25 



BOLSOVER. 



BOLTOK-LE-MOORS. 



ranged in all lines of direction. Judging from the form of the lake 

 and the geological formation of the rocka immediately encircling it, 

 many have regarded the Lake of Bolsena as occupying the crater of 

 an extinct volcano. The country produces very good wine, both red 

 and white, especially of the Muscat kind. 



BOLSOVER, Derbyshire, a village, formerly a market-town, in the 

 parish of Bolsover and hundred of Scarsdale, is situated in 53 13' 

 X. lat., 1 16' W. long., 24 miles N.N.E. from Derby, 146 miles N. 

 liy W. from London : the population of the parish in 1851 was 1611. 

 The living is a vicarage in the archdeaconry of Derby and diocese of 

 Lichfield. 



At the time of the Domesday Survey, Bolsover was the property of 

 William Peveril, who is supposed to have built the castle, the interior 

 architecture of which is of the Norman period. The castle was in 

 the possession of the barons in 1215, but was taken from them by 

 assault for the king (John) by William de Ferrers, earl of Derby. 

 The Earl of Richmond (father of Henry VII.) died possessed of it in ' 



together with the castle of Hareston, both of which were granted 

 in 1514 to Thomas Howard, duke of Norfolk, on the attainder of 

 whose son it again reverted to the crown. Edward VI. granted it to 

 , carl of Shrewsbury, in whose family the manor of Bolsover 

 continued until the time of James I., when Earl Gilbert sold it to 

 Sir < 'liArles Cavendish. The old castle was in ruins long before. It 

 was ret'uilt by Sir Charles Cavendish, who appears to have exactly 

 rebuilt the ancient Norman fortress, of which the lower walls are 

 distinctly visible. It is even probable that the beautiful arches in the 

 kitchen, servants' hall, and larder are those of the original structure. 



As Bolsover Catle is an exceedingly interesting edifice, we shall 

 notice it somewhat fully. The present castle may be described as an 

 Elizabethan imitation of a Norman fortress, erected on the Norman 

 foundations, and retaining the Norman character. The ancient forti- 

 fications surrounding the castle courts and yard have been rebuilt, 

 and the whole is a remarkable specimen of an ancient fortress repro- 

 duced soon after 1600. It is a square, lofty, and embattled structure 

 of brown stone, with a tower at each angle, of which that at the 

 north-east angle is much higher and larger than the others. The 

 castle stands on the brow of a steep and wooded hill, commanding 

 one of the finest inland views in England. A noble terrace leads up 

 to the great gates, through which the entrance is by a stone court. 

 The great hall and pillar room are beautifully arched and supported 

 by Norman pillars, and have been furnished with ornamental carving 

 of the 16th and 17th centuries. Above these is a room called the 

 Star Room, which has been fitted up by Mrs. Hamilton Gray as a 

 library, and contains one of the finest private collections of Etruscan 

 antiquities in England, with many beautiful specimens of old Italian 

 carving. The remainder of the castle has been fitted with all the 



cniences of a modern residence. 



The first Duke of Newcastle built the riding-house and the magni- 

 range of buildings along the great terrace, now in ruins, but 

 well preserved as a picturesque object. Here King Charles I. was 

 several times entertained by the Duke, then Marquis of Newcastle. 

 On one of these occasions the reception of that monarch and his 

 queen cost the noble owner 1 4,000(. All the nobility of the midland 

 counties were assembled on the terrace, and Ben Jonson composed the 

 masque of ' Love's Welcome ' for the festival. Previous to the banquet 

 already mentioned the marquis had entertained the king at Bolsover 

 in 1 633, when he went to Scotland to be crowned. The dinner on 

 tlii i occasion cost 40001. In the remains of this grand range of 

 buildings there are a gallery 200 feet long, a dining-room 78 feet long, 

 and two drawing-rooms 39 feet and 36 feet long. 



In the early part of the civil war the castle was garrisoned for the 

 king, but was taken in 1644 by Major-General Crawford, who is said 

 a found it well manned and fortified with great guns and strong 

 works. During the sequestration of the Marquis of Newcastle's 

 estates Bolsover Castle suffered much both in its buildings and furni- 

 ture, and was to have been demolished for the sake of its materials, 

 but was purchased for the earl by hia brother, Sir Charles Cavendish. 

 The noble owner repaired the buildings after the Restoration, and 

 "Hially made the place his residence. It now belongs to the 

 Duke of Portland, whose family derived it in the female line from 

 the Newcastle Cavendishes. The mansion has long ceased to be even 

 occasionally occupied by its owners, and is now inhabited by the 

 Rev. John Hamilton Gray. 



The village of Bolsover is pleasantly situated, together with the 



castle, upon a point projecting into a valley which surrounds it on 



every side except the north-east, where the separation has been made 



by B deep cut. In ancient times the whole village was fortified, 



having been surrounded on the level side by a deep trench and mound 



which still exist ; while the steep banks under the village are crowned 



with four watch towers, and were probably once defended by walls. 



The village inhabitants are chiefly employed in agriculture. The 



ch is of mixed architecture. The tower and the principal 



parts of tin- church are early English ; the chancel pillars and piers 



are Norman. In a side chapel are two splendid monuments of the 



,'lish family. In the village is a National school, with a commo- 



huuse for the master. There is also a fund for distribution 



among the poor, arising from the interest on a bequest of nearly 



30001. bauk numiitiei. 



