Ocle-Livers
OCLE-LIVERS, an extra-parochial liberty, in the
union of Bromyard, hundred of Broxash, county of
Hereford, 6½ miles (N. E.) from Hereford; containing
9 inhabitants. A Benedictine priory, a cell to that of
Lira, in Normandy, was founded here about 1160.
Ocle-Pitchard (St. James)
OCLE-PITCHARD (St. James), a parish, in the
union of Bromyard, hundred of Broxash, county of
Hereford, 7½ miles (N. E. by E.) from Hereford; containing 219 inhabitants. The parish is intersected by
the road from Hereford to Bromyard, and comprises
1247 acres. The living is a discharged vicarage, valued
in the king's books at £4. 19.; patron, Thomas Hill,
Esq.
Octon, with Octon-Grange
OCTON, with Octon-Grange, a township, in the
parish of Thwing, union of Bridlington, wapentake
of Dickering, E. riding of York, 8 miles (W.) from
Bridlington; containing 105 inhabitants. The hamlet
of Octon is small, and lies east of the high road from
Bridlington to Sledmere. About a mile to the northnorth-west of it is Octon-Grange, and at the same distance eastward the village of Thwing.
Odcombe (St. Peter and St. Paul)
ODCOMBE (St. Peter and St. Paul), a parish, in
the union of Yeovil, hundred of Houndsborough,
Berwick, and Coker, W. division of Somerset, 4 miles
(W. by S.) from Yeovil; containing 666 inhabitants. It
comprises 1297 acres, of which about 570 are arable,
630 pasture and meadow, and 27 woodland. The living
is a rectory, valued in the king's books at £15. 9. 9½.,
and in the gift of the Dean and Canons of Christ-Church,
Oxford: the tithes have been commuted for £370, and
there is a glebe-house, with 50 acres of land. Humphrey
Hody, an eminent divine, was born here in 1659.
Oddingley (St. James the Apostle)
ODDINGLEY (St. James the Apostle), a parish,
in the union of Droitwich, Lower division of the hundred of Oswaldslow, Worcester and W. divisions of the
county of Worcester, 3 miles (S.) from Droitwich;
containing 205 inhabitants. This parish, which comprises 838a. 1r. 25p. of land, is on the eastern side of the
road from Birmingham to Worcester, and is intersected
by the Birmingham and Gloucester railroad and the
Birmingham and Worcester canal. The surface is undulated and wooded, and the soil a rich marl. The
manor is in the possession of John Howard Galton,
Esq., and adjoins the manor of Hadsor, in which that
gentleman resides. The living is a discharged rectory,
valued in the king's books at £4. 19. 4½., and in the
gift of Mr. Galton: the tithes have been commuted for
£181, and the glebe, to which a house is attached, comprises 12 acres. The church is chiefly in the later English style; it consists of a nave, chancel, and north and
south transepts, and contains some curious stained glass
of the 15th century. A school, conducted on the British
and foreign system, is supported by Mrs. Galton. In 1806,
this place was the scene of a double murder of a most
extraordinary character. The principal victim was the
Rev. George Parker, rector of the parish, who, having
a dispute with his parishioners relative to the tithes,
was despatched by an assassin named Heming, whom a
Capt. Evans and some of the farmers had hired for the
purpose, and who was himself afterwards murdered, to
prevent his possible disclosure of the conspiracy. Suspicion having fallen upon Heming as the murderer of
Mr. Parker, search was made for him, but of course in
vain: in 1830 his skeleton was discovered in a barn.
Oddington (St. Nicholas)
ODDINGTON (St. Nicholas), a parish, in the
union of Stow-on-the-Wold, Upper division of the
hundred of Slaughter, E. division of the county of
Gloucester, 2½ miles (E.) from Stow; containing 525
inhabitants. The living is a rectory, valued in the king's
books at £21. 7. 1.; income, £365; patron, the Precentor of the Cathedral of York: the tithes were commuted for land and corn-rents in 1786. The church
has a Norman door; the building generally is of later
date.
