ing 290 inhabitants, of which number, 276 are in the township of Allerton-Mauleverer with Hopperton. The living is a perpetual curacy, in the archdeaconry of Richmond, and diocese of Chester, and in the patronage of Lord Stourton. The church is dedicated to St. Martin. This place obtained its distinguishing name from a family, one of whom, Richard Mauleverer, in the reign of Henry II., founded here an Alien priory of Benedictine monks, the revenue of which was given by Henry VI. to King's College, Cambridge.

ALLERTON (NORTH), a parish in the wapentake of ALLERTONSHIRE, North riding of the county of YORK, comprising the borough and market town of North Allerton, the chapelries of Brompton, Deighton, and High Worsall, and the township of Romanby, and containing 4431 inhabitants, of which number, 2626 are in the town of North Allerton, 32 miles (N.W. by N.) from York, and 224 (N. N. W.) from London. This place, supposed to have been a Roman station, and subsequently a Saxon borough, is in Domesday-book called Alvestune and Alreton, the prefix having been applied to distinguish it from Allerton-Mauleverer. It was greatly injured, if not destroyed, by Beornredus, or Earnredus, who, in 769, having invaded the kingdom of Northumberland, with a view to usurp the throne, burnt the town of Catterick, about eight miles distant. William Rufus gave the town, with the lands adjacent, to the see of Durham, and, under the patronage of the bishops, it grew into importance, and became an episcopal residence. At Cowton Moor, about three miles from the town, and within the parish, the celebrated battle of the Standard was fought, in 1138, between the English and the Scots, in which the latter were defeated, with the loss of eleven thousand men: the spot on which the standard was erected is still called Standard Hill, and the holes into which the dead were thrown, the Scots' Pits. About 1174, Henry II. ordered the demolition of the episcopal palace, supposed to have been built by Geoffrey, Bishop of Durham, and which had been strongly fortified by Bishop Pudsey; traces of the foundation are still visible on the western side of the town. In 1318, the Scots plundered and burnt the town. During the civil war, Charles I., in one of his journeys to Scotland, lodged here in an old mansion, called the Porch-house; and in the rebellion of 1745, the English army, under the Duke of Cumberland, encamped on the Castle hills. The town is pleasantly situated in a valley, and consists chiefly of one spacious street, half a mile in length, partially paved, and containing some good houses. It has long given name to a district called Allertonshire, now consti tuting the wapentake. The principal branches of manufacture are those of linen and leather: the market is on Wednesday; and fairs are held on February 14th, September 5th and 6th, October 3rd and 4th, and the second Wednesday in the latter month. The borough first exercised the elective franchise in the 26th of Edward I., but made no subsequent return till 1640, since which time it has regularly sent two members to parliament: the right of election is vested in the proprietors of ancient burgage houses, about two hundred in number. The bailiff, who is appointed by letters patent from the Bishop of Durham, is the returning officer. The general quarter sessions for the North riding are held here, in the weeks after Christmas and VOL. I.

Easter, and on the 11th of July and the 18th of October; and there is a weekly meeting of the county magistrates. The sessions-house is an elegant building, erected about 1790, annexed to which is a house of correction, on the plan of Mr. Howard, containing thirty cells. Westward from the sessions-house is the registrar's office for the North riding, where the Bishop of Durham holds his courts.

