714 
P L Y M 
aft was obtained for the erection of a new church; but 
the civil wars, which foon after enfued, occafioned the 
fufpenfion of this latter defign. At the breaking out of 
the civil war, Plymouth very early declared in favour of 
the parliament; and the year 1643 forms a memorable 
era in the annals of its hiftory, from the fpirited refiftance 
made by the inhabitants againil the forces of prince 
Maurice, who befieged it from September till the clofe 
of the year without fuccefs. On the furrounding emi¬ 
nences are ft ill to be traced the remains of various works, 
conftrufted both for the defence and reduction of the 
town. The different attempts of the royalifts, under the 
king in perfon, and his general, fir Richard Grenville, 
fuccefiively proved abortive, and they were finally com¬ 
pelled to raife the fiege, and entirely withdraw their 
forces. In the year 1683 the charter of the town was fur- 
rendered to the king on the requifition of judge Jefferies, 
and a new one granted at an expenfe of 417I. 19s. This 
veiled the power in ten aldermen and twelve afliftants 
only, and continued in force till the latter end of the year 
1697, when the old charter was reftored, though not before 
upwards of 600I. had been ineffectually expended. 
Various fortifications have been at different times 
erefted for the fecurity of Plymouth, and it is now in a 
Hate of refpeftable and formidable defence. Several 
1'maller block-houfes and forts were demolifhed on the 
building of the citadel on their fcite, in the time of 
Charles II. in 1670. This ftrong fortrefs confifts of 
three regular and two irregular baftions ; and the curtains 
of the regular baftions are further ftrengthened by two 
ravelins and horn-works. On the eaft, north, and weft, 
fides, is a deep ditch, counterfcarp, and covered way, pali- 
fadoed. In the time of war the parapets are mounted 
with a great number of heavy ordnance, and the garrifon 
confifts of a regiment of militia. A lieutenant-governor 
and other officers refide here. The view from the ram¬ 
parts is exceedingly beautiful, and comprehends a great 
variety of interefting objefts. There is a lower fort, con¬ 
nected with the citadel, and chiefly intended for the de¬ 
fence of the found. Befides lliefe works, feveral batteries 
and block-houfes areraifed on different points of the har¬ 
bour; on Mount Batten, Staddon heights, and at Maker; 
but its chief fecurity is St. Nicholas life and its formidable 
batteries. This ifland rifes nearly in the centre of the 
Sound,betwfeen the Plymouth fhore and Mount Edgecumb. 
Between the latter and the ifland is a ridge of rocks, 
great part of which is vifible at low water, and renders 
the entrance into the Sound, or Harbour, difficult and 
dangerous. 
The victualling-office, under the eaftern walls of the 
citadel, is an extenfive range of buildings, where the 
ovens for fupplying the navy with bread, and the inge¬ 
nuity exercifed in the baking and preparations, prefent 
interefting objeCts : though there are but two bakehoufes, 
each containing four ovens, yet they are heated eight 
times a-day, and in the courfe of that time bake a fuffi- 
cient quantity of bread for 16,000 men. The granaries 
are large and well conftrufted; and the whole procefs of 
converting the grain into bread is Ample and ingenious. 
The town itfelf has very few claims either to elegance 
or neatnefs ; the ftreets are in general ill-conftruCted, ir¬ 
regular and badly paved ; but a better tafte charafterifes 
the improvements which are taking place. Amongft the 
public buildings the mod ancient is the parifh-church, 
(St. Andrew’s,) 'which confifts of a nave, fide-aifles, and 
chancels, with a tower at the weft end, ornamented with 
pinnacles. This ftrufture contains feveral curious and 
ancient monuments : the precife period of its ereCtion is 
not known, but it is mentioned in a general lurvey in the 
year 129a : the tower is of more recent date, having been 
built, in 1440, by Thomas Yogge, a merchant of the 
town. The other church, begun in 1646, is confecrated 
to the memory of Charles I. and called Charles’s church. 
