Selected quad for the lemma: city_n
Text snippets containing the quad
|
ID |
Title |
Author |
Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication) |
STC |
Words |
Pages |
|
A50824
|
The new state of England under Their Majesties K. William and Q. Mary in three parts ... / by G.M.
|
Miege, Guy, 1644-1718?
|
1691
(1691)
|
Wing M2019A; ESTC R31230
|
424,335
|
944
|
as you may see in Essex and 12 from thence to Ipswich This is one of the best and most thriving Towns in England seated in the South-East Parts of the County on the Banks of the Orwell about 20 miles from its fall into the Sea A Place of great Antiquity formerly walled about by a Rampire of Earth which in the Year 991 was thrown down by the Danes who grievously harassed these Parts and some years after came with such a fury that they left scarce any thing of Ipswich but the Ruins of its Buildings But that Storm being over it began in the Normans Time to recover it self So that at this present whether we consider its Extent Populousness or Trade it yields to very few Cities in England It reaches a mile in length and above a mile in breath with no less than 12 Parish Churches which shews its Populousness Within that Compass are several fair Buildings both publick and private and among those the Place of Judicature a free School with the Conveniency of a good Library and for the Relief of the Poor an Hospital And as for Cleanliness 't is counted next to Bristol one of the cleanliest Towns in England It s chief Trade consists in the Manufacture of Cloth both Linnen and Woollen besides Fishing and Ship-building For Provisions c. it has 3 Markets a Week Wednesdays Fridays and Saturdays And to conclude it is of some note for being the Birth-place of Cardinal Wolsey who began here to build a stately Colledge bearing his Name to this day The same gives the Title of Viscount to his Grace the Duke of Grafton The other Market-Towns are Orford Mun. Hadleigh Mun. Lavenham Tue. Mendlesham Tue. Halesworth Tue. Bury Wedn. Iestoft Wedn. Woodbridge Wedn. Haveril Wedn. Bilston Wedn. Needham Wedn. Stow. Market Thu. Tansdale Thu. Saxmundsham Thu. Swold Thu. Buddesdale Thu. Bungay Thu. Newmarket Thu. Iksworth Frid. Mildenhall Frid. Clare Frid. Neyland Frid. Debenham Frid. Dunwich Sat. Eye Sat. Sudbury Sat. Framlingham Sat. Beckles Sat. Alborough Sat. Among which Bury or S. Edmunds Bury is the most remarkable being so called from King Edmund the Martyr here interred Who for not renouncing the Christian Faith was shot to death at Hoxon by the Danes and his Body stuck by degrees with Arrows In this Town was erected the first Christian Church by Sigebert King of the East-Angles in which King Edmund was buried And in Memory of him here was erected a most stately Abbey of which and the Town it self take this Description from an ancient Author The Sun says he has not seen a Town more finely or delicately seated upon the East Ascent of a Hill with a River running on the East side Nor a more stately Abbey incomparable either for Magnificence or Revenues in whose prospect appeareth rather a City than a Monastery So many Gates it has for entrance and many of them Brass so many Towers and above all a most glorious Chuch Upon which attend three others standing all in the same Church-yard all of them very fine and of curious Artifice The Town at present do's consist of two Parish-Churches the Houses pretty well built the Market-hill Fair-stead and Corn-Cross spacious and handsom And for what remains of the Abbey it self in whose Yard stands an old Shire-House 't is far more majestick than any other Ruins of its kind The Market is of special note for the extraordinary Quantities of Corn brought to it for which 't is usually the Standard of the Country Lastly not far from this Town was that great Battel fought against King Henry the Second where this King had the good fortune to overthrow Robert Earl of Leicester with his Rabble of Flemings who joyned with the rebellious Son of King Henry the Earl himself and his Wife being taken Prisoners Stow-Market and Needham are both seated upon the Orwell The first as it were in the Center of the County having a fair Prospect down the River Eastward 'T is a large and beautifull Town graced with a spacious Church and its Steeple adorned with a huge and lofty Pinnacle not easy to be parallelled The grand Trade of this Town is in Tammeys and other Norwich Stuffs this being the only Town in Suffolk considerable for such Things Needham an ominous Name drives still a Trade but less than formerly in the Suffolk blue and broad Cloths