462 



ELFORD ELLISTON. 



among the diluvial deposits of the counties of Lan- 

 cashire, Cheshire, and north Shropshire, and on Moel 

 Try fane mountain near the Menai Straits, at an 

 altitude of 1392 feet above the level of the sea. 

 Mr Smith, Jordanhill, has also discovered recent 

 marine shells at various elevations on the Frith of 

 Clyde, among which are found several living genera, 

 hut not now inhabitants of the Clyde. Appear- 

 ances of elevated sea beaches are also observable 

 in the east coast of Scotland, about D unbar and 

 other parts of East and Mid Lothian. In the north 

 of Scotland also the same appearunces are visible 

 on the Morayshire coast, bordering the Moray Frith, 

 where there are several caves and isolated rocks, 

 which have evidently owed their excavations to 

 the action of the sea, but which are now elevated 

 beyond the reach of the highest tides ; recent marine 

 shells are also there found on raised beaches, and a 

 longitudinal rent or fraction of this sandstone, which 

 had evidently occurred long after its original con- 

 solidation, can be traced extending for miles along 

 this coast. 



ELFORD, SIR WILLIAM, bart., cf Bickham 

 near Plymouth, F.R.S. and F.L.S., late recorder 

 and M.P. for Plymouth, and lieutenant-colonel of 

 the South Devon militia, was descended from an 

 ancient Devonshire family, and was the elder son 

 of the Rev. Lancelot Elford, vicar of Plympton, 

 by Grace, daughter of Alexander Wills, of Rings- 

 bridge, Esq. After acting for some time as major 

 of the South Devon militia, he became first lieu- 

 tenant-colonel in 1796. In the same year he was 

 returned to parliament for the borough of Ply- 

 mouth, of which he was previously recorder. He 

 supported the policy of Mr Pitt ; and on the 14th 

 of Nov. 1800 he received a patent of baronetcy. 

 At the general election of 1802 he was rechosen 

 for Plymouth without opposition ; but in 1806 was 

 defeated by Sir C. M. Pole, bart. He died Nov. 

 30, 1838. Sir William was a skilful amateur 

 painter, and there was scarcely an exhibition of the 

 royal academy for a long series of years, without a 

 contribution from his easel. His subjects were 

 usually landscapes. He was also attached to scien- 

 tific inquiries. 



ELGIN, (a.) The cathedral of Elgin is situated 

 at the eastern extremity of the town, and not in 

 the centre of the burgh, as stated in some im- 

 pressions of the Encyclopedia. It was dismantled 

 of its lead by the earl of Murray, regent of Scot- 

 land, in order to replenish his exhausted coffers. 

 Agreeable to the mandate of the regent, the Elgin 

 and Aberdeen cathedrals were unroofed, and the 

 lead was shipped at the latter place for Holland ; 

 but scarcely had the vessel left the harbour than 

 she sunk, and was, with her crew and cargo, wholly 

 lost. The Elgin cathedral thus uncovered was 

 never repaired, owing, no doubt, to the progress 

 which the doctrines of the reformation had by this 

 time made ; and being thus exposed to the ele- 

 ments, the wooden part of the great tower gradu- 

 ally gave way, and on Easter Sunday morning, 

 1711, it entirely fell to the ground. In order, as 

 far as possible, to prevent the cathedral from un- 

 dergoing further dilapidation, the barons of ex- 

 chequer some years since granted a sum of 900 

 to keep it in repair. An ascent to the top of the 

 two largest steeples, by means of interior stairs, 

 which could not formerly be ascended, was then 

 rendered easy; by which means the visitor can 

 command one of the most extensive and richest 

 prospects in Scotland. 



The diocese of Moray, of which this splendid 

 building was the cathedral church, was one of very 

 great extent. It comprised the counties of Elgin, 

 or Moray, and Nairn, and the greatest part of the 

 counties of Banff and Inverness, and had no fewer 

 than fifty-six pastoral charges belonging to it. The 

 last bishop of the diocese was Patrick Hepburn, 

 known in Scottish history as the ecclesiastic who 

 was fined for receiving into his house the inter- 

 communed earl of Bothwell. 



The cathedral is surrounded byaburying-ground, 

 one of the largest churchyards perhaps in Great 

 Britain: in it are interred the remains of many 

 distinguished persons, including several of the kings 

 of Scotland. 



ELLISTON, ROBERT WILLIAM, an eminent 

 performer in the higher walks of comedy, was born 

 in London, April 7, 1774. His father, a watch- 

 maker, was the youngest son of an eminent farmer 

 at Gidgrave, near Orford, in Suffolk, and brother 

 to the Rev. William Elliston, D. D. master of 

 Sidney-Sussex college, Cambridge. At nine years 

 of age young Elliston was placed at St Paul's 

 school, where, it is said, his ambition for scenic 

 celebrity was first excited by the applause he re- 

 ceived at the school speeches in 1790, on deliver- 

 ing an English thesis. He is remembered, about 

 the same period, to have represented Pierre, in 

 " Venice Preserved," at some private performances 

 at the Lyceum; and he shortly after abruptly quit- 

 ted school (at the time he was the fourth boy) 

 without the knowledge of his friends. He 

 wandered to Bath, where he found an opportunity 

 of making his theatrical essay, in the humble part 

 of Tressel, in "Richard the Third," April 21, 

 1791. Although this performance was very suc- 

 cessful, the manager was not, able to offer him a 

 permanent engagement: he obtained, however, a 

 letter of recommendation to Tate Wilkinson, at 

 York, who immediately engaged him. The princi- 

 pal characters in Wilkinson's company being en- 

 tirely pre-occupied, the truant in a short time be- 

 came weary of his situation, and wrote to his uncle 

 a letter supplicating for forgiveness. He was al- 

 lowed to return to his family, but could not be 

 persuaded to relinquish his taste for the stage. In 

 1793 he appeared a second time at Bath, in the 

 character of Romeo : and during the season he con- 

 tinued to play a variety of characters in tragedy, 

 comedy, opera, or pantomine. In 1796 be carried 

 off from Bath Miss Rundall, a teacher of dancing ; 

 and soon after their marriage in London made bis 

 first bow to a London audience at the Haymarket 

 June 24, of that year, in the very opposite charac- 

 ters of Octavian in " The Mountaineers," and Va- 

 pour in " My Grandmother." From the Haymar- 

 ket Mr Elliston was engaged to perform for a 

 limited number of nights at Covent Garden ; but, 

 owing to some disagreement with Mr Harris, he 

 again joined the Haymarket corps; and on Mr Col- 

 man's new arrangement in 1803, he became not only 

 his principal performer, but also his acting manager. 

 In the succeeding year, when John Kemble quitted 

 Drury Lane, Mr Elliston was engaged to supply his 

 placed : after the theatre was burnt, when the com- 

 pany performed at the Lyceum, he left it in conse- 

 quence of some quarrel with Thomas Sheridan. 

 He then took the circus, and having given it the 

 name of the Surrey Theatre, commenced perform- 

 ing some of the best plays of Shakspeare, and 

 some operas, having so far altered them as to bring 

 them within the meaning of the license ; a practice 



