Penponds
PENPONDS, an ecclesiastical district, in the parish
of Camborne, union of Redruth, E. division of the
hundred of Penwith, W. division of Cornwall, 1 mile
(S. W.) from the town of Camborne; containing 2817
inhabitants. The district was constituted in December
1846, under the provisions of the act 6th and 7th
Victoria, cap. 37. It is bounded on the north by the
sea, and comprises 2621 acres of land, much of which
has been brought into cultivation within the last few
years, and some of which is rich and fertile. The West
Cornwall railway passes through, as does the road from
Camborne to Penzance and Hayle. Several coppermines have been worked in the district, but all are now
discontinued. The living is a perpetual curacy, in the
patronage of the Crown and the Bishop of Exeter, alternately. There are two places of worship for Methodists,
and one for Bible Christians.
Penrith (St. Andrew)
PENRITH (St. Andrew), a market-town and parish,
and the head of a union, in Leath ward, E. division of
Cumberland, 18 miles (S. E. by S.) from Carlisle, and
283 (N. N. W.) from London; containing, with the hamlets of Carleton and Plumpton-Head, and the district of
Inglewood Forest, 6429 inhabitants, of whom 6145 are
in the town. This place is of considerable antiquity: its
name is evidently of British origin, and, signifying "the
red hill or summit," has reference either to the nature of
the adjacent soil, or to the red freestone with which the
town is built. Old Penrith, the Bremetenracum of the
Romans, is situated about five miles north-by-west of
the present town. At the Conquest, the honour of Penrith was a royal franchise, which, after repeated changes,
was assigned to Alexander III., King of Scotland, in
consideration of his ceding all claim to the counties of
Cumberland, Northumberland, and Westmorland, at
that time the subject of frequent contests between the
sovereigns of England and Scotland. From him it descended to John Baliol, on whose defection it was seized
by Edward I., and given to Anthony Beck, Bishop of
Durham: having repeatedly lapsed to the crown, it was
granted in 1696, to William Bentinck, Earl of Portland,
and was sold by the late Duke of Portland in 1783 to
the Duke of Devonshire. During the reigns of Edward
III. and Richard II., the town suffered greatly from the
incursions of the Scots, who, in the latter reign, ravaged
the country, fired towns and villages, and enslaved many
of the inhabitants; but the invaders becoming infected
by the plague, which then raged here, and conveying the
contagion into Scotland on their return, nearly one-third
of the people of that kingdom fell a sacrifice. A second
visitation of the plague, in the years 1597 and 1598,
swept away upwards of 2000 inhabitants of the town and
parish.
The town is pleasantly seated in a fine fertile vale,
which is inclosed by eminences of varied cultivation,
and watered by three small rivers, the Eamont, the
Lowther, and the Petteril. It consists principally of one
long street, situated at the junction of the main roads from
Yorkshire and Lancashire to Glasgow, and is well paved,
and lighted; the houses, many of which are modern,
are built chiefly of red freestone, covered with plaster and
whitewashed, and roofed with slate. About the year
1400, a water-course was cut through the town from the
river Petteril, to the Eamont, at the expense of William
Strickland, Bishop of Carlisle. On Beacon Hill, so called
from having been anciently crowned with a beacon, is a
square stone edifice, erected in 1719, the windows of
which command an extensive and diversified prospect,
combining nearly all the varieties of landscape scenery.
Towards the north is an excellent race-course, with a
grand stand, where on the four last days of the first
week in October, races and stag hunts are numerously
and respectably attended. There are an assembly-room
(occasionally used as a theatre), a bowling-green, newsroom, and subscription and circulating libraries; and
the neighbourhood affords many picturesque and beautiful
walks. The manufacture of checks, gingham, calico, and
other cotton goods, was formerly carried on to a considerable extent, but it is now on the decline: the mineral produce of the vicinity consists of red freestone, slate,
and limestone. The Lancaster and Carlisle railway has
a station here, the site presenting a most commanding
view of the surrounding country: some acres of ground
are occupied by the buildings, coal-staiths, &c.; and
closely adjoining are the venerable ruins of the castle,
noticed below. The principal market, at which a large
quantity of corn is pitched, is held on Tuesday, and there
is a smaller one for butchers' meat on Saturday: fairs
for cattle take place on March 1st, April 24th and 25th,
and the third Tuesday in October; and fairs for hiring
servants, on the Tuesday at Whitsuntide and at Martinmas. New shambles were erected, and the old marketcross, shambles, and moot-hall were removed from the
market-place, in 1807. The markets and fairs are under
the regulation of the bailiff appointed by the Duke of
Devonshire, whose steward presides every third Monday
at a court baron, the powers of which extend to the recovery of debts under 40s. Petty-sessions are held on
alternate Tuesdays; and a quarter-session for the county,
on the Tuesday in the first week after October 11th.
