SALISBURY, a city, having separate civil jurisdiction, locally
in the hundred of Underditch, county of WILTS, 82 miles (S. W. by W.)
from London, containing 8763 inhabitants. This city owes its origin
to the ruin of Old Sarum, where the bishops of the diocese of
Wiltshire had fixed their seat; which place being very inconvenient,
from its exposed situation on an eminence, want
of water, and from its military tenants, who not only
levied contributions on their property, but insulted the
priests in the exercise of their devotions, they solicited
permission to transfer the see to a more appropriate
situation. Bishop Poore having obtained license from
Pope Honorius, selected the site of the present city,
which lies in a pleasant vale, about two miles from the
remains of Old Sarum, and laid the foundation of the
present magnificent cathedral in the year 1220. The
completion of that edifice was soon followed by the
removal not only of the members of the establishment,
but also of the inhabitants, who gradually deserting the
old town, and building houses near the new cathedral
church, Salisbury soon increased in extent, and grew
into importance. Its progress was much accelerated by
a charter of Henry III., constituting the new establishment
a free city, and conferring on the inhabitants the
same privileges and immunities as were enjoyed by the
inhabitants of Winchester. This monarch also empowered
the bishop to surround the city and the cathedral
close with walls and ditches, to repair the roads
and bridges, and to levy tallage for the completion
of the walls. Disputes, however, arising between the
bishop and the citizens respecting these aids, in the
reign of Edward I., both parties appealed to the king
in council, and that monarch, deciding in favour of the
bishop, deprived the citizens of their charter, which
was subsequently restored to them upon an amicable
arrangement of the dispute by the parties themselves.
About this period, Bishop Bridport built a bridge at
Harnham, and thus changing the direction of the great
western road, which formerly passed through Old Sarum,
that place was completely deserted, and Salisbury be-
came one of the jnost flourishing cities in the kingdom.
Edward I. assembled a parliament there, to deliberate
upon measures for recovering the province of Gascoigne,
which had been seized upon by Philip of France; at
which parliament none of the clergy assisted, the king
having suspended them from the exercise of their secular
functions for having refused him aid. In the reign of
Edward III., a second parliament, for enquiring into the
state of the kingdom, was held at Salisbury, at which
Mortimer, Earl of March, and his partisans, were attended
by their followers in arms; the Earls of Kent,
Norfolk, and Lancaster, who, on being summoned to
attend this parliament, were prohibited by Mortimer
from appearing with an armed force, finding, on their
arrival, that his own partisans were armed, retreated for
the purpose of assembling their retainers, and, returning
with an army, were about to take vengeance on Mortimer,
when the quarrel was compromised through the
intervention of the clergy. From the time of Edward I.,
the bishops and the citizens appear to have lived in a
state of mutual harmony, till the reign of Richard II.,
when the prelate requiring the corporation to concur
with him in his efforts to suppress the meetings of the
Lollards, who assembled here in great numbers, the
latter refused, and the bishop, appealing to the king, obtained
an order in council compelling them to assist him
in that object. In the reign of Richard III., the Duke
of Buckingham, who had headed an unsuccessful insurrection
against him, was taken prisoner in his retreat,
and, being brought hither, was immediately executed, in
1483, without any trial. No event of historical importance
appears, in connection with this city, till after the
close of the parliamentary war, when, during the interregnum,
Col. Wyndham, with other gentlemen of this
county, marched into Salisbury with two hundred armed
men, and proclaimed Charles II. king; but they were
not supported by the inhabitants of the surrounding country.
The city is pleasantly situated in a spacious valley,
near the confluence of the rivers Nadder and Willey
with the Avon, and consists of several principal streets
regularly formed, and intersected at right angles by
smaller ones, dividing the town into a number of
squares, called Chequers, which derive their form from
the original grant of the bishops of a certain number
of perches in front and in depth allotted for building;
the areas, round which the houses have been erected,
are laid out in gardens. Most of the houses are built
of brick, and of modern erection, many of them being
of handsome appearance, but there are some of a more
ancient date, constructed of timber and brick-work
plastered over, of irregular form and size. The waters
of the rivers run through most of the streets of the city,
in canals lined with brick, and contribute greatly to their
cleanliness, and to the health of the inhabitants. The city
is connected, by two stone bridges of six arches each,
with the suburb of Fisherton, including which it occupies
an area nearly three quarters of a mile square, and, with
the suburb of East Harnham, by an ancient bridge of
ten arches; this bridge is divided into two parts by a
small islet, on which was formerly a chapel, dedicated
to St. John, where three chaplains were appointed to say
mass, and to receive the contributions of passengers towards
the keeping of it in repair. Some improvement
has lately taken place in paving and lighting the town,
which is amply supplied with water. The Salisbury
and Wiltshire library and news-room was established
in 1819; the library amounts to more than two thousand
volumes, in the various departments of literature,
and annexed to it is a small museum, containing
a collection of various fossils peculiar to this neighbourhood
this institution is supported by a proprietary
and by annual subscriptions. A small neat
theatre is opened for some months in the winter, and
assemblies and concerts are held during the same season,
in rooms well adapted to the purpose, though,
as public buildings, not entitled to architectural notice.
