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Yale Center for British Art and British Studies

Hi"

^

SOME ACCOUNT

OF THE

»

And an Inquiry into the date of the First
Authentic one.

BY

"WILLIAM GEORGE,

ith Waut HlHBtratiott^.

Old Maps are of infinite use in Topographical Studies." —
W. Camden, 1607.

BRISTOL :
W. George and Son, 26, Park Street.

1881.

*f*

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/¦l-r.7^ /:¦ Brislrl

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SOME ACCOUNT

« m
ui ;jlan^ of ||rjstfll

And an Inquiry into the date of the First
Authentic one.

BY

WILLIAM GEORGE,

ith %kxtz lllttBtrations.

" Old Maps are of infinite use in Topographical Studies." —
W. Camden, 1607.

BRISTOL :
W. George and Son, 26, Park Street.
1881.

4

PLANS DESCRIBED OR MENTIONED.

PAGE.
Barrett's (W.), before 1247 ... ... ... 6
 about 1581 ... ... ... ... 9
" Bristolia-Bristow." Amsterdam, 1632 ... ... 9
Hoefrxagle's (George) n581 ... ... ... 6
Hollar's (W.iHkH») 1673 ... ... ... 9
Millerd's (James) small one, 1671 ... ... ... 9
 large one, 1673 ... ... ... 10
Ricart's (Robert), from the " Mayor's Kalendar," 1480 ? 5 & 6
Seyer's (Rev. Samuel) 1250 to 1350 ... ... 10 & 11

THE DATE OF THE FIRST AUTHENTIC PLAN
OF BRISTOL.
contents :— Conjectural Plans of ancient Bristol.— The plan in " The Mayor's
Kalendar,'' 1480. — Its symbolism. — The one in Barrett's " Bristol," page 51.— Hoefnagle's
" Brightstowe," in Braun's *' Civitates," toI. III., 1581, the earliest authentic plan
hitherto recorded. — Ames's error in dating it *' 1575 ," copied by Seyer, Tyson, and
others.- Was Hoefnagle ever in England?— W. Smith a " Description of England, 1588,"
lately printed from the original MS. — Contains his plan of '* Bristow," 1568. — This
thirteen years earlier than Hoefnagle's.— Similarity of the two foregoing plans, — Smith's
the more accurate. — Smith, after his visit to Bristol in 156S, resides in Germany. — When
Hoefnagle*s plan was published there, Smith living near him. — Smith's racy description
of Elizabethan Bristol. — His plan of Bristol used by "Soefnagle, and his Description by
Braun. — Old plans of Bristol in Barrett, Speed, .Sec, apparently based on Hoefnagle's as
Hoefnagle's on Smith's. — No plan of Bristol published from independent survey from
1568 to 1671. — Our .indebtedness to Smith for the first authentic plan and to James
Millerd, "cittizen," for the second. — Millerd presents his "Delineation," 1673, to the
Corporation. — They return him praise and plate for his gift. — His " Delineation " now
scarce and valuable. — Its title. — Seyer's plan of Bristol between 1250 and 1350 — Full
description of it. — These old plans not mere curiosities. — Their value and use.
Before speaking of the first authentic plan of our city, it will
be as well, perhaps, to refer to two early conjectural ones, which
are given in Barrett's " History," and in Seyer's " Memoirs," of
Bi-istol. In the first volume of Seyer's work is a coloured plan, or
Bird's-eye view, of Bristol, copied from Ricart's " Mayor's Kalen
dar." Whether it was drawn by Ricart himself (for on this point
be is silent) or by his friend William Wyrcestre, as suggested by
Miss Toulmin Smith,^ cannot now be ascertained.
During the first five years that Ricart was gathering informa
tion to refresh the memory of his fellow citizens, William
Wyrcestre was pacing about his native city, making those topo
graphical notes which now form his precious " Itinerary." In
this quaint view " the highest symbol of christian faith " is
embodied in the general features of the ground plan. The four
principal streets, which reach from gate to gate, form a Saint
Andrew's Cross, and the cluster of houses in each division a
1 Eioart's "Mayor's Kalendar," edited for the Camden Society by
Miss Toulmin Smith, 1871, Int., vii., viii.

