Page:The National Gazetteer - A Topographical Dictionary of the British Islands, Volume 2.djvu/877

Rh MONKTON-FARLE1GH. 869 MONKWEARMOUTH. 3J miles from K. to S., with a breadth varying from 1J mile to 83 miles, and is bounded by the Frith of Clyde and the pars, of Dundonald, Symington, Craigie, Tar- bolton, St. Quivox, and Newton-upon-Ayr. The surface is moderately flat, rising gently from the Frith. The soil in the central district consists of a deep rich loam, while along the coast and over a largo extent of the southern district it is light and sandy, and in the N. and N.E. a strong clay. Red and white sandstone are quar- ried, and coal has been extensively worked. The coast line, which extends for about 2^ miles in length, is low and sandy. The parish is traversed by the road from Irvine to Ayr, and by the Glasgow and Ayr railway. The vil. of Slonkton is distant about 3$ miles N.E. of Ayr, and 8 S.W. of Kilmarnock. The parish is watered by the rivers Pow, Rambler, and several small streams. It formerly belonged to Paisley Abbey, by the name of Orangefield. This par. is in the presb. of Ayr, and synod of Glasgow and Ayr. The minister has a stipend of 2"5. The new parish church is situated betwixt the vils. of Monkton and Prestwick, and serves as a land- mark to vessels entering the Frith of Clyde. It was erected in 1837. The old parish churches of Monkton and Prestwick are of great antiquity. There is a Free church, also a Free Church school, besides other schools. Between Prestwick and Prestwick-Toll are the ruins of Kincase, a lepers' hospital, founded by Bruce. At Monkton Hill is a pillar stone. MONKTON-FARLEIGH, a par. in the hund. of Bradford, co. Wilts, 4 miles N.W. of Bradford, its post town, and 2 S. of Box railway station. The village, which is small, is situated near the line of the Great Western railway and river Avon, and is chiefly agri- cultural. There are ruins of a Cluniac cell to the priory of Lewes, founded by Humphrey de Bohun in 1125. It nourished till the Dissolution, when its revenues amounted to 217 Os. 4d. The site was then given to the Seymours. Stone is quarried here. The hmlt. of Farleigh Wick is situated in this par. The living is a rect.* in the dioc. of Sarum, val. 169, in the patron. of the bishop. The church, dedicated to St. Peter, has an old tower containing three bells. The nave and chancel are of recent construction. The charities con- sist of a fuel allotment. There is a free school for children of both sexes, also a Sunday-school. The trus- tees of the late Wade Brown, Esq., are lords of the manor. The manor-house is the principal residence. Near the ruins of the convent a silver seal of exquisite workmanship, supposed to have been that of the last abbot, was discovered. MONKTON FORT, at the opening into Spithead, co. Hants, 1 mile S. of Gosport. It is in a line with Kicker- gill Tower. MONKTON HALL, a vil. in the par. of Inveresk, co. Edinburgh, Scotland, 1 mile S. of llusselburgh. In the village is the " Routing Well," below a coal mine. It was at this place that the Scots encamped before the battle of Pinkie. MONKTON-MOOR, a par. in York Ainsty, East Riding co. York, 7 miles N.W. of York, its post town. The village, which is small, and wholly agricultural, is situated on the river Nidd, near llarston-Moor. The par. includes the tnshp. of Hessey and the hmlts. of Skip-Bridge, Cock-Hill, and Scagglcthorpe. The soil is clayey, with a subsoil of clay. The -land is chiefly arable. The principal seat is Red House, built by Sir Henry Slingsby in the reign of Charles I., and commanding an extensive view, including the city and cathedral of York. The living is a rect. in the dioc. of York, val. 701, in the patron, of the lord chancellor. The church, dedicated to All Saints, is an ancient stone structure with a brick tower containing one bell. Tho istcr dates from 1687. There is a school for both s, in which a Sunday-school is also held. There is a place of worship for the Wesleyans. Sir Charles Slingsby, Bart., is lord of the manor and sole land- 0VT JIONKTON-NUN, a par. in the wap. of Upper Claro, Vst Riding co. York, 8 miles N.W. of York, and 1 mile N. of Monkton Moor. It is situated near the junction of the rivers Nidd and Ure. It had formerly a priory of Benedictine nuns, founded in the reign of Stephen by William de Arches and Ivetta his wife, which flourished till the Dissolution, when its re venues amounted to 85 14. 