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GLOUCESTERSHIRE is a maritime county, bounded on the north-west by Herefordshire, on the east by Oxfordshire and a small part of Berkshire, on the south by Wiltshire and Somersetshire, and on the west by part of the latter county, the Bristol Channel and Monmouthshire. It extends in length, from Clifford Chambers, on the Avon (next Warwickshire), to Clifton, near Bristol (in a south-west direction), about seventy miles, and in breadth from Lechlade, north-west, to Preston, in the hundred of Botloe, about forty. The figure of the county is that of an ellipsis, narrow in proportion to its length - in circumference one hundred and fifty-six miles, and its superficial contents 1,256 square miles, or 803,840 statute acres. In size it ranks as the seventeenth county in England, and in population as the tenth.
SOIL, PRODUCE and CLIMATE. - Nature has strongly marked this county by distinctive features, having divided it into three districts of very dissimilar character, respectively named the Hill, the Vale, and the Forest. The Hill district includes the Coteswold and the Stroudwater eminences; the extent of the former ridge is about thirty miles - billowy in its general aspect, and the sides of the hills abounding with springs; the soil is principally a calcareous loam, mixed with gravel. The Stroudwater districts partakes both of the Coteswold and vale distinctions; the soil chiefly a light loam adapted to the cultivation of turnips and barley. The woodlands are generally covered with beech. The Vale district is subdivided into the vales of Evesham, Gloucester and Berkeley: a deep and rich loam predominates in the soil of this district; the land appropriated to arable cultivation, meadow and pasture - the main objects of the farmer being the growth of corn, breeding and fattening, and the dairy: the cattle are fattened mostly for the London market; the dairies, though not large, yield butter and cheese of a very superior quality; and the swine are fed to a great weight. The forest division is separated from the rest of the county by the river Severn, and is principally comprised in the forest of Dean, which formerly was particularly valued for the strength and durability of its timber. CLIMATE. - The air of this county is in general remarkably salubrious, although the temperature varies in accordance with the diversity of its surface. On the Coteswold hills the air is very sharp; in the valleys it is soft and mild, even in winter.
MANUFACTURES, MINES and MINERALS. - The MANUFACTURES of Gloucestershire are more various than extensive: they embrace woollen cloths of different textures, hats, leather, wire, pins, brass, bar iron, tinned plates, edge-tools, paper, &c. &c.; the staple commodities are woollen cloths and cheese. The exports of the county comprise cheese, bacon, grain, cider, perry, fish, some woollen cloths, &c. Of the MINERALS of Gloucestershire, the principal metallic ores are those of lead and iron: lead ore is found in various parts of the county, but not in sufficient quantity to remunerate the worker; iron ores are met with in great abundance, particularly in the forest of Dean, where, in the time of Edward I, there were seventy-two furnaces for smelting iron. In the forests of Dean and Kingswood the earth furnishes valuable supplies of coal - in the former, it is stated, that there are no less than one hundred and twenty pits; great quantities of this useful article are also obtained at Mangotsfield, Bitton and Bucklechurch; it abounds likewise at Syston, Iron Acton, Wick and Abston: in the latter parish, the cliffs rise perpendicularly to the height of two hundred feet and upwards, and are composed of a series of beds of limestone and petrosilex; lead ore is also found here. By the side of the road, near to Bristol, under the surface of the red soil, beautiful quartz crystals, with calcareous dog-tooth spars, have frequently been dug up. Several parts of the county supply excellent freestone, and many very curious fossils, especially in the vicinities of Gloucester and Wotton-under-Edge; at the latter place, singular stones, in the form of cockle and oyster-shells are often picked up; and the cornua ammonis and conchae Rugosae are too abundant to attract particular notice from the residents. In most districts of this county, indeed, the geologist and mineralogist will find numerous objects to gratify their research.
