Datchworth (All Saints)
DATCHWORTH (All Saints), a parish, in the
hundred of Broadwater, union and county of Hertford, 2½ miles (N. E. by E.) from Welwyn; containing
581 inhabitants. It is situated on the great road from
London to York, and comprises 1922a. 3r. 35p., of
which 1491 acres are arable, 230 pasture, 97 woodland,
and 60 common or waste; the soil is chiefly gravel, in
some parts alternated with clay. The living is a rectory,
valued in the king's books at £14. 13. 4., and in the
patronage of Clare Hall, Cambridge: the tithes have
been commuted for £475, and the glebe comprises
nearly 24 acres, with a glebe-house. The church has
been enlarged by the addition of 150 free sittings.
Dauntsey (St. James)
DAUNTSEY (St. James), a parish, in the union
and hundred of Malmesbury, Malmesbury and Kingswood, and N. divisions of Wilts, 5 miles (S. E.) from
Malmesbury; containing 576 inhabitants. The parish
is beautifully situated on the river Avon, and comprises
by admeasurement 3304 acres, of which 380 are arable,
and the rest pasture; the soil is generally a rich loam
resting on gravel, and some of the meadow lands are
among the richest in the county. The Great Western
railway passes through the parish, as do also the Wilts
and Berks canal, the road between Malmesbury and
Calne, and that between Chippenham and Wootton-Basset. The living is a rectory, valued in the king's
books at £13. 16. 3.; net income, £548, with a good
house; patrons, the Trustees of the late Earl of Peterborough. The church is a handsome structure, in the
later English style, with a stately tower, erected at the
expense of the Earl of Danby; the interior is embellished with richly carved oak, and some curious remains
of ancient stained glass, and contains a noble monument of white marble to the memory of Henry Danvers,
Baron Dauntsey, created Earl of Danby in 1625. A
school and an almshouse were founded by the earl, and
endowed with £75 per annum. There was formerly a
chapel of ease at West-End.
Davenham (St. Wilfrid)
DAVENHAM (St. Wilfrid), a parish, in the union
and hundred of Northwich, S. division of the county
of Chester; comprising the townships of Bostock,
Davenham, Eaton, Leftwich, Moulton, Newhall, Rudheath, Shipbrook, Shurlach, Stanthorne, Wharton, and
Whatcroft; and containing 5335 inhabitants, of whom
488 are in the township of Davenham, 2 miles (S.) from
Northwich. Davenham derives its name from its situation on the river Daven, or Dane. The parish comprises 8912 acres, of which the greater portion is pasture, being set out in cheese and dairy farms: there is
no great extent of wood. The soil is various, comprising
sand, clay, and a fine rich mould; and the country of
pleasing aspect, the two valleys of the Weaver and the
Dane passing through: the former vale, however, is
now disfigured by numerous salt-works, the smoke of
which blackens every thing on the face of the land for a
considerable distance. The river Weaver bounds the
parish on the west; the Dane flows from south to north,
and the road from Birmingham to Liverpool runs in a
nearly parallel direction: the parish is also intersected
by the London and North-Western railway, and the
Trent and Mersey canal. Salt is the principal manufacture, and is supposed to have been produced here as
early as the time of the Romans: the brine-pits are very
extensive on both sides of the Weaver.
The living is a rectory, valued in the king's books at
£23. 13. 1½., and in the patronage of James France
France, Esq., of Bostock Hall. The tithes have been
commuted for £850, of which £82 are for the township
of Davenham: there is a glebe-house, with about four
acres of glebe land. The church was rebuilt, in the decorated style, in 1843-4, at a cost of £2650; it contains
921 sittings, whereof 356 are free: the former church,
of which the tower and spire remain, appears to have
been erected in the beginning or the middle of the 14th
century. Two chapels were built in 1835, both in the
Elizabethan style; the one by subscription, and the
other at the expense of Mr. France. The ecclesiastical
district of Wharton was constituted in 1843; and
another district, Dane-Bridge, was formed in 1846, of a
part of Davenham parish, and a part of the chapelry of
Witton, in the parish of Great Budworth. The Independents, Primitive Methodists, and Wesleyans, have
places of worship. There are three boys' schools, three
schools for girls, one mixed school for boys and girls,
and an infants' school, all in immediate connexion with
the Church. On Bostock Green is an ancient oak,
which is said to mark the centre of the county.
Davenport
DAVENPORT, a township, in the parish of Astbury,
union of Congleton, hundred of Northwich, S. division of the county of Chester, 4½ miles (N. W. by W.)
from Congleton; containing 125 inhabitants. This place
is said to have had a fort, and to have been captured by
the Danes about the year 900; but no military remains
are now to be seen. It comprises 717 acres, of a sandy
and clayey soil. The tithes have been commuted for
a rent-charge of £85.
Daventry (Holy Cross)
DAVENTRY (Holy
Cross), an incorporated market-town, a parish, and the
head of a union, in the hundred of Fawsley, S. division
of the county of Northampton, 12¼ miles (W. by N.)
from Northampton, and 71½
(N. W.) from London; containing, with the hamlet of
Drayton, 4565 inhabitants.
The British name of this
place, Dwy-Avon-Tre, "the
town of two Avons," from which its present appellation
is derived, originated in its situation between the source
of the river Leam, which falls into the Western Avon,
and the river Nene, anciently styled the Aufona. According to a tradition, from which the device on the
borough seal appears to have been taken, the town, now
commonly called Dane-tree, was built by the Danes, who
during their irruption in 1006 are supposed to have
occupied a station designated the Borough Hill, about
half a mile to the south-east. This station had previously been occupied by the Britons when opposed to
Ostorius, who, after their reduction, converted it into
the Castra Æstiva of his forces; it is identified with the
ancient Beneventa of the Britons, and the Isannavaria of
the Romans. At the time of the Conquest, Daventry
was of considerable importance, and formed a part of
the immense possessions given by the Conqueror to his
niece Judith, wife of the great Earl of Northumberland.
In the reign of John, the manor belonged to Robert
Fitz-Walter, who headed the confederated barons who
obtained from that monarch the grant of Magna Charta.
In 1629, it became the property of the Finch family, in
whose possession it remained till 1786, when it was
purchased by the ancestor of the present proprietor.
