Settlement Association

[Calthrop]

The Welsh clergyman, scholar and poet John Morgan (also known as John Morgan Matchin or John Morgan of Matchin) was born on 7th February 1688 at Llangelynin, the younger son of the local curate. He studied at Jesus College, Oxford, from 1704 to 1708, and was ordained in 1709 and spent a year as curate of Llandegfan, Anglesey and from 1710 to 1713, he was curate of Llanfyllin, Montgomeryshire. In 1713 he became curate (and, in 1728 the vicar) of the village of Matching, Essex, a position he held until his death in February 1733 or 1734.

Matching's name is, we learn, nothing to do with similarity or "like-for-like" -- incidentally, it and neighbouring Matching Green and Matching Tye, are the only settlements with name beginning with "Match...", in the gazetteer of the Michelin Britain Road Atlas -- name reckoned to come from Saxon times: residence of the people of chieftain Maecca or Match, who settled on an open area of pasture called an "ing". A parallel with Macclesfield, Cheshire -- named in the Domesday Book as "Maclesfeld" = open country of someone called Maccel.

 

[Xenophon PCDGS]

Gawsworth in Cheshire East was also once administered by the ancient Hundred of Macclesfield.

 

[EbbwJunction1]

St James' Church, Gawsworth contains stained glass in the east window by William Wailes (1808–1881). Another East window designed by him can be seen in St George's Church, Benenden, Kent – it contains five lights and is called "Crucifixion and Passion".

 

[Calthrop]

They seem in this part of the world, to love three-syllable village names of which the last two syllables are "-enden": can find without difficulty six or seven more of such, within a radius of well under ten miles from Benenden. At random, I'll choose Plurenden -- five miles east-north-east of Tenterden.

 

[DerekC]

Hmm - Plurenden seems to be a dairy farm and nothing else. However stretching a point, Plurenden Road leads from the farm via Cuckold's Corner to High Halden.

 

[Xenophon PCDGS]

Smeeth in Kent was also once under the jurisdiction of the East Ashford Poor Law Union.

 

[cnjb8]

Smeeth in Kent was also once under the jurisdiction of the East Ashford Poor Law Union.

New Alresford in Hampshire is also 53 miles from London as the crow flies.

 

[Calthrop]

Hmm - Plurenden seems to be a dairy farm and nothing else. However stretching a point, Plurenden Road leads from the farm via Cuckold's Corner to High Halden.

Sorry -- you're right. In haste, I was going by -- without checking elsewhere -- the AA Great Britain Road Atlas, which seems to think that Plurenden is a "pukka" village; and includes it in its gazetteer. This is indeed not agreed with by my more usually employed road atlas, or by Wiki.

New Alresford in Hampshire is also 53 miles from London as the crow flies.

A rather bizarre Wiki entry concerning New Alresford: "A Cold war commemorative plaque on the wall of public toilets, close to the railway station, commemorates that occasionally secret military documents obtained by members of the Portland Soviet Spy Ring in the early 1960s were left here for collection." The people concerned, were so named because they obtained information for passing on to the "opposition", from naval establishments at Portland, Dorset -- nearest significant settlement, Weymouth.

 

[Xenophon PCDGS]

Brighton also has a clock tower.

 

[Springs Branch]

Brighton is one of the few British towns with all-night local bus services.
Another (on a small number of routes) is Reading.

 

[Xenophon PCDGS]

Southcote in Berkshire was also once under the jurisdiction of the Reading Poor Law Union.

 

[EbbwJunction1]

Southcote lends its name to a lock on the Kennet and Avon Canal, which passes south of the settlement. The series of locks in the area include one at Burghfield.

 

[Xenophon PCDGS]

Hazel Grove in Greater Manchester also has a hostelry called The Rising Sun.

 

[Springs Branch]

The A6 trunk road passes through Hazel Grove.
This road also passes through the Lancashire town of Garstang.

 

[Xenophon PCDGS]

Out Rawcliffe in Lancashire also lies on the line of the River Wyre.

 

[D6130]

The River Wyre enters the Irish Sea between Fleetwood and Knott End-on-Sea.

 

[Xenophon PCDGS]

Exmouth also has a cross-river ferry.

 

[341o2]

Sir Walter Raleigh set sail on several of his voyages from Exmouth, his tomb is at St Margaret's Westminster

 

[Xenophon PCDGS]

Leicester was another settlement that was on the route of the Jarrow March of 1936.

 

[Springs Branch]

The body of King Richard III was buried in Greyfriars church in Leicester. His remains were exhumed in recent times and re-interred in Leicester Cathedral.
Another city whose cathedral contains the tombs of historic Kings of England is Winchester.

 

[Xenophon PCDGS]

Detling in Kent also lies on the route of the ancient trackway which became a pilgrimage route known as Pilgrim's Way.

 

[Springs Branch]

In normal (non-COVID) years, the annual Kent County Show is held at the Kent Showground in Detling.
Another annual agricultural show (cancelled in 2021) is the Royal County of Berkshire Show, hosted at Thatcham.

 

[Xenophon PCDGS]

Honeystreet in Wiltshire also lies on the line of the Kennet and Avon Canal.

 

[DerekC]

Honeystreet doesn't have a lot but it does have a pub - the Barge Inn. Vange in Essex had a pub of the same name, which is in process of conversion to an Islamic religious and community centre.

 

[Xenophon PCDGS]

Pitsea in Essex also lies on the route of the B1464 road.

 

[cnjb8]

Sawbridgeworth in Essex is also served by bus operator, Arriva Southern Counties

 

[Xenophon PCDGS]

Cambridge also has a church that is dedicated to St Mary the Great.

 

[341o2]

As Cambridge is to the river Cam, Hebden Bridge is to Hebden Water

 

[EbbwJunction1]

Sir Bernard Ingham, Margaret Thatcher's Chief Press Secretary, was born on 21st June 1932 in Hebden Bridge and was educated at the local Grammar School. He is of both Yorkshire and Lancashire lineage; on his maternal side, his ancestors were mostly from Hebden Bridge and Hepstonstall.

 

[Xenophon PCDGS]

Newbury in Berkshire also had a medieval period Cloth Hall.