Broadheath

BROADHEATH, a hamlet, in the parish of Hallow, union of Martley, Lower division of the hundred of Oswaldslow, Worcester and W. divisions of the county of Worcester, 3 miles (N. W.) from Worcester; containing 482 inhabitants. In this hamlet is a chapel of ease, dedicated to Christ, and built by subscription in 1836. A meeting-house was erected by Lady Huntingdon's Connexion, in 1825; and there is also a national school.

Broadhembury (St. Andrew)

BROADHEMBURY (St. Andrew), a parish, and formerly a market-town, in the union of Honiton, hundred of Hayridge, Cullompton and N. divisions of Devon, 5 miles (N. W.) from Honiton; containing 851 inhabitants. The parish, according to a recent survey, comprises 4704 acres, of which 2513 are arable, 1101 meadow and pasture, 243 woodland and plantations, 139 orchard ground, and the remainder common and waste: there are some quarries of whetstone. The manor formerly belonged to the Abbot of Dunkeswell, who obtained for it the grant of a market and fair; the former has long been discontinued, but the latter is still held, for cattle, on the 11th of December. The living is a discharged vicarage, valued in the king's books at £16. 17.; net income, £227; patrons and appropriators, the Dean and Chapter of Exeter. The church is an ancient structure with a handsome tower, and contains 450 sittings. There is a place of worship for dissenters. In the village of Carswell was a small monastery, subordinate to the priory of Montacute; and Hembury Fort comprises the remains of an encampment. The Rev. A. Montague Toplady, the celebrated defender of Calvinistic principles, was vicar of the parish.

Broadholme

BROADHOLME, a hamlet, in the parish of Thorney, union, and N. division of the wapentake, of Newark, S. division of the county of Nottingham, 1 mile (E. by N.) from Tuxford; containing 90 inhabitants. A small Præmonstratensian nunnery was founded here, in the latter part of the reign of Stephen, by Agnes de Camvile, in honour of the Blessed Virgin Mary; the revenue, in the 26th of Henry VIII., was estimated at £16. 15. 2.

Broadmayne (St. Martin)

BROADMAYNE (St. Martin), a parish, in the union of Dorchester, hundred of George, but locally in that of Culliford-Tree, Dorchester division of Dorset, 4 miles (S. E. by S.) from Dorchester; containing 490 inhabitants. It is situated on the road from Dorchester to Wareham, and comprises by admeasurement 1500 acres, chiefly arable land; the soil is chalky, and the produce consists principally of wheat, barley, oats, and turnips. Bricks, of excellent quality, are made to a considerable extent. The living is a rectory, annexed to that of West Knighton, and valued in the king's books at £15. 4. 2.: land and a money payment were assigned in 1805, in lieu of tithes. The church is in the Norman style. Many tumuli of great antiquity may be seen in the neighbourhood.

Broadoak (St. Mary)

BROADOAK (St. Mary), a parish, in the union of Liskeard, hundred of West, E. division of Cornwall, 6¾ miles (W. S. W.) from Liskeard; containing 303 inhabitants. The living is a discharged rectory, consolidated, in 1742, with the rectory of Boconnoc (which see), and valued in the king's books at £8. 13. 4. The church contains a handsome font.

Broadside

BROADSIDE, a grieveship, in the parish of Allendale, union of Hexham, S. division of Tindale ward and of Northumberland; containing 123 inhabitants.

