Page:The National Gazetteer - A Topographical Dictionary of the British Islands, Volume 3.djvu/792

Rh WESTHORPE. 780 WESTMEATH. Lincoln, 5 milea N.W. of Spalding, on the river Rise- gate Eau. WESTHORPE, a district in the par. of Southwell, CO. Notts, adjoining Southwell. WESTHOUGHTON, a chplry and tnshp. in the par. of Deane, co. Lancaster, 4J miles S.W. of Bolton-le- Moors, and 5 N.E. of Wigan. It is a station on the west section of the Lancashire and Yorkshire railway. It is situated in a populous manufacturing district. There are a silk factory, cotton mills, nail factory, and collieries. The population in 1861 was 5,156. The living is a perpet. cur. in the dioc. of Manchester, val. 150, in the patron, of the Vicar of Deane. The old chapel, dedicated to St. Mary, was built at the beginning of the 16th century, the district church of St. Bartholo- mew about 1700. The Primitive Methodists, Indepen- dents, and Society of Friends, have each a chapel. There is a mechanics' institute, established in 1856, and a school partially endowed. The local charities produce about 22 per annum, including the school endowment. Fairs are held on 27th February and 12th October for minerals, &c. WESTHOTJSES, a quondam vil. in the par. of New- battle, co. Edinburgh, Scotland. It has been recently pulled down. WESTINGTON, a hmlt. in the par. of Chipping Campden, co. Gloucester. It is joined with Combe. WESTLECOTT, a tythg. in the par. of Wroughton, co. Wilts, 1 mile S.W. of Swindon, on the Wilts and Berks canal. WESTLEIGH, a hmlt. in the par. of Burlescombe, CO. Devon, 7 miles N.E. of Collumpton. WEST-LEIGH. See LEIGH, WEST, co. Devon. WESTLETON, a par. in the hund. of Blything, co. Suffolk, 5 miles N.E. of Saxmundham, and 2J S.W. of Dunwich. It is situated near the sea-coast, and com- prises some salt marshes, and a portion of sandy heath. The living is a vie.* in the dioc. of Norwich, val. 325, consolidated withMiddlelou-cum-Fordley. The church is dedicated to St. Peter. The Primitive Methodists have a chapel, and there is a National school. WESTLEY, a tnshp. in the par. of Westbury, co. Salop, 8 miles S.W. of Shrewsbury. WESTLEY, a par. in the hund. of Thingoe, co. Suf- folk, 2 miles W. of Bury St. Edmund's, its post town and nearest railway station. The surface is hilly, and the substratum chalk and gravel. The Bury and New- market branch line of the Great Eastern railway passes through the parish, but has no station. There are malting houses and brick-kilns. The old church, dedi- cated to St.Thomas-a-Becket, is now in ruins, but in 1836 the new church of St. Mary was erected. J. Lee, Esq., is lord of the manor. WESTLEY- WATERLESS, a par. in the hund. of Radfield, co. Cambridge, 5 miles S.W. of Newmarket, and 2 S. of the Dullingham station on the Cambridge and Newmarket railway. The living is a rect. in the dioc. of Norwich, val. 326. The church is dedicated to St. Mary. . There is a school. J. Hall, Esq., M.P., is lord of the manor. WESTMANCOTE, a hmlt. in the par. of Bredon, middle div. of Oswaldslow hund., co. Worcester, 5 miles N.E. of Tewkesbury. It is situated under Bredon Hill, near the line of the Birmingham and Gloucester railway. The Baptists have a chapel. WESTMEATH, an inland co. in the prov. of Lein- ster, Ireland, is bounded N. by the cos. of Longford, Cavan, and Meath, E. by the co. of Meath, S. by King's Co., and W. by Roscommon and Longford. It lies between 53" 8' and 53 48' N. lat., 6 54' and 7" 55' W. long. Its extreme length from E.N.E. to W.S.W. is 36 miles, and its greatest breadth at right angles to that line is 25 miles. Its area is 708 square miles, or 463,468 acres, of which 365,218 are arable, 66,392 are unculti- vated, 8,803 in plantations, 628 in towns, and 22,427 under water. The population in 1841 was 141,300, in 1851 it was 111,407, and in 1861 it was 90,879, or only 64 per cent, of the population in 1841. In 1861, 16,589 houses were inhabited, 435 were uninhabited, and 39 in course of construction. The Poor-law valuation in 1851 was 257,551, and the general valuation in 1861 was 314,544. The number of persons from this