Page:The National Gazetteer - A Topographical Dictionary of the British Islands, Volume 2.djvu/408

Rh KIDDERMINSTER. 400 KIDLINGTON. cester, and Wolverhampton railway, which skirts the eastern side of the town. The parish is hounded on the "W. by the navigable river Severn, and is intersected by the river Stour and the Staffordshire and Worcestershire canal. It contains, besides the borough of Kidder- minster, including Kidderminster Foreign, with its 15 hmlts. beyond the borough, the chplries. of Stourport, or Lower Mitton, and Wribbenhall. The substratum is sandstone, and the surface hilly, but well cultivated. The town is built on rising ground on the banks of the river Stour, here spanned by a bridge of five arches from which circumstance it is said to derive its name chid, in British signifying a " hill," and tint; " water." It was called by the Saxons C/iidermimter, and was originally a royal manor, but was given by Henry II. to the Bassetts, from whom it afterwards passed to the Beauchamps, Nevilles, Cooksey s, Blounts, Foleys, and Waller, the poet, and is now the property of the Earl of Dudley. It re- turned members to parliament in the reign of Edward I., and was first chartered by Charles I. It is a borough by prescription, and under the Municipal Act of 1835 is divided into three wards, governed by a mayor, 6 alder- men, and 18 councillors, with the style of " high bailiff and commonalty of the borough of Kidderminster." The municipal revenue is about 1,261, and the population in 1861, 15,399, against 18,462 in 1851, having de- creased in the decennial period by 3,063. The boun- daries of the municipal and parliamentary boroughs are co-extensive, and were but slightly altered at the passing of the Reform Act, since which time it has returned one member to parliament. The town, which is well built, contains several good streets, some of the houses being cut into the sandstone rock on which it stands. The princi- pal buildings are the townhall, a large brick structure with police station and cells for prisoners attached ; the public rooms and corn exchange, situated in Vicar- street, a noble block of building completed in 1855, and containing a music hall 90 feet by 45, a corn exchange CO feet by 35, with several other rooms of smaller dimen- sions, appropriated to the free library, school of design, newsroom, chess-room, &c. the whole forms a compact and ornamental structure, lit from the roof and sides, and containing a majestic organ, built by Hill, of Lon- don, at a cost of 800 ; besides these may be mentioned the old market-house, which had a cross in Leland's time, assembly rooms, union poorhouse, infirmary, two banks, a savings-bank, and large manufactory for damask silk for upholsterers' uses. The inhabitants are chiefly engaged in the manufacture of carpets, which was first introduced in 1735. The varieties principally made are Scotch, tapestry, or Venetian, and Brussels, which last are woven by steam-power; also fingei'-rugs, woollen and worsted goods, silk coverings for buttons, and waistcoat pieces. There are besides iron foundries, malting-houses, breweries, a paper-mill, wire-works, dye-works, brickfields, and tanneries. Kidderminster is the head of a Poor-law Union, embracing eight parishes in Worcestershire, two in Staffordshire, and one in Salop. It is also the seat of a now County Court, which meets every three weeks, and of a superintendent registry. It gives name to a deanery in the archdeaconry and diocese of Worcester, and the title of baron to the Foleys of Witley Castle. The living is a vie.* with the cur. of Trimpley annexed, in the dioc. of Worcester, val. 900. The church, dedicated to St. Mary, is a spacious struc- ture, with a square tower supported by massive but- tresses, and crowned with decorated battlements and pin- nacles, and containing a peal of eight bells. Tho church, which was restored by Egington, has a W. window of painted glass, and_ several illuminated windows in the chancel. It contains several ancient brasses and effigies one being of a Crusader ; also monuments to the Blount and Cooksey families, and one to the father of Lord Chancellor Somers. In addition to the parish church there are four district churches viz. St. George, St. John, Lower