Oddington (St. Andrew)
ODDINGTON (St. Andrew), a parish, in the union
of Bicester, hundred of Ploughley, county of Oxford, 8 miles (N. N. E.) from Oxford; containing 126
inhabitants. The parish is intersected by the river Ray,
and comprises 1280 acres of land, inclosed in 1791,
about 900 of which are pasture and the rest arable; the
surface is in general flat, and the soil partly a loamy
clay, and partly a light stony earth, resting upon limestone, which is of good quality for building. The living
is a rectory, valued in the king's books at £12. 16. 0½.;
income, £384; patrons, the President and Fellows of
Trinity College, Oxford. Early in the reign of Stephen,
one-fourth of the parish belonged to Sir Robert Gait,
Knt., who founded a Cistercian abbey, the substructure
of which is distinctly visible near Oddington Grange.
In 1821, when erecting the parsonage-house, upwards of
twenty skeletons were found, with some armour, in the
rock; and in various parts of the parish, Roman coins
and pottery have been discovered at different times.
There is a mineral spring.
Odd-Rode, Chester.—See Rode, Odd.
ODD-RODE, Chester.—See Rode, Odd.
Odell (All Saints)
ODELL (All Saints), a parish, in the hundred of
Willey, union and county of Bedford, 1¼ mile (N. E.
by N.) from Harrold; containing 501 inhabitants. Odell,
anciently called Wahul or Wodhull, was the seat of an
ancient barony, belonging, at the time of the Norman
survey, to Walter Flandrensis, whose posterity were
called de Wahul. A female heir intermarrying with the
Chetwodes, of Oakley, in Staffordshire, brought the property to that family, who sold it to the Alstons. Thomas
Alston, of Odell, was created a baronet in 1642. The
parish is bounded on the south by the river Ouse, and
contains 2600 acres, mostly arable land, with some pasture, and 500 acres of woodland; the surface is undulated, the soil various, and the scenery picturesque. Lace
is manufactured by some of the females. The place
formerly possessed a market, granted in 1222; and a
fair is still held on the Thursday and Friday in Whitsun-week. Odell Castle, the seat of the Alston family, a
small part of which constitutes the remains of the ancient building of the same name, stands conspicuously
on an eminence commanding a fine view of the Ouse.
The river here abounds in pike, perch, and eels. The
living is a rectory, valued in the king's books at £19;
patron, Justinian Alston, Esq.: the glebe consists of
420 acres, of the annual value of £350, with a house.
The church has an ancient square tower.
Odestone
ODESTONE, a hamlet, in the parish of Shackerstone, union of Market-Bosworth, hundred of
Sparkenhoe, S. division of the county of Leicester,
3½ miles (N. by W.) from the town of Market-Bosworth;
containing 180 inhabitants.
Odiham (All Saints)
ODIHAM (All Saints), a market-town and parish,
in the union of Hartley-Wintney, hundred of Odiham, Odiham and N. divisions of the county of Southampton, 26 miles (N. E.) from Winchester, 37 (N. E.)
from Southampton, and 40 (W. S. W.) from London;
containing, with the tythings of Murrell, North Warnborough, and Hillside with Stapely, 2817 inhabitants.
This place was formerly a free borough belonging to the
bishops of Winchester. The castle, which stood about
a mile north-west of the town, was built prior to the
time of King John, in whose reign it became celebrated
for its resistance to the army of Louis, Dauphin of
France, though garrisoned only by three officers and ten
private soldiers. That monarch was here a few days
before the signing of Magna Charta, attended by a retinue
of not more than seven knights. In the 27th of Edward
I., the town, park, and hundred were granted to the
queen, as part of her dower. In the reign of Edward III.,
David Bruce, King of Scotland, who had been made
prisoner at the battle of Neville's Cross, was confined in
the fortress for eleven years. The town is pleasantly
situated on the side of a chalk hill, and the neighbouring
chalk-pits supply the adjacent country with manure,
which is conveyed by the Basingstoke canal, about a
mile north-east of the town. The London and SouthWestern railway passes through the parish, and has a
station about two miles and a half distant. A book-club
has been established many years. Races were formerly
held. The market is on Tuesday; and fairs take place
on the Saturday preceding Mid-Lent Sunday, and on
July 31st, for horses and cattle. The county magistrates hold a meeting every fortnight; and constables
are annually chosen at the court leet of the manor, held
at Easter. Odiham was summoned to send members to
parliament in the reigns of Edward I. and Edward II.,
but never made any return.