for Russia Turky and orher Countries Which creates spinning Work for the poorer sort of Women whilst others get a Livelyhood by making of Bone-lace Debenham and Woodbridge are on the River Deben The last a large Town seated on the East-side of a sandy Hill watered with several Streams and having a pleasant Prospect down the River Deben which about 12 miles lower discharges it self into the Sea Here is a fair Church with several Monuments in it In the midst of its Market-Place is also a fair Pile of brick in a Chamber whereof are held the Quarter-Sessions for the Liberty of S. Ethelred and Audry The Market well traded unto especially for Hemp. In this Town are four or five good Docks for building of Ships most of 'em well imploy'd and noted among Seamen for good Workmanship The Inhabitants for their part drive a considerable Trade by Sea for which they are furnished with several Ships of burden And the principal Commodities they deal in are Butter Cheese Pouldavis Sackcloth Planks c. besides their refining of Salt Orford a few miles East and by South from Woodbridge is seated between the River Ore on the East and a smaller Stream on the West within two miles from the Sea Here is a Church well mounted but unsightly within and hard by it the Ruins of a high close-built Castle Which together with the Church-Steeple are good Directions to Seamen as the Light-house at the Ness is by night In the Reign of Henry the Second say's Sir Richard Baker there was taken near Orford a Fish in the Shape of a Man which was kept in the Castle above 6 months This Fish eat all manner of Meat but delighted chiefly in Fish An Author that comments upon it says very seriously that he spoke not one Word and Reason good for it was a Fish and that the People brought him sometimes to Church but he never shewed any Sign of Adoration which is no wonder of a Fish At length for want of looking to this Man-Fish stole into the Sea and was never more seen because I guess the Water was his Element But here is something more admirable On the narrow stony Beach that shoots Southerly betwixt the Town and the Sea 't is said that in the Year 1555 when there was a great Dearth there sprang up among the Meer-shingle such Quantities of Pease that the People gathered of 'em above 100 Quarters which both abated the price of Corn and preserved many from famishing And at the South Point of it there still comes up yearly certain course gray Pease and good Coleworts out of the Stone-heaps Alborough
that what is worse for the Rider is best for the Abider And besides Corn and Cattle wherewith this Country is plentifully stored here are insome Parts especially towards Wiltshire rich Lead-Mines to the great benefit not only of the County but of the whole Kingdom These Mines are found particularly in the Hills called Mendip-Hills of no small Profit to the Owners As for its Diamonds commonly called Bristol-Stones I refer you to Bristol in Glocestershire Besides the Severns Mouth whereby the North-West Part of this Country is watered here is the Avon which parts this County from Glocestershire the Parret the Tor Tone Frome and others well stored with excellent Fish In this County are three Cities Bristol Bath and Wells Bristol indeed stands also in Glocestershire and as I have already described it there I shall pass it over here Bath bears West and by South from London and is distant therefrom 94 miles Viz. from London to Reading 32 miles as you may see in Parkshire from thence to Newbery 15 and to Marlborough 15 more thence to Chipenham 15 and to Bath 13 more It is so called from its Medicinal hot Baths much resorted unto from all Parts as being found by long experience to be of great virtue in the curing of Aches and other Distempers It s Situation is on the River Avon over which it has a Stone-Bridge and there it lies in a low and small Plain surrounded with Hills very high and steep out of which issue forth several Springs of Water which pay Tribute to it This is a Place of great Antiquity as does appear by many Roman Inscriptions and Images commonly found in the Walls which incompass it And where the Abbey now stands 't is said there was of old a Temple consecrated to Minerva the Goddess of Fountains and Baths In short 't is a fine City graced with well-built Houses and for divine Worship havâ—â—â— a Parish Church besides its Cathedral The Baths in it are four in number viz. the Cross and the hot Bath in the West Parts of the City the King 's and the Queen's-Bath in the middle The Cross Bath so called from a Cross that formerly stood in the