Page:The National Gazetteer - A Topographical Dictionary of the British Islands, Volume 3.djvu/250

Rh PORTHDYNLLAEN. 238 PORTLAND, ISLE OF. nel, co. Glamorgan, 5J miles V. by S. of Bridgend. It is the terminus of the Llynvi Valley raU, which brings down coal and iron to the pier to be shipped. The harbour has from 12 to 20 fathoms water. POETHDYNLLAEN, or POETH-YN-LLEYN, a vil. in the par. of Kevin, hund. of Dinllaen, co. Carnar- von, 2 miles W. of Nevin, and 19 S.V. of Carnarvon. It is a sub-port to Carnarvon, having a sheltered harbour in Carnarvon Bay. The Eoad has anchorage in 1 to 2 fathoms water, and inside Porthdynllaen Point 4 to 5 fathoms. It was proposed as a mail packet station for Ireland, but was rejected, the entrance being partially obstructed by the Carrig Chwislen rock in front. POETHILLY, a vil. in the par. of St. Minvcr, hund. of Trigg, co. Cornwall, 2 miles from Padstow, and 9 N. by W. of Bodmin. It is situated on a creek in the Bristol Channel, and is a coastguard station. There is a small ancient chapel. PORTHKERRY, or PORT-CEEI, a par. in the hund. of Dinas-Powis, co. Glamorgan, 9 miles from Cowbridge, its post town, and the same distance S.W. of Cardiff. It is a small seaport situated on the Bristol Channel, and formerly belonged to the St. Johns, of Bletsoe. Limestone is abundant. The living is a rect.* annexed to that of Barry in the dioc. of Llandaff, val. 289* The church is dedicated to St. Curig, and has a cross of great antiquity. PORTHLEVEN, a vil. and fishing cove in the par. of Sithney, hund. of Kerrier, co. Cornwall, 3 miles W. of Helston. It is situated on the northern shore of Mount's Bay in the English Channel. It has a small harbour capable of admitting vessels of 200 tons, which land coals and timber, the chief imports of the place. The living is a perpet. cur. in the dioc. of Exeter, val. 160, in the patron, of the Vicar of Sithney. The church, dedicated to St. Bartholomew, was erected in 1841. POETH-LOE, a vil. in the par. of Veryan, hund. of West Powder, co. Cornwall, 3 miles S. of Trigony, and 8 S. by E. of Truro. It is situated on Veryan Bay in the English Channel. PORTHMEAR, or CHARLESTOWN, a maritime vil. and sub-port to Fowey, in the par. of St. Austell, co. Cornwall, 2 miles S.E. of St. Austell. It is situated on St. Austell's Bay, and serves as the shipping-place for that port. The harbour, which was formed in 1790 by Charles Rashleigh, Esq., is accessible for large vessels, and is defended by a battery of heavy cannon. It con- sists of an inner and outer basin, with commodious docks and a pier. There are long-established yards for building and repairing ships, iron founderies, rope walks, and works for the manufacture of naphtha. Great quantities of china-clay, artificially prepared from grajiite, together with lime and other mineral produce, are annually ex- ported. Many of the inhabitants are employed in the Charlestown tin and copper mines, and others in the fisheries, particularly that of pilchards, which was for- merly more productive than at present. The living is a perpet. cur. in the dioc. of Exeter, val. ,130, in the patron, of the crown and bishop alternately. On Gwallon Downs, recently enclosed, are traces of a British camp and several barrows. PORT-HOPETOUN, a small suburb in Edinburgh, co. Edinburgh, Scotland, half a mile S.W. of Edinburgh. It is situated near the basin of the Union canal. PORTH-Y-OGOF, an extensive cavern in the lime- stone rocks in co. Brecon, near the Hepste falls, and through which that river runs. PORTHYRYD, a vil. in the par. of Llanybyther, co. Carmarthen, 4 miles S.W. of Lampeter. PORTIN CROSS, or PENCROSS, a ruined castle on the cliffs near Fairlie Head, co. Ayr, Scotland. It was once a royal seat of the Stuart kings. PORTINGSCALE, or COLEDALE, a tnshp. in the par. of Crosthwaite, ward of Allerdale-above-Derwent, co. Cumberland, 2 miles W. of Keswick. It is situated at the foot of Derwentwater, with a prospect of that and the adjacent lakea. PORTIN GTEN and CAVIL, a tnshp. in the par. of Eastrington, wap. of Howdenshire, East