ROM 



were our ancient monarchs of this fertile diftrict, that they 

 granted to the inhabitants various important privileges. 

 Edward IV. incorporated the towns of Lydd and Romney, 

 with nineteen parifhes, by the title of the bailiff, twenty- 

 four jurats, and the commonalty of Romney Marfh ; but 

 the inhabitants exercifed many privileges for feveral cen- 

 turies anterior to that era. Under the above charter the 

 bailiff, jurats, and commonalty, are empowered to hold a 

 court every three weeks, and to decide on all pleas of action 

 real and perfonal, civil and criminal. They are likewife 

 empowered to choofe four jullices of the peace of their own, 

 yearly, befides the bailiff, who poflefles fimilar authority 

 ex officio. They have nothing, however, to do with the 

 fupenntendence or management of the embankments and 

 drainage, which by ancient cuftom is vefted in the lords of 

 twenty-three neighbouring manors, who appoint a bailiff 

 as chief fupervifor of the works, who is commonly, though 

 not always, the fame perfon with the bailiff under king 

 Edward's charter. The courts are held in a new hall, in 

 Dimchurch ; and at a general one holden on Whit-Thurf- 

 day, all fcots and levies, which on an average of years 

 amount to two (hillings annually, are paid. Romney Marfh 

 is protected from encroachments of the fea by a wall of 

 great ftrength, called Dimchurch wall, which extends fome- 

 what more than three miles in length. This wall forms the 

 only highway for carriages along its whole extent, on the 

 road between Hithe and Romney. It meafures from twelve 

 to twenty feet in height above the level of the Marfh ; and 

 from fifteen to thirty feet in breadth at its fummit. " The 

 drainage," fays Marfhall, in his Rural Economy of the 

 Southern Counties, " is effected by arched fiuices paffing 

 under the bank ; each having two pair of flood-gates, one 

 on the outfide, the other on the infide, to provide againft 

 accidents to the outer pair. Thefe gates permit the in- 

 terior waters to pafs off when the tide is low ; and prevent 

 thofe of the fea from entering at high tide." The Hiftory 

 and Topographical Survey of the County of Kent, by 

 Edward Haded, efq. F.R.S. and S.A. 8vo. edit. Can- 

 terbury, vol. viii. A New Topographical, Hiftorical, and 

 Commercial Survey of the Cities, &c. of Kent, by Charles 

 Seymour, Svo. Canterbury, 1776. Beauties of England 

 and Wales, vol. viii. by E. W. Brayley, 1807. 



Romney, a poft-town of America, the capital of Hamp- 

 fhire county, in Virginia, fituated on the W. bank of the 

 S.W. branch of the river Patowmac ; 50 miles W. by N. 

 from Winchelter. It contains about 30 houfes, a brick 

 court -houfe, and a ftone gaol. 



ROMONT, a town of Switzerland, in the canton of 

 Friburg, and capital of an extenfive bailiwick, which was 

 formerly a county ; nine miles N.W. of Friburg. 



ROMOPOCK, a town, or rather village, of Bergen 

 county, in New Jerfey, on a river of the fame name, 15 or 

 20 miles N. of Patterfon. 



ROMORANTIN, a town of France, and principal 

 place of a diftrict, in the department of the Loire and 

 Cher; feven miles S.S.E. of Blois. The town contains 

 5730, and the canton 10,276 inhabitants, on a territory 

 of 330 kiliometres, in 10 communes. Its manufaAures 

 confift of fine cloths and ferges. N. lat. 4.7 22'. E. lone-. 

 i° 49 '. g 



ROMORSWALDE, a town of Pruffia, in the pro- 

 vince of Ermeland ; five miles N.N.W. of Heilfberg. 



ROMPEE, or Rompu, in Heraldry, is applied to ordi- 

 naries that are reprefcnted as broken ; and to chevrons 

 whofe upper points are cut off. He beareth a chevron 

 rompee, between three mullets, argent, by the name of 

 Sault. 



R O M 



ROMPION, or Rampion, in Botany. See Campanula 

 Rapunculus. 



