﻿LEICESTERSHIRE. 



LEININQEN. 



4M 



Tripootium, oa Um Atoo, umt CUthorpa^ • Tillage loath of Luttor- 

 worth. Of Umm atatiafii howarrar oolj Rata itrioUy balonn to this 

 ooonty. Veoona and Tripontiam an jiut on ths border ; tba othan 

 Ua b<7oad it Rata, ai it ii tarmad in the Itinerariea of Antoniniia, 

 and R^^a and Ratimrian, aeeording to RiohwU of Cirenoeatar, waa 

 on tha iiu of tha aodan Laieaator. Many taaaaUtad pareiiMnta, 

 eoina, nma, and domaitie and military utaneiU have baan diaoorarad 

 at different timaa. A Roman mil»atooe waa diaoorarad in 1771, 

 about two mile* north from the town, on the aide of the Foaae road : 

 it i* crlindrical like the ahafl of a column with a roughly carved 

 inacription, showing it to have been aet up in the time of the emperor 

 Hadrian. It ia now in the Muaeum at Leiceatar. South of Laiceatar 

 town are two remarkable parallel embankmenta, called the 'Raw 

 Dykea,' extending about three fiirlonga in length, and about 16 yarda 

 apart. There do not appear to be any remains of Venonn, which 

 probably atood at the intereeetion of Watling-atreet and the Foaae 

 Way; but Camden reporta that great foundationa of aquare atooaa 

 had been diaoovered under ground, and, since his time, coins have 

 been (bund here. There are trsoea of Tripontinm near Catthorpe. 

 llMre are remains or traces of encampmenta, probably Roman, at 

 four or fire places in the county. Teaselated pavements have been 

 found at Rothley and Waulip. At Wanlip were found also coins and 

 broken ums. 



The Roman road Watlingstreet forma the boundary between this 

 county and Warwickshire from Tripontium, or Catthorpe, to the 

 ncd^bourfaood of Manduessedum (Maiieester, near Atherstone). The 

 Foaae Way, another ancient road, which intersecta Watling-street at 

 Venona (High Cross), runs in a direct line north-east to Rata (Lei- 

 cester) ; and thence north-north-east to Vemometum, near Willoughby, 

 just within the border of Nottinghamshire. The Via Devana enters 

 the county on the south-east, oroasing the Welland near Medboume, 

 and runs north-west by Rata (Leicester) and Aahby into Derbyahire. 

 Some remains of the Foaae Way and Via Devana may be traced. 



Duriog the Heptarchy, Leioeatershire was included in the kingdom 

 of Hercia. In the year 680, or according to others 737, Leicester was 

 made the seat of a bishopric transferred thither from Sidnaceaster. 

 The diocese was afterwards united to the previously existing see of 

 Dorchester (in Oxfordshire). 



By the treaty between Alfred and Outhrun the Dane (878 or 880), 

 Laiaestershire waa included in the Danelagh, or Danish territory ; and 

 Leiesater became one of the great Danixb burghs. It waa recovered 

 by Ethd6eda, governess of Mercia, during the reign of Edward the 

 Elder. 



Upon the Norman conquest, Leicestershire was divided between 

 the followers and relatives of the Conqueror. Several of these or 

 their descendants, to secure the territory thus acquired, erected castles 

 or repaired older ones at Ashby-de-la-Zouch, Ijeicester, Mount Sorrel, 

 Shilton, Whitwick, Oroby, Hinckley, Douington, Melton Mowbray, 

 Ravenston, Thorpe, Sauvey, and Belvoir. Of these ca-itles, except 

 that at Ashby, there are few remains. The present Belvoir Castle is 

 a more modem edifice, erected or reatored by the first Ewl of Rut- 

 land, in the end of the 15th or beginning of the 16tb century. Most 

 of the other castles are mentioned elsewhere. Of Oroby (near Leices- 

 ter) the earth-works and a few fragments of the masonry remain. 



Upon the aooession of William Rufus, Leicestershire was ravaged 

 by Hugh Qrentemaisnell, who supported the cause of Robert, duke 

 of Normandy. It was on this occasion that Leicester Castle was 

 taken by William Rufus. The county was again the scene of contest 

 in the civil troubles of the reigns of John and Henry III. The civil 

 war of the Roees was closed by the defeat and death of Richard III. 

 at Bosworth Field in this county, 1485. 