The living is a vicarage, in the peculiar jurisdiction and patronage of the Dean and Chapter of Durham, rated in the king's books at £17. The church, dedicated to All Saints, is supposed to have been built soon after the destruction of the town by the Scots, in 1318: it is a spacious cruciform structure, in the decorated style of English architecture, with a square tower rising from the centre, and adorned with pinnacles at the angles. There are places of worship for Independents and Wesleyan Methodists. The free grammar (now the parochial) school is of royal foundation, but the date thereof is uncertain: it has a small endowment, and an interest in five scholarships, founded by Bishop Cosins, at Peter House, Cambridge, in failure of applicants from the school at Durham; it has also a contingent interest in twelve exhibitions to Lincoln College, Oxford, founded by Lord Crewe: the school-house was rebuilt in 1777. Dr. William Palliser, Archbishop of Cashel; Dr. George Hickes, Dean of Worcester, and author of a Dictionary of the Northern Languages; Dr. Thomas Burnet, master of the Charter-house, London; Mr. Rymer, editor of the Foedera; Dr. Radcliffe; and the Rev. John Kettlewell, were educated here. A National school for boys and girls, and a Sunday school, established in 1787, are supported by subscription. An hospital, or Maison de Dieu, was founded in 1476, by Richard de Moore, a draper in this town, for thirteen poor people; it has been rebuilt at the expense of the inhabitants, but the number of inmates is reduced to six. The Rev. John Kettlewell, of St. Andrew's, Holborn, London, bequeathed, in 1694, an estate in the township of Brompton, called Low Moor Farm, the proceeds of which are divided among the poor of North Allerton and Brompton. There are some remains of a monastery of Carmelites, founded by Thomas Hatfield, Bishop of Durham; and the site of St. James' hospital, about a mile from the town, is still visible. There are also vestiges of a military road leading from Alby, the Derventio of the Romans, through this town to Catterick. North Allerton, in the reign of Anne, gave the title of viscount to the Elector of Hanover, afterwards George I. Edmund Guest, Bishop of Salisbury, almoner to Queen Elizabeth, was born in this town.

ALLESLEY, a parish in the Kirkby division of the hundred of KNIGHTLOW, county of WARWICK, 2 miles (N. W. by W.) from Coventry, containing 844 inhabitants. The living is a rectory, in the archdeaconry of Coventry, and diocese of Lichfield and Coventry, rated in the king's books at £17. 18. 9., and in the patronage of the Rev. William Bree. The church is dedicated to All Saints. There is a free school, towards the support of which Mrs. Flint, in 1705, gave by deed a small portion of land, and a house for the residence of the master. Vestiges of an ancient castle are discernible in the parish.

ALLESTREY, a parish in the hundred of MORLESTON and LITCHURCH, County of DERBY, 2 miles (N.) + E

from Derby, containing 361 inhabitants. The living is a perpetual curacy, in the archdeaconry of Derby, and diocese of Lichfield and Coventry, and in the patronage of J. Munday, Esq. The church, dedicated to St. Andrew, is an ancient structure with a tower, containing several monuments of the Munday family. There is a place of worship for Wesleyan Methodists. Allestrey forms part of the duchy of Lancaster, and is within the jurisdiction of a court of pleas held at Tutbury every third Tuesday, for the recovery of debts under 40s.

ALLEXTON, a parish in the eastern division of the hundred of GoSCOTE, county of LEICESTER, 4 miles (W. by N.) from Uppingham, containing 74 inhabitants. The living is a rectory, in the archdeaconry of Leicester, and diocese of Lincoln, rated in the king's books at £6. 18. 4., and in the patronage of Col. Wilson. The church is dedicated to St. Peter. The Union canal to Derby crosses the river Soar at this place.

ALLHALLOWS, a parish in ALLERDALE ward below Derwent, county of CUMBERLAND, 6 miles (S. W. by S.) from Wigton, containing 219 inhabitants. The living is a perpetual curacy, in the archdeaconry and diocese of Carlisle, endowed with £200 private benefaction, £400 royal bounty, and £200 parliamentary grant, and in the patronage of the Bishop of Carlisle. This was anciently a chapelry in the parish of Aspatria it is bounded on the south by the river Ellen. Here are quarries of freestone and limestone, and a vein of coal of inferior quality. A little southward of Whitehall is an intrenchment, twenty-eight yards square, surrounded by a ditch.