The powers of the county debt-court of Penrith, established in 1847, extend over the registration-district of
West Ward, and nearly the whole of that of Penrith. A
house of correction was built in 1826, at an expense of
£400, defrayed out of the county rate.
The parish comprises 7663a. 3r. 27p. The living is
a vicarage, valued in the king's books at £12. 6. 3.;
patron, the Bishop of Carlisle. The church, which was
given by Henry I. to the see of Carlisle, then newly
founded, was rebuilt, with the exception of the tower,
in 1722, and is a plain, neat, and spacious edifice; the
altar is placed in a semicircular recess, adorned with
paintings in a very good style, and the building contains
many monuments preserved from the former structure.
In the churchyard are two stone monuments, called the
Giant's Grave or the Giant's Legs; they are about 12
feet high, and 15 feet distant from each other, and are
traditionally said to have been raised to commemorate
the exploits of Sir Ewen Cæsarius, an ancient hero,
against the robbers and wild boars that infested Inglewood Forest. There are places of worship for Wesleyans, the Society of Friends, Independents, Primitive
Methodists, and Scottish Seceders. The free grammar
school was instituted in 1340, by Bishop Strickland,
who, having established a chantry here, required his
chantry priest to teach music and grammar, at a salary
of £6 per annum; it was refounded by Queen Elizabeth,
and the endowment is at present about £30 per annum.
It is entitled to share, with other schools in Westmorland
and Yorkshire, in five exhibitions of £50 per annum
each at Queen's College, Oxford, the bequest of Lady
Elizabeth Hastings in the year 1739. The poor-law
union of Penrith comprises 39 parishes or places, and
contains, according to the census of 1841, a population
of 20,989.
The remains of the ancient castle are westward of
the town. The fabric is supposed to have been erected
as a protection from the incursions of the Scots; it was
repaired and enlarged by Richard, Duke of Gloucester,
who resided here and was sheriff of Cumberland for
five years in succession. The site favours the opinion
of its having been a Roman encampment, being irregularly quadrilateral. The building exhibits no indication
of very ancient date, and the ruins are remarkable more
for their extent than their magnificence: the chief
objects of interest are the projecting corbels in the
eastern front, which appear to have supported an open
corridor; there are some large vaults, which were probably prisons. The walls, broken in many places, and
intersected with remaining windows, assume, from different points of view, striking varieties of perspective
scenery. After the great civil war, the edifice was dismantled, and part of the materials sold. About half a
mile north of Penrith is a square mount, measuring 20
yards on each side, which is generally supposed to have
been used during the rebellion, as a place of execution
for Scottish rebels. Three miles east-by-south of the
town, on the north side of the river Eamont, are two
remarkable excavations in a perpendicular rock, styled
Giant's Caves, according to fabulous tradition the resisidence of Isis, a giant. On the south bank of the same
river is a circular intrenchment designated King Arthur's
Round Table.
Penrose (St. Cadocus)
PENROSE (St. Cadocus), a parish, in the division
and hundred of Raglan, union and county of Monmouth, 2 miles (N.) from Raglan; containing 358 inhabitants. It consists of elevated and highly undulated
ground, from parts of which some pleasing and extensive prospects are obtained; the soil is of a clayey quality. The living is annexed to the vicarage of LlantilioCressenny: there is a glebe of 50 acres. The church is
an ancient structure, with a square tower.
Penruddock
PENRUDDOCK, a hamlet, in the parish of Greystock, union of Penrith, Leath ward, E. division of
Cumberland, 6¼ miles (W. by S.) from Penrith. The
Independents have a place of worship.
Penryn
PENRYN, a sea-port,
borough, and market-town,
in the parish of Gluvias,
union of Falmouth, E. division of the hundred of
Kerrier, W. division of
Cornwall, 2 miles (N. W.)
from Falmouth, and 266 (W.
S. W.) from London; containing 3337 inhabitants.
This place, comprising the
manors of Penryn Borough
and Penryn Forryn, has
from time immemorial belonged to the bishops of
Exeter, who had formerly a residence here, and under
whose patronage the town first rose into importance.
Bishop Bronscombe, in 1258, procured for the inhabitants the grant of a weekly market and an annual fair;
and, about the year 1270, founded a collegiate church
at the place, for a provost, eleven prebendaries, seven
vicars, and six choristers, which he amply endowed and
dedicated to the Blessed Virgin and St. Thomas of Canterbury, and which continued till the Dissolution, when
its revenues were valued at £210. 13. 2. An additional
fair was obtained in 1312, by Bishop Stapleton, privy
councillor to Edward II., and lord high treasurer of
England. During the civil war of the seventeenth century, Penryn was garrisoned for the king, but being
attacked by the parliamentary forces, it surrendered to
Sir Thomas Fairfax, in 1646.
