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 ...