A Topographical Dictionary of England. Originally published by S Lewis, London, 1848.
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GRIMSTONE, a tything, in the parish of Stratton, union of Dorchester, hundred of George, Dorchester division of Dorset, 3½ miles (N. W. by W.) from Dorchester; containing 72 inhabitants.
Grimstone (St. John)
GRIMSTONE (St. John), a parish, in the union of Melton-Mowbray, hundred of East Goscote, N. division of the county of Leicester, 5 miles (W. N. W.) from Melton-Mowbray; containing 175 inhabitants. The parish comprises by survey 1015 acres, of which about one-third is arable, and the remainder pasture. The surface is hilly, and the high grounds command extensive views over the vale of the Wreke, Charnwood Forest, and Leicester; the prevailing timber is ash and oak, and the soil chiefly clay. The living is a donative curacy; net income, £43; patron, the Vicar of Rothley; impropriator, T. Babington, Esq.: the tithes were commuted for land in 1765. The church is an ancient structure.
Grimstone (St. Botolph)
GRIMSTONE (St. Botolph), a parish, in the union and hundred of Freebridge-Lynn, W. division of Norfolk, 7½ miles (E. by N.) from Lynn; containing 1137 inhabitants. It comprises 3953a. 3r. 7p., of which 460 acres are common appropriated to the use of the landed proprietors, 192 peat for providing the poor with turf, 100 wood, 350 pasture, 120 warren, and the remainder arable. The living is a rectory, valued in the king's books at £26. 13. 4., and in the gift of Queen's College, Cambridge, with a net income of £280: the tithes were commuted for about 600 acres of land in 1779: the parsonage-house, which is ancient, is nearly surrounded by a moat. The church is chiefly in the decorated and later English styles, with a lofty embattled tower surmounted by crocketed pinnacles: after extensive repairs, it was reopened for divine worship in April, 1846. Under the west wall of the churchyard are two remarkably fine springs, which chiefly supply the water-works at Lynn. The Wesleyans and Primitive Methodists have places of worship. A free school was founded and endowed in 1394 by John Telmon, and Sir John Thorogood afterwards bequeathed a house for the master, with 5 acres of land; the premises were rebuilt in 1830, at a cost of £1000.
GRIMTHORPE, a township, in the parish of Givendale, union of Pocklington, Wilton-Beacon division of the wapentake of Harthill, E. riding of York, 3¼ miles (N.) from Pocklington; containing 15 inhabitants. It comprises about 500 acres.
GRINDALL, a chapelry, in the parish and union of Bridlington, wapentake of Dickering, E. riding of York, 4 miles (N. W.) from Bridlington; containing 116 inhabitants. It is situated on the road from Bridlington to Malton. The village is neatly built; the township comprises 2268 acres, including 1047 common or waste land inclosed in 1843. The living is a perpetual curacy, in the patronage of Yarburgh Greame, Esq., the impropriator; with a net income of £75. The old chapel, a low and indifferent edifice with an open belfryturret, was rebuilt in 1834. There is a place of worship for Wesleyans. Some fragments of tessellated pavement were found in 1839.
GRINDLETON, a chapelry, in the parish of Mitton, union of Clitheroe, W. division of the wapentake of Staincliffe and Ewcross, W. riding of York, 4 miles (N. N. E.) from Clitheroe; containing 902 inhabitants. The name of the township, a corruption of "green dale town," is naturally suggested by the almost constant verdure of the scenery. The area is 3760 acres; the lands consist of rich pasturage, and the population is employed partly in hand-loom weaving. The river Ribble flows on the south. The living is a perpetual curacy, in the patronage of the vicar of Mitton, with a net income of £85, and a house. The chapel, or district church, a neat building with a square tower, and containing 300 sittings, was erected in 1802 at a cost of £700. A house and 12 acres of land, producing £28 per annum, and a rent-charge of £3, have been bequeathed for distribution among the poor.
Grindley, Cheshire.—See Tushingham.
GRINDLEY, Cheshire.—See Tushingham.
GRINDLEY, a township, in the parish of Stowe, S. division of the hundred of Pirehill, union, and N. division of the county, of Stafford, 2 miles (N. E.) from the village of Stowe; containing 101 inhabitants. The river Blyth passes on the east.
