Bridport, a town of great antiquity, mentioned as far back as the reign of Edward the Confessor, when, according to Doomsday book, it had 120 houses. It is situated in a vale upon the river Brit, from whence it derives its name, just above its conflux with two small rivers. In the reign of Henry III. it was a royal demesne, and leased by that prince to the inhabitants for a small quit rent, which is still paid into the Exchequer at Michaelmas. The same king created it a borough, but it was not incorporated until the reign of Henry VIII. The charter granted by James I. invested the government of the town in two bailiffs, and 13 of the principal inhabitants, called burgesses, who have power to purchase lands, levy fines, keep a common seal, and choose their proper officers. Another charter from Charles II. is now in force, nearly to the same effect as that just mentioned.

The town consists of three spacious streets, which from their form resemble the letter T. The Market-House is a very handsome building, in the centre of the town; it has been lately erected at a considerable expence, on the ruins of an old chapel dedicated to Saint Andrew. There is a very convenient Town-Hall, in which the corporation business is transacted, and the members of parliament are chosen; all the inhabitants pay scot and lot, being the electors, to the number of 160.

There were formerly two churches in this town, but one of them is in ruins; the other, dedicated to St. Mary, is an ancient gothic structure, with a large square tower, adorned with pinnacles. There are likewise two meetinghouses for dissenters, and one for the people called quakers.

Formerly a Priory stood near the bridge, at the east end of the town, now a dwelling-house, called St. John's: at the west end was an hospital, and in various parts there were several religious foundations, of which no remains now appear. At the junction of the three streets, near the centre of the town, are the remains of St. Andrew's Chapel, part of which has been converted into a dwelling-house; part the sessions house, over which is the free-school; another part is made a gaol for criminals, and part is in ruins.

In the year 1722, an act passed for restoring the haven and piers of Bridport. It was at one time a place of great trade and commerce; but, by reason of a general sickness, which reduced the greater part of its wealthiest inhabitants, and by other accidents, the haven was neglected, and became choaked with sand, the piers fell to ruin, and the town of course to decay; so that there was no security for ships, driven by stress of weather into the deep and dangerous bay, wherein the haven formerly was, which occasioned frequent shipwrecks. The act therefore authorizes the bailiffs and burgesses of Bridport to levy certain tolls on divers merchandizes, &c. in order to restore the said piers and harbours.

The principal manufactures here are sieves and nets of all kinds, lines, twines, small cordage, and sail cloth, which are exported in considerable quantities to Newfoundland, and other parts of America, and the West Indies: The British fisheries likewise take off a good deal. It is computed that upwards of fifteen hundred tons of hemp and flax are worked up annually, and that nearly ten thousand people are employed in the town and its environs; sail cloth is principally made about Beaminster.

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BRIDPORT is a seaport, municipal borough and market and union-town, head of a county court district, and railway station, in the Western division of the county, hundred of Sturminster, though locally in the hundred of Whitchurch Canonicorum, rural deanery of Bridport (Bridport portion), archdeaconry of Dorset and diocese of Salisbury, 15 miles west from Dorchester, 34 from Taunton, 6 south from Beaminster, 9 east from Lyme Regis, 21 north-west from Weymouth, 135 by road and 163 by railway from London: the Great Western railway has a branch from Maiden Newton to this town and the West bay, which gives access to Dorchester on the London and South Western railway and Yeovil on the Great Western, thus giving two distinct lines of communication with the metropolis and other parts of the kingdom: there are three stations, viz. Bridport, the East street station and one at the harbour called West bay.

This place takes its name from the river Brit, on the bank of which it stands. This was a place of some importance in the time of Edward the Confessor, and is mentioned in Domesday Book as having a mint and ecclesiastical establishment: it was made a borough in the reign of Henry III.: its charter underwent various alterations during subsequent reigns. The governing charter, prior to the Municipal Act, was that granted by Charles II.: it now comprises, in addition to the ancient borough, portions of the parishes of Allington, Bradpole, Walditch, Bothenhampton, Burton-Bradstock and Symondsbury. The town is dividedl into two wards, the North and South, and governed by a mayor, six aldermen and eighteen councillors, who also act as the urban sanitary authority. The borough has a commission of the peace, several justices of the peace and formerly returned two members to Parliament, but these by “The Representation of the People Act, 1867,” were reduced to one and by “The Redistribution of Seats Act, 1885," the borough was disfranchised.

