ROM 



pofition of their angles. He afierts, which is generally ad- 

 mitted, that every fpecies in the mineral kingdom always 

 takes a polyhedral form, which is regular, conllant, and 

 peculiar to itfelf. Befides the works already mentioned, 

 he publifhed " Caradteres exterieurs des Mineranx," 8vo. 

 1784; and " Metrologie 011 Tables pour lervir a I' Intelli- 

 gence des Poids et des Mefures des Anciens d'apres leur 

 Rapport avec lea Poids et les Mefures de la France," 8vo. 

 1789. This philofopher died at Paris, in 1790. 



Rome, in Geography, a town of Bratil, in the govern- 

 ment of Goyas ; 85 miles E. of Villa Boa. 



Rome, a poll-town of America, in the county of Oneida, 

 and ftatc of New York, fituated on the Mohawk river ; 

 S miles W. of Whiteflown. This town was taken from 

 Stauban, and incorporated in 1796. N. lat. 43 12'. W. 

 long. 75° 30'. 



K.OME du Turn, St., a town of France, in the department 



of the Aveiron, on the Tarn ; 4 miles N. of St. Afrique. 



Rome Scot. 7 c t> r> 



n 71 r See Feter-/Vh<v. 



Rome Peny. ) 



ROMELIA, in Geography. See Romania. 



ROMELSO, a duller of fmall iflands on the welt fide 

 of the gulf of Bothnia. N. lat. 64 55'. E. long. 2 1 '. 



ROMENAY, a town of France, in the department of 

 the Saone and Loire ; 15 miles N.N.E. of Macon. 



ROMENO, a town of the county of Tyrol ; 13 miles 

 S.W. of Bolzano. 



ROMERSBERG, a mountain of Bavaria, in the princi- 

 pality of Aichitatt ; 5 miles W. of Aichflatt. 



ROMERSGEHAG, a town of Germany, in the bi- 

 fhopric of Fulda ; 14 miles S. of Fulda. 



ROMER.STADT, or Romakow, a town of Moravia, 

 in the circle ot Ohmitz, near which are fome iron mines ; 

 20 miles E.N.E. of Olmutz. N. lat. 49 50'. E. long. 



.7 '</• 



ROMESC AMPS, a town of France, in the department 

 of the Oife ; 6 miles N.W. of Grand Villiers. 



ROMETTA, a town of Sicily, in the valley of De- 

 raona ; 5 miles N.W. of Meflina. 



ROMFORD, a market-town and parifh in the liberty 

 of Havering-attc-Bower, county of Eflex, England, is 

 fituated at the diltance of 17 miles S.W. from the county 

 town of Chelmsford, and 12 miles E.N.E. from London. 

 This town is fuppofi d by Stukeley to occupy the fcite of 

 the Roman Ration Durolitum. The fame author conjec- 

 tures that its prefent name is a contraction for Romanford ; 

 and in this opinion he is fupported by Mr. Lethieullier. 

 Lyfons, however, derives it from the Saxon words Rom 

 and Ford, which figuify the Broad-Ford, in alluiion to an 

 ancient padage through a rivulet whicli flows pall the 

 weftern extremity of the town. Romford is lirll mentioned 

 in record in the Red Book of the Exchequer ; where it is 

 laid that, in 1 1 (A, Roger Bigod, duke of Norfolk, held 

 " the wood of Romford by ferjeancy, and payment of five 

 millings a-year." It is next noticed in 1277, at which time 

 the manor formed part of the polldlions of Adam de Cre- 

 tinge. It afterwards pafTed to Thomas de llrothcrton, carl 

 of Norfolk, from whom it defcended by marriage to the 

 Mowbrays, dukes of Norfolk ; but on the death of John, 

 the fourth duke, without male iffue, in 1477, it became 

 ' veiled in .lames, lord Berkeley. Since that period it lias 

 belonged to different families, and is now the property of a 

 gentleman named Newman. 



Romford is governed by a bailiff and wardens, who, 

 though forming no corporation, are empowered by letters 

 patent to hold a weekly court, for the trial of all caufes, 

 whether civil or criminal, high treafon not excepted. In 



Vol. XXX. 