Riding co. York, 3 miles N.E. of Howden. It is situated near the line of the Hull railway. PORT-ISAAC, a vil. and small seaport in the par. of Endellion, hund. of Trigg, co. Cornwall, 7 miles W. by N. of Camelford. It is situated on the coast of the Bristol Channel, and is a sub-port to Padstow. It has a small coasting trade, the business being chiefly in the shipping of corn and the importation of coal from Wales. The pilchard fishery, which was formerly extensively carried on, has declined. In the vicinity antimony is found. There are places of worship for Baptists and Wesley an s. PORTISHAM, a par. in the hund. of Uggscombe, Dorchester div. of co. Dorset, 8 miles S.W. of Dorches- ter, its post town, and 2 N.E. of Abbotsbury. The par. contains the hmlts. of Corfe Gate, Shilvington, and Waddon. The village is small and chiefly agricultural. At Ridge Hill is Hellstone cromlech, the largest in this county, and having on the N.W. an avenue leading to it. The top stone measures 10J feet by 6, and rests upon nine upright stones with a barrow near it ; there is also another cromlech at Blackdown. Relics of great anti- quity have been discovered at Gorton. The living is a vie.* in the dioc. of Sarum, val. 74. The church, de- dicated to St. Peter, is an ancient structure with a square embattled tower, crowned by pinnacles and containing three bells. The parochial charities produce about 7 per annum, the bequest of Charles Masterman in 1771. There is a free school at Coryates, supported by volui. tary contributions. Earl Fitzhardinge is lord of the manor. POETISHEAD, or PORTSHEAD, a par. and post town in the hund. of Portbury, co. Somerset, 10 miles N.W. of Bristol, and 5 from the Clevcdon railway station. The village, which is large, is situated under the hills at the Severn's mouth, and near the end of Wansdyke. At Portishead Point, opposite King's Road, where ships of war on the station usually anchor, is a battery. The'par. includes the hmlt. of North Weston. It is a bathing place, and has excellent bathing accom- modation. A steamer runs to and from Bristol daily during the summer months. A large portion of the inhabitants are engaged in agriculture. In the neigh- bourhood are the traces of a camp 1,200 feet by 600, successively occupied by the Romans, Britons, and Danes, and which Fairfax took from the royalists in 1645. Limestone, flagstone, and firestone are worked, and coal is supposed to exist. The tithes have been commuted for a rent-charge of 628 12s., and the glebe comprises 30 acres. The living is a rect.* in the dioc. of Bath and Wells, val. 729. The church, dedicated to St. Peter, is an ancient structure with a tower con- taining six bells. The register dates from 1570. The parochial charities produce about a per annum. There is a National school for both sexes, also an infant school in which a Sunday-school is held. The Wesleyans, Independents, and Society of Friends have each a place of worship. The ancient boundary, called Wansdtjlie, terminates here. PORT KERRY. See KERRY, co. Montgomery. PORTLAND, ISLE OF, a par. and separate lib. in the Dorchester div., co. Dorset, 5 miles S. of Weymouth by road, or 3 by water, steamboats running every half hour during the summer months. This place, which was called by the Saxons fort, whence its present nann', is situated in the English Channel, in 50 31' 24" N. lat. and 2 26' 45" W. long., nearly midway between Puits- mouth and Plymouth, forming the western boundary of Weymouth Bay. It is rather a peninsula than an island, being attached to the mainland by a ridge of shingle, called the Chesil Bank, about 10 miles in length. It is about 4 miles long by half to 1 J mile broad, and 9 miles in circumference, rising to an elevation of 458 feet, at the highest point of the island, where stand the remains of a Roman or Danish camp. On the side opposite to Weymouth is the only landing-place on the island, the rest of the coast being surrounded by inaccessible cliffs, which are 300 feet high in some parts, terminating at the southern extremity in the point called Portland Bill,