Page:The National Gazetteer - A Topographical Dictionary of the British Islands, Volume 2.djvu/103

From Wikisource
Jump to navigation Jump to search
This page needs to be proofread.
95

GILLING. 95 GILLINGHAM. 50,000 acres. The latter is situated W. of the above, find includes the borough of Richmond, the towns of Mukcr and Reeth, and the pars, of Ackengarth-Dale, Barningham, Bowes, Brignal, Forcett, Hatton Magna, Kirkby-Ravensworth, Merrick, Marske, Melsonby, Roke- by, Romald-Kirk, St. John Standwick, Startforth, Wy- clifle, and some portions of Easby, Gilling, Grinton, and Manfield, extending over 198,640 acres. GILLING, a par. in the waps. of East and West Gil- ling, North Riding co. York, 3 miles N.E. of Richmond, its post town, and 12 S.W. of Darlington. It includes the tnshps. and chplries. of Eryholme, Forcett, Hutton- Magna, and North and South Cowton, with the hmlts. of Hartforth and Sedbury. A castle was built hero at an early period, and Earl Edwyn, the Saxon, is said to have been murdered here. It was also the scene of the mur- der of Oswy, King of Deira, by his host Oswin, of Ber- nicia. A monastery was subsequently founded on the spot by Queen Eanfleda, of which no traces now remain. An Enclosure Act was obtained in 1810 under which the tithes have been commuted for land and a money payment. Freestone suitable for building purposes is obtained in the neighbourhood. The village is considerable. The living is a vie.* in the dioc. of Ripon, val. 1,029. The church is a stone structure of ancient date in the Norman style of architecture. It is dedicated to St. Agatha, and was appropriated in 1224 to the monastery of St. Mary, in York. It contains many old monuments. There are also four district churches, viz. South Cowton, Eryhome, Forcett, and Hutton Slagna, the livings of all which are perpet. curs., varying in val. from 49 to 87, and in the patron, of the vicar. The register commences in 1625. The whole of the parochial endowments produce about 170 yearly, 125 of which are applied under the will of Sir Thomas Wharton, K.B., to the free grammar school at Hartforth, of which he was the founder. The Wes- leyans have a chapel, and there is a National school for boys and girls. Hartforth Hall and Sedbury Hall are the principal residences in the parish. GILLING, a par. in the wap. of Ryedalo, North Riding co. York, 5 miles S. of Helmsley, its post town, and 18 N. of York. It is.a station on the Thirsk and Malton branch of the North-Eastern lino of railway. The high road between the above towns passes through the village. The par. includes the tnshps. of Cawton, Grimston, and some smaller places. A castle was built here after the Norman Conquest, and was the seat of the earls of Richmond. The living is a rect.* in the dioc. of York, val. 632, in the patron, of Trinity College, Cambridge. The church, dedicated to the Holy Cross.is an ancient structure, containing monuments of the Fair- fax and Wilkinson families, an effigy of a knight of the 14th century, and a brass dated 1503. The charities, including a school endowment of 14, produce about 32 per annum. Gilling Castle, an old baronial scat with modern improvements, is the residence of C. G. Fairfax, Esq., who is lord of the manor. GILLINGHAM, a lib. in the West Shaston div. of the co. Dorset. It is situated in the northern part of the co., and includes the pars, of Gillinghain and Motcombe, comprising an area of about 12,000 acres. GILLINGHAM, a par. and market town in the lib. of Gillingham, West Shaston div. of the co. Dorset, 4 S. of Mere, and 4J N.W. of Shaftesbury. It is situated on the river Stour, near the borders of Somerset and Wilts, and is about 40 miles in circumference. It is a station on the London and South- Western line. The chnlry. of Bourton is included in this par. A battle is supposed to have taken place here in 1016 between the Saxons under Edmund Ironside, and the Danes r Cnut, in which the latter were defeated. Here are traces of the old Forest of Selwood, with the remains of a royal hunting-seat. Tin; inhabitants are cm- ]ilvd in the manufacture of silk, rope, twine, sacking, tiles, bricks, and in the various flour and flax mills. The town, which is well lighted and paved, contains a bank, good market-house, largo brewery, and tempo- hall. The living is a vie.