POLESWORTH, an extensive parish and village, 4 1/4 miles E.S.E. from Tamworth, contains 6,310 acres of land; in 1841, 421 houses, and 1,844 inhabitants ; 1801, 1,355; 1821, 1,834: rateable value, £10,367. 15s. Dugdale, upon questionable authority, represents the nunnery here, as being the earliest religious house founded in this county, we are, however, certain, that after William the Conqueror gave Polesworth to Robert Marmion, he expelled the nuns from their convent here, and they were forced to retire to a cell belonging to them at Oldbury. Within a year, he repented of his harsh conduct, restored the nuns to their original station, and bestowed the town of Polesworth upon them with his demesne of Waverton. From this time, the establishment flourished uninterruptedly, until the dissolution, supported by numerous additional benefactions; and the nuns obtained, from Henry III., a charter for a market and fair. Some fragments of the monastic buildings yet remain in the vicinity of the church. The principal land owners are Sir George Chetwynd, Lord Beauchamp, Sir Robert Burdett, Bart., Trustees of Polesworth School, Wm. Wynne Griffin, Esq., and Mr. Robt. Hanbury: the former is lord of the manor. The Church, dedicated to St. Edith, is an ancient stone structure, consisting of nave, chancel, and side aisles, with a square embattled tower, in which there is a peal of five good bells. The living is a discharged vicarage, valued in the King's Books at £ 10.; now, .£502.: in the patronage of the crown, and incumbency of the Rev. John Duff Schomberg, B.A. The Vicarage is situate a short distance from the church. The Independents have a small chapel here. The Coventry Canal and Trent Valley Railway intersect this parish ; the station situated 1/4 mile N.; Thos, W right, station master, Here are three extensive coal mines in this parish. Bramcote Hall, an ancient farm house, 1 mile N.E.

Dordon, a hamlet, consisting of a few house, pleasantly situated one mile S. W.

Freazley, another hamlet, consisting of a few well-built, but scattered houses

Hall End, a hamlet and manor, having two farms and four cottages, 1 1/4 miles S. W. Lord Beauchamp owns the manorial rights.

Pooley Hall-, half a mile W. by N., situated on a commanding eminence ovetloooking the; river Anker, is an interesting specimen of ancient domestic architecture erected in the reign of Henry VIIL, by Sir Thomas Cockain; this being the principal seat of the family from the time of Henry IV. It is an irregular structure, partaking of the embattled style of the previous turbulent period, and the more convenient and ample openness of construction, then coming into use, now occupied as a farm house.

Warton, a hamlet and chapelry, 1 mile N.E. by E. The Church, dedicated to the Holy Trinity, is a neat stone structure, erected 1841, at a cost of £101.5. The living, a perpetual curacy; Vicar of Polesworth patron ; Rev. Rd. Milliugton, M.A., incumbent The Baptists have a small chapel here, erected 1812.

