BRIDGEWATER, a municipal and parliamentary borough and seaport in the county of Somerset, 29 miles S.S.W. of Bristol. It is pleasantly situated in a level and well wooded country, having on the east the Mendip range, and on the west the Quantock hills. The town, which is neat and well built, is situated on both sides of the Parret, here crossed by a handsome iron bridge. It has an ancient Gothic church with a spire 174 feet in height, a town-hall, jail, market-place, savings-bank, infirmary, free grammar-school, other endowed schools, and some alms-houses. The river is navigable for vessels of 700 tons up to the town. In 1849, 2838 vessels of 133,021 tons entered, and 1274 vessels of 56,959
tons cleared at the port; and at the end of that year, 127 vessels of 10,231 tons belonged to the port. The customs-duties were £10,500. Chief imports—grain, coals, wine, hemp, tallow, and timber; exports—agricultural produce and bath-bricks, which last constitute the staple trade of the town. Market-days, Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday. The town is governed by a mayor, six aldermen, and eighteen councillors, and returns two members to parliament. Pop. (1851) 10,317. Admiral Blake was born here in 1599.