Lewknor (St. Margaret)
LEWKNOR (St. Margaret), a parish, in the union
of Wycombe, partly in the hundred of Desborough,
county of Buckingham, but chiefly in that of Lewknor, county of Oxford, 3½ miles (S. S. E.) from Tetsworth; containing, with the tything of Postcombe, 847
inhabitants, of whom 221 are in Lewknor Uphill. The
living is a discharged vicarage, valued in the king's books
at £11. 17.; net income, £320; patrons, the Warden
and Fellows of All Souls' College, Oxford. The great
tithes of Lewknor Uphill have been commuted for £89,
and the small for £188: the vicar has a glebe of 10
acres. The church is an ancient structure, partly in the
Norman style, and contains some interesting monuments
and a beautiful effigy in stone; it is the burial-place of
the Scroop family, and also of the Fanes, whose estate
of Wormesley is partly in the parish. There is a chapel
of ease at Ashampstead.
Lewston
LEWSTON, an extra-parochial liberty, in the hundred of Sherborne, Sherborne division of Dorset, 4
miles (S.) from Sherborne; containing 7 inhabitants,
and comprising 350 acres of land.
Lewtrenchard (St. Peter)
LEWTRENCHARD (St. Peter), a parish, in the
union of Tavistock, hundred of Lifton, Lifton and
S. divisions of Devon, 8½ miles (E. by N.) from Launceston; containing 527 inhabitants. It comprises 2500
acres, of which 244 are common or waste. Quarries of
slate and limestone of good quality are worked. The
living is a rectory, valued in the king's books at
£9. 13. 9., and in the gift of W. Baring Gould, Esq.:
the tithes have been commuted for £265, and the glebe
consists of 56 acres. The Rev. William Romaine, author
of the Life, Walk, and Triumph of Faith, was minister of
the parish.
Lexden (St. Lawrence)
LEXDEN (St. Lawrence), a parish, in the union
and liberties of Colchester, N. division of Essex, 1½
mile (W.) from Colchester; containing 1454 inhabitants.
It is situated on the road from Maldon to Colchester,
and comprises 2312a. 10p., of which 1767 acres are
arable, 443 pasture, and 37 woodland. The living is a
rectory, valued in the king's books at £12, and in the
patronage of the family of Papillon: the tithes have
been commuted for a rent-charge of £660, and the glebe
comprises 29 acres of land. The church was rebuilt in
1820. A national school, erected in 1817, is supported
by a bequest of £20 per annum from the late Mrs. Rawstorn, and by subscriptions. Roman antiquities of various kinds are frequently discovered; and before the
inclosure of the heath, in 1820, evident traces of an encampment, supposed to be Danish, might be seen. The
great rampart from the marshes to the river Stour passed
obliquely through the parish, and considerable remains
of it are still visible.
Lexham, East (St. Andrew)
LEXHAM, EAST (St. Andrew), a parish, in the
union of Mitford and Launditch, hundred of Launditch, W. division of Norfolk, 8 miles (N. N. E.)
from Swaffham; containing 236 inhabitants. It comprises 1190 acres, of which 866 are arable, 257 pasture
and meadow, and 67 woodland. The Hall is a handsome mansion, situated in a small well-wooded park. The
living is a discharged rectory, united to that of Litcham
in the year 1742, and valued in the king's books at
£8. 6.: the tithes have been commuted for £205. The
church is an ancient structure, with a circular tower
overspread with ivy, and contains a piscina of beautiful
workmanship.
Lexham, West (St. Nicholas)
LEXHAM, WEST (St. Nicholas), a parish, in the
union of Mitford and Launditch, hundred of Launditch, W. division of Norfolk, 2 miles (S. S. E.)
from Rougham; containing 124 inhabitants. It comprises about 1200 acres, of which 1114 are arable, and
76 meadow and pasture, with some woodland. The
living is a discharged rectory, united to that of Litcham,
and valued in the king's books at £5. 11. 8.: the tithes
have been commuted for £188, and the glebe comprises
58 acres. The church is an ancient structure, with a
circular tower, and appears to have been originally larger
than at present; in 1842 a double piscina was discovered, which had been long concealed under a coat of
plaster.
Leybourne (St. Peter and St. Paul)
LEYBOURNE (St. Peter and St. Paul), a parish,
in the union of Malling, hundred of Larkfield, lathe
of Aylesford, W. division of Kent, 5 miles (N. W.
by W.) from Maidstone; containing 255 inhabitants.
It comprises 1510 acres, of which 508 are in wood.
The living is a rectory, valued in the king's books at
£17. 13. 4., and in the patronage of Sir Joseph Henry
Hawley, Bart., of Leybourne Grange: the tithes have
been commuted for £275, and there are 180 acres of
glebe. The Rev. James Holmes, in 1775, conveyed to
trustees a schoolroom and a dwelling-house in the parish,
with the interest of £1000 four per cent. consols., for the
education of children. Here are considerable remains
of a castle, consisting of a gateway flanked by circular
towers, various arches, walls, &c., and traces of the moat
by which it was surrounded; part of the ruin has long
been converted into a dwelling-house.
