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ROTHERHAM, a market-town and parish of England, 
in the West Riding of Yorkshire. It is situated in a valley- 
near the confluence of the rivers Rother and Don. The 
Rother runs on its western, and the Don on its north-western 
side. Over the latter a handsome bridge of stone has been 
erected. The town is not handsome; the streets are narrow 
and irregular, and the houses, which are mostly of stone, 
have a dull and dingy appearance. The parish church is a 
handsome Gothic building, erected in the reign of Edward 
IV. Here is also a meeting-house for dissenters, built in 
1705, and another for the Methodists. To the former is 
attached a school for the education of 30 poor children of the 
parish. The master is appointed by the trustees of the 
founder, Thomas Hollis, of London; children are admitted 
by the minister of the parish; and the institution is kept 
under excellent regulations. In this town is likewse an 
academy or college, called the Rotherham Independent aca¬ 
demy, for the education of Protestant dissenters, more parti¬ 
cularly Independents, and young men proposing to become 
Independent clergymen. It was opened in 1795, and is sup¬ 
ported by voluntary contributions. The building was erected 
by the late Mr. Samuel Walker, and is adapted for the accom¬ 
modation of 16 students. The library contains 1200 volumes. 
A college called Jesus College, was founded here by Thomas 
Scott, archbishop of York, a native of Rotherham. It was 
dissolved by king Henry VIII. In point of trade and busi¬ 
ness, Rotherham is in a thriving state. Even in Lleland’s 
time it was famous for its manufacture of edge tools, and here 
are still very extensive iron and steel works. These are car¬ 
ried on in the village of Masborougli, which is only sepa¬ 
rated from Rotherham by the bridge. The works here of 
Messrs. Walker have obtained great celebrity. In them are 
manufactured cannon of the largest calibre, and almost every 
kind of cast iron articles, with many of wrought iron, as bar, 
sheet, slit, or rod iron. Tinned plates and steel of every sort 
are also manufactured in great quantities. The iron bridges 
of Sunderland, Yarm, and Stains, were cast at the foundries 
here. These iron-works were begun in 1746, by Mr. Samuel 
Walker and his brothers, and have ever since been progres¬ 
sively increasing. The coal and iron ore are chiefly supplied 
from mines in the neighbourhood. The coals are also 
exported by means of the river Don, which is navigable to 
Tinsley, and a considerable trade in various other articles is 
carried on by this navigation, to Doncaster, Thorne, Hull, 
and other places. A large brewery for porter and ale has 
been lately begun in the town. Rotherham has an excellent 
weekly market for corn, cattle and butchers’ meat; two annual 
fairs, and fortnight fairs, for fat cattle, sheep, and pigs, which are 
well attended by graziers and butchers, from very distant parts 
oi the county; Rotherham and Wakefield being in fact the 
two greatest marts in Yorkshire for fat cattle and sheep. The 
environs of Rotherham are agreeable and picturesque. On 
an eminence on the east of the town stands and elegant man¬ 
sion, belonging to the Walker family; and in the neighbour¬ 
hood is situated Wentworth house, the magnificent residence 
of earl Fitzwilliam. Population of the town in 1811, 2950, 
and of the rest of the parish, including seven townships, 
5419. Market on Monday. Fairs Whit Monday and 
December 1 ; 6 miles north-east of Sheffield, and 160 north- 
north-west of London ; lat. 53. 25. N., long. 1. 22. W. 
ROTHERHITHE, a village and parish of England, in 
the county of Surrey, situated on the south bank of the 
Thames, about a mile and a half east of London bridge. It 
is bounded on the north and east by the Thames, on the 
south by the parishes of Bermondsey and Camberwell, on 
the west by Horsely Down, and on the south-east by the 
parish of Deptford, in Kent. This parish is noted for its 
dock-yards, of which it contains no fewer than eleven, at 
some of which ships are built for the East India Company. 