6 FiKST Authentic Plan of Bbistol.
Maltese Cross, while the High Cross {''Alia Crux") occupies
the point of intersection.'
The date of the original drawing would be about 1480. It is
placed in Ricart's " Kalendar" immediately after his fabulous
description of the building of Bristol by King Brynne or Brinnus.
Seyer says this plan represents Ricart's notion of the city when so
built ; but Mr. C. Pooley is of opinion that it is " intended to
represent the town towards the conclusion of the Saxon era.'
Though most interestiag from being the earliest conjectural
representation of our city known, it cannot be considered of any
historical value.
There is a small plan of Bristol in Barrett's " History," which
is intended to represent the city before Bristol Bridge was built.
Barrett does not inform us whence he obtained this plan, which,
Seyer says, "seemed to bear the mark of Chatterton's pen."
The High Cross is inserted, which was not erected until after the
bridge was built, in 1247, and then certainly not in the style here
delineated. On account of this anachronism, and for other reasons,
Seyer suspected it was not authentic and rejected it — we must do
the same.
The earliest undoubted authentic plan of Bristol, hitherto recor
ded by Bristol historians, is that known as George Hoefnagle's,
published in the third volume of Braun's, or Bruin's, " Givitates
Orbis Terrarum," printed at Cologne, in 1581. This plan is well
known to most of us through the cheap facsimile, issued, a few-
years since, by Mr. John Lavars, of this city. Hoefnagle engraved
some of the plans in the noble work mentioned, but his name is
not on this of " Brightstowe." Ever since the publication of
Joseph Ames's "Typographical Antiquities," in 1749, this plan,
which he erroneously dates " 1575," has invariably been attributed
to Hoefnagle, but on what authority we know not.^ Horace
' "Crosses of Gloucestershire," by C. Pooley, F.S.A., p. 3.
2 Suspecting the date, " 1575," given by Ames to Braun's plan to be
erroneous, Mr. Thomas Kerslake was applied to for information on the point,
who, after examining his copies of the original Latin edition of the VivUate.i,
and the French translation, kindly replied — "George Braun's preface

First Authentic Plan of Beistol. 7
Walpole supposes that Hoefnagle visited England : but the Rev.
James Dallaway (a competent authority and a native of Bristol)
asserts that he never was in this country. Braun — who gathered
his maps, plans, and perspective views from any originals he could
get — mentions that Hoefnagle had communicated to him many of
Spanish places, but does not, as far as we can find, mention his
being indebted to Hoefnagle for any plans of places in England.
Assuming that Dallaway is right in his assertion, it will be
asked " whence then did Braun obtain the original delineation
for his plan of our city 1 "
In tlie Sloane collection in the British Museum' is a MS.
volume, which has been almost overlooked, entitled : " The Par.
ticular Description of England, with the Portratures of Certaine
of the Chieffe,st Citties and Townes, 1588. By William Smith,
Rouge Dragon." This has now, for the first time, been printed
and during the last month issued to subscribers. It is edited by
Messrs. H. B. Wheatley, F.S.A., and Edmund Ashbee, F.S.A.
This interesting work contains 230 coats of arms in gold and
colours, and 16 coloured profile sketches and bii-d's-eye views of
towns and cities. Amongst the latter — which are well drawn
and do great credit to Smith's skill — is one of Bristol, and on it is
*he following note : — " Measured and laid down in Platforme by
me, W. Smith, at my being at Bristow, the 30 & 31 of July
Ano. Dni., 1568-"^
The date on Smitli's plan, 1568, is thirteen years earlier than
that of Hoefnagle's. The two are similar though not identical ;
the former, in some instances, being the more accurate ; e.g.
Smith's has the Chapel of the Assumption on the bridge, with its
the .3rd volume of his ' Civitates' (in which the plan of 'Brighstowe '
appeared) is dated 'Cologne, 15S1.' " "Braun's address to the reader, in
his tiret volume, is dated January 1st, 1575."
It may be assumed that Ames affixed the latter date to the plan of
Bristol, forgetting that Braun's work was more than thirty yeai's passing
through the press, and that the plan appeared in the 3rd volume of it,
printed in 1 5S 1 . Ames's error has been copied by Seyer, Barrett, Evans,
Tyson, Godwin, and numerous other writers on Topography and Biography
from 1749 down to the present time.
I Sloane MS., 2506. ^ Sloane MS. 2596. Smith's " England " phite XXV.

