WEXFORD, a maritime county in the province of Leinster, in Ireland, is bounded on the north by Wicklow, on the east by St George’s Channel, on the south by the Atlantic, and on the west by Waterford, Kilkenny, and Carlow. It lies between 52° 4' and 52° 48' north latitude, and 6° 5' and 7° 1' west longitude; extending fifty-five miles in its greatest length from north to south, and thirty-four in its greatest breadth from west to cast, and comprehending an area of 882 square miles, or 564,479 acres, of which 545,979 are cultivated, and 18,500 uncultivated mountain or bog. It ranks as the fourteenth county in superficial extent, and the ninth in that of cultivated land.

The county was first known as the settlement of the Brigantes and of the Menapii, whose chief town, Menapia, is supposed to have been either Ferns or Wexford; the latter holding the northern parts, with part of Wicklow, the former the southern and western, with a portion of Waterford. It was afterwards known by the name of Laighion or South Leinster. It suffered severely by the predatory incursions of the Danes, who, after ravaging the open country, and burning Ferns, then the capital, made a permanent settlement, of which the town of Weisford or Wexford was the principal position. They retained possession of the district until the arrival of the English, who, in 1169, landed at Bagenbon, near Bannow, under the command of Robert Fitzstephen, Maurice Fitzgerald, and Hewey de Montmorency, and took the town of Wexford, which M‘Murrough, king of Leinster, to whose aid these adventurers had come into the country, granted to Fitzstephen, together with the adjoining district of Forth, at the same time bestowing on Montmorency the neighbouring district of Bargie. The latter grant was confirmed by Henry II. on his arrival; but that conferred on Fitzstephen was taken from him and made part of the palatinate of Leinster, which the same king granted to Strongbow, the first undertaker of the adventure, and chief leader of the forces. The district descended, through the female line, to William earl Marshal, on whose demise, without male issue, it was portioned out among his five daughters, the second of whom, wife of Warren de Mountchency, obtained Wexford. In consequence of the frequent changes of seigniory, the district fell into a state of great distraction, and was partly seized on by the Kavenaghs, the descendants of M‘Murrough, who assumed the title of kings of Leinster. It was reduced to shire-ground by King John in 1210, and the lordship having ultimately descended to the earl of Shrewsbury, the county was separated into two parts, the Liberty and the Cross; the former being governed by authorities appointed by the earl, the latter by officers of the crown. Each sent two members to the Irish parliament, until the property of the earl became vested in the crown, under the statute of absentees, passed in 1537. During the civil wars of 1641, it was held for the royal party, until reduced by Cromwell, whose operations were signalized by much cruelty. Since that event, the county remained in a tranquil state until the year 1798, when it became the principal seat of the insurrection in the southern counties; the town of Wexford forming the head-quarters of the insurgents, and several severe conflicts taking place at Enniscorthy, New-Ross, and other positions, with the royal forces.

The surface consists chiefly of a collection of very low hills, except on the northern and western sides, on the former of which it rises into an elevated ridge, forming the southern termination of the great Wicklow group. Its loftiest points are, Slieveboy, 1384 feet high; Kilkevan, 1063; Connar Hill, 1491; and Croghan-Kinshela, 1985. On the latter or western side it is bounded by the rugged chain of Mount Leinster, 2604 feet high, and Blackstairs, 2411, ranging from north to south. The county boundary on this side is continued southwards by the Barrow and the estuary of Waterford harbour. Within the county are the Camerous Hills and Carrickburne, respectively 598 and 766 feet; Lackan, near New-Ross, 628; Tarah Hill, a striking landmark on the eastern coast, 825; and Forth Mountain, 774 feet. The south-eastern extremity, containing the baronies of Forth and Bargie, forms a peninsula of low land, nearly shut out from the rest of the county by the last-mentioned range of mountains and by Wexford harbour. The principal river is the Slaney, which enters the county at its north-western extremity, from Wicklow, and traverses it in a south-eastern direction, till it falls into Wexford harbour at Carrigg, noted for the remains of an ancient Norman fortress, erected by Fitzstephen immediately after his landing. The whole course of this river is marked by a succession of picturesque scenery; and it receives in its progress a number of tributary streams, of which the Bann is the most remarkable. The Slaney is navigable for small barges to Enniscorthy. The Bannow, which discharges itself into a bay of the same name, claims notice solely from its historic reminiscences. The Barrow forms the western boundary, from the foot of Blackstairs Mountain, to its confluence with the Suir, in Waterford harbour. Lough Ta, near Carnsore Point, is the only lake in the county. It is supplied by the ingress of several small streams, and having no natural outlet, it increases rapidly in extent, covering