Leyburn
LEYBURN, a market-town, and the head of a
union, in the parish of Wensley, wapentake of HangWest, N. riding of York, 46 miles (N. W. by W.) from
York, and 236 (N. N. W.) from London; containing
829 inhabitants. The town is pleasantly situated in a
fertile district, and consists principally of one long, wellbuilt street, the houses of which are of a superior and
durable stone, and of modern appearance, many of them
having been erected in the present century. There are
a circulating and a subscription library. A large elmtree formerly stood in the centre of the town, and served
as a market-cross, but it was cut down in 1821. Leyburn attracts many visiters on their way to the lakes of
Westmorland and Cumberland. The surface towards
the north-west rises in bold undulations to the lofty
moors of Wensleydale and Swaledale, and in the midst
of beautiful scenery near the town is the celebrated walk
called Leyburn Sparol, a magnificent natural terrace,
commanding, among many others, fine views of the ruins
of Middleham and Bolton Castles. Middleham is now
connected with Leyburn by a suspension bridge across
the Ure, on the site of the old ferry. The soil in the
vicinity of the town comprises stiff clay and gravelly
loam, but consists principally of a light limestone, having
in some parts deposits of lead and coal. Petty-sessions
are held on the last Friday in every month. The market
is on Friday; and there are fairs on the second Fridays
in February, May, October, and December, noted for
large sales of cattle. The powers of the county debtcourt of Leyburn, established in 1847, extend over the
registration-districts of Leyburn, Bedale, and Askrigg. A
small chapel of ease was erected in 1836, at the cost of
the Hon. T. O. Powlett; a national school is supported
by subscription, and various benefactions have been
made for apprenticing children, and other purposes. The
poor-law union of Leyburn, comprises 41 parishes or
places, containing, according to the census of 1841, a
population of 9957.
Leyland (St. Andrew)
LEYLAND (St. Andrew), a parish, in the union of
Chorley, hundred of Leyland, N. division of the
county of Lancaster; consisting of the chapelries of
Euxton, Heapey, and Hoghton, and the townships of
Clayton-le-Woods, Cuerden, Leyland, Wheelton, Whittlele-Woods, and Withnell; and containing 14,032 inhabitants, of whom 3569 are in the township of Leyland,
4½ miles (N. W.) from Chorley. The name, originally
"Leghland," indicates the early cultivation of the fields.
Warin Bussel, one of the barons under Roger de Poictou,
in the reign of William I., held, among his ample
demesnes, the parish of Leyland: at a very early period,
however, it was parcelled out into townships or manors;
and in connexion with it are mentioned the families of
Farington, Bracebrigge, Holand, Molyneux, Walton, and
others. The parish comprises about 17,950 acres,
whereof 3651 are in Leyland township; of the latter
number, 371 are common or waste land: the soil in the
parish is various, but stiff loam generally prevails. In
the hilly townships are many valuable stone-quarries,
and in Whittle-le-Woods no fewer than four quarries of
millstones: in Heapey and Hoghton similar quarries
are worked; and slate, flags, and ashlar are got in abundance. The river Yarrow flows to the south of Euxton
and Leyland, dividing the parish from Chorley; the
Drownsnip or Ransnap brook waters Euxton, and, with
another rill, runs into the Lostock, as do all the streams
in the township of Leyland, for which the river forms a
little estuary. The Moulden water, a romantic mountain stream, springs from three brooks in the wild gullies south of Withnell and Wheelton, and descends into
the Darwen or Darwent, which washes the north-east
side of the parish in its course towards Hoghton Tower,
and falls into the Ribble at Walton-le-Dale. The Leeds
and Liverpool canal passes through the south-east extremity of the parish of Leyland; and at Golden Hill, a
quarter of a mile from the village, is a station on the
North-Union railway. Bleach-works, established in
1784, and now employing 100 hands, are carried on by
Mr. James Fletcher. Petty-sessions for the division are
held once in five weeks, on Monday. Worden Hall, the
seat of James Nowell Ffarington, Esq., contains a choice
museum of natural curiosities, and a collection of valuable paintings, some of which were found in the ruins of
Herculaneum. Wellington Place is the seat of Robert
Snell, Esq.
The living is a vicarage, valued in the king's books at
£11; patron, William Baldwin, Esq.; impropriators,
Laurence Rawstorne, Esq., and J. N. Ffarington, Esq.:
the great tithes of the township of Leyland have been
commuted for £338, and the small tithes for £296; the
vicar has a glebe of 44 acres. The church, originally
erected without a single pillar, was rebuilt and enlarged
in 1817, and contains several marble monuments: adjoining the chancel is an ancient chapel belonging to
the Ffarington family. At Euxton, Heapey, Hoghton,
Whittle-le-Woods, and Withnell are separate incumbencies. There are places of worship for Wesleyans,
Independents, and Roman Catholics. Near the churchyard is a free grammar school, founded by Queen Elizabeth, with an endowment of £3. 18. per annum, in aid
of which the Rev. Thomas Armetriding, in 1718, bequeathed £250: the annual income, with subsequent
benefactions, amounts to about £30. Another school is
endowed with £13 per annum; and there is also a
school, erected at Golden Hill in 1785 by Mr. Balshaw,
and endowed by him with lands now producing an income of £230: it is in union with the National Society.
