553 



ASHBORNE. 



ASHBY-DE-LA-ZOUCH. 



554 



to 86. In the morning especially it is much cooler at Coomassie 

 than at Cape Coast. 



The yain is the chief vegetable that is cultivated in Ashantee. It 

 is planted at Christmas, and dug up early in September. But there is 

 also growu a good deal of corn, rice, siigar-cane, and a mucilaginous 

 vegetable called eneruma, somewhat resembling asparagus. The 

 plantations are of considerable extent, and very neatly kept. The 

 principal domesticated animals are cows, horses of a small breed, 

 goats, and a species of hairy sheep. Among the wild animals with 

 which the region abounds are lions, elephants, hyaenas, wild hogs, 

 deer, antelopes, alligators, and a variety of snakes. Among the birds 

 are vultures, parrots, and several small species of beautiful plumage, 

 which sing melodiously. 



(Bowdich's Minion to Ashantee, London, 1819 ; Dupuis, Journal of a 

 Residence in Ashantee, London, 1824 ; Meredith's Account of the Gold 

 Coast ; M'Queen, Geographical Survey of Africa,, London, 1840.) 



ASHBORNE, sometimes written ASHBOURN.and ASHBOURNE, 

 and in ancient records Esseburne, Derbyshire, a market town and the 

 >' a Poor-Law Union in the parish of .Ashborne and wapentake 

 of \Virksworth, is seated in a rich valley, about 1J miles from the 

 left bank of the river Dove, in 0' 53 N. lat., 1" 43' \V. long. ; 13 

 miles N.W. from Derby, and 139 miles N.W. from London : the 

 population of the town in 1851 was 2418. The living is a vicarage 

 in the archdeaconry of Derby and diocese of Lichfield. Ashborne 

 Poor-Law Union contains 61 parishes, with an area of 87,390 acres, 

 and a population in 1851 of 20,958. 



Ashborne is pleasantly situated on a slope, which rises rather steeply 

 from the Henmore Brook, a small tributary of the Dove. High hills 

 shelter it from the cold winds of the north, and to the south-west it 

 looks toward the valley mentioned above, where the Dove winds 

 through gome of the richest meadows in the kingdom. The church 

 ia a spacious cruciform edifice, with a tower rising from the centre 

 surmounted with a lofty and well-proportioned spire. In the church 

 is a memorial in brass of the dedication of the building to St. Oswald, 

 by Hugh Patishul, bishop of Coventry, in 1241. At that time the 

 church probably underwent extensive alterations, but parts of the 

 present structure appear to be of earlier date ; other portions are of 

 a much more recent period. The chief part is of the early English 

 style with triple lancet windows, but there are many windows and 

 other parts of the decorated and perpendicular styles. In 1845 the 

 churoh was very skilfully restored at a cost of about 5000/. Several 

 alterations were at the same time made in it so as to increase the 

 accommodation without interfering with its architectural effect; 

 among other changes the length of the chancel was curtailed to about 

 12 feet. In the church are many very interesting old monuments of 

 the Cokaine family ; and some of more modern (late of the Boothby 

 family, especially a beautiful monument by Banks to the memory of 

 Penelope, daughter of Sir Brooke Boothby, who died in 1791, at the 

 early age of six years. The figure of the child asleep, in white marble, 

 is generally admired. There is a chapel of ease, formerly a Baptist 

 chapel, in the town. There are places of worship for Wesleyan 

 and Calvinistic Methodists, the latter in the suburb of Compton, 

 anciently Campdene, which is separated from the town on the south 

 side by the rivulet Henmore or Schoo. 



The Grammar-school founded in 1585 has an endowment of 

 2621. 3s. 4<i. a year ; the number of scholars in 1852 was 21. Spaldeu's 

 Free schools are for 30 boys and 30 girls. Braddby's Infant school 

 has about 50 scholars. There are several almshouses in the town, 

 which owe their origin to different benevolent individuals, especially 

 to Mr. John Spalden, the founder of the Free schools, and to Mr. 

 Cooper, who built at his own charge the Calvinistic Methodist chapel, 

 and also built and endowed eight almshouses and a house for the 

 minister adjoining it. 



The market is on Saturday, for corn and provisions. There are 

 eight fairs for horses, horned cattle, and sheep ; wool is sold at the 

 fair in July, which however is not usually an important fair. 

 Ashborne dofis not possess any particular manufacture except that of 

 lace ; but there are iron and cotton factories in the neighbourhood. 

 The chief trade is in cheese and malt. Ashborne was the scene of 

 some contests during the war between Charles I. and the Parliament. 

 In February 1644, the troops of the latter were victorious over the 

 royalists. The young Pretender passed through Ashborne in hie retreat 

 from Derby, in 1 7 1 .1. 



(Lysons's M ayna Britannia, ; Rhodes's Peak Scenery ; Adams's Gem 

 of the Peak ; /AV'// // of Anhoorne ; Communication from Ashborne.) 



AKHBURTON, Devonshire, a market-town and parliamentary and 

 municipal borough in the parish of Ashburton and hundred of Teign- 

 bridge, is situated on the road from Exeter to Plymouth, in 50 32' N. 

 lat., 3 47' W. long., 19 miles S.S.W. from Exeter, 192 miles S.W. 

 from London by road, and 7 miles from the Newton Station of the 

 South Devon railway, which is 214 miles from London. The popu- 

 lation of the town in 1851 was 3432. The town is governed by a 

 port-reeve. Ashburton returns one member to the Imperial Parlia- 

 ment. The living is a vicarage in the archdeaconry of Totnes and 

 diocese of Exeter. 