HEREFORDSHIRE is an inland county, bounded on the north by the county of Salop (Shropshire), on the north-east by the county of Worcester, on the south-east by that of Gloucester, on the south-west by Monmouthshire, on the west by the county of Brecknock, and on the north-west by the county of Radnor. Its form is nearly an ellipsis, but some detached parishes are situate beyond the general outline. The greatest extent of the county from Ludford, on the north, to the opposite border, near Monmouth, on the south, is thirty-eight miles; its greatest width, from Clifford on the west to Cradley on the east, is thirty-five miles: and its circumference 180 miles - comprising 860 square miles or 550,400 statute acres. In size Hereford ranks as the twenty-fifth county in England, and in population as the thirty-fifth.
Hereford Cathedral
SOIL, PRODUCE, CLIMATE, &c. - The general aspect of this county is extremely beautiful: its surface is agreeably diversified and broken by swelling heights, so as greatly to resemble the more central parts of Kent. From many of these elevations the prospects are uncommonly fine - but are peculiarly so from the Malvern Hills on the east, and the Hatterell or Black Mountains on the west. The fertility of the SOIL is very great, and the country is clothed in almost perpetual verdure: on every side a luxuriance of vegetation is exhibited, in widely extended corn-fields, teeming orchards, expansive meadows and flourishing plantations; every part seems uniformly productive, except, perhaps, on the north and west outskirts. The general composition of the SOIL is a mixture of marl and clay, containing a large proportion of calcareous earth; deep beds of gravel are occasionally met with; fullers' earth is sometimes turned up near Stoke: and red and yellow ochres, with pipe clay, are found in different parts of the county. Iron ore has been met with in the districts bordering on Gloucestershire, but the quantity was inconsiderable. Herefordshire is particularly famous as a cider county: it was during the reign of Charles I, that, by the spirited exertions of Lord Scudamore, and other land proprietors, the plantations of apple trees acquired the peculiar eminence which they yet retain, and the county became in appearance one entire orchard. The principal markets for the fruit-liquors of this shire are London and Bristol, from which ports great quantities are sent to Ireland, to the East and West Indies, and to foreign markets in bottle. But the orchard, though a favourite object of the cultivator's attention, is not the only one - cattle, sheep, swine, corn, &c. are articles from which he derives a general advantage: the growth of the hop (of which there are two kinds, the white and the red), likewise forms a considerable branch of the rural economy of the county, and is still increasing, particularly in the parts contiguous to Worcestershire. Herefordshire is rich in woodland; many species of trees, in different districts, spring up spontaneously, and becoming strong in a very short period. The CLIMATE of this county, taken generally, is favourable to health and longevity; but it varies materially according to local situation and altitude: the western and north-western parts are the coldest, on account of their superior elevation and exposure to westerly winds.
SHROPSHIRE (or SALOP) is an inland county, bounded on the north by Cheshire and a detached part of the Welch county of Flint; on the east by Staffordshire; on the south by the counties Radnor, Hereford and Worcester; and on the west by those of Denbigh and Montgomery. In length, from north to south, it is about forty-five miles; its extreme breadth about thirty-five: its circumference is computed at 160 miles, comprising an area of about 1,341 square mile or 858,240 statute acres. In size it ranks as the fifteenth county in England, and in population as the twenty-third.
SOIL, CLIMATE, and AGRICULTURAL PRODUCE. - Few counties are possessed of a greater variety of SOIL, or are more diversified in appearance: divided into two nearly equal parts by the Severn, its south portion assumes the mountainous character exhibited by the counties of Montgomery and Denbigh; whilst the north half approaches the resemblance of a level, agreeably relieved by a few single hills and romantic valleys finely wooded. The meadows on the side of the Severn are extremely fertile, being frequently enriched by the overflowing of that river, which is navigable in its whole course. - The CLIMATE is considered highly salubrious; the air is pure, although in many parts sharp and piercing. The PRODUCTIONS of this county are various and valuable: the breed of cows and sheep deserve particular notice - the former giving large quantities of milk, and much of the cheese disposed of under the denomination of 'Cheshire' is produced from the dairies of Shropshire; it is likewise acknowledged that the sheep fed upon its hilly tracts afford some of the finest fleeces in the kingdom. The whole county may be described as generally well cultivated, yielding great quantities of grain - its southern border producing excellent hops, and agreeably varied with fine healthy orchards.
