but it is also a characteristic genus of the Mediterranean region, while several species extend into northern Europe. No species is native in America, but ling occurs as an introduced plant on the Atlantic side from Newfoundland to New Jersey. Five species occur in Britain: E. cinerea, E. tetralix (cross-leaved heath), both abundant on heaths and commons, E. vagans, Cornish heath, found only in West Cornwall, E. ciliaris in the west of England and Ireland and E. mediterranea in Ireland. The three last are south-west European species which reach the northern limit of their distribution in the west of England and Ireland. E. scoparia is a common heath in the centre of France and elsewhere in the Mediterranean region, forming a spreading bush several feet high. It is known as bruyère, and its stout underground rootstocks yield the briar-wood used for pipes.
The Cape heaths have long been favourite objects of horticulture. In the warmer parts of Britain several will bear exposure to the cold of ordinary winters in a sheltered border, but most need the protection of the conservatory. They are sometimes raised from seed, but are chiefly multiplied by cuttings “struck” in sand, and afterwards transferred to pots filled with a mixture of black peat and sand; the peat should be dry and free from sourness. Much attention is requisite in watering heaths, as they seldom recover if once allowed to droop, while they will not bear much water about their roots: the heath-house should be light and well ventilated, the plants requiring sun, and soon perishing in a close or permanently damp atmosphere; in England little or no heat is needed in ordinary seasons. The European heaths succeed well in English gardens, only requiring a peaty soil and sunny situation to thrive as well as in their native localities: E. carnea, mediterranea, ciliaris, vagans, and the pretty cross-leaved heath of boggy moors, E. Tetralix, are among those most worthy of cultivation. The beautiful large-flowered St Dabeoc’s heath, belonging to the closely allied genus Dabeocia, is likewise often seen in gardens. It is found in boggy heaths in Connemara and Mayo, and is also native in West France, Spain and the Azores.
A beautiful work on heaths is that by H. C. Andrews, containing coloured engravings of nearly 300 species and varieties, with descriptions in English and Latin (4 vols., 1802–1805).
HEATHCOAT, JOHN (1783–1861), English inventor, was born
at Duffield near Derby on the 7th of August 1783. During his
apprenticeship to a framesmith near Loughborough, he made
an improvement in the construction of the warp-loom, so as to
produce mitts of a lace-like appearance by means of it. He
began business on his own account at Nottingham, but finding
himself subjected to the intrusion of competing inventors he
removed to Hathern. There in 1808 he constructed a machine
capable of producing an exact imitation of real pillow-lace.
This was by far the most expensive and complex textile apparatus
till then existing; and in describing the process of his invention
Heathcoat said in 1836, “The single difficulty of getting the
diagonal threads to twist in the allotted space was so great that,
if now to be done, I should probably not attempt its accomplishment.”
Some time before perfecting his invention, which he
patented in 1809, he removed to Loughborough, where he
entered into partnership with Charles Lacy, a Nottingham
manufacturer; but in 1816 their factory was attacked by the
Luddites and their 55 lace frames destroyed. The damages
were assessed in the King’s Bench at £10,000; but as Heathcoat
declined to expend the money in the county of Leicester he never
received any part of it. Undaunted by his loss, he began at
once to construct new and greatly improved machines in an
unoccupied factory at Tiverton, Devon, propelling them by
water-power and afterwards by steam. His claim to the invention
of the twisting and traversing lace machine was disputed,
and a patent was taken out by a clever workman for a similar
machine, which was decided at a trial in 1816 to be an infringement
of Heathcoat’s patent. He followed his great invention by
others of much ability, as, for instance, contrivances for ornamenting
net while in course of manufacture and for making
ribbons and platted and twisted net upon his machines, improved
yarn spinning-frames, and methods for winding raw silk from
cocoons. He also patented an improved process for extracting
and purifying salt. An offer of £10,000 was made to him in
1833 for the use of his processes in dressing and finishing silk nets,
but he allowed the highly profitable secret to remain undivulged.
In 1832 he patented a steam plough. Heathcoat was elected
member of parliament for Tiverton in 1832. Though he seldom
spoke in the House he was constantly engaged on committees,
where his thorough knowledge of business and sound judgment
were highly valued. He retained his seat until 1859, and after
two years of declining health he died on the 18th of January
1861 at Bolham House, near Tiverton.
HEATHCOTE, SIR GILBERT (c. 1651–1733), lord mayor of
London, belonged to an old Derbyshire family and was educated
at Christ’s College, Cambridge, afterwards becoming a merchant
in London. His trading ventures were very successful; he
was one of the promoters of the new East India company and
he emerged victorious from a contest between himself and the
old East India company in 1693; he was also one of the founders
and first directors of the bank of England. In 1702 he became
an alderman of the city of London and was knighted; he served
as lord mayor in 1711, being the last lord mayor to ride on horseback
in his procession. In 1700 Heathcote was sent to parliament
as member for the city of London, but he was soon expelled
for his share in the circulation of some exchequer bills; however,
he was again elected for the city later in the same year, and
he retained his seat until 1710. In 1714 he was member for
Helston, in 1722 for New Lymington, and in 1727 for St
Germans. He was a consistent Whig, and was made a baronet
eight days before his death. Although extremely rich, Heathcote’s
meanness is referred to by Pope; and it was this trait
that accounts largely for his unpopularity with the lower classes.
He died in London on the 25th of January 1733 and was buried
at Normanton, Rutland, a residence which he had purchased
from the Mackworths.
A descendant, Sir Gilbert John Heathcote, Bart. (1795–1867), was created Baron Aveland in 1856; and his son Gilbert Henry, who in 1888 inherited from his mother the barony of Willoughby de Eresby, became 1st earl of Ancaster in 1892.
HEATHEN, a term originally applied to all persons or races
who did not hold the Jewish or Christian belief, thus including
Mahommedans. It is now more usually given to polytheistic
races, thus excluding Mahommedans. The derivation of the
word has been much debated. It is common to all Germanic
languages; cf. German Heide, Dutch heiden. It is usually ascribed
to a Gothic haiþi, heath. In Ulfilas’ Gothic version of the
Bible, the earliest extant literary monument of the Germanic
languages, the Syrophoenician woman (Mark vii. 26) is called
haiþno, where the Vulgate has gentilis. “Heathen,” i.e. the
people of the heath or open country, would thus be a translation
of the Latin paganus, pagan, i.e. the people of the pagus or
village, applied to the dwellers in the country where the worship
of the old gods still lingered, when the people of the towns were
Christians (but see Pagan for a more tenable explanation of that
term). On the other hand it has been suggested (Prof. S.
Bugge, Indo-German. Forschungen, v. 178, quoted in the New
English Dictionary) that Ulfilas may have adopted the word
from the Armenian hetanos, i.e. Greek ἔθνη, tribes, races, the
word used for the “Gentiles” in the New Testament. Gentilis
in Latin, properly meaning “tribesman,” came to be used of
foreigners and non-Roman peoples, and was adopted in ecclesiastical
usage for the non-Christian nations and in the Old
Testament for non-Jewish races.
HEATHFIELD, GEORGE AUGUSTUS ELIOTT, Baron (1717–1790),
British general, a younger son of Sir Gilbert Eliott, Bart.,