The parish comprises 7119a. 29p., of which about 4585
acres are arable, 737 meadow, 484 pasture, 318 woodland, and 730 common. The living is a vicarage, with
that of Grewell annexed, valued in the king's books at
£23. 11. 5½.; net income, £537, with a glebe-house;
patron, the Chancellor of the Cathedral of Salisbury.
The church is a large ancient building of brick, coated
with stucco; and has lately received an addition of sittings. There are places of worship for the Connexion
of the late Countess of Huntingdon, and Independents.
A free school was founded in 1694, by Robert May, and
endowed with £600 for its general support, and £200
for apprenticing the children; the funds were subsequently augmented by a small rent-charge. Near the
church is an almshouse, endowed by Sir Edward More,
in 1623, with property now producing about £80 per
annum, for eight widowers and widows; and there are
apartments for two more persons, with stipends from
other benefactions. Vestiges of the keep of the ancient
castle are yet visible: the remains of a royal residence
have been converted into a farmhouse, still called Palace
Gate. William Lilly, the astrologer, was born here
about 1468; as was the late venerable and learned Dr.
Burgess, Bishop of Salisbury, in 1756.
Odstock, (St. Mary)
ODSTOCK, (St. Mary), a parish, in the union of
Alderbury, hundred of Cawden and Cadworth,
Salisbury and Amesbury, and S. divisions of Wilts, 3
miles (S.) from Salisbury; containing 149 inhabitants.
The living is a rectory, valued in the king's books at
£11. 17. 11.; net income, £282; patron, the Earl of
Radnor. The tithes were commuted for land and an
annual money payment in 1783.
Odstone
ODSTONE, a tything, in the parish of Ashbury,
poor-law union of Farringdon, hundred of Shrivenham, county of Berks; containing 34 inhabitants.
Offchurch (St. Gregory)
OFFCHURCH (St. Gregory), a parish, in the union
of Warwick, Kenilworth division of the hundred of
Knightlow, N. division of the county of Warwick,
5 miles (E. by N.) from Warwick; containing 367 inhabitants. In Saxon times this was a place of some
importance; Offa, King of Mercia, made it his residence. It comprises 2206 acres, and is pleasingly situated on the left bank of the river Leam: on the south
the Warwick and Napton canal, and on the east the
Roman fosse-way, skirt the parish. The living is a discharged vicarage, valued in the king's books at £7. 7. 6.;
income, £140 per annum; patron and impropriator,
T. W. Knightley, Esq.
Offcoat, with Underwood
OFFCOAT, with Underwood, a liberty, in the parish of Ashbourn, hundred of Wirksworth, S. division
of the county of Derby; containing 344 inhabitants.
This liberty adjoins the town of Ashbourn on the north,
and extends to Kniveton; it comprises 1845 acres of
various, but fertile, land, occupied as dairy-farms. Within
the liberty are the pleasant and well-built village of
Ashbourn Green and the village of Sandy-Brook.
Sandy-Brook Hall is a beautiful modern mansion, with
a fine lawn and delightful pleasure-grounds, the seat of
Sir Matthew Blakiston, Bart. The Green is a handsome
residence near Ashbourn Green, well wooded, and on a
gentle acclivity, with fine views.
Offenham (St. Milburgh)
OFFENHAM (St. Milburgh), a parish, in the union
of Evesham, Upper division of the hundred of Blackenhurst, Pershore and E. divisions of the county of
Worcester, 2½ miles (N. E. by N.) from Evesham;
containing 353 inhabitants. It is said, but on insufficient grounds, to have taken its name from the Saxon
king, Offa, who according to tradition had a palace here.
