the Derwent, in the hundred of Appletree. It is a chapelry of Duffield;
and, though formerly an inconsiderable village, its population now
exceeds, with the exception of Derby, every other town in the county.
The great increase of population began from three large cotton mills of
Messrs. Strutts, the first of which was erected in 1776. Two of them yet
remain; but the third was destroyed by fire early in the year 1803. The
largest of these mills is 200 feet long, 300 feet wide, and six stories
high: it is considered fire proof, as the floor is built on brick
arches, and paved with brick. The two water-wheels, which are employed
in the machinery in this building, are remarkable for magnitude and
singularity of construction; one of them being 40 feet long, and 18 in
diameter; and the other 48 feet long, and 12 feet in diameter. As timber
could not be procured large enough to form the axles of these wheels in
the common manner, they are constructed circularly and hollow, of a
number of pieces, and hooped in the manner of a cask. One of the shafts
is six feet in diameter, and the other nine. The shuttles are
constructed in one piece, so as to support the lateral pressure of the
water, although it is ten feet deep, by resting one upon another. This
is different from the usual mode of construction, in which they are
supported by large perpendicular beams at every six or seven feet, in
order to sustain this lateral pressure. About twelve or thirteen hundred
people are employed at these mills; and the proprietors have built many
houses, and a chapel, for their accommodation. Near the mills a stone
bridge of three arches has been erected across the Derwent, at the
expence of the county, the former one having been washed down by a
dreadful flood, in 1795. At a short distance, lower down the river, is a
bleaching mill, belonging to the same proprietors; an iron forge, and
two cotton mills; one of them constructed like that before described. A
stone bridge was also erected here by these gentlemen in 1792. These
mills afford regular employment to about 600 persons. A Sunday school
has been established here, and another at Belper, for the instruction of
the children employed at the cotton works.
_Market_, Saturday.--_Mail_ arrives 1.30 afternoon; departs 8.45
morning.
[Sidenote: Manufactories.]
[Sidenote: Cotton Mills.]
Map| Names of Places. | County. | Number of Miles From |
+--+--------------------+---------+-------------+--------------+
24|Belton[A] pa|Lincoln |Grantham 3|Leadenham 8|
24|Belton pa|Lincoln |Gainsboro' 13|Epworth 2|
32|Belton pa|Rutland |Uppingham 4|Oakham 7|
36|Belton pa|Suffolk |Yarmouth 4|Lowestoft 8|
24|Belvoir[B]ex pa. lib|Leicester|Grantham 7|Newark 16|
43|Bempton pa|E.R. York|Bridlington 3|Flamborough 3|
+--+--------------------+---------+-------------+--------------+
|Dist.|
Map| Names of Places. |Number of Miles From |Lond.|Population.
+--+--------------------+-----------------------+-----+--------+
24|Belton[A] pa|Lincoln 20| 113| 160|
24|Belton pa|Crowle 5| 162| 1597|
32|Belton pa|Rockingham 9| 92| 400|
36|Belton pa|Beccles 9| 121| 124|
24|Belvoir[B]ex pa. lib|Colterswrth 10| 112| 105|
43|Bempton pa|Hunmanby 7| 210| 287|
+--+--------------------+-----------------------+-----+--------+
[A] BELTON. The church is a small ancient structure. The tower appears
to have been rebuilt in the year 1637, and at a subsequent period, the
chancel has been renewed. The church is extremely neat, and has in the
south window six pieces of stained glass, illustrative of scriptural
subjects. Within the nave are several splendid monuments. Belton House,
near Grantham, the residence of Earl Brownlow, is situated on a
beautiful lawn, in a wooded valley, through which the river Witham winds
its course. The mansion was built in the year 1689, from designs by Sir
Christopher Wren. The form of the building is that of the letter H, a
stile of architecture peculiar to that period. It is of stone, and
presents four uniform elevations. The apartments are lofty, and well
proportioned. Several of the rooms are highly ornamented with carving by
Gibbons. The late Lord Brownlow made considerable improvements in the
mansion. He took down the cupola and balustrade from the roof. The
drawing room was considerably enlarged, and a new entrance at the south
front made. Here are many pictures by celebrated masters of the Flemish
and Italian schools, with numerous family portraits by Lely, Reynolds,
Kneller, Romney and others. Among the latter we may remark a portrait of
Sir John Cust, Bart., Speaker of the House of Commons, in his robes, by
Sir Joshua Reynolds. William III. in his progress through the northern
counties, honoured Belton House with his presence. The park comprises an
area of five miles in circumference, inclosed by a wall; numerous
plantations of fine trees are highly ornamental to the place. Sir John
Brownlow, K.B. afterwards Viscount Tyrconnel, enriched the library with
a valuable collection of books; he also formed some extensive gardens,
which have since been more adapted to the modern taste in gardening.
