Page:The National Gazetteer - A Topographical Dictionary of the British Islands, Volume 3.djvu/814

Rh WHITEHILL. 802 WUITEPOINT. Whitehaven and West Cumberland Infirmary, a large stone structure, in Howgill-street ; the county police- station and lock-up, in Scotch-street; county court house, in Sandhill -lane ; mechanics' institute, in Queen - street ; public baths, on the West Strand ; theatre, built in 1769; barracks, in Mill-street; old public office, in Duke-street, now used as reading- rooms ; subscription library, savings-bank, two com- mercial branch banks, race stand, and Whitehaven Castle, on the road to Egremont, and now a residence of the Earl of Lonsdale. The borough, which was created by the Reform Act of 1832, includes the tnshp. of Whitehaven and part of Preston Quarter, and re- turns one member to parliament. It is governed by the town and harbour trustees, 21 in number, aided by constables and other municipal officers. It is also a polling place for the western division of the county. The county court is held monthly, and petty sessions thrice a week, on Monday, Thursday, and Saturday. The board of guardians meet weekly on Thursday for the poor-law of Whitehaven, which embraces 20 parishes. Two old-established newspapers are published weekly, viz., the Cumberland Paeqmt, on Tuesday, and the White- haven Herald, on Saturday, besides two penny news- papers weekly. The horticultural and agricultural societies hold their exhibitions annually. The popula- tion in 1851 was 18,916, inhabiting 3,027 houses, and in 1861, 18,842, inhabiting 3,751 houses. The chief in- dustries are connected with the shipping trade, collieries, and iron mines, large quantities of ore being exported for the Welsh and Staffl'ordshire furnaces, and pig iron from the Hematic ironworks, the demand for which has greatly increased of late years. Other manufactures of the town are cotton weaving, flax spinning, rope and sail making, iron foundries, anchor, cable, and nail fac- tories, earthenware, bricks, tiles, and cabinet ware. The substratum on which the town stands belongs to the New Red sandstone formation, with extensive beds of iron ore and rich seams of cannel and other coal from 2 to 1 1 feet thick. The collieries at present in operation are worked by shafts at the Harris, James, Lady Kill, William, and other pits, varying in depth from 50 to 160 fathoms, and running two or three miles under the sea. There are four churches, St. Nicholas, Holy Trinity, St. James's, and Christ Church, varying in value from 350 to 150. St. James's and St. Nicholas have lately been made vicarages. Whitehaven is in the diocese of Carlisle. There are also chapels for Wesleyans, Wesleyan Association and Primitive Methodists, Presbyterians, United Presbyterians, Bap- tists, Independents, Roman Catholics, and Society of Friends. The principal schools are the marine school, founded in 1816 by M. Piper, for the education of 60 boys, which has an income from endowment of about 90, and was rebuilt in 1820 by the late Earl of Lons- dale; the refuge school, built in 1852, for the free edu- cation of 100 boys and girls; a ragged school and reading room in Cater-street, in the parish of St. James ; Whitehaven National schools, in Wellington-row ; and the Earl of Lonsdale's colliery school, at the Ginns ; be- sides National and infant schools, in connection with the several district churches. The local charities pro- duce about 31 per annum, exclusive of school endow- ments. An extramural cemetery has been formed on the St. Bees road. Market days are Tuesday, Thurs- day, and Saturday, for provisions, the last being also for ccrn. A fair is held on 12th August. WHITEHILL, a vil. in the par. of Dalkeith, co. Edinburgh, Scotland. It consists of several cottages, 'inhabited chiefly by colliers. ^WHITEHILL, a vil. in the par. of St. Cyrus, co. Kincardine, Scotland, adjoining the vil. of Lochside. WHITEHILL, a vil. in the par. of Kirkconnel, co. Dumfries, Scotland, near Sanquhaa. WHITEHILLS, a vil. in the par. of Boyndie, co. Banff, Scotland, 2 miles N.W. of