The Dorset County Express and Agricultural Gazette.
Dorchester, Dorset, England, 1881-09-27 00:00:00

BRIDPORT.

WORKING MIXR INNITTITTL —On Tuesday evening
an entertainment of vocal and iestrumental
=, and recitation', was given in the reeding-
the above association when then was • good
attendance of members and friends. In the absence of
the Mayor, who is president and treasurer of the
institution, Mr. H. Bamford, of Fmtetreet, occupied
the chair, and Mr. J. Parnell presided at the her-
nrmaium. The evening wai an exceedingly phrasal
one, and several non-msmbero, who contributed
In a great degree to the pleasure of the even-
log were duly thanked for their saietenee. The
chairman announced at the termination of the
ineuramene that it wee In contemplation to hold •
similar entertainment every month during the approach-
ing SW, m. The secretary, Mr. C. Powell, urged the
members to do all in their power to help get people to
come to the soiree to be held on 29th Setember, Net.,
at the Drill Hall They knew that they were 216 and
upwards, in debt, and the soiree was an attempt to get
In • little money toward the deficit Votes of thanks
to the musicians, nonmembers, and chairman,
concluded a most enjoyable evening. It la hoped that
the public will support the forthcoming soiree, for
which every arrangement is being made for theoomfort
of vioitoro. Several well-known musicians have
promised gratuitous services, and Captain Whetham
bee generously granted the use of the Volunteer Drill
Haq. The object, as above stated, is to steer clear of
deficit in the finances, and those who support the
soiree will be aiding an institution at once mad and
beneficial to the town and neighbourhood.

COOM COUBT, Wednesday. Before Sergeant-
Tindal _ Judge. Mr. Matthew Henry
Cheriton_,_of Hole ratu.• vine 11.-gis, brought an action
against Mr. Y. W. Gandry, tarrat-s-staa' clerk for the
borough of Bridport, to recover the son. 7. fa, due
to him as he alleged, out of the hearing of • mu.
before the Beaminster Benoh.—The trial wee to bare
taken place at the Jury Court, but at that time
plaint'ff did not appear, so that the us* was struck
out, and the defendant MIA allowed the usual outs.
—At the lust court plaintiff said the rumen be did not
appear in July was that he thought the court was
bell but ones in two months. and no he staked for •
new trial on that ground.—Plaintiff then undertook
payment of the outs, hie Honour at that time ex-
presaing his fear that plaintiff would and hie remedy
and disrase equally bad.— rho new trial was now
=;:d with.—Pla at intiff said that on the lath
er Lest. a man wee charged with stealing
wood, and he was entitled to is. 6d., which he had
not received. When he was mace at Mr. Gundry's
office the cork 'raked him for 7.. 61.. which be said
vu thie from him. Plaintiff asked him why he had
not &eke] tor the money when the case was called
and told him be should not pay it —The clerk then
sill they owe I him aome money (7s. 61.), from • case,
when plaint:if said he should County Court Mr.
Gundry for ir.—His linsor sail pulauf moat
prove that the money w .a due to him.—Mr. Gundry
now stated that plaintiff owe 1 7s. fid. to the County
in the owe of his (Chorit rn) shooting at the polies
sergeant, one had been placed against the other, and
now be (Mr. Gundry) pleaded this as a eet-off.—His
Honour gave judgment for the defendent with costs.—
Mr. Cheriton now said that certain monies, El las.,
had come into Mr. Gandry's hands, made up, as he
alleged, of certain sums, which he claimed for giving
evidenoe before the magistrates, who had ordered the
mosey to be paid to him.—Mr. Gundry said the
magistrstee had ordered nothing of the kin, and there
was no ground whatever for the plaintlf bringing such
ststements, which really charged a police officer with
embezzling mum of money.—The Judge gave judgment
for the defendant, allowing thee:vita of three witnesses
from Lymo.—Plaintiff protteted, @Wog he would not
pay the witammes.

