A Topographical Dictionary of England. Originally published by S Lewis, London, 1848.
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Milton (St. Blaise)
MILTON (St. Blaise), a parish, in the union of Abingdon, hundred of Ock, county of Berks, 3½ miles (S. by W.) from Abingdon; containing 466 inhabitants. It comprises 1442a. 15p., of which 979 acres are arable, 366 pasture, and 57 woodland; the surface is hilly towards the north, and more level towards the south. The manor-house was built by Inigo Jones. The Great Western railway passes through the parish. The living is a rectory, valued in the king's books at £17. 9. 7., and in the gift of the Dean and Canons of Christ-Church, Oxford. The Rev. J. G. Warner, late rector, gave about £60 per annum for education.
Milton (All Saints)
MILTON (All Saints), a parish, in the union of Chesterton, hundred of Northstow, county of Cambridge, 3½ miles (N. E. by N.) from Cambridge; containing 452 inhabitants, and comprising 1378a. 2r. 4p. The living is a discharged rectory, valued in the king's books at £9. 3. 1½., and in the patronage of King's College, Cambridge; net income, £485; there is a glebe of 36 acres. The church is a neat edifice in the later English style, with some earlier details.
MILTON, a hamlet, in the township and parish of Weaverham, union of Northwich, Second division of the hundred of Eddisbury, S. division of the county of Chester, 4 miles (W. by N.) from the town of Northwich; containing 25 inhabitants.
MILTON, a hamlet, in the parish of Prittlewell, union and hundred of Rochford, S. division of Essex, ¾ of a mile (S. by E.) from Prittlewell. The hamlet was once a distinct parish, but being encroached on by the sea, the church was destroyed: some remains of the building may be seen at low water. Here are fine beds of oysters.
Milton, or Middleton-Malzor (Holy Cross)
MILTON, or Middleton-Malzor (Holy Cross), a parish, in the union of Hardingstone, hundred of Wymmersley, S. division of the county of Northampton, 3½ miles (S. by W.) from Northampton; containing 607 inhabitants. This parish, consisting of 1445 acres, is situated on the road from Northampton to Oxford; and the Grand Junction canal, and the London and Birmingham railway, pass in the immediate vicinity: the Blisworth station of the latter is distant one mile. A few men are employed in the shoe-trade, and the women in making lace. The living is a rectory, valued in the king's books at £16. 15. 10.; patron, Thomas Kershaw, Esq.: the tithes were commuted for land in 1780; the glebe altogether comprises 202 acres, valued at £434 a year. The church is a neat structure, repaired in 1838, and has an ancient circular window: there are 19 acres of land for keeping it in repair. Here is a place of worship for Baptists.
MILTON, a hamlet, in the parish of West Markham, union of East Retford, South Clay division of the wapentake of Bassetlaw, N. division of the county of Nottingham, ½ a mile (N. W.) of the village of Markham; containing 73 inhabitants. This place, called also Milneton, stands on an eminence on the east bank of the Idle river, and derives its name from an ancient mill which long since disappeared.
MILTON, a chapelry, in the parish of East Adderbury, union of Banbury, hundred of Bloxham, county of Oxford, 3 miles (S.) from Banbury; containing 168 inhabitants, and comprising 800 acres. The chapel, dedicated to St. John, has been demolished.
MILTON, a township, in the parish of Shiptonunder-Whichwood, union of Chipping-Norton, hundred of Chadlington, county of Oxford, 3¼ miles (N. by E.) from Burford; with 660 inhabitants.
MILTON, a hamlet, in the parish of Martock, union of Yeovil, hundred of Martock, W. division of Somerset; containing 124 inhabitants.
MILTON, a tything, in the out-parish of St. Cuthbert, city and union of Wells, hundred of WellsForum, E. division of the county of Somerset; containing 41 inhabitants.
Milton (St. Mary Magdalene)
MILTON (St. Mary Magdalene), a parish, in the union of Lymington, hundred of Christchurch, Lymington and S. divisions of the county of Southampton, 4¾ miles (E. by N.) from Christchurch; containing, with the tythings of Ashley and Chewton, 1185 inhabitants. The parish comprises 5348 acres, of which 513 are common or waste land; it is situated about midway between the towns of Christchurch and Lymington, and is bounded on the south by Christchurch bay. The living is a perpetual curacy, in the patronage of the Vicar of Milford, with a net income of £120. The church was rebuilt in 1832, at an expense of £1400. There are places of worship for Baptists, Independents, and Wesleyans; and a national school.