8 FiKST Authentic Plan of Bristol.
square tower, of 108 feet, and an important gateway in. the city-
wall, neither of which is shown in Hoefnagle's plan.' After
carefully comparing them, our opinion is that Smith's plan is the
original of Hoefnagle's.
There is other evidence besides that of their similarity.
We learn from the valuable Introduction to Smith's "England,"
that after his visit to Bristol he went to reside in Germany ; kept
an inn in Nuremburg ; in 1580, married a German lady — Veronica
Altensteig— wrote a book on German Topography, and returned
to England in 1584.
We have shown that the volume of Braun's " Civitates," con
taining the plan of " Brightstowe," was published in Germany, ¦
in 1581, which would be during the time Smith resided there.
Hoefnagle left Antwerp in 1576, after its being taken by the
Spaniards, and at the time Braun's 3rd volume was published was
living near Smith .^
The latter has not only be queathed us a view of our city during
the reign of Queen Elizabeth, but has left us, also, a short and
racy description of it. He writes : —
" Bristow is one of y^ greatest and famoust Citties in England,
and standeth vppon y^ River of Auon, w^ 4 myles thence
falleth into the Severn ; over w<= River there is a fayre Brydge
of Stone, with bowses on eche syde lyke London Bridge, &
almost halff so long, although it have but 4 arches ; so that
one quarter of the Cittie standeth in Somersetshire. But the
Bristollians will be a shyre of themselves, and not accompted in
' These omissions are inserted in the annexed copy of this plan.
2 On October 23, 1597, W. Smith was created Rouge Dragon Pur
suivant. In 1607 he accompanied Sir George Dethiok, Garter, to France,
in attendance on the ambassador, the Marquis of Northampton. He died
on the 1st of October, 1618. Wood says that Camden had a respect for
him, from which fact he draws the just inference that Smith must have
been eminent in his profession. Should the reader wish for a fuller
biographical notice of this indefatigable member of the College of Arms
than is to be found in the pages of Anthony A, Wood, Noble, Chalmers, or
Eose, he will find it in the Introduction to Smith's "Description of
England," by Messrs. Wheatley and Ashbee, where also is a valuable
descriptive list of Smith's numerous works extant in manuscript, and
where they are now deposited.

First Authentic Plan of Bristol. 9
any other shyre. In y« est end of the Cittie is The Castell, w<=
they confess to stand in gloucestershyre. There is no dunghill in
all the Cittie, nor any Sinck y* cometh from any howse, but all
convaid vnder y^ ground ; neither use they any Cartes in their
streets, but all Sleades. There is in y« Cittie 20 ffayre Churches,
whereof 18 are parish Churches."'
Let us compare this with Braun's description. On the back
of the plan he informs us, amongst other things, that " diamonds
are so abundant at St. Vincent's rocks that you may load a ship
with them ; " and that " the church of St. Mary's, commonly
called Radcle, was the most superb in the city." But in the
geographical index, Braun adds, almost in the words of W. Smith,
" that the city of Bristol is remarkably neat and elegant ; carts
are not used in the streets ; no dirt is seen in them, but all im
purities are carried off by subterraneous channels ;" and that
" the churches are beautiful, and the cemeteries spacious."^
From the evidence adduced, we think;it fair to infer that Braun
used Smith's MS. description of our city, as well as his plan.
There is a plan of Elizabethan Bristol in Barrett, page 57,
but Barrett does not inform us whence it was copied. Seyer
promised to re-produce it in his " Memoirs,'' but did not. This
plan, the small one published by John Speed, in 1612, that pub
lished in Amsterdam, iu 1632, and the tiny one engraved by
William Hollar, in 1673, appear to have been based on Hoef
nagle's, as Hoefnagle's is based on that of W. Smith.'
Indeed, it does not appear that any engraved plan of Bristol
was published from independent Survey from 1568 to 1671, when
the first of James Millerd's delightful plans was issued.
To Wm. Smith, therefore, the learned herald and topographer
we are indebted for our first authentic plan of Bristol, and for
the second to James Millerd, Mercer, " cittizen and inhabitant
1 Sloane MS. 2596. « Bath and Bristol Mag., 1833, ii., 308.
^ The two important omissions in Hoefnagle's plan (mentioned in pp
7 and 8, ante) are inserted in John Speed's neat little one, 1612. Smith
assisted Speed in his map of Cheshire, 1611, and it may be assumed that
he was indebted to Smith for these corrections of Hoefnagle's plan.

Lr,'?/,,' ^ " '¦i

,//

£o»t fe : Biistol,

BRISTOL between. A.D. 1250 and' 1350.

