W O R 



wo RAD A, a oouiitry of Africa, of an oval form, about 

 90 miles in circumference, S. pf Konkadoo. 



WORANY, a town of Lithuania; 28 miles S. of 

 Troki. 



WORBIS, or Stadt WoRBis, a town of Weftphalia, 

 in the territory of Eichsfeld, on the Wipper ; 8 miles S.S.E. 

 of Duderltadt. 



WoRBis, Brctten, a town of Weftphalia, in the territory 

 of Eichsfeld ; 9 miles S.E. of Duderftadt. 



WoRBis, Kirch, a town of Weftphalia, in the territory 

 of Eichsfeld ; 8 miles S.S.E. of Duderftadt. 



WORBITZ, a town of Bohemia, in the circle of Czaflau j 

 10 miles S. of Czaflau. 



WoRBiTZ See, a lake of the Ucker Mark of Branden- 

 burg, near Joachimfthal ; 28 miles N.N.E. of Berlin. 



WORBSTADT, a town of France, in the department 

 of Mont Tonnerre ; 10 miles S.S.W. of Mentz. 



WORCESTER, the capital city of a county of its own 

 name, in the W. of England, fituated in N. lat. 52° 10', 

 and W. long. 2° 00' ; diftant 26 miles N. from Gloucefter, 

 27 S.W. from Birmingham, 30 E. by N. from Hereford, 

 and 1 1 1 W.N.W. from London. The inhabitants in 181 1 

 were, according to the returns made to parliament, 5953 

 males, and 7861 females, in all 13,814, and the houfes 



Hijloncal Events — Worcefter is a place of high antiquity, 

 as implied by the latter part of the name, indicating that the 

 original town occupied the pofition of a Roman ftation : its 

 proper name under thofe people, however, has not yet been 

 afcertained. Camden indeed conceives it to be the Brano- 

 n'tum of Antoninus' Itinerary, the fame with the Branoge- 

 nium of Ptolemy ; but that town is placed by Horfley at 

 Ludlow, more to the N.W., on the S. border of Shropfhire. 

 Nennius, who wrote in the beginning of the 7th century, 

 points out Worcefter by the Britifti names Caer-Guorangon 

 and Caer-GuorcoH. By the Saxons it was called Weogare- 

 ceajler, or Wegeorna-ceajler, from which came Wigornia, the 

 Latin name ftill in ufe. In the Domefday-book it is called 

 Wirecejlre. The diocefe of Worcefter was founded by 

 Ethelred, king of Mercia, about 680, the firft bifhop nomi- 

 nated being Tatfrith ; but dying before confecration, the 

 firft who filled the epifcopal chair was Bofel, a learned man 

 from the celebrated monaftery of St. Hilda, at Whitby in 

 Yorkftiire. St. Egwin, the third biftiop, who was appointed 

 in 693, was the founder of the abbey at Eveft\am. Milred 

 was nominated in 744. The 17th prelate was the famous 

 St. Dunftan, who was appointed in 957. St. Wulftan II., 

 appointed in 1062, was the founder of the prefent cathedral. 

 Adam de Orleton, bifhop in 1327, is fuppofed to have 

 prompted the murder of Edward II. by the equivocal 

 anfwer he gave when confulted on the projeft : " Edwardum 

 occidere nolite t'lmere bonum efl." The 69th bifhop, nominated 

 to Worcefter in 1521, was the celebrated Julius de Medicis, 

 a cardinal, and afterwards pope Clement VII. His fuc- 

 cefTor, Jerome de Ghinucci, alfo an Italian, was deprived at 

 the Reformation, and, in 1535, was fucceeded by Hugh 

 Latimer, who fuffered for his Proteftant profeflion, under 

 queen Mary, in 1555. John Prideaux, the 84th prelate, 

 appointed in 1641, was difmiffed during the interregnum, 

 his bifhopric fequeftered, and himfelf allowed four fhillings 

 and fixpence per week for his maintenance. The eminent 

 fcholar Stillingfleet filled the fee from 1689 to 1699. 

 In 1717, the fee was filled by John Hough. (See 

 his biographical article.) The learned bifhop Hurd, 

 appointed in 1781, was fucceeded in 1799 by the pre- 

 fent prelate, bifhop Cornwall. The revenues of the fee 



Vol. XXXVIII. 



