PONTEFRACT, or PomFuET, a borough and market town of England, in the \Vest Riding of Yorkshire. It is agreeably situated near the river Aire, not far from its junction with the Calder, and consists of three principal streets, nearly parallel, which are intersected by smaller ones. The streets are spacious and clean, and the houses in general handsome and well built. The parish church, once a magnificent building of Gothic architecture, is now a ruin, and divine service is performed in a chapel. There are here places of worship for the Methodists, Quakers, Roman Catholics, and other dissenters; likewise a charity school for 24 boys and 12 girls, and a free grammar school, endowed by Edward VI. The town-hall is an elegant modern building, erected at the joint expense of the county and the corporation. The theatre is a neat building, erected by subscription, a few years ago. A small portion of the old castle of Pontefract still exists. It occupied a
large site upon an elevated rock. The trade of the town is inconsiderable. It is chiefly fur its extensive nursery grounds, large plantations of liquorice, and its great horse-fairs. In a garden is an ancient cave, the his tory of which is unknown. Races are annually held here; and the accounts of cloths fulled at all the fulling mills, in the West Riding, are made up here every year. The town is governed by a mayor, recorder, and twelve alder men. It sends two members to Parliament; and the number of voters is about 330. The population of the borough and township, in 1821, was, 927 houses ; 937 fa milies; 600 families employed in trades ; 200 in agricul ture ; 2095 males, 2352 females, and a total population of 4447. See Boothroyd's History of the Ancient Borough of Pontefract, 1807; and the Beauties of England and IVales, vol. xvi. p. 881--898.