Divisions for Ecclesiastical, Legal, and Parliamentary Purposes.— this county is wholly included in the diocese of Wprcester. It com prehends the whole of the archdeaconry of Coventry and a part of he archdeaconry of Worcester. The county is included is the mid land circuit; the assizes and quarter sessions for the county are held it Warwick ; those for the city of Coventry are held at Coventry.
County courts are held at Alcester, Atherstone, Birmingham, Coven try, Nuneaton, Rugby, Solihull, Southatn, Stratford-ou-Avon, and arwick. There are a county jail and a house of correction nt Warwick ; a jail and house of correction at Coventry for the city ; look-up houses at Leamington and Birmingham; a debtors or Court of Requests prison at Birmingham; and a county asylum for discharged juvenile prisoners at Stratton.
Before the Reform Act Warwickslire cent only six members to the House of Commons, namely, two for the oounty, two for the city of Coventry, and two for the borough of Warwick. By the Reform Act the number was increased to ten, namely, four for the county, which was divided into two parts ; twe each for Warwick and Coventry, as before ; and two for Birmingham, which was made a parliamentary borough. By the Poor-Law Commissioners Warwickshire is divided into 13 unions—Alce-ter, Aston, Atherstone, Birmingham, Coventry, Foleahill, Meriden, Nuneatou, Rugby, Solihull, Southern, Stratford-on Avon, and Warwick. These unions include 225 parishes and town ships, with an area of 529,720 acres, and a population in 1351 of 458,423.
History and Atitiquitita —In the Roman division of Britain, War wickshire appears to have been included in the province of Flavin Ctesariensis. Several Roman or other ancient roads cross the county or pass along its borders. Among these may be named the ancient Watling-street, the Foss Way, and the Ryknield Way. Some Roman towns and stations, in the county or on the border, may be identified. The Tripontium of Antooinus is fixed by Dugdale at Dove Bridge, or Dowbridge, on Watling-street, at the junction of the three counties of Northampton, Leicester, and Warwick; or at Lilbourne in North amptonshire, close by, where there are some ancient trenches and one or two tumuli. Tho Venonzo of the same writer is fixed by Camden and others at or near High Cross, where tho Watling-street and the Fuse Road intersect. The Manduessedum of the same writer is fixed at Ilancetter or Mancester, near Atherstono. Mere are evident remains of a Roman station ; the ditch and vellum being in many parts very perfect. Alceater may be Identified with the Airtime of the 14th her of Richard of Cirencester. Near Chesterton, en the Foss Way, is an encampmeut, evidently Roman. Roman coins or other antiquities have been found near Birmingham, Hampton-in-Arden, Willoughby new the Learn, on the eastern border of the county, and Warwick ; and a Roman pavement at Coventry. There are some earthworks at
Brinklow, near Monk's Kirby, on the line of the F019, which appear to ha Roman.
Iu the earlier Saxon period Warwickshire formed part of the king. dom of Mercies Tho southern part of the county, which has been all eloog included in the diocese of Worcester, appears to have formed part of the subordinate kingdom of Ilwiccas, or, as it is termed by Bede (' Hist. Eccles.; lib. Iv., c. 13, 23), provincia Huicciorum,' which was in existence as early as the middle or latter and of the 7th century. Under Alfred Warwickshire came, with the rest of Mercia south-west of Watling-street, into direct subjection to the West Saxon crown (about 856), and during part of the reign of Alfred and his son Edward the Elder it was governed by the alderman sEthered, and after his death by his wife, the lady sEthelflied, or Ethelfleda, Alfred's daughter. During this and the subsequent reigns it was the scene of war with the Danes or Nnrthmeo.
In the civil troubles of Ilenry after the defeat and death of Simon do Montford, earl of Leicester, the castle of Kenilworth held out for the insurgents for six months (1266); and in the reign of Edward II. the murder of Gavestou, the king's minion, took place at Blacklow Hill, near Warwick. In war of tho Roses the inhabit ants of the county were divided between the two parties; the Warwick men, swayed by their earl, the celebrated eking-maker,' were Yorkiata ; the men of Coventry were supporters of the house of Lancaster. In the civil war of Charlea L the county generally embraced the cause of the Parliament. The first great battle of the war was fought at Edge Hill, in the southern part of the county, in 1642.
Statistics : Religious Worship and Education.—According to the Return, of the Census in 1851, it appears that there were then in the county 593 places of worship, of which 278 belonged to the Church of England, 133 to six sections of Methodists, 64 to Independents, 60 Ito four sections of Baptista, 26 to Roman Catholics, 10 to Unitarians, 7 to Quakers, 5 to Mormons, and 3 to lrvingites. Tho total number of sittings provided was 203,713. The number of Sunday schools was 41$. with 49,411 scholars; of these 224 schools with 24,571 scholars belonged to the Church of England. Of day schools there were 1101, of which 337 were publio schools with 34,295 scholars, and 764 were private, with 16,86G scholars. Of evening schools for adults there were 12, with 493 scholars. In the county there were 12 literary and scientific societies, with 1873 members and 11,628 volumes in their libraries.
&triage Banks.—In 1853 the county contained eight savings banks, at Alcester, Atheratone, Birmingham, Coventry, Rugby, Stratford-on Aron. Sutton Coldfield, and Warwick. Tho amount owing to depositors on November 20th, 1853, was 754,9471. 11s. 8d.