W E L 



here, and ftill greater brought from the hill countries. .This 

 being the principal mart for that article, a market is held 

 oa every alternate Monday for the fole piirpofe of expofing 

 it to fale. A weekly market is alio held on Mondays for 

 proviiions ; and here are fix annual fairs for horfes, fheep, 

 and cattle. The Severn becomes navigable at a fmall dif- 

 tance below the town, at a place called the Pool-ftake ; and 

 a branch of the Ellefmere canal running near, tends to faci- 

 litate carriage by water conveyance. Among the recent 

 improvements ni^de in the town, i* the county-hall, erefted 

 at the expence of a few private gentlemen. This ftrufture, 

 with a colonnade and pilafters of ftone in front, confifts of 

 upper apartments for the adminiftration of juftice, and of 

 lower ones for the accommodation of trade. Beneath is a 

 fpacious place, appropriated as a corn-market ; a feparate 

 fpace for the fale of mifcellaneous articles ; and an ample 

 court for holding the aflizes or great feffions. On the fe- 

 cond floor is the county-hall room^ and a handfome room 

 adjoining is fitted up for the ufe of the grand jury. The 

 church, though in the pointed ftyle, is apparently of no very 

 remote antiquity. It Hands fingularly at the bottom of a 

 hill, and is fo low, that the ground of the cemetery almoft 

 equals the height of the building. Among the facramental 

 utenfils is a chalice of pure gold, brought from Guinea on 

 the coaft of Africa, containing a wine quart : it bears a 

 Latin irifcription, dating that its infrinfic value was i68/., 

 and that it was prefented to the church in the year 1562 by 

 Thomas Davies, fome time governor-general of the Englifh 

 colonies on the wellern coaft of Africa. Wellh-Pool has a 

 very ancient corporation : its original charter was granted 

 by 0]ie of the princes of Powys Land, about the end of the 

 eleventh century ; the prefent was a grant from Charles II., 

 by virtue of which the town is governed by two bailiffs, a 

 high fteward, recorder, and town-clerk ; under whom are 

 two ferjeants at mace. The population of the parifh, which 

 includes nine adjoinmg townlhips, was in the year 18 1 1 re- 

 turned to parliament as 2779 ; the number of houfes as 578. 

 Formerly the town contributed with the borough of Mont- 

 gomery in fending a member to parhament ; but was dif- 

 franchifed of this privilege in the year 1728. There are 

 fome encampments in this parifh, one of which is faid to 

 have been the Britiih camp of Caraftacus, on the fummit 

 of the Br)'ddin-hill, where the laft remains of ancient Bri- 

 te(h liberty were loft by the furrender of that brave fove- 

 reign : on the centre of this mountain a column was erefted, 

 to perpetuate the memory of admiral Rodney's celebrated 

 Tidory over the French fleet in the Weft Indies, April J2. 

 1782. 



About a mile to the fouthward of Wellh-Pool, is Powys 

 Caftle, formerly the chief manfion of the Convinian Welfti 

 princes of Powys, and now the refidence of the earl of 

 Powys. This venerable pile, fituated in a well wooded 

 park, is built in the ancient ftyle of domeftic architefture, 

 participating of the caftle and manfion. The entrance is 

 by a gateway between two maffy circular towers, into the 

 area or court, round which the apartments range. Several 

 other towers are ftill ftanding, flanked with femicircular 

 baftions. In front, two immenfe terraces, rifing one above 

 another, form the afcent, by means of a vaft flight of 

 fteps. The interior exhibits little worthy of notice, excepting 

 the principal gallery, meafuring 1 1 7 feet in length, which 

 ■was originally much longer ; but in the modernizing plan a 

 large room has been taken from it. The park is formed of 

 fpacious lawns, and fweUing hills ; the oak, beech, and 

 chefnut, diverfify the views in rich variety ; and highly 

 contribute to render the place interefting to the lovers of 

 foreft fcenery. It is, however, to be regretted, that this 

 12 



W E M 



venerable caftle is verging to decay : the buildings are in 

 a ftate of dilapidation ; the gardens and grounds are neg- 

 lefted ; and the pride and ornament of the park removing, 

 for the fake of the timber : fo that at no very diftant pe- 

 riod, the beauty and magnificence of Powys may be no 



more Beauties of England and Wales, vol. xvii. North 



Wales. By Rev. J. Evans, 1812. 