ALLHALLOWS, a parish in the hundred of Hoo, lathe of AYLESFORD, County of KENT, 9 miles (N. E.) from Rochester, containing 259 inhabitants. The living is a discharged vicarage, in the archdeaconry and diocese of Rochester, rated in the king's books at £8.7. 11., endowed with £400 private benefaction, and £400 royal bounty, and in the patronage of the Dean and Chapter of Rochester. The church is dedicated to St. Mary. The river Thames bounds this parish on

the north.

ALLINGTON, a parish in the hundred of GODDERTHORNE, Bridport division of the county of DORSET, of a mile (N. W.) from Bridport, containing 1139 inhabitants. The living is a perpetual curacy, in the archdeaconry of Dorset, and diocese of Bristol, endowed with £1200 parliamentary grant, and in the patronage of the Rev. H. Fox. The church, dedicated to St. Swithin, has been lately rebuilt, and enlarged by an addition of six hundred sittings, of which two-thirds are free, the Incorporated Society for the enlargement of churches and chapels having granted £400 towards defraying the expense. There is no burial-ground; the inhabitants inter their dead at Bridport, to which this was formerly a chapelry. Great quantities of hemp and flax are sown in the vicinity: a fair, chiefly for cheese and pedlary, is held on July 22nd. Two closes of land, containing thirty acres, are vested in trustees for the benefit of the poor in the almshouses of this parish and Charmouth. An hospital for lepers, dedicated to St. Mary Magdalene, was founded here, which, at the dissolution, in 1553, was valued at £7. 8. 4.

ALLINGTON, a parish in the hundred of LARKFIELD, lathe of AYLESFORD, county of KENT, 12 mile (N.N. W.) from Maidstone, containing 45 inhabitants.

The living is a discharged rectory, in the archdeaconry and diocese of Rochester, rated in the king's books at £6. 16. 8., endowed with £200 private benefaction, and £200 royal bounty, and in the patronage of the Earl of Romney. The church is dedicated to St. Lawrence. Allington stands on the western side of the Medway, opposite Aylesford, and was formerly a market town. Sir Thomas Wyatt, a distinguished poet in the reign of Henry VIII., was born at Allington castle, the remains of which have been converted into a farm-house.

ALLINGTON, a parish in the hundred of AMESBURY, county of WILTS, 34 miles (E. S. E.) from Amesbury, containing 64 inhabitants. The living is a rectory, in the archdeaconry and diocese of Salisbury, rated in the king's books at £ 14. 13. 4., and in the patronage of the Earl of Craven. Here is a free school with a small endowment.

ALLINGTON, a tything in the parish and hundred of CHIPPENHAM, county of WILTS, 2 miles (N.W. by W.) from Chippenham, containing 110 inhabitants.

ALLINGTON, a tything in the parish of ALLCANNINGS, hundred of SWANBOROUGH, county of WILTS, 4 miles (E. N. E.) from Devizes, containing 132 inhabitants.

The

ALLINGTON (EAST), a parish in the hundred of STANBOROUGH, County of DEVON, 34 miles (N. E. by N.) from Kingsbridge, containing 615 inhabitants. living is a rectory, in the archdeaconry of Totness, and diocese of Exeter, rated in the king's books at £32. 2. 1., and in the patronage of William Fortescue, Esq. The church, dedicated to St. Andrew, contains a wooden screen, which, with the pulpit, is much enriched with carved work.

ALLINGTON (EAST), a chapelry in the parish of SEDGEBROOK, wapentake of WINNIBRIGGS and THREO, parts of KESTEVEN, County of LINCOLN. The population is returned with the parish.

ALLINGTON (WEST), a parish in the hundred of STANBOROUGH, county of DEVON, 1 mile (W.S.W.) from Kingsbridge, containing 778 inhabitants. The living is a vicarage, with the perpetual curacies of South Huish, Marlborough, and South Milton annexed, in the archdeaconry of Totness, and diocese of Exeter, rated in the king's books at £62. 16. 10., and in the patronage of the Dean and Chapter of Salisbury. The church is dedicated to All Saints. There is a small endowed charity school. Cider of a peculiarly fine quality is made here. Bowringsleigh, an old mansion in the Elizabethan style, is still in good preservation: a more ancient seat, belonging to the family of Bastard, has been converted into a farm-house.

