BRIDGNORTH: Geographical and Historical information from the year 1868

"BRIDGNORTH, comprises the parishes of St. Leonard and St. Mary Magdalen, and is a market town, parliamentary and municipal borough, and locally situated in the hundred of Stottesdon, in the county of Salop, 10 miles from Shiffnal railway station, 20 miles to the S.E. of Shrewsbury, and 139 miles to the N.W. of London. The railway from Shrewsbury, along the upper valley of the Severn, is now completed, and has a station at Bridgnorth. This town is very ancient, having been founded, probably, before the Norman Conquest, and the earliest form of its name was Brigge, Brug, or Bruges, which denoted its situation at the bridge which crossed the river Severn. The foundation of the town is by some ascribed to Ethelfleda, daughter of Alfred the Great. At the commencement of the 12th century, Robert de Belesme, Earl of Shrewsbury, built, or perhaps rebuilt, the castle, and at the same time strengthened the town with walls and gates; so that when King Henry I., in 1102, besieged it, it was only taken after a long and stout defence.

It was again besieged by Henry II., in 1156, on occasion of the rebellion of Hugh de Mortimer, to whom it had been given by Henry I., and the castle was almost destroyed. During this siege the life of the monarch is said to have been saved by the heroic self-sacrifice of one of his followers, who, seeing an archer aim at his master, sprang forward and received the arrow in his own body. The town does not appear in history from that time till the 17th century, when during the civil war it was garrisoned for the king. The parliamentary forces having effected an entrance by the church of St. Leonard's, a large part of the town was burnt down, and the castle, into which the royalists retired, sustained a siege of three weeks, and was then surrendered to the parliament, by whose orders it was dismantled. Bridgnorth is noted for its picturesque situation and pleasant neighbourhood. It stands on both banks of the Severn, principally on the western, and a stone bridge of six arches connects the two parts of the town, which are distinguished as the Upper and Lower town. The west bank is a rock of red sandstone rising sharply from the river to the height of 180 feet. Many handsome houses form terraces one above another on the front of the rock, which is also pierced by several caverns, and on the highest ground are seen the two parish churches and the ruins of the castle. For the convenience of foot passengers a path has been constructed from the upper part of the town to the bridge, by cutting through the solid rock to the depth of 20 feet, and forming several flights of steps, with handrails. The top of the hill commands a striking and delightful prospect over the river, the town, and the rich and varied scenery of the surrounding country,-rock and meadow lands, fields and wooded hills. During the last ten years great improvements have been effected in the town; the chief approach by Underhill-street has been widened, and the Wolverhampton-road improved. The streets are paved with Broseley bricks and lighted with gas, and the inhabitants are well supplied with water by the new water-works. There is a large reservoir on the summit of the hill, from which soft water, obtained from the river, is supplied to the houses: A spacious townhall and market-house was built about 1646, and new markets were erected in 1855, as also a colmodious workhouse. The town contains the borough gaol, erected in 1823, a theatre, built abouT the same time on part of the ancient castle-moat, a dispensary, an infirmary, a savings bank, a mechanics' institute, a circulating library (containing upwards of 4,000 volumes), a theological library (founded by Dean Stackhouse), subscription reading rooms, and several book clubs. The Agricultural Society has an annual show of cattle, fruits, vegetables, and implements of husbandry, and the Cottage Garden Society awards prizes to the best gardeners. Bridgnorth is the seat of a thriving trade, chiefly in connection with the navigation of the Severn, the building of vessels, and the export of corn and malt. There are several flour-mills, tanneries, and an extensive malthouse; several manufactories of carpets and rugs, and two worsted mills, besides a sack and linen factory. The manufacture of tobacco-pipes and of nails is carried on, but the latter only to a small extent. The market, the annual fairs, and the general trade with the neighbouring places, contribute greatly to the prosperity of the town. Various privileges and franchises were conferred on the town by Henry I. and Henry II., but the earliest charter of incorporation is said to have been granted by King John, in 1215, the year in which Magna Charta was signed. The elective franchise was first received and exercised in the 23rd year of Edward I., since which time the borough has continued to return two representatives to parliament. The government of the borough is vested, by an Act passed in 1835, in a mayor, 4 aldermen, and 12 councillors, the style of the corporation being the 11 bailiffs, aldermen, and burgesses of the borough of Bridgnorth." The limits of