WELSTEIN, a town of France, in the department of 

 Mont Tonnerre ; 7 miles E.S.E. of Creutznach. 



WELSUN, a town of the duchy of Guelderland ; 6 

 miles W. of Hattem. 



WELT-Ro;)T, in Agriculture, a terra that fignifies the 

 dying away or falling off of wheat-crops, in fome cafes, in 

 the winter or early fpring fealons. It has been fuppofed 

 to occur the moft frequently where the wheat -crops have 

 been put in on clover leys Some incline to think that it 

 depends upon the want of a lufficient degree of clofenefs 

 and firmnefs in the foils on the beds of mould into 

 which the crops have been put ; as where they lie too open 

 and in too porous a ftate, due nourifhment and fupport is 

 not fopplied to the young wheat plants from below, that, 

 of courfe, they do not form their roots in a proper manner. 

 See Treading. 



The term is alfo applied to an operation in the harvefting 

 of grain. See KooT-lVeli. 



WELTENBURG, in Geography, a town of Bavaria, 

 on the right fide of the Danube; 20 miles E.N. E. of In- 

 goldftadt. 



WELTERSBURG, a town of Germany, in the county 

 of Leiningen ; I mile S. of Weilerburg. 



WELTZENEN, a town of the duchy of Weftphalia ; 

 5 miles N. of Werl. 



WELWARN, a town of Bohemia, in the circle of 

 Schlan; 8 miles N.E. of Schlan. N. lat. 50° 18'. E. 

 long. 14° 24'. 



WELWIN, a village of England, in the county of 

 Herts, where the general madacre of the Danes is faid to 

 have begun in 1012. In this place. Dr. Young, who was 

 the reftor, wrote his celebrated Night Thoughts. Here is 

 a chalybeate fpring ; 25 miles N. of London. 



WELZHEIM, or Welzen, a town of Wurtemburg, 

 and capital of a lordfhip to which it gives name, on 4.h« 

 Lein ; 20 miles E. of Stuttgart. 



WEM, a market-town of Whitchurch divifion of the 

 north part of the hundred of Bradford, in the county of 

 Salop, England, is fituated near the fource of the river Ro- 

 den, at the diftance of 7 miles S. from the town of Whit- 

 church, 10 miles N.E. from Shrewsbury, and 172 miles 

 N.W. from London. From its fituation Horfley infers, 

 that it is the fcite of the ancient Rutunium. The manor was 

 formerly in the poflTeffion of the earls of Arundel, but on the 

 attainder of earl Philip, in the reign of queen Elizabeth, it fell 

 to the crown ; and James II. conferred it on the lord chan- 

 cellor Jeff^eries, of infamous memorj', who had the eftate, and 

 was created baron of Wem. On his death, the title defcended 

 to his fon ; but on his deceafe, which occurred (hortly after, 

 it became extinft. The town of Wem confifts of one large 

 ftreet, with a few fmaller ones. By the population return 

 of the year 181 1, the number of houfes was ftated to be 

 297, and the inhabitants 1395. A weekly market is held 

 on Thurfdays, and three fairs annually. The church, a 

 reftory of the real value of about 500/. per annum, is a 

 handfome edifice, with a lofty tower, and a fine chancel. A 

 free-fchool was founded and liberally endowed by fir Tho- 

 mas Adams, who was born in this town in the year 1586, 

 and was elefted lord mayor of London in 1645. ^^ ^"''^ 

 an inflexible adherent to king Charles I. in his troubles, and 



continued 