The town is situated a short distance eastward from the river Dart, 

 and consixta mainly of a long street, through which the London and 

 Plymouth road pauses, and of a second street turning off to the right, 



;hrough which passes the road across Dartmoor to Tavistock. The 

 louses are neat, and are mostly covered with slate, which abounds in 

 the neighbourhood. The streets are paved, and well lighted-with gas. 

 The sewerage has been greatly improved. A small stream which turns 

 several mills runs through the town, and falls into the Dart about 

 two miles lower down, just where it is crossed by the Plymouth road. 



The church, dedicated to St. Andrew, is a spacious cruciform struc- 

 ture in the perpendicular style. The tower is 94 feet high. In the 

 chancel, which has been recently restored by the vicar, are several 

 stalls as in collegiate churches. Adjoining the church is the ancient 

 chapel of St. Lawrence, in which the Grammar-school is held and also 

 the meetings for parliamentary elections and other public business. 

 The chapel was used for marriages and other occasional parochial 

 duty in the early part of the last century, when being decayed it was 

 taken down, and the present room built, the tower being left entire. 

 The Independents, Baptists, and Wesleyan Methodists have meeting- 

 houses in the town. 



Besides the Free Grammar-school, which has an income from endow- 

 ment of 751. with a house, and had 8 day-scholars and 22 boarders in 

 1852, there are some endowments for education, especially one given 

 in 1754 by Lord Middleton and the Hon. John Harris (at that time 

 members for the borough), under which upwards of 90 children receive 

 education. In 1805 the late Miss Dunning founded a gift of 61. per 

 annum for the instruction of 10 girls. A good library is supported by 

 subscription. 



There is a new market-house ; the old one, an interesting building 

 to the antiquaiy, being found to be too much dilapidated to admit of 

 repair was lately taken down. The Stannary court is no longer held 

 in Ashburton. There used to be a very large manufacture of serge 

 here, chiefly for the East India Company ; but it has greatly declined 

 of late years. The market for corn and provisions is oft Saturday. 

 There are four fairs, on the first Thursday in March and June, and 

 the first Tuesday in August and November. The fair in March is a 

 large cattle fair, that in November a great sheep fair. The scenery 

 around Ashburton is very beautiful. In the neighbourhood are copper 

 and tin-mines. 



This town was the birth-place of John Dunning, the first Lord Ash- 

 burton ; of William Gifford, editor of the ' Quarterly Review ; ' and 

 of John Ireland, late Dean of Westminster, founder of the Ireland 

 Scholarship, Oxford. 



(Lysons's Magna Britannia ; Communication from Ashburton, <kc.) 



ASHBY-DE-LA-ZOUCH, in old writings called ASCEBI and 

 ESSEBY, Leicestershire, a market-town and the seat of a Poor-Law 

 Union in the hundred of West Goscote, stands by the little river 

 Mease, a feeder of the Trent, and on the road from London to Burton- 

 upon-Trent, in 52 45' N. lat., 1 27' W. long., 17 miles W.N.W. from 

 Leicester, 115 miles N.W. from London by road, and 123J miles by 

 railway via Leicester: the population of the town in 1851 was 3762. 

 The town is governed by a constable and two headboroughs, who are 

 annually chosen at a court-leet held by the lord of the manor ; for sani- 

 tary purposes the town is under a Local Board of Health. The living is a 

 vicarage in the archdeaconry of Leicester and diocese of Peterborough. 

 Ashby-de-la-Zouch Poor-Law Union contains 28 parishes and townships, 

 with an area of 48,820 acres, and a population in 1851 of 25,945. 



The original designation of the town was simply Ashby ; the dis- 

 tinctive addition of De la Zouch it received from the Zouches, who 

 were lords of it. The town consists chiefly of one wide and well-paved 

 street, from which several minor streets diverge. The land around is 

 chiefly pasture. The situation of the town obtained for it from 

 Camden the character of Villa Amoenwsima (a most delightful town). 



The church, dedicated to St. Helen, is a handsome and lofty stone 

 structure of ancient date, with a tower. On each side of the chancel 

 is a large chapel, projecting considerably beyond the side of the 

 church : in that on the south side, which is the burial-place of the 

 Hastings' family, is a sculptured monument of Francis, earl of Hun- 

 tingdon, and his countess, who both died in the 16th century. The 

 celebrated Selina, countess of Huntingdon, founder of the sect known 

 as the ' Countess of Huntingdon's Connexion,' was buried here, but no 

 monument has been raised to her memory ; her bust however is on 

 her husband's tomb, erected by hei-self. The bust is by Rysbrack, 

 and is considered a good likeness. There is also a monument erected 

 by public subscription to the memory of the late Marquis of Hastings. 

 Under the organ-gallery there is a singular instrument of punishment 

 called the ' finger-pillory." It consists of a horizontal beam divided 

 lengthways into two parts ; the upper part turns on a hinge at one 

 end, and is fastened by a lock at the other end, after the manner of 

 the stocks. In this machine are different-sized holes for containing 

 the fingers of the disorderly. The beam is supported by two upright 

 posts about three feet high. It is supposed that this instrument was 

 used for punishing persons who were disorderly during divine service. 

 A new church was erected at the west end of the town in 1838 ; it is 

 a plain structure, in the early English style, with a lofty spire. It 

 contains sittings for 900 f ergons, of which 600 are free and unappro- 

 priated. There are plac ts of worship for Wesleyau and Calvinistic 

 Methodists, Baptists, and Independents. 



The Free Grammar-school, founded in 1667 by Henry, eai'l of Hun- 

 tingdon and others, has an income of about 12001. a year, and several 

 exhibitions for Cambridge University ; in 1850 there were in the 



