Page:Encyclopædia Britannica, Ninth Edition, v. 24.djvu/593

Rh I C W I C 557 then George, earl of Caithness. By a parliamentary bounty in 1768 some impetus was given to the herring-fishery, but its real importance dates from the construction of a harbour in 1808. It has sent one member to parliament since 1832. WICKLTFFE. See WYCLIFFE. WICKLOW, a maritime county of Ireland, in the pro vince of Leinster, is bounded on the E. by St George s Channel, N. by the county of Dublin, S. by Wexford, and W. by Carlow and detached portions of Kildare. The area is 500,178 acres or about 781 square miles. Physical Features. The coast is precipitous and pic turesque, but very dangerous of approach owing to sand banks. There are no inlets that can be properly termed bays. The harbour at Wicklow has lately been improved ; but that of Arklow is suitable only for small vessels. To the north of the town of Wicklow there is a remarkable shingle beach, partly piled up by the waves and currents. The central portion of the county is occupied by a granite mountain range, forming one of the four principal mountain groups of Ireland. The direction of the range is from north-east to south-west, and the highest elevations are generally attained along the central line. The range consists of long sweeping moorlands, rising occasionally by precipitous escarpments into culminating points, the highest summits being Kippure (2473 feet), Duff Hill (2369), Douce Hill (2384), and Lugnaquilla (3039). The range rises from the north by a succession of ridges inter sected by deep glens, and subsides towards the borders of Wexford and Carlow. Though the range is metamor- phic, it is also in part intrusive, and its formation has been accompanied by a considerable elevation of Silurian rocks, beyond which it does not penetrate, notwithstanding that the Cambrian rocks occupy a large tract along the sea coast. In the valleys there are many instances of old river terraces, the more remarkable being those at the lower end of Glenmalure and the lower end of Glendalough. It is in its deep glens that much of the peculiar charm of Wicklow scenery is to be found, the frequently rugged natural features contrasting finely with the rich and luxuriant foliage of the extensive woods which line their banks. Among the more famous of these glens are the Dargle, Glencree, Glen of the Downs, Devil s Glen, Glen malure, Glen of Ismail, and the beautiful vale of Ovoca. The eastern districts of the county are occupied by clay slate or quartzite, the latter of which presents frequently a smooth polished surface and shows indications of Glacial erosion. Evidences of Glacial action also appear in the moraines of Glenmalure and Glendalough. The principal rivers are the Liffey, on the north-western border; the Vartry, which passes through Devil s Glen to the sea north of Wicklow Head ; the Avonmore and the Avonbeg, which unite at the &quot; meeting of the waters &quot; to form the Ovoca, which is afterwards joined by the Aughrim and falls into the sea at Arklow ; and the Slaney, in the west of the county, passing southwards into Carlow. There are a number of small but romantic lakes in the valleys, the principal being Loughs Dan, Bray, and Tay or Luggelaw, and the loughs of Glendalough. Minc.mlfi. Lead is raised at Lugganure (near Ratlidrum), the principal lead mine in Ireland. In 1796 gold was discovered near Croghan Kinshela, but not in quantities to render working re munerative. Auriferous silver occurs in the slaty strata. There arc important copper mines at Ovoca, where sulphur and iron are also dug. Slates for roofing are quarried at Dunganstown and else where. Limestone, limestone gravel, and marl are obtained near the sea and in the river valleys. Agriculture. According to the latest landowners return, Wick- low was divided among 1041 proprietors, possessing 497,056 acres, at an annual valuation of 254,800, or about 10s. 2^d. per acre. There were also about 2500 acres of waste land. Of the proprietors 534, or rather more than a half, possessed less than 1 acre each. The following possessed over 8000 acres each : William Kernmis, 8042 ; J. S. Moore, 8731 ; R. A. G. Cunninghame, 10,479 ; carl of Meath, 14,718 ; marquis of Downshire, 15,766 ; earl of Carysfort, 16,292 ; J. Mandcville Hugo, 17,937 ; earl of Wicklow, 22,104 ; marquis of Waterford, 26,035 ; Viscount Powerscourt, 36,693 ; and earl Fitzwilliam, 89,891. The climate near the sea is remarkably mild, and permits the myrtle and arbutus to grow. The land in the lower grounds is fertile ; and, although the greater part of the higher districts is covered with heath and turf, it affords good pasturage for sheep. There is a considerable extent of natural timber, as well as artificial plantations. Out of a total area of 499,894 acres in 1886 105,642 or 21 1 per cent, were under