NOR 
NOR'TON (Thomas). All that can ’oe traced concern¬ 
ing this learned gentleman is, that he was an inhabitant, 
if not a native, of Sharpenhaule, or Sliarpenhoe, in Bed- 
fordfhire ; that he was either a clergyman or a barriller at 
law, but a zealous Calvinift, in the beginning of queen 
Elizabeth’s reign, as appears by feveral trails, printed 
together in 8vo. 1569. He was counfel to the Stationers’ 
Company, in whofe books we find accounts of the fees 
paid to him fet down, the laft of which was between the 
years 1583 and 1584, within which period we imagine he 
died. He was contemporary with Sternhold and Hopkins, 
and afliftant to them in their noted verfion of the Pfalms, 
twenty-feven of which he turned into Englilh metre, to 
which, in all the editions of them, the initials of his name 
are prefixed. He alfo tranilated into Englilh feveral fmall 
Latin pieces, particularly Dean Nowell’s Catechifm, upon 
which tranflation the dean bellowed this commendation ; 
that “ whoever carefully reads this Englilh verfion will 
learn to fpeak and write our native tongue with greater 
propriety and accuracy than is generally done.” Norton, 
being a dole intimate and fellow-ftudent with Thomas 
Sackville, afterwards earl of Dorfet, joined with him in 
the compofing of one dramatic piece, of which Norton 
wrote the firft three ads, entitled “ Ferrex and Porrex,” 
8vo. 1571 ; previoully printed, and fubfequently reprint¬ 
ed, under the title of “ Gorboduc.” Biographia Drama- 
ticit. Churton's Life of Nowell. 
NOR'TON (John), a writer in the reign of Charles II. 
who publilhed “ The Scholar’s Vade-mecum;” by which 
he wanted to introduce anew mode of fpelling founded 
upon the derivation of words: as inimie, enemy, from 
inimicus ; name, for name, from nomen, &c. Jones's Biog. 
NOR'TON (KING’s), a town in Worcefterlhire, with 
2807 inhabitants, including 946 employed in trade and 
manufaftures : feven miles north of Broomfgrove. 
NORTON on the MOO'RS, a parilh in the county 
of Stafford, containing two townlhips: Norton, which in 
1811 contained 300 houfes, 298 families, and 1586 inha¬ 
bitants; and Bemerlley, which has 41 houfes, 38 families, 
and 175 inhabitants. The populution of the whole parilh 
was therefore 1761 perfons, of whom 900 were males, and 
816 females. The number of families employed in agricul¬ 
ture was 222, and in trade 100. The remaining families 
fell under a different defcription. 
The church is a fmall brick building, with a nave and 
fide-aifies ; a chancel at the eaft, and fquare tower at the 
weft, end of the nave. The tower has a panfpet-wall at 
the top, on each corner of which is a ball or fmall globe: 
it is remarkable for containing the only doors of entrance; 
the chief of which is on the weft fide, and leads into the 
body of the church. A gallery at the weft end is entered 
by a flight of fteps on the north fide, and on the outfide 
of the tower, which is alfo the way to the belfry, and lla- 
tion for the ringers. 
Two tables of benefaflions in the church, record the 
following charities to the poor. 
Firjl fable. —Mr. John Pott, fchoolmafter of Norton, 
left the ufe of iol. yearly, for ever, to the poor houfe- 
liolders of the parilh of Norton.—Hugh Ford, late of the 
nearer fide of the water, left the ufe of 4I. yearly, for ever, 
to the poor.—Hugh Meare, late of Norton-hall Houfes, 
left the ufe of 5I. yearly, for ever, to the poor.—William 
Sherratt, late of Bearftone, in the county of Salop, left 
the ufe of iol. yearly, forever, to the poor.—William 
Meare late of Pott-Ihrigley, in the county of Chefter, left 
the fum of 50s. yearly, for ever, out of a field called An- 
nat’s field.—William Ford, father of the aforefaid Hugh 
Ford, of the nearer houfe to Norton, on Ford Green, left 
the ufe of 61. yearly, for ever, whereof 40s. was loft.— 
William Forde, late of the further fide the water, left 
the ufe of aol. yearly, for ever, to the poor.—Ellen Forde, 
daughter to the faid William Forde, left the ufe of 20I. 
yearly, for ever, towards the maintenance of a fchool¬ 
mafter.—Mr. Thomas Sherrett left the intereft of iol. for¬ 
ever to the poor of this parilh. 
