Page:The National Gazetteer - A Topographical Dictionary of the British Islands, Volume 1.djvu/225

Rh BEAZLEY END. 215 BECKBUItY. 3bo. Tho church, a plain building with rliancel :HMI .ver, is dedicated to St. Alban. Tho Bible Christian* ve a chapel here, and there is a National school. BEAZLEY END, a vil. in the hund. of Hinckford, the co. of Essex, 4 miles from Braintree. ! N'GTON, a par. in the lower div. of the hund. Wirrall, in the co. palatine of Chester, 3 miles to the of Birkenhead, its post town. It is situated on the nth bank of the river Mersey, and is a station on the vorpool, Birkenhead, and Chester railway. The par. nipriscs the Inshps. of Lower Bebington, Poulton- m-Spittlc, and Storeton ; and the chplries. of New ny and Tranmere St. Paul's, with the new eeei if districts of Higher Bebington and Tranmere St. iliLiiue's. Freestone of superior quality and colour quarried at Storeton, and other places in the neigh- urhood. The living is a rcct.* in the dioc. of, of the val. of 670, in the patron, of the Rev. . M. Fieldcn, incumbent. Tho ehurch, win bits various styles of architecture, is dedicated to St. idrew. It has a tower and spire, and contains some jod Norman arches along the south side of the ve. Besides the parish church, there are four district .itirhes and chapels of ease two only just completed, lere is a National school, attached to the church, with i endowment of 20 a year ; also schools for boys, girls, id infants, recently erected in the district of New Try. There are some other charitable endowments. BEBINGTON, HIGHER and LOWER. See BEB- GTON. BEBSIDE, a tnshp. in the par. of Horton, in the east v. of Castle ward, in the co. of Northumberland, miles to the W. of Blyth. It is seated on the south de of the river Blyth, and is a station on the Blyth id Tync railway. This township was formerly among le possessions of the priory of Tynemouth. The in- ihitants are employed in the neighbouring iron-works. BECCLES, a par., market town, and municipal trough in the hund. of Wangford, in the co. of Suf- 1k, 16 miles to the S.E. of Norwich, and 98 miles to 10 N.E. of London. It in a. station on the Great astern railway; and now, by the completion of the ae between Halesworth and Ipswich, has a direct com- uincation with the metropolis, instead of the previous rcuitous route by way of Norwich. A branch lino of '-ilway is just completed, which unites this town with ungay, Haresleston, and the Eastern Union line of ilway to Bury St. Edmund's, Newmarket, and Cam- .idge. It is situated in a pleasant country on the ght bank of the river Wavcney, which is navigable r vessels of 100 tons from this place to Yarmouth, hero it falls into the sea. At tho period of the "ormau survey, the manor of Beccles, with an exten- ve common adjacent to it, belonged to tho abbey of ury St. Edmund's ; and, from the record in Domesday 'jk, it appears that the abbey received its supply of sh from Beceles. The town consists of several good
 * eels, wi.-ll paved, and lighted with gas. The market-

!:icf; is ill the centre of the town, which is well supplied 'wnhall, in which tho quarter and petty sessions are .t-ld ; a theatre, now used as the corn exchange ; assembly- joms, with a large public library attached ; and a gaol, arable of containing 30 prisoners. A new cemetery IT the borough has recently been formed, under the lealth of Towns Act; it comprises above 6 acres, llegantly laid out, and has two chapels. The principal >uainess of the place is the corn and malt trade. There Ire also several breweries, iron foundries, and a sUk- iiill, employing from 150 to 200 hands. A large traflic i carried on with the neighbouring towns in coals, &c., y means of tho river and tho East Suffolk branch of the ireat Eastern railway, which connects it with tho im- ortant districts of Yarmouth, Lowestoft, and Ipswich. jieccles was first incorporated by a charter of Queen Elizabeth, and is now governed under the Reform Act by mayor, 4 aldermen, and 1 2 councillors. Before the town lecame a corporate municipal body, under the late Act or Constituting Provincial Corporations, it bore the style of " tho portreeve, surveyors, and commonalty of the Fen of Beccles," which is held of tho crown by fealty, and a yearly fee farm rent of 13. 