Page:The National Gazetteer - A Topographical Dictionary of the British Islands, Volume 3.djvu/745

Rh WALLACE. 733 WALLINGFORD CASTLE PEECIKCTS. Offlcw hund., co. Stafford, 2 miles S.W. of Lichfield, its ?ost town, and within which borough it is included, t is intersected by the ancient Watling Street, and is the Roman station Etocetum, where Roman coins, bricks, and traces of a castle have been discovered. The living is a perpet. cur. in the dioc. of Lichfield, val. i1. The church, dedicated to St. John, was consecrated in January., 1843. WALLACE, a vil. in the par. of Ewenny, co. Gla- morgan, 1 mile S.E. of Bridgend. WALLACETOWN, a quoad sacra par. and town in the par. of St. Quivox, co. Ayr, Scotland. It is situated on the E. side of Newton-upon-Ayr, of which it is a suburb. It was founded in 1760 by Sir T. Wallace of Cragie, since which period it has made rapid strides of prosperity. Many of the inhabitants are engaged in weaving and in the collieries. Wallacetown is in the presb. of Ayr, and in the patron, of communicants. The stipend of the minister is about 150. There are a Free church, an United Presbyterian church, a Reformed Presbyterian church, an Original Secession church, and chapels respectively for the Independents and Roman Catholics. There are also several schools. WALLASEY, a par. in the lower div. of Wirrall hund., co. Chester, 4 miles N. of Birkenhead, its post town, and 11 from Great Neston. Steamboats ply con- tinuously from Egremont and Seacombe ferries to Liver- pool. This parish, situated in the N.W. corner of the county, is a peninsula of a triangular form, bounded on the W. by the Irish Sea, on the N.E. by the Mersey, and on the S.E. by a branch of the Mersey called Wal- lasey Pool. The village, which is much frequented for sea-bathing, occupies a site at the mouth of the river Mersey, opposite Liverpool, near Black Rock fort. The par. contains the hmlts. of Lisceard, Poulton-cum- Seacombe, Egremont, and New Brighton. Many houses have recently been erected along the banks of the Mersey. The soil is chiefly sandy, with a subsoil of rock. During the excavation of Wallasey Pool, horns of the Cervus JYepAai were discovered. In the vicinity is a lighthouse, which has been removed inland twice, in consequence of the encroachments of the sea ; and on the Black Rock, at the N.W. point of the parish, is a fort, mounting 15 guns. The living is a rect.* in the dioc. of Chester, val. 540, in the patron, of the bishop. The church, dedicated to St. Hilary, was recently erected in place of the old one, which was burnt in 1857. In addition to the parish church are the district churches of New Brighton, St. John's, Lisceard, and Seacombe, the livings of which are perpet. curs. The parochial charities pro- duce about 119 per annum, of which 94 go to the free grammar school. The principal residence is Lea- BOWO Castle, formerly the seat of tho Egertons; and near it is an enclosure, formerly a common, where racea were run till 1760. It was here that the Duke of Monmouth ran his horse, in the reign of Charles II., won the plate, and presented it to the daughter of tho Mayor of Chester. WALLBOTTLE, a tnshp. in the par. of Newburn, W. div. of Castle ward, co. Northumberland, 5 miles N.W. of Newcastle-upon-Tyne, its post town, and 2J N. of Rytou railway station. It is situated on tho turn- pike-road from Hexham to Newcastle, and near the river Tyne. The inhabitants are chiefly employed in the col- lieries, which are of great magnitude. The Roman '.vail formerly passed through this township. There re schools for both sexes, and tho Wesleyans and Primitive Methodists have each a chapel. The whole of the soil belongs to the Duke of Northumberland. AVALLCOTT, a hmlt. in the par. of Chalbury, hund. of Chadlington, co. Oxford, 5J miles S.E. of Chipping- Norton. WALLERSCOTE, a tnshp. in the par. of Weaver- hum, second div. of Eddisbury hund., co. Chester, 2 miles S.W. of Northwick. It is situated near the Grand function railway and the river Weaver. WALLERSTHWAITE, a hmlt. in the par. and lib. of Ripon, West Riding co. York, 3J miles N.E. of llipley. It is joined with Markington. WALUFOKD, a