K I I' 



R I V 



R. album and parviflorum, the latter or' which is Foritei 's 

 plant, Smilax Ripogonum, Ford. Prodr. 70. 



R I POLL, in Geography, a town of Spain, in Catalonia ; 

 14 miles N. of Vique. 



RIPON, or Rippos, a market and borough to wn in the 

 lower divifion of the wapentake ot Cl.iro, liberty of Ripon, 

 Welt-riding of Yorklhire, England, is fituated at the 

 diftance of it miles X. from Harrow-gate, and 222 miles 

 N.N.W. from London. It occupies the declivity of a 

 gentle eminence, between the rivers Ure and Skell, and not 

 far from their confluence. Over thefe rivers are fix bn ' 

 within a mile of the town. One of thefe is a very hand- 

 fome itructure of ltone, and has feventeen arches. Y 

 town is large, and the buildings are in general good ; par- 

 ticularly in the principal ftre< ;. According to the parlia- 

 mentary returns of 181 r, the parith contains 452 houtes, 

 and 2346 inhabitants, but this does not appear to include the 

 borough, winch is omitted in the reports. 



The origin of Ripon is to be referred to a very remote 

 era. By Salmon, it is fuppofed to have been the Roman 

 Ifurium, but this opinion is erroneous. The probability on 

 the fubjeci is, that it owes its foundation to the monallery 

 which was eilablilhed here in the year 661, bv Eata, abbot 

 of Melrofs, in Scotland. About that period we find it firli 

 mentioned 111 historical record, when it is laid to have con- 

 tilted only of thirty houfes. Tins town was deltroyed by the 

 Danes, and remained a heap ot ruins for feveral years. At 

 length, however, it was rebuilt ; and in the year S86, king 

 Alfred is faid to have incorporated it as a royal borough, 

 to be governed, bv a vigillarius, or wakeman, twelve elders, 

 and twenty-four affiftants. Ripon was deltroyed a fecond 

 time by king Ivlred in revenge ot a revolt of the Northum- 

 brian Danes. This event occurred in the year 950 ; after 

 which Ripon was again rebuilt and began toflounlh, but did 

 not long remain in a Rate of tranquillity. In the year 1069 it 

 once more ihareil in the fatal confequences of a revolt of the 

 Northumbrians agiinll the Norman Conqueror ; and fixteen 

 years later, at the time of the general lurvey, the town, and 

 the country around it, {till remained walte and uncultivated. 

 peace having bten reftored, however, Ripon again revived 

 from its embers, and continued in a profperous condition, till 

 the wars between England and Scotland, in the reign of Ed- 

 ward. II. fubjeftrd it to new misfortune!. In the year I 323, 

 Robert I. king of Scotland, having driven Edward and his 

 arsay out of his kingdom, invaded England, laying waile the 

 country with tire and fword to the very walls of York. 

 Ripon i uttered in the general devaluation, the houfes having 

 been deltroyed by fire, and mod of its inhabitants put to the 

 fword. No looner, however, had the victorious career of 

 Edward III. freed the country from the invaders, than it was 

 reftored to a profperous condition, principally through the 

 exertions of the archbilhop of York, and the liberality of the 

 neighbouring gentry, many ot whom fixed their reiidence 

 here. Since t hat time Ripon has been occaiionally honoured 

 by royal vifltH. Henry IV. retired hither, with his whole 

 court, in 1405, when the plague raged in London. In the 

 year 1604, a limilar caufe occalioncd the removal of the 

 lord prelidcnt's court tram York to this town. 



