0o accumulations, was laid out in the purchase of £396. 16s. 6d. three per cent, consols. At the enclosure, the almshouse received, in lieu of commonwright, an allotment of 3a., in Orgar Lays. The present yearly income of the charity is £66. 15s. 2d., derived as follows, — £23. Is. 2d., from Wra. Blake, Esq., as owner of the iinpropriat&iithes of Melton, and in consideration of several suras charged thereon; £6 from the above-named 3a. of land ; £6. 10s. as the rent of the alms- house garden ; aud £31. 4s. as the rent of six of the rooms, held by the trustees of Storers Charity. Each of the six almsmen receives £2. 12s. quarterly. Stoker's Almshousk :— In 1720, Henry Storer, of Frisby on the Wreak, bequeathed certain lands and tenements in that parish and Melton, for the benefit of the poor of Melton, in such manner as hm trustees should think fit. By a deed enrolled in Chancery, in 1740, the surviving trustees conveyed the estate, left by the donor, to other trustees, together with an oxgang of land, at Nether Broughton, which they had purchased with surplus rents ; upon trust for the support of six other poor men or women, to be placed in Hudson's Almshouse. In 1771, the charity was augmented with £50, left by Mary Briggs ; and in 1827, the trustees purchased of the trustees appointed under xa 246 MELTON MOWBRAY PARISH. an Act of the 7th Geo. IV., to sell certain parts of the Town Estate of Melton, 600 square yards of land in Ruthmd street, upon which they huilt a New Almshouse, consisting^ of three houses under one roof, each of which comprises two sitting rooms and four hed rooms, and is occupied hy two almspeople, who are allowed 2s. each per week. The six alms- women placed by this charity in Hudson's Almshouse, are allowed quarterly stipends of £2. I2s. each. The yearly income of Storer's Charity is .£192, of which about ^'140 arises from houses and buildings in the town, and the rest from land at Frisby and Nether Broughton. The erection of the New Hospital cost about .£700, and the site .£152, both of which sums were borrowed, but the debt has since been liquidated. The same persons are trustees for both Hud- son's and Storer's Almshouses, and the funds have latterly been indis- criminately applied in aid of each other. Benefactions. — In 1604, Thos. Ilartopp charged his lands in Freeby and Eye-Kettleby with the yearly rent of 20s. for the poor of Melton, and it is distributed in bread by the overseers. In 1765, Ann Hewitt left £20 to be used in supplying the poor with coals at cost price. This sum was augmented to £50, by the gifts of a Mr. Fountaine and Eliz. Henley, and that sum is employed yearly for the above-named purpose. In 1686, Abi- gail Smith left land at Sysonby, now let for £9, in trust to employ the rents yearly in apprenticing poor boys of Sysonby and Melton. In 1693, Roger Waite charged a house in Church lane with the yearly payment of 52s. « for a weekly distribution of Is. worth of bread among the poor of Melton, by the churchwardens. In 1612, Wrn. Hickson charged a house and land here, now belonging to Mr. J. Parke, with 20s. a year for the poor. In 1686, James Hickson left £50 to the churchwardens and overseers, in trust to distribute the interest yearly, on St. Thomas's Day, among the poor, and it is now lodged in the Savings' Bank. In 1732, Sir Richard Raynes gave a house in Nottingham street, and a close of land, in trust for clothing six poor boys attending the free school, and supplying them with books. The land was exchanged, at the enclosure, for 5a. 1r. 5p., which is let with the house for £55 per annum. About 20 boys are now recipients of this charity. Each is chosen for three years, and receives annually a suit of blue clothes, two pair of blue stockings, a blue worsted cap, one pair of half-boots, one pair of bands, and two shirts ; and wears a silver badge, bearing the donor's name. The trustees appointed in 1823, were Col. Beeve, B. Norman, G. Marriott, and T. Fowler. In 1738^ Mary Green left £50 for the use of the poor, and it v/as vested in £67. Os. 7d., three per cent, consols. The dividends are distributed by the vicar. Ten poor persons of Melton have SOs. yearly from Col. Beeve, of Leaden- ham, as the interest of £30 left by Thos. fy Wm. Reeve, in 1756 and 1762. Three single women, of the age of 60 or upwards, receive £5 each yearly, as the interest of £300, left by John Bourn, in 1756. The interest of £70, lent on mortgage at five per cent., and left by Mary Briggs, in 1771, is distributed as follows:— 20s. in Bibles, among poor boys, and £2. 10s. in coals at Christmas, by the vicar and churchwardens, who are also trustees of £180. 9s., new three and a half per cent, annuities, purchased, in 1826, with £200, left by Seth Hose, to be applied in supplying the poor with coals. Eye Ketti-eby is a small hamlet, near the confluence of the Eye and Wreak, about a mile W.S.W. of Melton Mowbray, and in that township. It comprises about 378 acres, mostly the property of SirE. C. Hartopp. One of the farms is called New Guadaloupe. FBAMLAND HUNDRED. 247 Freeby, a sraall village, township, and chapelry, in the parish, and 3^ miles E.N.E. of Melton ATowbray, contains 139 inhabitants, and 920 acres of land, mostly a light clay, and the surface hilly, rising from a tributary stream of the river Eye. Sir E. C. Hartopp, Bart., owns most of the soil, and is lord of the manor, which was sold, in 1598, by the Earl of Rutland to Thomas Hartopp, Esq., and was held in 1086 by Goisfrid de Wirce. The Church or chapel is an ancient structure, with a finely embattled tower, crowned by four pinnacles, and contain- ing three bells. The seats are old, and of rude workmanship, and the curacy is consolidated with the vicarage of JNIelton Mowbray. Here is a Sunday school, and the poor have 20s. a year, left by an unknown donor out of land at Sewstern, belonging to the Earl of Dysart. Gordon James, gamekeeper Pepper Thomas, carpenter Taylor Georgiana, schoolmistress FARMERS AND GRAZIERS. Bell George || Coy Thomas Rawlins John Simpson Roberts "William Simpson John, senior Simpson John, junior Spreckley John Wkl BY, a township and chapelry of scattered farm-houses, in the parish, and from 2 to 3 miles N.W. of Melton Mowbray, has only 58 inhabitants, and 1165 acres of land, chiefly clay, with some gravel, and the surface rather hilly. Sir \Vm. Earle Welby, Bart., owns most of the soil, and is lord of the manor, which was held in 1751, by Chever- *ton Hartopp, and passed in marriage to Lord Howe, who sold it to Peter Godfrey, Esq. A large Osiery bed here was lately a fish-pond. The Church is a small ancient fabric, with a tower and one bell, and the curacy is consolidated with Melton Mowbray vicarage. The Farmers are Robert and Thomas Barnes, Wm. Collett, Potter hill ; Henry T. Hanbury, New Lodge; Anthony Hart, John Mackley, and Wm. Mackley. MELTON MOWBRAY DIRECTORY. Public Officers :— The Petty Sessions, Sfc. are noticed at page 209^ and the U}iio7i and its officers at page 211. Mr. ^m. Clark is stamp distributor; Messrs. Ward and Rowland, collectors of taxes ; Messrs. Ward, Clark, and Rowland, co?isfables ; Mr. John Phair, supervisor; Mr. S.y^iWis, toivn crier ; Mr. W. Condon, police superintendent; and D. Lovitt and G. Darman, police officers and watchmen. The POST OFFICE is in the Market place, and Miss Ann Wright ia the port mistress. Letters from London and the South, North, and West, are deli^jered during Summer at half-past seven, and in Winter at eight morning. There is another delivery of letters from Grantham, Stamford, &c., at a quarter before ten morning, and a third delivery of letters, from London, Leicester, &c., at half-past three afternoon. The box closes for Leicester, &c., at nine morning ; for Grantham, Stamford, , market^ and free ivarren here. Robert Vitalis gave the church to Daventry Priory, and part of the land to St. Andrew's Priory, Northampton. The parish was enclosed in 1765, when all the titles were commuted for allotments of land. The Church (St. EgelwiiUhe Martyr j is a fine ancient fabric, but the chancel was rebuilt in 1845, by the Duke of Rutland, as im- propriator. A new south porch is about to be erected by Mr. Webster. The tower contains three bells and a clock. His Grace is also patron of the vicarage, valued in K.B. at £8. Is. 10|d., and in 1831, at £2{JOy and now enjoyed by the Rev. John Healy, B.A. The glebe, including the land allotted in lieu of tithes, is 210 acres. A fVesleyan Chapel y2 Z58 (SCALFORDj) FRAMLAND HUNDRED. was built here in 1844, in lieu of tlie old one, which has been given for a parish school, by Mr. Thomas Webster. Here is also a Primitive Methodist Chapel, built in 1835, and a Girls'' School, supported by his Grace and the Vicar. At the enclosure, 11a. 3r. 34p. of land, in the Redearth field, Mawbrook field, and Gorse pasture, was allotted to the overseers and churchwardens, for getting stone and gravel for the roads, and the herbage for the benefit of the poor parishioners. This land is now let for about ^16 a year, which is mostly applied in school- ing poor children. In 1835, John Morris, Esq., left £100 for the re- lief of the poor, and it is now vested in the Savings' Bank at Melton. The poor have also £2. 10s. a year, as the rent of I a. 3 r. of meadow land, at Loddington, left by John Mooi'e ; the interest of .£30, given by an unknown donor ; and a yearly rent-charge of 20s., out of the Town close, in Hose, the donor of which is also unknown. Part of the poor's land is let in allotments to labourers, and the Duke of Rutland lets about five acres of land to 25 tenants, who cultivate it by spade husbandry, and pay 8s. each per annum for rent and taxes. Atkinson Ralph, schoolmaster Burbage Edward, shopkeeper Chamberlin Wm. wheelwright Dixon Mr Thomas, gentleman Fox Wm. tailor and grazier Godber John, butcher Goodacre Thomas, schoolmaster Harhy John, blacksmith & beerhs Harby Thomas, shoemaker Hardy Richard, shoemaker Hawley Wm. sawyer Healy Rev John, B.A. vicar Hewerdine Wm. blacksmith Hourd John, vict. Plough Oswin Henry, cattle dealer Morris John, gentleman, Lodge Musson Thomas, joiner, &c. Parker Thomas, shopkeeper Pettifor Francis, vict. King^s Arms Roberts Thomas, baker Roberts John, vict. Black Horse Roberts Wm. corn miller Sharp Richard, jun. maltster Towers Matilda, schoolmistress Webster Thomas, gentleman Whittle Thomas, miller and baker Wilford Wm. joiner and grazier FARMERS. (* are Graziers,) Carter Seth Cross John Godber Samuel Goodson Richd., Manor House *Hackerby Saml. Hardy WiUiam, Cumhrld, Lodge Holmes John *Kirk Wm. *Lowe Elizabeth Marriott Gregy. Morris John Morris Wm. ^cal- ford Lodge * Roberts George Robinson Wm. *Sharp Rd. sen. Whittle Ann, Goldsmith Grng Whittle James Whittle Lucy, Glossams Wilford Edmund •Wilford John Wilford Walter CARRIER. Benj. Glover, to Melton, Tues- day SOMERBY, 6 miles S. by E. of Melton Mowbray, and W. by N. of Oakham, is a pleasant village and parish, with several handsome mansions and good houses. It contains 480 inhabitants, and 1628a. of laud. The soil is partly a red marl, and partly clay, and the sur- face hilly. Wm. Fabling, Esq., of Stapleford, is lord of the manor, which was held successively by the Tateshall, Beler, Swillington, Lis- ter, Dickenson, and Cheselden families ; but a great part of the soil belongs to E. B. Hartopp, B. Simpkin, and Wm. Fludyer, Esqrs., and several smaller owners. Somerby Grove, a neat mansion, with tasteful grounds, is the seat of J. D. Barnard, Esq. ; and the Hall, a large mansion, with a finely wooded lawn, is the seat of Mrs. Mary Bur- naby. Another large residence is occupied by W. K. Gaskell, Esq. The parish was enclosed in 1760, when all the tithes and moduses were commuted for allctmeuts of land. Part of it is in the Peculiar Juris- (90MEBBY,) FBAMLAND HUNDRED. 259 diction of Rothley. (See page 85.) The rectory was appropriated to Nuneaton Priory, and in 1534 Langley Nunnery had the advowson of the vicarage. The Church (All Saints) is a fine antique fabric, with a spire, three bells, and a clock, and has recently been repaired. The living is a discharged vicarage, valued in K.B. at £6. 16s. 8d., and in 1831 at £230, having 105a. of glebe here, and 170a. in Burrow. The Rev. Gustavus Burnaby, of Bedford, is patron, and the Rev. Thomas Hanbury, M. A., of Langton, is the incumbent. Here is a fFesleyan Chapel, built in 1842 ; and a National School, built in the same year. '* Sumerby Association for the Prosecution of Felons, ^^ is supported by the gentry and farmers of the neighbourhood, and Mr. Hy. Hough is its solicitor. The parish /^rt5^ is on the second Sunday in June. The Town Estate was conveyed to new feoffees in the 15th of Charles TI., and has been vested from a much earlier period for the repairs of the roads, church, bridges, &c., and for the use of the poor; and since the enclosure, it has consisted of about 18a. of land, two houses, four small cottages, and a blacksmith's shop, let at rents amounting to j641 per annum, of which about .£15 is applied in schooling poor children. The poor have a yearly rent-charge of £2, left by John Gobertj and now paid by Mr. Sims, of Sawbridge, Hertfordshire. Joiners, 8fc. Hubbard Wm. Newton John Newton Henry Shoemakers. Butteris George Lane John Meadwell Thos. Stone Masons. Dickins Rowland Hayes James Mitchin Wm. Tailors. Watkinson Geo. Wright Joseph The Barnard John Dawson, Esq. Grove Burnaby Mrs Mary, Hall Cole Adam, linen & woollen draper, im, and Earl of Ulster ; James de Brabanzon, the great warrior." The parish adjoins Rutlandshire on the south, and is skirted on three sides by the small river Eye, which flows through the park, which is well wooded, and has extensive gardens. The manor of Stapleford was held by Henry de Ferrers, who had here, in 1086, 14 carucates, with ii ploughs ; 4 bondmen, 23 villans, 4 bordars, and 23 socmen, with 13 ploughs; 2 mills, and 130 acres of meadow. In 1325, Roger Beler held it, and in 1402 it passed in marriage with Agnes Hauberk to Robert Sherardy Esq.y the great ancestor of its present owner. Ben- net Sheiardy third Baron Shkrard in Ireland, was created Baron Harborough in 1714 ; Viscount Sherard of Staple f or dy in 1718 ; and Earl of Harborough, in the county of Leicester, in 1719. He died in 1732, when the Viscountcy became extinct, but the Baronies and Earldom passed to his cousin and heir, Philip Sherard. The Rt. Hon, Robert Sherard succeeded his father as the seventh Earl of Harborough^ &c. in I8O7, and was born in 1797- He married, ia 1843, the daughter of Edward D. Temple, Esq., but has no children. He has had several contests with the railway surveyors, to prevent their making a survey in his extensive park, for the projected line of railway from Melton to Stamford and Peterborough. The Church (Saint Mary) stands in the park, at a short distance from the hall, and has a square tower, containing six bells, and a clock, with chimes, playing four times a day. It was rebuilt in 1783, and contains the vault and several fine monuments of the family. Among them is one by Rysbrach, in memory of the ^7*5^ Earl of Ha7'bo7'oughy whose e&igy is represented in Roman costume, with one arm reclining on a cushion, and the other directed towards the figure of his lady, who is displayed with a naked infant sitting on her knee. An inscription records his titles, and says he was many years, and to the time of his death. Lord Lieutenant and Gustos Rotulorum of the county of Rutland, and Lord "Warden and Justice in Eyre north of the Trent. He died in 1732, aged 55, In the middle of the nave is a brass plate, on which are engraved outline figures of Geoffrey and Joan Sherard, dated 1490. He is represented in armour, his head resting on a helmet, and his feet on a greyhound, with large sword and spurs. On the same plate are figures of seven boys and seven girls, with four shields of arms. An elegant marble altar- tomb bears recumbent effigies of fFm. Lord Sherard and his lady. He died in 1640;. and on each side of the tomb are three sons in armour, and a daughter kneeling on a cushion, with another son on a cushion in the middle. The benefice is a dis- charged vicarage^ consoHdated with the rectory of Saxby, as noticed at page 257. The tithes were commuted at the enclosure, in 1772. The Earl of Harborough supports a Sunday School, and clothes many of the children. Bennet, first Earl of Harborough, who died in 1732, charged his manor of Stapleford with the yearly payment of i)48, for equal division among six poor men of the age of 55 or upwards, to be elected by the lord of the said manor for the time being, from the pa- rishes of Stapleford, Gunby, Stainby, Sauceby, Whissendine, and Leigh ; and he further charged the manor with providing a blue clotU 262 FRAMLAND HUNDRED. gown every third year for each of the six poor men, and with the sup- port and repairs of the Hospital, which he directed his executors to construct, for the residence of the said poor men, in the house which he had built as a dog-kennel, in Stapleford. For converting this building into six tenements, he left £100. In 1791, Robert Earl of Harhorough and his son^ by deed poll, enrolled in Chancery, aug- mented the endowment of this Hospital with a rent-charge of £100 per annum out of the manor of Stapleford, and increased the number of almspeople to eight, each of whom has £4. 12s. 8d. per quarter. The hospital was enlarged in 1836, previous to which two of the alms- men resided in another building. They are chosen by the Earl of Harborough, and have been either old servants in his family, or inha- bitants of some of the six parishes before mentioned. Mary Pick is housekeeper at the Hall ; Mr. Wm. Fabling is grazier and agent to the Earl of Harborough; and the FARMERS in the parish are John Dobney, Anthony Hart, Benj. Steele, Thomas Taylor, and Richard Tooty, Jericho Lodge, STATHERN, a large village on thesouth side of the Vale of Bel voir, ^ miles N. by W. of Waltham-on the- Wolds, and 9 miles N. by E. of Melton Mowbray, has in its fertile parish 549 souls, and 2043a. 2r.20p» of land, chiefly clay, and in meadows and pastures, except about 500 a. arable, and 119a. 2r. 6p. in plantations, on the hill south of the vil- lage. Here is a lace manufactory^ and most of the poor families rent garden allotments. The roads and causeways are in good repair, and the springs yield much better water than those of any other part of the vale. The Nottingham and Grantham Canal skirts the north side of the parish. The Master and Fellows of Peter House College, Cam- bridge, are lords of the manor ; but a great part of the soil belongs to the Duke of Rutland, Thos. Wright, Esq., Mrs. Ann Guy, J. Caunt, W. S. Humberston, and several residents. The manor and advowson were sold in the reign of Henry VIII. to Lord Mordaunt, who sold them, in 1516, to Henry Hornby, by whom they were given to Peter House College, Cambridge. The rectory, valued in K.B. at £16. 3s. l^d., and in 1831 at £582, has 342 acres of land, awarded at the enclosure, in 1793, in lieu of tithes. The Rev. George Ray, M.A., is the incumbent, and has a large residence, with pleasant grounds. The Church (St. Guthlake) is an ancient structure, with a tower and four bells. New communion rails and altar-table were provided, and a new vestry built, in 1845, at the expense of the rector, who built a National School in the same year. The Church Land, allotted at the enclosure, is 16a.1r.30p., let for £37. 18s., including the rent of a small piece occupied by the canal. The Rev. Charles Lonsdale, partly in consideration of £50 given by Jane Still and the Rev. Anthony Perne, left £100 New South Sea Stock to the rector and churchwar- dens, for schooling poor children. In 1660, IVm. Hand left £40, half for repairing the causeways, and half for the poor, and it was laid out in the purchase of a house and 3a. of land, at Carcoulston, which were let in 1785, on a building lease for 61 years, at £2. IJs. per ann. The property now comprises two houses, and as the lease expires this year, it ought to yield to the charity at least £15 or £20 a year. The poor have £1. 15s. a year, left by Geo. Dixon, in 1682; and 10s. a- year, left by Richard Guy, in 1699. These sums are now paid in six STATHEBN PARISH. 263 different rent-charges, out of land, &c. in the parish, and distributed by the churchwardens and overseers, at Christmas. The schoolmaster has 10s. a year out of Case lane Close, left by Joseph Westhy^ in 1734 ; and the poor have, for a weekly distribution of bread, a yearly rent- charge of 52s., out of Bramble Close, left by Richard Cooke.y in 1702. The parish feast is on the Sunday after May 12th, and Mr. J. T. Cal- decott, of Melton, is the manor steward. Bark Henry, vict. Red Lion Braithwaite Geo. & John, lace mfrs Doubleday James, bricklayer Hardy John, hawker Hebb John, vict. Plough Lane Joseph, baker and flour dlr Pearson Philip, bricklaye and mkr Ray Rev. George, M.A. Rectory Redgate James, lace manufacturer Shipman "Wm. maltster Shipman John, grocer and draper Simpson George, farrier Stanley Thomas, com miller Taylor George, cattle dealer "Wilson John, schoolmaster Whittle Mary, vict. King^s Arms Blacksmiths, Elliott Wm. Jackson Thos. Beerhouses, Barnes John Wilford John Joiners. Jackson John and James Poyzer Thomas FARMERS. (* are owners.) Aldertnan Wm. •Bampton Jas. •Bark John •Braithwaite W. and thrashing machine owner Cobley John ♦Hilton Wm. Jackson Jarvis Levesley Benj. and Wm. Mason Wm. •Shipman John Smith Mrs Shipman Henry •Sumner Francii Watchom Jas., Lodge Shoemakers. Brampton Eust. Haskard Thos. Pick Michael PosTtoWaltham Mon. Wed. & Friday /CARRIERS. Isaac Poyzer and John Culley to Melton Tues., and Notting- ham Saturday Thos. Sheperson to Grantham Saturday STONESBY is a small village and parish, 1| mile E. of Waltham on the Wolds, and 6j miles N.E. of Melton Mowbray. It comprise* 283 souls, and 1370 acres of fertile land, partly clay and partly red loam, and traversed by one of the tributary streams of the Eye. The Duke of Rutland is lord of tUe manor, which he purchased of the Meres family ; but a great part of the soil belongs to Richard Norman, Esq., Mr. Z. King, and several other proprietors. The Church (^St. Peter) has a tower and three bells, and is about to be repewed and thoroughly repaired. The font is a fine specimen of Norman sculpture, and has recently been cleansed. The tithes were commuted at the enclosure in 1780, and the benefice is a discharged vicarage, valued in K.B. at £5. Os. 7id., and in 1831 at only £90, though it was augmented with £600 of Q. A. B. from 1776 to 1809. Richard Norman, Esq., is im- propriator and patron, and the Rev. Octavius Norman, M.A., of Crox- touv is the incumbent. During the last eight years, 53 persons have emigrated from this parish to Canada. The Church Land, allotted at the enclosure, is 1a. 29p. The poor have the interest of £10, left by Thos. Reeve in 1756, and of £20, left by an unknown donor. The parish /ea*^ is on the Sunday after Old Midsummer day. Cobley George, butcher Geeson Edw. shoemkr. and shopkr Killingley Thos. sen. brickmaker Smith W^m. butcher W^ormald Robt. shopkr. & vict. Fooc Carrier, Thos. Brewster to Mel- ton Tues., and Grantham Sat. farmers. — 11 Beeby Wm. Bradford Thos. || Burgin Joseph Cobley George || Haywood Joseph Killingley Thos. jun.]] Wright John King Zebedee, (owner) Westerdale Joseph Post from Waltham, M., W., & Sat 264 FBAMLAND HUNDRED. SYSONB Y, a small parish on the north side of the Wreak and Eye Navigation, 1 mile W. of Melton Mowbray, has only 68 inhabitants, and 1181a. 2r. of fertile land, mostly a strong clay. Lord Viscount Melbourne is lord of the manor, and owner of about half of the soil, which was purchased of the Pates, and the rest belongs to the Ea7'l of Beshoroughy in Ireland^ whose ancestor, Brabazon Ponsonby, the first earl, was created an English peer in 1749, by the title of Baron Pon- sonhy^ of Sysonby, and occasionally resided here. The Rt. Hon. John IVm. Ponsonby succeeded to these titles in 1844, and was born in 1781. Viscount Duncannon, his only son and heir, was born in 1809. The Church is a small ancient building, and the living is a curacy^ con- solidated with the vicarage of Melton Mowbray. The poor parishion- ers are entitled to a share of Smith's Charity, as noticed at page 246. Saml. Park, Esq., has a house here, and the FARMERS are Wm. Hack, Saral. Hind, Eras. Orson, and Edward and Wm. Wright. THORPE-ARNOLD, a village and parish, U mile N.E. by E. of Melton, has 134 souls, and 1110 acres of land, watered by one of the branches of the river Eye, and skirted on the south by the Oakham Canal. The soil is partly sand. In 1445, Lord Zouch forfeited the manor by fijjhting on the side of Richard III. at Bosworth Field. The Duke of Rutland is now lord of the manor, but the Earl of Dysart, the Trustees of Ravenstone Hospital, and several smaller owners, have estates here. The Church (St. Mary) is a very ancient fabric, with a tower and three bells ; and was formerly appropriated to Leicester Abbey. The font is circular, and evidently of Saxon workmanship. The vicarage, valued in K.B. at £6. 17s. 82d., with the curacy of Bret- tingby annexed to it, has 25a. of glebe, and a good residence, with a beautiful prospect to the west. The Duke of Rutland is impropriator and patron, and the Rev. John Hutton, B.A., incumbent. The other principal residents are John Morrison, beerhouse ; and Thos. Adams, Wm. Cunnington, John Clayton, foivnerj Wm. Gunby,Thos. Hunter, Geo. Marriott, and Thos. Sharpe, farmers and graziers, WALTHAM-oN-THE-WOLDS, a considerable and well built village with 2i Post- Office, occupies a bold eminence on the Grantham and Melton Mowbray road, 5 miles N.E. of the latter, and 1 1 miles S.W. of the former town. It has several neat houses, and is noted for the shows of its j^gricultural Society, and for its great annual fair, on the 18th and 19th of September, for horses and cattle. The first is the great show day for horses, and the fair is attended by many buyers and sellers from a great distance. There was formerly a market here. The parish had 622 inhabitants in 1821, and 768 in 1841, and com- prises 2756a. 1r. 23p. of land, partly clay and partly a red marl, with an under stratum of limestone, which is got and burnt here. The Duke of Rutland owns nearly all the soil, except the glebe, and is lord of the manor, which was held at the Conquest by Hugh de Grentemaisnel, and then comprised 16 carucates with 11 ploughs, two in the demesne; 24 socmen, 1 viljan, and 1 bordar, with 6 ploughs ; 1 knight, with 7 hordars, 3 bondmen, 1 bondwoman, and 1| ploughs ; and 100 acres of meadow. Afterwards a great part of it belonged to Croxton Abbey, and was granted at the dissolution to the Earl of Rutland. The Church (St. Mary) stands on a bold acclivity above the road„,and is approached by a flight of steps. It is a fine ancient structure, con- WALTHAM-ON-THE-WOLDS. 265 sisting of a nave and aisles, a chancel, transepts, and a tower rising from the centre, containing j5ve bells, and surmounted by a lofty spire. It was re-pewed in 1838, at the cost of £300, and has since received several repairs. On a piece of oak, round the chancel, are painted the names and crests of all the rectors since 1220. The chandelier in the middle aisle, formerly belonged to Grantham Church, and was given by Mrs. Morgan, who also gave a new face for the clock, in 1833. The churchwardens' accounts from 1608, are preserved, and amongst them are several entries relating to the civil wars, when levies were made here both for the royalist and parliamentarian troops. The Rectory y valued in K.B. at oG19. 4s. lid., and in 1831 at £483, has a handsome re- sidence in the Tudor style, commanding extensive prospects. The Duke of Rutland is patron, and the Rev. G. E. Gillett, M.A., is the incumbent, and also one of the rural deans of Framland. The glebe \s about 330a., mostly allotted at the enclosure of the parish, in 1766, in lieu of tithes. Here is a fVesleyan Chapel, built in 1844 ; and a handsome Agricultural Hall, built in 1838, at the cost of £800, of which £200 was given, with the site, by his Grace, and the rest was raised in pro- prietary shares of £5 each. It is in the Tudor style, and the meeting and dining room is 60 feet long, 32 wide, and 16 high, and is decorated with a fine portrait of the Duke of Rutland, painted by Burton. His Grace is patron of the Waltham Agricultural Association, established before the erection of the hall, for the general advancement of the agricultural interest, the excitement of enterprise and emulation amongst owners and occupiers of land, and the encouragement of skill, industry, and good conduct among the operative classes in husbandry, in the district extending ten miles round Waltham. This useful insti- tution is supported by a numerous list of subscribers, amongst whom are many gentlemen of the Belvoir, Melton, Cottesmore, and other Hunts. The annual meeting, for the exhibition of stock and imple- ments, and the awarding of prizes, is generally in the last week of September ; and there is another meeting for the exhibition of hunting horses, in January. The Association gives away nearly £450 per annum in premiums, including two of £30 each given by the noble patron, to two tenant farmers of 100 acres or more, one for the best cultivated clay land, and the other for the best cultivated red, light, or mixed land. Mr. John Wright, of Waltham, is secretary to the As- sociation ; and the committee meets quarterly, or oftener when neces- sary. Queen Victoria and Prince Albert, on their return from Belvoir Castle, December 7th, 1843, changed horses here, at the Royal Horse Shoes. A commodious National School was built here in 1845, in the Elizabethan style, in lieu of a smaller one, erected in 1833, and now converted into a dwelling-house. The master has £30 a year from the following charities, for which he teaches all the poor children of the parish to read and write. In 1771, George A^oi/^,partly in satisfaction of £20 left by Joseph Noble, gave 5a. I r. 8p. of land, at Wymondham, for schooling the children of Waltham, and it is now let for £5 per annum. Thos. Baker left £15 to the school, but it is lost. Derived from various Benefactions for the poor and school, there are now stand- ing in the names of the Rector and other trustees, £^QQ three per cent, consols ; of which £280 was left by Anthony Forman, in 1796, to pay yearly £4. 4s. to the schoolmaster ; £2. 2s. to the singers, and £2. 2s. for distributions of bread among the poor. £213. 6s. 8d. of the above z 266 WALTHAM-ON-THE-WOLDS. named stock was derived from a legacy of £200 four per cents., left by Jane Greenfield^ in 1802. The dividends of this portion (,£6. 8s.,) are dispensed as follows — £3. 4s. to the schoolmaster, 10s. 6d. to the Sun- day school, and £2. 13s. 6d. in a distribution of bread at Christmas. The remaining £172. 13s. 4d. of the above-named stock was purchased with the bequests of Edward Bunnis, £15, in 1691 ; Dickinson Rastall, £10 ; Thomas Forman^ £20, in 1818 ; James Clarke^ £20, in 1820 ; Thos. Shaw, £50, in 1835 ; and John Loive, £20, in 1841 ; except £11. 1 6s. purchased with money derived from the sale of timber on Noble's Charity Land. The dividends of this £172. 13s. 4d. are divided yearly as follows — £1. 13s. Id. for the school, and 563. 10s. 6d. for the poor. The Clock fVinder^s and Bell- Ringer'' s Lands^ were ex- changed at the enclosure, in 1767? the former for 3u. 8p., and the latter for 5a. 3r. 16p. in Filling's Field. The two allotments are free from tithes and land tax, and are let for £10 per annum, which is paid to the man who looks after the clock, keeps the church- yard fence in repair, and rings the parish bell, '* at 4 o'clock in the morning, and 8 in the evening." Mary Raines, a very singular spinster, possessed of good property, resides in this parish, and now milks a cow that never had a calf for ten years. She never associates with any one, never washes her face, and has not lain on a bed nor had a fire in her house during the last four years ! fValtham gives name to a Registration District in Melton Mowbray Union. (See page 211.) WALTHAM DIRECTOEY. Bailey Matthew, cooper Brown Mrs Jane Chamberlain Jph. registrar of births and deaths, for Waltham District Dolby Wm. saddler Fisher Samuel, veterinary surgeon Gillett Eev Gabriel Edwards, M.A. rector and rural dean Jarvis Joseph, gentleman Morrison Thos. plumber and glazier Munton Thomas, lime burner Robinson George, corn miller Warner Miss Eliz. || Raines Mary "Watchorn Chas., Nationl. schoolmr. Wright John, relieving officer and post master INNS AND TAVERNS. Angel, Sarah Tomlin George & Dragon, Frances Musson Granby's Head, Robert Burton Royal Horse Shoes, John Hutchin The Wheel, Henry Chester Bakers. Kellam George Matthews Wm. Watkin Thomas Blacksmiths. Hornbuckle Ths. Teat Ann Butchers. CarterThs. |Woo(ihouseEaves j JBeaumanor extra par. IIBeaumont Leys ex.p. JBelgrave (part of) par JBirstall chapelry fBelton parish IIGracedieu ex. par. ^Breedonon Hill par... •Staunton Harold tp §Tonge hamlet , ^Wilson hamlet, •Worthington ch.l Newbold liberty... ) lIBradgate Park ex. p. tCharley extra par.... •Coleorton parish §Diseworth parish §Donington Castle par. KGarrendon extra par. iJGilroe extra parochial tHathern parish §Kegworth parish ... f §Isley Walton ch. f §Langley Priory ex.p. (JLeicester Frith or^ Sharman's Ldg. ex.p 5" IlLeicester Abbey ex.p. 14(K» 100 1320 1990 2770 1210 1210 IF 126( 190(' 1027 30U. 184(i IT IF 1560 112C 50(! 1751 188C 4250 127( 200 134C 185( 41C 66t 240 25 Pop. in laii. 838 15 5208 478 821 1811 I 420 h Annl.i Value! 16,000 1770 1700 5958 766 389 150 177 802 : 344 7 53 601 739 3508 71 19 1252 1880 65 16 25 22 1678 1500 2310 ? 2286 5" 1646! 37001 17731 1500, 1007 [2768 931 527 2714 2700 9000 2626 392 i 3140 5300 700 875 435 24301 PARISHES, &C. ^^ ■■■} §Lockington parish. 7 §Hemington twp. 5 jLough/mruiigh par. ^ I Knight thoqie tp. ( f Loughborough t. T jWoodthorpe twp. j JNewton Linford par. •Osgathorpe parish .. •Packington (part of) parish Snibston chapelry •Raven8tone(part) par JRothley (part of) par. |Mountsorl. South! em/ chapelry ...J IIRothley Termp\eex.p. *Seal,Neth .