It O iM 



ecclefiaftical jurisdiction, however, it is fubordinate to 

 Hornchurch, except fo far as concerns the maintenance ot 

 the poor ; in which particular it was recognifed as a fepa- 

 rate parifh, in the year 1786. The privilege of holding a 

 weekly market was fird granted to the inhabitants by king 

 Henry III. ; but at prefent here are three: one on Mon- 

 day, for the fale of calves ; another on Tuefday, tor I. 

 and a third on Wednefday, tor corn and cattle. There is 

 likewife an annual fair on the 24th of June. The church 

 or chapel of Romford is an ancient ftructure, and was pro- 

 bably erected about the commencement of the 15th century, 

 when the inhabitants obtained a bull from the pope, autho- 

 rifing them to confecrate a cemetery adjoining the town, for 

 the burial of their dead, who had, previoufly to that time, 

 been carried to Hornchurch burying-ground. In this 

 chapel were, in Catholic times, a guild and a chantry ; the" 

 former of which was valued at 4/. 10/. 2d., and the latter 

 at 13/. annual revenue, at the era of the difiolution. The 

 principal monuments here are thofe of fir George Hervey, 

 knight, lieutenant of the Tower, who died in 1605, and 

 his lady, both of whom are reprefentcd kneeling ; and of 

 fir Anthony Cook of Gidea-Hall, and his lady, whofe ef- 

 figies are exhibited in limilar pofitions. On the latter 

 tomb are feveral inferiptions in Latin, faid to have been 

 written by the daughters of the deceafed, who were the 

 moll learned females of the age. Not far from the church 

 is a charity-fchool for forty boys, and another for twenty 

 girls, which were founded and endowed in 1728 ; and at a 

 fliort diftance from the weflern end of the town are bar- 

 racks for the accommodation of a regiment of cavalry, 

 erected in 1795. According to the population cenfus of 

 181 1, the parifh of Romford, including the Town ward, 

 Collier-row ward, Harold's-wood ward, and Noah-hill 

 ward, contains 620 houfes, and 3244 inhabitants. 



The diltrict called Havering-atte ward, which compre- 

 hends the three adjacent parifhes of Hornchurch, Romford, 

 and Flavering, anciently conflitutcd part of the demefnes 

 of Saxon kings ; and even to this day it poddies peculiar 

 privileges, both as prescriptive rights, and by charter, 

 granted by Henry IV., and finee confirmed by feveral of 

 his fucceffors. Near the village of Havering-atte-Bower 

 was formerly a palace, which tradition afcribes to king Ed- 

 ward the Confellbr, and which fublequcntly became the occa- 

 iional refidence of more than one monarch of the Norman line. 

 The fituation of this palace is very fine, and commands ex- 

 tenlive views over parts of Eflex, Hertfordfhirc, Kent, 

 Middlcfcx, and Surrey, as well as of the river Thames. 

 The lurrounding park, now the property of the crown, 

 but let on leafe, exceeds a thoufand acres in extent. To 

 the weflward of this park, about two miles, lies Hainaull- 

 Forell, in which is a very remarkable tree, called Fair- 

 lop-oak, which Gilpin informs us, in his " Remarks on 

 Foreft Scenery," is traced bv tradition " half way up the 

 Chriftian era." It is generally faid to be the largclt tree in 

 this kingdom, meafunng 36 feet in girt near the bafe or 

 root, and fpreading its branches over a circumference ot 

 300 feet. At Hempilead, in Eflex, is a tree of much 

 larger dimenfions. Round the Fairlop-oak, on the firft 

 Friday in July, is held an annual fair, which appears to 

 have originated from a gentleman, named Day, who com- 

 menced the practice of dining with his friends annually 

 under its made. 



About a mile to the call ward of Romford is Gidea-Hall, 

 an ancient feat of the Cook family ; and near it Hands 

 Hare-Hall, a manfion formerl] belonging to John Arnold 

 Wallenger, cfq. The houfe was built under the direction 

 of Mr. Payne, in 1769, and is conllructed of Portland 



3 P Hone; 



