198 BRIDPORT HARBOUR. 



construction sixteen shipwrights were employed in the yard, 

 and an Admiralty overseer lived at the harbour. 



I find that at all events one vessel in the navy was known as 

 the Bridport ; her name appears on the muster books between 

 1776 and 1783 as a brig, under the command of Lieut. James 

 Lawson. In this instance, also, it is not improbable that she 

 was built in the local yard, but the available sources of 

 information do not cover the years previous to 1776. 



Simultaneously with the opening of the Custom House in 

 1832 a Government registry of shipping was set up, and 

 although it will not be practicable within the limits of this 

 paper to transcribe all the names, the first few entries in the 

 books will serve as an illustration. 



1832. Fly, schooner, 141 tons, built at Bridport, 1799 ; length 



76 feet. 

 1832. Nepean, schooner, 116 tons, built at Bridport, 1800 ; 



length 70 feet. 

 1832. Alert, schooner, 142 tons, built at Bridport, 1799. 



These three vessels had been previously registered at 

 Lyrne. 



I will close this brief sketch of the shipyard and its output by 

 adding some particulars, derived from Lloyd's register, as to 

 the larger vessels built there, in order to prove that the 

 harbour was capable of turning out an ocean liner as well as a 

 coasting barge. 



1853. Alfred the Great, 579 tons, Al, built 1850. Liverpool 



to Calcutta. 



1856. Speedy, 1002 tons, Al, built 1853. London to Australia. 

 1859. Nourmahal, 846 tons, Al, built 1856. London to 



New Zealand. 



As the century grew old, however, the passing of the wooden 

 sailing ship and the coming of the iron steamer produced 

 the inevitable result in this, as in the other small yards 



