WELLS, a city, having separate jurisdiction, locally in the hundred
of Wells-Forum, county of SOMERSET, 19 miles (S.W.) from Bath, 19
(S.) from Bristol, and 120 (W. by S.) from London, containing, with
that part of the parish, of St. Cuthbert which is without the
limits of the city, 5888 inhabitants. This place derives its name
from the numerous springs with which it abounds, more
particularly from St. Andrew's well, the water of which,
rising near the episcopal palace, flows through the
south-western part of the city: it owes its origin to
Ina, King of the West Saxons, who, in 704, founded
a collegiate church, which he dedicated to St. Andrew
the Apostle. This establishment was subsequently endowed
by Cynewulf, one of his successors, with considerable
estates in the vicinity, in 766, and continued to flourish
till 905; when, in pursuance of an edict of Edward
the Elder, for the revival of religion, which, from the
frequent incursions of the Danes, had almost fallen into
disuse, several new bishops were consecrated by Pligmund,
Archbishop of Canterbury, of whom Aldhelm,
formerly abbot of Glastonbury, was appointed to preside,
over Wells, which was then erected into a see,
having jurisdiction over the entire county of .Somerset.
After a succession of twelve bishops, Giso, chaplain
to Edward the Confessor, was appointed to the
see, to which that monarch gave the extensive possessions
of Harold, Earl of Wessex, whom, with his
father, Godwin, Earl of Kent, he had banished from
the kingdom. Harold, during his exile, made an incursion
into this part of Somersetshire raised contributions
on his former tenantry, despoiled the church of its ornaments
and treasure, expelled the canons, and converted
their possessions to his own use. Giso, on
his return from Rome, where he had been consecrated,
obtained some compensation for these injuries from
the queen, who was Harold's sister j but that prince, on
his restoration to favour, procured the banishment of
Giso, and, upon his subsequent accession to the throne,
resumed all the estates granted by Edward to the
church, and greatly impoverished the see. Bishop Giso
remained in exile till the Conquest, when he was reinstated;
and William, in the second year of his reign,
restored to the bishoprick all Harold's estates, with the
exception of some small portions which had been granted
to the monastery of Glastonbury, adding, in lieu of
them, two other manors. Giso exerted himself in augmenting
the revenue of his see j he increased the num-
Jber of canons, over whom he appointed a provost, built
a cloister, hall, and dormitory, and enlarged and embellished
the choir of the cathedral: these buildings,
however, were demolished by his successor, John de
Villula, who erected a palace on their site. This prelate
removed the seat of the dioceseto Bath,and assumed
the title of Bishop of Bath, in which he was followed
by his two next successors. Great disputes arising between
the inhabitants of both cities, each claiming to
be regarded as the head of the diocese, the matter was
at length referred to the arbitration of the bishop, who
decided that the prelates should take the title of Bishops
of-Bath and Wells, that their election should be made
Iby an equal number of delegates from both places, and
that the ceremony of installation should take place
in both churches. Reginald Fitz-Jocelyne, who was
bishop in the reign of Richard I., granted the town a
charter of incorporation, and made it a free borough;
and during the captivity of that monarch, in Austria,
Savaricus, who succeeded Fitz-Jocelyne in the see, and
was nearly allied to the emperor, obtained, through his
Influence, a promise from Richard, as a condition of his
restoration, that the abbacy of Glastonbury, then vacant,.
Should be annexed to the see of Bath and Wells: this
prelate afterwards removed the seat of his diocese to
Glastonbury, and assumed the title of Bishop of .Glastonbury.
After his death, in 1205, the monks under his
successor, Joscelyne de Welles, petitioned the court of
Rome that they might be restored to their ancient government
by an abbot, which indulgence they obtained,
on condition of their relinquishing to the bishop a considerable
portion of their revenue, and Joscelyne assumed
the style of Bishop of Bath and Wells, which the
prelates of the see have ever since retained. After
the death of Joscelyne, disputes arose in the election of
his successors, the monks of Bath frequently exercising
that right without the concurrence of the canons of
Wells; but an appeal having been made to the pope,
the union of the churches appears to have subsequently
remained without interruption. At the time of the
Reformation, the  monastery of Bath was suppressed
and, though the name of the see was retained, the
ecclesiastical- authority and the right of electing the
bishops were vested in the Dean and Chapter of Wells,
then constituted the sole chapter of the diocese. The
revenue of the monastery of Wells, at the period of
its dissolution, was valued at £1939. 12. 8.
