west of England; that it is indebted to its medicinal springs for its
origin as well as importance, there can be little doubt, but the period
of its foundation is altogether unknown. The discovery of its springs,
or rather, of their virtues, was for a long time ascribed to King
Bladud, traditionally recorded "as the son of Lud Hudibras, King of
Britain, about 2,500 years ago. In his youth he became infected with the
leprosy, and, at the petition of the courtiers, who feared the
contagion, was banished by his father from the palace. The Queen, on his
departure, gave him a ring, as a token by which he should make himself
known to her if ever he recovered. The young prince, when he reached
Keynsham, met with a swineherd, by whom he was retained as an assistant.
In a short time, he perceived that he had tainted the pigs with his
leprosy. To conceal this misfortune, he sought permission to drive the
herd to the opposite side of the Avon, under pretext that the acorns
there were finer, and more abundant. Passing the river at a ford, since
denominated Swineford, he led his herd to the hills on the north-side of
Bath. While he was addressing his prayers to the rising sun, the pigs,
impelled by a sudden phrenzy, ran up the valley to the spot where the
hot-springs, boiling up, mixed their waters with the decayed weeds and
foliage, and formed a bog. In this warm oozy-bed they began to roll, and
wallow with delight; nor could their keeper allure them away, until
extreme hunger pressed them to follow him. On washing them, he perceived
that some had shed their white scurf; and he had not been many days
longer in these parts, here he perceived that one of his best sows,
which had been long wandering in the mire about the waters, was
perfectly cured. Bladud, judging that the remedy which had succeeded in
a particular instance, would prove generally efficacious, stripped
himself naked, alternately rolled in the mud, and washed in the waters;
and, after a few repetitions of this discipline, came out perfectly
sound. Elated by this good fortune, he drove home his pigs, returned to
court, and, shewing his ring, was recognized with rapture, and restored
to his former rank and dignity. His father afterwards determined on
sending him to Athens, to improve his natural genius. A splendid retinue
was ordered to attend him; but Bladud preferred to travel as a private
person, considering the parade of grandeur as an impediment to the
acquisition of knowledge. After devoting eleven years to the study of
literature, mathematics, and necromancy, he returned to Britain, was
appointed Regent during his father's old age, and succeeded to the
throne after his death. One of his first public works was the erection
of a city near the springs, which thenceforward became the capital of
the British monarchs. In his old age he devoted himself to the formation
of visionary projects; the most daring of which was the construction of
a pair of wings to fly with. In one of his attempts he fell and broke
his neck, much to the grief of his subjects, who had enjoyed the
blessings of his wise government more than twenty years." This account
of the origin of Bath was long popular; but the inquiries of the present
day have proved it unworthy of credit, and have adduced reasons to
conclude that the city was founded by the Romans, about the middle of
the first century. The form of the city approached to a parallelogram,
extending on one side so as to form an outline somewhat pentagonal, and
stretching in length, from east to west, about 1200 feet, and in the
broadest parts, from north to south, 1140 feet. The wall, which enclosed
this space, appears, from subsequent discoveries, to have been twenty
feet above ground in height, and in thickness sixteen feet at the base,
and eight at the summit, strengthened with five towers, rising at the
angles, and having four portae, or entrances, facing the cardinal points,
which were connected by two grand streets, dividing the city into four
parts, and intersecting each other at the centre. Near the point of
intersection were the springs, which the Romans converted into
magnificent baths, by attaching to them suitable edifices, which, when
complete, extended to two hundred and forty feet from east to west, and
one hundred and twenty from north to south. The Roman appellation of the
city, expressive of the genial heat and vigour derived from the springs,
was Aquae Solis, the waters of the sun. Roads were soon constructed to
communicate with the neighbouring posts and encampments, and "a little
Rome began to adorn a dreary and inhospitable wild." Agricola passed a
winter here, after his successful campaign in Wales; and Arian erected
here a "fabrica," or college of armourers. About the year 208, Geta, the
younger son of Septimius Severus, resided in Bath, while his father was
in Caledonia, quelling an insurrection. Some complimentary statues were
raised on this and other occasions. The most eminent of the Roman
structures was the temple of Minerva, on the eastern side of the great