^Ocr.par -. •Donisthorpe(part / of) hamlet V •Seal Nether twp. \ •Seal Over twp ... fSheepshed parish . *Sicepstone parish ... •NewtonBurgolnd •Newton Netherct |Swithland parish . ■j-Thorpe Acre parish i fDishley chapelry 5 IThurcaston parish \ JCropston twp 5 llUlverscroft extra par JWanlip parish tWhatton Long par.... *H''hitwick parish •Swannington chap, •Thringstone chap. Total . Pop. Annl. Value 1500 635 IF 830 4370 260 3037 1220 550 2170 4530 2180 957 1860 2050 3260 1450 1510 236 381 60 10,025 85 495 396 55 352 218 1055 715 42 199 535 513 3872 245 244 125 306 265 33 281 111 146 122 842 2310 744 1232 3116 2100 1100 25,005 834 2481 1500 C4OOO 1620 2850 1084 1180 9604 -4250 1726 -1757 1655 744 1420 1920 3122 4460 2734 2.325 88,516148,875 172677 % Parts of Barrow -upon- Soar, Belgrave, and Rothley parishes are in East Goscote Hundred ; and parts of Packington, Ravenstone, and Donisthorpe, are in Derbyshire, Mountsorrel North and South Ends are two separate townships, bnt form one connected village and chapelry, of 680 acres, and 1536 souls. The area of /iTiVww and Tonge is included with Breedon. Ashhy-de-la Zouch includes Alton Grange, Moira Baths, and part of the new village of WooDViLLE, or IFooden Box; and its return included 140 persons in the Union JForkhouse, in 1841, at the time of the Census ; when there were 108 in the Bar- row Union House, at Rothley ; and 16.3 in that at Loughborough. The latter townshi]) includes Btirleigh Manor {374ji.) and its return included also 41 sol- diers, and 12 persons in barns. Whitwick includes Coalville hamlet, and the new Abbey of St. Bernard. LOUGHBOROUGH. Loughborough, the largest raamifacturing and market town in the county, except Leicester, has heen greatly improved and extended dur- ing the present century, and is pleasantly situated on the western side of the Soar Navigation and the Midland Counties Railway, 11 miles N. hy W. of Leicester, 15 miles S. hy W, of Nottingham, 17 miles S.E.of Derby, and 108 miles N.N.W. of London, to which it was a 272 HISTORY OF LOUGHBOROUGH. great thoroughfare for coaches, vans, &c., from the north, before the opening of the railway, on which it has a commodious Station. The navigation of the river Soar is brought close to the east side of the town, by a canal^ cut about 1776, and communicates directly with the Trent, and with Leicester and the Union Canal, A mineral railway, extending about 2^ miles westward, to Broadhurst Hill, connected the town with Charnwood Forest Canal, which has been disused nearly 20 years. Few towns experienced a more rapid increase during the first thirty years of the present century, than Loughborough ; and for this increase it is indebted to the manufacture of worsted h osier i/, intro- duced by the late Joseph Paget, Esq., and Mr. John Cook; — to the spinning of mohair^ a patent for which was obtained by the late Mr. Cartwriglit; to the great increase of cotton hosiery ; — and chiefly to the introduction of the lace, or bobbin net machine , by Messrs. Heath- coat and Lacey, in 1809. Mr. John Heathcoat was originally a frame- smith, at Hathern, and many years a working setter-up of machinery, at Nottingham. In 1809, he procured a 14 years' patent for his im- proved twist lace frame, which was commonly called the Loughborough Machine, because it was first brought into extensive use here, in a large factory built by him and his partner ; but owing to the great damage done to their machinery by the Luddites, in 1811-2, (see p. 64,) they removed their establishment to Tiverton, in Devonshire. After that period, they continued to let their patent-right for high rents and pre- miums to numerous speculators ; and after the expiration of the pa- tent, in 1823, when the invention was thrown open to the public, so lu- crative was the trade, that nearly every one in Nottingham and Lough- borough, who had capital at command, were anxious to invest it in Bobbin Net Machines, in the manufacture of which hundreds of me- chanics from other parts of the kingdom found ample employment for several years at exorbitant wages ; and houses, machines, and facto- ries, increased with amazing rapidity, in the two towns ; but this over- speculation, in a few years, so overstocked the markets, that after the commercial panic panic of 1826, machines which had cost from JC400 to jCoOO each, were sold for less than £100 ; and they are now made on the best principles for less than half the amount that was charged for those which were hurried together in the bustling years of 1 824 and 1825. The bobbin net, or twist lace manufacture, of which Not- tingham is the chief seat, has of late years greatly declined at Lough- borough ; but, in addition to the hosiery, several new articles have re- cently been introduced here, among which are silk velvet, broad and narrow figured satin, and elastic velvet cuffs and trimmings, for which Messrs. Unsworth and While obtained a patent, in 1835. To supply that lack of employment which has of late years driven many families to other places, it has been proposed, by a number of spirited individuals, that a company should be formed, with a sufficient capital, for the introduction of other branches of manufactures. There are in the town and its vicinity many stocking frames, and framcsmiths and machine makers ; two worsted mills, an iron foundry, a celebrated hell foundry, several dying establishments, more than a dozen malt- kilns, four banks, several cor^i mills, and commodious ivharfs, at which much business is done in corn, coal, timber, &c. Mr. John Taylor, HISTORY OF LOUGHBOROUGH. 273 the bell founder here y (late of Oxford,) ranks high in campanalogy, having cast many musical peals in this and other counties. Loughborough Parish, which has recently been divided into iioo rectories^ comprises the townships of Loughborongh^ Knight Thorpe^ and fVoodthorpe^ which contain about 5800 acres of land, and had 10,170 inhabitants^ in 1841, of whom 48/7 were males^ and 5293 fe- maleSy residing in 2130 houses ; besides which, here were 308 unoccu- pied houses, and five in the course of erection when the census was taken. Woodthorpe has only ^5^ and Knight Thorpe 60 inhabitants. The total population of the parish was 4603, in 1801 ; 7494, in 1821 ; and 10,969, in 1831, so that there was a decrease of 799 souls during the succeeding ten years. In 1546, the population was only 1500. Loughborough Township comprises most of the parish, having 10,025 inhabitants, in 1841, and about 4370 acres of land. The soil is various, in some parts clay, and in others gravelly, but the lower grounds comprise a fine tract of rich meadows, especially on the east side of the town, where they are insulated by the canal and the river Soar, and traversed by the railway. The principal landed proprietors are, Thos. Denning, Esq., of Churchgate, (lord of the manor ;J Miss Tate, of Burleigh Hally 1 mile S.W. of the town ; W. Herrick, Esq., of Beaumanor ; W. Paget, Esq., oi Southfields ; H. and E. Warner, Esqrs., of Ihe Elms; and the Sutton and a few other families. The Tates have been seated at Burleigh, (374a.,) in this township, since about 1700 ; and in 1688, it is described as a park, held by Sir Wm. Jesson. In 1086, the Manor of Loughborouh was held by Earl Hugh, under whom Roger held 8 carucates ; Ralph, 3f ; Godric, 3| ; and Roger, \ a carucate ; and there were 5 ploughs in the demesne ; 8 vil- lains, 15 socmen, and 16 bordars, with 12^ ploughs; 2 mills, 45 acres of meadow, and a wood 280 perches long and 120 wide. In 1217, Hugh Despencer had a grant of the manor, with difair on the eve day and morrow of St. Peter ad Vincula, and a market on Thursday ; and his men were to be quitted from all county suits, &c. In the 14th and 15th centuries, it was held by the Beaumonts, of whom Leicester Ab- bey held a wood here, in 1327, called Halliwellhagh. In 1527, the manor and advowson were granted to Thomas Grey, Marquis of Dor- set. In 1554, the manor was granted to Sir Edward Hastings, who, in 1558, was created Baron Hastings, of Loughborough, which title was revived in the person of Henry Hastings, second son of the Earl of Huntingdon, in 1643, but became extinct on his death, in 1666. The latter was a distinguished commander in the cause of Charles I., during the civil wars. (Vide p. 60.) In 1584, the Earl of Huntingdon set- tled the advowson^ at the request of Queen Elizabeth, on Emmanuel College, Cambridge. On the death of the 27th Earl of Huntingdon, in 1789, the manor of Loughborough passed to his nephew. Lord Rawdon, afterwards Earl of Moira, who, in 1801, sold his estates here to various purchasers, and the manor to T. Denning, Esq. In 1780, Alexander Wedderburn was created Baron Loughborough, of Lough- borough, in the county of Leicester; and in 1795, Baron Loughbo- rough, in the county of Surrey. The former title became extinct, on his death, but the latter is now held by the Earl of Rosslyn, and is in courtesy borne by his eldest son. Mr. Denning holds Courts Leets and 274 HISTORY OF LOUGHBOROUGH. Baron for the manor yearly ; and at the former, constables, headbo- roughs, meadowreeves, &c., are appointed. A COURT OF RE- QUESTS, for the recovery of debts to the amount of £20, was esta- blished by act of parliament, about ten years ago, and its jurisdiction extends over 78 adjoining parishes, &c., of which QQ are in this county, and 12 in Nottinghamshire. This court is held at the Plough Inn, on the first Thursday of every month, and B. Brock, Esq., is the cleric. The other officers appointed by the commissioners are two Serjeants, a crier, and a treasurer. The act did not provide an assistant-barrister, or any other permanent presiding officer, but directs a chairman to be chosen at each sitting of the court from the commissioners present ; but pursuant to the New Small Debts Act, a permanent qualified president has recently been appointed to decide in all cases where the debts ex- ceed £5. From 1836 to 1838, the number of suits heard and deter- mined in this court was 1693, averaging 37 at each sitting; and in 753 of these cases, the debts and costs were duly paid, the former to the amount of £1386. The number of executions issued during the two years ending June, 1839, was 481 ; and of these, 10 were against the person, and 471 against the goods. Petty Sessions for the Lough- borough Division are held every Thursday, at the Plough Inn, and C. S. Burnaby, Esq., is clerk to the Magistrates. Small Barracks were built here some years ago ; and here is also a Police Statioiiy and a superintendent (Mr. S. Hague) of the County Constabulary Force. Loughborough is a polling place, and the principal place of election for the parliamentary representatives of the ISorthern Division of Leices- tershire ; and gives name to a large Unions under the new poor law, as noticed at a subsequent page. In 1759, an act was passed for enclos- ing the open fields, &c., in the lordship or liberty of Loughborough, and for the commutation of the tithes ; and the town has since derived con- siderable benefit in its general trade and markets, from the enclosure and cultivation of that extensive tract called Charnwood Forest, lying to the south and west. Two rivulets run from the Forest to the town, which was anciently called Lucteburn, or Loughhurn, probably from there being a large lough ov ptool near the confluence of these two rivu- lets with the Soar, where the ground is still low, and liable to inunda- tion in wet seasons. In the Saxon era, Loughborough was a royal vill, and in Leland's time, it was '* yu largeness and good building next to Leyrcester, of all the markette towns yn the shire," and had in it " four faire strates or more, well pavid." The same author says, " at the southest end of the chirch is a faire house of tymbre, wher ons king Henry VII. did lie." In 1557, the town was infested with a peculiar disease, called the " sivat^ " or sweating sickness, which generally carried off its victims in one day. From 1555 to '59, there died here of the plague and other diseases, 295 persons. In 1564, the assizes were held here, in conse- quence of the plague being at Leicester. This fatal malady prevailed here at different subsequent periods, and carried off many of the in- habitants, of whom no fewer than 500 are said to have died in 1609. Much of the town having been rebuilt, or newly erected since the year 1800, it has a modern and handsome appearance, and its streets are clean, well paved, and lighted with gas ; and before the opening of the railway, were enlivened by the daily passage of more than 30 coaches, HISTORY OF LOUGHBOROUGH. 275 and a much larger number of other public conveyances. The Market place is a large oblong area, surrounded by good houses, shops, and inns, and was enlarged in 1828, when the old market houses which stood at one end of it, was taken down. The weekly Markkt is on Thursday, and is well supplied with corn, cattle, and all sorts of pro- visions, &c., and here are eight annual fairs^ for cattle, sheep, cheese, &c., held Feb. 1 4th ; March 24th and 28th ; April 25th ; Holy Thurs- day, August 12th ; Sept. 30th ; and Nov. 13th. Being in the centre of a fertile and highly cultivated district, the town has an abundant daily supply of vegetables, and though it has no public waterivorkSy the inhabitants have a plentiful supply of the pure beverage of nature from numerous fFells and Pumps, As afterwards noticed, the inhabit- ants are relieved of local taxation for the support of the bridges and the poor to the amount of about jCGOO a year, arising from estates which have been long vested for the support of a Grammar and other Free Schools ; the payment of such taxes and charges as tend to the ease and relief of the poor, and for other public uses. The Gas ^(0rAr5, near Ashby road, were constructed in 1836, at the cost of about £4,280, raised in £6 shares, on which they have usually paid about 7i per cent, per annum. The charge to consumers is 9s. 6d. per ] 000 cubic feet, with a discount of 20 per cent, for prompt payment. Mr. Wm. Gamble is the manager. Since 1837, the Watching and Lighting of the town has been under the management of twelve In- spectorSy elected by the inhabitants, part of them yearly. There are in the town two churches, and a Catholic, and several Dissenting Chapels, the congregations of which support Sunday Schools and various insti- tutions for the propagation of religion, and the relief of the poor and afflicted. The ancient Parish Church, dedicated to All Saints^ is a large pile of building, consisting of a nave, side aisles, chancel, transept, and tower. 3"he latter is handsome, and is said to have been built by subscription towards the close of the 16th century. It contains an excellent peal of eight bells, which were cast in 1840, by Mr. Taylor, of this town, chiefly out of the old peal of six bells, cast by Eayres, in 1756. The tenor is 24 cwt., in key D., and the founder, Mr. Taylor, is successor to that old and celebrated firm, the late Messrs. Watts, Eayers, and Arnold, of Leicester and St. Neots. (See p. 272.) The body of the church is much older than the tower, and contains several galleries, in one of which is a fine powerful organ, erected about 50 years ago. It is neatly pewed, and contains several handsome mural monuments. The benefice is a yec/o?*^, valued in K.B. at £40. 13s. 3d., and in 1831, at £1886 per annum, chiefly arising from the glebe, which comprises 420a. in Loughborough township, and 50a. in Knight Thorpe. It is in the patronage of the Master and Fellows of Emmanuel College, Cambridge, and incumbency of the Rev. Wm. Holme, B.D., who has a good residence, and has been many years bursar and senior fellow of the said college. The curates are the Rev. Thos. Hutton, B.A., and the Rev. Thos. Burnaby, M.A. ; Mr. J. Twells is parish clerk, and Mr. J. B. Cramer, organist. Emmanuel Church, a large and handsome structure, which was opened in the Autumn of 1837, was built to supply the great lack of church room which had long been felt by the greatly increased popula- 276 HISTORY OF LOUGHBOROUGH. tion of the town. Its erection was owing chiefly to the liberality and indefatigable exertions of the rector, who, in conjunction with the patrons and the Ecclesiastical Commissioners, has divided the parish ecclesiastically into two distinct parishes ; and after his decease, there will be two rectors^ one of All Saints having five-eighths, and the other of the " Parish of Emmanuel^'' having three-eighths of the income of the present benefice. The new church is of Gothic, or Early English architecture, built of Derbyshire stone, and calculated to seat 1,200 persons, exclusive of children. Upwards of 800 of the sittings are free, in consideration of £2000 given by the Incorporated Society, for promoting the building and enlarging of churches. Another £2000 was given by the rector ; £1000 by the patrons ; and £500 by Miss Tate ; and the total cost of the edifice was about £7000. It has a fine tower, and one bell ; and the architects were Messrs. Rickman and Hussey. The building was commenced in Oct., 1835, and consecrated Sept. 6th, 1837. It stands on the western side of the town, near Forest road. The Rev. Thos. Holme, M.A., is the incumbent; and Mr. Thomas Harley, is the clerk and seocton. The rector has founded, in conneX' ion with this church, at considerable expense, a Boys'* School, which has been handsomely supported, and further endowed by Miss Tate, of Burleigh, who has also built and endowed, in the same parish, a Girls^ School, The trustees of these schools are the two rectors for the time being, the churchwardens, the owners of Burleigh, Beau- manor, and Prestwold estates, and the rectors of Kegworth and Thurcaston. The Catholic Chapel, in Ashby road, is a handsome brick struc- ture, cemented in imitation of stone, and was built in 1833, at the cost of about £5000, including the purchase of the site and burial ground, and the erection of the school and priests' house, now occupied by the Revs. A. Rinolfi and C. Lorrain. The Unitarian Chapel, in Churchgate, was purchased in 1744, and is under the ministry of the Rev. T. C. Holland. The Friends'* Meeting House, in Dead lane, is an old building, which is but seldom used. The Wesleyan Chapel, in Leicester road, is a neat brick build- ing, which was erected in 1828, at the cost of £2000, and will seat about 1200 persons. In connexion with it is a burial ground of 1402 square yards, in Pinfold street ; a Dorcas Society ; and Day Schools, on the British System, for boys and girls. It has also Sunday schools and libraries for both the congregation and the scholars. The Primitive Methodists rent a building in Creenclose lane, near which they intend erecting a more commodious chapel. The Independent Chapel, at Brook-side, was built in 1828, at the cost of about £1300. It is without galleries, but will seat 400 hearers, and has a Sunday school. The Rev. Thomas James is the minister. The General Baptist Chapel, in Baxtergate, is a handsome brick edifice, capable of seating 1400 hearers, and built in 1828, at the cost of £3300, in lieu of the old Chapel, in Woodgate, which was con- verted, in 1844, into a British School, which is now attended by about 100 children. An Infant and Sunday schools, and libraries for the HISTORY OF LOUGHBOROUaH. 277 congregation and scholars, are connected with this chapel, which is now under the ministry of the Rev. E. Stevenson. The Particular Baptist C hap kl, at Sparrow hill, was built in 1817, at the cost of about £1300, and enlarged with a gallery in 1828, at the cost of £250. It has sittings for 800 hearers, and is now under the pastoral care of the Rev. C. Stanford. Adjoining it is a Sunday school, built in 1836, at the cost of £200 ^ and having a library of 300 volumes for the use of the scholars and congregation. • The Permanknt Library, in Baxtergate, was established in 1826, and now comprises upwards of 3400 volumes, in every department of literature, besides all the popular Reviews and Magazines. It is held in shares of 45s. each, and each shareholder pays an annual subscrip- tion of 15s. It has about 130 subscribers, and Mr. R. Nicklinson is the librarian. There is a subscription Neivs Roomy at the Plough Inn; where the Loughborough Horticultural Society holds two exhibitions yearly. Here is also a Magazine Cluby which was established in 1845. A Choral Society^ possessing considerable talent, meets at the Free School, Churchgate. The Theatre, on Sparrow hill, is a neat and commodious building, erected in 1822, previous to which dramatic re- presentations were usually held in the manor ^^ Court Room,^ an ancient building at one end of the Market place. The Loughborough Agri- cultural Association, for the protection and encouragement of agriculture, and the reward of industrious and meritorious ser\7ants and labourers, is supported by a numerous list of the gentry, farmers, &c., of the neighbourhood, and holds its annual exhibition of stock at the Plough Inn, in October, when the prizes and premiums are awarded. C. W. Packe, Esq., is president; and Mr. D. Cartwright is the secretary. The Public Dispensary, established here in 1819, for the relief of the sick poor of the town and neighbourhood, is in Baxtergate, and is supported by voluntary subscriptions and donations, and the profits of an annual Ball^ which is generally very numerously attended by the neighbouring gentry. This excellent charity has accommodations for a few in-patients, of whom it receives about 40 yearly ; but the annual number of out-patients generally exceeds 1500. Its receipts, in 1845, amounted to jG750, and its expenditure to £530. Annual subscribers of one guinea, and benefactors of ten guineas or upwards, are governors of the Dispensary, which is open daily from 11 to 3 o'clock. Several medical gentlemen lend their aid gratuitously; Mr. D. Davies is the house surgeon^ and Mr. R. Nicklinson, the secretary. The Savings' Bank, in Fennel street, is under the presidency of the Duke ofi Rutland. It is vested with 12 trustees, and placed under the management of many of the principal gentlemen of the town and neighbourhood. Its deposits, in Nov. 1845, amounted to £30,025, belonging to 1194 depositors, 11 Friendly Societies, and 23 Charitable Institutions. The interest paid has been reduced to £2. 17s. Id. per cent, per annum. The Bank is open on Monday and Thursday, from 11 to 1 o'clock ; and Mr. J. F. White is the secretary. SCHOOLS : — Besides the endowed Grammar and other Free Schools, noticed with the following account of the Charity Estates be- longing to Loughborough, there are in the ,town two British Schools, as noticed with the Wesleyau and General Baptist Chapels; three 2a 278 LOUGHBOROUGH CHARITIES. Infant Schools^ in Woodgate, Bridge street, and Wards-end ; Boys' and Girls^ National Schools, at Wards-end, as noticed with Emmanual Church ; and several other Day and Sunday Schools, attached to the other places of worship. Burton's School and other Charities. — By a deed of feoffment in 1495, T/ios. Biirtoti conveyed to several trustees all his lands and tene- ments in Loughborough^ Willoughby, Hardby, Hathern, and Thrussington; hut there is no declaration of trust in this deed. In 1569, on the petition of the inhabitants, it was ordered by the Court of Chancery, that 12 sub- stantial men of Loughborough should be chosen feoffees of the aforesaid premises. By an indenture of feoffment, in 1597, the said premises, with other lands, by Hornbuckle. Under the western gallery, is preserved an ancient finger pillory ^ said to have been used for the punishment of disorderly persons during divine service. The chancel is neat and spacious, and on each side of it is a chapel ; — that on the nor this converted into a vestry, and the other is the burial place of the Hastings family ; and among its monuments is a large and costly altar-tomb bearing recum- bent effigies of Francis, second Earl of Huntingdon, and his Countess. Here are also mural monuments in memory of the 7th and 9th Earls of Huntingdon. The Countess of the latter, who died in 1791, is well known for her piety and philanthropy, and for the erection and patron- age of numerous chapels throughout the kingdom, called after her name. The benefice is a discharged vicarage, valued in K.B. at £14. 10s. 4d., and in 1831 at £200. It was augmented in 1737, with £200 of Q. A. B., and £200 given by the Earl of Huntingdon. The Mar- quis of Hastings is impropriator and/?a^?'072, and the Rev. Marmaduke Vavasour, M.A.,is the incumbent, and has about 150a. of glebe in this parish, and 33a. at Whitwick. The Vicarage House was rebuilt in 1783, by the late Rev. John Prior, B.D., but has been greatly improv- ed by the present vicar. It has a library, which was given by the Rev. R. Bate, and contains some scarce and valuable books. As already noticed, the tithes were commuted at the enclosures, in 1768 and 1800. The Rev. J. B. Sweet is curate ; E. Mammatt, Esq., organist; and Mr. R. Cheatle, clerk. Trinity Church, at the west end of the town, is a beautiful struc- ture of early English architecture, which has upwards of 900 sittings, more than half of which are free. The first stone was laid by Earl Howe, Aug. 25th, 1838, and the edifice was consecrated by the Bishop of Peterborough, Aug. 13th, 1840. It was built from a design by H. J. Stevens, Esq., of Derby, and cost about £4000, raised by subscrip- tions, collections, and a grant from the Society for building and en- larging churches. The spire was added chiefly at the expense of E. M. Green, Esq., who gave and collected the sum necessary for that purpose." A further sum was also raised as an endowment fund. The Rev. Thos. Fell, M.A., is the incumbent, and Mr. Edw. Farmer, clerk. The Indepkndknt Chapel, in Kilwardby street, was built in 1825, at the cost of £1700, on the site of one erected in 1725. The front is cemented, but has a stone portico of the Doric order. The interior has sittings for 450 hearers; and at the back of the building is a vestry and school-room. The Rev. W. Tait is the minister, and has a resi- dence in front of the chapel, purchased by the congregation, which dates its origin from about 1675, when the Rev. Samuel Shaw, M.A., then head master of the Grammar School, preached to Dissenters, or non-conformists. The General Baptist Chapel, in Mill lane, was rebuilt in 1817, and enlarged in 1832. It was originally a dwelling- 300 ASHBY-DE-LA-ZOUCH. house, hired by the congregation, in 1798. The Wesleyan Chapel, which has about 500 sittings, was built in 1820 ; but a hired building, on the opposite side of the street, had been occupied by Methodists, nearly from the time of their founder. The Primitive Methodist Cha- peli situated between the Green and the Calais, was built in 1833. Sunday Schools are attached to the churches and chapels, and the various congregations contribute to Bible, Missionaryy and other As- sociations for the propagation of religion. The Ashby Branch Bible Society has raised, since its formation in 1817, upwards of £4000, and circulated, in the town and neighbourhood, more than 10,000^copies of the scriptures. The *' Ashby Church of England Friendly Society, ^^ was established about two years ago, and is supported by a numerous list of honorary members, under the presidency of the Vicar. For small monthly contributions, the benefitted members are provided with pecuniary relief and medical assistance during sickness, and with a pension of Is. a week for life after the age of 65. Messrs. C. A. Dalby and R. Dicken are the surgeons of this useful institution, and Mr. W. W. Postlethwaite is the secretary. Here is also a Lying -in- Charity, and a Clothing Club. The Savings^ Bank, in Mill lane, was com- menced in 1818, and had deposits amounting to £23,357 in 1845, be- longing to 798 individuals, and 24 Charitable and 1 Friendly Societies. Mr. John D. Hextallis secretary, and the bank is open every Saturday from 11 to 12 o'clock. IvANHOE Baths: — The spring from which these Baths are sup- plied is at Moira Colliery, about three miles W. of the town, and was discovered in 1805, during the progress of the coal working, at the depth of about 70^ feet, and although at first small, it continues to flow in various parts of the mine, and yields about 200 gallons per hour. A portion of the water was analysed by an eminent chemist of London, and found to contain saline and other valuable ingredients to the amount of 2536 grains per gallon, in the following proportions: — muriate of soda, 1904; muriate of magnesia, 208; muriate of lime, 168; sulphate of soda, 128 ; sulphate of lime, 72 ; carbonate of lime, 40 ; and carbonate of iron, 16. The beneficial qualities of the water, and the abundance of the supply, led, soon after the discovery of the spring, to the erection of the Moira Baths, and a commodious Hotel, near the colliery. But these and several subsequent erections near the spring, were, after the lapse of a few years, found insufficient for the accom- modation of the numerous visitors, and consequently methods were de- vised, and finally adopted by the Marquis of Hastings and his agent, the late Edw. Mamraatt, Esq., for conveying the water to Ashby, and building there the Ivanhoe Baths, which are pleasantly situated on the west side of the town, and nearly surrounded by tasteful walks and pleasure grounds. They are in the Doric order, and are built of free- stone obtained in the parish. The front measures 200 feet, and is or- namented by a colonade, composed of 32 handsome fluted pillars. The apartments and baths for the ladies form the south wing, and those for the gentlemen the north wing. Each department has six baths, and the gentlemen's also a large swimming bath. The centre of the build- ing is surmounted by a dome, which gives light to an exquisitely finish- ed Pump Room, 52 feet by 27, richly ornamented in the Grecian style; and on either side of it are Card Rooms. An ornamental Fountain ASHBY-DE-LA-ZOUCH. 301 of spring water plays in front of the Pump Room ; and the jet rising from an elegant vase, and falling into a circular hasin, has a very pleas- ing and cooling effect. At a short distance from the Baths, and contigu- ous to the pleasure grounds, is the Hastings or Royal Hotel, a large, commodious, and handsome building, in the same order of architecture, built in 1826 by shareholders of £500 each; hut afterwards purchased by the Marquis of Hastings. Visitors may also be accommodated with board and lodgings at the Baths, at the Queen's Head, White Hart, and other Inns, and at the houses of many of the respectable inhabi- tants. The Theatre^ in Bath street, was built by Mr. Bennett, in 1828, and will hold about £50, at the usual prices ; but is seldom used. The FREE GRAMMAR SCHOOL, now conducted in two departments under four masters, for the gratuitous instruction of the boys of Ashby-de- la-Zouch in Latin, Greek, and all the branches of an English education, oc- cupies a large building, erected in 1807, in Lower Church street, 60 feet in length and two stories high ; and the head-master has a good house, which was considerably enlarged in 1844, and in which he is allowed to accommodate twelve boarders. The exact origin of this valuable charity is involved in some obscurity, but the most probable opinion is, that it was founded by certain Commissioners, who, under the statute of the 1st of Ed- ward VI., endowed it with lands and tenements which had been long ap- propriated to superstitious uses. The IS^rl of Huntingdon was one of these Commissioners, and has been generally considered the founder of the school, which he afterwards (in 1567) largely endowed, and conveyed to eight trustees for the support of an able master, to instruct youth and in- fants in good manners and learning. In 1589, the trustees became pos- sessed of certain tenements, called Day-Bell Houses, out of which the sex- ton had £2 a year, for ringing the church bell every morning till 1808. Under the enclosure acts in 1768 and 1800, several allotments were award- ed to the school, in lieu of other lands and commonrights, amounting to 28a. 2r. 39p., in the Lion Well Field, the Great Field, and the Horse Common ; and to 28a. 3r. IOp. on Ashby Wolds. The school endowment now comprises about 100 houses, cottages, and other buildings in the town, and more than 70a. of land, let in 1836 at rents producing a yearly income of £839. 15s., exclusive of the head-master's house. With respect to the government of the school, no particular rules were laid down at the time of its foundation ; but in 1575, certain statutes and orders were prepared and signed by the Earl of Huntingdon. Owing to the long leases granted in 1594, the yearly income of the school was only about £20 for more than a century after its foundation ; though it appears to have attained con- siderable celebrity about the commencement of the 1 7th century. Lilly, the astrologer, in his account of his life and times, states that he was sent to be instructed here in 1613, by one John Brinsley, who bred up many scholars for the universities. It appears, however, to have shortly after declined, and for some time to have been discontinued, in consequence of tiie school building having been pulled down by the royal army in 1643. The school and master's house were afterwards rebuilt by subscription, and the school rose again into great repute, under the Rev. Samuel Shaw^ who was appointed master in 1668, and had often about 160 boys under his care, many of them boarders from London and other distant places. He was one of the clergymen who was ejected for nonconformity, and preached in the school, to large congregations, on Sunday. Since his time, the salaries of the masters have been raised with the increase of the rents, pursuant to several decrees of the Court of Chancery; the last of which, in 1836, was in answer to the information filed by the Rev, J, Curtis^ the 2c 302 ASHBY-DE-LA-ZOUCH. iate master, author of the Topographical History of Leicestershire, puh- lished in 1831. The following yearly salaries are now paid : — £225 to the head classical master; £80 to the usher, or second-classical master; £200 to the head English master; and £70 to the assistant English master. All boys of Ashby parish, whether of rich or poor parents, are admissible as free scholars, without any expense, except for books and stationery. The Grammar School is in the lower story, and has room for about 35 scholars. The English school is in the upper room, and is limited to 120 free scholars, and has always its full number. The charity is vested with 12 trustees, and the Marquis of Hastings is the visitor. The former have power, under the vf\W.oi F^'ancis Ashe, dated 1654, of nominating a minis- ter of the Church of England, with a salary of £20 a year, to preach a weekly lecture in the parish church. By the same will, te/i exhibitions of £10 each per annum, at Emmanuel College, Cambridge, are founded for boys of Ashby and Derby Free Grammar Schools. The estate charged with these payments comprises about 587 acres of land, in Norfolk, and i» possessed by the Master and Fellows of the said College. The Blue and Green Coat Schools, in Lower Church street, have been united for a long period, under one master, and are now held in a modern room, capable of accommodating 150 scholars, and adjoining to which is a good house for the master. The Blue Coat School was founded, and for some time supported solely by the subscriptions of the inhabitants, who gave £45 for the original school-house, in 1721, and vested it with 13 trustees. It was endowed with a yearly rent charge of 40s. by the Rev. Thos. Sate, in 1728. "With the donations and bequests of I. Dawson, Mr. Piddocke, Lady Francis Hastings, and others, and unapplied subscriptions, property was at various periods purchased by the trustees, and now consists of about 25a. of land, at Whitwick, Rossle- stone, and Donisthorpe, let for £43. 10s. 8d. per annum ; to which is added £2. 10s. from £50, secured on the Tamworthand Sawley turnpike ; £1.15s. from £75 in the Savings' Bank; and the above-named rent charge of 40s., making the total income £49. 15s. 8d., exclusive of the interest of £100 derived from the sale of coal under the land at Whitwick, in 1836. The trustees pay the master a yearly salary of £26, for teaching 26 poor boys of the parish, and they expend the surplus in providing the scholars with blue coats, waistcoats, and trousers, and caps and bands, as often as the funds are sufficient. The Green Coat School was founded in 1760, by Alderman Newton^ of Leicester, as noticed with his other charities at page 103, with an endowment of £26 per annum for schooling and clothing 25 boys of poor parents of the Established Church of England, residing in the parish of Ashby-de-la-Zouch. The vicar and churchwardens, as trustees of this school, receive the yearly rent charge of £26, left by the founder, from the Charity Trustees of Leicester. The school has also £4. 10s. 3d. yearly out of the vicar's glebe at Whitwick, as interest of £90. 5s. 8d. ; and £5. 5s. a year, as interest of £105 lent to the church- wardens. These sums were derived from ten years' arrears of the rent charge, which the Corporation of Leicester had refused to pay from 1784 to 1794. Thus the total yearly income of the green-coat part of the school is £35. 