Page:The National Gazetteer - A Topographical Dictionary of the British Islands, Volume 1.djvu/557

Rh CI1ELSWORTH. 547 CHELVEY. of the Caterham branch of the Brighton and South Coast railway. It is situated under Battle-Hill, on .which is a Koinan camp. The living is a cur. annexed to the vie. s of Warlingham, in the dice, of Winchester, in the patron, of A. W. Wigzell, Esq., who is lord of the manor. The church, which is dedicated to St. Leonard, is an ancient structure in the early English style of architecture. Hero are parish schools for boys and girls. CHELSWORTH, or CHELLESWORTH, a par. in the hund. of Cosford, in the co. of Suffolk, 5 miles N.W. of the Hadleigh railway station, and 15 from Bury St. Edmund's. It is situated on the river Brett. The manor anciently belonged to the Howards, and afterwards to the family of Do Vere. In 1737 it became, by purchase, the properly of Robert Pocklington, Esq., who erected Chelsworth House. The living is a rect. in the dioc. of val. '266, in the patron, of the lord chancellor. Tho church, dedicated to All Saints, is a handsome and ancient edilicc, containing an old fresco of the Judgment whii'h was brought to light in 1849, and a monu- ment to Sir John do St. Philibert. The register com- ifiices in 1559. Here is a school for both sexes. M. R. klington, Esq., is lord of the manor. Chelsworth me is situated near the remains of an ancient edifice called Tho Park. CHELTENHAM, a hund. in the middle portion of ... of Gloucester. It contains the borough of Chel- ni, imd the pars, of King's Charlton, Lcckhampton, and Swindon, comprising 10,810 acres. CHELTENHAM, a par., market town, municipal and parliamentary borough, in the hund. of Cheltenham, in the co. of Gloucester, 96 miles from London by road, or 121 miles by the Great AVestern railway. The Midland railway, which has a station 1 mile from the town, connects Cheltenham with all the N. and W. lines in the kingdom. Cheltenham derives its name from the river Chelt, which flows through the town. It appears from numerous antiquities found in the neighbourhood to have been occupied by the Romans, probably on ac- count of its mineral waters, the knowledge of which was afterwards lost till the 18th century. The town is beautifully situated in a healthy spot, under the Cots- wold hills, and was anciently a royal manor. It be- longed to Edward the Confessor, afterwards to William the Conqueror, and was exchanged by King John for other lands ; the abbey of Feschamp, and the nunnery of Sion successively possessed it, till the Dissolution, at which time it reverted to the crown. Cheltenham is a new borough under the Reform Act, and returns one member to parliament. The town is governed by a high bailiff, constables, and board of commissioners. The population in 1851 was 35,051, with 6,356 in- habited houses, which in 1861 had increased to 39,693, with 7,012 inhabited houses. Cheltenham is a polling place for East Gloucestershire, and a petty sessions town, but has acquired its present importance from the celebrity of its mineral springs, with which it abounds, having no trade excepting a little malting business. The medicinal virtues of the Cheltenham waters were accidentally discovered in 1716, and a visit from King George III., who was directed by his physicians to try the waters, in 1788, established their reputation and brought visitors from all parts of the world. The " Queen of watering places" has since become a fashionable resort. There are four spas the Royal Old Well, dis- covered in 1716, with its pump-room, rebuilt in 1803 ; the Muntpelier spa, pump-room, and rotunda ; Pitville spa, with its pump-room built in 1824, a veiy fine build- ing ; and the Cambray spa. Tho waters are all saline, and there arc numerous baths. Tho principal street, the High-street, is about 1 J mile in length, and is inter- spersed with many handsome ranges of buildings. There are also numerous other streets, squares, crescents, and terraces, well paved, and lighted with gas. Cheltenham is famous for its magnificent hotels : the principal one, the Queen's, was erected in 1836, at a cost of nearly 50,000. The town contains a theatre, assembly rooms, artists' repository, horticultural society, and several libraries. There are likewise a gaol, county court house, four banks, a savings-bank, hospital, infirmary, dispen- sary, rural constabulary barracks, almshouses, and many local institutions for the benefit of the poor. Tho living is a rect.