An almshouse for six persons was founded in 1607 by
William Ffarington, Esq.; and six more almshouses
were built and endowed in 1665, by John Osbaldeston,
Esq.
Leysdown (St. Clement)
LEYSDOWN (St. Clement), a parish, in the union,
and liberty of the Isle, of Sheppy, Upper division of the
lathe of Scray, E. division of Kent, 9 miles (E. by S.)
from Queenborough; containing 310 inhabitants. It
comprises 2182a. 2r. 31p., of which 816 acres are arable,
1357 pasture, and 9 woodland. The living is a discharged vicarage, valued in the king's books at £10. 10.,
and united to the perpetual curacy of Harty; appropriator, the Archbishop of Canterbury. The great tithes
have been commuted for £394, and the vicarial for
£265; the appropriate glebe contains 15 acres, and the
vicarial 5. The church is a neat modern edifice, erected
near the site of a more ancient and spacious one, the
ruins of which are still visible.
Leyton, Low (St. Mary)
LEYTON, LOW (St. Mary), a parish, in the union
of West Ham, hundred of Becontree, S. division of
Essex, 6 miles (N. E.) from London; containing 3274
inhabitants. This place derives its name, which appears
to be a contraction of Lee town, from its situation on the
river Lea. It is supposed by Camden and others to be
the site of the ancient Durolitum; and it is evident here
was a Roman station; various pavements, foundations
of buildings, consular and imperial coins, and other
Roman antiquities, having been discovered, particularly
near the manor-house. The rural district of the parish
contains about 1700 acres, of which 150 are marsh,
about 250 waste, and nearly the same number in the
occupation of nursery-men and market-gardeners; the
remainder is all profitable land in a high state of cultivation: the soil is gravelly, and the grounds abound
with fine springs of water. The village, which consists
of a single street, extending nearly from Epping Forest
to Stratford, and lighted with gas, is situated on a gentle
slope reaching to the western bank of the river Lea;
the hamlet of Leytonstone now comprises nearly onehalf of the inhabitants of the parish. The Eastern
Counties railway passes through the parish, and at the
Lea-Bridge road is a station on the line; the bookingoffices form a handsome elevation in the Italian style.
The living is a discharged vicarage, valued in the
king's books at £7. 12.; net income, £534; patron,
and impropriator of one-third of the rectorial tithes,
J. Pardoe, Esq.; impropriators of the remaining twothirds of the rectorial tithes, the Executors of R. James,
Esq. The impropriate tithes have been commuted for
£369. 14. 6., and the vicarial for £399. 15. The church,
a plain brick edifice with a tower at the west end, was
repaired and enlarged in the seventeenth century, and
again in 1822. The chancel contains some elegant monuments of the family of Hickes, and of that of Sir
Robert Beachcroft, lord mayor of London in 1721; also
a monument of Mr. John Wood, who travelled over
several parts of Europe, Asia, Africa, and America; and
one to the memory of the antiquary and biographer,
John Strype, who was vicar of Leyton from 1669 till his
death, which took place in 1737, at the age of 94: he
rebuilt the vicarage-house, and was a liberal contributor
to the church and parish. A chapel of ease erected at
Leytonstone, in 1750, by subscription, has lately been
made the church of the district parish of St. John the
Baptist: the living is in the Vicar's gift. Within the
parish are places of worship for Independents and Wesleyans. In 1697, Robert Ozler bequeathed £300 for the
erection, and a rent-charge of £12 for the endowment, of
a free school for a certain number of children of Leyton and Walthamstow; and there are national schools
at Low Leyton and Leytonstone. Almshouses for eight
widows were founded in 1653, by John Smith, who endowed them with £20 per annum, to which other benefactions have been added. Sir Thomas Rowe or Roe,
an able statesman and ambassador, was born at Low
Leyton about the year 1580; and Edward Rowe Mores,
Esq., a distinguished antiquary, lived long in a house
called Etloe Place, now occupied by Charles Morley
Robison, Esq.
Lezant (St. Breock)
LEZANT (St. Breock), a parish, in the union of
Launceston, N. division of the hundred of East, E.
division of Cornwall, 4½ miles (S. by E.) from Launceston; containing, with the hamlet of Trewarlet, 905
inhabitants. This place formerly belonged to the Manaton family, of Trecarrell House, of whom Ambrose
Manaton had the honour to entertain Charles I. on his
entrance into Cornwall, on the 1st of August, 1644.
The parish is bounded on the east by the river Tamar,
and on the south by its tributary the Inney; and comprises 3892 acres, of which about 400 are woodland,
233 common or waste, and the remainder chiefly arable.