[Sidenote: Belton House.]
[B] BELVOIR. The Castle is one of the most magnificent structures in the
kingdom. It is placed on an abrupt elevation of a kind of natural cliff,
forming the termination of a peninsular hill. It has been the seat of
Manners, Dukes of Rutland, for several generations, and claims the
priority of every other building in the county in which it is situated.
Belvoir has been the site of a Castle ever since the Norman conquest;
and its possessors have been chiefly persons of eminence who have
figured in the pages of history. The view from the terraces and towers
comprehends the whole vale of Belvoir and the adjoining country as far
as Lincoln, including twenty-two of the Duke of Rutland's manors. On the
southern slope of the hill are enclosed-terraces, on which there are
several flower-gardens, surrounded by shrubberies. The park is of great
extent, containing fine forest trees, which form a woodland beneath the
hill so extensive as to afford shelter for innumerable rooks. Its
interior and furniture is of the most superb and costly description; it
also contains one of the most valuable collections of paintings in this
country, whether considered for the variety of the schools, or the works
of each master. A conflagration took place in the year 1816, which
consumed a great portion of the ancient part of the castle, and several
of the pictures. A curious anecdote is related, illustrative of the
folly and superstition of ancient times, which may not be uninteresting
to add. Joan Flower and her two; daughters who were servants at Belvoir
Castle, having been dismissed the family, in revenge made use of all the
enchantments, spells, and charms that were at that time supposed to
answer their malicious purposes. Henry the eldest son died soon after
their dismissal, but no suspicion of witchcraft arose till five years
after, when the three women who are said to have entered into a formal
contract with the devil, were accused of "murdering Lord Henry Ross by
witchcraft and torturing the Lord Francis his brother and Lady Catherine
his sister." After various examinations they were committed to Lincoln
gaol. The mother died at Ancaster, on her way thither, having wished the
bread and butter she ate might choak her if she was guilty. The
daughters were tried before Sir Henry Hobbert, Chief Justice of the
Common Pleas, and Sir Edward Bromley, one of the Barons of the
Exchequer; they confessed their guilt and were executed at Lincoln,
March 11, 1618.
[Sidenote: The Castle.]
[Sidenote: Charge of witchcraft.]
Map| Names of Places. | County. | Number of Miles From |
+--+------------------+----------+-----------+------------+
41|Bemerton[A] pa|Wilts |Salisbury 2|Wilton 2|
36|Benacre pa|Suffolk |Yarmouth 17|Lowestoft 7|
29|Benridge ham|Northumb |Morpeth 3|Ruthbury 13|
28|Benefield[B] pa|Northamton|Oundle 3|Weldon 6|
+--+------------------+----------+-----------+------------+
|Dist.|
Map| Names of Places. | Number of Miles From |Lond.|Population.
