KIRTON

"KIRTON, a parish in the hundred of Colneis, county Suffolk, 7 miles S. of Woodbridge, and 9 S.E. of Ipswich, its post town. It is situated near Kirton sluice, at the mouth of the river Deben, which bounds the parish on the N.E. The soil is light, and the land principally arable. The tithes have been commuted for a rent-charge of £500. The living is a rectory* in the diocese of Norwich, value £400, in the patronage of the lord chancellor. The church, dedicated to St. Mary, is an ancient edifice with a stone tower. The charities produce about £12 10s. per annum. There is a chapel for Wesleyans. The father of Clara Reeve, the authoress of the "Old English Baron," was once rector of this parish. There are two manors, of which the Duke of Hamilton is lord of one, and Miss Cartwright lady of the other."

Description(s) from The National Gazetteer of Great Britain and Ireland (1868)
Transcribed by Colin Hinson © 2003