GRINDLOW, a township, in the parish of Hope, union of Bakewell, hundred of High Peak, N. division of the county of Derby, 2¼ miles (E. N. E.) from Tideswell; containing 110 inhabitants.
GRINDON, a township, in the parish of Norham, union of Berwick, N. division of Northumberland, 7 miles (S. W.) from Berwick; containing 143 inhabitants. It is situated on the border of Scotland; and in the year 1558 a party of about 1000 Scots, together with some French officers or servants, entered England and began to plunder and burn the country, when they were opposed at Grindon by a strong body of English horse under the Earl of Northumberland and his brother Sir Henry Percy, who obliged them to retire with loss: the Scots, however, afterwards recovered their ground. The township comprises 1213 acres of arable land, 331 of old grass, and 6 of plantation. There are four upright stones in memory of chieftains slain in the battle.
Grindon (St. Thomas à Becket)
GRINDON (St. Thomas à Becket), a parish, in the union of Stockton, N. E. division of Stockton ward, S. division of the county of Durham; containing, with Whitton township, 337 inhabitants, of whom 285 are in the township of Grindon, or Thorpe, 5½ miles (N. N. W.) from Stockton, and 15 (S. S. E.) from Durham. The parish comprises 4100 acres, of which about onehalf is pasture, and several hundred acres are woodland; the surface is undulated, the soil in general a strong clay, and the scenery, which is pleasingly interspersed with plantations, embraces beautiful views of the Cleveland hills. About two miles north-east of Thorpe, is Wynyard Park, the seat of the Marquess of Londonderry, who, by his marriage with the Lady Frances Ann Vane Tempest, only daughter of Sir Harry Vane Tempest, Bart., became possessed of the Vane and Tempest estates in this county. Nearly in the centre of the park, and delightfully situated on the margin of a large artificial lake, whose sloping banks are covered with a great variety of evergreens, stands the house, a splendid mansion built by the marquess on the site of an older edifice. It was almost wholly destroyed by an accidental fire on the 20th of February, 1841, but the noble owner immediately commenced its re-erection, and it has been partly restored; the portico, constructed of very large blocks of stone, is one of the finest in the kingdom. The village is on the Durham and Stockton road, and near the Durham and Stockton railway. The living is a discharged vicarage, valued in the king's books at £4. 11. 5½.; net income, £190; patron and impropriator, the Master of Sherburn Hospital: the tithes have been commuted for £100, and there are 52 acres of glebe, with a vicarage-house, adjoining which are 12 acres. The church, with the vicarage, stands a mile and a half from the village; it is in the early English style, and was built in 1792.
Grindon (All Saints)
GRINDON (All Saints), a parish, in the N. division of the hundred of Totmonslow and of the county of Stafford; containing 404 inhabitants, of whom 189 are in the township of Grindon, 7¼ miles (E. by S.) from Leek. This is an agricultural parish, divided into two nearly equal parts, called Grindon Town and Grindon Township, and comprises 3272 acres, of which 43 are uninclosed common, and the remainder good arable and pasture land: there are some quarries of good limestone. The village, which is indifferently built, occupies a high moorland situation, between the Hamps and Manyfold rivers, which unite their streams in a subterraneous channel about a mile to the east. The hamlets of Deep-dale, Ford, Hills-dale, and Martin's-Lowe are within the parish. The living is a rectory, valued in the king's books at £15. 14. 2., and in the patronage of Mrs. Bradshaw: the tithes have been commuted for £372, and the glebe comprises 29 acres, with a rectoryhouse, built in 1834. The church, having become dilapidated, was restored and enlarged in 1846, at a cost of about £2000, defrayed by the incumbent, the Rev. S. Bradshaw, and his friends. A school is endowed with £24 per annum; and there are several bequests for distribution among the poor.
GRINGLEY, a hamlet, in the parish of Clareborough, union of East Retford, North-Clay division of the wapentake of Bassetlaw, N. division of the county of Nottingham; containing 160 inhabitants.
