HERE 
Town, one fide of which is formed by the (hire-hall, 
where theaffizes are held twice a-year, and feffions for 
the town and county once a quarter. As this city 
(lands on a graveliy foil, the air is highly falubrious, 
and very favourable to longevity. The promenade of 
the inhabitants is on the ramparts of the ancient caftle. 
Thefe, together with the i'cite of the caftle, which is 
now a rich meadow, are known by the name of the 
Caftle-green. The meandering profpedl of the river, 
the meadows on.its banks, a hill called Dinedor, about 
three miles diftant, on the top of which are the remains 
of a Roman psmp, a country in high cultivation, and 
the alpine mountains of Wales, which terminate the 
icene on the weftern fide, contribute to render it one of 
the mod delightful fcenes in the fouthern part of the 
iiland. 
Befides the cathedral, there are three other churches : 
All Saints, St. Peter’s, and St. Nicholas’s. The cathe¬ 
dral was founded by Milfred, a Saxon prince, about 
the year 825, and rebuilt by bifliop Athelftan between 
the years 1012 and 1056; but the body of the prefent 
fabric, the pillars of which are Saxon, was certainly 
eredled by bifiiop Robert de Lofing, the fecond Norman 
prelate, in the reign of William I. in 1107, and the 
other parts at different times were added by fucceeding 
bifiiops. But though this cathedral was thus eretfed 
by piece-meal, and has undergone confiderable mutila¬ 
tions, yet it is at this time a very (lately, though irre¬ 
gular, ftrudlure, notwithftanding it fuffered very much 
lately by the fall of the weft tower, which was efteemed 
a curious fpecimen of ancient architecture. As this 
tower was extremely well built, it would not have 
gone to ruins for many centuries, had it not been very 
injudicioufly eredted upon flight arches, which were 
only defigned for the fupport of the roof. An attempt 
was made to ftrengthen thefe arches a little before they 
gave way, but they were too far gone to admit of any 
repair. It rpay not be improper to inform the reader, 
that this noble tower, which was 125 feet high, began 
to give fome warnings of its fall, about a fortnight 
before it happened. Notwithftanding which, divine 
fervice (till continued to be performed ; till, on Eafter 
Monday, 1786, about feven o’clock in the evening, the 
arches divided, and the whole mafs inftantaneoully be¬ 
came a heap of ruins. It was finifhed and decorated 
with the richeft old Saxon work, the fame as the under 
part of the nave, which now remains; and the addition 
of the beautiful Gothic tower over the Saxon, con¬ 
taining four curious figures of St. Peter, St. Paul, 
St. Ethelbert, and St. Thomas Cantilupe, was eredted 
anno 1206, by bifhop de Braos, who lies buried on the 
north fide of the high altar. Two years after the fall of 
the tower, (a liberal fubfcription having been opened,) 
the prefent dean and chapter began to rebuild the weft 
end, and the upper part of the nave, from a defign of 
Mr. Wyatt, which they have now entirely completed. 
The ftyle in which the prefent cathedral is built, is 
partly Gothic, and partly Saxon; th'e infide of it cor- 
refponds with, or perhaps exceeds, its outward appear¬ 
ance, having a very handfome choir, and many curious 
monuments of its bifiiops, and other illuftrious perfon- 
ages. The choir, which was fitted up and decorated 
by dean Tyler, about the year 1720,' is ninety-fix feet 
in length, lofty and*well-propbrtioned, containing a mod 
excellent organ. During the refidence of bi(hop Beau- 
clerk it was newly paved, and feveral parts repaired. 