Broadstairs

BROADSTAIRS, a small sea-port and hamlet, in the parish of St. Peter, union of Thanet, hundred of Ringslow, or Isle of Thanet, lathe of St. Augustine, E. division of Kent, 2 miles (N. E. by N.) from Ramsgate, 4 (S. E. by S.) from Margate, and 75 (E.) from London; containing 1459 persons. This place, anciently called Bradstow, exhibits many vestiges of its former importance; and though subsequently reduced to an inconsiderable village, inhabited only by a few fishermen, it has lately risen into celebrity as a place of fashionable resort for sea-bathing, and is visited in the season by many respectable families, for whose accommodation several new buildings, and warm baths with every requisite appendage, have been erected. There are two public libraries, an assembly-room, and an excellent hotel. Her present Majesty, when Princess Victoria, often resided here with the Duchess of Kent during the summer months, at Pierremont House. Leading down to the shore is a stone arch, or portal, with walls built of flint, in which were gates and a portcullis, with a drawbridge attached to it, erected to protect the inhabitants from the incursions of privateers: above the arch is the inscription, "York gate, built by George Culmer, A.D. 1540, repaired by Sir John Henniker, Bart., 1795." At a short distance from the gate stood a chapel, where was placed an image of the Virgin Mary, to whom it was dedicated; in passing which all vessels lowered their topsails, as a mark of reverence. The pier, which is accessible only to vessels of small burthen, was constructed in the reign of Henry VIII., for the safety of the craft employed in the fishing-trade, which was once considerable; it is built merely of wood, and though an act of parliament was passed in the 32nd of George III., for the improvement of the harbour and the pier, the trade had decreased so much that its provisions were only partially carried into effect. The principal source of employment at present is boatbuilding. A neat chapel of ease was erected by subscription, aided by a grant of £400 from the Society for Building Churches, and was consecrated April 15th, 1830; it was enlarged in 1837. There are places of worship for Anabaptists and Wesleyans. Between Broadstairs and Kingsgate is the North Foreland, the most eastern point of England, and supposed to have been the Roman station Cantium mentioned by Ptolemy; a lighthouse was erected on it in 1683.

Broadstone

BROADSTONE, a hamlet, in the parish and hundred of Munslow, union of Ludlow, S. division of Salop; containing 210 inhabitants. Here is a chapel of ease to the rectory of Munslow.

Broadward

BROADWARD, a township, in the parish and union of Leominster, hundred of Wolphy, county of Hereford, 1¼ mile (S. by E.) from Leominster; containing 50 inhabitants.

Broadwas (St. Mary Magdalene)

BROADWAS (St. Mary Magdalene), a parish, in the union of Martley, Lower division of the hundred of Oswaldslow, though locally in the Upper division of the hundred of Doddingtree, Worcester and W. divisions of the county of Worcester, 6 miles (W.) from Worcester; containing, with the hamlet of Broadgreen, 326 inhabitants. It is bounded by the river Teame on the south, and comprises 1115a. 2r. 37p. of a stiff clayey soil, the lower part of which is subject to flood: the surface rises from the river, and the scenery embraces fine views of the Malvern hills. The land is equally divided between arable and pasture. The Worcester and Bromyard road crosses the parish from east to west. The living is a rectory, valued in the king's books at £10. 9. 2., and in the gift of the Dean and Chapter of Worcester; the tithes have been commuted for £287, and there is a rectory-house with a glebe of 50 acres. The church is an ancient stone edifice, with a wooden tower. A Sunday school is supported by the rector. Sarah Roberts, in 1797, bequeathed money since invested in the purchase of £166. 13. three per cent. reduced annuities, the interest of which is distributed among the poor on New-Year's day.

Broadwater (St. Mary)