* in the dioc. of Gloucester and Bristol, val. 500, in the patron, of Simeon's Trustees. Tho parish church, dedicated to St. Mary, wasbuilt about 1011, and is a fine old Gothic structure" in the form of a cross. Tho square graduated lower, which contains a fine peal of eight bells, is surmounted by an octagonal spire, and it has a handsome circular window. There are also tho following churches, tho livings of all which are perpet. curs. viz. : St. John's, val. 250, in the patron, of Rev. W. S. Phillips for 40 years ; St. Paul's, val. 300, in the patron, of the Rector of Cheltenham ; St. James's, val. 250, in the patron, of the trustees for 40 years ; Clirist Church, val. 400, in tho same patron. ; St. Peter's, val. 150, in the patron, of the trustees; St. Luke's, val. 350, and likewise one (Trinity) chapel, both in the patron, of the rector. There are also places of worship for Bap- tists, Independents, the Society of Friends, Wesleyans, Primitive Methodists, Unitarians, Mormonites, Jews, and Roman Catholics. The principal educational estab- lishment is Cheltenham College, situated in tho Bath- road; the building, which is in the Tudor collegiate style, was erected in 1843, with a pinnacled frontage of 240 feet, tower 97 feet, hall 90 feet by 45 feet, lecture- room 40 feet by 32 feet, and the principal windows 35 feet high and 20 feet wide. The number of pupils in 1863 amounted to about 600. The government of the college is vested by the shareholders in a board of directors. Tho free grammar school, founded by Richard Pate towards tho end of the 16th century, is situated in High-street. It has an income of about 800, with ten scholarships and exhibitions at Oxford, There is also a Normal Training College, built in tho early pointed style, at a cost of about 12,000. From this college, masters and mistresses are supplied to schools in all parts of the kingdom, the colonies, and the East Indies. Many National and British schools flourish in this town. Thirlestone House, the seat of Lord North- wick, in tho Bath-road, was once famous for its extensive and magnificent collection of paintings, but these have been recently dispersed, and the house is now closed. Bays Hill Lodge, then the 'seat of Lord Fauconberg, was occupied by George III. on taking the waters in 1788. Southampton, anciently belonging to the DC la Bores, is tho Earl of Ellenborough's seat; Charlton Park that of Sir W. Russell, Bart, M.P. ; and there are other noble mansions about the neighbourhood. Mr. Jessop's nursery grounds, which occupy about 20 acres, and his aviaries, are a favourite place of resort. Tho town supports several newspapers. The present lord of the manor is Robert Solo Longwood, Esq., who purchased it in 1862 for 32,000. The Cheltenham staghounds hunt round hero. Market days arc Thursday and Saturday. Seven fairs are held during the year, in April, August, September, and December, for cattle, cheese, &c. The races are discontinued. CHELVESTON, or CHELVESTON-CUM-CALDE- COTT, a par. in tho hund. of Higham Ferrers, in tho co. of Northampton, 6 miles S. of Thrapston, and 2 E. of Higham Ferrers, its post town and railway station. The village is small and straggling, and the inhabitants wholly engaged in agriculture. The par. includes the hmlt. of Caldecott. The living is a cur. annexed to tho vie. of Higham Ferrers, in the dioc. of Peterborough, in the patron, of Earl Fitzwilliam. The church, dedi- cated to St. John tho Baptist, is a neat stone building, situated at some distance from the village. Here are an endowed free school for boys, and almshouses for four poor widows. Earl Fitzwilliam is lord of the manor. There are several small charities. CHELVEY, a par. in tho hund. of Hartcliffe, in tho co. of Somerset, 8 miles S.W. of Bristol, and 1 from tho Nailsea station of the Bristol and Exeter railway. The living is a rect. in tho dioc. of Bath and Wells, val. 142, in the patron, of J. Cooke, Esq. The church, dedicated to St. Bridget, is an ancient edifice in the