BICKNOR. 261 BIDDLESDON. t foot of the Quantock hills, about 3 miles fin the coast of Bridgwater Bay. The living is JTin the dioc. of Bath and Wells, val. 124, in the ]irou. of the Vicar of Stogumhcr. On the Quantock ill, not far from the church, are remains of two old < ^ampments, named Trendle Castle and Turk's Castle, lere is a beacon on another point of the same hill. Any Roman coins and other relics have been disco- -cd in the neighbourhood. ,!ICKNOR, a par. in the hund. of Eyhorne, lathe of .' lesford, in the co. of Kent, 6 miles to the E. of Maid-
- -ni>, its post town. The living is a root, in the dioc.
Canterbury, val. 115, in the patron, of the lord llor. The church is dedicated to St. James. llclvNOR, ENGLISH, a par. in the hund. of St. avrls, in the co. of Gloucester, 6 miles to the W. of .'itcheldean. Coleford is its post town. It is in the west of Dean, on tho east bank of the river Wye. (Id and iron are obtained, and limestone is quarried li o. The district is noted for its apples, which arc cd for making cider. The living is a rect.* in t: dioc. of Gloucester and Bristol, of the val. of 300, iiJie patron, of the Provost and Fellows of Queen's ( li'gr, Oxford. The church, which stands on the site f'jan ancient camp, is dedicated to St. Mary. The ptochial charities amount to 5 per annum. The chief radence is Bicknor Court, finely seated on a cliff over i . Wye. UC'KNOB, WELSH, a par. in the lower div. of the > . id. of Skenfreth, in the co. of Hereford, 8 miles to X.E. of Monmouth. Rossis its post town. It is luted on the river Wye, which surrounds it on three s, und once formed part of the Marches. Until re- ' tly it was included in the co. of Monmouth, and is I ik-signated Welsh, to distinguish it from English . -iinur, which lies opposite to it. The living ia a it.* in the dioc. of Hereford, val. 169, in the patron. the lord chancellor. The church is dedicated to St. "> rguret, and contains a curious ancient chalice. Near 1 village is Courtfield, the country residence at which,
- . ording to tradition, King Henry V. was nursed by
tl Countess of Salisbury. SK'KTON, a tythg. in tho par. and hund. of For- 'igbriuge, in the co. of Southampton, 5 miles from ood. SICKTON, or BICTON, a par. in tho eastern div. of li hund. of Budleigh, in the co. of Devon, 3 miles to -' W. of Sidmouth, its post town. It is beautifully s'.ated on the sea-coast, on tho banks of the river < cr, and includes the hamlet of Yettington. At the t.e of the Norman survey, the manor of Bicton was M 1 by the singular tenure of providing a county gaol ; ch tenure was abolished by Act of Parliament in 1 7. The living is a rect. in the dioc. of Exeter, of
- val. of 220, in the patron, of the heirs of Lord
Klu. The church stands in a pleasant spot surrounded woods, and contains a monument to one of the I les. It is dedicated to the Holy Trinity. Bicton i Igo, a spacious mansion in a park well-wooded and tiii'lin^ 1 in deer, is the seat of the Rollcs. ilCTON, or BICKTON, a joint tnshp. with Calcott, ii.ho par. of St. Chad, Shrewsbury, in tho co. of Salop, iinik's to the N.W. of Shrewsbury. It lies on the btks of the river Severn, and is crossed by Watling Sect. The living is a perpct. cur. in tho dioe. of 1 , of the val. of 60, in the patron, of the Vicar o 3t. Chad. (ICTON, a tnshp. in the par. and hund. of Clun, in '1 co. of Salop, 4 miles from Bishop's Castle. 3IDBROUGH, a par. in the hund. of Washlingstone, Irie of Aylesford, in the co. of Kent, 2 miles to the SV. of Tunbridge Wells, its post town. Hops are ciivated here, and there are several mineral springs. 1:^ living is a rect.