ruins. DENBIGH. Dudley, Earl of Leicester. In 1645, Charles I. stopped here after his retreat from Chester, and from this circumstance, a tower, containing the rooms which he occupied, still retains the name Siambr y brenkin, or the royal apartment. The following year the castle was in the possession of the royalists, under the government of Colonel William Salisbury. It was besieged by General Mytton, by an investment made on the 16th July, but the garrison did not surrender till the 3d of November following. It was probably dismantled on changing possessors, and after the restoration of Charles II., was blown up with gunpowder, and rendered completely untenable. This fortress appears to have been a superb structure, formed by grouting; that is, two walls occupying the extremities of the intended thickness were first built in the ordinary manner, with a vacancy between them, into which was poured a mixture of hot mortar and rough stones of all sizes, which, on cooling, consolidated into a solid mass as hard as stone. The grand entrance was through a magnificent pointed archway, formerly Stupendous flanked by two large octagonal towers, now in ruins. In an ornamented niche over the centre of the arch, is still remaining tolerably entire, the statue of the founder; and over a gateway, that stood on the left of this, was another of his wife. These ruins cover the summit of the craggy hill, one side of which is boldly precipitous. The prospects through the broken arches and frittering walls are extensive, and peculiarly fine. The vale of Clwyd is presented in rich variety, decorated with villas, and terminated by a line of hills, from the rock of Disserth to Moel Fenlli. The town of Denbigh has been compared to Stirling in Scotland. Crowned with a majestic ruin, the town viewed from a distant part of the country assumes Imposing an imposing aspect. The castle is seen with the greatest advantage from the prospects.road to Ruthin. The place was originally inclosed with walls, and fortified with one square and three round towers, that connected it with the castle. The entrance was by two gates; one called the Exchequer-gate, in which was held the royal baronial courts; and the other the Burgesses-gate, in which affairs relative to municipal business was transacted. In one of these precincts stands St. Hilary's, a chapel formerly belonging to the garrison, and now appropriated to a place of worship. Not far distant are the remains of a church, 170 feet in length, and seventy-one broad. The structure, as appears from a date upon a foundation stone, was begun in 1579, under the directions of Dudley, Earl of Leicester, who, it is said, desisted from prosecuting the work from dislike to the Welsh, who resisted his insufferable tyranny. A sum is said to have been afterwards collected for the purpose of completing the plan; but the Earl of Essex passing through the place, on his ill-fated expedition to Ireland, obtained a loan of the money, which he failed to re-imburse; the building in consequence was left unfinished, and the effects of time have changed it to a ruin. A monastic institution is said by Speed to have been formed here, by John de Sunimore, in the year 1399. But from an authentic document upon a mutilated ancient brass, found some years since, it appears to have been a priory for Carmelites, or white friars, founded long anterior to that date, by John Salusbury, of Lleveni, who died in 1289. The conventual church, in which the family of the founder were interred up to the era of the reformation, is all that remains of this building; and even this has been sacrilegiously desecrated into a barn. The new town, standing below the rocky bridge, gradually arose from the old. This, extending down the slope of the hill, and some way round the base, consists principally of one street, with a few good houses; but the collateral streets, or rather lanes, are very irregular and ill-built. Its manufactures in gloves and shoes are very considerable. Denbigh was made a borough in the time of Edward I. The corporation consists of two aldermen, who are justices, two bailiffs, twenty-five capital burgesses, a recorder, two coroners, and other subordinate officers. It sends one member to parliament in conjunction with Holt and Ruthin. This town has undergone many im The new town. A farmer's club held here. provements of late years. The town hall has been handsomely stuccoed. DENBIGH A dispensary has been established, and is supported by a very liberal subscription among the inhabitants and neighbouring families. A physician gives advice gratis, and an apothecary is engaged at a liberal salary. Near Denbigh-hill, in a fragment of the ruined wall of a castle, is a striking likeness in profile of his Majesty George II.; the forehead, eyes, brow, nose, mouth, chin, and even the shape of his wig and shoulders, are exactly characteristic. A farmer's club is established here, who meet monthly to report progress for