Transcriber’s Notes: Underscores “_” before and after a word or phrase indicate _italics_ in the original text. Equal signs “=” before and after a word or phrase indicate =bold= in the original text. Small capitals have been converted to SOLID capitals. Illustrations have been moved so they do not break up paragraphs. Old or antiquated spellings have been preserved. Typographical errors have been silently corrected. The TOC entry “The Acquittal of the Seven Bishops celebrated in Bridgnorth” was changed from 186 to 199. On page 156 there is small text above numbers. These have been represented here as: {xxxx/999}, eg. {either/224}. [Illustration: BRIDGNORTH.] THE ANTIQUITIES OF BRIDGNORTH; WITH _Some Historical Notices of the Town and Castle._ BY THE REV. G. BELLETT, A.M. INCUMBENT OF ST. LEONARD’S. Bridgnorth: W. J. ROWLEY, BOOKSELLER, HIGH STREET. LONDON: LONGMAN, BROWN, GREEN, AND LONGMANS. MDCCCLVI. BRIDGENORTH: W. J. ROWLEY, PRINTER, HIGH STREET. TO THE MAYOR, AND CORPORATION, AND INHABITANTS, OF THE BOROUGH OF BRIDGNORTH, THE FOLLOWING WORK IS RESPECTFULLY DEDICATED, BY THEIR FAITHFUL SERVANT, G. BELLETT. ADVERTISEMENT. The Substance of the following pages was given in two lectures, which I delivered last year to the Members of “The Society for Promoting Religious and Useful Knowledge.” Since then I have collected a few more facts relating to the early history of Bridgnorth, which I have here given to the reader, and I have also added an Appendix, containing some matter not altogether, I hope, undeserving of attention, although some of it is only remotely connected with my subject. The public documents relating to the town, such as the Terms of Capitulation, and the Proclamation of Charles II., it has been thought desirable to give entire, as but few copies of them, especially of the latter, are extant. It would seem superfluous for me, after the many quotations which I have taken from his learned work on “The Antiquities of Shropshire,” to make any acknowledgement of my obligations to the Rev. Robert Eyton. But I owe him much more than is indicated by these quotations. He very kindly directed my attention to sources of information respecting Bridgnorth, which have been of the greatest service to me, particularly the Blakeway Papers, in the Bodleian Library, besides allowing me to refer to his better judgment and more extensive information, on any difficulty that occurred to me.