Page:The National Gazetteer - A Topographical Dictionary of the British Islands, Volume 1.djvu/305

Rh BLENCARN. 29.5 BLESSINGTON. Lla ;endeirne, and hund. of Kidwelly, in the co. of ( ,a irthen, South "Wales, 5 miles to the N.E. of Kid- Wrl. E ENCARN, a tnshp. in the par. of Kirkland, Leath wai in the co. of Cumberland, 9 miles to the E. of Perth. A free school was established here in 1775 for the ;nefit of the tushps. of Culgaith and Blencam. It has n income from endowment of 60 per annum. Tin is a mineral spring near the village. E ENCOGO, a tnshp. in the par. of Bromfield, in the d co. of Cumberland, 4 miles to the W. of Wigton. Thi village was the birthplace (1738) of Jonathan Bouier, author of a glossary of the English language, and contributor to Hutcliiuson's history of the county. MKNCOW, GREAT, a tnshp. in the par. of Dacre, ard, in the co. o_f Cumberland, 4 miles to the if Penrith. Hero is a free grammar school, esta- blish and endowed by Thomas Burbank, in 1576, whi has a revenue of about 190 per annum. The first jord Ellenborough was a pupil in this school. 1 > V, LITTLE, a tnshp. in the par. of Grey- stoli! Leath ward, in the co. of Cumberland, close to Gre Blencow. A farm-house in this township was the anciit seat of the Blencow family, who resided here i : commencement of the 14th century. There remains of a chapel and other buildings, and in '.. l >ouring cemetery is a stone cross. B ENDON, a hmlt. in the par. of Bexley, and hund. of I xley, lathe of Sutton-at-Hone, in the co. of Kent, ia to the E. of Dartford. Bllndon Hall is the residence. D WORTH, a par. in the upper div. of the hund. of rich-Dean, in the co. of Southampton, 8 miles to the IVtersfield. Horndean is its post town. The living it.* in the dioc. of Winchester, of the val. of 226, patron, of the Rev. E. L. Ward, incumbent. irch is dedicated to St. Giles. The charitable .eiits of the parish amount to 21 per annum, ii'h 19 is the produce of a bequest by AVilliam nl, in 1695, for the education of poor children. f residence is Blcndworth House, the seat of Sir "Mon, Bart. HELM PARK, an pxt. par. district, in the lib. ' iyru, in the co. of Oxford, 8 miles to the N.W. of It is situated on the river Glyme, close to the Woodstock, and near the Handboro' Junction >u the AVest Midland railway. It is the seat of ko of Marlborough. Blenheim, like Strathfield- say a a permanent monument raised by a grateful i one of its most illustrious heroes and defenders. '2nd of August, 1704, the great Duke of Marl- i i ibtained a decisive victory over the united forces Yench and Bavarians at Hochstadt, near the vil- Klenheim, on the banks of the Damibe. Imme- i s expressed in the grant to bim, by Queen Anne, uiiour of Woodstock, to be held by the tenure of ting annually to the reigning sovereign at Wind- whii mid stlo a standard of France by way of " acquittance manner of rents, suits, and services due to the The legislature subsequently confirmed the and voted also a sum of 500,000 for the erection palace and laying out the grounds. The park, is of great extent, consists of a beautiful tract of at ing ground, watered by the river Glyme, which into a lake-like sheet of water opposite to the pnn in r the for jal front of the palace. The great natural advan- of the spot have been improved to the utmost by md of art. The laying out of the grounds was cnl i ted to the eminent landscape gardener, Brown, and iste and artistic skill. He is said to have remarked, rcnce to his successful distribution of the water in rk, that " the Thames would never forgive him at he had done at Blenheim." The palace was 1 from designs by Sir John Vanbrugh. It is of ze, the principal front extending about 350 feet iron ring to wing, and the entire structure covering aboi ieven acres. Its architecture presents the usual characteristics of his style, especially heaviness, and is generally admitted to have little claim to admiration for beauty or elegance. It occupies an elevated situation in the park, and commands, from the south front, an ex- tensive