freedom of the borough is inherited by the eldest sons of freemen, acquired by servitude, and obtained by purchase, or gift. The mayor, the late mayor, the high steward, and the recorder, are justices of the peace, and hold courts of quarter session; the mayor presides at a court of aldermen, on the first Wednesday in every month, for the transaction of public business; and a court of requests, for the recovery of debts under 40s., is held, under an act passed in the 25th of George II., every Saturday, the jurisdiction of which extends over the borough and liberty, including twenty-two parishes. The magistrates for the liberty hold quarter sessions here for that division, at which the recorder generally presides. The former town-hall was originally the charnel-house of the monastery; but a handsome and commodious edifice was erected in 1830, at an expense of £1200. The ancient prison of the monastery is now appropriated to the confinement of criminals committed for the borough and liberties. The borough first received the elective franchise in the 35th of Edward I., which was suspended from the 5th of Edward III. till the 1st of Edward VI., since which time it has continued to return two members to parliament. The right of election is vested in the freemen, whether resident or not, and in those householders who have been six months resident in the borough, paying scot and lot; the number of voters is about six hundred; the mayor is the returning officer, and the Earl of Verulam possesses considerable parliamentary influence.

The venerable abbey, rich in lordships and immunities, was valued at the dissolution at £2510: its abbots enjoyed both spiritual and temporal authority, having a palatine jurisdiction, similar to that possessed by the Bishops of Durham and Ely; they had also a grant of precedence from Pope Adrian IV. over all other abbots, with an exclusive exemption from the payment of Peter's pence, which, according to Camden, they possessed the power of collecting throughout the county, and applying to their own use. Henry VIII. granted the abbey to Sir Richard Lee, but retained the church, since made parochial, which Edward VI., in 1553, granted to the mayor and burgesses, for £400 and a fee-farm rent of £10, which latter, in 1684, was redeemed by the inhabitants for £200. This ancient cruciform structure is six hundred feet in length, and consists of a nave, two aisles, choir, presbytery, ladychapel, and two transepts, with a large square tower rising from the intersection. The choir is separated from the nave by St. Cuthbert's screen, which, with the elaborately carved screen over the altar, the ceiling partly groined, and partly enriched with Mosaic paintings, and the tombs of Humphrey, Duke of Gloucester, and Abbot Ramryge, presents a rich and imposing appearance. The tower, supported on four arches, the two transepts, and a great part of the choir, were built of Roman tiles from the ancient city of Verulam, about the year 1077, and exhibit the Norman style of architecture: the remainder, erected about the reign of Henry III., is in the early English style, with sharply pointed arches. Many fine brasses, in memory of the abbots, were taken by Cromwell's soldiers, and the church was much damaged by the prisoners who were confined in it during the parliamentary war.

The town comprises the parish of St. Alban, or the abbey parish, and part of the parish of St. Michael

and St. Peter, in the archdeaconry of St. Albans, and diocese of London. The living of St. Alban's is a rectory, rated in the king's books at £10, endowed with £ 200 private benefaction, and £200 royal bounty, and in the patronage of the Mayor and Corporation. The living of St. Peter's is a vicarage, rated in the king's books at £9. 0. 10., and in the patronage of the Bishop of Ely: the church, erected by Abbot Ulsinus, in 948, has been rebuilt within the last thirty years. The living of St. Michael's is a vicarage, rated in the king's books at £10. 1. 8., and in the patronage of the Earl of Verulam: the church is a small edifice, erected by the same abbot. There are places of worship for Particular Baptists, the Society of Friends, Independents, Wesleyan Methodists, and Unitarians. The free grammar school was founded by Edward VI., in 1553, and further endowed, in 1570, by Queen Elizabeth, with £20 per annum, payable by the dealers in wine in the borough and within two miles of it, in consideration of certain privileges conferred on them by letters patent. schoolroom, adjoining the abbey church, was formerly the beautiful chapel of the Virgin. The Blue-coat school, in which about thirty-five boys are clothed, and educated in the principles of the established church, is supported by the dividends on some funded property, and by subscription. A girls' school is supported by the Verulam family. The almshouses, called Marlborough buildings, containing apartments for thirty-six persons of both sexes, were built and endowed by Sarah, Duchess of Marlborough: they occupy three sides of a quadrangle, on the site of the old manor-house of NewlandSquillers; each inmate receives £ 12 per annum. There are twenty-one other almshouses, founded by different individuals.

