This town has at different times been the seat of the English Sovereign, and the place of assembling his parliaments: Edward I. and Edward II. had mints here. Sudbury, Suffolk, one of the first places at which King Edward III. settled the Flemings, whom he invited to England to instruct his subjects in the woollen manufacture. Greenwich, Kent, see page 70. Margate, Kent, a noted bathing-place. Milton, Kent, near the Swale, formerly the residence of the Kings of Kent, and of Alfred, who had a palace here. Milton is noted for its excellent oysters, which are much esteemed in London. Waltham Abbey, Essex; here King Harold, and his two brothers Gurth and Leofwin, were interred after the battle of Hastings, see page 82 and 84. Purfleet, Essex, on the Thames, abounds in lime and chalk-pits. Northfleet, Kent, on the Thames, abounds in chalk and flint; the former is burnt for lime, and the latter is exported in vast quantities to the potteries of Staffordshire and elsewhere. Eton, Buckinghamshire, on the Thames, noted for its college founded by Henry VI. Steyning, Sussex. Here Ethelwolf, father of Alfred the Great, was buried. Machynlleth, Montgomeryshire: Owen Glendower exercised here his first acts of royalty, being proclaimed by his adherents king of Wales in 1402. Arundel, Sussex, celebrated for its castle: whoever possesses this castle, as Owner, becomes Earl of Arundel without any patent or creation from the crown. It was given by the Empress Maude (see page 82) to William de Albani, as a recompense for his defence of it against King Stephen; it descended to the Norfolk family in 1579. Barham Downs, Kent, between Canterbury and Dover; King John encamped on these Downs in 1215, to oppose the threatened invasion of Philip King of France: in later times several camps have been formed here. Canterbury races are held on Barham Downs. The Downs, between North and South Foreland in Kent, is a famous rendezvous for shipping. The Godwin Sands run parallel to the coast at the distance of about 2 leagues, and add considerably to the security of the Downs. Scarborough, Yorkshire, frequented for its mineral waters and seabathing. The town rises from the shore in the form of an åmphitheatre, having the ocean expanding towards the south; the ruins of its ancient castle adorn the top of a lofty promontory on the east, and the elevated site of Oliver's Mount presents a noble object on the west. Hatfield, a village in Yorkshire, north-east of Doncaster, situated in Hatfield Chase, famous for a battle fought here A.D. 633, by Edwin, the first Christian King of Northumbria, against Cadwallo King of Wales, and Penda King of Mercia, in which the Northumbrians were defeated. William de Hatfield, second son of Edward III. was born here. Whitby, Yorkshire, the birth-place of the celebrated circumnavigator Captain Cook. See page 31. Knaresborough, Yorkshire, is noted for a famous dripping or petrifying well, which trickles down in a number of small streamlets over the top of a rock. Harrowgate, Yorkshire, near Knaresborough, celebrated for its medicinal springs. Clifton, a village in Gloucestershire about two miles from Bristol, celebrated for its hot springs, the salubrity of its air, and for the fine prospects which it commands. 1 Buxton, Derbyshire, is celebrated for its mineral waters, which prove efficacious in several complaints. The water is tepid, the temperature, being about 82 degrees, colourless, and devoid of taste or smell. The Crescent at Buxton is a magnificent edifice erected by the late Duke of Devonshire. Mary Queen of Scots, when in the custody of the Earl of Shrewsbury, resided for some time at Buxton. Matlock, Derbyshire, a village on the Derwent, north of Wirksworth, noted for its hot springs, and for the romantic scenery of Matlock Vale along the banks of the Derwent. Barnet, Hertfordshire: near this place was fought in 1471 the decisive battle between the Houses of York and Lancaster, wherein the Earl of Warwick was slain. At the meeting of the St. Alban and Hatfield roads is a column, erected in the year 1740, with an