Page:The National Gazetteer - A Topographical Dictionary of the British Islands, Volume 2.djvu/848

Rh MILEHAM. 840 MILFORD. stone, co. Middlesex, 2 milea E. of St. Paul's Cathedral, London. Here are stations on the Great Eastern and North London railways. The two towns form one of the most extensive suburbs of E. London, stretching in a line from W. to E. along the principal road to Essex, and forming part of the metropolitan borough of the Tower Hamlets. The New Town covers about a quarter of a mile square to the N. of the Whitechapel-road, and is bounded by the parishes of Bethnal Green and Spital- fields, while the Old Town is 2 miles in length by half a mile broad, and lies between the Commercial-road and the Great Eastern railway. The latter is traversed by the Regent's canal and the Mile-End-road, and is only partially built over. In the rebellion under Jack Cade, in the reign of Henry VI., the insurgents encamped here for some days, threatening the metropolis. At the commencement of the Civil War in the reign of Charles I. earthworks were thrown up here by order of Parlia- ment for the defence of the City, and in 1645 Mile-End was held by the Parliamentary general the Earl of Essex. Many of the streets are well built, but others are only partially paved and lighted with gas, and the houses of an inferior class. There are several handsome ranges of buildings and fine squares in the Old Town, as Henry, Sidney, Arbour, Trafalgar, and Tredegar ; also Beaumont Place, where is situated the philosophical institution built by J. Beaumont, Esq., in 1840, at a cost of 6,000. Here are Charington's and other extensive breweries, a large distillery, floor-cloth manufactories, a tobacco-pipe manufactory, rope walks, docks, timber and corn wharf's on the Regent's canal, &c. Besides about a dozen churches and chapels, some of which are spacious, there are numerous public buildings, including the Baptist College, founded in 1810, and situated in the New Town, the Whitechapel "Union poorhouse also in the New Town ; the City of London and Stepney poor- houses in the Old Town, the former an imposing struc- ture with a chapel and a campanile clock tower 90 feet high, and covering 4J acres ; a court-house for the K. division of the Metropolitan police ; Mile-End public offices, commercial gas works; East London lying-in institution ; Newy Tozadik, or German Jews' hospital and Asylum ; Portuguese Jews' hospital ; the Skinners', Vintners', Sailmakers', Drapers', Seamen's, Judge Fuller's, and Fisher's almshouses, with chapels, &c., also numerous foundations and other schools, water works, East London and part of the Tower Hamlets cemeteries; two large cemeteries belonging to the Portuguese Jews, and one to the German or Dutch Jews, in which are interred several of the Rabbins and other distinguished Jews. [See articles LONDON and STEPNEY.] MILEHAM, a par. in the hund. of Launditch, co. Norfolk, 2 miles N.E. of'Litcham, its post town, and 6 miles E. of the Dunham railway station. The village, which is small, is wholly agricultural. There are remains of a castle erected by Allan, son of Flaald, and ancestor of the Fitz Alans, earls of Arundel, to whom William I. gave the manor. The tithes have been com- muted for a rent-charge of 645, 15s. The living is a reet. in the dice, of Norwich, val. 513. The church, dedi- cated to St. John the Baptist, is an ancient structure, with a square tower containing four bells, and in the nave is a stained window. There are several monu- ments of the Pepys, Strange, and Barnwell families. The register dates from 1538. Sir Edward Coke, the eminent lawyer, was a native of this parish. The paro- chial charities produce about 65 per annum, of which 12 goes to Elwyn's free school. The Rev. C. B. Barn- well is lord of the manors of'Mileham and Beeston. MILES-PLATTING, a hmlt. in the par. and borough of Manchester, co. Lancaster, 1 mile N.E. of Manchester. It is a station on the Leeds railway. The hamlet is situated near Collyhurst Hall. MILESTOWN, a vil. in the par. of Kilsaran, bar. of Ardee, co. Louth, prov. of Leinster, Ireland, near Castle Bellingham. Milestown House is the principal seat. MILFIELD, a tnshp. in the par. of Kirk-Newton, W. div. of Glendalo ward, co. Northumberland, 3 miles from