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Inscribed in graphite, center left: "R.4 2nd Large Paper Edition"

Watermark: "I 7 LEP" (W/m of William Lepard, in Archaeologia).

Lettered upper left: "The Itinerant"; lettered, lower left: "Engraved by J. Walker from an Original Drawing by W. Turner."; lettered, lower right: "Publish'd Aug. 1st; 1795 by J. Walker No.16 Rosomans Row, London."; lettered, lower center: "BRIDGENORTH. | BRIDGNORTH, | AN ancient borough in Shropshire, occupying a most picturesque and romantic situation on the Severn, which divides it | into upper and lower town; over the Severn is a bridge of seven arches, supposed to have been originally builty by the | widow of Etheldred, King of teh Mercians, about the year 675. | BRIDGNORTH castle is of Danish structure, and has stood above 900 years. The town was walled round by Robert de | Belsesme, Earl of Shrewsbury, who afterwards revolted from henry i. as did Roger de Mortimer, fro Henry II. relying | on the strength of the place, but both unsuccessfully, as they were obliged to surrrender. At the siege of the place occurred | one of those rare instances of loyalty and friendship we sometimes hear of, that of a subject sacrificing his own life to save | his king. | Hubert de St. Clare observing an arrow directed at Henry II. and having no way to prevent its effects, stepped before | him , and received it in his own heart. | BRIDGNORTH remained the property of the crown till granted by Richard iii. to John Sutton, Lord Dudley; it has | been several times besieged, but suffered most in the civil wars, the citadel being gallantly defended for King Charles, by | sir Lewis Kirk; these are now but very small remains of the Castle, which was on the highest part of the rock, and had | a very extensive command of the country. On the west bank of the river stood a magnificent convent, under which were | several remarkable large caverns and vaults; and in some parts of the town, excavations in the rock are united to the | dwellings; indeed, the whole town has a singular appearance. | In BRIDGNORTH are two churches; and on the Castle HIll is a walk, which King Charles I. said he thought the | pleasantest in his dominions. the town which consists only of three streets, paved with pebbles, is poulous, and has | a good trade, both by land and water. | The corporation of BRIDGNORTH is of a very ancient grant, and its privileges are considerable; it is exempt from the | payment of tolls, customs, &c. to any other place, while it receives many. Its internal government is in the hands of two | bailiffs, annually elected, 24 aldermen, a recorder, 48 common council, and a town clerk. | The bailliffs pro tempore are lords of the manor for the town and its surrounding liberties; and it sends two members to | Parliament, which are elected by the free burgesses. | Here is a free school for the burgesses sons, from whence are sent and maintained 18 scholars at the university of | Oxford; likewise an hospital for poor widows; but the church endowments are very deficient, the ancient revenue having | been entirely alienated by the statue of dissolution | The market of BRIDGNORTH is on Saturday, and is well supplied and attened. These are annually sou fairs; a very | thriving stocking maufactory is carried here; as also of late years the trade of gun-making the distance of the town | from the capital of the kingdom is 135 miles, and 15 from shrewsbury, the county town. | The bridge has suffered considerably from floods, and the gate-house on it has very recently been pulled down."