TON. 227 
Second Table. —Ellen, wife of the aforefaid William 
Forde, left the ufe of 30I. yearly forthe ufe of a fthool- 
mafter; and the ufe of 30I. yearly, for ever, to the ufe of 
the poor houfeholders ; to be dealt at the difcretion of the 
aforefaid William Forde’s heires.—Sir John Bowyer, 
knight and baronet, left 3I. the intereft whereof is yearly 
to be dealt in bread.—Mr. Jofiah Keeling, late of Milton, 
left in the hands of Benjamin Meare and Elizabeth Ed¬ 
wards, his executors, the fum of 12I. the intereft whereof 
is to be laid out in bread ; to be diftributed amongft the 
poor of the parilh publicly in the church, every firft 
Sunday in the month, yearly, for ever, at the difcretion 
of Benjamin Meare aforefaid.—Hugh Forde, of Forde 
Green, did, in his life-time, give the furthermoft pew, 
fituated in the north end of the gallery, and all the 
fitting in the arch in the wall, in the middle part of the 
gallery, for the ufe of the poore inhabitants of this parilh 
for ever. 
The living is at prefent a chapel of eafe to Stoke upon 
Trent; but, by an a£l of parliament palled eight or ten 
years ago, upon the death, ceflion, or other voidance, of 
the prefent incumbent, it becomes a reftory ; and, in ad¬ 
dition to its prefent emoluments (except 50I. a-year, now 
allowed by the redlor of Stoke), will be endowed with all 
the great and fmall tithes of the to wnlhip of Norton, which 
at prefent belong to the redtor of Stoke. 
There are three meeting-houfes for diflenters in this 
parilh; the largeft of which is in the village of Norton. 
Norton lies on the public road between Newcaftle and 
Leek, about five miles from the former place. 
The chief places, or hamlets, in the parilh, befides the 
village of Norton, are Milton, Whitfield, Ford Green, 
Norton Green, Ball Green, Bemerlley, Woodhoufe-lane, 
Brown Edge, Badiley Edge, &c. The two laft are com¬ 
mons, containing feveral cottages ; fome fcattered, and 
feveral nearly adjacent. 
According to that ancient record, the Telia de Nevill, 
compiled 19 and 24 Hen. III. Norton belonged to William 
of Norton and Edward of Stafford, who held it of Nic. 
Baron of Stafford. Heakley-iiall, or “ Heekleigh,” is an 
ancient manfion noticed in the fame document as being 
then the refidence of Tho. Corbet. It is now a farm- 
lioufe in this parilh, near to Norton Green ; and the pro¬ 
perty of C. B. Adderley, efq. of the Hams, near Coles- 
liill, Warwicklhire, who is joint lord of the manor, with 
John Sparrow, efq. of Bilhton near Stafford, and owmer 
of extenfive and valuable property in the parilh. 
Coal abounds in this parilh, and is gotten at various 
depths; fome pits are eighty yards deep and more. The 
ftrata vary from three to feven feet in thicknefs. The 
principal works are at ornear Ford Green, Whitfield, and 
Bemerlley. At the former place the price is five-pence 
the cwt. or 8s. 4d. per ton. A work called Cocklhead 
colliery, at or near Norton Green, formerly employed a 
number of hands ; but it has been difeontinued for feve¬ 
ral years. The engine, which drew off the water from 
the mine, is now employed, in the fummer-time, in pump¬ 
ing water into the Grand Trunk Canal. The power of 
this piece of mechanifm is very great; and the quantity 
of water which it draws from out of the mines is fo con- 
fiderable, that it is faid the Canal Company pay at the 
rate of five guineas for each day the engine works, for 
their ufe of the water. A clay of great rarity and value 
is found in this parilh; alfo in the Bemerlley town- 
Ihip. It is that fort which is ufed at forges in melting 
fmall pieces of iron. Its power to withftand heat is be¬ 
yond the common fire-brick, or fagger-clay ; and it is faid 
to be ten times its value. 
NORTON St. PHIL'IPS, or Norton Comi'tis, .a. 
town of England, in the county of Somerfet. The mar¬ 
ket, which was on Fridays, is difeontinued; but it has a 
fair on the ill of May, for cattle, lheep, horfes, cloth, and 
pedlary. It is fix miles north ofFrome, and feven fouth- 
weft of Bath 
NORTON SOU'ND, a large bay on the weft coaft of 
1 North. 