The surface is varied, especially on the banks of the
Inney, at Trecarrell and Carthamartha; the substratum
abounds with mineral wealth, and near Landew is a
lead-mine in operation. The living is a rectory, valued
in the king's books at £32; net income, £406; patron,
the Bishop of Exeter. The church contains several ancient monuments. There were formerly chapels at Trecarrell and Landew; the former, of which there are
some remains, was dedicated to St. Mary Magdalene, and
the latter to St. Bridget. Here is a place of worship for
Wesleyans.
Leziate
LEZIATE, a parish, in the union and hundred of
Freebridge-Lynn, W. division of Norfolk, 5 miles
(E.) from Lynn; containing 172 inhabitants. It comprises 1469a. 2r. 29p., of which 670 acres are arable,
462 meadow and pasture, 67 woodland, and 104 common or waste. The living is a rectory not in charge,
annexed to that of Ashwicken: the tithes have been
commuted for £280, and the glebe contains two acres.
There are some slight remains of the church.
Libberston, or Lebberston
LIBBERSTON, or Lebberston, a township, in the
parish of Filey, union of Scarborough, Pickering
lythe, N. riding of York, 4 miles (N.) from Hunmanby;
containing 153 inhabitants. The township comprises
by computation 1480 acres, the property of various
families: the village, which is small and straggling, is
on the road from Filey to Cayton, and about two miles
and a half westward of the former place.
Lichfield
LICHFIELD, a city and
county of itself, and the head
of a union, in the S. division
of the county of Stafford,
16½ miles (S. E. by E.) from
Stafford, and 118 (N. W. by
N.) from London; containing 6761 inhabitants. This
place, called by Bede Licidfeld,
and by Ingulphus and Henry
of Huntingdon Lichfeld, both
implying "the field of the
dead," is supposed to have
derived its name from the martyrdom of more than
1000 Christians, who are said to have been massacred
here in the reign of the Emperor Diocletian: an allusion
to this event appears in the corporation seal of the city;
and a spot within its precincts, in which they are said
to have been interred, still retains the appellation of the
Christian field. During the heptarchy, it appears to
have been patronised by the kings of Mercia, of whom
Peada, son-in-law of Osweo, King of Northumbria,
having been converted by the preaching of Cedd, a
hermit who had a cell near the site of St. Chad's church,
is said to have erected the first Christian church here in
honour of that recluse, who had been assiduous in his
efforts to convert the Mercians to Christianity, and
afterwards became their bishop. In the reign of Offa,
this see not only obtained the precedence of all the
Mercian bishoprics, but through the interest of Offa
with Pope Adrian, was made the arcbiepiscopal see, and
invested with the greater part of the jurisdiction of Canterbury. Eadwulph was appointed archbishop of Lichfield in 789, and had for his suffragans the Bishops of
Worcester, Hereford, Leicester, Sidnacester, Elmham,
and Dunwich; but in 803, Leo succeeding to the pontificate, restored the primacy to Canterbury, and Eadulph,
stripped of his supremacy, died in 812.
Arms.
At the time of the Conquest, Lichfield, notwithstanding the distinction it had enjoyed under the Saxon
kings, was but an inconsiderable place; and in 1075,
when the conncil decreed that sees should no longer
remain in obscure towns, Peter, Bishop of Licidfeld,
transferred his see to Chester. It continued there till it
was removed by his successor, Robert de Limsey, to
Coventry, whence it was restored to Lichfield in 1148
by Roger de Clinton, who began the church, and fortified the castle. At what time, or by whom, the castle
was originally built, has not been clearly ascertained;
it is asserted upon very good authority, that Richard II.,
after his deposition from the throne, was detained here
as a prisoner, on his route to the Tower of London: no
vestiges of the building remain. During the parliamentary war, Lichfield embraced the royal cause; and
Charles I., after the battle of Naseby, slept for one night
in the Cathedral Close. In 1643, Sir Richard Dyott,
with some of the principal gentlemen of the county,
under the command of the Earl of Chesterfield, fortified
this part of the town against the republican forces under
Lord Brooke and Sir John Gell, the former of whom,
having stationed himself in the porch of an adjoining
house, was shot by a member of the Dyott family,
from the battlements of the cathedral. The attack
being continued by Sir John Gell, the garrison surrendered on honourable terms, and the parliamentarians
retired, leaving a body of troops, who, in the following
month, were repulsed by Prince Rupert: the royalists
kept possession of the town till its final surrender to
the parliament. During these conflicts the cathedral
suffered material injury; its rich sculptures were destroyed, it was converted into stables by the parliamentarian troops, and in 1651 it was set on fire, and,
by order of parliament, left to neglect and decay.
The city is built in a pleasant and fertile vale, within
two miles of the Roman station Etocetum, and about
the same distance from Offlow Mount, another station
at Swinfen. The houses in the principal thoroughfares
are handsome and commodious; the streets in general
are well paved, and the town is well lighted, and amply
supplied with water. Certain property, called the
Conduit lands, was granted in 1546 to trustees, by the
brethren of the guild of the Blessed Mary, Lichfield,
"for the common wealth of the city and town," and for
keeping in repair the conduit pipes and pumps, providing fire-engines, and defraying other charges incidental to supplying the city with water from the springs
at Aldershaw, which are about one mile and a half distant: the property consists of about 340 acres of land,
and produces nearly £600 per annum. In the environs
are numerous elegant seats and villas. A mechanics
institute was established a few years since, and is held
in a room of the guildhall; the Rev. J. T. Law, the
president, has endowed it with books and natural
curiosities, and also contributes liberally towards its
support. A permanent library is maintained by subscription, and there is also a newsroom. A small
theatre, in which Mrs. Siddons made her first appearance after her marriage, is open during the races, and
occasionally at other times. The races take place in
September, when a queen's plate of 100 guineas is run
for on the first day; the course is on the road to Tamworth, about two miles from the city.
