Page:The National Gazetteer - A Topographical Dictionary of the British Islands, Volume 3.djvu/829

Rh WIGHTON. 817 WIGSTON MAGNA. Redvers, and it remained to his descendants through a long series of De Redvers and De Vernons, till the reign of Edward I., when Isabella de Fortibus sold it to that king, A.D. 1293. From the period of the sale the island has been always attached to the crown of England. When thfl French Armada was fitted out by Francis I., A.D. 1545, for the invasion of England, the islanders re- pulsed with success the attempted occupation of the island. In A.D. 1647 Charles I., who hud escaped from Hampton Court, entered the gateway of Carisbrooke Castle, the stronghold of the island, and remained in captivity here until his removal to Hurst Castle, two months. before his execution at Whitehall. Since that time little historical interest is attached to the island. It now forms a magisterial division of Hamp- shire, and comprises the two liberties of East ami West Medina, with 30 parishes. The towns are N'ewport, Ryde, Cowes, East and West, Yarmouth, Sandown, Freshwater, Brading, Newtown, and St. Helens, all which are noticed under their respective titles. The principal ports are Cowea, Ryde, and Yar- mouth, to which steamboats ply constantly in connec- tion with the railway stations on the mainland, but Newport is the capital and the only borough in the island, returning one member to parliament, New- town and Yarmouth having been disfranchised by the Reform Act of 1832. The island also returns one mem- ber, the polling places being Ryde and Cowes. The population at the commencement of the present century was only 22,097, in 1851 it had increased to 50,324. During the summer season the population is about 20,000 extra, owing to the presence of numerous visitors, who resort here for sea-bathing and the attractions of yachting, of which Cowes is the centre, being the itation of the Royal Yacht Squadron. The supply of provisions to the shipping at Spithead and in the Downs, gives employment to a considerable number of persons, but the prosperity of the island is mainly de- pendent on its attractions as a watering-place. Game is abundant, especially pheasants, and vast numbers of ea-fowl, choughs, puffins, razor-bills, and other sea- birds resort to its cliffs in summer. The S. coast is bluff and precipitous, the chalk cliffs rising at Scratchell's bay to the height of 600 feet. The N. coast is more heltered, and the shore is broken by bays and inlets on which are situated the seaports and the numerous watering-places. At "the Back of the Island," re- peated landslips, occasioned by the action of springs on the soft marl, underlying the sandstone and chalk, have caused the cliffs to give way, thus forming a terrace called Undercliff, extending about 7 miles in length from near Bonchurch, past Ventnor, to Blackgang Chine. The climate of this sheltered spot, which is from a quarter of a mile to a mile wide, is so soft that myrtles, hydrangeas, geraniums, and other half-hardy plants, live out all the winter, and the fig is found growing wild. The general surface of the island is at a consider- able elevation above the sea, and is intersected by a ridge of lofty chalk hills running from the Needles down through the centre of the island to Bambridge or Culver Cliff. The most lofty summits are St. Catherine's Hill, which is 830 feet above sea-level, and Dunnose, 792 feet. An extraordinary feature connected with the geological structure of the island is the almost vertical position of this central chalk ridge, while the strata on either side of it are horizontal, and scarcely appear to have been disturbed. To the N. lie the plastic clay sands, beds of shell marl, and the clays resembling those of the London basin ; while to the S. the upper and lower green sandstone strata prevail, and are crossed by the Weald clay, containing numerous fossils of the Saurian species, and cyprides and cyclades shells. The principal streams are the Medina, which rises near the north-eastern foot of St. Catherine's hill, and falls into the sea between East and West Cowes, the Eastern Yar, or Brading river, the Western Yar, the