Milton-Abbas (St. Mary and St. Sampson)
MILTON-ABBAS (St. Mary and St. Sampson), a parish, and formerly a market-town, in the union of Blandford, hundred of Whiteway, Blandford division of Dorset, 7 miles (S. W. by W.) from Blandford; containing 833 inhabitants. The present appellation of this place is a contraction of its ancient name of Middleton, implying its central situation in the county; the adjunct is derived from its lords, the abbots. A Benedictine monastery was founded here, in the year 933, by King Athelstan, and dedicated to the honour of St. Mary, St. Michael, St. Sampson, and St. Branwalader; the revenue at the Dissolution was valued at £720. 4. 1. The conventual buildings, with the exception of the ancient hall, were taken down in 1771, and replaced by the present splendid mansion called Milton Abbey, erected from a design by Sir William Chambers, in the later English style. An old chapel here, dedicated to St. Catherine, has long been desecrated. In 1658 the upper part of the town was destroyed by fire, and a brief was granted for rebuilding it in 1661. The living is a discharged vicarage, valued in the king's books at £10; net income, £127; patron and impropriator, Mrs. Damer. The abbey church, which stood northward of the abbey, was destroyed by lightning on September 2nd, 1309, but was handsomely rebuilt, with the exception of the nave, in the reign of Edward II., and is now used as the private chapel of the Damer family. The present parish church was built at the expense of the first earl of Dorchester. An almshouse for six persons was founded and endowed by John Tregonwell, Esq., in 1647.
Milton-Abbot (St. Constantine)
MILTON-ABBOT (St. Constantine), a parish, in the union and hundred of Tavistock, Tavistock and S. divisions of Devon, 6 miles (N. W. by W.) from Tavistock; containing 1256 inhabitants. In this parish, which is watered by the river Tamar, is the Anglo-Swiss domain of the Duke of Bedford, distinguished for its beautiful scenery and landscape gardening. The living is a vicarage, valued in the king's books at £19. 13. 6½.; patron and impropriator, the Duke of Bedford. The great tithes have been commuted for £384, and the vicarial for £416; the glebe comprises 62 acres.
Milton-Bryant (St. Peter)
MILTON-BRYANT (St. Peter), a parish, in the union of Woburn, hundred of Manshead, county of Bedford, 2¾ miles (S. E.) from the town of Woburn; containing 382 inhabitants. The living is a rectory, valued in the king's books at £11. 16. 3., and in the patronage of the Crown; net income, £331.
Milton-Chapel (St. Nicholas)
MILTON-CHAPEL (St. Nicholas), a parish, in the union of Bridge, hundred of Westgate, lathe of St. Augustine, E. division of Kent, 2½ miles (S. W. by W.) from Canterbury. The parish contains only 10 inhabitants, and 330 acres of land. The living is a discharged rectory, valued in the king's books at £4. 14. 4.; net income, £70; patron, Matthew Bell, Esq.
Milton-Clevedon.—See Clevedon, Milton.
MILTON-CLEVEDON.—See Clevedon, Milton.
Milton-Damerell (Holy Trinity)
MILTON-DAMERELL (Holy Trinity), a parish, in the union of Holsworthy, hundred of Black Torrington, Holsworthy and N. divisions of Devon, 5½ miles (N. E. by N.) from Holsworthy; containing 813 inhabitants. The living is a rectory, with the perpetual curacy of Cookbury annexed, valued in the king's books at £26. 13. 6½., and in the gift of the Earl of Devon: the tithes have been commuted for a rent-charge of £315, and the glebe comprises 75 acres.
Milton-Ernest (All Saints)
MILTON-ERNEST (All Saints), a parish, forming, with Clapham and Oakley, a detached portion of the hundred of Stodden, in the union and county of Bedford, 5 miles (N. W. by N.) from Bedford; containing 446 inhabitants. It is situated on the Ouse, and comprises 1333a. 1r. 17p., of which 740 acres are arable, 510 pasture and meadow, and about 53 woodland; the soil near the river is rich. The surface is undulated. The living is a vicarage, valued in the king's books at £7. 6. 8.; net income, £285; patron, C. Turnor, Esq.; impropriators, the trustees under the will of Sir E. Turnor, for the benefit of the vicar: the tithes were commuted for land and a money payment in 1803. The church is an ancient structure of mixed styles, the tower in the Norman, and the nave and chancel in the later English. An almshouse for six persons was founded in 1693, by Sir E. Turnor, who endowed it with lands now producing about £40 per annum.
