-'in OLD lillNMJKS. I'AUT IV. 



hand the erection and maintenance of bridges, and we 

 owe to the old Churchmen the finest structures of this 

 kind still extant, many others having been superseded 

 by modern works. An order called the Brothers of 

 the Bridge was founded by St. Benezet, the builder of 

 the noble bridge at Avignon early in the thirteenth 

 century; and the brethren spread into England, and 

 went from one work to another, building bridges and 

 chapels thereon, the provision of a bridge-chantry 

 characterizing nearly all the early structures in this 

 country. Indeed, the architecture of the early bridges 

 in many respects resembled that of the early cathedrals. 

 From the point at which the piers rose above the level 

 of the stream, ribs of stone usually spanned the openings 

 from one pier to the other, precisely similar to the Gothic 

 arching of cathedrals and vaults of chapter-houses; and 

 it is most probable that the bridges and cathedrals were 

 built by the same class of workmen. 



One of the finest of such bridges was that erected by 

 A 1 )bot Bernard over the Trent at Burton, until recently 

 the longest in England. It was 1545 feet in length, 

 and consisted of thirty-four arches, built of squared 

 freestone, a most useful and substantial structure. 

 Another old bridge of the same period is that over the 

 Wensum at Norwich, still called Bishop's Bridge, a sin- 

 gular-looking old building of patched-up stone and flint, 

 erected in 1295. It consists of three arches, inside of 

 which are some grotesque heads and remains of old 

 ornamental work. Fairs used formerly to be held on 

 it at Easter and Whitsuntide, as was the practice on 

 several other old bridges. At Leeds the weekly cloth- 

 market was held on the old bridge at the foot of 

 Briggate, some of the old arches of which are still in 

 existence ; the clothiers being summoned to assemble by 

 the ringing of a bell in the old bridge-chapel, when they 

 exposed their cloth for sale on the parapets. But the 

 bridge was so narrow, and the market caused so great 



