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LOUTH. 



LOW COUNTRIES. 



Dhitiw amd Totnu. — The county of Louth ii chiefly in the diooeae 

 of Armagh, with a unall portion in that of Meath. It is divided into 

 idx baronies : — Ardee, Drogheda, Lower and Upper Dnndalk, Ferrard, 

 and Ixmth.- The principal towns are Ddkdalk, Ardkb, and part of 

 DbogBBDa, which are hotioed tinder their leapectiTC titln. The 

 following are some of the other tolrns tnd more important Tillages, 

 with the population of each in 1851 :— 



Carlingford, population 887, a market-town and sea-port on the 

 southern shore of Carlingford Longh, \i\ miles K.N.E. from Dundalk, 

 is a poor and decayed place, chiefly inhabited by fishermen. It con- 

 tains a churdi, a Roman Catholic chapel, a I^byterian meeting- 

 house, National schools, and a district dispensaiy. There is a quay 

 for coasting Teasels, with convenient shelter for fishing-boats. The 

 chief employment is the oyster-fiahery in the bay. A fair is held on 

 October lOlh and on the firrt Saturday in each month. Near the 

 town are the ruins of a castle, said to hare been built by King John, 

 and tboee of a monastery, founded in 1305 by Richard de Burgh, earl 

 of Ulster. CaslU-BtUingkam, population 538, a neat Tillage on the 

 Dublin and Belfast road, 7) miles S. from Dundalk, containa a hand- 

 some church, a Presbyterian meetiug-house, the district dispensary, 

 •ad a loan fund. Linen-WeaviDg is carried on, and there is an exton- 

 •iTe brewery. Fairs are held five times a year. CUgher, population 

 895, an increasing town on the coast, visited in summer for sea-bathing. 

 It is situated near Clogher Head, about 74 miles N.N.E. from Drogh- 

 eda. Ootlon, popuUtion 761, a market- and post-town, on the r««l 

 from Droghada to Ar.lee, about IS miles S. by W. from Dundalk, a 

 well-built place, much improved by the late Lord OrieL The market- 

 house forms three sides of a square. The church was erected in 1S13, 

 at a cost of more than 6000/. There are a handsome glebe-house, 

 and chapels for Roman Catholicn and Methodists. The district 

 dispensary is in the town. A cotton-factory and a bleaching-green, 

 stoeking-maklng, and linen-weaving are the chief sources of employ- 

 ment Fairs are held five times a year. Petty sessions are held in the 

 Tillage. Dunleer, population 605, about 9 miles N. by W. from Drogh- 

 eda, is_ ntuated in a sheltered Talley, through which the White River 

 flows, is a principal coach-station on the road between Drogheda and 

 Dundalk. In the town are an Episcopal church and a chapel for 

 Roman Catholics. Louth, population 585, an ancient town, now a 

 poor decayed place, is situated on the road from Ardee to Castle 

 Blarney, 64 miles ^.W. from Duodalk. It contains a church, a Roman 

 Catholic chapel, two National schools, and a district di8)>en8ary. In 

 the outskirts of the town are the ruins of a priory, erected in 1148. 

 The town was plundered in the 9th century by the Danes. Termon- 

 feckan, population 329, a pleasant Tillage and sea-bathing place, 

 situated at the mouth of the Termonfeckan rivulet, about 17 miles 

 S. by W. from Dundalk, was formerly one of the residences of the 

 archbishops of Armagh, of whom the celebrated Usher last dwelt in 

 the vilUf^ The church, a neat building with a spire, stands on a 

 rising ground OTerlooking the stream. Its chancel is the burial-place 

 of sereral archbishops. The Tillage contains a Roman Catholic chapel, 

 a National school, and a district dispensary. Petty sessions are held 

 here. 