The

In the town is a high square brick tower, called the Clock-house, built by one of the abbots in the reign of Henry VIII.; and, at the distance of half a mile to the south-east, are some fine remains of the nunnery of Sopwell, founded, in 1140, by Abbot Geoffrey de Gorham, of which the Lady Juliana Berners was at one time prioress; like the monastery, it was built of Roman tiles and bricks, and partly of flints. Of two hospitals, founded by the abbots, and dedicated respectively to St. Julian and St. Mary de Pratis, there is not a single vestige. On the left of the road leading to Dunstable, a few fragments of the ancient walls of Verulam are still discernible. In a field adjoining the town, called New England field, are some hills, supposed to have been the site of the camp of Ostorius, and thence vulgarly called Oyster hills. There is a mineral spring in a garden near St. Michael's bridge. Matthew Paris, one of the most eminent of the old English historians, was a monk in the abbey. Among the most distinguished natives may be enumerated Alexander Necham, a poet and scholastic divine; Sir John Mandeville, the celebrated traveller; and Sir John King, and Sir Francis Pemberton, two eminent lawyers. Breakspear's farmhouse, near the town, was the birthplace of Nicholas Breakspear, the only Englishman that ever sat in the papal chair; on his elevation he assumed the name of Adrian IV.; he was a great benefactor to the abbey. Francis, the great Lord Bacon, was buried in St. Michael's church; a finely sculptured alabaster statue has been erected to his memory, in a niche on the northern side of the chancel. St. Albans gives the title of duke

to the family of Beauclerc; and the representative of the family of Grimstone enjoys the title of Earl of Verulam.

ALBERBURY, or ABBERBURY, a parish comprising the townships of Cruggion, Middleton, and Uppington, in the hundred of CAWRSE, and the township of Bauseley in the hundred of DEYTHUR, County of MONTGOMERY (Wales), and the chapelry of Wollaston, and the townships of Álberbury, Benthal with Shrawardine, Eyton, and Rowton with Amaston, in the hundred of FORD, county of SALOP, and containing 1946 inhabitants, of which number, 332 are in the township of Alberbury, 84 miles (W.) from Shrewsbury. The living is a discharged vicarage, in the archdeaconry of Salop, and diocese of Hereford, rated in the king's books at £5. 10., endowed with £200 private benefaction, and £200 royal bounty, and in the patronage of the Warden and Fellows of All Souls' College, Oxford. The church is dedicated to St. Michael. The Roman Watling-street passes through the parish, which is partially bounded by the river Severn. There are some remains of a castle, built in the reign of Henry II., by Fulk FitzWarine, who founded an abbey for Black monks of the order of Grandmont, vestiges of which may still be traced about a mile from the castle: on the suppression of Alien priories, Henry VI. gave the site to the college of All Souls', Oxford, to which it still belongs.

ALBOURNE, a parish in the hundred of TIPNOAK, rape of BRAMBER, county of SUSSEX, 24 miles (W.N.W.) from Hurst-Pierrepoint, containing 360 inhabitants. The living is a rectory, in the archdeaconry of Lewes, and diocese of Chichester, rated in the king's books at £7. 14. 2., and in the patronage of Charles Goring, Esq. The church, dedicated to St. Bartholomew, is in the early style of English architecture, with additions of a later date.

ALBRIGHTON, a parish (formerly a market town) in the Shiffnall division of the hundred of BRIMSTREE, county of SALOP, 6 miles (S. E. by E.) from Shiffnall, containing 968 inhabitants. The living is a vicarage, in the peculiar jurisdiction of the Dean of Lichfield, rated in the king's books at £5. 10., and in the alternate patronage of the Master and Wardens of the Haberdashers' Company, and the Governors of Christ's Hospital, London. The church is dedicated to St. Mary. Here is a free school for six poor children, principally supported from the tolls of the fairs, which are held on March 5th, May 23rd, July 18th, and November 9th, for horned cattle, sheep and hogs.

ALBRIGHTON, a parish in the hundred of PIMHILL, County of SALOP, 4 miles (N.) from Shrewsbury, containing 75 inhabitants. The living is a perpetual curacy, within the jurisdiction of the court of the royal peculiar of St. Mary's, Shrewsbury, endowed with £800 royal bounty, and in the patronage of the Dean and Chapter of Lichfield. The church is dedicated to St. John.

