Page:The National Gazetteer - A Topographical Dictionary of the British Islands, Volume 2.djvu/569

Rh LEE. 561 LEEDS. ncient Lid-ins, rises in Gougano Barra Lake, in co. terk, and after a course of 50 miles, in which it passes through Lough Allua, falls into Cork Harbour, near ustown. The other rises under the Stack moun- tains, in en. Kerry, and falls into Tralee Bay. < LKE, a loch in co. Forfar, Scotland. /$' LOCHLEK. LEEBOTWOOD, a par. in the hund. of Condover, co. Salop, 9 miles S. of Shrewsbury, its post town, and 4 N.E. of Church Strotton. It is a station on the Shrewsbury and Hereford railway. The village, which is small, is situated on the ancient Watling Street. A portion of the inhabitants are employed in the linen trade, and in a woollen dyo mill. There are Lrick and tile kilns, also collieries and limestone quarries. The lower grounds are intersected by a brook called the Rac, which receives the waters of several minor streams. A considerable portion of the land is rough pasture. The tithes have been commuted for a reut-chargo of 105. The living is a perpet. cur. united with the perpet. cur. of Longnor, in the dioc. of Lichfield. The church, dedicated to St. Mary, formerly belonged to Haughmond Abbey. It is an ancient stone edifice with a square tower. The charities consist of a share in the bequest left by Sir Richard C'orbett in 176-1 to the parish of Longnor. LEE BRIDGE, a vil. in the par. of Halifax, wap. of Morlcy, West Riding co. York, 3 miles from Halifax. It is situated near the river Caldcr and Rochdale canal. Part of the inhabitants are engaged in the coal and iron mines. LEE-BROCKHURST, a par. in tho Whitworth div. of the hund. of North Bradford, co. Salop, 3 miles S.E. of Wem, its post town, and 9| S. of Vhitchurch. The village, which is small, is situated on tho river Roden, and on the road from Shrewsbury to Whitchurch. Mono of suitable quality for building is quarried. The living is a perpet cur. in the dioc. of Lichfield, val. 60. Tho church, dedicated to St. Peter, is an ancient structure, with a turret containing two bells. There is a parochial school. Viscount Hill is lord of the manor and principal landowner. LEE CASTLE, on the Clyde, in co. Lanark, Scot- land. It is the seat of the Lockhart family, and con- tains tho famous " Lee Penny" brought over by L. Locard, the Crusader, and referred to by Sir W. Scott, in the " Talisman." LEECE, a vil. in the par. of Aldingham, co. Lanca- shire, 3 miles S.E. of Dalton. LEE CHAPEL, an ext. par. place, in the hund. of Barstable, co. Essex, 4 miles S. of Billcricay. LEE-COMMON, a limit, in the par. of Wendovcr, CO. Bucks, 3 miles S.E. of Wendover. LEE COURT, or THE PRIORY, a demesne in co. Kent, 4 miles E. of Canterbury. It is situated on the banks of the Stour, and was rebuilt by Wyatt in the pointed style. The picture gallery contains tho cele- brated portrait of Anne of Cloves, by Holbein, which deceived Henry VIII. into marrying her, also his i.-dt of the same king, with others by Vandyck and l.'ly; also Murillo's "Virgin and Child," C. Dolci's " Hciodias," besides several landscapes by Poussin and inc. LEEDS, a parliamentary and municipal borough, I L, par., and union in the West Riding co. York. rigin of the name, variously spelt Loidis, Ledes, &c., nknown, but dates at least from tho Conquest, soon which a castle was built here by Albert do Lacy, on what is at present known as Mill Hill. The town is t the junction of the river Airo with a canal I tho Leeds and Liverpool capal, by which is .'led a direct communication by water across the i ' ry from the port of Hull on the E. to Liverpool on V -. Leeds is locally in tho wap. of Skyrack, and lib. of tho honour of Pontefract, in the archdeac. of Craven, and dioc. of Ripon, and gives name to a rural deanery. iporated as a municipal borough by Charles I. in K id charter was granted by Charles II. in, and a third by James II. in 1684. It is divided into 12 wards, and the town-council consists of a mayor, 16 aldermen, and 48 councillors. It was not created a parliamentary borough until tho passing of the Reform Bill in 1832, though during the Civil War it sent a representative to Cromwell's parliament. It now returns two members, the limits of tho borough being identical with those of the parish, and the mayor being tho returning-officer. This place is the chief seat of the woollen manufactures of England, and, as it possesses advantageous railway communication with every im- portant town in the kingdom, it is both prosperous and populous, and yearly increasing in extent. The pro- duction of woollen goods has been the chief business hero for centuries, as appears by a passtige in Lord Clarendon's " History of the Great Rebellion." Speak- ing of Leeds, Bradford, and Halifax, lie calls them " three very populous and rich towns, depending wholly upon clothiers." All kinds of cloth are manufactured here shawls, blankets, Scotch camblcts, and every de- scription of cloth, from the coarsest to the most superfine. Every improvement that science and experience could suggest has been eagerly adopted, and no expense has been spared in tho laudable desire to attain perfection, the satisfactory result of which is that first-class York- shire cloths are now considered equal to those of tho West of England, which latter so long carried off tho palm of superiority in the markets of the world. Mixed i.e. coloured cloths are generally sold first in an unfinished state, and have afterwards to be dressed before they pass, into the hands of tho retail dealers. Iron, leather, and flax are also very important branches of trade in Leeds, but especially iron. Of lato years the town has been greatly improved by the erection of handsome structures, built with a due regard to the principles of architecture, on tho site of old and dila- pidated buildings : and, as it becomes every day more important for the owners of largo manufactories to bo possessed of central positions with regard to the rail- ways and cloth-halls, for tho carrying on of their busi- ness, there can be little doubt that tho town will annually exhibit a great improvement in this respect. Still tho cloth-halls themselves, as might indeed bo expected from tho dates of their erection, are exceed- ingly plain in their appearance. The Mixed Cloth Hall was built in 1758. It is of brick, quadrangular, 382 foot long by 108 feet in width, enclosing an open area. Tho White Cloth Hall was built in 1775, and is on the samo plan and of nearly the same extent as tho other. Tho markets are held on Tuesdays and Saturdays in tho forenoon, and last about an hour. On tho site of tho old castle (which stood a siege by Stephen in 1139, saw Richard II. confined within its walls, and was taken by Fairfax, from Charles I.) is a stono edifice, in the Grecian stylo, called Commercial Buildings. It contains a news-room 70 feet long ; tho other portions are devoted to business purposes as oflices. Among other buildings worthy of notice may be mentioned the stock exchange, the county court, the Leeds and York- shire Insurance Company's offices, and the offices of tho Leeds Mercury all of these are in Albion Street. But the. chief ornaments of the town are the new townhall, in Park-lano, and the new corn exchange ; the former is everything that can be desired in a building intended for the duo administration of justice, while tho latter is singularly adapted to meet all the requirements of com- merce. The increase in the population of Yorkshire rendering it desirable that assizes should be held in somo other place as well as in the county town, Leeds, after a long struggle with Wakefield, obtained the preference of her Majesty's government, and tho judges opened their commission hero first in the summer of 1864. On that occasion the bench, the bar, suitors, jurors, and gentlemen of tho public press were alike unanimous in praise of the noble building in which they met ; and although subsequently on a division in the upper house of parliament, it appeared that the claims of Wakefield were considered by that august assembly to bo superior to those of Leeds, it is unlikely, after tho large and public- spirited outlay made by tho latter town, that tho assizes will again bo removed from her. Upon the site for-