Seftarifts are numerous ; and here are various meeting- 
houfes, chapels, and a fynagogue for Jews. The Guildhall, 
O U T H. 
lately rebuilt on the fcite of a more ancient one, is a very 
indifferent edifice. It contains a few portraits of fome 
of the Englifh fovereigns and other illuftrious perfonages„ 
Adjoining the guildhall, and connected with it, are the 
public prifons of the towm ; they confift of a room for 
debtors, and feveral cells for prifoners, all very fmall and 
inconvenient. There are twenty-one charitable inftitutions 
in Plymouth, fome of them dtablifhed and fupported by 
the town, others by voluntary contribution, and the reft 
from the annual income of donations by individuals. Of 
the former are the workhoufe, which is a very ufeful and 
well-regulated inftitution; St. Andrew’s alms-houfes, in 
which twelve widows are permitted to live gratis, with a 
fmall weekly allowance; and the workhoufe alms-houfes, 
of a fimilar nature with the laft. Thofe fupported by vo¬ 
luntary contribution are the Public Difpenfary, Houfehold 
of Faith, Female Afylum, Grey and Yellow School, School 
of Induftry, Public School on the new plan of inftruction 
defigned by Dr. Bell and Mr. Lancafter; Mifericordia, 
Lying-ih-Charity, and Merchants’ Hofpital, for maimed 
and difabled feamen, and the widows and orphans of fuch 
as are killed, flain, or drowned, in the merchants’fervice. 
The Royal Navy Annuitant Society was eftablifhed in 
the fpring of 1823: duke of Clarence patron, lord Mel¬ 
ville (firft lord of the admiralty) prefident. Benevolent 
inftitutions maintained by private bequefts are, Hele’s 
charity, Lanyon’s charity, Orphan’s aid-hofpital and 
grammar-fchool, Charles’s alms-houfes, Jory’s alms- 
houfes, Lady Rogers’s fchool, Kelway’s truft. The Pref- 
byterians have a very extenfive feminary for educating 
girls in the tenets of their feft, fupported by the contri¬ 
butions of their members. 
Among the other public buildings, are to be noticed 
the public library, a new and elegant edifice erefted by 
the fubfcribers. It is capacious and convenient; and the 
architeftural part is executed with tafte and judgment, 
the front in imitation of a temple at Athens. The the¬ 
atre and hotel, covering with their appendages nearly an 
acre of ground, have juft been completed by the mayor 
and commonalty, at an expenfe of nearly 40,000k the 
front is very noble, and has a portico, the largeft in this 
country, containing eight columns of the Ionic order 
forty feet in elevation. The theatre is the handfomeft 
country playhoufe in England, and is conftrufted almoft 
entirely of iron. The roof is fixty-four feet fpan, and 
was made at Briftol of wrought-iron bars. There are 
three tiers of boxes formed of caft-iron, the fronts thinly 
cafed with wood to preferve the found. A new public 
exchange has been lately built, and is now occupied by 
feveral offices, public and private. A new market place 
has lately been erefted, at an expenfe of 10,000k It is 
extenfive and commodious, and has an open area for a 
cattle market. The market days are Mondays, Thurfdays, 
and Saturdays; and two annual fairs, Jan. 25, and Sept. 21. 
The borough of Plymouth, anciently known by the 
name of Sutton, having fent burgefles to parliament in 
the 26th and 33d of Edward I. in the 4th and 7th of 
Edward II. and to a council in the 14th of Edward III. 
intermitted returning till the 20th of Henry IV. who in¬ 
corporated it anno regni 18. It now returns two mem¬ 
bers. The right of voting was, on the 9th of June, 1660, 
refolved to be in the mayor and commonalty; but, on 
the 17th of January, 1739-40, it was determined that the 
word commonalty, therein mentioned, extended only to 
the freemen of the faid borough, who do not, with the 
mayor, aldermen, and common-council, exceed 200 per- 
fons. Thefe are the eleftors for a population of more 
than 60,000. The mayor is the returning officer. This 
place has, for above a century, been confidered as an 
admiralty borough, and has generally been reprefented 
by lords of the admiralty, or admirals of the navy ; but 
after the prince of Wales (now king) did the corpora¬ 
tion the honour to become their recorder, they confidered 
themfelves under his royal patronage, and two gentlemen 
of his houfehold have moftly reprefented them. The 
pi ft ure 
