WALTHAM, a city in Middlesex county, Massachusetts, United States, like the other so-called cities and towns of New England is in effect a township, containing several bodies of urban population, together with rural districts. It is situated about 9 miles west-north-west from Boston, being in fact a suburb of that city, in a country of rounded hills of glacial gravel. Besides the large village of Waltham, there are comprised in the city five others, viz., Bleachery, Chemistry, New Church, Prospectville, and Robert’s Crossing. These have absorbed nearly all the population of the city, the rural inhabitants being comparatively few in number. The population, by the State census of 1885, was 14,609, about one-fourth being of foreign birth. Waltham is known all over the world for its machine-made watches, of which over 1400 are turned out daily. It has also a cotton-mill, a bleachery, and watch-tool manufactories.

The present area of Waltham was settled in 1630 by Puritans. In 1783 the town was incorporated, and in 1884 it received a city charter.

WALTHAM ABBEY, or Waltham Holy Cross, a market-town of Essex, England, on the borders of Hertfordshire and Middlesex, is situated on the Lea, near the great northern road, and on the Cambridge branch of the Great Eastern Railway, 13 miles north of Liverpool Street station, London. The town lies in a hollow, with streets for the most part crooked and narrow, and although many additions have lately been made it still retains much of the characteristic appearance of an old country town. Of the former magnificent abbey church the only portion of importance now remaining is the nave, forming the present parish church, the two easternmost bays of the nave being converted into the chancel. It is a very fine specimen of Norman, and in the opinion of Mr Freeman forms part of the original building of Harold, although others assign its date to the time of Henry I. Only the western supports of the ancient tower now remain. A tower corresponding with the present size of the church was erected in 1556 and restored in 1798. On the south side of the church is a lady chapel of about the end of the reign of Edward II. or beginning of that of Edward III., containing some good decorated work. Bishop Hall became curate of Waltham in 1612, and Thomas Fuller was curate from 1648 to 1658. At Waltham Cross on the great northern road, about a mile west of Waltham, is the beautiful cross erected (1291-94) by Edward I. at one of the resting-places of the corpse of Queen Eleanor on its way to burial in Westminster Abbey. It is of Caen stone and is supposed to have been designed by Pietro Cavalini, a Roman sculptor. It is hexagonal in plan, and consists of three stages, decreasing towards the top, which is finished by a crocheted spirelet aud cross. The lower stage is divided into compartments ...

WALTHAMSTOW, a town of Essex, England, now practically a suburb of London, is situated a short distance east of the river Lea, on a branch of the Great Eastern Railway, 6 miles north of Liverpool Street station. The original village grouped round the church is of comparatively small dimensions, but a large number of houses and villas have been built along the high road, from which diverge a number of streets and “ends.” The church of St Mary existed at a very early period, but the present building, chiefly of brick, was erected in 1535 by Sir George Monoux, lord mayor of London, and has undergone frequent alteration and improvement. Besides other old brasses it contains in the north aisle the effigies in brass of Sir George Monoux and Anne his wife. Among the other public buildings are the town hall, erected in 1876 at a cost of £4500, the literary institute, founded in 1882, and the working men’s club and institute. There are a number of educational institutions, including a school of art connected with the science and art department of South Kensington, the Monoux grammar school, the Forest school, founded in 1834 in connexion with King’s College, and the home for orphan boys. The benevolent and charitable institutions include the public dispensary (1873), the Leyton and Walthamstow hospital home for children (1877), Sir George Monoux’s almshouses for thirteen poor men (1527), the Collard almshouses for ten married couples (1851), and the Squire almshouses for widows of decayed tradesmen. In the vicinity are the reservoirs of the East London Waterworks Company. On the banks of the Lea there are flour-mills and an oil-mill. The population of the urban sanitary district (area 4374 acres) in 1871 was 10,692, and in 1881 it was 21,715....