Corporation Seal.
The town is pleasantly situated on the declivity of an
eminence, at the head of an inlet from Falmouth harbour, and consists principally of one spacious street,
from which others diverge at right angles. The houses
are in general neatly built; the town is paved, and
lighted with gas, and the inhabitants are supplied with
water by streams issuing from the adjacent heights, one
of which in its descent forms an interesting cascade.
The adjacent country is well cultivated, and interspersed
with gentlemen's seats; and the scenery, including some
fine views of Falmouth harbour and the coast, is varied
and picturesque. A new road has been formed from
Falmouth and Redruth, to avoid the steep streets of
the town; and another to avoid the hill called Antron,
adjoining the town on the Helston road. The quay,
also, has been extended to nearly twice its original length,
and an iron swing-bridge constructed over the river,
within the last few years. The port is a member of
that of Falmouth, and has a considerable trade in the
shipping of granite from quarries in the neighbourhood
(of which large quantities are sent to London), arsenic,
leather, and paper; and in the importation of flour,
corn, coal, timber, and saltpetre. There are warehouses
on the quay for flour and grain, which are brought from
Ireland, Hampshire, and the Isle of Wight, this place
being the granary for supplying the adjoining mineral
district. An act for forming basins, docks, and other
works, was passed in 1845. The manufacture of paper,
woollen-cloth, arsenic, and gunpowder, is carried on;
and in the neighbourhood are some tanneries, breweries,
and corn-mills. The market is on Saturday, and is well
supplied with meat, fish, poultry, and vegetables. Fairs
for cattle are held on the Wednesday after March 6th,
on May 12th, July 7th, October 8th, and December
21st.
Penryn is a borough by prescription; it received its
first charter of incorporation from James I., and a second
one was bestowed by James II., in the first year of his
reign. The government is now vested in a mayor, 4
aldermen, and 12 councillors, under the act of the 5th
and 6th of William IV., cap. 76; the mayor, the late
mayor, and others, are justices of the peace, the county
magistrates having concurrent jurisdiction. Though it
is said to have made a return to parliament in the reign
of Edward VI., the town appears to have regularly exercised the elective franchise only since the first year of
the reign of Mary: by the act of 1832, the limits of the
borough, which contained 250 acres, were extended so
as to include the town of Falmouth; the mayor is returning officer. There was formerly a chapel in the town,
but it long since fell into decay, and the inhabitants
attend the parochial church of Gluvias, which is not
more than 100 yards distant from the town. The
Bryanites, Independents, and Wesleyans have places of
worship. A free grammar school was founded by Queen
Elizabeth, and endowed with a rent-charge of £6. 13. 4.,
but it is now discontinued; a national school, erected in
1837, is supported by subscription. John Verran, in
the year 1758, bequeathed £1000, which have been invested in the three per cents., for the support of eight
men or women; and James Humphrey, Esq., in 1823,
left £3000 to be invested, and the dividends appropriated to the payment of certain annuities, and, on the
death of the annuitants, paid in sums of £10 per annum
to individuals in reduced circumstances.
Pensax
PENSAX, a chapelry, in the parish of Lindridge,
union of Martley, Lower division of the hundred of
Oswaldslow, but locally in the Upper division of the
hundred of Doddingtree, Hundred-House and W.
divisions of the county of Worcester, 6 miles (S. W.)
from Bewdley; containing 541 inhabitants. The chapelry is in the eastern part of the parish, and comprises
1193 acres, of hilly surface. Coal is abundant, and is
worked to a considerable extent. The chapel, dedicated
to St. James, was rebuilt in 1833; it is a neat stone
structure, on a steep elevation called Chapel Hill, and
will seat 242 persons. The living is a perpetual curacy,
in the gift of the Vicar of Lindridge; net income, £100,
paid out of the vicarial tithes, with a house.
Pensby
PENSBY, a township, in the parish of Woodchurch, union, and Lower division of the hundred, of
Wirrall, S. division of Cheshire, 4½ miles (N. N. W.)
from Great Neston; containing 31 inhabitants. The
first notice of this place is found in a record of the 21st
of Richard II., from which it appears probable that the
entire township had previously belonged to one Peter
Pennesby. It is known to have been divided in parcels
in the reign of Henry VI., when one-third belonged to
the hospital of St. John, in Chester, a like extent to the
Stanleys, of Hooton, and a fourth part to the family of
Bold. After the Dissolution, the manor was granted to
the Dean and Chapter of Chester, from whom it passed
to the Harpurs, who sold it to the Gleggs, of Gayton.
