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528 Prefent State of Society, Manners, Fc. at Taunton. [July fs 
The fairs of Taunton are two: one held 
on the r7th of June, in the middle of the 
town, for all foris of cattle and horfes, for 
one day only ; the other is kept on the 
north bridge and in the north town, on the 
7th of July, and lafts for threedays. The 
firft of thefe opens very early in the 
morning, with the fale of confiderable 
quantities of garlic, from barges. .To 
this fucceeds the fair for horfes and cattle: 
the other two days are folely for pedlary 
and confectionary wares. The tolls of 
both fairs belong to the bifhop of Win- 
chefter. On the firft Saturday in Novem- 
ber, 1789, commenced a “‘ great market” 
for live cattle, to be held in future on the 
firt Saturday in every month.—Befides 
the two ftages direftly from Taunton to 
London, which fet out on Monday, Wed- 
nefday, and Friday, at feven in the morn- 
ing, and return on Tuefday, Thuriday, 
and Saturday ; there run through the 
town, every day, from Exeter, the mail- 
coach, through Bath, to London; a ftage 
to Briltol, and another to Bath. . Ga Sun- 
day and Thurfday evenings arrives a coach 
from Barnftaple, in Devonfhire, and leaves 
it, for that place, on Monday and Friday 
mornings. Within thirty years, there 
was only one fedan chair in the whole 
town, and that was the property of a 
private family : there are now fix, at leaf, 
kept for hire. In 1765, was formed an 
annuitant foci: ty for the benefit of widows. 
Sunday-{chools were opened in March 
1788, to be fupperted from one common 
fund, arifing from the joint fubf{criptions 
of the members of the eftablifhed church, 
and of the diffenters from it, for the in- 
firu&ticn of 200 children. The pen re- 
cords, with concern, that this generous 
plan did not Jong preferve its force, nor does 
the inftitution exift to the extent on which 
it commenced. The fchools that attended 
the worfhip of the parifh churches, were 
in a few years broken up; but che diffen- 
ters continued to fupport a fchool for each 
Congregation 3; and the methodifts of Mr. 
Wefley’s clafs have, lately, formed a large 
{choo] of this defeription ; in which, with 
a laudable attention and zeal, fome of the 
principal members of their fociety give 
their gratuitous attendance as teachers. 
It is an ag-eeable proof of the increafing 
tafte for literature, that there are three 
reading-focieties in this town: whereas, 
- when the firft was formed, in 1766, it was 
difficuit to meet with even twelve gentle- 
men inclined to enter into fuch a literary 
affociation. In 1789,-an attempt was 
made by a medical gentleman, of ardour 
and benevolence of mind, Dr. Cox,who died 
in 1796, to eftablifh a difpenfary for the 
indigent fick; but, as he opened it at his 
own expence, and fought not the concur- 
ence of other medical gentlemen, except 
that of a particular friend, Mr. Trott, a 
furgeon, the humane defign foon failed, 
for want of fubfcriptions and fupports 
when nearly 300 patients had been reliev= 
ed by it; a number, indeed, fufficient to 
fhew the expediency, utility, and efficacy, 
of fuch an infitution; and to recommend 
it to the humane and benevolent to refume 
it with vigour, and with the united concur 
rence of the profeffors of medicine, and the 
aids of the compaffionate. 
This account of Taunton muf not clofe 
without fome notice of its population. In 
1689, when the poll-tax was laid on, the 
inhabitants, it is faid, amounted to 20,000. 
In the reign of Queen Anne, it was called 
her “* nuriery for foldiers.’ The greatett 
number, that ever were polled, at elec- 
tions, was in 1714, when 1017 were ad- 
mitted to vote; but this. great number, 
it appeared, was formed by the illegal 
conduct of the mayor. It is undoubted. 
ly certain, that fince the year 1719, the 
the number of inhabitants has greatly de- 
creafed. In or about the year 1790, the 
number of inhabitants was afcertained by 
going from houfe to houfe. The refule 
was as follows: The amount of the num- 
ber of 
Honfes inhabited, exclufively of Gray’s, 
Huifh’s, Henley’s, and Pope’s almshoufes, 
was 1113. 
Houfes uninhabited, inclufively of dwel- 
lings in Hammet’s-ftreet, not then finifh- 
ed, 47. 
The families, 1199. 
Males, 23384—Females; 3088—Souls in 
all sq.72. . 
It is rather remote from the defign of 
this article, whichis meant to reprefent the 
prefent (tateof the town, rather than to give 
a general hiftory of it, to go into a detail 
of the political tran/actions and revolutions 
of which it has been in different ages the 
theatre. It had a fhare in the contefts of 
the Saxon kings, and in the civil wars be- 
tween the houfes of York and Lancatter. 
It became the fcene of military action in 
the reign of Henry VII. Perkin. War- 
beck, who for five years harafled the go- 
vernment, foon after he landed at Whit- 
fand Bay, in Cornwall, and had failed in’ 
his attempt to take the city of Exeter, ad- > 
vanced to Taunton and feized the Cattle, 
in 1497: whither the king haliened after 
him with all {peed ; but Warbeck’s pre- 
vious 
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