During the parliamentary war, the place was the scene
of frequent conflicts between the contending parties;
in the beginning of 1645, Sir William and Sir Charles
Compton, brothers of the Earl of Northampton, with
300 horse of the royalist party, routed 400 of the parliamentarian cavalry, near the town. In the same year
the king, having taken Leicester by storm, on his march
to relieve Oxford, which was then besieged by the parliamentarians, fixed his quarters in this town, where he
remained for six days prior to his departure for MarketHarborough, at which place his vanguard was stationed,
and in the neighbourhood of which the battle of Naseby
was fought on the day following.
Corporation Arms.
The town is pleasantly situated on a gentle eminence,
sheltered on all sides, except the north-east, by hills,
and consists of two principal and several smaller streets:
the houses are well built and of handsome appearance,
though without any regularity of plan. The town is
paved, under the provisions of an act obtained in the
46th of George III.; and the inhabitants are supplied
with water from numerous springs in the town, and with
soft water from several fine springs collected into a reservoir on Borough Hill, and conveyed to the town by
pipes. The water of these springs is equalled only by
that of Malvern, and no chemical test has yet been able
to detect the slightest impurity. The manufacture of
whips, which had been carried on here to a considerable
extent, fell gradually into decay, till within the last few
years, during which it has been rapidly reviving; more
than one-half of the population, also, are employed in
making shoes. The situation of the town upon a great
thoroughfare, and its numerous fairs, contribute to its
prosperity; and the purity of the air and healthiness of
the neighbourhood are such, that epidemic diseases are
seldom known to assume a malignant character. The
Grand Junction canal, at the northern angle of the
parish, passes through a tunnel 2054 yards in length.
The market is on Wednesday; and the fairs are held on
the first Monday in Jan., the last Monday in Feb., the
Tuesday in Easter week, June 6th and 7th, the first
Wednesday in July, Aug. 3rd, the first Wednesday in
Sept., Oct. 2nd, 3rd, and 27th, and the first Wednesday
in December. The fairs in Easter week and on Oct. 2nd
are for cheese, and the others for cattle; on the three
Wednesdays next after Michaelmas are statute-fairs
for hiring servants. The inhabitants, notwithstanding
several attempts to emancipate themselves, are still
obliged to bake their bread at a public oven, and grind
their malt at a public mill, or to pay fees for exemption.
Daventry was originally a borough by prescription; it
received a charter of incorporation in the 18th of Elizabeth, which was confirmed by James I. and Charles II.,
and under which the corporation consisted of a bailiff,
twelve burgesses, and a commonalty, consisting of
twenty persons, assisted by a recorder, town-clerk, coroner, chamberlain, two head and two under wardens, and
two serjeants-at-mace. By the act of the 5th and 6th
of William IV., cap. 76, the government is now vested in
a mayor, four aldermen, and twelve councillors; and the
mayor and late mayor are justices of the peace. The
powers of the county debt-court of Daventry, established
in 1847, extend over the registration-district of Daventry.
The town-hall having become greatly dilapidated, a
commodious house was purchased and fitted up for
transacting the business of the corporation. The borough
gaol and house of correction, lately erected, is a wellbuilt edifice.
The parish comprises 3427a. 3r. 20p., and is bounded on
the west by a portion of the county of Warwick. The
Living is a perpetual curacy; net income, £344; patrons and appropriators, the Dean and Canons of Christ-Church, Oxford: the tithes, with certain exceptions,
were commuted for land and money payments in 1802.
The ancient church, originally the church of a priory,
was taken down in 1752, and the present structure
erected on its site. A chapel of ease, for which Miss
Hickman, of Newnham Nell, gave a site, has been built
by subscription, aided by a grant of £150 from the Incorporated Society; it is a neat edifice, containing about
500 sittings, of which 250 are free. There are places of
worship for Independents and Wesleyans. A free
grammar school was founded by William Parker, of
London, who left a rent-charge of £20; and in 1729,
John Farrer, of Daventry, bequeathed £400 (laid out in
the purchase of land producing £35 per annum) the interest to be paid to the master, if in holy orders, on condition of his giving certain assistance to the minister of
of the parish. The endowment was further augmented
in 1740 by John Sawbridge, who left £150, to which
£100 were added by his brother Edward. A charity
school, now conducted on the national plan, was established in 1736, by Dr. Edward Maynard; it is endowed
with £83 a year, arising from land, and with £700 three
per cent. consols. There are various charitable bequests
for the benefit of the poor. An academy for dissenters
was maintained here by the trustees of William Coward,
Esq., of London, till 1789, when it was removed. The
union of Daventry comprises 28 parishes or places, and
contains a population of 21,467.
About half a mile from the town is Borough Hill, a
lofty and commanding eminence, remarkable as the site
of the most extensive military intrenchments in the
kingdom. On the summit are the remains of an elliptical camp, including an area of about 150 acres, defended
on the south and west by a double trench and rampart,
and on the north and east sides by four deep trenches
and five ramparts. At the distance of 300 yards, and
on the south side of the hill, are the remains of a smaller
camp, including a quadrilateral area of about one acre,
defended by a fosse and vallum: towards the northern
extremity of the hill the encampment was divided by
two ramparts, extending across the area, and separating
from it a circular area of about twelve acres, with a high
mount towards the north-east. This mount was explored by Mr. Baker, in 1823, and the remains of the
foundations of walls enabled him to trace a great part
of the ground plan of the prætorium; fragments of tessellated pavement, and other vestiges of Roman habitations were discovered. A range of tumuli on the hill
was also opened, in which were found fragments of
crematory urns, bones, charcoal, kists, and other relics
of antiquity; from the rude structure of some of the
urns, they are supposed to have been British, prior to
the invasion of the Romans, by whom the others were
evidently deposited. At the foot of the hill towards the
south is a remarkable spot, named Burnt Walls, where a
variety of walls, foundations of buildings, and vaults, have
been discovered, and contiguous to which are vestiges of
a fortified place, called John of Gaunt's Castle. The Watling-street passes within a short distance to the north-east
of the town. The priory of Daventry was founded in 1090,
by Hugh de Leycestre, sheriff of the county, who amply
endowed it for monks of the Cluniac order: it was dissolved in the 17th of Henry VIII., by permission of Pope
Clement VII., and its revenue, amounting to £236. 7. 6.,
granted to Cardinal Wolsey, for the endowment of his
intended colleges at Ipswich and Oxford: the last remains were taken down in 1826, and their site is now
occupied by the borough gaol. John Smith, a celebrated
engraver in mezzotinto, was born here in 1740. Daventry gives the title of Baron to the Earl of Winchilsea.