The township is situated on a moorish flat, between
Heswall, Barnston, and Irby; and comprises 334 acres,
of a clayey soil. The inhabitants occupy the few farmhouses of which the village is composed.
Penscellwood (St. Michael)
PENSCELLWOOD (St. Michael), a parish, in the
union of Wincanton, hundred of Norton-Ferris,
E. division of Somerset, 3¾ miles (N. E.) from Wincanton; containing 397 inhabitants. This parish, which
is situated on the river Stour, comprises 1100 acres by
measurement; the surface is in general hilly. There
are several quarries of building-stone. The manufacture
of shoe-thread and sacking affords employment to about
100 persons. The living is a discharged rectory, valued
in the king's books at £6. 14. 9½., and in the patronage
of the Earl of Ilchester, Sir H. R. Hoare, Bart., and the
Earl of Egremont's Trustees: the tithes have been commuted for £156. 12. 8., and there are 32 acres of glebe,
with a house. On the site of an ancient Danish camp
in the parish, a tower, 120 feet in height, was erected
by an ancestor of Sir H. R. Hoare's, to commemorate
the celebrated visit of Alfred the Great, in the disguise
of a minstrel, to the tent of Guthrum.
Pensford St. Thomas (St. Thomas à Becket)
PENSFORD ST. THOMAS (St. Thomas à Becket),
a parish, in the union of Clutton, hundred of Keynsham, E. division of Somerset, 5½ miles (S.) from
Bristol; containing 360 inhabitants. The parish is
intersected by the river Chew. In the neighbourhood
are several considerable copper-mines, and these, with
adjacent coal-mines, afford employment to a great part
of the population. The village is situated partly in this
parish and partly in that of Publow; a market formerly
held by charter in the latter portion, has been disused
for some years, but there are still fairs on May 6th and
November 8th. The living is annexed to the vicarage of
Stanton-Drew. Here are places of worship for Independents and Wesleyans.
Pensham
PENSHAM, a hamlet, in the parish of St. Andrew,
Pershore, union, and Upper division of the hundred,
of Pershore, Pershore and E. divisions of the county
of Worcester, 1½ mile (S. by W.) from Pershore; containing 100 inhabitants, and comprising 704 acres.
Pensher, Durham.—See Painshaw.
PENSHER, Durham.—See Painshaw.
Penshurst (St. John the Baptist)
PENSHURST (St. John the Baptist), a parish, in
the union of Seven-Oaks, hundred of Somerden, lathe
of Sutton at-Hone, W. division of Kent, 6 miles
(W. S. W.) from Tonbridge; containing 1470 inhabitants. The parish comprises 4526 acres, of which 342
are in wood: the river Eden here unites with the Medway, and the scenery is beautifully varied. Stone is
quarried, of a quality suitable for building; and the
manufacture of paper is carried on. A fair is held in
June. At White Port, the South-Eastern railway is
carried through a short tunnel 25 feet in diameter.
Penshurst Place, adjoining the village, is a noble pile
erected at various periods, on the site of a mansion
which, in the time of William the Conqueror, belonged
to the Penchester family, but, from that of Edward IV.,
to the Sidneys, of whom was Sir Philip Sidney. The
living is a rectory, valued in the king's books at £30.
6. 0½., and in the gift of Sir J. S. Sidney, Bart.: the
tithes have been commuted for £1020; the glebe comprises 35 acres, with a house. The church, which was
probably erected in the thirteenth or fourteenth century,
is a handsome edifice with three chancels, and is rich in
ancient monuments. There is a place of worship for
Baptists. Two national schools have been established;
and five almshouses have been erected, partly by Sir J.
S. Sidney in exchange for land on which some ancient
almshouses stood, and partly by subscription. In the
neighbourhood are remains of a Roman fortification.
Dr. Henry Hammond, a learned divine, was rector of the
parish. Penshurst gives the inferior title of Baron to
the family of Smythe, Viscounts Strangford.
Pensnett
PENSNETT, an ecclesiastical parish, in the parish
of King's-Swinford, union of Stourbridge, N. division of the hundred of Seisdon, S. division of the
county of Stafford, 2 miles (W. S. W.) from Dudley, on
the road to King's-Swinford; containing about 5000 inhabitants. This parish was constituted in 1844, under the
act 6th and 7th of Victoria, cap. 37. It is about two
miles in length, and one mile and a half in breadth; the
soil is a strong clay, and part only is in a state of cultivation, the district having been formerly comprehended
in the limits of Pensnett Chase. The Stourbridge and
the Stourbridge Extension canals, and the large reservoirs belonging to them, bound the parish on two sides.
