Rutlandshire. ---0
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RUTLANDSHIRE. THlS is an inland county, and the smallest ir. England, being only about eighteen miles in length, fit its greatest breadth not more than sixteen, an(1 its circumference fifty-eight; comprising 149 square miles, or 95,3fiO acre~. of which about 43,OOt) are uudet· tillage. It is bounded ou the north-west aud south-west by Leicestershire; on the south and south -eaRt by Nurthamptonshire, trom which it is separated by the I'ive:r WeJland; and the county of Lincoln is the boundary on ils east and north· eastern sidell.-This districc, at the time of the Roman invasion, formed a part of the territory of the Coritani: under the Romans it was included in the divhion called Flavia ClBsariensis: at Great Casterton was a Roman station, but antiquaries disagree concerning its llame. By the Saxons the district was comprised in the kingdom of Mercia. In Domesday book Roteltlnd is mtnlioned as being composed of the t\o\'O wapentakes of Alstoe and Martiosley; and the res~ of the county, lit Ihat periml, was included in Northamplonshi,'e. Rut18nd is first described as a dis tinct county ill the fifth year of King John, at Ihr coronation of whose queen, Isabel, it was, amongst other lands, assigned in parliament tor her dower. But few important historical events are connected with this county. In 1470, on the 27th of April, an army uf Lancaslt'I'ians was defeated by Edward IV, M Horn, witb a loss of thirteen thousand men, wht'n Sir Thomas Wells and Sir Thomas de Launde were taken pl'isoners, and shortly afterwards beheaded: this engagement has been jocularly styled' the Baule of Lose-coat Field,' (mm the disper-ed fugitives having ca,t off their coats in order to be le~ encumbered. Rutland confers the titles of duke and earl 011 the family of Manners. SOIL and CLIMATE, PRODUCE, &c.-The SOIL of Rutlandshire in general may be considered rich, and it is highly productive ill COI'II and pasture. tn many parts a sort of ruddle, of a red colour, prevails-and from this soil some say the county takes its name; but this is unsupported by the more learned etymologists. Rutland is beautifully "aried ill 8usfdce with gentle swells and depressions, the rising grounds, running east and "est. with valleys inlervelling; amollgst these is the luxuriant one of Catmose, leadin~ from the we!!tern side to the centre ot the coun!y, and eomprehending the county town, Odkham. The south-western part forolerly was entirely occupied by the forest of Leafield, pal t of which still remains in its original state, and affords pasturage to some few deer. The agricultural !\\'stem pursued in this county is good, being the same as that practised in Norfolk-the tllrnip and sheep hushandry general1y forming its basis; its flocks are healthy, and its COI'll, some of the finest in the united kingdolJl, is principally sold for seed. The crops commonly grown are wheat, barley, oats, peas, bealls, turnip~, cabbages, tal'es, and lentil~. The artificial grasses are clover, trefoil, raJ~grass, and saillfoill. Much of what is called Stilton cheese is mad~ in the dis trict of Leafield Forest, and the vale of Catmo-e. The woodlands were fortnt'rly much more extensive than they now are. The forest of Leafield once spread over the greater part of the soke of Oakham; and Beaumont Chase, which formed part of the same fOl'est, extended over many acres of Martinsley hundl't'd; and in the~e districts are still some bt'autifol scenes of ",oodland and highly cultivated 81'0tS. Some of the finest views Dlay be obtained from l\lanton (which i& the highest land ill the county); BeauOlont Chase, Hurghley House (Bnrley.on-Ihe-Hill), Hakesborough Hill, Teigh village, the Whis~endine Hills, and Witchley Commou. The AIR of this shil'e is rOll~idered as pure as that of any other in England. Neither in MANUFACTURES, MINES ur l\HNERAL'I call Rutland lay any great claim to Ilotice; and the only quarries are those ot limestone, at l'\ettoD. There are maltings ill several of the towns and villages, and fluur mills are scattered throughout the county. RIVERli and MINERAL SP[UNGS, CANALS and RAILWAYS.-rhe principal RlvtRS which have their source in or pass through this county are, the EVE, the WELLANO, the GUASII and the CHATER. The Eye rises in Leicestershi, e, runs 8outh.east, forming the bounda,.y of the county on tbis side, and empties into the Wellan(l. The WeIIand has its origin in Sibbertoft, in Northamptonshire. alld, running north-east, becomes the boundary of Rut land on that border; neat Ketton it receives the water of the Chater, and a little north of Stamford those of the Guash ; continuing nearly the same course, i!. passes the towns of l\1al'ket Deepillg and Spalding, and ultimately flowl! into the sea at Fosdike Wash: this river is navigable to Stamford. The Gnash alld the Chaler both rise on the we,terll side of the county, and, runnillg nearly parallel to each other in an easterly dilection, unite with the WeJlilllc,-the formel' on the 1l00-th side, and the latter on the south side of Stamford.