a parish in the county of Dorsetshire, on the river Stour, near the forest of its own name; where, anno 1016, king Edmund Ironside vanquished the Danes. It is one of the largest parishes in the county, being 41 miles in circuit, containing 64,000 acres. It lies on the borders of Wilts and Somerset, 4 miles N.W. of Shaftesbury. It has a manufacture of linen, but the chief produce is grazing and the dairies. Near it are the traces of an ancient residence of Norman or Saxon kings, 320 feet long and 240 broad, surrounded by a rampart of earth. Henry I. resided here, and king John repaired it at the expense of the county. Edward I. spent his Christmas here in 1270; but the whole of the materials are removed, and the foundation of the house only can be traced, which was in the form of the letter L, in length 180 feet by 80 broad, and the foot of the letter 48 by 40. The area of the house containing 168,000 square feet. It flood half a mile from the church, on the road to Shaston, encompassed by a moat, now dry, in some places 9 feet deep and 20 broad. The rampart appears to have been 30 feet thick. Here is a free school, a large old building, and a workhouse, as well as two stone bridges. In 1694 it received damage of near 4000l. by a fire. Near it is Gillingham Forest, four miles long and one mile broad. The church is a large ancient fabric.

a parish of Kent, three miles below Chatham, and on the same side of the Medway. Part of Chatham-dock is in this parish; and here is a castle well furnished with guns that commands the river, there being no less than 170 embrasures for cannon; which would stop the progress of any enemy that should happen to make way by Sheerness fort, before they could reach Chatham. Here are also copperas works. At this place 600 Norman gentlemen, who came over in the retinue of the two princes Alfred and Edward, were all barbarously murdered by earl Godwin. It was in remote times the property of the archbishop of Canterbury, Canterbury, who had here an elegant palace, the old hall of which is now converted to a barn; it is built principally of flint, but the windows are filled up with brick. Near it are the remains of the chapel, &c., and a great part of the whole of its original outer walls may be traced.