inscription to commemorate this event. Berkeley, Gloucestershire, noted for its castle, the seat of the Earl of Berkeley, founded in the reign of Henry I.: here Edward II. was murdered. Berkhampstead, Herts: a parliamentary council is said to have been held here in 697, by the chief or king of Kent; and here also William the Conqueror swore to observe the laws of the realm. Bletsoe, on the Ouse near Bedford,: Margaret Beaufort, daughter of John Duke of Somerset, and mother of Henry VII. was born here in 1441, see page 83. Chester, Cheshire, see the note, page 17. Here Edward II., in 1300, when Prince of Wales, received the final acknowledgement of the Welch to the sovereignty of Wales, see page 74. Lincoln the cathedral which stands on the top of a hill commands a most extensive view, and is greatly admired for its elegant architecture, chiefly, in the Gothic style. The great bell, in one of the western towers, weighs nearly five tons and is about twenty three feet in circumference. Runnymead, Surrey, see page 69. Caernarvon, see page 74. Durham; the foundation of the cathedral was laid in 1093, it is built chiefly in the Norman style, and is very extensive. The Prebends' walks, near the Cathedral on the banks of the Wear, are ele brated for their beauty, and interesting views. Durham has been Latinized into Dunelmus. Cardiff, Glamorganshire, is noted for its ancient castle, wherein Robert Duke of Normandy, elder brother to William Rufus, and Henry I. (see page 82), was imprisoned for twenty eight years; he died in the castle in 1134. Gloucester is remarkable for its cathedral, which combines the architecture of successive ages, as the Gothic, Saxon, and Norman. Here are the tombs of Edward II., eldest son of William the Conqueror, who died in Cardiff Castle, and of Edward II. who was murdered in Berkley Castle. Cheltenham, Gloucestershire, celebrated for its medicinal waters, the beneficial effects of which are greatly increased by fashion; the principal season is from May to November. Marston Moor, west of York, and north of the Wharfe river in Ainsty Liberty, is memorable for a battle fought here in 1644, with which commenced the misfortunes of King Charles: Prince Rupert was opposed to Oliver Cromwell. Richmond, Surrey, called East Sheen: Edward III. died here in 1377; Queen Anne, consort of Richard II. in the year 1394; Henry VII. in 1509; and Queen Elizabeth in 1603. Sherborn, Dorsetshire: the church contains the ashes of Ethelbald, King of Wessex, and his brother Ethelbert. Shaftesbury, Dorsetshire: King Canute died here. Farringdon, Berks, King Edward the Elder, died here. Winchester, Hampshire, is noted for its cathedral which is of great extent; the present building was first begun in 1079, and is composed of various kinds of architecture. Several Saxon kings and queens were buried at Winchester; aiso St. Swithin, who died in 862; Bishop William of Wykeham, who founded Winchester College. Boadicea, Queen of the Iceni, Alfred the Great, and William Rufus, who was killed in the New Forest, were buried at Winchester. Woodstock, Oxfordshire: Edmund, second son of Edward I. was born here; also Edward the Black Prince. Blenheim-House, the magnificent seat of the Duke of Marlborough, is situated here. Cromer, Norfolk, north of Norwich, chiefly inhabited by fishermen ; it is a place of considerable resort for sea-bathing. Tunbridge Wells, Kent, consisting of a number of scattered villages, is celebrated for the medicinal qualities of its waters. Harrow on the-Hill, Middlesex, is celebrated for its public school, founded in the reign of Queen Elizabeth. Salisbury, or New Sarum, Wiltshire, is noted for its fine Cathedral, which consists almost entirely of one style of architecture; it was built in the reign of Henry III. The spire is 404 feet above the level of the ground. Weymouth, Dorsetshire, a fashionable bathing-place, see page 60. Bath, Somersetshire, celebrated for its medicinal waters, and for its various scenes of amusement, being equally the resort of valetudinarians and the votaries of pleasure. The streets and houses