Page:The National Gazetteer - A Topographical Dictionary of the British Islands, Volume 2.djvu/479

Rh KINGS-CLIFFE. 471 KING'S CROSS. endowed by Sir James Lancaster in 1618. Th/j school- iDom and master's house was rebuilt in 1861. Lord Bolton is lord of the manor. On the adjacent hills are the remains of two Roman encampments. Market day is Tuesday. Fairs are held on Whit-Tuesday for pleasure, and on the first Tuesday after the 10th October for sheep. KINUS-CLIFFE. See CLIFPE REGIS, co. North- ampton, and the like, for other names with this prefix. KING'S COLLEGE, an cxt. par. place in Cambridge University. See CAMKUIDOE. KINGSCOTE, a par. in the upper div. of the hund. of Berkeley, co. Gloucester, 16 miles S. of Gloucester, 5 N.W. of Tetbury, and 7J from Charfield railway itation. Wooton-under-Edgo is its post town. It is Btuatcd near the extremity of a branch of the Cotswolds, and is mentioned in Domesday Book as Chingeacote. It came through the Fitzhardinges to the Kingscotes bore 700 years ago. The soil is stone brash and loam, with subsoil oolite. There are several quarries of stone called " clayrag," in which numerous fossils are em- bedded, and which, when polished, resemble Derbyshire marble. A tributary of the river Frome has its source in this parish, which is indented with deep valleys, the slopes of which are clothed with beech trees of luxuriant growth. The living is a cur. annexed to the rect.* of Beverstone, in the dioc. of Gloucester and Bristol. The church, dedicated to St. John the Evangelist, is an ancient stone structure with a low embattled tower containing two bells. It contains the cenotaph of the Kingscote family. There is a school, supported by subscription. Kingscote Hall is the principal residence. Earl Fitzhardinge Berkeley is lord of the manor and chief landowner. Fragments of tessellated pavements, coins, and other Honian antiquities, have been discovered. KING'S COUNTY, an inland co. in the prov. of Leinster, Ireland, bounded on the N. by Westmeath, 8. by Queen's County and Tipperary, K. by Meath and Kildaro, and V. by Tipperary, Galway, and Roscom- mon. Its greatest length E. a'nd W. is 45 miles, and greatest breadth N. and S. 39 miles. It comprises an area of 772 square miles, and contains a population by the census of 1861 of 90,043, against 112,080 in 1851, being a decrease of 22,037 in the decennial period. At the very dawn of Irish history this county formed part of the territory called Hy Fulr/ia, including Heath, West- meath, Dublin, and Kildare. In 1170 the English penetrated the country and effected settlements, but were stoutly opposed by the Irish. In the reign of Edward VI. the O'Connors, spreading disorder through the whole of Leinster, were dispersed by a force from ' nd under Sir William Bellingham, and their for- lands were shared among the English. Constant rrections and rebellions against the English power tinned from Mary's reign to 1699, when Sir Oliver ibert, with 1,000 foot and 100 horse, attacked the _ mts at Philipstown, and dispersed them so effect- illy that no serious resistance was afterwards offered. For purposes of civil jurisdiction it is divided into the ' baronies of Ballyboy, Ballybritt, BaUycowan, Clon- Coolestown, Eglish, Garrycastle, Geashill, Kil- iy, Lower and Upper Philipstown, and Warrens- It contains 51 parishes, including part of the jh and market town of Portarlington ; the market assize town of Tullamoro population in 1861, 4,791; corporate towns of Philipstown, or Birr, with a popu- iof 5,220, and Banagher; and the post towns of mstown, Clara, Edonderry, and Frankford. For- ly the county sent six members to the Irish parlia- hut since the Union its representation has been i to two members for tho whole county. The iturncy in 1859 was 3,324. The election is held at more. The local government is vested in a lieu- 7 deputy lieutenants, and 105 magistrates, besides county officers. There are 46 constabulary police It is in the home circuit. Assizes and quarter ma are held at Tullamore, where is also the county and court-house. As regards military arrange- it is partly included in the south-eastern or Curragh district, and partly in the