+--+------------------+----------------------+-----+------+
41|Bemerton[A] pa|Amesbury 9| 83| |
36|Benacre pa|Blythburg 8| 108| |
29|Benridge ham|Blyth 14| 291| 57|
28|Benefield[B] pa|Corby 8| 85| 519|
+--+------------------+----------------------+-----+------+
[A] BEMERTON, a parish in the hundred of Branch and Dole. The rectory of
this place is interesting, as having been the residence of no less than
four celebrated characters, viz. Dr. Walter Curie, Bishop of Bath and
Wells, and afterwards of Winchester, who died in 1647; George Herbert,
called the divine, who died in 1635; John Norris, a metaphysical writer,
who died in 1711; and, lastly, Mr. Archdeacon Coxe, the traveller and
historian, who died in 1828: all of them gentlemen highly distinguished
in the annals of literature.
[Sidenote: Celebrated men.]
[B] BENEFIELD. In this parish are some remarkable cavities, called
Swallows, which have opened a wide field of speculation among
philosophers, who have grounded, upon the singular phenomena they
exhibit, some new systems with regard to the theory of the earth. These
swallows are situated about a furlong west of the village, and are nine
in number. Through these cavities, the land-flood waters constantly pass
and disappear. They are of a circular form, and of various diameters;
some having an oblique, and others a perpendicular descent, opening
beneath the apertures into large spaces, which exhibit several smaller
conduits, through which the waters pass, to join perhaps, some
subterranean river, or mingle with the grand abyss of waters, which some
philosophers have placed in the centre of the earth.
[Sidenote: Geological curiosities.]
Map| Names of Places. | County. |Number of Miles From |
+--+---------------------+----------+-------------+-------------+
5|Bengers ham|Bucks |Colnbrook 3|Uxbridge 3|
21|Beneden[A] pa|Kent |Cranbrook 3|Tenterden 5|
13|Benfield-Side ham|Durham |Durham 12|Newcastle 13|
14|Benfleet, North pa|Essex |Rayleigh 4|Billericay 6|
14|Benfleet, South[B] pa|Essex | ... 4| ... 9|
18|Bengeo pa|Hertford |Hertford 1|Ware 2|
15|Bengrove ham|Gloucester|Tewkesbury 6|Evesbam 7|
42|Bengworth pa|Worcester |Worchester 16|Pershore 7|
36|Benhall pa|Suffolk |Saxmundham 2|Frainlingh 5|
4|Benham to|Berks |Newbury 3|Hungerford 6|
4|Benham-Hoe ham|Berks | ... 4| ... 6|
44|Benningborough to|N.R. York |York 7|Boro'bridge 8|
46|Benningholme to|E.R. York |Beverly 7|Hornsea 7|
18|Bennington pa|Hertford |Stevenage 5|Buntingford 6|
24|Bennington pa|Lincoln |Boston 5|Wainfleet 12|
24|Bennington-Long[C] pa|Lincoln |Grantham 7|Newark 7|
+--+---------------------+----------+-------------+-------------+
|Dist.|
Map| Names of Places. | Number of Miles From |Lond.|Population.
