Page:The National Gazetteer - A Topographical Dictionary of the British Islands, Volume 1.djvu/143

Rh AVISFORD HUNDRED. .133 AVONDALE. itands was then occupied by the banqueting-room. The iropcrty has lately been purchased by John Shelley, Esq. , vho is lord of the manor, and resides in the old brick- iiiilt mansion. AVISFORD HUNDRED, one of the six hunds. of Vrundcl Rape, in the co. of Sussex, bounded on the N. iy the hund. of Bury, on the E. by the Imnd. of 'oleing, on the S. by the English Channel, and on tho ,V. by the Chichestcr Rape. It contains the; pars, of taniham, Binstead, Climping, Eastergatc, Fclpham, 'ord, Jladehurst, Middloton, South Stoke, Tortington, Valberton and Yapton. This hund. comprises an area f 15,010 acres. AYUCH, or ATTCH, a par. and postal vil. in the co. t' Koss, Scotland, 7 miles to the N. of Inverness. It ies in a district mostly mountainous on the west coast f the Moray Frith. Fishing forms the principal occu- i 1 the inhabitants. Useful building stone, from h>h the works at Fort George were built, is quarried ere. The living is of the yearly vol. of 249, in the Chanomy, and in the patron, of the Sir J. R. '.io, Bart., chief heritor, whose seat is Rosehaugh not far from Bonar Bridge. The par. has an, i bout 7,000 acres, and lies between Inverness at . .-nd ill' it and Fortrose and Fort George at the other. AVON, a Celtic word signifying river, and now Uo name applied to many streams in all parts of the Sritish Islands. It occurs either alone or in composition 'ith other names, and may be readily recognised under ic various forms, Afon, Avon, Awn, Ann, Abhan, the last ping its Irish form, in which the b is pronounced as v. 'ho most noteworthy of the British rivers bearing this iame are the following, which are mentioned in order, tcordiug to their length : In England, (1) The Upper r Warwickshire Avon ; (2) the Lower or Bristol Avon ; 3) the East or Wiltshire Avon. In Scotland, (4) the [.ven or Avon of Banffshire ; (5) the Avon or Avondale in Lanarkshire ; (6) the Avon or Avon of Stirlingshire. In vales, (7 and 8) the Avon or Afon of Monmouthsliire, lid of Glamorganshire. Of some of these further par- oulars may be given. 1. Tho Upper or Warwickshire [von, which has its soui-ce at Naseby, in the county of orthampton, Hows along tho boundary line of that ranty and Leicestershire, crosses Warwickshire and r orcestershire, enters Gloucestershire, and falls into ie Severn at Tewkesbury. The length of its course is .arly 100 miles. The principal towns it passes are, ugby, Stonrlrigh, Warwick (flowing close by the old istln), Stratford (Shakespeare's), Eveshani, Pershore, id TL wkesbury . Three small streams join it before it auliis Warwick; and two others, the iStour and the Inc, before it enters Worcestershire. Below Stratford is navigable for small vessels.' In the upper part of ruurse, at Dowbridge or Drovcbridge, tho Roman id, Watling Street, crosses it, and on its eastern bank, "t far from that point, are interesting remains of a .umaii station. The river is connected with the Wor- -IIT and Birmingham canal by a branch canal from tratford to King's Norton. 2. The Lower or Bristol LTOH, sometimes called tin; West Avon, rises in the north- -t'ln part of Wiltshire, near Tetbury, on tho borders t Gloucestershire, pursues a winding course southward iruugh part of Wiltshire, crosses the northern extremity t Somersetshire, and forms the boundary line of that mty and Gloucestershire, till it joins the Severn below Ntol, at a place called King's Road. Its length is >ut ?> miles. On its way it runs past Wootten Bas- '.t, Chippenham, Melkshain, Bradford in Wiltshire, ah, and Bristol. Two small tributaries join it above .ippunham, and two others between Bradford and ah. Its course lies through a rich and beautiful '. untry, and through many deep and charming valleys. 1 is navigable up to Bath. The Avon is connected
 * th the Thames and with tho Wiltshire and Berkshire

