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•ihf tow clmin ; »rd faftencd at its oihtr end to the rtakc 

 oFilie plough, or to tliat iipii^'lit piece wiiicli runs parallel to 

 llic left crowllaff, and at its bottom plus in the tow-chain ; 

 this ilalic is fallrned to the crowftaff, fomctinus by the 

 end of this inJ!:-chj!n, and fonulimcs by a wy^he or 

 cord. 



BitiOLt-iij/i./, in the Mauige, fmnifies the horfcnian'sleft- 

 Jiand, in rcfpeA of whicli the vight hand is called the fpear 

 or hvord-hnnd. 



Briblls in Sm-hin[;uagf, denote the upper part of the 

 nionrings in the king's harbours, to ride fliip« of war. 



I'miiLKs of l!ie low-line. Sec 13o\v-/;nf. 



inilDLlN'GTON, or Burlint.ton us fometimes writ- 

 ten, in Ctogrnphv, is a ka port town of the eall riding of 

 Yorkftiire in England. It is Iniilt on the ftiorc of a bay, to 

 which it gives nume, which is found to be a fafe harbour Kir 

 velTels, when the wind is ftrong from the N. N. W. and N. E., 

 being fceured by two piojcdin^ piers of confidcrabie extent, 

 running out obliquely into the lea, and rendering the entrance 

 very narrow. The prisicipal trading veffels are colliers, and 

 moll of the inhabitants are connected with tliei'e. Here was 

 formerly a priory of black canons, founded early in the reign 

 of Henr)- I. The chiirch has been large, but its clioir, tran- 

 fepts, and fteeple, have been entirely dellroycd, leaving only 

 the nave for parochial fcrvicc. A Mr. William Huflltr 

 was a conliderable bcnefaftor to the town, and in the i6th 

 Charles II. Richard Boyle baron Clifford was creAcd earl of 

 JJurlington, (from this town). In the Sth William III., 

 and ill of George I. afts of parliament were obtained to 

 repair the piers. Sec. of the harbour. Bridlington is now 

 frequented as a bathing place ; it lies at about lo miles S. 

 W. of Flamborough-head, 40 eaft of York, and 206 north 

 from London. The houfes amount to 707, and inhabitants 

 to 3 1.50. Cough's edition of Camden's Britannia. 



BRIDON, or Bridoon, in the Manege, is derived 

 from the French BriJon, a diminutive of la bride. By 

 la bride, the French denote the reins going to the curb ; 

 and by bridon, the reins going to the fnaffle or leffer bit, 

 which is held in referve in cafe of any accident with the 

 former. In the Englifh language, it is called a bridoon, 

 and a very different ufe is made of it. The reins of the 

 bridoon pafs parallel to the line of the horfe's head, through a 

 loop hanging from the head ftall, and from thence to the 

 hook of the faddle, for they are only ufed in harneffed 

 horfes at prefcnt, efpccially cf the richer orders of fociety, 

 and where elegance of appearance is confidered. 



The rein fo difpofed draws againft the corners of the 

 mouth, and not upon the bars, as the fnaffle does, and tends 

 more forcibly 10 elevate the head, as tl'.e curb does to deprefs 

 it ; though, they are often ufed at one and the fame time, the 

 fnaffle having an intermediate efFecl. 



Bridles of late have been conftrufted with a property, 

 fomewhat fnnilar to the bridoon, to be ufed with the hand, 

 the rein pafling from the head IHll, through a tube or pipe 

 placed in the lituation of the crofs piece of the fnaffle, to the 

 hand ; fo that when drawn light againll the mouth, it preffes 

 the cheeks upwards, and (hortens the head-ftall which has 

 not a good appearance. A ring is alfo fi.xed to thi; hollow 

 crofs piece for the rcms, as in the ordinary fnaffle, fo that 

 tlie rider has it in his option to ufe either. 



BRIDPORT, in Geography, an ancient borough, market 

 and manufafturiiig town of Dorfetfliire, England, is fituated 

 in a vale at the diftance of about one mile north of Bridport 

 bay. It is nea-ly fi;rrounded by eminences, fome of which 

 aflumc a conical fliape ; and on its weftern and eafUrn fides, 

 run two fmall rivulets, which are highly ufeful to the 

 maHufattiirers. Seated on the great weilern road, at the 

 diltance of 135 miles S. W. from London, it derives many 



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advantages from travellers, and farther advantages from Its 

 contiguity to the Englilh channel. 



