Page:The National Gazetteer - A Topographical Dictionary of the British Islands, Volume 3.djvu/801

Rh WETTON". 789 WEXFORD WETTON, a par. in the hund. of Totmonslow, co. Stafford, 1 miles N.W. of Ashbourn, 10 E. of Leek, and 2 W. of Alstonfield. The viUage is situated in the Moorlands. The river Manifold runs through the parish ns far aa Wetton-mill, where it disappears through the fissures of its limestone bed, and continuing a subterraneous course for about 5 miles, again emerges near the same spot where the river Hamps re-appears. There are quarries of excellent marble and limestone, and at Ecton hill is a copper mine, which was first wrought in the 17th century, and for a considerable period yielded a profit of 30,000 annually to the Duke of Devonshire, but is now nearly exhausted, aa is also the lead mine on the opposite side of the hill. These mines are now under the management of Captain Samuel Bonsall, and are the only copper mines in this part of the county. The living is a perpet. cur. in the dioc. of Lichfield, val. 150. The church, dedicated to St. Margaret, was rebuilt in 1820, with the exception of the tower, which is old. The Wesleyans have a chapel. There is a free school, founded in 1719, with a small endowment ; also a Sunday-school. Near the hamlet of Ecton i> a limestone cliff, rising above tho Manifold, in which is a cavern called Thusses Hock Cave, or Thor's House, nearly 44 yards long, and divided into several partitions or rooms, the roof being supported by a rough natural pillar. WETWANG, a par. partly in tho lib. of St. Peter's, and partly in the wap. of Buckrose, East Riding co. York, 6 miles N.W. of Great Driffield, and a quarter of a mile from the Wetwang station on the Malton and Driffield railway. The village, which is situated amongst the Wolds, consists principally of one street. The par. includes the tnshps. of Fimber and Firby. The living is a vie.* in the dioc. of York, val. 230, in the patron. of the archbishop. The church is dedicated to St. Michael. The altar and pulpit are of carved Caen stone, and the windows have tracery and stone mullions. There is also a chapel-of-ease at Fimber. The Wes- leyans have u chapel at Fimber. There are National and other schools, chiefly supported by Sir Tatton and Lady Sykes. WEVERHAM. See WEAVBHHAM, co. Chester. WEXCOMBE, a tythg. in the par. of Great Bedwin, co. Wilts, 7 miles S.W. of Hungerford. WEXFORD, a maritime co. in the prov. of Leinster, Ireland, is bounded on the N. by Wicldow, E. by St. George's Channel, S. by the Atlantic Ocean, and W. by cos. Waterlord, Kilkenny, and Carlow. It lies between 62 6' and 52 48' N. lat., 6 8' and 7 2' W. long. Its greatest length from N. to S. is 55 miles, and from E. to W. 34 miles. Its area is 900 square miles, or 576,588 acres, of which 510,702 are arable, 45,501 uncultivated, 14,325 plantations, 2,392 towns and villages, and 3,668 under water. Its population in 1851 was 180,159, and in J861, 143,954. The number of inhabited houses in 1861 was 26,011 ; 990 were uninhabited, and 50 were in course of construction. The Poor-law valuation in 1851 wits 330,537, and the general valuation in 1861 was 372,056. The number of persons from this county who emigrated from Irish ports with the expressed in- tention of not returning between May, 1851, and Decem- ber, 1865, wus 34,130, or 22 per cent, of the population at the former date. The county was in the time of Ptolemy mostly occupied by the Henapii, a people of Belgic Gaul, who also extended into the adjoining county of Waterford. Their chief town, Henapia, is supposed to have occupied the site of the present capital, Wex- ford. The county was then divided into Cortngh, Moragh, and Laighion; the former gave its name to Enniscorthy, the second to the family of MacMurrough, chiefs of this district, and the last is preserved in " Leiuster," by which name this county alone is known in most of the earlier writings. The Danes established themselves in the 8., and having burned the capital, buitt a town, which they called Wietford, a name which was extended to the surrounding dis- tiicts. MacJIurrough having asked for the assistance of the English in his war with O'Rouik, Prince of