reciprocal information. The parish church, St. Marcelles, is at Whitchurch, about a mile distant, on the road to Ruthin. In the porch, upon a small piece of brass, are the effigies of Richard Middleton, of Gwaynynog, in a kneeling posture. He was governor of Denbigh castle, in the reigns of Edward VI., Mary, and Elizabeth. Also Jane, his wife. Behind, in relievo, are nine sons; and behind the wife, seven daughters. Several of this gentleman's sons were men of distinguished characters, particularly the third, named William, a sea captain and an eminent poet; he received his education at Oxford. Thomas, the fourth son, became Lord Mayor of London, and founder of the family of Chirk Castle. The speculative genius of Hugh, his sixth son, Memorials the family appeared at an early age in attempts to search for coal in the neighbour-of Sir Hugh hood of his native place; but, not succeeding, he removed to London, where Middleton. he became a citizen and goldsmith. His success in trade enabled him to farm the principal lead and silver mines in Cardiganshire, at £400 a year; yet so profitable were these works, that from one mine, yielding nearly 100 ounces of silver from a ton of lead, he derived a clear profit of £2,000 per month. This immense revenue he expended in carrying into execution a plan of supplying the city of London with water. The proposal was made in 1608, and the work was completed in five years. The first issue of the waters from the head at Islington was honoured by the presence of King James I., with his court, and corporation of London. He received the honour of knighthood, and afterwards of baronetage, but his property was exhausted by the undertaking, and the ingratitude of the public allowed him to be reduced to the profession of a surveyor. Mortifying as was the result of finishing the New River, his ardent spirit for public undertakings caused him to engage in reclaiming 2,000 acres from the sea, in the Isle of Wight, by embanking. He died in 1631, and his family declined into narrow circumstances, while the property which he had created rose to an unexampled value. He left a number of the New River shares to the poor of the Goldsmith's Company, yet, in aftertimes, his descendant and representative, when a widow, was debarred from benefiting by the charity of her ancestor, because her husband had omitted to take up his freedom as a goldsmith! Mr. Bushel, the ingenious servant of Sir Francis Bacon, was the successor of Sir Hugh Middleton at the mines. A mural monument in memory of that learned antiquary Humphrey Llwyd, in a supplicating posture, and Spanish costume. He graduated at Oxford, and adopted the medical profession. He represented in parliament the borough of Denbigh, his native place, where he prematurely died in 1568, aged forty-one. He published "Commentariolum Britanniæ," an epistle "De Mona Druidum insula, antiquitati suæ restituta," and various other tracts. Though having the appearance of antiquity imparted to it by the venerable ruins of its lordly castle, yet Denbigh may be called a handsome modern town. It consists of one long avenue, enclosed by many elegant private residences, opening into a spacious market-place, from which several smaller avenues diverge. The triennial meeting of the Welsh bards, called the Eistedffod is The triennow revised and appointed to be held occasionally in this town. The first revived assemblage was held in Sept., 1828, under the patronage of his royal highness the Duke of Sussex. Denbigh returns one member to parliament. Markets, Wednesday and Saturday.-Fairs, the Friday se'nnight before Easter-day, May 14th, July 19th, September 25th, and second Wednesday after November 1st.-Bankers, Sankey and Co., draw on Bosanquet and Co.-Inns, the Bull, and the Crown. Mortifying enterprising public spirit results of his nial meeting of the Welsh bards. pa Berks 22 Dendron.. bam & chap Lancaster.. 14 Dengie 5 Denham.. ..to & chap W. R. York Barnesley....7 Huddersfield 7 Wakefield...9 10 Denby .pa Derby. N. Bushell.. 2 Ashburton.. 4 Totness .6 185 45 Denby.. 178 4 Denchworth .. 10 62 278 28 Denford 73 43 50 Denio 19 Denton†. Columb St. M 4 St. Austle ...6 Bodmin ....10 244 6 59 ..5 137 260 246 36 Denham 36 Denham 6 Denney.. 36 Dennington 8 Dennis, St. to Cambridge.. Cambridge 8 Ely 28 Denshanger..... ham Northampt. 35 Denston a beautiful vale. *DENT. The small market-town of Dent is situated in a sequestered Situated in and beautiful vale, to which it communicates the name of Dent Dale. Here landed property is much divided; the small estates are mostly occupied by the owners; and being chiefly in grass, produce large quantities of butter and cheese. Both in the town and its vicinity, considerable quantities of stockings are knitted for the Kendal market. Market, Friday.