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Erith

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"ERITH, a parish in the hundred of Lessness, Sutton-at-Hone lathe, county Kent, 3 miles N.W. of Dartford, and 14 S.E. of London. It is a post town and railway station on the North Kent line; it is situated on the banks of the Thames, with convenient pier for steam-boats, and includes the hamlets of Beadon-Well, Lessness Heath, and Abbey Wood. At the Conquest it was given to Bishop Odo, from whom it passed to the De Lucys, who founded Lesnes Abbey. In Domesday Book it is called Loisnes, and was once an incorporated market town. The East India ships and yachts, which frequently anchor opposite this place, in their passage up the river, occasion a considerable traffic. Many of the inhabitants are engaged in maritime affairs, and brickmaking is extensively carried on. The living is a vicarage in the diocese of Canterbury, value £600. Erith church is a very ancient structure, nearly covered with ivy, and from the river has a very picturesque appearance. It is dedicated to St. John the Baptist, and contains many monuments and brasses, dating as far back as the early part of the 15th century: one is a tomb of Elizabeth, Countess of Shrewsbury. There is also a district church, All Saints, Belvedere, the living of which is a perpetual curacy in the patronage of trustees. The parochial charities produce about £8 per annum. The Congregationalists and Wesleyans have each a chapel; the former is a handsome Gothic edifice. There is a National school for both sexes. Captain Wheatley is lord of the manor. Belvedere House, the seat of Sir Culling Eardley, Bart., and Erith Abbey, are the principal residences."

[Transcribed from The National Gazetteer of Great Britain and Ireland 1868 by Colin Hinson ©2010]

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Description & Travel

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Gazetteers

"BEADONWELL, a hamlet in the parish of Erith, hundred of Lessness lathe of Sutton-at-Hone, in the county of Kent, 4 miles to the E. of Woolwich."

"HALFWAY HOUSE, a hamlet, hundred of Blackheath, lathe of Sutton-at-Hone, county Kent, 3 miles N.E. of Woolwich. It is situated on the Thames, near Halfway Reach."

"LESSNESS HEATH, a hamlet and chapelry in the parish of Erith, hundred of Lessness, and lathe of Sutton-at-Hone, county Kent, 3 miles N.W. of Dartford, and- 2 from Crayford. In Lesness or Abbey Park was formerly an Austin canonry, founded in 1178 by Richard de Lucy, Lord Chief Justice of England, who assumed the habit, and shortly after died in the house. Its revenue at the Dissolution was estimated at £186 9s., and was granted to Cardinal Wolsey towards the endowment of his colleges. The site subsequently passed to the Sadlers, and is now the property of St. Bartholomew's Hospital. In 1857 All Saints chapel was opened for Divine service, built at the expense of Sir Culling Eardley Eardley, Bart. The living with a residence is valued at £200 per annum. There is a place of worship for the Baptists, also a National school for both sexes."

"NORTHUMBERLAND-HEATH, a hamlet in the parish of Erith, hundred of Lessness, lathe of Sutton-at-Hone, county Kent, 1½ mile S.W. of Erith, and 4 miles E. of Woolwich."

"PICARDY, a hamlet in the parish of Erith, hundred of Lessness, lathe of Sutton-at-Hone, county Kent, 6 miles E. of Woolwich. It is situated near Belvedere."

[Transcribed from The National Gazetteer of Great Britain and Ireland 1868 by Colin Hinson ©2010]

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Maps

You can see maps centred on OS grid reference TQ512778 (Lat/Lon: 51.478955, 0.175933), Erith which are provided by: