BRIGSLEY. 375 BRIMPTON. erected at the expense of the Earl of Kingston. A round tower formerly existed hero. BRIGSLEY, a par. in the wap of Bradley Haverstoe, parts of Lindsey, in the co. of Lincoln, 5 miles to the S. of Grimsby. It lies close to the Great Northern rail- way. The living is a rect. in the dioc. of Lincoln, worth 55, in the patron, of the Collegiate Church of Southwell. The church is dedicated to St. Helen. BEIGSTEER, a hmlt. in the tnshp. of Levens, and par. of Heversham, Kendal ward, in the co. of West- moreland, 3 miles to the S. of Kendal. The Stricklands have a seat here. BRIGSTOCK, a par. in the hund. of Corby, in the co. of Northampton, 5 miles to the N.W. of Thrapston. It is situated on the banks of a small river which joins the Nen, near Thrapston, and was formerly a market town. A peculiar custom of inheritance exists in the manor of Brigstock: the younger son succeeding to the estates which the father had by descent, and the eldest to those which he obtained by purchase. The living is a vie. in the dioc. of Peterborough, of the val. with the cur. of Stanion annexed, of 236, in the patron, of the Duke of Cleveland. The church, which has some vestiges of Norman architecture, is dedicated to St. Andrew. Here is a free school, endowed with 20 a year, and there are other charities producing about 50 a year. Brigstock Park, in this parish, stands within the limits of Rockingham Forest, and was the ancient seat of the Montagues. Fairs are held on the 25th April, tin' Ith September, and the 22nd November. BRILL, a par. and ancient town, in the hund. of Ashendon, in the co. of Buckingham, 7J miles to the N.W. of Thame, 12 N.E. of Oxford, and 13 W. of Aylesbury. It is situated on the border of Oxfordshire, in Bernwood Forest, and was the site of a palace or hunting-seat of the Saxon monarchs, the remains of which still exist. Edward the Confessor frequently re- aorted to this retreat, and Henry II. kept his court here in 1160, attended by Becket, at that time his chancellor. Two years later the king and court were here again. It is supposed that King John likewise occasionally resided here, as there are remains of a structure, called King John's Palace, subsequently con- verted into four cottages, and Henry III. held his court here in 122-4. Shortly afterwards the manor of Brill came into the possession of Richard, Duke of Corn- wall. In the following century Sir John Molins, who then held the manor, obtained the grant of an annual fair, which is still held. During the civil war in the reign of Charles I., Brill, which is strongly posted on the table land of a high hill, formerly called Brinkely, was garrisoned for the king, and an attack by the parlia- mentary forces under Hampden was successfully resisted. The town was evacuated by the royalists in 1643. The parish contains much fine pasture land, and some quarries of good building-stone. Some of the inhabitants are employed in the lace manufacture. The living is a perpet. cur. in the dioc. of Oxford, of the val. with that of Boarstall* annexed, of 101, in the patron, of Mrs. E. S. Ricketts. The church, dedicated to All Saints, is partly in the early English style, and was enlarged in 1837. There are chapels belonging to the Independents and Weslcyans, both here and in the village of Little London, and an endowed free school, founded by John Pym in 1637. There are National schools for boys and girls, with a daily attendance of 120 children. The parish lias the benefit of several valuable charitable endowments, the principal of which is that called the Poor Folks' Charity, which has a revenue of 120 per annum. The annual value of the other charities is about 135, including the income of the school. Near the village is Muswell Hill, on which are remains of an en- campment, and where a hermitage once stood. There is a fine view from the hill. The manor belongs to Mrs. Ricketts, the niece of the late Sir John Aubrey, one of the Aubreys of Dorton, descendants of Nigel, the Saxon huntsman, to whom it was given by the Con- fessor. At a short distance from the town is a spa, the waters of which are chalybeate, and an hotel has recently been erected near it for the accommodation of visitors. BRILLEY, a par. in the hund. of Huntington, in the co. of Hereford, 5 miles to the N. of Hay. It is situated on the confines of Wales, on a branch of the river Wye. The living is a vie.* united with that of Kington, in the dioc. of Hereford. The church is dedicated to St. Mary. The charitable endowments, consisting. chiefly of the revenue of a free school, founded by Morris, pro- duce 56 a year. BRIMFIELD, a par. in the hund. of Wolphy, in the co. of Hereford, 5 miles to the S. of Ludlow, and half a mile S.W. of Wofforton railway station. It lies on the S. side of the river Tenie, near the Shrewsbury and Hereford railway, and contains the hmlt. of Wyson. The Kington and Leominster canal is carried across the Teme near this village. Part of the land is laid out in hop-grounds, and there is a tract of common. The living is a perpet. cur. in the dioc. of Hereford, val. 98, in the patron, of the bishop. The church is a plain edifice with a tower, which was rebuilt in 1834. The register is ancient. There is a small Dissenting chapel, and a National school in course of erection. The charities amount to 5s. yearly. The celebrated Nunup- ton Oak, measuring 36 feet in circumference, formerly stood in this parish, but it has lately fallen. BRIMHAM, a hmlt. in the chplry. of Hartwith, and par. of Kirkby Malzeard, in the wap. of Claro, West Riding of the co. of York, 3 miles to the N.W. of Ripley. The place is chiefly noted for a remarkable group, or assemblage of groups, of shattered rocks, called Brim- ham Crags, which are scattered over a tract of 40 acres, They are blocks of gritstone. Among them are two called the Cannons, from being perforated, several rock- ing-stones of immense weight, yet moved by a touch, and others imagined to resemble idols and altars. It is conjectured that the spot may have been the scene of early religious rites. There are many tumuli in the neighbourhood. BRIMINGTON, a par. and tnshp. in the hund. of Scarsdale, in the co. of Derby, 2 miles to the N.E. of Chesterfield. It was formerly a chplry. belonging to Chesterfield, but now forms a par. of itself. The village is modern and well built, and is situated near the Mid- land railway, which has a station at Chesterfield, and is about 1 mile distant from the Chesterfield canal. The living is a perpet. cur.* in the dioc. of Lichfield, of the val. of 102, in the patron, of the vicar. The church, which was built in 1808, became too small for the popu- lation, and was taken down and rebuilt, all but the tower, in 1847. The Wesleyans and Primitive Methodists have chapels here. The parochial charities produce 6 a year. There is a National school. The chief seat ia Brimington Hall. BR1MPSFIELD, a par. in the hund. of Rapsgate, in the co. of Gloucester, 8 miles to the S.E. of Gloucester. It is situated at the head of the Stroud Water, and con- tains the hmlt. of Caudle Green, and part of the vil. of Birdlip. A castle formerly existed here, a seat of the Giifard family, but no traces of it remain. This par. was also the site of an alien priory, which was suppressed in the reign of Henry V. St. George's Chapel, Wind- sor, was endowed with its possessions by Edward TV, Nothing is known of the origin of the priory, and no remains of the buildings are left. The ancient Ermine Street passed to the N. of Brimpsfield. The living is a rect.* in the dioc. of Gloucester and Bristol, of the val. with that of Cranham consolidated, of 410, in the patron, of W. Goodrich, Esq. The church is dedi- cated to St. Michael. There are some charities of small value. BRIMPTON, a par. in the hund. of Faircross, in the co. of Berks, 5 miles to the E. of Newbury. It is situ- ated in a pleasant district on the border of Hampshire, on the banks of the river Kennot, and is bounded on the S. by the Emborne, a branch of the Kennet. The Hungerford branch of the Great Western railway passes near the village. A preceptory of the Knights Templars is said to have existed here in the 13th century. The
