The Ports, Harbours, Watering-places and Picturesque Scenery of Great Britain Vol. 2Finden, W. (William)
History
The Ports, Harbours, Watering-places and Picturesque Scenery of Great Britain Vol. 2
Finden, W. (William)
Coasts -- Great Britain -- Pictorial works; Great Britain -- Pictorial works
Brixham lies about a mile and a half to the westward of Berry Head, the
southern extremity of Torbay, in the county of Devon, and is about
twenty-eight miles south of Exeter, and one hundred and ninety-eight
west-south-west of London. As a fishing town, Brixham is one of the most
considerable in the kingdom. The total number of fishing vessels
belonging to the place is nearly two hundred, of which, about one
hundred and ten are from thirty to forty tons burden, and the rest from
six to eighteen tons. Besides these, there are several yawls and smaller
boats which are employed in the fishery near the shore. For years past
about seventy of the larger class of fishing vessels have been
accustomed to proceed to Ramsgate, for the purpose of catching fish in
the North Sea for the supply of the London market. They usually leave
Brixham in November and December, and return again towards the latter
end of June. The Brixham fishermen send a great quantity of fish to the
Exeter, Bath, Plymouth, and Bristol markets. The principal fish which
they take are cod, ling, conger-eels, turbot, whitings, hake, soles,
skate and plaice, with herring and mackerel in the season. A quantity of
whitings are generally salted and dried at Brixham. On the coast of
Devonshire dried whitings are called "buckhorn," a name sufficiently
expressive of their hardness and insipidity. Besides the vessels
employed in the fishery, there are ships belonging to Brixham which are
chiefly engaged in the West India, Mediterranean, and coasting trades.
A weekly market, with a market-house at the water-side, was established
here in 1799, and in 1804 a stone pier of great strength was erected at
the expense of the nation. The population of the place is about 5,000.
One of the most memorable events in its history is the landing there of
William Prince of Orange, afterwards William III., on the 5th of
November, 1688. The view of Torbay, from the cliffs above the town, is
in the highest degree interesting, especially when enlivened, as it
frequently is, by a fleet of fishing-boats dotting its placid waters,
and stretching far into the British Channel.
At an early period the manor of Brixham was held by the Nevants and the
Valletorts; but after divers ownerships it was divided into twelve
quarters, one of which was purchased by twelve fishermen of Brixham
Quay, and divided into as many shares; some of these have been much
farther subdivided, yet their owners, be their shares ever so small,
have the local denomination of Quay Lords.
Brixham Church Town is about a mile distant from the quay. The church is
a spacious structure of the date of the fourteenth century, with an
embattled tower, and the peculiarities of the architecture of that
period. It is dedicated to the Virgin Mary, and contains several
monuments of considerable antiquity, the inspection of which will repay
the antiquarian for the visit.
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