624 G L O U C 
fide of the choir to the other, built circular, and con¬ 
tains in length eighty-four feet. The voice is lieard 
from one fide to the other, if a perfon fpeaks ever fo 
low; as in the whifpering gallery of St. Paul’s, London. 
The churcli on the outfide is in height eighty-five feet 
and a lialf. The tower to the battlements is one hun¬ 
dred and ninety-eight feet high, and from the battle¬ 
ments to the top of the pinnacles twenty-four feet. 
From the bottom to the top of the tower is two hundred 
and eighty feet. The great bell in tlie tower weighs 
fix tlioufand pounds, and requires eight men to ring it. 
There is befides a fine peal of eight bells. 
Edward II. furnamed the Martyr, and who was mur¬ 
dered at Berkeley Callle in 1327, lies in this cathedral, 
in an alabafier tomb. Out of the abundance of pious 
■offerings to his remains, the religious built the choir ; 
■> and fo great was the number of votaries to his fhrine, 
for fome time after his death, tliat they could h.ardly 
find room in the town. King Ofric of Northumber¬ 
land, who died about the year 600, and Robert Curt- 
hofe duke of Normandy, eldcft fon to William the 
Conqueror, wlm died in 1134 at Cardiff Cafile in 
Wales, were likewife interred here. In the chapter- 
houfe lies Strongbow, wlro conquered Ireland. Tiie 
cioiflers are exquilitely beautiful, done in the Ifyle of 
the chapel of King’s college, Cambridge. 
In the city, befides the churches, are I'everal meeting- 
houfes for tire different fedts of proteflant dilfenters. 
Tlie college-fchool is in high reputation; alfb Cript 
fchool. Tliere is likewife a charity-fcliool well endowed 
for freemen’s Tons ; and feveral private fchools in good 
elfimation. The hofpital of St. Bartholomew, founded 
iii the reign of queen Elizabeth, for decayed men and 
women, is liberally endowed, and has been recently re¬ 
built, in a handfome flyle, by the fpirited conduCi: of 
the corporation, who generoufly gave up their cuftom- 
ary entertainments to defray the expence, and to ren¬ 
der the habitation of old age wholefome and comfort, 
able : an example highly deferring the imitation of 
other corporate bodies. Tliere are allb two alms-houfes. 
Under tlie direftion of the corporation, in the vicinity 
of the city. The poor are provided for in a general 
xvorkhoufe, incorporated by adl of parliament, under 
■ the management of guardians annually chofen by the 
Teveral pariflies. Two commodious market-hoiifes have 
been lately built; as alfo an elegant theatre. In Ihort, 
for beauty of fituation, falubrity of air, goodnefs of 
markets, general and internal regulations of order and 
cleanlinefs, Gloucelter yields to no city in the kingdom. 
Here are confiderable ruins of the abbeys of black 
and white friars ; and of a monaftery, founded as early 
as tlie year 710. A mile or two difiant is Robin Hood’s 
Hill ; and contiguous to the city Hands the county in¬ 
firmary, built and fupported by voluntary contributions. 
Gloucefier has lent reprefentatives to parliament from 
the twenty-third year of Edward I. and the govern¬ 
ment of tiie city, by charter from Charles I. is veiled 
in a mayor, liigh-lleward, recorder, twelve aldermen, 
a town-clerk, two Iheritfs, common-council, treafurer, 
chamberlain, fword-bcarer, and other inferior officers. 
According to fir Robert Atkins’s Hiflory of Glouceller- 
Ihire, this city was incorporated by Henry III. when he 
was crowned there. It was then governed by a mayor, 
aldermen. See. But the inhabitants refigning their 
charter, in 1672, to Charles II. he granted them ano¬ 
ther in the twenty-fourth year of his reign, by which 
the city and county is now governed. For the better 
regulating the trade of the city, there are twelve com¬ 
panies, whofc mailers attend the mayor in their gowns, 
on all public occafions ; thefe are the mercers, in which 
are included the apothecaries, grocers, and chandlers ; 
the weavers, the tanners, the butchers, the bakers, the 
fmtths and hammer-men, among whom are the gold- 
fmiths, ironmongers, coopers, and joiners; the Ihoe- 
4 
ESTER. 
makers, metal-men, tailors, barbers, and glovers. Ths 
right of election 4S in the inhabitants ar»d freemen. 
