a town of England, in the West Riding of Yorkshire, on the road from Whitby to Durham, 224 miles from London, and 4 miles from the mouth of the Tees, where is a bay and harbour for ships. It had formerly an abbey, which was once the common burial-place of the nobility of these parts, and its church by the ruins seems to have been equal to the best cathedrals in England. The soil, besides its fertility in pasture and a constant verdure adorned with plenty of field-flowers almost all the year, has earths of sundry colours, some iron, and mines of alum, which were first discovered in the reign of king James I. and have been since very much improved. Sir Paul Pindar, who first farmed them, paid rents to the king £12,500l. to the Earl Mufgrave £640l. and to Sir William Penniman £600l. and had moreover 800 men by sea and land in constant pay; yet he was a considerable gainer, because there was then scarce any other to be had, and the price was £6l. a ton; but now there are several other alum-works in this county, which have taken a great part of the trade from hence; so that the works here have for some years lain neglected.