ALBURGH, a parish in the hundred of EARSHAM, county of NORFOLK, 34 miles (N. E. by N.) from Harleston, containing 601 inhabitants. The living is a rectory, in the archdeaconry of Norfolk, and diocese of Norwich, rated in the king's books at £12, and in the patronage of the Heirs of Sir R. Hill, Bart., to a fellow of St. John's College, Cambridge. The church is dedicated to All Saints.

ALBURY, a parish in the hundred of EDWINSTREE, county of HERTFORD, 4 miles (N. W.) from BishopStortford, containing 596 inhabitants. The living is a vicarage, in the peculiar jurisdiction of the Dean and Chapter of St. Paul's, London, rated in the king's books at £7.9. 7., and in the patronage of the Treasurer in that cathedral. The church is dedicated to St. Mary.

ALBURY, a parish in the hundred of BULLINGTON, county of OXFORD, 3 miles (W. by S.) from Thame, containing, with the hamlet of Tiddington, 214 inhabitants. The living is a rectory, in the archdeaconry and diocese of Oxford, rated in the king's books at £9. 2. 8., and in the patronage of the Earl of Abingdon. The church is dedicated to St. Helen. Lady Mary Bertie, in 1737, gave a rent-charge of £10 for the instruction of twelve poor boys of this parish. ALBURY, a parish in the second division of the hundred of BLACKHEATH, County of SURREY, 4 miles (E. S. E.) from Guildford, containing 765 inhabitants. The living is a rectory, in the archdeaconry of Surrey, and diocese of Winchester, rated in the king's books at £17. 12. S., and in the patronage of H. Drummond, Esq. The church is dedicated to St. Peter and St. Paul; it contains two singular octangular pillars, resting upon circular bases of Sussex marble, supposed to have been removed from a Roman temple which stood on Blackheath, near the site of which is an intrenchment, with the ditch and double rampart perfect: in the neighbourhood are two chalk-pits and a quarry of stone. Courts leet and baron are held here annually. In 1754, William Resbridger bequeathed £400 for instructing children, purchasing bread for the poor, and other charitable purposes. A National school for boys is supported by subscription.

ALBY, a parish in the southern division of the hundred of ERPINGHAM, County of NORFOLK, 42 miles (N. by E.) from Aylsham, containing 303 inhabitants. The living is a discharged rectory, in the archdeaconry and diocese of Norwich, rated in the king's books at £7. 11. 8., and in the patronage of the Earl of Orford. The church is dedicated to St. Ethelbert. ALCESTER, a market town and parish in the Alcester division of the hundred of BARLICHWAY, COUNty of WARWICK, 15 miles (W. S. W.) from Warwick, and 103 (N. W. by W.) from London, containing 2229 inhabitants. This place, from its name, from the numerous Roman relics that have been discovered, and, from being situated on the line of the Iknield-street, vestiges of which are still discernible in the immediate vicinity, is supposed to have been a Roman station. In the time of the Saxons it was a place of great importance, and of much greater extent than at present. At the Conquest it was a royal residence, and was made a free borough in the reign of Henry I. In 1141, a monastery was founded here by Ralph de Boteler, the revenue of which, at the dissolution, was £101. 14. The town is pleasantly situated in a fertile valley, surrounded with richly wooded eminences, on the eastern bank of the river Aln, near

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hundred of NORTHWICH, County palatine of CHESTER. The population is returned with Moreton.