+--+---------------------+------------------------+-----+-------+
5|Bengers ham|Slough 4| 18| |
21|Beneden[A] pa|Rolvenden 3| 51| 1663|
13|Benfield-Side ham|Wolsingham 12| 270| 543|
14|Benfleet, North pa|Southend 6| 29| 300|
14|Benfleet, South[B] pa| ... 6| 32| 533|
18|Bengeo pa|Watton 5| 22| 855|
15|Bengrove ham|Pershore 7| 101| |
42|Bengworth pa|Broadway 5| 100| 850|
36|Benhall pa|Woodbridge 3| 89| 668|
4|Benham to|Kinbury 3| 59| |
4|Benham-Hoe ham| ... 4| 60| |
44|Benningborough to|Wetherby 10| 204| 93|
46|Benningholme to|Hull 8| 182| 103|
18|Bennington pa|Watton 3| 29| 631|
24|Bennington pa|Burgh 16| 121| 500|
24|Bennington-Long[C] pa|Leadenham 8| 116| 982|
+--+---------------------+----------+------------+------+-------+
[A] BENENDEN, or Biddenden, three miles south east from Cranbrook, is at
present populous, though the clothing manufacture, which first
occasioned the increase of the population of this part of the county, in
the reign of Edward the Third, has for many years failed here. Several
good houses still remaining, discover the prosperity of the former
inhabitants. The church is a handsome regular building, and its tower a
structure of considerable height and strength. By the old part now
remaining, it appears to have been originally but small. The interior
contains several ancient brasses, and among them, one for the Goldwells
of Great Chart; with the dates 1452, and 1499, in Arabic numerals: the
rebus of this name, a golden fountain, or well, is also in one of the
windows. A free grammar school, now degenerated into a complete
sinecure, was founded here in the year 1522. There is a tradition in
this parish, that a bequest for the use of the poor, of 20 acres of
land, now called the Bread and Cheese land, lying in five pieces, was
given by two maiden sisters, commonly called the "Biddenden Maids," of
the name of Chulkhurst, "who were born joined together by the hips and
shoulders, in the year 1100;" and having lived in that state thirty-four
years, died within about six hours of each other. This tale is affected
to be established by the correspondent figures of two females impressed
on cakes, which after Divine service, in the afternoon, on every Easter
Sunday, are distributed to all comers, and not unfrequently to the
number from 800 to 1000. At the same time, about 270 loaves, weighing
three pounds and a half each, and cheese in proportion, are given to the
poor parishioners; the whole expence being defrayed from the rental of
the bequeathed lands. The marvellous part of the story however, was
wholly discredited by the well informed, until the visit of the Siamese
twins to this country revived it with some appearance of truth.
[Sidenote: The Biddenden maids.]
[B] BENFLEET lies south-west by south from Rayleigh. Here was a castle,
built by Hastings, the celebrated Danish pirate, and which building
Matthew of Westminster described, as having deep and wide ditches. This
fortress Alfred the Great took and destroyed in the year 890; Hasting's
wife and two sons taken therein, were sent to London. The creeks
entering the Thames round Benfleet are celebrated for their oysters.
[Sidenote: A pirate's castle.]
[C] BENNINGTON, called Belintone in the Domesday Book, was a seat of the
Mercian kings; and here a great council of nobility and prelates was
assembled about the year 850, under King Bertulph, who on the complaint
of Askill, a monk of Croyland, of the great devastations committed on
the property of that monastery by the Danes, granted the monks a new
charter of divers "splendid liberties," and several extensive manors. In
the 33d of Edward I. a charter of a weekly market, and a fair annually,
was granted for this manor; but the former has long fallen into disuse!
The manor was long in possession of the Bourchiers, Earls of Essex.
Robert, the third Earl, after his divorce from the infamous Lady Francis
Howard, his first wife, in 1613, sold it to Sir Julius Caesar, Knt., from
whom it descended to his son and heir, Sir Charles Caesar. This gentleman
was appointed Master of the Rolls in 1638; and, after being twice
married, and having fifteen children by both wives, died of the
small-pox, at Bennington, in 1643: this disease proved fatal also to
several of his issue, and among them, to Julius, his eldest surviving
son, who dying within a few days, was buried in the same grave with his
father. Henry, his next son, and heir, represented this county in the
two first parliaments held in the reign of Charles II.; and he was
knighted by that sovereign in 1660: he also died of the small-pox, in
January 1667. This manor was sold to the trustees under the will of Sir
John Cheshire, Knt. His great nephew, John Cheshire, Esq., resided in a
small mansion near the ancient castle at Bennington, which stood
westward from the church, and most probably occupied the spot whereon
stood the palace of the Saxon Kings. The artificial mount of the keep,
with the surrounding ditch, are still to be seen. The old manor-house
that had been inhabited by the Caesars, stood in the park, at a small
distance from the village, but was burnt down about fifty years ago. A
small edifice, since erected on the site, was for some years occupied by
Mr. Bullock. Bennington church is a small fabric, consisting of a nave
and a chancel, with a tower at the west end, and a chapel or
burial-place connected with the chancel on the north. Here are two
ancient monuments, under arches, which form part of them, each
exhibiting recumbent figures of a knight and a lady. Many of the Caesars
lie buried here. The Benstede family, sometime lords of the manor, are
supposed to have built this church, as their arms are displayed both
upon the roof and on the tower. In a niche over the south porch, St.
