WEXFORD. 



WKYMOUTH. 



1100 



i capital, Kerna, they choe that a* the centre of a ]*rmanent 

 tf,.nl i* ditin<rui-hed M containing the first landing- 

 by the Kngli-h, when, in 1170, or, according to other 

 , 1169. tbT invaded Ireland under the command of Robert 

 FKi-StrplMn- Th* Englih armament landed at Buginbnn, near 

 rn.fci.r1 ml ahortlr afterward* attacked the Dane* at Wexford, of 

 which place, after a oontt of four day*, they obtained possession. 

 KMMamwh then couCnned a grant which he had previously made 

 of Wexford and *om adjoining parti to the English adventurers, 

 whoe MttlwMat in the country to alarmed the other native prince*, 

 that th*y formal a confederacy for driving out MacMurrough and bin 

 ^BJ allie*. But the invader* had obtained too firm a footing to be 

 thu* got rid of, and their conquert* were aoon greatly extended by the 

 prowe** of Richard de Clare, *urnanied Strongbow, who marned Eva, 

 the daughter of MacMnrrough, after whose death, in 1172, he became 

 Lord of LeiiMter, a title which wa confirmed to him as a palatinate 

 by Henry II. of England, when he visited Ireland shortly after. 

 Wexford was formed into a county by King John in 1210, and it 

 formed part of the posseation* inherited by William le Manschal 

 through hi* marriage with the daughter of Strongbow. On the 

 extinction of the male line hi* possessions were divided among 

 hi* daughter*, and subsequently underwent frequent changes of 



In 1641 vie Royal force*, under Ormond, were defeated in an 

 attempt upon New Ross in the early part of the war, and subsequently 

 Duncannou Fort was taken by the Catholics. In 1649 the whole 

 county was reduced to subjection by Cromwell, who put the garrison 

 of Wexford to the sword. This county was the chief seat of the 

 rebellion of 1798, and the scene of many severe conflicts. The 

 iniurgent* possessed themselves of Enniscorthy and Wexford. The 

 head-quarters of their army were formed at Vinegar Hill, near Ennis- 

 corthy ; but hi their attack on New Ross they were repulsed with 

 much lo**, and the Royal forces having collected their strength from 

 various quarter*, made a simultaneous attack upon Vinegar Hill, and 

 forced the insurgent* to retreat Wexford was afterwards retaken ; 

 and this complete defeat of the main body of the rebels put an end 

 to the insurrection in this district. 



The county of Wexford, especially the southern part, abounds with 

 antiquities of Danish, Saxon, and Norman origin, though compara- 

 tively few can be assigned to a period prior to the arrival of the 

 English in the country. Two tumuli, or rath?, remain in the neigh- 

 bourhood of Enniflcorthy, at Salville or Montobeg, and Donamorc : 

 two other*, of considerable size, near Dunbrody ; and one near New 

 ROM. There arc remains of monasteries at Wexford, Enniscorthy, 

 8t John's (south of Enniscorthy), Ferns, Dunbrody (near the con- 

 fluence of the Suir and the Barrow), Ross, and Clonmineo. Of other 

 eccUaiaitical edifices, Tiutern Abbey, near the Banuow, has been 

 converted into a dwelling; Ballyhack, Carnsore, and Clonmore are 

 turned into pariah churches ; and the ruins of Glascarrig are partly 

 nied a* a farm. There are ruins of an ancient chapel, called St. 

 Vangh'i, near Carnsore. Ruins of castellated buildings are numerous; 

 we have mentioned many in our notices of the towns and villages ; 

 130 are paid to exist in only four of the baronies. Among other 

 military remain* is Strongbow's fort or camp, near Duncormuck 

 Cantle, on Baginbun Head, where intrenchments are yet visible. Of 

 more recent object* of interest in the county may be mentioned a 

 great pile of atones at Wicklow Gap, near its northern extremity, 

 marking the burial-place of those who fell in a sanguinary conflict 

 between the insurgent* and the Royal troops in 1793. 



