a parliamentary and municipal borough and market-town of England, in the county of Lancaster, 17 miles E. by S. of Liverpool, and about the same distance W. of Manchester. It is a place of so great antiquity that hundreds of years ago it was spoken of as "Old Warrington." Numerous Saxon, Roman, and early British remains have been found here. It is placed on the river Mersey, over which a bridge was erected in 1496 by the first Earl of Derby, to facilitate the progress of King Henry VII. to the north of England. As the best passage over the river, it was the scene of frequent conflicts during the civil war in the reign of Charles I. In 1643 the town was twice taken by storm by the parliamentary forces. In 1648 the Scottish army made a stand here, but were defeated by General Lambert, who also here repulsed the troops under Charles II. on his way to Worcester in 1651; and in 1745 the centre arches of the bridge were broken down to impede the progress of the Highlanders under the Pretender. The old bridge having been frequently repaired, was replaced in 1812 by an elegant and convenient new erection. The town consists of several streets, narrow and irregularly laid out; and it contains many quaint old houses, mingled with others of more modern date and character. There was founded here in 1757 an establishment for the education of one class of dissenters, which had some men of celebrity for tutors; among others, Dr Priestley, Dr Enfield, Dr Aikin, and Gilbert Wakefield. It did not continue long, but was dissolved in the year 1783. There are three churches, one of which, dedicated to St Elphin, has lately been rebuilt at a cost of £8000. Two ancient chapels still remain, in one of which are some modern monuments of the Patten family; in the other the magnificent tomb of Sir Thomas Boteler and his lady. There are two other churches in the town, three in other parts of the parish, and places of worship for Methodists, Independents, Baptists, Quakers, Unitarians, and Roman Catholics. The schools are numerous, among which are pre-eminent the free school founded and endowed in 1526 by the Boteler family, and the blue-coat school, which is a flourishing and richly endowed institution. There are also National, British, and Sunday schools, a school of arts, a mechanics' institute, dispensary, almshouses, and many other charitable institutions. Among the public buildings, the most prominent are the market-house, built in 1857 at a cost of £12,000, and the Free Museum and Library, erected in 1856. There are, besides, a town-hall, two cloth-halls, assembly-rooms, and a theatre. The Mersey is navigable up to the bridge. Warrington is a place of great manufacturing industry. Cotton goods are largely made; as also pins, files, and glass. It likewise supplies large quantities of malt, and has several breweries. It is a station on the London and North-Western and on the Lancashire and Cheshire railways. It has a well supplied market weekly, where much corn is sold. By the reform bill, Warrington acquired the right of returning one member to the House of Commons; and it gives the title of earl, in addition to that of Stamford, to the Grey family. The population of the parliamentary borough amounted in 1851 to 23,363, and that of the municipal borough to 22,894.