* with the curs, of East blower, West Stower, Enmoro Green, and Motcoiiibo annexed, val. 1,313, in the patron, of the Bishop of Salis- bury. The church is a handsome modern edifice, with lofty tower and a chancel of great beauty. It is dedi- cated to St. Mary the Virgin. There is also a district church at Bourton, the living of which is a perpet. cur., val. 90. The register commences in 1618. The parochial endowments produce nearly 230 per annum, a large portion of which is for the free school, founded in the early part of the 16th century. The Baptists, Wesleyans and Primitive Methodists have each a chapel, and there is a National school. The Marquis of West- minster is lord of the manor. In the neighbourhood are many good residences. The market is held on Friday, and cattle and horse fairs on Trinity Monday and the 12th September. GILLINGHAM, a par. and post town in the hund. of Chatham and Gillingham, lathe of Aylesford, co. Kent, 1 mile N.E. of Chatham. It is situated on the S. bank of the river Medway, and includes the hmlts. of Brompton Grange and New Brompton, at which latter place the London, Chatham, and Dover line of railway has a station about half a mile W. of the town. The Saxons called it Gillinga, and in Domesday Survey it was written Gelingeham. It was here that the 600 noblemen who accompanied Alfred and Edward were slain by Earl Godwin. It became a market town in the reign of Edward III., and before the rise of the neigh- bouring town of Chatham was a place of much import- ance, being a principal station of the royal navy. Charles I. erected a fort here for the protection of the dockyard, but as it proved insufficient to stop the progress of the Dutch in their celebrated expedition up the river in 1667, it was subsequently enlarged, and received the name of Gillingham Castle. At present the entire neighbourhood is strongly fortified with outposts connected with Chatham Lines, and under the New Fortifications Bill great alterations are in contem- plation. Situated on the brow of a hill overlooking the royal dockyard of Chatham, partly in this parish, and partly in the adjoining parish of Chatham, is the populous village of Brompton, chiefly inhabited by artisans and others employed in the dockyard. The parish is of large extent, and nearly half the land is arable ; the remainder, which is not built over, is divided between pasture, woodland, hop plantations, and salt- marsh. The living is a vie.* united with the cur. of Lidsing, in the dioc. of Rochester, val. 643, in the patron, of Brasenose College, Oxford. The church is a commodious structure of the Norman style of architec- ture, with beautiful E. window, round stonp font, two chapels, and the shrine of " Our Lady of Gillingham." It is dedicated to St. Mary Magdalene, and contains monuments and brasses of the Beaufitz, Hayward, and other families, dating from the early part of the 16th century. There is also a chapel-of-ease at Lidsing. The charities for the poor produce 30 per annum, with a share of the benefits of Pitt's school at Chatham. Tho Wesleyans, Reformed Wesleyans, and Bible Christians have chapels, and there is a National school for both sexes. There are some remains of the old archiepiscopal palace of Canterbury, situated on the S. side of the churchyard. Tho coastguard have a station here, and the manor of Grange, situated within this parish, is an adjunct of the Cinque Port of Hastings. This was the birthplace of the monk .William of Gillingham, celebrated for his History of England, written in the reign of Richard II. ; and also of William Adams, who dis- covered the Japan Islands. Memorials of the Romans have been traced within the church walls. GILLINGHAM, ALL SAINTS AND ST. MARY, a par. in the hund. of Clavering, co. Norfolk, 1 mile N. of Beccles, its post town, and 6 S.E. of Loddon. The navigable river Waveney flows through the parish, which borders on Suffolk. It was formerly two distinct parishes, but for many years lias been united into one, the church of All Saints having fallen to decay. The village is small, and wholly agricultural. The tithes have been commuted for a rent-charge of 462 10. The living is a rect.* vnited with the rect. of St. Mary, in the dioc. of