its junction with the Arrow, over both which rivers are neat stone bridges. It consists of one principal street, from which, near the market-place, several smaller ones diverge. Some of the houses are ancient, with projecting upper stories, though in general they are modern, and of handsome appearance: the inhabitants are well supplied with water from springs. The principal branch of manufacture is that of needles, in which about six hundred persons are employed. The market is on Tuesday: fairs are held on January 27th, March 24th, May 18th, July 28th, October 17th, and December 1st. A court leet is held annually in November, at which a bailiff and deputy bailiff are appointed; but the town is within the jurisdiction of the county magistrates. The living is a discharged rectory, in the archdeaconry and diocese of Worcester, rated in the king's books at £14. 18. 10., and in the patronage of the Marquis of Hertford. The church, formerly dedicated to St. Andrew, was, with the exception of the tower, rebuilt in 1732, and dedicated to St. Nicholas: it is partly in the early, and partly in the decorated, style of English architecture, with a fine embattled tower crowned with pinnacles; the roof is supported by pillars of the Tuscan order. There are places of worship for Particular Baptists, the Society of Friends, Wesleyan Methodists, and Unitarians. The free grammar school was founded by Mr. Walter Newport, in 1592, and endowed with £400, now producing £20 per annum. In 1780, Mr. Brook Bridges founded a school for twelve boys and twelve girls, which he endowed with £20 per annum. There is an almshouse for eight poor men. Among the Roman antiquities that have been found in the town and its environs are various urns, coins, tesselated pavements, and other relics; and in that part called the Black Fields, to which the buildings formerly extended, old foundations have been discovered. Beauchamp's Court, the ancient manorial residence, now a farm, about a mile and a half distant, gives the inferior title of baron to the Earl of Warwick. ALCISTON, a parish in the hundred of ALCISTON, rape of PEVENSEY, county of SUSSEX, 43 miles (N.N.E.) from Seaford, containing 247 inhabitants. The living is a discharged rectory, at present under sequestration, in the archdeaconry of Lewes, and diocese of Chichester, rated in the king's books at £6, endowed with £200 parliamentary grant, and in the patronage of the Dean and Chapter of Chichester. The church presents some remains of Norman architecture, with an admixture of the early English style. Fragments of various kinds of coffins have been found here.

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ALDBOROUGH, a parish in the northern division of the hundred of ERPINGHAM, County of NORFOLK, 2 miles (W. by S.) from Aylsham, containing 268 inhabitants. The living is a discharged rectory, in the archdeaconry and diocese of Norwich, rated in the king's books at £8, and in the patronage of Lord Suffield. The church is dedicated to St. Mary. ALDBOROUGH, or ALDEBURGH, a sea-port, borough, and parish (formerly a market town), having separate jurisdiction, locally in the hundred of Plomesgate, county of SUFFOLK, 25 miles (N. E. by E.) from Ipswich, and 94 (N. E.) from London, containing 1212 inhabitants. This borough, which takes its name from its situation on the river Alde, was formerly of very considerable extent, and its importance procured for it many privileges. From the encroachment of the sea (which, within the last century, has destroyed its market-place, with an entire street and a great number of houses), it has been reduced to an inconsiderable town; but, from the salubrity of the air, and the convenience of the shore for sea- bathing, it has lately become a place of fashionable resort during the summer. The town is situated in a pleasant vale, having the river Alde on the south-west, and commanding an extensive view of the North sea on the east, and is sheltered by a steep hill, the extended summit of which forms a magnificent terrace, affording a delightful promenade, and a beautifully diversified prospect. The strand, to which the descent from the town is gradual, consists of firm sand, favourable for bathing and walking. At the southern extremity of the main street, which is nearly a mile in length, there is a battery, on which, during the late war, two eighteen-pounders were mounted, another of five guns, and a martello tower, for the protection of the coast. The old houses are in general mean and ill constructed, but those erected by families residing here during the season, or for the accommodation of visitors, are well built and respectable; among them is an elegant marine villa, in the Italian style, built by Leveson Vernon, Esq. There is a public subscription library, commanding a fine view of the bay; a neat and commodious theatre is open for a few weeks during the season; there are two billiard-tables; and assemblies are held occasionally at the principal inns. The trade of the port consists chiefly in the exportation of corn, and the importation of coal and timber, in which forty-six vessels, averaging fifty-two tons' burden, are employed. The custom-house is a neat and convenient building near the quay; and the harbour, which is safe and commodious, attracts a number of seafaring people and fishermen, by whom the town is principally inhabited. Many of these are Trinityhouse pilots, who form themselves into small associations, and purchase swiftly-sailing cutters, in which they traverse the North sea, frequently approaching the coast of Norway, in search of vessels that may want their + D

ALCONBURY, a parish in the hundred of LEIGHTONSTONE, County of HUNTINGDON, 4 miles (N. W.) from Huntingdon, containing 783 inhabitants. The living is a discharged vicarage, in the archdeaconry of Huntingdon, and diocese of Lincoln, rated in the king's books at £8. 6. 1., endowed with £200 private benefaction, and £300 parliamentary grant, and in the patronage of the Dean and Chapter of Westminster. The church is dedicated to St. Peter and St. Paul. A fair is held on Midsummer-day. There is a place of worship for Wesleyan Methodists.