Here are some of the largest iron-works in South Staffordshire, which, and the coal and iron mines in the
immediate neighbourhood, have in the few last years
rapidly increased the population. Corbyn Hall, in the
parish, is the ancient seat of the Corbyn family. The
beautifully-wooded eminence called Barrow Hill is supposed to be of volcanic origin, and has emitted smoke
from its summit in the memory of some of the old inhabitants, though all appearance of smoke has now ceased.
On this hill stands the church, just finished, a handsome
edifice in the early English style, 138 feet in length, with
spacious chancel and aisles, and calculated to accommodate above 1000 persons; the estimated cost is
£6000. The living is a perpetual curacy, in the patronage of the Crown and the Bishop of Lichfield, alternately; net income, £150. There are two places of
worship for Wesleyans, and one for the New Connexion
of Methodists.
Pensthorpe, or Pentesthorpe
PENSTHORPE, or Pentesthorpe, a parish, in
the union of Walsingham, hundred of Gallow, W.
division of Norfolk, 2 miles (E. S. E.) from Fakenham;
containing 19 inhabitants. It comprises 750a. 11p., of
which 572 acres are arable, 151 pasture and meadow,
and 15 woodland and waste. The living is a rectory,
valued in the king's books at £10, and in the gift of
certain Trustees: the tithes have been commuted for
£170. The church has been long in ruins. Roman urns
have been found in the gravel-pits here.
Penterry
PENTERRY, a parish, in the union and division of
Chepstow, hundred of Caldicot, county of Monmouth,
3¼ miles (N. by W.) from Chepstow; containing 38 inhabitants. It is on the right bank of the river Wye,
and comprises about 460 acres. The living is a perpetual
curacy, in the patronage of the Bishop, Archdeacon, and
Chapter of Llandaff, the appropriators; net income, £65.
The tithes have been commuted for £55.
Pentlow (St. George)
PENTLOW (St. George), a parish, in the union of
Sudbury, hundred of Hinckford, N. division of
Essex, 2¾ miles (E. by N.) from Clare; containing 364
inhabitants. This parish, which is partly bounded by
the river Stort, is about seven miles in circumference;
the surface is chiefly elevated, with some small tracts of
low meadow land. The living is a rectory, valued in
the king's books at £12, and in the gift of the Rev.
Edward Bull: the tithes have been commuted for £510,
and the glebe comprises 27 acres. The church, situated
on low ground, is partly Norman, and partly in the
early English style, with an embattled tower of stone
and flint; on the north side of the chancel is a sepulchral chapel belonging to the family of Kemp, in which
is an elegant tomb with recumbent figures of Judge
Kemp and his wife.
Pentney (St. Mary Magdalene)
PENTNEY (St. Mary Magdalene), a parish, in the
union and hundred of Freebridge-Lynn, W. division
of Norfolk, 8 miles (N. W. by W.) from Swaffham;
containing 592 inhabitants. The parish comprises by
measurement 2492 acres, of which 1190 are arable, 1082
pasture and meadow, 170 plantation, and 50 in roads
and waste; the soil, formerly wet and marshy, has been
greatly improved by draining, for which an act of parliament was obtained in 1815. The village is situated
on the north bank of the river Nar, and consists of numerous widely-detached houses. The living is a perpetual
curacy; net income, £60; patron, the Rev. Robert Hankinson; impropriator, the Rev. Dr. George Thackeray.
The church is an ancient structure in the decorated
English style, with a square embattled tower. There is
a place of worship for Wesleyans. At the inclosure of
the parish, 62 acres were allotted to the poor for fuel;
and a house and some land, now producing £18 per
annum, have been bequeathed for widows. About a
mile to the west is the gate-house of a priory of Black
canons, founded in honour of the Holy Trinity, the
Blessed Virgin Mary, and St. Mary Magdalene, by
Robert de Vallibus, a follower of the Conqueror's; at
the Dissolution there were twelve canons, whose revenue
was estimated at £215. 18. 8. In the grounds of the
priory, three long swords, and some silver coins, have
been discovered by the plough. Between the ruin and
the church is an ancient cross.
Penton-Grafton, Hants.—See Weyhill.
PENTON-GRAFTON, Hants.—See Weyhill.
Penton-Mewsey (Holy Trinity)
PENTON-MEWSEY (Holy Trinity), a parish, in
the union and hundred of Andover, Andover and N.
divisions of the county of Southampton, 2¾ miles (N.
W. by W.) from Andover; containing 249 inhabitants.
The living is a rectory, valued in the king's books at
£9. 12. 8½., and in the gift of the Rev. J. Constable:
the tithes have been commuted for £286, and the glebe
comprises 40 acres.
Pentonville
PENTONVILLE, a hamlet, in the parish of St.