Lichfield is not a place of much trade; there are
extensive coach and harness manufactories. The Wyrley and Essington canal runs within a quarter of a mile,
and joins the Fazeley and Birmingham line about three
miles distant. The Trent-Valley railway, opened in
1847, runs by the town: an act was passed in 1846,
for a railway from Lichfield to Birmingham; and
another act was obtained in the same year, for a railway
to Walsall. The market is on Friday, and there are
cattle-markets on the first Monday in every month, for
cattle, sheep, bacon, and cheese; the charter fairs are
on Shrove-Tuesday and Ash-Wednesday, and others are
held on the 10th of January, and the first Tuesday in
November. The market-house is a commodious building, occupying the site of the ancient market-cross; in
the market-place is a colossal statue in stone of Dr.
Johnson, erected in 1838, by the Rev. J. T. Law.
The city was anciently governed by a guild, at the
head of which were a master and four wardens, assisted
by a council of twenty-four brethren. This guild, established in 1387, was dissolved in the 2nd of Edward VI.,
who granted to the inhabitants a charter of incorporation, which was confirmed and enlarged by Mary and
by Elizabeth, the former of whom erected the city into
a county of itself. Subsequent charters were conferred
by James I. in 1623, and Charles II., in the 16th of his
reign, under the latter of which the corporation consisted
of two bailiffs and twenty-one brethren, assisted by a recorder, steward, town-clerk and coroner, sheriff, and two
serjeants-at-mace. The government is now vested in a
mayor, six aldermen, and eighteen councillors, under the
act of the 5th and 6th of William IV., cap. 76: the city is
divided into two wards, the municipal and parliamentary
boundaries being co-extensive; a sheriff is appointed by
the council, and the number of magistrates is seven. Two
chief constables are chosen by a jury of burgage tenants,
at their court leet on St. George's day; and several
petty constables at the great portmote court on the 22nd
of July. The freedom is inherited by the eldest sons of
freemen, and acquired by servitude in one of the seven
trading companies of the Cordwainers, Smiths, Saddlers,
Bakers, Weavers, Tailors, and Butchers. The city first
exercised the elective franchise in the 33rd of Edward I.,
and continued to make regular returns till the 27th of
Edward III., from which period it ceased till the time of
its incorporation by Edward VI., who restored the privilege; two members are sent to parliament, and the
sheriff is the returning officer. The recorder holds
quarterly courts of session, and also a court of record
weekly for the recovery of debts to any amount above
40s.; the justices preside at a petty-session weekly.
The powers of the county debt-court of Lichfield, established in 1847, extend over part of the registration-district of Lichfield. The guildhall is a neat edifice of stone,
ornamented with a pediment in front, in the tympanum
of which are the city arms; the hall is spacious, and
well adapted to the purposes of the several courts, and
underneath is the common gaol for the city. Formerly
an annual fête, called the Court of Array, took place on
Whit-Monday in the guildhall, whence it was immediately adjourned to an eminence named Greenhill,
where a temporary bower was erected; the expense was
defrayed by the corporation. This ceremony is supposed by some to have been instituted by King Osweo,
to commemorate a victory obtained by him over Penda;
but others, with more probability, ascribe it to an act
passed originally in the reign of Henry II., ordaining
the high constable in each town frequently to inspect
the arms of the inhabitants. It is still kept up with
some difference, but the expense is now defrayed by subscription. The town is the place of election for the
southern division of the county.
New Corporation Seal.
Old Corporation Seal.
Lichfield was at an early period a see jointly with
Coventry, and, after the demolition of the abbey buildings at Coventry, became in reality, though not in name,
the sole seat of the diocese. Within the last few years,
Coventry has been transferred to the diocese of Worcester; the jurisdiction now extends over the counties
of Derby and Stafford, and a considerable part of the
county of Salop. The ecclesiastical establishment consists of a bishop, dean, precentor, chancellor, the archdeacons of Salop, Stafford, and Derby, a number of
canons residentiary and non-residentiary, five minor
canons, and other officers. The bishop is now styled
Bishop of Lichfield, and has the patronage of the archdeaconries, the chancellorship, and the canonries; the
Dean and Chapter have the
patronage of the minor canonries. The minor canons
form a corporation of twelve
members, including an organist and six choristers. The
Cathedral, which had been
reduced during the parliamentary war to a state of
extreme dilapidation, was restored by Dr. Hacket, on his
preferment to the see of
Lichfield and Coventry in
1661, to its original state of splendour and magnificence:
various improvements have subsequently been made;
and the choir has been greatly enlarged, under the
superintendence of Mr. Wyatt, by the removal of the
screen in front of the Lady chapel. The prevailing
character of the edifice is the early English, approaching
very nearly to the decorated style. The west front is
magnificently rich, and the spires of the western towers
are in beautiful combination with the lofty central spire;
the east end is hexagonal, and the whole exterior is
highly ornamented in various parts with statuary and
sculpture of exquisite design and elaborate execution.
