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Chalford

CHALFORD, a hamlet, in the union of Stroud, partly in the parish and hundred of Bisley, and partly in the parish of Minchinhampton, hundred of Longtree, E. division of the county of Gloucester, 4 miles (S. E. by E.) from Stroud. This populous and thriving place is situated in a rich and fertile vale, abounding with pleasing scenery, and is intersected by the river Froome, which pursues a beautifully winding course through luxuriant meadows, and here separates the two parishes in which Chalford is situated. The manufacture of woollen-cloth, still carried on to a great extent, was introduced at an early period; and in the reign of Anne there were three mills in the hamlet, that retained exclusively the use of some advantageous discovery in the process of the manufacture. The road from Stroud to Cirencester, and the Thames and Severn canal, pass through the village; and the vicinity is thickly studded with the dwellings of persons employed in the factories. A district church, situated in the vale, and dedicated to Christ, was consecrated in September, 1841: net income of the incumbent, £150; patron, the Archdeacon of Gloucester. There are places of worship for Baptists, Independents, and Wesleyans. At St. Mary's Mill, in the hamlet, was a chapel or religious house, in which, according to Camden, Friar Bacon was educated; it has given place to a modern building, but a room in the present house, called Bacon's room, is supposed to have been the study of that learned monk.

Transcribed from A Topographical Dictionary of England, by Samuel Lewis, seventh edition, published 1858.

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