VV O R 



were, in 1699, f^xed at 1302A \^s. /^\d.; but now fup- 

 pofed to exceed 30CX)/. The fee has poftefTed one pope, 

 four faints, feven high-treafurers of England, eleven arch- 

 bifhops, befides chancellors of the kingdom, and other 

 great officers of the ftate. Few places, perhaps, have 

 fuffered more than Worcefter by the inteftine broils of the 

 country, and by cafual difafters. Ruined by the Danea 

 about the year 894, it was rebuilt by Ethelred and Ethel- 

 fleda ; but the inhabitants refufing to pay the tax called 

 danegelt, the city was again laid wafte by Hardicanute. 

 Agam reftored, it fuffered feverely during the conteft be- 

 tween king Stephen and the emprefs Maud, as well as by a 

 fire, from which the walls of the cathedral alone were prei- 

 ferved. Taking the part of Lewis, the dauphin of France, 

 againft king John, the king's troops exercifed every tyranni- 

 cal feverity on the inhabitants ; the church was plundered, 

 and a heavy fum exafted from the clergy. John was 

 neverthelefs interred in the cathedral in 1 2 1 6. It was in 

 Worcefter that, previoully to the battle of Evefham, young 

 Edward raifed the ftandard of loyalty for his father, 

 Henry III. After the acceflion of Henry VII. feveral 

 citizens were beheaded, and a fine of 500 marks was levied 

 on the city. In 1642 Worcefter witneffed the fanguinary 

 conteft which terminated fo fatally for the affairs of 

 Charles I. (See Charles.) In 1646, the city furren- 

 dered by capitulation to the parhament's army, having 

 been the firft city in England to declare for the crown, and 

 the laft which held out in its defence. In 1651 happened 

 the fecond battle of Worcefter under Charles II. ; a battle 

 which decided the deftruftive and vindiftive controverfy 

 between the royalifts and the parliamentary party, by 

 which the latter obtained a complete afcendancy ; and 

 the king himfelf efcapcd with difficulty out of the country. 

 To preferve the memory of this fuccefs, " the lord-general 

 Cromwell, on the 1 8th of September 1651," fays Leach, 

 in his Diurnal, " with many officers of the army, was at 

 WooUidge, at the launching of a gallant new frigot of the 

 ftates, carrying three-lcorc peeces of ordnance, and called 

 her name Worcefter." 



Prefent State. — Worcefter is diftinguifhed among the 

 provincial towns of England for its refemblance, in various 

 refpefts, to the metropolis. It is defcribed to be well built, 

 well paved, and well lighted. It confifts principally of one 

 great ftreet running from N. to S., and terminating at the 

 cathedral ; alfo thirteen other collateral ftreets, befides lanes of 

 inferior dimenfions. The circuit of the city exceeds three 

 miles and a half. The Severn, bathing the weftern fide, and 

 carrying veffels of confiderable burthen, is of great utility in 

 facilitating the commerce to and from, as well as the requifite 

 fupplies of the city. On it, paffage-boats fail up as far as 

 Shrewfbury, and down to Gloucefter and Briflol. The 

 buildings now extend beyond the ancient limits, which may, 

 however, ftill be traced ; the old wall, according to a plan 

 made before the civil wars, was in extent 1 1,650 paces ; but 

 this vroll, after the laft battle of Worcefter, was almoft 

 wholly deftroyed. The caftle was eredled by Urfo of 

 Abitoth about 1088. The area, now called the College- 

 green, was, in the Norman times, the outer ward of that 

 caftle, behind which to the S. was the inner ward, or for- 

 trefs itfelf. A gaol for the retention of the prifoners of the 

 county is all that now remains of the caftle, on the fpot where 

 the kings of England formerly kept their court. A fteep 

 artificial mount, on which probably ftood the keep of the 

 fortrefs, is a prominent objeft ; the furrounding ditch and 

 rampart may alfo be eafily traced. 



Cathedral. — The original cathedral of Worcefter was 



founded in 680 ; but in 969 its revenues were transferred 



4 R to 



