Page:The American Cyclopædia (1879) Volume IV.djvu/397

 CHESTERFIELD 389 ern times, and is now used as the shire hall, county jail, armory, and barracks. Near the castle a handsome stone bridge crosses the Dee with a single arch of 200 ft. span. The Ches- ter and Holyhead railway, which has here one of the largest stations in the kingdom, also crosses the Dee on an iron girder bridge. The cathedral, originally the abbey of St. Werburgh, built for the Benedictines in 1095 by Hugh Lupus, assisted by St. Anselin, is a remarkable Gothic structure, full of interesting memorials. There are 11 other churches, 9 of which are parochial, the most important being St. John's collegiate church, once considered the cathe- dral. It is a very ancient building, and was mentioned in the Domesday survey. It was for- merly partly in ruins, but has been thoroughly restored. The restoration was commenced in 1868, and the completion was celebrated in January, 1872. The arches and piers of the nave are probably Norman ; the choir has been rebuilt, and the transepts were entirely de- stroyed at the reformation. The Roman Cath- olics and dissenters have a number of places of worship. There is a grammar school, found- ed in the time of Henry VIII., and called the king's school, under the direction of the dean and chapter of the cathedral. Among the other institutions are a normal college, many charity schools, an infirmary, house of indus- try, almshouses, linen hall, exchange, union had, and commercial hall, mechanics' institute and museum, a government school of art, library, savings bank, theatre, and public baths. There are three public parks and a cemetery in the environs, and not far distant are Saighton Grange, a curious manor house once belonging to the abbey of St. Werburgh, and Eaton hall, the seat of the marquis of Westminster. Fa- mous races have been held here from a remote date. Fairs for the sale of cheese take place monthly, other fairs three times a year, and markets twice a week. Ship building, for- merly on the decline, has been revived by judicious improvements in the river Dee. The manufactures include rope and sail making, paint, shot, lead pipe, whips, thread, gloves, and tobacco. The shipping trade is almost ex- clusively coastwise. The exports are cheese, lead, calamine, copper plates, cast iron, and coal ; the imports, butter, provisions, hides, tallow, timber, iron, hemp, hops, wine, and oil. Chester is connected by the Ellesmere canal with Liverpool, and by railway with Liverpool, Holyhead, Shrewsbury, and Crewe. Recent- ly various alterations and improvements have been made in the town ; many new buildings have been erected, including a town hall at a cost of $100,000, a market hall, two extensive hotels, and several chapels. Chester gives the title of earl to the prince of Wales, and sends two members to the house of commons. In 1858 was published in London, "The Medieval Architecture of Chester," by J. H. Parker. CHESTERFIELD. I. A S. E. county of Vir- ginia, bounded S. by the Appomattox, and N. E. by James river ; area, 300 sq. m. ; pop. in 1870', 18,470, of whom 8,733 were colored. The surface is uneven and most of the soil poor, though the river bottoms are fertile. Coal is found in large quantities. It is traversed by the Richmond and Petersburg railroad and Clover Hill branch; the Richmond, Danville, and Piedmont railroad passes through the N. part. The chief productions in 1870 were 46,- 408 bushels of wheat, 150,485 of Indian corn, 74,475 of oats, and 194,510 of tobacco. There were 925 horses, 1,580 milch cows, 1,082 other cattle, 2,122 sheep, and 6,693 swine. There were 5 manufactories of cotton goods, 2 of chewing and smoking tobacco, 5 flour mills, 1 manufactory of iron castings, 1 of prepared husks, 1 of twine, 1 of wooden ware, 1 tannery, and 2 saw mills. Capital, Chesterfield Court House. II. A N. E. county of South Carolina, bordering on North Carolina, bounded S. W. by Lynch's creek, N. E. by Great Pedee river, and drained by a number of small streams ; area, 868 sq. m. ; pop. in 1870, 10,584, of whom 4,309 were colored. It is much diversified by hills and valleys, and fertile near the streams. The Cheraw and Darlington railroad passes through it. The chief productions in 1870 were 21,921 bushels of wheat, 118,129 of Indian corn, 22,550 of oats, 19,949 of peas and beans, 52,732 of sweet potatoes, 2,457 bales of cotton, and 10 hhds. of sugar. There were 804 horses, 2,606 milch cows, 5,678 other cattle, 3,396 sheep, and 13,316 swine. Capital, Chesterfield Court House. CHESTERFIELD, a town, parish, and munici- pal borough of Derbyshire, England, situated on the Midland railway, at the junction of the rivers Hipper and Rother, 20 m. N. of Derby ; pop. in 1871, 11,426. It is tolerably well paved, lighted with gas, and supplied with wa- ter. The houses are of brick or stone, irregu- larly but substantially built, and roofed with tiles or slates. The parish church, a Gothic building of the 13th century, with a twisted spire 230 ft. high covered with lead, two other churches, a new and an old town hall, various chapels, a handsome school house for a free grammar school founded under Elizabeth, alms houses, a savings bank, and a mechanics' insti- tute, are the chief buildings of note. The man- ufactures are lace, silk, gingham, and earthen- ware. Considerable trade is carried on in malt, and there are coal mines, quarries, and smelting furnaces in the vicinity. The Chesterfield canal connects the town with the river Trent. CHESTERFIELD, Philip Dormer Stanhope, fourth earl of, born in London, Sept. 22, 1694, died March 24, 1773. He was educated at Cam- bridge, and early entered public life, having been elected to the house of commons before he was of age. By the death of his father he became an earl in 1726, and in the following year was sworn a privy councillor, and in 1728 was sent ambassador to Holland, where he re- mained four years. He was sent as ambassa- dor a second time to Holland in 1745, but re-