15s. 3d., of which the master has £20, for teaching the 25 boys, who are clothed in green, and provided with caps and bands as often as the funds will admit. The. free scholars of both colours are instructed gratuitously in reading, writing, and arithmetic, and provided with sta- tionery ; but they find their own books, and the master is allowed to take other scholars. Langley's School.— In 1695, Wm. Langley devised his college lease of lands, in Diseworth, to be sold, and the proceeds applied in schooling ASHBY-DE-LA-ZOUCH. 303 12 poor bops or girls of Ashby, and six boys of Diseworth. In 1812, the property was sold for £380, which, together with £60 of unapplied income, was lent at five per cent, interest, but is intended to be invested in land. For teaching 18 poor girls of Ashby at her own house, a mistress receives £7 a year; and £3. 10s. is paid for schooling 9 girls at Diseworth. Books . to the value of £5 yearly, are also provided by the trustees, Mr. J. Davenport and others. The National and Infant Schools^ in Back lane, were established by subscription about ten years ago. Charities for the Poor. — Twelve trustees, comprising Messrs. E. Mammatt, T. Cantrell, J. Eames, and others, hold property which yields £82 a year, commonly called Margaret Wright's Charity, being pur- chased with £43 given by her, and £89 given by other imknown donors, in 1630 and 1669. About ^'62 of this income is derived from the moiety of a farm of 84a. at Newtown Unthank; £11 from 8a. 2r. 14p. on Ashby Wolds ; £3 from 2a. 3r. in Sheepshead ; and £5 from £100, secured on the Tamworth and Ashby, and Sawley Ferry and Ashby turnpikes. Out of this income, the trustees have to pay the interest of £75, borrowed from other charities, and they dispose of the remainder in the purchase of clothes for poor men and women of the parish, and of a fourpenny loaf for each of the persons to whom the clothes are given. About 100 persons annually partake of this charity ; and they are mostly such as attend the church regularly, and are not in receipt of parochial relief. A yearly rent charge of ^3, out of land at Packington and Measham, left by Henry Curzon^ in 1633, is distributed with the foregoing charity. In 1661, Simeon Ashes charged 48a. of land here, with the yearly payment of ^10 for apprenticing two poor children; and with providing a weekly dis- tribution of 12 penny loaves, and four bibles yearly to the poor. In 1737, Sir T. Abney, the only surviving trustee, sold the 48a. of land, subject to the yearly rent charge of £15 for the purposes the charity, and it is now dispensed as follows: £10 in apprentice fees; Is. a week in bread; and £1. 12s. in eight bibles yearly. Sir C. A. Hastings, Bart, and others are the trustees. In 1672, James Orme charged a farm of 200a. at Donis- thorpe, with providing 6 pemiy loaves weekly for the poor of Ashby. For a weekly distribution of 12 twopenny loaves, Henry Sykes^ in 1703, charged the Dog-pit Closes, in Blackfordby, with the yearly payment of £6, minus the land tax. In 1726, John Case left .£150, to be laid out in land, and the rents to be distributed by the vicar and churchwardens among the poor. The legacy was laid out in the purchase of land at Whitwick, now consisting of 12a. 3r. 22p., let for £22. 12s. per annum, to which is added the interest of ^'200, derived from the sale of the coal under the land. This income, with £2. 12s. a year, left by Fras. Ashe, in 1654, is dispensed in weekly distributions of twopenny loaves every Sunday at the church, to about 50 poor persons residing in or belonging to Vshby parisk, and in 26 twopenny loaves on the first Sunday of every jiionth to the blue coat scholars. In 1790, Eliz. Wilkins left to the vicar and churchwardens £200 three per cent, consols, in trust to pay the dividends yearly to the oldest and most necessitous poor women residing in and belonging to Ashby parish, during her life. The yearly sum of £6. 6s., derived from Hickling's and other Consolidated Charities, is distributed on St. Thomas's day, bv the churchwardens, in money and clothing ; together with any sums received froifl private contribution. ASHBY-DE-LA-ZOUCH UNION, formed by the New Poor Law Commissioners, in 1835, comprises 28 parishes and townships, viz., Ashby, Blackfordby, Staunton-Harold, Packington-with-Snibston, Nether and Over Seal, Swepstone, Whitwick, Swannington, Eavenstone, Coleorton, 304 ASHBY-DE-LA-ZOUCH PARISH. Worthington, Thringstone, and Osgathorpe, in West Goscote Hundred ; Appleby, Heather, Hugglescote-with-Donington, Normanton-en-le-Heath, and Snareston, in Sparkenhoe Hundred; Appleby, Hartshorn, Measham, Packington, Smisby, Ticknall, Willesley, Stretton-en-le-Field, and Calke, in Derbyshire ; and Oakthorpe-with-Donisthorpe, partly in both counties. They comprise an area of 83 square miles, and had 22,554 inhabitants^ in 1831, and 24,239 in 1841, residing in 4898 houses ; besides which, there were 264 unoccupied, and 15 building, when the last census was taken. Of the population, in 1841, 17,318 souls were in the Leicestershire part, of the Union. The annual expenditure of the 28 parishes on their poor, during the three years preceding the formation of the Union, averaged £8442 ; but in 1838, it was only £5557; and for the quarter ending March, 1845, it was £1833. 2s. 5|d. The Union Workhouse, on the Derby road, was an incorporated House of Industry, and was purchased by the Union for £2200, in 1836, since which it bas been considerably enlarged, at the cost of about £2000; and an Infirmary was built adjacent to it in 1843, at the cost of £752. Nine acres of land are attached to it, and some of the able-bodied inmates are employed in grinding corn in a handmill. The house has room for about 300 paupers, and the large board-room is used also as a chapel. Mr. Samuel and Mrs. Eliz. Mason are master and matron of the workhouse, and the Rev. T. S. Green is the chaplain, Mr. John Davenport is Union Clerk and Superintendent Registrar^ and Messrs. Thos. T. Kendrick and Thos. Jewsbury are the relieving officers. MOIRA, and other hamlets ia the Parish of Ashby-de-la- ZoucH, are noticed at page 295, and the following places are also within its limits. For Moira Baths and Colliery, see page 300. The inhabitants are included with Ashby Directory. WOODVILLE, which was called Wooden Box till 1845, is a modern village, of more than 600 souls, in the Wolds, 4^ miles S.E. of Burton-upon-Trent, and 3| miles N.W. by W. of Ashby-de-la-Zouch, partly in that township, and partly in Hartshorn parish, Derbyshire, Its inhabitants are partly colliers, but chiefly potters, there being in its immediate vicinity a good bed of fine clay, which is extensively used here in the manufacture oi earthenware and fire-bricks. Thirty years ago, the only building that stood here was a wooden toll-house, from which the village that has since been built around it obtained the name of IVooden Box, which was changed for the more euphonious title of fFoodville, on the 7th of November, 1845, when Earl Howe laid the first stone of St, Stephen'' s Church, now building here by subsciiption, for the accommodation of the inhabitants, who have hitherto been vir- tually deprived of the privileges of public worship, in consequence of their great distance from their respective parish churches, except at the small Wesleyan Chapel built here in 1816. The church will be a handsome structure of Norman architecture, built of fine durable stone, got in the neighbourhood, and will have seat room for 350 hearers. Petty Sessions are held once a fortnight at the Potters' Arms Inn ; and Mr. W. Dewes, of Ashby-de-la-Zouch, is clerk to the magistrates. Earl Howe, who has laid the first stones of several new churches at other places, is guardian of the young Marquis of Hastings, the owner of most of the village and neighbourhood. In the following Directory OF WooDviLLE, thosB marked* are in Hartshorn parish, Derbyshire^ and the others in the parish of Ashby-de-la-Zouch : — WOODVILLE, (ASHBY PABISH.) 305 •Queen Adelaide, John Hall EARTHENWARE MANUFRS. Brunt Thomas || *Harrison Thoma>'? Hall and Son (fancy Rockingham and yellow ware,) RawdonPotfery Hall Thomas (Rockingham ware, china, & fire hx'icks^) As hby Pottery Reed George Simpson (and shopkr) •Thompson Joseph (and fire bricks and tiles,) Hartshorn Pottery •Watts and Standley, Swadlincfcote Pottery •Gray Thomas, Church Gresley par Post-Office at Mr W. Cash's. — Letters from Burton, Ashby, by Hum' phrey Perkins, who endowed it with a house and land at Ratcliffe, for the support of a master to teach the children of the inhabitants and parishioners of Barrow, after they can read the Bible, " in all sorts of learning, and free from any expense to their parents." He vested it in trust with the vicar of Barrow and rector of Loughbo- rough, and directed that the master should be a graduate of one of the Universities. Since the enclosure of Ratcliffe, the school estate has consisted of a farm of 64a. Ir. 9p., let for about £111 a year, which, after deducting £2 for the two trustees, and «£3. 17s. Id. for land tax and quit rent, is paid to the schoolmaster, who has also a house, which was built, partly by subscription, and partly with .£100 left for that pur- pose, by Benj. Bewicke, in 1728. Attached to the house is 1 i rood of garden ground. There are generally about 30 free scholars. Seldom more than one or two require instruction in Latin, but all are taught reading, writing, and arithmetic. BARBOW-UPON-SOAB CHARITIES. 313 Barrow Hospitals.— In 1686, Dr. Humphrey Babingtoti, in order that the name of his uncle Theophilus Cai'^, might be preserved in Barrow, devised to Thomas Babington and five others, and their heirs, the impro- priate rectory of Barrow^ Stables Farm^ and other property in Barrow, Quorndon, and Monntsorrel ; in trust to build a house in Barrow, for the maintenance of six poor widowers or bachelors, who should be called Theophilus Cavers Beadsmen^ and be selected from amongst the aged and impotent persons of good character, in Barrow and Quorndon, in the proportion of five out of the former, and one out of the latter, *' unless greater need should be ;" each of whom, upon his admission, to have a good suit of blue cloth, edged and faced with white; and a load of coals, and £8 yearly ; and to be provided with a nurse when sick. And, in further trust, to pay 40s. yearly to the vicar of Barrow, for preaching two commemoration sermons on Trinity Sunday, and the last Sunday in Oct. ; and to pay 50s. on each of the said days, to the vicar and churchwardens, for distribution among the poor, 30s. in money, and 20s. in bibles. And, in further trust, to keep in repair the chancel of Barrow Church, and the arms in the windows; and to pay £10 yearly to Sir Thomas Parky ns and his heirs; £10 to Edward Storer and his heirs; and to dispose of the surplus rents in augmenting the salaries of the beadsmen. In 1802, the charity became the subject of an information by the Attorney-General, and it was ordered by the Master of the Rolls, that the surplus rents should be applied towards the support of Jive additional heardsmen^ and that an encreased allowance should be made to the whole number, and that the hospital should be altered and enlarged for the reception of the five new beadsmen. The rental of the estate having greatly encreased, a 7iew scheme was sanctioned by the Court of Chancery, in 1825, for the exten- sion of the charity to the support of an almshouse, for poor unmarried women, and empowering the trustees to encreasethe number of almspeople, either men or women, from time to time, as the funds would allow. Under this authority they erected the Women'' s Hospital^ at the cost of more than £2000, including £400 paid for 3190 square yards of land ; £150 for furni- ture, and about £350 for law expenses. This hospital is a neat building of two stories, and contains 12 bed-rooms, one common room, and a wash- house. It is intended for 12 almswomen, but hitherto the number is limited to seven. The Meri's Hospital is a stone building, and contains 14 rooms, but the inmates are only 11 in number. Both the men and the women have each a weekly stipend of 7s., and a yearly allowance for coals and clothing. Lord Rancliffe, as representative of the two families named in the donor's will, receives £20 a year from the Charity Estate^ which now yields about £390 per annum, and consists of 301a. 2r. 24p., the Rectory House of Barrow, and several cottages and other buildings. About 200 acres are in Barrow, and the rest at Quorndon, Charnwood Forest, and Mountsorrel. In addition to the estate, the charity possesses £1973 three per cent, reduced annuities, and £977. 1 7s. Hd. three per cent, consols ; the dividends of which swell the total yearly income of the charity to about £475. T.G. Babington, Esq., C.W. Packe, Esq., the Rev. J. Bab- ington, and others, are the trustees. Clarke's Charity. — In 1717, Joseph Clarke devised to the Trustees of Barrow Hospital, two closes at Burton-on-the- Wolds, and various lands and commonrights at Loughborough ; upon trust, to pay yearly 15s. to the vicar of Prestwould ; 15s. to a schoolmaster for teaching one or more boys of Prestwould and Burton; and £10 for apprenticing a poor boy, or reliev- ing poor members of certain families named in his will, alternately ; and to apply the surplus rents and profits in apprenticing one or more poor children yearly, to be selected one year from Grantham, the second year from Loughborough, and the third year from any parish within four or 2d 314? BARROW-UPON-SOAR. five miles from Loughboroagh, at the discretion of the trustees. Some of the families named by the testator having become extinct, and others being too wealthy to claim participation in the charity, a new scheme was sanctioned by the Court of Chancery, in 1825, for its future application. The charity estate now consists of 20a. 2r. at 'Burton, 20a. 39p. at Lough- borough, and 5a. in Charnwood Forest, let for £101. 7s. lOd. per annum; to which are added the dividends of £304. I7s. 9d. three per cent, consols. Out of this income about £54 is applied yearly in apprentice fees, and £20 is distributed among the poor descendants of Rebecca Bousett, and £10 among poor members of the Tether and Clarke families ; and 15s. is paid to the minister, and 30s. to the schoolmaster of Prestwould. Bishop Beveridge's Charity. — In 1706, the Kt. Rev, Wm, Beve^ ridge, D.D., Bishop of St. Asaph, who was born here in 1636, left to the Trustees of Barrow Hospital, an estate, then of the yearly value of £53, in trust to pay yearly £16 to the vicar of Barrow , for reading prayers, morn- ing and evening; 40s. to the clerk, for ringing the bell; and 40s. for dis- tribution among the poor housekeepers ; and to give the clear surplus rent to the curate of Mountsorr el, for reading prayers every morning and even- ing, and instructing the children of his chapelry once a week. By a con- tingent devise, an estate called the Hall Orchard, passed to the trustees^ about 1760, in trust, for augmenting the salaries of the vicar of Barrow and the curate of Mountsorrel. The trust estates now comprise 118a. 2r. 25p, of freehold land, let for about £200 per annum, of which, the curate of Mountsorrel receives about £150; the vicar of Barrow, about £36; the clerks of Barrow and Mountsorrel, each £2 ; and the poor of Barrow, £2^ The writings of Bishop Beveridge are numerous, and highly esteemed by the clergy. Barrow Town Lands, which have been vested, from an early period, for repairing the bridges, highways, wells, and causeways, were exchanged at the enclosure, and now eonsist of 30a. 39p., in Barrovf, and 2a. 3r. 17p., in Charnwood Forest, let at rents amounting to £36. 10s. per annum. In 1680, James Jackson left a yearly rent-charge of 24s., for schooling six poor children, and it is now paid by Mr. Stone, to a mistress, for teaching six children to read. The poor of Barrow have 20s. a year from Rawlin^s Charity; (see Woodhouse;) a bible yearly, from Hicklirig^s Charity ; (see p. 279;) and £20 a year, left by George Perkins, in 1799, and said to be charged on an estate here, now belonging to the Chapman family, and for- merly to the testator. . BARROW-UPON-SOAR UNION, formed by the New Poor Law Commissioners, is divided into two relieving, and four medical and regis- tration districts ; and comprises the following thirty parishes and toivji- ships, viz.— Barrow-upon-Soar, Quorndon, Walton-on-the-Wolds, and VVooodhouse, forming Barrow District ; Mountsorrel North and South Ends, Anstey, Cropston, Newtown-Linford, Rothley, Swithland, Thur- caston, and Ulverscroft, forming Mountsorrel District; Sileby, Cossington, South Croxton, Queniborough, Ratcliffe-on-the- Wreak, Rearsby, Seagrave, and Thrussington, forming Sileby District; and Syston, Barkby, Barkby- Thorpe, Beeby, Belgrave, Birstall, North and South Thurmaston, and Wanlip, forming Syston District. These 30 parishes, &c., had 19,695 in- habitants in 1841, and their total expenditure, in poor rates, in 1845, was £9470. Most of them were incorporated many years ago, for the support of their poor, under Gilbert's Act ; but, in 1837, the ^^ Barrow -upo?i- Soar l7icorporation'' was dissolved, and its Workhouse here was sold to the Guardians of the Union, for £1750, and was used by them till 1840, when the present more extensive and commodious Workhouse at Rothley was finished, at the cost of about £6500, with room for 300 inmates, though it has seldom more than 180. It is a plain substantial building, in the WEST GOSCOTE HUNDRED. 315 Elizabethan style, and has a neat Board Room, for the use of the 36 guar- dians, and a large Dining Hall, which is also used as a Chapel. Mr. Joshua and Mrs. Eliz. Derry are master and matron of the Workhouse^ and the Rev. Thos. Pruen, of Mountsorrel, is the chaplain. Mr. Thomas Fewkes, is union clerk and superintendent registrar^ and has his office at Barrow. The two relieving officers are, Mr. T. M. Padmore, of Mount- sorrel, for Barrow District ; and Mr. W. Bail, of Thurmaston, for Syston District. The surgeons are Messrs. Watson, Wood, Wright, and Dalley. The registrars of births and deaths are Mr. Shuttlewood, of Sileby, for Barrow District; Mr. Wright, of Mountsorrel, for Quorndon District ; Mr. Buttery, of Thurcaston, for Rothley District ; and Mr. C. W. Dalley, of Syston, for Syston District. In the following DIRECTORY OF BARROW-UPON-SOAR, those marked 1, reside in Bridge street; 2, at Bucknall Hill; 3, in Church street; 4, in Mill lane; 5, in North street ; and 6, in South street. 3 Bakewell Thos. watchmaker, &c 6 Bradshaw Ths. Mee Thomas, gardener 5 Priestley Mrs Elizabeth 5 Priestley John, saddler 5 Spittlehouse Samuel, hosiery mfr. Stone Thos. Farnham, sheep breeder 5 Sutton Wm. bricklayer 3 Swan Samuel, needle maker 3 Walpole Robert, stone mason 1 Walpole John, stone mason 6 Ward Thomas, coal merchant 1 Ward Wm. coal merchant 6 Ward Francis, hair dresser 5 Watson Wm. surgeon 6 Whitehead Wm. gentleman 1 Wilde James, policeman PUBLIC HOUSES. 6 Bishop Blaize, John Garton 5 Blacksmiths' Arms, Edward Voce 5 Fox, John Squires 6 King's Head, John Johnson 5 Ram, Jno, Bonser, (8f par. clerk) 5 Royal Oak, Samuel Barsby 4 Navigation Inn, Thomas Oliver 5 Three Crowns, Wm. Swain, (and grave-stone engraver) Academies. 3 Hubbard Eliz. 5 Free School, Rev Ts. Drake, M.A.& Joshua Jordon 6 Twells My. Ann Bakers, Sfc. 3 Bradshaw Eliz. 1 Beaumont Sar. 5 Pratt Wm. (and auctioneer) 5 Wale Samuel Chapman 5 Weston John Beer Houses. 1 Cooke Thomas, (hosier) 5 Hull Benjamin 3 Lovett Edward 3 Perkins John 5 Pratt Wm. 3 Richards Wm. 2 Shephard Thos. 5 Sibson Wm. 5 Simpkin Geo. Blacksmiths. 5 Holmes Wm. 6 Whyman Thos. 3 Whyman Wm. and Turlington Boot^^Shoe mkrs. 5 Bramley Wm. SBramley Geo. 5 Elliott Benj. 5 Elliott John 5 Hubbard John 5 Kinsman John 5 Monk John 3 Oswin Wm. 5 Simpkin John BUTCHERS. 3Briggs Wm. 6 Dakin Robert 5 Elliott Edward 5 Johnson John 5 Johnson Joseph 316 BARROW-UPON-SOAE. 5 Lockwood Jno. 5 Shap Thomas 3 Woodcock Hy. FARMERS. 6BradshawThos. iSzWm.foumers) 5 Bryan John and Wm. Cross George 3 Cross John Garner Thomas, Cream Lodge 5Hibbitt Edw. (8c lime burner) 6 Johnson John 3 Hogg Edward and Joseph 5 Le e Wm . (ownr) 5 Lockwood Ths. Lindsey George, White lees 5 Richardson Hy 3 Richards Wm. 3 Richards Sarah 6 Skertchley Sml. and Wm. 3 SquiresEdward 5 Stone Thos. F. (oumer) 5 Wright Richd. DRAPERS. 3 Black Maria 5 Morgan Edw. GROCERS, &C. 3Bakewell Thos. 6 Cragg Eliz. 5 Dalby Henry 3 Lovett Wm. & Edward 5 Mayes John 3 Pryer John 3 Richards Saml. 6 Skertchley Sml. and Wm. 1 Slater Philip JOINERS. 6 Black John 1 Drayton John Post Office atMr.T.Fewkes^ Letters despchd. at 7 evening. Railway. — Thomas Gibson, Station master. Trains 9 times a day. Carriers, to Leicester Sat. 8f Loughbro^ Thur^ 5 Dalby Henry 3 Musson Joseph 3 Pryer John MOUNTSORREL is a small market-town, picturesquely seated on the west side of the river Soar, at the foot of the lofty and abrupt ter- mination of a ridge of rocky hills, which extends westward through Charnwood Forest to Derbyshire. Its name is a corruption of Mount- Soar HilL It has a bridge of four arches across the river, and is on the high road from Leicester to Loughborough, 7 miles N. of the for- mer, 4 miles S.S.E. of the latter, and 1| mile S. of Barrow Railway Station. Its chapelry comprises about 680 acres of land, and 1536 inhabitants, and is divided into two townships^ viz., Mountsorrel North-End, which is in the parish of Barrow-upon-Soar, and has a population of 821 souls; and Mountsorrel South-End, which is in the parish and peculiar jurisdiction of Rothley, and has 715 inhabitants, for whom a small district church was built in 1844. J. G. D. B. Danvers, Esq., is lord of the manors and owner of most of the soil ; and the rest belongs to Thos. Castledine, Esq., and a few smaller owners. The market^ held on Monday, is well supplied with provisions ; and here is 2^ fair for pleasure, toys, &c., on the lOtli of July. On the Soar navigation is a commodious wharf and boat- builder's dock. The rocky hill immediately behind the town is crowned by a windmill, and rises abruptly with a variegated face of grass and rock to the height of about 100 feet; and its highest point, called Castle Hilly almost overhangs the town. It is composed of a reddish granite y or sienite^ consisting of a nearly equal mixture of red quartz, white felspar, and black shorl, and is the most compact of all the granites, none of the red Cornwall being superior to it in hardness. The almost intractable nature of this stone long kept it out of use for building purposes. It is now about sixty years since it was first applied, in rough squares, to the improved mode of street pavement, and for this purpose it has been found equal to the Scotch granite. Nothing can exceed its firmness and durability, when properly laid down. The cost of the material lies chiefly in the labour of detaching and working it ; but the waste is of nearly equal value with the stones, and was used in repairing the turnpike roads in the neighbourhood long before Mr. McAdam was known, and in exactly the same manner as in the system called " Mac-Adamizing," Great quantities are got, and sent to all parts of the kingdom, for mill-stones, curb-stones, MOUNTSORREL. 317 paving stones, &c. During the last twenty years, the uses of this almost indestructible stone have been much extended by the judgment, enterprise, and perseverance of Mr. Jackson^ who, having procured skilful workmen from Scotland, has rendered it available for architec- tural use and ornament, and when used in buildings, in rough squares, with dressings and quoins of smooth sand or freestone, it has a very pleasing effect, as may be seen in the new church recently erected here, and in many other buildings in the neighbourhood. The view from the summit of the quarry hill is one of the finest in the county, but there are no vestiges of the Castle which anciently stood upon it, and is said to have been built by Hugh, Earl of Chester, in 1174. This castle was soon afterwards given to the Earl of Leicester, on condition that the Earl of Chester's family should be friendly received at it when they thought proper to visit it. During the barons' wars, in 1215, (see Y^i^^Q 5^y) King John placed it under the government of Saer de Quency, who occupied it with a strong garrison, but soon took part with the barons, who had invited Prince Lewis of France to their as- sistance. His garrison committed many devastations in the neighbour- hood, and were several times besieged by the Royalists, but without success. The barons and their French auxiliaries being at length overthrown, the castle was seized and razed to the ground, in 1217, a« " a nest of the devil, and a den of thieves and robbers." In 1292, Ni- cholas Segrave was lord of the manor, and obtained a grant for a weekly market here, and a/aiV for eight days. The manor afterwards passed to the Mowbray, Berkeley, and other families ; and its common and open fields (300a.) were enclosed under an act passed in 1781, when it was held by Sir John Danvers, Bart., together with the rec- torial tithes^ which, as well as the vicarial tithes, in both townships, were then commuted. At the end of Barn lane, which separates the two parishes, formerly stood a curious Cross, which was taken down in 1793, and removed to his grounds at Swithland Hall, by Sir J. Dan- vers, who caused a small market-house to be erected on its site. The old Church, or chapel, in the township called Mouiitsorrel North-End, has a square tower and three bells, and the living is ?i perpetual curacy , valued in 1831 at £157 P^r annum, nearly all derived from Bishop Be- veridge's Charity estate, as noticed at page 314. The vicar of Barrow- upon-Soar is patron, and the Rev. Thos. Pruen, B.A., is the incum- bent. Mountsorrel South- End township, which is in Rothley parish, has recently been formed into a separate ecclesiastical district, by the Ecclesiastical Commissioners, in consequence of a small but handsome New Chui'ch and Parsonage House having been built in it, at the cost of about £5500, by Miss Brinton, of Berkshire, a lady who had no previous connexion with the place. She provided the Rev. John Ba- bington, of Cossington, with funds for this pious purpose ; and the church was erected in 1844. It is in the early English style, with a small spire, painted east window, and fine-toned organ. Both it and the parsonage are built of the Mountsorrel granite, taken from the hill on which they stand, and relieved by white sandstone quoins and dress- ings. Nearly seven acres of land are attached to the parsonage. The Rev. W. G. Pritchard, M.A., is the incumbent, and has in his cure about 750 souls, mostly stocking-weavers. In the town are four Dissenting Chapels, belonging to the Wesleyan, Primitive, and Asso- 2d2 318 MOUNTSORBEL, (WEST GOSCOTE HUND.) elation Methodists, and the General Baptists, That belonging to the latter sect is an old building, which was erected by Presbyterians, and was several times preached in by the celebrated Dr. Watts. Sun- day schools are connected with the places of worship. Here is a Free School y founded by Sir Joseph I>aiivers, in 1742, and endowed with a house, garden, and .£4 a-year, for the master, in consideration of which he teaches reading, writing, and arithmetic, to twelve poor boys appointed by the lord of the manor. MouNTSORREL CHARITIES : — In 1617, Richard Nedd left in trust to the Corporation of Leicester, £300 to be laid out in land, and the rents and profits thereof to be distributed yearly among the poor of Mountsorrel. The property purchased consists of a farm of 54a., at Bushby, let for £70 a-year, which is distributed in sums varying from Is. to 20s., among the most necessitous poor of the town, by the churchwardens. In 1665, Ralph Smalley charged the Great Eothesty Close, in Thornley, with the yeaiiy rent-charges of 408. for the poor, and £5 to the resident curate of Mount- sorrel, for preaching a sermon to the poor on St. Thomas's day. He also left another yearly rent-charge of 40s. for the poor, on Good-Friday, out of Langland's Close, in Donington. In 1680, Thomas Statham left £25 for the poor, and it was laid out, with £5. 10s. belonging to the chapelry, in the purcliase of land, now consisting of 3r,, let for £3, of which lOs. is paid for a sermon on Twelfth-day, and the remainder is distributed among the poor. The sum of £216, given by Thos. Jarrat and other donor s, for the curate, poor, highways, and bridges, was laid out in 1680, in the pur- chase of land, now consisting of 2a., in Charnwood Forest, and 21a. in Barrow, let for £44.T0s. per annum, which is disposed of as follows : £5 to the curate, who preaches a sermon the first Sunday after Martinmas; £2. 5s. for the repairs of the highways and bridges ; 12s. in bread, for poor widows, on the first Sunday in October; 20s. in bread, for the poor attend- ing the church on the first Sunday after Martinmas ; and £35. 13s. in a general distribution among the poor of both townships. In 1699, Eliz, Thornton bequeathed three houses here, and three roods and a sneath of land at Barrow, in trust, to lay out the rents, as far as necessary, in re- pairing the burial ground of the chapel here, now belonging to the General Baptists^ and to distribute the remainder among the poor of the congrega- tion. About 1770, the Baptists converted one of the houses into a meeting- house ; and the other property now belonging to the charity consists of a house, cottage, and land, let for £16 ayear. For a long period, the trustees of this have also been trustees of that branch of Bartholomew Hickling^s Charity y which was given for good and conscientious poor people, (see p. 279,) and from which they derive about £23. The proceeds of both cha- rities, after paying for the repairs of the burial ground, and 20s. for re- freshments, are distributed among poor deserving persons, chiefly members of the Baptist congregation; who have also £2. 10s. yearly from Raivlin^s charity y as noticed with Woodhouse. Mountsorrel has a bible yearly from Hickling's charity, (see p. 279,) and had anciently a number of small fee- farm rents, for the curate, poor, &c. ; but they have not been paid for a long series of years, and are therefore considered to be lost. In the following Directory of Mountsorrel, those marked * are in North endj and the others in South end Township. *Ackroyd Samuel, net maker Adderly Robert, gentleman Barrs Charles, gentleman. Green *Barrs Joseph, cooper Biddies Wm. gentleman, Green ^Bramley Wm. slate merchant Buckley George, portrait painter Buckley "Wm. K. house painter Burton Sarah, dressmaker Daft John, saddler, &c MOUNTSORBEL DIRECTORT. 319 •Ellis John, worsted spinner •Feirn Wm. druggist •Gill John, lockkeeper, &c •Glover Edw.& Saml. cattle dealers Herbert Samuel, framesmith •Jacques Robt. P. needle maker and bookseller •Kirk Zaccheus, coal and salt mer- chant, Wharf •Larrard Maria, coflfee house Padmore Thos. More, relvng. officer Page Richard, wheelwright •Palmer, Thorn as, carrier Pritchard Rev Wm. Gee, M.A. in- cumbent of South end Prior Samuel, chandler, and agent to the Sun Fire Office Pruen Rev Thos. B.A. incmbnt. of North end, , at the cost of £525, including other re- BIRSTALL, (WEST GOSCOTE HUND.) 32T pairs. Towards this expense, the late J. Mansfield gave £100, and ano- ther £100 was given by the late Miss Laurence, who bequeathed her lease of the rectory to Admiral Sir C. Ricketts, Bart. The curacy is consoli- dated with the vicarage of Belgrave. Land, now consisting of 3r. 12p. in Thurmaston, let for £2. 10s., was left by Wm. Laud^ in 1713, in trust to pay 5s. for a sermon on St. Thomas's day, and to distribute the rest of the rent among the poor. In 1763, John Bass devised his estate here to certain persons, subject to the privilege of several poor housekeepers being ^allowed to agist their cows for certain small rents, and to cut goss for fuel on the Nether pasture. The goss was all sold some years ago. Mr. While, the present owner of the Cottage Pasture, allows five poor women to agist each a cow upon it from May 12th to Nov. 26th, for one guinea each. In the following Directory, those marked * have their places of business in Leicester : — Bishop Edward, wheelwright I Smith Richard, blacksmith & vict. White Horse West John, butcher While Thomas, gentleman WoodcockJp]:. King, assist, overseer FARMERS AND GRAZIERS. Bishop Samuel || Fowler Richard Porter Thomas || Smith Samuel West John || Wallin Jph. butcher Post to Leicester daily Bishop George, vict. Plough Bradshaw Elizabeth, shoemaker and vict. Marquis of Anglesey •Brewin Robert, Esq. Birstall House Clark Henry, baker & corn miller ♦Cooper John, sewing cotton mfr •Crossley John Sidney, bookseller •Payne Benjamin, auctioneer Read Richard, wheelwright *Robinson Fdk. Scudamore, worsted spiimer ; house Birstall Lawn BELTON, a large and well-built village, ^ miles E.N.E. of Asliby- de-Ia-Zouch, and 6 miles W. of Loughborough, has in its parish about 2070a. of land, including an allotment of 164a. in Charnwood Forest, about 2 miles S. of the village. It had 718 inhabitants in 1841, in- cluding the extra-parochial liberty of Gracedieu^ (3000 a.,) which is united with it for the support of the poor, and includes Merrill Grange^ nearly half a mile N. of the village, as afterwards noticed with the Priory ruins, Mansion, and Catholic Chapel of Gracedieu, distant nearly 2 miles S. of the village, near Charnwood Forest Canal, which is now disused. Belton, spelt in old writings Beletone, was held under Hugh de Grantemaisnel, in 1086, when here was a mill, and a wood one mile long and half a mile broad. In 1243, Gracedieu Priory had a grant for a market and fair, at Belton, but the former has long been obsolete, though part of the village is still called the Market place, and has in its centre a May Pole, 26 yards high. The fair, held here on the Monday after Trinity Sunday, is the largest /a er/b?* horses in the county. Edw. Dawson, Esq., is now lord of the manor of Belton, which was purchased by his family in 1793, but part of the soil belongs to J. Shakespeare, Esq., and several smaller owners. The Church (St. John) is a handsome fabric, with a tower containing three bells, and surmounted by a lofty spire. The benefice is a discharged vicarage, valued in K.B. at £8. 18s. 4d., and, in 1831 , at ^204. The glebe is 80 A. in Belton, and 38 a. at Long Whatton. A new Vicarage House was built in 1841-2, at the cost of £1000. The Marquis of Hastings is patron, and the Rev. Robert Blunt, M.A., is the incumbent. The Baptists and fVesleyans have chapels and Sunday schools here. The National School was built in 1843. The Hallfariih (100a.,) mostly 328 WEST GOSCOTE HUNDRED. in Osgathorpe, is charged with the following yearly payments?, by the will of Margaret Mead, dated 17(>5, viz. : £10 for apprenticing a poor boy of Belton, Osgathorpe, and Thringstone, alternately; £5 for the poor of Osgathorpe ; and £ I for the minister af Osgathorpe. The Bar7i Closet 3a. 1r. 3p., let for £6. 10s., was left by fFm. Skaw, in 1704, to provide cloth coats for poor men of Belton, and eight are now given yearly. There has been vested in trust, from an early period, for repairing the bridges and highways of Belton, 4a. 1r. 37p. of land in this parish, and 2a. 3r. 5p. at Osgathorpe, now yielding abont £20 per annum. Two new bridges have been built from this fund during the last 30 years. The poor of Belton have a bible yearly, from Bar- tholomew Hickling's Charity. (See p. 279.) BELTON. Marked * are in Gracedieu, Blunt Rev Robert, M.A. vicar Clayton John, chandler Draper Wm. corn miller Farmer Wm. saddler Farmer Thomas, wheelwright Gibson John, tailor and parish clerk Irish Hannah, schoolmistress Hatton John, plumber and glazier Moore Thomas, vict. Queen's Head Moore Wm. butcher and beerhouse Onions John, rat catcher *Phillipps Ambrose Lisle,Esq.Grace- dieu Manor House Shaw Wm. joiner Toone Ann, vict. George Toone Wm. maltster Upton Thomas y wheelwright Blacksmiths. Farmer Samuel Henson Richard Boot&^Shoe mkrs. Haywood Joseph Hickling Wm. Room James Undervf ood Wm. Wallis Abraham FARMERS And Graziers, •Bradley Samuel Dalby Wm. Goodall Michael Green George *HusbandsMary *Husbands Jaq, •Jesson Thomas Jones Paul *Peat Joseph Poyser Wm. Skermer John Skermer Jno. jun*. Sutton George Toone Wm. Grocers. Cartwright Jph- and baker Cuffling John, and draper HoUoway Benj. BREEDON-ON-THE-HILL is a village with 766 inhabitants, pleasantly situated near the borders of Derbyshire, on the road from Ashby-de-la-Zouch to Castle Donington, 5f miles N.E. by N. of the former, and 4 miles S.W.