FLINTSHIRE. 



FLOK1 



elaborately wrought tombstone*. Numerou iut*-rr*t are 



in UM> neighbourhood. On the minunit of m hill called Co]i'r I.mi u 

 an cxu-nnive tumulus formed of limestone, and covering a snsce 

 Marly an acre in extent From the hill it obtained a fine new of the 

 Mtuarie* of the Dee and the Mersey, a* well as inland. On the top 

 of Axtou Mountain Hood formerly a fortreu called Costell Edwin. 

 A'orHtop, 4 inilea N. from Mold, population of the township 7 19, oeeu- 

 pie* a pleasant site in a fertile district, and liai in it* vicinity many 

 oul family mansions. The church in in the perpendicular style, 

 with a lofty tower. Northop it the mother church of Flint, from 

 which it ii about 4 mile* distant 1'kyl, on the nhore of the Atlantic, 

 near the mouth of the river Clwyd, 22 miles N.W. from Mold : popu- 

 lation of the eccleaiastical district, 1563. Rhyl bus risen into pome 

 importance as a watering-place ; and the usual convenience* have 

 been provided for summer visitors. There are numerous lodging- 

 house*, bathing-machines, hot and cold baths supplied with sea-water, 

 news-rooms, bowling-green, Ac., at Rhyl. There are here a new 

 district church, and chapels for Independent* and other Dissenters. 

 Steamers ply regularly between Rhyl and Liverpool, and occasionally 

 to Bangor and Beanmarii. The Chester and Holyhead railway has a 

 station at Rhyl. 



Ittritiotu for Frclrtiattiral and Lrgal Purpota. The county of 

 Flint is in the diocese and archdeaconry of St Asaph, and in the 

 ecclesiastical province of Canterbury. It contains 32 parishes or 

 parochial chapelrie*. According to the ' Census of Religious Worship,' 

 taken in 1851, it appears that in the two registration districts of Holy- 

 well and St Asaph (population, 66,335), there were then 215 places of 

 worship, of which 110 belonged to various sections of Methodists, 41 

 to the Episcopal Church, 34 to Independents, 21 to Baptists, and 9 to 

 minor bodies. The total number of sittings provided was 53,865. 

 The county is divided by the Poor-Law Commissioners into three 

 unions : St Asaph, Hawarden, and Holywell, which include 43 parishes 

 and townships, with an area of 187,971 acres, and a population in 

 1851 of 76,529 ; but the boundaries of the unions extend beyond those 

 of the county. Flintshire is included in the North Wales and Chester 

 circuit ; the assizes and quarter sessions are held at Mold ; but the 

 county jail is at Flint, the former county town. County courts are 

 held at Holywell, Mold, and St Asaph. To the Imperial Parliament 

 two members are returned from Flintshire, namely, one for the 

 county, and one for Flint and the contributory boroughs. 



Ilitlory and Antiguitiet. Flintshire, with the rest of North Wales, 

 was comprehended in the territory of the Ordovices, except those 

 parts eastward of the Dee, which may be considered as having 

 belonged to the Cornavii, who occupied the present county of Chester 

 and much of the midland part of England. In the Roman division of 

 Britain the Ordovices were comprehended in the district of Britannia 

 Secunda ; the Cornavii in that of Flavin Croariensis. Two Roman 

 stations are by antiquaries fixed in or closely upon the borders of this 

 county, Vane or Vans, at or near Bodfari (in the latter part of which 

 name the Roman designation may be traced), and Bovium, at or near 

 Bangor on the Dee. There seems reason to suppose that the Romans 

 bad post* at or near Flint, Mold, Caergwrle, and Caerwys. It is pro- 

 bable that they worked the lead-mines of the neighbourhood, and that 

 the post* were established with the view of protecting or carrying ou 

 that branch of industry. 



