Canterbury (23), in E. Kent, on the Stour, by rail 62 m. SE. of London; is the ecclesiastical capital of England; the cathedral was founded A.D. 597 by St. Augustin; the present building belongs to various epochs, dating as far back as the 11th century; it contains many interesting monuments, statues, and tombs, among the latter that of Thomas à Becket, murdered in the north transept, 1170; the cloisters, chapter-house, and other buildings occupy the site of the old monastic houses; the city is rich in old churches and ecclesiastical monuments; there is an art gallery; trade is chiefly in hops and grain. Kit Marlowe was a native.

Canterbury (128), a district in New Zealand, in the centre of the South Island, on the east side of which are the Canterbury Plains or Downs, a great pasture-land for sheep of over three million acres.

Can"ter*bur*y (?), n. 1. A city in England, giving its name various articles. It is the seat of the Archbishop of Canterbury (primate of all England), and contains the shrine of Thomas à Becket, to which pilgrimages were formerly made.

2. A stand with divisions in it for holding music, loose papers, etc.

Canterbury ball(Bot.), a species of Campanula of several varieties, cultivated for its handsome bell-shaped flowers. -- Canterbury gallop, a gentle gallop such as was used by pilgrims riding to Canterbury; a canter. -- Canterbury tale, one of the tales which Chaucer puts into the mouths of certain pilgrims to Canterbury. Hence, any tale told by travelers to pass away the time.