BRISTOL. 



Brightick, fon of Algsr, nnJ grfat-f;raiulfbn of Alfred, 

 who was licixiliury lord of tlie place. Iti prefciit iiaii;e, 

 Driftol, : -' ' ■ have been derived from fome early Latin 



writers, it, by w:»y of euphony, into Briltulina, 



while tl.'.t ■ I : ■■jnimoii prommciation, Urillow, is evidently 

 an abridi^ed mode of pronouncing rriplitliow. It is a tra- 

 dition, from an accoimt whicii WilUam of Worccrter 

 givcj out of a M.S. he fav." in the houfe of the Calenderies, 

 that Briilow w.is foundtd, or rebuilt by Brennus, fon of 

 Malmutiuj Dii.i.vallo, who reijjned a king of the Britons 

 380 years antecedent to the Chtillian cera. In allulion to 

 which two ilatncs are placed over St. John's gate, in this 

 city, emblematic of BrcMiius and Bclinut, wlio are faid to 

 li»vc rcijincd couj'jintly after the dtceafe of ih'.-ir father. It 

 is prob.ible tliat a htuation fo eligible mull iiave (Inick the 

 taily Diitoiio, who therefore made it a place ot alFociated 

 habitati'Mi, previous to the Roman invaGon ; however, it is 

 t»ideiit that it was a place of importance Jtuingthat period, 

 for Gilda:!, as catly as A. D. 450, reckons this 'among 

 t!ie forlillevl and eminent cities of Britain, under the name 

 ©f Cacr-Brito. Kttinins tlfo, A. D. 620, mentions it in his 

 enumeration of 2^i cities of Britain. On the dereliction of 

 the iHand by the Komans, the Saxons overran the country 

 and took poflelllon of Brillol. Leland fays, it was by them 

 conlij^r.ilily increafcd ; and alfo remark?, that St. Jordanus, 

 a difciple of St. Auguftine, fent by pope GrCj^ory to con- 

 vert tlie Saxons to Chriltianity, preached the gofptl at 

 Briftol, where he died arul was buried. Thus we lind it a 

 place of note at the end of the 6th century. In Domefday 

 book, finidted by command of the conqueror in J086, the 

 inhabitants are ttyled burgefles. It was then exceeded in 

 rate by no city, except London, York, and Wincheilcr. 



E.irly and prtfcnt extent. The city, as firll laid out at the 

 conflux of the Frome and Avon, was, except on the northern 

 part, where afterwards thecaftlc was erected, infulated by thefe 

 rivers. The ground rofe each way to the centre, forming a 

 pleafant hill. It was divided into four tranfverfe ftreets, and 

 walled round after the courfc of the river for its better defence. 

 At the end of each ftreet were a fortified gate and a church, 

 and fourchurchcs furrounded the crofs atthecentreofthecity. 

