Page:The National Gazetteer - A Topographical Dictionary of the British Islands, Volume 1.djvu/235

Rh BEENIE. 225 11EES, ST. ling is a vie.* in the dioc. of Oxford, of the val. of 0, in the patron, of Mr. Bushnell. The church is ducated to St. Mary. The vicarage was once held by 'i >mas Btackhonae, author of the " History of the Ble." He died and was interred here in 17oL'. Near tl village are Beenham House and Beenham Lodge. EENIE. Ha BUYNDIE, Banflshire. EER, a lythg. in the par. of Seaton, hnnd. of Coly- t. in the co. of Devon, 3 miles to the S.W. of Colytou. ited on the coast near Beer Head, a chalk pro- . between Axmouth and Sidmouth. It is a good Cation, with a small harbour, and a pier erected al it 1820. A coastguard station is established here. , In ing is a perpet. cur. annexed to the vie. of Seaton, i'jo. of Exeter. Hero are almshouses for 25 fish- nd '20 widows, and free schools, founded and I by Lady Rolle, the revenue of which is 210 pt annum. The tything has also a share with Idstork ..dowment by Edward Colston for the mainte- d education of 100 buy. 1 ;., a tythg. in the par. of High Hani and hund. ley, in the co. of Somerset, 1 mile from Lang- . a limit, in the par. and hnnd. of Cannington, >. of Somerset, 3 miles N.W. of Bridgewatt.T. .;ited near the river Parret, and was the site of a vdictine nunneiy founded in the reign of King ALSTON, a town in the par. of Beer Ferns, i Roborough, in the co. of Devon, 3 miles to the ( the village of Beer Ferns, and 12 miles to the < T . of Plymouth. It is now a small town, containing it 1,600 inhabitants, situated in a pleasant spot near i Tamar, and was formerly a borough and market to i. Its market was granted about the close of the 13 century, and the elective franchise in the reign of
 * n Elizabeth, from which time it returned two

mibers to parliament until the Reform Act, by which is disfranchised. In the parliament of 1661, Sir i Maynard, law Serjeant to Cromwell and King 1 L, sat as member for this town. He founded t :: 'n.-o grammar school still known by his name, and it with land producing 21 per annum. A I ut <:a.-e to Beer Ferns was erected here in 1845. 10 also chapels belonging to the Wesleyans, mica Wesleyans, Independents, and Bible Chris- . A mcrlianics' institute was established in 1854, in: iissolved in 1856. There are both Church of Eng- and Dissenting schools. A large portion of the in- .ants of the town are employed in the lead and silver the vicinity, which were first opened in the 13th . try. Extensive smelting works for lead, silver, and iormerly in operation, but were discontinued in 18i in consequence of the stoppage of the two mines, (> h and East Tamar, which occurred several years through the breaking in upon the works under- i-T nd of the waters of the Tamar river. The great i . . : . called Tamar Consols is still in full operation, and i a.,oys most of the mining population. The name of tlu town is supposed to be a corruption of Beer- Allijon, which it took from the family of the Aleneons, wnheld the manor after the Conquest. "i;i; CROCOMBE, a par. in the hund. of Abdick Bulstone, in the co. of Somerset, 5 miles to the . of Ilminstcr. The Chard canal parses through K. arish, which is included in the union of Langport. living is a rcct. in the dioc. of Bath and Wells, 200, in the patron, of Colonel Wyndham. The is dedicated to St. James. '.Kit FERRIS, or FERRERS, a par. in the hund. of liborough, in the co. of Devon, 3 miles to the N.E. of altash, and 8 N. by W. from Plymouth. It a a small peninsula on the English Channel, at lie mouth of the rivers Tamar and Tavy, which bojd it on the "W. and E. The par. includes the town of 4->er Alston, which was formerly a borough, and the vil jo of Beer Ferris, or, as it is commonly called, Beer To'i. Lead has been for many centuries obtained i in considerable quantities, mixed with much silver, L. I. and several other mineral products. The chief mine is known as the Tamar Consuls, and gives employment to a great number of the inhabitants. The scenery of the neighbourhood is remarkably line, and large quantities of fruit are produced here, especially black cherries, known locally as " mazards." The living is a rect.