The lands were given to the abbey of Evesham by Ethelred, King of Mercia, in 703; and in the Domesday survey the whole place still belonged to the establishment:
the abbots had a park in Offenham, to which they frequently resorted; and in the summer of 1843, extensive
foundations of buildings were discovered, with fragments
of mullions and doorways. The parish is situated on the
left bank of the navigable river Avon, and consists of
1179a. 3r. 13p. of productive land. The living is a discharged perpetual curacy, valued in the king's books at
£6. 11. 5½.; net income, £123; patrons, the Dean and
Canons of Christ-Church, Oxford. The church, which
stands at the south-west end of the village, is a simple
structure, with a tower. The parish is entitled to £5
per annum for the support of a Sunday school, the bequest of John Millard, who died in 1827.
Offerton
OFFERTON, a township, in the parish and union of
Stockport, hundred of Macclesfield, N. division of
the county of Chester, 2½ miles (S. E. by E.) from
Stockport; containing 354 inhabitants. It comprises
524 acres, of which the prevailing soil is clay.
Offerton
OFFERTON, a hamlet, in the parish of Hope, union
of Bakewell, hundred of High Peak, N. division of
the county of Derby, 5½ miles (N. E.) from Tideswell;
containing 22 inhabitants.
Offerton
OFFERTON, a township, in the parish and union of
Houghton-le-Spring, N. division of Easington ward
and of the county of Durham, 4 miles (W. S. W.) from
Sunderland; containing 200 inhabitants. It derives its
name (formerly Ufferton) from the Saxon, signifying
"Higher Town," it being situated on a high brow of
ground that overlooks the vale of the Wear: the place
was one of those villages which Athelstan gave to the
see of Durham as an appendage to the villa dilecta of
South Wearmouth. The township comprises 732a. 3r.,
of which 526 acres are arable, 155 in grass, 12 wood,
and 39 waste: the village is in the north-eastern extremity of the parish. Here is a mineral spring.
Offham (St. Michael)
OFFHAM (St. Michael), a parish, in the union of
Malling, hundred of Larkfield, lathe of Aylesford,
W. division of Kent, 3¼ miles (E. S. E.) from Wrotham; containing 358 inhabitants. The parish comprises 707 acres, of which 320 are in wood: Kentish
ragstone abounds here. A fair for pedlery is held on
Trinity Monday. The living is a discharged rectory,
valued in the king's books at £6, and in the patronage
of the Crown; net income, £218. The church is principally in the early English style, with a tower on the
north side between the nave and chancel. The great
Roman military way from the Weald to London crosses
Offham. Jack Straw, the rebel in the reign of Richard
II., is said to have been born at Pepingstraw, in the
parish. Offham-green is remarkable for having on it
the ancient instrument of amusement called the quintain.
Offham
OFFHAM, a tything, in the parish of Southstoke,
hundred of Avisford, rape of Arundel, W. division of
the county of Sussex, 1¼ mile (N. E.) from Arundel;
containing 56 inhabitants.
Offley (St. Mary Magdalene)
OFFLEY (St. Mary Magdalene), a parish, in the
union of Hitchin, hundred of Hitchin and Pirton,
county of Hertford, 3¼ miles (W. S. W.) from Hitchin;
containing 1140 inhabitants. This place received its
name from King Offa, who is said to have died here.
The living is a discharged vicarage, valued in the king's
books at £9; net income, £298, with a glebe-house;
patron, the Marquess of Salisbury: the impropriate
tithes were commuted for land in 1768. The church
has a very handsome chancel, erected in 1777 by Dame
Sarah Salusbury, who also left £1000, which have been
applied to the foundation and support of a charity
school. In a wood at Highdowns are several barrows
and dykes, supposed to be of British origin.