GRINGLEY, LITTLE, a hamlet, in the parish of Clareborough, union of East Retford, North-Clay division of the wapentake of Bassetlaw, N. division of the county of Nottingham, 1½ mile (E.) of East Retford; containing 508 inhabitants. It consists of scattered houses generally of an humble description, occupying a pleasant situation on the declivity of a hill; the area of the hamlet is 650 acres. A good deal of underwood is grown in the neighbourhood, and cut up for making gates and fences. Plaster is also obtained, and prepared for making floors, &c. The great tithes have been commuted for £30, and the small for £48.
Gringley-on-the-Hill (St. Peter and St. Paul)
GRINGLEY-on-the-Hill (St. Peter and St. Paul), a parish, in the union of East Retford, NorthClay division of the wapentake of Bassetlaw, N. division of the county of Nottingham, 6 miles (E. S. E.) from Bawtry; containing 790 inhabitants. The parish is situated on the road from Bawtry to Gainsborough, and comprises 4139a. 1r. 10p., whereof about 2000 acres form the Carr, the drainage of which has been a work of great labour and expense. The village is neatly built, consisting of four streets of detached houses, and, from its situation on one of the highest promontories overlooking the carrs of Misson and Misterton, commands a most extensive prospect. The Chesterfield canal passes through the parish. A fair for cattle and for merchandise, especially boots and shoes, is held on the 12th of December. The living is a discharged vicarage, valued in the king's books at £7. 18. 4.; net income, £158; patron, the Duke of Rutland: the vicarial tithes were commuted for 179a. 1r. 19p. of land in 1800. The church is an ancient structure in the later English style, with a square embattled tower; in the churchyard is an old cross. There are places of worship for Primitive and Wesleyan Methodists.
Grinsdale (St. Kentigern)
GRINSDALE (St. Kentigern), a parish, in the union of Carlisle, Cumberland ward, E. division of the county of Cumberland, 2¾ miles (N. W. by W.) from Carlisle; containing 115 inhabitants. The living is a perpetual curacy, with a net income of £108; the patronage and impropriation belong to the family of Dacre. The church, for many years in ruins, was rebuilt with freestone in 1739, at the expense of Joseph Dacre, Esq.; a strong wall, also, has been raised to protect the cemetery from the inundations of the Eden. The great Roman wall intersects the parish, in which are also two large square intrenchments.
Grinshill (All Saints)
GRINSHILL (All Saints), a parish, in the union of Wem, liberty of the borough of Shrewsbury, N. division of Salop, 7½ miles (N. N. E.) from Shrewsbury; containing 255 inhabitants, and comprising 839a. 2r. 29p. White freestone of excellent quality, found here, is extensively applied to various purposes; and from the quarries has been raised the stone for the erection of churches, bridges, and other works in the neighbourhood. The living is a perpetual curacy; patron and impropriator, the Rev. John Wood, whose tithes have been commuted for £144. The church, an ancient structure in the later English style, was rebuilt in 1840; the present church, into which part of the original building has been incorporated, is a very neat edifice.
Grinsted, East (St. Swithin)
GRINSTED, EAST (St. Swithin), a market-town and parish, the head of a union, and formerly a representative borough, in the hundred of East Grinsted, rape of Pevensey, E. division of Sussex, 19¾ miles (N.) from Lewes, and 30 (S. by E.) from London; containing 3586 inhabitants. This town, which was once of considerable importance, and gave name to the hundred, is pleasantly situated on an eminence, near the northern border of the county, on the road from London to Brighton and Lewes; it is irregularly built, but contains several neat modern houses, is paved, and supplied with water from wells. The market, at which a great quantity of corn is sold, is on Thursday, and there is a market for cattle and live-stock on the last Thursday in every month: large cattle-fairs are held on April 21st and December 11th. The parish comprises 15,073 acres of land, of which 1265 are common or waste; the soil is generally poor, and the scenery open and wild: good building-stone is obtained. An act was passed in 1846 for the formation of a branch, 6¾ miles long, from the London and Brighton railway, to this place. A branch of the river Medway rises at Turner's Hill; and in the parish are several springs, similar to the spa at Tonbridge-Wells. East Grinsted is a borough by prescription, under a bailiff, who is chosen yearly by a jury of burgage-holders, at the court leet for the manor. It returned two mem hers to parliament from the 1st of Edward II. to the 2nd of William IV., when it was disfranchised: the right of election was vested in the holders of 36 burgage tenements belonging to the Germain family, and the bailiff was returning officer. The Lent assizes for the county were formerly held at the place, but were discontinued in 1799. Petty-sessions are held on the fourth Tuesday in the month: the powers of the county debt-court of East Grinsted, established in 1847, extend over the registration-district of East Grinsted.