8rf. Tho land is nearly evenly divided between arable, pasture, and meadow. The village is small, and wholly agricultural. The living is a perpet. cur.* in the dioc. of York, val. 100. The church, dedicated to St. Mary, is an ancient structure, and formerly belonged to the Benedictine priory. Tho Wesleyans have a place of worship. The charities pro- duce about 45, of which 33 belong to a school founded in 1716. J. J. Tufnell, Esq., is lord of the manor. MONKTON, WEST, a par. in the hund. of Whitley, co. Somerset, 4 miles N. of Taunton, its post town, and 7 S.W. of Bridgwater. It is situated on the river Tone, near the Bridgwater and Taunton canal. The Bristol and Exeter section of the Great Western railway passes .hrough the parish. There arc numerous stone quarries. The inhabitants are chiefly engaged in agriculture. The village, which is considerable, stands on the Bath and Exeter road. The surface is hilly, comprising part of the Quantock range of hills. The tithes have been com- muted for a rent-charge of 630. The living is a rect.* in the dioc. of Bath and Wells, val. 1,000. The church, dedicated to St. Augustine, has a square tower containing a clock and six bells. The register dates from 1704. The parochial charities produce about 51 per annum, of which 45 goes to the Spital almshouses, founded in 1270 by Thomas Lambret for eleven widows. These almshouses, after having been burnt in the reign of Henry VIII., were rebuilt by the last abbot of Glas- tonbury. A Sunday-school is held in the vestry-room. There is a National school for both sexes. Monkton House, Springfield, Court Place, and Walford House, are the principal residences. The last is situated in an extensive and well- wooded park. Miss Warre, of Hester- combe, is lady of the manor. There are traces of a Roman camp. MONKTOWN, a par. in the bar. of Skreen, co. Meath, prov. of Leinster, Ireland, 5 miles E.S.E. of Navan. It is 2 miles long by 1J mile broad. The surface con- sists of good soil. Tho Nanny Water drains it towards the E., and the road from Trim to Duleek crosses the parish. The living is impropriate, in the dioc. of Meath. The Roman Catholic chapel is united to that of Johns- town. There is a day school under the National Board. MONKWEARMOUTH, a par. and large town in the E. div. of Chester ward, co. Durham, half a mile N. of Sunderland, and 13 N.E. of Durham. It has a station on the Newcastle and Sunderland section of the North- Eastern railway, which connects it with Gateshead and South Shields. This town is situated on the northern bank of the river Wear, near its mouth, opposite Sun- derland, with which borough it is united by an iron bridge. It is a place of great antiquity, and takes its distinguishing prefix from having belonged to the monks of Durham. At a very early period after the introduction of Christianity into Britain, a monastery was founded here by St. Bega, which was subsequently destroyed, but was refounded about 674 by Biscopiiis, a Saxon nobleman attached to the court of Oswy, King of Northumberland, and dedicated to St. Peter. The Vim - rable Bede, our first ecclesiastical historian, who studied at this place in the 7th century, whence ho removed to Jarrow, relates that his contemporary, the Abbot Benedict, sent for artists from beyond seas to glaze the monastery of Wearmouth, which, with the monastery of Jarrow-on-the-Tyne, appear to have been the first buildings in Great Britain in which ordinary window- glass was used for architectural purposes; and such was the effect produced by the use of glass, instead of other and more obscure substances for windows, that the unlettered people avowed a belief, which was handed down as a tradition for many generations, "that it wU never dark in old Jarrow church." A piece of this glass was found some years ago, very thick, and pin j.n: in colour. In the reign of Ethelrcd, about 793, the 5 t