CHARITIES.— Sir Francis Nethersole, Knt., by deed, 1655, conveyed to John Swinfen of Swinfen, and five others, and their heirs, a house, newly-erected, for the habitation of the minister of Polesworth; with the barns, gardens, and orchards thereto belonging situate in the town of Polesworth; and a barn, newly-erected, for a tithe barn ; and a piece of land, 21 feet in length, and 4 1/2 in breadth, at the end of the barn; and a small piece of ground, one yard in breadth, alongside the said barn, &c.; and a messuage lately built of stone, for a school house there; and the gardens, buildings, orchards' thereto; and a croft adjoining the said school, 132 feet in length, and 26 feet in breadth and a parcel of ground, called the Berrilie Meadow, in three parts; with various other tenements and lands in Wareton; and all those the impropriate tithes of Wareton, Dordon, and Pooley, in the parish of Polesworth, with certain exceptions ; aud also annuity of £26.13s. 4d. yearly, issuing out of the manor of Holt Hall and Freazley, in the said parish ; to hold the said premises in trust, to permit the said Sir F. Nethersole to take the rents for his life ; and, after his decease, upon trust, to permit the ricar of Polesworth, for the time being, if there settled, to enjoy the same. And upon further trust, to place a schoolmaster in the edifice to be erected uext the school-house, for his habitation; and to provide a schoolmaster and mistress to teach school in the said stone building, one part for boys, the other for girls ; and employ the rents of the said premises for the maintenance of a schoolmaster and mistress, to teach the children of the parish of Polesworth ; the boys to write and read, and the girls to read, and work with the needle. The estates have been carefully surveyed and mapped, and were let in 1832. The vicar's estates comprise impropriate tithes in Dordon, amounting to £107, which includes a modus of 20s. per annum, covering about 178 acres. In Wareton, a farm, containing 129a, 1r. 24p.. let to Jolm Chilwell, for £232. per annum ; in the Fleet meadow, in four parcels, containing 22a. 0r. 1p., let to Thomas Hall, for £43 per annum; six closes of meadow and pasture, containing 37a. 3r. 31p., let to Richard Hill, at £67, per annum ; and a messuage, let to Timothy Fletcher, at £s. per annum. The whole subject to a. land-tax of £1. 6s. leaving a clear income to the vicar of £454., with the donative house, garden, yard, and outbuildings, and two doles of meadow in the Town meadow, which are occupied by the vicar, rent-free. The various estates for the general charity produce a rental of .£370. 13s. 4d.; besides which, the trustees have a sum of £1,193. 7s. 3d. Three per cent consols., standing in the names of Dugdale Stratford Dugdale, Esq., and Charles Edward Repington, Esq.; the dividends, £35. 16s. per annum, make the total income of this branch of the charity (1833) .£406. 9s. 4d.; from which the vicar receives £\. for a sermon, at the annual meetiug, when £5. is allowed for a dinner in the school house. The schoolmaster has £100. per annum, aud tne schoolmistress .£40. per annum, with, each an allowance of £3. for coals; £3. 3s is paid to Wareton Sunday school, and £5. 5s. to that of Polesworth, and £5 to the master of Tamworth school; which, with other small payments, amounting in the whole to £186. 12s. 4d., leaving a surplus income of .£219. l7s. Out of this sum, one or two apprentices are put out to better sorts of trades, with premiums of £10. each. Also, about £22 is annually appropriated to a preparatory school. The repairs form the only remaining head of expenditure; the whole are in good repair, and the schools and the master and mistress's houses, have been rebuilt, at an expense of £3139. The average number of boys attending the school is 65. They are not admitted till they are seven years old, and can read a, book of monosyllables; the girls average also 65;

and the preparatory school 56 children. Daniel Lees, master; and Sarah Bird, mistress.

George Neale, by will, 1631, gave .£20. which was to be paid to Thomas Corbyn, Esq, of Hall End. This estate now belongs to Earl Beauchamp, and the sum of 35s. is yearly paid by Mr. John Lakin, the tenant of a part of the estate, and distributed to poor widows, in sixpenny and shilling loaves.

William Beck, of Freazley, in this parish, gave £10., the interest to he given to poor widows, 1s. each, on Good Friday. John Westan, of Freazley, gave £'10., the interest to be given to the poor on the 9th day of April, or Good Friday. Mary, the wife of Jahn Tubugec, gave £5. the interest to be distributed in the week before Christmas, to the poor. Thomas Bardet gave £8., the interest to be given, yearly, to the poor of Freazley. William Wrag AM-, late vicar, bequeathed £10. to the poor of the parish, to be distributed by two dozen loaves a day, on the five Lord's days next following the llth day of November, yearly, by the minister. Walter Moseley of Dordon, in this parish, in 1716, gave £10. the interest to be laid out in penny bread; and two dozen given at the church to the poor, yearly, upon Trinity Sunday, and i'our Sundays following. In consideration of the above sums, and others, amounting in the whole to £7. 3s, 10d., a close of pasture ground, called the Common close, at Barwell, in Leicestershire, was, by indenture, conveyed to the churchwardens and overseers of Polesworth, for the uses above-mentioned. The land contains 4 acres, and is used as garden ground, and let for £10. per annum, paid to the churchwardens, from which £\. is paid to the vicar, and laid out in bibles, testaments, and prayer hooks, supposed to he on account of a portion of Michael Biddulph's charity, having been employed in the purchase. The remainder is given away in bread.