In the Saxon invasion Flintshire suffered. At Banchor, or BANGOH 

 (the Roman Bovium) was a vast monastery. The great dyke which 

 Ofla, king of Mercia, carried along the frontier of his own dominion 

 and that of the Welsh, may yet be traced to the hills which skirt tilt- 

 valley of the Clwyd, running across the south-western part of Flint- 

 shire. The greater part of the county was on the Mercian side of the 

 dyke. Wat's Dyke, another ancient rampart, is also to be traced 

 running through a considerable part of the county. The territory 

 between the two is said to have been neutral. About a year after 

 Ofla's death (795), a fierce battle was fought within the border of the 

 county in the marshes between RhuddUn and the sea, between the 

 Briton, or Welsh, snd the Saxons : the Welsh were defeated with 

 dreadful slaughter, and lost their king, Caradoc : a plaintive Welsh 

 air, 'Morfa RhuddUn,' preserves the memory of this disastrous day 

 Immediately after the capture of Chester by Egbert of Wenex, Flint- 

 shire was overrun by the Saxon*, who gave new names to the towns, 



Jtages, and hamlets, and many Saxon* settled in the county. It 

 appear* however to have come again under the power of the Welsh 

 I*" 1 "f" ravaged in the reign of Edward the Confesror by the 

 Hnrold : it was re-conquered from the Welsh by Robert 

 da Rothejand (Rhuddlan). nep h*w of Hugh Lupus, earl of Chester, 

 who re-fortified Rhuddlan Castle. Many conteat, took place before 

 the WUh wen subdued : Flintshire especially continued to be debate- 

 able ground, and was the frequent scene of petty hostilities. In 1277 

 hdward I., who bad determined on the final subjugation of Wale., 

 rebuilt Flint Castle, and strengthened that of Rhuddlan, and prepared, 



' 



, , 



by making good road*, for the advance of hi* troops. In I'j' J th,, 

 Weld, rrincts, Llewehm and hi* brother David, row in arm*. David 

 stormed Hawarden Castle, and, in conjunction with his brother 

 inverted Flint and Rhuddlan, the only places left to the English in 

 the county : the former surrendered, and the latter was hard pressed. 

 The advance of the English under Edward changed the face of affair* 

 Caergwrle was taken by them, the siege of Rhuddlan raised, and the 



wsr carried westward into Caernarvonshire. Flintshire appears to 

 have been constituted a county in the time of Edward I. ; it was part 

 of the earldom of Cheater, and long continued to be under the juris- 

 diction of the chief justice of Chester. The county and the borough 

 uf Flint, with it* contributories, received the privilege of scinling 

 representative* to Parliament in the reign of Henry VIII. In the 

 civil war of Charles I. this county was the scene of contest Hawarden 

 Castle, Flint Castle, and RhuddUn Castle were taken and retaken l<y 

 the Parliamentarians and Royalist*. All these castle* were ordered 

 by the Parliament to be dismantled. 



Among the remains of past age* the castle* are the principal : those 

 of Flint, Mold, Caegwrle, Rhuddlan, and Hawarden are noticed clue- 

 where ; the others are Ewloe and Basingwerk. Ewloe consists of two 

 part*, an oblong tower, rounded at the side and guarded on the 

 accessible place* by a strong wall at some di-tance from it ; and an 

 oblong yard, at one end of which are the remains of a circular tower. 

 The only vestiges of Basingwerk Castle appear to be the foundation 

 of a wall on the verge of Ofia's Dyke, in the parish of Holywell. 



Of the ancient religious edifices the principal are the cathedral of 

 ST. ASAPII ; the churches of MOLD and Northop, near Flint ; the 

 Cistercian abbey of Basingwerk, and the chapel over the celebrated 

 spring at HOLTWELL. Basingwerk Abbey is of uncertain foundation. 

 Henry II. established here a house of Knights Templars. The remains 

 consist of the refectory, the chapel of the Knight* Templars, and 

 some remains of offices. The refectory is almost entire ; the Tem- 

 plars' chapel is spacious, with long narrow and pointed windows, and 

 slender and elegant pilasters between them on the inside. The 

 architecture is generally in the early English style. 