The city, which appears to have grown up around
the ancient ecclesiastical establishment, and to have
flourished in proportion to its prosperity, is pleasantly
situated on the south side of-the Mendip hills,
in a fertile plain lying at their base, and is sheltered
from the north winds by that mountainous range
of richly-wooded eminences, and open on the south
side to an extensive tract of fine meadow land. The
houses are well built, and of respectable appearance,
several of them are ancient, having been erected for
ecclesiastical residences, and many are of modern and
elegant structure. The grandeur of its cathedral, the
beauty of its church, and the character of the conventual
buildings, give it an air of peculiar interest. It
ig divided into four verderies by four principal streets,
from which they take their name, and is well paved,
and amply supplied with water from a public conduit
of great beauty, built by Bishop Beckington, and filled
by pipes leading from an aqueduct near-the source of
St. Andrew's well. The environs, which abound with
diversified and picturesque scenery, contain many handsome
seats, and afford a variety of pleasing walks
and rides. Races are held annually a short distance
east of the city; beyond the. limits of its liberties. The
principal branch of manufacture is the knitting of
stockings; and at Wookey, about two miles distant,
are several paper-mills, where, from the excellent quality
of the water, paper of the best kind is made.
The market days are Wednesday and Saturday, for
provisions, and on every fourth Saturday, a large
market is held for corn, cattle, and cheese. The fairs
iare, January 6th, May 14th, July 6th, October 25th, and
November 30th, for cattle, horses, and pedlary. The
market-place, on the east side of the cityy;is a fine
spacious area, on the north side of which is a handsome
range of twelve houses of stone, built by Bishop
Ueckington, for twelve priests, now inhabited by townsmen;
at the eastern extremity is an ancient gateway,
communicating with the Cathedral Close, and, fronting
the street, another leading to the episcopal palace both
erected by the same bishop, who intended to rebuild
the whole area. Near the site of the ancient cross,
which was taken down in 1780, formerly stood the
city conduit, an elegant hexagonal structure in the
later style of English architecture, erected by the same
bishop, in 1450, richly embellished with canopied
niches and delicate ornaments, and crowned with a
conical dome; but this being considered an obstruction,
it was taken down about thirty years since,and
soon afterwards removed to Stowerhead, the seat of
Sir R. C. Hoare, Bart., and a very handsome one
was erected on the site of the old cross: in the
south-east angle is the town hall and market-house; a
plain but commodious building. The charter granted
by Reginald Fitz-Jocelyne was confirmed by King John,
who entrusted the government to a master and commonalty
of the borough of Wells, dueen Elizabeth gave
the inhabitants a new charter, in the thirty-first of
her reign, under which the government is vested in a
mayor, recorder, seven masters, and sixteen common
council-men, assisted by a town clerk, and other officers;
the mayor, recorder, and the senior master, are
justices of the peace within the borough. The freedom
is inherited by the eldest son of a freeman, obtained by
marriage with the eldest daughter, or by servitude of
seven years to a freeman. The corporation hold half-yearly
courts of session for all offences not capital,
arising within the city, but no prisoners have been tried
for several years; and a court of record, formerly held
for the recovery of debts to any amount, has been discontinued.
The assizes for the county are held here
every alternate year, and the Epiphany and Easter
quarter sessions annually. The inhabitants first exercised
the elective franchise in the 23rd of Edward I.,
since which time they have regularly returned two
members to parliament: the right of election is vested
in the mayor, masters, and burgesses generally: the
mayor is the returning officer.
The present ecclesiastical establishment, as refounded
by Henry VIII., on the dissolution of the monastery,
consists of a bishop, dean, precentor, chancellor,
three archdeacons, treasurer, subdean, forty-nine prebendaries,
four priest-vicars, eight lay-vicars, organist, six
choristers, and other officers.
