WICKLOW, the capital of the county of Wicklow, a market- and post-town and seaport, in the parishes of Kilpoole, Drunikay, and Rathnew, is situated ou the right bank of the reatuary of the Vartrcy, which here forms a small port, in 52* 53' N. lat., 6* 3' W. long., about 20 miles S. from Bray, 32 miles S.S.E. from Dublin. The population in 1351 was 3141.
Wicklow Is supposed to have been occupied as a naval station by the Oatmen or Dance beforo the Anglo-Norman invasion. Maurice Fitzgerald, one of the Anglo-Normsu invaders, began to build a castle here. In 1310 the town was burned by the Irish. In 1375 the town was put into a state of defence by one of tho Fitzwilliams, in whose family the coustableship of tho castle long continued. In the early pert of the 16th century the castle and town were occupied by the native Sept of the Byrnes, but were soon afterwards surrendered by them to the English government.
The statuary of the Vartrey, which la called Brom Lough, is 'sepa rated from the sea by a long and narrow slip of land, called the Mu h, which at its southern end bends to the west, and approaches *a dose to the shore, that a bridge crosses it, and leads to a suburb. At the northern end of this slip is the race-course. The town exteuda along the mortuary for above half a mile. At the eastern end of the town, on a steep rock or cliff projectiug into the sea on the south side of the mouth of the river, are somo trifling remains of the castle, called Black Castle. In the centre of the town are the ruins of a
Franciscan friary, founded in the reign of Henry III. The church of the Wicklow union (which comprehends the three parishes in which the town is situated, and those of Glenealy, Killiskey, and Kilcommon) is ou the north.west side of the town, near the river. The south door has a fine Norman arch, the remains of the ancient structure; but nearly ill the rest of the building is of modern date : it has a tower and a copper cupola added in 1777. Near the church is a school-house. There are meeting-houses for Wesleyan Methodists and for Quakers, al.o a Roman Catholic) chapel, two school-houses, a fever hospital, au infirmary, a loan-fund office, a county jail and court-house, a post-office, and a police station. Vessels drawing from seven to eight feet water can enter the harbour at ordinary tides. There are two lighthouses on Wicklow Head, a mile and a half south-east of the town. There is a coast-guard station at Wicklow. Corn and some copper- and lead ers are exported ; and coal, milli], limestone, timber, and iron are imported. A few small vessels of from 35 to 100 tons and some small Draft belong to the port. Wicklow was incorporated by charter of 11 James L, and sent two members to the Irish parliament before the Union ; at which time it was disfranchised. The assizes for the county, and quarter and petty sessions, are held iu Wicklow.