-Fairs, first Friday after February 15th, and every Friday fortnight from May 12th to June 1st. born here. + DENTON was part of the estate of the Cottons, of Connington, above-mentioned. Sir John Cotton partly rebuilt the church, about the year 1665. The east window contains a shield of arms, quarterly :—1st Sir Robert Cotton; 2d., Bruce; 3d., Scot; and 4th, Earl Waltheof. This was the birthCotton, a celebrated place of the celebrated antiquary, Sir Robert Cotton, to whom we are inantiquarian, debted for the well-known Cottonian library, in the British Museum. Sir Robert Bruce Cotton was born in the year 1570, and after having been at Westminster school, he completed his studies at Trinity-college, Cambridge. He then settled in London, devoting much of his time to antiquarian pursuits, and employing himself especially in collecting ancient deeds, charters, letters, and other manuscripts of various kinds, illustrative of our national history. He was one of the earliest members of the Antiquarian Society; and he not only promoted the general objects of that learned association, but also assisted with his literary treasures, as well as with his purse, Speed, Camden, and other writers on British archæology. In the reign of James I. he was knighted; and on the institution of the order of baronets, he was promoted to that rank. An act of indiscretion on the part of his librarian, subsequently exposed him to a very distressing mortification. A political treatise, in manuscript, by Sir Robert Dudley, which belonged to his collection, having been lent to some person, its contents became known, and the work was considered to be of so Distressing dangerous a tendency, that Sir Robert Cotton was arbitrarily restrained for prohibition a time from the use of his library. It appeared, however, on an enquiry of access to his own taking place, that the book had been lent without his privity, and the relibrary. striction to which he had been subjected was removed. The circumstance affected his spirits, and is supposed to have hastened his death, which took place in May, 1631. He wrote " A Discourse of the Lawfulness of Combats to be performed in the Royal Presence;" "The Antiquity and Dignity of Parliaments ;" and "A Narrative of Count Gondomar's Transactions ; "besides his posthumous works, and many tracts, still in manuscript. But Sir Robert Cotton is chiefly memorable as the founder of the valuable Cottonian Library, which collection was long preserved at Cottonhouse, Westminster. In 1701, it was appropriated to the public use; and after having been partly destroyed by fire in 1731, it was removed in 1753 to the British Museum, where it now remains.-Biog. Brit. institutions. * DENTON is in the soke of Grantham, parts of Kesteven. Here is an endowed school for twenty-four poor children; and also an alms-house, Charitable erected and endowed by William Welby, Esq., in 1653, for six poor persons, who receive a weekly allowance in money, and an annual allowance of coals. Denton-house is a handsome mansion, built in the modern style, surrounded by a very beautiful park. On this estate is a spring of very pure water, possessing medicinal qualities. In this parish was discovered, in the year 1727, a Roman tessellated pavement, eighteen inches under ground, measuring thirty feet square, forming a floor, and supposed to have been the site of a Roman villa. ↑ DEPTFORD was anciently denominated West Greenwich. From a small fishing village, it has risen to a large, flourishing, and populous town. The situation of this place, on the banks of the Ravensbourne, gave rise to its present name, originally spelt Depeford, from the deep ford, which has been superseded by a bridge over that river. It was also named Deptford Strond; an appellation afterwards solely appropriated to what is now called the lower town, included in the parish of Deptford St. Nicholas: the upper town is in that of Deptford St. Paul, which was constituted a distinct parish in 1730. A royal dock was established here, by Henry VIII., in the beginning of his reign. Since that period, the town has progressively increased; its population having augmented in the proportion of twenty to one, though it experienced a considerable check in 1665 and 1666, when nearly 900 persons died here of the plague. The manor was given by the Conqueror to Gilbert de Magnimot, who made it the head of his barony, and erected a castle here, every part of which has been long since buried in its own ruins. After passing through the hands of numerous possessors, the manor was resumed by the crown at the restoration. The manor-house, with its surrounding estate, which had obtained the name of Sayes Court, from its having been long held by the Says, became, in 1651, the residence of John Evelyn, Esq., the celebrated author of the Sylva; and to him, in 1663, Charles II. granted a new lease, at a reserved annual rent of 22s. 6d. This gentleman passed much of his time in retirement, “at this his favourite spot.” His gardens are said to have been the wonder and admiration of the greatest men of his time in the life of Lord Keeper Guidford, they are described as "most