Page:The National Gazetteer - A Topographical Dictionary of the British Islands, Volume 1.djvu/199

Rh BARNSLEY, OLD. 189 BARNSTON. luso. Barnsley is the seat of a County Court district, id a polling-place for the Riding. Near the town, on e north side, are the ruins of Monk Brctton priory, imdcd in the reign of Henry II., now the property of ! i '. Wood, Bart. Wcntworth Castle is about 2 miles mi Barnsley. Fairs for the sale of cattle, &c., are Id on the last Wednesday in February, the 13th May, dthc llth October. BARNSLEY, OLD, a hmlt. in the par. of Silkstone, ip. of Staincross, in the West Riding of the co. of >rk, near Barnsley. I '.A l; :X STAPLE, a par., borough, seaport, and market >vn, in the hund. of Braunton, in the co. of Devon, 39 iles to the N.W. of Exeter, and 192 miles from Lon- n by road, or 233 by railway. It is a station on the jrth Devon railway, which passes through Exeter. It seated near the northern extremity of the county, in a autiful district on the north bank of the river Taw, 6 iles from the coast of the fine bay of BarnstarJe, into lich that river ialls. It is a place of considerable . tiquity, and is said to have been a borough and an portaut trading place in the Saxon age. Whether ng Athelstan did really erect a fortress hero, and grant barter under which the town sent two representatives parliament, remains uncertain. At the Conquest the inor was given to Joel, of Totues, who probably mdi'd or rebuilt a castle here. By him was also unded a Cluniac monastery, the value of which at the ^solution was 130. The trade of the town was con- lerable in the reign of Henry I., at which time it is first incorporated. It is not known when it was instituted a market town. In 1588 three vessels were Clipped here to join the fleet against the Armada. In it; civil war of the 17th century the town, which .Jiered to the parliament, was the scene of several con- <ts, and was finally taken by Fairfax, in 1640. Barn- aple is a pleasant, well-built, and thriving town, and < nf late years been much extended and improved by v, in ; back the old shop fronts in the High-street, and moving the vegetable market, which was formerly held i tin; open High-street. The streets are regular, well- i ved, and lighted with gas. There is a quay, a quarter i a jp.ile in length, forming a fine promenade along the i?t bank of the Taw, which is here broad and winding, .tine old bridge of 16 arches crosses the river, sup- ]sed to have been erected in the 12th century. A foot- bucn added on each side of the bridge, which itiibutes to its handsome appearance. Several bequests j ve been left in trust for its repair. The manufactures baize and coarse woollens was formerly the staple ide of the town ; but it has, in modern times, fallen j ', though there is still one large woollen factory at i wluifjh, which gives employment to a large number of o inhabitants. The chief manufactures at present tried on are those of pottery and lace. There arc, "sides, several extensive woolstaplers, malting-houses, '- extensive shipbuilding establishment, bonding ware- iuses, paper mills, a foundry, and several tan-yards. 'ie general trade of the place is extensive and pros- jrous. The town contains the guildhall and market- j use, a large, handsome edifice, situate in High-street, lire the quarter and petty sessions are held, and the < mty court sits monthly ; also a fruit and vegetable mar- It, recently erected at the back of the guildhall, between . gh-street and Boutport-street, a theatre, assembly i jms, and spacious music hall, an infirmary and dis- j usary, a prison, a custom-house, and the Union poor- ] use, capable of accommodating 300 inmates. The rail- y station is a neat stone edifice, situated just without t ; town, on the road to Bideford. A literary and scientific
 * <titution was established in 1845; and the harmonic

i -iety holds its meetings at the guildhall. The harbour i nits only small vessels, having a bar and a great
 * i:umulation of sand. It is a bonding port, with an

j Teasing foreign trade, and many respectable mer- i ints import goods from distant parts. The principal
 * licles of export are corn, bark, wool, leather, pottery,

. ; and of import, timber, coal, fruit, &c. nfracombe i a subport to Barnstaple. The government of the borough under the Reform Act is vested in a mayor, 6 aldermen, and 18 councillors, under the style of the " mayor, aldermen, and burgesses of the borough and parish of Barnstaple;" the term of office for aldermen is six years, and for councillors three years themayorbeing annually chosen from the town council. The limits of the borough, which is divided into two wards, north and south, extend beyond those of the parish, and comprise part of the pars, of Pilton and Bishop's Tawton, inclu- ding the important southern suburb of Newport. It has returned two members to parliament since the reign of Edward I. The borough revenue is about 1,380; and its population, according to the census of 1861, 10,738, against 11,371, in 1851, showing a decrease of 633 in the decennial period, while the number of in- habited houses has risen from 2,116 to 2,187, which would seem to show a great improvement in the social condition of the inhabitants. Barnstaple is the head of an extensive excise district, the seat of an archdeaconry in the dioc. of Exeter, of a County Court district, and a Poor-law Union. It is also the headquarters of the North Devon militia, and a polling-place for the county elections. There are three churches. The ancient parish church is an antique Gothic structure, situated nearly in the centre of the town, and dedicated to SS. Peter and Paul. The church itself has no pretensions to architectural beauty, but is very commodious, and con- tains a handsome stained glass window over the commu- nion table, inserted in 1854, and a parochial library, which is kept in a room over the vestry. The living is a vie. * in the dioc. of Exeter, of the annual val. of 245, in the patron, of Lord Wharncliffe. Of the two new churches, one is dedicated to St. Mary Magdalene ; it was erected in 1847 by public subscription, with a cur. of the val. of 150, in the alternate gift of the crown and the Bishop of Exeter. The other is dedicated to the Holy Trinity, and has a fine tower 133 feet high, with a cur. of the val. of 120, in the gift of the Rev. C. Haggard. There are chapels belonging to the Baptists, Independents, and Wesleyan Methodists. New chapels have also been, recently built for the Roman Catholics and Bible Chris- tians. The charitable endowments of Bamstaple amount to the annual sum of 630. They comprise the following institutions : A free grammar school, founded in 1649, by Richard Ferris, and subsequently further endowed by John Wright. Among its pupils have been the Poet Gay, Bishop Jewel, Judge Dodderidge, and Dr. Musgrave. The school-house is of considerable antiquity, having once been the chantry to the ancient monastery ; its present master is the Rev. George Johnston, B.D., of Christ's College, Cambridge. A free school, called the Blue Coat schools, established in 1710 for educating and clothing 50 boys and 30 girls, which has a revenue of 120, has been recently rebuilt by subscription, with residence for the master and mistress. There are also National and infant schools ; a large almshouse, with a chapel, endowed by John Penrose for 40 men and women, and having an income of 228 ; and other alms- houses founded by Horwood, in 1658, and by Paige, in 1553. Salem Almshouse, built in 1834, by Charles Roberts, is designed for 24 poor men and women. The North Devon Infirmary, erected in 1824, is supported by subscription. There arc no vestiges of the monastery ; but an ancient building on the quay is supposed to have been a chantry house. Three weekly newspapers are published at Barnstaple, the North Devon Journal, which is published on Thursday, and is considered the leading organ of this district ; the North Derm Adrerliser, and the Barnstaple and Bidtford Times. Tuesday and Friday are the market days for the sale of corn, provisions, &c. A fish market is held daily, and a large cattle market once a month. Fairs arc held in April, September, and December. The September fair is the most impor- tant, and lasts three days. It is famed for the sale of the North Devon cattle, and commences on the first Wed- nesday after the 19th September. Races take place occasionally in the vicinity, although there is no regular Barnstaple race-course. BARNSTON, a tnshp. in the par. of Woodchurch,