fosse-way, and nearly mid-way between the Porta Decumana, and the Porta
Flumentana. Its western front consisted of a portico, supported by large
fluted columns, of the Corinthian order. Behind this temple, towards the
east, stood the splendid baths, the foundations of which were discovered
in 1755, at the depth of twenty feet beneath the surface. Of the remains
of Roman grandeur discovered from time to time, various specimens are
preserved, and deposited, by order of the corporation, in a small
building erected for the purpose, at the end of Bath-street. In the year
493, a large army of Saxons, under the command of AElla, and his three
sons, Cymenus, Pleting, and Cissa, encamped on Lansdown, and laid siege
to Bath. At this period the heroic Arthur was performing wonders in
favour of his countrymen. Apprized of the operations of the Saxon
general, he hastened after him, attacked, and defeated him in a bloody
and obstinate battle. About twenty-seven years afterwards, he again
delivered Bath from the assaults of these ferocious invaders, by
defeating a powerful army, on which occasion he is said to have slain
four hundred and forty men with his own hand. John de Villula, a native
of Tours, purchased the demesne of Rufus, in 1090, for five hundred
marks, and obtained permission to remove the Pontifical seat from Wells
thither; he rebuilt the monastery and church, restored the public and
private edifices, and thus became the founder of a new city, on the
ruins of the old one. Henry I. confirmed and extended the privileges
which his predecessor had granted, by adding the hidage of the city;
and, in 1106, Villula, then Bishop of Bath, conferred the whole on the
monastery of St. Peter. Henry paid a visit to Bath in the Easter of
1107. The city remained in the possession of the bishops until 1193,
when Savaric gave it to Richard I., in exchange for the rich Abbey of
Glastonbury. The prior, however, continued to hold the city under an
annual rent of thirty pounds, exclusive of the levies which were made by
the king on extraordinary emergencies. One of these occurred in the
forty-seventh year of Edward III., to the amount of L13. 6s. 8d., a sum
which conveys the idea of the inferiority of Bath, in point of
population, to Bristol, which paid seven times as much. Four years after
that period, the number of lay inhabitants in the city, above the age of
fourteen, amounted to 570, and that of the clerics, in the archdeaconry,
to 201. In this and succeeding reigns the property of the monastery was
greatly augmented; and the monks of Bath are said to have cultivated the
manufacture of cloth to such an extent as to render it one of the
principal cities in the west of England for that branch of trade. This
city sent Members to Parliament as early as 1297. Queen Elizabeth, in
1590, granted a charter, which declared Bath to be a city of itself, and
constituted a certain number of the citizens as a corporation, by "the
name of the Mayor, Aldermen, and Citizens of the City of Bath." In the
reign of James II. the corporation shut the gates against the Duke of
Monmouth, when he summoned them, and apprehended the few adherents to
his cause that remained within their walls. Six of these unfortunate
persons afterwards fell victims to the vindictive cruelty of Jefferies.
The Jacobite principles prevailed at Bath long after the revolution; and
Carte, the historian, is said to have headed a party in favour of the
pretender, during the rebellion of 1715. Being discovered, he leaped out
of a window in his canonicals, and fled. The city is nearly surrounded
by an amphitheatre of hills of considerable height. This range of hills
opens to allow a course for the Avon, which winds around it, receiving
numerous articles of merchandize, from hence conveyed in barges to
Bristol. Bath is divided into four parishes: St. Peter and St. Paul, St.
James, St. Michael, and Walcot, exclusive of the out parishes of
Bath-Hampton, Bath-Wick, Bath-Ford, and Bath-Easton. The parish of St.
Peter and St. Paul occupies the centre of the city, and formerly
contained two churches, the abbey church, and the church of St. Mary of
Stall, which stood on the spot of ground now occupied by the houses
connected with the Pump-room Piazza. The Abbey church of Bath is of that
class of architecture commonly denominated the Florid Gothic. It remains
in the same form as when finished in 1532. It was founded by Oliver
King, Bishop of Bath and Wells. It is in length, from east to west, 210
feet; length of the cross aisles, from north to south, 126 feet; breadth
of the body and aisles, 72 feet; height of the tower, 152 feet; and the
height of the roof, or vaulting, 78 feet. The west window is of extreme
richness. The buttresses, on each side of the aisle windows, are
ornamented with rolls, containing inscriptions, not now legible, but are
said to contain the following allegorical allusion to the founder's
name, taken out of the book of Judges, chap. ix. verse 8:--
"Trees, going to choose their king,
Said--be to us the Olive king."