THE "DECLINE" OP BRIDPOBT.
Bridport, espitabilly in the p. 4 12 maths, has shown
evident signs of decay, and now the Ixesis of the
Treasury appear to be putting the coup di great to the
towo, by reducing lie port to a simple creek withia
the Weymouth limit. Where now, is the cry of the
coustitueocy, is Mr. Warton—the °mutant member's
boasted "Important " conatituaucy Ah whet.?—
dwindling down to the level of the g °laded village "
to which it has been sarcastically likened of late. One
thing, however, is certain that the town of the
" hempen dagger" is gradually shifting from its
ancient importance and who blames hem much toblame, for this is thi mat modern "blocker." Perhaps
the poetically pert remarks from the great
viers:alma Centre, relative to the unfortunate borough
(which hes only once regretted his acquaintance—TU.,
ever since it first glimpsed him) have lad to "
investigation, resulting in 11111 unhappy discovery that
Bridport we. not an important Cowls, and minus a
remunerative haven. But, unimportant as the town,
and unremunsrative as the harbour may have been and
still remain, both have men their busy, and indeed
busiest der. And Ills at say rate pretty certain that
posterity will be enabled to point at mt. women., I
advent se cuateaspossamous with Um &alias of the
customs., and conemosettly mother stroke at the root
of the bongo/h. II a step is to be made as • final
attempt to stem the currant which is gradnally, but
surely damaging the interests of the town, it should be
done at mos, for the fact that the largest spirit merchant
of the town has been instructed to bond no more goods
here, is sufficient to see that ao time is to be loot.
Would it not be • praiseworthy, even if a vain
attempt, for the Mayor to mu a muss meet-
ing, with tbe object of supplicating through the
municipality against this promdare, which really
means more harm to the local interests, than =ay
inhabitants are at &sleight aware ol I Perhaps a few
facts oolooerning the past history of Bridport Harbour,
henceforth, aim I to be a " meek" may be interesting
to your readers, Mr. Editor. There is no certain
aocount that the haven ever was a port of oonsidera-
tion, or returned into the Exchequer as such. The ,
most ancient mooed of this nature is that in the 8411
year of Edward I. the" town, of Bridport claimed
to have toll in common with other maritime laoss. for
which the Burgesses had to pay 20, at Ifto
the Kiog's Exchequer. They also claimed to have the
stones and sand there, wherever the sea flows and ebbs,
which liberties they end their ancestore have always
used. It is not found that the town has made any
figure In maritime affairs, although attempts was
anciently made to form a port. In 12, Rklard
1388, Jobs Huddersfield obtained • grant from the
king for o =yin un such • work, foe which he was to
have a halfpenny toll for every honmlosid of goods
imported or exported here. Pour years after a similar
grant wee made. In 1302 Richard, the kisser, was
supplicated by the inhabitant' on the ground that they
had beg= to build the pat, and were not able to
finish it—granted a mhsW, from the things sold at
port, to be levied and collected, so that the money
thus arising be applied towards the building of the
part. In 1444, II Hoary VI, an bacibt=s.lpie:
granted by the Bill of Swam for and
repairing • new Peet grPi•Port—orallwi Bry
Haven for the preservatiaa of merchants end
mariners. In 1444 an indulgence 01 10 days, dated at
London, July kh, was greeted by the itiehop of
Sarum and other Mthops of Use realm, to those wbo
contributed to the maintenance and sustenaace of the
Haven of " Brideport," where, by ragman of the
tempest. end other causes, many ships, merchants,
mariners, ka. were accustomed to seek refuge.
In 1819, the bailiffs and burgeons of the borough pre-
sented their petition to the king, asking the bear
voisaos of England and Wales for the" re-edifying" of
their decayed ancient harbour, the charge whereof
would amount to £3,ooo—they had made a collection,
but obtained only about £BL The petition was
referred to Sir George Trenthard and John Strode,
Esq., who gave as their opinion that the money
collected would not be sufficient in any way measure
for the intended purpose, directing it to be bestowed
on the maintenance of a schoolmaster, which was done.
In 1722.8 George I. an Act of Parliament was obtained
to restore and rebuild the haven and pure; make
sluices, wharves, and leading pieces, but not till 1741
was the pier begun by Mr. Reynolds, and finished in
1742. Lord Deerhurat and G. sirds, Req.. the
then representatives, contributed £3,500 end L'1,500
was gct from the town and other sources. But the
, less were not carried far enough into the sea, as they
terminated precisely at the point where the sand forms
itself into • ridsre all along the mast to the Isis of
Portland; so sluices were constructed which discharged
the fresh water with such rApidity as to scour the sand
at low tide, so that vessels of WO or 3DD tons were
admitted without difficulty. Even imperfect as it
still is, the harbour is of greet advantage to the adjoin.
log country and foreign parts, there being often large
imports from Russia, Sweden, Norway, and Penedo".
In 1774 nine vowels belonging to tbe town were
employed in the coasting trade, and in that of Norway.
In 1794 there were eleven containing together up-
wards of NO tons, the harbour dues for that year
exceeding £380; but in later years they ham shown
more than five times that amount in one year. In
1822 the Corporation thought it desirable to obtain a
new Act containing additional powers, and appointing
additional trustees, teed solicited a Bill which is
into an Act May 22nd, 1823, "An Act for the Im-
provement, more Effectual Security and Maintenance
of the Harbour of Bridport." This Act fixed a
minimum of tonnage dues on vessels frequenting the
harbour, and of dues to be received on exports and
imports, and authorised the commissioners to raise
money on mortgage of such dues; £17,800 were
borrowed, and with the earplug duties expended In
improvements. In 1832 the privilege of bonding and
warehouiinz goods was extended to the harbour, and
the etwoms thereby increased. Added to this, the
Act empowe ing the extension of the railway to the
seacide, it will be at once seen that efforts have been
made from time to time for the improvement of the
port. The late member, Mr. Rai, was a warm
supporter of the proposed railway extension, the idea
of which has now of course fallen to the ground. The
Government are about to make improvements for the
coactan.rd 'styles, but beyond that they seem to care
but little. It will be in the interests of the local
traders if anything can be done to prevent the abolition
I of the Customs.