Withernsea

Withernsea, a watering-place in the East Riding of Yorkshire, 4 miles NE. of Patrington.

Withington

Withington, a S. suburb of Manchester.

Witney

Witney, a town of Oxfordshire, on the Wind-rush, 11 miles W. by N. of Oxford (14 by a branch-line, 1861). It has a three-arch bridge (1822), a fine cruciform 13th-century church, a staple or blanket hall (1721), a market-cross (1683), a town-hall (1863), a corn exchange (1862), and a county court-house (1859). Its blankets enjoy a great reputation; and glove-making is also carried on. Pop. (1851) 3099; (1901) 3574. See J. A Giles's History of Witney (1852).

Witten

Witten, a Prussian town of Westphalia, on the Ruhr, 7 miles SE. of Bochum. Pop. 33,520.

Wittenberge

Wittenberge, a Prussian town on the Elbe, 65 miles NW. of Potsdam. Pop. 17,800.

Witu

Witu (Veetoo), a small territory on the east coast of Africa, German in 1886-90, and since included in British East Africa.

Witwatersrand

Witwat'ersrand. See Johannesburg. Wiveliscombe (locally Wilscombe), a Somerset town, 9 1/2 miles W. of Taunton. Pop. 1418.

Wivenhoe

Wivenhoe, an Essex town, on the Colne, 4 miles SE. of Colchester. Pop. of parish, 2560.

Woburn

Woburn, a market-town (pop. 1300), 13 miles SW. of Bedford, noted chiefly for Woburn Abbey, seat of the Dukes of Bedford, which stands in a park 12 miles in circumference. The Cistercian abbey, a daughter house of Fountains, was founded in 1145, and in 1547 granted to John, Earl Russell, afterwards Duke of Bedford. Of the abbey nothing now remains; the mansion, built mainly in the 18th c., occupies four sides of a quadrangle, and contains a magnificent collection of portraits. See also Wooburn.

Woburn

Woburn, a town of Massachusetts, 10 miles by rail NNW. of Boston, with manufactures of pianos, shoes, leather, etc. Pop. 14,260.

Woking

Woking, a Surrey town, 24 miles SW. of London by rail. Nearly 3 miles W. are the 'London Necropolis Cemetery' (1864), 2000 acres in extent, and the first public crematory in England (1878). Pop. of urb. dist. 16,250. See Bisley.

Wo'kinghara., or Oakingham, a municipal bor. of Berkshire (till 1832 Wiltshire, detached), In Windsor Forest, 7 miles SE. of Reading by rail. Incorporated in 1885, it has a Gothic town-hall (1860), neighbouring paper, saw, and flour mills, and the ' Rose ' inn, where Gay, Swift, Pope, and Arbuthnot celebrated the host's pretty daughter in the ballad of 'Molly Mog.' It was famous for its bull-baitings till 1821. Bearwood, 1 mile W., is the seat of J. Walter, Esq., of the Times. Pop. (1851) 2272; (1901) 3551.

Wolds

Wolds. See Lincolnshire, Yorkshire.

Wolfenbuttel

Wolfenbuttel (Volfenbeett'el), a town of Brunswick, founded in 1046, on the Oker, 7 miles S. of Brunswick by rail. One of the old churches contains many of the tombs of the princes of Brunswick. The old castle accommodates a seminary for teachers and a theatre. The library opposite (1723), of which Lessing was librarian, had to be taken down and rebuilt in 1887; it houses 300,000 volumes (including 800 Bibles and many incunabula) and 10,000 MSS. There are manufactures of machines, copper goods, flax, cloth, corks, leather, preserves, tobacco, etc. Pop. 17,873.