the surrounding low land, until, in every second or third year, its accumulated waters are drawn off by an artificial cut, which discharges them into the sea. The coast on the eastern side, from Arklow southwards to Wexford, is very dangerous, having no place of refuge in case of foul weather, except in the small artificial harbour of Courtown, fit only for small craft. The dangers of navigation are increased by a succession of sand-banks from that of Arklow, [7:21:866] the south point of which is marked by a floating light. These are called Kilgorman, the Rusk and Ram, and Blackwater Bank. Wexford harbour forms a large and safe landlocked basin; but the entrance to it is obstructed by a bar, on which at times there is not more than seven feet water; and in the passage up to the quay there are several shifting banks, that render the navigation hazardous even to those acquainted with it. Within the harbour are the two small islands of Beg-Eri and Great Island, on each of which are the remains of monastic buildings. The Tusker Rock, about five miles from shore, between Greensore and Carnsore Point, has on it a revolving light, with two faces bright and one deep red. Bells are also rung in foggy weather. South of the coast, and west of Carnsore Point, are the two Saltee islands. South of them is a floating light; and between them and the mainland is a narrow ridge, called St Patrick’s Bridge, with but from seven to ten feet of water on it at ebb tide. Farther west are the fishing harbours of Crosfarnogue and Fethard. The latter is a creek, dry at low water. Still farther, the projecting point of Hookhead, forming the eastern side of Waterford harbour, and having on it a light-house 100 feet high, forms the western extremity of the coast, which thence tends northwards to the mouth of the Barrow, having on it Duncannon Fort, that commands the entrance to that river and to the port of Waterford.

The basis of nearly the whole county is a stratum of clay-slate, graywacke, and graywacke-slate, interrupted by several small patches of quartz rock near Gorey, one of larger size south of Wexford, and another south of Enniscorthy. A small protrusion of greenstone trap, with whindykes, appears to the north of Gorey. The carboniferous or mountain limestone shews itself to the south of Wexford, along the shore of the harbour. It forms also the extremity of Hookhead Point. Mount Leinster and Black-stairs are a continuation of the great granite formation of Wicklow, constituting its southern termination, which is here broken through by the valley of the Barrow or New-Ross river. On its eastern verge it is bordered by clayslate, passing into greenstone-slate. Granite also shews itself in two patches south of Carnsore Point. The Saltees are of clay-slate, supporting beds of sandstone. Slates are raised in several places. A lead-mine at Cairn, after having been worked for some time, and abandoned, has been re-opened. Silver was formerly raised at Clonmines, where it is said that the Danes established a mint for its coinage. Copper ore has been discovered near Wexford, and remains of ancient mines are visible in several places. A perfect skeleton of the great moose-deer of Ireland, found in a bog, is now in a private collection in the county. The soil in the south-eastern parts is a rich alluvial mould, mixed with coralline sand and limestone. The peninsula of Hookhead, which rests on a limestone bed, is peculiarly fertile, both throwing up a rich herbage, and yielding heavy crops of grain. The quality of the soil deteriorates on proceeding westward; but the farmer finds a valuable equivalent in these districts, in the large tracts of turf or peat-moss with which its surface is overspread.

The progress of the population, according to the calculations most deserving of credit, has been as follows:
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The latest of these returns shows a population of one inhabitant to every three acres of land of all kinds, or of 1 to every 2∙95 of cultivated land. The return of the Commissioners of Public Instruction, made in 1834, but which, being collected in dioceses instead of counties, cannot be deemed strictly accurate, gives a total of 187,497 souls, of which 21,602 were members of the established church, 317 Protestant dissenters, and 165,578 Roman Catholics. The number of children receiving instruction in public schools, as stated in returns made to parliament at various periods, is as follows:
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According to the return of 1824-6, in which alone notice is taken of the religious persuasion of the pupils, the numbers of each were as follows: Members of the established church, 2298; Protestant dissenters, 30; Roman Catholics, 15,641; those whose religious persuasion could not be ascertained, 100. The number of schools, as stated in the same return, was 380, of which 34, having 2278 pupils, were maintained by grants of public money; 24, with 1943 pupils, by voluntary subscriptions; the remaining 322, with 14,548 pupils, wholly by the fees paid for instruction. There is an endowed school at Ferns, on the foundation of Erasmus Smith, in which the master receives an annual salary of L.30, in addition to the pupils’ fees. At New-Ross there is a school, founded by Sir John Ivory, with an additional endowment from the corporation.