the parliamentary borough were considerably extended by the Reform Act, and how comprise, besides the town, the several parishes of Quatford, Oldbury, Tasley, and Astley Abbot's, with the liberties of Romsley, in the parish of Alveley, and of Quatt-Jarvis, in the parish of Quatt-Malvern, containing altogether 1,891 inhabited houses, with a population of 7,892, against 7,610 in 1851, showing an increase of 282 in the decennial period; while the municipal borough contains 1,629 houses, inhabited by a population of 6,569, against 6,172 in 1851, showing an increase in the decennial period of 397. The municipal borough has a revenue of about £1,320. Bridgnorth is the seat of a Poor-law Union, and contains the Union poorhouse. It is also the head of a County Court district, and a polling place for the south division of the county. Petty sessions for the borough are held once a fortnight, and quarter sessions are held by the recorder. There is a local jurisdiction in ecclesiastical matters, a court for the probate of wills and granting letters of administration, being part of the old royal peculiar of the deanery of Bridgnorth. The town consists of two parishes, St. Mary Magdalene and St. Leonard, the livings of both being perpetual curacies* in the diocese of Hereford, in the patronage of T. Whitmore, Esq. The value of St. Mary's is £250. The church, which is of the Ionic order of architecture, with a tower and cupola, was built at the close of the last century, and occupies the site of an ancient one, which was originally the chapel of the castle, but became the parish church about the year 1330. The value of St. Leonard's is £308. The church, once a large and stately structure, was built about 1450 on the site of an earlier one. It was occupied by the parliamentary troops during the Civil War, and only a small portion of it escaped destruction. It has a noble tower, with battlements and pinnacles, and forms a conspicuous object from its situation on the summit of the rock. It contains a screen, and some remains of the ancient ceiling of oak. This church was once collegiate. The Baptists, Independents, and Irvingites have places of worship in the town. Here is a free grammar school, established by the corporation in 1503, and supported partly by an endowment producing £50 per annum, and partly by subscriptions. Three exhibitions to Christ Church College, Oxford, are connected with the school, which were founded, with 15 others in the same college, by Mr. Careswell, in 1689. There are also a blue-coat school, two National, and one infant school. The first was founded about 1720 with a small endowment, one of the ancient gates of the town being converted into the school-house. The divinity library, founded by the Rev. Hugh Stackhouse, has been since enlarged, and is kept in a handsome building near St. Leonard's church. The charitable endowments of Bridgnorth are numerous and valuable, producing altogether above £2,200 per annum, the larger part of which sum consists of the endowment for the exhibitions at Oxford University, already mentioned. The other principal charities are a hospital for 10 widows, founded and endowed by Francis Palmer, in 1687, with a revenue of about £130; and almshouses for 12 widows or daughters of burgesses, with a revenue of about £160 per annum. Nothing is left of the castle but a portion of the square tower, which, from being undermined, has long leaned from the perpendicular to a considerable extent. The walls originally enclosed about 14 acres. A monastery of the Grey Friars formerly existed here, founded by the Talbots, the remains of which, including the refectory in good preservation, are now used as a malthouse. Here was also, at an early period, a lazars' hospital, which, after being occupied as a priory for some time, was made a private residence. In the Lower town is an interesting old mansion, named Canhall, in which Prince Rupert resided for a short time during the Civil War. To the east of the town was anciently a forest or chase, called the Forest of Morfe, long since enclosed. It contains a cave called the Hermitage, the retreat, according to tradition, of Athelstan's brother. In the vicinity of Bridgnorth there are remains of several military works, forts, and entrenchments. Apley Park, the fine seat of the Whitmore family, is on the banks of the Severn, 3 miles to the N. of the town. Bridgnorth was the birthplace (1729) of Bishop Percy, to whom we are indebted for a collection of the 11 Reliques of Ancient English Poetry;" and of Francis Moore, the originator of the medico-prophetic almanac which still passes under his name. The market, principally for corn and beans, is held on Saturday. The annual fairs take place on the Thursday before Shrove-Tuesday, the nearest Thursday to the 15th March (for the sale of cattle and sheep), the 1st May, the 30th June, the 2nd August (for wool and cattle), the 15th September (for cattle and cheese), the 29th October and two following days (for butter, cheese, hops, &c.), and the 15th December (for cattle and general goods). Races are held in July."

[Transcribed from The National Gazetteer of Great Britain and Ireland 1868] by Colin Hinson ©2015