Comberton (St. Mary)
COMBERTON (St. Mary), a parish, in the union
of Chesterton, hundred of Wetherley, county of
Cambridge, 5¾ miles (W. S. W.) from Cambridge;
containing 520 inhabitants. The parish comprises 1925
acres, of which 197 are or were common and waste.
An act for inclosing lands was passed in 1839. The
living is a discharged vicarage, valued in the king's
books at £6. 18. 11½., and in the patronage of Jesus
College, Cambridge: the appropriate tithes, belonging
to the Bishop of Ely, have been commuted for £328. 15.,
and the vicarial for £104; the appropriate glebe consists
of 186 acres, and the vicarial contains nearly 6 acres.
Comberton, Great (St. Michael)
COMBERTON, GREAT (St. Michael), a parish, in
the union, and Upper division of the hundred, of Pershore, Pershore and E. divisions of the county of
Worcester, 2¾ miles (S. by E.) from Pershore; containing 215 inhabitants. This parish, which is situated
on the river Avon, comprises about 940 acres; onethird is pasture, and the produce of the remainder
beans, barley, and apples. There are quarries of oolite,
in which are imbedded various fossils, and which is
used for common purposes; a blue clay is also found.
The village is seated on the north side of Bredon hill,
and overlooks a beautiful and extensive landscape. A
quay has been constructed. The living is a discharged
rectory, valued in the king's books at £10; net income,
£254; patron and incumbent, the Rev. Charles Hubert
Parker. The tithes were commuted for land and a
money payment in 1818. The church is an ancient
structure, apparently built at different periods; it was
repaired in 1836.
Comberton, Little (St. Peter)
COMBERTON, LITTLE (St. Peter), a parish, in
the union, and Upper division of the hundred, of Pershore, Pershore and E. divisions of the county of Worcester, 2 miles (S. E. by S.) from Pershore; containing
229 inhabitants. The parish comprises by measurement 758 acres, of a fertile soil, producing wheat and
other grain: there is abundance of gravel, which is dug
for the roads, and in the beds are found numerous fossil
shells and other remains. The living is a discharged
rectory, valued in the king's books at £9. 0. 2½.; net
income, £258; patron and incumbent, the Rev. William
Parker. The tithes were commuted for land and a
money payment in 1803. The church stands on the
north side of the village; it is an ancient structure,
lately repaired.
Comb-Pyne
COMB-PYNE, a parish, in the union and hundred
of Axminster, Honiton and S. divisions of Devon, 3¾
miles (E. S. E.) from Colyton; containing 143 inhabitants. This place was anciently called Comb-Coffin,
from the Coffin family; its present adjunct is derived
from the Pynes, its later possessors. The living is a
discharged rectory, valued in the king's books at
£8. 11. 8., and in the gift of Messrs. Knight, Cuff, and
Edwards: the tithes have been commuted for £115, and
there is a glebe of 28 acres.
Comb-Rawleigh (St. Nicholas)
COMB-RAWLEIGH (St. Nicholas), a parish, in
the union of Honiton, hundred of Axminster, Honiton and S. divisions of Devon, 1½ mile (N. N. W.) from
Honiton; containing 276 inhabitants. This parish,
which is separated from that of Honiton by the river
Otter, comprises 1740a. 3r. 2p., and is intersected by
the old road to Taunton. The living is a rectory, valued
in the king's books at £20. 0. 10., and in the gift of
E. Simeon Drewe, Esq.: the tithes have been commuted
for £300, and the glebe comprises 40 acres, with a
glebe-house. The church is a handsome structure in
the later English style, and contains a monument to the
memory of John Sheldon, Esq., F.R.S., and anatomical
professor, who died in 1808.
Combrook
COMBROOK, a chapelry, in the parish of Kington, union of Stratford-upon-Avon, Kington division of the hundred of Kington, S. division of the
county of Warwick, 2¼ miles (W. by N.) from Kington; containing 282 inhabitants, and comprising 1137
acres. The tithes were commuted for land in 1772.
The chapel, dedicated to St. Margaret, has been rebuilt.
There is a place of worship for Wesleyans; and a
school, endowed by a late Lord Willoughby with £5
per annum, is further supported by Lord Willoughby de
Broke. In 1763, Lady Tryphena Verney, agreeably to
a bequest of £300 by her husband, George Verney, Esq.,
conveyed an estate for the maintenance of two scholars at
Trinity College, Cambridge, to be chosen from this school,
or, in default, out of the grammar school at Warwick.