The interior presents various styles, with several later
insertions. The transepts display considerable portions
in the Norman character, and the choir, which deviates
from the line of the nave, is in the decorated English
style: it is richly ornamented, and lighted by windows
of beautiful tracery; the bishop's throne, and the prebendal stalls, are fine specimens of tabernacle-work.
St. Mary's chapel, built by Bishop Langton, is an edifice
of elegant design, with nine lofty windows, of which
the three at the east end are more rich in their tracery,
and are ornamented with stained glass brought by Sir
Brooke Boothby from the dissolved abbey of Herckenrode, in the bishopric of Liege; in the central window
on one side is a painting of the Resurrection, by Egginton, from a design by Sir Joshua Reynolds. In this
chapel was the shrine of St. Chad, which was demolished
at the Dissolution. Among the monuments in the
cathedral that escaped the ravages of the parliamentary
troops are those of Bishops Langton and Pattishull.
There are, also, a monument to Dr. Johnson; a bust
of Garrick; a mutilated statue of Captain Stanley; and
a monument by Chantrey, to the memory of the infant
children of Mrs. Robinson, which is unrivalled for
beauty of design, intensity of feeling, and force of expression. A passage from the north aisle leads to the
chapter-house, a decagonal building of great elegance,
whose finely-vaulted roof is supported on a clustered
central column. Above it is the library, instituted by
Dean Heywood, in which are the Gospels of St. Chad, a
Koran taken at the siege of Buda, and a folio edition of
Chaucer, richly illuminated. The bishop's palace, on the
north-east side of the Close, is a spacious edifice.
Arms of the Bishopric.
The city comprises the parish of St. Mary, containing
2634 inhabitants; part of that of St. Chad, containing
2036; and part of that of St. Michael, containing 1887;
also the liberty of the Cathedral Close, which is extraparochial, with 190 inhabitants. The living of St.
Mary's is a discharged vicarage, with the living of Statfold
annexed, valued in the king's books at £10; net income, £458; patrons and appropriators, the Dean and
Chapter. The church is a modern edifice, erected on the
site of an ancient structure described by Leland as
"right beautiful." The whole parish of St. Chad, including the villages of Elmhurst and Curborough, comprises by measurement 2488 acres; the rural portion of
it is in general land of good quality, and in profitable
cultivation. The living is a perpetual curacy; patron,
the Vicar of St. Mary's; net income, £179. The
church, by far the oldest in Lichfield, was rebuilt on the
site of an ancient one erected by Bishop Headda, in
honour of St. Chad, and near his hermitage. The
parish of St. Michael comprises by computation 10,400
acres, of which by far the greater portion is arable;
about 2000 acres are common, a part of which has been
recently inclosed, and the remainder, with the exception
of a little woodland, is meadow and pasture. The
living is a perpetual curacy, in the patronage of the
Vicar of St. Mary's, with a net income of £154; appropriators, the Dean and Chapter. The church is
situated on an eminence called Greenhill; the nave and
aisles were admirably restored in 1842-3, and now
afford exquisite specimens of the decorated and later
styles of architecture: it contains a tablet with an inscription by Dr. Johnson, to the memory of his parents.
The churchyard comprises upwards of seven acres, and
is the principal cemetery of the city. At Burntwood
and Wall, in this parish, are chapels, both erected by
subscription; and a district chapel has just been built
at Leamonsley, also in St. Michael's parish. There are
places of worship in Lichfield for Independents, Wesleyans, and Kilhamites, and Roman Catholics. The free
grammar school appears, from a small endowment payable out of the exchequer, to have been founded by
Edward VI.; the school-house was erected in 1692, at
the joint expense of the corporation and the feoffees of
the Conduit Lands. The master receives from the
feoffees £35 per annum, and the usher £10 from funds
devised by Henry Beane, in 1546, for this and other
purposes; the premises are also kept in repair by the
feoffees. An English free school was founded in 1677,
by Thomas Minors, who endowed it with a messuage for
the school-house, and rents amounting to about £30 per
annum; Andrew Newton, Esq., in 1801 bequeathed in
aid of this charity the reversion of the dividends on
£3333. 6. 8. three per cent. consols., and the annual income is now upwards of £135. A diocesan training
establishment for schoolmasters was founded in 1838.
