WORCESTER, an inland English county in the Oxford circuit, and nearly in the centre of the kingdom. It is bounded on the north by Staffordshire and Shropshire, on the south by Gloucestershire, and on the east by Warwickshire. Its figure is very irregular; and it is remarkable for having several detached portions scattered about the neighbouring counties, which makes it difficult to be accurate in its dimensions. It may be stated as about thirty miles in length and twenty-four in breadth, and to be 723 square miles or 462,720 acres in extent.

The population of the county at the four decennial enumerations has been as follows: in 1801, 139,331; in 1811, 160,546; in 1821, 184,424; and in 1831, 211,400. At the last of these periods the males were 103,383 and the females 107,982. The number of dwelling-houses was 41,406, inhabited by 45,512 families; of whom 14,654 were chiefly employed in agriculture; 19,040 were chiefly employed in trade, manufactures, and handicraft; and 11,828 were not comprised in either of the preceding classes. At the same period the number of males twenty years of age was 52,796; the occupiers of land employing labourers were 2636; the occupiers not employing labourers, 1260; the labourers employed in agriculture, 14,590; the labourers employed in manufactures, and in making manufacturing machinery, were 8024; those employed in retail trade or handicraft, as masters or workmen, 12,693; those described as bankers, professional and other educated men, 2085; labourers employed in labour not agricultural, 6544; other males under twenty years, except servants, 2885; male servants twenty years of age, 1079; male servants under twenty years of age, 446; female servants, 8162.

There is a soft beauty on the face of this county, when viewed from any elevation, such as the Malvern or Abberley Hills, which is highly gratifying. From such spots the state of its cultivation appears to great advantage, as there are no parts of any considerable extent so barren or neglected as to be destitute of an agreeable and profitable verdure. With the exception of those hills, the former of which rise to the height of 1440 feet, the whole county consists of gentle undulations, wholly enclosed, well wooded, and intersected by the great rivers Severn and Avon, and their several tributary streams. The abundance of orchards of pear-trees, and the scattered hop plantations, give a peculiar richness to the autumnal scenery. Even the poorer parts of the county, between the towns of Droitwich and Bromsgrove, have of late been cultivated; and though they do not rival in beauty the vale of Evesham, they are far from the aspect of sterility which they exhibited twenty years ago. The farms are generally of small extent, from forty to three hundred acres, and the cultivation is generally well conducted. The arable land, which, in the rotation of crops, produces artificial grasses, is estimated to be 360,000 acres; the permanent grass land 100,000 acres; and the woods, wastes, rivers, roads, sites of towns, and gardens, 40,000. The crops of wheat, barley, and especially of beans, are more productive than the average of England. Hops are extensively cultivated, and the pear-trees are so abundant and so productive as to afford perry for the common drink of the labourers in agriculture. There is no breed of cattle peculiar to Worcestershire, as it is found more profitable to buy oxen and sheep in a lean condition from poorer districts, and to fatten them in this county, than to breed them on its rich soil.

The great rivers Severn and Avon are both navigable, the former to an extent of nearly two hundred miles from its mouth, and the latter to Stratford from its junction with the former. The Severn abounds with salmon, shad, and lampreys, though those delicious fish are never known to ascend the Avon. The other rivers are, the Stour, the Sal-warpe, the Ledden, and the Rea. This county has partaken largely of the benefit communicated by internal navigation. The canals are, the Trent and Severn, the Droitwich, the Worcester and Birmingham, the Dudley and Leominster. The town of Stourport has risen into importance since the extension of canals, and exhibits a large maritime town in the centre of the kingdom, connecting its various productions in a focus, and distributing them where needed.

Although this county has hitherto had no railways formed through it, yet as one portion of it is in contact with the town of Birmingham, that part has, by the vicinity, the means of the most rapid communication with London, Liverpool, and Manchester; and projects are now on foot which in a few years may give facilities of speedy intercourse with Bristol and Exeter, and may perhaps be extended to Plymouth.

The county possesses a variety of manufactures in hardware, carpet-making, gloves, and china. At Dudley, Stourbridge, and Old Swinford, about 450 males upwards of twenty years of age are employed at the forges, who make anvils, chains, and the heavier kinds of iron tools and machinery. At Woolverley, and some other neighbouring villages, about 280 men make gun-barrels, edge-tools, and files. At Tardebig, and the parishes near it, 540 men make needles and fish-hooks. The number of nailers throughout the county is about 3000, chiefly in and near Bromsgrove, Dudley, and Swinford. At and around Kidderminster, 2300 men are employed in making carpets, and in preparing materials for that manufacture. At Worcester, and in its suburbs, nearly 1000 men, and a much greater number of females, are employed in making gloves; and about fifty men, besides many females, are occupied in making china, chiefly in burnishing and other delicate operations. At Pershore, some men are employed in making watch-springs.

