WEARMOUTH. 



WELLS. 



1080 



Union. The market-town of Stanhope, t which the Union workhouse 

 fa ntoaUd, and the small market-town of St John's, Weanlale, are 

 ilsiiiitiid under DCIUIAM County. Weardale Poor-Law Union includes 

 two parishes, a township, and a chapelry, with an area of 90,533 acres, 

 anil a population in 18M of 14,567. 



\\KAKMOUTH. [SUNDEBLAJiD.] 



WEAVER, RIVER. [CHESHIBB.] 



WKDMORE. [SoMXMmHiBC.] 



WEDNKSBURY (commonly pronounced Wedgebury), Stafford- 

 shire, a market-town in the parish of Wednesbury, is situated in 52 33' 

 N lat, 8' 1' W. long., distant about 21 miles S.S.E. from Stafford, 

 119 miles N.W. by \V. from London, and 124 miles by the London and 

 North- W<Urn and the South Staffordshire railways. The population 

 of the town of Wednesbury in 1S51 was 11,914. The living ia a 

 ncaraee in the archdeaconry of Stafford and diocese of Lichfield. 



Wednribury lies at nearly equal distances from the towns of 

 Birmingham and Wolverhampton, Wnlaall and Dudley. Ethellieda, 

 Lady of Mercia,' sister of Edward the Elder, built a castle here 

 In 914. The church occupies the summit of the hill where Ethel- 

 fleda'i castle formerly stood : it is a tolerably spacious building, chiefly 

 perpendicular in style. The Weslcyan and Primitive Methodists, Bap- 

 tists, and Independents hare places of worship. There are National, 

 British, Infant, and Juvenile schools, and a mechanics institute. The 

 market is held on Friday ; there are two annual fairs. The inhabit- 

 autd m employed in the various branches of the iron manufacture. 

 Limestone, clay, and peat are found, besides iron-ore and excellent 



WKDXESFIKLD. [STAFFORDSHIRE.] 



WEEDOX-BECK. [NOBTUAMPTONSUIRB.] 



WKF.XEK. [At KICK.] 



WEHJHTOX. [YORKSHIRE.] 



WEIMAR, the capital of the grand-duchy of Saxe- Weimar-Eisenach, 

 a situated in 51* N. lat., 11 20 1 E. long., on the Ilm, and on the rail- 

 way from Halle to Eisenach, from which towns it is distant 53 and 

 49 mile* respectively, and has about 10,000 inhabitants. It stands in 

 a pleasant valley, with a wooded mountain to the north and low hills 

 to the south and east. The river, over which there are two bridges, 

 winds along the touth side of the town. Weimar is illustrious in the 

 annals of German literature by the names of Gothe, Herder, Schiller, 

 Wieland, Kotzebue, and others. It is an open town with irregular 

 street! ; there are however many agreeable houses, but the general 

 appearance is plain and rather antique. The palace is beautifully 

 situaUd, and the interior is fitted up with great elegance and taste. 

 The adjoining park would be an ornament to any city. The 

 chief public buildings are the workhouse, the hospital, the library, 

 the mews, and two churches. The houses of Gothe and Schiller are 

 shown to the public. The Court Theatre was built in 1825, and, 

 under the management of Gothe and Schiller, greatly contributed to 

 improve the public taste. The grand-ducal library contains above 

 130,000 volumes, besides manuscripts, copper-plates, and drawings. 

 The principal church deserve* notice as containing the sepulchres of 

 the grand-ducal family, and being adorned with several fine paintings 

 by Lucas Krauach. A colossal bronze statue of Herder was erected 

 in the cathedral square, August 25, 1850. Weimar has a gymnasium, 

 a training school, a house of correction, an orphan asylum, and a 

 benevolent ladies' institution for the instruction of girls in female 

 work. Falk's establishment for destitute children was converted by 

 the grand-duke, in 1829, into a public school for education by the 

 name of Falk's Institution. The manufactures are of small import- 

 ance : the inhabitants derive their chief support from the residence 

 of the court. The chief articles of trade are broadcloth, linen, leather, 

 room-paper, books, maps, colonial produce, &c. A fine avenue connects 

 the town with the mansion and park of Belvedere, about two miles 

 and a half from Weimar. 



