Bridport with Allington
Universal British Directory 1791
Transcription from a copy of the original book, kindly donated to the OPC Project by Alan Bartlett, 2003
Bridport
is
of great antiquity. It took its
name from the river Birt or Bride. It
has a large neat church, by the name of St. Mary’s, are situated in the
South-street. There were formerly
several other chapels; but since the reformation they were alienated.
There are two meeting-houses for dissenters and one for the Quakers.
The town consists of three wide open spacious streets, and greatly
improved in buildings of late years. It
is very much lake the latter T. viz. the East West, and South streets, and
several back lanes and passages, and very populous.
It has a handsome market-house in the center, lately erected at the
expense of three thousand pounds. The
markets are Wednesdays and Saturdays, and have a great supply of flesh-meat. The harbour is very much improved of late years, and is still
improving; it will admit of vessels
of upwards of 300 tons: it is about one mile and a quarter from town, which is
of great service to the neighborhood. The
trade of the town is principally in the twine and hat manufactories; also, in
the sail-cloth manufactory. The
soil is very deep and rich, and productive of hemp and flax. It is a free and open borough, sends two members to
parliament in the 23d of Edward the first.
The present members are Charles Sturt, Esq. And James Watson, Esq.
Serjeant at Law. It is a town
corporate, consisting of two bailiffs, recorder, fifteen capital burgesses,
whereof the bailiffs are two, two serjeants at mace, and several other inferior
officers. Here are two schools, one
of them is maintained out of the salary arising from the Bull Inn; the other is
from different persons. There are
three fairs, viz. on Old Lady-day, Holy Thursday, and Old Michaelmas.
Post-office
opens every morning at 7 o’clock and shuts at 10 o’clock for London; and
opens every morning at 11 o’clock, and shuts at two in the afternoon for the
West. The mail goes through here
every day, as this is the great Western post-road from London to Execter and
Plymouth.
Bridport
is 135 miles from London, 37 from Exeter, 80 from Plymouth, 6 from Lyme, and 17
from Dorchester. It is not far from
he shore of the channel, where it has a harbour, abounding with copperous
stones, cornu animonis, and many curious fossils.
In the time of the Saxons it had a mint, was created a borough by Kin
Henry III. The corporation, under
the King, are entire Lords of all. It
had once a good harbour and trade, and manufactured so much hemp in ropes,
cables, &c. that, in the reign of Henry VIII, it was ordered the the cordage
for the English navy should, for a limited time, be made here, or within 5 miles
of it, and nowhere else; which act was confirmed by almost every parliament for
near 60 years after. Yet this trade
is sunk to little or nothing, though the soil, between this place and Beaminster,
is so fruitful in hemp, that, when a man was hanged, it was proverbially said,
he was stabbed with a Bridport dagger. The
situation of the town is low. It
was incorporated b Henry VII, and afterwards by Queen Elizabeth and king James I
and Charles II, by whole charter two bailiffs were to be chosen yearly out of 15
capital burgesses; and the corporation was empowered to choose a recorder and
town-clerk, &c. The buildings
are chiefly stone, and rather mean, but some are of brick and neatly built, in
all about 250. The quarter-sessions
for the county are held in the town-hall once a year.
Here was formerly a priory which stood near the bridge at the East-end of
the town, now a dwelling house, called St. John’s.
At the West-end of the town was an hospital, now no more.
Also a chapel dedicated to St. Leonard was formerly here; and near the
entrance of the South –street is an ancient building said to have been the
prior’s house. At the meeting of
the three streets, near the middle of the town are the remains of St. Andrew’s
chapel, part of which is converted into a dwelling-house; part the sessions
house, over which is the free-school & another part is made a goal for
criminals; and part is in ruins. It
has a low tower remaining. Part of
the chancel is left, and serves for a clock-house.
There was a chapel dedicated to St. James, in Wyke’s-court-lane, now a
dwelling house. A chapel dedicated
to St. Michael stood at the West-end of the town, of which there are no remains.
Mackerel are here in such prodigious plenty, that there has been a watch
set to present farmers from dunging their land with them, which, it was thought,
might be apt to infect the air. In
the year 1722, an act passed for restoring the haven and piers of Bridport, in
order to bring it to its ancient flourishing state; for heretofore it was a
place of great trade and commerce; but, by reason of a general sickness, which
swept away the greatest part of its most wealthy inhabitants, and by other
accidents, the haven became neglected, and choked with sands & the piers
fell to ruin, and the town, of consequence, to decay;
so that there was no security for ships that happened to be driven by
perils of weather into the deep and dangerous bay wherein the haven formerly
was, which occasioned frequent shipwrecks.
The act therefore authorizes the bailiffs and burgesses of Bridport to
levy certain tolls on divers merchandizes, &c. in order to restore the said
piers and harbour. However, the act
has never been fully executed.
There are two London and Exeter coaches up and down every day, besides the mail coach. The London and Exeter wagons pass Mondays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays, both ways. The Bristol wagons every Saturday. The principal inns are the Bull, and the Golden Lion.
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