Davidstow (St. David)
DAVIDSTOW (St. David), a parish, in the union
of Camelford, hundred of Lesnewth, E. division of
Cornwall, 3½ miles (N. E.) from Camelford; containing 408 inhabitants. This place is watered by the river
Inny, which has its source near the church, and, after
receiving numerous tributaries in its course, falls into
the Tamar, at Innisford, to which it gives name. The
parish comprises 6756 acres, of which 1136 are common or waste; the soil is fertile, the surface is gently
undulated, and the scenery pleasing. The petty-sessions
for the division are held once a month, at the village of
Hallworthy, in the parish. The living is a vicarage,
valued in the king's books at £8, and in the patronage
of the Crown, in right of the duchy of Cornwall; impropriator, John Pearse, Esq. The great tithes have been
commuted for £166, and the vicarial for £240; the
glebe contains 18 acres, with a glebe-house. There are
several barrows.
Davington (St. Mary Magdalene)
DAVINGTON (St. Mary Magdalene), a parish, in
the union and hundred of Faversham, Upper division
of the lathe of Scray, E. division of Kent, half a mile
(N. W.) from Faversham; containing 143 inhabitants.
From the numerous remains discovered, this place is
supposed to have been a Roman station. A priory of
Benedictine nuns was founded in 1153, probably by Fulk
de Newenham, the revenue of which, in the 17th of Edward III., when the society petitioned to be exempted
from the payment of taxes on account of poverty, was
only £21. 13. 10.: having been entirely deserted, it
escheated to the crown in the 27th of Henry VIII. The
remains are considerable, and form an interesting ruin,
part being the parish church, which is principally of
Norman architecture, and has a beautifully arched doorway. The living is a donative, but there is now no
incumbent, nor is divine service held in the church; the
parochial rites are generally performed by the minister of
Faversham. The parish comprises 495 acres, of which
65 are in wood. Here is a gunpowder manufactory.
Dawdon, or Dawden
DAWDON, or Dawden, a township, in the parish
of Dalton-le-Dale, union of Easington, N. division
of Easington ward and of the county of Durham,
6½ miles (S. S. E.) from Sunderland; containing 2017
inhabitants. There was once a castle or peel here,
which in the first ages after the Conquest was the seat
of the family of Escolland, who, it seems, afterwards
assumed the name of Dalden, by which term this place
was formerly designated, It was also for two centuries
a favourite seat of the family of Bowes. A domestic
chapel was attached to the structure, as Sir Jordan de
Dalden, in 1325, obtained a licence to establish an
oratory within his manor-house, on condition that no
injury should arise to the parochial church of Dalton.
The township comprises about 830 acres of land. A new
harbour has been constructed here, which has attracted
a great population: the number of inhabitants in 1821
was only 35.—See Seaham-Harbour.
Dawley, Little
DAWLEY, LITTLE, an ecclesiastical parish or district, in the parish of Dawley Magna, union of Madeley, Wellington division of the hundred of South
Bradford, N. division of Salop, 4 miles (W. by S.)
from Shiffnall. This district is about two miles in extent from north to south, and a mile and a half from east
to west; it abounds in coal and ironstone, and at Horsehay are the well-known and very extensive iron-works of
the Coalbrook-dale Company. The road from Coalbrookdale to Wellington runs through a part of it. The
parish was constituted under the act 6th and 7th of
Victoria, cap. 37, and the church was consecrated in
October, 1845: it is a neat brick edifice in the Norman
style, with a stone turret, and cost about £1500. The
living is a perpetual curacy; patrons, the Crown and
the Bishop of Lichfield, alternately; net income, £150.
The tithes have been commuted for £154. The Wesleyan Methodists have two places of worship here.
Dawley Magna (St. Leonard)
DAWLEY MAGNA (St. Leonard), a parish, in
the union of Madeley, Wellington division of the hundred of South Bradford, N. division of Salop, 4 miles
(W. by S.) from Shiffnall; containing, with the ecclesiastical parish of Little Dawley and the township of
Malin's - Lee, 8641 inhabitants. This parish, which
comprises by admeasurement upwards of 3000 acres,
is situated in an extensive mining and manufacturing district, and the inhabitants are chiefly employed
in mines of iron and coal; lime is obtained in abundance for manure, and there are some tile-works. In
connexion with these several works are numerous
tramroads, affording every facility for the transport of
produce; and a canal passes through the district, connecting it with the Severn in one direction, and with
Shrewsbury and Liverpool in others. The living is a
perpetual curacy; net income, £160; patrons and impropriators, the Devisees of Revell Phillips, Esq. The
church is supported by immense buttresses, which are rendered necessary by the mining operations in the vicinity.
A chapel, now a district church, was built in the township
of Malin's-Lee, in 1805; and a church at Little Dawley
in 1845. There are places of worship for dissenters.
Dawlish (St. Gregory)
DAWLISH (St. Gregory), a parish, in the union of
Newton-Abbott, hundred of Exminster, Teignbridge
and S. divisions of Devon, 2¾ miles (N. N. E.) from Teignmouth; containing 3132 inhabitants. This place, which
is noticed in Domesday book under the name Doelis, was
for many years an inconsiderable village, inhabited only
by fishermen; but about the year 1790, it began to be
distinguished, from the salubrity of the air and the
pleasantness of its situation, as a desirable resort for invalids, and since that time it has been progressively
improving. It is now one of the most fashionable
watering-places on the coast of Devon. The principal
part of the village is beautifully situated in a valley extending to the sea-shore, and watered by a rapid stream,
designated the Dawlish Water. On the south side of
this stream is a row of good houses, called the Strand,
chiefly occupied by visiters, with two commodious hotels,
and several well-furnished shops; and on the north side
is a row of houses of inferior description, irregularly
built. Facing the sea is a third range, named the Cross
Row, in which the houses are well built and of respectable appearance. The lawn bordering the rivulet has,
within the last few years, been planted with evergreens,
and laid out in shrubberies and walks, forming an agreeable promenade; and a bridge for carriages, and two
foot-bridges, afford communication between the opposite
parts of the village. The reading-rooms are situated on
the beach, commanding a fine view of the sea; the public
baths, which present every accommodation, are on the
other side of the rivulet, near the cliff. The new road
from Exeter to Torbay passes through the village, and
here is a station of the South-Devon railway. A regatta
is celebrated, generally in August; and assembly and
billiard rooms have been established. The environs
afford pleasant walks and rides, and the cliffs that overhang the sea impart an air of grandeur to the scenery
which is finely contrasted with the rich fertility of the vale,
and the luxuriant foliage of the wood-crowned heights.