The town is situated in a fertile vale, surrounded by hills, having on the west the river Bride or Brit, and on the east the river Asker, over which are several bridges; these rivers unite a little below the town, which chiefly consists of three spacious streets, containing handsome modern houses, lighted with gas by a company and well paved. Water is supplied to the inhabitants by a company from works situated at Litton Cheney.

The church of St. Mary, enlarged and thoroughly restored in 1859-60, is a spacious cruciform structure of stone, chiefly in the very Early Perpendicular style of architecture, consisting of chancel, nave with north and south transepts partly Early English, aisles, and south chapel with a square embattled tower rising from the centre and crowned with pinnacles, and containing 8 bells: within are some interesting monuments; one, a cross-legged effigy of a knight, supposed to represent one of the De Chideock family: there is a small mural tablet in memory of Lieut. Coker, of Mappowder, killed at the Bull hotel by one Venner, an officer of the Duke of Monmouth, in the Monmouth rebellion, 1685 : the church contains 1,017 seats, which all become free at the final ringing of the bell. The register dates from the year 1600. The living is a discharged rectory, gross yearly value £250, net £220, with residence, in the gift of the Bishop of Salisbury, and held since 1895 by the Rev. Geo. Francis Hooper M.A. of Brasenose College, Oxford.

Christ Church, is an iron structure, in the East Road, and is served from Walditch, erected in 1880, and has 400 seats.

There is a Catholic church in Victoria street, dedicated to SIS. Mary and Catherine, which seats 150.

The meeting house for the Society of Friends, South street, erected in 1700, will hold 200 persons; the Congregational chapel, East street, erected in 1859, has 800 seats; the Baptist chapel, Victoria street, built 1841, has sittings for 350; the Unitarian chapel, East street, erected in 1790, will seat 500 persons; the Wesleyans have a chapel in West bay, built in 1849, with 70 seats, and one in South street, erected in 1839, seating 800 persons.

The Cemetery, of 4 acres, 1 mile from the centre of the town, on the road to Dorchester, was formed in 1856, at a cost of £2,500, with the usual mortuary chapels, and is governed by a Burial Board of nine members.

The Town Hall is a handsome brick building, faced with Portland stone: it was erected in 1786, on the site of the ancient chapel of St. Andrew, in the centre of the town, containing in the upper story a court for the borough sessions, a room for the grand jury, and a council chamber, underneath which is held the general market for butchers’ meat. The market days are Wednesday and Saturday. The fairs are held on the 11th of October and the 6th of April, for cattle and cheese: the former date being the festival day of St. Michael old style, to whom a church, which formerly stood at the corner of St. Michael’s lane, was dedicated: the latter date is the festival of St. Mary the Virgin, to whom the parish church was originally dedicated.

The head quarters of A Company, 1st Volunteer Battalion Dorsetshire Regiment, are situated at the Volunteer Hall, St. Michael’s lane.

The trade of the town consists principally in the importation of hemp and flax chiefly from Riga and Archangel. There was formerly a considerable coasting trade, by which the adjacent towns were supplied with coal from Wales and the collieries in the North of England, and with other articles of general consumption, bub the extension of railways has almost destroyed this trade. The harbour, which is connected with the town by a short line of rail, and will take vessels of 250 tons, is situated in the bay which is formed by the headlands near Portland on the east and Tor Point on the west. The principal manufactures are those of fishing-nets, twines, shoe-thread and sail cloth, made largely both for home and foreign consumption; formerly much flax was grown in the adjacent parishes, but little is now produced. On the river Brit there are three large flax mills.

Here is a Literary and Scientific Institute, a handsome building situated in the East street.

The Workhouse, a building of stone, is situated on the Bradpole road.