ALCONBURY-WESTON, county of HUNTINGDON. -See WESTON (ALCONBURY.)

ALCUMLOW, a joint township with Moreton, in that part of the parish of ASTBURY which is in the VOL. I.

assistance. The principal employment of the other inhabitants consists in the drying of herrings and sprats, which are found here in profusion, and exported to Holland; soles and lobsters of superior flavour are taken also in abundance. The market, formerly on Wednesday, has been discontinued; the fairs are held on March 1st and May 3rd. By the charter of incorporation, granted in the reign of Charles I., the government of the borough is vested in two bailiffs, and ten capital and twenty-four inferior burgesses : the freedom is inherited by birth, or obtained by gift. The bailiffs are justices of the peace, and hold a court of session annually in September; they are also empowered to hold a court of record for the recovery of debts under £30, but it has not been held for upwards of a century. The town hall is an ancient building of timber, under which is the common gaol for the borough. Aldborough first exercised the elective franchise in the 13th of Elizabeth, since which time it has returned two members to parliament. The right of election is vested in the bailiffs, and burgesses resident within the borough, and not receiving alms; the bailiffs are the returning officers. The living is a discharged vicarage, in the archdeaconry of Suffolk, and diocese of Norwich, rated in the king's books at £33. 6. 8., and in the patronage of Leveson Vernon, Esq. The church, dedicated to St. Peter and St. Paul, an ancient structure of flint and freestone, on the summit of a hill at the northern extremity of the town, has a square embattled tower surmounted with a turret, affording an excellent land-mark for mariners. There are places of worship for Particular Baptists, Independents, and Wesleyan Methodists. A National school is supported by subscription.

ALDBOROUGH, a parish comprising the chapelry of Lower Dunsforth, and the township of Upper Dunsforth with Branton-Green, in the upper division, and the boroughs of Aldborough and Boroughbridge, the townships of Minskep and Rocliff, and part of the township of Humberton with Milby, in the lower division, of the wapentake of CLARO, West riding of the county of YORK, and containing 2129 inhabitants, of which number, 484 are in the borough of Aldborough, 16 miles (N. W. by W.) from York, and 205 (N. N. W.) from London. The town, which stands upon the southern bank of the river Ure, and upon the line of the northern Watling-street, was the celebrated and important Roman station called Isurium Brigantium, and received from the Saxons the name of Eald-burg, denoting its antiquity even in their time. Its destruction is attributed to the Danes, and it has now become a very inconsiderable place, being irregularly built, and the houses in general mean and detached from each other. The elective franchise was granted by Philip and Mary, in 1558. The right of election is vested in the inhabitants paying scot and lot, in number about sixty; and the bailiff, who is appointed by the lord of the manor, is the returning officer. The living is a discharged vicarage, in the peculiar jurisdiction and patronage of the Dean and Chapter of York, rated in the king's books at £9. 19. 5. The church is dedicated to St. Andrew. The foundations of the walls of the ancient city, which included a quadrilateral area of two thousand five hundred yards, may still be traced; near the centre are vestiges of a mount,

called the Borough Hill, removed in 1783, and believed, from the remains then discovered, to have been the site of a Roman temple. About a hundred paces from the south wall is a semicircular outwork, called Studforth, two hundred feet long, having a slope of thirty feet, forming a lofty terrace on the south side of the town. Many Roman remains, consisting of tesselated pavements, domestic utensils, military weapons, coins, &c., have at various times been discovered.