[Sidenote: King Bladud.]
[Sidenote: The discovery of the Baths.]
[Sidenote: Bladud and his pigs.]
[Sidenote: The Roman city.]
[Sidenote: Their temples and baths.]
[Sidenote: The monastery.]
[Sidenote: Monks were clothiers.]
[Sidenote: Cathedral and other churches.]
The windows of this church, fifty-two in number, are supposed to have
given rise to its appellation of the Lantern of England. Here are
various monuments, ancient and modern, and a handsome altar-piece,
representing The Wise Men's Offering, given by General Wade. Here is
also a fine specimen of monumental architecture in the little chapel, or
oratory of Prior Bird, who died in 1525. This chapel has suffered much
from having its tracery despoiled, and a part of it cut away to make
room for a wooden seat, called the Bishop's Throne. One of the most
beautiful and conspicuous monuments which ornament the transepts and
nave is, that of Bishop Montague, at the north centre end of the nave.
It is an altar-tomb, over which the effigy of the prelate in his robes,
lies prostrate on its back. Opposite to this is a pillar, bearing a neat
monument, having on a pyramid of Sienna marble, a medallion, with a
half-length figure of the witty and celebrated Quin. On a tablet below
is the following inscription:
"That tongue which set the table in a roar,
And charm'd the public ear, is heard no more:
Closed are those eyes, the harbingers of wit,
Which spake, before the tongue, what Shakspeare writ;
Cold is that hand, which living was stretch'd forth,
At friendship's call to succour modest worth.
Here lies James Quin:--Deign, reader, to be taught,
Whate'er thy strength of body, force of thought,
In nature's happiest mould however cast,
'To this complexion thou must come at last.' D. GARRICK.
Ob. MDCCLXVI. Etatis LXXIII."
[Sidenote: Quin's monumental inscription.]
Near the last mentioned monument lies buried the celebrated Beau Nash,
long master of the ceremonies at Bath. Richard Nash was a native of
Swansea in Glamorganshire, and was born October 18, 1674. His parents
were in a respectable situation of life; and young Nash received a
competent classical education at Carmarthen school, from whence he was
sent to Jesus College, Oxford, at the early age of sixteen. He was
intended for the profession of the law; but this study was too dull and
dry for a person of his volatile turn. Pleasure was the goddess he
adored; and to whose service he devoted himself. He soon involved
himself in an intrigue with an artful female in Oxford, of which
description there are always numbers who are laying baits for young men
of family or personal appearance, and in consequence of this he was
removed from the University. His relations now purchased a pair of
colours for him in the army; and here his taste for gallantry and
dissipation would have been fully gratified, had not his inferior rank,
and the duties attached to it, subjected him to subordination and
restraint, which appeared intolerable to a man born for empire, and
whose ruling passion was too strong to submit to control. He, therefore,
left the army in disgust, and returned to the law, which he had
discarded, by entering himself a student of the Middle Temple. Soon
afterwards Nash was presented with an opportunity of exercising his
natural talents. It had been an ancient custom with the society to which
he now belonged, to entertain every new sovereign with a revel and a
pageant. On the accession of William, Prince of Orange, Nash was
selected as the most proper person to conduct this mighty business; and
he succeeded so well, that, it is said, William offered to knight him,
an honour which he declined. His abilities, however, had attracted
public notice, and this paved the way to his future success. Bath then
beginning to rise into some little repute as a place of fashionable
resort, Nash was induced to visit it in pursuit of pleasure, and soon
made himself conspicuous by his taste, wit, and gaiety. At this period,
it was the fashion for both sexes to bathe together quite naked, and for
ladies to adorn their heads before they entered the bath with all the
lures of dress. By these means their charms were set off to such
advantage, that the husband of a lady in the Cross Bath, who with Nash
and other spectators were admiring the female dabblers, told his wife
"she looked like an angel, and he wished to be with her." Nash seized
