Meols, North, par. and township, SW. Lancashire
—par., 10,682 ac. and 10,552 foreshore, pop. 42,468;
township, 8467 ac. and 8954 foreshore, pop. 33,763;
contains mun. bor. of Southport; contains also Church-
town, vil. with ry. sta. (for Botanic Gardens), 24 miles
NE. of Southport; P.O.; North Meols Hall was for-
merly the seat of the Heskeths.

Meolse, Great, township (ry. sta. Meols), West Kirby
par., Cheshire, 54 miles AV. of Birkenhead, 695 ac. and
68 tidal water and 1528 foreshore, pop. 402.

Meolse, Little, township (ry. sta. Meols), AYest Kirby
par., Cheshire, 2 miles SW. of Great Meolse, 711 ac.
and 845 tidal water and 3048 foreshore, pop. 926.

Meon, East.—hundred, Hants, 17,849 ac., pop. 2850;
contains 6 pars.—2. Meon, East, par. and vil., Hants,
44 miles W. of Petersfield, 11,377 ac., pop. 1559; P.O.

Meon, West, par. and vil., Hants, 24 miles NW. of
East Meon, 3774 ac., pop. 802; P.O.

Meon Hill, eminence with ancient camp, Gloucester-
shire, at the end of the Cotswolds, 4 miles NE. of Chip-
ping Campden.

Meon Stoke.—hundred, Hants, 15,670 ac., pop. 2340;
contains 7 pars, and part of another.—2. Meon Stoke,
par. and vil., Hants, 4 miles SAY. of East Meon and 4
miles NE. of Bishops AValtham, 2055 ac., pop. 474.

Meophani (or MeiTam), par. and vil. with ry. sta.
(14 mile N.), Kent, 6 miles AY. of Rochester and 26
miles SE. of London, 4713 ac., pop. 1220; P.O., T.O.; the
church was rebuilt by Simon de Meopham, Archbishop
of Canterbury (1327-1333), who was a native.

Meoul, school, StoneykLrk par., Wigtownshire.

Mepal, par. and vil., Cambridgeshire, on New Bed-
ford river, 64 miles AY. of Ely, 1452 ac., pop.,378 ; P.O.

Meppershall (or Mepshall), par. and vil., Bedford-
shire, 2 miles S. of Shefford, 1949 ac., pop. 778.

Mercaston, township, Mugginton par., Derbyshire,
6 miles NAY. of Derby, 1157 ac., pop. 86.

Merchant Rocks, Mull of Kintyre, Argyllshire; that
point of the promontory on which the lighthouse stands.

Merchiston, dist. with ry. sta., in SW. of Edin-
burgh ; Merchiston Castle, an ancient baronial forta-
lice (now a private boarding-school), was the birthplace
of John Napier (1550-1617), the inventor of logarithms.

Mercblston Hall, seat, in par. and NW. vicinity of
Falkirk, Stirlingshire; birthplace of Admiral Sir Charles
Napier (1786-1860).

Merchiston Honse, seat, Kilbarchan par., Renfrew-
shire, 1 mile NW. of Johnstone.

Mercia, one of the kingdoms of the Saxon Heptarchy;
it occupied the central parts of England S. of the Hum-
ber and E. of the Severn, and was of various extent at
various periods.

Merdon Castle, remains of old edifice of the bishops
of Winchester, Hursley Park, Hants, 5 miles SAY. of
Winchester; the manor of Merdon became the property
of Richard Cromwell.

Mere . See also Meer .

Mere.—town and par., Wilts, 4 miles NE. of Gilling-
ham and 21 miles SE. of Bath, 7400 ac., pop. 2931; P.O.,
T.o., IBank; has mfrs. of dowlas and ticking. Mere
has vestiges of a castle of the earls of Cornwall. In the
times of Edward I. and Edward II. it sent members to
Parliament.—2. Mere, township and vil., Rostherne
par., Cheshire, 2\ miles NAY. of Knutsford, 2519 ac.,
pop. 512; Mere Hall, seat, has fine grounds, with a
lake of 50 ac.—3. Mere, par., Lincolnshire, adjacent to
Lincoln city, pop. 84.—4. Mere, hundred, AYilts, 16,643
ac., pop. 4274; contains 3 pars, and parts of 2 others.
—5. Merc, hamlet, Featherstone par., S. div. West-
Riding Yorkshire, on river Aire, 54 m. NE. of AYakefield.

Mere Brow, vil., Tarleton par., N. Lancashire, 104
miles SW. of Preston.

Mere Green, hamlet, Warwickshire, in par. and 14
mile N. of Sutton Coldfield; P.O.

Mere nail, seat, 34 miles SE. of Droitwich, Wor-
cestershire.

Merevale, par. and eccl. dist., AVarwickshire and
Leicestershire—par., 2061 ac., pop. 189; eccl. dist. (com-
prising also parts of Lea Marston par., AVarwickshire,
and Norton juxta Twycross par., Leicestershire), pop.
203 ; an abbey of 1148 is now represented by the parish
church; in the Warwickshire section, 1 mile SW. of
Atherstone, is Merevale Hall, which was the residence
of Sir AVilliam Dugdale (1605-1686), the antiquary, and
is still the seat of his descendants.