Bridport has the following charities: the eight-acre tenement, partly bought with the proceeds of money collected in 1619 towards the repairs of Bridport. Harbour, but being quite inadequate for the purpose, was added to some other money given by Henry Hody, and a small estate purchased at Broad Oak; a portion of the Tent is given to the general school and the remainder to the National schools. The fourteen-acre tenement given in 1633 by different persons consists of four closes and two orchards at Broad Oak; the proceeds are annually given to the poor. The malthouse are brewhouse :-In 1650 the corporation of Bridport laid out £180 in the purchase of certain premises comprising a malthouse and brewhouse ; a portion of this money was the gift of Mrs. Jane Napper; in 1865 these premises were sold, the purchase money invested in Consols and the proceeds are annually given in Christmas donations to the poor The higher and lower almshouses are under the control of nine trustees. Jessope’s gift is a small annuity left in the time of James I. Pitfield’s charity was given in 1675 by Charles Pitfield, and consists of a parcel of land called Thomcombe: from the proceeds of this charity a number of penny loaves are distributed every Sunday in Bridport church: a sermon is annually preached on March 2nd, and a number of petticoats given to old women and coats to old men at that time: the total income is £15 a year, as the estate was sold in 1763 subject to that rent-charge. A charity of £100 invested in Consols is the proceeds of the sale of a house left in the time of James I. for a widower and widow, and the dividend is dispensed by the churchwardens and overseers. Daniel Taylor, in the time of Charles II. left the Bull inn, in East street, for the purpose of providing an efficient schoolmaster for the poor children of the town: in 1859 the inn was sold, with the consent of the Charily Commissioners, for £2,450, and the net products, £2,083 13s. 3d. now invested in Consols, the annual dividends of which, £65 12s. 4d. are devoted to the use of the general school in the town. Daniel Taylor’s almshouses opposite the church in South street, are occupied by deserving persons appointed by the trustees. The Magdalen charity consists of almshouses in Allington; eight deserving women are here found a dwelling, and some trifling charity derived from a third portion of the proceeds of the Cattlebarrow estate at Whitchurch. Bull’s charity, Bishop Hall’s charity, Bernard Michel’s charity and Napper’s charity are very trilling. The Sunday school charity was a gift of a Sunday school for the parish of Bridport, for the instruction of children belonging to the established church, by the late Henry Charles Sturt, father of the present Lord Alington: the original school and land have been sold and the proceeds devoted towards the erection of the capacious and corn enient new schools erected on the glebe land opposite the former school.

The population within the municipal limits, in 1891, was 6.611, as follows:-Allington (part of), 1,490; Bothenhampton (part of), 121; Bradpole (part of), 864; Bridport, 3,768; Burton Bradstock (part of), 165; Symondsbury (part of), 136; and Walditch (part of), 67. The population of Bridport parish was 3,768, and the area is 62 acres; rateable value of Bridport, £12,500; and Allington, £7,049. The population of the wards in 1891 was: North, 3,142; south, 3,469.

Allington parish forms part of the borough, and under the “Local Government Act of 1894" those portions of the surrounding parishes within the borough are also now included in the civil parish of Bridport.

The parish church of St. Swithin, erected in 1827, is a plain rectangular building of stone in the Greek style, consisting of chancel (at the west end of the church), nave, aisles and east gallery: it contains 800 seats, of which 400 are free. The register dates from the year 1600 and earlier, but the earliest are mainly illegible. The living is a vicarage, gross yearly value £210. with house, in the gift of the Bishop of Salisbury, and held since 1879 by the Rev. Samuel Shering Keddle M.A. of Corpus Christi college, Oxford.

At North Allington is a Dispensary and Cottage Hospital, with beds for nine patients, supported by subscription : the site and former house were given by the late Thomas Hannan.

There are some endowed almshouses here, which were partly rebuilt in 1877 by public subscription.

St. Andrew’s, a chapel of ease to Bradpole, was erected in the year 1860 in the Early English style, and consists of chancel, nave and north aisle, with a western bell turret containing 3 bells; the vicar of Bradpole or his curate officiates; it contains 320 seats, all of which are free. The area is 594 acres; the population in 1891 was 1,771.