In the civil war of Charles I. the men of Leicestershire seem gener- 

 ally to have taken the side of the Parliament. Several severe skirmishes 

 took place in the county in 1643-45. On the 81st of May 1645 the 

 king took Leicester by storm ; the garrison consisted of about 460 

 soWers and 500 to 600 townsmen ; uie reaistance was obstinate but 

 unavailing. Thebesiegingarmy waa estimated at 4000. The triumph 

 of the king was short : the decisive battle of Naaeby in Northamp- 

 tonshire, was won by the Parliament a fortnight after the capture of 

 Latoaater ; and Leicester was retaken four days after. In his aubse- 

 qoaot maiohea the king came once or twice to Belvoir and Ashby. 

 BalToir was taken by storm in November the same year, and the 

 garrison at Ashby surrendered in the February following. 



Selifiota Wonhip and BdmetUion. — According to the Returns of the 

 Census of 1 85 1 , it appears that there were then in the county 655 places 

 of worship, of which 289 belonged to the Church of England, 201 to 

 six aaetiona of Methodista, 86 to Baptists, 41 to Independents, 12 to 

 Bomaa Oatbolica, 7 to Mormons, 8 to Qoaken, and 8 to Unitariana 

 Tba total number of aittings provided waa 169,215. The number of 

 Sundav schoola in tha county was 432, of which 227 belonged to the 

 Choreh of England, 103 to MethodisU, 61 to Baptists, 26 to Indepen- 

 dents, 6 to Roman Catholics, and 8 to Unitarians. The total number 

 of sobolan waa 86,282. The number of day-schools in the county in 

 1861 WM 709, namely, 278 public day-achoola, with 19,392 scholara, 

 and 4S1 private day-schools, with 8862 scholars. The uumbw of 

 eraning^diools for adults was 20, with 784 scholars. There were 14 

 liUttrj and scientific institutions, with 1849 members, and possessing 

 ia tbair libcariaa about 10,000 volumaa. 



Soviiua BoidU— In 1863 ths ooonty poaaeesed 7 savings banks, at 

 Aahby-de-U-ZoDch, Hinckley, Leiceatar, Loughborough, Lutterworth, 

 Market Harborough, and Iblton Mowbray. The total amount owing 

 to depositors on the 20th of November 1863 was 326,256{. 10*. Id. 



LEIOH. [Emxx.] 



LEIOH, Lancashire, a market-town and the seat of a Pooi^Law 

 Union, in the parish of Leigh, is situated in 63° SO' N. Ut., 3* 81' 

 W. long., dutant 13 miles W. by N. from Mancheater, 197 milea N.W. 

 from London by road, and 192f milea by the London and North- 

 Waatem railway. The population of the town of Leigh in 1851 was 

 6206. The living is a vicarage with the caracy of West Leigh 

 annexed in the ar^deaoonry and diooese of Manchester. Leigh Poor- 

 Law Union contains 10 townstiips and chapelries, with an area of 

 24,352 acres, and a population iq 1851 of 32,733. 



The town of Leigh is chiefly dependent on the silk and cotton 

 manufactures. Qlue-works, coal-pits, stone-quarriea, and flour-mills 

 in tha neighbourhood also afford employment The town is lighted 

 with gas. In the tovm-hall, erected in 1840, the petty sessions and 

 the county court are held : the great room is also used for oonoerta 

 and meetings. Leigh pariah church is an ancient edifice of stone^ 

 consisting of nave, ohanoel, and aisles, with a tower. The Wealeyan, 

 Primitive, and Association Methodists, Baptists, and Swedenborgians 

 have plaoea of worship in Leigh. The Free Qrammar school, founded 

 in 1655, has an income from endowment of 24^ 16f. a year, and had 

 70 scholars in 1853. Tbera ara also National and British schools, a 

 Charity school for girls, a Quakers school, and a Roman Catholic 

 school ; a mechanics institute, which in 1851 had 183 members, and 

 1125 volumes in it< library ; and a savings bank. The dLitrict around 

 X>eigh is famous for the production of cheese. Leigh communicatee 

 with Manchester by the Duke of Bridgewater's Canal, and with the 

 Leeds and Liverpool Canal by a branch canal to Wigan. The market- 

 day ia Saturday ; fairs ara held on April 24th and 25th, and on December 

 7th and 8th. 



