Descriptive Gazetteer Entry for KNIGHTON

KNIGHTON, a small town, a parish, a sub-district, a district, and a hundred, in Radnor. The town stands on Offa's dyke, the river Teme, and the Central Wales railway, at the boundary with Salop, 10 miles NNE of Radnor; was anciently called Tref-y-Clawdd, signifying " the town on the dyke; '' had anciently a castle, which has disappeared; contains an old mansion, once occupied by the Brydges family, and another old mansion of the time of James I.; stands on a rising ground, on the right side of the Teme; comprises two good streets, intersecting each other at right angles, and sloping downward each way; presents a well built, neat, and clean appearance; is a seat of petty sessions, and a polling place; and has a head post office, ‡ a railway station, a banking office, a hotel, a church, a public school, alms houses, a workhouse, and charities £5. A weekly market is held on Thursday; fairs are held on the Thursday before Easter Sunday, 17 May, 2 October, the last Thursday of October, and the Thursday before 12 November; and some manufacture is carried on in woollens.-The town is governed by a bailiff, burgesses, and constables; and it unites with New Radnor, Cefnllys, Knucklas, Presteigne, and Rhayader, in sending a member to parliament. The area is about a square mile, and all within K. parish. Pop. in 1851, 1, 388; in 1861, 1, 655. Houses, 293. A chain of ancient defences appears to have been on the line of Offa's dyke, for miles above and below the town; and very interesting vestiges are at Caer-Caradoc, about 3 miles to the N, and at Coxwall Knoll, about 5 miles to the E.—The parish comprises 2, 461 acres. Real property, £3, 955; of which £30 are in gas works. Pop. in 1851, 1, 566; in 1861, 1,853. Houses, 326. The increase of pop. was due to temporary work in the forming of the railway. The manor belongs to the Crown. The living is a p. curacy in the diocese of Hereford. Valne, £155. Patron, the Earl of Powis.

The sub-district contains also the lordship of Stanage, part of the township of Heyop, and part of the parish of Llanfihangel-Beguildy, electorally in Radnor, -the parishes of Bedstone, Stowe, Bettws, and Llanvair-Waterdine, and the township of Bucknell, electorally in Salop, - and the parish of Brampton-Bryan, two townships of Leintwardine parish, and the township of Buckton and Coxall, electorally in Hereford. Pop., 6, 009. Houses, 1, 102.—The district comprehends also the sub-district of Llanbister, containing the parishes of Llanbister, Llananno, Llanbadarn-Fynydd, Llandewy-Ystradenny, Llanfihangel-Rhydithon, Blethvaugh, most of Llangunllo, and part of Llanfihangel-Beguildy, all electorally in Radnor. Acres of the district, 97, 492. Poor rates in 1863, £6, 112. Pop. in 1851, 9, 480; in 1861, 10, 379. Houses, 1,835. Marriages in 1863, 78; births, 414, - of which 58 were illegitimate; deaths, 211, -of which 75 were at ages under 5 years, and 6 at ages above 85. Marriages in the ten years 1851-60, 613; births, 3, 226; deaths, 1, 621. The places of worship, in 1851, were 15 of the Church of England, with 3, 724 sittings; 2 of Independents, with 70 s.; 4 of Baptists, with 270 s.; 3 of Wesleyan Methodists, with 369 s.; and 9 of Primitive Methodists, with 150 s. The schools were 9 public day schools, with 599 scholars; 19 private day schools, with 81 s.; and 5 Sunday schools, with 312 s. The workhouse, at the census of 1861, had 67 inmates.-The hundred contains six parishes, and parts of four others. Acres, 61, 841. Pop. in 1851, 5, 921; in 1861, 6, 038. Houses, 1, 054.


(John Marius Wilson, Imperial Gazetteer of England and Wales (1870-72))

Linked entities:
Feature Description: "a small town, a parish, a sub-district, a district, and a hundred"   (ADL Feature Type: "cities")
Administrative units: Knighton CP/AP       Knighton SubD       Knighton RegD/PLU       Radnorshire AncC
Place names: KNIGHTON     |     TREF Y CLAWDD
Place: Knighton

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