\S" K X FORD, the capital of Wexford county, a parliamentary borough, 

 a municipal borough, a port, a market- and post-town, and the seat of 

 a Poor-Law Union, is situated upon the south-western shore of Wex- 

 ford Harbour, at the embouchure of the river Slaney, in 52 W N. lat, 

 0' 27' \V. lone-., about 74 miles S. from Dublin by road, and 30 miles 

 . from Waterford. The population of the borough in 1851 was 

 12,471. The borough is governed by 3 aldermen and 18 councillors, 

 of whom one ii mayor ; and returns one member to the Imperial 

 Parliament. Wexford Poor- Law Union comprises 33 electoral divisions, 

 with an area of 128,801 acre*, and a population in 1851 of 52,872. 



The town ooiuut* chiefly of three nearly parallel streets, of which 

 one, called the Quay, is a wide terrace, fronting the harbour, while the 

 other two run in crooked line* behind it ; and of two wide and well- 

 built street* on the west and north-west extremities of the town. 

 The town i* well provided with water, and is lighted with gas. Towards 

 the centre the (juny in broken by the Crescent, which is indented in a 

 aemiciroular form. Nearly opposite to the Crescent, at eomo distance 

 from the quay-line is a kind of breakwater, called the Ballast-Quay, 

 or Bank, formed by the ballast deposited there by ships which frequent 

 the port. The haven contract* abruptly opposite to the northern end 

 of the town ; and at the narrowest point is a timber bridge, constructed 

 in 175 of American oak, at a cost of 17.000/. by Lemuel Cox, an 

 engineer from the United States ; but it has been reconstructed, and 

 now consists of two causeway*, projecting 650 feet and 188 feet from 

 the north-eastern and nouth-wesUru banks respectively, united by a 

 titular l.riilge of 733 feet, supported by 23 piers of the same material, 

 and having a drawbridge for the passage of masted vessel* into the 

 inner haven, which expands considerably a little above the bridge. 

 To iti entrance into the sea between Rosslarc Point and Raveu Point, 



the length of the haven is above six miles, at low water leaving on 

 expanse of mud, through which the stream winds, and at the mouth 

 is a bar which prevents ships of more than 200 tons ascending. The 

 control of the harbour is vested in a body of commissioners. 