Ripon tirll tent members to parliament in the 23d year 

 of Edward I., but this privilege was loon after discontinued, 

 and was not revived till the reign of Edward VI. The 

 patronage of the borough is veiled in Mifs Laurence, ot 

 Studley-Royal, who poHelTes all the burgage tenements to 

 which the right of election is attached. The number of 

 voters i* T46, and the mayor is the returning officer. Tlir 

 corporation, by virtue of a charter granted by king James I., 

 and fince confirmed, and, in fomc degree, extended, by 

 Vol. XXX. 



fucceeding monarchs, eor.fifls of a mayor, recorder, 1 2 

 aldermen, 24 afiiftants, a town-clerk, and other inferior 

 officers. Ripon was formerly celebrated for its manufacture 

 of fpurs, which were, indeed, fo highly elleemed, that it be- 

 came a proverbial expreffion to fay « As true Heel as Ripon 

 rowels," when [peaking of a man of fidelity, honefty, or 

 intrepidity. Tin; manufacture of woollens likewife flou- 

 rithccl here, in former times, bnt this branch of buiinefs is 

 now compli tely decayed. The archbilhop of York has his 

 court and prifon here for the liberty of Ripon. On the 

 nomination of the archbilhop, and by his majetty's com. 

 million, jultices are appointed, who, in conjunction with the 

 mayor and recorder, hold feflions for the town and liberty. 

 The dean and chapter of Ripon milliter have likewife a prifon 

 here, and hold a court for the decilion of caufes ariling 

 within their manor. The market day here is Thurfday ; 

 and there are fairs on Thurfday after 13th January, 12th 

 and 13th May, firlt Thurfday in June, firlt Thurfday after 

 22d Augutt, and 22d November. The market-place is a 

 handfome and fpacious fquare, furrounded by well-built 

 houfes, and having in the centre an bbelifk 90 feet high, 

 erected, in 1781, by William Aillabie, efq. of Studley, who 

 reprefented this borough in parliament during the long 

 period of lixty years. Here alio Hands the town-hall, built 

 in 1801, from deligns by Mr. Wyatt, and at the expence of 

 the late Mrs. Allanfon of Studley. A theatre was erected 

 here in 1792, by the late George Haffell, efq. The free- 

 grammar fchool was founded by king Edward VI., and 

 was fmilhed, and amply endowed, by his fucceiibr, queen 

 Mary, in 1553. The other public ettablilhments belonging 

 to the town are, a difpeni'ary, Sunday fchools, a fchool of 

 induttry, and four hofpitals, was. that of St. Mary Mag- 

 dalen, for fix poor women ; of St. John, a fmall building, 

 appropriated to two poor women ; St. Anne, which fup- 

 ports eight women ; and Jepfon's hofpital, in which twelve 

 poor boys are maintained, clothed, and educated. This 

 hofpital was founded, in 1672, by Zacharias Jepfon, a 

 citizen of York. 



The monallery, previoufly mentioned as the probable 

 nucleus which gave rife to the town, appears to have been 

 ot confiderable celebrity. After the deitrudtion of the 

 original buildings in the reign of Alfred, king of Northum- 

 bria, it was re-erected in a (tyle of more magnificence than 

 was utualin that age, by the famous Wilfrid, archbilhop of 

 York. William ot Mahnethury mentions the new Itructure 

 as remarkable " for its curious arches, its fine pavements, 

 and winding entries." The fame author fays it was much 

 retorted to by the northern nobility, and was endowed with 

 very extenfivc podefiions. The memory of St. Wilfrid is 

 It ill honoured by an annual feaft and procellion at this town. 

 His monallery received extraordinary marks of royal muni- 

 ficence. The great king Athelltan granted to it many im- 

 munities, and particularly th* privilege of lanctuary. From 

 that period hiltory records few particulars refpecting this 

 eftablifhment, except its deftruclion by the Scotch 10 the 

 reign of Edward II., when it ceaJ'ed to be a monaftic 

 foundation. The church, however, was rebuilt and made 

 collegiate by archbilhop Melton, from whole time, till the 

 reign of Henry VIII., it had feven prebends, with dilliiu't 

 revenues, attached to it ; betides nine chantries within the 

 church, which were dillolvcd by Edward VI. Ring 

 James 1. renewed the collegiate privilege; of this church, 

 by the eftablifhment therein oi a dean and fix prebendaries, to 

 whom he granted " divers lands, prebends, chantries, and 

 rectories, belonging to the faid church before the diflolution." 

 In 1607 the fame monarch added a tubdean, and thus com- 

 pleted the colleg" a ~ , r i\\\\ exills. 



^> q Ripon 