The parish comprises 5017 acres, whereof 202 are
common or waste; the soil on the hills, which are very
steep, is poor and sandy, but in the numerous picturesque
valleys luxuriantly rich. A large quantity of cider is
produced from the orchards attached to the farms, and
potatoes are raised for exportation to Newfoundland;
great quantities of mackerel are occasionally taken, off
the coast. Mines of cobalt have been discovered in the
vicinity. A pleasure-fair is held on Easter-Monday.
The living is a vicarage, valued in the king's books at
£25. 5., and in the patronage of the Dean and Chapter
of Exeter, the appropriators: the great tithes have been
commuted for £360, and the vicarial for £440. The
church, a handsome and commodious structure in the later English style, with a square embattled tower crowned
by pinnacles, was enlarged and beautified in 1824, at an
expense of £4000. At Sedwell and Cofton, hamlets in
the parish, are the remains of ancient chapels; the latter
has been disused only since the year 1715. There are
places of worship for Wesleyans, Independents, and Plymouth Brethren. An old house near the churchyard,
with walls of extraordinary thickness, is said to have been
a monastery of some consideration.
Day, St.
DAY, ST., a chapelry, in the parish of Gwennap,
union of Redruth, hundred of Kerrier, county of
Cornwall, 7 miles (W.) from Truro. This place is
situated on an eminence in the centre of an extensive
mining district, and is inhabited chiefly by persons
employed in the surrounding works: it is large,
neatly built, and supplied with water brought from
a distance of three-quarters of a mile, by iron-pipes
and machinery laid down in 1828, at a cost of
£700. A market for provisions is held every Saturday, in a square area inclosed by a dwarf wall surmounted by an iron palisade; in the centre is a
neat stone tower, with a lock-up house, erected in
1831, at an expense of £400. A fair is held on the
Tuesday after July 29th. Within half a mile of the
village is a railway leading to the port of Deveron, on
the Restronget creek, belonging to Falmouth harbour;
also a railroad to Portreath, on the Bristol Channel. The
living is a perpetual curacy, the net income of which
has been augmented by the Ecclesiastical Commissioners
to £150; patron, the Vicar of Gwennap; appropriators,
the Dean and Chapter of Exeter. The chapel, a neat
edifice in the later English style, with a tower and spire,
was erected in 1828, by subscription, aided by a grant
of £3000 from the Parliamentary Commissioners. There
was formerly a chapel dedicated to the Holy Trinity,
which has been demolished: the tower was taken down
not long before the year 1780. The Baptists, Bryanites,
and Wesleyans have places of worship.
Daylesford (St. Peter)
DAYLESFORD (St. Peter), a parish, in the union
of Stow-on-the-Wold, Upper division of the hundred
of Oswaldslow, Blockley and E. divisions of the county
of Worcester, 5 miles (S. W.) from Chipping-Norton;
containing 81 inhabitants. This place was exempted
from the interdict in the reign of John: the manor,
from the time of the Conquest, with the exception of
about 70 years, was the property of the ancestors of
Warren Hastings, the renowned governor-general of
British India. The parish occupies a detached portion
of the county, and comprises according to measurement,
650 acres; the soil is fertile, and the meadow and
pasture lands are of the richest luxuriance. The cultivation of cinquefoil was begun here in 1650, prior to its
introduction into any other place in the kingdom.
Stone is quarried for the roads. The living is a rectory,
valued in the king's books at £7, and in the patronage
of Sir Charles Imhoff: the tithes have been commuted
for £200, and there are nearly four acres of glebe, and a
newly built glebe-house. The church, one of the oldest
structures in this part of the country, and in the Norman
style, was, with the exception of two of the arches, taken
down and rebuilt with the old materials, in 1816, by
Mr. Hastings; it stands north of the village.
Deal (St. Leonard)
DEAL (St. Leonard),
a sea-port, market-town, and
parish, and a member of the
town and port of Sandwich,
in the union of Eastry, hundred of Cornilo, lathe of
St. Augustine, E. division
of Kent, on the coast of
which it is situated, between
the North and South Forelands, and near the great
shipping roadstead, called
the Downs, 18 miles (E. S.
E.) from Canterbury, and 72
(E. by S.) from London; containing 6688 inhabitants.
The origin of this place is involved in obscurity: it has
been considered as the spot where Cæsar first landed
when he invaded Britain; but this hypothesis is very
doubtful. Leland gives the town the name of Dela, and
Nennius says that "Cæsar battled at Dola," which Camden supposes to mean Deal; there are no records, however, of any town existing here till several centuries after
the Romans had quitted Britain. Perkin Warbeck, who
personated the Duke of York, as heir to the crown, in
the reign of Henry VII., made an attempt to land here
on the 3rd of July, 1495; but finding that a party
which he had previously landed was attacked by his
enemies, he returned to Flanders, and on Sept. 7th,
1497, landed at Whitsun bay, on the coast of Cornwall.
In an ordinance of Henry III., dated 1229, this parish
is mentioned as dependent on the port of Sandwich,
whose jurisdiction over Deal and Walmer as one of the
cinque-ports, was confirmed in the 19th of Henry VI.
At that time the town was governed by a deputy
and assistants appointed by the mayor and jurats of
Sandwich; but in the reign of William III., the inhabitants, notwithstanding the opposition of the corporation of Sandwich, obtained a charter of incorporation
from that monarch, though they were still subjected to
serve on juries there as before.