-of the latter. Its township comprises also the hamlet of TONGE, half a mile east, and the hamlet of WILSON, about a mile north of the village. Tonge has 150, and Wilson 177 souls, so that the total population of Breedon township is 1093, and it comprises altogether about 3010 acres of land. Its parish includes also Staunton Harold township and Worthington chapelry,and belongs to Shardlow Union, which is mostly in Derbyshire. The total popu- lation of the parish is 2625, and its area is about 6400 acres. (See p. 271.) Breedon village stands on the declivity oi ?i limestone rock^ half a mile long and 1 50 feet high, on the summit of which is the church, which is a conspicuous object for many miles round. About a mile distant is Cloud Hill, another limestone rock, remarkable for the high inclination of the strata ; indeed, the two rocks appear to have been disjoined by some convulsion. At the foot of each are kilns, for burn- ing the stone, which is of a ferruginous colour; but when burnt, is a dark grey. It is used both for building and agricultural purposes, and is a magnesian limestone, having a few fossils, bearing the appearance of having been subjected to fusion, as is seen in the form of the druses, and distortion of the madrepores. The Earl of Stamford and War- rington is lord of the manor; but part of the soil belongs to J. and N. BREEDON-ON-THE-HILL. 329 Curzon, Esqrs., and several smaller owners; and 132a. to Rustat's Charity. Part of Tonge (350a.) belongs to Mr. Cowlishavv, and part of fVilson hamlet (500a.) belongs to the Briggs and other families. Breedon Priory was founded by Robert de Ferrars, Earl of Not- tingham and Derby, in 1144, as a cell to Nostel Priory, in Yorkshire, for a prior and five canons of the order of St. Augustine. It was valued, at the dissolution, at ^25. 8s. Id., and granted to Sir Thomas Heneage and Lord Willoughby. The Church (St. Mary and St. Hardulph) was attached to the priory, of which no remains are now extant. The impropriate and vicarial tithes of the parish were com- muted at the enclosures, in 1759 and 1802. The living is a discharged vicaragey valued in K.B. at £Q. 2s. 8d., and, in 1831, at £205. The Earl of Stamford and Warrington is impropriator and patron, and the Rev. Robt. Martin, M.A. of Anstey Pastures, is the incumbent. The glebe consists of 5a. at Worthington, and 24a. at Houghton-on-the- Hill, mostly purchased with £1600, obtained for the augmentation of the vicarage, from 1747 to 1821, in lots of Queen Anne's Bounty and Parliamentary Grants. The Wesleyans have a chapel here, built about 40 years ago. The Fi'ee School, consisting of two rooms, for boys and girls, was built by the Earl of Stamford and Warrington, in 1833, and has an endowment for the instruction of poor boys and girls, left by Elizabeth Commins, in 1738, and now consisting of 18a. of land and a house, at Merry-Lees, let for £22\ an allotment in Charn- wood Forest, let for £1. 5s.; and £17. iOs. ayear from £550, Old South Sea Annuities. To this endowment of £40. 15s. per annum, is added £10, raised by subscription. The master has a yearly salary of £30, and the mistress £15; and the former has generally about 45, and the latter 25 free scholars. For apprenticing a poor boy of Bree- don, -S'«r«A TFard,m 1656, left a yearly rent charge of £4 out of a house in Great St. Helen's, London. The poor have the following yearly doles, viz.: 10s., as interest of £10, left by George Brookes, in 1790; 6s. 8d. out of a farm, left by John Sherrard,m 1667; and about £7 from 4a. of land at Desford, and £69 in money, derived from several consolidated charities. The poor of fVilson hamlet have a yearly rent charge of 10s., left by Maria Ironmonger, in 1786; and £3. 15s. lOd., from £108. 8s. 5d. Three per cent. Consols, purchased with £100 left by fFm. Brookes, in 1814. Rustat's Charity, for the Aifgrnentation of Poor Yicarages, was founded by Tobias Rustat, of London, in 1688, and now consists of 132a. Or. 35p. of land, at Breedon, with a farm house, &c., let for £179 ; a yearly tithe rent of £16. 7s. 8|d., paid by the lord of the manor and other freeholders ; and the dividends of £1633. 6s. 8d., three per cent, consols. The total annual income is £244. 8s., which is dispensed as follows : — £90 to the vicar of Breedon, £20 to the vicar of St. Mary's, Leicester, £10 each to the eleven incumbents of Frisby-on-the-Wreake, Sileby, Belton, All Saints and St. Nicholas's, in Leicester, Great Glenn, Syston, Cosby, Great Peatling, Lowesby, and Belgrave; £10 to the treasurer, for his trouble ; and £8. 10s. 4d. for the chief rent. The Earl of Stamford, G. A. L Keck, Esq., and others, are the trustees. BREEDON. Those marked * are in Wilson hamlet, and f in Tonge. Allett Thomas, tailor Asher John, butcher Baker Joseph, schoolmaster Bancroft Wm. blacksmith Beighton Joseph, blacksmith 2 e2 330 BBEEDON-ON-THE-HILL PARISH. Black Samuel, wheelwright fClose Rev. Henry Charles, curate *Cooper Frederick, wheelwright Curzon Nathaniel, Esq. fDexter John, shopkeeper Duni cliff Thomas, shopkeeper Foster Joseph, tailor Ingram Joseph, shopkeeper Hanson Francis, coal dealer Lomas Wm. surgeon ♦Nicklinson Wm. shopkeeper Roulston John, baker fStowe George, cart owner PUBLIC HOUSES. *Fox and Hounds, Saml. Ibbison Holly Bush, James Kensey Lime-Kiln, Thomas Ratcliflfe fRed Lion, Jerome Lewis Three Horse Shoes, Wm. Bancroft BootSfShoemkrs. Bailey Samuel Boultbee Charles Bradley John •Hardy Joseph FARMERS. Bancroft Wm. •Brooks John Blunt Wm. Bostock Joseph, (& lime burner) Bostock John Burton James Charlton Geo. fCowlishawS.D, *Hackett Ann Hutchinson Ale. Joyce John Hall fKensey Mary fMugglestonJph *Nicklinson Wm fPreston John *Soar Thomas * Sutton Joseph fThompson Rd. ♦Wills Samuel Staunton Harold, a small village, in Breedon Parish, near the Derbyshire border, and 3t miles N.N.E. of Ashby-de-la-Zouch, has in its township 1821a. 3r. 6p. of land, and 389 inhabitants, including the hamlet of Lount, which has a wood of 140 acres, and a colliery, with a seam of coal four feet thick. Staunton contains limestone, iron- stone, coal, and some veins of lead ore, and has a railway connecting it with Ashby and the Leicester and Swannington lines ; the latter of which also communicates with the neighbouring lime works of Tick- nail, in Derbyvshire. By marriage with Margaret Staunton, in 1423, the manor passed to Ralph Shirley, and it is now the property of the Et. Hon. fFashington Seivallis Shirley y Eakl Ferrers and Vis- count Tamvvorth, who resides occasionally at Chartley Castle, Staf- fordshire, but generally at Staunton Harold Hall, a large and handsome mansion of brick and stone, built and designed by the fifth Earl about 1770> and situated in 2k park of about 150 acres, in a beau- tiful valley called Rekdale, with a fine hanging wood at the back, and contrasted in the distance by a wild heath, and a variety of pleasing scenery. The south-east front is in the style of Palladio, with a hand- some pediment, surmounted by three stone figures, and supported by Ionic pillars, which are upheld by Doric columns. The south-west front is very extensive, and its centre is surmounted by the statue of a large lion. On the south-east is the library front, originally designed by Inigo Jones, and containing some very rare and valuable books. The house is enriched by a very large collection of paintings, by the most eminent masters, among whom are Corregio, Sir Peter Lely, Vander Vaart, Raphael, M. Angelo, Carravagio, Berghem, Vandyck, Rubens, &c. The park is stocked with deer, and was formerly very extensive. The lake is a fine sheet of water, covering from 20 to 30 acres, and at the lower end it is crossed by a handsome bridge. 0n the verge of the lake is a beautiful Gothic Chapel, with a well-propor- tioned tower, containing eight bells, built in 1653 by the celebrated Sir Robert Shirley, " who did the best of things in the worst of times, and hoped them in the most calamitous." In the chapel are several mar- ble monuments of the Shirley family, and in the gallery is an organ built by Father Schmidt. The chancel is paved with marble ; the communion plate is of the most costly description, and the funiiture is purple velvet, enriched with gold lace and embroidery. The bene- WEST GOSOOTE HUNDRED. 331 fice is a donative^ in the gift of Earl Ferrers, and incumhei^cy of the Rev. Henry Cottingham, M.A. The other principal inhabitants are James Edwards, vict., Paul Pry ; Thomas Mason, vict, Horse and Groom, Lount ; Eliz. Palmer, vict.. Elm Tree, Heath-end ; John Wilson, earthenware mannufacturer, Louut ; and Daniel Earp, Eras. Henson, (Lodge J \Vm. Morley, (and shopkpr.,) and Wm. Matthews, farmers. The two last are in Lount, WoRTHiNGTON, in the parish of Breedou on the Hill, is a village of 802 inhabitants, with a colliery railway connected with the Ashby and the Leicester and Swannington lines. It is distant nearly 5 miles N.E. of Ashby-de-la-Zouch, and its township and chapelry comprises also the small hamlet of Gbiffydam, and Newbold Liberty, which have 341 souls, and are situated about 1 \ mile S. of the village, and 3i miles E.N.E. of Ashby. The whole chapelry has about 1600 acres, and 1143 souls. There is a chalybeate spring at Griffydam. Neivhold contains about 500 acres, and has a colliery. It belongs to E^rl Fer- rers and Sir G. H. Beaumont, Bart. Griffydam (about 200a.) be- longs to the Earl of Stamford and J. Curzon, Esq. Earl Ferrers is lord of the mariorj and owner of a great part of Pf'orthinyton, and the rest belongs to J. Curzon, Esq., W. A. Pochin, Esq., E. Dawson, Esq., Mr. J. Bulstrode, and a few smaller owners. The chapelry was enclosed in 1802, when the tithes were commuted. The Church is an old structure of brick and stone, with two bells, but no tower. The living is a pei'petual curacy^ valued in 1831 at £100, and augmented from 1747 to 1812 with £1600 in lots of Queen Anne's Bounty and Parliamentary Grants. Lord Scarsdale is patron, and the Rev. .Tames Deane, M.A., is the incumbent, for whom the Rev. H. C. Close, of Breedon, officiates. Here is a small Wesleyan Chapel^ built in 1820. Henry Pilkington, in 1698, charged a farm of 150a., now belonging to Mr. Bulstrode, with the weekly distribution of six penny loaves among the poor. As noticed with Coleorton, this chapelry is one of the four places entitled to have a poor boy apprenticed from Lady Beau- mont'' s Charity. In the following Directory, those marked * are in JSewbold Liberty, Bacon Hannah, beerhouse •Benson James, vict. Cross Keys Bulstrode John, gentleman May John, wheelwright Mee Joseph, vict. Old Swan Nicholson John, vict. Waggon and Horses, Griffydam Richards John, vict. Malt Shovel Taylor Ralph, tailor Walker James, vict. Engine •Walker Wm. & Son, colliery owners Blacksmiths, I Shaw Thomas Bailey George | BootSfShoe mkrs. Mansfield Thos. May George FARMERS. Cooke Joseph ♦Deakin Wm. Gilbert James Farmer John Husband James •Knight James •Knight Wm. Newman Ann Ratcliff Thomas Shakespeare Jbz. Walker James Joiners., Sfc. Crabtree John Fletcher James Fletcher Joseph Fletcher John Shopkeepers. Armson White May George Morley Wm. WilliamsonHan. BRADGATE PARK, at the south-eastern angle of Charnwood Forest, near Newtown Linford, and 5 miles N.W. of Leicester, is an ecctra -parochial liberty, comprising about 1,230 acres of land, the Park-keeper's House (Henry Adams,) the ruins of the Hall, and the disused domestic chape/. It is the property of the Earl of Stamford 332 BEADGATE PARK. and Warrington, and about 780 are within the Park, which is nearly seven miles in circuit. It was formerly a seat of the Lords Grey, of Groby, " and had there been no scenes of a higher and more national importance to have endeared it to posterity, it would still have formed an interesting feature in the county, from its wild and romantic situa- tion," combining the variety of the rocky and mountainous scenery of Charnwood on one side, and a rich and fertile vale on the other. The extensive Park is surrounded and intersected by walls formed of the forest stone, which is chiefly a sienite, or trap rock, consisting of horn- blende, with red and green felspar, abruptly jutting in different parts above the surface of the ground, which is covered with fern and heath ; and there is a general appearance of wildness and desolation, which a few scattered oaks, in the last stage of decay, tend greatly to augment, when contrasted with the fertility of the adjacent country. It is well stocked with deer^ and has an extensive rabbit warren^ which furnishes a valuable supply to Leicester and other places during the season. A small stream, plentifully supplied with trout^ enters the Park at New- town Linford, and working its way amid the rocks and wood, with which this part of the Park abounds, adds materially to the romantic beauty of its scenery. The ruins^ which are small, and chiefly com- posed of brick, exhibit no signs of architectural grandeur ; the house having been a large but low building, in the form of a square, and turretted at each corner. It was built in the early part of the 16th century, by Thomas Lord Grey, second Marquis of Dorset, and was occupied by his descendants, as their chief seat, until the beginning of last century, when, according to a tradition in the neighbourhood, it was set on fire by the wife of the Earl of Suffolk, at the instigation of her sister. The story is thus told by Throsby : — " Some time after the Earl had married, he brought his lady to his seat at Bradgate ; her sister wrote to her, desiring to know 'how she liked her habitation?' The Countess of Suffolk wrote for answer, ' that the house was toler- able; that the country was a forest ; and the inhabitants all brutes.' The sister, in consequence, by letter, desired her ' to set fire to the house, and run away by the light of it.' " The ruins at present consist chiefly of two towers, one square, and the other an irregular polygon, connected by a low wall, also in ruins. On the north side was the great hall, the remains of which are now luxuriantly mantled with ivy. The foundations of the buildings on the east are still visible, and at the south-east corner are the remains of an octagonal tower. To the west of this is the chapeU in which are entombed several ancestors of the House of Groby. The monument erected to Lord Henry Grey and his lady, is in fine preservation. Beneath an arch are their recumbent effigies, and the front and summit of the monument are decorated with armorial bearings. Part of the garden walls are also remaining, and the site of the pleasure grounds, surrounded by a ;-aised terrace, now covered with turf, is still traceable on the east side of the ruins. On the north-east side of the house is a fish-pond and moat. '' A foliage of wild elder and ivy, which grows in profusion on the walls, add greatly to the beauty of the ruins; and the approach through an avenue of old and luxuriant chesnut trees, with the stream rippling at the foot of the ruined building, presents an appearance at once roman- tic and pleasing." This romantic retreat is often visited by pleasure WEST GOSCOTR HUNDRED. 333 parties from Leicester and other places, and is open to the public on iMondays and Fridays. There is a rock in the Park, called Old John^ upon which a tower was built about sixty years ago, and its summit commands extensive views of the surrounding country. Bradgate was imparked soon after the Conquest, and was held in 1247 by Roger de Quincy, Earl of Winton, who gave permission to Baron Dudley to chace in his Forest, at any hour, with nine bows and six hounds, and to follow the wild beasts into the Park. As parcel of Groby, it passed about 1283 to William Ferrers ; and on the death of the last Lord Ferrers, of Groby, it passed to Sir Edward Grey, from whose family the present noble owner is a descendant. The celebrated and unfortu- nate Ladv Jane Grky was born at Bradgate, and spent here the earliest and happiest of her years. She was the daughter of Henry Grey, Marquis of Dorset and Duke of Suffolk, who married the grand- daughter of Mary, sister of Henry VI H. She was the issue of this marriage; and after the death of Edward VL, who had been induced to bequeath his Crown to her, chiefly through the instrumentality of her husband, Lord Guilford Dudley, and his father, the Duke of Northumberland, she was proclaimed Queen of England. The tragi- cal issue of this scheme, in the death of the unfortunate Lady Jane Grey on the scaffold, and also of the ambitious Duke of Northumber- land, and some others, who had led her to this unmerited fate, is well known to all conversant with English history. (See Groby.) CHARLEY, 8 miles E. of Ashby-de-la-Zouch, and 5 miles W.S. W. of Loughborough, is an eootrn-pnrochial lordship, in the heart of Charnwood Forest, comprising 465 acres of land, and 53 inhabitants ; but it supports its poor as a township in Loughborough Union. It lies chiefly in the romantic valley of the rivulet which runs through the Forest, and it is the sole property of Wm. Bosworth, Esq., who resides at the Hall, a plain brick building, with pleasant grounds. In the outer walls of this house are some remains of Charley Priory, which was founded in the reign of Henry IL, by Robert Blanchmains, Earl of Leicester, for Friars, Ermites of the Order of St. Augustine. It was united to Ulverscroft Priory, in 1465. At the dissolution, it was leased to Wm. Standish, and the manor afterwards passed through various families to the Vickars, and from them, by marriage, to the Bosworths. The four farms are occupied by Messrs. Geo. Dexter, John March, Edward Gaunt, and Francis Orgill. A cottage, given by Mr. Bosworth, in 1831, has been converted into a Wesleyan chapel. CHARNWOOD FOREST, sometimes called Charley Forest, com- prises about 18,000 acres of West Goseote Hundred, lying between Lei- cester, Loughborough, and Ashby-de-la-Zouch, and extending to within four or five miles of each of those towns. It was enclosed under an Act of Parliament obtained in 1808, and allotted to the surrounding parishes ; but the award was not signed till 1829. Before its enclosure, its general appearance was that of rugged wildness, especially on the western side, near Whitivick, as noticed with that parish at a subsequent page, where it will be seen that an Abbey, occupied by Cistercian monks, has recently been built on the south side of the immense rock called Mount St. Bernard. The higher and sounder land was principally covered with fern and gorse, and the lower and wet flat lands produced a kind of stunted black heath. It was chiefly stocked with a small breed of sheep, called forest sheep, • (now nearly extinct in the neighbourhood ;) but some neat cattle, young 334 CHARNWOOD FOREST. horses, and a few mules, were also reared upon it, by the farmers and cot- tagers of the adjacent parishes, some of whom paid a trifling acknowledg- ment to the lord of the manor. The chief claimants were the neighbouring freeholders ; and at the enclosure, amongst the principal purchasers were John Pares, Thos. Gisborne, "Wm. Fenton, Thos. Babington, and James Heygate, Esqrs., who erected many commodious farm-houses on their re- spective estates. Their purchases consisted chiefly of the allotments awarded to the smaller freeholders. Chas. M. Phillipps, Esq., of Garendon Park, on the north side of the Forest, was one of the principal claimants, and has now some well-cultivated farms here. The land was sold at prices varying from £8 to £50 per acre. From the immense quantity of stone thrown up in cultivating the land, the fences are in many parts composed of it, and great quantities were also used in forming drains and roads. In those parts where stone was not so abundant, the fences are almost en- tirely of white thorn. The expense of cultivating was enormous ; in some parts considerably more than the original cost of the land. The soil on the western side is mostly a poor, weak, black peat, capable of growing little else than oats, though wheat is occasionally cultivated in small quantities. On the eastern side it is various, some marl, and some a mixture of sand and marl, but the greater part is a friable red soil, producing all kinds of grain. The expense of the enclosure, making roads, in hen of tithes. C. M. Phil- lipps, Esq., is patron, and the Rev. E. T. M. Phillipps, who has a good residence here, is the incumbent. In the village is an ancient Ci^oss, and two chapels belonging to the Wesleyans and the General Baptists. The lord of the manor allows £10 a year to the master of the Free School^ who has also £5 a year for teaching 1 poor boys, from a Cha- rity Estate^ which has been vested from an early period, " for the profit and good of the parishioners." This estate now consists of five cot- tages and gardens, and 20a. 1 r. 19p. of land, in Hathern, and a small allotment in Charnwood Forest, the whole producing a yearly income of £55, which is disposed of as follows : — £5 to the schoolmaster; £6 in apprenticing poor boys; £1 for a dinner to the tenants; and the remainder, after paying for repairs, &c., is distributed among the poor parishioners, in calico, or sometimes partly in coals and flour, by the \2 trustees. The poor have also the following yearly doles, viz.: — a rent-charge of 26s. Sd.^ left by Ralph Pratt, in 1607, out of land at Bermondsey ; 24s., left by the Rev. Thos. Allsop, out of a farm near Uttoxeter ; and 16s. 6d., as interest of £25, given by Richard Jllsop and a Mr. Beiiskins, Hathern is one of the parishes entitled to a bible yearly, from Hickling's charity. (See page 279.) Attenborough James, schoolmaster Boss William, maltster and vict. Anchor Inn Bradewick Ann, beerhouse Chambers Robert, gardener Cooper John, cornfactor, Zouch Bdg Cord well Joseph, hosiery manfactr Cordwell John, hosiery manufactr Cubley Mrs Mary || Dean Mr Edw. Foster John, gentleman Hanford John, agrltl. implemt. mkr Kirk Joseph, vict. Turn Inn Marshall George, coal dealer and vict. Bull's Head, Zouch Bridge Pagets and White, worsted spinners ut the south part of the parish, lying within the bounds of Charnwood Forest, was not enclosed till after 1808, as noticed at page 333. The disused 358 SHEEPSHEAD, (WEST GOSCOTE HUNDRED.) forest canal crosses this parish, within a mile south of the village. The Church (St. Botolph) is an ancient Gothic structure, with a tower con- taining six hells, and crowned by a spire. The interior was renovated, and new galleries erected in 1844, at the cost of about .£1000, by which alteration 186 additional sittings were obtained, and 124 are free, in consideration of a grant from the Incorporated Society. The church has now sittings for upwards of 600 hearers, and 258 are free. C. M. Phillipps, Esq., as impropriator and pair on ^ is about to repair the chancel, which contains several monuments in memory of his ancestors. The living is a discharged vicarage, valued in K.B. at j£8. 10s. lOd., and in 1831, at jG354, and now enjoyed by the Rev. J. H. Hamilton, who has 180a. of glebe here, and 50a. at Melton Mowbray. In 1718, it was augmented with £200 of Q.A.B., and X200 given by John Alt and others. The tithes were commuted at the enclosures. Here is a Catholic Chapel, built in 1842, and four Dissenting Chapels, belonging to the General and Particular Baptists, the Wesleyans, and the Inde- pendents. Sunday schools are attached to all the places of worship ; and here is a large National School, built in 1836, and now attended by about 140 boys and 123 girls and infants, on week days ; but more than 600 children attend on Sundays. In 1472, John Lambert con- veyed to trustees, for good and charitables uses, three tenements in Sheepshead, to which allotments were made at the enclosure of Cham- wood Forest. This charity estate, which has been conveyed to new trustees from time to time, now consists of the Old George and Red Lion PubHc-houses, seven cottages, and 2a. 13p. of land, let at rents amounting to .£60. 17S'> which is applied partly in aid of the National School, and partly in apprenticing four boys. In 1676, Thos. Palmer gave, for the poor of Sheepshead, a yearly rent charge of £2, and they are entitled to a bible yearly from Bartholomew Hickling's Charity. (See p. 279.) In the following Directory of Sheepshead, those marked \ are in Belton street ; 2, Britannia street ; 3, Churchgate ; 4, Church street ; 5, Croft street ; 6, at Fenney hill ; 7, in Field street ; 8, Forest street; 9, Hallcroft street; 10, Lant street; II, Market place; 12, Moorfield ; 1^, Navigation street : 14, Queen street; 15, Suli?igton road; and * in Charnwood Forest. 15 Beadmore John, earthenware dlr 8 Bennett Georeg, bricklayer 8 Bennett Thomas, bricklayer 14 Beer Edward, builder and grave- *5tone cutter 14 Beer Mr JohnlJlS Beer Mr Wm. 8 Blood Daniel, carter 8 Blunt Mrs H 13 Buck Mrs Ann 11 Bramley Mr Charles Norman 6 Bramley John, com miller Bramley Mr George Norman Bramley Mr Wm. jun. Farfield *Bramley Wm. Norman, maltster, Fenney Spring Lodge 7 Cashmore Luke, needle maker 8 Chattaway Joseph, surgeon 13 Churchill Mrs Elizabeth 13 Coddington Thomas, needle mkr 13 Coaies Henry, stone mason 13 Cotton Wm. hosiery manfr 6 Crofts Thomas, gardener 13 Dexter Thomas, watchmaker 8 Draper James, baker 7 Gibson Wm. hosiery manfr 8 Hammond (John) and Cotton, (Wm.) hosiery manufacturers 3 Hamilton Rev. John Harrison, vicar 14 Hudson Josiah, glove manfr 8 Jacques Mr John||15 Mr Joseph 8 Jacques Wm.& Sons, hosiery mfrs 8 Kirk John •GlennParva t.3 Bittesuell parish. •Blaby parish . . •Countesthrp clip. BroughtonAst-^ ley parish . . / Primethorpe tp > Sutton-in-the- V Elms twp. . . J Bruntingthorp p. Catthorpe parish, Claybrooke (part of) parish. Bittesby lib.." Claybrooke Gt township .. ClaybrookeLtl township .. Ullesthorpe^tp WigstonPrv.c •Cosby parish 1 •Littlethorpe^> hamlet .... 3 Cottesbach parish Dunton Basset p. *Foston parish . . Fro wles worth par| 1510 1720 1260 2650 2630 1380 1920 1930 1320 520 4370 2550 1230 1860 840 1961 306 286 28 Aunl. Value £. 2264 2800 1900 3000 1380 2975 2430 2000 PARISHES, hamlet.. .. 3 AValton (part } of) hamlet.. S Knaptoft (part > of) parish . . ^ Shearsby chap... Walton(part)ham •Knighton chap.i Leire parish . . . JLuttervvorth par iMisterton par. ^ iPoultney ham. > jWalcoteham.. J '•Oadby parish . . Peatling Magna p Peatling Parva p. Shawell parish . . Swinford parish . . Westrill&Star- '( more ex. par. < •Whetstone par!! •WigstonMag. p Willoughby \ Waterless p. < Total ... 3760 6000 • Those marked thus * are in Blaby Union, and all the others are in Lut- terworth Union, except Westrill and Starmore, which, being extra-paro- chial, is not attached to any Union. The Lutterworth return included 105 per- sons in the Union Workhouse. t Knighton is a chapelry, in the parish of St. Margaret, Leicester. Southjields Liberty, in St. Mary's parish, Leicester ; and Castle View Liberty, are now in the Borough of Leicester, btit were formerly returned as part of this Hundred. ^ Ajlestone parish is partly in Sparkenhoe Hundred. Claybrooke parish in- cludes also JVibtoft, in Warwickshire. Littlethorpe hamlet has 334 souls, of ■whom 100 are in Narborough parish. Walt.on hamlet is in Kimcote and Knap- toft parishes, and its area is returned with the latter. Knaptoft parish is partly in Gartree Hundred. Wigston Magna included 1^ persons in a Lunatic Asylum. Guthlaxton is the central of the three Hundreds forming the South- ern Division of Leicestershire^ and forms the Deanery of Guthlaucion^ in the Archdeaconry of Leicester. It is comprisd in Lutterworth and Blaby Unions^ and contains about 22,000 souls, and 64,000 acres of 373 GUTHLAXTON HUNDRED. land, forming a fertile district of a wedge-like figure, with its narrow point running up to Leicester, from which it extends about 17 miles south; but it is only eleven miles across, in its broadest part, where it is crossed by a range of bold hills, near Peatling Parva, Gilmorton, Ashby Magna and Parva, and Over Claybrook. It is bounded on the south by Northamptonshire ; on the south-west, by Warwickshire ; on the north-west, by Sparkenhoe Hundred ; on the east, by Gartree Hundred; and its northern point joins the boundary of the Borough of Leicester. It is watered by many rivulets^ most of which have their sources within its limits, and flow northward to the Soar, on its west- ern boundary, or southward to the Avon, which divides it from North- amptonshire. The Union Canal crosses it near Blaby, within four miles of Leicester; and i\\Q Midland Counties Railway ir as erses its western side, and has stations near Ullesthorpe, Broughton, and Wig- ston Magna. It contains many large and pleasant villages, but its only market town is Lutterworth^ within five miles of its southern ex- tremity. That great Roman road, IFalling street, divides it from Warwickshire ; and near its western boundary is the Fosse-way. The Romans had a station at High Cross, near the point where these roads intersect each other, and they had another at Dowbridge, on the Avon, near Catthorpe. Guthlaxton Hundred was formerly included with that of Sparkenhoe, from which it was separated in the reign of Ed- ward III. Nichols supposes that it had its name from Saiiit Guthlac, a celebrated anchorite of Croyland Abbey, Lincolnshire. The Hun- dred Court is now held at Kilby, by the steward of Earl Somers. Messrs. James King and Thos. Cave are the Chief Constables ; and Mr. Joseph Dent, of Leicester, is bailiff, or sheriff's officer. Petty Sessions are held at Leicester and Lutterworth ; and the whole Hun- dred is within the limits of the Court of Requests, held at Leicester, as noticed at pages 71 and 72. ARNESBY, or Arnsby, a pleasant and well-built village, on an eminence, 8 miles S. by E. of Leicester, and 7! miles N.E. of Lutter- worth, has in its parish 1366 acres of enclosed land, and 505 inhabi- tants, many of whom are framework knitters. The soil is chiefly a strong fertile clay. The manor has been held by the Dispencer, Peverill, Beaumont, Saltmarsh, and other families ; and in 1292, Hugh le Despencer had a market and fair here. The manorial rights are now held jointly by Mr. John Tebbs and Miss A. M. Clark; but a great part of the soil belongs to J. S, Sherwin, Esq., Mr. J. Howcutt, and several smaller owners, some of whom occupy their own land. The parish feast is on the first Sunday in July. The Church (St. Peter) is an ancient structure, with an embattled tower, in which is a very old clock, the face of which is 12 feet in diameter. It was enlarged, and a new gallery erected, in 1829, when 72 additional sittings were ob- tained, and declared to be free, in consideration of a grant from the Incorporated Society. Over the chancel window is a small figure of St. Peter. The parish chCst is very ancient, and is braced with strong iron hoops. The living is a discharged vicarage, valued in K.B. at ^5. 16s. 8d., and in 1831 , at £125. It was augmented, in 1809, with £200 of Q.A.B., and has 25 acres of old glebe, and 44a., allotted in lieu of tithes, at the enclosure, in 1794, when the rectorial tithes were ARNESBY PARISH. 373 also commuted for land. The Vicarage House is divided into tenements. J. S. Sherwin, Esq., is impropriator and patron, and the Rev. George Mettam, M.A., of Barwell, is the incumbent. Here is a commodious Particular Baptist Chapely which was built about 17^9 ; but its con- gregation date their origin from 17^2, and their original chapel is now a stable, and was, for 37 years, under the ministry of the Rev. Roht. Hall, who died in 1791, and whose son, of the same name, was born here in 176-i, and died at Bristol in 1831. The latter was one of the most eloquent preachers of the present century, and his sermons and other writings, published in six volumes, are in great estimation. He was for some years minister at Leicester, and removed thence to Bristol. His father was author of a small work, called " Help to Zion's Tra- vellers." The chapel is endowed with 15 a. of land, left by Mr. Benj. Winkle, and has a house for the minister. Sunday Schools are at- tached both to the church and chapel ; and here are iwoBenefit Societies, which meet at the Old Cock and Blue Bell. In 1668, John Losehy left jC60 for 24 of the poorest parishioners ; .