Page:The National Gazetteer - A Topographical Dictionary of the British Islands, Volume 1.djvu/69

Rh ALTJM GREEN. 59 ALVERSTOKE. sands, chimney ornaments are ma Jo, by arranging them after various patterns in glass phials. Alum and copperas stones are found and exported. The water in the hay is very clear, and the sea-bed is rocky. ALUM GREEN, an ext. par. "place in the par. of Lyndhurst, New Forest hund., in the co. of South- ampton, 8 miles to the N.W. of Lymington. It is situatrd in the New Forest, on the Lymington river. ALVA, a par. in the co. of Stirling, but detached from it, and lying locally in Hie co. of Clackmannan, to which it is attached, by the Reform Act, for political purposes, Scotland, 3 miles to the N. of Alloa. It is situated on the river Devon, lying partly in the charm- ing valley of that river, and partly among the Ochil hills. It was at one time a possession of the abbey of Cambuskenneth. Great part of the surface consists of hill pastures, other parts are under tillage or wooded. Coal is found, and valuable ores of various kinds ; iron, lead, copper, silver, &c. The woollen manufacture is carried on in the village. The living is within the presb. ! of Stirling, val. 157, in the patron, of the Johnstones of I: Alva, who are also the sole heritors. The parish church was rebuilt in 1815. There is also a Free church,, aiida United Presbyterian church, which was opened in 1843. I and was at one time celebrated for its breed of falcons, which were usually appropriated to the service of royalty. 1 Snow lies occasionally till late in the summer in a 1 hollow near Craig Leith, and it is named in the poetical language of the peasantry, " Lady Alva's Web." Alva House, the seat of the Johnstones, stands on a hill pro- jecting from the base of Wood-hill, which rises 1,400 feet above it, making the whole height 1,620 feet. The view from the summit of Woodhill, over the Frith of Forth and the coast of Fife, is very fine. The par. has an area of about 10 square miles. ALVAH, a par. in the co. of Banff, Scotland, 2 miles to tho S. of Banff. It is pleasantly situated in the fertile valley of the river Deveron, not far from the bridge at Alvah Craigs. The course of the river is veiy winding and picturesque, and there are some fine woods. Alvah Hill, which is about 578 feet in height, stands apart, and is a well known sea-mark. There are eight or nine rural mills within the parish, and a large distillery at Montblairie. The living is in the presb. of Turriff, val. 179, in the patron, of Sir R. Abercromby. The church, erected in 1792, is the only place of worship in the parish. A castle once stood near Montblairie, but all traces of it are now obliterated. There are several small cairns and tumuli in the parish, and a well, once famed for its sovereign charms, but now fallen into disrepute. ALVANLEY, a chplry. in the" par. of Frodsham, second div. of the hund. of Eddisbury, in the co. palatine of Chester, 2 miles to the S.W. of Frodsham. It lies not far from Delamere forest. The living is a perpct. cur.* in the dioc. of Chester, val. 47, in the patron, of the Hon. Miss Arden. The church is dedicated to St. Mary. Alvanley gives the title of baron to the Arden family, who have long held it. The ancient manor- house formerly stood on the site of the present Alvanley Hall farm. ALVASTON, a chplry. in the par. of St. Michael, in the hund. of Horleston and Litchurch, in the co. of Derby, 3 miles to the S.E. of Derby. It is situated on the river Derwent, near the Midland railway, and the Derby canal goes through the parish. The living is a pcrpet. cur. in the dioc. of Lichfield, val. 116, in the gift of the parishioners. The Wesleyan Methodists have a chapel here. The principal residence is Alvastou House. ALVASTON, a tnshp. in the par. of Nantwich, hund. of Nantwich, in the co. palatine of Chester, 2 miles to the N.E. of Nautwich. Races are held here once a year. ALVECHURCH, a par. belonging to the middle div. of the hund. of Oswoldslow, but detached from it and lying locally in the upper, div. of the hund. of llalfshire, in the co. of Worcester, 4 miles to the N.E. of Broms- grove. It is a station on the Redditch branch of tho Birmingham, Gloucester, and Bristol section of the Mid- land railway. It is situated on the Birmingham and Worcester canal. The Roman way called Icknield, or Ryknield Street, passes through the parish. Alvechurch was a borough at a very early period, and the bishops of Worcester had a palace here from the reign of Henry II. till the period of tho civil war. In the year 1648, the manor was sold by the parliament, and the episcopal palace fell into decay and disappeared. The living is a rect.