St. John's hospital was founded in the reign of Henry
III., by one of the bishops of the diocese; and in 1252,
Randulph de Lacock, canon of Lichfield, endowed it
with lands at Elmhurst and Stichbrook, for the maintenance of a priest, and the support of the poor and infirm. It was visited by the bishops of Lichfield for
many years, but fell into neglect and decay, from which
it was retrieved by Bishop Smyth, who was translated
to the see in the reign of Henry VII.; that prelate rebuilt the premises in 1495, and formed the statutes by
which it is at present governed. There are thirteen
almshouses, apartments for the master and other officers,
and a chapel: the last was enlarged in 1829, by the
erection of a gallery and north wing, at the expense of
the master of the hospital, and an organ was purchased
by subscription; there is now a numerous and respectable
congregation. An hospital for women was founded in
1424, by Bishop Hayworth, and endowed in 1504 by
Thomas Milley, one of the canons residentiary, with
lands now producing, with subsequent benefactions, an
income of about £380, for the maintenance of fifteen
aged women and a few out-pensioners. An institution
for the benefit of widows or unmarried daughters of
clergymen of the Church of England in the diocese, was
founded by the above-named Mr. Newton, who endowed
it with £43,333 consols., the dividends on which,
amounting to £1238. 13., are chiefly distributed in
pensions of £50 each, among 20 individuals, who must
be upwards of 50 years of age: the buildings of the institution, situated in the Close, contain apartments for
that number of persons. There are also donations and
bequests, amounting to £1000 per annum, for distribution among the poor generally. The union of Lichfield
comprises 29 parishes or places, with a population of
24,127.
Among the monastic establishments was a convent of
Grey friars, founded in 1229, by Alexander, Bishop of
Lichfield; it was burnt down in 1291, and, being
rebuilt, subsisted till the Dissolution: the remains are
now let on lease, and the rents appropriated to charitable
uses. Several relics of antiquity are preserved in Mr.
Green's museum, among which is a wooden lintel or
doorway, pierced by the ball which killed Lord Brooke,
the parliamentary officer, during the siege of the
cathedral. There is a chalybeate spring; and some
good specimens of agate, in a state of decomposition,
are found in the vicinity, where a fine sort of clay for
pottery is also met with. Elias Ashmole, the antiquary,
and founder of the Ashmolean museum at Oxford; Dr.
George Smalridge, and Dr. Thomas Newton, both distinguished as theological writers; and the celebrated Dr.
Samuel Johnson, were natives of this place: among the
residents were Garrick, Dr. Darwin, author of The Botanic
Garden, and his ingenious biographer, Miss Seward.
Lichfield gives the title of Earl to the family of Anson,
created in 1831.
Lidbrook
LIDBROOK, a hamlet, in the parish of Newland,
union of Monmouth, hundred of St. Briavell's, W.
division of the county of Gloucester; containing 42
inhabitants. Iron and tin works, said to have been the
first established in the kingdom, furnish employment to
a part of the population. Coal and timber are brought
from the Forest of Dean, by means of a railroad constructed from the Wye to the Severn. There is a place
of worship for Baptists.
Liddiard-Millicent (All Saints)
LIDDIARD-MILLICENT (All Saints), a parish,
in the union of Cricklade and Wootton-Bassett,
hundred of Highworth, Cricklade, and Staple,
Swindon and N. divisions of Wilts, 3 miles (N. N. E.)
from Wootton-Bassett; containing 564 inhabitants. The
road from Cricklade to Wootton-Bassett passes through.
The land is pasture, with the exception of a small portion of arable and wood; the surface is in general flat,
and the soil rich. The living is a rectory, valued in the
king's books at £17. 4. 4½.; net income, £495; patrons,
the Master and Fellows of Pembroke College, Oxford.
The church is in the later English style.
Liddiard-Tregooze (All Saints,)
LIDDIARD-TREGOOZE (All Saints,) a parish,
in the union of Cricklade and Wootton-Bassett,
hundred of Kingsbridge, Swindon and N. divisions
of Wilts, 4 miles (W. by N.) from Swindon; containing 960 inhabitants. This place has from the time of
the Conquest been the property of the family of St.
John, whose mansion and park are near the church.
The parish is on the road from Oxford to Bath, and
comprises by admeasurement 5400 acres, of which 300
are arable, 350 woodland, and the remainder pasture.
The Wilts and Berks canal and the Great Western
railway pass through the parish. The living is a rectory,
valued in the king's books at £10. 5. 5., and in the gift
of Mrs. Collins: the tithes have been commuted for
£603. 18. 5., and the glebe comprises 90 acres. The
church is an ancient structure in the later English style,
partly rebuilt in 1653, by the St. John family, to whom
it contains several splendid monuments.
Liddington (St. Andrew)
LIDDINGTON (St. Andrew), a parish, in the
union of Uppingham, hundred of Wrandike, county
of Rutland, 2½ miles (S. by E.) from Uppingham;
containing 589 inhabitants. The parish comprises by
computation 2240 acres: the soil is various, but the
greater portion a dark stiff clay, and tolerably fertile;
the surface is diversified with hills. The village is pleasantly situated in a valley watered by the river Welland,
near which are some rich meadows. The living is a
discharged vicarage, valued in the king's books at
£8. 2., and in the patronage of the Bishop of Lincoln:
the great tithes have been commuted for £216. 11.,
and the vicarial for £221. At Caldecott is a chapel of
ease. There is a place of worship for Wesleyans. A
palace formerly belonging to the bishops of Lincoln, a
fine structure in the early English style, with a large
hall, having painted windows, has been converted into
an hospital for a warden, twelve brethren, and two
nurses; the charity was founded in 1600, by Sir Thomas
Cecil, Lord Burghley, and is called Jesus' Hospital.