£10 for the poor, at the dis- cretion of the trustees ; and £20 for repairing the church, highways, and town wells. These sums were laid out in land, now consisting of 5a. 22p. in this parish, and 11a. 1r. 25p. in Gilmorton. The latter is let for £33, and the former is let to the poor in garden plots, at rents amounting to £17- 13s. a year. The total net rents are applied as follows : — Two-ninths to the repairs of the church, town wells, &c., and seven-ninths in the distribution of sums varying from 2s. to 18s. among the poor, on St. Thomas's day. The interest of £30, left by Mary Tebbs, in 1817, and Eliz. Wyait, in 1806, is applied towards the sup- port of the Sunday school. Adams Miss Catherine Berridge Joseph, thrashing machine, "^ iieu of tithes. Here are small chapels belonging to the Independents and Particular Baptists, the latter built in 1836. Sunday schools are 392 GILMORTON PARISH. attached to the church and chapels. About 14 acres are let to the poor in small allotments. There are Sick Clubs at the Talbot, the Old Red Lion, and the School House. The parish feast is on the first Sunday in November. The Free Schools, with a small house for the master, were founded by Edward Chandler^ who endowed them with £600, three per cent, stock. The master is allowed £10 a year, for which, and the use of the house and two roods of land, he is required to teach 20 poor boys ; but the mistress having only £2 a year, is only required to teach a few small children to read. About £4 a year is expended in shoes for the scholars. The Town Land, 8a. 3r. 19 p., and the Church Land, 4a. 3 r. 21 p., were allotted at the enclosure, and are let for £28 a year, of which £16 is applied in the service of the church, and the residue with the poor rates. The interest of £50, left by Thos. Bent, in 1826, is applied towards the support of the Sunday school. The poor have 5s. a year out of Snelson^s Homestead, left by an unknown donor ; the interest of £20, left by the Rev, Dean Judd ; and the interest of £49, left by various donors, and lent to the overseers. Abbott Thos. carrier and framktr. Angrave Thomas, jobber Bloxom Thos. wheelwright BloxomWm. thrashg. machine ownr. Bloxom Wm. agrictl machine mkr. Broughton Elisha, parish clerk and framew ork-knitter Burdett Rev Dean Judd, B.A., Rectory Burdett Mrs Susanna CuUyer Wm. excise officer Goodman Wm. framework-knitter Hincks James, framesmith Hunt Henry, cooper Mawby Wm. hosiery agent Mawby Wm. coal dealer Measures Richard, vict. Talbot Measures Wm. joiner, cfec. Moore Thomas, vict. Crown North Henry, confectioner Wallis Richard, baker, LUTTERWORTH PARISH. had a grant of a market here, and his family held the manor till the 14th century, when it passed to the Ferrers, of Grohy, from whom it passed in marriage to the Greys, one of whom was created Marquis of Dorset, in 1475. In 1628, the Corporation of London held the manor by grant from Charles I., but they sold it in the following year to Basil Fielding, an ancestor of its present owner, the Earl of Denbigh. An Hospital^ dedicated to St. John, was founded here about 121 8 by Roesia de Verdun, for a priest and six poor men, to keep hospitality for poor travellers. No traces of this hospital are now extant. It was valued at the dissolution at £31, Is. lOd. per annum, and in 1570, its lands were leased to the Faunts. Formerly all the inhabitants were obliged to grind their malt and corn at the Soke or Lodge Mills, at the west end of the parish, in Morebarnes. This feudal monopoly was continued till 1758, when the inhabitants obtained a decision at the Leicester As- sizes, empowering them to erect mills, and grind where they pleased ; and had costs of suit allowed to the amount of j£300. They had dis- puted this ancient custom at a much earlier period, and in 1613, an official order or decree was made requiring them to grind their corn, malt, and grits at the ancient water corn and malt mills, called the Lodge Mills. In this order it is specified, that King James was seized in his *' demesne as of fee, in right of the crown of England, of the said mills, &c., and did grant them in fee-farm unto Edward Ferrers and Fras. Phillipps, gentlemen, and their heirs and assigns, together with all the suit of mills, and benefit of grinding and mulcture; re- serving unto his said late Majesty, his heirs and successors for ever, the yearly rent of X5." This decree created much litigation, and at length a person, named Bickley, erected a mill in opposition to the old ones. Some other persons soon followed his example, and the proprietors of the ancient mills contested their long-established rights by a suit at law, which was terminated, as already observed, in favour of the inha- bitants. In ancient times, each family ground its own corn in hand mills. When water mills were invented, their introduction was eagerly sought after, and no one being able to build them in some poor dis- tricts, the king was petitioned to erect mills in various places, to which he consented, on condition that the inhabitants would bind themselves and their successors for ever to grind at such mills on the terms then agreed on. Some of these mills still retain their ancient priviliges, and so recently as 1839, the populous Borough of Leeds had to pay J^J 13,000 as a release from the monopoly and heavy tolls of its soke mills. Leland described Lutterworth *' as scant half so bigge as Lugh- borrow," and Sir Thomas Cave supposed it to have been much larger than it was in his time, and particularly notices Ely-Gate, as standing in a place called Ely lane. The cotton hosiery manufacture was car- ried on here to a considerable extent in the latter part of last cen- tury, but the framework knitters here are now mostly employed by the Leicester manufacturers. John Wickliffe, the earliest champion of the Ecclesiastical Refor- mation, was born at "Wycliflfe, in the North-Riding of Yorkshire, in 1324, and was rector of Lutterworth from 1375 till his death, December 30th, 1384, as is recorded on the handsome marble monument erected to hig memory in the churoii, in 1837, at the cost of £500, raised by subscription. This monument is from the chisel of Mr. Westmacott, jun., and is an alto- LUTTERWORTH PARISH. 403 relievo, and consists of sveral figures, under which is a long inscription, stating that — *' At Oxford, he acquired not only the renown of a consum- mate scholar, but the far more glorious title of the Evangelic Doctor. His whole life was one impetuous struggle against the corruptions and en- croachments of the Papal Court, and the impostures of its devoted auxiliaries, the mendicant fraternities. His labours in the cause of scriptural truth were crowned by one immortal achievement— his translation of the Bible into the English tongue. This mighty work drew on him, indeed, the bitterest hatred of all who were making merchandize of the popular credulity and ignorance ; but he found an abundant reward in the blessings of his countrymen of every rank and age, to whom he unfolded the words of Eternal Life. His mortal remains were intered near this spot; but they were not allowed to rest in peace. After the lapse of many years, his bones were dragged from the grave, and consigned to the flames ; and his ashes were cast into the waters of the adjoining stream." On this beauti- ful monument, Wickliffe is represented at the communion table, addressing his congregation, and in the back ground stand two Catholic priests, one of them in a very menacing attitude. It is an extraordinary fact, but not the less true, that there were living at the same period tico John Wickliffes, both born about the same time, both educated as ecclesiastics, at Oxford, and becoming there the heads of houses, one of Canterbury, and the other ofBaliol, -both prebendaries, the one of Westbury, the other of Chichester, and both dying within a year of each other. This fact may not only clear Wickliflfe, from several inconsistencies that have been attributed to him, but from the graver charge preferred by Anthony "Wood, Dr. Fell, and other writers, that the zeal which he displayed in withstanding the errors of Papacy was occasioned by nothing else than the loss of the wardenship of Canterbury hall, Oxford, of which they say he was deprived by Arch- bishop Laugham, and finally by Pope Urban, V. An article in the Gentle- man's Magazine, of August, 1841, clearly proves that the warden of Canterbury hall, and the " Morning Star of Reformation," were two dis- tinct individuals. The rectory of Lutterworth was presented to Wickliffe by Edward III., for whom he wrote a defence against the Pope, who, in 1377, sent over bulls for his apprehension as a heretic, but he was pro- tected by John of Gaunt, Duke of Lancaster. He spent the last three years of his life at Lutterworth, where he finished his translation of the Bible, which is a very literal translation from the Latin Vulgate, and of which there are several manuscript copies in the libraries of the Uni- Tersities, British Museum, &c. He died of a second attack of palsy, X)ecember 30th, 1384, and was buried in Lutterworth church, from whence his bones were taken up in 1428, by order of the Council of Constance, and publicly burnt, as already noticed. Besides several works which have been printed, he left a vast number of manuscripts, a list of which may be seen in Bishop Tanner's Bib. Brit. Hib. Some of these are now in the Bodleian Library, and others in the British Museum. His name has been variously spelt, Wycliff^ Wickliffe, and Wickiif, and the latter has been adopted on his monument. Lutterworth Church is a large and handsome structure dedicated to St. Mary, and consisting of a nave, two aisles, and a chancel, with a tower containing six bells, atid surmounted at the angles by four beautiful turrets, erected in lieu of the spire, which rose 47 feet higher, but was blown down by a storm, in ] 703, and falling on the roof of the church did great damage to the building and pews. About 1740, the whole fabric was repaired, a pavement of chequered stone laid down, and the interior fitted with new seats, kc. The body of the pulpit is of 404j LUTTERWORTH PARISH. thick oak boards, and of an hexagonal shape, having a seam of carved work in the joints, and is the same in which fFickliffe preached. The table on which this first Reformer fed the poor, the chair in which he was carried from the church when he died, a part of his vestment, and a pair of wooden candlesticks, which are said to have been used by him, are also preserved in the church with great veneration. The nave and chancel are separated by a beautiful screen. Here is also a fine portrait of Wickhfte, painted by S. Fielding ; and besides his monu- ment, already noticed, there is in the chancel a mural monument in memory o^ Bishop Rydei', alsite rector and benefactor to the town. Here are also some old monuments and inscriptions commemorating different persons of the Fielding family, ancestors of the Earl of Den- bigh, the present lord of the manor. Until 1836, the church had only 707 sittings, of which 533 were free, but in that year 360 additional sittings were provided,of which 300 are free, in consideration of a grant from the Incorporated Society. The benefice is a rector?/^ valued in K.B. at .£25. 19s. lid., and in 1831 at£5S5. It has a commodious re- sidence, and 316a. of glebe, allotted in lieu of tithes at the enclosure, in 1790. It is in the patronage of the Crown, and is enjoyed by the Rev. Robert Henry Johnson, M.A., who is also vicar of Claybrooke. In Worship street is a large Independent Chapel, with a house for the minister, (Rev. J. Hopwood,) erected in 1777> hy a congregation which originated in 1 689, and had previously had a small chapel in Ely lane, under the ministry of the Revs. Peter and John Dowley, the former of whom died in 1731, and the latter in 1784. In Bakehouse lane is a JVesleyan Chapel, built in 1815, at the cost of X500. In Greyhound lane is a small neat Particular Baptist Chapel, and in the same lane, a small building has been converted into a Chapel for the use of Primitive Methodists. Sunday Schools, and Bible, Missionary, and other Religious Institutions are supported here both by members of the Established Church and Dissenters, and the town enjoys the benefit of several Endowed Schools and various Charities, for the relief of the poor. The Church School, which was rebuilt about 70 years ago, comprises a house for the master, and a school room. The latter is in an upper story over the fire-engine house. The old school was a very ancient building, and was endowed in 1630, by Robert Poole^ with two cottages, cfec, in Leicester, for the education of eight poor children, fatherless, or of poor parents, born' and residing in Lutterworth. The premises thus devised now consist of four tenements, in Sanveygate, and a garden, &c., behind them, let for ^6*34 a year, a great part of which has been absorbed, since 1814, in paying off a debt of £400,'incurred in law expenses, and in erecting or rebuilding the tenements. About £80 of this debt is still owing. The schoolmaster is appointed by the parishioners, and teaches eight boys in respect of Poole's Charity, four in respect of Benfs Charity, and two in consideration of the interest of £20 left by John Durrad. About 25 other free-scholars are sent to this school by the congregation of the Independent Chapel, who pay the master £1 per annum for each. In 1699, Roht. Poole, the younger, bequeathed, for apprenticing poor boys educated at thfs school under his father's charity, half an acre of land, near the Town-end, and half a " yard-land" in the open commons. The latter was exchanged at the enclosure for an allotment of 16a. 3r., and the whole is now let for LUTTERWORTH CHARITIES. 405 £34 a year. Two or three boys are apprenticed yearly from this charity with premiums of £12 each. Bishop Ryder's School, for poor girls, was founded in 1815, by the Ho?i. and Rt. Rev, Henry Ryder, Bishop of Gloucester, and formerly rector of Lutterworth, and vicar of Claybrooke. The endowment consists of three cottages and a garden, in Coventry road, let for £12. The school, on the opposite side of the road, was built about 1833, and the mistress teaches reading, writing, arithmetic, and needle-work, to about 60 poor girls, nominated by the ladies of Lutterworth. Thirty of the scholars pay Id., and the rest 3d. each per week. Sherrier's School and Almshouses, in George lane, were founded by the will of the Rev. Edward Sherrier, in 1730, and vested in trust, with the rectors of Lutterworth and Shawell, and other neighbouring clergy- men. The school stands on part of the town estate, and near it is a good residence for the master, purchased by the trustees in 1732. The ground floor of the school forms a habitation for two almsmen, besides whom there are two out-pensioners. The trust property derived from the founder, com- prises a farm of 97a., at Churclwver, let for ^'150, a close of 1a. 29p., at Lutterw-orth, let by the master for £4, and a farm of 90a.j at Shawell, let for £\\0 per annum. The payments made from the latter, as directed by the testator, are 7s. a week each to four almspeople, at Lutterworth ; £2. lOs. a year to a schoolmistress, at Shawell ; and Is. a week each to the six almspeople, in Elkington's Almshouses, at Shawell. The schoolmaster, besides the free use of the house and garden, aud the rent of the close of land above-named, has a yearly salary of £60, for which he teaches about 70 boys on the National system. His rates and taxes are paid by the trustees, who also provide fuel and all the books and stationery necessary for the school. The Parochial Library, comprising 260 volumes, was given and deposited in the vestry, in 1809, by the Hon. and Rev. Hy. Ryder, then rector of this parish, and afterwards Bishop of Gloucester. He also gave two shares in the Subscriptioti Windmill, and directed the yearly proceeds (10s.) to be paid to the parish clerk for his care of the books, and his care in circulating them monthly among the parishioners. A Mechanics^ Institution, established in 1841, occupies a room in the house belonging to Sherrier's School, and has already a library of about 600 volumes. It is supported by the Rector and other honorary members, and Mr, W. Foot- man is the secretary, and Mr. John Rogers, librarian. The TOWN LANDS, &c., have been vested from an early period for the repairs of the highways of Lutterworth, and the surplus for defraying the general charges of the inhabitants, for their common benefit. They comprise 26a. Or. 18p. at Sapcote, nearly 17a. at "Willey, in Warwickshire, 16|a. at Lutterworth, and about 30 small tenements, &c., in the town ; — the whole producing a yearly rental of more than £240, which is expended on the highways. The property is under the management of the ^^toivn masters," chosen by the jury at the court leet, pursuant to a decree of the commissioners of charitable uses, in 1710. The Church Lands comprise 10a. 3r. 8p., let for £21. 12s., which is applied to the purposes of the church rate. Other Charities, for the poor of Lutterworth, are as follows. They had for a long period, 20s. a year out of the manor of Cotes de Val, but the donor is unknown. They have 40s. a year, left by George Yernham, in 1673, out of nine tenements belonging to B. E. Farnham and others. In 1693, Margaret Bent left 5a. 2r. 32p. of land, at Willoughby-Waterless, now let for £13, of which, £4 is paid for four free scholars at the Church 406 LUTTERWORTH PARISH. School, and the remainder is distributed in coals and money, among the poor. The sum of £25, left by Wm. Allibone, Rebecca Brewin, and Thomas Iliffe^ was laid out before 1780, in the purchase of a tenement, now let for 30s. a year. In 1803, £72, left to the poor by Mary Wigley, Sarah Charnock^ and others^ was laid out by the overseers, in the purchase of premises in Bakehouse lane, which were used as the parish workhouse till 1836, and have since been sold for £135, part of which belongs to Dur- rad's charity. The yearly interest, £3. 12s., is distributed at Christmas, among the poor, who have also the following yearly doles ^ viz., 15s. from £15 left by Theodore Green^ and 3s. from £3' left by Ebenz. Wormleighton, in 1825. As noticed at page 105, Lutterworth is entitled to about £1100 from Elkington's Charity, to be lent to poor artificers or tradesmen of the parish, on good security, at three per cent, interest, and the said inter- est to be distributed yearly among the most needy poor. Lutterworth Savings' Bank was established in 1822, and in Nov., 1845, had deposits amounting to £20,731, belonging to 781 depositors, besides a separate surplus fund of about £800. The Earl of Denbigh is patron; T. E. Dicey, I!.sq., president ; R. W. Wood, Esq., treasurer ; and Mr. Fredk. Bottrill, secretary. The iDank is in High street, and is open every Thursday, from 11 to 12 o'clock. Among the other provident insti- tutions, are two Lodges of Odd Fellows^ belonging to the Nottingham and Manchester Unities ; the former at the Angel, and the latter at the White Hart. There are two Benefit Societies^ at the Angel and Crown Inns, each having more than 100 members, and the former established in 1746 ; and there is a Female Benefit Society^ which meets in the Church School- room. Upwards of 40a. of land, in various parts of the parish, are occu- pied by the poor, in spade husbandry, at rents varying from £2. 10s. to £5 per acre. LUTTERWORTH UNION, formed by the New Poor Law Com- missioners, in 1837, comprises 36 parishes, of which, 30 are in Guth- laxtou Hundred, as noticed at page 371 ; and the other 6 are — Wel- ford, in Northamptonshire ; and Copston-Magnn, Monk's-Kirby, Stretton-under-Fosse, Wibtoft, and Wille^^, in Warwickshire. These 36 parishes embrace an area of 87 square miles, and had 14,498 inha- bitants in 1831, and 16,039 in 1841. Their aggregate average annual expenditure on the poor, during the three years preceding the formation of the Union, was £8534 ; but in 1 838, it was only £4003 ; and in 1839, £4141. 15s. Their total expenditure, including salaries, regis- tration fees, &c., in 1845, was £7058. The Union Workhouse is a large brick building, at the head of the Wood market, and was finished in 1839, at the cost of about £5000. It has room for 200 inmates, and Mr. G. W. Cartwright and wife are master and matron, Mr. James Driver is Union Clerk and Superintendents Registrar ; and Mr. John Lucas is the Relieving Officer, Messrs. Rt. Spackmam, Wm. Gimson, Edw. Mc.Ilree, Fredk. Cox, and Mr. Baker, are the five surgeons, Messrs. Thos. Baker, of Lutterworth, and John Mayue, of Stretton- under-Fosse, are Registrars of Marriages for the Union ; and Mr. Rt. Spackman is Registrar of Births and Deaths for Lutterworth District. LUTTERWORTH DIRECTORY. Post Office, High street. Mr. Wm. Years, postmaster. Letters are despatched at 9 night, and received at 5 morning, via Rugby, to and from all parts. The delivery commences at 7 morning, in Summer, and 8 in Winter. Money Orders are granted and paid from 9 morning till 6 even- LUTTERWORTH DIRECTORY. 407 ing, and the Letter Box closes at half-past 8 night, but letters are received at the window till 10 min. before 9, on payment of 2d. each. Nearly fifty surrounding villages are within the Lutterworth Delivery. The Stamp Office is at Mr. R. Lakin's, High street. Miscellany of Persons 7iot arranged in the subjoined Classification of Trades and Professions. For Alterations and Additions, to May^ 1846 J see page 411. Baker Thos. assessor of taxes, regis- trar, and ribbon mfr. Beast mkt Barnett John, woolstapler, at Mr Paddy's, Coventry road Bosworth "Wm. glove and breeches maker, Ely lane Bottrill Geo. solr'g. clerk,WicklifFter Brown Mrs Sarah, Coventry road Burdett Samuel, gent. Beast market Cartwright George Waring, master of the Union Workhouse Castledine Miss Ann, Worship st Chapman Shuckburgh, Esq. Lon. rd Clark Thomas, carrier, George st Coates Penelope, eating house, Bmkt Cooper Mr John, Church street De Fraine Rev Richard, (Baptist,) Greyhound lane Driver James, union clerk and su- perintendent registrar. Church st Dunkley Mrs Ann, Bakehouse lane Elson Thos. corn dealer, London rd Elude Wm. teacher of music. High st Erie Jph. supt. of police, Beast mkt Fry Mrs Elizabeth, Oxford street Gamble Samuel and George, curriers and leather cutters, Wood market GarnerWm. law stationer, Wood mkt Garnitt Henry, coal dealer, High st Goodacre Mrs Ann Eliz. Wood mkt Goodacre John, Esq. Wood market Green John, omnibus own. Wood mkt Haines Jas. cork cutter. Church st Higgs Edw. traveller, Greyhound In Hill Jas. needle mkr. Bakehouse In Holmes Wm. and Thomas, frame- smiths. Bakehouse lane Holyoak Ann, laundress, Church st Hopwood Rev Jesse, (Independent) Worship street Horner Mrs Rebecca, Oxford street Hotchkin Ts. accountant, George sq Hurley Ts. clog & patten mkr. Ely In Johnson Rev Robert Henry, M.A. rector of Lutterworth and vicar of Claybrooke, Rectory Johnson Thomas, gent. High street Kelsey John, hat mfr. Church st Ladkin Eras, horse dlr. Beast mkt Law Richard Hixon, builder, ) of which it was held by the Veres, Earls of^Oxford, in the 14th and L5th centuries ; and since then the manorial rights appear to have been claimed by the prin- 420 WIGSTON MAGNA PARISH. cipal freeholders. The benefice is a discharged vicarage^ valued in K.B. at £9. 8s. 8d., and in 1831, at only e€107, though it has 91a. of glebe, mostly allotted in lieu of tithes at the enclosure, and was aug- mented in 1783 and '4, with £400 of Q.A.B., and £400 given by Je- rome Knapp, Esq., and the Rev. J. Pigott. The patronage belongs to the Haberdashers' Company, and Christ's Hospital, London, alter- nately; and the Rev. Wm. Trollope, M.A., is the non-resident incum- bent, for whom the Rev. Wm. Barber, M.A., officiates. The Vicar- age House is a comfortable residence, which was rebuilt some years ago. Near the centre of the village is a handsome Independent Chapel, erected in 1841, at the cost of £1070, on the site of the old one, which was built in 1731, by a congregation which had previously occupied part of the ruined church of St. Wolstan, for which they paid the pa- rish £3 per annum. The Congregationalists, or Independents, are the successors of the Nonconformists^ of whom here was a congregation as early as the reign of Charles I. One of their earliest ministers was the Rev. Matthew Clarke, who suffered much in the cause of religious liberty, and died at Norwich in 1708. Here is a tVesleyan and also a Primitive Methodist ChapeK the former built in 1839, and the latter in 1846. In the village are several Benefit Societies ; and at the Queen's Head is a Lodge of Odd Fellows. The framework knitters and other inhabitants occupy about 41a. in garden plots, at moderate rents. Attached to the church and chapels are Sunday Schools ; and here is a large National School^ opened in 1 839, with a house for the master ; and also a British School^ which occupies a commodious building, erected in 1839, as a Mechanics' Institute, by four spirited individuals, at the cost of£60U, on the site of an old burial ground which belonged to the Society of Friends. The parish enjoys the benefit of Alms- houses and other charities, for the poor. Almshouses for three old men, and three old maids, or widows, of Wigston-Magna, were built in 1781, at the cost of £680, pursuant to the will of Elizabeth Clarke ; and two other tenements were added for two additional almspeople, in 1800, at the cost of £160. The foundress died in 1781, and left £3000 for the erection and endowment of the almshouses. This legacy was laid out in the purchase of land and buildings, and the endowment now yields £150. 14s. 8d. per annum, arising as follows : — £120 fromFleckney Lodge Farm, (100a. ;) £2. 15s. from Finder's close, in the rear of the almshouses ; and £27. I9s. Sd.from seven cottages in the village. Another cottage is occupied rent free by the nurse, who is allowed 2s. 6d. a week for waiting on the sick almspeople, who are also provided with medical attendance. The almspeople have weekly stipends of 3s. 6d. each; and £8 worth of coals, and £10 in coats and gowns, are divided among them yearly ; and also £4 in Christmas-boxes. In 1827, John Clarke, and Thomas, Richard, and John Worthington, Esqrs., were ap- pointed trustees of this charity. In 1778, Sarah Norton bequeathed to the churchwardens and overseers of Great Wigston £230, the interest thereof to be applied as follows :— the interest of £100 for schooling 12 poor girls ; the interest of £20, to purchase Bibles for the said poor girls ; the interest of £50, for a distribution of bread on Easter Monday; and the interest of £50 for distribution in coals among the poor, on St Thomas's day. In 1783, Mary Salisbury left £60 for schooling poor children, and £10 to be vested for repairing the tombstones of Edw. and "Wm. Salisbury, and the surplus for the poor ; to whom John and Ann Brailsford left £50, GUTHLAXTON HUNDRED. 421 about 1788. These legacies, amounting to £350, were laid out, in 1800, in the purchase of 8a. 36p. of land, now let for about £12 per annum. In 1678, £206, derived from various benc/actions, was vested in the purchase of 25a. 3r. 13p. of land, at Glenn Parva, now let for £36. In lieu of se- veral pieces of land in the open field 55 of Great Wigston, purchased with £62 benefaction money, in 1728 and 1731, the Poor^s Land (6a.24p,) was awarded at the enclosure, when 1a. 1r. was allotted to the church, for re- pairs, &o. The poor have also the interest of £20, left by Henry Clarke^ in 1765, and of £30 given by other donors. The annual income arising from the above sources amounts to about £62, of which £8 is paid for 16 free scholars, at the National School ; £5. 10s., for schooling twelve poor girls ; £5. 4s., for a weekly distribution of 26 penny loaves ; £10. 18s., for distributions of bread at Easter and Christmas ; and £30, for distributions of coals on Candlemas day. Good Friday, and St. Thomas's day. The poor have also 12 penny loaves every Sunday, as the interest of £50, left by John Rngg^ in 1811 ; and the poor widows have the interest of £20, \ehhy E/iz.Jo/inson^ in 1779. Two public-houses, a wharf, and other buildings, at KILBY BRIDGE, on the Union Canal, about a mile S. of "Wigston Magna, are in this parish. Wigston Hall, a neat mansion, built about 12 years ago, is the seat of Capt. Baddeley ; and there are se- veral other large and well-built houses in the village. In the following DIRECTORY OF WIGSTON MAGNA, those marked 1, reside in Bell street ; 2, Builds Head street ; 3, Bushloe End ; 4, Church End; 5, Leicester road ; 6, Long street ; 7. Moat street ; 8, Mowsley End ; 9, Newgate End ; and 10, at Kilhy Bridge. Post Office, at Mr. Wm Pochin's, Bull's Head street. Letters from Leicester, by foot-post, at \ past 8 morning ; and desp. at ^ past 5 evng. 6 Baddeley Capt. Chas. Holland (E. India Co.'s service) Wigston Hall Barber Rev. Wm., M.A., curate, Yicarage 9 Bennet John Ewins, proprietor of Lunatic Asylum 2 Bonser Mr Jas. ll 9 BluntMrsAnn Burgess Thos. woolstapler. Grange € Coltman Thos. plumber & glazier Davis Miss Susanna 10 Foxton George, engineer to the Union Canal Company 10 Gibson Wm. wharfinger IHolyoakeEdw. hosiery mfr. & dyer 1 Hurst James, sinker maker 1 Hurst Mr Wm. H 2 Gill Mrs Eliz. Ison John, station master 7 Jackson Mrs Dorothy bakers. 6 Dawkins Stpn 2 Levesley Jas. linen & woollen drpr 2 AchurchAlfred butchers. 6 Loveday Geo. hosiery agent 6 Hobson John 1 Baum Thomas 1 Meadley Mr John 1 Johnson Saml. 6 Cattell Edward 1 Matthews Saml. painter & engrvr 2 Perkins John 6 Cooper Joseph 6 Mays Rev. Thomas (Indpt. min.) blacksmiths. 1 Forryan Wm. 6 Parsons Mr Charles 7 Looms Thomas 1 Holyoake Edw. 3 Seddon Richard, gentleman 1 NewtonJohn( (North) chap. S tBarrow-on-Sr. ? (part of) par. 5 JBeeby parish . . +Belgrave (part > of) parish . . \ lThurmaston(S )e . tBrookesby par.. JCossington par. JCroxtoii(S.) par. tDalby Magna p. tDalby on Wolds p fFrisby-on-the- i Wreak par. \ jGaddesby parish tGrimstone par. . JHoby parish .. *Humberstone p. *Hnngerton(prt^ of) parish.. .. 5 •Q.uenby hamlet Launde ex. 'par. . . *Loddington par. *Lowesby parish ♦Newton Cold ch. •Norton East par. §Prestwold par.. Pop. Annl. j Acres. m Value 1841. £. 1010 81 1458 1470 482 2820 1910 146 2578 1000 291 1393 2000 521 2128' 7 5.30 560 70 850 480 251 1097 2300 1841 5000' 1400 115 2200 1900 1193 4357 1200 976 2800 830 20 1727 1810 310 3262! 1660 297 2150 2400 479 288S- 3040 410 2817 1422 42S 2230 1600 331 2567 989 175 1496 1660 392 3043 1600 462 3200 1000 195 1221 680 19 890 1500 38 I30t: 1810 137 3010 1200 116 1986 1500 104 1936 1100 650 137 60 1666 1760 PARISHES, &C. Acres. §Burton-on-the > Wolds twp.. \ §Cotes township §Hoton chap. .. JQueniborough p JRagdale parish.. tRatcliffe-on- > the- Wreak p. 5 tRearsby par. . . tRotherby parish JRothley (part > of) parish . . ^ * Key ham chap.. tWartnaby chap Wycomb with> Cbadwell ch. 5 fSaxelby parish . . jSeagrave parish. Slioby extra par., tSileby parish . . *Skeffington par. tSyston parish , . JThrnssington p. ■"Tilton(part of ) p *Halstead twp.. * Whatborough h *Tugby (part) par tT\^'yford parish fThorpeSatch- > ville chapelry ^ IWalton-on-the > Wolds parish \ tWiraeswold par. 2300 430 1300 2200 1450 660 1630 800 940 700 770 1000 2400 710 2190 2143 1765 2200 1600 1500 700 1540 1100 1300 1500 3500 Total 78,369 19,904 125,101 Pop. in 1841. 448 75 460 530 121 142 471 142 184 107 ► 58 \ 60 112 451 85 1473 187 1421 -645 190 186 11 275 325 153 1270 Annual Value. 3000 1046 2686 3450 1600 1046 3109 1446 1535 996 977 2739 1075 4400 3486 4200 3778 2200 2014 521 1866 1570 1570 1440 5000 •ff UNIONS.— Those parishes, &c. in the above table marked thus * are in BUlesdon Union ; f in Melton Mowbray Union y § in Loughborough Union / 2,nAXivL Barrow -upon- Soar Union; but Launde and Slioby being extra-paro- chial, are not attached to any Union. Descriptions of these Unions will be found with the parishes from which they are named. ^p™ Barrow-upon-Soar and Rothley parishes are mostly in West Goscote Hundred y and that of Belgrave is partly in that Hundred. The parishes of Hungerton, Tilton, and Tugby, are partly in Gartree Hundred. Barrow return included 70, and Thrussington 81 persons, attending their annual feasts. In the County Rate j4ssessment of 1838, eleven parishes of this Hundred are included y>ith Framland Hundred, as noticed at page 210. EAST GOSCOTE HUNDRED. 425 ALLEXTON, or Alexton^ is a small village and parish, at the south-east extremity of East Goscote tlundred, on the west side of the small river Eye, which separates it from Rutlandshire. It is 3^ miles W. of Uppingham, and 16 miles E. hy S. of Leicester, and contains only 81 souls, and about 1010 acres of land, chietly clay, and the sur- face generally hilly, but in some places fiat, and subject to inundation. Lord Berners is lord of the manor, which has been spelt Alhelokstone, Aldlixton, &c., and was purchased in 1760, of Lord Willoughby de Broke. It has been held by various families, and the Knights Temp- lar held part of it as parcel of the Soke of Rothley. John Eagleton, Esq., has an estate here, and nearly all the rest of the parish belongs to Lord Berners, who is putron, and was till lately incumbent of the rectory, valued in K.B. at £6. 18s. 2d., and now at i)200 per annum. The Rev. George E. Winslow, M.D., of Tugjby, is the incumbent. The glebe is 20 acres, and the tithes were commuted in 1845. The Church (St. Peter) has a tower, spire, and four bells. The Hally which was occupied by the Hon. H. W. Wilson, was converted into a farm-house, and partly taken down in 1843; and he now resides at Didlington Hall, Norfolk, and his father. Lord Berners, at Kirkby Cane Rectory, in the same county. Directory : — Edward Betts, parish clerk ; John Jelley, corn miller ; Rev. John White, B. A., curate; Joseph and Charles Kinton, (Hall;) Thomas B arsby, Wm. Baxter, and John Burgess, farmers and graziers ; and John Smith, vict. Berner^s Arms. ASFORDBY, a pleasant village, consisting chiefly of one street, with several neat houses, on the north side of the navigable river Wreak, 3 miles W. of JNIelton Mowbray, has in its parish 482 souls, and 1467 acres of land, generally having a clayey soil and a flat sur- face. The Rev. Anthony Buruaby, M.A., is lord of the manor, and patron and incumbent of the rectory, valued in K.B. at £15. lis. 7d., and in 1831 at £475, and having a good residence, and 260 acres of glebe, mo§tly allotted in Heu of tithes, at the enclosure, in 1761. The Church (All Saints) has a tower, spire, and five bells, and was reno- vated in 1830. The north aisle was paved in 1827, at the expense of the rector. J. D. Burnaby, Esq., has an estate here, and resides at Asfordhy House, a large and handsome mansion, built in 1840, at the cost of about £4000, in the Italian style, of brick, cemented in imita- tion of stone. A house called the Hall, belongs to Matthew Hall, Esq., and the Earl of Radnor and a few smaller owners have estates in the parish. The National School was built by the rector, in 1843, at the cost of £300 ; and for teaching six poor boys, the master has the dividends of £172. Os. lOd., three per cent, consols, purchased with £100, left by Morris Cam, in 1769. The poor have the interest of £40, left by one Humberstone ; and of £20, left by the Rev. Andrew Burnaby, in 1776. The Wesleyan and Primitive Methodists have small chapels here, the latter built in 1842. Beaumont John, baker Hives Wm. corn miller Burnaby JohnDiekjEsq. AsfordbyHs Burnaby Rev Knihony ,M..K.R€ctory Dawson Wm. vict. Blue Bell Driver Mary, National School Fox Rev John, curate 2N2 Hollinshead John, National School, Inett Wm. Esq l|Deeping Mr Robt. Lee Wm. schoolmaster Marriott Gregory, gentleman Sharpe Wm. butcher 426 ASFORDBY DIRECTORY. Toone Charles, beerhouse Walker John, shoemkr. & vict.Crown Blacksmiths. Holmes Edward Toone John Toone Charles Boot&^Shoe Mkrs Dixon George Johnson John UnderwoodThos. *Houghton John Houghton Henry Houghton Win. Knott Thomas Marriott Daniel Joiners. Hazzlewood Hy. Pym James Woodcock Thos. Shopkeepers, Large David Lovett George Preston Job Tailors, Green Isaac Squires Joseph Walker John Farmers&c Grzrs (* are Oivners.) Gibbs Thomas Gilson George Hall Danl. Hall * Houghton Jas- per W., Lodge ASHBY FOLVTLLE, a small village, on the banks of a rivulet, near the Wold hills, 6^ miles S.S.W. of Melton Mowbray, and 10 miles N.E. by E. of Leicester, has in its parish 146 souls, and 1915 acres, including the estate of Neivbold Folvilley (200a.,) but exclusive of Barsby, which is a separate township. Colonel E. H. Cheney, of Gaddesby, is lord of the manor, but part of the soil belongs to Mrs. Butt and a few other proprietors. The Manor House^ a large stone mansion, in the Gothic style, was a seat of the Cheneys, but is now occupied by a farmer. The Church (St. Mary) has a tower and five bells, and was appropriated to Laund Priory. The living is a dis- charged vicarage, valued in K.B. at .£9, and in 1831 at .£170. Wm. Black, Esq., is patron ; and the Rev. W. Foster, the late vicar, died in February, 1846. The glebe comprises 108 acres, in Barsby, allotted in lieu of tithes, at the enclosure. fFm. Folville, a Franciscan friar, of some note in the controversy " De pueris induendis," was born here. The Church Land contains one rood. The Almshouse, which is in a dilapidated state, consists of eight small rooms, and has l| rood of garden ground, let for 16s. Tt was founded in 1673, by Francis, Lord Carrington, for seven poor aged men of this parish and of Warrens Wootton, in Warwickshire, and North Kelsey, in Lincolnshire, to be appointed by his male heirs, who are now extinct. The founder en- dowed it with an estate at North Kelsey, now consisting of 144 acres, let for ^135 per annum ; but 31 acres being in the Ancliolme level, are subject to a drainage tax. Out of the clear income, only three- eighths are sent to Ashby, for division among three poor men in the Almshouse ; and the remainder is distributed among poor men at North Kelsey and Warrens Wootton. This is contrary to the found- er's intentions ; and the Charity Commissioners have certified the case to the Attorney- General, in order that trustees may be appointed. The founder directed, that in case of failure of his heirs male, the charity should be under the management of the lord of the manor of Ashby Folville ; but for many years, the late Lady, and the present Sir Edward Smythe, have had the sole control of it. Baker Christopher, shoemaker Cooke James, wheelwright Mantle John, shopkeeper Riley John, vict. Royal Oak Tebbs John, joiner Watts John, shopkeeper FARMERS AND GRAZIERS. Ashill Edward, Manor House Black ThomasJIEaton James Knapp John Nuttall John, Ashby Lodge White Thomas, (and owner) Barsby, a small village, on an eminence, 7i miles S.S.W. of Mel- ton Mowbray, and 9 miles N.E. by E. of Leicester, is in Ashby Fol- ville parish; and its township and chapelry has 291 souls, and BAESBY, (EAST GOSCOTE HUND.) 427 939a. 3b. 16p. of land, partly in the Peculiar Jurisdiction of Rothleyi of which the Rev. J. Babington is lord. (See page 353.) Edwyn Burnaby, Esq., is lord of the manor of Barsby, but a great part of the soil belongs to Colonel Cheney, Mrs. Butt, and a few smaller owners. The Chapel^ which was appropriated to Laund Priory, went to decay several centuries ago. The Templar Knights and Tutbury Priory had lands here, as also had the Ashby, Ferrers, and other families. The soil is chiefly clay. A small IFesleyan Chapel was built here in 1825, and enlarged in 1840. The poor have for distribution in clothing about £'1Q yearly from fFoollastoii's Charity. (See Twyford.) NeedhamWm. baker & vict. P ough Farmer sSyGrzrs *Smith John Rodwell John, schoolmaster Brutnall Richd. •Smith Wm. Smith Mr "Wm. || Stevenson EJw. Lodge Smith Robert, cattle dealer Roe Solomon Carriers to Stanage Thomas, shoemkr.