BOLTON-LE-MOORS, Lancashire, a manufacturing town, par- 

 liamentary and municipal borough, and the seat of a Poor-Law Union, 

 in the parish of Bolton and hundred of Salford, is situated on the 

 banks of the river Croal, in 53 35' N. lat., 2 37' W. long. ; 11 miles 

 N.W. from Manchester, 197 miles N.W. by N. from London by road, 

 and 198 miles by the North- Western railway via Trent Valley : the 

 population of the municipal and parliamentary borough which are 

 co-extensive was 61,171 in 1851. Bolton is governed by 12 aldermen 

 and 36 councillors, one of whom is mayor ; and returns two members 

 to the Imperial Parliament. The living is a vicarage in the arch- 

 deaconry and diocese of Manchester. Bolton Poor-Law Union 

 contains 26 parishes and townships, with an area of 43,829 acres, and 

 a population in 1851 of 114,712. 



The name of Bolton is involved in obscurity, though its affix of 

 le Moors evidently points to a Norman origin. The manor was 

 successively owned by the families of Merscheya, Blunderville, Ferrers, 

 and Pilkington. In the reign of Henry VII., the Earl of Derby 

 became possessed of nearly all the land in the town of Bolton, 

 which he held until part of it was confiscated during the Common- 

 wealth. After several changes the manorial rights have become 

 divided among several families, of whom the Earls of Derby and 

 Bradford are the chief. 



1 hiring the long strife between the Royalists and the Parliamentarians 

 Bolton was garrisoned by the latter, and remained in their possession 

 till 1644. Prince Rupert and the Earl of Derby attempted to take 

 the town by storm, and after a first repulse, the Earl of Derby having 

 collected has tenantry and levied new troops returned to the attack. 

 and succeeded in dislodging the parliamentary forces, and obtaining 

 possession of the town. It was soon after again surrendered to the 

 Parliament ; and after the battle of Worcester, the Earl of Derby 

 being taken prisoner was condemned by a military tribunal at 

 Chester, and sent under an escort to Bolton, where he was beheaded 

 October 15th, 1651. 



Bolton was formerly famous for its manufactures. Leland speaks 

 of it as having a market for cottons and coarse yarns. The making 

 of woollens appears to have been introduced by some Flemish clothiers 

 who came over in the 14th century. Other branches of trade were 

 introduced by the French refugee manufacturers, who were attracted 

 by the prosperity of the neighbourhood ; and the manufacture of 

 cotton-cloth was improved, and in many of its kinds originated, by 

 some emigrant weavers who came from the palatinate of the Rhine. 

 The improvements in the machinery for spinning cotton gave an 

 impetus to the trade, which has been gradually increasing ever since. 

 Almost the first invention of importance was a machine which com- 

 bined the principles of the spinning-jenny and the water-frame, and 

 was called a ' mule,' by its inventor, Samuel Crompton, who lived at 

 ' Hall in the Wood,' near Bolton, and who had to struggle for an 

 existence, while his invention was enriching others. In the meantime 

 Sir Richard Arkwright, another native of Bolton, who had risen from 

 a very obscure condition, had established large factories in Derby- 

 shire, where he carried the cotton machinery to the greatest perfection. 

 The opposition made by the labouring classes in Bolton to the 

 improvements in machinery has, at various times, driven the most 

 lucrative branches of employment from that town to other places. 

 The introduction of the mule and of the power-loom was not 

 accomplished until they had enriched other communities for some 

 time. After a while cotton-factories, filled with machinery upon the 

 best principle, began to rise up in various parts of the town. Foundries 

 and machine manufactories followed them, and a great extension 

 was immediately given to the trading interests of the place. 



The two portions of which the borough of Bolton consists are 

 separated by a small river called the Croal or Crole, which rises at 

 Red Miss in the hamlet of Lostock, and runs due west into the 

 Irwell, dividing in its course Great and Little Bolton ; the south side of 

 it being the township of Great Bolton, and the north side the chapelry 

 of Little Bolton. Though an ancient town, the streets of Bolton are 

 wide and straight, and the houses are generally well built. The roads 

 leading to and from the town in every direction are kept in good 

 condition, and the principal entrances are good. The revenues derived 

 from the rents of the inclosed portions of Bolton Moor property are 

 now made available for the general improvement of the town. 



Difficulties as to jurisdiction have occasionally occurred between 

 the governing authorities of Great and Little Bolton. An Act of 

 Parliament passed in 1850 defines the rights and liabilities of each 

 body, and provides for the execution of several necessary improve- 

 ments in the town. The town is lighted with gas. 



The charter of municipal incorporation was obtained in 1838. 

 The superintendent of police prepares annually a valuable statistical 

 table relating to the social and mercantile progress of the town. 

 The municipal revenue of the borough in 1849 amounted to about 



Among the places of worship in Bolton, the chief is the large 

 parish church dedicated to St. Peter, which is of ancient date ; it 

 has a low tower, but has few pretensions to architectural beauty. 

 The largest church in Little Bolton is St. George's, a brick building 

 with a tower and a peal of bells. There are six other churches and 

 chapels of the Establishment. Emmanuel church, built in 1838 at 

 a cost of 2200/., originated in a desire on the part of the parishioners 



