L I V 
LIV'ER-WORT (Noble). See Anemone, vobt. 
LIV'ERMERE, Great and Little, villages in Suffolk, 
■fouth-weft of Great and Little Fakenham. 
LIV'ERMORE, a town of America, in Cumberland 
county, Maine, fituated on both fides of Androfcoggin 
river: nineteen miles north-weft of Hallowed. 
LIV'ERNON, a town of France, in the department of 
the Lot: eight miles weft-north-weft of Figeac, and 
twenty-one eaft-r.orth-eaft of Cahors. 
LIV'ERPOGL, a market-town, borough, and fea-port, 
in the.county of Lancafter, on the eaftern bank of the ri¬ 
ver Merfey, which flows into the Irifh Sea not far north 
of Liverpool. The population of this town, according to 
the parliamentary returns of 1811, amounted to 94,376 
perfons. 
This place is called in the Saxon Liferpole ; others name 
it Letherpoole, Lyverpoole, Lyrpole, Lerpoole, Leerpool, 
Livrepol, Ly.verpol; and about thirty years fince it wasmoftly 
fpelt Liverpool, which is indeed justified by fome ancient 
rnanufcripts and charters as far back as the year 1524. 
The etymology is not eafily afcertained; every thing hi¬ 
therto produced has been mere conjefture. Some imagine 
it to have taken its name from a bird, formerly found in 
this place, which was called lever ; but this very bird 
feems td have had no other than a fabulous exiftence ; a 
bird, however, has been from time immemorial imprefied 
on the corporntion-feal. Others imagine it to be derived 
from a fea-weed known by the name of liver in the weft 
of England; or from liver-wort, frequently found on the 
fea-coaft. Others, again, fuppofe it might originate from 
the family of Lever, which is of ancient date, and whofe 
arms are exemplified in a manufeript in the Harleian col¬ 
lection at the Britilh Mufeum, fuppofed to have been 
written as early as 5567. With refpect to the latter part 
of the name, it is generally agreed, that it was owing to a 
body of water with which this place was formerly over¬ 
spread like a pool. 
The early hiftory of this town is equally as unknown 
as the derivation of its name. But perhaps the defici¬ 
ency of records will be no great lofs, as there feems 
little reafon to fuppofe it was of any importance, either 
commercially or politically, previous to the commence¬ 
ment of the laft century; hence it may be called a mo¬ 
dern town. In the Conqueror's fuvvey, it is ftated, that 
all the land between the rivers Ribble and Merfey be¬ 
longed to Roger de PoiCliers; but there is no mention ei¬ 
ther of a town or village: hence it may be reafonably fup¬ 
pofed none exifted at that time. A caftle, however, is 
noticed by Camden, as having been built Ihortly after the 
conqueft, the command of which was beftowed on Vivian 
de Molyneux, a Frenchman, in whofe family it continued 
till the 30th year of the reign of queen Elizabeth. Nei¬ 
ther hiftory nor tradition determine any thing certain, 
concerning either its founder or the period of its ereClion. 
The tower, which forms part of a prifon in Water-ftreet, 
is the only building of antiquity which Liverpool can 
now boaft of. The original founder of this tower we are 
as ignorant of as we are of the founder of the cafile. Sea- 
combe, in his Memoirs of the Stanley family, is the firft 
author who mentions it. He tells us, that it was the pro¬ 
perty of fir Thomas Latham, in the reign of Edward III. 
whofe daughter and lieirefs married fir John Stanley; but 
fays nothing of its ere&ion. The crofs which formerly 
flood at the corner of Pinfold-lane, oppofite the Flaflies, 
has been long demolifhed. This tradition reports to have 
been placed there in commemoration of St. Patrick, who, 
it is faid, refted in this neighbourhood on his way from 
England to Ireland. 
The firft charter in favour of Liverpool, according to 
Enfield’s folio Hiftory, was in the reign of Henry I. but is 
extremely doubtful. It is certain, however, that in the 
charter granted by king John in 1203, nearly a century 
afterwards, this town is called a borough by prefeription. 