and beautiful prospect bounded by the distant hills of the Chiltern range. The entrance to the park, on the Woodstock side, is by a fine triumphal arch, or gateway, of the Corinthian order of architecture ; and the approach to the grand front is by a noble avenue above 2 miles in. length. The arrangement of the in- terior of the palace ia remarkably good, and its decora- tions splendid and magnificent. Among its principal apartments are the loity entrance hall, with a ceiling painted by Thornhill, and containing many statues and pictures ; the bay-window room hung with beautiful tapestry ; the state and other drawing-rooms ; dining- room, containing several family portraits by Sir Joshua Reynolds ; the saloon, partly lined with marble, the ceil- ing and walls of which are painted by La Guerre ; the state bed-chamber; the library, a noble apartment, nearly 200 feet in length, supported by marble columns, and containing about 20,000 volumes it has a marble statue of Queen Anne, by Eysbrach ; the chapel, in which is the monument, by the same artist, to the great duke and his duchess ; the theatre ; and till recently the Titian room. The last-named room was totally destroyed, with a large part of the north-east wing of the palace, by an accidental fire in February, 1861. Among the nume- rous paintings which adorn the palace are works by Raphael, Murillo, Rubens, Vandyck, Titian, Reynolds, &c. Not far from tho triumphal arch is a small and elegant building, called the China Gallery, in which is preserved a valuable and interesting collection of porce- lain, delft, and Japan manufactures. In front of the palace is a column, 130 feet in height, surmounted by a statue of the great diike, and bearing an inscription by Bolingbroke. The lake is crossed by an elegant bridge ; and on a hill, sloping to the water, stands the High Lodge. In the reign of Charles II. this lodge was occa- sionally the residence of Rochester, then comptroller of the Park. On the slope of the hill is Rosamond's Well, near the site of her famed Bower. The ancient way called Akeman Street crosses the park, and remains of Roman buildings have been discovered near it. BLENKINSOP, a tnshp. in the par. of Haltwhistle, Tindale ward, in the eo. of Northumberland, 2 miles to the W. of Haltwhistle. The Newcastle and Carlisle railway runs through it. The inhabitants are princi- pally employed in the extensive coal works of the dis- trict. The chief residence is Blenkinsop Hall, near which are the remains of an old castle situated on a hill, and once the seat of the Blenkinsop family, whose name it bore. Roman remains, consisting of an altar and a stone with an inscription, have been found at this place BLENNERHASSETT, a tnshp. united with Kirk- land, in the par. of Torpcnhow, ward of AUerdale-below- Derwent, in the co. of Cumberland, 4 miles to the W. of Ireby. It is seated on the banks of the river Eske. There is a chapel belonging to the Independents. The charitable endowments of tho township produce 3 a year. BLENNERVILLE, a vil. in the bar. of Trughanacmy, in the co. of Kerry, prov. of Munster, Ireland, 1 mile from Tralee, to which it is tho port. It is situated on the coast of Tralee Bay. Many of the inhabitants are engaged in the fisheries. Fairs are held here on the 9th May, the 15th September, the 25th October, and the 19th December. BLESSINGTON, a par. and market town in the bar. of Lower Talbotstown, in the co. of Wicklow, prov. of Leinster, Ireland, 18 miles to the S.W. of Dublin. It is situated on the confines of the co. of Kildare, on the banks of the river Liffey, and owes its origin to Michael Boyle, Archbishop of Dublin in the reign of Charles II. A charter of incorporation was granted in 1669, from which time till the Union the borough returned two members to the Irish parliament. A police force is stationed here, and petty sessions are held once a fortnight. The district is mountainous, and there
 * 1'tcrwards the royal approbation of his achieve-
 * ult of his plan is considered a masterpiece of re-