Page:The National Gazetteer - A Topographical Dictionary of the British Islands, Volume 2.djvu/265

Rh HEWOKTH. 257 HEXHAH. Durham are lords of the manor, and principal land- owners. HEWORTH, a vil. and tnshp. in the pars, of St. Cuthbert and St. Giles, wap. of Buhner, North Riding i ork, 1 mile N.E. of York. The village is small, and a portion of the inhabitants are employed in market- gardening. Here is a bed of excellent clay, which is used in the productions of bricks, tiles, &c. The Ves- ns have a place of worship. The Heworth Retreat, a private lunatic asylum, is in this neighbourhood. George Hornby, Esq., is lord of the manor. HEWSON, a hmlt. in the par. of Cotheridge, co. Worcester, 4 miles W. of Worcester. HEXGREAVE, a hmlt. in the par. of Southwell, co. Nottingham, 4 miles N.W. of Southwell. It was formerly held by the archbishops of York, who had a palace in the adjoining tnshp. of Southwell. On a hill in this tnshp. are traces of a Roman camp, covering an area of 40 acres, where military implements, coins, &c., have been found. HEXHAM, a par., post, and market town in the S. div. of Tindalc ward, co. Northumberland, 40 miles E. of Carlisle, 20 W. of Newcastle, and 283 N.N.W. of London. It is a station on the Carlisle and Newcastle railway. There is also a branch line of the Border Counties railway, extending 26 miles up the valley of the North Tyne to the Belling, where it joins the Edin- hurgh and Hawick railway. This extensive parish is situated near the southern bank of the river Tyne, which is crossed about half a mile distant from Hexham by a clone bridge spanned by nine arches, with two additional ones in reserve on the S. side in case of flood. A sus- pension bridge was also constructed in 1820 over the South Tyne, near the western ferry, at an expense of 5,000 ; and a bridge of two arches has been recently erected at Gilligate, where the Cowgarth and Cockshaw burns unite their streams. Hexham contains the tnshps. of H'gh Quarter, Lower Quarter, Middle Quarter, West Quarter, and Hexham. It was called Halgustald and Hextoldesham by the Saxons, from the neighbouring streams Halgut and Hextol, from the latter of which its present name is derived. It was made the seat of a bishopric in 674 by St. Wilfrid, and being united to Lindisfarne in 883, eventually became a part of the see of Durham. Tilferth, the last bishop, was expelled from his bishopric in 821 by the Danes, who, about fifty years afterwards, again plundered the town and destroyed the monastery of Hexham, which, according to Richard of Hexham, was the most beautiful and magnificent eccle- -instical edifice at that time in England. In addition to the Abbey church there are said to have formerly been two parish churches viz. St. Peter's and St. Mary's ; of the latter considerable remains were brought to light a few years ago, on the rebuilding of some houses. The priory was refounded in 1113 by Archbishop Thomas of York, for Augustine canons, and Hexham, together with 1 1 o] me, was appropriated to the endowment of a prebendal .-tall in the cathedral of York. The town and monastery several times plundered by the Scots under David I. and David II., on one of which occasions the latter monarch was taken prisoner hy Sir John Copeland, then sheriff of Northumberland, at the battle of Nevill's Cross. In the decisive battle of Hexham was fought on the plains near the town between the Yorkists and Lancas- s. In the reign of Henry VIII., the last Prior of Hexham, having been involved in the insurrection called the Pilgrimage of Grace, was hanged at the gate of the inonast. ry. I n the reign of Elizabeth, Hexhamshire was transl. IK d to the crown hy the Archbishop of York in xi hange for other lands, and was then annexed to the i 'dimly of Northumberland, having previously possessed u',1 the rights and privileges of a county palatine, which, with the jura regalia, had been confirmed by Edward I. In 1761 a fearful riot took place hero, which was not quelled until 48 persons had been killed and 300 Wdimded. The Vale of the Tyne, in which Hexham is ^ diversified with well cultivated fields, shrub- I beries, and pleasure grounds, and is remarkable for pro- ducing earlier crops than the surrounding district. A considerable portion of