the economy of England in the Middle Ages. In fact the foundations are firmly fixed, although the bridge according to Prince "seems to shake at the slightest step of a horse". While one of the larger medieval bridges, it was exceeded by others, such as the almost intact Swarkestone Bridge and the old long bridge over the River Trent at Burton upon Trent, Staffordshire, demolished in 1864. which was 515 yards long, 15 feet wide and had 36 arches. Legendary origins Prince relates that before the building of the bridge the crossing over the broad and at times rough river was a dangerous action and frequently resulted in deaths from drowning. The parish priest of Bideford, Richard Gornard (or Gurney), "was admonished by a vision in his sleep to set on the foundation of a bridge near a rock which he should find rolled from the higher grounds upon the strand". In the morning he went to the river bank and found there a huge rock "whose greatness argued its being in that place to be only the work of God". He thus was incited to set forward the charitable work of founding a bridge, and gained to his cause the lord of the manor of Bideford Sir Theobald Grenville. Gornard disclosed his vision to the Bishop of Exeter, according to Fuller Bishop Peter Quinel (reigned 1280–1291), but corrected by Prince to Bishop John Grandisson (reigned 1327–1369), who sent forth "indulgences and licences to collect the benevolence of all the brethren and sisters within his bishopric". The appeal for funds was cheerfully received and "the greater personages allowed a certain number of workmen and some lands towards it, the common people some weeks, others a month's work, all striving...according to their utmost abilities for the furtherance of so charitable a design". Furthermore, "succeeding bishops in their distinct times did contribute alms and divulge benedictions to every man and woman that should be benefactotrs...causing it to be published in churches, in the cathedral church of Exeter and throughout the whole diocese of Devon and Cornwall 'that they should participate of all spiritual blessings forever that would encourage and promote so good a work'". Widening & alterations Shipping in the form of barges had long passed under the bridge to be carried by the incoming tide 2 miles upstream to Weare Giffard, loaded with stone, sand and sea-coal, and bringing back on