crops, 234,890 or 47 per cent, under grass, 175 acres fallow, 19,479 or 3 9 per cent, woods and plantations, 29,028 or 5 8 per cent, bog and marsh, 94,347 or 18 9 per cent, barren mountain land, and 16,333 or 3 3 per cent, water, roads, fences, &c. The total number of holdings in 1886 was only 8072 and their size is much above the average for Ireland, 70 being above 500 acres in extent, 973 be tween 100 and 500 acres, 2615 between 30 and 100 acres, 2646 between 5 and 30 acres, 855 between 1 and 5 acres, and 913 not ex ceeding 1 acre each. Between 1849 and 1886 the area under crops decreased from 126,251 to 105,642 acres; but within the last ten years the decrease was not so marked, the area in 1876 being 111, 488 acres. The area under meadow and clover has been gradu ally increasing: in 1849 it was 50,793 acres, and, while in 1876 it was 60,086 acres, in 1886 it was 60,390. The area under green crops shows very slight fluctuations : in 1849 it was 18,837 and in 1886 it was 18,114. Potatoes and turnips, which occupied respect ively 10,847 and 5304 acres in 1886, have not perceptibly altered in the proportions of the areas. The decrease in the area under corn crops has, on the other hand, been remarkable ; from 56,616 acres in 1849 it fell to 31,361 in 1876 and to 27,129 in 1886. The area under wheat in 1849 was 7817 acres, but between 1876 and 1886 it decreased from 3639 to 814 acres. The area under oats has de creased from 44,527 acres in 1849 to 26,920 in 1876 and 25,344 in 1886 ; the area under barley, here, and other corn crops being in these years 4272, 1480, and 971 acres respectively. The number of horses in 1886 was 11,300 (of which 7206 were used for agricul tural purposes), asses 3465, mules 351, cattle 81,577 (of which 24,523 were milch cows), sheep 169,334, pigs 22,329, and goats 6278. Communication. The Dublin, Wicklow, and Wexford Railway skirts the coast from Bray to the town of Wicklow, after which it bends westward to Ratlidrum, and then passes by the vale of Ovoca to Arklow. At Wooden Bridge a branch goes off south-west wards to Shillelagh. Manufactures and Trade. Except in the Ovoca district, where the mining industry is of some importance, the occupations are chiefly agricultural. The manufacture of flannel, which formerly gave employment to a considerable number of people, is now in a very depressed condition. Herring and round fish are caught off the coast, but these fisheries are much neglected. There, is, how ever, a rather prosperous oyster fishery at Arklow. Of late years the harbour at Wicklow has been improved, the bed of the river deepened, and a steam-packet pier erected. Administration and Population. According to De Burgo s esti mate, the population of Wicklow in 1760 amounted to 43,872 ; the parliamentary census of 1812 placed it at 83,109 ; by 1821 it had increased to 110,767, and by 1841 to 126,143, but by 1861 it had diminished to 86,451, by 1871 to 78,697, and by 1881 to 70,386 (males 35,101, females 35,285). Roman Catholics in 1881 num bered 79 - 9 per cent, of the population, Protestant Episcopalians 1S 3 (an unusually large proportion for the south of Ireland), Pres byterians 4, Methodists I O, and other denominations 4. The number of persons who could read and write numbered 57 4 of the population, able to read only 12 8 per cent., illiterate 29 8. There were none who could speak Irish only, and the number who could speak Irish and English was 243. Wicklow, which formerly re turned two members to parliament, was 1885 formed into two parliamentary divisions, an eastern and a western, each returning one member. The principal towns are part of Bray (4387), a fashionable watering-place, the other part (2148) being in Dublin ; Wicklow (3391), the county town ; and Arklow (4777), a fishing- station of some importance. The county is divided into eight baronies and contains fifty-nine parishes. According to the Pro testant Episcopal arrangements, it is in the dioceses of Dublin and Glendalough, with portions in those cf Leighlin and Ferns. It is in the home or Leinster circuit ; and assizes are hel d at Wicklow and quarter-sessions at Bray, Baltinglass, Tinahely, Arklow, and Wicklow. There are ten petty sessions districts within the county, and portions of four others. It includes two poor-law unions and portions of the unions of Xaas, Rathdown, and Shillelagh. It is in the Dublin military district. History and Antiquities. On the division of the district of the Pale by King John into twelve counties Wicklow was included in Dublin county. It was made a separate county by James I. in 1605. It sided with the royal cause during the Cromwellian wars, but on Cromwell s advance submitted to him without striking a blow. During the rebellion of 1798 some of the insurgents took refuge within its mountain fastnesses. An engagement took place