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BUCKHAVEN, in G.-isr<iphy, a villajre on the coall of 

 Fifeftiirc. in the paridi of Wemyfi, in Scotland. Tliij place 

 is wholly inhabited by perfons cnpgcd in tlie filherics, a« 

 this part ot the coall is much frequented by haddocks. 

 About 50 )nn back thcfe filh were caught here in fuch 

 abundance, that ihev were fold at the rates of fixpence and 

 ten-pence per hrindred. The firft inhabitants of tins place 

 arc laid to have been fome Dutch fifliermen, whofe vclTcl was 

 llranded here in the reiijn of Philip II. In the year 1791, 

 the village contained 601 inhabitants. Sinclair's Staliftical 

 Account of Scotland. 



bUCKIE, a conliderable fifhing village in the panfh of 

 Rathven, county of Bamff, Scotland. Here is a toltrable 

 harbour, to wlucU belong 6 floops, 14 boats, and i yawl. 

 It is feated at the mouth of a river of the fame name, and 

 contained, in 179;, 733 inhabitants. The property of the 

 place belong* about equally to the duke of Gordon and the 

 honourable baron Gordon. Sinclair's Statiftical Account of 

 Scotland. 



BUCKING, among Miners. See Ori:. 

 Bucking, an operation performed on linen cloth, cotton, 

 and yam, to render them fomewhat white, by working them 

 with he made of a(hes. Bucking of cloth is the firft ilep or 

 degree of whitening it. See Bleaching. 



I'o drive a buck of yani, they firft cover the bottom of 

 the bucking-tub with fine alhes of the afli-tree, then fprcad 

 the yarn thereon, then cover it again with aflies, and thus 

 jlratum fuper jlratum, till the yarn is all in ; when they cover 

 the whole with a bucking-cloth, and lay on it more afties, 

 and pour in warm water, till the tub be full, and let it ftand 

 all night. Next morning they let the lye run inte another 

 veffcl, and, as it waikes, fill up the tub with warm water from 

 a kettle, and, as this waftes, fill it up with the lye that runs 

 from the bucking tub, ftill obferving to make the lye hotter 

 and hotter, till it boils. Thus are both the tub and kettle 

 to be fupplied for at leaft four hours, which is called driving 

 a buck of yarn. 



BUCKINGHAM, in Geography, the county town of 

 Buckinghamfhirc, England, appears to be a place of confider- 

 able antiquity, and has been the fcene of fome particular 

 hiftorical events. According to bilhop Kennet, it was at 

 or near this town that the Roman general, Aulas Plautius, 

 furprifed and routed the Britons, under the command of 

 CaraAacus and Togodumnus, the fons of Cunobcline. In 

 the early Saxon times, it became celebrated as the burial- 

 place of the infant faint Rumbald, who was born at King's 

 Sutton in Northamptonlhire, and is reported, by catholic 

 fabulifts, to have lived but three days, during which period 

 he profcfTcd himfelf a Chriftian, and wrought many miracles. 

 According to the Saxon Chronicle, Edward the Elder re- 

 fided here in the year 918, and built two forts to repel the 

 incurfions of the Danes. The town was ravaged by the 

 Danifti foldiers in 941, and again in loio, when, having 

 plundered the adjacent country, they retreated hither to fe- 

 cure their fpoils. At the time of the Norman conqueft, 

 Buckingham is ftated to be the only borough in the county; 

 yet it was then but an inconfiderable place. In the reign of 

 Edward III. iti importance was increafed by that monarch 

 making it a mart for wool ; but the trade being removed to 

 Calais, it again declined ; and in the 27th of Henry VIII. 