Combs (St. Mary)
COMBS (St. Mary), a parish, in the union and hundred of Stow, W. division of Suffolk, 1¼ mile (S. by E.)
from Stow-Market; containing 1064 inhabitants. The
parish is situated on the road from Bury St. Edmund's
to Ipswich, and on the river Orwell, which forms its
north-eastern boundary, and is navigable from Ipswich
to Stow-Market. It comprises by measurement 2770
acres. The soil is generally a strong clay, but near the
river light, and inclined to moor; the surface is very
uneven, rising into hills of considerable elevation; the
lower grounds afford excellent pasture. A large tannery
has been established for more than 150 years. The
living is a rectory, valued in the king's books at
£25. 17. 8½., and in the gift of the Earl of Ashburnham,
with a net income of £511: the glebe comprises 30
acres, and a handsome rectory-house has been built by
the Rev. Richard Daniel. The church is in the decorated
English style, with a square embattled tower; the windows retain some fine portions of ancient stained glass.
There is a place of worship for Independents.
Common-Dale
COMMON-DALE, a township, in the parish and
union of Guisborough, E. division of the liberty of
Langbaurgh, N. riding of York, 6½ miles (S. E.) from
Guisborough; containing 79 inhabitants. The name of
this place is corrupted from Colman-dale, so called from
Colman, Bishop of Lindisfarne, who had a hermitage
here. It was given to the priory of Guisborough by
the founder, and continued with that establishment until
the Dissolution, when it passed to the Chaloner family,
by whom the lands were afterwards divided and sold.
The township is in the district called Cleveland, occupying the south part of the parish, and comprising a narrow
secluded vale, surrounded by high and heathy moors;
it contains by computation 2630 acres of land, mostly
the property of Viscount Downe. In the township is
the hamlet of Skelderskew-Grange, which belonged to
the priory of Basedale, and which probably derives its
name from skell, a rivulet, and skew, wood-ground standing on a hill; terms precisely descriptive of the position of the hamlet.
Compstall
COMPSTALL, a village, in the parish and union of
Stockport, hundred of Macclesfield, N. division of
the county of Chester, 5 miles (E.) from Stockport.
It lies on the west bank of the Etherow, which here separates the county from Derbyshire, and over which is a
bridge from the village. The inhabitants are chiefly
employed in spinning, power-loom weaving, bleaching,
and printing, and the remainder principally at extensive
coal-works in the neighbourhood. Forty years since,
Compstall consisted of only a few straggling cottages,
but since the establishment of the cotton-manufacture,
it has been gradually rising to its present thriving condition. There is a place of worship for Wesleyans.
Compton (St. Nicholas)
COMPTON (St. Nicholas), a parish, in the union
of Wantage, hundred of Compton, county of Berks,
2¼ miles (E. S. E.) from East Ilsley; containing 544 inhabitants, and comprising by admeasurement 3600
acres. The living is a discharged vicarage, valued in
the king's books at £11. 14. 4½.; net income, £330;
patron, John Thomas Wasey, Esq.; impropriators, the
Rev. James Best, and Messrs. Palmer.
Compton
COMPTON, a hamlet, in the parish of Ashbourn,
hundred of Morleston and Litchurch, though locally
in the hundred of Appletree, S. division of the county
of Derby, ½ a mile (S. E.) from Ashbourn. This place
forms a suburb of the town of Ashbourn, from which it
is separated by a small brook called the Schoo. Sion
Chapel, with six almshouses attached to it, under the
direction of the trustees of the Countess of Huntingdon's
College, was built here by John Cooper, who, by deed
in 1801, endowed them with £4500 three per cent. reduced annuities, yielding a dividend of about £130 per
annum. The premises were repaired in 1824.
Compton
COMPTON, a tything, in the parish and union of
Newent, hundred of Botloe, W. division of the county
of Gloucester; containing 504 inhabitants.
Compton
COMPTON, a tything, in the parish of Henbury,
union of Clifton, Upper division of the hundred of
Henbury, W. division of the county of Gloucester;
containing 144 inhabitants.
Compton (All Saints)
COMPTON (All Saints), a parish, in the union of
Winchester, hundred of Buddlesgate, Winchester
and N. divisions of the county of Southampton, 2 miles
(S. S. W.) from Winchester; containing 304 inhabitants.
The parish comprises by measurement 2099 acres; and
the Itchen navigation, the London and Southampton
road, and the London and South-Western railway, pass
through it. The living is a rectory, valued in the king's
books at £23. 6. 8.; net income, £329; patron, the
Bishop of Winchester. The church, which is small, has
portions in various styles, the Norman predominating;
and contains a handsome monument, by Westmacott, to
Dr. Huntingford, Bishop of Hereford, and Warden of
Winchester College.
