1081 



WELLS. 



WEST HAM. 



1082 



with a fine embattled tower crowned with pinnacles. The Wesleyan 

 Methodists, Independents, and Baptists have places of worship. The 

 Chapter Grammar school is free to choristers. The Diocesan central 

 schools, which are conducted as National schools, are partly supported 

 from endowment ; there are also an Endowed Blue-Coat school, Infant 

 schools, several almshouses, and a savings bank. 



The corn-market has decayed, but the market for cheese is still 

 important. The market-days are Wednesday and Saturday. Fairs 

 are held on January 6th, May 14th, July 6th, October 25th, and 

 November 30th. The summer assizes for Somersetshire are held 

 alternately in Wells and Bridgewater. A county court is held. Races 

 are run annually in the vicinity of Wells. 



The see of Bath and Wells is in the province of Canterbury. The 

 diocese comprises the county of Somerset, except Bedminster, and 

 contains 460 benefices : it is divided into the archdeaconries of Wells, 

 Bath, and Taunton. The chapter consists of the dean, archdeacons, 

 chancellor, precentor, and four canons. The income of the bishop is 

 fixed at 50001. a year. 



WBLL& [NORFOLK.] 



\VKLS. [Ens.] 



WELSIIl'uuL. [Poou] 



WKI.WVN, Hertfordshire, a small town, and the seat of a Poor- 

 Law Union, is situated on both sides of the river Mural), a feeder of the 

 Lea, in 51 50' N. lat., 0" 13' W. long., distant about 8 miles W. by N. 

 from Hertford, 24 miles N. by W. from London by road, and 22 miles 

 by the Great Northern railway. The population of the parish in 1851 

 was 1557. The living is a rectory, in the archdeaconry of St. Album 

 and diocese of Rochester. Welwyn Poor-Law Union comprises four 

 parishes, with an area of G457 acres, and a population in 1851 of 

 The pariah church is situated in the middle of the town ; the 

 Independents and Wetleyan Methodist* have chapels. Besides an 

 Endowed school for boys, founded by Dr. Young, author of the 

 ' Night Thoughts,' who was rector of the pariah, there is a school 

 for girln. 



\VKI.7.HK.IM. [JAIT.] 



WEM, Shropshire, a market-town and the seat of a Poor- Law 

 i. it pleasantly situated near the source of the river Koden, in 

 52 51' N. lat., 2 42' W. long., distant 10 miles N. by E. fromShrews- 

 md 103 miles N.W. by W. from London. The population of 

 Wem parish in 1851 was 3747. The living is a rectory, in the arch- 

 deaconry of Salop and diocese of LichfielJ. Wem Poor-Law Union 

 contains 11 parishes and township*, with an area of 51,lS7 acre*, and 

 a population in 1851 of 10,625. 



The town of Wetn consists principally of one ipacioni street, which 

 i* lighted with gat. The church is a handsome structure with a fine 

 chancel and a lofty spire. The Independents, Baptist*, Primitive 

 Methodist*, and Irvingitrs have place* of worship. There are a Free 

 school, and National, British, and Infant schools. Malting is carried 

 on, and there are corn-mill', tan-yard*, and rope-walks. The market 

 I on Thursday ; cattle fairs are held six time* in the year. 

 Petty seiion-. and a county court are held. 



WBKYB8, EAST and WEST. [FirisniRE.] 



WKNUEX. [Livo.xiA.] 



WENDoVEU, Buckinghamshire, a market-town, is situated near 

 the base of the Chiltern Hills, in 51* 45' N. lat, 0* 44' W. long., distant 

 5 miles S.E. from Aylesbury, and 35 miles N.W. from London. The 

 population of the parish in 1851 was 1937. Tiie living is a vicarage, 

 in the archdeaconry of Buckingham and diocese of Oxford. 