The living is a vicarage, valued in the king's books at £20, and in the patronage of Earl Amherst; impropriators, Earl Amherst, and R. Crawfurd, Esq.: the great tithes have been commuted for £1300, and the vicarial for £500. The church having been burnt by lightning about 1684, and the greater part of it destroyed by the fall of the tower in 1785, the present handsome and spacious edifice was completed in 1789, in the later English style, with a lofty embattled tower, conspicuous for many miles round; in the interior are several neat monuments, and it is the burial-place of the Neville family. A chapel of ease was erected in 1835, at Forest-Row. There is a place of worship for the Countess of Huntingdon's Connexion. A free school was founded in 1708, by Robert Payne, who endowed it with land producing about £44 per annum. Sackville College was founded by Robert, Earl of Dorset, who by will dated February 10th, 1608, directed a college to be built, and endowed it with £330 per annum, for the support of a warden and 30 poor persons; it was completed by his son, about 1616, but, in consequence of various lawsuits, the endowment dwindled to £216 a year, and the number of inmates was reduced to a warden and 12 persons. The building is quadrangular, and substantially erected of stone, on an eminence at the eastern extremity of the town, commanding extensive views. The poor law union of East Grinsted contains a population of 12,619, and comprises seven parishes, six of which are in Sussex, and one in Surrey. Near Forest-Row are the interesting ruins of Brambletye House, the scene of the novel of that title by Horace Smith; and in the immediate vicinity is the site of the old manorhouse of Brambletye. In 1838 a quantity of bones were dug up in the garden of the vicarage-house, supposed to be those of Thomas Dungate and two others, who were burnt here July 18th, 1556.
Grinsted, West (St. George)
GRINSTED, WEST (St. George), a parish, in the union of Horsham, hundred of West Grinsted, rape of Bramber, W. division of Sussex, 7 miles (S.) from Horsham; containing 1229 inhabitants. This place was anciently of considerable note, and gives name to the hundred. The parish comprises 5356 acres, of which nearly one-half is arable, and 100 acres common land or waste; the surface is undulated, in many parts richly wooded, and the soil is a rich stiffish loam. The canal from the river Adur passes through the parish, near the ancient castle of Knepp. The living is a rectory, valued in the king's books at £25. 17. 6., and in the gift of Col. Wyndham: the tithes have been commuted for £1067; the glebe comprises 100 acres, and there is also a rent-charge of £61. 8. 6. payable to the rector out of the tithes of Lancing. The church is a very neat edifice, containing some Norman details, of which the south doorway is a rich specimen, and consisting of two aisles, with a low tower surmounted by a shingled spire; it contains the sepulchral chapel of the family of Burrell, in which are several highly interesting monuments. There is a Roman Catholic chapel, endowed by the Caryll family. The late Sir W. Burrell, of this place, collected materials for a history of Sussex, which, being unable to complete them from want of health, he bequeathed to the British Museum.