Old Corporation Seal, now disused.
The town consists principally of three long streets
parallel with each other, in a direction along the shore,
and connected by cross streets which are narrow and
inconvenient; the houses, chiefly of brick, are for the
most part irregularly built, but in those of recent erection,
greater attention has been paid to uniformity of appearance. The streets are paved under the provisions of an
act passed in 1790; and the inhabitants are tolerably
well supplied with water, for a more ample supply of
which for the town and neighbourhood an act of parliament was obtained in 1840. In 1812, an act for general
improvement was procured, under which several alterations have been carried into effect. In 1833 the town
was lighted with gas; in 1834 an effective police was
established; and in 1837 a very important change was
made, by removing several houses, widening Beechstreet, and constructing an esplanade, which forms a
delightful walk embracing a splendid view of the
Downs, the coast between the North and South Forelands, and the coast of France. It is about 600 feet
in length and 150 in its greatest breadth, protected from
the sea by a substantial concrete wall faced with brick,
and cost upwards of £5500, including the purchase of
houses, capstan-grounds, &c. The air is pure, and free
from the vapours of marshes and fogs; the surface of
the land on which Deal and the lower village of Walmer
are built, is composed of sand, shingle, and boulders, and
retains no moisture after the heaviest rains. Near the
esplanade are the Royal Adelaide baths, reading-room,
and library, a handsome pile of building, erected in
1836 at an expense of £2500, raised by donations and
subscriptions on shares. On the south side of the town
is the strong castle built by Henry VIII., who also
founded that of Walmer: it consists of a round tower in
the centre, connected with four earthworks of a semicircular form, and containing apartments for the captain
and other officers; the whole is encompassed by a fosse
with a drawbridge, and on the side next the sea are
additional batteries.
This being the nearest naval station to the coast of
France, and from the number of government vessels
which, in time of war, resort to the Downs, the naval
and victualling establishment here is of considerable
importance: the North Sea fleet, in the last war, chiefly
obtained its supply of stores at this place. The Royal
Naval Hospital, on the Dovor road, is a noble pile of
building, fitted up for the reception of about 300 patients,
and completed in 1804. Further on the road, and in
the parish of Walmer, are the Deal North Infantry,
Cavalry, and South Infantry barracks: the North
Infantry barrack has accommodation for 27 officers and
418 non-commissioned officers and privates, with an
hospital for 120 patients; the Cavalry barrack is intended
for 7 officers, 114 non-commissioned officers and privates, and 90 horses, and the South Infantry barrack for
33 officers, 688 non-commissioned officers and privates,
and 16 horses. There is no harbour, but the sea
between the shore and the Goodwin Sands forms the
fine roadstead for shipping, called the Downs, which is
within the jurisdiction of the port, and is of great importance as a station not only for ships of war, but for
merchants' vessels, of which from 400 to 500 are frequently seen riding here in safety when wind-bound.
The Goodwin Sands, commencing off the North Foreland, extend about ten miles in length to the South
Foreland, and form a breakwater when the wind is
easterly; according to tradition, the tract was once an
island belonging to Godwin, the powerful Earl of Kent
in the time of Edward the Confessor, and in the reign
of Henry I. was swallowed up by the sea, which at the
same time overwhelmed a great portion of Flanders and
the Low Countries. An act for the construction of a
pier at Deal was passed in 1838. The boatmen of the
port are intrepid and excellent seamen, and are particularly active in affording assistance to vessels in distress,
which they have frequently rescued from apparently
inevitable destruction; the superiority of the boats is
almost proverbial. The inhabitants are chiefly employed
in maritime occupations: the trade is in coal, slop
goods, and articles requisite for the supply of the
shipping in the Downs. The making of malt, brewing,
and boat-building are carried on; and the boats used
by the Deal boatmen in their hazardous employment
are all constructed here. An act was passed in 1845 for
a branch to this place, 9¼ miles in length, of the Canterbury and Ramsgate railway: the line was opened on the
1st of July, 1847. The market is on Tuesday and
Saturday, and is well supplied with provisions; fairs
for cattle and general merchandise are held on April 6th
and 7th, and October 12th and 13th.
Deal was constituted a
free town and borough by
charter of the 11th of William III., by which the
corporation was styled the
"Mayor, Jurats, and Commonalty," and consisted of
a mayor, recorder, 12 jurats,
and 24 common-councilmen, with a town-clerk and
other officers. By the act
of the 5th and 6th of William IV., cap. 76, the corporation is now styled the "Mayor, Aldermen, and Burgesses," and consists of a mayor, six aldermen, and 18
councillors, together forming the council of the borough,
which is divided into two wards; the mayor, recorder,
and four members of the council, are justices of the peace,
and exercise exclusive jurisdiction. The recorder holds
general sessions of the peace, and courts of record for
determining all suits and actions under £100, four times
in the year; the magistrates hold petty-sessions every
Thursday. The powers of the county-debt court of
Deal, established in 1847, extend over the registrationdistrict of Eastry. The freedom of the borough is obtained by birth or servitude, or by marriage with a freeman's daughter. By the 2nd of William IV. the town
was united with Sandwich and Walmer in the exercise
of the elective franchise: the number of electors here is
about 400. The town-hall is a capacious apartment
over the market-place, adorned with full-length portraits
of William III. and William IV., in their robes of state;
it was built in 1803, principally by subscriptions in the
nature of loans upon the bonds of the corporation, and
with the market-house, gaol, and gaoler's house, cost
£2961.
New Corporation Seal.
The parish comprises 860a. 2r. 38p., of which about
533 acres are arable, and 263 pasture; the soil is partly
clayey, intermixed with sand, and partly chalky, and the
surface is generally flat. Many acres are cultivated as
garden-ground, producing abundant crops of the finest
vegetables, not only for the supply of the town, but of
the district for several miles round. The parish is subdivided into Upper, Middle, and Lower Deal. The
Living is a rectory, valued in the king's books at
£19. 10.; net income, £429; patron, the Archbishop
of Canterbury. The church, in Upper Deal, was enlarged in 1819, at a cost of £1108, and will accommodate about 2000 persons; against the wall is an ancient
tomb, on which is a brass effigy of Thomas Boys, who
attended Henry VIII. at the siege of Boulogne, and died
in 1560. A chapel, in Lower Deal, dedicated to St.