Louth returns three members to the Imperial Parliament, two for the 

 county and one for Dundalk borough. The assizes arc held in Dun- 

 dalk, and quarter sessions there and at Ardee. Petty sessions are 

 held in ten places. The county court house and county jail are at 

 Dundalk. The District Lunatic Asylum, to which the county is 

 entitled to send 23 patients, is at Dublin. The county in6nnary is at 

 Dundalk. At Drogheda is a fever hospital, and there are nine <Uspen- 

 «ari< s in various parts of the county. Savings banks are established 

 at Dundalk, Drogheda, and Ardee ; the amount owing to depositors 

 on November 20th 185S was 70,396{. Os. M. The county is partly 

 within the Military District of Dublin and partly in that of Belfast 

 There are cavalry barracks in Dundalk, and the staff of the county 

 militia is stationed at Dunleer. The police force, consisting of 192 

 men and officers, is distributed over 6 districts, comprising 27 stations, 

 of which the head-quarters are at Dundalk. The coast-guard, which 

 onmbers 60 men and 4 officers, is distributed over 9 stationa In 

 September 1862 there were 78 National schools in operation, attended 

 by 6607 male and 6085 female children. 



Hilerj and AntiquUitt.— htmXh, at the coming of the English, 

 formed a portion of the territory of Orgial or Oriel, by which name 

 it was afterwards distinguished from the more western parts of the 

 territory. Having been conquered by De Courcy between 1179 and 

 1180, Louth was crectwl into a county by King John in 1210. Being 

 at the time accounted a portion of Ulster, it formed part of the grant 

 to De Conro^, and aflCT his time to De Lacey, by whom is was divided 

 HB<M( iofsnor barons. Louth was not considered a portion of l.«in- 

 rt«r ootil the reign of Elisabeth. The forfeitures consequent on the 

 rebellion of 1041, and the ensuing civil wan, extended over nearly 

 the entire county. 



The numerous antiquities which occur throughout Louth Imve been 

 made the subject of a volume entitled 'Louthiana,' published at 

 Dublin in 1768. Earthen mounds and entrenchments are of very 

 freqnent oconrreooa. The moat rmnarkabia in the county is that of 

 Castle Guard at Ardee. The mound and building called Fahs na ain 

 Eighe, or 'the one night's work,' near Dundalk, is a curious combina- 

 tion of the earthen nth with the stone cashioL S'^no circles and 



Other primeval remains are numerous. The most remarkaUa are at 

 Ballirekan and Ballinahatry near Duodalk. At Ballymasoanlaa is • 

 cromlech, the covering stone of which measures 12 feet by 6 feet, u>d 

 weighs upwards of 80 tona Round towers formerly sto>i>d at Louth 

 and Drogheda, and two are still remaining at Dromiakin and Monaa- 

 terboyoe. In the churchyard near the tower at Monasterboyce, stand 

 two beautifully sculptured stone crosses. The larger, called St Boyne'a 

 Croas, is 18 feet high. The arms of these croaaea are inclosed ia 

 circles, and the entire surface of each is covered with rich traoery and 

 allegorical sculpture. The ruius of the abbey of Hellifont, founded 

 in the 17th century, occupy a beautiful site on the bank of the Mattock 

 River, near the Boyne. They consist of a gate-tower, part of a chapel, 

 anil the lower story of an octagonal chapter-bouse. The ornamental 

 part of the doorways and arches of the two latter buildings are formed 

 of blue marble, and have been highly gilt. Of the variou!) feudal 

 buildings throughout the county the chief are the castle of Corliu^ford, 

 erected by King John, Robe's Castle, north-west of Dundalk, and 

 Torfeckau or Termonfeckan Castle. 