ALDBOURN, a parish (formerly a market town) in the hundred of SELKLEY, county of WILTS, 6 miles (N. E.) from Marlborough, containing 1385 inhabitants. The name is compounded of the Saxon terms Ald, old, and bourne, a brook. Aldbourn anciently gave name to a royal chase, granted by Henry VIII. to Edward Seymour, Duke of Somerset, which, for a long period, served only as a rabbit warren, but is now enclosed and cultivated. Previously to the battle of Newbury, in the reign of Charles I., a sharp skirmish took place here between the parliamentarian forces and the royalists. In 1760, a fire consumed seventy-two houses; and, in 1817, twenty were destroyed by a similar calamity. The town is situated in a fertile valley: a considerable manufacture of fustians was formerly carried on, but it has declined. The market and fairs have been discontinued upwards of a century. The living is a vicarage, in the archdeaconry of Wilts, and diocese of Salisbury, rated in the king's books at £26. 6. 3., and in the patronage of the Bishop of Salisbury. The church, dedicated to St. Michael, is an ancient structure, exhibiting portions in the Norman style of architecture. There is a place of worship for Wesleyan Methodists. The southern part of the vicarage-house is supposed to be the remnant of a hunting seat which belonged to John of Gaunt, Duke of Lancaster. Near a farm-house, called Pierce's Lodge, are vestiges of an ancient British encampment; and in the neighbourhood artificial mounds of earth are frequently to be met with.

ALDBROUGH, a parish in the middle division of the wapentake of HOLDERNESS, East riding of the county of YORK, comprising the townships of Aldbrough, East Newton, West Newton, and a portion of the township of Cowdons, and containing 998 inhabitants, of which number, 802 are in the township of Aldbrough, 11 miles (N. E. by E.) from Kingston upon Hull. The living is a discharged vicarage, in the archdeaconry of the East riding, and diocese of York, rated in the king's books at £13. 15., and in the patronage of the Crown. The church, dedicated to St. Bartholomew, is a large edifice in the English style of architecture: it contains a circular stone, bearing an inscription recording its erection by one Ulf, who was lord of the place, and had a castle here, every vestige of which has been destroyed. There is a place of worship for Wesleyan Methodists. Slight traces of a Roman road are discernible in the vicinity. The rental of certain land, left by Mr. Towry, is appropriated to the instruction of children and the relief of the poor.

ALDBROUGH, a township in that part of the parish of STANWICK ST. JOHN which is in the western division of the wapentake of GILLING, North riding of the county of YORK, 6 miles (N. by E.) from Richmond, containing 544 inhabitants. There is a place of worship for Wesleyan Methodists. A very good free school was built here by S. M. Barret, Esq., which is

conducted on the Lancasterian plan, and supported by voluntary subscription.

ALDBURY, a parish in the hundred of DACORUM, county of HERTFORD, 3 miles (E. by N.) from Tring, containing 676 inhabitants. The living is a rectory, in the archdeaconry of Huntingdon, and diocese of Lincoln, rated in the king's books at £20. 8. 61⁄2., and in the patronage of the Trustees of the late Earl of Bridgewater. The church, dedicated to St. John the Baptist, is an ancient structure, in the early style of English architecture, and contains an altar-tomb of an armed knight, in a recumbent posture, and his lady, also another, with brasses, to a knight and his lady, and their nine sons and three daughters, both executed in the richest style of ancient sculpture. This village is pleasantly situated at the foot of the Chiltern hills, the summits of which are crowned with thick plantations. There are three tenements for the residence of five widowers and widows, with an annual sum for keeping them in repair, the gift of an unknown benefactor.

ALDCLIFFE, a township in that part of the parish of LANCASTER which is in the hundred of LONSDALE, south of the sands, county palatine of LANCASTER, 1 mile (S. W.) from Lancaster, containing 85 inhabitants. ALDEBY, a parish in the hundred of CLAVERING, county of NORFOLK, 24 miles (N.E.) from Beccles, containing 475 inhabitants. The living is a perpetual curacy, in the archdeaconry of Norfolk, and diocese of Norwich, endowed with £400 royal bounty, and in the patronage of the Dean and Chapter of Norwich. The church is dedicated to St. Mary. Here was a small priory, a cell to the Benedictine abbey of Norwich, which, at the dissolution, was given by Henry VIII. as part of the endowment of the dean and prebendaries of that cathedral.