By a Local Government Order dated March 25, 1884, a detached part of Loders known as Loders West End was amalgamated with Allington.

Petty Sessions are held every alternate month on Monday at the Town Hall, at 11 &,m. The following places are included in the Petty Sessional Division:-Aldington, Askerswell, Beaminster, Bradpole, Burstock, Broadwindsor, Bettiscombe, Bothenhampton, Burton Bradstock, Beerhall, Cheddington, Chardstock, Corscombe, Chelborough East & West, Chilcombe, Chideock, Charmouth, Catherston, Leweston, Hook, Halstock, Hawkchurch, Loders, Lyme Regis, Mapperton, Mosterton, Marsliwood, Netherbury, Poorton North, Perrott South, Pilsdon, Poorstock, Stoke Abbott, Stanton St. Gabriel, Symondsbury, Shipton Gorge, Thorncombe, Wambrook, Walditch, Whitchurch Canonicorum, Wootton, Fitzpaine, Wraxall.

Bridport Union

Board day, Wednesday (fortnightly), at the Workhouse, at 11 a.m.

The following parishes are within the union :-Allington, Askerswell, Bothenhampton, Bradpole, Bridport, Burton Bradstock, Catherstone-Leweston, Chideock, Chilcombe, Litton Cheney, Loders, Puncknowle, Shipton Gorge, Stanton St. Gabriel, Swyre, Symondsbury, Walditch, Whitchurch Canonicorum, Wootton Fitzpaine. The population of the union in 1891 was 14,038; area 33,103 acres; rateable value in 1894, £73,999.

Places of Worship, with times of services

St. Mary’s Church, Rew. George F. Hooper M.A. Rector; 8 & 11 a.m. 3 & 6.30 p.m.; Wed. & Fri 11 a.m.; & Wed. 7.30 p.m.

St. Swithdn’s Church, Allington, Rev. Samuel Shering Keddle M.A. vicar; 10 a.m. daily, & 11 a.m. & 6.30 p.m.

St. Andrew’s Church, Bradpole road; the rector of Bradpole or his curate officiates; 11 a.m. & 6.30 p.m. Christ Church, East road, served from, Walditch, 11 a.m. & 6.30 p.m.

SS. Mary & Catherine Catholic Church, Victoria street, Very Rev. Canon Remigius Debbaudt, priest;, mass, 10.30 a.m.; devotions, sermons & benediction, 6.30 p.m.; holy days, mass, 8.30 a.m. & daily mass, 8 a.m.

Society of Friends’ Meeting House, South street, 11 a.m.

Congregational, East street, Rev. James Menzies, minister; 11 a.m. & 6 p.m.; Wed. 7.30 p.m.

Baptist, Victoria street, Rev. W. Evans Foot, minister; 11 a.m. & 6 p.m.; Wed. 7.30 p.m.

Unitarian, East street, Rev. Henry Shaen Solly M.A. minister; 11 a.m. & 6 p.m.

Wesleyan, West bay, 2.30 & 6 p.m. Wesleyan, South street, 10.30 a.m. & 6 p.m.; Mon & Wed. 7.15p.m. (Rev. Thomas Dicken & Rev. Ernest C. Harris).

Schools

There is a school attendance committee for the borough, who meet the 1st Thursday in each quarter at the Surveyor’s office.

A School of Art was established in 1865 ; it is well supported by the inhabitants. Government assisted in the formation, but the current expenses are defrayed by subscription.

Church, Gundry lane, built in 1876, at a cost of £2,000, for 360 children; average attendance, 98 boys, 102 girls & 118 infants.

Infant (Miss Gundry’s), West street, originally pawn stores, afterwards weaving shops & now transformed into an infant school, with residence for the mistress close to the school, for 130 children; average attendance, 90.

National, North Allingiton, built in 1873, for 276 children; average attendance, 120 boys, 90 girls & 110 infants.

SS. Mary & Catherine, Catholic (mixed), built in 1882, for 40 children; average attendance, 16.

General, King street, built 1855, with residence, for 670 children; average attendance, 270 boys, 148 girls & 170 infants.