LOUVAIN (Loren, Lowen, Leuven), an ancient town in Belgium, 

 in the province of South Brabant, is situated on the Dyle, in 60° 64' 

 N. lat, 4° 39' E. long., 15 miles S.E. from MaUues, 49 miles N.W. 

 from Li&ge, and has about 24,000 inhabitants. It is a first-class statioa 

 on the Brus^els-Liige-Cologne railway. The origin of the town is 

 unknown. Some attribute its foundation to Cauar, and the old castle, 

 a portion of which still remains outside the Malines Oate, is still called 

 Cb&teau de Caisar; it is known however that this w.is built iu 890 

 as a barrier against the Northmen. An earthen rampart, 80 to lOO 

 feet high, within a deep diy fosse, incloses the town on the west and 

 north-west, except where it is cut through by the roads to Malinea 

 and Brussels. The bastions and casemates now in ruins were probably 

 erected by the Spaniards. The ground-plan of the city within the 

 walls is nearly a circle. Louvain was surrounded with walls i;i 1 166, 

 and was for a long time the residence of the dukes of Bral>ant In 

 those times it was the largest, the richest, anil the most commercial 

 city in the country. Its principal trade consisted in wooUeu manu- 

 factures, which are said to have been prosecuted to such an extent at 

 the beginning of the 14th century a% to give employment to 150,000 

 workmen ; but this number appears to be exaggerated. The weaver* 

 in 1382 revolted against the Duke of Brabant, and for a time desolated 

 the province, but were speedily reduced to obedience ; and the ring- 

 leaders being exiled, the greater part of them came to England, 

 where they introduced the manufacture of broadcloth. The English 

 Edward III. reside! for nearly a year iu the castle of Louvain, and 

 the emperor Charles V. was brought up in it The walls of Louvain 

 were nearly seven miles in ciroumfereuce ; they ai-o now partly turned 

 into boulevards. A great part of the space inclosed ia no longer 

 occupied by houses, which have been succeeded by gardens and vine- 

 yards. It is said that the town was nevor taken till 1792, when General 

 Kleber, at the head of a Freuoh revolutionary forci-, made himself 

 master of it 



The manufacture of woollens and lace is now carried on iu Louvain 

 to a small extent There are several breweries in the town, and the 

 beer of Louvain enjoys a high reputation, and has a great sale iu other 

 parts of Belgium. There is also a considerable trade in com, hops, 

 and other sgricultural produce. 



The town is in general not well built, but it contains several fine 

 buildings and numerous masterpieces of art The University of 

 Ix)uvain waa established in 1426 by John, the fourth duke of Brabant, 

 and long enjoyed a high celebrity. In the 16th century it was fre- 

 quented by 6000 students, and was then as now a distinguished school 

 of Catholic theology. There were formerly 43 colleges, of which 20 

 still remain : many of them are Cue buildings. The university was 

 suppressed by the French in 1793, but was restored in 1S17, and is 

 again a flourishing institution with 60 professors and 600 students : it 

 has a botanic garden and zoological and miueralogioal museums. 



The town-h^, which is one of the most beauUful gothic buildings 

 in the world, waa erected in 1448-1469 ; it has been recently restored 

 at the joint expense of the town and the government Every part of 

 the exterior is decorated with delicately-chiselled masonry and 

 sculpture ; the interior contains some good paintingii. The cathedral 

 church of St. Pierre, situated near the towuhail, is one of the finest 

 religious edifices in Belgium. It was founded in 1040, but the present 

 structure dates from 1358. The interior consists of nave, choir, and 

 aisles running all round the building. The rood-screen, separating 

 the nave from the choir, is richly ornamented iu the flamboyant 

 gothic style. The tabernacle of sculptured stone ; the admirably- 

 carved pulpit (representing St Peter standing on a rock, and the con- 

 version of St Paul) ; the font at the west end of the nave ; and the 

 Saintings which adorn the side-chapels (including masterpieces of 

 lemling and Quintin Matsys), are among the attractive decorations of 

 this church. The tower, which fell down iu 1604, is said to have been 

 533 feet high. St Gertrude's church, which was originally the chapel 

 of the dukes of Brabant, is celebrated for its carved oaken staiUs 

 recently restored. 



IX)UVIER3. [EURE.] 



LOUVIGNfi-DU-DESERT. [Illb-et-Vilaine.] 

 LOW COUNTUIE.S, or NETHEHLANDS, a name given to that 

 portion of Northern Europe which is surrounded by Uanover, Prussia 