Liddington (All Saints)
LIDDINGTON (All Saints), a parish, in the union
of Highworth and Swindon, hundred of Kingsbridge, Swindon and N. divisions of Wilts, 4 miles
(E. S. E.) from Swindon; containing, with the tything
of Coate, 454 inhabitants. The parish comprises by
measurement 2736 acres, and is traversed by the road
from London to Newbury and Hungerford: there are
several chalk-quarries. The living is a discharged
vicarage, with a sinecure rectory, the former valued in
the king's books at £14, and the latter at £17; the
Duke of Marlborough presents to the rectory, and the
Rector to the vicarage. The tithes were partly commuted for land under an act of inclosure, in 1776; and
a commutation has taken place under the recent Tithe
act, for a rent-charge of £221: the glebe contains 60
acres, and there is an excellent house, built by the vicar
in 1833. The church is very ancient, with a tower, and
has a roof of timber-frame work. The Wesleyans have
a place of worship. In this parish, romantically situated
in a dell, and encompassed by a moat, is an old mansion
forming an interesting specimen of the Elizabethan
style; on Beacon Hill was a large circular work, called
Liddington Castle.
Lidgate (St. Mary)
LIDGATE (St. Mary), a parish, in the union of
Newmarket, hundred of Risbridge, W. division of
Suffolk, 6¾ miles (S. E. by E.) from Newmarket;
containing 450 inhabitants. The living is a rectory,
valued in the king's books at £15. 10. 5.; net income,
£473; patron, the Rev. James Jackson. Near the
church is a spacious and lofty mount with some remains
of extensive intrenchments, probably the site of a strong
castle. Lydgate, the poet, was born at this place, from
which he took his name.
Lidlington, or Litlington (All Saints)
LIDLINGTON, or Litlington (All Saints), a
parish, in the union of Ampthill, hundred of Redbornestoke, county of Bedford, 3½ miles (W. by N.)
from Ampthill; containing 926 inhabitants. Here is a
station of the Bedford branch of the London and Birmingham railway. The living is a discharged vicarage,
valued in the king's books at £11.; net income, £88;
patron and impropriator, the Duke of Bedford. The
church contains an ancient tomb with a brass effigy, in
armour, of one of the Goldingtons, who possessed the
manor of Goldington, in the parish, in the 15th century.
There is a place of worship for Wesleyans.
Lidney, or Lydney (St. Mary)
LIDNEY, or Lydney (St. Mary), a market-town
and parish, in the union of Chepstow, hundred of
Bledisloe, W. division of the county of Gloucester,
20 miles (S. W. by W.) from Gloucester, and 123 (W.
by N.) from London; containing, with the chapelry of
Aylburton, 1885 inhabitants, of whom 1146 are in the
town. This place, which is situated on the road from
Gloucester to Swansea, is by some writers supposed to
have been the Roman station Abona; and though it
may not be satisfactorily identified with that particular
station, there are positive evidences of its occupation by
the Romans. In Lydney Park are the remains of a
Roman villa, and of two camps; near the western border of the larger camp is a Roman bath, still tolerably
perfect; and fragments of tessellated pavement, urns,
statues, coins of Adrian and Antoninus, and a silver
coin of Galba, have been found. An ancient mansion
called Whitecross, erected by Sir William Winter, viceadmiral of England in the reign of Elizabeth, was
fortified and garrisoned in the civil war of the 17th
century by Sir John Winter, a distinguished royalist,
who defended it against repeated attacks by detachments from Gloucester, but at last set fire to and
deserted it, having first despoiled the forest. The trade
of the town is principally in the export of coal, and is
facilitated by the river Severn, which forms the eastern
boundary of the parish; the Severn and Wye railroad
terminates here, and a canal with a basin connects it
by means of locks with the river. The line of the South
Wales railway passes through the parish. The manufacture of tin plates is carried on to a great extent, and
in connexion with it are iron-works. Limestone is
quarried. The market is on Wednesday; and fairs are
held on May 4th and November 8th. The living is a
vicarage, with the livings of St. Briavell's and Hewelsfield annexed, valued in the king's books at £24. 6. 8.;
patrons and appropriators, the Dean and Chapter of
Hereford. The great tithes of the parish have been
commuted for £420, and the vicarial for £680; the
glebe comprises 2 acres. The church is a spacious plain
structure, with a beautiful spire. At Aylburton is a
chapel of ease; and the Baptists have a place of worship. There are some chalybeate springs.
Lidsey
LIDSEY, a hamlet, in the parish of Aldingbourn,
union of West Hampnett, hundred of Box and Stockbridge, rape of Chichester, W. division of the county
of Sussex, 5¼ miles (E. S. E.) from Chichester; containing 772 inhabitants. It is situated on the Portsmouth and
Arundel canal.