the favourable occasion to establish his reputation as a man of
gallantry and spirit, and therefore suddenly taking the gentleman by the
collar and the waistband of his breeches, soused him over the parapet
into the bath. The consequence was a duel, in which Nash was wounded in
the sword-arm; and, as it does not appear he was fond of fighting, it is
probable that this incident prompted him when he rose to power, to issue
his edict against wearing swords at Bath, "except by such as were not
entitled to wear them at any other place." About this time a vacancy
happening in the office of master of the ceremonies, a place hitherto of
little profit or honour, the well known talent of Nash for the direction
and invention of amusements, operated so much in his favour, that he was
chosen "arbiter elegantiarum," and invested with the fullest power to
order, arrange, and improve, the manner of the company, routine of
amusements, and points of etiquette. Under the equal administration of
Nash, no rank could protect the offender, nor any dignity of situation
influence him to connive at a breach of his laws. He deliberately
desired the Duchess of Queensbury, who appeared at a dress ball in an
apron, to take it off; and when the Princess Amelia requested to have
one dance more after eleven o'clock, he replied, that the laws of Bath,
like those of Lycurgus, were unalterable. This firmness of character was
attended with the most beneficial consequences; and Nash, not ignorant
what majesty is when stripped of its externals, took care by his dress
and equipage to support the rank he assumed. He wore a large white hat,
and drove a carriage with six greys, escorted by several persons on
horseback, and foot, with French horns and other kinds of musical
instruments. The Prince of Wales, the Prince of Orange, the nobility and
gentry, all treated him with respect; and the corporation, who might be
considered as his privy council, never took any steps without his fiat.
His prosperity was of long duration; and, if a man who supported himself
by gambling and intrigues, can be said to deserve prosperity, it was
justly due to this celebrated character: but at length age and
infirmities approached! and though Horace says, we should preserve
consistency to the last, it appeared ridiculous to see grey hairs and
decrepitude aping the gaiety and hilarity of youth. His admirers in
consequence fell off; and he lived to be sensible of the folly of a life
solely devoted to pleasure, and the vanity of pomp, whether real or
affected.--Beau Nash died February 3, 1761, and was buried at the
expence of the corporation, in the abbey church, with much pomp and
solemnity. The crowd that attended his funeral was so great, that not
only the streets were filled, but the very tops of the houses were
covered with spectators.--Amongst the places of worship for the
Dissenters, are the Unitarian chapel, in Trim Street; the Baptist
chapel, in Garrard Street; the Quaker's meeting-house on St. James's
Parade; the chapel of the Unitas Fratrum, or Moravians, in Monmouth
Street; a chapel belonging to the Wesleyan Methodists, in New King
Street; an Independant Calvinist chapel, in Argyle Street; a sort of
semi-episcopal chapel, in the connection of the late Countess of
Huntingdon, in Harlequin Row; and a Roman Catholic chapel in Orchard
Street. The original pump-room, began in 1704, was opened under the
auspices of Mr. Nash. Its object was to enable the drinkers to take
exercise without exposing themselves to the weather. The room was
enlarged in 1751; a portico, stretching from it in a northerly
direction, was added in 1786; and a superb western frontispiece in 1791.
Five years afterwards, Mr. Baldwin the architect, erected a new
pump-room on the site of the old one, on a more extensive and
magnificent scale. During the full season, a company of musicians
perform in the gallery every morning. Those who drink the waters, are
expected to pay about a guinea per month, besides a gratuity to the
pumper. The public baths are the King's Bath, and Queen's Bath, which
are connected with each other; the Hot Bath, and the Cross Bath. The
private baths are those belonging to the corporation, in Stall Street,
adjoining the King's Bath, built in 1788, with dry pumps, sudatories,
and every other accommodation; and the neat and convenient baths, called
the Duke of Kingston's, or the Abbey Baths, belonging to Earl Manvers.