Mitton, and Wribbenhall, the livings of all which are perpet. curs., varying in val. from 150 to 300. St. George's is a modern edifice with a lofty and richly ornamented tower, erected by a grant of 16,131 from the parliamentary commissioners, au mented by 2,000 voluntary subscription. The Baptist Independents, Roman Catholics, Wesleyans, Primitiv Methodists, and Unitarians have chapels ; in the las: named is the celebrated pulpit of Richard Baxter, til Nonconformist minister, who held the living until th period of the Restoration. The free grammar scho< founded in the reign of Charles I., and formerly chapel, has an income from endowment of 523. The: are besides National schools partially endowed, am schools founded by Pearsall and White, also alms- houses endowed by Blount, Clare, and Higgins. Tho parochial charities, including those mentioned above, produce about 1,225 per annum. -The parish of Kidderminster is divided into three districts tho borough of Kidderminster, the Foreign of Kiddermin- ster, and the hamlet of Stourport, each having sepa- rate churchwardens and overseers, and maintaining their own poor. Within tho parish is Caldwell Tower, the remnant of a castle built in the reign of Henry TV., also traces of a camp at AVarsall Hill. Richard do Kidderminster, the literary opponent of Luther, Dr. L. Carpenter, and Knibb, the missionary, were born here. Market days are Thursday and Saturday the former for corn, meat, fish, &c., the latter for vegetables and provisions. Fairs are held on the last Monday in" January, 13th April, 28th May, 20th June, 4th Sep-' tember, and the last Monday in November. KIDDERMINSTER FOREIGN, a suburb of the borough of Kidderminster, in the lower div. of Half-, shire, co. Worcester. JSee KIDDEUMINSTEK.] KIDDERMOOR-GREEN, a lib. in the tnshp. of Brcwood, co. Stafford, 1 mile W. of Brewood. KIDDINGTON, or CUDDINGTON, a par. in the 1 bund, of Wootton, co. Oxford, 4J miles N.W. of Wood-: stock, its post town and railway station. It is situated on the small river Glyme, and a branch of the old Roman] road Akemaii Street. It contains the hmlts. of Nether' and Over Kiddington. It was anciently called Ceudenton^ and was given by Offii to Worcester Abbey. At thw Norman Conquest it came into the hands of Musard, from whom it passed to the Salceys, Willescqles, anoj others. The surface is boldly undulating, and the soil is generally a stone brash. The living is a rect. in the dioc. of Oxford, val. 375. The church, dedicated to] St. Nicholas, is situated at Nether Kiddington, and was' built in 1400 on the site of a Norman one. It has a' tower containing four bells. There is a parochial school.] At Over Kiddington are the remains of an old cross, and.: a Roman camp at Hill Wood. Here is a meet for the' Heythrop hounds. Warton, the poet-laureate, was unco rector of this parish, of which he wrote the history. KIDLAND LEE, an ext. par. place in the W. div.! of Coquetdale ward, co. Northumberland, 10 miles N.W.} of Rothbury. It is an extensive tract of country, being 10 miles in length by 8 in width, containing the hmlts."'- of Whiteburn Shank, Milkhopc, Barrow Burn, and Rowhope. On the N. of the river Alvinc is Mcminer- kirk Hill, with its ruins. It is sheltered on the E. bw Milkhope, which has some traces of Roman encamj ments, and on the W. by Heigh Rig. The whole this mountain range is let to wealthy farmers resi elsewhere, but who are severally represented by th' shepherds. Sir Thomas Digby Legard, Bart., of Gam Hall, Yorkshire, is chief landowner. KIDLAW, a tnshp. in the par. of Kirkharle, Northumberland, 10 miles E. of Bellingham. KIDLINGTON, a par. in the hund. of Wootton, co. Oxford, 4J miles N. of Oxford, its post town, and 4 S.E. of Woodstock. The parish, which is considerable, is situated on tho river Cherwell and the Oxford canal. It contains the tnshps. of Gosford and Water Eaton, and the hmlt. of Thrnp. The living is a vie. * with tho cur. of Water Eaton annexed, in tho dioc.. of Oxford, val. 279, in the patron, of the rectorship of 1'xcter College_, Oxford. The church, dedicated to St. Mary, ia a cruciform structure with a square tower crowned by a spire. In the interior is a stained-glass window and several very ancient tombs, also some oak pews