Michael and the dragon are sculptured.
[Sidenote: Ancient charters.]
[Sidenote: The small-pox fatal to Cheshires.]
[Sidenote: Their monuments.]
Map| Names of Places. | County. |Number of Miles From |
+--+---------------------+----------+-------------+--------------+
24|Benningworth pa|Lincoln |Wragby 6|Horncastle 9|
29|Bewridge to|Northumb |Morpeth 2|Rothbury 12|
31|Bensinton[A] pa|Oxford |Wallingford 2|Nettlebed 6|
14|Bentfield ham|Essex |Stanstead 2|B. Stortford 4|
33|Benthall pa|Salop |Wenlock 3|Madeley 6|
15|Bentham ham|Gloucester|Gloucester 5|Cheltenham 5|
44|Bentham pa & to|W.R. York |Settle 12|Ingleton 5|
16|Bentley pa|Hants |Farnham 4|Alton 6|
35|Bentley to & lib|Stafford |Walsall 2|S. Coldfield 7|
36|Bentley pa|Suffolk |Ipswich 6|Manningtree 12|
39|Bentley ham|Warwick |Atherstone 3|Coleshill 7|
46|Bentley to|W.R. York |Doncaster 2|Arksey 1|
10|Bentley, Fenny pa|Derby |Ashborne 3|Wirksworth 8|
14|Bentley, Great pa|Essex |Colchester 9|Manningtree 9|
10|Bentley, Hungry to|Derby |Ashborne 6|Derby 10|
14|Bentley, Little pa|Essex |Manningtree 5|Colchester 9|
42|Bentley, Up. & L. ham|Worcester |Bromsgrove 3|Redditch 3|
29|Benton, Little to|Northumb |Newcastle 4|N. Shields 6|
29|Benton, Long[B] pa|Northumb | ... 4| ... 6|
+--+---------------------+----------+-------------+--------------+
|Dist.|
Map| Names of Places. | Number of Miles From |Lond.|Population.
+--+---------------------+------------------------+-----+--------+
24|Benningworth pa|Louth 9| 145| 373|
29|Bewridge to|Blyth 11| 290| 53|
31|Bensinton[A] pa|Dorchester 3| 46| 1266|
14|Bentfield ham|Saff. Walden 9| 34| 505|
33|Benthall pa|Wellington 7| 150| 525|
15|Bentham ham|Painswick 7| 104| |
44|Bentham pa & to|Lancaster 13| 247| 3957|
16|Bentley pa|Odiham 6| 42| 728|
35|Bentley to & lib|Lichfield 8| 120| 99|
36|Bentley pa|Harwich 18| 69| 363|
39|Bentley ham|Birmingham 16| 106| 270|
46|Bentley to|Thorne 10| 164| 1144|
10|Bentley, Fenny pa|Derby 16| 142| 308|
14|Bentley, Great pa|Harwich 13| 60| 978|
10|Bentley, Hungry to|Uttoxeter 9| 136| 92|
14|Bentley, Little pa|Harwich 10| 60| 438|
42|Bentley, Up. & L. ham|Birmingham 14| 113| |
29|Benton, Little to|Blyth 9| 278| |
29|Benton, Long[B] pa| ... 9| 278| 5547|
+--+---------------------+------------------------+-----+--------+
[A] BENSINGTON was an ancient British town, taken from the original
inhabitants by Ceaulin, in the year 572. The west Saxons held the place
for two centuries, and appear to have constructed a castle for its
defence; but it was reduced by Offa, king of the Mercians, who defeated
his rival in a sanguinary contest. To the west of the church are a
quadrangular bank and trench. Three sides of the embankment are much
defaced. Plot mentions an "angle of King Offa's palace near the church;"
by which he probably alludes to the same spot. In this village are
several modern buildings. The church, which is gothic, has been built at
different times. In the brick flooring of the nave are some ancient
stones, with mutilated brasses. Here is a Sunday-school supported by
subscription; and a meeting-house for methodists.
