Page:The National Gazetteer - A Topographical Dictionary of the British Islands, Volume 1.djvu/129

Rh ASTON PIGOTT. 119 ASTEOP Woodstock is its post town. It is situated on tho western bank of the river Cherwell. Along the eastern bank of tho river passes the Oxford canal. Tho living is a vie. in tho dioc. of Oxford, of tho val. of 199, in the patron, of J. Wills, Esq. Tho church is dedicated to St. Mary, and has a tower prettily overgrown with ivy. Aston Park is the residence of Lord Clonmel. The village is a meet for the Heythrop hounds. ASTON PIGOTT, a tnshp. in the par. of Worthen, and Imnd. of Chirbury, in the co. of Salop, 10 miles to tho S.W. of Shrewsbury. Tho river Khed runs near the township. ASTON ROGERS, a tnshp. in the par. of Worthen, and hund. of Chirbury, in the co. of Salop, 9 miles to the S.W. of Shrewsbury. ASTON ROWNANT, a par. in the hund. of Lewknor, in the co. of Oxford, 5 miles to the S. of Thame, its post town. It lies near the border of Buckinghamshire, on the north side of the Chiltem hills, and comprises the tnshps. of Chalford and Kingston Blount. A branch of th^ ancient way called Iknield Street passes through the parish, and some Roman antiquities have been discovered near it. The living is a vie. in the dioc. of Oxford, of the val. of 190, in the patron, of the bishop. The church is in the early English style, and contains several old monuments and two brasses, the earliest of the year 1441. It is dedicated to SS. Peter and Paul. There is a school endowed with 41 per annum, and other cha- rities amounting to 80. The principal residence is Aston Park, the seat of Sir F. Desanges. ASTON SANDFORD, a par. in the hund. of Ashen- don, in the co. of Buckingham, 5 miles to the S.W. of Aylesbury. Thame is its post town. It is situated on the south bank of the river Thame. The living is a rect.* in the dioc. of Lincoln, val. 135, in the patron. of Mrs. Barber. The church is in the perpendicular style, and has a gable porch. It is dedicated to St. Michael. Here are interred tho remains of Thomas Scott, author of the voluminous and once popular com- mentary on the Bible ; ho was rector of this parish. ASTON SOMERVILLE, a par. in the lower div. of tho hund. of Kiftsgate, in the co. of Gloucester, 3 miles to the S. of Evesham. It lies on the east side of tho river Isbome, close to the border of Worcestershire. The living is a rect. * in the dioc. of Gloucester and Bristol, of the yearly val. of 272, in the patron, of Lord Somer- villc. The church is dedicated to St. Mary. Tho manor has from a very remote period belonged to the Souierville family, who had a mansion here surrounded by a moat, of which there are now no remains. Among the mem- bers of this family were John Lord Somerville, President of the Board of Agriculture, and founder of the Smith- field Club, and William Somerville, the poet, author of the " Chase." Aston is still tho family burial-place. There is a mineral spring in the parish, and some fossils have been discovered. ASTON STEEPLE, a par. in the hund. of Wootton, in the co. of Oxford, 6 miles to the N. of Woodstock, its post town. It is situated in tho fertile vaDey of the river Chcrwell, and on the Oxford canal. Middle Aston is a tnshp. included in this par. The living is a rect. in tho dioc. of Oxford, val. 582, in the patron, of tho Princi- pal and Fellows of Brasenose College, Oxford. The church, which is an ancient edifice and contains some monuments of the Molins, to whom the manor belonged, is dedicated to St. Peter. There is a free school and some almshouses, established and endowed by Dr. Rad- cliffe, who formerly held the rectory of Aston. A mine- ral spring exists in tho parish, and Roman remains have been found. ASTON-STJB-EDGE, a par. in the upper div. of the hund. of Kiftsgate, in the co. of Gloucester, 1 mile to the N.W. of Chipping Campden, its post town. It lies at the western foot of Bredon Hill, close to the border of Worcestershire. The living is a rect.