Henry HI. confirmed the privileges of the corporation in 
the year 1227. From this period to 1555. we are totally 
Vol, XLL No. S75. 
L I V 833 
in the dark as to its hiftory or condition; nor is there any 
thing worth remarking for the fixteen years following, 
when the inhabitants lent a memorial to queen Elizabeth, 
praying relief from a fubfidy which her minifters had im- 
pofed upon them. In this petition they fiyle themfelves 
“ her majefty’s poor decayed town of Liverpool.” How 
the town became fo decayed, it is now difficult to compre¬ 
hend, as, from the records feveral years previous, it does 
not feem to have been any better than a filhing-hamlet, 
containing about 138 houfeholders and cottagers, and pof- 
fefling 12 barks, navigated by 75 men. Camden, how¬ 
ever, who wrote in 1586, confidered it in his time as more 
famous for its beauty and populoufnefs than for its anti¬ 
quities. To reconcile thefe oppofite ftatements, it is only 
necefiary to admit, that a very trifling village may arrive 
at confiderable opulence in the fhort period of one-and- 
twenty years; and who will deny the poffibility of fuch 
an event at the prefent day ? 
From Camden’s time nothing is recorded of Liverpool 
deferving of notice till the year 1644; when the town and 
its caftle were pofTefTed by the parliamentary troops under 
colonel Moore. It was fortified and fecured on the land- 
fide by a high mud-wall, and a ditch twelve yards wide- 
and three deep: batteries were erefled at different points, 
and the ends of the ftreets were defended by artillery. 
The garrifon was numerous, and, being well ftored with 
provifions, made a vigorous defence for the fpace of a 
month. At lafr, however, the king’s army, under the 
orders of prince Rupert, fucceeded in taking the town, 
when the caftle furrendered without further refiftance. 
Some traces of this fiege can yet be difeovered at different 
points. When the foundation of the prefent infirmary 
was funk, the marks of trenches were uiftinClly vifible,. 
and many articles of modern warfare were found within 
their fcope. A few years ago, as fome workmen were re¬ 
moving the earth in a field where Gloucefier-ftreet now 
Hands, they laid open the foundation of a battery, and 
difeovered military utenfils of different kinds. 
In the year 1710, the increafe of trade firft fuggefted 
the neceffty of a dock, and an aCt paffed for empowering 
the inhabitants to conftruft one. About this time the firlt 
flrip is faid to have failed from Liverpool to Africa; and 
not much earlier their direCt traffic to the Weft Indies 
muft have commenced. From this period, the increafe of 
the town in wealth and population has been very rapid. 
The number of inhabitants in 1720 was computed at 
10,446; being more than doubled fince the firft year of 
the century; in 1740 the inhabitants were augmented to 
more than 18,000; in 1765, to 25,000 ; in 1773, to 34,407 ; 
and, in 1789, to upwards of 55,000. This quick advance¬ 
ment of a town in wealth and population cannot be con¬ 
templated without aftonifhment, and admiration; and a 
reflecting mind is naturally led to inquire into the caul'es 
of fuch extraordinary effects; of which the principal, per¬ 
haps, may be its favourable fituation for commerce, near 
the mouth of the Merfey which falls into the Irifli Sea ; the 
number of navigable rivers and canals with which all the 
Country round it to a great extent is interfered; its neigh¬ 
bourhood to the manufacturing towns in Lancafhire; and, 
above ail, the induftry and enterprifing fpirit of the inha¬ 
bitants. From thefe caufes combined, this town-has fo 
much, increafed in trade fince the commencement of the 
prefent century, that it is now the greateft fea-port in 
England except London, having exceeded Brillol confi- 
derably of late years; as will appear by the following 
account of the cuftom-duties, received in the feveral ports 
of London, Liverpool, and Briftoi, fo long ago as the 
year 1784, taken from the report of the commiftloners for 
infpeCling the Hate of public accounts. 
London, - 
57,052 9 
r X 
Liverpool, - 
640,684 2 
5, L. 
Briftoi, - 
334,909 79 
Liverpool exceeded Briftoi, 
«T 3 ° 5>774 a 
I l 
10 C 
The 