The cathedral church, dedicated to St. Andrew, is a
magnificent cruciform structure, principally in the early
style of English architecture, with partial insertions of
the decorated and later styles; the foundation was laid
by WifFeline, second bishop of the diocese, and the edifice
was completed and improved by Bishop Joscelyne,
in 1239. The west front is a striking and superb combination
of stately grandeur and splendid embellishment;
the whole of it, together with the buttresses, by which it
is divided into compartments, is replete with elaborate
sculpture, from the base to the summit, in successive
tiers of richly-canopied shrines, containing the statues
of, kings, popes, bishops, cardinals, and abbots; the
mullions of the west window and the lower stages of the
western towers are similarly enriched; the canopies of
the niches in which these figures are enshrined are supported
by slender-shafted pillars of polished marble,
and the intermediate spaces between the several series
are filled with architectural ornaments of elegant design
and appropriate character. In the upper range of
the central compartment are the statues of the twelve
Apostles, in a series of lofty niches separated by slender
shafts, and in the range immediately beneath them are
figures of the hierarchs, below which is a sculptured
representation of the Resurrection, in alto relievo.  The
entrance, which is through a deeply-recessed arch, is
flanked by the western towers, of which the lower
stages are comprised in the general design of the front,
and the upper, which are wreathed with pierced parapets,
are relieved by fine windows, and with lofty canopies
rising from the buttresses, and terminating in
crocketed finials. The central tower, which is one hundred
and sixty feet from the base, is crowned with
a pierced parapet of elegant design, and decorated
with lofty angular pinnacles surmounted with vanes,
and with smaller pinnacles in the intervals; though of
large dimensions, it has an airy appearance, from the
proportionate size and elegance of the windows. The
interior displays some specimens of the early English
style, which are of unfrequent occurrence, and equally
remarkable for simplicity and elegance. Of this character
are the nave and transepts; the former, one hundred
and ninety feet in length, is separated from the aisles by
a beautiful range of clustered columns and finely-pointed
arches, above which are a triforium of lancet-shaped
arches, and a fine range of clerestory windows, in which
elegant tracery in the later English style has been in:
serted; the roof is finely groined, and the great west
window is embellished with ancient stained glass of
great brilliancy. The choir, which is in the decorated
style, and of very elegant character, is one hundred
and eight feet long from the organ-screen to the altar,
beyond which is the Lady chapel, fifty-five feet in length,
both forming parts of one general arrangement, which;
for beauty of design, and richness of architectural
embellishment, is perhaps unequalled; the piers and
arches are of graceful proportion, the roof is elaborately
groined, and the windows are of beautiful symmetry,
and enriched with tracery of peculiar delicacy. There
are numerous chapels in various parts of the cathedral,
some of which are enclosed with screens of beautiful
design, and in one is an ancient clock, removed from
Glastonbury,-with an astronomical dial, and a train of
figures of knights in armour, which, by the machinery,
are moved round in circular procession; in the south
transept is an ancient font of the same date as that
part of the building. Many of the details of this splendid
structure are of singular character, and of exquisite
beauty, and, whether taken as a whole, or examined in
its several parts, it ranks high among the ecclesiastical
edifices of the kingdom. There are many interesting
and ancient monuments of the bishops who were interred
within its walls, among which are, the tomb of
Bishop Beckington, in a chapel in the presbytery, with
his effigy in alabaster; the gravestone of Bishop Joscelyne,
in the middle of the choir, marking the spot
where an elegant marble monument, bearing his effigy
in brass, formerly stood; that of King Ina, who was
interred in the centre of the nave, and many others.
The cloisters form three sides of a quadrangle south
of the cathedral: the western range, in which are the
school and the treasury, was built by Bishop Beckington,
who also began the south side, which was finished
by Thomas Henry, treasurer of Wells, and archdeacon
of Cornwall and the eastern range, containing a
chapel and a library, was erected by Bishop Bubwith.
The chapter-house is an elegant octagonal structure,
of which each side measures fifty feet: the roof, which
is finely groined, is supported on an elegant clustered
column of Purbeck marble in the centre, and the interior,
is lighted by windows of handsome design: beneath
it is a crypt of good character, with a roof displaying
a fine specimen of plain groining, from which a
Staircase of singular construction leads into the chapterroom,
and to several other parts of the adjacent buildings.
To the south of the cathedral is the episcopal
palace, an ancient castellated mansion, surrounded with
walls, enclosing nearly seven acres of ground, and
defended by a deep moat, which is supplied from
the water of St. Andrew's well: on the north side is a
venerable gateway tower leading over a bridge into the
outer court, on the east side of which is the palace,
containing several spacious and magnificent rooms, and
a chapel: opposite the entrance are the remains of the
great hall, one hundred and twenty feet long, and seventy
feet wide, now in ruins, having been. demolished in the
reign of Edward VI., for the sake of the materials. The
vicar's close was originally built by Walter de Hull,
canon of Wells, and archdeacon of Bath, and improved
by Bishop Ralph de Salopia, in 1348, who erected a new
college for the residence of the vicars and choristers,
which he endowed with lands of his own, in addition
to what were given by Walter de Hull: it was subse:
quently enlarged, and its endowment augmented, by
Bishop Beckington, who erected the gateways, of which
that on the east, adjoining the cathedral buildings, has
a long gallery communicating with the church and the
vicar's close, with a large flight of steps at each end;
at the south end is a hall with a buttery, and other
conveniences, under which is an arched gateway: at
the north end are the chapel and library, and on the
east and west sides are handsome ranges of dwellinghouses.
