Page:The National Gazetteer - A Topographical Dictionary of the British Islands, Volume 2.djvu/151

Rh GREEXSTEAD. 143 GREET. erected about 1013, and has a curious nave formed en- tirely of timber in a rough state, said to have been built as a shrine for the reception of the body of St. Edmund, on the occasion of its being conveyed back from London to Bury St. Edmund's for re-interment. It contains monuments of the Smyth, Cleeve, and other families ; also a head and crown in stained glass, and other relics belonging to the history of St. Edmund. The register dates back to the year 1558. The charities of the parish produce about 3 per annum. There is a parochial school for boys and girls. GREENSTEAD. a par. in the borough of Colchester, co. Kssex. See COLCHESTEU. GREEN STREET GREEN, a limit, in the par. of Farnborough, hund. of Ruxley, lathe of Sutton-at-Hone, co. Kent, 1 mile S.E. of Farnborough, and 5 miles from Bromley. A large brewery gives employment to many of the people. There is a good National school in the village. GREENWICH, a par., market town, and parliamen- tary borough in the hund. of Blackheath, lathe of Sutton- at-Hone, co. Kent, 4 miles S.E. of London, of which it is DOW a suburb, and with which it is connected by a lino of railway, about 3* miles in length, supported on arches the whole of the distauue from London Bridge and Charing Cross. It is situated on the S. bank of the river Thames, and gives name to one of the metropolitan boroughs, returning two members to the British par- liament. By the Saxons it was called Grenawyc; and in 1011-12 it was the headquarters of the marauding Danes, who here slew Alphege, Archbishop of Canterbury, having failed to obtain a ransom. In Domesday Survey it ie set down as Grenvi:, and as forming part of the es- tates of Bishop Odo. Greenwich appears to have been fixed upon fora royal residence about the 13th century, Edward I. and some of his successors making it their occasional abode. In the following century it came into the possession of Humphrey Duke of Gloucester, who built a wall round the park and erected a new palace, which afterwards was occupied by Edward IV., who established a monastery in the vicinity. Henry VII. also resided here; and it was the birthplace of his son and successor, Henry VIII., and of Queens Mary and Elizabeth, daughters of the latter. Edward VI. lived and died here. The Stuarts made it one of their resi- dences; and after the extinction of the Commonwealth and return of the royal family, Charles II. rebuilt the palace, and William III. converted it into a refuge for Bailors who have served in the Royal Navy, and by length of service or injuries received have become en- titled to its benefits. The buildings forming the Hos- pital are chiefly from designs by Inigo Jones and Wren, and consist of four large quadrangles, two facing tho river, that to the W. being called King Charles's, and that to tho E. Queen Anne's ; tho two situated in the rear of these, respectively King William's and Queen Mary's, all of the Ionic order of architecture, and for the most part built of Portland stone, the two latter being surmounted by domes of 120 feet in height. The first-named building contains the governor's and officers' apartments ; King William's, the Naval Gallery of paintings ; and Queen Mary's, tho chapel, with its beau- tiful altar-piece ot tho shipwreck of Paul on the island of Melita. In the whole of the buildings there are 64 wards, accommodating 2,710 inmates, each ward being under the superintendence of a boatswain and mates ; there are nearly 100 nurses. The men have large, well- appointed dining-halls and smoking-room, each man receiving a weekly allowance of from Is. to 2. 6</. for tobacco. The river front has a fine terrace 875 feet in ' h, and the mass of buildings is seen to the greatest advantage from off tho water. The institution is under the supervision of three commissioners, a governor, lieutenant-governor, and staff of naval and medical offi- cers. The picture gallery and other parts of the hos- pital are open to the public. The collection of paint- ing* is extensive, and abounds with naval subjects, <:itui-s, ImsU, :md relics of naval heroes, be- sides mudrls ropn.'K nting tho construction of various ships. The annual revenue amounts to neai-ly 150,000, partly arising from the 6d. a month subscription from all seamen in the Royal Navy, and the remainder from cer- tain lighthouse tolls, rents of lands, and parliamentary grants. Within Greenwich Park, on the summit of a hill, stands the Royal Observatory, founded near the close of tho 17th century for promoting astronomical science, and which has the most complete set of tele- scopes and other instruments for making observations of uny institution of the kind in Europe. The shippers in the river regulate their chronometers by tho time indi- cated here every day, when, at one o'clock precisely, a large ball falls from the top of a mast erected on the roof of the'building. From this spot there is an extensive view over the river and the metropolis. The town of Green- wich has of late years been much improved, especially eastwards, where a new neighbourhood has sprung up, called East Greenwich. There is a good pier, and steamboats constantly ply between it and London. The R division of Metropolitan police has a station here. Greenwich contains a police court, a market house, commercial and savings banks, and a literary institute. The population of the borough in 1861 was 139,286, of which about one-third are resident within the parish of Greenwich. Many of the people are employed in the foundries, rope- walks, flax- works, yards for the construc- tion of iron steamboats, boat building, and other esta- blishments connected with the shipping trade. In the river, off Greenwich, is moored the Dreadnought hospital- ship, a refuge for sick and disabled seamen of all na- tions. The living is a vie. with the cur. of St. Mary annexed, val. 1,013, in the patron, of the crown. The church is a stone edifice of the last century, with tower, cupola, and spire. It is of good dimensions, and dedicated to St. Alphege. In it there is a monument of the archi- tect Adams, and portraits of several royal personages. In addition to the parish church, there are three district churches viz. Trinity, on Blackheath Hill ; Christ Church, East Greenwich; and St. John's, Blackheath. The livings of all are perpet. curs. ; tho two first in the gift of the vicar, and the latter of William Angerstein, Esq. The charities belonging to the parish of Green- wich are numerous, producing in tho whole between 4,000 and 5,000 per annum. There are several alms- houses, originally founded in 1558 by William Lambard : also Norfolk College, or Trinity Hospital, for 12 poor men, and tho Jubilee almshouses for 15 poor women. There are places of worship belonging to the several Dis- senting bodies : the Congregationalists have 2 chapels, the Baptists 2, Independents 1, Wesleyans 1, Presbyterians 2, and the Roman Catholics a church at Groom's Hill. There are also a Mission church and chapel. The Naval school, contiguous to the Hospital, is for the instruction, of the sons of seamen and marines, and for the training of the sons of gentlemen for tho Naval service. It has about 800 pupils under instruction. The education of the children of the town and neighbourhood is pro- vided for in the Blue, Green, and Grey Coat Schools, two National, three British, three infant, besides indus- trial and ragged schools. There are also a number of boarding schools. One of the principal attractions of Greenwich is tho park, with its avenues of Spanish chestnut and other trees. Blackheath is also a favourite resort. In the neighbourhood are several ancient bar- rows, in which have been found remains of spears and other weapons. The office of Ranger of Greenwich Park has frequently been held by some of the Royal family, but recently by tho Earl of Aberdeen ; the official resi- dence is within the park. Wednesday and Saturday aro market days. Fairs, formerly held at Easter and Whit- suntide, were suppressed in 1857. GREET, a par. in the hund. of Overs, co. Salop, 2 miles N.W. of Tenbury, its post town, and 6 S.E. of Ludlow. Tho rivers Temo and Ledwich and the Leo- minster canal pass through this neighbourhood. Tho village is small and wholly agricultural. The living is a rect. * in the dioc. of Hereford, val. 200. The church is an ancient building. The Romans had an encampment here. T. H. Hope Edwards, Esq., is lord of the manor.