Races take place annually in August, and are
in general well attended. The environs are pleasant,
containing, in addition to several villas with which they
are ornamented, the seat of Wadham Wyndham, Esq s on
the north-east; and, on the bank of the Avon, Longford
castle, the seat of the Earl of Radnor, originally
built in the reign of James I., and subsequently enlarged
and considerably improved. Salisbury was formerly celebrated
for its manufactures of flannels, druggets, and
the cloths called Salisbury Whites; but these branches
of trade are now almost extinct, and what remains is
confined to a very inconsiderable number of persons:
the town, is still noted for its manufacture of the more
select articles of cutlery of superior quality, but the sale
is very limited. The Salisbury canal, joining with the
Andover canal near Romsey, was originally intended to
be continued westward to Bath and Bristol, connecting
the Bristol and English channels, but the design has
been abandoned, barges at present proceeding no further
in this direction than Romsey, though it has a communication
with Southampton and the English channel. The
market days are Tuesday and Saturday; the former for
corn, of which there is an abundant supply, and the latter
for cheese and all kinds of provisions; there is also a large
cattle market every alternate Tuesday. The fairs, which
are falling into disuse, are on the Tuesday after January
6th for cattle, Tuesday after the 25th of March for
cloth, Whit-Monday and Tuesday for horses and pedlary,
and October 20th for butter and cheese. The
poultry cross, which appears to have been built in the
reign of Edw. III., and of which only the lower part is
remaining, where butter, eggs, and poultry are sold, is
situated without the south-west corner of the marketplace;
this is an extensive quadrilateral area, well arranged
for the general uses of the market.
The government of the city, by charter of incorporation
granted in the reign of Henry III., and confirmed by
successive sovereigns till that of Anne, is vested in a
mayor, recorder, deputy recorder, twenty-four aldermen,
and thirty common council-men, assisted by a town clerk
and two chamberlains, with three Serjeants at mace, and
other subordinate officers. The mayor is elected annually
by the corporation at large, and sworn into
office by the bishop, at his court, or, in his absence,
by the late mayor, recorder, and aldermen. The high
steward and the recorder are usually noblemen possessing
influence in the county, and hold their offices for
life. The mayor, recorder, late mayor, and ten of the
aldermen, are justices of the peace within the city,
and hold quarterly courts of session for all offences;
the corporation, by their charter, have the power to try
for capital offences, but generally transfer prisoners
charged with such crimes to the judge travelling the
western circuit. On the part of the bishop are a bailiff
and deputy bailiff, who are empowered to hold a court
of record, for the recovery of debts to any amount, on
the first Saturday in every month, the jurisdiction of
which extends over the city and the cathedral close;
they also hold a court leet for the bishop, as lord of the
manor. The bailiff and deputy bailiff are both appointed
by the bishop, and, by charter, are chosen for the same
offices on behalf of the corporation: their powers resemble
those of the sheriff of the county, and it is their
duty to summon the juries for the sessions held in the
city. The Close of Sarum is a corporation, consisting
of the bishop, the recorder, and the canons residentiary,
who are justices; they may hold sessions of the peace for
the liberty of the Close, either in the guildhall of the
city, or the Close itself, at the pleasure of the bishop.