Wcndover was formerly a parliamentary borough, but it was disfran- 

 chised by the Reform Act. Besides the parish church, which Btond* 

 a short distance from the town, there are places of worship for Baptists 

 and Independent*, and National, BritUh, and Infant school*. Lace- 

 making, atraw-plat-inaking, malting, coach-building, and rope-making 

 are carried on. The market is held on Tuesday ; and there are fairs 

 on May 13th and October 2nd. The celebrated John Hampden repre- 

 sented Wendover in five parliament*. A branch of the Grand Junction 

 Canal comes to the town. 



WKNKI:, LAKE. [Swxou.] 

 SWEDES.] 



A, ometimei culled GREAT or MUCH WENLOCK, 

 Shropshire, a market-town, and municipal and parliamentary borough, 

 itcd near the north-eastern extremity of the Wenlock Edge 

 HilU, in 62' 35' N. lat, 2' 33' W. Ion*., distant 12 miles S.E. from 

 Shrewsbury, and 148 mile* N.W. by W. from London. The popula- 

 tion of the parish in 1851 wa* 2398 ; of the municipal borough 18,728; 

 of the parliamentary borough 20,588. The living is a vicarage, in the 

 archdeaconry of Salop and diocese of Hereford. The borough is 

 governe-l by six aldermen and 18 councillors, one of whom is mayor; 

 mid r- turns two members to the Imperial Parliament. 



The town of Much Wenlock consists of only two streets. Betide* 

 the parish church the town contains National schools, and a savings 

 bank. The market is held on Monday ; five fairs are held yearly. 



:.<_ k Abbey was founded about 680 by Millburga, of the family 

 of one of the kings of Mercia. It was on two occasions destroyed by 

 the Dane*, but subsequently restored. The ruins of the abbey are 

 considerable ; they are of the 1 3th century. The whole length from cast 

 tw went wits 401 feet, and the breadth of the nave and aisle* 66 feet 



WEN.SLM, KIVEH. [NoafOLK.] 



WENTWORTH. [YORKSHIRE.] 



WEOBLEY, Herefordshire, the seat of a Poor-Law Union, and for- 

 merly a market-town and borough, ia situated in 52 9' N. lat, 2 51' 

 W. long., distant 11 miles N.W. from Hereford, and 141 miles W.N.W. 

 from London. The population of the parish in 1851 was 908. The 

 living is a vicarage, in the archdeaconry and diocese of Hereford. 

 Weobley Poor-Law Union contains 2S parishes and townships, with au 

 area of 43,959 acres, and a population in 1851 of 8718. 



Weobley formerly returned two members to Parliament, but it was 

 disfranchised by the Reform Act. Many of the old wooden houses 

 are extremely picturesque in appearance. The church is a com- 

 modious and handsome gothic edifice, with a fine tower and spire. 

 There are a chapel for Primitive Methodists, an old Endowed Grammar 

 school, and a Charity school. A yearly fair is held in October. 



WEUEJA. [Moscow, Government of.] 



WERXIGERODE, the capital of a county in Prussian Saxony, the 

 property of Count Stillberg Wernigerode, of which the Brocken is the 

 centre, and which is about 90 square miles in extent The town ia 

 situated on the northern slope of the Harz and on the Zillerbach, is a 

 walled town, with four gates, and a suburb called Neschenrode. The 

 mansion of the count is au ancient castle, built on a rock 827 feet 

 above the level of the sea, and 400 feet above the town. It commands 

 a very fine prospect, and contains a library of 30,000 volumes. The 

 town has woollen and linen manufactories, tanneries and brandy distil- 

 leries, a paper-mill, several oil-mill:", saw-mills, &c. ; 4 churches, an 

 orphan asylum, a poorhouse, a gymnasium, and considerable trade iu 

 corn. Population 5600. 



WKKWICK. [FLANDERS, Wat.] 



