the chief town in Essex, is described in the Encyclopedia Britannica; but the description is in many respects erroneous. The following account of it was sent to us by an obliging correspondent, who is desirous that the place of his nativity may be accurately described in this Supplement.
Colchester is pleasantly situated upon an eminence, gradually rising on the south side of the river Colne. It is the ancient Colonia Camulodunum, from which word Colonia, both the town and the river Colne, received their names. The Saxons called it Colnecester. That it flourished under the Romans, several buildings full of their bricks, and innumerable quantities of coin
(a) It is not to coffee alone that this reflection is confined; every article we use as a diluter demands the same attention. Malt liquors, particularly small beers, which in this respect is much neglected, ought always to be carefully fined. The insipid matter entangled by the mucilage of the malt is hurtful to digestion, and detrimental to health. Colchester, dug up in and about it, fully evince. In the year 1763, a curious tessellated or mosaic pavement was found in the garden of the late Mr Barnard, surgeon in the High Street, now the property of Mr John Wallis, about three feet under the surface of the earth. The emperor Constantine the Great was born here, his mother Helen being daughter of Cool, governor or king of this district under the Romans. She is said to have found out the cross of Christ at Jerusalem; and on that account the arms of this town are a cross regulee between three ducal coronets, two in chief and one in base, the coronet in base passing through the cross.
The walls wherewith the town was encompassed are still tolerably entire on the south, east, and west sides, but much decayed on the north side: they are generally about nine feet thick. By a statute of King Henry VIII, this town was made the see of a suffragan bishop.
This town is the most noted in England for making of baize; is also of special note for candying the cringo roots, and for oysters.
In the conclusion of the civil war 1648, this town suffered a severe siege of ten weeks; and the besieged making a very resolute defence, the siege was turned into a blockade, wherein the garrison and inhabitants suffered the utmost extremity of hunger, being reduced to eat horse-flesh, dogs, and cats, and were at last obliged to surrender at discretion, when their two valiant chief officers, Sir Charles Lucas and Sir George Lisle, were shot under the cattle walls in cold blood. Colchester is a borough by prescription, and under that right sends two members to parliament, all their charters being silent upon that head. The charter was renewed in 1763. The town is now governed by a mayor, recorder, 12 aldermen, 18 assistants, and 18 common-council men. Quarter-sessions are held here four times in the year.
The famous abbey gate of St John is still standing, and allowed to be a surprising, curious, and beautiful piece of Gothic architecture, great numbers of persons coming from remote parts to see it. It was built, together with the abbey, in 1097, and Gudo, Reward to King William Rufus, laid the first stone.
St Ann's chapel, standing at the east end of the town, is valuable in the esteem of antiquarians as a building of great note in the early days of Christianity, and made no small figure in history many centuries past. It is now pretty entire.
St Botolph's priory was founded by Ernulfus in the reign of Henry I. in the year 1110. It was demolished in the wars of Charles I. by the parliament army under Sir Thomas Fairfax. The ruins still exhibit a beautiful sketch of ancient masonry, much admired by the lovers of antiquities. The cattle is still pretty entire, and is a magnificent structure, in which great improvements have of late been made. Here is an excellent and valuable library.
The markets, which are on Wednesday and Saturday, are very well supplied with all kind of provisions. There are no less than six dissenting meeting-houses in this town. Colchester is 51 miles from London. It had 16 parish churches, in and out of the walls, but now only 12 are used, the rest being damaged at the siege in 1648.