Wakefield

Wakefield, a town on the river Calder in the West Riding of Yorkshire, 9 miles south of Leeds, and served by four lines of railway. It was the scene in 1400 of the defeat and death of Richard, Duke of York, and played a part, too, in the Civil War. The restored parish church has the highest spire in the county, and there is a grammar school founded by Queen Elizabeth. The manufacture of woolen yarns, cloths, and hosiery has long been carried on here, and the market is very important. The now extended borough returns one member to Parliament.