Wakefield, estate, United States

Wakefield, family estate of George Washington, on the Potomac River, E Va.; part of the

George Washington Birthplace National Monument (see National Parks and Monuments National Parks and Monuments

National Parks
Name Type¹ Location Year authorized Size

acres (hectares)

Description
Acadia NP SE Maine 1919 48,419 (19,603) Mountain and coast scenery.
..... Click the link for more information. , table). John Washington, the great-grandfather of George, settled there in 1664. The house in which George was born was built by his father, Augustine Washington. It was destroyed by fire in 1779, but on its original foundations a new house, similar to the original, was completed in 1931.

Wakefield, city, England

Wakefield, city (1991 pop. 74,764) and metropolitan district, N central England, on the Calder River. Wakefield has been a center of the cloth industry from the 14th cent. Other manufactures include wools and synthetics, chemicals, machine tools, mining machinery, engineering, soft drinks, and beer. The city is also a railroad junction and farm center, with an important cattle market.

The site was occupied by the Danes and Saxons; Richard, duke of York, was defeated and slain in the battle of Wakefield in 1460. The Towneley Plays (see miracle play miracle play or mystery play, form of medieval drama that came from dramatization of the liturgy of the Roman Catholic Church. It developed from the 10th to the 16th cent., reaching its height in the 15th cent.
..... Click the link for more information. ) originated there. Notable buildings are All Saints' Church (mainly 15th cent.), the chantry chapel on the bridge over the Calder (c.1350; restored 1847), and the grammar school (1591). A technical college is also in Wakefield.

Wakefield, town, United States

Wakefield, town (1990 pop. 24,825), Middlesex co., NE Mass., a suburb N of Boston; settled 1639, inc. 1812. Chiefly residential, the town has some light industry, such as the production of shoes, plastics, wire screens, and iron pipes.

Wakefield

City and metropolitan borough (pop., 2001: 315,173), southeastern portion of the metropolitan county of West Yorkshire, historic county of Yorkshire, England. Originally part of a royal manor, it became a baronial holding after 1086. It was the scene of the Wars of the Roses at which Richard, duke of York, was captured and beheaded by Lancastrians. In the 15th century the Wakefield Plays, one of the collections of English miracle plays, were presented there. The town was attacked and taken by the Parliamentarian general Baron Fairfax in 1643 during the English Civil Wars. Known as a textile centre since the 16th century, Wakefield specializes in wool and synthetic knitting yarns.