NOR 
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mew the Great in London. The government of thefchool 
is veiled in twelve truflees, by whom the mailer and fcho- 
lars are appointed. 
From the central fituation of Northwich, the increafe 
of its population, and the extenfion of the falt-trade, this 
town is become a place of great refort. A very confi- 
derable market is held on Fridays; and two fairs annu¬ 
ally, Aug. 2 and Dec. 5, which continue nearly a fort¬ 
night each, for the fale of Yorkfhire and Mancheiler goods, 
and for various other commodities. In the return made 
to parliament in the year 1811, Northwich was Hated to 
contain 324. houfes, and 1382 inhabitants. The lower 
daffes of the people derive employment from a cotton- 
faflory recently eltablifhed; and from the falt-trade, 
which, though carried on to great extent in feveral parts 
of this county, is chiefly concentrated in the neighbour¬ 
hood of Northwich. Here the fait is manufaflured not 
only from the brine-fprings, but alfo from the natural 
rock, a circumftance peculiar to this town and its vicinity. 
The beds of foffil fait in this diflrift feem to be limited, 
with a few exceptions, to the valleys of the Weaver and 
of its tributary llreams. In the fame tradl of country, 
falt-fprings frequently make their appearance, and fome- 
times contain between 25 and 26 per cent, of the pure 
muriat of foda ; thus indicating a degree of flrength fu- 
perior to that which is manifefted by thofe of Hungary, 
Germany, or France, and nearly approximating to the 
perfed faturation of the brine. The rock-falt of North¬ 
wich, which was difcovered about 140 years ago, in fearch- 
ing for coal, conflfts of two great flrata or beds, lying 
nearly in a horizontal direction, but feparated by feveral 
layers of indurated clay ; which exhibit a very uniform 
thicknefs of ten or eleven yards, are irregularly pene¬ 
trated by veins of the foflil fait, and contain gypfum, in 
varying proportions, and under different appearances, but 
no marine exuviae, nor any organic remains. The thick¬ 
nefs of the upper bed of lalt at Northwich has been Hat¬ 
ed to vary from twenty to thirty yards : that of the lower 
bed has never yet been afcertainea in any one of the mines 
in this diflrifr. The workings in this lower flratum are 
ufually begun at the depth of from twenty to twenty-five 
yards, and are carried down for five or fix yards, through 
what forms, as will afterwards be mentioned, the purefi 
portion of the bed. In one of the mines a (haft has been 
funk to a level of fourteen yards Hill lower, without pref- 
ling through the body of rock-falt. We have thus an 
afcertained thicknefs of this bed, of about forty yards, 
and no diredl evidence that it may not extend to a confi- 
derably greater depth. The purity and the external form 
of the rock-falt vary confiderably in different parts of the 
fame flratum; and it is the finer portion of the lower 
bed which is at prefent worked in the Northwich mine. 
In fome parts, where pillars fix or eight yards fquare form 
•the fupport of the mine, the appearance of the cavity is 
Angularly Hriking; and the brilliancy of the effedl is 
greatly increafed, if the mine be illuminated by candles 
fixed to the fide of the rock. The fcene thus formed 
would almofl appear to realize the magic palaces of the 
eaflern poets. It is efiimated that the average quantity 
of rock-falt extrafted from the Northwich mines amounts 
to fifty or fixty thoufand tons ; of which the greater part 
is exported to Ireland and the Baltic, and the remainder 
is employed in the manufacture of white fait, by folution 
and fubfequent evaporation. See Cheshire, vol. iv. and 
Muria, vol. xvi. 
About four miles from Northwich is Vale Royal Abbey, 
the feat of Thomas Cholmondeley, efq. A monaflery of 
this name was founded here, for Ciliercian monks, by 
prince Edward, afterwards king Edward I. No part of 
the ancient abbey is now remaining, though fome places 
retain appellations connected with monadic difcipline. 
The hall of the prefent manfion was ereCted in the be¬ 
ginning of the feventeenth century, it is nearly feventy 
feet in length. The wings have been recently rebuilt. 
NOR 
The apartments are embellilhed with numerous portraits, 
fome of which are of diflinguifhed eminence. The library 
is large and valuable. Britijh Diredory, vol. iv. Beauties 
of England, vol. ii. Holland's Agricultural Survey of 
Chejhire, Tranf. of the Geological Society, vol. i. 