The county is divided into the eight baronies of Bal-laglikeen, Bantry, Bargie, Forth, Gorey, Scarewalsh, Shelburne, and Shelmalier. These are subdivided into 143 parishes, all, except two in the diocese of Dublin, being within that of Fems, which is nearly conterminous with the county. The diocese was united with that of Leighlin until after the passing of the act for reducing the number of sees in Ireland; under the provisions of which the united dioceses were in 1835 joined to that of Ossory, and the three are now held by one bishop, who is a suffragan to the archbishop of Dublin. Previously to the union, the county was represented in the Irish parliament by eighteen members, two for the county, and two for each of the boroughs of Bannow, Clonmines, Enniscorthy, Fethard, Newborough, New-Ross, Taghmon, and Wexford. By the act of union the number was reduced to four; two for the county, and one each for New-Ross and Wexford, which arrangement has been continued under the reform act. The number of electors for the county, immediately previous to the passing of that act, and at several subsequent periods, was as follows :—
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The number of electors is to that of the total population as 1 to 51, and to that of the heads of families as 1 to 8½. The county is in the Leinster circuit. The assizes are held in Wexford, and general sessions of the peace at the same place, and in Enniscorthy, Gorey, and New-Ross, twice in the year: in each of these last-named towns there are bridewells. The local government is vested in a lieutenant, sixteen deputy-lieutenants, seventy-four unsalaried magistrates, and a stipendiary. Under these there is a constabulary force, consisting of a county inspector, seven sub-inspectors, eight head constables, and 240 constables and sub-constables. The county infirmary, house of industry, and fever hospital, are in Wexford. There are also fever hospitals in seven other towns, and numerous dispensaries throughout the county. Wexford, Enniscorthy, Gorey, and New-Ross, have been fixed on as sites for the workhouses of poor-law unions.
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The Forth mountain divides the county into two districts, differing as widely from each other in character as if they were in separate islands. The country to the south of this mountain, containing the baronies of Forth and Bargie, is peopled by the descendants of the English colony which was located here in the time of Henry II. Their manners, customs, mode of dress, and even in a great degree their language, still retain traces of the peculiarity of their origin. The appearance of these baronies, when viewed by a spectator placed on the summit of their boundary ridge, is not unlike the south of Devonshire. The entire district is well peopled. The farm-houses, as in Devonshire, are built of clay, and thatched, with neat offices, and generally a vegetable garden attached to them. The unwearied and well-directed industry of the farmers insures a large return from the land. The whole is under tillage, and the vicinity of the sea enables the farmer to obtain a plentiful supply of sea-weed and calcareous sand for manure, besides which marl is found in abundance. Fuel is scarce; but the want of turf is supplied by the use of furze, which thrives here luxuriantly, and with which the mounds of earth that form the general fence of the farm are thickly topped; thus insuring at the same time the most perfect security against trespass, shelter for the cattle in severe weather, and a supply, sufficient though not profuse, of fuel from the prunings of the furze. The fences are sometimes further fortified by a hedge of quicksets along the centre of the top of the mound. It is said that there was a turbary along the shore, which the encroachments of the sea have long ago covered with sand, and with water during flood-tides. The principal crops are barley and beans: these are to be seen, in the peninsula of Carne, growing luxuriantly on land so overspread with stone as to induce the opinion that the ground was wholly unproductive. Poultry of every kind is reared in all the farm-houses, chiefly for exportation to Dublin and Liverpool. Many farmers pay much attention to the rearing of bees, and efforts are frequently made to preserve the stock while taking the honey. The sandy reaches near the coast form burrows for immense numbers of rabbits, the flesh of which is deemed to be of a peculiarly good flavour. The shores are frequented by numerous flocks of wild and sea fowl, among which the barnacle is most highly prized. Round fish is taken in large quantities on the eastern extremity of Nymph Bank, which is off the coast; and also at the station of the floating light off the Saltees. The inshore fishing employs many hands, their open boats being enabled to run for shelter during rough weather into the numerous creeks and inlets which indent the coast. Shellfish is plenty. The Wexford oyster is carried to Dublin, where it finds a ready market, more on account of size than flavour. Wexford town is the chief market for the produce of the farms; and many of the inhabitants have never travelled farther, looking on all beyond the mountain as a foreign country. An elderly