{"id":39,"date":"2020-05-13T13:27:13","date_gmt":"2020-05-13T13:27:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/bridgwaterheritage.com\/wp\/?page_id=39"},"modified":"2026-03-22T19:43:57","modified_gmt":"2026-03-22T19:43:57","slug":"descriptions-of-the-town","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/bridgwaterheritage.com\/wp\/historical-sources\/descriptions-of-the-town\/","title":{"rendered":"Descriptions of Bridgwater"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

This page compiles all the known descriptions of Bridgwater by outsiders from the middle ages to the twentieth century. These were compiled by antiquarians, travel writers, directories and tourist guides. Each one gives a fascinating insight into how the town has changed over the centuries. Please let us know if you are aware of a source we have missed, and we’re eager to include more from before 1950. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

1415\u2013c.1485<\/strong>: William Worcestre notes on Bridgwater<\/a><\/h4>\n\n\n\n

1540<\/strong>: John Leland visits Bridgwater<\/a><\/h4>\n\n\n\n

1607<\/strong>: William Camden’s description of Bridgwater<\/a><\/h4>\n\n\n\n

1727<\/strong>: Daniel Defoe’s description of Bridgwater<\/a><\/h4>\n\n\n\n

1742<\/strong>: John Stuckey, description of Bridgwater<\/a><\/h4>\n\n\n\n

1751<\/strong>: Stephen Whatley, description of Bridgwater<\/a><\/h4>\n\n\n\n

1791<\/strong>: John Collinson, descriptions of Bridgwater<\/a><\/h4>\n\n\n\n

1799<\/strong>: Richard Warner, mention of the Bore and a Pottery Peddler<\/a><\/h4>\n\n\n\n

1803<\/strong>: Charles Dibdin, description of Bridgwater<\/a><\/h4>\n\n\n\n

1805<\/strong>: Rees’s Cyclopaedia, <\/em>description of Bridgwater<\/a><\/h4>\n\n\n\n

1810<\/strong>: Rev. J. Nightingale, description of Bridgwater<\/a><\/h4>\n\n\n\n

1810<\/strong>: George Alexander Cooke, description of Bridgwater<\/a><\/h4>\n\n\n\n

1835<\/strong>: Report on the Borough of Bridgwater<\/a><\/h4>\n\n\n\n
\"Descriptions
The Cornhill, Bridgwater in the 1840s<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

1849<\/strong>: Samuel Lewis, description of Bridgwater<\/a><\/h4>\n\n\n\n

1851<\/strong>: A. Fullarton, description of Bridgwater<\/a><\/h4>\n\n\n\n

1852<\/strong>: Charles Knight, description of Bridgwater<\/a><\/h4>\n\n\n\n

1856<\/strong>: British Archaeological Association, visit to Bridgwater<\/a><\/h4>\n\n\n\n

1868<\/strong>: National Gazeteer of Great Britian<\/em>: ‘Bridgwater’<\/a><\/h4>\n\n\n\n

1870<\/strong>: John Marius Wilson, description of Bridgwater<\/a><\/h4>\n\n\n\n

1883<\/strong>: Eregen, description of Bridgwater<\/a><\/h4>\n\n\n\n

1893: C.R.B. Barrett, description of Bridgwater<\/a><\/h4>\n\n\n\n

1896<\/strong>: Somerset Archaeological and Natural History Society visits Bridgwater<\/a><\/h4>\n\n\n\n

1900<\/strong>: Kelly’s Directory of Somerset<\/em> on Bridgwater<\/a><\/h4>\n\n\n\n

1911<\/strong>: Encyclopaedia Britannica<\/em>, description of Bridgwater<\/a><\/h4>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

This page compiles all the known descriptions of Bridgwater by outsiders from the middle ages to the twentieth century. These were compiled by antiquarians, travel writers, directories and tourist guides. Each one gives a fascinating insight into how the town has changed over the centuries. Please let us know if you are aware of a […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"parent":31,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"site-sidebar-layout":"default","site-content-layout":"default","ast-site-content-layout":"default","site-content-style":"default","site-sidebar-style":"default","ast-global-header-display":"","ast-banner-title-visibility":"","ast-main-header-display":"","ast-hfb-above-header-display":"","ast-hfb-below-header-display":"","ast-hfb-mobile-header-display":"","site-post-title":"","ast-breadcrumbs-content":"","ast-featured-img":"","footer-sml-layout":"","ast-disable-related-posts":"","theme-transparent-header-meta":"default","adv-header-id-meta":"","stick-header-meta":"","header-above-stick-meta":"","header-main-stick-meta":"","header-below-stick-meta":"","astra-migrate-meta-layouts":"set","ast-page-background-enabled":"default","ast-page-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"ast-content-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-39","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"yoast_head":"\nDescriptions of Bridgwater - Bridgwater Heritage Group<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"These historic Descriptions of Bridgwater start in 1415 and proceed up to the twentieth century. 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