James, Clerkenwell, Finsbury division of the hundred
of Ossulstone, county of Middlesex; containing 9334
inhabitants. A chapel was erected in 1788, since which
period a considerable number of streets has been formed,
constituting one of the most respectable suburbs of the
metropolis.—See Clerkenwell.
Pentrich (St. Matthew)
PENTRICH (St. Matthew), a parish, in the union
of Belper, hundred of Morleston and Litchurch,
S. division of the county of Derby; containing, with
the chapelry of Ripley, and the hamlet of Butterley,
3054 inhabitants, of whom 539 are in the township of
Pentrich, 2¾ miles (S. W. by S.) from Alfreton. This
parish, which previously to the Reformation was a
domain of Darley Abbey, comprises 4600 acres, whereof
1450a. 2r. 11p. belong to the Duke of Devonshire. The
Cromford canal passes through it, and is joined by a
tramroad from Oakerthorpe. The living is a discharged
vicarage, valued in the king's books at £6; patron and
impropriator, the Duke of Devonshire: attached to the
glebe-house is a glebe of a few acres. The church,
which stands on a fine eminence, is a very ancient
structure. At Ripley is a separate incumbency; and
the parish contains places of worship for Independents,
Methodists, and Unitarians. A national school, built
by the Duke of Devonshire in 1819, is supported by
subscription; and the poor have had some portions of
land allotted to them for spade cultivation. The Romans
had a camp on part of what was Pentrich common, called
Castle Hill, through which passed the Ikeneld-street.
Pentridge (St. Rumbold)
PENTRIDGE (St. Rumbold), a parish, in the union
of Wimborne and Cranborne, hundred of Cranborne, Wimborne division of Dorset, 3½ miles (N. W.
by N.) from Cranborne; containing, with the hamlet of
East Woodyates, 244 inhabitants. The parish is situated
in the north-eastern extremity of the county, upon the
borders of Wiltshire, and on the road from Blandford to
Salisbury. It comprises an area of 1764 acres, of which
248 are common or waste land. The living is a rectory,
valued in the king's books at £6. 15. 10., and in the
patronage of the Crown: the tithes have been commuted for £205, and the glebe comprises 49 acres. On
Penbury Hill, which commands an extensive prospect,
was formerly a beacon.
Penwortham (St. Mary)
PENWORTHAM (St. Mary), a parish, in the union
of Preston, hundred of Leyland, N. division of Lancashire; containing, with the chapelry of Longton,
and the townships of Farington, Howick, and Hutton,
5498 inhabitants, of whom 1372 are in Penwortham
township, 1¾ mile (S. W.) from Preston. William the
Conqueror bestowed this place on Roger de Busli, joint
lord of the hundred of Blackburn; and it is highly probable that the castle of Penwortham was one of the
baronial residences of this favourite of his sovereign.
Warin Bussel, supposed to have been the son of Roger
de Busli, was his successor, and ranks as the first baron
of Penwortham. He was a considerable benefactor to
the abbey of Evesham, on which he conferred the
churches of Penwortham, Meols, and Leyland, and the
town of Farington. Hugh Bussel, the fourth baron,
was involved in litigation with John, Earl of Morton,
afterwards King John, respecting his inheritance, which
he finally lost by some real or pretended defect in his
title; and in the 7th of John the barony was assigned
to Roger de Lacy, constable of Chester, for 310 marks
of silver. It is recorded that Ranulph, surnamed de
Blundeville, earl of Chester and baron of Lancaster, after
he had received confirmation from Henry III. of the
lands between the Ribble and the Mersey, held his court
at Penwortham Castle. From the earls of Chester and
Lincoln the barony passed by marriage to Thomas, Earl
of Lancaster, and eventually became merged in the
dukedom of Lancaster. A Benedictine priory was
founded here in honour of the Virgin Mary, on the
lands granted by Warin Bussel to the abbey of Evesham; and several monks of that establishment were
placed in it, whose revenue at the Dissolution was £114.
16. 9.: the site was given in the 34th of Henry VIII. to
John Fleetwood, of London.
The parish is the most northern of the parishes in
Leyland hundred. It is bounded on the north by the
Ribble, whose banks consist of highly cultivated grounds,
and command a view of the opposite borough of Preston; on the east it is bounded by Walton-le-Dale, in the
parish of Blackburn, on the south by Leyland and Hoole
parishes, and the western boundary is washed by the
Ribble estuary. The area is 7451 acres, and the arable
and pasture land are in nearly equal portions. In the
township of Penwortham are 2109 acres, of which about
one-third are arable, one-sixth pasture, and a small portion wood. One of the heaviest cuttings on the line of
the North-Union railway was that made through Penwortham Hill; and the embankment of the Ribble valley here, for the same railway, was also a work of considerable labour. The bridge continuing the line over
the Ribble into Preston, is a bold and massive structure,
erected at a cost of £45,000: it consists of five semielliptical arches, each of 120 feet span; the piers are
20 feet in thickness, and the way 44 feet above the level
of the water, the whole being constructed of gritstone,
principally from Longridge quarry.