BROADWATER (St. Mary), a parish, in the union of Preston (under Gilbert's act), hundred of Brightford, rape of Bramber, W. division of Sussex; containing, with the town of Worthing, 5345 inhabitants. This place, which is supposed to have derived its name from a broad expanse of water which formerly flowed from the sea to the south-east extremity of the village, is situated on the roads from London to Worthing, and from Brighton to Portsmouth; and is bounded on the south by the British Channel. The number of acres is estimated at 2650, of which about 150 are detached. The soil is rich and fertile, especially along the sea-shore, consisting of a deep rich loam, bearing luxuriant crops of wheat; the climate is mild and genial, being defended from the north and north-east winds by the range of the South Down hills, and myrtles and evergreens of all kinds flourish in perfection. The living is a rectory, valued in the king's books at £36; net income, £602; patron and incumbent, the Rev. Peter Wood. The church is a spacious and venerable cruciform structure, partly in the Norman and early English styles, with a low central tower, and a turret at the south-west angle; the interior is 139 feet in length, and 90 feet in breadth along the transepts. The chancel is richly groined, and the arch leading into it from the nave is in the richest style of the later Norman; it is lighted by a handsome east window, and contains several canopied stalls finely sculptured, and, in a recess on the south side, a bench surmounted by a Norman arch. In the chancel is a superb monument to the memory of Thomas Lord De la Warre, who died in 1526; and on the east side of the south transept is a monument to Thomas, Lord De la Warre, who died in 1554, and was buried in the church. The whole of the interior has been recently restored, at an expense of £1200. There are two churches at Worthing, forming separate incumbencies. In the north of the parish is an eminence called Cissbury Hill, containing 20 acres, surrounded by a vallum, and supposed to have been originally a British encampment, subsequently adopted by the Romans, and lastly by the Saxons, from one of whose kings, Cissa, it is thought to derive its name.

Broadway (St. Nicholas)

BROADWAY (St. Nicholas), a parish, in the union of Weymouth, hundred of Culliford-Tree, Dorchester division of Dorset, 5 miles (S. S. W.) from Dorchester; containing 498 inhabitants. This parish, which is situated on the Weymouth and Dorchester road, and intersected by the river Wey, comprises by admeasurement 11,000 acres, about one-third being arable. There are some fine quarries from which stone is obtained for lime and for building. At the hamlet of Nottingham is a mineral spring, used for medicinal purposes. The living is a rectory, annexed to that of Bincombe, and valued in the king's books at £7. 15. 2½.: the glebe contains about 100 acres. The southern entrance of the church is distinguished by a beautiful Norman arch of very early date. There is a place of worship for Wesleyans.

Broadway (St. Aldelme)

BROADWAY (St. Aldelme), a parish, in the union of Chard, hundred of Abdick and Bulstone, W. division of Somerset, 2½ miles (W. by N.) from Ilminster; containing, with the tythings of Capland, Broadway, and Rapps, 570 inhabitants. The name of this place was given as descriptive of the situation of the few scattered huts which were constructed at an early period, along each side of a broad path leading through what was then the forest of Roche, or Neroche, so denominated from a Roman encampment called Roche or Rachiche Castle, on the edge of Blackdown Hill. The parish comprises 2012a. 3r. 32p., of which 1043 acres are arable, 850 meadow and pasture, 99 acres orchards and gardens, and 19 wood. The living is a perpetual curacy; net income, £167; patron and impropriator, the Rev. William Palmer, D.D. The church belonged, until the Reformation, to the abbey of Bisham in Berks, and is a fine cruciform structure, with an ancient tower at the west end, and windows in the later English style: in the churchyard is a beautiful cross on a pedestal, ornamented with figures of saints.

Broadway (St. Eadburgh)

BROADWAY (St. Eadburgh), a parish, in the union of Evesham, Upper division of the hundred of Pershore, Pershore and E. divisions of the county of Worcester, 6 miles (S. E.) from Evesham; containing 1687 inhabitants. The parish comprehends by admeasurement 4692 acres, of which two-thirds are pasture, and the rest arable; it forms the south-eastern extremity of the county, is surrounded on all sides except the north by that of Gloucester, and intersected by the road from Worcester to London. The population is principally engaged in agriculture. There are some quarries of good freestone. The village is pleasantly situated on a plain, and is about three-fourths of a mile in length; the houses are principally of stone, and many of them ancient, forming a very wide street. In the time of Henry III. this place had a market on Friday, and a fair on the eve of St. John; but both have been long extinct. A post-office has been established. The living is a discharged vicarage, valued in the king's books at £10. 17., and in the patronage of certain Trustees; net income, £212: land and an annual money payment were assigned in lieu of the tithes of the manor, in 1771. A new church was erected in 1840, on the site of a chapel of ease, an ancient and small building; it is in the early English style, with a handsome tower at the west end, and is capable of containing 1000 persons. There are places of worship for Independents, Wesleyans, and Roman Catholics. Thomas Hodges, in 1686, gave land for the instruction of 20 poor boys, which was exchanged for an allotment of 62 acres under an inclosure act, now producing £74 per annum.

