Page:The National Gazetteer - A Topographical Dictionary of the British Islands, Volume 3.djvu/895

Rh WROTHAM. 883 WROXTON. Kent, contains the pars, of Ighth'am, Shipborne, Stan- stead, and Wrotham, comprising 16,140 acres. WROTHAM, a par. and town in the hund. o the same name, co. Kent, 10 miles N.W. of Maid- stone, 8 N.E. of Sevenoaks, and 5J from the Me- opham station of the London, Chatham, and Dover railway. It is situated under the chalk hills, anc includes the district chplries. of Platt, Plaxtol, anc Woodlands, which last was formerly a par. of itself besides seven hmlts. The town, which is at the foot of Wrotham hill, consists principally of two streets crossing each other on the road from London to Maid- stone, and in the centre is the market-place, where was a public well, now filled up. It is supposed to have been originally a British town, and was afterwards a Eoman station on the military way from Oldborough to Stane Street. In 904 it was presented by Athelstane to the monastery of Christ Church, Canterbury, and has still the terrace and gateway of a palace of the arch- bishops, who resided here till Islip pulled it down. Ai the Dissolution, the manor was surrendered by Cranmer to Henry VIII., and came from the Byngs to James oi Ightham. There are paper mills at Basted, and hops are extensively cultivated. The living comprises a sine- cure rectory and a vie.* in the dioc. of Canterbury, val. 1,000, in the patron, of the archbishop. The church, dedicated to St. George, is of the 13th century, con- sisting of nave, N. and S. aisles, S. porch, and parviso with large chancel. In the interior are many brasses, the earliest bearing date 1470, and tombs of Burgoyne, Peckham, and Rayner. The whole edifice has been recently restored at the expense of the rector, the Rev. Charles Lane, and has a stone pulpit, carved by Seale of Wai worth. The chancel also has been enriched by a large E. window of five lights, containing eleven subjects illustrative of the Apostles' Creed. On its N. and S. sides are four "Evangelist" windows with the twelve Apostles in stained glass, by Ward and Hughes of London. There are besides district churches at Platt, Plaxtol, and Woodlands, which last place has recently been formed into a district chapelry, together with a portion of the woodlands of Shoreham parish. There are National and Sunday schools, and almshouses for 8 poor persons, endowed by Miss Helen Bettenson. A fair is held on the 4th May. WROTTESLEY, a hmlt. in the par. of Tettenhall, 3. div. of Seisdon hund., co. Stafford, 2 miles W. of Tettenhall, and 4J N.W. of Wolverhampton. It consists chiefly of the estate and mansion of Lord Wrottesley, whoso ancestors have possessed it since the first year of Henry III., when they obtained it from Evesham Abbey in exchange for Moreton. The present hall is an edifice of the 17th century, built upon an eminence, which rises above the banks of the Smestall rivulet. It gives name and title of baron to Lord Wrottesley, and formo a prebend in the collegiate church of St. Michael, Tet- tenhall, attached to which is Wrottesley chancel, con- taining several monuments to the Wrottesley family, including two illuminated brasses to the two sons of the present Lord Wrottesley, one of whom fell in action against the Caffres, and the other at the attack on Bomarsund. Near the present village are vestiges of an ancient city, supposed to be of British or Roman origin, from 3 to 4 miles in circuit, with streets at right angles, and within its limits, ruins of an ancient tower, built of hu^'o square stones. WROUGHTON, a par. in a detached portion of the hund. of Elstob, co. Wilts, 3 miles S.W. of Swindon, and 9 N. of Marlborough. It is comprised within the parliamentary borough of Cricklade, and includes the tylligs. of Elcombe, Overtown, Salthrop, and Westle- cott. The upper portion of the parish is principally arable, with some sheep-walks, but the lower lands are chiefly in dairy farms, on which considerable quantities of cheese are made. The soil is in parts loamy and in others clay. The principal seats