[Sidenote: A Mercian King.]
[B] LONG BENTON. A dreadful calamity occurred at Heaton Colliery, in
this neighbourhood, on the morning of May 3, 1815, when, by the sudden
influx of water from an old mine, Mr. Miller, (the under-viewer, who
left a wife and eight children), 22 workmen, 42 boys, and 37 horses,
perished; and 25 widows, with about 80 children, were left to bemoan the
sudden death of their husbands and fathers. Steam-engines were
immediately employed, and every exertion was made for the recovery of
the bodies; notwithstanding which, it was not till the 6th of January,
in the following year, that the first body was found. It was that of an
old man employed on the waggon-way: and a fact worthy of notice is, that
the waste-water in which he had been immersed had destroyed the woollen
clothes, and corroded the iron parts of a knife the deceased had in his
pocket, yet his linen and the bone-haft of his knife remained entire.
Shortly after, Mr. Miller, and a few others, were discovered: they had
met a similar fate, having been overtaken by the water about a hundred
yards from the shaft to which they had been hastening to save
themselves. But the lot of these eight persons may be considered
fortunate, when compared with the unhappy beings left at work towards
the rise of the mine, and as yet unconscious of their dreadful
situation. About the 16th of February, the higher parts of the workings
were explored; and now a scene truly horrible was presented to view: for
here lay the corpses of 56 human beings, whom the water had never
reached, being situated 35 fathoms above its level. They had collected
together near the crane, and were found within a space of 30 yards of
each other; their positions and attitudes were various; several appeared
to have fallen forwards from off an inequality, or rather step, in the
coal on which they had been sitting; others, from their hands being
clasped together, seemed to have expired while addressing themselves to
the protection of the Deity; two, who were recognized as brothers, had
died in the act of taking a last farewell by grasping each other's hand:
and one poor boy reposed in his father's arms. Two slight cabins had
been hastily constructed by nailing up deal boards, and in one of these
melancholy habitations three of the stoutest miners had breathed their
last. A large lump of horse flesh, wrapped up in a jacket, nearly two
pounds of candles, and three others, which had died out when
half-burned, were found in this apartment, if it can be so called. One
man, well known to have possessed a remarkably pacific disposition, had
retired to a distance to end his days alone, and in quiet. Another had
been placed to watch the rise or fall of the water; to ascertain which,
sticks had been placed, and was found dead at his post. There were two
horses in the part of the mine to which the people had retired; one had
been slaughtered, its entrails taken out, and hind quarters cut up for
use; the other was fastened to a stake, which it had almost gnawed to
pieces, as well as a corfe or coal basket that had been left within its
reach. That these ill-fated people perished for want of respirable air,
and not from hunger and thirst, is certain; for most of the flesh cut
from the horse, with a considerable quantity of horse-beans, were
unconsumed, and a spring of good water issued into this part of the
colliery; besides, the unburned remains of candles afford evidence of a
still stronger nature; and by these data the coroner's jury was enabled
to pronounce a verdict accordingly. The overman had left the
chalk-board, in which it is usual to take down an account of the work
done, together with his pocket-book, in an empty corfe; on these some
memorandum might have been expected to be noted: but no writing
subsequent to the catastrophe appeared on either.--The bodies of those
men which had lain in wet places were much decayed; but where the floor
was dry, though their flesh had become much shrivelled, they were all
easily recognised by their features being entire.
[Sidenote: Dreadful accident.]
[Sidenote: Fifty-six lives lost in a mine.]
[Sidenote: Cause of their death.]