* in the dioc. of Canterbury, of the . , of 227, in the patron, of Mrs. Deacon. The church a' a Norman entrance, and is dedicated to St. Law- nfce. A charitable bequest for the benefit of the poor muces about 23 per annum. IDDENDEN, a par. and vil. in the hund. of Berke- ley, lathe of Scray, in tho co. of Kent, 5 miles to the E. of Cranbrook, and 13 from Maidstone. Staplehurst is its post town. It was for some time a seat of the clothing manufacture, which was introduced by tho Flemings in the reign of Edward III. ; at which time Sir Walter Manney had his residence here. Part of the land is laid out in hop grounds, and theio are many ponds and springs in the neighbourhood. The living is a rect. * in the dioc. of Canterbury, of the val. of 436, in the patron, of the archbishop. The church is a hand- some early English edifice, with an embattled tower, and peal of eight bells. It is dedicated to All Saints, and contains five monumental brasses, the earliest being of the year 1452. and some monuments of the Hendoii family. The charitable endowments of the parish amount to 74 a year, and consist chiefly of the income (20) of the grammar school, founded by John Mayne in 1566, and 30, the produce of land the alleged gift of twin sisters, Eliza and Mary Chulkhurst, called the " Biddenden maids," who are said to have been bom joined together at the hips and shoulders. They lived till the age of thirty-four, when they both died within six hours of each other. The charity was bequeathed in the 12th century, for tho purpose of an annual distribution of bread and cheese to the poor ; and the tradition of the two sisters is still perpetuated by figures of them stamped on the loaves or cakes given away on Easter Sunday. During the Civil War, a beacon stood near the village, communicating by Boar's Isle, Tenterden, and Coxe's Heath, with London. Fairs are held here on Old Lady Day and the 8th November. BIDDENHAM, a par. in the hund. of Willey, in the co. of Bedford, 2 miles to the W. of Bedford. It is on the east bank of the river Ouse, which almost surrounds the parish. The living is a vie.* in the dioc. of Ely, val. 100, in the patron, of Lord Dynevor. The church contains a brass of the year 1440, and is dedicated to St. James. It is in the Roman style of architecture, and bears evidence of great antiquity. The spire, which is covered with lead, is partially damaged by fire. In the interior is an altar-piece of tapestry, bearing date 1542, in good preservation. BIDDESCOTE. See BITTEKSCOTE, Staffordshire. BIDDESTONE, or BIDSTONE, a par., tnshp., and vil. in the hund. of Chippenham, in the co. of Wilts, 4 miles to the W. of Chippenham, its post town, and 18 from Bristol. It formerly constituted two pars., St. Nicholas and St. Peter, but they are now united for eccle- siastical purposes. The brook called tho Wavering flows through the village. Tho living is a rect. in the dioc. of Gloucester and Bristol, val. with the cur. of Slaughter- ford, 102, in tho patron, of the Warden and Fellows of Winchester College. The church, dedicated to St. Nicholas, is an ancient structure, and was thoroughly repaired in 1850. It has a monument to Edmund Smith, a poet of some note at the beginning of the 18th century, who died at Hartham House, in this parish. The church of St. Peter has been taken down. There is a chapel belonging to tho Baptists, and a National school. The charities amount to 23 per annum. Lord Methuen is lord of the manor. B1DDICK, NORTH, a tnshp. chiefly in tho par. of Washington, and partly in that of Whitbum, Chester ward, in the co. palatine of Durham, 4 miles to the S. of Gateshead. The workpeople are employed in the coal mines. BIDDICK, SOUTH, a tnshp. in the par. of Houghton- le-Spring, ward of Easington, in the co. palatine of Durham, G miles to the W. of Sunderland. It lies near the river Wear, and the Durham Junction railway passes through it. BIDDISHAM, a par. in the hund. of Bempstone, in the co. of Somerset, 3 miles to the W. of Axbridge. Weston-super-Mare is its post town. It is situated on the south side of the Mendip hills, near the Bristol and Taunton canal. The living is a rect. * in the dioc. of Bath and Wells, of the val. of 152, in the patron, of the bishop. BIDDLESDON, a par. in the hund. and co of