boscaresque; being, as it were, an examplar of his book of forest trees." The severe frost of the winter of the year 1682, did considerable damage here; but a more complete destruction was made by Peter the Great, to whom Mr. Evelyn lent his house and grounds, whilst he was obtaining a knowledge of the science and practice of naval architecture in the adjoining dock-yard, in 1698. Mr. Evelyn died in 1706. The house and gardens were afterwards entirely neglected; and there is not now the least trace of either: the present workhouse was built on the site of the : Deptford, so named from a deep ford. The manor of Sir John Evelyn, the author of Sylva. provent for DEPTFORD. former, in the year 1729. The estate, however, which includes the site of the present victualling-house, and of a large dock-yard, is still vested Lamentable in the Evelyns. A lamentable fire happened at Deptford, in 1652; and fire in 1652. nineteen years afterwards the lower town was inundated by a great flood, which rose to the height of ten feet in the streets near the river, so that the inhabitants were obliged to retire to the upper town in boats. The adjoining marshes were also overflowed, and about 700 sheep, with a great number of oxen, cows, &c. were destroyed. Sir Thomas Wyat lay a night and a day at Deptford, with his army, in the year 1553. The Royaldock, or King's-yard, has been greatly enlarged and improved since its original establishment. It is managed under the immediate inspection of the navy board: the resident officers are a clerk of the cheque, a storekeeper, a master shipwright, and his assistants, a clerk of the survey, a master attendant, a surgeon, and various inferior officers. The number of artificers and labourers employed here is about 1,500: even in times of peace, the general number is upwards of 1,000. The whole extent of the yard includes about thirty-one acres, which are occupied by various buildings; two wet docks, a double and a single one; three slips for men of war; a basin, two mast ponds; a model-loft; mast-houses; a large smith's shop, with about twenty forges for anchors; sheds for timber, &c. Great im- The old store-house is a quadrangular pile, and appears to have consisted maritime originally only of the range on the north side; where, on what was purposes formerly the front of the building, is the date 1513, together with the initials H.R. in a cypher, and the letters A.X. for Anno Christi. The buildings on the east, west, and south sides of the quadrangle, have been erected at different times; and a double front, towards the north, was added in 1721. Another store-house, parallel to the above, and of the same length, having sail and rigging lofts, was completed a few years ago : and there is also a long range of smaller store-houses, that was built under the direction of Sir Charles Middleton, afterwards Lord Barham, about the year 1780. The other buildings consist of various workshops and houses for the officers, where some of the largest ships in the navy have been built. On the north of the King's-yard stands the victualling-office, sometimes called the Red-house, from its occupying the site of a large range of store-houses, constructed with red bricks, which was burnt down in July, 1639, together with all its stores. Being rebuilt, it was included in the grant of Sayes court to Sir John Evelyn, in 1726; and was then described as 870 feet in length, 35 feet wide, and containing 100 warehouses. These premises were for some time rented by the East India company; but being re-purchased of the Evelyns by the crown, a new victualling-house was built on the spot in 1745, to replace the old victualling-office on Tower-hill. This new building was also accidentally burnt in 1749, with great quantities of stores and provisions. The immense pile which now forms the victualling office, has been erected at different times since that period; and consists of many ranges of building, appropriated to the various establishments necessary in the important concern of victualling the navy. In addition to the Royal-dock, here are two large private yards for ship building, belonging to Messrs. Barnards and Roberts, where men of war, of seventy-four guns, are sometimes built. Commercial Here is also a large and commodious commercial dock, which was opened on the 30th of June, 1809. It was intended principally for the reception of foreign merchantmen engaged in the Baltic trade. It was formerly known by the name of the Greenland dock; in which several alterations and improvements were made, and an entirely new range of store houses was erected. The Lord Mayor's barge, handsomely decorated, was the first to enter; the whole ceremony was conducted with much pomp and splendour: and, as [a close of the proceedings, a party of about 150 persons partook of an elegant dinner in one of the store-houses. The town of Deptford contains two churches; the oldest is dedicated to St. Nicholas, from time immemorial, dock. |