 fn this llate BriAol could not exceed a mile and a half in 

 circumference. The conflux of people drawn hither bv its 

 growing trade foori extended it beyond the walls, both on 

 the Gloucefterfliire and Redcliffe fide of tlie Avon. Other 

 walls and gates therefore would become neceffaiy, and it was 

 thus further defended, before the wooden bridge was built 

 acrofs the Avon. Leland mentions others, which he ternisv 

 " Ellcrnavel fecunda mocnia urbis." indeed, the large and 

 llrong caftle, with its outworks, when completed, as it joined 

 clofcly to the old town and the buildings on the fouthern 

 fide of the river, inclofed alfo by a Urong wall, were great 

 additions to the city, and thus made its circumference at 

 leall two miles and a half. The acceflion of the monallery 

 of St. Auguftine, with Gaunt's church and hofpital to the 

 w-ell, t!ie priory of St. James to the north-wett, and the pur- 

 chafe of the caftle precindis, and laying it out in llreets, 

 added very confiderably to the extent of Brillol, towards the 

 clofe of the J 7th century. Since that period moft of the 

 buildings have been erected, both in the city and fuburbs, 

 which bear a modern appearance, and tliefe have been nume- 

 rous; fo that it may be truly faid, that Briftol has increafcd, 

 within the laft 40 years, full a fourth. This city once formed 

 part of the Saxon kingdoms of Weflex and Mercia ; and 

 after the whole of England was fubjeded to one monarch, 

 aijd divided into counties or fliires, conftituted part of the 

 coimties of Gloucefter and Somerfct, though it was generally 

 cgnfidered as belonging to the latter county. It was by royal 

 4 



charter, temp. F.dw. III. made a county of itfelf ; and by 

 other diliVrent charters, its boundaries have bttn exterdtd 

 from time to time, till they now form a line on the Glou- 

 cefterfliire fide, of 4^ miles and 57 perches, and on the So- 

 merfttdiire fide 2 i miles and 18 perches: the whole city is 

 therefore 7 miles and ^, <^ perches in circumference, and, taking 

 in the fnburbs from Lawrence-hill in the call to tlie Hot- 

 wells in the well, is more than z '"'Its in length. Its breadth, 

 from Stokes Croft turnpike on the north, to Afiiton turn- 

 pike on the fouth, is upwards of 2^ miles. The number of 

 houfes and inhabitants it is difficult to afcertain. In the late 

 furvey by order of government, the return from Brillol mull 

 have been very inaccurate, and is ftated at 10,896 houfts, 

 and 63,645 inhabitants. Anderron,in 1758, puts the latter 

 down at ico,oco, but gives no documents for this enumera- 

 tion. The houfes may be ftated on an average citiniate at 

 17,003; and if the environs of Templc-llrect, Lewin's-mead, 

 College-place, Limc-kiln-lane, &c. be attended to, the rate 

 of 7 to a lionfe will not appear too high. This calculatioD, 

 including thofe in hofpitals, alms houfes, &c. will bring it 

 to about 1 28,000 pcrfons, which will not far exceed the truth. 



I'iiUic Biiildiii^^s, &.C. The buildings in tlie old part of tlie 

 city are awkward, and the various alterations that have taken 

 place at diiFerent periods have deftroyed all uniformity. 'I'iic 

 cttv ftands on very uneven ground, and very high vvalis are 

 raifed round molt of the houfes; but the enormous height t» 

 which they are often built, appears highly unreafonable, efpe- 

 cially \\\v.n it is confideied that an enclofiiig wall has been 

 known to coft the value of the houle itfelf. This fafljion is de- 

 clining, and Briftol can now boall fome good and handfomc 

 houfes, in the open ftreets, fquares, 5cc. Among the principal 

 buildings are the Cathedral, Redcliffe Church, the Exchange, 

 Infirmary, Public Library, Theatre, AITembly-rooms, &c. 



The CiitheJrtil is only part of the original building, which 

 was the church belonging to the abbey of St. Auguftine, 

 founded by Robert Fitzharding, younger fon of the king of 

 Penmark, whofe monument is ftill preferved within it. 

 At the difl'olution of the monaftery, this noble building, then 

 .^,■50 feet in length, was partly demoliflied ; but when the 

 king determined to eretl fix new bifiioprics, of which Briftol 

 was one, and was informed there was enough of the fabric 

 left for a cathedral, he put a ftop to its further demohtion ; 

 the weftcrn part being removed, it was left in that mutilated 

 ftate in whicli it remains ; the prefent fabric confifts of the 

 tranfept, the eaftern part of the nave, and the choir. At trie 

 weft end is a large fquare tower, highly ornamented and 

 crowned with battlements and four pinnacles. The ptelent 

 church, from eaft to weft, is 175 feet; its breadth of tranfept, 

 from north to fouth, 1 28 feet ; the breadth of nave and 

 aides 73 feet, and height of the tower 140 feet. The efta- 

 bliftiment is a dean, fix prebendaries, four minor canons, 

 facrill, Sec. ; and fervice is performed twice every day. 



The Chitrch of St. Mory Rsdcl'i^'e, fays Camden, " is like 

 a cathedrcil, and on all accounts the firil parifti church in 

 England." It was founded in 1392 by Simon de liurton, 

 who was fix times mayor of Bri'lol. According to tlie 

 mayor's calendar, this church was finifhed A. D. 1376, and 

 was then celebrated for its architecture all over England. 

 The tower and fpire were 250 feet high ; but in 1445 a ter- 

 rible ftorm of thunder and hghtning deftroyed part of the 

 fpire, and the church was much damagfjd. The latter was 

 repaired by the munificence of Mr. William Cannyiigs, mer- 

 chant, but the fpire was never rebuilt. The church ftands 

 on an eminence, called RedchiTe-hill, and is built in the form 

 of a crofs. The nave rifes above the aifles, is lighted by a 

 fcries of lofty windows on each fide, and is fupported by 

 flying buttrelTes. The tower is large, and with the remain-. 



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