WF.ISS KlKi'llKX. [MonAVlA,] 



\\EI.SSEMBURQ. [Rmw, BAS.] 



WKISSENFKLS. [MERSKBURG.] 



\VI.IS3ENSEE. [EHFi'BT.] 



WELFORD. [OioocESTEttsinnE; NOHTIUMFTONSUIRE.] 



WKLLAND, K1VER AND CANAL. [CANADA.] 



WELLINGBOROUGH, Northamptonshire, a market-town and the 

 seat of a Poor-Law Union, in the pariah of Wcllingborough, is situated 

 in :,2- 19' X. lat, 42' W. long., distant 9 miles N.E. from North- 

 ampton, 07 mile* N.W. by N. from London by road, and 78J miles by 

 the London and North- Western and Northampton and Peterborough 

 rail ways. The population of the town of Welliugborough in 1851 was 

 6061. The living is a vicarage in the archdeaconry of Northamptou 

 utd dioceae of Peterborough. Wellingborough Poor-Law Union con- 

 tains 2 parishes and townships, with on area of 54,1)011 acres, and a 

 population in Ibil of 21,356. 



Wellingborough is situated on an eminence above a little brook 

 which flows into the river Nene. The town is lighted with gas. The 

 houses an for the most part built of red-sandstone. The church ia 

 bun and handsome, and of various styles of architecture. The 

 IndeiwndenU, Wesleyan MethodisU, Baptists, Calvinistio Baptists, and 

 Quakers have placet of worship. There are Free schools; a Freeman's 

 school ; National, British, and Infant schools ; a mechanics institute ; 

 a parochial reading-room and lending library ; a savings bank ; and an 



agricultural society. The town-hall is a neat building. The principal 

 manufacture of the place is that of boots and shoes. The market U 

 on Wednesday, and is a considerable market for corn ; there are two 

 yearly fairs for live stock and cheese. Petty sessions and a county 

 court are held in the town. 



WELLINGTON, Shropshire, a market-town, and the seat of a Poor- 

 Law Union, ia situated near the base of the Wrekin, in 52 42' N. Int., 

 2 3CC W. long., distant 11 miles E. by S. from Shrewsbury, 142 miles 

 N.W. by W. from London, and 146 miles by the London and North- 

 Western and the Shrewsbury and Birmingham railways. Tha popu- 

 lation of the town of Wellington in 1851 was 4601. The living is a 

 vicarage in the archdeaconry of Salop and diocese of Lichfield. Wel- 

 lington Poor-Law Union contains 1 1 parishes and townships, with an 

 area of 33,523 acres, and a population in 1851 of 20,729. 



Wellington is situated in the populous coal and iron district of 

 Shropshire. The town is neat in its appearance, and is lighted with 

 gas. It possesses a handsome modern church, chapels for Waslaran 

 and Primitive MethodisU, Independents, Baptists, and Roman Catholics; 

 National and Free schools ; a dispensary ; a mechanics institute ; a 

 savings bank ; and a neat market-hall The market is held weekly on 

 Thursday ; there are numerous fairs and cattle markets in the course 

 of the year. Petty sessions and a county court are held. 



WELLINGTON, Somersetshire, a market-town, and the seat of a 

 Poor-Law Union, is situated on high ground near the right bank of 

 the river Tone, in 50' 58 N. lat., 2 30' W. long., distant 50 mil. -M 

 S.W. from Bath, 148 miles W.S.W. from London, and 170 miles by th 

 Great Western and Bristol and Exeter railways. The population of 

 the town in 1851 was 3926. The living is a vicarage in the archdea- 

 conry of Taunton and diocese of Bath and Wells. Wellington Poor- 

 Law Union contains 24 parishes and townships, with an area of 60,454 

 acres, and a population in 1851 of 22,121. 



