AST1.KV.
116
ASTON.
North Wo-t.-rn railway ; ami tin; I.c-igh brunch of tin-
.vater canal, win in ami Liverpool
i tho village-. Tin' living is
I' Manchester, of tin' I
- u Uio pair .n. "I tin- Vicar of Leigh. The church
in dedicated to St. St. pln-n, and :ho site of a
more ancient emu. '11 adowment founded by
Ad. .m M"rt in 1(130, I'm- tin- instruction of childn-n in
this and other townships. There is also a free school,
with an endowment of 26 a year, and several oth. r
i harities, am'.unting altogether to 150. Many of the
inhabitants are employed in tho fustian manuf
In 1849, a highly interesting and successful experiment
was made here of rxtiiu.'ui'.hing a tire in one of the
mines, by Mr. Gurney's method of forcing a current of
artificial " choke-d imp " through the n
ASTI.KY, :i rhjilrj-. in the par. of St. -Man-, in the
lib. of Shrewsbury and co. of Salop, f> miles from Shrews-
bury. The living is a pcrpet. cur. in the dioc. of I.ich-
ficld, of tho yearly val. of 4'5f>, in the gift of the corpo-
ration of Shrewsbury.
A8TLEY, a par. in tho liuiid. of Knightlow, in the
oo. of Warwick, 4 miles to tho S.W. of Nuneaton, its
post town. The village i* situated on a hill in a pleasant
and wooded district. In the rcigii nf King John, tin-
manor belonged to tho Astleys, from whom it came, in
tho reign of Henry V., to tho Greys of Ituthin. It is
nowhi-M l. tin- Newdogatos, who came into possession of
it in tin- I'sth century. A castle was erected hero at a
.-airly period, part of the walls of which still remain.
It was once the abode of Henry Grey, Marquis of
Dorset. The present structure is probably of tho age of
n Man'. It is surrounded by a moat, ami tin-
entrance is by a stone bridge, through a pointed an h.
Tho aspect of tho mansion and of the ruins ia rendered
beautiful and impressive by a luxuriant growth of ivy.
In one of tho apartments is preserved a curious and
interesting, though rudely -executed portrait of the Duke
of Suffolk, father of tho 'Lady Jane Grey. It presents
him in a high-crowned hat, with a ruff and peaked
beard. Tho castle is now tho seat of Viscount Liffbrd.
In the neighbourhood of tho village are the Duke's
Farm and Astley Hall, both ancient houses. The living
is a perpct. cur. in the dioc. of Worcester, of tho val. of
60, in the patron, of C. N. Newdegate, Esq., M.P.,
whose seat is Arbury Hall, 2 miles from Astley. The
present church is part of a much more extensive struc-
ture, which was erected in tho reign of Edward III. by
Lord Thomas do Astley, who first founded a chantry,
and tln-ii r'.iiMTtod it into a college. Tho church, d. ,1'i-
c.iti-d t" St. Mary, was cruciform, and had a very lofty
-pire, which, serving as a landmark through the forest
n, was named poetically " the lanthom of Ardi-n."
It t- 11 at the commencement of the 17th century. Part
of the building was demolished in tho reign of <,'u- n
Mary ; the western part and many of tho ancient nn.mi-
ni' uts perished in 1607. Part of a tower and the choir,
now forming tho body of the church, are all that remain
of the ancient venerable pile. There are sixteen stalls,
with figures of saints and scrolls inscribed with Script un
sentences. Two monuments with effigies remain, i
is a charity school, chiefly supixjrted by the Newdcgates.
The school-house and tho house for the master are very
ain i' nt building*.
- .I-:V ABBOTTS, a par. in the
hiind. of Lower Do.l.lingtrce, in tho co. of "oi.
2 mill's to th- S.V. of Stonrport,9 N. ot i . r, and
6 S.V -i. -bury railway station, liewdli-y is its
post town. It is situat. 1 in a fertile country. partly laid
out in hop grounds, on the western bank of tin
Severn. An alien priory, of the Benedictine, order, was
established here in 1160 by Ralph do Todeni.
il changes of ownership, it was granted by Henry
VIII -olutioii, to Sir Kalph Saelleir, kn.'un
to historical student.i l>y his compilation of tin
papers. The living i- a r. . t. in tin-
:;. m tin p.iti..!i of Cookes' Tl
Tho tithes are coimi, 0. Tin- cliuich.
ii'N on a hill, and is in'
an example of Saxon architecture, tho pillars and
arches being supposed to be earlier than the Conquest.