The living is a perpetual curacy; net income, £106;
patron, L. Rawstorne, Esq., who is also impropriator:
the tithes of Penwortham township have been commuted
for £206. The church stands on an eminence overlooking the valley of the Ribble, and is a small edifice, probably of the 15th century, having a nave, aisle, and
chancel, with a tower; the interior is narrow and
gloomy, and the seats are quite plain, but over two of
the pews are carved canopies. In 1812 a new gallery
was erected, and the higher part of the body of the
church was fronted, and castellated, in the latest style of
pointed architecture. At Farington and Longton are
separate incumbencies. In Penwortham is a place of
worship for Wesleyan Methodists. A free grammar
school was founded at Hutton, in 1552, by Christopher
Walton, who endowed it with houses and lands which
produced at first only £4 per annum, but now yield an
annual income of £850. A valuable charity is administered, in clothes, on St. Thomas' day, to the poor of
Penwortham and Howick; the income is now nearly
£80 a year, being the rent of two fields in Fishergate,
Preston, which until 1846 returned only £26 per annum:
a branch railway from the North-Union station in Preston to the river Ribble produced the increase. The
trustees of the grammar school have erected schools out
of their funds, at Penwortham and Farington, and support the masters of the schools at Howick and Longton.
The castle already mentioned has totally disappeared;
but its remembrance is preserved in the name of Castle
Hill. Numbers of trees are found underneath peat, and
along the coast of the Ribble estuary.
Pen-Y-Clawdd (St. Martin)
PEN-Y-CLAWDD (St. Martin), a parish, in the
division and hundred of Raglan, union and county of
Monmouth, 5 miles (S. W.) from Monmouth; containing 48 inhabitants. The parish comprises 614a. 26p.,
of which 261 acres are arable, 253 meadow and pasture,
and 96 woodland; and is situated on the old road from
Usk to Monmouth. Stone is quarried for building, and
the repair of roads. The living is a perpetual curacy,
annexed to that of Llangoven: the tithes belong to the
bishop, archdeacon, and chapter of Llandaff, and have
been commuted for £50. The church is an ancient
structure, with a square tower.
Penzance
PENZANCE, a sea-port,
incorporated market-town,
and chapelry, and the head
of a union, in the parish of
Madron, having exclusive
jurisdiction, locally in the W.
division of the hundred of
Penwith and of the county
of Cornwall, 67 miles (S.
W. by W.) from Launceston,
and 282 (W. S. W.) from
London; containing 8578 inhabitants. This town, which
is the most western in England, was in 1595 burnt
by the Spaniards, who, having landed near Mousehole,
about two miles and a half distant, set fire to that
place and to the village of Newlyn, and laid waste the
coast generally. On this occasion Sir Francis Godolphin summoned the inhabitants of the neighbourhood to
his assistance, and attempted to protect the town from
devastation; but his followers being seized with a sudden
panic, he was obliged to abandon it to its fate. On the
day following, the Cornish men, having rallied, repelled
the invaders, without sustaining any further injury. The
town was speedily rebuilt, and continued to flourish as
a port, carrying on a considerable coasting-trade, and
having many privileges, which had been granted to the
inhabitants by Henry VIII., and were confirmed by
James I. During the civil war, the place was plundered
by the army under Sir Thomas Fairfax, in 1646, in
resentment for the favourable reception given by the
inhabitants to the royalist forces under Lords Goring
and Hopeton. After the Restoration it was made one
of the stannary towns.
Corporation Seal.
It is situated on the north-west side of Mount's bay,
nearly opposite to St. Michael's Mount and Marazion,
and consists of several streets, lighted with gas, and
well paved. The houses are in general modern and
neatly built, and the inhabitants are supplied with water
from a spring about two miles and a half distant, which
is conveyed into a reservoir at the head of North-street.
A public library was established in 1818, and there are
subscription and commercial newsrooms. The Penwith
Agricultural Society, founded in 1813, holds its meetings
for the distribution of premiums for improvements in
husbandry at this place. The Royal Geological Society
of Cornwall was established here in the same year, by
Dr. Paris, under the patronage of George IV., and has a
splendid collection of minerals illustrative of the sciences
of geology and mineralogy, and a laboratory. A museum,
also, has been established within the last few years,
chiefly for natural history; many foreign and native
specimens have been presented, and the institution
appears to be promising well. The agreeable situation
of the town, and the mild temperature of its climate,
render it a favourite resort for invalids: baths are kept
for the accommodation of visiters, and assemblies are
held. The environs abound with beautiful scenery,
affording pleasant rides; and the numerous boats for
water excursions, and the shipping in Mount's bay, add
greatly to the interest and cheerfulness of the place.