&shopkr Roe Wm. Leicester, Sat. "Warrington John, plumber & glazier Smith "Wm. Baker Wm. Warrington Wm. vict. Shoulder of Stevenson Wm. FewkesGeo.(cfeto Mutton Joiners, Melton, Tues) White Susanna, vict. Wm. IV. (* Coopers also.) Pettifor Benj. Butchers. \ Brown Robert Mansfield Wm. Brown James | BARKB Y, a pleasant village, near the confluence of two rivulets, 5 miles N.E. of Leicester, and l| mile E.S.E. of Syston Station, has in its township 528 souls, and about 2000 acres of land, including Hamilton^ or Hameldoiii an estate of 374 acres, and 7 souls. Its parish includes also the adjoining township of Barkby Thorpe, which has 7^ inhabitants, and 559a. 1r. 3p. of land; and the township of Thurmaston North End, which forms a village and chapelry with Thur- maston South End, in Belgrave parish, as afterwards noticed. The soil is various, consisting of clay, marl, and gravel, and many of the inhabitants are framework knitters. Wm. Ann Pochin, Esq., is lord of the manors of Barkby and Barkby Thorpe, and resides at Barkby Hall, a large plain mansion, in a well wooded park, and having a mo- dern porch entrance, in the Gothic style, built of Mountsorrel granite* Merton College, Oxford, has a small manor in Barkby Thorpe, and here are a few smaller proprietors. In 1604, Richard Stanford sold the manor and advowson of Barkby to the Pochins, who have since been seated here. The Church (St. Mary) is a neat structure, consisting of a nave, with aisles, a chancel, and a tower, in which are five bells. la 1826, it underwent considerable external repairs, at the expense of the parish ; and in 1838, the whole interior was renewed, at the cost of £700, raised by subscription. The stained glass window, in the chancel, was the gift of the late G. Pochin, Esq., who built the Na^ tional School, (in 1826,) which has since been chiefly supported by his family, and is now attended by about 80 children. The benefice is a discharged vicarage, valued in K.B. at £10, and in 1831 at £250, and is in the patronage of W. A. Pochin, Esq., and incumbency of the Rev. E. H. Hoare, A.M., who has 149 acres of glebe, mostly allotted in lieu of tithes, at the enclosure, in 1779. Of £100, left to the poor by George Pochin, Esq., in 1706, £40 has been lost, and the remainder is in Leicester Savings' Bank. The poor have also the interest of £19. 19s., left by fVm. Cooke, In Barkby Thorpe are five acres of 428 EAST aoSCOTE HUNDRED. land, planted with cherry trees. In the following Directory^ those marked * are in BARKBY THORPE, arid the others in BARKBY. Angrave John, butcher Toone Thomas, tailor Barwell Thomas, shopr. & carpenter Blacksmiths, Cocks John Bullock Ellen, schoolmistress Kirby Thos. (& *Cooper Wm. *Carnall John, baker beerhouse) Goode Luke *Carnall Thomas, gardener Sharpless Wm. White Charlesworth John Wm. joiner and Boot^Shoe Mkrs Heggs Daniel vict. Malt Shovel Frett Thomas Henson Thomas Elston John, schoolmaster Lee Edward *Hobson Thos. Hoare Rev Edw. Hatch, A.M. vicar Stevenson John Mason Thomas Lewin Mrs Mary FarmersSfGrzrs *Sharpless John Pochin Wm. Ann, Esq. BarkbyHall Adcock Thos. Smith Wm. Rodwell Edw^ard, parish clerk *Beeson Thomas *Smith Wm. Savage Edw. vict. Hope cfe Anchor Bingley James *Stones Joseph Simpson Francis, tailor BARROW-UPON-SOAR, a large village and township, noted for its excellent limey is in this Hundred, but is described with the rest of its parish, in West Goscote Hundred, at pages 311 to 324. The Union to which it gives name is noticed at page 314. BELGRAVE, a large village and parish, in this Hundred, is no- ticed at pages 325-6, together with its township of Birstall, in West Goscote Hundred. Thurmaston is a large village and chapelry, on the east bank of the river Soar, and on the Melton Mowbray road, 3^ miles N.N.E. of Lei- cester, and a mile from Syston Station, on the Midland Counties Rail- way, which passes within half a mile east of the village and the line of the Roman Fosseway. The chapelry is divided into two townships^ viz., Thurmaston South End, which is in Belgrave parish, and has 1200 acres of land, and 978 souls ; and Thurmaston North End, which is in Barkby parish, and has 251 souls, and about 450 acres ; so that the whole chapelry has 1229 inhabitants, and about 1650 acres. W. A. Pochin, Esq., is lord of the North, and Thomas Allen, Esq., of the South Manor, The other principal landowners in the former are, Henry Paget, Esq., J. Day, Esq., and Mr. W. Simpkin ; and in the latter, Wm. Heyrick, Esq., J. Day, Esq., and Mr. Simons. T. Allen, Esq., has a good house in the village ; and W. Heyrick, Esq., resides at Thurmaston House, a neat mansion, with pleasant grounds, near the railway. The Church is an ancient Gothic structure, consist- ing of a nave, aisles, chancel, and a tower, containing four bells, and crowned by a spire. The clock was purchased in 1844, and cost X80, of which £19. 19s. was left by the late John Henson. The benefice is a perpetual curacy, which was valued in 1831 at £100, and was augmented in 1724 and 1797 with £400 of Q.A.B. ; in the latter year, with £230, given by the Bishop of Dromor ; and in 1814, with a Par- liamentary grant of £1200. W. A. Pochin, Esq., is patron, and the Rev. O. J. Howell, M.A., incumbent. The tithes were commuted at the enclosure in 1762. There are Wesleyan and Primitive Methodist Chapels in the village, the former built in 1792, and the latter in 1833; and Sunday schools are attached to them and the Church. The National School was built in 1844, at the cost of £600, on land given by Thos. Allen, Esq., who subscribes £10 a year towards its support. THURMASTON 429 Gutridge's Farm, which belongs to Mrs. D. Simpkin, is charged witli 20s. a year for the poor of North Thurmaston, by the will of Eliz. Davies, dated 17^3. In the following Directory, those marked thus f are in Thurmaston North-Endt and the others in Thurmaston South- End toivnship. Allen Thos. Esq. (lord of S. Manor) Bail Will, relieving officer hrSi/ston District, Barrow Union Bishop Daniel, corn miller Clayton Wm. boot and shoe maker tDraycott John, gardener Forster John, joiner Gatliff Thomas, hairdresser Goodman Benj. coal dealer has been vested from time im- memorial for the poor parishioners, among whom the rent is distributed by the rector. In 1684, u^gnes Brewin left a yearly rent charge of 5s. for buying bibles for poor children, and it is now paid by Mrs. Hulse, at whose decease, .£50 left by her late husband, Col. J. fV. Fisher Utilsef will be vested for the poor, and the interest divided among them at Christmas. The interest of c€120, vested at five per cent, on the Harbro' and Loughborough turnpike, and arising from a legacy of i)100, left by Jolni Goode, in 1816, is paid to the master and mistress of the Sunday school, which is attended by about 40 children. Babington Rev John, M.A. Rectory Carpendale John, lock keeper Deakin Jonathan, joiner, >thedral, nearly the whole of which was rebuilt by him. Skeffington 4}5Q (SKEFFINGTON,) EAST GOSCOTE HUND. Church is dedicated to St. Thomas a-Becket, and is an ancient fabric, consisting of a nave, side aisles, chancel, south porch, and a low square tower, containing five bells. One end of the north aisle was a private chapel for the Skeffingtons, to whom there are several neat monuments in the chancel. In the east window is some painted glass, in which are several figures and mutilated inscriptions. The rood loft is nearly in a perfect state, and in the south wall of the chancel is a curious piscina. The benefice is a rectory^ valued in K.B. at ^12. 13s. 5d., and in 1831, at £480, having 236a. of land, allotted at the enclosure, in 1772, in lieu of part of the tithes, and a yearly rent of .£193, awarded in 1844, in commutation of the remainder of the tithes. Thomas Reginald Davenport, Esq., is patron, and the Rev. J. C. Davenport, B.A., is the incumbent, and has a handsome Rectory House^ built in 1840. In the village is an Independent Chapel, adjoining the Leicester and Uppingham road. Butteris Thos. vict. Fox & Hounds farmers *Hackney Saml. Davenport Rev John Charles, B.A., And Graziers. Lawson Henry, Rectory (* are Owners.) Lodge Holyoak Wm. relieving officer and *Atkins Wm. *Neale George registrar for Billesdon Union Best Wm. Cowdell Neale John, Esquire *Boyer Rd. Vale Sites Robert Sutton Richard, jun. Esq. Hall *Brown John Wheat Wm. Webster Joseph, carpenter Brown John, jun Wildbore Wm. Posx/rom Tugby daily. *Curtis Jonathan SYSTON is a large and well-built village, upon a pleasant declivity, on the north side of a rivulet, and about a quarter of a mile east of the Midland Counties Railway, on which here is a neat and commodious Station, 8 miles S.E. by S. of Loughborough, and 5| miles N.N.E. of Leicester. The Syston and Peterborough Raihvay commences at this station, and will be opened as far as Melton Mowbray in the sum- mer of 1846. (See p. 240-1.) The parish of Syston had 1264 inha- bitants in 1821, 1349 in 1831, and 1421 in 1841 ; and many of them are framework knitters, employed chiefly by the Leicester manufac- turers. Its present population is more than 1500 ; and the parish comprises 1765a. 2r. 4p. of land, bounded on the north by the navi- gable river Wreak, which falls into the Soar navigation, about a mile further to the west. The arable portions, on the south side of the parish, are light and sandy, but very productive ; and the meadows are rich and fertile, being well watered by the Wreak and the Old Soar. The Earl of Stamford and Warrington is lord of the manor, but the greater part of the soil belongs to Oxford University, W. A. Pochin, H. C. VVoodcock, and B. & H. Adcock, Esqrs., and a few smaller owners. Gypsum, or sulphate of lime, of superior quality, is found on the eastern side of the parish, in strata varying from 1 to 6 feet in thickness, at from 10 to 15 yards below the surface, and it is in great request in the neighbourhood for plaster floors, &c. The junction of the Syston and Peterborough with the Midland Counties Railway will, no doubt, be a source of additional prosperity to the village. The streets are wide, and are well drained by large culverts, which dis- charge their contents into the rivulet at the foot of the declivity. There are several coal dep6ts at the Station, though that useful article has long been plentifully supplied by means of the neighbouring navi- SYSTON PARISH. 45T gations. A Post Office for the free receipt and delivery of letters was established at the White Swan, in 1845, and mails are received and despatched by railway and mail gig every morning and afternoon. The Bmningham ami Yarmouth Mail, which ran through Syston, was established July 6th, 1835, and discontinued April 6th, IS46. Mr.Jph, Bennett^ of Grantham, was one of the guards of this mail during the whole period of its running, and commenced the service of mail and coach guard in 1828. In the discharge of his duty, he met with many very se- rious accidents, the last of which was on the 25th of May, 1843, when, on the arrival of the train at Syston, one of the leaders took fright, and began plunging and rearing in a most frightful manner. Mr. B. immediately seized the animal, which, rearing nearly perpendicular, suspended him from the bridle, at the same time fighting him furiously with his fore feet, till his left arm was broken, and he fell to the ground, and the horse upon him. Recovering himself, he again seized the bridle with his right hand, was a second time suspended and struck down, and the horse again falling upon him, broke his arm in several places, and inflicted some severe con- tusions on his head and body. The horse then broke loose, and ran at a rapid rate till it was knocked down and killed by coming in contact with the posts of Syston toll-gate. The praiseworthy exertions of the guard saved the lives of the passengers, who were chiefly females, and he happily recovered from the serious injuries he received. His father, Mr. David Bennett, lost his life by an accidental fall from the Swansea and Bristol mail. Syston Bridge, built in 1797, is said to have been begun' and com- pleted in nine days, by three bricklayers, with their six labourers ; and from the rapidity of its execution, it has been called " The Nine Days' Wonder." The quantity of materials used in its erection was 25,000 bricks, and 150 tons weight of stone. Within the lordship is an emi- nence called *Moivde Bush Hilly on which is a stone inscribed with that name. The late Sir John Danvers formerly held a meeting at Mountsorrel, called Mowde Bush Court, at which time he and the steward went to this hill, and cutting a piece of turf, carried it to the court. At the Norman Conquest, the manor of Syston was granted to Hugh de Grentemaisnel ; it afterwards passed to various families, but has been held by the Earl of Stamford's family since 1641. The Parish Begister heg'ms in 1591, and contains many curious entries, illustrative of the customs and expenses of former times, and from which the fol- lowing are selected : — '< 1597, paid the armour dresser, 3s. 4d. ; also for the town swords, 7s. ; — 1599, paid for a bull, 30s. ; — 1600, paid for moving the bull hooke, 12d, ; — 160^, harvest late, barley not got in till St. Matthew's day ; — 1603, a pound of wood hoops sold for 2s. 8d., a strike of malt ]7d., and a strike of wheat 2s. 4d. ; — 1606, grinding was so scant by wind and water, that at the feast of St. Luke, people came from Hinckley to Syston to grind their corn ; — 1609, at Lough- borough, 500 people died of the plague." The Chukch rSt. Peter J is a large Gothic structure, with a nave, aisles, chancel, and a square tower, containing a clock and six bells. It was re-pewed in 1800, and a large gallery was erected in 1816, chiefly by subscription. A passage to the rood loft still remains, and a screen separates the nave and chan- cel. Here was a chantry, founded by Wm. Grendell, for a priest to sing mass, and perform other service, for which he was to receive i;3. lis. 2d, yearly. At i\iQ enclosure of the parish, in 1777? about 2q 458 SYSTON PARISH. 248a. of land was allotted in lieu of the tithes ^ to the Chancellor, Fel- lows, and Scholars of Oxford University, the appropriators ; of whom it is now held on lease hy Henry Cleaver Woodcock, Esq. The dis- charged vicarage, valued in K.B. at £7' 2s. 7<5«> and in 1831, at .£115, has only about 9a. of land, and a stipend of £45 per annum from the appropriators. It was augmented in 1814 by the Governors of Queen Anne's Bounty and a Parliamentary Grant. The patronage belongs to the University of Oxford ; and the Rev. Edw. Morgan, M.A., is the in- cumbent, and has a neat modern residence. Here is a fVesleyan, and also a Particular Baptist Chapel, the former built in 1797i at the cost of £700, of which £400 was given by Wm. Cooper, Esq.; and the latter built in 1818, at the cost of £400. Here is also a small Primitive Methodist Chapel^ built in 1836. Sunday schools are at- tached to the church and chapels. The National Schools, for boys and girls, were established in 1817, and five cottages have been purchased by subscription for their endowment. They are attended by about 75 boys, and 45 girls. They are supported chiefly by subscription. Here is also an Injaiit School, attended by 50 children. The Church Land comprises 2a. 2r. 3p., awarded at the enclosure, and now let for £11.12s. 6d., which is carried to the church account. At the same time, an allotment of 7a. 2k. 2p. was awarded for the augmentation of the vicar's income, provided he resides in the parish; but should he not reside here, the rent is to be applied, durinjj his non-residence, in pay- ing a schoolmaster for teaching reading, writing, and arithmetic, to poor children, and in putting them out apprentice. The legacies of £27. 1 Os., left to the poor by Hugh Bottom and others, and £20 left by fVm. Lacer, were laid out in land, which was exchanged at the enclosure for 3a. 2r. 38p., let for about £13 a year ; about one-half of which is car- ried to the church account, but, according to the Charity Report, the whole should be distributed among the poor, who have also the interest of £30, left by Lady Catherine Palmer, In the following BIB.^CTO'RY of SYSTON, those marked I, are in Bath street ; 2, Barkhy street; 3, Brook street; 4, Chapel street; 5, Lower Church street; 6, Tipper Church street ; 7, Cramp lane; ^^ at the Qreen ; 9 J in High street; 10, Melton road; 11, Leicester road; 12, at Lewin Bridge ; ond 13, in Turnagain lane. The Post Office is at Mr. George RandaPs, "White Swan Inn. Let- ters are received and despatched every morning and affcernoon. 9 Adcock Benjamin, gentleman .5Adcock Jph. curriertfe leather cutter' 9Bennett Wm.flax dressr tferopemkr 13 Bevans John, coal dealer 1 Brown Wm. cattle dealer 2Burdett Thos.superintndt of police 9 Cart Robert, framesmith 9 Cart Wm. framesmith 13 Cart Thomas, pig jobber Donisthorpe Geo. weigher, Station GFreemanThos. gardener &par.clerk 2 Gilbert Mrs Mary Ann 2 Halford Samuel, gardener 11 Haines Mrs Mary 9 Keeling Wm. plumber & glazier 8 Moore Joseph Cooper, maltster, brewer, & spirit mert. at Leicester 8 Moore Wm. solicitor (cfe Leicester) 11 Moor Wm. chair maker 6 Morgan Rev. Edw. M.A. vicar of Syston rovidinga bull for the use of the parish, and formerly provided a boar also. The poor have the interest of £10, left by one Chamberlain. Burton Edward, joiner ' f farmers and graziers. Needham Thomas, London sales- man and vict. Rose and Crown Nevile Rev Gerard, M.A. vicar Oliver Wm. grocer and shoemaker Simpson Wm. master of Nat. School Butt Amos Thomas, Manor House Colpman Emanuel Needham Thomas || Snow Wm. Sikes James Parke (otvner) W alker Wm. (and butcher) Marefield, or South Mardefieldy is a small township in the parish, and 1| mile N. by E. of Tilton. It has only 21 souls, and about 515 acres of land, in a detached part of Gartree Hundred. Thos. Cooper Hincks, Esq., is owner of the soil and lord of the manor. The soil is chiefly clay, and the ground hilly, and watered by a small rivulet. The four Farmkrs are Thos. Clark, John Martin, Jonathan Martin, and Elizabeth Needham. Halstead is a straggling village and township, in Tilton parish, 8 miles W. by S. of Oakham, and II miles E. of Leicester. It adjoins Tilton, and contains 186 souls, and 1510 acres of land, having a various soil and hilly surface ; some parts being clay and others gravel. Here are several petrifying springs. Henry Nevile, Esq., is lord of the manor, but part of the soil belongs to Edward Anthony Holden, Esq. The fVesleyans have a small chapel here. At the dissolution, the manor, which belonged to Laund Priory, was granted to Thos. Crom- well, Earl of Essex. Baines John, carpenter farmers and graziers. Barnes Thomas, shoemaker (*areOwners&f\liv€atLodgeHouses.) Needham Francis, shoemaker Atkins Thomas 1| tBurton Thomus Randall Wm. blacksmith fCattell John l| fGibbins James Carriers to Leicester, Wed. and fGilford John || *Stubbs George Sat. Wm. Randell and David Ward. *Wright John Whatborough, a small manor and township in Tilton parish, is about 7 miles \V. of Oakham, and contains only 1 1 souls, and about 350 acres, in onefarin^ occupied by Mr. Charles Brown, and belong- ing to All Souls' College, Oxford : but held on lease by J. D. Barnard and R. Peake, Esqrs. It has been variously called Wadborough, and fFtstbergey and formerly belonged to Albetbury Priory, Shropshire 2C2 46:2 EAST GOSCOTE HUNDRED. wbicli was a cell to Grandimoiit Abbey. At tlie suppression of tlie Alien Monasteries, this manor was given to All Souls' College. TUGBY, a pleasant village upon an eminence on the road between the two towns, is 7i miles W. of Uppingham, and nearly 12 miles E. by S. of Leicester. Its parish contains 1540 acres of land, and 275 softls, exclusive oi Keythorpe Liberty ^wlxicXi forms the north side of the parish, as afterwards noticed, and contains 21 souls, and 799 acres. Lord Berners is lord of the manor and owner of a great part of the soil, and the lest belongs chiefly to Sir J. H. Palmer, Bart. The soil is chielly clay, and the surface hilly. The manor has been variously spelt, Tokebyy Tochebi, &c. It belonged to Croxdon Abbey, and was sold at the dissolution to Rowland Shakelady. It has been held by the Wil- son family, of which Lord Berners is the head, since 1739. The Church (St. Thomas-a-Becket) is as mall neat structure, with a low square tower and four bells, and was repaired and newly seated, in 1837, at the cost of £200. The organ was given by the Hon. Mrs. Wilson. The living is a vicarages with that of East Norton annexed to it, valued in K.P. at ilU. 8s. Id., and in 1831 at ^£290. It has 125a. 2r. 8p. of glebe in this parish, and 6a. 30p. at East Norton ; the former allotted in lieu of the vicarial tithes, at the enclosure, in 1781. The Lord Chancellor is patron, and the Rev. G. E. Winslow, M.D., incumbent. The parish /effi'^ is on the Sunday after St. Peter's day. In 1746, Catherine Parker left for three poor widows of Hallaton,. and three of Tugby and East Norton, land, which now consists of a farm of 62a. 28p., at Turlangton, let for £100. One half belongs to Hallaton, and the other is divided into three parts, one for a poor widow of East Norton, and two parts for three poor widows of Tugby. The rector of Hallaton, and vicar of Tugby, are the trustees. Tugby Clerk^sand Poors^ Land, awarded at the enclosure, comprises 17a. 2r. 14p., let for £25 a year, of v/hich £2 belongs to the parish clerk, and the rest is chiefly ap- plied in apprenticing poor children. £140 left to the poor, by Catherine Parker, and seven other donors, was laid out in 1763, in the purchase of 8a. of land, at Wartnaby^ now let for £8. 6s., of which £1. Is. is paid to the schoolmaster, and the rest is distributed among the poor. Kkythorpe Liberty, which adjoins Tugby on the south, is in that parish, with which it keeps its poor. It has only 21 inhabitants, and 799a. 2r. of land, belonging mostly to Lord Berners, (lord of the manor,) and partly to Sir J. H. Palmer. Keythorpe Hall is a handsome mansion in the Roman style, built in 1843, of stone from Tilton Quarry. It stands on a commanding eminence, and is the seat of Lord Berners' son, the Hon. Henry W^m. Wilson. The principal rooms are spacious and lofty, and the grounds have been tastefully laid out, and terminated by extensive plantations, which after a few years' growth, will add much to the beauty of the picturesque scenery of the neighbourhood. TUGBY PARISH Broom Edward, tailor Curtis John, joiner, and ex- changed at the enclosure for 53a. Or. 7P') now let for £104. 10s. per annum. Of this income, £15 is paid to the schoolmaster, £10 to a surgeon for attending the poor, £1 to the parish clerk, and the residue is distributed in coals, clothing, &c. among the poor parishioners. J. Burrows, J. and W. Sheppard, J. Hardy, and others, are the feoffees. In 1730, Joseph Thompson bequeathed to the town feoff"ees £100, to be vested, and the yearly proceeds applied in schooling ten poor boys. This legacy was laid out in the purchase of 10a. of land, called Ray- land Close, at Burton-on-the- Wolds, now let for about £15 a year. Five poor widows have the rent of 1a. 1r. of land, now let for £5, and purchased with £50, left by Daniel Balland. The dividends of £120 three and a half per cent, stock are distributed in bibles, among the poor. Of this stock, £20 was given by the Rev. IV, Chamherlai7i^ and £100 by Dr. Johnson, a late vicar- The Herbage Charity wa.s established* at the enclosure of the parish, when two-thirds of the her- bage and pasture of the public roads were vested for the use of the 466 WIMESWOLD PARISH. poor. The herbage of the several roads produces about £50 "a year, of which only about £11 is distributed among the poor, though they are entitled to two- thirds. In the following DIRECTORY OF WIMESWOLD, Mo5em«r/tfrf 1, reside in Brook street; 2, Church lane; 3, Far street ; 4, Little End ; 6, Stockwell street ; and 6, at the Clay, Alford Rev. Henry, M.A, vicar, and private tutor 4 Bradwell Thomas, saddler 3 Brampton Jph. vict. Three Crowns 2 Browne B. W. surgeon 5 Burrows John, gentleman 3 Crookes Enoch, nail maker 3 Deakin Thos. earthenware dealer 3 Dewick James, hair dresser 3 Ella Wm. Fisher, gentleman 1 Ford Wm. miller & vict. WindMill 3 Hall Saml. vict. Rose and Crown 5 Hawatt Henry, gentleman. Hall 3 Hatfield Arthur, vict. Bull's Head 1 Holworthy John, medicine vendor 3 Johnson Jeremiah, maltster&beerhs 1 Jordon Josiah, schoolmaster 3 Lacey John, hairdresser 2 Miller John, plumber and glazier 3National School, Edw. Rotherham 2 Piercy Rev. J. M. Wm., M.A. 3 Potter Thos. Ropell,boardg.school 1 Shaw Wm. saddler 3 Shaw John, saddler 4 Tyers John, w^heelwright 3 Winfield Wm. gravestone cutter 4 Wilkinson Jane Eliz, schoolmistrs 1 Wood John, draper, Hill chap ..S 1900 1^1 1838 Noseleye^. par.. 880 20 1898 §Ouston parish^ §Newbold Sau > C 189 ^ jChurchLangtnp. ,. 2460 \ C 3605 tLangton(East)t 870 288 J797 cey hamlet.. 3 I 24 3 fLangtonThrp ) chapelry . . ^ 1350 160 1600 *Pickwell and > Leesthorpep. ^ 1480 163 3700 i-Langton(Tur)c. 1230 350 2252 tSaddingtonpar.. 1050 279 2814 tLangton(W.) c, 830 71 1642 §Scrapt()ft parish. 450 89 2500 tCranoe parish . . 990 137 1000 tShangton parish. 1590 39 1772 §Evington parish. 1360 285 3550 tSlawston parish. 1510 250 2527 tFleckney par. . . 1630 473 1800 IStockerston par. 730 48 1366 tFoxton parish . . 2020 385 3247 JSrokeDry(part)p. IF ., .. §Galby parish > §Frisby chap. ^ 1170 93 1430 JHolyoakeslib.. 700 2 860 15 1427 tStonton Wy- > 1190 102 1691 ^GlennMagnapar §StrettonMag. ch. 1730 795 3700 ville parish.. C 780 38 960 tTheddingwrth > 1070 254 2496 tGlooston parish. 660 157 1258 (part of) parish^ tGiimley parish . . 1550 240 2276 §Thurnby par. . . 690 162 1009 IHallaton par. .. 2360 637 5000 §Bushby hamlet 760 86 1000 iHorninghold par 1120 98 1614 §Stoughton chap. 1290 121 2600 § Hoiighton-on- } the- Hill par. S 2450 451 2628 §Tilton(part of)p. ^ .. §Mareiield twp. 440 21 700 §Hungerton(prt7 of) parish.. ..5 IT §Tngby (part) par §Keythorpe lib. IF .. * * 299 13 li26 §Baggravelib... 420 27 1136 tWelham pari»h.^ 860 66 2140 §Ingarsby ham. 810 26 1415 §Wistow parish, i 1220 IS 1392 fHiisband's ? Bosworth par. ^ 3870 953 6018 §Newton Har- > court chap.. 3 880 278 1411 Knaptoft(part) p. IT .. tMowsley chap 1710 267 1967 Total 80,740 17,990 142,862 UNIONS. — Those marked thus * are in Melton Mowbray Union y f in Market Harborough Union ; X in Uppingham Union y § in Billesdon Union ; and 11 (Knossington,) in Oakham Union. These Unions are described with the parishes from which they are named. Those of Oakham and Uppingham are mostly in Rutlandshire. Noseley, being extra-parochial, is not in any Union. When the census was taken, in July, 1841, there were 68 persons in Market Harborough Union Workhouse, and 34 in Billesdon Union Workhouse. The latter is at Glenn Magna, but a new one is now building at Billesdon. ^ Knaptoft is in Guthlaxton Hundred ; Stoke Dry is in Rutlandshire ; and most of Tilton, Tugby, and Hungerton parishes, are in East Goscote Hundred, Part of Theddingworth parish is in Northamptonshire, ^p°^ Baggrave, Buvrough, Knossington, Ouston, and Pickwell, are detached members of Gartree Hundred, intermixed with the parishes of Framland and East Goscote Hundreds. They are included (except Baggrave,) with Framland Hundred, in the County Rate Assessment of 1838. GARTREE HUNDRED. 469 BILLESDON is a large and well-built village, in a pleasant valley, 8J miles E. of Leicester, and 10^ miles W. by N. of Uppingham, on the high road between those towns. It has a large open space, in which is a stone crosSy where a market was formerly held every Friday. It had two annual /^/r* for cattle, toys, pedlery, &c., on April 23rd and July 25th, but they had been long obsolete in the early part of 1846, when a com- mittee of twelve of the principal inhabitants determined on the esta- blishmemt o^ four cattle fairs to be held here yearly, on the last Mon- day in February, the fisrt Monday in May, the last Monday in August, and the first Monday in October. Billesdon being a cen- tral place between five market towns, it is expected that these fairs will be well attended. The first, held in May this year, had a very large show of cattle, which met with a ready sale. The parish feast is on the Sunday after June 24th. Billesdon toivnship con- tains 713 inhabitants, and 2410 acres, but its jmrish includes also the townships and chapelries of Goadby and RoUeston, and comprises alto- gether 878 souls, and about 4300 acres. Sir F. G. Fowke, Bt., is lord of the manor of Billesdon, but a great part of the soil belongs to J. King, Hy. Greene, Thos. Stokes, and Chas. Thos. Freer, Esqrs. The latter has a delightful seat here, called the Cop low, on a bold eminence about 1 mile N. of the village. This mansion was enlarged and beau- tified in 1842-3, and is now undergoing extensive improvements. It commands extensive prospects, and is encompassed by tasteful gardens and pleasure grounds. It is sheltered on the north east by a large wood, and on the south is a fox cover famed in hunting songs. The manor was held by Goisfrid Alselin in 1086, and it afterwards passed to various families. The soil varies from a cold clay to a rich red marl, and the ground is hilly. Several rivulets have their sources here, and in the parish are traces of an encampment, occupying 18 acres, sup- posed to have been occupied by the Roniaus, who are said to have had a Pagan Temple in the neighbourhood. The Church (St. John the Baptist) is a neat structure, with a tower containing four bells, and crowned by a spire. It was lepewed and two galleries erected, in 1838, at the cost of £350, of which £100 was given by the Incorporated Society. It was appropriated to Leicester Abbey. The benefice is a vicarage, with the curacies of Goadby and Rolleston annexed to it, va- lued in K.B. at £14. 9s. lOd., and in 1831 at £298 ; and having 156a. of glebe, mostly awarded, in lieu of the tithes of the open fields, at the enclosure in 1764, when the liiy impropriators also received land in lieu of the great tithes. The tithes of the old enclosures are about to be commuted. Hy. Greene, Esq., is patron of the vicarage, and the Rev. John Burnett Stuart, M.D., is the incumbent. Here has been a con- gregation of Particular Baptists since 1820, and they are now (1846) building a neat chapel, jointly with the Independents. The Free School was built in 1650, at the sole expense of fFm. Sharpe, It has room for 100 children, and it is repaired at the expense of the parish, but has seldom more than 25 free and 20 pay scholars. From 1732 to 1800, £180 was left by various donors towards the support of the school, and in 1790, £50 was left for the same purpose hy Joseph IVhit- tingham, and in 1772, £50 by fFm. Ward. The present school endow- ment yields £12. 13s. 9d. per annum, of which £9. 17s. 9d. is the school's share of the dividends of £1050 three and a half per cent. 2 R 470 BILLESDON PARISH. stock, purchased with £230 of the school fund?, and £630 belonging' to Ward's, Heard's, and Pippin's charities. In 1772, the above-named Wm. Ward left X400, for the support of four poor widows, in an Almshouse to be built or provided by the parishioners, who jjurchased four tenements for that purpose, in 1791. The i)400 forms part of the stock above named, from which the alraswomen derive £\7. 10s. per annum. They have also the interest of £92, left by Joseph Whit- tingham, and are supplied with coals by the parish, and with small pay- ments making their weekly stipends 3s. each. The poor of Billesdon are entitled to a share of Woollaston's Charity^ (see Twyford,) and the sum derived from it yearly is about £28, which is distributed in cloth, flannel, and sheeting. They have £9. 7s- 3d. yearly from the dividends of the above-named stock, in consideration of £30 left by John Pipphiy and £200 left by ilfarz/ Heard, They have also a yearly rent-charge of 5s., left by Robert Arnold; and about £14 a year as rent of the Poor's Land^ which comprises 5a. 1r. 38p. allotted at the enclosure, in lieu of other land purchased with the benefactions q{ An- thony Cade and others. This land is now let in garden plots to 30 labourers. Billesdon has aPosT-OpFiCE for this and surrounding pa- rishes, and a Coach passes daily to Leicester, Uppingham, Stamford, &c. The Quorn Hounds have kennels here, as noticed at page 320. These kennels, with stabling for 42 horses, were built in 1838 by Lord Suffield, but H. Greene, Esq., is now master of the Quorn Hounds. Mr. T. Tomhlin^ popularly called Capt. Tomblin, is perhaps the clever- est '' rough rider^^ in the world, and is one of the committee for establish- ing the new fairs at Billesdon. He is in high repute among the Noble- men and Gentlemen of the Quorn, Belvoir, and other Hunts, and can reduce to tractability the most spirited and obstinate animals, when other break- ers have failed. The other members of the Committee for the manage- ment of Billesdon Fairs are C. T. Freer, Esq., and Messrs. W. Ogden, H. Allen, T. Eales, W. Horspool, D. Summers, L. Humphrey, J. Sum- , mers, J. Loseby, G. Porter, and E. Neepe. BILLESDON UNION, formed by the New Poor Law Commissioners in 1836, comprises 36 parishes and townships, viz., Allexton, Billesdon, Cold-Newton, Goadby, Halstead, Hungerton, Keyham, Loddington, Lowesby, Marefield, East Norton, Ouston, Rollestou, Skeffington, Til- ton, Tugby, "Whatborough, and Withcote, forming the Eastern District ; and Burton-Qvery, Bushby, Carlton-Curlieu, Evington, Frisby, Galby, Glenn Magna, Houghton, Humberstone, listen, Newton Harcourt, Nor- ton-by - Galby, Scraptoft, Stoughton, Stretton- Magna, Stretton-Parva, Thurnby, and Wistow, forming the Western District. It includes an area of 82 square miles, and a population which amounted in 1831 to 6749, and in 1841 to 6810, consisting of 3373 males and 3437 females^ residing in 1451 houses; besides which there were 95 unoccupied and 6 building, when the last census was taken. The average annual expenditure of the 36 parishes, (fee, during the three years preceding the formation of the Union, was ^"5066 ; but the expenditure in 1838 was only £2715. The Union Workhouse is a small inconvenient building at Glenn Magna, hut a new one is now building at Billesdon, on a larger and more commodious plan, at the cost of about £3300. Mr. Edward and Mrs. Thompson are master and matron of the Workhouse. The Guardians meet every Friday in Winter, and on alternate Fridays in Summer. Mr. Thomas Ingram, of Leicester, is Union Clerk and Superintendent Registrar. Mr.W. Holy- oak, of Skeffuigton, is Relieving Officer and Registrar of Births and GARTREE HUNDRED. 