First Authentic Plan of Bristol. 11
Seyer's references to the numbers are as follow : —
" 1.— The Abbey church of St. Augustine. 2.— The Abbot's
Lodgings, cloisters, and other parts of the Abbey. 3. — Parish
church of St. Augustine the less. 4. — Lower or inner Green.
5. — The monastery of St. Mark, situate on St. Augustine's Green.
6. — Chapel of St. Brendon ; it was on the highest part of the
hill. 7. — The monastery of the Carmelites ; the road which ran
through their garden on the north, above their house, is now
Trenchard-lane, above which is their lodge, called the Red Lodge.
8. — The Three Kings of Cologne, or Foster's Almshouse. 9. — The
Priory of St. Bartholomew, afterwards the city school. 1 0. — The
Grey Friars, or Franciscans ; their garden, &c., is separated from
the Bartholomews by Johnny Ball's Lane. The small house in
the comer, in St. James's churchyard, is a small friery. 11. — St.
James's Barton with the Grange. 12. — The Full Moon, apparently
a very ancient hostellerie. 13. — Broad Mead. 14. — The Marsh
gate on the Back. 15. — A part of the present King street.
16.— Marsh-street gate. 17.— Viell's Great Tower. 18.— The
Bridge, now the Drawbridge. 1 9. — St. Stephen. 20. — St.
Leonard's church and gate. 21. — St. Giles. 22. — St. Lawrence.
23.— St. John. 24.— The Guildhall. 25.— St. Ewen. 26.—
Christchurch. 28. — All Saints and the Calendaries. 29. — St.
Werburgh. 30.— St. Nicholas. 31.— St. Maryport. 32.— St.
Peter. 33.— Newgate. 34.— St. Martin in the Castle. 35.—
Robert's great dongeon tower. 36. — The great hall and the
chapel, and the rest of the Palace. 37. — The Old Market.
38. — The Austin Friers, within Temple-gate. 39. — Spycer's
Hospital. 40. — Burton's Almshouses. 41. — Weaver's Hall and
Hospital. 42.— St. Thomas's Church. 43.— The Austin Friers
of St. John Baptist in Redcliffe Pitt, with a Chapel of theirs in
Redclifi" Church-yard. 44. — A Hermitage in the rock."'
These plans of ancient Bristol should not be looked upon as
mere curiosities, suitable only for the portfolio of the " collector."
With the topographical notes of old Worcestre (lived 1415-1485),
and the plans of Seyer and Hoefnagle, it is not very difS.cult to
1 Seyer's "Bristol," ii., 43-4^

12 First Authentic Plan of Bristol.
trace out the lines of the walls, streets, and lanes, the courses of
the rivers, and the sites of the gates, bridges, churches, convents
and halls of mediseval Bristol. By their aid we become conversant
with our ancient city, not merely by imagining what its plan
might have been, but by receiving evidence of its actual arrange
ment. What more rational object of antiquarian research could a
citizen have than that implied in the study of the ancient con
dition of the place of his birth or adoption 1

Jltttiquarian ^ampf^let^.

OOME ACCOUNT of the OLDEST PLANS of BRISTOL.
fJ With 3 Illustrations. (1) " BristoUia," 1480, Band Colov/red ; (2)
" Brightstowe^" 1581, folding full-sized Fac-simile ; (3) Seyer's Bristol
between 1250 and 1350. 4to. 12 pp., 2s. 6d. post free.
"It is difficult to overrate the value of ground plans to antiquaries.
In the present instance a good explanatory text is added." — Athenmwm.
" Mr. George's pamphlet is made additionally interesting by the
introduction of three valuable illustrations."— IVie Antiqmiry.
" Ought to be prized by every Bristolian who feels an intelligent
interest in his birth-place." — Bristol Mercwy.
" Mr. William George is a pains-taking and conscientious antiquary.
One of the three illustrations he gives is the plan attributed to Hoefnagle
(1581) ; one of the most picturesque bird's-eye views we have of the old
city." — Bristol Times and Mirror.

TYTES CART MANOR HOUSE, SOMERSET, and its
J-i LITERARY ASSOCIATIONS. 8vo., with 2 Photographs. ' Is. 6d.
post free. Large and thick paper, 4to., 3s. 6d.
" WiU be found full of interest, and is worthy of careful preservation."
— Notes and Queries.
" Is a pains-taking study of a picturesque Tudor Mansion. There are
many biographical particulars of the early Lytes." — Athenaewm.
" A delightful little book." — Dorset Chronicle.

