It has many of the advantages of a harbour by means of an artificial breakwater called the Cobb, from the Cobble pebbles which it was first made of, but is now a work of regular masonry, consisting of two massive piers projecting on each side and enclosing a basin recently enlarged, but which dries at low water.
The pier, which was rebuilt in 1825, at a cost less than the Parliamentary grants, viz: for £17,337, is 680 feet in length, 12 in breadth at the foundation, and 16 in height. The harbour, which is about a quarter of a mile to the W. of the town, affords' the only safe shelter for vessels between the Portland Roads and the Start Point. Various Acts of Parliament have been passed for its maintenance, and two officers, called Cobbwardens, are annually chosen to superintend the repairs, which are defrayed out of its customs and harbour dues. It has a custom-house, bonding warehouses for the colonial and foreign produce, also a considerable coasting-trade, there being about twelve vessels belonging to the port. The town being well sheltered from the northerly and easterly winds, has become a favourite watering-place, and is much resorted to by invalids on account of its low rate of mortality from consumption and pulmonary diseases. The streets and lines of houses stretch along the declivities of the two rocky hills, being built chiefly of the blue lias limestone, and covered with slate. The streets are well paved and lighted with gas, and many of the shops are of a superior class. It contains two branch banks, a savings-bank, assembly rooms, and market-place. Some of the inhabitants are engaged in the lace, woollen and sail-cloth manufactures, others in the stone works or in the fisheries and coasting trade. Quarter sessions are held here by the mayor, ex-mayor, and his predecessor, and there is a court of hustings every Monday. It was first incorporated by Edward I., and under the late act is governed by a mayor, four aldermen, and twelve councillors, with the style of the "mayor and burgesses of the borough of Lyme Regis." The income of the borough is £250, chiefly derived from the rents of the manor; and the area of the old borough, 100 acres. Its population in 1851 was 2,661, which had declined in 1861 to 2,318, while the population of the parliamentary borough, which has an area of 2,000 acres, declined in the same period from 3,516 to 3,215. Previous to the passing of the Reform Bill, which enlarged its boundaries, it returned two members from the time of Edward I., but since returns only one member to parliament, the mayor being the returning officer. In the vicinity of the town are many seats, and at Dowlands, beyond Whitlands, the great landslip of 1839 took place. The coast, which is bold and rugged, offers many attractions to the geologist, as presenting one of the grandest and most extensive sections of the blue lias in the world, and abounds in fossils. It was here that Miss Anning first discovered the icthyosaurus, plesiosaurus, and pterodactyls; and since then the dinosaurus, with about 70 varieties of extinct fish, zoophites, and shells, have been found. The living is a vicarage* in the diocese of Salisbury, value £275, in the patronage of the bishop. The church, dedicated to St. Michael the Archangel, stands near the edge of the cliff, and is an ancient structure of the later Tudor period, with a Norman arch at the W. entrance. It has recently been re-decorated, and contains several stained glass windows; also a monument to the Hewlings, who were condemned by Jeffreys. The Independents, Wesleyans, Baptists, and Roman Catholics have places of worship. There are National, British and Foreign, and infant schools. The present vicar, the Rev. Dr. Hodges, has lately built a vicarage. The parochial charities produce about £40 per annum, left by Captain James, Mr. Burridge, and others, for the poor. Many eminent persons have been born here, as Case the quack and astrologer, Coram who endowed the Foundling Hospital in London, Sir G. Somers who discovered the Bermuda and Somers islands, Judge Gundy, and Miss Anning, whose name will ever be associated with the geology of this district. The market days are Tuesday and Friday. Fairs are held on the 12th May and 2nd October, chiefly for horses, cattle, and cheese."
"COLWAY, a tything in the parish and borough of Lyme Regis, in the county of Dorset."