are Wroughton House and Salthrop Lodge. The Wilts and Berks canal and the Great Western railway pass in the vicinity. The living consists of a sinecure rect. in the gift of the VOL. III. Bishop of Winchester, and of a vie.,* val. 160, in the patron, of the rector. The church, de-licated to St. John the Baptist and St. Helen, is of the llth century. The Wesleyans have a chapel. There is a National school with a small endowment, now held in an old chapel near the church. In this parish are remains of a British encampment called Barbary Castle. The Dean and Chapter of Winchester and W. Wyndham Codrington, Esq., are lords of the manor. WROXALL, a hmlt. in the par. of Newchurch, Isle of Wight, co. Hants, 7 miles S.E. of Newport, and 2 from Ventnor. WROXALL. See WROXHALL, co. Warwick. WROXETER, a par. in the Wellington div. of South Bradford hund., co. Salop, 5| miles S.E. of Shrewsbury. The par., which is bounded on the W. by the Severn, comprises the tnshps. of Donnington, Dryton, Eyton, Norton, and Rushton. The soil is generally a rich loam, alternated with gravel, and the substratum contains coal, which is partially worked. The village appears once to have been a place of importance, and takes its name from an ancient British town called Caer Vrauch, and by the Saxons Wrckinccattre, from its situa- tion near the Wrekin mountain. It is the Uriconium of Antoninus, and the Viriconiitm of Ptolemy, an important Roman station on the north-eastern bank of the Severn, at Wroxeter Ford, where the Roman way Watling Street crossed the river, and near which may be seen at low water huge blocks of stone, supposed to have onco formed a bridge. The remains which still exist show that the city walls were 9 feet in thickness, and extended for 3 miles in cir- cumference, surrounded by a rampart and fosse; it flourished for a considerable time as the capital of the Cornavii, but was devastated by the Saxons and Danes. In 1752 several Roman inscriptions, now preserved at Shrewsbury, were found here, also urns, a seal, and silver coins of Vespasian, Antoninus, Trajan, and later emperors ; and important excavations have been going on for some years, under the direction of Thomas Wright, Esq., who has published a " Guide to Uriconium." The living is a vie.* in the dioc. of Lichfield, val. 400. The church, dedicated to St. Andrew, contains monuments to Chief Justice Bromley and the Newport family. There is a free grammar school, situated at Donnington, in this pariah, founded by Thomas Alcock in 1G27, and pre- sented by Mrs. Caieswell with two exhibitions at Christ Church College, Oxford. The charities produce about 08 per annum, including the school endowment. The Duke of Cleveland is lord of the manor and patron of the living, and Lord Berwick has a large property in the parish. WROXHALL, a par. in the Snitterfield div. of Bar- liehway hund., co. Warwick, 6 miles N.W. of Warwick, and 4 from Kenilworth railway station. The village is situated near the Birmingham canal. The surface is undulating, and the soil chiefly a strong clay. The principal residence is Wroxhall Abbey, originally built jy Robert Burgoyne, to whom the demesne was granted )y Henry VIII. at the dissolution of the monasteries, and in 1713 was purchased by Sir Christopher Wren rom the family of Burgoyne, and is now the seat of ^handos Wren Hoskyns, Esq. The living is a don. cur. in the dioe. of Worcester. The church of St. Leonard is part of the abbey founded by Hugh de Hatton in the reign of Henry I. for Benedictine nuns, he revenue of which at the Dissolution was valued at 378 10. Id. It forms one side of the quadrangle of Wroxhall Abbey, and contains monuments to the Wren amily, and a brass bearing date 1430, brought from Jrailes church. The charities produce about 130 per annum, including the poors' estate. WROXHAM, a par. in the hund. of Taverhan>, co. Norfolk, 7 miles N.E. of Norwich. The village is ituated on the banks of the navigable river Buro, ver which is a bridge. There are three small lakes r ponds. The living is a vie. WROXTON, a par. in tho hund. of Bloxham, co. 5 x