It -Mains some ancient monuments, a Saxon font, and
remains of stained gloss. A lecture-room has recently
been presented to the village by the liberality of Thomas
Zachary, Esq. There is also a free school, with an in-
come from an endowni'-nt of 20 year. There are other
small charities. The paper manufacture is carried on
here. Astley Cliffs is a lofty rock, close to tin s. . -i u at
Itedstone ferry, in which, at an curly date, a hern
was cut, consisting of a chapel and other rooms, ad
with paintings and pri. -tly sentence-. It was
for purposes of devotion by noble and even royal
sons. It has since done service as a poor man's dwell-
ing, and is now a licensed Tin- prie.-t and
annalist, Layaman, was a native- of Astl. -y. Glasshamp-
ton is a very old scat.
A>TLEY, a hmlt. in tho pars, of Kippax and Swil-
lington, in the wap. of Lower Skyrack, Vest Kid;
the co. of York, 6 miles from Leeds.
ASTLEY ABBOT'S, a par. in the hund. of Stottes-
den, in the co. of Salop, 2 mil. s to the N. of Bridgnorth,
its post town. It is situated on tin- we-tern liank c.t'tho
river Severn. Tho living is a pcrpet. cur. in tin dio..-.
of Hereford, in tlio patron, of T. Whitmore, Ksq. There
are charitable endowments amounting to 11 per annum.
Stanley Hall, the seat of Sirll.T. Tyrwhitt, Bart., staM
on a fine wooded hill, overlooking a district ol
beauty. From the lofty tower the pn.sp.ct extends
southward to the Malvern Hills in Worcestershire, and
northward tothe Wrekin. A-tle-y Abbot's Hoi;
residence of T. Whitmore, Esq.
ASTI,l-;V-l.l:ll)i;l-:.ahinlt.inthecliplrv.o
par. of Bolton-le-Moors, and hund. o! Salford, in the
co. palatine of Lancaster, '.', miles tothe N. ot Bolton,
its post town. The living is a peip>; cur. in the clioc.
of Manchester, val. liO, in the gift of tho crown and
the Bishop of Manchester.
ASTON, a tnshp. in the par. of Hope, and hund. of
High Peak, in the co. of Derby, - miles to tin
I astle ton. Tho small stream Nor runs through it.
ASTON, a tnshp. in the par. of Hawurden, hund of
Mold, in the CO. of Flint, North Wales. 1 mile ti-'iu
Hawanlen. It lies on tho south bank of tin- IJMT
There is an extensive iron foundry, in which man;
tho villagers are employed. The manor of A.-ton
longs to Admiral Dundas, M.P., whose scat
Hall, near tho village. Here are some- remain.- of a
which belonged to tho Whitleys, lords of tho
manor at a very early period, and through whom it
come to the present owner.
A>Ti>N. a limit, in the par. of Aveninir, hund.
i the co. of Gloucester, '2 miles to the K.
Minchinhanipton.
ASTON, or ril'K ASTON, a par. in the hund.
n-. in tho co. of Hereford, 4 miles t.. tin- S."
ilow. lA-'iiiinster is its post town.
flows near it. The- living is a rcct. in the
of ll.i. feud, of tin val. ol tsi, and in tin- i
'it's llcils. T)M I 1:1111 h IS di 'die-ate d to St. ( '
ASTuN, a vil. in tin- ]r. of Kingsland, hund. of
Sti-.-tford, in tin- OO. of Hereford, 'I miles to the V. nf
It is situated on the rie r l.ug.
AST( )N,a par.in tin- hund. e.l jlroadwater.in thcco.of
Hertfoid. , mill's tolln S.I-:, ol Steveiiagi-, its post U^
It is situated near tin river liranc. In theSaxon period
it was a royal demesne. It was one of the possession*
of the Abbey of Heading from the reign of Henry I.
till the Dissolution, beinir con!, n, d on tin- abbey by hit
. Adi'li/a. Henry VIII. gave it to Sir John I'.otel-T,
of Wat: n lhall.' The living is a rect. in the
dioc. ' tho val. of iliSO, in the pat i on. of
the liev. <r. A. Oddie. the- incumbent. The church is
dcdic. . "iitains n brass ot tin- year
table endowments aiin.untinn M
i annum. Aston Hall, or Place, is a curious brick
building of considerable antiquity, with eld-orated chim-
I'uc-kridgc- hounds m. e : at A.-ton I'.ury.
AST( iN, a tn-.hp. in tin- par. of l.ydham in the hund.
- 