The water side is occupied by wharfs and other buildings 
connected with the shipping. In 1696, an act ofparliament 
passed for making a wet dock here: it was finished in 1700, 
and called the Great Dock. Under the name of the Com¬ 
mercial Docks, it has been much enlarged. In 1812,anew 
dock was added ; so that these docks alone comprise an area 
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of 40 acres, with wharfage and bonding yards, sufficient to 
receive 200 ships. The church of Rotherhite, dedicated to 
St. Mary, was built chiefly by the subscriptions of the inha¬ 
bitants, in 1714 and 1715 ; but the tower was not finished 
till 1739. It is of brick, with stone coins, and consists of a 
nave, chancel, and two aisles, supported by pillars of the 
Ionic order. The tower is surmounted by a stone spire, 
raised on Corinthian columns. This church contains an 
interesting monument to Lee Boo, prince of the Pelew islands, 
who came to England with captain Wilson, in the ship 
Antelope, and died of the small pox, in 1784. In this 
parish are various free and charity schools, at which a num¬ 
ber of boys and girls are educated, and many of them also 
clothed. Population of the parish, 12,114 inhabitants, and 
2719 houses. 
ROTHERSTHORPE, a parish of England in Northamp 
tonshire ; 4 miles south-west of Northampton. 
ROTHERWICH, a parish of England, in Southampton- 
shire ; 5 miles west-by-south of Hartford-bridge. 
ROTHES, a parish of Scotland, in Morayshire, lying on 
the north bank of the Spey, which separates it from Boharm 
on the east, Edinkellie on the south, Dollas on the north¬ 
west, and Birnie, Urquhart, and Speymouth, on the north. 
The soil is in general dry and sandy, degenerating into 
moor in the northern parts of the parish. The crops are 
chiefly barley and oats, the culture of green crops being 
little practised. The village of Rothes was lately built on 
the Spey, and contains about 300 inhabitants. Population 
1605. 
ROTHESAY, a parish of Scotland, in the island and 
county of Bute, about 10 miles long, and from 3 to 
4 broad, occupying the north end of the island of Bute, 
and bounded on the south and south-east by the parish of 
Kingarth, and indented with four bays, viz. Rothesay, 
Kaimes, Keils, and St. Ninian’s, all of which afford safe 
anchorage. The surface is hilly, but there are some small 
valleys which are exceedingly fertile. Population 4970. 
ROTHESAY, or Rothsay, a small and well built royal 
burgh of Scotland, situated on the north-east coast of the 
island of Bute, at the bottom of an extensive bay, in which 
there is safe anchorage. This town was formerly in a state 
of indigence, and possessed only one decked vessel, of incon¬ 
siderable burden. Under the auspices, however, of the late 
earl of Bute, the industry and emulation of the inhabitants of 
Rothesay were excited, and their vigorous perseverance has 
wrought a most remarkable change. The inhabitants are now 
actively engaged in the herring fishery, and they have pro¬ 
secuted this line of industry with great success. The burgh 
of Rothesay was enfranchised by king Robert III. in the year 
1400, when its castle was the royal residence. At that time 
it was a considerable town, but in succeeding years it greatly 
declined, and in 1762, many of the houses lay in rains. 
Since that period these bouses have been rebuilt, and several 
new streets have been added. But the flourishing state of the 
town is not solely owing to the herring fishery: the esta¬ 
blishment of a large cotton mill in 1778, has given the inha¬ 
bitants a knowledge in that species of manufacture, and caused 
others to prosecute the same branch. Rothesay is governed 
by a provost, 2 bailies, a dean of guild, treasurer, and 12 
counsellors, and unites with Ayr, Irvine, Inverary, and 
Campbelltown, in sending a member to parliament. It has 
a chapel of ease, and an Antiburgher'meeting-house. The 
pier is commodious, and has a good depth of water, and the 
port is much frequented by the vessels engaged in the herring 
fishery. 
ROTHESAY, Point, a cape on the west coast of North 
America, so called by Vancouver. Lat. 56.37. N., long. 227. 
47. E. 
ROTHESHOLM, or Rodnum Head, a promontory on 
the south-west coast of Stronsay island. 
ROTIIESTOCK, a great mountain in the interior of 
Switzerland, on the borders of the cantons of Unterwalden 
and Uri; elevation 8522 feet. 
ROTHE SUND (Reel Sound), a strait of the Baltic, 
between the Danish islands of Falster and Laland._ 
ROTHEWISCH, 
