Merry Maidens (or Dawns Men), stone circle, St
Buryan par., Cornwall, 5 miles SW. of Penzance ; con-
sists of 19 stones, 15 of which are standing.

Merry meet, place with school, in par. and 2 miles
from Menheniot sta., Cornwall.

Merryston, West, vil., 3 miles W. of Coatbridge,
Lanarkshire, pop. 534. See Maryston, West.

Merse, the most southerly division of Berwickshire,
but popularly the whole of Berwickshire, and in either
sense the largest and richest tract of champaign country
in Scotland; in ancient times it included all the flat
country between the Lammermuirs and the Cheviots,
and was called March, a form of the name which gives
the title of Earl of March to the Earl of Wemyss.

Mersea, island, Essex, on N. side of mouth of river
Colne, 8 miles SE. of Colchester ; is 4| miles long and
2 miles broad, possesses fertile soil, and is defended by
a strong sea-wall; is divided into the 2 pars, of East and
West Mersea—East Mersea, 1989 ac. and 859 tidal water
and 1607 foreshore, pop. 283; P.O.; West Mersea, 3193
ac. and 667 tidal water and 909 foreshore, pop. 1092;
P.O.; a Benedictine priory was at West Mersea.

Mersey, river, Cheshire and Lancashire; is formed by
the union of several streams from the Pennine Moors,
and passes across the low plain between these moors
and the Irish Sea, which it enters by a magnificent
estuary ; by its own course and by that of its affluents
(the Irwell and Weaver) it comes in contact with the
vast agricultural and manufacturing industries of this
district, making it, after the Thames, the most import-
ant river of England; is 68 miles long, including 20
miles of estuary, which varies in breadth from 8 miles
above Eastham to 1 mile between Liverpool and Wood-
side, and 2 miles at New Brighton where it enters
the sea; the Mersey Tunnel, extending under the bed
of the river between Woodside, Birkenhead, and
George’s Dock, Liverpool, was opened in January 1886.

Mersey and Irwell Canal, Cheshire and Lanca-
shire ; consists of a series of short cuts and deepenings,
for improving and extending the navigation of the
Mersey and the Irwell, between Warrington and Man-
chester, and of a cut, 8 miles long, between Runcorn
and Warrington.

Mersey Koad and Aigbnrth, ry. sta., SAY. Lanca-
shire, 4 miles SE. of Central sta., Liverpool.

Mersbam, par. and vil., Kent, 3% miles SE. of Ash-
ford, 2680 ac., pop. 722; P.O., t.o. ; Mersbam Hatch,
with fine grounds, is the seat of the Knatchbull family.

Mcrstbain, par. and vil. with ry. sta., Surrey, If
mile N. of Red Hill Junction and 8% miles SAY. of
Croydon, 2599 ac., pop. 903; P.O., T.o.; firestone is
quarried; Merstham Mouse is the seat of Lord Hylton;
Merstbam Tunnel, N. of vil., is 1820 yds. long.

Mcrston.—par., Sussex, 2% miles SE. of Chichester,
718 ac., pop. 96.—2. Merston, Kent. See Shorne
and Merston.

Merstone, vil. with ry. sta., Isle of Wight, 4 miles
SE. of Newport.

Mertber, par., Cornwall, on St Clement’s Creek, 2%
miles E. of Truro, 1726 ac., pop. 246; at Tresilian
Bridge, across the creek, Lord Hopton surrendered to
Fairfax in 1646.

Merthyr.¹— hundred, Brecknockshire, 60,495 ac.,
pop. 2858; contains 7 pars, and parts of 3 others.—
2. Merthyr, par. and vil., in co. and 4 miles W. of
Carmarthen, on river Cowin, 2218 ac., pop. 262.—3.
Mertbyr, ry. sta., Merthyr-Tydfil, Glamorgan.

Merthyr-Cynog, par. and vil., in co. and 8 miles
NW. of Brecknock, 21,278 ac., pop. 734.

Merthyr-Dovan, par., Glamorgan, on Bristol Chan-
nel, 6% miles SW. of Cardiff, 1359 ac., pop. 102.

Merthyr-Mawr, par. and vil., Glamorgan, on river
Ogwr, 2 miles SW. of Bridgend, 2262 ac. and 19 tidal
water and 422 foreshore, pop. 120; P.O.; in vicinity of
vil. is Merthyr-Mawr Honse, seat.