Broadwell (St. Paul)

BROADWELL (St. Paul), a parish, in the union of Stow-on-the-Wold, Upper division of the hundred of Slaughter, E. division of the county of Gloucester, 1½ mile (N. N. E.) from Stow; containing 345 inhabitants. It derives its name from a spring which rises within its limits. The living is a rectory, with that of Adlestrop annexed, valued in the king's books at £23. 11. 10½.; net income, £643; patron, Lord Leigh. The tithes of Broadway were commuted for land and an annual payment in money, in 1792.

Broadwell (St. Peter And St. Paul)

BROADWELL (St. Peter and St. Paul), a parish, in the union of Witney, hundred of Bampton, county of Oxford, 5¼ miles (S.) from Burford; containing, with the hamlet of Filkins, and the chapelries of Holwell and Kelmscott, 1051 inhabitants. The living is a discharged vicarage, valued in the king's books at £8. 14. 4½.; net income, £270; patron, the Rev. T. W. Goodlake; impropriators, the Master and Fellows of Trinity College, Oxford, who lease the impropriation to W. Hervey, Esq. The tithes were commuted in 1775, for land and annual money payments. The church is a spacious cruciform structure, with a massive western tower surmounted by a spire; in the chancel are some mural monuments to the Colston family. Near the churchyard are the remains of a cross. At Holwell and Kelmscott are chapels of ease. On the estate of Broadwell Grove may be traced the line of the Roman Akeman-street, which continues its course towards Akeman-ceastre (Bath).

Broadwell

BROADWELL, a hamlet, in the parish of Leamington-Hastings, union of Rugby, S. division of the hundred of Knightlow, S. division of the county of Warwick, 2 miles (S. S. E.) from Leamington-Hastings; containing 220 inhabitants. It is said to have taken its name from a broad well or spring here. The road from Rugby to Southam passes on the west.

Broadwinsor (St. John The Baptist)

BROADWINSOR (St. John the Baptist), a parish and liberty, in the union of Beaminster, Bridport division of Dorset, 3 miles (W. by N.) from Beaminster; containing, with Little Winsor, which is in Redhone hundred, 1661 inhabitants. It comprises by admeasurement 6215 acres, of which 1222 are arable, 4579 meadow and pasture, and 292 wood and orchards. The living is a vicarage, valued in the king's books at £15. 8. 9., and in the patronage of the Bishop of Salisbury: the tithes have been commuted for £1282. 10., of which £750 are paid to the vicar, who has a glebehouse, and 9 acres of land; the impropriators have a glebe of 85 acres. A chapel of ease was erected at Blackdown in 1840, in the early English style, and dedicated to the Holy Trinity; it is a neat and substantial building, and will accommodate 300 persons.

Broadwood-Kelly

BROADWOOD-KELLY, a parish, in the union of Oakhampton, hundred of Black Torrington, Black Torrington and Shebbear, and N. divisions of Devon, 5½ miles (E. N. E.) from Hatherleigh; containing 471 inhabitants. The parish comprises 2400 acres, of which 557 are common or waste. The living is a rectory, valued in the king's books at £19. 7. 6.; net income, £238; patron, the Rev. John Hole.

Broadwood-Widger, county of Devon.—See Bradwood-Widger.

BROADWOOD-WIDGER, county of Devon.— See Bradwood-Widger.