The number of voters tfiree thoufand. Returning- 
officers tlie Iheriffs. ° 
Gloucefier is difiant from London one hundred and 
two miles, Oxford forty-fix, Bath forty-one, Briflol 
thirty.four, Hereford thirty, Worcefter twenty-fix, and 
Cheltenham ten. The great roads from London to 
South Wales, and from the welt to the north of Eng¬ 
land, pafs through the city. Here are plentiful mar¬ 
kets on Wednefdays and Saturdays; alfo four large 
annual fairs, on April 5, July j, S^tember 28 and 29, 
and November 28. 
The navigable canal from Hereford to the river Se¬ 
vern, a few miles, from the city of Gloucelter, is of 
great advantage to the two counties through which it 
palTes ; as well as to the trc-ide of thofe two opulent ci¬ 
ties.—A vein of coal has been difeovered near Newent, 
of a good quality, and of confiderable extent. Coals 
are alfo found in the forell of Dean, and near Sudbury ; 
but the city and a confiderable part of the county of 
Gloucelter is fuppiied, by means of the Severn, with 
coal from the Staffordffiire and Shroplliire collieries. 
At the dillance of about half a mile from Gloucelter, 
are fome remarkable ruins of a priory, fituated in a 
deep folitary vale, encompalTed with rocks which al- 
moll exclude the mid-day fun, and was built by St. Da¬ 
vid, who there lived the life of a hermit, in the reign 
of Henry I. The remains of the priory are now con¬ 
verted into a farm-houfe and its offices, which are very 
extenfive. On a hill in this vicinity, are found thole 
Hones called ajlroites, or Har-flones, abo\tt the lize 
of a lilver penny, as thick as a half-crown, and, 
when put into vinegar, they have a peculiar kind of 
motion. In the little ille of Alney, near GloiiceHer, 
the famous Tingle combat was fought between Edmund 
Ironfide and Canute the Dane, for the whole kingdom, 
in fight of both their armies. 
The Gloucester miner.4L water is now drunk 
for various difeafes with lingular fuccefs ; and fince it 
has been analized by Dr. Hemming, its efficacy has 
been more generally admitted. Dr. Hemming has ffiewn 
by his experiments, publilhed in 1789, that each gallon 
of this water contains, 
Of fixed air, or acidulated gas, by meafure, 72 ounces, 
Calcareous earth combined with the fame, 30 grains, 
A.erated magnefia, ... - 24 grains, 
Aerated iron, _ . . - . 8 grains, 
Epfom fait, ----- 30 grains. . 
As an anfwer to objections which might be urged 
againlt tlie efficacy of the waters, on account ot the 
fmall proportion of iron contained in it, the author 
quotes the opinion of Dr. Cullen: “Mineral waters 
often produce cures which we in vain attempt to per¬ 
form by the combinations in our Ihops, even although 
thefe waters contain nothing but iron. This is mani- 
feHly owing to the weaknefs of the dofe ; in proof of 
which we find, that the Hrongly impregnated waters 
feldom anfwer fo well as thofe weak ones we commonly 
reject.’’ 
GLOU'CESTER, a county of the American States, 
in New Jerfey, bounded north by Burlington county ; 
fouth by Salem, Cumberland, and Cape May counties ; 
eaH by the Atlantic Ocean ; and well by Delaware ri¬ 
ver. Its length on the Delaware is about thirty miles, 
and on the lea the line is about twenty-two miles. 
Great and Little Egg harbour rivers are both navigable 
for vefiels of two hundred tons about twenty miles from 
their mouths. The Hreams which fall into Delaware 
river are navigable for fmall velTels, a tew miles up 
from their mouths, and afford fome fhad, rock, herrings, 
and perch. The adjacent iilands are Red Bank, Pett, 
and | 01 d Man’s Creek, Iilands : the firff of which is 
famous in the hiffory of the American war, for the def. 
perate 