4d. Tho corporation have the management of this great concession, or "fen," con- taining 1,400 acres, which was granted at the Dissolution t William Rede, for the use and benefit of the inha- bitants of tho town, which precludes tho necessity of having borough rates, as the cost of paving highways, sewers, &c., is defrayed from funds arising from this source. Tho port of Becclos is subordinate to Yarmouth. Tho revenue of tho borough is about 2,000, and its population 4,266, according to the census of 1861, against 4,398 in 1851, showing a decrease of 132 in the decennial period, while the number of inhabited houses has risen from 954 to 985. Beccles is a polling place for thu eastern division of tho county, and the seat of a County Court, which is held monthly at tho townhall. Quarter sessions are held here for the Gueldablo district of Suflblk. The living is a rcct. in tho dioc. of Norwich, of tho val. of 320, in the patron, of the Rev. Edmund Holland. Tho tithes have been commuted at 350. The church, a handsome structure in the perpendicular style of archi- tecture, was founded soon after the middle of tho 14th century, and is dedicated to St. Michael. It stands on elevated ground overlooking the Wavency. The porch is a beautiful example of the decorated style, built pro- bably about 1455. The tower is of still later date, and stands detached near the south-east angle of tho church. There are remains of another church at Endgate, the town formerly consisting of two parishes. This parish is tho place in which the bishop of tho diocese holds his septennial visitation, and tho archdeacon his annual. The Baptists, Independents, and Methodistshave chapels hero. The charitable endowments are considerable, producing about 670 per annum. Of this sum, 272 is the revenue from the townlands ; 184 the revenue of the grammar school, founded by Dr. Fauconbcrg in 1712, and en- dowed with his estate at Gorton ; and 197, the income of the free school established by Sir John Lemon in 1631, for the education of 48 boys. There are also National, British, and infants' schools. Here was for- merly a hospital for lepers, and a chapel connected with it dedicated to St. Mary Magdalece. The remains of the hospital are now a barn. Ashman's Hall, formerly the seat of the Rede family, is a noble mansion sur- rounded by well-wooded grounds, on the banks of tho Waveney. Rose (or Roos) Hall is an ancient mansion near the town, once the seat of Sir Robert Rich, Bart., but at present unoccupied. Friday is the market day. Fairs are held on Whit-Monday for the sale of cattle, and on the 2nd October for the sale of horses. There is a race-course near the town, on which races were held annually in September, but have been discontinued for some years. BECCONSALL, a hmlt. united with the par. of Hes- kth, in the hund. of Leyland, in tho co. palatine of Lancashire, 4 miles to the S.W. of Preston. BECHTON, a tnshp. in the par. of Sandbach, hund. of Nantwich, in the en. palatinr of C'lieshire, 2 miles from Sandbach. Bechton Hall is a farmhouse on the site of an old mansion. The Grand Trunk canal passes through tliu township. BECK, a vil. in the par. of Arlhuret, Eskdalc ward, in the co. of Cumbcrlund, 2 miles to the W. of Long- town. It lies on tho Scotch border. BECK, a vil. in Leath ward, in the co. of Cumber- land, 3 miles from Kirk-Oswald. BECK, LITTLE, a limit, in the chplry. of Uggle- bamby, and par. of Whitby, in tho lib. of Whitby - Sti-and, North Hiding of the co. of York, 3 miles to tho S.W. of Whitby. BECK HOW, a limit, in tho par. of MildcnhaU, hund. of Laeklbi'd, in tho co. of Suffolk, 3 miles from Mildenhall. BECKBURY, a par. in the hund. of Brimstree, in tho co. of Salop, 4 miles to tho S. of Shiffnall, its post and market town. The village is small, but pleasantly situated on the river Worf, about 3 miles from the Shrewsbury and Chester branch of tho Great Western
 * 'L!I provisions of all kinds. There is a convenient