B ER 



27S 



B i: i; 



In 1<:U the inhabitant* of the town were 901. ind of the 

 parish 3699: the latu-r contain* M.G80 acres. The principal 

 trade of tin- t m 11 n in c,..i|,. winch arc imported from tho 

 Forest of Dean in small vessels, which at sprmjMidfl can 

 come up to ttM town : but th i diminution 



til" the cloth manufacture >:. ' con- 



idcrably declined. The surrni: almost 



entirely of rich meadow-lamls. and the vale of Berkeley has 

 long been de*ervedlv celebrated i lent cheese. The 



west title of the pari-h i- bounded by ll I, which has 



hero a width varying t'rnin two miles to throe quarter- of a 

 mile. Tbepamh church, dedicated tuSt. Mary, is a very Inrgo 

 and handsome structure, in the i>ointed stylo. The west 

 window is large, and very beautiful. Near the pulpit nrc two 

 recumbent figures, which represent Thomas Lord Berkeley 

 mid M.iriMret his wife. The former is the original of t lie 

 character of that name In Shnkspearc's play of Richard the 

 Second. A simple tablet in the chancel marks the burial 

 place of Jenner, the discoverer of vaccination, who was a 

 native of this place. Adjoining the chancel is the mau- 

 soleum of the Berkeley family, in which are several very 

 curious monuments. In the church is sculptured a large 

 toad, with the heads of two children under it, the tradi- 

 tion relating to which is that the toad devoured two of the 

 children of one of the lords of Berkeley. The tower. 

 it square and modern, ha* six bells, and is situated at a con- 

 siderable distance from the church. Tho living is a vicar- 

 age, of which Lord Segrave is the patron. The great tithes 

 of the parish belong to the dean and chapter of 1' 

 There is a chapel of ease at Stone, three miles distant from 

 the church: and of four chapels belonging to dissenters two 

 are in the town and two in the tithings. Sunday schools 

 are taught at the church and at the dissenting chapels ; 

 and there is an endowed school for the education of 3i boys 

 and girls in reading, writing, and arithmetic. 



The fairs are on the 1 1th of May and the 1 st of December. 

 Tuesday is the market-day ; and there are markets for cattle 

 on the first Tuesday in April, and the first Tuesday in No- 

 vember. A new market-house was erected in 1S 4 J5, the 

 town-hall over which is now used as a chapel by dissenters 

 of the sect of Independents. 



Two miles and a half from the town, at Sharpnesse Point 

 (a long, low, projecting rock on the eastern bank of the 

 Severn), is the entrance into the Gloucester and Berkeley 

 canal. This canal is 18 feet deep, and GO leet in widtli, 

 and is navigable for vessels of 600 tons burden. This 

 canal, after traversing a distance of 16 miles (part of its 

 course being only divided from the Set em by the canal- 

 bank), terminates at Gloucester, where there is a com- 

 modious basin, bonded yards, and ample warehouses. The 

 money for excavating the canal was raised in shares, but 

 that not being sufficient to complete the work, a loan wa< 

 granted by government, the payment of the inte 

 which prevents much profit beinf: made by the shareholder.-. 

 The opening of tho canal took place in 1820. Owing to the 

 contractions of the river at this part, the trie rushes past 

 with great rapidity, so that it require- considerable siail. and 

 a knowledge of the proper time of the tide, to enable a 

 pilot to conduct a ship with -afety into ihe r;mal. On the 

 north bank of the cannl is the i ; , : 1 J t. a horse is 



Mr towing a vessel to < 



requires one horse, and an addition added for 



rveajr 30 tons up to 150: in vessel- t<>ns one 



horte is added for every 100 tons np1 .ibovo which 



burden til - the home trade, 



the vessels lire prim-. \ : . d trnm 



the Baltic with deals ami timber, n part of win 

 rally Moated up the p may draw less 



water. The trade, notwit mus naviga- 



tion of tin- Severn, i 



contributed to the pm-p. ntv of Gloucester. In 

 in the summer of Is.M, UB vei ual to 



Gloucester, the tonnage of which wag 7900 tons. 



In the year 1833, tonnage 

 1834, ,. 



Increase 



1833. Canal Receipt* . 

 1834. 



Increase 



310.773 tons. 

 39'J..10 J 



S'J,591 tons. 



i'l.'.I.'iO 4 o 

 If, I IS 6 



Cuttirm Rfrtnur. 

 1833. Duties inward 

 1834. 