The salt made at Droitwich supplies nearly one half of England with that indispensable article. The duty collected there before the abatement of the tax amounted to more than L.1000 per day. The water, from which the salt is made by evaporation, is more highly saturated than any other that has been discovered. Researches in the bowels of the earth have shown that a river of salt water, about twenty-two inches in depth, runs about 250 feet below the surface. Immediately above this subterranean stream is a bed of gypsum 130 feet thick. When this stratum is penetrated by the borer, the spring rises to the surface, and yields a never-failing supply of water, so fully saturated that no more salt can be dissolved in it. The springs at Droitwich hold in solution about one fourth of their weight in salt; and no other in England holds more than a ninth. The subterraneous[7:21:940] river runs over a bed of rock-salt, whose thickness has not yet been ascertained. Besides the springs at Droitwich, other mineral springs are found at Malvern, which are resorted to for their healing properties, as well as for the pure air of the district. The combinations of the wells are carbonate of soda, carbonate of lime, carbonate of magnesia, carbonate of iron, sulphate of soda, and muriate of soda.

The most considerable places, and their population in the year 1831, were the following.

Worcester 18,610

Dudley 23,043

Kidderminster ... 20,865

Bromsgrove 8,612

Stourbridge 6,148

Evesham 3,991

Bewdley 3,908

Tardebig 3627

Malvern, Great and Little 3535

Droitwich 2487

Upton on Severn.. 2343

Pershore 2080

The titles derived from the county are the marquisate of Worcester and the earldom of Beauchamp. For election purposes the county has been formed into two divisions, distinguished as the eastern and the western, each of which elects two members to the House of Commons. The election for the eastern division is held at Droitwich; and the other polling places are Pershore, Shipston, and Stourbridge. The election for the western is held at Worcester; and the other polling places arc Upton, Stourport, and Tenbury. The city of Worcester and the borough of Evesham, as formerly, return two members, and Bewdley one. By the reform bill, Droitwich has been deprived of one of its members, and Kidderminster and Dudley have been constituted boroughs, each electing one member.

Among the numerous seats of noblemen and gentlemen in this county, the most distinguished are, Madresfield, Lord Beauchamp; Hagley, Lord Lyttelton; Croome Court, earl of Coventry; Northwick, Lord Northwick; Hartlebury Castle, bishop of Worcester; Dailsford, late Warren Hastings; Ombersley Court, marquis of Downshire; Hewell Grange, earl of Plymouth; Hanbury Hall, John Phillips; Overbury, James Martin; Winterdyne House, William Moselay; Westwood House, Sir Herbert Packington; and Whitely Court, Lord Foley.^[1. See Nashe’s Survey of Worcestershire; Pitt’s Agricultural Survey; Brewer’s Worcestershire. ] Worcester city, the capital of the county of that name, in nearly the centre of England. It is finely situated on a gradual ascent from the left bank of the river Severn, over which is an elegant stone bridge. The river is navigable for barges far above the town; and after the winter rains, timber is floated down from Montgomeryshire in Wales. The trade by the river is very considerable, as by that channel the foreign and colonial productions required by the inhabitants are supplied from Liverpool or from Bristol. One branch of trade, that of culinary salt from the brine springs of Droitwich, about six miles higher up the river, and connected with it by a short canal, is very extensive, as it supplies some of the western counties of England, and some parts of South Wales, with that indispensable article.