Grinton (St. Andrew)
GRINTON (St. Andrew), a parish, in the union of Richmond, partly in the wapentake of Hang-West, and partly in that of Gilling-West, N. riding of York, 9½ miles (W. by S.) from Richmond; containing 4811 inhabitants, of whom 594 are in the township of Grinton. The parish includes the townships of Melbecks, Muker, and Reeth, and comprises by measurement 53,000 acres, of which 36,350 are moor and mountain (the former affording scanty pasturage), 16,000 meadow and grazing land, and 230 arable. A valley here forms the first twenty miles and upwards of the course of the river Swale, and hence is called Swaledale; the scenery in the neighbourhood of Keasdon Force, in the upper part of the parish, is peculiarly striking and romantic. The population is chiefly employed in the lead-mines, of which here are some of the most valuable in Great Britain; coal-pits are also in operation, and there is a factory for carpets. The living is a discharged vicarage, valued in the king's books at £12. 5. 7., and in the patronage of the Crown; impropriators, the landowners: the tithes have been commuted for £201. 7.; and on the glebe lands, which are among the high grounds above the church, is a commodious parsonage-house. The church is a very ancient and spacious structure in the early English style, and in excellent repair; the chancel is divided from two side chapels by a carved oak screen of very early date, and the windows present the remains of some choice specimens of stained glass. At Muker and at Melbecks are chapels, to which districts have been assigned; the former consecrated in 1580, and the latter in 1841. There are places of worship for Independents, Methodists, and Wesleyans; and endowed schools in the townships of Reeth and Muker. On an eminence near Healaugh, is a British encampment, approached from the east by an avenue about 120 yards long, formed of stones, at the commencement of which is a large barrow; and about 300 yards south-westward from the camp is another barrow, six yards high. There are vestiges of other intrenchments, and several cairns, in the neighbourhood.
GRISTHORPE, a township, in the parish of Filey, union of Scarborough, Pickering lythe, N. riding of York, 5¾ miles (S. E.) from Scarborough; containing 206 inhabitants. A tumulus was opened here in 1824, in which was a skeleton, the skull and teeth perfect, deposited under large stones rudely piled; and in another tumulus opened by the late Mr. Beswick, were found, in an oak-tree scooped and hollowed out, the skeleton of a man supposed to have been a chieftain of the Brigantes.
Griston (St. Peter and St. Paul)
GRISTON (St. Peter and St. Paul), a parish, in the union and hundred of Wayland, W. division of Norfolk, 2 miles (S. E.) from Watton; containing 227 inhabitants. The parish comprises by admeasurement 1360a. 10p., of which 950 acres are arable, 315 meadow and pasture, and 30 woodland. The popular story of the "Children in the Wood" had its origin here; the house in which the infants (who were exposed in the wood of Wailing) lived still exists, and until within the last few years, the hall was ornamented with carved oak and wax-work representing the various incidents of the metrical tale. The living is a discharged vicarage, valued in the king's books at £7. 8. 9.; patron and appropriator, the Bishop of Ely, who is lord of the rectory manor. Certain tithes were commuted for land in 1806; and under a recent commutation a rentcharge of £255 is paid to the bishop, and one of £168. 10. to the vicar. The glebe comprises 15 acres, with a small parsonage-house. The church was anciently dedicated to St. Margaret, and had four guilds; but in 1477 the nave and tower were rebuilt, and it was then dedicated to St. Peter and St. Paul, whose emblems, cross keys and swords, adorn the edifice; it is in the early, decorated, and later styles, and a fine carved screen separates the chancel from the nave. At the inclosure, in 1806, sixty acres were allotted to the poor for fuel. The Rev. Messrs. Borret, father and son, eminent antiquaries of the county, were successively vicars here.
Gritford, or Girtford
GRITFORD, or Girtford, a hamlet, in the parish of Sandy, union and hundred of Biggleswade, county of Bedford, 4 miles (N. N. W.) from the town of Biggleswade; containing 607 inhabitants.
GRITTENHAM, a tything, in the parish of Brinkworth, union and hundred of Malmesbury, Malmesbury and Kingswood, and N. divisions of the county of Wilts, 2½ miles (W.) from Wootton-Basset; containing 387 inhabitants.
Grittleton (St. Mary)
GRITTLETON (St. Mary), a parish, in the union of Chippenham, N. division of the hundred of Damerham, Chippenham and Calne, and N. divisions of Wilts, 7 miles (N. W. by N.) from Chippenham; containing 351 inhabitants. This parish, which is bounded on the north-west by the Roman road from Bath to Cirencester, comprises 2000 acres by computation. The soil in some parts is shallow, and in others wet and clayey, but the greater portion is dry and fertile; the surface is considerably elevated. The living is a rectory, valued in the king's books at £13. 10.; patron and incumbent, the Rev. W. W. Burne, whose tithes have been commuted for £419, and whose glebe comprises four acres. The church has been enlarged by the erection of a south aisle, and considerably improved and beautified, at an expense of £1000, by the present rector. Here is a place of worship for Baptists.
