Page:The National Gazetteer - A Topographical Dictionary of the British Islands, Volume 2.djvu/594

Rh LEVINGTON. 586 LEWES. worth, "West Biding co. York, 2 miles S.W. of Don- caster. LEVTNGTON, a par. in the hund. of Colueis, co. Suf- folk, 5 miles S.E. of Ipswich, its railway station and post town, and 7 S. of Woodbridge. It is a small agricul- tural parish situated on the N. bank of the navigable river Orwell. It contains the small hmlt. of Stratton Hall, and was the place where shellsand was first used in 1718. The living is a rect. united to that of Nacton, in the dioc. of Norwich. The church is dedicated to St. Peter. There was formerly a chapel-of-ease at Strat- ton, and a lazar-house. The charities produce about 15 per annum, chiefly the endowment of Hitcham's almshouses, founded in 1636. George Tomline, Esq., M.P., is lord of the manor. LEVISHAM, a par. in the wap. of Pickering Lythc, North Riding co. York, G miles N. of Pickering, its post town, and 1 mile E. of the Levisham station on the Whitby branch of the North-Easteru railway. The village, which is small, is wholly agricultural. The soil consists of loam and sand on a subsoil of limestone and clay. The living is a rect. in the dioc. of York, val. 120. The church is a stone edifice, rebuilt in 1804, and contains two bells. The parochial charities produce about 15 per annum, which goes to the free school, built in 1799. A Sunday-school is also held in the free schoolroom. James Walker, Esq., is lord of the manor. LEW, a hmlt. in the par. of Witney, hund. of Hamp- ton, co. Oxford, Z miles S.W. of Witney. In the village is a small chapcl-of-ease. Lew Heath is a meet for the old Berkshire hounds. LEW, NORTH. See NORTHLEW, co. Devon. LEWANNICK, a par. in the N. div. of the hund. of East, co. Cornwall, 5 miles S.AV. of Launceston, its post town, and 9 N.W. of Callington. The village, which is small, is wholly agricultural. It is situated on the river Inny and the Launceston and Liskeard road. The sur- face is hilly. The soil is a rich loam, alternated with sand. A considerable portion of the land is in pasture, and much attention is given to the roaring of cattle, which are chiefly of the North Devon breed. At Pollyfont is a quarry of fine freestone of a rich green colour, with black veins, which, when polished, is used for mantelpieces and ornamental work. There are also several quarries of good building stone, and one of exceedingly hard slate. The impropriate tithes have been commuted for a rent-charge of 225, and the vicarial for 185. The living is a vie.* in the dioc. of Exeter, val. .242, in the patron, of the lord chancellor. The church, dedicated to St. Martin, is an ancient freestone structure, with a lofty square embattled tower crowned with pinnacles, and containing six bells. The church has 'tombs of the Lowers and Archers of Trelasko. There is a National school for both sexes, in which a Sunday-school is also held. The Wesleyans, Independents, Baptists, and Bible Christians, have each a chapel. Trelaske House is the principal residence, situated about 1 mile S.E. of the church. LEWELL, a hmlt. in the par. of Knighton, co. Dor- set, 3 miles E. of Dorchester. LEWES, a rape in co. Sussex, contains the hunds. of Barcomb, Butting-hill, Dean, Fishergate, Holmstrow, Lewes, Poynings, Preston, Street, Swanborough,Whales- bone, and Younsmere, comprising an area of 126,240 acres. LEWES, a hund. in the rape of Lewes, co. Sussex, co-extensive with the old borough. It gives n:imo to an archdeac. and to a deanery in the dioc. of Chi- chestor. LEWES, or LEWIS, a par., market town, municipal and parliamentary borough, in the rape of Lewes, co. Sussex, 7 miles N. of its seaport, Newhaven, 8 from Brighton, and 50 from London. It has a station on the Brighton and South Coast railway. It is situated under the South Downs, on the navigable river Ouse, from which it derives its name, L'Ouse, translated in Domes- day Book by L'Aquis. The town is of ancient date, and is supposed to occupy the site of the Roman Mutiian- tonis. It was a royal demesne in the Saxon times, and was made a mint town by Athelstane. After