Banff, and 4 E. of Portsoy. It is situated near Knock Head, and has a small harbour with 11 feet of water at spring tides. The inhabitants are chiefly engaged in the fisheries. WHITEHOUSE, a hmlt. in the tnshp. of Abbey Lands, par. of Alnwick, co. Northumberland, 3 miles N.W. of Alnwick. WHITEHOUSE, ABBEY, LOWER, and UPPER, three vils. in the bar. of Lower Belfast, co. Antrim, Ire- land, 3 miles N. of Belfast. The Belfast and Carrickfergus section of the Belfast and Northern Counties railway has a station here. The inhabitants are employed in the cotton mills and printworks of R. Grimshaw, of Whitehouse Hall. There is a coastguard station, and a police station where petty sessions are held. WHITEHOUSE, a post-office vil. in the district and co. of Aberdeen, Scotland, 3 miies from Alford. It is a station on the Alford Valley branoh of the Great North of Scotland railway. WHITEHOUSES, a hmlt. in the chplry. of Bishop- side, par. of Ripon, West Riding co. York, 2 miles from Pateley-Bridge, on the river Nidd. WHITEKIRK AND TYNNINGHAJI, an united par. in the co. of Haddington, Scotland. It comprises the ancient pars, of Aldham, Hamer, or Whitekirk, and Tynningham. It extends in length about 5 miles from N. to S., with an extreme breadth of 4^ miles, and is bounded by North Berwick on the N., by the German Ocean on the E., by the estuary of the Tyne and Dunbar on the S., and by Prestonkirk on the W. The principal elevations are Whitekirk Hill, on the northern border, and Lawhead in the S., which do not exceed 250 feet above sea-level. Binning Wood was planted on a bare spot with oak, ash, beech, elm, and firs, in 1707. The coast, which begins a little N. of the Peffcr, is rocky and bluff, in some parts reaching an altitude of 100 feet above sea- level. The rocks chiefly consist of trap and sandstone. The parish is traversed by the roads from Dunbar to North Berwick, and from Edinburgh to Berwick, and is within easy access of the East Linton station, on the North British railway. The village of Whitekirk is about 9 miles N.E. of 'Haddington, and 4 S.E. of North Berwick. It is situated on the rivers Tym and Peffer, under Whitekirk Hill and Whitberry Point, opposite the Bass rock. This par. is in the presb. of Dunbar and synod of Lothian and Tweeddale. The stipend of the minister is about 337. The parish church, erected in the latter part of the 15th century, was formerly dedicated to the Virgin, and is the place where the widow of James I. outwitted Chancellor Crichton by carrying off her son, James II., in a box to Stirling. There are two parochial schools. The principal seats are Tvnningham, Newbyth, and Seacliff Houses. "WHITELETS, a vil. in the par. of St. Quinox, co. Ayr, Scotland, 1J mile N.E. of Ayr. A railway for the traffic of coal connects the village with the harbour of Newton-upon-Ayr. The inhabitants are chiefly engaged in the collieries. WHITEMERE, a vil. in the par. of Dyke and Hoy, co. Moray, Scotland, near Torres. WHITE-MOOR-PLACE, a hmlt. in the par. of Bas- ford, co. Notts, 2 miles N.W. of Nottingham. WHITENESS, an ancient par. in the Orkney and Shetland Islands, Scotland, now joined to Tiugwall. WHITEPARISH, a par. in the hund. of Frustfield, co. Wilts, 7J miles S.E. of Salisbury, and 3 S. of West Dean railway. It includes the Earldoms, an extra-par, district which once belonged to the Earls of Somerset, and the tythgs. of Alderstone, Abbotstone, Cowsfield Estuary, Cowsfield Lovers, and Whelpley. The prin- cipal seats are Bloxmore House, Brickworth, Cowstield House, and Melchet Park, the last the residence of the Hon. F. Baring. The soil is clay and chalk. The living is a vie.* in the dioc. of Salisbury, val. 126. The church, dedicated to All Saints, was repaired in 1853. The Wesleyans and Primitive Methodists have chapels. There are National and endowed schools for both sexes. The charities produce about 100 per annum, including the school endowments. WHITE-PIT, a hmlt. in the par. of Swaby, co. Lincoln, 4 miles W. of Alford. WHITEPOINT, a vil. in the bar. of Barrymore, co, Cork, Ireland, adjoining Queenstown.