On the right of the painting three figures are represented. On the left the rope-spinner carries a cast of rope on his shoulders and around his neck, a reference to the hangman’s noose, the Bridport Dagger. In the centre the merchant carries a bolt of canvas used for the sails of ships. The sitting figure dressed in peasant clothes is symbolic of net and twine. In her right hand she holds a wooden netting needle while the old spinning-wheel in front of her was a common feature in Bridport.

The Ecclesiastical figure on the left of the painting is Giles de Bridport, Bishop of Salisbury in 1256. In his right hand he holds a model of Salisbury Cathedral and in his left the pastoral staff. The borders of his cape are embroidered with subjects relevant to Bridport. Over the civic group waves the town flag and behind is the ship ‘The Town of Bridport’. The Tudor colours of green and white are introduced wherever possible.

The small boy and girl in the foreground represent hemp and flax respectively. The King, in accordance with Royal Etiquette, is laying his hand upon, but not taking the bunch of flax flowers presented by the girl. Both children are dressed in Tudor costume, the colours of which symbolize the plants that the children personify. The boy wears a Dorset smock-frock, which had been seen in Dorset since Saxon times.