ALDENHAM, a parish in the hundred of CASHIO, or liberty of ST. ALBANS, county of HERTFORD, 23 miles (N. E. by E.) from Watford, containing, with the hamlet. of Theobald-Street, which is in the hundred of Dacorum, 1399 inhabitants. The living is a vicarage, in the archdeaconry of Huntingdon, and diocese of Lincoln, rated in the king's books at £24, and in the patronage of the Trustees of P. Thelluson, Esq. The church, dedicated to St. John the Baptist, is built in the early English style. In the 31st of Elizabeth, Richard Platt founded and endowed six almshouses, also a free grammar school for sixty children, to be chosen from among the poor of Aldenham and the families of freemen of the Brewers' Company, London; and, in default of the full number of scholars from Aldenham, the choice to be extended to the adjacent parishes, the children of the founder's name and kin to have the preference. The Master and Wardens of the Brewers' Company are the governors, and elect the master, who must have taken the degree of M.A. The annual income of the whole charity is £857. 4. 6.; of this sum the master receives £80 per annum, with a rent-free residence and a supply of coal, and the usher £40; forty-five boys are taught on the foundation.

ALDERBURY, a parish in the hundred of ALDERBURY, county of WILTS, 3 miles (S. E. by E.) from Salisbury, comprising the chapelries of Farley and Pitton, and containing 1125 inhabitants. The living is a discharged vicarage, in the peculiar jurisdiction and patronage of the Treasurer in the Cathedral Church of

Salisbury. The church is dedicated to St. Mary. There is a place of worship for Wesleyan Methodists. Here is a small endowed free school. A monastery formerly existed at Ivy Church, in this parish, the site of which is now occupied by a modern residence.

ALDERFORD, a parish in the hundred of EYNSFORD, county of NORFOLK, 34 miles (S. E. by S.) from Reepham, containing 45 inhabitants. The living is a discharged rectory, united to the vicarage of Attlebridge, in the archdeaconry of Norfolk, and diocese of Norwich, rated in the king's books at £4. 6. 8. The church is dedicated to St. John the Baptist.

ALDERLEY, a parish in the hundred of MACCLESFIELD, county palatine of CHESTER, comprising the townships of Upper Alderley, Lower Alderley, and Great Warford, and containing 1477 inhabitants, of which number, 473 are in the township of Upper Alderley, and 668 in that of Lower Alderley, 43 miles (W. N. W.) from Macclesfield. The living is a rectory, in the archdeaconry and diocese of Chester, rated in the king's books at £14. 10. 10., and in the patronage of Sir J. T. Stanley, Bart. The church is dedicated to St. Mary. There is a place of worship for Baptists at Great Warford. Mines of lead, copper, and cobalt, have been worked in the neighbourhood, but the produce of ore has not been sufficient to encourage perseverance. A few of the inhabitants are engaged in weaving for the manufacturers of the neighbouring towns. A school-house, originally built in 1628 by the Rev. Hugh Shaw, curate of the parish, and since endowed with benefactions to the amount of £300, was rebuilt near the church a few years ago: there is also a small endowed free school in Lower Alderley. In Alderley park there is a large sheet of water, called Radnor mere, a wood near which contains some of the finest beech trees in England; and on the high ground of Aldersey Edge is a fine spring, called the Holy Well.

ALDERLEY, a parish in the upper division of the hundred of GRUMBALD'S ASH, county of GLOUCESTER, 2 miles (S. S. E.) from Wotton under Edge, containing 235 inhabitants. The living is a discharged rectory, in the archdeaconry and diocese of Gloucester, rated in the king's books at £ 11. 4. 7., and in the patronage of Mr. and Mrs. Hale. The village is situated on a hill between two streams, which unite and fall into the Lower Avon. Cornua ammonis and other fossils are found here. Sir Matthew Hale, Lord Chief Justice in the reign of Charles II., born here November 1st, 1609, lies interred in the church.

ALDERMASTON, a parish (formerly a market town) in the hundred of THEALE, county of BERKS, 10 miles (S. W. by W.) from Reading, containing 653 inhabitants. The living is a vicarage, in the archdeaconry of Berks, and diocese of Salisbury, rated in the king's books at £12. 12. 8., and in the patronage of the Provost and Fellows of Queen's College, Oxford. The church is dedicated to St. Mary. Fairs are held on May 6th and July 7th. The navigable river Kennet passes through the parish.

ALDERMINSTER, a parish partly in the upper division of the hundred of OSWALDSLOW, but chiefly in the upper division of the hundred of PERSHORE, being a detached portion of the county of WORCESTER, surrounded by Warwickshire, 5 miles (S. S. E.) from Stratford upon Avon, containing 443 inhabitants. The living