Ford, and 6 N.W. of Wooler. The village, which is small, is situated on the river Till, and is the Mael- main of Bede, where the Saxon kings of Bemicia had a seat. S. of the village is Milfield Plain, where Bulmer gained a victory over the Scots a few days before the battle of Flodden. The Primitive Methodists have a place of worship. Milfield Hall is the principal resi- dence. Roman remains have been found at different periods, including an urn containing ashes and burnt bones, discovered in 1823 under an immense heap of stones. MILFORD, a par. in the hunds. of Christchurch and Ringwood, co. Hants, 4 miles S.W. of Lymington, its post town. It is bounded on the S.E. by the Isle of Wight Channel, and is a coastguard station near Hurst Castle, The par. includes tho tythgg. of Key-Haven, Efford, and Pennington. A rivulet, which rises in the New Forest, flows through the parish, and is well stocked with trout and other fish. The surface is varied, and includes about 230 acres of unenclosed common. The impropriate tithes have been commuted for a rent-charge of 92, and the vicarial for 290. The living is a vie.* in the dioo. of Winchester, val. 279, in the patron, of Queen's College, Oxford. The parish church is a stone structure, with a spired tower containing a clock and five bells. There is also a district church at Pennington, the living of which is a perpet. cur.,* val. 100. The paro- chial charities produce about 60 per annum, the produce of land, which is distributed to the deserving poor not receiving parochial relief. There is a National school, also a girls' school. Newlands, Rook Cliff, Efford House, Kivernells, and Ivy Cottage are the principal residences. MILFORD, a vil. in the tnshp. and par. of Duffield, cp. Derby, 2 miles S. of Belper. It is situated on the river Derwent, near the line of the Midland Counties railway. Some of the inhabitants are engaged in cotton spinning, and some in the mines. The living is a perpet. cur.* in the dioc. of Lichfield, val. 150, in the patron, of the crown and bishop alternately. MILFORD, a chplry., seaport town, and borough, in the par. of Steynton, hund. of Roose, co. Pembroke, 6 miles N.W. of Pembroke, and 285 from London by the Great Western and South- Western railways, which last has its terminus at New Milford, the point of departure for the Irish and Brazilian steamers. The town is situated between two creeks on the right-hand side of Milford Haven, and about 6 miles from its mouth. It is entirely of recent origin, having been commenced in 1784 by tho Hon. 0. F. Greville, who inherited the property from his uncle, the famous Sir William Hamilton, by whom an Act of Parliament had been obtained for the formation of quays, making roads, regulating the police, &c. The town was designed according to a regular plan, the streets running from E. to W. facing the harbour, to be crossed at right angles by others ; but the sanguine expectation of the founder not being realised, the works were discontinued. The portion of the town already finished consists of three parallel streets, ranged along the slope of the hill, commanding views of the harbour, which here spreads into a spacious reach, having the appearance of a lake. The inns, shops, stores, and public buildings are situated in the upper streets, the lower being chiefly occupied as private residences, let at an almost nominal rental. The principal buildings are the church, observatory with an extensive collection of instruments, custom house, and "Lord Nelson" hotel: this last is a spacious building with good accommodation for visitors. Shortly after the town was commenced a dockyard was formed after a plan by Lord Spencer, and several men-of-war were built here, but the dock was subsequently (1811) removed to Pater Church, now called Pembroke Dock. This arrangement, followed by the removal of the Irish post-office and packet establishment, greatly depopulated the place, and reduced trade to stag- nation. The re-establishment of lines of steamers to Ireland and Brazil, and the anticipated completion of the great chain of railway communication with Man- chester and the northern manufacturing districts, as also with Fishguard and Cardigan, when accomplished, cannot fail to bring commerce to the port, in anticipation of