Online Encyclopedia

Search over 40,000 articles from the original, classic Encyclopedia Britannica, 11th Edition.

WHITEHAVEN

Online Encyclopedia
Originally appearing in Volume V28, Page 604 of the 1911 Encyclopedia Britannica.
Spread the word: del.icio.us del.icio.us it!

WHITEHAVEN , a municipal and See also:

parliamentary See also:borough, seaport and See also:market See also:town of See also:Cumberland, See also:England, 41 M. S.W. of See also:Carlisle. Pop. (1901) 19,324. It lies mainly in a valley opening upon the Irish See also:Sea, with high ground to See also:north and See also:south, and is served by the See also:London & North-Western, the See also:Cockermouth, See also:Keswick & See also:Penrith and the See also:Furness See also:railways. The See also:harbour is protected by two See also:main piers, of which the western is a See also:fine structure by See also:Sir See also:John See also:Rennie, and divided into four parts by others; it has a wet See also:dock and extensive quayage. See also:Regular passenger communications are maintained with the Isle of See also:Man. The exports are principally See also:coal, See also:pig See also:iron and ore, See also:steel and See also:stone. The See also:port was made subordinate to that of See also:Maryport in 1892. There are collieries near the town, the workings extending beneath the sea; there are also iron mines and See also:works, See also:engineering works, See also:shipbuilding yards, breweries, tanneries, stone quarries, See also:brick and earthenware works, and other See also:industrial establishments in and near the town. The parliamentary borough returns one member. The municipal borough is under a See also:mayor, 6 aldermen and 18 councillors.

See also:

Area 1810 acres. Whitehaven (Witofthaven) was an insignificant See also:possession of the priory of St See also:Bee which became See also:crown See also:property at the See also:dissolution of the religious houses. It was acquired before 1644 by relatives of the See also:earl of See also:Lonsdale, who secured the prosperity of the town by working the coal-mines. From 1708 the harbour was governed by twenty-one trustees, whose See also:power was extended and municipalized by frequent legislation, until, in 1885, they were incorporated. In 1894 this See also:government by incorporated trustees gave See also:place to that of a municipal See also:corporation created by See also:charter in that See also:year. The harbour was entrusted to fifteen commissioners. Since the Reform See also:Act of 1832 Whitehaven has returned one representative to See also:parliament. A weekly market and yearly fairs were granted to Sir John Lowther in 1660; two fairs were held in 1888; and the market days are now Tuesday, See also:Thursday and Saturday. Whitehaven coal was sent chiefly to See also:Ireland in the 18th See also:century. In the first See also:half of the 19th century other exports were See also:lime, freestone, and See also:grain; See also:West See also:Indian, See also:American and Baltic produce, Irish See also:flax and Welsh pig iron were imported, and shipbuilding was a growing See also:industry. See also:Paul See also:Jones, the notorious buccaneer, served his See also:apprenticeship at the port, which in 1778 he successfully raided, burning three vessels.

End of Article: WHITEHAVEN

Additional information and Comments

There are no comments yet for this article.
» Add information or comments to this article.
Please link directly to this article:
Highlight the code below, right click, and select "copy." Then paste it into your website, email, or other HTML.
Site content, images, and layout Copyright © 2006 - Net Industries, worldwide.
Do not copy, download, transfer, or otherwise replicate the site content in whole or in part.

Links to articles and home page are always encouraged.

[back]
WHITEHALL
[next]
WHITEHEAD, WILLIAM (1715-1785)