W A L 
W A L 
552 
WALTERSDORF, a town of Germany, in Upper Lu- 
satia, near Zittau, on the borders of Bohemia. Population 
2100. 
WALTERSDORF, Wuste, a well built village of Prus¬ 
sian Silesia. Population 2000. 
WALTERSDORF, Old, a village of Prussian Silesia. 
Population 900. 
WALTERSDORF, Upper, a village of Lower Austria; 
5 miles east of Zistersdorf. 
WALTERSHAUSEN, a town of Germany, in the duchy 
of Saxe-Gotha; 7 miles west-south-west of Gotha. Popula¬ 
tion 2000 . 
WALTERSHOF, a town of Bavaria, in the Upper Pala¬ 
tinate, with woollen manufactures. 
WALTERSTONE, a parish of England, in Herefordshire; 
15 miles south-west-by-west of Hereford. 
WALTHAM, or Temple Waltham, a parish of Eng¬ 
land, in the county of Kent; 65 miles from Canterbury. 
Population 476. 
WALTHAM, a parish of England, in Lincolnshire; 3£ 
miles south-by-west of Great Grimsby. Population 384. 
WALTH AM, Bright, a parish of England, in Berkshire. 
Population 365. 
WALTHAM, Cold, a parish of England, in Sussex; 5| 
miles south-east of Petworth. 
WALTHAM, Great, a parish of England, county of 
Essex; 4 miles north-by-west of Chelmsford. Population 
1615. 
WALTHAM, Little, another parish, half a mile from 
the foregoing. Population 593. 
WALTHAM, North, a parish of England, in South- 
amptonshire; 6 miles south-west-by-west of Basingstoke. 
WALTHAM, Up, a parish of England, in Sussex; 64 
miles south-south-west of Petworth. 
WALTHAM, West, or Waltham Cross, a hamlet of 
England, in the parish of Waltham Abbey, county of Hert¬ 
ford. Population 1152. 
WALTHAM, White, or Abbas, a parish of England, 
in Berkshire; 4 miles south-west of Maidenhead. Population 
1035. 
WALTHAM, a township of the United States, in Addison 
county, Vermont. Population 244. 
WALTHAM, a post township of the United States, in 
Middlesex county, Massachusetts on the north side of Charles 
river, which separates it from Newton; 10 miles west of Bos¬ 
ton, and 34 east-by-north of Worcester. 
WALTHAM ABBEY, a town of England in Essex, situ¬ 
ated on low ground, near the river Lea, which here forms a 
number of small islands, and is skirted by fruitful meadows. 
The town is irregularly built. It is of great antiquity, and 
derives its name from its once stately abbey, erected by Ha¬ 
rold, son to earl Godwin. Henry II. afterwards changed the 
foundation from a dean and 11 secular black canons, to the 
foundation for an abbot and 16 Augustine monks. The suc¬ 
ceeding monarchs granted Waltham Abbey many privileges, 
and its abbot sat in parliament. The abbey house is said to 
have been a very extensive building, but has been wholly de¬ 
molished for many years. A gateway into the abbey yard, a 
bridge which leads to it, some ruinous walls, an arched vault, 
andthechurch, are theonly vest iges oft he ancient magnificence 
of Waltham Abbey. The abbey church, which was built 
in the usual form of a cross, and consisted of a nave, transept, 
choir, ante-chapel, &c., was a very considerable structure, 
and covered an extensive plot of ground. Some idea may 
be formed of its extent from knowing the situation of Ha¬ 
rold’s tomb, which stood about 120 feet east from the ter¬ 
mination of the present building, in what was then probably 
the east end of the choir, or rather some chapel beyond it. 
