Around Penel Orlieu,

By John Stuckey & Miles Peterson

Penel Orlieu.

Penel Orlieu was a medieval market place which extended from the West Gate to the west end of the High Street. It was originally known as 'Le Orfaire', which probably meant The Cattle Market^[1] .

The name itself is derived from two medieval road names, Pynel Street, later Prickett's Lane and now Market Street, and Orlove Street, later Back Street and now Clare Street2

Several streets were named after men who once lived in them. In this case Pynel Street was named after John Pynel and dates from 1352; Orlove Street, Walter Ordlof of the same time^{d3674566 [2]}.

The area where Pynel Street and Orlove Street converged became known as Pynel and Orlove Street and hence eventually corrupted to Penel Orlieu

THE PIG CROSS

A cross proclaimed a place of peace and fair trading. They were erected where markets were held.

The original cross stood outside the West Gate and may have been the one referred to in 1544 as St. Anthony's Cross ^[3]. By 1689 it had moved to its location in Penel Orlieu, which was known as 'Le Orfaire' an already established Cattle and Pig market. It became known as Pig Cross, possibly taking the name of the market where it stood ^[4].

In 1769 the old cross was taken down and replaced with a much newer one, known as St. Mary's Cross, which had stood in St. Mary Street on the site of a cheese market^[5]. It is shown around 1820 when it stood outside The Valiant Soldier, now Remedies. It remained in Penel Orlieu until demolished in the late 1820s. A 1989 replica can be seen at the river end of Fore Street.

In 1875 the cattle market was enclosed and occupied the site where the cinema now stands. In 1935, together with the Sheep market which had been held in West Street, it was relocated to new premises off the Bath Road ^[6]. The New Market as it was called closed in 1996 and Bridgwater became, for the first time in recent history, a Market Town without a regular livestock Market.

West Gate

The Town's fortifications, inside the town ditch and Durleigh brook, comprised four stone built arched gateways. These had timber gates and there was one on each of the roads leading into the town ^[7] . There is no evidence of an enclosing town wall, although there may have been a wall linking West Gate with North Gate along the line of the town ditch^[8].

The West Gate stood across the road where today Penel Orlieu joins Broadway. It was the most elaborate of the four gates and built of red sandstone from Wembdon.

In 1299 a Richard Maydus had been allowed to build a house over the gate which was still there 300 years later^[9]

It was the only one of the four gates to have this facility although the others did have gatekeepers, whose principle duty was to close the gates at night.

All trace of the Gates had disappeared by the early nineteenth century, either through neglect or road improvement schemes^[10].

The road on the outside of West Gate to Durleigh was called West Street for the first time in 1335^[11]

The road which swings north towards Wembdon had by 1299 been named North Street^[12].

In times of flooding outside the South Gate, travellers would West Street to go over the hills to Taunton^[13]. This route was also regarded as being part of a long highway for journeys from London to the South West and North Devon^[14].

The West Gate Almshouse.

An Almshouse is first mentioned in local records in 1455 and referred to as being 'without the West Gate'^[15]. Described as being for poor men and women, it appears to have been a block of four small terrace houses, each inhabitant having their own separate accommodation^*tnote 1507 ^* P62, Ibid.,. Sadly life was not as idyllic as it sounds. Cloth was provided for cloths and there were occasional gifts from charitable sources, but the town never spent more than five shillings a year on food to feed themrch^[16]. Fortunately however there was a large garden attached to the property and the council kept the building in a good state of repair

fcs1 ^[17].

It appears that the West Gate Almshouse did not survive the Civil War of 1645. Since no attack was made on the West Gate it is odd that the Almshouse and adjoining barn were destroyed^[18]

Cromwell gave permission for the Almshouse to be rebuilt in 1656, but the need for it disappeared with the development of another site within the town.

Meanwhile in 1650 the Almshouse Garden had been let at a rent of ten shillings a year. This was increased to eighteen in 1658.

The two old pubs.

A watercolour by William W. Wheatley (1811- 1885), shows The Valiant Soldier as it was in 1850. The original painting entitled uote Penel Orlieu and the Old Cross' and dated 1850 shows a cross where there may had been one twenty five years earlier. Why Wheatley painted the cross where he did is open to speculation. It could have been a case of artistic licence, or perhaps he had seen it there earlier in his youth. His painting does however show some of the other buildings in what is now Clare Street.

A key stone from the Valiant Soldier has the date 1583 and can be seen over the entrance door to remedies.

The Old Market stands on the site of another sixteenth century Inn.s1 Before called The Old Market, it was called The Blue Boar and before that it was The Tynte Arms This was changed to avoid possible confusion with the inn at Enmore, which still bears the same name^[19]. Before that still it was known as The Bear

Bibliography

Lawrence, J.f. and Laurence, J.C., A History of Bridgwater, (Chichester, Phillimore& Co.; 2005).

Dunning, R. W. et al., A History of the county of Somerset, volume six, (http://www.british-history.ac.uk/report.aspx?compid=18640&strquery=bridgwater Accesses on the 29th of May 2008.

Pooley, C., Old Stone Crosses of Somerset, (London, Longmans Green & Co.; 1877).

Williams, David, Bridgwater Inns, Past & Present, (Crewkerne, Abbey Press, 1997).

^[1]   P33, Laurence, J.F. & Laurence J.C., 1507 A History of Bridgwater (Chicester,Phillimore & Co.; 2005).

^[2]   P36, Ibid.,

^[3]   Dunning, R. W. et al., A History of the county of Somerset, volume six.

^[4]  * P74, Pooley, C., Old Stone Crosses of Somerset, (London, Longmans Green & Co.; 1877) gives six explanations why it is called the pig cross. He highlights that the cross could be like Cirencester in being called in what was trader there. His favoured explanation is that it is a corruption of Pignes/Penens an ancient manor that the cross was on the boundary of. This seems less valid in view that it is not recorded as pig cross until 1689, it would be expected to have been in use before.

^[5]   P34, chLaurence, A History Of Bridgwater.

^[6]   P33, Ibid.,

^[7]   P30 , Ibid.,

^[8]  r ^* P30, Ibid.,

^[9]   P30, Ibid.,

^[10]   P30, Ibid

^[11]   P33, Ibid.,

^[12]   Ibid.,

^[13]   Ibid.,

^[14]  7 ^* P36,. Ibid.,

^[15]   Ibid.,

^[16]   P61, Ibid.,

^[17]   P62, Ibid.,

^{[18]   *} P107, Ibid.,

^[19]   P9, Williams, David, Bridgwater Inns, Past & Presentch, (Crewkerne, Abbey Press, 1997).