ROMPNEY, in Geegraph. See Remxey. 

 ROMPONESCO, a town of Italy, on the Po ; 20 

 miles S. of Mantua. 



ROMRA, a town on the W. coaft of the ifland of 

 Lombock. S. lat. 8° 15'. E. long. 115° 54'. 



ROM ROD, or Rumroth, a town, with a caftle, of 

 Weftphalia, in the principality of Heife ; 16 miles E. of 

 Marburg. 



ROMSDAL, a town of Norway, and capital of a dif- 

 trict or provoftfhip, in the diocefe of Drontheim ; ico 

 miles S.S.W. of Drontheim. N. lat. 62 D 28'. E. loner 

 7° 54'- 



Romsdal Bay, a bay er river of the North fea, or. 

 the coaft of Norway, 20 miles long, with feveral branches. 

 N. lat. 62° 40'. E. long. 7 45'. 



ROMSEY, or Rumsey, a market-town and parifh in the 

 lower half hundred of King's Sombourne, Andover division 

 of the county of Southampton, England, is feated in a flat 

 dfftriA, watered by the river Teft, or Anton, at the dis- 

 tance of 8 miles S.W. fa m the town of Southampton, and 

 73 miles S.W. by W. from London. The town is of con- 

 fid.-rable antiquity, and probably derived its origin, as it 

 certainly did its early importance, from an abbey founded 

 here by Edward the Elder, and afterwards filled with Bene- 

 dictine nuns by his fuccefibr, king Edgar. The firft abbeie 

 of this monastery was Elfieda, the daughter of a Saxor. 

 nobleman, named Ethelwold, who had greatly contributed 

 to its original ettablifhnvnt, and whom fome authors, there- 

 fore, designate as its founder. This lady was afterwards 

 canonized, and conftituted one of the patron faints of the 

 abbey. She was fucceeded in her office by feveral females 

 of royal birth, and diftinguifhed for the fan&ity of their 

 lives. In the year 992, Romfey and its monaftery were 

 plundered by the Danes ; but the nuns and molt of their 

 valuables had been previoufly removed to Winchelter, by. 

 order of the abbefs Elwina. The buildings were loon re- 

 stored, and the nuns replaced. In 1085, Chriftina, coufin 

 to king Edward the Confeffor, took the veil here, and was 

 fubfequently entrufted with the education of Matilda, 

 daughter of Malcolm, king of Scotland, afterwards confort 

 to Henry I. Mary, daughter to king Stephen, likewife 

 became a nun in this abbey ; but afterwards renounced the 

 veil, and married Matthew, younger fon of Theodoric, earl 

 of Flanders ; an event which called forth all the thunders of 

 the Vatican againft herfelf and her hufband. The bene- 

 factors to this monaftery were numerous ; and previouflv to 

 the diffolution, its revenues were eftimated, according to 

 Dugdale, at the annual value of 339/. 10s. lo^d. ; but 

 Speed Itates their amount at 528/. 8s. lo^d. Of the build- 

 ings which belonged to it fcarcely a veftige remains, except 

 the church, which is ftill ufed for divine fervice. 



Romfey is governed by a corporation, confiding of a 

 mayor, recorder, fix aldermen, and twelve burgeffes, be- 

 fides inferior officers. The petty feffions for Romfey divi- 

 fion of the hundred are held here. The market-day is Sa- 

 turday, weekly ; and there are fairs on Eafter Monday, 

 every Tuefday fortnight after 31ft July until Chriitmas, 

 26th Auguft, and 8th November. Formerly this town 

 poHefled a confiderable woollen trade, but that is now 

 greatly diminifhed, and is in part fupplied by paper-works, 

 and a lacking manufactory. The chief public buildings here 

 are the audit-houfe, which is a large fquare building, Handing 

 on piers, near the centre of the town ; a town-hall ; the 

 parifh church ; and a large meeting-houfe for Prefbyterians, 

 built about ten years ago. The church, which alone de- 



ferves 