The bishop is not entitled to a place in the chapter
when it consists of the dean and the residentiary canons
only, that is, a common chapter; in an extraordinary,
or what is commonly called a general, chapter,
which is composed of all the members, the bishop
is entitled to a seat, as prebendary of Pottern. The
assizes and the Lent quarter sessions for the county
are regularly held here. The council-house, erected in
1795 (the former building having been destroyed by
fire) under the provisions of an act of parliament, at
the expense of the late Earl of Radnor, on the site of
the ancient guildhall, is a substantial and handsome
building of white brick, ornamented with rustic quoins
and cornices of stone, and consisting of two wings,
connected by a central vestibule, to which is an entrance
through a receding portico of four Doric columns,
supporting an entablature enriched with triglyphs,
and surmounted by an open balustrade, with a
tablet in the centre, inscribed with the name of the
founder, and the date of its erection. The right wing
is occupied entirely by the council-chamber and other
offices, in which the business of the corporation is transacted,
and the public entertainments are held: the council-
chamber is seventy-five feet in length, twenty-four
in breadth, and twenty-four feet in height, and is ornamented
with a whole-length picture of Queen Anne, by
Dahl; and half-length portraits of the Earl of Radnor,
and William Hussey, Esq., one of the members for the
city, by Hopner. The left wing comprises the courtrooms,
in which are held the sessions for the city, the
assizes and sessions for the county, and the bishop'-s
courtj above is a grand jury room, and other offices; the
grand jury room is decorated with portraits of James I.;
John, Duke of Somerset; Seth Ward, Bishop of the diocese
Sir Robert Hyde, Chief Justice of England; Sir
Samuel Eyre, also Chief Justice; and several other distinguished
characters. The building at first erected,
being found too small for holding the assizes, has
been enlarged by public subscription. The county
gaol and bridewell, a substantial and spacious edifice,
erected in 1818, at the western extremity of Fisherton-
Anger, at an expense of about £30,000, comprises ten
wards, ten day-rooms, and ten airing-yards, for the clas-
sification of prisoners, Who are employed in cultivating
the land within the boundary wall of the gaol, and receive
a certain sum of money on their discharge; the
buildings contain apartments for the governor, a chapel
and two infirmaries, and the regulations are judicious
and humane. The city exercised the elective franchise
in the 23rd of Edward I., since which time it has regularly
returned two members to parliament: the right
of election is vested in the mayor and corporation; the
mayor is the returning officer.
The seat of the diocese was originally established at Wilton,
in this county, about the beginning of the tenth century,
where it remained under the superintendence of eleven
successive bishops, of whom Hermannus, the last, having
been appointed to the see of Sherborne, annexed that
bishoprick to Wilton, and founded, for the united sees,
a cathedral church at Old Sarum,  which was afterwards
completed by Osmund, who, having accompanied
William the Conqueror into England, was, by that
monarch, appointed bishop. The see remained at Old
Sarum till the year 1217, when Richard le Poore transferred
the episcopal chair to Salisbury in 1220, where it
has ever since remained. The establishment consists of a
bishop, dean, precentor, chancellor, treasurer, six canons
residentiary, who are also prebendaries, three archdeacons
(for Berks, Sarum, and Wilts), subdean, succentor,
thirty-eight prebendaries, four priest vicars, six singing
men, eight choristers, organist, and other officers. The
cathedral, dedicated to the Blessed Virgin Mary, begun
by Richard le Poore in 1220, and completed in 1258, is
one of the most magnificent and interesting ecclesiastical
edifices in the kingdom. It is in the form of a double
cross, with a highly enriched tower and lofty spire rising
from the intersection of the nave and larger transepts,
to the height of four hundred feet from the pavement,
being the highest in England: the whole building, with
the exception only of the upper part of the tower, and the
spire, which are of a later date, are in the purest style
of early English architecture. The west front is divided
into five compartments by buttresses ornamented with
canopied niches filled with statues: between the two central
buttresses is the principal entrance through a richlymoulded
arch of spacious dimensions, with a smaller
on each side: above the entrance is a large and beautiful
window, and at the angles of the front are square embattled
towers beautifully enriched, and crowned with
angular pinnacles surmounted by spires. The north
front is of considerable "beauty, and the end fronts of
the transepts, projecting boldly from the sides of the
main building, and displaying, in successive series of
arches, a pleasing variety of composition, corresponding
with the general style, are a fine relief to the exterior.