MINERALS and MANUFACTURES. - Rich as this county is in the productions of the field, the treasures extracted from its bowels are not of minor importance: lead, iron, limestone, pipe-clay and coals are found in great abundance; and in the hundred of North Bradford are salt springs; whilst on the eastern side of the county are extensive iron-works, that give employment to some hundreds of hands. The chief MANUFACTURE are porcelain and flannel: the former is of great excellence, and in proportionate demand; the latter, though it has somewhat receded from its former high importance, is by no means reduced to insignificance. The principal manufacturing towns are Shrewsbury and Oswestry, for flannel; in the neighbourhood of the former town are large iron foundries, and it was here where the noble Menai Bridge was cast. In the parish of Madeley, also, are immense iron-works; the stupendous iron bridge that bestrides the Severn at this place was constructed from the furnaces here. At Coalport are china manufactories, of great extent and celebrity; at Bridgnorth, carpets and porcelain are manufactured; at Broseley, various descriptions of pottery ware; at Hales Owen, nails and pearl buttons; and Ludlow and its vicinity derive considerable prosperity from its extensive malting trade.
STAFFORDSHIRE is situated near the centre of the kingdom; bounded on the north and north-west by Cheshire, from which county it is separated by the river Dane; on the north and north-east by Derbyshire, the Dove dividing it from that county; on the south by Worcestershire; on the south-east by Warwickshire; and on the west by Shropshire. It is fifty-five miles in length, at it extreme points from north to south-west; its greatest breadth is about thirty-three miles, and its circumference about one hundred and fifty: its area contains about one thousand one hundred and forty-eight (1,148) square miles, or 734,720 statute acres. In size it ranks as the eighteenth English county, and in population as the seventh.
SOIL and CLIMATE, PRODUCE and MANUFACTURES. - The northern part, called 'the Moorlands' is hilly, much resembling the adjacent districts of Derbyshire; and is a bleak, and dreary tract - the soil thin, and yielding but a scanty pasture. The valley along the Trent is mostly very fertile, adorned with seats and plantations, and affords a variety of beautiful prospects. The middle and southern parts of this county are generally level, and have a depth of rich loamy soil. The great forest of Cannock, near the centre, once covered with oaks, has been dismantled of its wood to a considerable extent, and part of it is now intersected by roads and neat villages: at the southern extremity the Clent Hills, and Hagley and its neighbourhood, are well known for the romantic beauties they possess. The CLIMATE of Staffordshire is considered not unhealthy, though inclining to wet, especially in the northern part - probably arising from a ridge of mountainous land, lying to the west, which attracts the clouds in their passage. The air is sharp, and more severely cold than in many other counties. The AGRICULTURE and FARMING STOCK of Staffordshire have, within the last half century, undergone material improvement; whilst, on the rich lands bordering on the Trent, the dairy has become a source of considerable profit, and much good cheese and butter are made in that district. Although agricultural produce is a valuable auxiliary, yet the subterranean riches of the county are of still higher importance to its welfare, as being the grand materiel employed in its principal manufactures. Coal is abundant in many parts; while the Moorlands contain beneath, besides coal, a store of mineral wealth, yielding lead, copper, iron, marble, alabaster, mill-stone, and salt: fullers' earth is also found in Staffordshire - pipe-clay, and red and yellow ochres, in various parts; besides a blue clay, of great tenacity, and fire-proof, suited for the composition of pots for glass houses; and potters' clay, for more common purposes, in different districts, particularly Newcastle-under-Lyme. Limestone and iron ore are common in several places; copper and lead ore, varying greatly in purity and worth, occasionally also appear. Quarries of marble, in differing colour, strength and beauty, and various other kinds of stone of great value and utility, are plenteous.