The altar-piece is fumptuous and elegant, and the 
bifttop’spew, togetherwith that of his lady, are fuitable 
to the other parts of the church. In the north fide of 
the north aide is a fmall chapel/built by bifiiop Stan- 
bury about the year 14.70. This curious maufoleum 
hasamoft beautiful roof carved in (lone, and around the 
walls are numerous coats of arms.of that family, finely 
Iculptured. 
u The arched roof of the upper crofs aide is well worthy 
FORD. SOS 
the notice of all perfons that vifit this Church ; it is 
fupported by one pillar, as in Salifbury, Wells, and 
fome other of our majeftic cathedrals. On the eaft fide 
of the fouth door leading into the choir, whs formerly 
the celebrated monument of St. EtTielber.t: but the 
depredations of Alfgar earl of Chefter, and of Griffin 
prince of Wales, added to the ravages of time, prevent 
us from recognifing the place at prefent, any other way 
than by report. The library, at the eaft end of the 
church, which was formerly a chapel dedicated to the 
Virgin Mary, contains a great many curious brafles, 
and fome other monuments worthy of notice. It is a 
handfome apartment, of very fine workmanftiip; and, 
notwithftanding it was much defaced during the civil 
wars in the reign of Charles I. the (helves are now pretty 
well filled with books, -many of them valuable. On 
the fouth fide of the library is a very beautiful chapel 
founded by bifiiop Audley, about the year 1495. On 
the removal of that bifliop to Shlifiniry, lie built in that; 
cathedral a chapel, in all refpedts fimilar to that at 
Hereford, and which is there alfo known as the Audley 
chapel. 
The bifiiops of Hereford, in addition to their fpiritual 
functions,' were inverted with very important temporal 
rights : in the jurifdidtion of the city, the bifiiops appear 
to have retained a more than common (hare of the civil' 
authority; the extent and progrefs, of which are re¬ 
markable. Nearly half of the city, together with a 
confiderable portion of the fuburbs, form a diftridt 
entitled the Bifliop’s Fee; within this diftridt the fuc- 
cefiive prelates have enjoyed very confiderable privi¬ 
leges, and, on particular occafions, their authority has 
altogether fuperfeded that of the civil magiftrate, by 
extending over the whole city. As lords of this fee, 
they exercifed the ancient rights denominated (from 
the Saxon) irifangenethef and utfangenethef, by which they 
adminiftered juftice within their limits, and committed 
offenders to the cuftody of their own officers in their 
own peculiar prifon, which was fituated within the 
walls of the epifcopal palace. By Choi and Cheam, or 
Tkeame, they rellrained and judged bondmen and villeins, 
with their children, goods and chattels; and by Sac and 
Soke their tenants were excufed from the payment of 
cuftomary burdens and impofitions. Th-e^alfo held an 
annual fair, for the fale of mefchandife, within their 
fee ; during' its continuance their power extended to 
all parts of the city ; the markets were transferred from ... 
the ufual places to that appointed by the bifiiop, and a 
porter was fworn at each of the city gates, to colledt 
fhe tolls for his ufe. A bailiff was annually eledted 
by a jury, together with a fergeant at mace, leather- 
fearchers, and ale-conners. They regulated the aflizes 
of bread and beer; and courts baron, leet, and piepouder, 
were held, and prefentments, and other ufual bufinefs, 
formally tranfadled. All the charters, down to that of 
James inclufive, recognife thefe rights; and a fubfe- 
quent one, that of William III. though it does not 
recite them, ftill does not revoke them; and therefore 
they are valid to Jthis day. As, however, the exercife 
of many of them would be inconvenient, and of little 
benefit to the claimants, it has, been long difcoutinued. 
The members of the chapter or cathedral, Befides the 
bifiiop, are a dean,'five canons, ten prebendaries, two 
archdeacons, the chancellor of the diocefe, a chancellor 
of the church, a treafurer, a precentor, a lecturer, and 
a college of twelve vicars, with a cuftos. Thereis alfo 
a free grammar-fchool, with a head mailer and an affift-, 
ant, who are attached to the church, elected by the dean 
and chapter. This fchool is endowed with fcholarffiips 
and exhibitions at each of.the univerfities. ' 
Some years ago there was carried on at Hereford a 
confiderable manufadture of gloves; but it has been 
long upon the decline. Cider, grain,, and oak-bark, 
being now the principal articles of commerce in this 
city, are conveyed in large quantities down the river to 
1 Briltol* 
