Hague, but he broke his promise on getting clear of England, and conveyed to William a duplicate of the invitation addressed to him by the English nobility, together with intelligence of affairs of state obtained through the countess of Sunderland. He landed with William at Torbay, and received substantial rewards for his undoubted services. Sworn of the privy council in 1689, Sidney was made gentleman of the bedchamber and colonel of the king's regiment of foot guards, and received the titles of Baron Milton and Viscount Sidney of Sheppey. In 1690 he received considerable grants of land from the confiscated estates of the Irish supporters of James II., much of which he lost, however, on the parliamentary investigation in 1699 into the distribution of the Irish lands. William made him secretary of state in 1690, pending the discovery of a better person. He was soon asked to resign, but was compensated by his appointment, in 1692, as lord-lieutenant of Ireland. His inability to cope with the difficulties of this position led to his recall in the next year, when he became master-general of the ordnance. He was created earl of Romney in May 1694, and he retained William's confidence to the last, but on Anne's accession he was dismissed from his various offices. He never married, and his titles became extinct on his death on the 8th of April 1704.
In 1801 the title of earl of Romney was revived in the family of Marsham. Sir Robert Marsham, Bart. (1685–1724), of Cuxton in Kent, was a member of parliament from 1708 to 1716, when he was created Baron of Romney. His grandson Charles, the 3rd Baron (1774–1811), was created earl of Romney in 1801, and from him the present earl is descended.
ROMNEY (New Romney), a municipal borough and one of
the Cinque Ports in the Ashford parliamentary division of Kent,
England, 75 m. S.E. by E. of London by the South-Eastern &
Chatham railway. Pop. (1901) 1328. It lies in the open, flat
and low tract of Romney Marsh, part of a level extending from
Winchelsea in the south-West to Hythe in the north-east, which
was within historic times in great part covered by an estuarine
inlet of the sea. The river Rother, which now has its mouth at
Rye Harbour, formerly entered the sea here, but had its course
wholly changed during a great storm in 1287, and the gradual
accretion of land led to the decay, not only of Romney, but of
Winchelsea and Rye as seaports. Romney Marsh itself, which
extends north of New Romney, is protected by a seawall of
great thickness, and its guardianship and drainage is in the
hands of a special ancient corporation. The level affords
pasturage for vast flocks of sheep. New Romney, which is now
over a mile from the sea, has large sheep fairs, but little other
trade. Of the five churches mentioned here in the Domesday
Survey only one remains, but this, dedicated to St Nicholas, is
a rich Norman building with later additions. Its Norman west
tower is among the finest in England, and it has a beautiful
Decorated east window with reticulated tracery. New Romney,
the name of which distinguishes it from the decayed village of
Old Romney, 2 m. W., is governed by a mayor, 4 aldermen and
twelve councillors. Area, 1351 acres. Littlestone-on-Sea, on
the coast E. of New Romney, is in some favour as a seaside
resort and has excellent golf-links.
Its fine harbour was the cause of the early importance of Romney (Romenal, Romenhall). The annual assembly of the Cinque Ports, called the Brodhull, was held here owing to its central position. At the time of Domesday the archbishop of Canterbury and the bishop of Bayeux were joint lords. Romney also owed maritime service to the king, which consisted of supplying five ships to serve for fifteen days in the year. A confirmation of liberties was granted by John in 1205. The town, which was a borough by prescription, was governed “ from time immemorial ” by twelve jurats; a bailiff was appointed by the archbishop, but the rights of the overlord seem to have been small, and in 1521 the inhabitants denied the bailitf the right of presiding with the jurats over their court. Elizabeth changed the style of incorporation to the mayor, jurats and commonalty, and another charter was granted by James II. in 1686, which remained the governing charter until 1835. The Cinque Ports were first summoned to parliament in 1265; the first returns for Romneyare for 1266; it returned two members until it was disfranchised in 1832.
ROMORANTIN, a town of central France, capital of an
arrondissement in the department of Loir-et-Cher, 31 m. S.E.
of Blois by rail. Pop. (1906) town, 6836; commune, 8374.
The town is situated on the Sauldre at its confluence with
the Morantin, whence its name (Rivus Morantini). A church
dating mainly from the 12th century, a gateway of the 16th
century and some old houses are the chief objects of interest.
The remains of a chateau rebuilt by Francis I. in the
Renaissance style are used as the sub-prefecture. Tribunals
of first instance and of commerce, and a communal college are
among the public institutions. The manufacture of flannel and
cloth especially for army clothing is carried on, together with
trade in wine, live stock, agricultural produce and the asparagus
of the vicinity.
In 1560 Romorantin gave its name to an edict which prevented the introduction of the Inquisition into France. The industrial importance of the town dates from the later middle ages.
ROMSDAL, the valley of the river Rauma, in Norway. The
Rauma is a torrent descending from Lake Lesjekogen to the
Romsdal Fjord on the west coast (62° 30' N.). The nearest
port is Molde, from which steamers run to Veblungsnaes (30 m.)
at the foot of the Valley. A good road traverses the valley,
which is one of the finest in southern Norway, flanked by steep
mountains terminating in abrupt peaks—Vengetinder (5960 ft.),
Romsdalshorn (5105), Troldtinder (“ witch-peaks,” 6010) and
others. Several waterfalls are seen, such as the Mongefos, the
Vaermofos, falling nearly 1000 ft., and the Slettafos. Lake
Lesjekogen also drains from the opposite end by the Laagen
or Lougen river to the Glommen, and so to the Skagerrack, and
the road follows its valley, the Gudbrandsdal. The Romsdal
gives its name to an amt (county) extending from the promontory
of Stadt in the south to Ram Fjord in the north, including the
Stor, Molde, Halse and their branch fjords, the ports of Aalesund,
Molde and Christiansund, and reaching inland to the
Dovrefjeld.
ROMSEY, a market town and municipal borough in the
New Forest parliamentary division of Hampshire, England,
7 m. N.W. of Southampton by the London & South-Western
railway. Pop. (1901) 4365. It is pleasantly situated in the
rich valley of the Test. The abbey church of SS. Mary and
Elfleda is one of the finest examples in England of a great
Norman church little altered by later builders. Its history
is not clear, but a house was founded here by Edward the
elder (c. 910), and became a Benedictine nunnery. The
church, which is the only important relic of the foundation, is
cruciform, with a low central tower. Building evidently began
in the first half of the 12th century, and continued through it,
as the western part of the nave shows the transition to the
Early English style, which appears very finely in the west
front. Decorated windows occur in the east end, beyond
which a chapel in this style formerly extended. Perpendicular
insertions are insignificant. The nave and choir have aisles,
triforium and clerestory. The transepts have eastern apsidal
chapels, as have the choir aisles, though the walls of these last
are square without. Foundations of the apse of a large pre-Norman
church have been discovered below the present building.
In Romsey there are tanyards, ironworks and works of
the Berthon Boat Company. The borough is under a mayor,
4 aldermen and 12 councillors. Area, 533 acres.
Romsey (Romesyg, Romeseie) probably owed its origin, as it did its early importance, to the abbey. At the time of the Domesday Survey it was owned by the abbey, which continued to be the overlord until the dissolution. There is no evidence to show that Romsey was a borough before the charter of incorporation granted by James I. in 1608. This was confirmed by William III. in 1692, and the corporation was reformed in 1835. Romsey has never been represented in parliament. The right to hold a fair was granted to the abbey by Henry III.
