Page:The National Gazetteer - A Topographical Dictionary of the British Islands, Volume 3.djvu/841

Rh WIMBORNE MINSTER. 829 WINCANTON. Cranborne, co. Dorset, 2 miles S.W. of Cranborne, nnd K 8. of Woodyates. It comprises the tythgs. of Wim- borne AH Saints and All Hallows. The village is situ- ated on the river Allen, and chiefly belongs to the Earl of Shaftesbury, whose seat, St. Giles' Park, is comprised within this parish. In the park is a grotto made of shells and mineral ores. The manor anciently belonged to the Plessys, from whom it came to the Halmuirs, Homelyns, and Ashley-Coopers, and now belongs to the K;ui of Shaftosbury, who takes hence the title of baron. The soil is light, resting upon a substratum of chalk. The living is a rect.* in the dioe. of Salisbury, val. 620. The church, dedicated to St. Mary, was rebuilt in 1732, and restored by the Earl of Shaftesbury in 1852. The register dates from 1652. There are Na- tional schools for both sexes, and almshouses for widows and aged persons founded by Sir A. Ashley, but the endowment belonging to which has been unfortunately lost. WIMBORNE MINSTER, a par. and market town in the bund, of Badbury, co. Dorset, 10 miles S.E. of Blandford, 23 N.E. of Dorchester, 6 from Poole, and 100 from London. It has stations on the London and Soulh- Western and Somerset and Dorset railways. It is situated in a valley, which was forest at the time of the Domesday survey, near the site of the Roman station Vindogladia, and takes its name from the Wim or Allen burn which here joins the river Stour. The par. comprises, besides the ancient town of Wimbourne, the parochial district of Holt, the tythg. of Leigh, and the manor of Kingston Lacy, with the hmlts. of Abbott-street, Badbury, where was one of the first Roman encampments in England, Barford, Barnsley, Congreve, Hound Hill, Pamphill, and Stone. It is a polling-place for the county elec- tions, a petty-sessions town, and nominal borough, governed by a constable and two bailiffs, with tithing- men, who are annually appointed at the manorial court held at Michaelmas. The population of the parish in 18C1 was 4,807, but of the town, 2,271. There are a savings-bank, two commercial branch banks, gas-works, union poorhouse, three bridges over the Allen, two over the Stour, which is not navigable, and a railway viaduct near Canford bridge. The surrounding country is hilly, but fertile, abounding in rich meadows and pasture. The principal seats are Wimborne St. Giles, of the Earl of Shaftesbury ; Heron Court, of the Earl of Malmes- bury ; Kingston Lacy Hall, of E. G. Banks, Esq., where stands the obelisk brought from Philoo by Bankes the traveller; Dean's Court; Canford House, of Sir Ivor B. Guest, Bart., once occupied by Queen Adelaide in 1844, and where is John of Gaunt's kitchen ; Gaunt's House, of Sir R. Glynn, Bart., surrounded by an old moat ; Critchell House, High Hall, Udden's House, and Stone House. The great attraction of the neighbourhood is Shag's Heath, between the roads to Eingwood and Fordingbridge, where stands an aspen- tree inscribed with many names, marking the spot on which the Duke of Monmouth was captured after his flight from the battle of Sedgmoor. The living is a peculiar in the gift of the Corporation of the Governors of Queen Elizabeth's Grammar School, who allow 2,500 out of the tithes for the support of three clergy- men or prebends, at 250 each, 16 choristers, and an organist. The church, which is dedicated to St. Cuth- bert, is 180 feet long, in the shape of a cross, with two square towers, one rising from the centre, and the other at the W. end. The central tower originally had a lofty spire, which fell down in 1600, and beneath the church is a vaulted crypt and chapel. It origin- ally belonged to the nunnery founded by Cuthburga, daughter of Kenred, King of Wessex, in 713, and previous to the Reformation had ten altars, made of costly materials, and many relics. It has recently been restored with new stained windows by WilKment. In the interior are 16 canopied stalls, a piscina, and numerous old monuments, particularly that of King Etholred, brother of Alfred the Groat, with a