The MANUFACTURES of this county are various - but that for which it has long been celebrated is its POTTERY. The opulent and interesting district designated 'The Potteries' extends about ten miles in length and one mile and a half in breadth, locally in the northern division of the hundred of Pirehill; in a part abounding with coal, and clays of great variety - which, with the great canal intercourse existing with every part of the kingdom, combine to render it the most eligible seat for these ingenious manufactures; giving employment to perhaps twenty thousand people in the county; and the operations of digging and collecting the clay, flint, terra parcellana, &c., in Kent, Sussex, Hampshire, Dorsetshire, Devonshire and Cornwall, and conveying them to the adjacent ports, are supposed to employ nearly forty thousand more, besides upwards of sixty thousand tons of shipping. Here are likewise iron works; and, in the southern extremity of the county, Walsall, Wolverhampton, Wednesbury, Darlaston, Bilston &c., &c., participate with Birmingham in the manufacture of different descriptions of hardware. Many thousand people are employed in the manufacture of nails, especially in the parishes of Sedgley, Rowley, West Bromwich, Smethwick, Tipton, Walsall, &c. - women and children are employed in the making of the lighter sorts. The town of Stafford has long been famed for its manufacture of shoes, which employs a great number of hands. At Newcastle and Rugeley hats are manufactured, and at Leek various articles in the silk trade. At Tutbury, Rocester and Fazeley are cotton-spinning factories; and at Tipton and West Bromwich are inexhaustible coal mines and iron works, with blast furnaces of prodigious power.
WORCESTERSHIRE is reckoned among the middle counties of England, and is bounded on the north, by Staffordshire, on the north-west by Shropshire, on the west by Herefordshire, on the east and north-east by Warwickshire, and on the south and south-east by Gloucestershire. The shape of this county is extremely irregular, having upon almost every side small portions detached and insulated by the adjoining counties; and the boundaries form numberless indentures, resembling bays, promontories and peninsulas. The principal detached districts are those locally situate in the counties of Gloucester, Warwick and Stafford, the later county surrounding the town of Dudley. Without taking into account such separated portions, the length of the county, from about Stourbridge, on the north, to Tewkesbury (a border town in Gloucestershire), on the south, is thirty miles; and in breadth, from east to west, at its widest part, is about twenty-eight miles. From the numerous abrupt angles which present themselves on its borders, some difficulty has arisen in computing its circumference; it may, however, be stated at two hundred and fifty miles, including the projecting points, and, exclusive of them, at about one hundred and twenty-five. The area of the country is stated ,by government, to comprise 729 square miles, or 466,560 statute acres; but which, it is presumed, does not include these parts before referred to, from their situation in other counties. In size Worcestershire ranks as the thirty-fourth English County, and in population as the twenty-fifth.
SOIL and CLIMATE, PRODUCE and MANUFACTURES. - The SOIL of this county, though various, is generally rich and fertile; producing grain and fruit in the greatest profusion, and abundant pasturage. Between Worcester and the Vale of Evesham, the soil is composed partly of red marl, and partly of a strong loamy clay - the beautiful valley of Evesham consisting of a deep rich earth. On the borders, and in the various parts of the Coteswold Hills, limestone predominates, particularly in the more elevated regions, while the lower are covered with a rich loam. From Worcester to the Malvern Hills, the surface is clay and gravel: westward, deep clay forms the upper stratum in some parts; in others, a loose stony soil. The air of this county is mild, warm and healthy, there being but few lakes, and very little swampy ground. The inhabitants enjoy a most salubrious and temperate CLIMATE - a circumstance which, conjointly with the delightful, rich and picturesque scenery which the county furnishes, contributes not a little to induce multitudes of loungers to make the villages of Great and Little Malvern, situate upon the eastern side of the hills here, the temporary theatres of their gaieties.