The interior, of which the perspective is impressively
striking, is exquisitely beautiful, from the loftiness of
its elevation and the delicacy and lightness of its construction;
the nave is separated from the aisles by a
handsome range of ten clustered columns and finelypointed
arches; the roof, which is plainly groined, is
eighty-four feet high, and the space above the columns
is occupied by a triforium of elegant design, and a
range of clerestory windows of three lights, of which
the central is higher than the rest, and which is continued
round the whole extent of the building; the
larger transepts, of the same character with the nave,
consist of three arches of similar arrangement, and
the smaller of two arches. The choir, separated from
the nave by a screen of modern workmanship supporting
the organ, which was the gift of his Majesty George
III., consists of seven arches, and, by the removal of
the altar-screen, has been connected with the Lady
chapel, of which the roof, being lower than that of the
choir, in a great degree destroys the effect: the bishop's
throne, the pulpit, and the prebendal stalls, are of finelyexecuted
tabernacle-work, and harmonise with the prevailing
character of the building; the floor is of black
and white marble; the east window is embellished with
a painting of the Resurrection, by Eginton, from a design
by Sir Joshua Reynolds; the choir is also ornamented
with a painting of the Elevation of the Brazen Serpent
in the Wilderness, from a design by Mortimer, executed
by Pearson, the gift of the late Earl of Radnor; and
many of the other windows are painted in Mosaic. The
cathedral was repaired, under the superintendence of
Mr. Wyatt, at an expense of £26,000. The chapels
in the transepts have been removed, and their principal
ornaments have been distributed in various parts of the
building. In the nave, choir, and transepts are numerous
monuments to the bishops of the see, among
which are those of Bishops Joceline and Roger, the latter
being perhaps the earliest specimen of monumental
sculpture extant; also of a chorister bishop, one of the
children of the choir,who died while personating the
character of a bishop, according to custom, during the
festival of St. Nicholas; exclusively of several to the
Earls of Salisbury, and the neighbouring nobility and
gentry. The length of the cathedral, from east to west,
is four hundred and fifty feet within the walls; and the
breadth, along the greater transept, two hundred and five
feet. The cloisters are the largest and most magnificent
of any in the kingdom, and the cathedral close has some
entrance gateways of ancient character and of beautiful
design. The chapter-house, of an octagonal form, of which
the roof is supported by one central clustered column, is
a beautiful building lighted by lofty windows; the frieze
is ornamented with subjects from the sacred writings
in bas relief, which are in tolerable preservation. The
episcopal palace is the work of different times, and combines
various styles of architecture; a considerable portion
was added by the late Dr. Shute Barrington: it
contains portraits of nearly all the modern prelates of the see.
The city comprises the parishes of St.JEdmund, St.
Martin, and St. Thomas, in the jurisdiction of the Subdean,
and diocese, of Salisbury; the Cathedral Close is
extra-parochial, and under the jurisdiction of the Dean.
The living of St. Edmund's is a rectory not in charge,
endowed with £ 1600 parliamentary grant, and in the
patronage of the Bishop; the church, formerly collegiate,
is a handsome structure, in the later style of English
architecture, with a tower, which, having fallen
down in 1653, was rebuilt in a style of appropriate char:
racter: the interior is neatly arranged, but the chancel
has been modernised; at the east end is a beautiful
painted window of the Ascension, hy Eginton, the gift
of the late Samuel Whitchurch, Esq.: the churchyard,
which contains many monuments, is finely planted with
lime-trees, which, interweaving their branches, form
avenues of greatbeauty. The living of St.Martin's is adischarged
rectory, rated in the king's books at £ 11.3.1.,
endowed with £ 1000 parliamentary grant, and in the
patronage of Mr. Wyndham; the church is a spacious
structure, combining different styles of architecture,
with a tower surmounted by a spire; the chancel is
in the early English, and other parts in the decorated
and later styles of English architecture. The living of
St. Thomas' is a perpetual curacy, endowed with & 1200
parliamentary grant, and in the patronage of the Dean
and Chapter; the church is a spacious and handsome
structure, in the later style of English architecture,'with
a tower on the south side of the south aisle; the nave is
lighted with a handsome range of clerestory windows;
the chancel and other parts are specimens of considerable
merit: among the monuments is one supposed to
be that of the Duke of Buckingham, who was executed
here, in the reign of Richard III. There are two places
of worship for Independents, and one each for Baptists,
Wesleyan Methodists, Unitarians, and Roman Catholics.
The grammar school, in the Close, for the education of
the choristers, is under the superintendence of the Dean
and Chapter: among the scholars educated in it was
Addison, the poet and essayist, who was a native of
Milston, near Amesbury, in this county, of which parish
his father was rector. The city grammar school was
founded by Queen "Elizabeth, for the education of the
sons of citizens, and is under the control of the mayor
and commonalty. A school, in which eight orphan
females are maintained and educated, was founded by
a member of the Godolphin family: a school is also
supported by the bishop, in which twenty boys and
twenty girls are clothed and educated; and National
and Sunday schools are supported by subscription.