the land belongs to the Commis- sioners of Greenwich Hospital. The greater part of the inhabitants reside in the town, and are chiefly engaged in the manufactures of stuffs, shoes, hats, leather, and gloves which last was once the staple trade, but has somewhat declined of late years. There are besides a large iron and brass foundry, and two breweries. The town of Hexham, not being incorporated, is governed by the local magistrates and the rural police. It is a polling- place for the S. division of the county. Petty sessions are held in the court-house the first Tuesday in every month for the Hexham division of Tyndale ward. County courts are held about the middle of each month at the court-house, and the board of guardians meet every alternate Tuesday. Quarter sessions are held at mid- summer. Courts baron for minor debts, copyhold claims, &c., are held quarterly. The town is lighted with gas, partially paved, and well supplied with water conveyed from a considerable distance into two reservoirs. Under direction of the Board of Health, very extensive drainage and water supply for the town are at present being constructed at great expense. A new townhall and covered corn-market are about to be erected to the S.W. of the market-place, and a new street adjoining them is in contemplation. The town comprises several narrow and irregularly built streets Battle Hill, Hencotes, and Priest Popple forming the principal thoroughfares. The market-place, which is spacious, is situated near the centre of the town. It contains three branch banks, a savings-bank, mechanics' institution, dispensary, and a neat but commodious market-house, with a piazza. In the vicinity of the town are extensive market-gardens, yielding considerable quantities of fruit and vegetables, also some large nursery gardens. The living is a perpet. cur.* in the dioc. of Durham, and has lately been in- creased in value by a gift of tithes from the patron, and a grant from the Ecclesiastical Commissioners, making its val. near 200. The church, which is dedicated to St. Andrew, is a spacious cruciform structure, with a tower rising from the intersection to the height of 100 feet. It is part of the conventual church of tho monastery, built on tho site of St. Wilfred's Cathedral, and partially destroyed by the Scots in 1296. The choir is separated from the transepts hy a richly-carved screen, which is ornamented in the upper part with an allegorical painting of the Dance of Death. The church also contains a gallery of oak, beautifully carved, beneath which are three stalls highly enriched with tabernacle work ; an oratory, or shrine, exquisitely ornamented with foliated arches, tracery, and figures, supposed to have heen built by Prior Richard of Hexham ; a " frid stool," or sanctuary scat for criminals ; a recumbent figure on an altar-tomb, supposed to be that of Prior Richard, besides numerous other monuments. In tho town is a Scotch church, a Roman Catholic chapel, and several places of worship belonging to tho Independents, Wes- leyans, and Dissenting bodies. There is also a lectureship here, in the patronage of the Mercers' Company, London. John of Hexham, a monkish historian ; Bate, a learned friar ; Hewson, the anatomist ; and Richardson, the poet, were natives of this place. The parochial charities pro- duce about 100 16s. Zd., a portion of which goes to the apprenticing of poor boys. Queen Elizabeth's Grammar School is situated at Bank Head, and is regulated by a decree of tho High Court of Chancery, passed in 1827. It is endowed with an annuity of 25, and with a resi- dence for tho master. It is for the instruction of all boys born in this parish, at a fixed charge of Is. Gil. per quarter. The subscription school, formerly held in a building at Skinncraburn, has been removed to a range of buildings on the Seal, at the W. side of the town. This is an extensive open space of ground, intersected by public walks affording a view of the surrounding scenery. Wentworth Black ett Beaumont, Esq., is lord of the manor and principal landowner. Market day is Tuesday, and a cattle mart is held on alternate Tuesdays from Octo- ber to Christmas. Fairs aro held on the 6th August for cattle, lambs, &c., and on the 9th November for horses, cattle, &c.