The latter are supplied from the same source as the great pump-room. The
Bath springs are said to have three distinct sources, the King's Bath,
the Hot Bath, and the Cross Bath, which arise within a small distance of
each other. They contain a small quantity of carbonic acid gas, and also
of azotic gas; some sulphate of soda, and muriate of soda; selenite,
carbonate of lime; siliceous earth; and a portion of oxyd of iron. These
waters, taken internally, operate as a stimulant; they increase the
action of the blood-vessels, and promote the various secretions,
particularly those of urine and perspiration. The diseases in which
their external and internal uses render most service, are affections of
the liver and stomach, jaundice, hypochondriasis, and chlorosis. They
are especially efficacious in that state of gout termed atonic. The
external application of the water is highly beneficial in palsy, chronic
rheumatism, cutaneous diseases, scrofula, lameness, contractions, &c.
The water, in all cases, should if practicable, be drunk hot from the
pump. Its effect on the stomach and nerves are sometimes remarkably
speedy; persons who have lost their appetites and spirits by high
living, have, by using them a few days, recovered their powers of
digestion and cheerfulness of mind. The quantity taken is seldom more
than a pint and a half in the course of the day, and is divided into
three portions, two before breakfast, allowing half an hour between
them, and a third at noon. The condition of the patient is, however, to
be strictly attended to: and the quantity must be regulated at the
discretion of the physician. The General Hospital of this city was
established for the reception of all the sick poor in the united
kingdom, whose complaints require relief from the springs of the place;
excepting the resident poor, who have the advantage of taking the waters
at their own houses, at a moderate charge. Edward the Sixth granted
upwards of eighty tenements, gardens, &c. within the city and its
suburbs, for the purpose of founding a grammar-school at Bath, and
maintaining ten poor folk within the said town for ever. The Bath
Theatre is scarcely inferior to those of the metropolis. The present
building was erected about the year 1805, in the centre of the city; and
from its height, it forms a prominent object in the distance from all
its environs. There are three entrances; the grand front being in
Beaufort Square. The audience part is somewhat smaller than was that of
the late Covent Garden Theatre, but the space behind the curtain is much
larger. The length, within the main walls, is one hundred and twenty
feet; the breadth sixty feet; and the height seventy. The exterior
buildings are very extensive; there are three lofty tiers of boxes,
affording a depth of rows towards the centre. Cast iron bronzed pillars
are placed at a distance of two feet from the front, by which the first
row of each circle appears as a balcony, independent of the main
structure, and thus an inconceivable lightness is obtained. The private
boxes are inclosed with gilt lattices: the entrance to them is by a
private house, part of the property connected with the theatre, and they
are accommodated with a suite of retiring rooms. The decorations are
very splendid, particularly the ceiling. The Harmonic Society was
instituted under the patronage of Dr. Harrington; and there is another
musical society, called the York House Catch Club. The Sydney Garden
Vauxhall, at the extremity of Great Pulteney Street, abounds with
groves, vistas, lawns, serpentine walks, alcoves, bowling-greens,
grottoes and labyrinths. It is known to have contained four thousand
persons. The riding school affords the public, amusement in wet weather.
Lansdown races are in June and July. Besides the Public Library, the
circulating libraries are numerous and well supplied, and the harmonic
concerts and local institutions of a literary character, are easily
accessible. It is intended to convert the common fields in the
neighbourhood of Marlborough Buildings into a public park, laid out with
numerous rides and walks, ornamental fountains, and plantations. Hackney
coaches, and chariots, on the same principle as those used in London,
are established here.
_Markets_, Wednesday and Saturday.--_Fairs_, February 14; (Holloway)
July 10; and Aug. 10, (Lansdown) for cattle, horses and all kinds of
merchandise. The Falmouth Mail arrives 7.54 morning, and departs 6.30
afternoon. The Carmarthen Mail arrives 7.48 morning, and departs 6.56
afternoon.--_Bankers_, (Bladud Bank) Tufnell and Co.; draw on Jones,
Lloyd and Co.; Tugwell and Co., draw on Barnard and Co.; (Old Bank)
Hobhouse and Co., draw on Jones, Lloyd and Co.; (City Bank) Smith and
Moger, draw on Barclay and Co.--_Inns_, York Hotel, White Hart, White
Lion, Greyhound, Castle, and Elephant and Castle.
[Sidenote: Account of the celebrated Beau Nash.]