county who emigrated from Irish ports with the expressed in- tention of not returning between May, 1851, and De- cember, 1865, was 24,456, or 22 per cent, of the popula- tion at the former date. The county formed the western division of the kingdom of Meath, to which Longford also belonged. During the occupation of the country by the Danes it suffered severely, and was the sceno of civil contentions. It was grantedby Henry II. to Hugh de Lacy, who had assisted to reduce it, and was by him divided amongst his followers. Ihe Irish made re- peated attempts to recover their patrimony, but without success. The separation from Meath, or East Meath, took place under Henry VIII., but it was not till Elizabeth's reign that the county of Longford was formed. The very central position of this county pro- bably contributed to keep it comparatively unaffected by the disturbances which were so general through Ireland in the years succeeding 1641, in 1690, and in 1798. The surface is principally a luxuriant plain, varied by undu- lating swells, gravelly ridges, and a few low hills ; there are no mountains, the greatest elevation being only 849 feet. A few patches of bog are found in the S. and E., and some extensive lakes in the N.W. and centre. Lough Rea, an expansion of the Shannon river, is the largest of these, and contains some islets upon which are found traces of abbeys or monasteries. Loughs Sheelin and Kinnail occupy the most northerly point of the county, and in the interior are Loughs Deveragh, Iron, Hoyle, and Ennel, with others. Most of these are connected by small streams, which at length, mingled with the waters of the Brosna and the limy, make their way to the Shannon. The centre and W. of the county belong to the basin of this river; the eastern to that of the Boyne, and is drained by several small tributaries. The county is diversified only by its lakes, affording a great contrast to the wild mountain scenery of Wicklow and Kerry. The Midland Great Western railway passes through the county from E. to W., and communicates with Dublin and Galway, with branch lines from Mul- lingar to Sligo, and to Clones and the N., and the Tullamore branch of the Great Southern and Western line affords easy access to the S. The principal roads are those from Dublin to Longford, Granard, and Ath- lone respectively ; branches from these lead to the other portions of the county. The Shannon is navigable through its entire course to the sea, and steamers ply on it daily between Athlone and Limerick. The Royal canal, connecting Dublin with the Shannon navigation at Termonbarry, crosses the county from E. to N.W., passing near Killucan and Mullingar, and there is a branch from the Grand canal between Philipstown and Tullamore to Kilbeggan in this county. This county presents less variety in its geological features than any other in Ireland, and excels all others in the aggregate wealth of the prevailing substrata. It belongs wholly to the central carboniferous district. It is principally of the ciilp, or black shale series, consisting of impure black argillaceous limestone, alternating with black shale, containing balls of clay and ironstone. The hillocky ridges which are scattered through the county are accumulations of limestone gravel. There are two small districts in the neighbourhood of Mpate of yellow sandstone formation, but these are attributed to the same period as the carboniferous limestone, of which series they constitute the lowest members. Being an inland county, with few lofty hills, it is not subject to extremes of heat and cold, and the rainfall is not ex- cessive. The soil in the eastern parts is a rich loam, from 7 to 12 inches in depth, resting on a yellow till, producing fine pastures. The central and northern dis- tricts are hilly, but large numbers of sheep and black cattle are fed on it. The soil in the western parts is interspersed with bog, but it produces potatoes, oats, and flax. Horses are extensively reared to supply the Dublin and English markets, and large numbers of pigs are kept. Dailies are numerous, and a small quantity