George the Martyr, and in the Grecian style, was built
at an expense of £1991, raised partly by subscription
and partly by a duty on coal and culm; it was consecrated in 1716, and about 200 additional sittings were
obtained in 1821, by the erection of galleries, towards
the expense of which the Incorporated Society granted
£400. The living is a perpetual curacy, in the patronage of the Archbishop; net income, £108. An evening
lecturer also officiates at this chapel, whose stipend of
£60 per annum, together with the income of the perpetual curate and all other charges, is defrayed out of
the pew-rents. There are places of worship for Baptists, Independents, Wesleyans, and Unitarians. Elizabeth Carter, distinguished by her classical attainments,
was born here, in 1717: her father, the Rev. Nicholas
Carter, was curate of Lower Deal for 56 years. This is
also the birthplace of William Boys, an eminent naturalist and antiquary, who was born in 1735. Thomas
Gage, author of Travels in New Spain, was, after his
conversion from the Roman Catholic faith, appointed
rector of the parish by Cromwell; he sailed with Venables and Penn on the expedition to Hispaniola, in 1654,
and died there. Anne of Cleves landed at Deal prior to
her marriage with Henry VIII; and the present Queen
Dowager landed here previously to her marriage with
William IV. George II. embarked at the port on one of
his visits to Germany.
Dean (St. Oswald)
DEAN (St. Oswald), a parish, in the union of
Cockermouth, Allerdale ward above Derwent, W.
division of Cumberland; containing, with the townships of Branthwaite and Ullock, 876 inhabitants, of
whom 226 are in the township of Dean, 5 miles (S. W.)
from Cockermouth. This parish comprises about 6500
acres. The soil of nearly one-half is a wet clay, and
the remaining half contains every variety, from the
lightest sand and gravel to the richest loam; the surface
is pleasingly undulated, and the lower grounds are
watered by the small river Marron, which abounds with
trout. The substrata are coal, limestone, and iron-ore,
and many of the population are employed in mines, and
in quarries of a red and white freestone, and a black
stone, here called cat-scalp. The living is a rectory,
valued in the king's books at £19. 3. 1½.; net income,
£318; patron and incumbent, the Rev. Samuel Sherwin.
The tithes were commuted for land in 1809; the glebe
lands comprise altogether 650 acres, of which the greater
portion is of very inferior quality. A free grammar
school was founded in 1596, by John Fox, with an endowment of £10 per annum, paid by the Goldsmith's
Company, London; the schoolroom was rebuilt in the
year 1615, at the expense of his son.
Dean
DEAN, a hamlet, in the parish of Spelsbury, union
of Chipping-Norton, hundred of Chadlington,
county of Oxford, 3¾ miles (S. E. by S.) from Chipping-Norton; containing 141 inhabitants.
Dean (All Saints)
DEAN (All Saints), a parish, in the union of Basingstoke, hundred of Overton, Kingsclere and N.
divisions of the county of Southampton, 5½ miles
(W. by S.) from Basingstoke; containing 164 inhabitants. This parish formerly included that of Ashe,
which was separated about the middle of the seventeenth
century. The present parish comprises 1557 acres by
admeasurement: the soil is a strong clayey loam, on
chalk; the surface is pleasingly undulated. The South
Western railway, and the London and Exeter road, pass
through the parish. The living is a rectory, valued in
the king's books at £10. 8. 11½., and in the gift of
William Beach, Esq.: the tithes have been commuted
for £308, and the glebe contains 56 acres, with a glebehouse. The church was rebuilt in the year 1830, at the
expense of W. Bramston, Esq., at a cost of about £7000,
and is a handsome edifice in the later English style of
architecture.
Dean-Bottom
DEAN-BOTTOM, a hamlet, in the parish of Horton-Kirby, union of Dartford, hundred of Axton,
Dartford, and Wilmington, lathe of Sutton-at-Hone, W. division of Kent; with 63 inhabitants.
Dean, East
DEAN, EAST, a chapelry, in the parish of Mottisfont, union of Romsey, hundred of Thorngate,
Romsey and S. divisions of the county of Southampton,
7¼ miles (N. W. by W.) from Romsey; containing 228
inhabitants. The Salisbury and Southampton canal
passes through the chapelry. The tithes have been
commuted for a yearly rent-charge of £205, and the
glebe contains 4 acres.
Dean, East
DEAN, EAST, a parish, in the union of West Hampnett, hundred of Westbourn and Singleton, rape of
Chichester, W. division of Sussex, 8 miles (S. by E.)
from Midhurst; containing 433 inhabitants. This parish, the soil of which is fertile, is characterised by an
agreeable diversity of scenery, and the village is beautifully situated in a narrow picturesque vale. The living
is a discharged vicarage, valued in the king's books at
£5. 4. 4½.; net income, £86; patron, the Rev. Thomas
White Cogan; appropriators, the Dean and Chapter of
Chichester. The church is an ancient cruciform structure, in the early English style, with an embattled tower
rising from the centre.
Dean, East
DEAN, EAST, a parish, in the union of Eastbourne,
hundred of Willington, rape of Pevensey, E. division
of Sussex, 3 miles (W. S. W.) from Eastbourne; containing 360 inhabitants. The parish is situated on the
English Channel, by which it is bounded on the south;
the coast is bold and rocky, and on a high cliff a lighthouse has been erected within the last few years, immediately below which is a large cave, excavated in the
solid rock, and called Darby's Cave. The village is in a
secluded valley on the South Downs. The living is a
vicarage, with that of Friston annexed, valued in the
king's books at £8, and in the alternate patronage of
the Bishop and the Dean and Chapter of Chichester, of
whom the latter are the appropriators; net income,
£276. The church is an ancient edifice, in the decorated English style, with a tower on the north side, of
earlier date. On the Downs are several barrows and
intrenchments. The Rev. Richard Michell, author of an
essay entitled The Forester, was curate of the parish, and
lies interred here.
Dean, Forest
DEAN, FOREST of, a liberty, in the hundred of St.