[Sidenote: Refused to be knighted.]
[Sidenote: Conduct of Nash towards the Princess Amelia.]
[Sidenote: His death.]
[Sidenote: Dissenting Chapels.]
[Sidenote: Use of the waters in certain disorders.]
[Sidenote: The Theatre.]
[Sidenote: Sydney Gardens.]
Map| Names of Places.| County. |Number of Miles From |
+--+-----------------+----------+-------------+-------------+
34|Bathampton pa|Somerset |Bath 2|Chippenham 11|
34|Bathealton pa|Somerset |Wiveliscomb 3|Milverton 3|
34|Batheaston[A] pa|Somerset |Bath 3|Chippenham 10|
34|Bathford pa|Somerset | ... 4| ... 9|
30|Bathley to|Nottingham|Newark 4|Muskham 1|
34|Bathwick pa|Somerset |Bath 1|Chippenham 12|
45|Batley pa & to|W.R. York |Wakefield 7|Leeds 8|
15|Batsford pa|Gloucester|Moreton 2|Campden 4|
35|Batterley ham|Stafford |Sandbach 8|Barthomley 1|
43|Battersly ham|N.R. York |Stokesley 5|Gisborough 7|
37|Battersea[B] pa|Surrey |Clapham 2|Putney 3|
36|Battisford pa|Suffolk |Needham 2|Ipswich 4|
+--+-----------------+----------+-------------+-------------+
|Dist.|
Map| Names of Places.|Number of Miles From |Lond.|Population.
+--+-----------------+------------------------+-----+-------+
34|Bathampton pa|Devizes 15| 104| 314|
34|Bathealton pa|Wellington 5| 153| 98|
34|Batheaston[A] pa|Devizes 14| 103| 1783|
34|Bathford pa| ... 13| 102| 870|
30|Bathley to|Southwell 7| 128| 197|
34|Bathwick pa|Devizes 16| 105| 4035|
45|Batley pa & to|Bradford 8| 189| 11335|
15|Batsford pa|Stow 7| 88| 107|
35|Batterley ham|Newcastle 8| 158| 242|
43|Battersly ham|Helmsley 14| 242| 77|
37|Battersea[B] pa|Hammersmith 3| 4| 5540|
36|Battisford pa|Bildeston 8| 71| 436|
+--+-----------------+------------------------+-----+-------+
[A] BATHEASTON. This village is situated on the London road from Bath.
The upper part contains the church, and amongst some handsome houses, is
one which was formerly the residence of John Wood, Esq., the ingenious
architect, to whom Bath owes many of its noblest buildings. The church
is antique. At the west-end it has a fine square tower, one hundred feet
high. The inside is remarkable for its neat and decent appearance. A
custom long observed at the villa of Sir John Millar, Bart., displays
his elegance and refinement in the choice of his amusements, as well as
of his visitors. He had purchased an antique vase, discovered at
Frescati, in Italy, in 1759; and having placed it in a room convenient
for the purpose, he consecrated it to Apollo, and ordained Lady Miller,
high priestess. He then issued a general invitation to all votaries of
the muses, to assemble on a certain day in each week, and offer their
poetical oblations at the shrine; the degree of merit each possessed was
decided by the public voice, and the author of the best was crowned with
myrtle. A collation succeeded. This attic pastime continued for some
years, till some witling contaminated the purity of the urn by a
licentious composition, and the vessel was closed for ever. Two small
volumes of these effusions have been published.
[Sidenote: The vase of Apollo.]
[B] BATTERSEA is seated on the Thames, and gives the title of Baron to
the family of St. John. The church contains many monuments, chiefly of
the above noble family; particularly one in grey marble, to the memory
of the celebrated statesman, Henry St. John, Viscount Bolingbroke, and
of his second wife, whose profiles are sculptured in bass-relief. A
monument near the south wall, represents Sir Edward Wynter in the act of
performing two extraordinary exploits, thus described in his epitaph:--
Alone, unarmed, a tyger he oppressed,
And crush'd to death the monster of a beast.
Twice twenty mounted Moors he overthrew,
Singly on foot, some wounded, some he slew,
Dispersed the rest--what more could Sampson do?