William Hall, by will,1756, gave £20. to the poor of Polesworth ; Ann Shaw ,in l751, left £15. to the poor of this parish ;and the Rev. Nathaniel Troughton, vicar, in 1789, left £10. to the same use; these sums, amounting to £45., are (1833) placed in. the Atherstone Savings Bank, and the interest distributed in bread,

Michael Biddulph, in 1687, gave £4, 5s. 8d. yearly, to buy Bibles, to be distributed by the minister of the parish every half year. This payment has not been received for a very long time; it is said to have originally been paid by St. John's Hospital, at Lichfield.

Rev. William Madan, A. M., late vicar of Polesworth, who died 17th April, 1824, gave £100., the interest to be expended annually in the purchase of Bibles. This sum is placed in the Atherstonc Savings Bank, and the interest is given away by the minister in Bibles, Testaments, and Prayer Books.

Andrew Newton, Esq., in 1821, presented £15, to the Sunday school; this sum is invested in the Atherstone Savings Bank, and the interest applied to the use of the Sunday school.

Post Office, at Mr. Wm. Wilkes'; letters ar. at 8,30- a.m., and are despatched at 5,30. p.m.

Marked 1, reside at Dordon; 2, Freazley; 3, Warton the remainder at Polesworth,or where specified.

Albrighton John, tailor

3 Ball R.. carpenter & joiner

3 Barton H., beerhs. & brckl

3 Baxter David, tailor

3 Baxter Joseph, butcher

Bird Sarah, schoolmistress

Blower J.,beerhs. & shopkpr

Blower Samuel, tailor

Bomber John, carpenter

Bond Joseph, surgeon

Brown Thomas, blacksmith, Hall end

3 Collins M. A., infants' schl

Collins Thomas, grocer

Fletcher H., plmbr., pntr. &c

Freeman .Jph., blacksmith 1

Glover Ann, brickmaker

Gosling Nathaniel, inland revenue officer

Hanbury R., coal proprietor

3 Hanes Thomas, tailor .

Hull Hy., hatter & beerhs

3 Hull Mr. Luke

3 Hull Robert, beerhouse & quarry man

Jackson H., watchmaker

Kettle Mrs. Harriet

Knight George, wheel wrgt

Lakin Mr. John

Lawrence I., land drainer

Lees Daniel, schoolmaster

2 Ludford Robt., carpenter

2 Ludford Mr. William

Lunn John, shopkeeper

Lythall Richard, butcher

Mottram Win., wheelwright

Orchard William, sawyer

3 Peach Mr. Richard

Perry John, blacksmith

Ross J., grocer & brick mkr

Sale George John, draper

Schomherg Rev. J. D, B.A.

Shakespear William, tailor

Sharratt John, grocer

Stains W., grocer & butcher

Thomas & Son, coal proprtrs

Thomas Dnl., coal proprietr

Till John, machine maker & blacksmith

Wilkes William, post master

Wright Thos. station master

3 Archer Joseph

1 Brown William

3 ChilwcllJohn, Warren House

3 Clilwell Joseph

Chilwell T., Hermitg

1 Coleman John

Dester Jph., Bramcote Hall

2 Fowler Rt, Freazley House

3 Goodhall Benjamin

3 Henshaw William

Hewitt T., Hermitage Hill

John Hollyoak William

3 Hull J. & cattle dir

Hull Thomas

Lakin John, senior-Hall end

Lakin John, junior, Holt Hall

2 Montgomery John

2 Paul Wm., Ivy Hs

1 Payne Robert

Pawley George Fox, Summer House

1 Pinchback James

2 Power William

Tibbits F. Pooley Hall

3 Warner James

Inns & Taverns.

3 BootInn,Cthrn.Hull

1 Black Swan, John Pittman

Buck's Head, & excise office,Thos.Cooper, and maltster

Bull's Head, J.Moore

Chetwynd Arms, Rd Bassett

Fox & Dogs, John Hartshorn

Gate, Mary Lowe

Red Lion, ThomasHartshorn

Royal Oak.C. Bassett

Saddle & Whip, John Smith

Spread Eagle, John, Fletcher & plumber &c

Shoemakers

Birchmore John G.

3 Poutney Isaac

3 Poultney William

Wilkes J & parish clrk

Carriers.

3 To Atherstone, tu and Tamworth, saturday, William,

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