Offley, High (St. Mary)
OFFLEY, HIGH (St. Mary), a parish, in the union
of Newport, N. division of the hundred of Pirehill
and of the county of Stafford, 4½ miles (S. W.) from
Eccleshall; containing 658 inhabitants. It comprises
about 2700 acres, of which 1250 are arable, 1200 pasture, 50 woodland, and 200 in roads and canal. The
road from Eccleshall to Newport, in Shropshire, and the
old road from Stafford to Newport, unite in the parish,
which is also intersected by the Birmingham and Liverpool canal. The village obtains the prefix to its name
from its situation upon a bold eminence, and commands
an extensive view including the Wrekin, in Shropshire,
and hills in Wales. The living is a vicarage, valued in the
king's books at £6. 6. 0½., and in the patronage of the
Bishop of Lichfield: the rectorial tithes, leased to Sir
Delves Broughton, Bart., have been commuted for £300,
and the vicarial for £157. 10. Portions of the glebe
land were taken by the Birmingham and Liverpool
Canal Company, and the purchase money invested in
the funds for the benefit of the vicar: there are now 86
acres of glebe. The church is an ancient edifice, neatly
pewed with oak, and has a good organ, presented in
1816 by John Salmon, Esq., of London. Sir Charles
Skrymsher, in 1708-9, left a rent-charge of £10 per
annum, which is paid by Lord Anson (who purchased
the estate), and applied to apprenticing a boy; £6 per
annum are also paid by Lord Anson for the poor, the
gift of Mrs. Baldwin. The foundations of a Roman road
are traceable in the fields a little north of the church;
and Roman coins, bricks, armour, and fragments of
pottery, have been found.
Offlow, Bishop's, or Bishop's Offley
OFFLOW, BISHOP'S, or Bishop's Offley, a township, in the parish of Adbaston, union of Newport, N.
division of the hundred of Pirehill and of the county
of Stafford, 3 miles (W.) from Eccleshall; containing
201 inhabitants. It lies on the road from Broughton to
Adbaston, and has a small village, a mile and a half
north of the parish church. In the hamlet of Outwoods
or Outlands, within the township, died, in 1714, William
Wakeley, aged 125 years. The tithes have been commuted for £123. 15.
Offord-Cluny (All Saints)
OFFORD-CLUNY (All Saints), a parish, in the
union of St. Neot's, hundred of Toseland, county of
Huntingdon, 3½ miles (S. W. by S.) from Huntingdon;
containing 301 inhabitants. It is situated on the eastern bank of the river Ouse, and comprises 1023a. 31p.
The living is a rectory, valued in the king's books at
£19. 2. 1.; net income, £220; patron, the Bishop of
London. The tithes were commuted for land and a
money payment in 1801: there is a glebe-house, with
254 acres of land. Dr. Newcome, master of St. John's
College, Cambridge, was rector of the parish.
Offord-Darcy (St. Peter)
OFFORD-DARCY (St. Peter), a parish, in the
union of St. Neot's, hundred of Toseland, county of
Huntingdon, 4 miles (N. N. E.) from St. Neot's; containing 306 inhabitants. The parish is situated on the
river Ouse, about 2 miles from which, on the east, and
in a parallel line, runs the great north road. It comprises 1700 acres. The living is a rectory, valued in the
king's books at £15. 2. 8½., and in the gift of G. Thornhill, Esq.: the tithes have been commuted for £42. 12.,
and the glebe comprises 42 acres.
Offton (St. Mary)
OFFTON (St. Mary), a parish, in the union and
hundred of Bosmere and Claydon, E. division of
Suffolk, 8 miles (W. N. W.) from Ipswich; containing
417 inhabitants, and comprising 1535a. 2r. 15p. The
living is a discharged vicarage, with the rectory of Little
Bricett united, and valued in the king's books at £7.
16. 0½.; patron and impropriator, H. W. Sparrow, Esq.
The great tithes have been commuted for £216. 10., and
the vicarial for £183. 10.: there is a glebe-house, with
about 28 acres of land. Upon a chalky hill in the
parish are the remains of a fortification said to have been
built by Offa, King of Mercia, from whom the place perhaps took its name. In a meadow near Talmash Hall,
formerly a large mansion, was a chapel, the site of
which is still pointed out.
Offwell (St. Mary)
OFFWELL (St. Mary), a parish, in the union of
Honiton, hundred of Colyton, Honiton and S. divisions of Devon, 2½ miles (E. S. E.) from Honiton;
containing 438 inhabitants. It comprises 1918 acres, of
which 340 are common or waste land. The living is a
rectory, valued in the king's books at £14. 3. 6½.; income, £347; patron, the Rev. J. G. Copleston. Dr.
Copleston, formerly provost of Oriel College, Oxford, and
created Bishop of Llandaff in 1828, was born here.