ALLINGTON (WEST), a parish in the wapentake of WINNI BRIGGS and THREO, parts of KESTEVEN, county of LINCOLN, 4 miles (N.W. by W.) from Grantham, containing 357 inhabitants. The living is a rectory, in the archdeaconry and diocese of Lincoln, rated in the king's books at £3. 13. 114., and in the patronage of the Crown. The church is dedicated to the Holy Trinity.

ALLITHWAITE (LOWER), a township in the parish of CARTMEL, hundred of LONSDALE, north of the sands, county palatine of LANCASTER, 2 miles (S.) from Cartmel, containing 839 inhabitants.

ALLITHWAITE (UPPER), a township in the parish of CARTMEL, hundred of LONSDALE, north of

the sands, county palatine of LANCASTER, 34 miles (N. E.) from Cartmel, containing 771 inhabitants.

ALLONBY, a chapelry in that part of the parish of BROMFIELD which is in ALLERDALE ward below Derwent, county of CUMBERLAND, 9 miles (N. N. W.) from Cockermouth, containing 709 inhabitants. The The living is a perpetual curacy, in the archdeaconry and diocese of Carlisle, endowed with £400 private benefaction, £600 royal bounty, and £1000 parliamentary grant, and in the patronage of the Vicar of Bromfield. The chapel, dedicated to Christ, was built at the expense of Dr. Thomlinson and some relatives, in 1744. There is a meeting-house for the Society of Friends. The village stands on the coast of Allonby bay, which opens to the Solway Firth and the Irish sea, and is much frequented as a bathing-place, the sands being extremely smooth and firm. It was noted for a herring fishery, but this has failed, owing to the herrings having deserted the neighbouring sea; a few of the inhabitants are, however, still occupied in fishing. A school, in which ten children are instructed gratuitously, was endowed, in 1755, by Mrs. Thomlinson, relict of Dr. Thomlinson, with £100, since laid out in land producing £7. 10. per annum. Six cottages, forming the wings of a dwelling-house erected by Thomas Richardson, Esq., of Stamford Hill, London, a native of this place, are appropriated as rent-free residences to as many poor families. A court baron is held annually. Captain Joseph Huddart, F.R.S., an eminent naval engineer and hydrographer, who died in 1826, was born here, in 1741.

ALLOSTOCK, a township in that part of the parish of GREAT BUDWORTH which is in the hundred of NORTHWICH, County palatine of CHESTER, 5 miles (S. by W.) from Nether Knutsford, containing 461 inhabitants. There is a place of worship for Unitarians.

ALLSTONEFIELD, a parish in the northern division of the hundred of TотMONSLOW, County of STAFFORD, 7 miles (N. N. W.) from Ashbourn, comprising the chapelries of Upper Elkstone, Longnor, Quarnford, and Warslow, and the townships of Lower Elkstone, Fairfield-Head, Heathy-Lee, and Hollinsclough, and containing 5169 inhabitants. The living is a discharged vicarage, with the perpetual curacy of Warslow annexed, in the archdeaconry of Stafford, and diocese of Lichfield and Coventry, rated in the king's books at £8. 11. 4., endowed with £200 private benefaction, and £900 parliamentary grant, and in the patronage of Sir George Crewe, Bart. The church, dedicated to St. Peter, is a large structure in the early style of English architecture, with a tower ornamented with pinnacles and battlements: the pulpit, &c., were presented by Cotton, the poet, who resided here. AllAllstonefield forms the northern extremity of the county, being bounded by Cheshire and Derbyshire, from which it is separated by the river Dove. It belongs to the duchy of Lancaster, and is within the jurisdiction of a court of pleas held at Tutbury every third Tuesday, for the recovery of debts under 40s. Here is a small free school, founded by German Pole, in 1726.