The infirmary, a spacious and commodious brick
building, near Fisherton bridge, is more adapted to its
use than calculated for ornament: it owes its origin to
Lord Feversham, who bequeathed £500 to the first institution
of the kind which should be established in] the
county; it is further liberally supported by contributions.
The College of Matrons was founded for the maintenance
of the widows of ten poor clergymen, by Seth Ward,
Bishop of the diocese, who endowed it with property
producing £200 per annum; the income has been much
augmented by the increased value of the original property
and subsequent donations; the buildings are within
the Close, and the establishment is under the direction
of the Bishop and the Dean and Chapter, who elect the
matrons, to each of whom a handsome pension is allowed.
Bishop Richard le Poore founded, near Harnham
"bridge, an hospital for a master, eight aged men, and four
women, which was completed by his successor, Bishop
Bingham; it is occupied by a master, six aged men, and
six women, among whom the income arising from the
endowment is divided. Trinity hospital, founded in the
reign of Richard II., still maintains twelve aged brethren;
the mayor and commonalty exercise the office of master.
Among other similar establishments are Bricket's hospital,
in Exeter-street, founded in 1519, for six aged
widows, who receive each three shillings and sixpence
per week; Eyre's hospital, founded in 1617, for six men
and their wives, who also receive each three shillings
and sixpence per week; Blechynden's hospital, founded
in 1683, for six aged women, who receive two shillings
and sixpence each per week; Taylor's hospital, founded
in 1698, for six aged men nominated by the corporation,
and who have a weekly allowance of three shillings
and sixpence each; and Frowd's hospital, inBedwin-street,
founded in 1750, for six aged men and six women, who
have each four shillings and sixpence per week. There
are also several unendowed almshouses for the residence
of poor people, of which the principal are three in St.
Ann's-street, the bequest of Mrs. Sutton; six in Culverstreet,
supposed to be the donation of Bishop Poore;
twenty in Bedwin-street, the gift of Mrs. Marks; and
thirteen in Castle-street, presented to the corporation by
William Hussey, Esq., M.P., for the use of the poor:
these last were subsequently endowed by the will of the
donor, and are occupied by men and their wives, who
receive three shillings and sixpence per week. There
are various charitable bequests for apprenticing poor
children, and for distribution among the poor; the principal
is the charity of Joan Popple, who gave to the
mayor and commonalty, for the use of the poor, considerable
property in Basinghall-street London, producing,
at present, a rental of nearly £400; she was interred
in St. Thomas's church, in this city, in 1572, and the
mayor and commonalty have lately erected a monument
to her memory. John, Duke of Somerset, who
died in 1671, gave to the mayor and commonalty a
considerable sum for the purchase of an estate, the
rental of which is applied to the apprenticing of poor
children of the city. A college was founded here by
Egidius de Bridport, in 1260, in which many of the
students who had retired from Oxford, in consequence
of their quarrel with Otho, the pope's legate,
in 1238, afterwards continued their studies; and there
were formerly remains of a monastery of Grey friars,
founded by the Bishop of Salisbury, in the reign of
Henry III., on a site of ground given by that monarch;
a convent of Black friars, to which.Edward I., if not
the founder, was at least a considerable benefactor;
and of the hospital of St. Michael, and the college of
St. Erith. The neighbourhood abounds with flints
found in the alluvial soil, and in strata of chalk; these
flints, both the nodular from the chalk, and the fractured
found in the gravel, yield a variety of organic
remains of the spongia and alcyonia genera; several
Taluable collections have been formed in the neighbourhood,
and it has been reckoned that there are not
less than twelve distinct species of that submarine substance.
Among the eminent natives of this city were,
Walter Winterton, Cardinal of St. Sabric; William
Herman, author of several works in prose and verse;
John Thornborough, Bishop of Worcester; George
Coryate, author of "The Crudities," Michael Muschant,
an able civilian and poet; Sir Toby Matthews, a celebrated
Jesuit and politician; Dr. Thomas Bennet, a
noted divine and writer; Thomas Chubb and John
Eden, distinguished controversial writers; John Greenhill,
a celebrated portrait-painter; William and Henry
Lawes, musicians and composers 5 Dr. Harris, an
eminent historian and biographer; James Harris,
author of "Hermes;" and JohnTobin, author of "The
Honeymoon," and other dramatic works. Salisbury
gives the title of marquis to the family x>f Cecil.