LEIOHLIN, a bishop's see in the archiepiscopal province of Dublin, 

 in Ireland, comprehends the coimty of Carlow, and extends into the 

 counties of Wicklow, Wexford, Queen's County, and Kilkenny. The 

 chapter conaists of a dean, preceutor, chancellor, treasurer, archdeacon, 

 and four prebendaries. "The number of benefices ia 62. The founder 

 of this diocese was St Laserian, who supported the Roman mode of 

 celebrating Easter at the Synod of Leighlin, a.d. 630. Prior to that 

 time the church of Leighlin had been ruled by an abbot The 

 bishoprics of Leighlin and Ferns were united in 1600, and have been 

 lately incorporated with the see of Ossory under the Church Tempo- 

 ralities Act The income of the united biahopric is 38501. The 

 cathedral ia the parish church of Old Leighlin. [Carlow, County of.] 



LEIGHLIN BRIDGE. [Caklow, County o£] 



LEIOHS, or LEES. [Essex.] 



LEIGHTON BUZZARD, Bedfordshire, a market-town and the seat 

 of a Poor-Law Union in the parish of Leighton Buzzard, is situated in 

 61° 65' N. lat, 0° 39' W. long., distant 20 nules S.S.W. from Bedford, 

 41 miles N.W. from London by road, and 404 miles by the London 

 and North-Western railway. The population of the town of Leighton 

 Buzzard in 1851 was 4465. The living is a vicarage in the archdea- 

 conry of Bedford and diocese of Ely. Leighton Buzzard Poor-Law 

 Union contains 16 parishes and townships, with an area of 37,980 

 acres, and a population in 1851 of 17,141. 



Leighton Buzzard ia a place of considerable antiquity. An ancient 

 market-cross, an elegant erection of the perpendicular style, pentan- 

 gular in form, is in the market-place. The streets are lighted with 

 gas, A town-ball was built in 1851 by Lord Leigh. The pariah 

 church, erected about 1220, was originally early English in style, but 

 it has been much modernised. There ore chapeb for Wealeyan 

 Methodists, Baptists, and Mormons ; a British school, a new school in 

 connection with the church, a savings bank, and several benevolent 

 institutions and charitable foundations. The licigbton Institute, 

 chiefly for the deliveiy of lectures, formed about 6 years ago, has a 

 library connected with it Straw-plat is made in almost every cotta^ 

 in the town. Cattle are extensively raised in the vicinity for sale m 

 the London market A large cattle market ia held weekly on Tuesday : 

 6 fairs are held in the course of the year : the wool fair, in July, is 

 frequented by buyers from the west and north of England. A county 

 court is held in the town. 



LEININOEN, or LINANOE, formerly a county situated between 

 the Lower Palatinate and the bishoprics of Spires and Worms, givca 

 ita name to one of the wealthiest of the mediatised Qerman houses. 

 The principal line obtained in 1779 the dignity of princea of the 

 empire : iu 1803 it lost its possessions on the left bank of the Rhine, 

 which had an area of 250 square milea, with a revenue of 168,000 

 florins, and obtained instead Amorbach, Milteuberg, and several other 

 bailiwicks, the area of which is 620 square miles, with 86,000 inhabit- 

 ants, in 15 towns, 9 market villages, and 171 other villages, producing 

 a revenue of 668,000 florins, which form together the present princi- 

 pality of Leiningen. The principality was mediatised in 1806; 410 

 square milee of it are under Baden, 100 under Bavaria, and 10 under 

 Heaae-Darmstadt The population of the principality is now about 

 107,000. The present Prince Charles is half-brother to the queen of 

 Great Britain. He resides at Amorbach, in the Odenwald, 28 miles 

 west from Wursbui^ and south from Ascbaffenbui^, on the Miidt, 