The principal MANUFACTURES of Worcestershire are seated in its city; they consist in the making of gloves to a great extent, and beautiful porcelain and cabinet ware. In other towns in the county are considerable tanneries, glass and iron works; many hands are also engaged in the combing and spinning of wool, linen weaving, the making of needles, nails, fish-hooks, &c. Kidderminster has long been famed for its carpets, and also for the manufacture of worsted stuffs, and fabrics of silk and worsted. This county is also noted for its fine cider, perry and hops; and excellent salt is obtained from the springs at Droitwich: the antiquity of the manufacture of the latter article in this district has been traced prior to the Norman conquest, and at the present day it is the staple trade of Droitwich. At Dudley all kinds of ornamental and cut glass are got up in the most elegant style of workmanship. The iron-works for manufacturing various descriptions of heavy hardware are very extensive, particularly at Stourbridge, and the villages adjacent; and the nail trade employs a vaste population in Dudley, and the neighbouring parishes. The town of Redditch is almost entirely supported by the needle and fish-hook trade; the hands occupied in the manufacture of these minute and useful articles are very numerous.
WARWICKSHIRE is situate nearly in the centre of the kingdom, in a north-west direction from the Metropolis; bounded on the south by Oxfordshire and Gloucestershire, on the west by Worcestershire, on the north by Derbyshire, on the north-west by Staffordshire, on the north-east by Leicestershire, and on the east by Northamptonshire. Its length, from north to south, is about fifty miles; and its breadth, from east to west, nearly thirty-five; its circumference is about 150 miles, including an area of 902 square mile, or 577,280 statute acres. In size it ranks as the twenty-fourth county in England, and in population as the eleventh.
Coventry: The City of Three Spires
SOIL and CLIMATE, PRODUCE and MANUFACTURES. - Warwickshire is divided into two irregular and unequal portions by the river Avon: the south or smaller portion, which is called 'Feldon', being a champaign country of great fertility; and the north, termed 'the Woodland', is generally highly cultivated, but interspersed with wild heaths and moors - and a large tract of it still bears the name of the 'Forest of Arden'. It would require very minute observation to describe exactly the SOIL of this county; in fact it would be a task hardly possible to effect, as it varies so much in each district, that two or three different kinds of soil may often be seen in the same field. The northern part has a gravelly soil, and contains coal and limestone; but in the middle of the county, clay predominates. Dunsmore Heath, in the part of Feldon, between the Leam and the Avon (now mostly inclosed), was the theatre of some of the fabulous tales related of the celebrated legendary hero GUY, the Earl of Warwick. On the borders of Oxfordshire is a low ridge, called Edge Hills, below which lies the fruitful vale of the 'Red Horse', extending towards Warwick. Owing to the large proportion of pasture, Warwickshire is chiefly characterized as a feeding and dairy county, and its breeds of cattle and sheep are of a superior description. Timber of all kinds grows in this county, and is a considerable article of commerce: the elm tree predominates, but oak is plenteous, especially in that quarter which formed the ancient forest of Arden; and due regulations exist for the management of the woodlands. Flax is grown and manufactured here; the dairy is of high importance; whilst the sheep of Warwickshire are large, and their fleeces both fine and abundant. - The CLIMATE of this county is healthful, mild and pleasant; its salubrity has been improved by the great consumption of wood for the iron works.
The MANUFACTURES of Warwickshire are of a most multifarious character, and as important as they are diversified: the loom and the forge contend for superiority. Coventry having manufactures of ribbons, gauzes, other silk fabrics, lastings and thread; Nuneaton partaking of a similar trade. Birmingham is celebrated all over the globe for its hardware, cutlery, ornamental articles, steam-engines, guns, pistols and other implements of war; toys in every metal, glass works, &c. Articles from the most ponderous to the most minute are perfected by the Birmingham artizan. - The manufacture of steel pens, an article become of much consequence and utility, is carried on to an incredible extent, while the foundries groan beneath the labour producing huge steam and other engines. It is aptly expressed, in a modern work, that, 'Birmingham carries on one-hundred and fifty branches of manufacture, from a pin to a steam engine'. Die sinking has been brought to unrivalled perfection: 'Soho', in this neighbourhood, once renowned for its mint and its foundries, since the death of Mr Watt, has been let to different persons. Among the arts of recent introduction, the ingenious process of electro and magnetic plating has become of great importance, and added an elegant branch to the manufactures of the town. At Kenilworth combs are manufactured; and at Warwick are silk-throwing mills: hats also are made at the latter place, and it enjoys, in common with some other towns in the county, a considerable malting business.