-CHALYBEATE SPRINGS are numerous ill various parts of the county; the ~trollgest, which has loug beell beld ill considerable estimatiou_ for its salubrious qualitie!l, and was moch rewrted to not many years sillce, rises between Teigh al\d Market Overton.-By means of the OAKHAM CANAL a commuuication has been opened with the I'iver Trent, which has given rise to an iuland trade of some consequence, particu larly in the neceS&lIry article of coal.-The RAILWAYS, which pass through Rotland, are those which run between Northamptonshire-and Leicestt'rshlre-commnuicating with the metropolis on the one hand, alld the midland and Ilorlhern districts ou the other. The Midland Rail\o\'ay, and the Rugby and Stamford, have joint stations at the Yilla~es of South Luffenham, and Thorpe by Water. The Midland Railway has stations also at Oakham, Ashwdl, Kettoll, and l\lanton; and the Leicester, Syston, and Peterborough line passes through the latter village-whkh is four miles north from Uppingharn. ECCLESIASTICAL and CIVIL DIVISlhNS, alld REPRESENTATION,-Rutlandshire is in the prm-ince of Can terbury and dioct'se of Pt'terborough; it is included in the l\lidland Circuit, and is divided iuto tbe five hundreds of Abtoe, East, :\Jartillsler, Uakham Stoke and Wralldike: these collectively contain fifty-two parishes, one county town (Oak ham), and two market towns (Oakham and l"ppingham). The shire is represented in parliament by two members, and their return is made from Oakham. Tnf present member!! are the Honourable Gerard Jamf's Noel, Exton Park. lIear Oakharu; and the Honourabie Gilbert Henry Heathcote, Esquire, Stocken Hall~ 8tretton, both in this county. POPULATION. &c_-By the returns made to Government, at the census of 1851, Rutlllnd,hire contained 1l,801 males, alld ll,182 females,-total 22,983; exhibiring an ilJcr~ase over the returns of 1841, of 1,681 illhabitallt~. The anllual value of real property in this connty, as assessed to the poor rates in 1850, awouuted to £128,679. ---0--- Distance Table of Towns and Principal Villages in the County of RUTLAND. The nalOe!; of the towns are on the top and side, and the square where both meet gives the distauce. Distancejrom Leicester. Distancefrom London. 26 •••• •••••••••••••••• Barl'owden •••••••••••••••••••••••••••••• _. .... 91 28 •••• Empingham _... 10 Empingham........ ...................... 94 29 •••• Ketton.. •••••••• 5 5 Kt-tton.. •• .... •••••••• •••••• •••• •••• 9!i 24 •••• Langham ...... 12 8 13 Langbam ............ _.... ••• •••• 98 23 •••• Liddingtou.... •• 9 11 14 II ILiddington.................. 88 25 •••• Oak ham. • ...... 10 6 11 2 9 J Oakham................ 96 20 •••• U~lpingham.... 6 8 9 8 2~ 6IuPpin~ham.. •••••• 9() 23 •••• Whisselldille.... 15 II 16 2~ 13 4 10 I Whisseudine .. If 100 1 -1 ~utlanlJsfltrt. ~lattt'S BARRO'VDEN AND SOUTH LUFFENHAl\J • .BARRowDEN iR a parish in the hundred of Wran- cen~us taken in 1801. the number of inhabitants dike-the village is about 5! miles E. from Uppingham, amounted to 511; at that in 181 I, tu 481; in 1821,524; 10 s. E. from Oakham, and i s. w. from Stamford: in 1831, it had decrea~ed to 485; 111 1841, the Ilumber pleasantly situated near the northern bank of the river was 658; and it had increaser! in 1851. to 718. Well and. The chief trade is the manufacture Clf rugs, SOUTH LUFPENHAM i~ a parish ill the same hundred parchment, glue, and white leather, which is carried as BarrowdelJ-the ~'illa~e, a pleasant on ... , i~ bt'tween on opnn rather aD extenllive scale b~ !\1essrs. Richard Ithree and four miles north tberefl'Om, and rather more Gill and SOD, and gives employment to many hauds in than 5 E. by N. f.·om U pplngham, sitnakd 011 the road the village. to Stamford, 011 the south hank of the river Chater, The plaoes of worship are, the parish chut'ch of and on the line of the Rugby and Slamford railway. Saint Peter, and a chapel for Baptists: the living is a Here a station has heen t'rected-small, but handsome; rectory, in the patronage of the Marquess uf Exeter, together with convenient warehouses, for tht' carrying who is lord of the manor; the preseut incumbellt is department; and several coal merchants have their the Rev. C)larles Atlay. A Sunday school h supported offices here. The parish church of Saint Mary is by the Baptists, who here form a very respectable com- rather a handsome huilding, wilh a tower surmounted munity.