CORFE CASTLE. 651 CORK. imlf, appears to have derived its importance an a strong fortress built by King Edgar in the 10th ntury, at tlio gate of which Edward the Martyr was usly stabbed in the back by direction of his ep-iii"ther Elfrida, whilst drinking to the health of his ilf-brtilhcr Ethelred and herself; this, says the Saxon le, was the foulest deed committed since the imo into England. The castle appears, from ie existing remains, to have been rebuilt by William 10 Conqueror, and in the reign of Stephen it was taken ,- Baldwin de Hirers, Earl of Devonshire, who held it
- aint the king. Its walls subsequently witnessed many
agio scenes. Here the twenty-two Poictou noblemen ore starved to death by order of King John, who lected it as the securest plaee for his regalia. Edward was removed here from Kenilworth, on his way to Castle, where he shortly after met his terrible ith by order of the Queen and Mortimer ; Eichard II.,
- r IK; was deposed, was a prisoner here for a short
. ious to his murder at Pontefract. Henry VII. the castle, as also did Sir Christopher Hatton, i the manor and castle were granted with the
- he Isle of Purbeck by Queen Elizabeth. Sir
Halton, his descendant, gave them to his lady, . h, daughter of Thomas Earl of Exeter, who is married Lord Chief Justice Coke ; by whom re sold in 1035 to Sir John Bankes, attomoy- o Charles I. and afterwards Chief Justice of the i'.'-m-h, in whose family they have since re- ained. In the Civil War, Sir John Bankes being absent ith Charles I. at York, the castle was besieged by Sir ."alter Erie, who expected to have surprised it ; but it U'-roically defended by Lady Bankes and her .iinlilers, asM>teil only by their domestics and tenants,
- it 11 held out till relieved by Captain Lawrence, who
itched by the king from Blandford, where the val army had meanwhile arrived. It was again be- j the parliamentary forces, but Lady Bankea and Lawrence, with about eighty soldiers, defended >veeks, with the loss of only two men. A third parliamentary forces laid siege to it in 1645, r Thomas Fairfax, and gained possession of it the trcaehory of Lieut. -Colonel Pitman, an the garrison. It was then dismantled by order the parliament; and large masses of the walls and vi -rs lie scattered in the vale beneath. The remains tin. 1 .stupendous editico are extensive and grand, iipying the summit of a lofty and steep eminence to e north of the town, with which they are connected a bridge of four narrow circular arches called St. [ward's liritl^' . erossing a deep ravine. The town, lieh stands on rising ground, at the bottom of a range hills near the centre of the Isle of Purbeck, consists incipally of two streets diverging from the market iiere formerly stood the market-cross. The re built and roofed with stone from the noigh- urin^ ([uarries, which are no longer worked, and are marked by a flight of steps. In former times the ititul grey marble called 1'urbeck-stone was largely r irted, but the chief trade now consists in the digging .-otter's clay, upwards of o'0,000 tons of which article annually shipped for Staffordshire, Worcestershire, id other pottery districts. At the entrance from the iid' in road is an ancient stone bridge over the small vcrCorfe, by which the town is bounded on the east. a borough by prescription, the town was not orpurated till the 18th of Queen Elizabeth, who in- -ted it with the same privileges as were enjoyed by Cinque Ports. Under the existing charter of Charles
- . the corporation consists of a mayor, who is elected