woman, the wife of a respectable farmer, in answer to a question as to the extent of her travelling through the country, replied, “that she had never been out of Forth. On one unlucky day, indeed, she had been prevailed upon to go to the top of the mountain; but the sight of the wide world that there opened on her overcame her: her head grew giddy, her stomach sickened, and she hastened home, determined never again to expose herself to such a hazard.” The dialect of the peasantry, of which some vestiges are still preserved in common conversation, was Saxon-English of the time of the Henries and Edwards. The rector of a parish there, when reading Chaucer’s Canterbury Tales while overseeing his reapers in a field, was struck with the similarity between many words in his book and the expressions he heard from those around him. On reading some passages of it to them, he was peculiarly struck with the surprise and pleasure expressed by them when they found themselves able to understand what was written in a book. They were fully competent to interpret what was read, and gave explanations of phrases and passages which to him were abstruse, in a manner more satisfactory than the commentators whose notes were annexed to the printed text. Their usual mode of saluting each other is simple and pleasing. On meeting, one asks, “Is it long since ?" meaning to inquire whether the interval of absence has appeared long. The reply is couched in similar terms of artless courtesy—“Yea, joy.” The young people are passionately addicted to festive amusements, such as dancing and hurling. At their marriages, which in other respects are celebrated according to the forms usual elsewhere, an apple is cut into small pieces and thrown among the crowd, a custom derived from England, but the origin of which is unknown. The dress of the peasantry until lately w∙as, for the men a jacket or short coat, waistcoat, and trunk breeches, with a round narrow-brimmed hat; for the women a short jacket and petticot, bordered at bottom with several rows of coloured ribbon or tape; the head-dress was a kerchief. The people live comfortably, are industrious, cleanly, and well-conducted. The poorest farmer eats meat twice in the week, and the table of the wealthier is covered with butchermeat and fowl. The usual beverage is home-brewed ale or beer of excellent flavour and colour. The women do all manner of field-work, except ploughing, and receive equal wages with the men. The manners and customs of the inhabitants of the other baronies resemble those of the Irish peasantry throughout the surrounding counties: there is less attention to external appearance and to domestic comfort and cleanliness. The soil also is poorer, and the farming less precise. There is, however, no disinclination to exertion, no want of the application of personal labour: the defect lies in its misdirection. In the western baronies, where there is neither sea-weed, marl, nor limestone, the petty farmer will take long journeys to draw home a load of lime, forty load of which are required to manure an acre. Beans are everywhere a favourite, though an uncertain crop. Wheat is sown in quantities sufficient to render it an important article of export. In most respects the system of tillage or the description of crops differs little from those of similar soils elsewhere. But it is observed, that even in those districts of the northern baronies in which the soil is good, abounding with marl alternating with a clayey loam, and adequate, by proper management, to give an abundant return to well-directed industry, little is perceptible of the activity, comfort, or happiness of the southern baronies. This difference is most striking on the estates in which the practice of letting lands to middle-men is most prevalent.

The manufactures carried on in the county are those of woollen cloth, checks, and coarse linens, all for the homeconsumption of the district, and wrought in the farm-houses. A cotton factory near Enniscorthy failed. Iron was also manufactured in the same neighbourhood. At present the raising of grain and rearing of cattle is almost exclusively the occupation of the inhabitants, and the export of the agricultural produce the sole article of commerce. The principal markets for grain and flour are Wexford, Enniscorthy, and New-Ross. Much butter is sent to Dublin through Gorey; and much also is exported to Liverpool, together with swine and poultry. The exports of the county through Wexford have been estimated at 30,000 tons, value L.330,000; and the imports through the same channel at 40,000 tons, value L.600,000. The communication with the counties in the interior is carried on chiefly by the Barrow, which is navigable for barges to Athy, where it meets the Grand Canal. A line of railroad from Wexford to Carlow has been surveyed by the Commissioners of Railways, but no steps have as yet been taken towards its formation. There are five banking establishments; one a branch of the Bank of Ireland, one of the Provincial [7:21:868] Bank, and two National Banks. Eight loan-societies have been formed under the loan-fund act, in all of which the amount of loans in the hands of borrowers at the close of 1839 was L.6728, and the number of borrowers during the year 7356.