Compton
COMPTON, a liberty, in the parish of Tettenhall
Regis, union of Seisdon, N. division of the hundred of
Seisdon, S. division of the county of Stafford, 2 miles
(W.) from Wolverhampton; containing 641 inhabitants.
Here is a neat village, adjoining the Staffordshire and
Worcestershire canal, and near Tettenhall-Wood, where a
considerable quantity of sand is obtained for the use of
the iron-founders, and for mixing with mortar. Several
handsome houses and a great number of cottages have
been built at Tettenhall-Wood since its inclosure in
1809; the cottages are mostly occupied by lock-makers.
There is a small dissenting meeting-house.
Compton (St. Nicholas)
COMPTON (St. Nicholas), a parish, in the union
of Guildford, First division of the hundred of Godalming, W. division of Surrey, 3½ miles (S. W. by W.)
from Guildford; containing 522 inhabitants. It comprises 1971 acres, of which 77 are common or waste,
and extends to the top of the chalk hill reaching from
Guildford to Farnham; the soil is chalk, sand, and a
little clay. The living is a rectory, valued in the king's
books at £15. 4. 9½.; patron and impropriator, the
Rev. George M. Molyneux: the tithes have been commuted for £421. 15., and the glebe contains nearly 72
acres, with a glebe-house. The church has a low tower
and spire, and contains a curious chancel, with a groined
roof, and a chapel over it; these portions are in the
early English style, but there are others of decorated
character. Dr. Edward Fulham, who attended Charles II.
during his exile, and was the first canon of Windsor appointed after the Restoration, was born here in 1604.
Compton (St. Mary)
COMPTON (St. Mary), a parish, in the union of
Westbourne, hundred of Westbourne and Singleton, rape of Chichester, W. division of Sussex, 10
miles (N. W.) from Chichester; containing 274 inhabitants. The parish is bounded on the west by the county
of Southampton, and the village is situated on one of
the roads from Petersfield to Chichester. The living is
a vicarage, endowed with a small portion of the rectorial
tithes, with the living of Up-Marden annexed, and valued
in the king's books at £13. 6. 8.; patron, and impropriator of the remainder of the rectorial tithes, M. R.
Langdale, Esq. The great tithes have been commuted
for £130, and the vicarial for £131; the glebe comprises
4 acres. The church is in the early and decorated English styles, and contains some neat monuments to the
families of Peckham and Phipps. Edward Flower, in
1521, founded a free grammar school, with an endowment of £100 to be laid out in land; Thomas Pelham
gave £80, with a rent-charge of £20, and in 1528, William Spicer conveyed lands in furtherance of the charity,
the total income of which amounts to £28.
Compton
COMPTON, a tything, in the parish of Enford,
union of Pewsey, hundred of Elstub and Everley,
Everley and Pewsey, and S. divisions of Wilts; containing 73 inhabitants.
Compton-Abbas, or West Compton (St. Michael)
COMPTON-ABBAS, or West Compton (St. Michael), a parish, in the union of Dorchester, hundred of Cerne, Totcombe, and Modbury, Dorchester
division of Dorset, 9 miles (W. N. W.) from Dorchester; containing 91 inhabitants. It derives the adjunct
to its name from having once formed part of the possessions of Milton Abbey. The living is a discharged
rectory, valued in the king's books at £8. 0. 5.; net
income, £191; patron, R. Williams, Esq.
Compton-Abbas (St. Mary)
COMPTON-ABBAS (St. Mary), a parish, in the
union of Shaftesbury, hundred of Sixpenny-Handley, Shaston division of Dorset, 3½ miles (S. by E.)
from Shaftesbury; containing 439 inhabitants. This
parish, which derives its name from the situation of the
village in a combe or vale, and its adjunct from its
annexation to Shaston Abbey, lies on the road from
Shaftesbury to Blandford-Forum, and comprises 1384
acres, whereof 318 are common or waste. There are
some quarries of green sandstone used for building.
The living is a rectory, valued in the king's books at
£9. 16. 2½., and in the gift of Sir R. P. Glyn, Bart.: the
tithes have been commuted for £350. The church is a
small ancient edifice, with a tower, on the summit of
which is a pear-tree in full vigour.
Compton-Abdale (St. Oswald)
COMPTON-ABDALE (St. Oswald), a parish, in
the union of Northleach, hundred of Bradley, E.
division of the county of Gloucester, 4¼ miles
(W. N. W.) from Northleach; containing 260 inhabitants. The river Coln runs through the parish, which
is well wooded. The living is a perpetual curacy, net
income, £78; patrons and appropriators, the Dean and
Chapter of Bristol. The church is a small ancient
building.