In 1852 the county possessed four savings banks, at St Asaph, 

 Holywell, Maylor, and Mold. The amount owing to depositor! on 

 20th November 1852 was 98,507i 10.. lOrf. 



FLORENCE, Department of. [hum.] 



FLORENCE (Fimze, Piorema), the capital of the grand duchy of 

 Tuscany, nr.d an archbishop's see, is situated in the valley of the 

 Arno, which river divides it iuto two unequal parts, the larger or 

 original city being on the right or northern bank. Its shape i* a 

 pentagon about six miles in circuit; it U inclosed by walls and ha* 

 eight gates, six of which open to high roads leading to Arezzo, Siena, 

 Pisa, Pistoja, Bologna, and to the Vallombrosn and the Casentiuo. 

 On the north and north-west a fine plain a few miles in breadth is 

 interposed between the town and the Apennines, which rise to the 

 height of more than 3000 feet above the plain, and the upper ridge 

 of which has a naked and barren appearance. To the north-east the 

 hill of Fiesole, covered with gardens and country-houses, almost 

 touches the city walls. That port of the town which is south of the 

 Arno runs up the declivity of a rather steep hill, which is partly 

 inclosed within the walls; the gardens of Boboli and the fort of 

 Belvedere crown the higher grounds within the iuclosure. Fi\v 

 bridge* over the Arno (one a suspension-bridge, erected in 1844) 

 connect the two parts of the city ; the handsomest of .the other four 

 is the Ponte Santa Triuita, which is adorned with marble statues, and 

 the middle arch of which is 00 feet in span. In the central or most 

 ancient part of Florence (for the town has been repeatedly Mil. 

 the actual line of walls dating from the 14th century), which lies 

 chiefly between the cathedral, the old market, the timn palace, and 

 the river, the streets are mostly narrow and irregular, and many of 

 the houses have a mean or dilapidated appearance, though here and 

 there are fine churches and massive square stone palaces which look 

 like fortresses, and were partly intended as such during the civil 

 contentions of the commonwealth. But the streets which lead from 

 this central part to the present gates, and which from their more 

 recent date are still called Borghi, or suburb*, ore laid out on a 

 regular plan ; the outer part of the town also is handsomely built, 

 the houses being interspersed with gardens, especially in the neighbour- 

 hood of the city walls. The moat remarkable structures in Florence 

 are: 1. The Duomo, or Cathedral of Santa-Maria-del-Fiore, which 

 was begun at the end of the 18th century by Arnolfo di Lapo, was 

 continued by Giotto and other successive architects, until Brunelleschi 

 completed it in the 15th century by raising the noble cupola (384 feet 

 high), which excited the admiration of Michel Augelo. This magni- 

 ficent building is surrounded by an open place ; on one side of it rises 

 a detached square tower or belfry 266 feet high, and in front of it is the 

 baptistery of St John, an octagon chapel rich with sculptures and 

 mosaics. The whole group of buildings is cosed in marble, party- 

 coloured black and white. 2. II Palazzo Vecchio, or town-house, 

 which was the seat of the government of the Florentine republic, a 

 square massive-looking structure surmounted by a tower 260 feet 

 high, from which the great bell used to toll to assemble the citizens 

 or call them to arms. The square in front is adorned with a noble 

 fountain and with marble and bronze statues. 3. Between the Palazzo 

 Vecchio and the Arno is the handsome building called OU Ufficii, with 

 arcades forming three aides of an oblong court 400 feet in length, 

 raised by the Grand Duke Cosmo I. The first story is occupied by 

 the archives, the treasury, other public offices, and the Magliabecchi 

 library, which contains 150,000 printed volumes and 12,000 manu- 

 scripts. The second story contains the celebrated galleria, or museum, 

 formed by the Medici, which is one of the richest existing collection* 

 in sculptures, medals, cameos, bronzes, paintings, and other works of 