ON an INSCRIBED STONE, at ORCHARD WTNDHAM,
SOMERSET, called "OLD MOTHER SHIPTON'S TOMB;"
with "MOTHER SHIPTON INTERVIEWED," a Legend in
Verse ; and an Account of Mother Shipton, and the earliest editions of
her "Prophecies." 8vo. 32 pages, 6 Illustrations, Is. On large and thick
paper, 4to., 3s. 6d. post free.
" ' Mother Shipton,' as well as her tomb, have been mercUessly dealt
with by Mr. George, who leaves no doubt in the mind that the ' trouble
some prophetess' has no more claim to prophetic honours than her so-
called tomb to be considered of Roman origin."— Dorset Cowtity Chronicle.
" Mr. George's sagacity and perseverance in pursuing his investigation
are only equalled by his success in detecting and exposing this imposture."
— Transactions of the Bristol and Gloucester Archceolo^ical Society, III. 399.
"Mr. George has well exposed the counterfeit, and shown how the
inaccurate copy of the true stone made by Gordon [1726] has been followed
by the forger." — Rev. Pbeb. Soaeth, in ArchceologicaZ Journal (Institute),
No. 144, p. 331.
" An impudent forgery, which has led to a perplexing and contradictory
antiquarian question, Mr. George has completely exposed for all time."
— Transactions of the Cwmberlamd amd Westmoreland Archceological Society ,
III. 281.

IN PREPARATION.
riHATTEETONIANA : Gatherings from Manuscripts and
^ other Sources, Illustrative of the Family, Connections, and Bio
graphy of the poet Chatterton.
WiU contain fao-aimiles of the Inscriptions in the Chatterton " Bible
History."  ^.,^-__
WILLIAM GEORGE & SON,
26, PARK STREET, BRISTOL.

12
trace out
the rivei
and halL«
with oui
might hi
ment.
Wha
citizen a
dition of

The Master's House, Pile Street Free School, the Residence of Chatterton's Parents.
(From "Bristol: Past and Present." )
IVTEW FACTS relating to -the CHATTERTON FAMILY, gathered
-'- ' from Manuscript Entries in a " History of the Bible," which once belonged
to the PARENTS of THOMAS CHATTERTON the Poet, and from PARISH
REGISTERS. Svo., 16 pp.. Is. ; or on large paper, 4to., 2s. post free. [1883.]
' ' In the present revival of interest in Chatterton literature, this contribution
will be welcome to the collector of Chattertoniana. The ' Bible History ' referred
to is now in the possession of the publisher of the pamphlet, and no one can read
the controversy between Mr. John Taylor, Mr. J. H. Ingram and Mr. George
himself — ^which appeared some time since in the Athenoeum, and is here repub
lished— without coming to the conviction that the volume is a veritable relic of
the Chatterton household, and that the entries containing the ' New Facts ' are
genuine. The publisher's annotated Index is a marvel of exhaustiveness, and is
possibly unique in its way." — Bristol Times and Mirror.
"Mr. William George, whose skilful elucidations of some local archaeological
problems are known to our readers, has just issued, under the title of "Some
New Facts relating to the Chatterton Family," a selection from the controversial
letters which have appeared in reference to the recent discovery of the Chatterton
family Bible. It will be remembered that the entries of births and baptisms in
the volume in question, when made known by Mr. John Taylor, of the Bristol
Library, were condemned as forgeries by a London critic, whose asperity was
more conspicuous than his knowledge The attack, however, put Mr. Taylor and
Mr. George on their mettle, and they soon successfully established the accuracy
of the manuscript and the incorrectness of all the biographies as regards the points
in dispute. Mr. George has added a valuable Index to the papers. " — Briitol Mercury.
" The result of this little work is that the following New Facts relating to the
Chatterton family have been established beyond further dispute : — (1) That the
poet's parents were married at Chipping Sodbury, and that the maiden name of
Chatterton's mother was Sarah Young ; (2) That the poet had a brother who was
christened Giles Malpas, in Kedcliff Church, on the day stated in the inscription
in the 'Bible History ;' (3) That Mary, the poet's sister, was baptised in RedcUff
Church on the day recorded in the ' Bible History ; ' and (4) that her age inscribed
on the family tombstone, in Redcliff churchyard, is an error." — Clifton Chronicle.

WILLIAM GEORGE & SON, 26 P.4.RK Street, BRISTOL.

3 9002 08867 4297

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