Breflhy, Wexford was the first landing-place of the in- vaders, who came in 1169, under Robert Fitzstephen, and disembarked at Bagenbon, near Fethard, and after an assault upon the town of Wexford for four days, suc- ceeded in taking it from the Danes. MacMurrough confirmed a grant of the town and part of the adjoining lands to the adventurers, whose position was strength- ened by the support of Strongbow, who married Eva, daughter of MacMurrough, and on the death of his father-in-law, in 1172, waa confirmed by Henry II. in the possession of his kingdom of Leinster as a palati- nate. As he left no male heir, his territory was divided among his daughters, one of whom married William le Marischal. Early in the civil war of Charles I. the Marquis of Ormond was repulsed from before New Ross, Duncannon Fort was taken, and the entire county held by the Catholic party; but Cromwell, in 1649, after taking Drogheda, besieged and took the town of Wex- ford, when he put the inhabitants to the sword. Tho county held aloof during the Jacobite wars, but was tho scene of stirring events in 1798, when the rebels took Enniscorthy and Wexford, forming their camp at Vine- gar Hill, near the former place. The county is traversed by several ranges of hills ; the loftiest mountains are in the N.W., on tho border of Carlow, the principal summit being Mount Leinster, which rises 2,610 feet above tho sea-level. More S., in the same line, are tho Blackstaira mountains, which attain an elevation of 2,409 feet. The Wicklow mountains extend into this county on the N., in a prolonged series, separating the basins of the Bann and the Slaney, the highest points being Armagh Hill, 1,49S feet, and Slioveboy, 1,385 feet. A low range, called Forth mountains, extends in a south- westerly direction from a point near the N. of Wexford Harbour, and separates the baronies of Forth and Bargy from the rest of the county ; their greatest altitude is 774 feet. The S.E. corner of the county is a dead level, abounding in marl and calcareous soil, and exceedingly fertile. The coast is generally low and shingly, from Kilmichael Point, in tho N.E., to Wexford Harbour, a distance of nearly 30 miles, and is skirted along the entire line by a series of sandbanks, marked at their northern extremity by tho Arklow light-ship. The en- trance to Wexford Harbour lies between the extremi- ties of two long narrow sandy peninsulas, called Raven Point and Rosslaro Point, and is less than a mile wide, with a shifting sand outside, rendering tho navigation difficult. There are only 18 feet of water on the bar in high tides, so the port is inaccessible to large vessels, but after clearing the entrance the harbour suddenly expands to more than 8 miles in width, with a breadth of more than 4 miles, affording a view of the town of Wexford, which lies opposite to the entrance. A little S. of Wexford Harbour the coast forms another bay before reaching Greenore Point, between which and Carnsore Point is the south-eastern corner of Ireland. Rounding the latter point the coast trends westerly, passing a number of small bays and headlands, till it reaches Hook Head, where it suddenly turns to the N., and forms the eastern side of Waterford Harbour. Hook Head is marked with a stationary light, and lights have been placed at various parts along the coast, which is here rocky and dangerous. The Great and Little Saltee islands lie off the S. coast, and are marked by a floating light. The principal rivers aro the Slaney and the Barrow, the former, entering from Carlow on the N.W., flows across this county to Wexford Harbour, receiving in its course the waters of the Bann, Derry, Urn, and Boro. The Barrow, joined by the Nore, touches tho county at the southern point of Carlow county, and flows along the boundary to the head of Waterford Har- bour, communicating with tho Grand canal. The only railway is the Dublin, Wicklow, and Wexford lino, at present completed only to Enniscorthy, 14 miles N.W. of the town of Wexford, but an ex- tension to Waterford is in contemplation. The prin- cipal roada are those from Dublin by Gorey and Enniscorthy to Wexford, from Wexford to Waterford by New Rosa, and from New Ross to Fethard by Ar-