In past time this city had some trade in making woollen cloths and carpets; but that business has departed, and now the chief manufacturing employment is the making of leather gloves. There is also a manufactory of porcelain, more remarkable for the beauty of the work than for its being in any extensive demand. The city was anciently surrounded with walls, in which were six gates, some traces of which are still to be seen. Worcester suffered much during the wars between the rival houses of York and Lancaster; but the most remarkable event of a historical nature was the great battle fought here in 1650, by the English army under Cromwell, and the Scotish army under the command of King Charles II. The loss of the king’s troops is stated to have been 2000 men killed and 8000 taken prisoners. Most of the latter were Bold as slaves to the colonies in America and the West Indies. The destruction of the walls and gates was ordered by Cromwell after his decisive victory. It is, generally speaking, a well-built city, and the chief street, the Foregate, is remarkably fine. The guildhall, in that street, is a handsome structure, finished in 1723. Its front, which is of brick, is ornamented with stone quoins, with mouldings and tablets to the windows, of the same materials. The principal entrance, after ascending some semicircular steps, is ornamented with columns of the composite order, highly enriched, and crowned with an indented cornice and open pediment, in which are the city arms. On each side of this principal entrance are the statues of the two kings Charles, in niches; and over it a statue of Queen Anne. The county-jail and the county-hall are fine buildings. The market-house is another fine edifice. It is highly ornamented, and conveniently arranged for the purpose it is intended to serve. The cathedral, whose effect is lessened by the close approach of some of the surrounding dwellings, is a noble specimen of Gothic simplicity. It was first erected by Ethelred, king of Mercia, in 680, when it was a convent of secular priests. Soon after the Norman conquest, it was laid in ashes by the Welsh, and was afterwards rebuilt with greater magnificence, though not entirely completed until the year 1374. The building is 394 feet in length, 78 in breadth, and the tower is 162 feet high. On the south side is a chapel of curious workmanship. Both the church and the cloisters are arched with stone of a reddish colour; and in the tower are eight good bells, the largest of which weighs 6600 pounds. The elegant window in the west front was constructed on occasion of the visit of George III. to this city in 1788, when, at the music meeting, the throne was placed near to it. Another window was built at the east end in 1792, containing some excellent painting in glass. The pulpit is octagonal, and of stone, curiously carved in the Gothic manner, with the symbols of the four evangelists, and a representation of the New Jerusalem, as described in the book of Revelation. The altar-piece is of plain oak, having in the centre a painting of the descent from the cross. The chief monument is that of King John, standing in the midst of the choir; but the body was interred under a small stone in the eastern part of the church. On each side of the figure of the king are those of the bishops Wolstan and Oswald. On the south side of the altar is Prince Arthur’s sepulchral chapel, a most curious piece of antique workmanship, which was repaired and beautified in 1791. It consists of five orders of images, viz. virgins, bishops, kings, confessors, and angels, ornamented with the various badges of royalty; and under an arched roof is the tomb, of fine marble. There are also several other handsome monuments, one of Bishop Hough, by Roubiliac. The cloisters, where the monks formerly resided, and which are now inhabited by the dignitaries of the cathedral, are 125 feet by 120, and sixteen feet in breadth. The vaulted roof is adorned with a variety of sculptures. The bishop’s palace stands near the cathedral, in a most commanding situation, overlooking the river Severn, which flows at the bottom of the garden.

There are nine parish churches within and two without the walls. The most remarkable of them are, St Michael’s, a very ancient specimen of ecclesiastical architecture; St Andrew’s, with a lofty and well-proportioned tower, built in the eleventh century; All-Saints, which was rebuilt in 1742, an edifice of the modern style; St Martin’s, a handsome edifice, finished in 1772, after four years’ labour; and St Nicholas, of which the interior is neat and commodious. Its style of architecture, executed in stone, is very pleasing, the front being of the Doric order, with six pilasters, the [7:21:941]lower part rusticated, and the roof balustraded. The other churches do not deserve particular notice. Besides these, there are places of worship for the Roman Catholics, the Quakers, and several other denominations of protestant dissenters.

The country around Worcester is highly fertile, and the supply of every kind of provisions is abundant in the markets, which are held every Wednesday, Friday, and Saturday. The river Severn affords an abundant supply of salmon and lampreys, and other fresh-water fish. Among other articles of cultivation, hops are the most extensive; and this city is the largest depot for that article after Maidstone and Canterbury. Coals are supplied by the Severn at a cheap rate; and, under all circumstances, few places are better adapted for the residence of families who wish to unite economy with comfort.

The city gives the title of marquis to the eldest son of the duke of Beaufort. It returns two members to the House of Commons; and by the late law it is divided into six wards, and is governed by a mayor, twelve aldermen, and thirty-five councillors, with justices of the peace appointed by the crown. The population amounted in 1821 to 17,849, and in 1831 to 18,610. Worcester is 111 miles from London, fifty-five from Oxford, and twenty-two from Birmingham, with excellent roads in every direction around it.