Page:The National Gazetteer - A Topographical Dictionary of the British Islands, Volume 1.djvu/755

From Wikisource
Jump to navigation Jump to search
This page needs to be proofread.
745

DENBIGHSHIUK. 745 DENBY. Lady ! Butlur, and Miss Ponsonby, more commonly knowi as the ladies of Llangollen, lived at PlasNewydd. Tin 1 surface of Denbighshire is very uneven, having some level tracts towards the N., but its general aspect is rugged and barren, redeemed by several beautiful and fertile vales, amongst the more celebrated of which are the vales of Llangollen, Clwyd, Conway, and Llan ~ west or Vale Crucis. The prevailing rocks are the clay and grauwacke slates of the Silurian system. The surface is generally hilly, especially in the western part of the county, which is occupied by a long dreary range of hills, called the Hiraethog hills, which runs from its north- western extremity in a southerly direction between tho vales of the Conway and the Clwyd. These hills are for the most part covered with heath or ling. The principal elevations of this range are Modwl Eithan (the highest point), 1,660 feet; Bronbanog, 1,572 feet; Moel Ucha, 1,234 feet; and Moel Fre Issa, 1,037 feet. Parts of two parallel ranges (the more westerly called the Clwydian) lie eastern side of the county, and are con- with the Hiraethog hills by a range which

iO northern boundary of the valley of the Dee.

iiicipal eminences in the Clwydian range are iinmau, 1,845 feet; Cyrn-y-Brain, 1,857 feet; >md Moel Enlli, 1,767 feet. In the chain connecting cm ranges with the Hiraethog hills, is Moel Morfyd, 1,767 feet; and Carncdd-y-Filiast, 2,127 feet, forms part of a group in the S.W. ; Moel Ferna, 2,050