This college, the revenue of which, in the 26th
of Henry VIII., was £72. 10. 9., escaped the general
dissolution, and was afterwards refounded by Queen
Elizabeth, who appointed the number of vicars to be
not less than fourteen, nor more than twenty. The
deanery is a spacious and handsome structure, erected
by Dean Gunthorp, in allusion to whose name the walls
are ornamented with several guns, carved in stone: in
this mansion the founder entertained Henry VII., on his
return from the West of England. Near the deanery
is the west gate, a plain ancient edifice, forming the
principal entrance into the city from Bath.
The city comprises only the in-parish of St. Cuthbert,
which surrounds the cathedral precincts: the
several hamlets, which are without the limits of the
city, extending for seven miles in circuit, form the outparish
of St. Cuthbert. The living is a vicarage, rated
in the king's books at £33. 13. 6., and in the patronage
of the Dean and Chapter, who have ecclesiastical
jurisdiction over the liberty of St. Andrew, the in-parish
being subject to the bishop, and the out-parish to
the dean. The church of St. Cuthbert is a spacious
and handsome structure, in the later style of English
architecture, with a lofty square embattled tower,
strengthened with angular buttresses, and crowned
with pinnacles, forming one of the most beautiful
specimens of a tower in that style of architecture.
Though of large dimensions, it assumes a degree of
lightness from the judicious distribution of its ornaments,
and the relief afforded by niches of elegant design,
the belfry windows are lofty, and, from the beauty
of their composition, give to the tower above the roof
the character of a magnificent lantern, and the west
door, and the large window over it, are also richly embellished.
The interior consists of a nave, aisles, and
choir, and contains several sepulchral chapels, among
which are traces of an earlier style of architecture than
the church; the walls are adorned with several ancient
monuments and mural tablets. There are places
of worship for .Baptists,. Independents, and Wesleyan
Methodists. The United charity school, founded in
1654, by Mrs. Mary Barkham, Mr. Adrian Hickes, and
Mr. Philip Hodges, which last erected a school-house,
is endowed with property producing above £500 per
annum, which is appropriated to the instruction of
thirty-four boys and twenty girls in reading, writing
and arithmetic, pf which number twenty of each sex
are completely clothed j the boys, on leaving the school,
are apprenticed, with a premium of £10, and an additional,
sum of £10 on the completion of the fourth
year; at the expiration of their, term, upon prpducing
a certificate of good conduct, each receives a present
of £5; the girls are also taught needlework, and
placed out in service. On the north side of the
churchyard is an hospital, founded and endowed by
Bishop Bubwith, who died in 1424, for twelve aged men,
twelve aged women, and a chaplain, to which six more
aged men were added, in 1607, by Bishop Still, who
augmented the endowment for that purpose; including
the previous augmentation, by Bishops Beckington and
Bourne, the present income is about £400 per annum;
the inmates receive, in summer, a weekly allowance of
four shillings and sixpence, and in winter five shillings
each, with a supply of coal, clothes, and other
necessaries;. the buildings are neat, and comprise separate
apartments for each, with a common room, and
a small chapel at the east end. The almshouses in
Priests' Row were founded, in 1614, by Mr. Henry
Llewellyn, who endowed them for six aged women, who
have each two rooms, an allowance of five shillings and
sixpence per week, £1 every two years for clothes, and
five shillings yearly for coal: the income arising from
the endowment is about £170 per annum, from which
fund also, the same weekly allowance is paid to four
aged widows not in the almshouses, and an annual payment
of twelve shillings and sixpence made to all, on
St.Thomas' day. An almshouse for decayed burgesses
was founded, in 1638, by Mr. Walter Brick, who placed
it under the inspection of the bishop. Almshouses were
founded, in 1711, by Mr. Archibald Harper, who
endowed them with property, now producing about £70
per annum, for five decayed wool-combers of the city;
the buildings comprise five apartments for the men,
with a committee-room for the meeting of the trustees,
which, at other times, is appropriated as a common room
for the inmates, who receive each five shillings per
week during the summer, and six shillings during the
winter: there are numerous other charitable bequests
and funds, at the disposal of the corporation, for distribution
among the poor. In the verdery of South-over are the
remains of the priory of St. John, founded
in 1206, by Hugh, Archdeacon of Wells, afterwards
Bishop of Lincoln, and subsequently augmented by
Bishop Joscelyne; the revenue at the dissolution was
£41. 3. 6.; the buildings have been converted into a
wool-comber's shop. The neighbourhood, especially on
the side of the Mendip hills, abounds with geological
interest. Among the eminent prelates of the see were
Cardinal Wolsey and Archbishop Laud; the celebrated
historian, Polydore Virgil, was archdeacon in the sixteenth
century; and the learned and pious Dr. George
Bull, Bishop of St. David's, was born in this city, in the
year 1634; he died in 1709.