Every part of the county, but more particularly the southern baronies, abound with reliques of Danish, Saxon, and Norman antiquities. Raths are very numerous. There are two of considerable magnitude near Dunbrody, and two others near Enniscorthy and New-Ross. A heap of stones, near Wicklow Gap, at the northern extremity of the county, marks the spot where the bodies of those who fell in a sanguinary conflict there, between the king’s troops and the insurgents in 1798, were interred together. The pile is constantly on the increase, as, according to the custom of the country, every passenger, as he travels onwards, adds a stone to the heap, and offers up a prayer for the repose of the souls of the deceased. The abbey of Dunbrody, situate near the confluence of the Suir and Barrow or Ross river, still exhibits the remains of one of the finest monastic buildings in Ireland. Tintern Abbey, called also “De Voto,” was built by William Marshal, near the Bannow, on the spot where he landed after a storm, in performance of a vow made by him while in peril. On the head of Bagenbon, at the mouth of the same river, are the vestiges of a strong earthen intrenchment called Strongbow’s Camp; but it was more probably that of Fitzstephen and his followers on their first landing. Ferns Castle, built by Strongbow, continued to be looked upon as a place of great military importance to the time of Cromwell’s campaigns, and as such was also occupied during the insurrection of 1798. Enniscorthy Castle, built by Raymond le Gros at the same period with the former, was also a place of strength in the time of Cromwell, and in 1798 was used as a prison by the insurgents while in possession of the town. Buttermilk Castle, or Cuislan-na-Blahie, consists of two small dark towers at the foot of a steep hill near Dunbrody; it was used as a toll-house for the adjoining pass across the river, and as a place to receive and cure the fish due to the monks. Duncannon Fort was erected during the alarm of the threateneth invasion of the Spanish Armada in the reign of Elizabeth. It is still kept up as a military position, having a bomb-proof magazine, and arrangements for mounting forty-two guns, with suitable accommodations for a garrison.

Wexford, the county-town, is situate on the southern side of the mouth of the Slaney, where it falls into Wexford haven. It was founded by the Danes, and after having been taken by the English on their first landing in Ireland, became a place of some importance. It obtained a charter in 1318, which was confirmed and enlarged by James I. in 1608. A parliament was held in it by the earl of Desmond in 1463. At the breaking out of the war of 1641, it took part with the Irish, and continued in their possession till taken in 1649 by Cromwell, either by force or treachery, when the inhabitants, like those of Drogheda, were subjected to military execution. In the war of 1688 it declared for King William, and in the insurrection of 1798 was seized and occupied by the insurgents until their main body was utterly defeated at Vinegar Hill near Enniscorthy. The town still retains many vestiges of antiquity. The streets are narrow and winding. It is connected with the northern part of the county by a wooden bridge, 1570 feet long, thrown across the Slaney, on which a toll is payable for maintaining it, under the superintendence of a board of commissioners. A broad quay proceeds from the bridge along the border of the haven for upwards of half a mile, which, with the haven itself, is under the management of a board called the quay commissioners. The corporate jurisdiction of the town under the charter of James is vested in a mayor, burgesses, and commons. The mayor holds a court of record for pleas to any amount, and there is also a court of conscience for debts under 40s. The county court-house, prison, house of correction, infirmary, and fever-hospital are in the town. There is also a small lunatic asylum, subsidiary to the district asylum for the county, which is at Carlow. The borough exercised a prescriptive right of returning two members to the Irish parliament, which number was reduced to one at the union, and still continues so. The number of electors in 1839 was 350. By the municipal corporation act for Ireland the corporation has been dissolved, and power is granted to form a new corporate body, according to conditions expressed in the act, under the name of “the mayor, bailifs, free burgesses, and commonalty of the town or borough of Wexford.” By the same act the corporations of Gorey and New-Ross have also been dissolved, and provision made for their reconstruction, as in the case of Wexford; the former to be styled “the sovereign, bailifs, and free commonalty of the borough and town of Newborough the latter “the sovereign and burgesses of New-Ross.” Eight fairs are held during the year. The town is the principal place of export for the county. Together with the suburbs, it forms an ecclesiastical union, consisting of eleven parishes, in which there are two churches. There are also several Roman Catholic chapels, some of which belong to monastic institutions. The population was, in 1821, 8326; in 1831, 10,673; and in 1834, 14,670. Of the last-named number, the members of the established church were 2031, the Protestant dissenters 28, and the Roman Catholics 12,641; the Protestants being to the Roman Catholics as 1 to 6. The population of the other towns in the county whose numbers exceed 1000 each was, in 1831, Enniscorthy, 5955; New-Ross, 5011; Gorey, 3044; Newtown Barry, 1430; and Taghmon, 1109. (c. P.)