Milton, Great (St. Mary)
MILTON, GREAT (St. Mary), a parish, in the union of Thame, partly in the hundred of Bullingdon, but chiefly in that of Thame, county of Oxford, 4 miles (W. by N.) from Tetsworth; containing, with the hamlets of Ascott and Chilworth, and exclusively of Little Milton, 737 inhabitants. This place is noticed in the Domesday survey as Midelton; it had a priory of monks, which, according to Leland, was a cell to the monastery of Abingdon. The parish comprises by computation 4430 acres: in 1840 an act was passed for inclosing 1300 acres. The living is a vicarage, valued in the king's books at £15, and in the gift of the Bishop of Oxford; the great tithes have been commuted for £850, and the vicarial for £185. The church is a venerable structure in the later English style, with a massive square embattled tower; the exterior is highly enriched, and there are some handsome monuments. A parochial school is partly supported by an allowance of £22 from a bequest by John J. Kent, Esq.
Milton or Middleton Keynes (All Saints)
MILTON or MIDDLETON KEYNES (All Saints), a parish, in the union of Newport-Pagnell, hundred of Newport, county of Buckingham, 3½ miles (S. by E.) from Newport-Pagnell; containing 327 inhabitants. The living is a rectory, valued in the king's books at £20, and in the gift of G. Finch, Esq.: the tithes have been commuted for £480, and the glebe comprises 42 acres. The southern porch of the church has an ancient open-work screen on each side, and the windows of the building are of elegant design. Dr. Francis Atterbury, Bishop of Rochester, was born here in 1662, during the incumbency of his father. Dr. Babingdon was also a native; and Dr. William Wotton, a learned divine, critic, and historian, the author of Reflections on Ancient and Modern Learning, was rector from 1693 till his death in 1726.
Milton-Lilborne (St. Peter)
MILTON-LILBORNE (St. Peter), a parish, in the union of Pewsey, hundred of Kinwardstone, Everley and Pewsey, and S. divisions of Wilts, 1½ mile (E. by N.) from Pewsey; containing, with the tything of Clinch, 709 inhabitants. The living is a discharged vicarage, valued in the king's books at £7. 13. 6.; net income, £111; patrons, the Gale family.
MILTON, LITTLE, an ancient parish, in the union and hundred of Thame, county of Oxford, 5 miles (W.) from Tetsworth; containing 482 inhabitants. A district church has been erected, and the place is now considered to be within the limits of the civil parish of Great Milton: the living is in the Vicar's gift.
Milton-Next-Gravesend (St. Peter and St. Paul)
MILTON-NEXT-GRAVESEND (St. Peter and St. Paul), a parish, forming a union with Gravesend, in the hundred of Toltingtrough, lathe of Aylesford, W. division of Kent; including part of the town of Gravesend (which see), and containing 9256 inhabitants. The parish is bounded on the north by the river Thames, and comprises 485a. 3r., of which 361 acres are arable, 88 pasture, and 30 woodland. It has a fair commencing on the festival of the Conversion of St. Paul, and continuing a week. The living is a rectory, valued in the king's books at £16. 5. 10., and in the patronage of the Crown and the Bishop of Rochester, the former having two turns, and the latter one turn; net income, £359. Over the porch of the church is a curious dial, constructed by Mr. Giles, master of Gravesend school; within the church are painted the crests of the kings of England, from Edward III. to James I. An episcopal chapel, dedicated to St. John, was erected in 1834, for Milton and Gravesend. In 1845 a district named the Holy Trinity, Milton, was formed by the Ecclesiastical Commission: the church is in the pointed style, and cost £4500; of 1000 sittings, 600 are free. The living is in the gift of the Crown and the Bishop, alternately; net income, £150. Here was a free chapel or hospital, under the government of Regular friars.