ALLTON, a joint township with Idridgehay, in that part of the parish of WIRKSWORTH which is in the hundred of APPLETREE, county of DERBY, 31⁄2 miles (S.) from Wirksworth, The population is returned with Idridgehay.

ALMELEY, a parish partly in the hundred of WOLPHY, but chiefly in the hundred of STRETFORD, county of HEREFORD, 54 miles (W.) from Weobley, containing, with the townships of Hopley's Green and Logaston, 699 inhabitants. The living is a vicarage, in the archdeaconry and diocese of Hereford, rated in the king's books at £6. 17. 11., and in the patronage of the Bishop of Hereford. The church is dedicated to St. Mary: at a short distance from it are two tumuli. The petty sessions for the hundred are occasionally held here.

ALMER, a parish in the hundred of LOOSEBARROW, Shaston (East) division of the county of DORSET, 5 miles (S. S. E.) from Blandford-Forum, containing, with the hamlet of Mapperton, 188 inhabitants. The living is a rectory, in the archdeaconry of Dorset, and diocese of Bristol, rated in the king's books at £13. 5. 8., and in the patronage of R. E. D. Grosvenor, Esq. The church, dedicated to St. Mary, is a small edifice, rebuilt by Gen. Erle.

ALMINGTON, a township in that part of the parish of DRAYTON in HALES which is in the northern division of the hundred of PIREHILL, county of STAFFORD, 1 mile (E. by N.) from Drayton in Hales, containing 260 inhabitants.

ALMINGTON, a joint township with Stone-Delph, in that part of the parish of TAMWORTH which is in the Tamworth division of the hundred of HELMINGFORD, county of WARWICK, 24 miles (E.) from Tamworth, containing, with Stone-Delph, 257 inhabitants.

ALMÖDINGTON, a hamlet (formerly a parish) in the parish of EARNLEY, hundred of MANHOOD, rape of CHICHESTER, county of SUSSEX, 6 miles (S. W. by S.) from Chichester. The living, a rectory, was consolidated, in 1524, with that of Earnley, with which parish the population is returned. the population is returned. The chapel is demolished.

ALMONDBURY, a parish in the upper division of the wapentake of AGBRIGG, West riding of the county of YORK, comprising the chapelries of South Crossland, Farnley-Tyas, Honley, Linthwaite, Lockwood, and Meltham, a portion of the chapelry of Marsden, and the townships of Almondbury, Austonley, Holme, Lingarths, Nether Thong, and Upper Thong, and containing 23,979 inhabitants, of which number, 5679 are in the township of Almondbury, 12 mile (S. E.) from Huddersfield. The living is a vicarage, within the jurisdiction of the peculiar court of the lord of the manor, rated in the king's books at £20. 7. 11., and in the patronage of the Governors of Clitheroe school. The church, dedicated to All Saints, is in that character of the later style of English architecture which prevails in the northern counties. New churches have been erected at Crossland, Linthwaite, and Nether Thong. There is a place of worship for Wesleyan Methodists. This is supposed to have been the Cambodunum of Antoninus: here was a royal palace belonging to the Anglo-Saxon monarchs, and near its site is a hill, upon which are vestiges of a rampart and the remains of a fortification. There are numerous manufactories for fancy goods and woollen cloth in the parish. A free grammar school was founded by letters patent of James I., the annual income of which amounts to about £76, arising from lands and rentcharges demised by Robert Nettleton and other benefactors. In 1724, Israel Wormall bequeathed land, the produce of which he directed to be applied towards instructing and apprenticing poor children of this place.