'eet, and Cader Berwyn, 2,715 feet, are in the Berwyn

On these hills large quantities of Highland heep, and goats are pastured. The peat, which is found in abundance in the hilly district, affords ex- tellent fuel, being so close-grained that when cut with a knife it exhibits a polished surface. The climate of Denbighshire is rigorous though salubrious, being ex- ' the northerly winds, except in the sheltered ,-alleys, which produce wheat, beans, and peas in as Mat perfection as any parts of England. Denbighshire ' d by the Conway, the Clwyd, the Alwen, and [he Dee, with their tributaries. The Conway drains 'the western slope of the Hiraethog hills. The Clwyd i the eastern side of tho Hiraethog hills, and lows towards the N., past Euthin, Denbigh, and St. V- qilu and enters the sea at Ehyl, draining the greater lart nf the .country between the Hiraethog and the '1'vyilian hills. The Alwen rises on the eastern ide <>f the Hiratthog hills, and flows south-west into he Dee on the borders of Merionethshire. Tho lwen drains that part of the country between the liraethog and the Clwydian hills which is not drained >y the Clwyd. The Dee runs for a mile or two along Ihe borders of Denbighshire and Merionethshire, then raters Denbighshire, and flows in a circuitous course lirough the vale of Llangollen, and after separating Jc-nbighshiro from Shropshire, Flintshire, and Cheshire, heshire near Eaton Hall. The length of its ourse upon and within the border of Denbighshire is ibout 40 miles. Its principal Denbighshire tributaries ire the Ehaiadr, the Alwen, the Ceiriog, and the Alen. ['he Tanat skirts the southern boundary of the county, nd receives the Ywrch, Cwmshiw, and several other teeams which have their sources in Denbighshire, and hen falls into the Severn. There is in Denbighshire a lavigable feeder of the Ellesmere canal, which separates rom the Dee near Llandysilio, tho canal crossing the alley of the Dee by the aqueduct of Pont-y-Cyssylltc, nd the Ceiriog by another aqueduct bridge of 600 feet n length, supported by ten arches, after which it enters Shropshire. The principal roads are the parliamentary nail-coach road from London to Holyhead, which until cently was tho most direct route for Ireland ; tho road rom Chester to Holyhead, which enters the county 'i St. Asaph and Abergele; and several other loads diverging from Denbigh. Two important lines if railway traverse the county, the Chester and Holy- mi, and the Chester and Shrewsbury: the former ) Uows the line of tho coast to tho bank of the Con- lay, where it crosses into Carnarvonshire ; the latter nters the county to the N., near Wrexham, and TOL. I. proceeding southward for about 12 miles, quits it near Chirk. The county is divided into six cantrefs or hundreds, containing 50 parishes, besides parts of 14 others, and one extra parochial place. The chief towns are Kuthin, the county, assize, and sessions town; Wrex- ham, a sessions and market town ; Llanrwst, a market town; Denbigh, a parliamentary, borough, sessions, and market town ; and Llangollen, a market town : besides which there are about 300 villages and hamlets. Euthin, Wrexham, and Llanrwst are heads of poor-law unions, and of a new County Court and superintendent registry districts. JRuabon is likewise a County Court district, and St. Asaph a superintendent registry. The county returns three members to parliament, two for the county, and one for the borough of Denbigh, with its contributory boroughs of Euthin, Wrexham, and Holt. It is governed by a lord-lieutenant, assisted by 36 magistrates, and is included in the diocese of St. Asaph and in the province of Canterbury. It forms part of the N. military district, and is included in the North Wales circuit. Flannels, woollen cloths, and stockings, are manufactured to a considerable extent at Glyn, Llanrwst, and other places ; gloves and cotton at Denbigh, and paper at Chirk. The chief occupations of the people are agriculture, sheep and dairy farming, and mining. Tho chief minerals consist of lead, which is found at Minera; iron at Euabon, Brymbp, and other places ; coal at Wrexham, where the seam is from 8 to 15 feet thick ; slate at Llangollen and Chirk ; besides freestone, millstone, and limestone, 'which are quarried in various mountain districts. Salmon is taken in abundance in most of the rivers, and grouse on the moors. DENBIGH, or DENBIES, a hmlt. in the second div. of the hund. of Wotton, in the co. of Surrey, 1J mile N.W. of Dorking. It is situated on the downs, and commands a fine view. DENBIGH HALL, in the co. of Buckingham, 1 mile N.W. of Fenny Stratford. It is situated near the North- Western railway. DENBIGH LODGE, in the co. of Gloucester, 3- miles S.W. of Newnham. It is situated in Dean Forest. DENBTJEY, a par. in the hund. of Haytor, in the co. of Devon, 5J miles from Totnes, and 2 S.W. of Newton- Abbot railway station. It is situated near Denbury Down, and was formerly a market town belonging to Tavistock Abbey. There are slate and lime quarries. Manganese has been occasionally found near the surface. The inhabitants are employed in agriculture, weaving of serge for the factories at Ashburton and Buckfastleigh, and in the fisheries. The living is a rect. in the dioc. of Exeter, val. 173, in the patron, of the Eev. J. H. Eeibey. The church, dedicated to St. Mary, contains monuments to the Taylor family. The charities amount to 24 per annum. There is a Baptist chapel, also a National school for both sexes, with an endowment of 30 per annum. J. Taylor, Esq., is lord of the manor. On Denbury Down is a Eoman camp covering six acres. A fair is held on the llth September. DENBY, or DENBLY, a par. in the hund. of Morles- ton and Litchnrch, in the co. of Derby, 4 miles N.E. of Duffield, and 3 S.E. of Belper, its post town. It is a station on the Derby, Little Eaton, and Eipley section of the Midland railway, which traverses the parish in various directions, connecting the smithies, potteries, and other factories with the works carried on near its northern and western boundaries. The living is aperpet. cur.* in tho dioc. of Lichfield, val. 98, in the patron, of W. D. Lowe, Esq., who is lord of the manor. The church, dedicated to St. Mary, i an ancient structure, with a tower and curious steeple. It has been recently enlarged, and 160 free sittings added. The charities amount to 50 10*. per annum, exclusive of the impropriation belonging to the almshouse at Derby. Tho Wesleyan Methodist .-< have a chapel. There are endowed schools for both sexes, founded by Mrs. Massie in 1635. This place is celebrated for its collieries and ironstone cement. Then is also an extensive earthenware manufactory for stone 5 c