300 PERSHORE.

the town, at a cost of upwards of £2,000; a workhouse for the Union, on the road to the railway station, the latter being more than a mile from the town; gas works, established so recently as 1853; a depot and armoury for the Rifle Corps, which numbers over sixty men, and is commanded by my excellent friend, Captain Davies, a gentleman whose critical knowledge of a good glass of wine is only to be exceeded by his liberality and goodness of heart; a County Court; offices for Turnpike Trustees and Commissioners of Taxes; a "Pershore Loyal Union," or friendly society; a working men's club and loan society, &c. Among the improvements needed here is a good system of local government. At present every man mends his pavement or leaves it in holes, as he thinks best. Many of the cottages are bad and ill ventilated, and there is a large number of extremely old thatched ones. The drainage, too, is very bad. A Nuisance Committee now and then makes a perambulation, and routs up all kinds of abominations; but matters soon settle down again in their old way.

The main street of Pershore is in the parish of St. Andrew, and the rest of the town (Newlands), &c., in the great or Abbey parish, Holy Cross, reaching nearly to Stoulton. There, are various chapelries, hamlets, and manors; thus:

Allesborough: a manor of which Earl Coventry is lord. It formerly conferred the inferior title of Baron on the Coventry family. The manor commences close to Pershore, and extends over the whole of Walcot and Broughton.

Abbot's Wood: four or five miles from Pershore, forming the boundary of Holy Cross parish.

Bricklehampton: a chapelry in the parish of St. Andrew; has a small church, with Norman and Early English work, stone stoup, and many other relics. In the chapelry is the mansion of R. W. Johnson, Esq., sometime candidate for the representation of Worcester.

Binholme Pershore: a manor of which the Dean and Chapter of Westminster are lords.