GROBY, a hamlet, in the parish of Ratby, union of Market-Bosworth, hundred of Sparkenhoe, S. division of the county of Leicester, 4 miles (N. W. by W.) from Leicester; containing 42 inhabitants. There are some remains of a castle, which, together with Broadgate Park, where are the ruins of another mansion, was the ancient seat of the noble family of Grey. In 1337, Edward III. granted to Henry, Lord Ferrers, the privilege of a weekly market on Friday, and an annual fair on the eve of St. George and two following days, at the manor of Groby. The hamlet comprises 1778 acres; the soil is various, partly a strong clay, and partly gravel, and mostly good land. Groby Pool, one of the finest sheets of water in this part of the country, covers about 80 acres, is well stored with fish, and surrounded by woods. Extensive quarries of granite, or sienite, have been opened, communicating by a railway with the canals at Leicester: of this stone, which is very hard, great quantities have been sent for repairing the streets of the metropolis; and slate is also found. A church was consecrated in August, 1841. The place gives the title of Lord Grey of Groby to the Earl of Stamford and Warrington.
GROOMBRIDGE, a chapelry, in the parish of Speldhurst, union of Tonbridge, hundred of Somerden, lathe of Sutton-at-Hone, W. division of Kent, 4 miles (W. by S.) from Tonbridge-Wells; containing 178 inhabitants. The chapel, dedicated to St. John the Baptist and Evangelist, has been enlarged.
Grosmont (St. Nicholas)
GROSMONT (St. Nicholas), a parish, in the union of Dore, division and hundred of Skenfreth, county of Monmouth, 10 miles (N.) from Monmouth; containing 682 inhabitants. This place, though at present consisting only of scattered cottages, interspersed with a few respectable houses in the immediate vicinity of the church, and some handsome mansions in distant and detached situations, was formerly a town of great extent. Numerous remains of stone causeways, by which the adjoining meadows are intersected, are, with a high degree of probability, supposed to indicate the site of former streets; and the size and architecture of the church, unconnected with any monastic establishment of importance, tend to confirm that opinion. The castle was attacked in the reign of Henry III. by the Welsh under Prince Llewelyn, but the king, coming to its assistance with a powerful army, obliged them to raise the siege. In a subsequent expedition of that monarch against the Earl of Pembroke, who had placed himself under the protection of Llewelyn, the Welsh having cut off the supplies of the royal army, the king retreated to Grosmont Castle, and his forces encamped in the neighbourhood; while waiting for supplies, the troops were surprised by a party of Llewelyn's cavalry, who carried off a considerable booty. In the reign of Henry IV. a battle was fought here. The remains of the castle, which was afterwards the baronial residence of the earls of Lancaster, form an interesting and picturesque object, romantically situated on the summit of an eminence overlooking a beautiful vale watered by the river Munnow, and bounded by the lofty mountains of Graig, Saffrwni, and the Garway: the walls, which include an area 110 feet in length, and 70 in breadth, surrounded by a moat, are richly overspread with ivy; and the retired situation of the building, and the scenery of the adjacent country, combine to impart a powerful interest to the ruin. The market, on Tuesday, has been discontinued; but fairs are held on April 4th, August 10th, and October 18th, for the sale of cattle. The parish comprises about 6905 acres. The living is a discharged rectory, endowed with the small tithes only, with the exception of about two acres, which pay great tithes; it is valued in the king's books at £6. 5. 2½., and in the patronage of the Crown: net income, £118. The church is a spacious cruciform structure, in the decorated and early English styles, with an octagonal tower surmounted by a spire; the chancel and transepts only are now used: the font is Norman; on the south side of the chancel is a piscina, and on the south side of the vestry a rudely-sculptured stone, with the effigy of a Knight Templar. In the churchyard is a tombstone to the memory of John à Kent. At a place called Campston are the remains of an intrenchment. Grosmont gives the title of Viscount to the family of Somerset, dukes of Beaufort.