Page:The National Gazetteer - A Topographical Dictionary of the British Islands, Volume 2.djvu/13

Rh FALKLAND, NEWTON OF. FALMOUTH, LITTLE. church is ancient, and was formerly subordinate to the priory of St. Andrew's. Here are a Free church, three United Presbyterian churches, and a Congregational chapel ; also four schools. The town of Falkland, which stands at the foot of East Lomond, is sometimes called Kilgour, or "the pleasant church." It was anciently a royal residence, and a town of no small importance, but has now degenerated into a mere village. Even in its present decayed state it retains many interesting and venerable relics. The oldest building is the palace com- menced by James III., and completed by James V. It was occasionally the residence of Queen Mary, James VI., Charles I. and Charles II. It was subsequently suffered to fall into decay, and is now the property of Mr. Bruce. The town also contains a townhall and waterworks. It is a borough by charter dated 1458, and is governed by a provost and 118 councillors. It supports one news- paper the Falkland Herald. Of the old castle in which Robert Duke of Albany starved to death his nephew, the youthful Duke of Eothsay, as related in " The Fair Maid of Perth," no remains now exist. Fairs are held on one Thursday in the months of January, February, April, June, August, and September. FALKLAND, NEWTON OF, a vil. in the par. of Falkland, 1 mile from the town of Falkland, chiefly occupied by weavers. FALLOWDEN, a tnshp. in the par. of Embleton, S. div. of Bambrough ward, co. Northumberland, 6 miles N.E. of Alnwick. Fallowden House is a seat of Earl Grey. FALLOWFIELD, a tnshp. in the par. of St. John Lee, S. div. Tindale ward, co. Northumberland, 3 miles N.of Hexham,its nearest railway station on the Newcastle and Carlisle line. It is situated near the old Roman Wall, and the river Reed passes close by. Lead is obtained here, and also coals. FALLOWLEES, a tnshp. in the par. of Rothbury, W. div. Coquetdale ward, co. Northumberland, 6 miles S.W. of Rothbury. The river Pont passes through the tnshp. FALLYBROOME, a tnshp. in the par. of Prestbury, hund. of Macclesfield, co. palatine of Chester, 2 miles N.W. of Macclesfield. FALMER, a par. in the hund. of Younsmere, rape of Lewes, co. Sussex, 4 miles N.E. of Brighton, and 4 S.W. of Lewes, its post town. It is a station on the Lewes and Brighton section of the South Coast railway. Close by is Stanmer Park, the seat of the Earl of Chichester. The living is a vie. annexed to the rect. of Stanmer, in the dice, of Chichester. The church is a small edifice, re- cently rebuilt. The register commences in 1649. The parochial charities consist of about 7 per annum, the endowment of Christmas's school. FALMOUTH, a market town, seaport, municipal and parliamentary borough, in the hund. of Kerrier, co. Cornwall, CO miles from Plymouth, 92 from Exeter, and 266 W.S.W. of London. The town is situated at the mouth of the river Fal, and is the most westerly seaport in England, lying northward of the isthmus which unites it to the peninsula of Pendennis, Being connected with Plymouth by the Cornwall railway, which has a station at Truro, it is of easy communication with every part of the kingdom. This port was first rendered famous by the landing of the Duchess Dowager of Bretagne, who came over to England for the celebration of her nuptials with Henry IV. At that time the site of the present town was occupied only by fishermen, and so continued until the reign of James I., with the exception of one house at which Sir Walter Raleigh was entertained on his return from Guiana. In this reign permission was granted to Sir John Killigrew to construct a quay, and lay the foundation of a town, certain dues being secured to him and his heirs by Act of Parliament. The town is first mentioned by the name of Falmouth in the charter of Charles II., dated October 5th, 1661, incor- porating the inhabitants by the style of mayor, aldermen, and burgesses. An Act was passed in 1664 making the town of Fulmouth a parish distinct from Budock, of which it had hitherto formed a part ; and another Act was passed in 1670, limiting the boundaries, quay dues, and other municipal privileges. The