ALMONDSBURY, a parish comprising the tything of Almondsbury, in the lower division of the hundred of BERKELEY, and the tythings of Hempton with Patchway, Over, and Lower Tockington, in the lower division of the hundred of LANGLEY and SWINEHEAD, County of GLOUCESTER, and containing 1408 inhabitants, of which number, 477 are in the tything of Almondsbury, 4 miles (S. by W.) from Thornbury. The living is a discharged vicarage, in the peculiar jurisdiction and patronage of the Bishop of Bristol, rated in the king's books at £20. The church, situated in that part of the parish which is in the hundred of Berkeley, is dedicated to St. Mary: it is a handsome cruciform structure, in the early English style, with a tower and spire at the intersection. There is a place of worship for Wesleyan Methodists. The village is situated at the foot of a ridge of limestone rocks, near the small river Boyd, which falls into the lower Avon: the views from the heights are remarkably grand and extensive, embracing the whole æstuary of the Severn, and the opposite coast of Wales. Here is a free school with a small endowment.

ALMSFORD, a parish in the hundred of CATSASH, county of SOMERSET, & of a mile (N.) from Castle-Cary, containing 300 inhabitants. The living is a rectory, in the archdeaconry of Wells, and diocese of Bath and Wells, rated in the king's books at £7. 12. 1., and in the patronage of J. Woodford, Esq. The church is dedicated to St. Andrew.

ALNE, a parish partly in the liberty of ST. PETER of YORK, East riding, but chiefly in the wapentake of BULMER, North riding, of the county of YORK, comprising the townships of Aldwork, Alne, Flawith, Tholthorp, Tollerton, and Youlton, and containing 1418 inhabitants, of which number, 386 are in the township of Alne, 42 miles (S. S. W.) from Easingwould. The living is a discharged vicarage, within the jurisdiction of the peculiar court of Alne and Tollerton, rated in the king's books at £10, and in the patronage of R. Bethell, Esq. The church is a handsome structure, dedicated to St. Mary. There is a place of worship for Wesleyan Methodists.

ALNE (GREAT), a chapelry in the parish of KINWARTON, Alcester division of the hundred of BARLICHWAY, County of WARWICK, 23 miles (N. E. by E.) from Alcester, containing 317 inhabitants. The chapel is dedicated to St. Mary Magdalene.

ALNHAM, a parish in the northern division of COQUETDALE ward, county of NORTHUMBERLAND, COMprising the townships of Alnham, Prendick, Screnwood, and Unthank, and containing 269 inhabitants, of which number, 143 are in the township of Alnham, 14 miles (W.) from Alnwick. The living is a discharged vicarage, in the archdeaconry of Northumberland, and diocese of Durham, rated in the king's books at £3. 17.1., endowed with £400 royal bounty, and in the patronage of the Duke of Northumberland. The church is dedicated to St. Michael. On a hill, about a mile westward from the village, there is a semicircular encampment, defended by a high double rampart and deep trench, within which is a range of uncemented stones; and in the area, about one hundred yards in diameter, the foundations of buildings are visible.

ALNWICK, a market town and parish in the eastern division of COQUETDALE ward, county of NORTH

UMBERLAND, 34 miles (N. by W.) from Newcastle upon Tyne, and 319 (N. by W.) from London, on the great north road, containing 5927 inhabitants. This place derives its name from its situation near the river Alne. In 1093, it was besieged by Malcolm III., King of Scotland, and bravely defended by Mowbray, Earl of Northumberland. Malcolm, with his son and heir, Prince Edward, were slain during the siege, which event is commemorated by a cross, erected about a mile from the town, called Malcolm's Cross, rebuilt in 1774 by the Duchess of Northumberland, a lineal descendant of the Scottish monarch. In 1135, the town was taken by David, King of Scotland; and, in 1174, William, King of Scotland, with eighty thousand men, laid siege to it, but was defeated and captured by Ralph de Glanville, who sent him prisoner to London, whence he was afterwards ransomed by his subjects for £100,000. In 1215, Alnwick was nearly reduced to ashes by King John; but it appears to have been speedily rebuilt, for, about five years afterwards, Gualo, the pope's legate, summoned a council of the Scottish bishops to be held here. In 1328, it was again besieged by the Scots, under Robert Bruce, their king, but without success. In 1411, the castle (supposed to have been originally erected by the Saxons, on the site of a Roman fortress, and which was, at the Conquest, the baronial residence of the then Earl of Northumberland) was embattled, and the town surrounded with a strong wall, to protect it from the predatory incursions of the Scots, by whom, in 1448, it was burnt, in revenge for the burning of Dumfries by the English. After the battle of Hexham, in 1463, the castle, which was in the interest of the house of Lancaster, was summoned by the Earl of Warwick; but the garrison, though unable to sustain a protracted siege, retained possession till they were relieved by Sir George Douglas, who, at the head of a considerable force, afforded them an opportunity of retiring unmolested. Alnwick abbey was founded, in 1147, by Eustace Fitz-John, who endowed it for Premonstratensian canons: the abbots were summoned to some of the parliaments in the reigns of Edwards I. and II.; its revenue, at the dissolution, was £194. 7. : only the gateway remains, which has been fitted up as a lodge to the castle. Here were also an hospital, founded by some of the Percy family, and dedicated to St. Lawrence, and a chapel, dedicated to St. Thomas.