of Bath are of very superior construction, being built with fine freestone: it is considered one of the most elegant cities in Europe. Flodden-field, five miles north of Wooler in Northumberland, noted for a battle between the English and Scotch in 1513; James IV. King of Scotland, and a great number of the Scotch nobility, were slain, and his army totally routed. York, the Eboracum of the Romans, an archbishopric; the Cathedral is a grand and interesting edifice. The Roman Emperor Severus died at York in 210, and Constantius, father of Constantine the Great, in 306. Picts' Wall, a celebrated barrier in England, raised by the Romans against the incursions of the Picts or Caledonians, of which some remains are yet visible; it extended across the island from Solway Frith to the mouth of the Tyne; it was first built of earth by the Emperor Adrian, in 123, and afterwards of stone by the Emperor, Severus. Etius, a Roman general, rebuilt it of brick in 430; it was 8 feet thick, 12 feet high, and about 100 miles in length. SCOTLAND.* SCOTLAND is situated between 12 and 6 degrees west longitude; and between 54° 40′ and 58° 40′ north latitude. It is about 280 miles in length from the Mull of Galloway to Cape Wrath; and the greatest breadth, from Buchanness in Aberdeenshire to the western point of Applecross, in Rosshire, is 150 miles. Scotland is bounded on the north by Pentland Firth, which separates it from the Orkney Islands; on the east by the North Sea, which divides it from Norway and Denmark; on the south by the river Tweed, the Cheviot Hills, and Solway Firth, which separate it from England; on the south-west by the North Channel, which divides it * The Romans penetrated no farther into Scotland than the Montes Grampii (the Grampian Hills): The inhabitants were called Caledonians and Picts by the Romans indiscriminately, and are supposed to have been a colony of the Celta. The Scoti (Scots), came from Ireland, and fixed themselves in the peninsula of Cantire, A.D. 503: the Scots and Picts were united into one kingdom under Kenneth II. in the year 838. from Ireland; and on the west by the Hebrides and the Atlantic Ocean. This country is divided into 33 counties or shires, which send 30* members to Parliament; 17 of these counties are on the north of the river Forth, and 16 on the south. In a geographical point of view, Scotland is naturally divided into three parts. The northern division is separated from the middle by a chain of lakes, which extend, in conjunction with the Caledonian Canal, from Murray Firth to Loch Linnhe: the middle division is separated from the south by the Friths of Forth and Clyde, and the Great Canal which joins them. Scotland is also divided into the Highlands and Lowlands; the West Highlands contain the shires of Argyll, Bute, part of Dumbarton, and part of Perthshire, with the islands belonging to them; the North Highlands compre *Each county in Scotland sends one member to Parliament except Nairne and Cromarty, Clackmannan and Kinross, and Bute and Caithness, which jointly send but three members. There are fifteen boroughs in Scotland; each borough, except the capital, is composed of several towns. 1. EDINBURGH BOROUGHS. 2. Dornoch, Taine, Dingwall, Wick, and Kirkwall 5. Fortrose, Inverness, Nairn, and Forres Members. 1 1 1 1 1 4. Cullen, Elgin, Banff, Kintore, and Inverurie 5. Brechin, Aberdeen, Montrose, Aberbrothick and Inverbervie 6. St. Andrews, Perth, Dundee (Cupar, Fifeshire), and Forfar 1 7. Anstruther East and West, Pittenweem, Crail, Kilrenny (all in Fifeshire on the coast) 1 8. Kirkaldy, Burntisland, Kinghorn, and Dysart, (all in Fifeshire on the coast) 1 9. Dunfermline, Inverkeithing, Stirling, Culross, and Queensferry 1 10. Glasgow, Dumbarton, Renfrew, and Rutherglen 1 11. Jedburgh, Haddington, Dunbar, North Berwick and Lauder 1 12. Selkirk, Lanark, Peebles, and Linlithgow 1 13. Annan, Kircudbright, Dumfries, Sanquhar, and Lochmaben 1 14. Stranraer, Wigton, Whithorn, and New Galloway 15. Rothsay, Ayr, Irvine, Inverary, and Campbeltown 1 1 The whole number of members 45. 191 15 |