471 Deaths, Mr. W. F. Franks, of Billesdon, Mr. Watson Manby, of Glenn Magna, and Mr. John Hunt, of Thurnby, are tMe Surgeons. H. Greene, Esq., is Chairman of the Board of Guardians. BILLESDON. Bent John, hosiery manufacturer Combe Harvey, auctioneer, for 4a. 2r. 13p., now let for about £21, The house was altered, and used as the parish workhouse, till the formation of the Union. The Quakers had formerly a meeting-house and burial ground, about 200 yards east of the church, and here was also an Antinomian Cha- pel. There are now in the town three neat and commodious Dissenting Meeting-houses, viz., the fFesleyan Chapel^ built in 1813; the Baptist Chapel, built in 1831; and the Independent Chapel, in High street, built in 1844, on the site of the minister's house, in lieu of the old cha- pel, which had been in existence nearly two centuries, and had become much dilapidated. This new Independent Chapel is a large and hand- some structure, with an elegant front in the Corinthian order, erected at the cost of more than £2500, exclusive of the old materials. The MARKET HARBOROUGH. 481 sum of £1600, which was promptly subscribed by the congregation for the new chapel, was deposited in the Harborough Bank, when it failed, and consequently about half of it was lost. The Independents of Har- borough are the successors of the Nonconformists, who first assembled here under the ministry of the Rev. Matthew Clark, M.J., who was ejected from the rectory of Narborough in 1662, and afterwards went to Norwich, where he died in 1708, nearly 80 years* of age, after suffer- ing much in the cause of religious liberty. From a pamphlet published in that year, it .ippears there was " A great fight at Harborough be- twixt the Presbyterians and IndependentSy in 1647," which ended in the former being worsted, and two or three of them slain. Bible, Mis- sionarp, and other Religious Institutions are liberally supported here, both by the church and dissenting congregations, as well as Sunday Schools. The Free Grammar School is an old frame buildina:, supported upon wooden pillars, over the Butter market, 36 feet long and 18 broad, capable of accommodating 90 scholars, and having a high gabled roof, crowned, in the centre, by a wooden turret, terminating in a gilt ball and cross. It was built in 1614, by Robert Smyth, a native of the town, but then a wealthy citizen of London. In 1617, he gave £350 to the Corporation of London, in trust that they should allow for it the yearly sum of £20, of which he directed £2 to be reserved for the reparation of this school, and £18 to be paid to the minister and two townsmen of Market Harborough, and applied by them as follows : — d^3. 18s. in a weekly distribution of Is. 6d. worth of bread among the poor ; £2. 6s. 8d. to provide Bibles for six poor scholars and the poor attending the church lectures ; 10s. for the churchwardens, for their trouble; 5s. 4d. to the clerk; £10 to the school- master, for teaching 15 poor scholars; and £1 to the Dean and Chapter of Christ Church, Oxford, if they would visit the school, and if not, the same to be given to the poor. In the same year (1617,) Cphr. Shaw left a yearly rent-charge of £10 out of land at Chipsted, Surrey, to the Em- broiderers' Company, London, in trust to pay the same to the master of this Free School, who has also another rent-charge of £10, left by Thos. Peachj in 1770, out of land at Brampton, Northamptonshire. He has likewise a house in the Sheep market, intended for his residence, but now let for £13 a year. He is appointed by the Lord Mayor and Aldermen of the city of London, and in consideration of the schoolhouse and endow- ment, he votes at the election of the representatives of the Southern Divi- sion of this county and the Northern Division of Northamptonshire. The 15 free scholars are admitted by himself, but they are required to be able to write before their admission, and are each charged 2d. a week for pens and ink, and Is. a year for firing. He is allowed to take other scholars, who pay 10s. 6d. per quarter, or 6d. per week, for reading, writing, and arithmetic. An extra charge is made for the higher branches, which are taught at an early hour in the morning in summer, and in the evening in winter. The National School, built in 1836, and enlarged in 1842, by the erection of an upper room for girls, is well attended, as also is the British School, built in 1838. The Dispensary, in High street, was established in 1815, and is sup- ported by subscription, and the gratuitous aid of the medical gentlemen of the town. It is open every Tuesday and Friday, from Lady-day to St. Thomas's-day, and on Tuesday only during the rest of the year, from nine to twelve o'clock. Sir Henry Halford, Bart., is the president; Drs. Arnold and Freer, of Leicester, are the consulting physicians ; and the Rev. F. Apthorp is the secretary. The subscriptions produce only about £60 a 2s 482 MARKET HARBOROUGH. year, and the number of patients, in 1845, was 187. Harboroiigli SAVINGS' BANK, of which Mr. Charles Abbott is secretary, is open at his house in High street, every Tuesday, from twelve to one o'clock. It was established in 1838, and in November, 1845, had deposits amounting to £9880, belonging to 478 individuals, 21 charitable societies, and nine friendly societies. The Hon. Richard Watson is president, and Sir Henry Halford, Bart., vice-president. The Town Estate, which has been vested in feoffees from an early period for repairing the highways and bridges, relieving the poor, ap- prenticing poor children, together with an allotment in lieu of the " Hare- crop leys^'' which had been bequeathed to the rectory at an early pe- riod, on condition that the successive rectors should provide yearly " two hare pies, a quantity of ale, and two dozen of penny loaves, to he scrambled for on Easter Monday,^' at a place called " Hare Pie Bank,^'' about a quarter of a mile south of the village. This ridicu- lous custom, which usually ends in quarrelling and fighting, is still con- tinued ; but as veal and bacon pies, weighing upwards of eight stones, have been substituted for the hare pies, we think the rector might so far infringe upon his tenure, as to change the scramble for an equitable division of provisions of the same value among his poor parishioners. Here is an Independent Chapel, built in 1822, at the cost of £420, and attached to it is a Sunday school, erected in 1839. The parish has va- ious charities, yielding nearly £500 per annum. Charities : — For the support of six poor aged women, three of this parish, and three of Tugby and East Norton, Katharine Parker, in 1746, left £1000, which was vested in land, which was exchanged at the enclo- sure, in 1792, for a farm of 72a. 2r. 23p., at Tur-Langton, now let for £IQ0 a year. For the residence of the three Almswomen of this parish, George Fenwicke left three cottages in 1776, and they each receive about £1. 16s. per quarter. The latter donor also left 13a. of land, for charitable uses and schooUng poor children. This land was exchanged at the enclosure, in 1771, for 16a. 2r. 12p., called Foxholes^ now forming part of the Town Estate, which comprises also the following parcels, as set out at the en- closure:— 89a. 18p., called the Fearfis ; 45a. Up., called Stafford's Farm, (belonging to the church, school, Sind poor ;) and 41a. 1r. 8p., called Pole's Close, and appropriated to the repairs of the conduits, &c. The whole are let at rents amounting to about £310 per annum. Part of the Town Estate was purchased in 1713, with £209, 13s. belonging to the church, school, and poor, and much of the remainder has been vested, from an early period, for public and charitable uses. It is now vested in trustees, appointed in 1837. Of the yearly income, £170, as the rent of the Fearns, is paid to the "townsman,^' (an officer elected yearly on Easter Tuesday,) and by HALLATON, (GAETREE HUNDRED.) 505 him distributed equally among all the poor of the parish. He also receives £82 yearly, for the repairs of the town-houses^ purnps^ conduit^ and high- ways. Of the residue, £24 is paid yearly to the master of the Free School; £6. 16s. to the churchwardens, and the rest is dispensed in charitable dis- tributions. There are 22 small tenements let to the poor at low rents, and six of them were rebuilt by the town feoffees in 1842, In 1685, Va- lentine Goodman left £800, to be vested in land, and the rents thereof applied by the ministers of the following parishes, in the relief of 16 poor parishioners, viz.,— 4 o^ Hallatan, 4 oi Medbourn^ 6 o( Easton and Bring- hurst ^ and 2 of Blaston; but not to ease the parish rates. .This charity now consists of a farm of 60a. 3r. 22p., at Drayton, let for about £90 a year. The share belonging to Hallaton (about £22) is usually distributed among twelve poor people, in small weekly sums. The poor of Hallaton ' have also the following yearly doles, viz., — £3, left by Wm. and Henry Dent J out of a farm here; and £5, as interest of £120, left by another Wm, Denf^ in 1773. The Gravel-pit a?id Sto?ie-pit Closes contain 3a. 2r., and were awarded at the enclosure, in 1771, and are now let for £12 a year, which is applied in repairing the highways. HALLATON. Baines Thomas, grocer, draper, and chandler Burbidge Mrs Mary Campion Thomas, parish clerk Dent Rev John Henry, M.A. Dexter John, gentleman Exton Wm. chairmaker Gibbins Mrs Sarah || Johnson Ann Hill James, saddler, &c Kilbourn Thomas, linen weaver Kluht Rev Wm. Indept. minister Neale Wm. gardener Peake Rev Thos. Cross, M.A. rector Pepper Edward, gentleman Peck Jane, milliner and dress maker Pocklington John, London salesman Rowe Thomas Coleman, maltster Simpkin Wm. gentleman Springthorpe Wm. cooper Spencer Joseph Henry, surgeon Vowe Thomas, Esq. Manor House Ward Thos. master of Free School INNS AND TAVERNS. Bewicke Arms, Thomas Peck Fox, Pretty Queen's Head, Wm. Bayes Royal Oak, Thomas Holland BAKERS. Barnett Edward Jones Wm. (and beerhouse) BLACKSMITHS. Eaton John and Benjamin Pick Thomas BRICKLAYERS. Ward John Wilson Edmund Hodgkins BUTCHERS. Fox Wm. Pick John Sewell My. Ann FARMERS AND GRAZIERS. Blakesley John Blakesley Richd. Garner Joseph •Gibbins Rd. D. Hackney Thos. Jolyison Wm. Parr Thomas Peck John Peck Thomas Pepper Edward Pocklington Jno. Rowe Thos. C. Sewell Joseph FELLMONGERS. Allmond John Allmond Joseph JOINERS. Bassett Wm. Curtis Jonathan Curtis Thomas Groocock John Groocock Wm. Kempin John PLUMBERS, PAINTERS, Smith Mr Job Turvile Geo. Fortesque, Esq. Hall Voss Charles, beerhouse Waddington Mr John Williams Rev Wm., Partr. Baptist Wood Rev R. W. Kendall, M.A. curate, Rectory INNS AND TAVERNS. Bell, Joshua Smith Butchers' Arms, Lucy Groocock George, Jph. Foster, coal mert. and wharfinger, Welford Bridge GARTREE HUNDRED. 509 Witsey Thomas GROCERS. Dimblebee Rd. ( ston township ^ llStapleton haralel Bassett House extra par... §Cadeby parish §Osbastontwp.^ §Congerstone par tCroft parish., .. §Desford parish.. Barron's Park? hamlet . . . . C tDraytonFenny > parish ^ llElmsthoi-pe par. tEnderby parish.. \Glenfield jmrish. JBraunstone chap JBraunstone — > Frith ex par. 5 tKirbyMuxloech. Glenfield Frith? ex. par ^ Gopsal Hall ex.p. •Heather parish.. §Higham-on- Hill parish §Lindley ham. §Rowdenham. ^ 11 Hinckley parish. II Hinckley tvvp ^ JlWykin ham. §Dadlington chap llStokeGoldingch §Ibstock parish.. ♦Donnington •Hugglescote c ^ tKirby Frith ex.p. §KirkbyMalloryp llEarl Shilton ch, tLeicester Fo rest(E.&W,^ & New Parks extra, par Pop. Acres, in 1841. 5h.. n ch.. Fo--) 3170 1190 7O0 1380 200 415 1300 153h 105U 1610 600 1100 500 750 : 63 1351 178 209 267 321 988 1280 12' / 36 13.36 516 195 Aiiul. Value £. 106 -508: 1770 -3983 12,000 -3953 380 25/2 4700 11006 > 1400 PAUISHES, &C. \Markct Bos- \ worth parish. S §Barelstone chp, §Carlton chap. §Slieuton chap.. jSattouCheneych jMarklield par.. ^VIerevale(part)l] ^Vlythe ex. par.. jNailstone par... jBarton-in-the Beans^ twp. •Normanton le Heath chap.. j-Narborough p. > tHuncote ham. f tLittlethorp(part) jNewboll VerO don parish . . >■ ^Brascote barn. 3 §Norton-juxta- > Twycrosspar^ Bilston chap. .. ^Orton-on-Hill p ";Peckleton par.. iRatby parish "^ ^Batcheston hr §Groby liamlet V §Newton Uu-W thank hamlet j ySapcote parish.. ^Shacker.stone p. §Odestone homlei llSharnford parish [SheepvMiigna p. ■RatchffeCuley? chapelry .... 3 I Sheep}' Parvg, p. SSibstou parish "j §Wellesboro'cfe^ Temple Hall I township . . . . ; §Uptou townshij 'Snareston par. llStauton (Stoney) Thornton parish §Bagworth chap.. §Stant«n under > Bard on chap. \ tThurlastonpr. ~ j tNormanton I Turviileham §Tvvycross parish IWitherley par.. JAtterton ham.. Acres, 2800 1018 680 1400 153U 230U 1056 170 1800 820 1320 2381 1750 1890 700 1600 2020 5410 1380 1920 1420 1400 1600 1000 582 2590 1270 1510 1750 1978 2100 1406 2980 1350 774 630 Total.. 101,841 37,705 176,^ Pop. Annual Value. 1841. £. 1135 580 282 190 352 1203 106 42 314 161 235 804 425 100 i 605 I 55 400 126 348 347 - 6^3 i 37 ' 532 42 ■ 773 344 180 624 353 219 104 280 76 148 404 663 491 569 315 646 48 336 425 84 532 SPARKENHOE HUNDRED. Notes to Table on preceding Page. UNIONS.— Those marked thus * are in Ashby-de-la-Zouch Union; f iU Blahy Union ; % in Atherstone Union ; § in Market Bosworth Union y and |{ in Hinckley Union. Atherstone Union is mostly in Warwickshire ; and the others are described with the parishes from which they are named. Blahy Union Workhouse is at Enderby. (See page 378.) It had 100 inmates when the census of 1841 was taken ; that at Hinckley had 19/ ; and that at Bosworth, 57. ^ Merevale parish is partly in Warwickshire. The Leicestershire part is a scattered district, including Moorbarn, Lea Grange, and the latter in 1833. The Church Land is 3a. 2r., let for £5. The Poor^s Land^ awarded at the enclosure in 1670, comprises about 14a., of which 8a. is divided into 105 gar- den plots, occupied rent-free by the poor parishioners ; and the rest is let for £15 a year, which is distributed among those poor who have no gardens. The poor have also the interest of £19, left by Wm. Wightman and John Shenton ; and 4s. 2d. yearly from Sir William Roberts's charity. (See Hinckley.) The Free School, for clothing and educating 20 poor boys, receives £20. \Qs. jG^vly ivom Aldei'man Newton'' s charity^ as noticed at page 103 ; and from the same charity it received, many years ago, £120, now out on mortgage. The free boys are clothed in green once in two years, and the master is allowed to take other scholars. The present school was built by sub- scription, in 1845. Here are several Fnfant Schools. Allen John, brickmaker Bayley John, wheelwright Bonser Ann, vict. Red Lion Clamp Thomas, vict. Queen's Head Gilbert Hanh. boarding & day school Gilbert Anne, milliner, &c Gilbert Sharrad, vict. Three Crowns Groocock Wm. butcher Harrold Daniel, butcher Hingston Rev George, curate Mettam Rev George, M.A. Rectory Milhouse Wm. Esq. Barwell House Needham John, parish clerk Norman Wm. tailor Nutting Thomas Wm. corn miller Parker John^ framework knitter Pearson Captain, and Mrs. Power Wm. Hunt, Esq. Smith Thomas, vict. Cross Keys Stoneley Wm. carpenter Summers S. tailor White George, tailor Whitehead Wm. master of Free Scl Wright Wm. blacksmith Wright George James, shopkeeper Groocock J. jun Shopkeepers. BrocklehurstGeo Budworth John Chapman Thos. (and farrier) Garner John Groocock Thos. Hall Richard White Jno. baker Wright James CARRIERS. Geo. Powers and J. Wright, to Leicester, Wed. and Saturday FARMERS. Dalton George, Manor Farm Palton Daniel, Red Hall Dowell John Harrold Daniel Jowett Wm. Messenger Rd. Price John Smith John Smith James Gardeners, Clamp Thomas Dale Geo.&Thos. Groocock Joseph Potters -Ma RSTON, though commonly called a hamlet, is a small township and chapelry, in Barwell parish, 5 miles E.N.E. of Hinckley. It contains only about 7^0 acres of land, and 11 souls, resident in the . HALL, now a farmhouse, occupied by Mr. Jph, P ratt^ farmer ; and formerly a seat of the Hartopps. The soil is a strong clay, and the sur- face generally flat. The Rev. Rt. B. Heathcote, owns most of it, and is lord of the manor, which passed to the Hartopps in 1776. It is sup- posed to have anciently had a village, and a pottery of coarse earthen- ware. Its small antique chapel stands near the Hall, and its curacy has been long consolidated with Barwell rectory. From before the time of the Conquest, till the dissolution, the manor was part of the barony of Coventry Priory, and it was afterwards held by the Vincents, Corbetts, and Boothbys. SPARKENHOE HUNDRED. 539 Stapleton, a hamlet and chapelry in the parish and township of Barwell, 4 miles N. of Hinckley, has 245 souls, and about 1237a. 2u. 30p. of land, belonging to Mrs. Heaford, (lady of the manor,) and se- veral smaller owners. Clarke Jph. vict. Nag's Head Fox John H. Oldacres Thos. Shuttlewood Wm. vict. Queen's Gadsby John Pegg Jonathan Head Groocock Thos. Stinson John Wright Thomas, blacksmith Hart James Stovey John FarmersSfGrzrs | Dowell Matthias Jordan Joseph Wigson John Beal Joseph | Dowell Henry BASSETT HOUSE and KNOLL HOUSE, with about 200a. of tithe free land, 6 miles N.E. of Hinckley, are extra parochial, and comprise 30 inhabitants. Richd. Arkwright, Esq,, is sole owner and lord of the manor, which \s farmed by Mr. Thos. AdkinSf who resides in Knoll House, and some of his servants occupy what remains of Bassett House, which was anciently a seat of the Bassett family, whose fish-pond and gardens may still be traced. In the reign of Henry IIL it passed from the Bassetts to the Motons ; and it afterwards passed to the Harringtons. In 1783, it was sold to H. Smith, Esq., and af- terwards to the late Sir Richd. Arkwright. CADEBY, a small village and township, 1^ mile E.S.E. of Market Bosworth, has 178 souls, and 7^7a. 3p. of land, but its parish includes also part of Osbaston township. The soil is partly clay, with some good barley land. Sir W. W. Dixie, Bart., is lord of the manor, but a great part of the soil belongs to Lady Wilmot Horton. It was one of the numerous manors granted by William the Conqueror to Hugh deOrentemaisnel, and was given to Leicester Abbey by Thos. Lath- bury, in 1470. At the dissolution, it was granted to Richd. Andrews and Nicholas Temple. In 1600, Sir Jas. Harrington sold it and the advowson to Sir Wolstan Dixie. The Church (All Saints) is an an- cient structure, with a tiled roof and a low square tower, containining two bells. The rectory , valued in K.B. at ^4. 10s. 2id., and in 1831 at ^230, has 55a. 1r. 17p. of glebe, and a good residence, which has recently been much improved. Sir W. W. Dixie, Bart., is patron, and the Rev. R. T. Adnutt is the incumbent, and has recently presented to the church a fine-toned organ. The Church Estate^ given by Nath. Ball, in 1582, comprises Ha., let for £15, and two tenements and a blacksmith's shop, let for £Q. Adnutt Rev. Robt. Thos. Rectory Brearley Mr John Brooks John, vict. Bull and Oak Deane "Wm. blacksmith [Mow Gilbert John, maltster enclosing an oblong space of nearly two acres. A gateway, flanked by two semi-octagonal towers, conducts into the court yard. The whole edifice is built of brick, with sandstone facings, muUions, cop- ings, door mouldings, &c. To the right of the gateway is a lofty square tower, embattled, three stories high, and overgrown with ivy. A corresponding structure is supposed to have stood on the left of the entrance. In the grand doorway are the grooves for a portcullis. On each side of the entrance passage are vaulted rooms, formerly used by the porters. The heads of the windows are square, and of the doors pointed but depressed. A number of loop-holes, through which mis- siles were intended to be discharged upon an enemy, are to be seen in various parts. By application at the house of the farmer who resides near the ruins, the keys may be obtained by parties wishing to inspect SPARKENHOE HUNDRED. 547 the remains of this ancient castellated mansion. The Church is a small antique fabric, vrith three bells, and the curacy is consolidated with the rectory of Glenfield. The manor was held by the Pake- mans till the early part of the 15th century, when it passed to the Hastings, who sold it in 1636, to Robert Banister. It was purchased in 1778, by the late C. Winstanley, Esq. Kirby Frith is already noticed at page 545. Baker Wm. vict. " Whitwick Col- liery " Carter Henry, hoot and shoe maker Chesterton John, carpenter and church clerk Cufflin Thomas, corn miller Grundy Joshua, Esq. The Oaks Hudson Wm. shopkeeper Jones Thos. farrier and blacksmith, Hinckley road Kinton Caroline, vict. Royal Oak May Wm. shopkeeper FARMERS AND GRAZIERS. Bennett Thos. || Beaumont Thos. Brewin Samuel |1 Hall George Compton Robert, Brickman Hill Cramp Jonathan, Kirby Frith Harrison Joseph, Cottage Hooke John, Castle Farm Lee John Pougher Elizabeth, Ashby Shrubbs Vincent Jno. || Webster J. Frith Carrier, J. Astill, to Leicester, Sat. GOPSAL HALL, with about 600 acres of land, nearly all in the Park, is extra -parochial, and is the seat of Earl Howe, This large and elegant mansion stands on a gentle eminence, nearly in the centre of the Park, 4i miles N.W. of Market Bosworth, 6| m'iles N. by E. of Atherstone, and 7 miles S. of Ashby-de-la-Zouch. It was built, and the grounds laid out, about the year 1750, by the late Chas. Jennens^ Esq.y at the cost of more than £100,000. He was famous for his friendship to Handel and the Pretender, and was descended from an opulent family of Birmingham, who had acquired a large fortune. He died without issue, in 1773, and left Gopsal, or Gopeshille^ to his grand- nephew, Penn Asheton Curzon, Esq., who made a considerable col- lection of pictures, and adorned the grounds with ornamented temples, &c. The principal front of the Hall looks towards the south, and in its centre are six Corinthian columns, of fine proportions, supporting a row of balustrades, behind which there is a receding pediment (part of the wall of the house itself,) having a ship in a storm carved in white stone, with a haven in the foreground, and an inscription over the en- trance, " Fortiter occL^)a Portum." On each side of the centre of this front is a wing (that on the left forming the Chapel, and the other the Library,) projecting 27 feet from the front, the whole length of which, including the two wings, is 1 80 feet. The principal entrance is at the north front, and there is a small stone portico over the door which leads into the Entrance Hall ; this hall is about 28 feet square, and at the south end is a Gallery, supported on five Corinthian columns, the balustrades of which are richly carved and ornamented, forming a passage to the sleeping rooms above, and the ceiling is exquisitely chased in compartments, bearing various devices. The Library is a splendid room, about 52 feet 6 inches long, by 24 feet 6 inches wide, and very lofty ; the window at the south end is of painted glass, the painting of which was executed by the late Baroness Howe, and is par- ticularly beautiful, both from the excellence of the painting, as well as from its situation. The principal Drawing Room is about 40 feet by 25, and is splendidly furnished. Between it and the Library is an Ante- 5i8 GOPSAL HALL. room, 18 feet by 24, and by means of folding doors these three rooms can be laid into one. The Dining Room, 32 feet by 23, is lighted by four windows, and four smaller ones above ; there is an elegant centre piece, occupying nearly the whole of the ceiling, representing Neptune riding in a Nautilus shell, drawn by horses, and accompanied by a small figure playing on a conch before him ; the remainder of the ceihng is beautifully stuccoed, as indeed are the whole of the ceilings throughout the house. There are several fine paintings in this room, amongst which are the portrait of Mr, Jennens and a full-length figure of Handel^ who composed his Messiah and some of his other works at Gopsal ; the chimney piece is very splendid, having for supporters two Angels in Parian marble, with their wings folded across their breasts. The Chapel is perhaps one of the most beautiful in England ; its length is 36 feet, and breadth 24 feet ; the seats, altar, and wainscoting are en- tirely of cedar, richly and tastefully carved, except the standards of the communion table, which are made out of the oak in which Charles II. concealed himself after the battle of Worcester ; the chimney piece is most exquisitely carved in marble, and over it hangs a fine painting of our Saviour's Crucifixion, by Vandyke ; the ceiling is tastefully chased with flowers in various compartments, similar to those of the rest of the house ; the reading desk, or pulpit, is partly formed of a golden eagle, with its wings expanded, and the other parts of it are cedar, elaborately carved and decorated.— The Park^ which is well stocked with deer, was originally much smaller, not having included within it above 300 acres ; but great additions have been made to it by the pre- sent owner, and it now contains the greater part of the liberty of Gopsal, and about 100 acres in the parishes of Bilston, Twycross, and Shack- erstone, comprising altogether 580 acres. At the entrance, near Twy- cross, is a Lodge, built after the arch of Constantine, by Sir G. Wyattvill^; and the carriage road from hence to the Hall is H Dfiile in length. The outhouses are sheltered from view by being embosomed in very thick and lofty plantations. Bardon Hill forms a fine distance to the landscape from the east side of the house ; and indeed on every side the view, if not very extensive, is extremely pleasing : the slope on all sides leads the eye along a fine tract of verdure in the park to the various clumps of trees with which it is adorned. The paik is well wooded, and the gardens occupy an area of about 10 acres. In one of the Temples is a statue, by Roubiliac, of Religion, holding in one hand the book of life, and in the other a cross. This Temple is con- secrated to the memory of Edward Holdsworthy who died in 1746, and was author of " Muscipula," and " Remarks and Dissertations on Virgil." The Ashby-de-la-Zouch Canal passes close to the north- east side of the Park, and on its western side is the Ashby and Ather- stone road. Gopsal was held at the Conquest by Henry de Ferrers, and its chapel was given by Earl Ferrers, about 1380, to Merevale A bbey. In 1395, the manor was sold to the Langham family. In 1560, George Lang- ham sold it to Francis Hastings, Earl of Huntingdon. It afterwards passed to the Merrys and Lowthers, the latter of whom sold it in 1685, to Humphrey Jennens, from whose family it passed, as already stated, to that of its present noble owner, the Rt. Hon. Richard JVm, Penn Asheion Ciirzon Howe, Earl Howe, Viscount Curzon, Lord SPAEKENHOE HUNDRED. 549 Chamberlain to the Queen Dowager, a Governor of the Charter House, &c., who was born in 17^6, and assumed the name of Howe. He is the second Viscount Curzon, and was created Earl Howe, in 1821. His mother, the late Baroness Howe, was the eldest daughter and co- heir of the late gallant Admiral Howe, who in 1792 succeeded the brave Rodney as Vice- Admiral of England, and was the fourth Vis- count Howe, in Ireland, but was raised to the English peerage by the title of Viscount Howe, of Langar, Nottinghamshire, in 1782. He was created Baron and Earl Howe, in 1788, and died in 1799, when the Viscountcy and Earldom became extinct, but the Barony devolved on his eldest daughter. The present Earl married Harriet, daughter of the Earl of Cardigan, in 1820, but she died in 1836; and in 1845, he married the Hon. Miss Gore, daughter of General Gore. The Earl isi guardian of the young Marquis of Hastings, and is highly distin- guished for his benevolence to the poor and his liberality and indefati- gable exertions in the promotion of religious instruction. He has laid the first stone of many churches and national schools in this and adja- cent counties, and is also a liberal patron of agriculture. His farm of SHORN HILL, in Norton parish, on the north side of the Park, is under the management of Mr. John Grundy, and its annual sale of fat cattle is numerously attended. HEATHER, a village and parish, 4^ miles S.S.E. of Ashby-de-la- Zouch, and 5\ miles N. by W. of Market Bosworth, has 368 souls, and about 1012 acres of land, under which coal has been worked more than two centuries, but the mine has been closed some years. The soil is chiefly a light sandy loam, with a small portion of deep rich loam. The parish is traversed on the east by a rivulet, and bounded on the north and south by a detached part of Derbyshire. Two-fifths of it are arable, and the rest pasturage and meadow. Here was an- ciently a Coramandery of Knights Hospitallers, of St. John of Jeru- salem, to which Ralph Gresley, in the reign of Henry II., gave the church and parish. The only vestige at present remaining of this building is some wainscoting in the Manor House, which stands upon its site. Its revenues were estimated at £49. Is. 5d. per annum, at the dissolution, when it was granted to Oliver St. John and Robert Thornton. A great part of the parish belongs to Robert Goode and Thos. Clare, Esqrs., who have commodious residences here ; but the Rev. G. P. Belcher, B.D., who resides at the Manor House, a neat Elizabethan mansion, is lord of the manor, and patron and incumbent of the discharged rectory, valued in K.B. at £"]. 17s. 8d., and in 1831 at jG377« The glebe is 42a., and there is upon it an ancient re sidence. The tithes have recently been commuted for £320 per annum The Church (St. John) is an ancient fabric, with a tower, short spire, and three bells. It is about to be repaired, and the chancel rebuilt, In the latter is a mural monument, in memory of Stephen Everard Esq., who died in 1615, and is represented with his family, in the atti- tude of prayer. The Wesleyans have a chapel here, and in the village are about 50 stocking frames, and a neat National School, built in 1845. The Queen Dowager gave £20, and Earl Howe £30, towards the erection of the latter, which has room for 80 children* 550 HEATHER PARISH. Newton Henry, blacksmith Norman Joseph, shoemaker & vict. Queen's Head Sharp Thomas, shopkeeper Severn Thomas, butcher FARMERS. Andrews George || Bradley Benj. Sale Richard || Wilson Samuel Post from Ashby daily. Belcher E-ev. George Paul, B. D., rector, Manor House Bates Samuel, baker Clare Thos. Esq. & Mrs Clare Goode Robt. Esq. harnford COACHES. From the Bull's Head, to Leices- ter^ at 11 morng. of 7^ acres. Lady Byron is the daughter of the late Sir Ralph Milbank Noel, Bart., and relict of that highly popular poet, the late Lord By- ron. Hugh de Grentemaisnel held the manor at the Conquest ; and in 1220 it was held by Richard Mallory. In 1245, the Knights Hospi- tallers had a grant for a market and a fair here. The Noels have held the manor since 1622. The soil is chiefly a light loam and gravel, and the surface diversified. The Church (All Saints) is a small struc- ture, in the Park, with a tower and two bells, and contains several handsome monuments belonging to the Noel family. One is in me- mory of the Right Hon. Thos. Noel, Viscount and Baron Wentworthy who died here without issue, in 1815, when the viscountcy became ex- tinct, and the barony fell into abeyance. The rectory^ valued in K.B. at £15, and in 1831 at £507, ^ith the curacy of Earl Shilton annexed to it, has 183a. 2r 16p. of glebe here, and 74a. in Earl Shilton, al- lotted in lieu of tithes, at the enclosures in 1771 & '8. Lady Noel Byron is patroness, and the Rev. Thos. Noel is the incumbent, but the liv- ing is in sequestration. Her Ladyship has built and supports two free schools, for boys and girls. In addition to reading, writing, and KIBKBY-MALLORY PARISH. 567 arithmetic, the boys, to the number of about 100, are taught garden- ing, chemistry, &c., and each has a smaU plot of ground under his own cultivation. A Farmers^ Club was established here in 1846. In 1662, fVm. Dilkes left £100 for clothing and apprenticing poor boys, and it was laid out in the purchase of 7 a. of land, at Harwell, now let for £12 a year. The sum of £92, left for apprenticing poor children, and other charitable uses, by Henry Noel, Lady Noel, and others, was laid out about 1702, in the purchase of 12a. of land at Earl Shilton, now let for £12. 10s. per annum. The rents of both these charities are applied chiefly in apprentice fees and clothing, and partly in distri- butions of money and bibles ; together with the interest of about £350, derived from unapplied income. Lady de Clififord, Hall Brown James, butler Cooper John, gardener Longhurst Rev. John, curate, JJec^ory Minns Thos. vict. Wentworth Arms Noel Chas. Esq. land agent to Lady Byron Oldacres Thomas, farm steward Warren Wm. bricklayer Wright George, schoolmaster FARMERS Baker Mrs Ann, Old Parks Beck Thomas, Beckys Farm Bevins James, Hunfs Lane Haddon Henry, Kirkby Becks Moxon James, Kirkby Lodge Norman Chas. || Noel Charles Carriers. — Jas. Newcombe, to Leicester^ Sat ; and Geo. Edwards, to Hinckley, Monday EARL SHILTON, one of the largest villages in the county, has msLuy framework knitters^ and consists chiefly of one long street, on the high road from Leicester to Hinckley, 9 miles S.W. by W. of the former, and 4 miles N.E. by N. of the latter. It is mostly on a commanding eminence, and its chapelry and township is in Kirkby Mallorv parish, and comprises 1976 acres, and had 1287 inhabitants in 1801, but in 1831 they had increased to 2017, and in 1841 to 2220 souls. The soil is chiefly clay and a gravelly loam, and the open fields, &c., were enclosed in 1778, when the tithes were commuted. The Queen, as Duchess of Lancaster, is lady of the manor; but the soil belongs to Lady Noel Byron, Thomas Allen, Esq., Mrs. Sarah Poole, several smaller proprietors, and Alderman Newton's and other chari- ties. Petty Sessions are held at the Plough Inn, every alternate Tues- day, as noticed at page 554. The ancient Earls of Leicester had a baronial castle here, but it was destroyed some centuries ago, and its site is now only denoted by a mound, and a place called the Castle yard. The court leet held here embraces 25 parishes, &c. After the death of Simon de Montfort, Earl of Leicester, at the battle of Eve- sham, the manor was given by Henry III. to Edmund, Earl of Lan- caster, his second son ; and since then it has been parcel of the Duchy of Lancaster. The Church is an old gloomy looking fabric, with a tower, spire, and three bells ; and the living is a curacy, annexed to Kirkby Mallory rectory. There are four chapels in the village, belong- ing to the Independents, (built 1824,) the Baptists, and the Wesleyan and Primitive Methodists. The miserable condition of the poor framework knitters is somewhat allevifited by the occupation of about 50 acres of land in spade husbandry. This land is let to them at mo- derate rents, by C. Noel, Esq., as Lady Byron's agent. A school- master here receives £18 yearly from Alderman Neivton's Charity , (see p. 103,) for teaching 20 poor boys, who are also clothed about 568 EARL SHILTON. once in two years from a further yearly payment of £2. 1 6s. from the same charity, and the interest of ^300, which was obtained as nineteen years' arrears, in 1800. The schoolmaster teaches six other boys, in consideration of 2 roods 33 perches of land, and a yearly rent- charge of 17s., left hy James Goodacre. The sum of £200, left by Sir Verney Noel and Henry Noely Esq.., about 1694, for apprenticing four boys, was laid out in land, which was exchanged at the enclosure for three allotments, comprising 22a. 2r. 34p., let for about £40 a year. At the same time, land purchased with £55 left by Thomas Davenport and John Suttoiiy for distributions of bread, was exchanged for 5a. 3r. of land, let in garden plots for about £16 a year. The Poor^s Allotment^ awarded at the enclosure, contains 13a. 1r. 3p., let for £14. Us. 6d. a year, which is distributed in small sums. The interest of £100, left by Thos. Ison, in 1833, is distributed in bread on Easter Monday. He also left the interest of £20, half for the church choir, and half for the Sunday school. The Cleric's Close is 2b. 13p., let for 20s. Earl Shilton Post Office is at Wm. Pickering's. Letters arrive from Hinckley, &c., at 9 morning, and are despatched at 4 afternoon, by foot post. Allen Geo. Chas. Esq. barrister Basford Mrs Sarah Breward Thomas, joiner Carr Josiah, John, and rebuilt in 1842. In the village is a National School^ for both sexes, built in 1835, by the rector, on the glebe land. The master teaches about 70 children, of whom \Q are free scholars, in consideration of the dividends of £226. 