Milton-Next-Sittingbourne (Holy Trinity)
MILTON-NEXT-SITTINGBOURNE (Holy Trinity), a market-town and parish, and the head of a union, in the hundred of Milton, Upper division of the lathe of Scray, E. division of Kent, 12 miles (N. E. by E.) from Maidstone, and 40 (E. by S.) from London; containing 2538 inhabitants. This town was anciently called Middletun, a Saxon appellation indicative of its central position in the county; and also "the King's Town of Milton," having probably been the residence of the kings of Kent, as well as subsequently a part of the demesne of the crown. Its proximity to the Swale, which separates the Isle of Sheppy from the main land, rendered it easily accessible to the invading Danes, by whom it was frequently plundered in the ninth century. Here their veteran chief, Hastings, attempted to establish himself, in the time of Alfred; and the remains of his encampment or fortress in the marshes of Kemsley, between Milton church and the north end of the creek, are still visible. The ancient town was burnt by Earl Godwin, about the year 1052; but it appears to have been rebuilt, and to have become a place of importance in the time of the Conqueror, who, according to Domesday book, held the manor, which for a long while afterwards was vested in the crown, and was frequently bestowed in dower upon the queens of England. From Isabella, consort of Edward II., the grant of a market, and of an annual fair for four days, was obtained.
The town is situated about half a mile from the road between London and Dovor. In the first year of the present reign, an act for paving, lighting, and watching it, received the royal assent; the streets have been repaved in a superior style, at a very considerable expense, and other improvements have been effected. From the town to the river Swale is a navigable river called Milton Creek. The business consists chiefly in shipping the agricultural produce of the neighbourhood for the London market, and in bringing goods in return. The oysterfishery affords employment to a great number of the inhabitants. The oysters sent to London under the well-known name of "Milton Natives," from the extensive fisheries here, are generally brought from other places, and deposited in the Milton grounds until they arrive at a proper state of maturity; they are esteemed the finest and best-flavoured of any in Europe. The numerous flour-mills, also, contribute to the trade and intercourse with the neighbouring parishes. A portreeve for the hundreds of Milton and Marden, who is supervisor of weights and measures, is chosen on July 25th, being St. James' day, by such of the inhabitants as pay church and poor rates, at a court baron held before the steward of the manor. The manor courts and public meetings are held at the court-hall, under which is the town gaol. The parish comprises 2556a. 2r. 9p., whereof 34 acres are under wood.
The living is a vicarage, valued in the king's books at £13. 2. 6.; patrons and appropriators, the Dean and Chapter of Canterbury: the great tithes have been commuted for £795, and the vicarial for £362. 10.; the glebe contains 1½ acre. The church, situated a mile from the town, is large and handsome, with portions in the decorated English style, and a heavy embattled tower built of square flints; around the north and east sides of the churchyard is a double row of beautiful trees, forming, with the striking exterior of the church, a most picturesque scene. Here are places of worship for Independents and Wesleyans. A free school is endowed with £10 per annum; there is also a bequest by the late William Hopson, Esq., in 1817, of £800 three per cent. reduced bank annuities, chiefly for education. The poor-law union of Milton comprises 18 parishes or places, containing a population of 11,493: the workhouse is a massive brick building, near the town, erected at a cost of about £6000. The remains of the Danish fortress at Kemsleydown form a square, surrounded by a high vallum and a broad ditch; being overgrown by trees and underwood, it has received the appellation of Castle-rough. A raised causeway, which formerly communicated with the sea-shore, may be still distinctly traced.
Milton-Podimore.—See Podimore, Milton.
MILTON-PODIMORE.—See Podimore, Milton.
MILTON, SOUTH, a parish, in the union of Kingsbridge, hundred of Stanborough, Stanborough and Coleridge, and S. divisions of Devon, 2¾ miles (W. S. W.) from Kingsbridge; containing 475 inhabitants. It comprises by measurement 1425 acres: the soil is fertile, and the lands are principally arable; the surface is hilly. The living is annexed, with the livings of South Huish and Marlborough, to the vicarage of West Alvington.
MILTON, WEST, a chapelry, in the parish and liberty of Poorstock, union of Beaminster, though locally in the hundred of Eggerton, Bridport division of Dorset, 3¾ miles (N. E.) from Bridport; containing 244 inhabitants. The chapel is dedicated to St. Mary.