Wirecestra.
("Doomsday Book.")
PART from its beautiful Cathedral, this ancient city has gained notoriety from its famous manufacture of porcelain. Who is there who has not heard of "Old Worcester" china? From the experiments of china clay, china stone from Cornwall, feldspar from Sweden, fire-clay from Stourbridge and Broseley, marl, flint, and calcined bones, Dr. Wall evolved those exquisite creations of Worcester china which now claim universal admiration and obtain fabulous prices.
It has been said that for political reasons the joint efforts of Dr. Wall, a physician; William Davies, an apothecary; and Edward Cave, the founder of The Gentleman's Magazine, gave birth to the foundation of the Worcester Porcelain Company. This desirable event took place in 1751, six years after the invasion of the Pretender's armed forces, which penetrated as far as Derby. Whether the establishment of this industry helped George II.'s party to gain votes in the county against the numerous supporters of the Pretender, who made their presence felt in Worcester, or not, is now of little consequence. The existence of this branch of art clearly demonstrates the insecure footing of politics, and asserts the triumph of its founders.
Mr. Collins gives us another proof that "art is long" by his skilful rendering of the beautiful portion of Worcester Cathedral here shown.
At the period of the Roman invasion of England, two British tribes, the Cornavii and Dobuni, were in part ownership of Worcestershire. This British settlement was promptly annexed by the Romans as a military station, and was included in the division called Flavia Cæsariensis. They named it Vigorna, but being low and woody it offered little attraction to them, and received little attention at their hands. With the establishment of the Saxon Octarchy this territory became included in the kingdom of Mercia. Like many of the English towns that served as Roman military posts, the Saxons grafted the Roman appellation "cester" for a camp, to Wigorna.
Wigorna-cester gradually changed to Worcester. The city's advancement was temporarily checked by the ravages of the Danes, who burnt it more than once. In spite of the opposition of the Bishop of Lichfield, the See of the city was founded by Archbishop Theodore, in 673, though not finally established till 780. It then severed its connection with the See of Lichfield.
Save for predatory incursions of the Danes, especially on two occasions, when the Dane chief Canute was, in 1016, defeated by Edmund Ironsides near Blockley; and at another time, when the Danes deemed it necessary, in 1041, to punish the Saxons for refusing to pay them tribute called "danegelt,"—save for these little misfortunes, little else interfered with the gradual growth of the city's prosperity.
Naturally, with increased prosperity, the city freed itself from bondage to Danes. At the date of the Conquest it had even attained sufficient importance to have a mint. The existence of various English mints at that period, as shown here, and in Oxford and other towns, according to their importance and the exigencies of the neighbourhood, must have been solely due to the geographical partition of England.