Page:The National Gazetteer - A Topographical Dictionary of the British Islands, Volume 3.djvu/396

SALISBURY. 384 SALISBURY. fertile plain below, " that they might begin at the house of God," observes Camden, " the bishop, in a pleasant meadow, before called Merifield, laid the foundation of the great church, a stately pile of building, the which, with its high steeple and double cross aisles, by its venerable grandeur, strikes its spectators with a sacred joy, and was, in forty-three years' space, finished at a great expense, and dedicated to the Blessed Virgin in 1258, in the presence of King Henry III." This monarch conferred upon the rising town the privileges of a free city, with the same immunities as were enjoyed by the people of Winchester. Old Sarum was speedily deserted, not only by the members of the establishment, but by the greater part of its lay inhabitants, who rebuilt their houses in the vale, under the shadow of the sacred pre- cincts, and modern Salisbury consequently soon in- creased in extent, and became one of the most flourishing cities in the kingdom. In the succeeding reign of Edward I. Bishop Bridport built the bridge at Harn- ham, over the Avon, thus diverting the great western road, which formerly passed through Old Sarum, and that place became completely deserted, as it continues at present, the hill on which it stood rising like a deso- late mound on the N. side of the present city, with its sides furrowed by deep fosses and stupendous earthern ramparts, now called Old Castle, or Castle Hill, and parochially included within the village of Stratford- sub-Castle. Two parliaments were held here, one by Edward I., to deliberate concerning the rescue of the province of Gascoigne from Philip of France, and the other by Edward III., to which Mortimer, Earl of March, came with his followers in arms, and but for the inter- vention of the clergy blood would have flowed. In the reign of Richard II. the Lollards assembled here in considerable numbers, and the citizens refusing to assist the bishop in his eflbrts to suppress their meetings, their charter was temporarily suspended ; and in the reign of Richard III., the Duke of Buckingham having been taken prisoner, was brought here and executed without trial. Both James I. and Charles I. confirmed its ancient charters, but no historical event of importance occurred in connection with the city till after the close of the parliamentary war, when, during the interreg- num, Colonel Wyndham, with 200 armed men, marched into the town and proclaimed Charles II., but not being joined by the citizens they again dispersed. After the Restoration Charles II. renewed the charters, which were confirmed by Queen Anne, and which served as the governing charters till 1835, when, by the passing of the Municipal Corporations Act the government was vested in a mayor, 6 aldermen, and 18 councillors, with the usual corporate style, and a separate commission of peace. By the same Act the municipal boundaries were made co-extensive with those for parliamentary pur- poses, and the city was divided into three wards. The city first exercised the elective franchise in the 23rd of Edward I., since which time it has regularly returned two members to parliament. The bounds, which were formerly confined to the city, including the three city parishes, St. Edmund, St. Martin, and St. Thomas, except a small portion of the parish of St. Martin, were enlarged by the Reform Act of 1832, so as to include the liberty of the Close and parts of Milford and Fisher- ton-Anger parishes. The population of the parlia- mentary and municipal borough in 1861 was 11,657, and in 1861 12,278. Previous to the Reform Act the franchise was in the corporation, 67 in number, but since then has been enjoyed by the 10 householders and about six freemen, the mayor being the returning officer. Salisbury is a polling-place, and the principal place of election, for the southern division of the county of Wilts. The old tree near Stratford-sub-Castle, the nominal place of election for the decayed borough of Old Sarum, was blown down in a storm a few years after the passing of the Reform Act, but the stump is still visited by the curious. The city occupies a site at the confluence of the four rivers Avon, Wiley, Nadder, and Bourne. The prin- cipal streets are parallel, and crossed at right angles, or nearly so, by others, forming towards the rear of the houses quadrangular " chequers," laid out as courts and gardens, while the river Avon is conducted in a minia- ture Venetian style through the streets, in bricked channels, formerly open and crossed by miniature bridges ; but these canals, as they were locally termed, have recently been covered in, thus destroying the peculiar feature for which the city had long been cele- brated. The principal stream of the Avon, also on the W., is crossed by two stone bridges of six arches each, connecting the city with the suburban village of Fisher- ton-Anger, and on the S. by another connecting it with East Harnham. On the latter ancient bridge of ten arches, built by Bishop Bingham in the year 1244, stood at one time a chapel dedicated to St. John, occupying a small islet near the centre of the bridge, which is thus divided into two parts. Most of the houses are of brick ; many of the more ancient are irregular in form and size, and constructed with gable ends of timber and brickwork plastered over, exhibiting curious spe- cimens of ancient domestic architecture. In the centre of the town is the market-place, an open area surrounded by shops and public buildings. The council and sessions house, at the south-eastern corner of the market-place, was rebuilt in 1795, at the expense of the late Earl of Radnor, on the site of the ancient guildhall, which was burnt down. It is of white brick, with rustic stone quoins and cornices, and a Doric portico, also of stone. It contains on one floor two court-rooms, a council-room for the corporation, and numerous other apartments. At the N.W. corner of the market-place is the new corn and wool market- house, connected by a branch line with the railway stations at Fisherton ; also, at the S.W. corner of the market-place, forming a small square, a curious old hexagonal building, known as the Poultry Cross, built in the reign of Edward III., and thoroughly restored in 1855. The county gaol and bridewell was erected in 1818, at the cost of 30,000, in the suburb of Fisherton- Anger, where also is situated the infirmary. Other public buildings are the literary and scientific institution, assembly and concert rooms, baths, and several sub- scription libraries. The most conspicuous object, how- ever, in Salisbury is its cathedral, considered one of the purest and noblest specimens of the early Gothic or pointed stylo of architecture extant. It is built in the form of a double cross, with an enriched tower and spire rising from the intersection of the nave and larger transepts to the height of 404 feet from the pave- ment, being the highest in England, and no less than 70 feet higher than the dome and cross of St. Paul's. It is supported on four slender piers and pointed arches, 80 feet high. Some of these piers are much warped, and it is an evidence of the artistic skill of architect that, although owing to an original settlement of the foundations, the spire declined 23 inches from the perpendicular towards the S.W., not the slightest varia- tion has since been detected in the course of above two centuries. The western front and buttresses all round are adorned with canopied niches for statues, a few of which alone now remain. The cloisters are the largest and most magnificent of any in the kingdom, and in the nave, choir, and transepts are numerous monuments to the bishops of the see, the Earls of Salisbury and other noble families, including those of Bishops Joceline* and Roger the latter perhaps the earliest specimen of monumental sculpture extant. The E. window is filled with stained glass in memory of the late il and in the choir is a painted window designed by Mortimer, and presented by the late Earl of Radnor, representing the Elevation of the Brazen Serpent in the Wilderness. The cathedral has been twice damaged by lightning the first time it was repaired by Sir Chris- topher Wren, and more recently by Mr. Wyatt, at an expense of 26,000. The chapels in the transepts have been removed, and their principal ornaments distributed in various parts of the interior. The chapter hous. been lately completely renovated as a memorial to Bishop Denison. The close of the cathedral, which is separated from the city on one side by a lofty wall, comprises an area