western district. There are barracks for infantry at Banagher, Parsons- town, and Shannon Harbour, and for cavalry at Tulla- more and Philipstown, affording altogether accommo- dation for 68 officers and 1,412 men. The geographical features of the county are very irregular. The surface is in general flat, except in the S., where it rises into the Slieve Bloom mountains, which form the boundary between the King's and Queen's counties. There is only one passage through these mountains, called the Gap of Glandino, which is but 5 feet wide. The only elevations deserving of notice are, Croghan Hill, to the N. of Philipstown, which rises to 769 feet ; the Height of Ireland, the highest point in the county ; and the great hill of Cloghan, between tho Brosna river and the Slieve Bloom mountains. The chief loughs are, Lough Pallis, containing the finest tench in Ireland, Lough Annagh, Lough Deroin, Lough Boura, and Lough Croghan. The climate is healthy. The soil is not fertile, being either a deep moor or a gravelly loam of medium depth, resting on limestone gravel. The pastures are excellent for sheep. The best land in the county is on the W. side of tho Slieve Bloom mountains, extending to Parsonstown, and in the barony of Clonlisk. The Bog of Allen covers a large portion of the centre, and extends from E. to W. the whole length of the county. Of the total of 493,985 acres comprised within the county, 337,256 are arable, 145,836 unculti- vated, 8,258 in plantation, 1,733 under water, and 902 occupied by the site of towns, roads, &c. The chief produce of the county is whq^t and potatoes, but barley, oats, turnips, clover, flax, &c., are also cultivated. Much care has recently been bestowed in improving the various breeds of cattle. The bullocks of Ballybritt are large, and are used for field work. The horses are in general well-bred, light, and active, and are reared in great numbers for the neighbouring fairs. Tho county is well fenced, but draining and irrigation are much neglected. The net annual value of property in the county under the Tenement Valuation Act is 241,523. The timber is large and excellent, and the bogs supply an unfailing amount of fuel. The rivers are, the Brosna, which passes through the northern portion, the little Brosna, which traverses the S., and the Shannon, which skirts it on the W. Tho Grand canal enters tho county near Edenderry in the extreme E., and following a westerly direction, unites with the Shannon near its mouth. It is the chief line of water communication for the county. The Athlone extension of the Great Southern and Western railway traverses it from S.E. to N.W., and in the S. a branch of the same line runs from Roscrea to Parsonstown. The roads, which are numerous, and greatly improved within the last few years, are maintained by grand jury presentments. The only manufactures are for home consumption, comprising coarse woollens, friezes, linen, and stuffs. Spinning was formerly carried on to a great extent, and the women are reckoned very industrious. There are numerous flour-mills and distilleries. Tho county is in the dioceses of Kildare, Meath, and Killaloe, with portions in Ossory and Clonfert. The social con- dition of the poor is capable of much amelioration. The houses of the small farmers, and the cabins of the peasants, are mean, dirty, and poor, and their food is potatoes, milk, and oatmeal. They are illiterate, but with a wish for education. There are mineral waters at Thinrone, in Garrycastle barony.; at Escar, in Cooles- town; at Kilduff, in Philipstown, in the barony of 3allycowan ; at Ballincar, and at Geashill. The most interesting object of antiquity is a ruin called the White Obelisk, or tho Temple of the Sun, in the Slieve Bloom mountains, being a large pyramid of white stones. Danish raths are common. There are interesting religious remains at Clonmacnois, Drumcullin, Kilcolman, Kath- beg, and Reynagh. The ruins of ancient castles are numerous : those worthy of notice are described under their several parishes. KING'S CROSS, a suburb of London, in tho par. of St. Pancras, 1J mile N. of St. Paul's. Here is tho terminus of the Great Northern railway, with a spacious