* in the dioc. of Gloucester and Bristol, val. 204, in tho patron. of the Earl of Harrowby. Endymion Porter, to whom tho manor was given by James I., was born in this vil- lage in 1544. ASTON BUTTON, or ASTON- BY- SUTTON, a. chplry. in the par. of Runcorn, and hund. of Bucklow, in the co. palatine of Chester, 7 miles to tho N.W. of Frodsham. It is situated on the north bank of the river Weaver, not far above its confluence with the Mersey. Tho North Western railway and the Bridgwater canal pass near the chplry. It contains the lib. of Middletou Grange, formerly a possession of the abbey of St. Wer- burgh, Chester. The living is a perpct. cur. in the dioc. of Chester, val. 88, in the patron, of Sir A. Aston, Bart. In the church is an ancient lectern, and many monu- ments of the Aston family. Aston Hall, which was rebuilt at the commencement; of the 18th century, stands near the site of the old mansion. It has been the seat of the Astons for generations past. ASTON TIRROLD, a par. in tho hund. of More- ton, in the co. of Berks, 3 miles to tho S.W. of Walling- ford. It lies on the western bank of the river Thames, not far from the Great Western railway. The living is a rect.* in the dioc. of Oxford, val. 233, in the gift of the President and Fellows of Magdalen College, Oxford. The church is dedicated to St. Michael. There is a school with, a small endowment, and several other small charities. ASTON-UPON-CARRON, a tythg. in tho par. of Ashchurch, lower div. of the hund. of Tewkesbury, in the eo. of Gloucester, 3 miles to the E. of Tewkesbury. It lies on the border of Worcestershire, not far from the Birmingham and Gloucester railway. ASTON-UPON-TRENT, a par. in the hund. of Morlestou and Litchurch, in the co. of Derby, 6 miles to the S.E. of Derby, its post town. It is situated on the northern side of the river Trent and the Grand Trunk canal, which runs nearly parallel with the river. Shardlow is a chplry., and Far or Great Wilne a tnshp., of this par. Aston had for- merly the rank of a market town. The principal busi- ness of the place is the com trade. Some of the inhabi- tants are employed in tho potteries. Tho living is a rect.* in the dioc. of Lichfield, of the val., with tho cur. of Shardlow annexed to it, of 1,030, in the patron, of E. A. Holden, Esq. In the church, which is dedicated to All Saints, are several monuments to the Holdens and Shuttleworths. There are charitable endowments amounting to 22 per annum. The principal residences are Aston Hall, the seat of the Holdens, and Aston Lodge. ASTON UPTHORPE, a chplry. in the par. of Blew- berry, in the hund. of Morton, and co. of Berks, 4 miles to tho S. of Wallingford. The living is a perpet. cur. annexed to the vie. of Blewberry, in the dioc. of Salis- bury. This place is said to have been tho scene of the battle in C59, in which the King of Wessex was de- feated by Wulfere, sou of Penda, and his dominions, annexed to Mereia. ASTON WHEATON, Staffordshire. See WHEATON ASTON. ASTON WHITELADY, a par. in the lower div. of the hund. of Oswaldslow, in the co. of Worcester, 6 miles to the S.E. of Worcester. Tho Birmingham and Gloucester railway passes near it. Tho living is a vie.* in the dioc. of Worcester, val. 226, in the patron, of R. Berkeley, Esq. The church is dedicated to St. John tho Baptist. A nunnery of the Celestine order was founded here at an early period. Bishop Lloyd, in 1713, endowed the charity school founded by him at Worcester, with an estate in this parish. From this circumstance it is sometimes called Aston Episcopi. In this village Oliver Cromwell had his head-quarters before his great victory of Worcester. ASTRAD, a tiishp. in the par. of Llaiulyrnog, hund. of Ruthin, in the co. of Denhigh, North AVales, 1 mile from Denbigh. Astrad Hall is the chief residence. ASTROP, ahrnlt. chiefly in the par. of King's Sutton, but partly in the par. of Newbottle, in the hund. of Sut- ton, and co. of Northampton, 5 miles to the W. of Brackley. It is situated on the eastern side of the river Cherwell, close to tho borders of Oxfordshire. Here is a mineral spring, called Astrop Wells, which was dis-