Compton-Basset (St. Swithin)
COMPTON-BASSET (St. Swithin), a parish, in
the union and hundred of Calne, Chippenham and
Calne, and N. divisions of Wilts, 2¼ miles (E. N. E.)
from Calne; containing 498 inhabitants. It comprises
by estimation 2236 acres: the surface is pleasingly
varied with hill and dale; the soil on the hills is chalky,
but in the vale a rich clay. The living is a rectory,
valued in the king's books at £13. 6. 10½., and in the
gift of the Bishop of Salisbury: the tithes have been
commuted for £572. 16. 6., out of which £12 are paid
to the vicar of Calne; the glebe comprises 45 acres, with
a glebe-house.
Compton-Beauchamp (St. Swithin)
COMPTON-BEAUCHAMP (St. Swithin), a parish,
in the union of Farringdon, hundred of Shrivenham,
county of Berks, 6½ miles (S. by W.) from Farringdon;
containing, with the hamlet of Knighton, 157 inhabitants. It is intersected by the Great Western railway,
and situated near the Wilts and Berks canal, which
passes along its northern border. The living is a rectory, valued in the king's books at £9. 18. 9., and in the
patronage of the Earl of Craven: the tithes have been
commuted for £338, and the glebe comprises 22½ acres,
with a glebe-house. Here is an extensive doubletrenched encampment, thought to be Roman, from the
coins discovered upon the spot, near which passes the
Ikeneld road.
Compton-Bishop (St. Andrew)
COMPTON-BISHOP (St. Andrew), a parish, in
the union of Axbridge, hundred of Winterstoke, E.
division of Somerset, 2¼ miles (W. N. W.) from Axbridge; containing 802 inhabitants. It is intersected
by the Bristol and Exeter road and the river Axe, and
comprises 2535a. 2r. 30p., of which 775 acres are common or waste, and 50 road and water: there is a good
supply of excellent limestone in the hills. The village
is situated in a hollow, under the southern declivity of
the Mendip range, presenting a very picturesque appearance: the village of Cross, in the parish, has a General
Post-Office. The living is a discharged vicarage, valued
in the king's books at £11; patron, the Prebendary of
Compton-Bishop in the Cathedral of Wells: the great
tithes have been commuted for £71. 2., and the vicarial
for £203. 17.; the rectorial glebe contains 82½ acres,
and the vicar's nearly 7 acres, with a glebe-house. The
church has a handsome stone pulpit, and the exterior
arch of the porch is in the Norman style: in the churchyard is an ancient cross. A little to the south-west of
Compton is a spacious natural cave, entered by a perpendicular shaft; and proceeding by a difficult winding
passage, a still more extensive cavern opens to the
sight: from the roof, which expands into a kind of arch,
hung formerly some beautiful stalactites; and various
incrustations, assuming the most fantastic shapes, lay
scattered about; but all have been defaced or removed
by visiters.
Compton-Chamberlain (St. Michael)
COMPTON-CHAMBERLAIN (St. Michael), a parish, in the union of Wilton, S. division of the hundred of Damerham, S. division of Wilts, 8 miles (W.)
from Salisbury; containing 350 inhabitants. It abounds
with green sandstone, used for building. The living is
a discharged vicarage, valued in the king's books at
£13; net income, £99; patron and impropriator, J. H.
Penruddock, Esq.: the rector is entitled to a rent-charge
of £67. 12. out of the tithes of the parish of Tisbury.
The church is an ancient cruciform structure, in the
decorated English style, with a square embattled tower
on the south side, forming in the lower part a porch.
Colonel Penruddock, who was executed at Exeter, in
1655, for an attempt to restore Charles II. to the throne,
resided in the parish.
Compton-Dando (St. Mary)
COMPTON-DANDO (St. Mary), a parish, in the
union and hundred of Keepesham, E. division of
Somerset, 2 miles (E. by N.) from Pensford; containing, with part of Woolard hamlet, 359 inhabitants. It
is situated on the river Chew, and comprises 1845 acres,
of which 25 are common or waste: there are some quarries of stone, but of a quality fit only for the roughest
buildings and for the roads. The living is a discharged
vicarage, valued in the king's books at £5. 10. 5.; net
income, £180; patron and appropriator, the Bishop of
Bath and Wells: the glebe comprises 50 acres, with a
house. The church is a handsome structure in the decorated and later English styles, with a square embattled
tower; at the north-east angle of the building is an enriched buttress, the lowest portion of which is formed of
the remains of a Roman altar, displaying in one of its
faces a statue of Hercules Pacificator, and in the other,
one of Apollo. There is a place of worship for Wesleyans. A cold spring here is slightly impregnated with
iron. The Wansdyke traverses the parish in a northwest direction.