Alnwick is situated on the irregular declivity of an eminence rising from the river Alne, over which, at the northern extremity of the town, is a neat stone bridge of three arches: the streets are spacious, well paved, and lighted with gas, under an act obtained in 1822; the houses, built of stone, are chiefly modern, and many of them elegant; and the inhabitants are amply supplied with water from cisterns and reservoirs, and by pumps erected by the corporation in various parts of the town: assemblies occasionally take place. A subscription library was established in 1783, and a scientific and mechanics' institute in 1824. The castle, now the magnificent residence of the Duke of Northumberland, is a stately structure, comprising two spacious wards, with lofty towers and exploratory turrets: it has been repaired with a due regard to its ancient style, and fitted up with the most sumptuous grandeur. The town walls were strengthened by four square and massive gateway towers, of which Bondgate is the only one

remaining, and is now used as a prison. The trade and manufactures are inconsiderable: the parish contains coal, limestone, freestone, whinstone, and marble. The market is on Saturday: fairs are held on the 12th of May, the last Monday in July, the first Tuesday in October, the 28th of that month, and the last Saturday before Christmas-day; there are also statute fairs on the first Saturday in March and November. On the eve of each fair the inhabitants of the adjacent townships send deputies to attend the bailiff in the ceremony of proclamation; after which they keep watch and ward in the several quarters of the town for the remainder of the night, by which service they are exempt from toll within the borough for the next twelve months.

The corporation, which is a prescriptive body, consists of a bailiff, nominated by the Duke of Northumberland, as constable of the castle, four chamberlains, and twenty-four common council-men: the chamberlains are chosen from among the common council, and the latter from among the freemen of the several incorporated companies. The freedom is inherited by the eldest sons of freemen, or acquired by servitude. Each candidate, on taking up his freedom, is, by the provisions of King John's charter, subjected to the ludicrous ceremony of passing through a miry pool, thence called the "Freeman's Well." The officers of the corporation possess no magisterial authority, the town being within the jurisdiction of the county magistrates, who meet every alternate week: the quarter sessions for the county are held here in turn with Hexham, Newcastle, and Morpeth; the county court is held monthly, and courts leet and baron at Easter and Michaelmas, by the Duke of Northumberland, as lord of the manor: a manorial court is held also for the township of Canongate. The members of parliament and coroners for the county are elected here. The town hall is a handsome stone building surmounted by a square tower, erected in 1731, and commodiously arranged for the transaction of the public business: it is situated on the northern side of the market-place, a spacious area in the centre of the town, on the western side of which stands the market-house, a fine building in the early style of English architecture, containing seven spacious apartments, under which are the shambles, erected in 1827. The house of correction, near the Green Bat, was built in 1807. The living is a perpetual curacy, in the archdeaconry of Northumberland, and diocese of Durham, and in the patronage of the Duke of Northumberland. The church, dedicated to St. Mary, is a large building with a neat tower: the chancel was repaired and embellished, in 1781, by the Duke of Northumberland: in a niche in the south aisle are three recumbent figures in stone. There are places of worship for Antiburghers, Burghers, Independents, Primitive and Wesleyan Methodists, Presbyterians, Unitarians, and Roman Catholics. The free school, near the West-gate, for preparing the sons of freemen for the mathematical school, is principally supported by the corporation; the mathematical school, and a school for the daughters of freemen, are supported by subscription. A National school for two hundred boys was founded, in 1810, by the Duke of Northumberland, in commemoration of George III. having completed the fiftieth year of his reign; and a school for clothing and educating fifty poor girls has been instituted by the Duchess of Northumberland:

there are also several Sunday schools. A dispensary was established in 1815, and a savings bank in the following year. In the vicinity are two encampments, supposed to be of Danish origin; and, about the year 1726, a considerable number of military weapons, which probably belonged to the ancient Britons, was found in Hulne park. Alnwick gives the inferior title of baron to the Earl of Beverley.

ALPHAMSTONE, a parish in the hundred of HINCKFORD, county of ESSEX, 6 miles (N. E. by E.) from Halstead, containing 244 inhabitants. The living is a rectory, in the archdeaconry of Middlesex, and diocese of London, rated in the king's books at £11, and in the patronage of the Crown.

ALPHETON, a parish in the hundred of BAbergh,· county of SUFFOLK, 6 miles (N. by E.) from Sudbury, containing 264 inhabitants. The living is a rectory, in the archdeaconry of Sudbury, and diocese of Norwich, rated in the king's books at £10. 1. 8., and in the patronage of the Rev. T. G. Dickinson.

ALPHINGTON, a parish in the hundred of WONFORD, county of DEVON, 11⁄2 mile (S.) from Exeter, containing 1070 inhabitants. The living is a rectory, in the archdeaconry and diocese of Exeter, rated in the king's books at £34. 6. 8., and in the patronage of the Rev. R. Ellicombe. The church, dedicated to St. Michael, has a circular Norman font, with intersecting arches and scroll ornaments. Fairs for cattle are held here on the first Wednesdays after June 20th and Michaelmas-day. The river Exe and the Exeter canal pass through the parish, in directions parallel with each other. The lord of the manor had anciently the power of inflicting capital punishment.

ALPINGTON, a parish in the hundred of LODDON, county of NORFOLK, 6 miles (S. E.) from Norwich, containing, with Yelverton, 169 inhabitants. The living is a discharged rectory, with that of Yelverton united, in the archdeaconry of Norfolk, and diocese of Norwich, and in the patronage of the Crown.

ALPRAHAM, a township in that part of the parish of BUNBURY which is in the first division of the hundred of EDDISBURY, county palatine of CHESTER, 3 miles (S. E. by E.) from Tarporley, containing 409 inhabitants. There is a place of worship for Wesleyan Methodists.

ALRESFORD, a parish in the hundred of TENDRING, county of ESSEX, 6 miles (S. E. by E.) from Colchester, containing 270 inhabitants. The living is a discharged rectory, in the archdeaconry of Colchester, and diocese of London, rated in the king's-books at £8, and in the patronage of the Rev. T. Newman. The church is dedicated to St. Peter.

ALRESFORD (NEW), a market town and chapelry in the parish of OLD ALRESFORD, liberty of ALRESFORD, Alton (North) division of the county of SOUTHAMPTON, 6 miles (N.E. by E.) from Winchester, and 57 (S. W. by W.) from London, on the high road to Winchester, containing 1129 inhabitants. It derives its name from its situation near a ford on the river Arle. The manor was given to the church of Winchester by Cenwalh, King of the West Saxons, after his baptism by Bishop Birinus. About 1220, Godfrey de Lucy, Bishop of Winchester, restored the market, then fallen into disuse. On May-day, 1690, the town was destroyed by fire, previously to which it was so prosperous, that there