It feems to have been a very confiderable town before the 

 conquetl, as it is thus noticed in the Domefday Book : 

 " In Edward the Confefl'or's time, here were 120 houfes, 

 fuhjett to every fervice to the kijig, and paying geld for 5 

 hides, viz. to the ufe of the king's domelUcs, ( Hufcarles) 

 { a mark of fdver, except the ctillnms pertaining to the 

 farm of one night for one night's lodging. Here was one 

 mint-mallcr, \vho paid to the king one mark of filvcr, and 

 20 IhiUings on the charge of coinage. Now there are but 

 100 houfes, and the remaining 20 are ruined, that the 

 inhabitants are unable to pay the tax." The manor 

 anciently belonged to, and was held of the crown, in fee- 

 farm by the burgeffes, to whom it now bclonirs. The 

 town received its charter of incorporation from Henry the 

 III., who granted " to the men of Bridport, that the j 

 village ihould be a free borough ; and th.at they and their 

 heirs fhould hold ic, with ail liberties, &c. paying yearly to 

 the exchequer at Michaelmas, the farm which they ufually 

 paid, and 40s. for the increafe of the village." The charter 

 now in force was granted by Charles II. The earlieft 

 return to parliament was made in the twenty-third of Ed- 

 ward I. The right of eleclion is veiled in the inhabitant 

 houfeholdcrs, paying fcot and lot, and the number of 

 voters is about 160. This town does not feem memorable 

 for any hiftorical tranfaClion, though it appears to have 

 been alternately the quarters of the royal and parliament's 

 troops during the civil v.-ars ; and in the duke of Monmouth's 

 rebellion, feveral exceifes were committed here by his forces. 

 In 16S';, the town exhibited a folemn fcene, when twelve 

 of its inhabitants were executed for being aftively concerned 

 in that rebelhon. The town is large, andhas a very refpeft- 

 able appearance ; many of the houfes being new brick 

 buildings, and its principal ftreets are broad and fpacious. 

 The number of houfes is 28S ; of inhabitants ,9117, who 

 are principally fupportcd by the manufafture of feins, and 

 nets of all forts, lines, tv.-ines, and fmall cordage, as well as 

 fail-cloths. Large quantities of thefe articles are exported 

 to America and the W^eft India iflands ; hut the greater part 

 is confumed in the Newfoundland and Britidi tifheries ; it 

 being computed that upwards of 1500 tons of hemp and flax 

 are worked up annually. This manufafturc was fo flou- 

 ridiing in the reign of Henry VIII., that cordage for 

 the whole Englifh navy was ordered to be made exclufively 

 here, or within five miles of the place. A handfome market- 

 houfe and town-hall has been ercfted in the centre of the 

 town, on the ruins of an old chapel dedicated to St. Andrew. 

 Here were formerly feveral religious foundations, no reli£ls 

 of which now appear. Here are alfo a charity-fchool, 

 three alms-houfes, and a gaol. The church is a large 

 ancient pile of building, in the form of a crofs ; the tower 

 in the centre of the ftrufture is adorned with pinnacles and 

 battlements. The diffenters in this town have mcetinjj-houfes, 

 and are both numerous and refpeftable. The haven is fituated 

 at the mouth of the river Brit, a mile fouth of the town. It 

 does not appear that Bridport was of any confequence in ma- 

 ritime affairs ; and although feveral attempts have been made 

 to make it a port, they have all proved inefFeflual. The cliffs 

 here are compofed of land, though the furrounding country is 

 covered withhme-ftone full of flaclls. The height of the cliffs 

 is in fome places nearly 2co feet ; and they contain belemnitas 

 and other folTiis ; befides pyrites, gypfum, hepatic ore, &c. 

 Giles dc Bridport, confecrated biliiop of Sahfbury March 

 II, I2j6, was, according to Leland, " cauilid Britport, 

 becaufe he was borne," in this town. The markets are 

 Wednefday and Saturday : and there are three fairs annu- 

 ally. Hutchjns's Hiilory of Dorfetlliire, vol. i. 



I B.IIDPORT, 