The manor of Wellington was bestowed by Alfred the Great on his 

 friend and biographer Asser, bishop of Sherborne, and ou his death 

 was transferred to the bishop of the newly-erected diocese of Wells, 

 by whose successor it was held at the time of the Domesday survey, 

 in which it is written Walintoue. The church is afiuegothic building; 

 it contains a fine monument of Chief Justice Sir John Popham. There 

 are an Episcopal chapel, places of worship for Baptists, Independents, 

 Wesleyan Methodists, and Quakers; National schools; and several 

 almshouses. The woollen manufacture is carried on. The market is 

 held ou Thursday. There are fairs ou March 29th, June 22nd, Sep- 

 tember 29th, and November 17th. A county court is held. The Duke 

 of Wellington's title was derived from this town. A lofty pillar in 

 commemoration of the battle of Waterloo, erected by subscription, 

 stands on Blackdown Hill, near the town. 



WELLINGTON. [ZEALAND, NEW.] 



WELLS, Somersetshire, an ancient city, the seat of a bishopric, a 

 municipal and parliamentary borough, aud the seat of a Poor-Law 

 Union, is situated in a valley at the foot of the Mendip Hill-*, in 

 51 12' N. lat, 2 38' W. long., distant 19 miles S.W. from Bath, aud 

 120 miles W. by S. from London. The population of the borough of 

 Wells in 1851 was 4736. The borough is governed by 4 aldermen and 

 1 2 councillors, of whom one is mayor; aud returns two members to 

 the Imperial Parliament. The living is a vicarage in the archdeaconry 

 of Wells and diocese of Bath aud Wells. 



The founder of the first church at Wells is said to have been Ina, 

 king of Wessex, in 704. In the reign of Edward the Elder, in the 

 beginning of the 10th century, the town became the seat of a bishopric. 

 About 1091 John de Villula obtained the bishopric, and having removed 

 the episcopal seat to Bath, called himself bishop of Bath only. About 

 1139 Bishop Roberts, the successor of Villula, determined that the 

 diocesan should be styled Bishop of Bath and Wells. Wells has 

 returned two members to Parliament siuce the reign of Edward 1. 



The town is cleansed, lighted with gas, paved, aud supplied with 

 water. There is a jail. The town-hall was built in 1780, aud stands 

 on one side of an extensive area which communicates by au ancient 

 gateway with the cathedral close. The cathedral is one of the liuest 

 structures of the kind iu England. It is in the usual form of a cross, 

 the extreme length from east to west being 415 feet and the transept 

 measuring 155 feet The tower, which rises from tho intersection, is 

 105 feet high, and two other massive towers, each 126 feet in height, 

 crown the extremities of the west front. This western facade is re- 

 markable for its tracery and sculptured figures : there are about 150 

 statues of the size of life, and above 300 of smaller size ; and although 

 many of them are a good deal mutilated, the effect is very striking. 

 The Lady chapel is the most beautiful part of the cathedral, and is 

 one of the best specimens of ecclesiastical architecture in England. 

 There are several ancient monuments. The cathedral has for some 

 time past been undergoing the process of restoration. The cloisters 

 form a quadrangle attached to the south side of the cathedral, the 

 sides severally measuring about 100 feet The chapter- house is a 

 handsome octangular building, 52 feet diameter in the interior, the 

 roof being supported by a single central pillar. The episcopal | 

 which is of the 14th century, stands at a short distance south from 

 the cathedral, and with its lofty and embattled wall, inclosing au area 

 of about seven acres, and surrounded by a broad moat filled with 

 water, resembles an old baronial castle. The parish church of St 

 Cuthbert is a large and handsome edifice iu the later pointed style, 