establishment of the line of mail-packets to the West Indies, Portugal, and other places, about the year 1688, contributed greatly to tho rising importance of the place. The town of Falmouth is about 1J mile in length, consisting chiefly of one street, which extends along the S.W. shore of the har- bour, and is gradually increasing in size. Under the Municipal Corporation Act, the government is vested in a mayor, 4 aldermen, and 12 councillors, together with a recorder, 5 justices for the borough, a clerk of tho peace, and a town clerk. It is well supplied with water and lighted with gas, and contains several excellent hotels. In 1861 tho population, of the municipal borough was 5,709, against 4,953 in 1851, while the parliamentary borough of Falmouth and Penryn (including parts of the parishes of Budock and St. Fluvias) had increased to 14,485, against 1 3,656 in 1 85 1. On tho introduction of the Transatlantic Steam Navigation the maritime population decreased by about 2,000 persons, owing to the change of ports, for the arrival and departure of mails, to South- ampton and Liverpool, in place of this town, which had been for more than a century the port for the departure and arrival of the government sailing-packets. As a port of call for vessels of all nations it is now unrivalled ; no less than 2,000 ships having called hero for orders from foreign ports during the space of one year. The harbour is defended by the castles of Pendennis and St. Mawes ; the former situated on the W., and the latter on the E. These castles were built by Henry VIII., and were afterwards strengthened by Queen Elizabeth. Pendennis Castle was a stronghold of Charles I., and long resisted the attacks of the parliamentarians, whose lines of circumvallation are yet to be traced. Both castles contain capacious barracks and magazines ; and during the time of the late Russian war the Royal Cornwall and Devon Miners' Artillery Militia, under the command of Lieut.-Col. Sir C. Rashleigh, Bart., occupied them, the garrisons having been repaired and greatly enlarged. At the E. entrance of tho harbour, about a mile S. of St. Mawes Castle, is tho Trinity Lighthouse, erected upon St. Anthony Point. The port has a wet dock, and ship-building has of late years greatly increased. Tho chief exports consist of the produce of the tin and copper mines, together with granite and fish. The chief imports are timber, grain, flour, wine, hemp, fruit, dried fish, and guano. There is a considerable trade in fruit and cider with the island of Jersey. There are large oyster and pilchard fisheries on the coast. The chief building-s are the custom-house, the Polytechnic Hall, an athenaeum, post-oflice, savings-bank, dispensary, public library, me- chanics' institute, masonic lodges, and the Royal Corn- wall Sailors' Homo, opened in 1852 for the reception of seamen of all nations. A county-court is held monthly ; there are also a separate court of quarter-sessions and petty-sessions, held by the magistrates of the borough on Tuesdays and Fridays. At the time of the passing of tho Reform Bill, Falmouth was added to the borough of Penryn, returning two members to parliament. Tho living is a rect. in tho archdeac. of Cornwall and dioc. of Exeter, val. 688. The church, which is dedicated to Charles the Martyr, was erected in the reign of Charles II., about tho year 1662. The Baptists, Wcs- leyans, Independents, Quakers, lloman Catholics, Jews, and Irvingites have places of worship. There are Na- tional and British schools. Tho Black Rock, which lies midway in the channel, is supposed to have been the spot where the Phoenicians trafficked for tin with the ancient Britons. Large quantities of Roman coins have been found near Falmouth Harbour. Arwinnick House, tho ancient seat of tho Killigrews, is to the W. of the town. Market days are Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday. A cattle and pleasure fair is held on the 29th July, and another on tho 30th October for cattle, and the exhibi- tion of grain and other agricultural produce. FALMOUTH, LITTLE, a limit, in the par. of St. Mylor, hund. of Kerrier, co. Cornwall, 2 miles N.E. of Falmouth. It is situated close to Flushing, on the Carreg road, at the ferry.