Wootton and the Newtown river, all of which form small es- tuaries at their mouths. WIGHTON, a par. in the hund. of North Greenhoe, co. Norfolk, 2 miles N. of Walsingham, and 3 S.E. of Wells. The village is situated on the road from Faken- ham to Wells and on the river Stiffkey, which turns two mills, the one for flour, and the other for crushing bones. The land is chiefly arable, with a small proportion of pasture and woodland. The living is a vie. in the dioc. of Norwich, in the patron, of the dean and chapter. Tho church is dedicated to All Saints. The charities produce about 90 per annum. The Earl of Leicester is lord of the manor and principal landowner. WIGLAND, a tnshp. in the par. of Malpas, co. Chester, 2 miles S.E. of Malpas. The inhabitants are chiefly engaged in the salt works at North wich, where is a brine spring. WIGLEY, a tythg. in the par. of Eling, co. Hants, 2| miles S.W. of Romsey. WIGMORE, a hund. in the N.W. div. of co. Here- ford, contains the pars, of Aston, Bucknell, Burrington, Byton, Dounton, Elton, Upper Kinsham, Knill, Lein- thall-Starkes, Leintwardine, Lingcn, Presteigne, Titley, Wigmoro, and parts of Aymestry, Bramptou Bryan, Cascob, Old Radnor, and Stanton-upou-Arrow, com- prising 48,070 acres. WIGMORE, a par. in the above hund., co. Hereford, 7J miles S.W. of Ludlow, 9 N.W. of Leominster, its post town, and 22 N.W. of Hereford. The village is situated on the road from Leominster to Knighton. At Darrold Hill are traces of a British encampment attri- buted to Caractacus, and on an eminence a little to the W. of the village are the ruins of a castle, once the head of an honour on the Welsh marches, which is recorded to have been rebuilt by Edward the Elder, and was taken by William the Conqueror from Edric the Saxon nnd given to Ranulph de Mortimer, Earl of Shrewsbury. Tho most perfect portions of the castle are the outer works. About a mile from the castlo are the remains of an Austin Abbey founded in the middle of the 12th century by Hugh de Mortimer, and valued at the Dissolution at 302 12. 3d. There was also a priory of nuns of the order of St. Augustine, and an alien priory founded as a cell to Aveney in Normandy. It was near this spot that the battle was fought on the Arrow in 1401, in which Mortimer was defeated and taken by Glen- dower. The surface is rocky but fertile, abounding in fossiliferous limestone, and coal is supposed to exist, but is not worked. In tht village is a police station, where petty sessions are held fortnightly. A court leet is also held occasionally by Lady Langdale, who is lady of the manor. The par. includes part of the tnshp. of Lime- brook. The living is a vie. * in the dioc. of Hereford, val. 150, in the patron, of the bishop. The church, dedicated to St. James, contains an antique font, an old register chest, and four painted windows, with figures of eight of the apostles. There are chapels for Wesleyans and Primitive Methodists, and National and Sunday schools. Tho charities produce about 8 per annum. A fair is held on 5th August for cattle and sheep, and a statute fair on 6th May. WIGMORE, a tnshp. in the par. of Westbury, co. Salop, 8 miles W. of Shrewsbury. WIGSTHORPE, a. hmlt. in the par. of Lilford, co. Northampton, 4 miles S. of Oundle. WIGSTON MAGNA, a par. in the hund. of Guthlax- ton, co. Leicester, 4 miles S. E. of Leicester. It is a station on the Midland Counties railway. Tho village, consisting of several streets, is situated on the road between Wei- ford and Leicester, near the Union canal, and has recently been much improved. Gaol Close was used as a prison in the civil war of Charles I. The general trade is increasing, owing to the facility of railway communication, and many of the working people are employed in the hosiery manufacture. Near the village are a lunatic asylum, and some traces of a moated seat of the Davenports. The soil is a strong marly loam, pro- ducing excellent wheat and beans, and there are some tracts of luxuriant meadow land. The manor is divided between several proprietors. The principal residence is Wigston Hall, the seat of Captain C. H. Baddeley. The living is a vie.* in the dioc. of Peterborough, val. 120,