2s. 2d. Three-and-a-half per Cent. Stock, purchased with £200 left by fVm. Smarty in 1802. The same donor also left £50 for the poor, and it was laid out in the purchase of £57. 7s« lOd. of the same Stock. The sum of £40, left to the poor by Richd. Eveimrdy was expended in re- pairing four cottages, which have been claimed by the lord of the manor, but he lets them to poor families for a small yearly acknowledgment. Mayes Rd. vict. Frog Hall, Forest Archer Joseph, corn miller Bates George, wheelwright Bayley Mr Saml. 1| Buckley Mr Robt. Biddle Wm. boot and shoe maker Bruxner Rev Geo. E., M.A. Rectory Fox Richard, gentleman Garratt John, boot and shoe maker Halford John, blacksmith and vict. Horse Shoes Ludkin John, tailor and draper Moore Samuel, tailor and draper Stanhope Saml., Natnl. schoolmaster Taylor Michael and Wm. joiners, builders, and timber merchants Taylor Wm. vict. Dog and Gun West John & Thomas, blacksmiths Woodward George, butcher and vict.. Elephant and Castle 598 SPABKENHOE HUNDRED. FARMERS AND GRAZIERS. Ellis Catherine || Cooper John Everard Thomas || Fox Samuel Hall John || Neale Joseph Hurst Hy. Russell, Newhall Park Mudford John, Hoi Fields Pickering Bambs. || Woodward Geo. Willey Wm. (and maltster) NoRMANTON-TuRviLLE is a hamlet in Thurlaston parish, six miles N.E. of Hinckley, and 9 miles S.W. of Leicester. It has only 48 inhabitants, and about 1000 acres of land, much diversified with hill and dale, and mostly having a rich strong marly soil, well adapted for grazing and dairy purposes. The Rev, Joseph Arkwright^ M.A,y is lord of the manor and owner of the soil. He resides at Mark Hall, near Harlow, Essex, but occupies Normanton Hall as a hunting seat. It is a fine Elizabethan mansion, partly mantled with ivy, and standing in a beautiful park on the east bank of a rivulet. It is commonly called The Turvilley and was anciently a seat of the Turville family. The Farmers are Thos. Atkins, Joseph Gimson, Jas. Oldacres, and Eras. Spencer. T VVYCROSS is a neat village, 5 miles W. by N. of Market Bos- worth, and Bl miles N. by E. of Atherstone, at the junction of the turnpikes from Ashby-de-la-Zouch and Burton-upon-Trent, about half a mile south of Gopsal Park, the beautiful seat of Earl Howe. Its pa- rish contains 336 inhabitants, and about 1350 acres of land. The soil is mostly an indifferent mixed loam, and in some parts clay. Earl Howe is lord of the manor, and owner of a great part of the soil, and the rest belongs mostly to Robt. Faux and W. H. Clare, Esqrs., who have handsome seats here. Two other neat mansions are occupied by Sir Hanson Berney, Bart., and Thomas Moore, Esq. Most of the houses belonging to Earl Howe were rebuilt in a uniform, neat, and substantial manner, about 15 years ago. The Chttrch (St. James) is a handsome structure, which has recently undergone a thorough re- storation, at the expense of Earl Howe. It has a tower and three bells, and its windows are enriched with stained glass, part of which is an- cient, being brought from Louis the 14th's chapel at Paris, at the time of the French Revolution. In one of the windows, are the arms of the Queen Dowager. The organ is an excellent instrument, and the benefice is a donative^ in the patronage of Earl Howe, and incumbency of the Rev. A. Bloxam, MA., who has a neat residence, and 90a. of glebe. This living was formerly annexed to the vicarage of Orton on the Hill. The National School was built by Earljiowe, in 1822, and is partly supported by him for the instruction of the poor children of this parish and Norton. The schoolmistress has £16. 13s. 4d. a year, as one-third of the interest of .£1000, left by Chas. JennenSy of Gopsal^ in 1765, for schooling poor children of this and two other parishes. Berney Sir Hanson, Bart. Bloxam Rev. Andrew, M.A., Par- sonage Broadhead John, machine maker and smith Brown John, joiner and builder Clare Wm. Harcourt. Esq. Faux Robt. Esq. Cliff House Joyce Sarah, vict. "Whittington and his Cat Moore Thomas, Esq. Orton Wm. rope maker and shopkpr Spare Thomas, vict. Howe Arms Stanton Hugh, saddler, &c Startin Mary, National School mis- tress FARMERS. Choyce John, Harris bridge Croshaw Thomas || King John Haywood Wm. (and butcher) 8PARKENH0E HUNDRED. 599 Jackson Edward || Startin Edw. Lagoe Thomas Wood "Wm. Gopsal Fartn Post-office at Wm. Lee's. Let- ters from Atherstone and Ashby at half-past 6 morning, and 20 minutes past 7 evening WITHERLEY, a neat village on the east side of the river Anker, which divides it from Warwickshire, is about one mile E. of Ather- stone, and 7 miles S.W. of Market Bosworth. Its parish contains 509 souls, and about 1420 acres of land, of which 629 acres and 84 souls are in Atterton hamlet, about li mile E. of the village. The Roman Watling street traverses the south side of the parish, and near it is Mancetter, in Warwickshire, the site of the Roman station Mandiies- suedum, C. S. Preston and S. Bonner, Esqrs., are lords of the manor, but the soil belongs chiefly to Dempster Hemings, Esq., the Rev. J. C. Roberts, and J. Thompson and J. Pilgrim, Esqrs. The manor was ' long held by the Earls of Leicester and Dukes of Norfolk. The Church (St. Peter) is an ancient fabric, with one of the handsomest steeples in the county, built in the reign of Edward III. by John Lord Segrave. The tower contains five bells, and the spire rises to the height of 156 feet. The rectory, valued in K.B. at £16. 2s. 3id., and in 1831 at £500, has 54a. of glebe in Witherley, and 16a. in At- terton. It is in the patronage and incumbency of the Rev. J. C. Ro- berts, M.A., who has a good residence. The soil is generally a strong clay, and well-cultivated. Here are extensive stables and kennels, built about ten years ago by the gentlemen of the jitherstone Hunt, at the cost of about £2500. R. C. Colville, Esq., M.P., is now master of the hounds. The Sandhills are charged with providing yearly four pairs of shoes and four grey coats for poor men of Witherley, pursu- ant to the bequest of Henry Walfordy in 1696. The poor have 5s. a year out of land called the Grove, left by Nicholas Bailey. The rector holds a piece of land called Bell Rope Meadow, charged with finding ropes for the bells. Lloyd John, shopkeeper Roberts Rev. Jas. C, Rectory Thompson John, M.D. Witherley House Thurlow Robert, vict. Blue Lion Wothers Wm. corn miller Ward Wm. wheelwright FARMERS. Farmer John || Ward Wm. Thurlow Robert, Weetman John AUsop Miss Ann 1| Alder Mary Angrave Edm. vict. Fox & Hounds Angrave Wm. butcher Angrave Daniel, shoemaker Billson Miss M. A. Bingham Mrs Mary Burrows Robert, tailor Davies Wm. vict. Bull Inn Fulleylove John, carpenter Hood Abm. vict. & gardener, Gate Howard Jph. baker and shopkeeper ATTERTON is a small hamlet in W^itherley parish, nearly 3 miles E. by N. of Atherstone, containing only 629 acres, and 84 inhabi- tants. Capt. Chas. Weaver has a pleasant seat here, and owns part of the soil, and the rest belongs to several smaller owners. Here is a small school, built by subscription, and kept by Mrs. Darleston ; and the Farmers are Humphrey Ensor, Thomas Geary, (owner,) and Wm. Russell. END OF LEICESTERSHIRE. RUTLANDSHIRE. Rutlandshire, the smallest and one of the most fertile counties in England, averages only about 15 miles in length and breadth, and is bounded, on the north and north-east, by Lincolnshire ; on the west and north-west by Leicestershire ; and on the south and south-east by Northamptonshire. It is about 55 miles in circumference, and com- prises an area of 97,500 acres, or about 150 square miles, divided into five Hundreds^ and attached to three Unions under the New Poor Law. lis population^ \n 1801, was only 16,356; but in 1821, it had increased to 18,487; in 1831, to 19,385; and in 1841, to 21,302 souls, as will be seen in the subjoined table and notes, with other vital statistics of the county. The air of Rutlandshire is considered as pure and salubrious as that of any other part of the empire, however favourably situated. The surface is finely varied with gentle swells and depressions ; the elevations generally running east and west, di- vided by valleys of about half a mile in width. Amongst these are the extensive open valley forming part of the fVelland basin, on the south- eastern side of the county, and the rich and beautiful vale of CatmoSy or Calmose, running from the western side to the centre, and including Oakham, the neat little capital of the county. The western parts are well wooded, and the remains of the ancient Leigh- Field Forest are considerable. From Burley-Hill, near Oakham, an extensive table- land runs nearly due north to Market Overton, a little beyond which it enters Leicestershire, near its junction with Lincolnshire. On the south-west, from Uppingham, northward to Braunston Lodge, is ano- ther range of highland, commanding extensive views of the surround- ing country. The soil is various, but generally fertile. That of the eastern and^outh-eastern districts is mostly of shallow staple, on a limestone rock ; but in nearly all other parts of the county, a strong red loam, resting on a substratum of blue clay, prevails. Some topo- graphers consider that the county had its name from this red soil ; but the district called " Rotelonde^^ or Redland, before the Norman Conquest, is supposed to have comprised only the western portions of the county, around Oakham, Uppingham, and Glaston. On the sub- ject of its etymology, various conjectures have been hazarded, one o^-' which is founded on a ridiculous fable that one Rot cleared the whol. county in a day, and another that it was called Rutt-land^ from its deep valleys and the abrupt undulations of its surface. The redsoilj and se- veral chalybeate sptrings^ indicate the existence oU?'07i, though very liti ironstone has been discovered. The county is celebrated for its bark and its fine seed ivheat. The mode of agriculture is chiefly that pur- sued in Norfolk ; the turnip and sheep husbandry forming the basis. The pastures are very productive, and sheep are the chief animal pro duce, mostly of the polled long-woolled sort. Notwithstanding iti RUTLANDSHIRE. 601 small size, Rutland has always been considered a valuable and inter- esting county, and is addressed hy Drayton, in his Poly-OlUoiiy as follows : — ^' Love not thyself the less, although the least thou art ; What thou in greatness want'st, wise Nature doth impart In goodness of thy soil ; and more delicious mould, Surveying all this isle, the sun did ne'er behold. Bring forth that British vale, and be it ne'er so rare, But Cattnus with chat vale for richness may compare. "What forest nymph is found, how brave soe'er she be. But Lyjield stews herself as brave a nymph as she ? What river sver rose from bank, or swelling hill, Than Rutland's wandering Washy a delicater rill ? Small sNTe that can'st produce to thy proportion good, One \?^ of special name, one forest, and one flood ! Oh ! JatmuSj thou fair vale, come on in grass or corn, ThfC Beaver ne'er be said thy sisterhood to scorn, A^d let thy Ocham boast to have no little grace, ?hat her the pleased Fates did in thy bosom place ! And Lyfieldy as thou art a forest, live so free, That every forest nymph may praise the sports in thee ; And down to Welland^s course, oh ! Wash, run ever clear, To honour, and to be much honour'd, by this shire.'' Its principal rivers are, the Gwash, or Wash, which rises on its western borders, and flows eastward through the centre of it, in a sinuous course, to Ryhail, where it runs south to the Welland, below Stamford ; the Little Eye, which forms its south-western boundary ; the PFelland, which separates it from Northamptonshire; and the Chater, which flows eastward from Leigh Field Forest, to Luffenham, Ketton, and Tinwell, where it joins the fVelland, the latter of which pursues an eastwnrd course, through Lincolnshire, to the German Ocean, and is navigable for small craft as high as Stamford. Many small rivulets flow to these small rivers, in various directions ; but the only naviga- tion in the county is the Melton and Oakam Canal, which extends northward from the latter town to the neighbourhood of Teigh, where it turns westward to Melton Mowbray, and there joins the Wreak and Eye navigation, which connects it with the Soar and the Ti'ent. The Syston and Peterborough Railway, now constructing, will pass through Rutlandshire, in its route from Stamford to Melton Mowbray. It will pass westward from Stamford to Manton, where it will enter a tunnel, and run thence northward to Oakham, whence it will pursue its route to Melton, in or near the line of the Canal, which has recently been sold to the Midland Railway Company, who are making this and other branches from their main line. Those parts of it extending from Syston to Melton, and from Stamford to Peterborough, will be open before the close of 1846. The Great North Road crosses, the eastern side of the county, from Stamford to Grantham ; and other turnpikes intersect it, from Leicester, Nottingham, Stamford, &c. Most of the traffic has been drawn from these roads into the vortex of the railways ; but the direct London and York Railway is intended to pass near the line of the Great North Road, and will consequently cross the eastern side of Rutlandshire. The returns of highivay rates, for this small county, for three years, ending 1814, shew an average total 3 E 602 butla:ndshire. expenditure of £5783, on 63 miles of paved streets and turnpike roads, and 245 miles of all other highways, used for wheeled carriages; and the returns of turnpike trusts for 1839, shew a total expenditure of £3966. 2s. lOd. The county is purely agricultural, and is supplied with coal, &c., chiefly by the Oakham Canal. Timber, limestone, and building stone, are among its natural productions ; and it is noted for Stilton cheese. It is included in the Midland Circuity and its assizes and quarter ses- sions are held at Oakham^ the county town. Its only other market- town is Uppingham^ but that of Stamford is near to its eastern boun- dary. The county gaol and house of correction is &t Oakham. The county court has been in a great measure supersedeC. by the Court tf Requests^ held monthly at Oakham and Uppingham, as afterwards noticed. The county rates levied in 1801, amounted to «-t477 ; and in J 838, to £1014, of which latter sum only £966 was expenied during the year. Compared with extent and population, RutlandsUre ranks lower than most other counties in the number of criminals. Vith the exception of the prehendal peculiars of Ketton, Empinghan^ and Lyddington, the five Hundreds of the County (viz., Alstoe, East, Mar- tinsley, Wrangdike, and Oakham Soke,) each form a separate Deartp.ry^ in ihe Archdeaconry of Northamptonshire ^ Diocese of Peterhorou^^ and Province of Canterbury. The total amount of church orates col- lected here, in the year 1839, was £921. The Churches in the county are many of them handsome structures, and there is said to be one for about every 400 of the inhabitants. About two-sevenths of the popu- lation are Methodists and Dissenters, but here are very few Roman Catholics. In 1833, there were B^ Sunday Schools in the county, attended by 2732 children, and 101 Daily Schools, attended by 2528 children. The total amount expended yearly in the county, in p)oor rates, was £862, in 1750; £8675, in 1806; £9188, in 1833; and £7200, in 1839. Uppingham and Oakham Unions, formed by the New Poor Law Commissioners, compiise most of the county, and the rest is in Stamford Union, as noticed at subsequent pages. The county sends two members to parliament, who are polled for at Oak- ham. The number of electors registered in 1837 was 1337, of whom 1022 weve freeholders and copyholders, 8 leaseholders, and 307 other tenants. The following enumeration of the five Hundreds, and the 61 parishes, &c. in Rutlandshire, shews their territorial extent, their population in 1841, and the annual value of their lands and buildings as assessed to the property tax in 1815 ; with subjoined notes shewing the Unions to which they respectively belong. ^p°* The total number of HOUSES in Rutlandshire, when the census was taken, in July, 1841, was 4446; of which 121 were unoccupied, and 31 build- ing.* The number of MALES was 10,721 ; and FEMALES, 10,581. Of the 21,302 inhabitants, 4616 were not born in the county ; and 5650 males, and 5758 females, were upwards of twenty years of age. In 1831, the population was divided into 4191 /awif/ze^y of whom 2299 were returned as being employed in agricidture, and 1102 in trade, manufactures, and handicraft. The number of births registered in the year ending June .30th, 1840, was 707 ; the number of deaths, 402 ; and the number of marriages, 144, of which latter only 7 were not according to the rites of the Established Church. In 1836, the number of luna- tics in the county was 16, and idiots, 23. RUTLANDSHIRE. 603 Pop. Annl. Pop. Annual HUNDREDS Acres in Value HUNDREDS Acres. in Value. AND PARISHES. 1841. £. AND PARISHES. 1841. £. ^Istoe Hundred. t Ash well parish.. 1890 223 2740 Oakham Soke tBurley parish .. 339U 252 4822 Hundred. tCottesmore pr. > tBarrow ham. ^ 2420 ; 528 C 142 ^4684 tBelton parish . . 2380 402 2208 tExton parish . . 4860 881 5141 JBraimstonpar.. 3250 443 2215 tGreetham par. . . tHorn parish .... 16:31 583 2993 JBrooke parish . . 1560 113 2256 H 38 •Clipsham parish. fKgleton parish. tLangham par. .. Leigh Field Fo-? rest e:ttra par. ^ 1570 206 1818 tMarket Over-> ton parish . . ' , 2840 503 3053 1450 3250 138 591 1893 4852 tStretton parish.. 2670 220 2128 43 tTeigh parish . . iiyo 235 2133 • • *• tThistleton par.. 1420 161 1620 fOakham parish tWhissendine par 3870 831 6043 tGunthorpe twp. IF 8 604 tWhitwell parish. 1720 139 886 tOakham- \ Deanshold, / fBarleythorpe > fLordshold ,.J w 616 1 Total .. 27,900 4736 36,243 3130 > 200 J 1902 > 7568 ) East Hundred. •Ca3terton(Grt)^ parish 5 •Casterton(Ltl) > parish 5 iWardley parish 1550 59 1179 1590 1450 376 132 1556 1634 Total .. 18,140 "4721 24,593 tEmpingham par. 2780 914 4658 •Essendinepar. > chapelry . . 5 •Ketton parish . . 1440 152 1872 2740 951 4376 TFrangdike Hun- •Pickworth parish 3680 132 1169 dred. •Ryhall parish ^ } 557 } • BelmisthorpeV 2070 f J- 3096 tBarrowden par. 1530 658 2100 hamlet 3 > 121 s Beaumont Chse> extra par. . . 5 31 tTickencote par. . 2410 111 1498 •• •Tinwell parish. . 1470 250 ^2115 tBisbrooke par.. 720 211 1815 •Ingthorpe ham. 670 8 tCaldecott parish. 1440 260 2383 JGlaston parish. 1270 249 2179 Total .. 20,300 3704 21,974 tLyddingtou par. tLuffenham > (North) par. % 2020 1740 589 478 4131 2328 MartinsleyHund. tLuffenham > (South) par.. ^ 1230 317 1719 t Ayston parish . . 1030 88 1050 tEdith Westen? parish \ tHambleton par. 1810 343 1856 tMorcott parish.. +Pilton parish . . 2010 610 516 74 1779 456 1360 325 2873 tSeaton parish ') > 362 > tLyndon parish.. 860 100 1300| :Thorpe-by. V 1310 { J. 1802 IManton parish . . tMartinsthorpe ? parish ^ tNormanton par. JPreston parish.. 1290 272 2124 Water ham.. 3 S 84 3 580 8 600 tStoke Dry§ par. 1100 49 1598 ♦Tixover parish.. 1080 102 1082 2450 28 2736 2057 980 371 Total .. 16,580 3980 23,.372 JRidlingtonpar.. 1960 299 3293 t Uppingham — > (part of) par. 5 J Wing parish .... 1210 2025 5199 1050 302 1795 Grand Total^ OF Rutland- J^ 97,500 21,302 131,065 Total .. 14,580 4161124,8831 shire 3 UNIONS.— Those marked thus * are in Stamford Union ; f in Oakham Union _,* and X in Uppingham Union. These Unions, formed by the New Poor 604 RUTLANDSHIRE. Law Commissioners, are described with the parishes from which they are named. They extend into the adjoining counties. § Stoke Dry parish includes Holyoaks manor, in Leicestershire, (See p. 525.) % The area of Horn is included with Exton, with which it is ecclesiastically united. Its return included 16 strangers at the Friendly Society's anniversary. Little Casterton includes Tolethorpe hamlet. Essendine is united ecclesiastically with Ryhall. Ketton includes Geeston and Kelthorpe hamlets. Uppingham included 73 in its Union Workhouses. The area of Gunthorpe is included with Belton. Oakham Dcanshold included 14 persons in barges. Oakham Lordshold included 81 persons in the Union Workhouse, 14 in the Coimty Gaol, and 25 in tents, Langham- Brooke and Egleton are ecclesiastically united with Oakham. The area of Leigh- Field is included with Oakham. The area of Beaumont- Chase is not distinguishable ; but only four of its houses are extra-parochial, the other house being in Uppingham parish. North Luffenham return included 45 persons attending the anniversary of the Benefit Society. Morcott return in- cluded ^^ gipsies, in tents. PUBLIC OFFICERS, &c., OF THE COUNTY. LoRD-LiEUTENAT, The Most Noble Marquis of Exeter, Burghley House, High Sheriff, John Gilson, Esq. Wing. Under Sheriffs W. Hopkinson, Esq., Stamford. Members of Parliament, Gilbert John Heathcote, Esq., Stocken Holly and Geo. Finch, Esq., Burley Hall, COUNTY MAGISTRATES. Atlay Rev. H., Casterton Atlay Rev. C, Barrowden Belgrave Rev. W., Preston Hall Campden Viscount, Exton Hall Eagleton J. Esq. Belton Hall Exeter Marquis of, Burghley House Fludyer Rev. J. H., Thistleton Finch Rev. H., Oakham Finch Geo. Esq. P.M. Burley Hall Frewen C. H. Esq. Cold Overton Fydell S. R. Esq. Marcott Heathcote G. J. Esq. M.P. Stocken Hall Lowther Hon. H. C. Sowerby G. Esq. Ketton Watson Hon. R., Rockingham Castle Wilson Hon. H. W. Keythorpe Hall Wingfield J. M . Esq. (chairman J Tickencote Clerk of the Peace, W. Ades, Esq., Oakham. Clerk to the Magistrates, B. Adam, Esq., Oakham. Coroners, J. E. Jones, Esq., Oakham ; and C. Hall, Esq., Uppingham. Governor of the County Gaol, Mr. D. Parage. CHIEF CONSTABLES OF THE HUNDREDS. Alstoe Hundred, Mr. R. Costall, of Market Overton, and Mr. T. Godfrey, of Greetham. East Hundred, Mr. Thos. Goodwin, of Ketton, and Mr. Robert Brown, of Casterton. Martinsley Hundred, Mr. P. Healy, of Hambleton, and Mr. E. Jackson, of Uppingham. Oakham Soke Hundred, Mr. J. R. Silver, of Oakham, and Mr. R. Hack, of Brooke. Wrangdike Hundred, Mr. E. Shelton, of Barrowden, and Mr. T. Godfrey, of Glaston. Surveyor op Taxes, Mr. G. Smith, of Oakham. Inspector of Weights and Measures, Mr. T. Goodwin, of Ketton. PETTY SESSIONS are held at the White Horse Inn, Etnpingham, on the first Monday of every month, and at East Norton, in Leicester- shire, on the first Friday of every month. W. Gilson, Esq., of Upping- EUTLANDSHIRE. 605 ham, is clerk to the latter Division^ which comprises part of this county and part of Leicestershire ; and B. Adam, of Oakham, is clerk to the for- mer, which comprises most of Rutlandshire. The Ancient History of Rutlandshire can scarcely be separated from that of the surrounding districts. It was occupied by the same tribe of ancient Britons, and included in the same Roman province and Saxon kingdom as Leicestershire. (See pages 13 to 24.) Ed- ward the Confessor gave " Roteland""^ to his queen Edith, and, after her demise, to Westminster Abbey. His will is still extant ; but his grant was soon set aside by the invasion of PFilliam the Conqueror, who resumed Rutland as Crown land, and merely allowing the Abbey to receive the tithes, divided the land amongst some of his nearest relatives and most powerful adherents. These first Norman grantees were Robert Malet, son of William, Baron Malet, who distinguished himself at the Battle of Hastings ; Gilbert de Gant, Earl Hugh, Aubrey y the clerk ; and some others. Several manors here were also granted to the Conqueror's neice, the Countess Judith, and to his half sister Maude, the Countess of Albemarle. It is evident, however, that considerable royalties were reserved in these grants; for the county of Rutland, together with the neighbouring town of Rocking- ham, in Northamptonshire, was assigned by Parliament to Queen Isabel, at her coronation, in the reign of King John. In the reign of Edward II., it appears that the Crown was possessed of the Hundreds of Martinsley, Alstoe, and East Hundred, all of which that monarch granted to Lady Margaret, wife of Piers de Gaveston, Duke of Corn- wall, then his favourite, to be held by her during the royal pleasure. The Hundred of Wrangdike was the property of Guy de Beauchamp, Earl of Warwick ; but his son Thomas being a minor at his father's death, Edward gave this estate to Hugh Spencer, the elder, another favourite, on the plea of its being in satisfaction of a debt of £6770, due to him. It is supposed that at this period, Oakham Soke formed part of Martinsley Hundred. The county is supposed to have been an Earldom soon after the Conquest ; for amongst the witnesses to a charter granted to the Bishop of Norwich, in 1101, is the name " Robert Comes Rutland.''^ In 1390, Edward Plantagenet, grandson of Edward III., was created Earl of Rutland, but agreeable to the limitation, this title became extinct, when he succeeded his father as Duke of York, in 1402. Along with his title, he obtained a grant of the castle, town, and soke of Oakham, together with the shrivalty of the county. In 1460, Edmund Plantagenet, son of Richard, Duke of York, was created Earl of Rutland, but he was assassinated in the same year by Lord Clifford, after the battle of Wakefield. The title thus became extinct in the Royal male line ; but Anne, the eldest sis- ter of Edward IV., and of the last Earl, having married Sir Thomas St. Leger, she had by him one sole daughter and heiress, Anne, who married George Manners, Lord Roos ; and their eldest son Thomas, Lord Roos^ was advanced to the dignity of Earl of Rutland, in 1525. John Manners, the 10th earl of his family, was created Duke of Rut- land in 1679, as already noticed, with his successors, and their princely seat of Belvoir Castle, at pages 213 to 221. During the last four centuries, real propertTj in this little county has become much dif- fused, there being now more than a thousand freeholders and copy- 3 E 2 606 RUTLANDSHIRE. holders here. The largest landed proprietors are the Duke of Rutland, the Marquis of Exeter, the Earl of Gainshorough, George Finch, Esq., M.P., the Earl of Harborough, Lord Northwick, and the Heath- cote, Moncton, Fludyer, Barker, Finch, Fydell, Cheselden, Kemp, Walker, Wingfield, O'Brien, and other families. The Seats of the Nobility and Gentry in the county, are enumerated after those of Leicestershire, in the early part of this volume, and some of them are large and elegant mansions, with extensive and vs'ell-wooded parks, especially Eopton^ Burley, and Normanton. The fVoods of Rutlandshire are supposed to have been formerly much more extensive than at present. They were estimated by JVIr. Parkinson at 281.5 acres, and some authors have asserted that the whole vale of Catmos was once an extensive tract of woodland. The FoRKST OF Leigh-field, or Lyfield^ once occupied the greater part of Oakham Hundred; and that of Beaumont Chace, a part of it, extended over a great part of Martinsley Hundred, and had several towns within its purlieus, though they are now destroyed. Several parishes in the vicinity still claim certain forest rights. The office of chief forester appears to have been attached to the possession of the manor of Leigh, which was held by the Cheseldens, and afterwards by the Hastings, Earls of Huntingdon, who sold it to the Harring- tons. After the death of the last Lord Harrington, it was sold to Sir Edward Noel, Bart., of Brooke, to whose family it still belongs. The Poor of Rutland, since the enclosure of the forests and com- mons, have been as comfortable in their circumstances, as those of most other agricultural districts. Till about the close of last century, many of them were engaged, when not employed in agriculture, in knitting stockings and spinning linen and jersey, afterwards wove into tammies by poor weavers in the southern parts of the county. About this time was established, the Rutland Society of Industry, which still exists, under the patronage of the Noldlity and Gentry of the County, and holds its general meetings at Empingham and Oakham, for awarding prizes to the best and most industrious knitters and seiv- ers among the children of labourers. This excellent institution, of which H. Atlay, Esq., is treasurer, has a very beneficial effect in creating habits of industry and good conduct in poor families. The County of Rutland General Friendly Institution was established, at Cottesmore, in 1832, and is supported by a numerous list of honorary members. The number of benefitted members admitted since its formation is 346, of both sexes, residing in 28 parishes. For small monthly contribu- tions, they are provided with stipends and allowances in cases of sick- ness, infirmity, and death. Mr. C. W. Oliver, of Uppingham, is the secretary. There are other Benefit Societies and Provident Institu- tions in the county, and the condition of a large portion of the indus- trious poor is much improved by the occupation of small allotments in spade husbandry. The Rutland Jgricultural Society holds its gene- ral meetings at the Agricultural Hall, in Oakham, and there are an- nual Ploughing Meetings at Cottesmore, which is also celebrated for its extensive hunting establishment, as afterwards noticed. In the adjacent town of Stamford, Lincolnshire, is the *' Stamford and Rut- land Infirmary,^'' established in 1828; and also the ^^ Stamford and Rutland Savings^ Bank^^^ instituted in 1818. At Oakham is a useful medical charity, called the Rutland Dispe7isary. RUTLANDSHIRE. 607 ALSTOE HUNDRED^ the largest of the five divisions of Rut- landshire, includes the north-western part of the county, bordering upon Lincolnshire and Leicestershire, and adjoining all the other hundreds except Wraugdike. It is crossed by the Oakham and Mel- ton Canal, and a bold range of hills, from north to south ; and com- prises 4736 inhabitants, and 27,900 acres of land, divided into eleven parishes, as has been seen at page 603. It has not one market town. The fee of the whole Hundred was possessed by the Earl of Cornwall, in the reign of Edward I., and afterwards passed to the Crown. Its parishes are as follows : — ASH WELL, a small scattered village, near the source of a rivulet, 3 miles N. of Oakham, has in its parish 223 souls, and 1800 acres of land. In Saxon times, it was called Exwell^ and at the Domesday survey, Earl Harold, and one Gozelinus, each held here two carucates ; and here were 13 villans and 3 bordars, with five carucates and 16a. of meadow. Sir John Tuchet, knight, held the manor in the reign of Edward III. Henry VIII. granted it to Brian Palmer, whose family was long seated here. Viscount Downe is now lord of the manor, but part of the soil belongs to J. P. Preston, Esq., J. L, Bradshaw, and a few smaller owners. The Church (St. Mary) is an ancient fabric with a tower and five bells, and contains three very antique altar tombs ; one of them is of wood, and has a curious figure of a cross-legged knight in coat of mail. Another is of stone, to the memory of an ecclesiastic, who is represented in his sacredotal robes. The third is in the chancel, and has the effigies of John Vernam, and Rose, his wife, who died about 1479. The benefice is a rectory^ valued in K.B. at £20. 16s. 3d., and in 1831 at £435, mostly derived from 180a. of glebe. Viscount Downe is patron, and the Hon. and Rev. T. Downay is the incumbent. The parish feast is on the Sunday after September 19th, and the poor have about £19 a year from property at Derby, left in 1646, by Elizabeth Wilcox^ to this parish and Elvaston. This charity is distributed in coals. The Rev. Thomas Mann, who was rector herein the reign of Charles I., was plundered and several times imprisoned by the Puritanic party. Carpendale Wm. shoemaker Cooper John, wheelwright is said to have been once a considerable village; but its ancient Church (All Saints,) went to decay some centuries ago, and the only remains of it now extant is one of the arches of the tower, Post Office at the Pied Bull. Ltrs. from Stam- ford daily CARRIER, John Smith,toStam- ford, Fri. and Uppingham, Wednesday EAST HUNDBED. (RUTLAND.) 625 thoogh the steeple was entire about 160 years ago, and had obtained the name of Mockbcgoar. The church, and the village which stood around it, are supposed to have been destroyed by the rebels after the Battle of Hornfield. (See page 614.) Most of the steeple was taken down in 1728 and 1731, when the materials were used in building bridges at W'akerley and Great Casterton. The rectory^ valued in K.B. at only £4, was consolidated with that of Great Casterton, in 1734. The Rev. Richard Lucas, M.A., the late rector, erected here, in 1824, a small but neat Neiv Churchy in which a curate performs ser- vice for a yearly salary of £52. The tithes were commuted at the en- closure, in 1795, for a corn rent, of the value of about 500 bushels. Charles Smith, vict., keeps the Blue Bell; and the Farmers are, Rowland Buckworth, VVm. Dawson, Wm. Eayrs, Fairchild's Lodge ; George Hack, Matthew Hack, Charles Smith, and John Smith, Christian's Lodge. RYHALL, a village on both sides of the river Gwash, 3:| miles N. by E. of Stamford, has in its parish 2587 acres of land, and 678 inha- bitants, of whom 121 are in BELMESTHORPE hamlet, more than half a mile south of the village, on the east side of the Gwash. The Marquis of Exeter is lord of the manor, and owner of about 1040a., of which 273 acres were allotted to him, in lieu of the rectorial tithes, at the enclosure in 1 800, before which most of the parish was in open fields. H. B. Pierrepont, Esq., Mr. Ullett, and several other pro- prietors have estates here. At the Domesday Survey, Ryhall was held by the Countess Judith, and it afterwards passed to the Earl of Bou- logne, and the Despenser, Plantagenet, Mortimer, Tiptoft, Lovel, and other families. In the dark ages of superstition, St. Tibba is said to have been worshipped here by fowlers, as patroness of hawking. In- gulphus, abbot of Crowland, who lived at the time of the Conquest, says, that in the bloody battle fought with the Danes in 87O, the stout knight, Harding of Ryhall^ was one of the commanders of the Stamford men. The Church (St. John the Evangelist,) is a handsome Gothic structure, consisting of a nave with aisles, a chancel, a south porch, and a western tower, containing five bells, and crowned by a spire. The interior is plain, but clean and neat, and has some neat mural monu- ments. An apartment over the porch was long used as a school. The benefice is a discharged vicarage^ valued in K.B. at £13. 17s., and in 1831, at £280, with that of Essendine annexed to it, under the name oi Ryhall- cum- Essendine. The Marquis of Exeter is patron, and the Rev. Henry Chaplin, A.M., is the incumbent, and has a good residence. The National School is attended by about 130 children of both sexes. The poor parishioners have the dividends of £500 three per cent, consols, left by Colonel Pierrepont, in 1834, for distribution in coals. The Colonel resided here in the old Manor House, which is now partly the Green Dragon public-house, and bears marks of great antiquity ; the cellars resembling the cripts of ancient churches, with ribbed-work arches. A large arch in the outside wall, shews that the mansion was once very extensive. Bland Geo. Banks, \ict. Tally Ho Bowter David, yeoman Chaplin Rev Hy. M.A. Yicarage Gann "Wm. Sismore, grocer, << UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA, BERKELEY FORM NO. DD6 BERKELEY, CA 94720 ^^ C031b'=i?W53