midst of it is Triangular about 25 foot long and as broad at one end This is of a more gentle heat than the rest because it has fewer Springs About 100 foot from it is the Hot-Bath so called because formerly it was much hotter than the rest when it was not so large as now it is The King's Bath is about 60 foot square and has about the middle of it many hot Springs rising whence it has the greater heat The Queen's Bath has no Spring in it but only receives the Water from the King's Bath from which it is only divided by a Wall and so it is more temperate than the King 's In these two Baths is a Pump to pump Water upon the Diseased where strong Embrocations are required In every one of the Baths are Seats of Stone for the conveniency of those that use ' em But from 8 a Clock in the morning till about 3 in the afternoon these Baths are shut up and none permitted entrance being then so very hot that they work and cast up a filth from the bottom The Inhabitants of Bath do not only find a great advantage by these Medicinal Springs but also by their Cloth Manufacture wherein they drive a considerable Trade And for Provisions they have two Markets a Week viz. Wednesdays and Saturdays This City is Partner with Wells the Bishops See in the Title Episcopal Noted besides for giving the Title of Earl to the Right Honourable John Granvile created Earl of Bath by King Charles the II. Anno 1661. Which Title was formerly injoy'd by the Heirs of John Bourchier who was created Earl of Bath by King Henry VIII Anno 1536 but went away from that Family by the Death of Henry Bourchier dying without Issue male Wells seated at the foot of a Hill is so called from the Springs and Wells that spring about it 'T is a small City but well inhabited and adorned with fair Buildings both publick and private The Cathedral among the rest is a stately Pile of building having in the West End a Frontispiece of excellent Imagery and carved Stone-work dedicated to S. Andrew and said to be first built by Ina King of the West-Saxons Adjoyning to it is the Bishops Pallace built in the manner of a Castle and fortified with Walls and a Mote and on the other side are the Prebends Houses c. The Market-house is also a neat Building supported by Pillars Lastly this City has two Markets a Week on Wednesdays and Saturdays as Bath The other Market-Towns are Bruton Sat. Langport Sat. Crokehorn Sat. Ilmister Sat. Watchet Sat. Dulverton Sat. Chard Mun. Somerton Mun. Glassenbury Tue. Wivescomb Tue. Pensford Tue. Wrinton Tue. N. Petherton Tue. N. Curry Tue. Sat. Wincaunton Wedn. Ilchester Wedn. Froumselwood Wedn. Taunton Wedn. Sat. Axebridge Thu. S. Petherton Thu. Bridgewater Thu. Wellington Thu. Canesham Thu. Evill Frid. Dunster Frid. Shepton-Mallet Frid. Philip-Norton Minehead Among which Bruton seated on the River Brue is a well-built and inhabited Town that drives a good Trade for Clothing Serges and Maulting 'T is graced with a beautifull Church has a Free School founded by King Edward the Sixth and a very fine Alms-house Langport stands on the top of a Hill in a miry and moorish Country and near the River Parret which next to the Avon is the most considerable South-Petherton Crokehorn Chard and Ilmister ly not far asunder near the West-Borders of Dorsetshire the first two on the Banks of the Parret Dulverton on the Ex borders upon Devonshire Wivescomb Wellington North Curry and Taunton are seated on the River Tone Taunton the chief of all the List is a neat and populous Town graced with spacious Streets and a fine Bridge over the River Inhabited chiefly by Clothiers who drive a considerable Trade with the Cloths and Serges made here and in the adjacent Parts It contains two Parish Churches Bridgewater and Glassenbury are the two Places of chief note next to Taunton the first seated on the Parret the laft on the Tor and each with a Stone-Bridge over its proper River The first is a large well-inhabited and frequented Town adorned with the Title of an Earldom in the person of the Right Honourable John Egerton the present Earl of Bridgewater Derived to him from his Father John Egerton created Earl of Brigewater by King James I. Anno 1617. Which Title was formerly injoyed by Henvy Lord Dawbeney advanced from a Knight to this Dignity by King Henry VIII he being Son of that Giles Dawbeney who came in with King Henry VII from Bretagne in France But he dying without Issue this Title died with him till revived as aforesaid Glassenbury of old called the Island of Avalon is of chief note for its once famous and stately Abbey the Monks whereof for the Credit of