Briavell's, W. division of the county of Gloucester,
comprising the divisions and walks of Denby, Herbert,
Little Dean, Speech-House, Worcester, and York, and
containing 10,692 inhabitants: the centre of the Forest is
5 miles (S. W. by W.) from Newnham. This district,
extending from north to south twenty miles, from east to
west ten miles, and lying between the rivers Severn and
Wye, was anciently occupied by the Silures, and probably obtained its name either from the contraction of
the Gaelic word Arden, a wood, or from the British
Danys Coed, the wood of fallow deer, for which it was
famous for many centuries. Within its original bounds
were situated the very ancient towns of Tudenham and
Wollaston; also, on the margin of the Severn, the Abona
of Antoninus, long since reduced to a small village called
Alvington; and on the Wye, Breulais Castle, embosomed
in an almost impenetrable thicket, and now fallen to
decay. In the reign of Henry II., so dark and intricate
were its tracts or cross ways, that the most daring outrages and robberies were committed with impunity, until
restrained by the discovery of its rich mines of iron and
coal, and the consequent establishment of forges by authority of parliament, together with the erection of villages
for the residence of the miners and manufacturers; before
which, the six lodges for the keepers of the several walks
were the only houses in it. All the inhabitants are
exempted from rates and taxes, and have free liberty of
pasturage and to cut wood, and the privilege of sinking
mines, the sixth part of the produce of which is due to
the crown, and is collected by the gaveller.
The extent of the Forest, as defined in the 12th of
Henry III., and subsequently confirmed, is 23,015 acres
belonging to the crown, exclusively of freeholds obtained
by grants. Charles I. conveyed the coppices and waste
soil of the Forest, except the Lea Bailey, with all mines
and quarries, to Sir John Wyntour, for £10,600, and a
fee-farm rent of £1950. 12. 8. for ever; at which time
there were standing 105,557 trees, estimated to contain
61,928 tons of timber, and 153,209 cords of wood. The
civil war putting an end to the patent, the inclosures
were thrown open, and the whole reforested. A renewal
of the grant, however, excepting the timber fit for naval
purposes, was made by Charles II. to the same individual; and on a survey by the parliament, in 1667, it
was discovered that he had committed great encroachments upon the property of the crown, to repair which
1100 acres were then inclosed and planted: from this
plantation the royal dock-yards are chiefly supplied.
There are orchards producing a peculiar kind of fruit
called the Styre apple, the cider made from which is of
a superior quality, and bears a high price.
The government is vested in a lord warden, who is
constable of St. Briavell's Castle; six deputy wardens;
four verderers, chosen by the freeholders; a conservator; seven woodwards; a chief forester in fee and bowbearer, which united offices are held by the Wyndham
family, in right of inheritance; eight foresters in fee; a
gaveller; and a steward of the swainmote. The officers
have power to hold a court of attachment every forty
days, a court of swainmote thrice a year, and a court
called the justice-seat once in three years. The steward
presides at the miners' court, assisted by a jury of
miners, who judge upon the particular laws and customs
by which they are governed, to prevent encroachments
upon each other in the coal and iron works. The courts
are held at the Speech-House, in the centre of the Forest,
the general aspect of which is picturesque in the extreme, being beautifully diversified with hill and valley,
interspersed with the rich and varied foliage of the
woods. Pursuant to an act passed in the 36th of
George III., roads have been opened in various directions through the Forest, which is also intersected by
several tramroads, communicating with the Severn and
the Wye. There are four ecclesiastical districts in the
Forest, formed in 1842, and of which the livings are perpetual curacies, each endowed with £150 per annum;
the churches are respectively dedicated to Christ, the
Holy Trinity, St. John, and St. Paul, and are within the
jurisdiction of the Bishop of Gloucester and Bristol, the
three first being in the patronage of the Crown, and the
last in that of the Bishop. The buildings were erected
by voluntary contributions, and have been endowed
with £1333 three per cent. consols. for their repair, by
the Commissioners of her Majesty's Woods and Forests;
the incomes of the clergy are derived partly from Queen
Anne's Bounty, and partly from funds assigned by the
commissioners.
Dean, Little (St. Ethelbert)
DEAN, LITTLE (St. Ethelbert), a parish, in the
union of Westbury, hundred of St. Briavell's, W.
division of the county of Gloucester, 1¾ mile (N. W.
by N.) from Newnham; containing 828 inhabitants.
The village is situated on the verge of the Forest of
Dean, and in its vicinity are considerable mines of coal
and iron, in which, and in the manufacture of nails, the
inhabitants are principally employed. It had formerly
the privilege of a market, and the market-cross is still
standing, having a low octangular roof spreading from a
central shaft, and surmounted by a pinnacle with niches
and statues. Fairs for pedlery are held on Whit-Monday and November 26th. Here is a house of correction.
The living is a perpetual curacy, in the patronage of the
trustees of St. Bartholomew's Hospital, Gloucester: the
tithes have been commuted for £115.
Dean, Mitchell (St. Michael)
DEAN, MITCHELL (St. Michael), a market-town
and parish, in the union of Westbury, hundred of St.
Briavell's, W. division of the county of Gloucester,
11 miles (W.) from Gloucester, and 113 (W.) from London; containing 665 inhabitants. This place, the origin
of which is anterior to the Conquest, derives its name,
denoting its situation in a dell, from the Saxon Dene, a
dell; and its adjunct from Mycel, Great, in contradistinction to Little Dean, in the neighbourhood. It was
the principal town in the Forest of Dean, and consists
of three streets, diverging obliquely from a common centre: it was formerly a staple town for the wool-trade;
at present the manufacture of leather is carried on to a
small extent. The market is on Monday; fairs are
held on Easter-Monday and Oct. 10th, for horses, cattle,
and sheep. The living is a discharged rectory, valued
in the king's books at £10. 16. 0½.; patron, M. Colchester, Esq.: the tithes have been commuted for
£173. 13. The church is a spacious structure, built at
different periods, and exhibiting various styles of English
architecture, with a tower surmounted by an octagonal
spire: in the east window of the north aisle are some
remains of the stained glass with which the edifice
appears to have been generally ornamented; the roof of
oak is decorated with flowers and other ornaments, exquisitely carved. A subterraneous passage leads from
the church to a wood, about half a mile from the town.
