Page:The National Gazetteer - A Topographical Dictionary of the British Islands, Volume 3.djvu/789

Rh WESTBURY. 777 WESTCOTE. from the village, which is on the road from Shrewsbury to Montgomery, are the ruins of Cause Castle, once a border stronghold, the seat of the Corhets and Thynnes. The living is a rect. * in the dioc. of Hereford, in two moieties, distinguished as Dextra-Parte and Sinistra- Parte, the former, val. 672, and the latter, -556. The church is dedicated to St. Mary. There are National schools, built in 1850, and partly supported by an endowment of 30 per annum, bequeathed by the Rev. John Earl in 1716, for teaching children; another school is partly supported by subscription. WKSTBURY, a tythg. in the par. of East Meon, co. Hants, 5 miles W. of Petersfield. WESTBURY, a par. in the hund. of Wells Forum, co. Somerset, 3 j miles N.W. of Wells. The village is situated at the base of the Mendip hills. The living is a vie.* in the dioc. of Bath and Wells, val. with Priddy, 250, in the patron, of the bishop. The church, dedicated to St. Lawrence, is a Norman struc- ture, partly rebuilt in the reign of Edward IV. WESTBURY, a par., market town, municipal and parliamentary borough, forming the hund. of Westbury, co. Wilts, 25 miles N.W. of Salisbury, and 98 S.W. from London by road, or 109J by the Wilts and Somerset railway, being the junction station of the Salisbury and Weymouth branches. It is supposed to have been a British settlement, and to occupy the site of the Roman station Verlueio, now called Bratton Castle. It was the scene of an engagement between Alfred the Great and the Danes in 890, to commemorate -which, according to tradition, there is a figure of a horse cut in the chalk slope of Bratton Hill, which, being annually scoured by the parishioners, can be distinctly seen for many miles. The parish, which is situated under Salisbury Plain, comprises the chplry. of Dilton, the ecclesiastical districts of Dilton Marsh, Bratton, St. James, and Heywood, with the limits, of Chalford Hawkeridge, Westbury Leigh, and Brumbridge. The surface is hilly, rising to the height of 775 feet above the sea at AVestbury Down. The manor, formerly held by the Mauduits, Seymours, Mountjoys, and Berties, now belongs to Sir Massey Lopez, Bart. , of Westbury House, and M.P. for the borough. Iron ore has recently been discovered at Ham near tha railway station, and iron works have been erected. The town consists of one long street, irregularly built, branching off towards Frome, Warminster, Trowbridge, and East Lavington. It is lighted with gas, and well supplied with water from springs which rise in various parts of the parish. The principal public buildings are the town-hall and market- house, erected in 1815 at the expense of the late Sir M. Lopes, Bart., Union poorhouse, savings-bank, branch of North Wilts Bank, Athenamm, post-office, and rail- way station. Its trade is chieHy in fancy cloths, and has recently much increased ; and a large business in done in malting ; there are two brick and tile works. The population of the parish in 1861 was 6,495, but of the township 5,751. It was incorporated by charter of Edward I., confirmed by Henry IV., the municipal corporation consisting of a mayor, re- corder, 12 aldermen and burgesses, but the mayor exer- cises no magisterial authority. It had also a court of requests alternately with Warminstor and Trowbridgo, now merged in the county court. The parliamentary borough, which is co-extensive with the parish, returned two members to parliament from the reign of Henry VI. till tho passing of the Reform Act of 1832, since which time it has returned one only. The Poor-law Union of '.ury and Whorwelsdown contains 10 parishes or places. Tho living is a vie.