the court-leet of the lord of the manor, held at haelm.-is, and eight barons, who have previously veil the dilice of mayor. The mayor and ex-mayor -, by virtue of their offices, justices of peace, and iniiiiistcr the all'airs of the town under the lord of the mor, who was anciently an important officer of state, iu' hereditary lord-lieutenant and admiral of the of I'nrbeck, with power of appointing all officers I determining all actions or suits in his own courts. He also exercised the authority of Lord High Admiral, and had power to array the militia ; but these privileges lapsed in 1757, upon the passing of the Militia Act, Mr. Bankes, then lord of the manor, having omitted to enforce his claim. The living of Corfe Castle is a rect., val. 685, in the dioc. of Salisbury. The church, dedicated to St. Edward the Martyr, lias recently been entirely restored with great taste, and most part of it rebuilt, except the tower, which is a massive embattled structure. The chapel-of-easo at Kingston is a beautiful little struc- ture, rebuilt and decorated by the late Lord Eldon. There is also a chapel- of-ease at Bushey. The Inde- pendents and Wesleyans have chapels, and there are National and British schools. The parochial charities produce about 60 per annum, part of which is the endowment of an almshouse for six aged persons. In the vicinity are Rcnvpstone Hall, the residence of John Hales Calcraft, Esq., and Encombe House, the seat of the late Lord Chancellor Eldon, who erected an obelisk on the summit of a neighbouring hill, in memory of his brother, the late Lord Stowell. At Nine Barrow Down, about 2 miles E. of the town, arc sixteen barrows, nine in a straight lino ; they are situated near the summit of the hill, which rises 642 feet above the sea, commanding a beautiful view of Swanago, the British Channel, and the Isle of Wight. Fairs are held on the 12th of May and 29th October. CORFE GATE, or CORYATTS, a hmlt. in the par. of Portisham, in the co. of Dorset, 5 miles S.W. of Dor- chester. CORFE MULLEN, a par. in the hund. of Cogdean, East Shaston div. of the co. of Dorset, 2 miles S.W. of Wimborue-Minstor, its post town and railway station on the South- Western line, and 6 N.W. of Poole. The living is a perpet. cur.* in the dioc. of Salisbury, val. 412, in the patron, of Eton College. The church, dedicated to St. Nicholas, is an ancient structure, and has recently been repaired. The Methodists have a chapel. The two endowed schools have been united, and the building recently enlarged. The charities produce 80, of which one-third is paid to the curate ; the re- mainder is applied to provide bread and cheese every Sunday for ten poor children, beef at Christmas, and apprentice fees when required. St. John Coventry and Willett A3ye, Esqs., are lords of the manor. CORFTON, a tnshp. in the par. of Diddlebury, in the co. of Salop, 6 miles N. of Ludlow. CORGARF, a mountainous district around the sources of the Don, in the co. of Aberdeen, Scotland. It is 8 or 9 miles long, and forms part of the par. of Strathdon, Here is a missionary minister on the royal bounty, and also a Roman Catholic chapel. Corgarf Castle is a military station on the road from Fort George, 21 miles from Castleton of Braemar. The earls of Man had anciently a hunting seat hero, which was burnt by th" (iordons in 1571. CORHAMPTON, a par. in the hund. of Meon Stoke (lower half), in the co. of Hants, 4 miles N.E. of Bishop's Waltham, and 7 N.E. of the Botley railway station on the Southampton and Gosport line. The living is a perpet. cur. in the dioc. of Winchester, val. 39, in the patron, of J. H. Wyndham, Esq. The church is an ancient stone edifice in the Norman style, with monuments. The annual value of the charities is about 34. Corhampton Down is a meet for the Hambledon hounds. The lord of the manor is J. II. Wyndham, Esq. The principal residence is Corhampton House, the seat of Lady Dillon. CORK, a maritime co. in the prov. of Monster, in the S.W. of Ireland, bounded on the E. by the cos. of Tipperary and Waterford, on the N. by Limerick, on the V. by Kerry, and on the S. by the Atlantic Ocean. It is the" largest county in Ireland, both in extent of surface and of arable land, extending from 9 45' to 10 3' W. long., and from 51 12' to 52 13' N. lat. Its length from Dursey Island, its most westerly point, to Yoiighal, E.N.E., is about 110 miles, and its greatest breadth from N. to S. is 70 miles, with an average breadth of 34 miles, comprising an area of 2,885 square