vil. in the par. of Inveresk, co. Edinburgh, Scotland, 1J mile E. of Musselburg, near the field of Pinkie. WALLINGFORD, a post and market town, munici- pal and parliamentary borough, having exclusive juris- diction, but locally in the hund. of Moreton, co. Berks, 15 miles N.W. of Reading, and 13 S.E. of Oxford. It is a station on the Great Western railway. It is an ancient borough, situated at a ford, on the western bank of the river Thames, and was strongly fortified by the Romans, from which circumstances it derives its name, Guallm in British and Vallum in Latin, each signifying " an old fort." In the Saxon times it continued to be a place of considerable strength, until burnt by the Danes in 1006. In tho reign of Edward the Confessor it ranked as a royal prescriptive borough. The honour having become vested in the crown, was given by Richard I. to his brother John. It was subsequently- annexed by Act of Parliament to the Duchy of Cornwall, but was granted by Henry VIII., with the castle and manor, to Cardinal Wolsey, who conferred them onliis newly-erected college of Christ Church, Oxford. At tho commencement of the great rebellion the castle was re- paired and garrisoned for tho king, and was not surren- dered till nearly the close of the war ; in 1653 it was dismantled by order of Parliament. All that now remains is a portion of the walls towards the river, mantled with ivy. The town, which is traversed by the road from Reading to Oxford, consists principally of a spacious market-place and two streets, which are well paved and lighted with gas. It contains a townhall, with market-house beneath, a police-station, mechanics' institute, savings-bank, and tho Royal Berks Horti- cultural Society. The population of the municipal borough in 1861 was 2,793, and of the parliamentary, 7,794. The principal residences are Castle Priory and Castle House. The river Thames is crossed by a stono bridge, constructed, in 1809, of several arches, and about 900 feet in length. Some business is done in malting, but it is not so extensive as formerly. Wallingford is a borough by prescription, and has received charters from various sovereigns, and, under the Municipal Act, is governed by a mayor, who is returning officer, 4 aldermen, and 12 councillors. It formerly returned two members to parliament, but since the passing of the Reform Act of 1832, only one for an extended district. Petty sessions for the division are held every Friday. Tho town formerly contained 13 churches, but now comprises only 4 parishes All Hallows, St. Mary-lo-More with St. Leonard's, and St. Peter's. The living of All Hal- lows is a sinecure rect,, belonging to Pembroke College, Oxford, the church having been demolished in 1648. Tho livings of St. Mary and St. Leonard are rects., in the patron, of the bishop. The church of St. Mary was erected in 1658 out of the materials of the castle. It is surmounted by the figure of a knight on horseback, sup- posed to represent King Stephen. The church of St. Leonard is old, with Norman traces. The living of St. Peter's is arect., val. 100. The church, erected in 1769, contains the tomb of Sir William Blackstone. The Inde- pendents, Baptists, Wesleyans, Primitive Methodists, and Society of Friends have each a chapel. The charities pro- duce about 300 per annum. There are a grammar, diocesan, and National schools, also infant and Sunday- schools. An almshouse for six widows was founded and endowed by William Angier in 1681. The Poor-law Union of Wallingford comprises 28 parishes or places, 17 of which are in Berks, and 11 in Oxfordshire. Wal- lingford formerly conferred the title of viscount on the Earl of Banbury, but it is now merged in tho earldom of Abingdon. On Wittenham Hill, near the town, are remains of an ancient encampment, where many Roman coins have been found. Richard do Wallingford, Abbot of St. Alban's, and John de Wallingford, a monk of that Abbey, were natives. Market-day is on Friday for corn and cattle. Fairs are held on Thursday in Easter week for cattle, and on 29th September for pleasure. WALLINGFORD CASTLE PRECINCTS, an ext par. place in the borough of Wallingford, co. Berks.