* in the dioc. of Exeter, of the val. of 700, in the patron, of the Earl of Mount-Edgcumbc. The church, which is dedicated to St. Andrew, was erected in 1333. It is in the decorated style chiefly, but with additions of perpendicular and debased, and contains two monuments of Crusaders, besides tombs of the Ferrers and other families who formerly held the manor. Here is the grave of the painter Charles A. Stothard, who was killed, in 1821, by a fall while engaged in drawing the windows of this church. The rich stained glass belong- ing to the eastern window is now preserved in a chest. There are several Dissenting chapels in the parish. The charitable endowments amount to 66 per annum, in- cluding 21, the revenue of Maynard's free school. The par. comprises an area of about 5,838 acres, chiefly the property of Earl SIount-Edgcumbe, who is lord of the manor. BEER HACKETT, a par. in the hund. of Sherbome, in the co. of Dorset, 4 miles to the S.W. of Sherborne, and 4 S.E. from Yeovil railway station. It is situated on a small river, and is but thinly inhabited. The liv- ing is a rect. in the dioc. of Salisbury, val. 201, in the patron, of Sir J. Slunden and "W. Hclyar, Esq., alter- nately ; it is a peculiar of the Dean of Salisbury, and is exempt from visitation. The church is dedicated to St. Michael. BEER REGIS. See BEHE REGIS, Dorsetshire. BEERHALL, a tythg. in the par. of Axminster, and hund. of the same name, in the eo. of Devon, not far from Axminster. BEES, ST., or KIPvKBY SEACOCK, a par. in the ward of Allerdale-above-Derwent, in the co. of Cum- berland, 3 miles to the N.W. of Egremont. It is situated near the coast of the Irish Sea, along which it extends about 10 miles, and was the largest parish in the county until recently, when Loweswater was constituted a parochial chapelry, with independent jurisdiction. It contains the chplries. of Enuerdale, Eskdalc, Hensing- ham, Nether Wasdale, Wasdale Head, and Whitehaven, the last being a market town and seaport ; and the tnshps. of Kinniside, Lowside-Quarter, Preston-Quaiter, Rottington, Sandwith, and Weddiker. The district is hilly, and the coast generally steep and rocky. Coal, limestone, find freestone are obtained, with some lead ; and iron has been found in great abundance in the neighbourhood. The vicinity abounds in striking scenery. On the promontory called St. Bees Head, 3 miles to the S. of Whitehaven, is a lighthouse, with a fixed light at an elevation of 333 leet, visible at a distance of 23 miles. It was erected in 1822, a former one, erected in 1717, having been burnt down. Large numbers of seafowl haunt the rocky coast. The village is said to owe its origin to a nunnery, founded here in the 7th century by St. Bcga, an Irish prin- whom some identify with St. Bridget. A few interesting fragments oi that earlier foundation are pre- served in the present church and churchyard. After its demolition by the Danes in the 10th century, a priory was established near the ancient site by William de Meschines, in the reign of Henry I., for a prior and monks of the Benedictine order, and was made a cell to St. Mary's abbey in York. At the Dissolution its annual revenue was about 150. Nearly all traces of its domestic buildings have disappeared ; but the nave of its church has been used as the parish church since 1611. It is a venerable cruciform building, principally semi-Norman (tr*> 1200). The chancel, repaired from a ruin in 1817, to serve as a divinity school, is very noble, but needs restoration. The transepts and tower have recently been well restored, and a fine peal of eight bells, with some good church furniture and painted glass, have been added. The benefice ia a pcrpct. cur ,* now in the dioc. of Carlisle, val. 103, in the patron, of the Earl of c o