108.751 

 131,117 



Increase . 24.366 (I 



Berkeley Castle is situated at the south . ! the 



town. It is not ascertained at wh.it date this building was 

 commenced, but about the year 11 JO it was granted by 

 Henry II. to Rolwrt Fitzhardingc. governor of Bristol 

 (who wag descended from the kings of Denmark), with 

 power to strengthen and enlurue it. Maurice, the son of 

 Robert, was tin- first of the Fitzlmrdinges that dwelt at 

 Berkeley, of which place he assumed the name, and fortified 

 the BMW, which is situated on an eminence close to the 

 town, and commands an extensive view of the Severn and 

 the neighbouring country. The castle of Berkeley is a 

 perfect specimen of castellated building: it is in complete re- 

 pair, and not ruinous in any part. It is an irregular pile, 

 consisting of a keep and various embattled buildings, which 

 surround a court of about 140 yards in circumference. The 

 chief ornament of this cojirt is 'the fine exterior of the baro- 

 nial hall, which is a noble room in excellent preservation, and 

 adjoining it is the chapel. The apartments are very nume- 

 rous, but except where modern windows have been substi- 

 tuted, they are mostly of a gloomy character. In one of 

 them is the ebony bed and chairs used by Sir Francis Drake 

 in his voyage round the world. The entrance to an outer 

 court is under a machicollated gate-house, which is all that 

 remains of the buildings which are said to have formerly sur 

 rounded the outer court. The keep is nearly circular, having 

 one square tower and three semicircular ones. That on the 

 north, which is the highest part of the rustle, was rebuilt 

 in the reign of Edward II., and is called Thorpe's Tower, a 

 family of that name holding their manor by the tenure of 

 castle guard, it being their duty to guard this tower when 

 required. In another of the towers of the keep is a dm 

 chamber, twenty-eight feet deep, without light or 

 aperture of any kind except ut the top : in shape it r. 

 bles the letter 1), and the entrance to it is through a trap 

 door in the floor of the room over it: but, from being in the 

 keep, which is hisih above the natural ground, tl 

 abode is quite free from damp. The Roman metl. 

 filling the inner part, or medium of the walls, with fluid 

 mortar, occurs in the keep of this castle. The great 

 case leading to the keep is composed of large stones : and 

 on the right of it, approached by a kind of gallery, is the 

 room in which, from its great strength and its isolated situa- 

 tion, there is every reason to siippn.se that Edward II. 

 murdered, with circumstances of great atrocity, on the 21st 

 of September, n-i~. ll is a small and gloomy apartment, 

 and till within the last century was only lighted by (1 

 It is stateil by Holinshcd that the shrieks of the kin;: 

 heard in the town ; but from the situation of the castle and 

 the great thickness of it- walls, that is quite impo:-- 

 Alter his decease his heart was inclosed in a silver vessel, 

 and the Berkeley family Conned part of the procession which 

 attended the body to Gloucester, where it was interred in 

 the cathedral. 



The then Lord Berkeley was acquitted of any active par- 

 ticipation in the measures which caused the death of lin- 

 king: but shortly afterwards he entertained Queen Isabella 

 and her paramour Mortimer at the castle. This Lord 

 Berkeley kept twelve kninhis to wait upon his person, each 

 of whom was attended by :,. servant.- and a jia^e. He 

 had -j I enquire-, each having an under servant and a 1 

 His entire f.imii d of about 300 pcivon>, h. 



husbandmen, who fed at his hoard. In this castle royal 

 \ Niter* have- hern several tunes entertained. After 'its 

 having been a place bT rendezvous for the reliellious 1- 

 in the rei^n of .John, that king visited it in the last 

 year of his reign. Henry III. wa- there- twice. The other 

 n.val visit. irs have been Margaret, queen of Henry \l.; 

 Henry VII. ; Queen Elizabeth, whose, name one of the 

 rooms still hears: George IV.. when Prince ul"\Vales . 

 I. is pre-ent Majesty, when Duke of Clarence. In the i 

 of Henry V. a law suit was commenced between I.nnl 

 Berkeley .'.nd hi- cousin, the heiress ol the family, which 

 .' year- : .luring which conte-t the jihiintill s 

 : limes laid sir..',- t i the castle. In the civil wars 

 ! this castle was u'arrisoned on the side of the 

 country in awe : but it was 

 mv of tin- ( 'I'liimoiiweallh, and 

 [rendered MfPWMMHPff nine days. In the west doof 