The intersection of the transept is still visible. Above this 
rose the ancient tower, which contained a ring of five great 
tuneable bells, afterwards purchased by the parish, of the 
king’s commissioners. Part of this tower falling through 
mere decay, the remainder was blown up by underminers, 
and the whole choir, the tower, transept, and the east chapel, 
were demolished, so that nothing was left standing but the 
west end, which has since been fitted up, and made paro¬ 
chial, and constitutes the present church. This venerable 
relic, though much disfigured and mutilated, contains several 
interesting and curious specimens of the ornamented columns, 
semicircular arches, and other characteristics of the Norman 
style of architecture. Its length, from the western entrance 
to the altar, is about 90 feet; and its breadth, including the 
side aisles, 48. The body is divided from the latter by six 
arches on each side, supported by pillars; five of them am 
semicircular, and are decorated with rude zigzag ornaments ; 
the sixth, or western arch, is pointed, and apparently of a 
later construction. The pillars are extremely massive; and 
two on each side, which correspond, have wavy and spiral 
indentations, similar to those of the nave and choir in Dur¬ 
ham cathedral. Above this lower range of arches rise two 
tiers of smaller ones, formed and ornamented in the same 
manner. The upper row of these enlighten the roof, and at 
the bottom of the lower tier is the narrow passage usual in 
cathedral and conventual churches, called triforia. The 
roof itself is of timber, modern, and but little ornamented ; 
the side aisles are surmounted by galleries, which, with the 
pews in the nave, have been lately erected for the accommo¬ 
dation of the parishioners. At the west end is a heavy 
square tower, having the date 1558. It was repaired about 
six years ago; and a new window was then introduced. It 
is built with stone, is embattled, and rises to the height of 86 
feet. From the south side of the church projects a chapel, 
formerly Our Lady’s, now a school-room, under which is 
a beautiful arched charnel-house. The exterior of the 
church has been entirely stript of that character of 
randeur and antiquity which it once possessed, by mo- 
ern reparations. The appearance of the interior has also 
been injured ; 12 | miles north-by-east of London. Popula¬ 
tion 2287. 
WALTHAM-ON-THE-WOLD, a parish of England, 
and formerly a market town, in the county of Leicester; 113 
miles north-bv-west of London. Population 512. 
WALTHAMSTOW, a village and parish of England, in 
the county of Essex, situated on the river Lea, near Layton. 
Here is a free school, and alms-houses for eight poor men, 
and eight women. The church, which is situated on a hill, 
is a large and handsome building, consisting of three aisles; 
6 | miles north-east-by-north of St. Paul’s, London. Popu¬ 
lation 3,777. 
WALTHER (Augustine Frederic), an anatomist and 
physician, was appointed in 1723 professor of anatomy and 
surgery in the university of Leyden. Several of his disser¬ 
tations on anatomical objects are upon the whole com- 
mended, and have been reprinted by Haller. The best of 
his larger pieces are, “ De Lingua Humana Libellus,” 1724, 
4to. As a botanist, he published a catalogue of the plants 
in his own garden, and a work on the structure of plants. 
He died about the year 1746. Haller E/oy. 
WALTHER (Bernard), an eminent astronomer, was born 
at Nuremberg in the year 1430, and having applied princi¬ 
pally to the study of mathematics, and more especially of 
astronomy, under Regiomontanus, was eminently useful by 
his talents and opulence in encouraging the inventions and 
arding the observations of his preceptor, whilst he con¬ 
tinued at Nuremberg; and when by the invitation of pope 
Sixtus IV. he removed to Rome, with a view to the re¬ 
formation of the calendar, he continued his observations for 
nearly forty years, viz. from 1475 to the time of his death 
in 1504. His instruments were of the most perfect kind 
which he could then procure, and he was skilful and perse¬ 
vering as well as successful in the use of them. He was 
the inventor of a chronometer, or clock with wheels, which 
indicated the time of noon with an accuracy corresponding 
to the result of calculation; and he is also celebrated as 
the first of the moderns who observed refraction. In the 
work entitled *• Vranies Noricae Basis Astronomic*, sive 
Rationes Motus annui ex Observationibus in Solem hoc 
nostro et Seculo ab hinc tertio Norinberg*, habitis, a Jo- 
hanne Philippo a Wurzlebau,” Norinb. 1709, are contained 
observations by Walther and Wurzelbeu, with inferences 
drawn 