WESEL (Ober-), a walled town in the government of Coblenz, on the 

 left bank of the Rhine, the bed of which is deep and narrower here 

 than at any other point There are two churches and three chapels, 

 of which St. -Werner's chapel is worthy of notice. The inhabitants, 

 2COO in number, are engaged in the manufacture of woollen-cloth and 

 the salmon fishery on the Rhine. Wine of superior quality is pro- 

 duced in the adjacent country. On a steep mountain without the 

 town are the ruins of the great and very strong castle of Schouberg, 

 and below the town on the right bank of the Rhine ia the perpen- 

 dicular Lurley rock, celebrated for it* echo, which ia said to repeat 

 sounds fifteen time*. 



WKSKL. [DiiSSKLDORF.] 



\V ESER, the Roman Vuurgit, one of the largest rivers of Germany, 

 it formed by the junction of the Werra and the Fulda : the Werra 

 rues in Saxe-llildburgliausen, and the Fulda iu the Uhon-gebirgo iu 

 Bavaria. The course of the Werra is 175 miles, and that of the Fulda 

 1'Jj miles, to their junction at Miiudeu in Hanover, where their united 

 streams take the name of the Weser. The Weser then passes through 

 the principality of Guttingen, the duchy of Brunswick, the principality 

 of Calenberg, the county of Schaumburg, the Prussian province of 

 Westphalia, the Hanoverian provinces of Hoya, Verdun, and Bremen, 

 and the territory of tho city of Bremen, from which, to its very broad 

 mouth beyond Breuierlehe, it forms the boundary between Hanover 

 and Oldenburg, and falls into the North Sea 45 miles below the city 

 of Bremen : it* entire courae from Munden ia 225 miles. Its principal 

 affluent* are, on the right hand, the Aller, with the Ocker aud tun 

 Lciue ; the Wumme ; the Luue ; and, on the left, the Au ; the Delmo ; 

 the 1 [unto. The general direction of its course is from south to north, 

 at first through a mountainous country, to the celebrated Porta 

 Westpbalica (between four and five miles above Miuden), which is a 

 gap in the Siintel-gubirge, through which it flows, having Jacobs- 

 berg (528 feet high) on tlie right, and Wittekindsberg (807 feet high) 

 on the left bank. After passing the Porta Westphalica it flows through 

 a wido valley with low banks. The facilities afforded by the navi- 

 gation of the Weser, tho Werra, the Fulda, and some of the other 

 tributary streams, as the Aller and the Hunte, are of the highest 

 importance to tue commerce of the countries on their banks. The 

 upper aud middle portions of the Weser however are often rendered 

 impassable in summer by sand-banks. Five miles below Breuierlehe a 

 harbour was constructed, in 1 8 1 8, at the mouth of the river. [BREMEN.] 



WESPRINS. [HuNOART.] 



WEST BROMWICU. [BuoMWicn, WEST.] 



WEST DERBY, Lancashire, a suburb of LIVERPOOL, and the seat 

 of a Poor-Law Union, is situated in 53 26' N. lat, 2 65' \V. long., 

 distant 3 miles N.E. from Liverpool, and 204 miles N.W. from London. 

 The population of the ecclesiastical district of Went Derby was 32,973 

 in 1851. West Derby Poor-Law Union contains 23 parishes and 

 townships, with au area of 49,614 acres, and a population in 1851 of 

 153,238. 



WEST FIRLE, Sussex, a village and the Beat of a Poor-Law Union, 

 i* situated in 50 50' N. lat., 0' E. long., distant 4 miles S.E. by E. 

 from Lewes, and 54 miles S. by E. from London. The population of 

 the parish in 1851 was 701. The living is a vicarage in the archdea- 

 conry of Lewea and diocese of Chicliester. West Firle Poor-Law 

 Union contains eight parishes, with an area of 14,494 acres, and a 

 population in 1851 of 2590. The pariah church is a spacious gothio 

 structure. There are National schools. 



WEST HAM, Essex, a village and the seat of a Poor-Law Union 

 is situated near the left bank of the river Lea, to the south ^of the 

 main road from London to C'heluisford, in il 32' N lt, 1' W. 