 Buckingham was in the lift of decayed cities and towns 

 which were relieved by aft of parliament. The removal of 

 the aflizee to Aylclbury ftill lefltned the confequence of 

 Buckingham; and in 1 7 24, a dreadful fire completed its 

 mitfortunes, when, out of 387 houfcs, 138 were confuraed, 



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befides outhoufes and manufa£lories. The damage was 

 cftimated at 40,000!. Since that period the trade has in a 

 fmall degree revived, part of the county bufintfs being re- 

 ftored, and the aflizes fixed here by aft of parliament in 

 1-58, in which year a gaol was erefted. The town-hall is 

 a large brick building, furmounted by a gilt fwan, the arms 

 of the borough. But the molt confpicuous and principal 

 ornament of the town is the church, which ftands on the 

 fuminit of an artificial mount, which was anciently occupied 

 by a caftle. This ftately fabric was begun in 1777, and 

 completed in 4 years, at the cxpence of about 7000 1. ; the 

 greater part of which was contributed by the late earl 

 Temple. The church is built of ilone, and has a liandlbme 

 fquare tower attached to its weft end, ornamented with pin- 

 nacles, embrafures, and a light tapering fpire, which rifes to 

 the height of 150 feet from the ground. The interior 

 is conftrufted on the fame plan as Portlanc pel in Lon- 

 don. A large gallery, fupported by Dorie ;jlumns, pro- 

 jefts from three of its fides. From the gallery rife twelve 

 more columns of the Ionic order, fuftaining a richly decorated 

 ceiling. The corporation coiififts of a bailiff and twelve 

 burcjcffes, in whom is vefted the right of ekflion for mem- 

 bers of parliament. It does not appear that this town fent 

 members previous to .36 Hen. VIII. though three perfons 

 were fent, as early as j i Edward III. to a council of trade 

 held by that monarch at Weftminfter. A free-fchool was 

 founded here, about 1540, by Ifabel Denton ; the endow- 

 ment of which has been increafed by fuccefiive donations : 

 and a Sunday fchool has been lately eftablifhtd for the 

 children of the poor. The extent of the town and parilh is 

 computed at 3800 acres. The houfes, which are chiefly 

 brick, and irregularly built, are eftiinated at 545, and the 

 inhabitants at 2605, who are divided into feveral religious 

 fefts ; the prefbyterians, quakers, and methodifts have each 

 a place of worftiip. Lace-making is carried on to a con- 

 fiderable extent ; for as it requires but little ingenuity, and 

 cheap materials, there is fcarctly a female who is not provided 

 with a lace-pillow and its neceffary implements. The profits 

 of the bufinefs depend on the facility of execution ; and the 

 daily earnings are therefore different. Some women can 

 gain from eighteen-pence to two fhillings a day ; but others 

 not more than one ftiilling. Their receipts have lately ex- 

 perienced a confiderable drawback, from the eftablifhment of 

 a manufaftory at Nottingham, where lace is made by 

 machinery, and being quicker executed, is retailed at a lower 

 price ; but its quality is not fo good as that made by 

 hand. Buckingham is Ctuatcd 57 miles N. W. from Lon- 

 don. It has a market on Saturdays, and feven annual fairs. 

 About two miles north of Buckingham are the magnificent 

 manfion and celebrated gardens of Stowe, the chief orna- 

 ment of the county, and principal feat of George Grenville 

 Nugent Temple, marquis of Buckingham. Domefday book 

 contains the earlieft account of this manor, and ftates, that in 

 the reign of Edward the ConfefTor its value was 60s. and 

 that it was held by Robert d'Oyly and Roger Ivory of the 

 bifhop of Baieux. The prefent manfion is a large handfome 

 ftrufture, feated on a high fpot of ground, which flopes, in 

 a foutheriy direftion, to a fine lake of water. The interior 

 of this houfe is furnilhed in the moft elegant ftyle, and con- 

 tains a large coUeftion of piftures, and a very fpacious library 

 filled with choice books, numerous manufcripts, &c. The 

 pleafure grounds, which confift of about 400 acres, are orna- 

 mented with numerous plantations, temples, &c. and are 

 divcrfified with various inequalities of g^ouncj. Beauties of 

 England and Wales, vol.i. " A Defcription of the Houfe 

 and Gardens at Stowe," 8vo, 1797. 



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