A school, now conducted on the national plan, was
founded by means of a bequest of £1000 by William
Lane, Esq., of Gloucester, in 1789, and one of £300 by
his widow, in 1806; these sums, with other benefactions,
produce an annual income of £62.
Dean, Nether (All Saints)
DEAN, NETHER (All Saints), a parish, in the
union of St. Neot's, hundred of Stodden, county of
Bedford, 3½ miles (W. by S.) from Kimbolton; containing, with the hamlet of Upper Dean, 541 inhabitants.
The living is a perpetual curacy; net income, £100;
patrons, the Dean and Chapter of Worcester; impropriator, J. Cole, Esq. The tithes were commuted for
land and a money payment by an act of the 40th of
George III. Joseph Neale in 1702 gave some land
which, since an inclosure of the common lands, has been
augmented to about 74 acres, with a farmhouse, now
producing £64 a year, for teaching boys. There is a
place of worship for Wesleyans.
Dean-Prior (St. George the Martyr)
DEAN-PRIOR (St. George the Martyr), a parish,
in the union of Totnes, hundred of Stanborough,
Stanborough and Coleridge, and S. divisions of Devon,
4 miles (S. S. W.) from Ashburton; containing 552
inhabitants. The parish comprises 2707 acres, of which
331 are common or waste. The living is a vicarage,
valued in the king's books at £21; net income, £282;
patron and impropriator, Sir John Buller Yarde Buller,
Bart.
Dean, Prior's
DEAN, PRIOR'S, a parish, in the union of Petersfield, hundred of Barton-Stacey, Petersfield and N.
divisions of the county of Southampton, 4¾ miles (N.
by W.) from Petersfield; containing 163 inhabitants.
This parish comprises 1435 acres: the scenery abounds
with sylvan beauty; the soil on the hills is thin and
chalky, and that in the lower grounds rich and strong,
producing excellent crops and luxuriant pasture. The
living is a rectory, united to that of Colemore. The
church, which stands in a romantic spot, contains some
fine monuments to the Compton and Titchborne families.
In the churchyard is a yew-tree which, with one exception, is the largest in England.
Dean-Raw
DEAN-RAW, a township, in the parish of Warden,
N. W. division of Tindale ward, S. division of Northumberland, 8 miles (W.) from Hexham; containing
673 inhabitants. Staward-le-Peel, here, was a possession of the Swinburne family at a very early period, and
in 1386 was granted, by Edward, Duke of York, to the
friars eremites of Hexham, to be held by the annual
payment of five marks. The Howards, Sandersons, and
Bacons subsequently held it; the last named family,
who, in 1828, assumed the name of Grey in addition to
that of Bacon, being the present owners. The natural
features in the vicinity of Staward-le-Peel are highly
interesting, and travellers who have visited the valleys
of the Tyrol have stated that the grandeur of the scenery
there, is here to be found in miniature. Near the confluence of the Allen and Harsingdale-burn, on the south
side of the township, are the remains of the old fortress.
Dean-Scales
DEAN-SCALES, with Ullock and Pardshaw, a
township, in the parish of Dean, union of Cockermouth, Allerdale ward above Derwent, W. division
of Cumberland, 3½ miles (S. W.) from Cockermouth;
containing 350 inhabitants. The manufacture of linenthread is carried on.
Dean, West (St. Andrew)
DEAN, WEST (St. Andrew), a parish, in the
union of Westbourne, hundred of Westbourne and
Singleton, rape of Chichester, W. division of Sussex, 5 miles (N.) from Chichester; containing, with the
tything of Chilgrove, 657 inhabitants. The parish is on
the road from London to Chichester by way of Midhurst, and is watered by the river Lavant: it comprises
4600 acres, of which about 900 are down land; the surface is pleasingly diversified with hill and dale, and the
soil, abounding with chalk, is fertile. West Dean House,
erected in 1804 by Lord James Selsey, is a spacious
and handsome mansion. A cottage-allotment society
has been for some time established. The living is a discharged vicarage, with the rectory of Singleton and
chapelry of Benderton annexed, valued in the king's
books at £6. 12.; net income, £262; patrons, the
Dean and Chapter of Chichester (who are also impropriators) for two turns, and the Duke of Richmond for
one turn. The church is an ancient cruciform structure,
in the early English style, with a square embattled
tower; the south transept was rebuilt in 1810, by Lord
James Selsey, and appropriated to the use of his family.
Several small Roman sepulchral urns have been found
under the downs, above Chilgrove, at which place was
formerly a chapel.
Dean, West (All Saints)
DEAN, WEST (All Saints), a parish, in the union
of Eastbourne, hundred of Willington, rape of
Pevensey, county of Sussex, 2 miles (E.) from Seaford;
containing 129 inhabitants. The parish is bounded on
the south by the English Channel, and comprises by
computation 2222a. 38p., of which about 1022 acres are
arable, 372 meadow and marsh, and 826 down land:
along the western boundary runs the river Cuckmere,
over which, at Excette, formerly a parish of itself, is a
bridge communicating with the Seaford road. The living
is a discharged rectory, valued in the king's books at
£14. 15. 5., and in the patronage of the Earl of Burlington; net income, £102. The church is in the decorated
English style, with an embattled tower surmounted by a
low spire: close to the churchyard is the parsonage, an
ancient house with a curious winding staircase of stone.
At Charlston House was once a chapel.
Dean, West (St. Mary)
DEAN, WEST (St. Mary), a parish, in the union of
Stockbridge, hundred of Alderbury, Salisbury and
Amesbury, and S. divisions of Wilts, 7 miles (E. by S.)
from Salisbury; containing, with the chapelry of East
Grimstead, 426 inhabitants. The living is a rectory,
valued in the king's books at £19. 4. 4½.; patron, the
Rev. H. Glossop. The church contains a curious monument, with copper doors, dated 1669, to the Rt. Hon.
Robert Pierpoint, who died during the amputation of
his leg; his effigy in marble represents him under this
operation, surrounded with figures of angels. There is
also a monument, dated 1685, to Sir John Evelyn
(relative of the author of Sylva), his wife, and eleven
children, who, with the exception of one only, were born
blind. There is a chapel of ease at East Grimstead.
Part of a Roman tessellated pavement, of which some
fragments retain their original position, was found in
the village in 1741.