* val. 1,200, in the dioc. of Worcester, in the patron, of the Bishop of Worcester. The church is chiefly in the early English style, with some Norman pillars and a modern tower. It is dedicated to St. Lawrence. There is a free school established and endowed in 1742 by Dr. Worth, which has an income of 36. Lewkner's Hos- pital, which was incorporated by Queen Elizabeth, is for nine persons, and has a revenue of 33. The rect. of Alvcchurch was held by Moore, the Nonconformist, and by Dr. Hickes, the learned author of the " Thesaurus SepttntftQHoUwn Linguarum." ALVELEY, a par. in the hund. of Stottesden, in tho co. of Salop, 6 miles to the S.E. of Bridgnorth. It is situated on the eastern bank of the river Severn, and comprises the lib. of Romsley, which is within the lib. of tlie borough of Bridgnorth, and the tnshp. of King's Nordley. The living is a perpet. cur. in the otioc. of Lich- field, val. 103, in the patron, of Mrs. Wakeman. Tho church, which had formerly a chantry, is dedicated to St. Mary. A free school was founded here in 1616, by John Grove, for poor children of the parish. Its present income is 26. He also founded some almshouses for decayed labourers. ALVERDISCOTT, or ALSCOTT, a par. in the hund. of Fremiugton, in the co. of Devon, 4 miles to the S.E. of Bideford, and 5 J miles S.W. from Barnstaple railway station. The village is situated on the old coach road between Barnstaple and Torrington. The living is a rect.* in the dioc. of Exeter, val. 168, in the patron, of W. Lee, Esq. The church, which is dedicated to All Saints, has a fine porch, and contains some interesting monu- ments. There is a Wesleyan chapel and village schools. ALVERSTOKE and GOSPORT LIBERTIES, situ- ated in the Fareham div. of the co. of Southampton, comprise the par. of Alverstoke, in which is the town of Gosport. ALVERSTOKE, a par. co-extensive with the libs, of Alverstoke and Gosport, in the Fareham div. of tho co. of Southampton, on the western side of Portsmouth harbour. It comprises the town and port of Gosport, a suburb of Portsmouth, and the chplries. and limits, of Gosport, Forton, Anglesey, Hardway, and Elson. It is situated on the coast of Stoke Bay, 2 miles from the Gosport terminus of the South Western railway. Part of tho new works for the defence of the harbour of Portsmouth are in this parish. The living is a rect.* in the dioc. of Winchester, val., with the cur. of Anglesey, 1,087, in the patron, of the Bishop of Win- chester. The church, which is dedicated to St. Mary, is very ancient, having been founded by Bishop Henry de Blois in the year 1130, on occasion of his deliver- ance from shipwreck. In this church is tho tomb of " gallant Kempenfelt," who perished with his " twice four hundred men," on the sinking of the Royal George, in August, 1782. A new chapel, dedicated to St. Mat- thew, at Gosport, has Been erected by the commissioners under the act of parliament for such purposes, the living of which is a cur., val. 200, in the patron, of the bishop and tho rector, alternately. There are also three chapels of ease Trinity, at Gosport ; St. John's, Forton ; and St. Thomas, Elson. They are all perpet. curs.* in the patron, of the rector. There is a school- house which was built by the present Bishop of Oxford, and a national school, of largo dimensions, erected in 1842. Haslar hospital is in this parish. It is a spacious brick building near the entrance to Portsmouth harbour, ex- tending in front about 570 feet, and having two wings about 550 feet in length. It is capable of receiving 2,000 patients. It contains besides apartments for the governor,
 * i The Ochils rise at Beucleuch to the height of 2,420 feet.
 * i Craig Leith is a lofty perpendicular rock on Bencleuch,