The town of Wexford was n maritime settlement of the Danes, and 

 wa* formerly called Woisford. It was besieged for three days by 

 Fitz-Stephen, soon after he landed, and surrendered on condition of 

 recognising the sovereignty of Dermod MacMurrough, king of Lein- 

 ster. During the contention between the houses of York and Lancaster 

 it was seized by Sir John Butler, brother to the Earl of Ormond. Ho 

 was soon afterwards defeated by the Karl of Desmond, who, hi the 

 following year, held a parliament in the town. Wexford was one 

 of the first places which fell into the hands of the insurgents in 1(141, 

 and formed the port from which they received their principal supplies 

 from other countries. In 1649 Cromwell obtained possession of the 

 pl;ice, and nearly destroyed it, levelling six of the parish church, 

 mining another. After the battle of the Boyno the town took part 

 with M'illiam III., and was garrisoned by his troops. A monumental 

 obelisk on the Windmill Hill commemorates the death of a Captain 

 Valloton in 1793, in a conflict between the military and a party of 

 Whiteboys. During the insurrection of 1798 the town was evacuated 

 by the garrison, and the rebels immediately made it their head-quar- 

 ters. After the defeat of the insurgents at Vinegar Hill the rebels fled 

 precipitately from the town. There are now only two parish churches, 

 St. Iberius and St Selsker, both modern, the former R plain building 

 with a cupola, the latter in the early English style of architecture, 

 connected by a vestibule with the massive square tower and ruined 

 walls of St. Selsker Abbey, founded it is said in 1190, on the site of 

 an earlier church built by the Danes, or Ostmen. Some of the old 

 churches still present some interesting ruins, particularly that of 

 St. Mary's. There are three Roman Catholic chapels, one of which, 

 St. Peter's, is a handsome structure in the decorated style, with a 

 large rose window at the eaat end. The Presbyterians, Wesleyan 

 Methodists, and Independents have each a meeting-house. The public 

 buildings of the town consist of a neat court-house, a jail, a fever 

 hospital, an infirmary, a house of industry; the buildings belonging 

 to the corporation ; the offices connected with the revenue ; the bar- 

 racks ; the Union workhouse ; and St. Peter's College, on Summer 

 Hill, a magnificent building for Roman Catholic students preparatory 

 to their going to Maynooth, and attached to St. Peter's chapel. There 

 are also a Diocesan Protestant school, Erasmus Smith's schools, 

 the Parochial school of St. Patrick, the Redmond Female Orphan- 

 house, National schools, a savings bank, a mechanics institute, and a 

 lying-in-hospital. 



Wexford has a considerable retail trade ; its markets, twice a week, 

 and ite nine yearly fairs, are well supplied and well attended. Corn, 

 poultry, butter, and fish, particularly oysters, are furnished in con- 

 siderable quantities, not only for home consumption, but for the 

 English market. Ship-building is carried on. On December 31st, 

 1854, the number of vessels registered as belonging to the port was 

 28 under 50 tons, 71 above 50 tons, of the aggregate burden of 8462 

 tons. The number and tonnage of vessels entered and cleared at the 

 port during 1854 were as follows: Sailing-vessels, inwards, 554, 

 tonnage 31,095 ; outwards, 395, tonnage 22,856 : steam-vessels, inwards, 

 54, tonnage 12,172; outwards, 52, tonnage 11,254. 



The assizes for the county are held in this town, as are also the 

 quarter sessions for the district ; petty sessions are held every week. 

 The staff of tho county militia is stationed in Wexford. 



The environs of the town, particularly towards the Forth Moun- 

 tains, are picturesque. At Carrig-a-Damon a handsome column was 

 erected in 1841 by General B. Clayton to commemorate the actions 

 of the British army in Egypt under Abercromby. 



WEXIO. [SWEDEN.] 



WEYBRIDGE. [SURREY.] 



WEYHILL. [HAMPSHIRE.] 



WEYMOUTH and MELCOMBE REGIS, Dorsetshire, form together 

 a municipal and parliamentary borough, market-town, and se.a-port. 

 They together also form a part of the Weymouth Poor-Law Union, 

 which consists of 18 parishes and townships, with an area of 37,282 

 acres, and a population in 1851 of 22,017. The borough is situated 

 on the shore of Weymouth Bay, in 50 37' N. lat., 2 26' W. long., 

 distant 8 miles S. from Dorchester, and 123 miles S.W. from London. 

 The population of the borough in 1851 was 9458. The borough is 

 governed by 6 aldermen and 18 councillors, of whom oue is mayor ; 

 and returns 2 members to the Imperial Parliament. The living of 

 Weymouth is a perpetual curacy in the parish of Wyke llegis, that of 

 Melcoinbe Regis is a rectory, in the archdeaconry of Dorset and diocese 

 of Salisbury. 



Weymouth and Melcombe Regis were formerly distinct municipal 

 and parliamentary boroughs, but were united in 1571, and Weymouth 

 is now the general name for both places. Weymouth Bay here com- 

 municates by an arm of the sea with a small internal bay, about two 

 miles long, called tho Backwater, which may be regarded as the 

 tEstuary of the small river Wey. The harbour is in the arm of the sea 

 which connects the Backwater with Weymouth Bay. Weymouth is 

 on the south side of the harbour, and Melcombe Regis on the north 

 side : the two towns are connected by a handsome stone bridge. 



Weymouth proper is a very ancient place, and was of considerable 



