CHESTER, (Cheshire) 140 cm. 182 mm. from London, is commonly called West-Chester. 'Tis a large, ancient, populous, and
wealthy city, with a noble bridge, having a gate at each end, and 12 arches over the Dee, which falls into the sea. It has
11 ps. and 9 well built Chs. The Cathedral, called St. Werburg's, once a mon, looks as antique as the castle. Some say
they were both built by Will. the Conq's, nephew, Hugh Lupus; and others that the Ch. was founded by Edgar. The continual
resort of passengers here, to and from Ireland, adds very much to its trade; but its port, which is formed by the Hyle-
Lake and the point of Aire, is indifferent, the bar being often almost choaked up, so that ships were forced to unload
their goods at 6 m. distance, and send them up to the city in small vessels: But by the favour of two acts of Pt. in 1732
and 1741, this inconvenience is in a great measure surmounted, by a channel being cut 10 m. in length, through which great
vessels now come up to its key. The city is supposed to have been founded by the Romans, in whose days it was very
eminent, and no city in Britain maintained the Roman splendor so long. After it had submitted to the Saxons, the Britons
recovered and kept it, till Egbert, the first Saxon monarch, took it from them about 826; and 60 years after this it was
taken by the Danes; but they were besieged, and forced to surrender it to the united Saxons and Britons. In the R. of K.
Edw. the elder, it was enlarged; and K. Edgar having in the 13th of his R. summoned all the Kgs. and Princes of the island
hither to pay him homage, the Kgs. of Scotland, Cumberland, and Man, and 5 petty Kgs. of Wales swore fealty to him, and
rowed him in a barge in the r. Dee, while himself sat in triumph, steering the helm. In the R. of Hen. VIII. this city was
impowered to elect members to Pt. In the civil wars, it held out a siege for K. Cha. I. under Ld. Biron, and declared for
Cha. II. under Sir Geo. Booth. In 1605 a mint was established here for coining the new money. The houses here in general
are of timber, very large and spacious, but are built with galleries, piazzas, or covered walls before them; in which the
passengers are so hid, that to look into the streets, one sees no body stirring, except with horses, coaches, carts, &c,
and the shops are hardly to be seen from the streets, so that they are, for the most part, dark and close; but in such
parts, where the rows do not cloud the buildings, there are large well built houses. The streets are generally even and
spacious, and, crossing one another in strait, lines, meet in the centre. The walls were first created by AEdelfleda, a
Mercian lady, anno 908, and join on the S. side of the city to the castle; from whence there is a pleasant walk round the
city upon the walls, except where it is intercepted by some of the towers over the gates; and from hence there is a
prospect of Flintshire and the mountains of Wales. The city consists chiefly of 4 large streets, which make an exact
cross, with the T. house and an exchange in the middle, which is a neat structure, supported by columns 13 foot high, of
one stone each. The city has 4 gates, 3 posterns, and is 2 m. in com. The episcopal see was first translated to it from
Litchfield, immediately after the conquest; but it was afterwards removed to Coventry, and thence back again, to
Litchfield; so that Chester remained without this dignity till it was restored by Hen. VIII. It had been made a corp. and
Co. by K. Hen. VII. 'Tis governed by a mayor, 24 ald. 2 sheriffs, and 40 C.C. In the castle, where the Es. of Chester
formerly held their Pts. is a stately hall, somewhat like that at Westminster, where the palatine courts and assizes are
held. There are also offices for the records, a prison for the Co. and a tower ascribed to Julius Caesar. A Dutch colony
was settled here not many years ago, by whose industry the traffick of this city was much augmented; but the mf. of most
note here, is tobacco pipes, said to be the best in Europe, being made of clay brought from the Isle of Wight, Pool, and
Biddiford. Here are assemblies every week, and horse-races upon St. George's Day, beyond the Rhodes, which is a fine large
green, but so low, that it is often overflowed by the Dee. The walls, being built like most of the houses of a stone which
is a soft reddish grit, often want repairing; for which purpose, there are officers, called murengers. The keeping of the
gates was once reckoned so honourable an office, that it was claimed by several noble families; as East-gate by the E. of
Oxford, Bridge-gate by the E. of Shrewsbury, Water-gate by the E. of Derby, North-gate by the mayor of the city. On the E.
side of it, there is a postern, which was shut up by one of its mayors, because his daughter, who had been at stool-ball
with some maidens in Pepper-street, was stolen, and convey'd away thro' this gate; this has occasioned a proverb here, "
When the daughter is stolen " shut Pepper-gate." The city is well supplied with water from the r. Dee by mills, and the
water-tower, which is one of the gates of the bridge. The centre of the city, where the 4 streets meet facing the cardinal
points, is called the Pentife, from whence there is a pleasant prospect of all 4 at once. The suburb of Hanbrid is called
by the Welsh Treboth, i.e. Burnt-Town, it having been often burnt by them in their incursions. The fee-farm rents of this
city are vested in the Ps. of Wales, as Es. of Chester, who hold them with the castle and profits of the temporalties of
the Bpk. and the free men swear to be true to the K. and E. The officers established here are, a governor of the city and
castle, a lieutenant-governor, with a mastergunner, store-keeper, and furbisher of small-arms; and for the customs,
besides a collector, comptroller, and searcher, here are 21 subordinate officers. Here is a ch. sc. fcr 40 boys, who are
taught, cloathed and maintained by a fund of 500 l. and 70 l. a year subscription. The Mts. here, are W. and S. and the
Fairs, to which abundance of merchants and tradesmen come from all parts, particularly Bristol and Dublin, are June 14.
July 25, and Sept. 29, each for a week. This place was of great account, so early as in the days of K. Arthur, for
teaching the arts and sciences, and the learned languages. K. Ethelwolf, and 2 other British Ks. are said to have been
crowned here; and, it is said, that Hen. IV. Emp. of Germany, died and was buried here, after having lived a hermit here
unknown for 10 years.