s nal by the Kennet and Avon canal, which extends jm Bath to Nc-wbury, in Berkshire. 3. The East or "iltshirc Avon, the sources of which arc among the Us in the central part of the county, eastward of ovizes, flows in a southerly direction through Wilt- shire, enters Hampshire near Downton, crosses the south-western extremity of that county, and falls into the English Channel near Christchurch. It has a course of about 70 miles. Besides numerous villages which lie on its banks, it flows past the towns of Amesbury, Salis- bury, Fordingbridge, Ringwood, and Christchurch. It runs across Salisbury Plain, and along tho border of tho New Forest. Its waters are augmented at Salisbury by those of tho Wilyboumo and tho Nadder; and just above its mouth by the Stour. It becomes navigable at Salisbury. 4. The Aven or Avon of Banffshire, which has its source in Avon Loch, a small lake near the summit of Cairngorm, in tho south-western part of the county, runs in a northerly direction through Glen Aven and tho Forest of Glen Aven, past the village of Tomantoul to Inveraven, where it mingles its waters with those of the Spey. Its length is about 30 miles, and it receives many small streams from the mountains on both sides of its channel. The water of this river is singularly clear. 5. The Aven or Avon of Lanarkshire. This river rises among tho hills in the western part of that county on the border of Ayrshire, runs northward through a valley bearing its name, and abounding in fine scenery, especially in its lower half, and falls into tho Clyde at Hamilton Bridge. It has a course of about 28 miles. Many fine residences, both ancient and modern, with noble woods, adorn its banks. Burns has uttered his sense of the beauty of this stream and its environment in his song, "Evan Banks." 6. The Avon or Avon of Stirlingshire, rises in tho par. of Slamannan ; and after a course of 24 miles, falls into the Frith of Forth, near Grangemouth. Besides these prin- cipal rivers there are several much admired streams bearing the same name, as the Aven of Devonshire, which rises in Dartmoor Forest, and passing by Aveton Giffard, after a course of 22 miles, discharges itself into Bigbury Bay at Thurlestone. The Aven of Kincar- dineshire, abounding in trout, rises under Mount Battdck, and passing by Strachau, joins the Dee near Banchory, after a course of only 10 miles. AVON, a tythg. in the par. of Sopley, and hund. of Christchurch, in the co. of Southampton, 4 miles from Christehurch. It is situated on the bank of the (East) Avon. Tho chief residence is Avon House. AVON, a tythg. in the par. of Christian-Malford, hund. of North Damerham, in the co. of Wilts, 3 miles from Chippenham. It is on tho bank of tho Lower Avon. The Great Western railway passes through it. The living is a perpet. cur. attached to the rect. of Christian-Malford in the dice, of Gloucester and Bristol. AVON, an ex. par. lib. in the par. of Kellaways, hund. of Chippenham, in tho co. of Wilts, 4 miles to the N.E. of Chippenham. AVON, a limit, in the par. of Stratford-under-the- Castle, hund. of Underditch, in the co. of Wilts, 2 miles from Salisbury. It is situated on the river Avon. AVON DASSETT, a par. in the hund. of Kington, in the co. of Warwick, a miles to the S.E. of Kington. Banbury is its post town. The living is a perpet. cur.* in tho dioc. of Worcester, of the val. of 366, in the patron, of the Rev. R. G. Jeston, incumbent. The church is dedicated to St. John the Baptist. AVONDALE, or AVENDALE, a par. in Middle Ward, in the co. of Lanark, Scotland, 12 miles to the W. of Lanark. It lies along both banks of the river Avon, and includes the quoad sacra parish and post town of Strathaven, which sometimes gives name to the whole parish. The district is wild moorland and heath, with a small portion of forest, remnant of the once great Caledonian Forest. Coal and limestone are procured here. The inhabitants are engaged in weaving and in the rearing of calves, tho veal of the neighbourhood being proverbially excellent. The living, which is of tho annual val. of 305, is in the presb. of Hamilton, and in the patron, of tho Duke of Hamilton, chief heri- tor. Ruins of Avondale Castle, an old seat of tho llamiltons, stand in the midst of the village of Strath- aven. A more than ordinary interest belongs to a spot in this parish, a little eminence near London Hill, as