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418  Prefent State of Suciety, Manners, &c. at Taunton. [June }, 
a civil authority over the town, as weil 
as endowed with the lands of the manors. 
Thefe were; two bailiffs, two pcrtreves, 
“wo conftables, and fix tything-men, or 
“petty-conftables. To the head-confta- 
bles was entrufted the prefervation of the 
public peace, and the diftribution of par- 
ticular charities left to the poor. The 
town was not meorporated by royai- 
charter till the reign of Charles TI. 1627. 
This deed changed the political ftate of 
the borough, and by it the civil authority 
was lodged in the hands of a mayor, juf- 
“tice, aldermen, and burgeffes. But the 
ftand made by its inhabitants, in the 
civil-war, againft the uncoifitutional 
meafures of Charles I. and the vigorous 
fupport given to the caufe of the Parlia- 
ment, awakened the jealoufy, and railed 
the ref{centment, of Charles IT. who demo- 
lithed its walls, and took away its char- 
ter by a quo warranto, 12 1560. It con- 
tinued without a charter for feventeen 
“years, when the fame King, at the fuit 
of Dr. Peter Maw, then Bifhop of Bath 
and Wells, granted it a new charter.— 
This charter was marked and diltinguifh- 
ed from other fimilar deeds, by a peculiar 
claufe, expreffive of the King’s fufpicions. 
“This claufe enaéted, that there fhould be 
“appointed and nominated, from time to 
time, by the Chancellor, or keeper of the 
great-feal, fix juftices of the county, to 
a&t as juftices within the borough and its 
precinéts, and to fit, and to have full 
power and authority, with the mayor and 
other juftices a&ting under the royal cnar- 
ter. The laft commifficn, appointing 
fach adjunct, or infpecting juftices, was 
iffued on the application of fome of the 
jmhabitants, and bore date 4th of March, 
1767. Through a negleét to fill up the va- 
eancies, till they were reduced below half 
the original number appointed by the char- 
ter, the corporation forfeited it, and be- 
came extinét about ten or twelve years 
fince. 
The town of Taunton fends two mem- 
bers to Parliament, and has enjoyed this 
privilege ever fince the mafs of the people 
has had reprefentatives. The eleétive 
franchife is limited to that part of the 
town which lies inthe parifh of St. Mary 
Magdalen, and does not. reach to the 
whole extent of it, The right of voting 
is invetted in parifhioners, who are not 
fated paupers, nor having received, with- 
in atwelvemonth, any fhare in the chari- 
ties of the town, and who dreis their own 
victuals in their own room, or houfe, or 
keep a table to themfelves. Hence they 
are generally called potwallopers. 
Taunton has been noted for its wool- 
len-manufaétory, a trade firft brought 
into this kingdom four hundred and fixty 
years ago, by the wife counfels of Ed- 
ward III. About the middle of the 
feventeenth century, is ferges were in 
great reputation and demand, as fafhioi- 
able wearing, being lighter than cloth, 
yet thicker than many cther ftuffs. In 
1704, its trade rofe to fo flourifhing a 
height, that it is ffid 8500 perfons were 
employed weekly in fabricating its cloths 5 
and the pepulation of the town at that pe- 
riod was fo rapid and great, that it was 
called the nurfery for Queen Anne’s wars. 
The circumfance which* greatly aided the 
progrefs of its manufactories, invited 
clothie:s to fettle in it, and drew on it the 
envy of other towns, was the peculiar te- 
nure of its lands ; for every mortgage be- 
ing entered in the caftle-teoks, which was 
a fecurity againft fraud, money could be 
borrowed there above an hundred years 
ago at sl. per cent. From 1727 to 17345 
the cafh delivered, on cenract, to the 
tradefinen for bills of exchange, amounted 
to rsool, per week ; and the trade feldom 
produced, at the fame time, lefs than 500 
moidores from Falmouth. For ten years, 
from 1734 to 1744, there was not more 
than about 3o00l. cafh delivered weekly.—. 
Forthenext feven years, from 1744. t017515 
it did not amount to more than 20ol. per 
week. Its woollcn manufactory is now, 
through the gradual operation ef various 
caufes, reduced to a very low ebb. Not 
more than three perfons, as principals, 
are engaged in making the goods for 
which it was celebrated, fuch as ferges, 
curoys, fagathoys, and  dimities, and 
their bufinefs is not carried to any great 
extent. “Some new fources of trade, how- 
ever, have opened. About twenty-three 
years back, was erected a Slk-mill, for 
making thrown. filk out .of fine raw-filk. 
Since that, various looms have been ereét- 
ed for weaving Barcelona- handkerchiefs, 
tiffanies, Canterbury-muflins, florentines, 
and ladies’ fhawls. In its vicinity, a ma- 
nufactory of kerfeymeres and broad-cloth, 
by machinery, has been eftablifhed ; and 
in the town itlelf; the traw-hat manufac- 
tory has been fet up. . ; 
Its navigation merits particular notice. 
This originated, about the 13th of 
Charles I. under the patronage of a royal 
“patent, with John Mallet, E{g. of Enmore, 
whofe daughter and heirefs married John 
Wilmot, 