Brobury (St. Mary)

BROBURY (St. Mary), a parish, in the union of Weobley, hundred of Grimsworth, county of Hereford, 8¾ miles (E.) from Hay; containing 71 inhabitants. It is bounded on all sides, except the north-east, by a bend of the river Wye, and comprises 487 acres, the soil being of the full average productiveness, and the surface moderately wooded. The river is here crossed by a bridge leading to Bredwardine. The living is a discharged rectory, valued in the king's books at £4; net income, £180; patron and incumbent, the Rev. N. D. H. Newton.

Brockden or Brogden

BROCKDEN, or Brogden, a township, in the parish of Barnoldswick, union of Skipton, E. division of the wapentake of Staincliffe and Ewcross, W. riding of York, 9¼ miles (W. S. W.) from Skipton; containing 219 inhabitants. The township comprises by computation 1670 acres, including Admergill, which adjoins Lancashire, and is ecclesiastically connected with the chapelry of Colne, in the parish of Whalley, in that county.

Brockdish (St. Peter And St. Paul)

BROCKDISH (St. Peter and St. Paul), a parish, in the union of Depwade, hundred of Earsham, E. division of Norfolk, 3¼ miles (S. W. by W.) from Harleston; containing 466 inhabitants. The road from Bury St. Edmund's to Yarmouth passes through the parish, and the river Waveney separates it from the county of Suffolk. The living is a rectory, valued in the king's books at £10, and in the gift of the France family: the tithes have been commuted for £340, and there are 24 acres of glebe. The church, which is chiefly in the later English style, consists of a nave, chancel, and south aisle, with an embattled tower; the nave and chancel are divided by the remains of a carved screen. There is a place of worship for Wesleyans.

Brockenhurst

BROCKENHURST, a parish, in the union of Lymington, E. division of the hundred of New Forest, Lymington and S. divisions of the county of Southampton, 4¼ miles (N. by W.) from Lymington; containing 928 inhabitants. The village is of Saxon origin, and is mentioned in Domesday book under the name Broceste. It is beautifully situated on an eminence, on the road from Lyndhurst to Lymington, and commands a finely varied prospect over a considerable portion of the New Forest. The parish comprises 2880 acres, of which 547 are common or waste; the soil is in some places a strong clay loam. The Boldre or Lymington river flows past the northern extremity of the village. The living is united to that of Boldre. The church stands on an artificial mound, and, though somewhat disguised by modern alterations, exhibits various portions of early Norman architecture; it was enlarged in 1834. There is a place of worship for Baptists. Watcombe House, in Brockenhurst Park, was for three years the residence of John Howard, the philanthropist.

Brockford

BROCKFORD, a hamlet, in the parish of Wetheringsett, union and hundred of Hartismere, W. division of Suffolk, 1¼ mile (E. S. E.) from Mendlesham, and on the road from London to Norwich; containing 277 inhabitants.

Brockhall (St. Peter And St. Paul)

BROCKHALL (St. Peter and St. Paul), a parish, in the union of Daventry, hundred of NewbottleGrove, S. division of the county of Northampton, 2 miles (N. by E.) from Weedon; containing 59 inhabitants. The parish comprises about 850 acres, consisting chiefly of pasture and plantations; it is intersected in its western portion by the Grand Junction canal, and the London and Birmingham railway, which has a station at Weedon, also runs through it. On that part of the Watling-street which passes by the gate of Mr. Thornton's premises, is found the uncommon plant called field eryngo. The living is a rectory, valued in the king's books at £13, and in the gift of the family of Thornton: the tithes have been commuted for £160. 6., and there is a good glebe-house, with upwards of 8 acres of glebe, exclusively of 30 acres in the adjoining parish of Floore. The church is a small ancient structure, adjoining Mr. Thornton's mansion, partly Norman, and partly in the early English style. Chalybeate springs are found in this and the neighbouring parishes, all deriving their mineral qualities from the inferior oolite, the escarpment of which forms the hills of the district, ranging north-east and south-west.