WICKLOW, a maritime co. of the province of Leinster, Ireland', is bounded' on the n. by the co. of Dublin, e. by the Irish channel, s. by the co. of Wexford,. and w. and s.w. by the counties of Carlow and Kildare. Its greatest length is 40 m., and greatest breadth 33; the total area being 781 sq.m., or 500,178 acres, &Which 118,000, i are under tillage, 249,200 pasture, 19,500 in plantations. 112,300 towns, waste, etc., and 1090 under water. The pop. in 1851 was 92,978; and in 1871, 78,697, of whom 03,392 were Roman Catholics, 13,903 Protestant Episcopalians, and the rest Protestants of other denominations. The coast-line stretches in a southerly direction about 39 m., is in many parts precipitous, and being, moreover, obstructed by sandbanks, is very danger ous for shipping. The surface ascends in some parts most abruptly from the sea, and.a large portion is mountainous and unproductive. The Wicklow mountains, however, form rather a group than a range, and on the western and north-western side, decline less precipitously toward the central plain. The most elevated point is Lugnaquilla, which is 3,039 ft. above the level of the sea. Several other peaks approach this elevation, and the glens which lie between the several mountains or groups are exceedingly picturesque, especially Glendalough, Glendalure, Imail, the Glen of the Downs, and Avoca, the scene of Moore's well-known Irish melody, The Meeting of the Waters. The valleys are, for the most part, of limited extent; but some plains of considerable size lie upon the eastern and southern shore. The lakes, although strikingly beautiful, are few in number, and of small size; and the rivers, some of which drain the eastern, and others the western slope, are little more than mountain streams, at least so far as their course lies within the limits of this county. The Liffey and Slaney rise in Wicklow, but do not reach any considerable volume until after they have issued from it. The great central group of mountains is a mass of granite, which protrudes through mica and clay slate, to which latter formation the minor elevations both on the eastern and the western side generally belong. The granitic protrusion, which is one of the most remarkable and best defined in the kingdom, falls away on the e. side toward the sea, and on the w., toward the great central limestone. The minerals of Wicklow are numerous and•varied in character. In the granite and mica-slate are found galena, green and white lead ore, and copper pyrites. From the clay-slate tract are obtained gold, silver, copper, iron, lead, zinc, tin, tungsten, manganese, arsenic, and antimony. The quantity of gold found is very small. Silver is found in combination with lead, which is raised with great success and profit at Glen =lure. The copper mines also arc very productive; and of late years, the utilization of the sulphur, which was formerly wasted, has added largely to the profit of the mining operations.
The climate resembles that of Wexford (q.v.). The soil is very various in character.
In the mountains, it is thin and poor, but generally dry, although there is a considerable proportion of bog. In the valleys and level districts, the subsoil is generally gravel, and the soil is for the most part either dry, or, even in the boggy districts. susceptible of drainage. On the whole, in the lowlands, the soil is moderately fertile; but there is little cultivation of wheat, the chief agricultural pursuits being dairy-farming and graz ing; and the culture, cm a limited scale, of barley, oats, turnips, and potatoes. In 1878 the acreage under crops was 110,932, of which more than one-half--viz,, 61,033—was under meadow and clover; and 24,770 were under oats. In 1878 the number of cattle was 77,804; sheep (of which a small breed prevails in this county), 199,452; horses, 12,183; and pigs, 24,555. Throughout the greater part of the county, the occupations of the people are purely agricultural. The fisheries are almost wholly neglected; and the manufacture of flannels, once extensive, is now nearly extinct. The total annual value of property in Wicklow, under the valuation act, was £272,380 in 1874. There is a large number of villas, with extensive and highly cultivated parks, especially in the pictur esque district which lies between Bray and Wicklow. The county is divided into eight baronies. The principal towns arc Wicklow (q.v.), the capital, Arklow, Baltinglass, Rathdrum, Bray, and Newtown-Mount-Kennedy. Wicklow returns two members to the imperial parliament. The schools, in 1872, numbered 57, with 12,216 pupils. 'Wicklow is described by Ptolemy as the territory of the Cana, and the names of the rivers mentioned by him are still traceable in their modern appellations. At the invasion, the greater part of the lands of Wicklow were granted to Maurice Fitzgerald, and Wicklow was included by John in the shire of Dublin. Generally speaking, how ever, the authority of the English in Wicklow was little more than nominal; the terri tory being under the command of the chief of the O'Byrne. A vigorous effort was made by the lord-deputy, sir Arthur Chichester, to establish time king's authority in Wicklow, and in 1605 it was erected into a separate county; but again, in 1641, the population joined in the general uprising. From the date of the settlement, however, they were effectually lmeld in subjection. During the rebellion of 1798 Wicklow was the scene of more than one conflict, and the peasantry, in some districts, suffered severely from the vindictive character of the repfessive measures adopted by the ascendant party.
Wicklow abounds with antiquities of the highest interest. Many tumuli, raths, cromlechs, and other Celtic remains are preserved; and there arc very many ecclesias tical remains of almost every period of Irish Christian architecture; those of Glendalough, which include a round tower, are especially interesting.