* in the dioc. of Salisbury, Yal. 390, with the chplry. of Dilton annexed, in the n. of the bishop. The mother church of All Saints was built in the later Perpendicular style, and is now undergoing restoration. The interior contains several monuments and tombs of William de Westbury, one of the puisne judges of the Common Pleas, Governor Phipps, and James Ley, Earl of Marlborough. There are, besides several district churches, chapels for Inde- pendents, Baptists, and Wesleyans. An extramural cemetery has recently been formed on the Bratton road, with chapels for Churchmen and Dissenters. There are National, infant, and free schools. The parochial chari- ties produce about 190 per annum. Many Roman coins have been found. The market, now merely nominal, is on Tuesday for pigs only. Fairs are held on the first Friday in Lent, and Whit-Monday for pedlery, and on Easter-Monday and 24th September for horses, cattle, and cheese, but the principal fair ia held on Westbury- Hill Down on tho first Monday in September, chiefly for sheep. WESTBURY, a hund. in co. Gloucester, contains the pars, of Blaisdon, Newnham, Tidenham, Wollaston, and parts of ChurchamandWestbury-on-Severn, comprising 22,350 acres. WESTBURY, a hmlt. in the par. of Bassingthorpe, wap. of Beltisloe, parts of Kesteven, co. Lincoln, 3J miles N.W. of Corby. The Roman Catholics have a chapel. WESTBURY-ON-SEVERN, a par. in tho hund. of Westbury and Duchy of Lancaster, co. Gloucester, 2 miles N.E. of Newnham. The village is situated on tho river Severn, which is here crossed by a ferry to Fram- lode. The par. includes the hmlt. of Rodley, and is the head of a Poor-law Union comprising 14 parishes, and the seat of a superintendent registry. The living is a vie.* in tho dioc. of Gloucester and Bristol, val. 270, in the patron, of the vicars-choral of Hereford Cathedral. The church is dedicated to SS. Peter and Paul. There is a chapel for Wesleyans and Young's school, with a small endowment. The parochial charities produce about 40 per annum. WESTBURY-UPON-TRYM, a par., tnshp., and vil., partly in the lower div. of Henbury bund., co. Gloucester, and partly in the co. of the city of Bristol, 3 miles N.W. of Bristol. It is situated on the N. bank of the Severn, and includes the hmlts. of Ridland, Stoke Bishop, and Shirehampton, the last now forming a separate ecclesi- astical district. Gotham stone is obtained, and lime- stone and lead ore abound. The population has increased from 6,728 in 1851, to 8,329 in 1861. A monastery was founded here in tho 9th century, which subsequently was refounded as a cell to Worcester Priory, and in 1289 became a college for a dean and canons. Its revenue at the Dissolution was estimated at 232 14., and tho house, which remained till tho reign of Charles I., was burned by Prince Rupert to prevent its falling into tho power of the parliament. The principal seats are West. bury College, including the ruins of the old monastery, and Redlaud Court. The living is a perpet. cur.* in the dioc. of Gloucester and Bristol, val. 630. The church is dedicated to the Holy Trinity, and was formerly col- legiate ; the chancel was built by Bishop Carpenter in the 15th century. There is a district church at Shire- hampton, and a chapel-of-ease at Redland. Tho Baptists and Wesleyans have chapels, and there are National and other schools. The parochial charities produce about 200 per annum. About 1J mile N.E. of the village is a cavern called Pen Park Hole. Wickliffe, Prebendary of Aust, and Bishop Carpenter were horn here. WESTBY-WITH-PLUMPTONS, a tnshp. in the par. of Kirkham, hund. of Amounderness, co. Lancaster, 2J miles W. of Kirkham. WEST CALDER, a par. in the district of West Edin- burgh, co. Edinburgh, Scotland. See CALDER. WEST CHURCH, a par. in the city and co. of Perth, Scotland. Set PERTH. WEST-CLOSE-BOOTH, a tnshp. in the par. of WhaUey, co. Lancaster, 3 miles N.W. of Burnley. It is joined with Higham. WEST COALTOWN, a vil. in the district of Kirk- caldy, co. Fife, Scotland. WEST-COMB, an old seat in the par. of Greenwich, co. Kent, half a mile E. of Greenwich. WESTCOTE, a par. in the upper div. of Slaughter hund., co. Gloucester, 3J miles N.W. of Stow-on-tho- Wold, and 6 S.E. of Burford. It comprises the hmlts. of Upper and Lower Westcote and Gawaomb. The soil