brass of the 15th century, a brass plato to Dean John de Berwick, dated 1312, effigies of the Somersets, parents of the Lady Margaret, mother of Henry VII., bearing date 1444, of Sir E. Uvedale and another knight, and a monument to Ettricke the antiquary, with linos by Prior. There is also the district church of Holt, which has been erected into a separate parish for eccle- siastical purposes. The Baptists, Wosleyans, and Independents have chapels. The free grammar school was originally founded by Margaret, Countess of Rich- mond, in 1497, but was re-established by Queen Elizabeth in 1562, and rebuilt after the Elizabethan style in 1851. The school is open to boys from all parts of England, and is governed, under an'order of the Court of Chancery made in 1848, by a head-master and three ushers, who receive boarders to prepare for the universities. There are also National schools, built in 1843, and a school endowed by Gillingham. The chari- ties produce about 1,500 per annum, of which a moioty belongs to the church and schools, and about 200 to St. Margaret's and Courtnay's hospitals or almshouses. Wimborne is the head of a Poor-law Union, embracing 24 parishes, and of new county court and superinten- dent registry districts. Market day is on Friday. Fairs are held on the Friday and Saturday before Good Friday, and on the 14th September for horses, cattle, and cheese, and a large monthly sale of horses and cattle by public auclion. WIMBOTSHAM, a par. in the hund. of Clackclose, co. Norfolk, 1 mile N.E. of Downham-Market, and 10 S. of Lynn. The village is situated on the road to Lynn, near the river Ouse, which bounds the parish on one side. The land is chiefly arable, with some meadow, pasture, and woodland. The living is a rect.* in the dioc. of Norwich, consolidated with the vie. of Stow Bardolph. The church, dedicated to St. Mary, was thoroughly restored in 1854, when the apse was entirely rebuilt at the cost of the rector. It has two Norman doorways, and an old piscina discovered in 1840. The Wesleyans and Primitive Methodists have chapels. The charities consist of a share with Downham, - WIMESWOULD, a par. in the hund. of East Goscote, co. Leicester, 5 miles N.E. of Loughborough. The vil- lage is situated in a valley on the northern borders of the county. It had a charter for a market and fair granted by Edward HI., but both have long since been discon- tinued. Hose and lace are made. The surface is undulating and the soil clayey, with gravel in parts. There are quarries of blue lias and gravel. The living- is a vie.* in the dioc. of Peterborough, val. 200, in the patron, of Trinity College, Cambridge. The church, dedicated to St. Mary, was restored in 1850 at a cost of 3,000. The Wesleyans, Primitive Methodists, and Baptists have chapels. There are four day schools. WIMPOLE, a par. in the hund. of Wetherley, co. Cambridge, 5 miles S.E. of Caxton. Wimpole Hall, the family seat of the Hardwickes, contains a collection of historical paintings and portraits by the first masters, and in the chapel is a carved ivory crucifixion and " Temple of the Sibyls" in mosaic. The living is a rect.* in the dioe. of Ely, val. 400. The church, dedicated to St. Andrew, was rebuilt by Lord Chancellor Hardwicke in 1749. It contains various effigies and monuments to the Hardwicke and Chicheley families, some rich stained glass, two brasses, the earliest bearing date 1501, and an hexagonal font. The charities produce about 21 per annum. There is a school supported by the Earl of Hardwicke, who is lord of the manor and principal land- owner. WIMPSTONE, a hmlt. in the par. of Whitchurch, co. Warwick, 4 miles S.E. of Stratford on Avon, on the river Stour. WINC ANTON, a par., market town, and nominal borough in the hund. of Norton-Ferris, co. Somerset, 34 miles E. of Taunton, and 108 S.W. of London. It has a station on the Dorset Central railway, and is only 5 miles from the Bruton station on the Wilts, Somerset, and Weymouth, and 5 from the Temple Combe station of the London and South- Western railway. This place was called by the Saxons Wyndcaleton, from its situa- tion amongst the windings of the river Gale, by which