the Norman Conquest it was given by the Conqueror to his son-in- law, William de Warine, who built the castle, and, with his wife Gundrada, founded St. Pancras Cluniac Priory in 1078, in which they were buried. The prior}- extended over 32 acres, and contained a church 150 feet in length, with walls 10 feet thick. At the Dissolution, in the reign of Henry VIII., the greater portion of the monas- tery was destroyed, leaving some traces of the hall, gate, &c., which were removed in 1845 to make room for the station of the South Coast railway. During the excavation two leaden chests were discovered, containing the remains of William do Warine and Gundrada, the founders of the above priory, which have been deposited in a mausoleum on the S. side of the adjacent church of Southover. Lewes gives name to a decisive battle fought in 1264 on Mount Harry, in which Simon de Montfort took Henry III. prisoner. The town is a borough by prescription, nominally governed by two constables, two head-boroughs, and other officers, annu- ally chosen at the court-leet of the lords of the manor, viz. the Duke of Norfolk, Earl of Abergavenny, and Earl de la Warr. It has returned two members to par- liament since the reign of Edward I., and under the Eeform Act its boundaries have been greatly extended, so as to take in several adjoining hundreds. It is also the place of election, and one of the polling-places for East Sussex. The population in 1851 was 9,533, and in 1861, 9,709. The quarter and intermediate sessions for East Sussex are held in the town, as also petty sessions. An extensive business is done in the grain and m;tlt trade. There are also several large breweries and iron foundries, a paper-mill, several corn-mills, and a ship- building yard. The river Ouse is navigable from a distance of some miles above the town to the sea. Tho town is well paved, lighted with gas, and bountifully supplied with water, under an Act passed in 1833. ft consists of several streets, built on an acclivity rising from the western bank of the river Ouse, over which is a stone bridge of one arch, erected in 1727, and widened in 1829 by the addition of a footpath on each side. Tha streets are in general regularly built, and contain many good shops and houses. It contains the shirehall, which cost 15,500, where the winter and summer assizes are held; county gaol and house of correction, naval prison, corn and hop exchange and assembly rooms, market-house, literary and book societies, me- chanics' institute, with museum and library, theatre, two union poorhouses, two banks, viz. Lewes Old Bunk, and London and County Joint Stock Bank, savings- bank, and Star hotel, with an ancient dungeon for a cellar. The livings are all reels.* in the dioc. of (,'lii- chester, varying in val. from 250 to 35. There were formerly twelve, but now only six churches, viz. St. Michael, St. Peter, and St. Mary, West-out, or, St. A : St. John-sub-Castro, All Saints, St. Thomas-at-Cliffc, and St. John, Southover. The church of St. Mi< situated in High-street, is an ancient edifice, restoi > 1755. It contains two brasses, one of a knight in armour, bearing date 1400, and one of a priest. church of St. John-sub-Castro is a massive Norman structure, of which only the nave remains standing contains a painting of the Presentation, after . brandt, and a curious Saxon inscription on the S. to Mangrius, a Danish soldier. The charities pro about 208 per annum, including tho cndowmcn the free school, and of St. Michael's almshouses. Tho public schools include tho free grammar school, > ated in High-street, founded and endowed in 1512 liy Agnes Morley, and one of the. oldest schools in i land. It was carried on in Southover for 200 years, was removed to its present site in the 18th century, when it was further endowed by Mrs. Mary Jen At it Evelyn and the mathematician Pell wero eduo It has at present an income from endowment of al 150 per annum, with a presentation, and 10 annum to be distributed in prize boo!>s. Ther British, National, and infant schools for both sexes, Jorman
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