BLAYDON  , an

urban district in the Chester-le-Street parliamentary division of Durham, England, on the Tyne, 4 M . W. of Newcastle by a branch of the North-Eastern railway . •Pop . (1881) 10,687; (1901) 19,617 . The chief industries are coal-mining, iron-founding, pipe, fire-brick, chemical manure and bottle manufactures . In the vicinity is the beautiful old mansion of Stella, and below it Stellaheugh, to which the victorious Scottish army crossed from Newburn on the Northumberland bank in 164o, after which they occupied Newcastle . BLAYE-ET-STE LUCE, a town of south-western France, capital of an arrondissement in the department of Gironde, on the right bank of the Gironde (here over 2 M. wide), 35 M . N. of Bordeaux by rail . Pop . (1906) of the town, 3423; of the commune, 4890 . The town has a citadel built by Vauban on a rock beside the river, and embracing in its enceinte ruins of an old Gothic chateau . The latter contains the tomb of Caribert, king of Toulouse, and spn of Clotaire II .

Blaye is also defended by the Fort Pate on an

island in the river and the Fort Medoc on its left bank, both of the 17th century . The town is the seat of a sub-prefect, and has tribunals of first instance and of commerce and a communal college . It has a small river-port, and carries on trade in wine, brandy, grain, fruit and timber . The industries include the building of small vessels, distilling, flour-milling, and the manufacture of oil and candles . Fine red wine is produced in the district . In ancient times Blaye (Blavia) was a port of the Santones . Tradition states that the hero Roland was buried in its basilica, which was on the site of the citadel . It was early an important stronghold which played an important part in the wars against the English and the Religious Wars . The duchess of Berry was imprisoned in its fortress in 1832-1833 .