The harbour is very commodious. The pier, originally
constructed in 1766, extended in 1785, and again in 1812,
is now more than 600 feet in length; at the extremity of
it a lighthouse was built in 1816, which is illuminated
when there are ten feet of water in the harbour. A northern arm is about to be run out from the eastern end of
the town, towards the head of the pier, so as to form a
basin, and give increased shelter for shipping; and it
is also in contemplation to make a floating-dock within,
capable of containing steamers and large vessels. The
trade consists principally in exporting copper-ore,
china-clay, and pilchards; and in importing timber,
iron, hemp, tallow, grocery, and shop goods of various
sorts, for the supply of the neighbourhood. The pilchard-fishery is carried on at Mousehole and Newlyn,
and the fish are brought to be shipped at this place,
whence also are shipped about two-thirds of the Cornish
tin. The number of vessels of above 50 tons registered
at the port is 32, and the aggregate burthen 3284 tons;
the amount of duties paid at the custom-house during
the year is about £30,000. A packet sails weekly to
the Scilly Islands, and a steam-packet plies between Penzance and London every fortnight. About 4000 blocks
of tin are coined here every three months; there are
two tin smelting-houses near the town, and several
establishments for making the tin into bars and ingots
for exportation. The regular market-days are Tuesday
and Thursday, and a market is also held on Saturday:
a very handsome market-house was erected in 1839, at
an expense of £8000. The fairs are on March 25th,
the Thursday after Trinity-Sunday, on Sept. 8th, and
the Thursday before Advent-Sunday.
The government, by charter of James I., bestowed in
the year 1615, was vested in a mayor, eight aldermen,
twelve assistants, &c. The corporation now consists of
a mayor, six aldermen, and eighteen councillors, under
the act of the 5th and 6th of William IV., cap. 76;
the number of justices of the peace is four, and the
borough is divided into two wards. A grant of anchorage, keelage, and bushelage was made to the inhabitants
by Henry VIII.: the dues from the pier, amounting to
about £2100, and the tolls of the markets, to £800 per
annum, form part of the corporation revenue. The
corporation hold quarterly courts of session on the
Friday following those for the county; and a court of
record every alternate Friday, for the recovery of debts
under £50. Petty-sessions for the Western division
of the hundred take place here on the first Wednesday
in every month; and a hundred court is held by the
steward, every third Tuesday, in which debts can be
recovered to an unlimited amount. The powers of the
county debt-court of Penzance, established in 1847,
extend over the registration-districts of Penzance and
Scilly Islands. A handsome guildhall has been built.
A gaol and house of correction, in which is a tread-wheel,
was built in 1826, at an expense of £700, defrayed by a
rate upon the inhabitants.
The living is a perpetual curacy, in the patronage of
the Rev. M. N. Peters; net income, £156. The old
chapel, built in 1490, and dedicated to St. Mary Buryton, was partly burned by the Spaniards in 1595, and
remained in ruins till 1680, when it was repaired and
enlarged by the corporation: a cemetery was then inclosed, and the limits of the chapelry were made identical
with those of the town. The building was taken down
in 1832, and a new chapel erected on the site, which
contains 2000 sittings, whereof 1000 are free; the expense was estimated at £4500, and the edifice is of
granite in the later English style, with a lofty square
embattled tower crowned by pinnacles. St. Paul's chapel, opened on Easter-Tuesday, 1843, owes its existence
to the liberality of the Rev. Henry Batten, and is in the
style that prevailed in the 13th century; the interior is
carefully finished. Here are places of worship for
Baptists, the Society of Friends, Independents, Primitive Methodists, and Wesleyans; also a synagogue.
A grammar school is partly supported by the corporation, who allow the master £50 per annum. The poorlaw union of Penzance comprises 19 parishes or places,
and contains a population of 50,100. There was a small
oratory, dedicated to St. Anthony, near the pier, of
which some vestiges were existing within the last 50
years. A mile to the west of the town are the remains
of a considerable intrenchment called Castle Horneck,
consisting of earth and pebbles; and half a mile to the
north is another, named Castle Lescudjack. Two miles
to the north is a very extensive triple intrenchment
styled Castle-an-Dinas; and about four miles to the
north of the town is one of the largest cromlechs in the
county. Sir Humphrey Davy, the eminent natural
philosopher and chymist, was a native of Penzance.