NOR'THWOLD, a pleafant village near Methwold, in 
Norfolk, watered by the river Oufe, which is navigable 
from Stoke-bridge to Lynn, for gangs of lighters, with 
coals, corn, malt, and other merchandife. This place is 
eighty-four miles from London, feventeen from Lynn, 
ten from Swaffham, eleven from Thetford, and ten from 
Walton, all market-towns. Here is a charity-fchool. 
Northwold and its vicinity grow fine barley, of a peculiar, 
fort, noted for making curious malt, not to be exceeded, 
if equalled, in the kingdom, having always obtained the 
firit prices at Ware, and the London markets. See Meth¬ 
wold, vol. xv. 
About five miles from this place is Weeting, the feat 
of the late.earl of Mountrath, one of the larged and bed- 
built modern houfes in the county of Norfolk. The 
doors and window-frames are folid mahogany, very highly 
finilhed; and the whole mod elegantly furniflied. The 
manor, which abounds with game, adjoins thofe of Geo. 
Nelthorpe, efq. Linford Hall; Henry Partridge, efq. of 
Cranwich ; lord Petrie of Buckenham-houfe; and that 
of J. P. Galway, efq. at Tofts hall. 
Thefe are all within four or five miles of Northwold, 
adjoining to which is Didlington Hall, belonging to Col. 
Wilfon; and Hilborough Hall. About one mile from 
Hilborough is Rodney Hall, lately the refidence of George 
Talburgh, efq. Adjoining this is Little Creflingham, a 
newly-ereCted fporting-lodge, built by lord Claremont. 
Wilkes's Britijh Dircdory. 
NOR'THWOOD, an interior and elevated townfiiip of 
America, in Rockinghatn-county, New Hampfhire; in 
which, and on its borders, is a number of fmall ponds 
whofe waters fupply Pifcataqua and Suncook rivers ; in¬ 
corporated in 1773, and containing 950 inhabitants: 
about thirty-nine miles north-wed of Portfmouth. 
NOR'TON, a village and parilh in Derbyfliire, eight 
miles from Chederfield, and four from Sheffield. It takes 
its name apparently, according to Dr. Pegge, from its 
being in the mod northern part of Derbyfliire. The 
church is dedicated to St. James. It was given to the 
abbey of Beauchief, by its founder, Robert Fitz-Ralph ; 
and was appropriated to that monaltery, which was diflant 
about two miles from Norton. The prefent impropriator 
of the great tithes is Samuel Shore, efq. The prefent in¬ 
cumbent, Henry Pearfon, LL.B. is alfo patron of the 
vicarage ; which is a difcharged living, and is rated in the 
king’s books at 45!. 3s. 6d. With the aid of feveral bene- 
fa< 5 tions, the endowment is now about 150I. a-year. In the 
church is the monument (without infcription) of the fa¬ 
ther and mother of John Blythe bp. of Salifbury, and 
Geffrey Blythe bp. of Lichfield and Coventry, (who ap¬ 
pear to have been natives of Norton ;) and the tomb of 
their elder brother Richard. There are alfo monuments 
to the families of Eyre of Brad way, Bullock, Morewood, 
Gill, Clarke, and Bagfhaw. The number of houfes in 
Norton, in 1811, was 300; of families 305, confiding of 
1446 males, and 1527 females. A fatisfaCtory defcription 
of the parilh may be feen in Meflrs. Lyfons’s Topographi¬ 
cal Account of Derbylhire, recently publilhed. Gent. 
Mag. June 1818. 
NOR'TON, a village in Norfolk. See vol. xiv. p. 513. 
NOR'TON, a market-town in Oxfordffiire. See Chip¬ 
ping Norton, vol. iv. 
NOR'TON, a townfiiip of America, in Briflol county, 
Maflachufetts ; thirty-three miles fouth of Boflon; incor¬ 
porated in 1711, and containing 1481 inhabitants. Here 
are manufactures of nails and of ochre.—A fettlement 
on the north-ead coad of Cape Breton ifland.—A town 
of South Carolina 3 twenty-two miles fouth-fouth-ead of 
Columbia. 
NOR'TON 
