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G B Y D
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PRAPY, psend.
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LONDON ;
PRINTED FOR T.BOYS, LUDGATE HILL.
1824.
The Percy Histories.
LONDON.
Commerce brought into the public walk
The busy merchant; the big warehouse built;
Rais'd the strong crane; choak'd up the loaded street
With foreign plenty: and thy stream, O Thames,
Large, gentle, deep, majestic King of Floods!
Chose for his grand resort!
Thomson.
COMMERCE OF THE METROPOLIS.
NOTHING has contributed so much to the rapid
advancement or permanent prosperity of states as
commerce, and without it no country has been able
to maintain its glory or its power. From the earliest
period of which there is any record, commerce ap-
pears to have been more or less cultivated, and its
origin is no doubt coeval with the formation of man-
kind into distinct communities. Arabia is supposed
to have been the cradle of commerce; and, from its
peninsular situation, bounded by the Arabian, Indian,
and Persian seas, no country possessed equal ad-
vantages for carrying it on to as great an extent as
the imperfect knowledge of navigation, and the con-
sequent limited intercourse between states, would
VOL. III.]
B
2
PERCY HISTORIES.

permit was to the Ishmaelites of Arabia that
Joseph was sold by his brethren-not to a set of ma-
rauding adventurers who had made an incursion for
plunder, but to a company of merchants, who " came
from Gilead with their camels, bearing spicery, and
balm, and myrrh, going to carry it down to Egypt."
The very articles of their traffic prove that they must
have had a commercial intercourse with India, whence
they had their spices.
Tyre, "whose merchants were princes," and Sidon,
rose to eminence by means of commerce; and it
was by his intercourse with the Phoenicians, that
Solomon, as the Scriptures beautifully express it,
"made silver in Jerusalem as stones, and cedar trees
as sycamores that grow in the plains." It was by
means of commerce that this king drew forth the
riches of Ophir and Tharsis, which probably were
situated in the East Indies; and so lucrative was the
traffic, that a single voyage to Ophir alone produced
450 talents of gold-an immense sum certainly; but
the whole traffic of the universe was at that period
limited to the Phoenicians and the Egyptians.
The merchants of Tyre founded Carthage, a city
which, in a short time, became of such power and im-
portance as to have Spain, Sicily, and Sardinia, with
three hundred cities, under its dominion; nor was it
until after three exterminating wars, during a period
of forty years, and when this rich city was lain in
ashes by a fire of seventeen days duration, that
Carthage fell, and with it commerce, which the Ro-
mans were loth to cultivate, considering all true
greatness to rest in the success of arms.
Alexandria, which, under the Ptolemies, had such ex-
ܕ
LONDON.
3
*******
į

tensive commerce, that the produce of her customs is
said to have amounted to nearly two millions sterling,
flourished when degeneracy had sunk the Roman
power with a rapidity which could never have occurred
to a people, possessing the solid opulence and vigour
which the industrious and steady habits of trade
invariably produce.
When Attila led his horde of barbarians into Italy,
and scoured the shores of the Adriatic, the inhabi-
tants took shelter in a number of small islands, which,
without fortifications, were capable of sustaining a
good defence, and on these islands raised, as it were
from the ocean, the proud city of Venice. For
a thousand years, from the middle of the fifth to that
of the fifteenth century, Venice rose in power and
importance through her commerce. The Venetians,
who had founded a splendid city on the waves, gra-
dually extended their colonies and their trade on
both sides of the Adriatic, and afterwards to the
Eastern and African shores of the Mediterranean.
Venice repaid her prosperity by proving the nurse
of literature and the barrier against oppression; the
insolence of the Popes, who had trodden kings and
emperors under their feet, was checked by a few in-
dependent merchants, and the frenzy of the Crusades
was by them converted into an instrument of civiliza-
tion. If the commerce and the glory of Venice af-
terwards sunk, the decline was to be attributed to
events and circumstances over which she had no con-
troul. The important invention, the mariner's com-
pass, which opened new regions to navigators, and
the discovery of a new world, scattered that traffic
which had hitherto been confined to the Mediter-
*
·
·
4
PERCY HISTORIES.
ranean, and competitors arose on every shore.
Genoa, Pisa, Florence, Marseilles, the Hanse Towns,
all became rivals; nor was our own sea-girt isle the
last to appreciate or to secure the advantages of com-
In all these countries, and in every place
where commerce has been encouraged, it has been
productive of wealth and power; and to commerce is
Great Britain indebted for the proud rank she has
always maintained among the nations of Europe.
merce.
was "
At what period London became celebrated for its
commerce is uncertain; Tacitus says, in his time it
a famous mart of foreign and domestic trade,"
and as the Romans were no encouragers of trade, it
is not improbable that an active intercourse with the
Phoenicians and the Greek colony at Marseilles
might have been carried on by the Londoners long
before the invasion of Cæsar, who states that British
merchants traded in tin and lead with the Phoenicians.
With the arrival of the Romans, the foreign com-
merce of London appears to have fallen, and we have
scarcely any record of its existence for some centuries
afterwards. In the middle of the fourth century,
however, its trade must have become pretty extensive,
as eight hundred vessels were employed in the port of
London for the exportation of corn only.
The barbarians who successively invaded Britain
after the Romans had quitted it, committed so many
ravages in the country, as well as in the metropolis,
that its foreign trade was for some time almost wholly
suspended; nor was it until some time after the Nor-
man invasion that its commerce was revived. Fitz-
stephen assures us, that in his day "no city in the
world exported its merchandize to such a distance ;"
LONDON.
5
but this assertion is to be taken cum grano salis, and
we might from his statement infer that no country
imported goods from such distant parts, did we not
know that the produce of almost every clime in the
old world was to be met with at that time in Venice,
whence we might procure it. At a much later period,
however, the foreign commerce of London cannot
have been so very extensive, if we are to judge by
the custom dues collected in the city from the eve of
Easter to Michaelmas in 1268, which only amounted
to 366l. 15s. 4žd.
Previous to this period, the Cologne merchants had
established themselves in London; and in 1296 a
regular commercial company, under the title of
Merchant Adventurers, was incorporated by Ed-
ward I. This company, obtaining permission from
the Duke of Brabant, joined an establishment at
Antwerp, where they carried on an extensive manu-
facture of cloth from wool imported from this country.
Edward III., with true national feeling, seeing that
England derived but half the advantage from her in-
dustry, caused manufactories to be established here,
prohibited the exportation of wool, and producing
finer cloths than were to be met with elsewhere, mo-
nopolized the principal woollen trade of Europe.
The formation of the several domestic trading com-
panies, which have already been distinctly noticed,
gave a new impulse to manufactures, and conse-
quently to our commerce, so that an intercourse with
the rest of Europe began to excite the jealousy of
those mercantile communities in Italy, who, in con-
sequence of long and almost unrivalled occupancy,
considered commerce to belong exclusively to them-
B 2
6
PERCY HISTORIES.
selves. The merchants of London had however now
become too formidable to be kept down by the jealou-
sies of the Genoese and Hanseatic associations, al-
though, in the year 1412, the former had the audacity to
seize a quantity of wool and other goods to the value
of 24,000l., which had been shipped on board se-
veral vessels for the Mediterranean. The whole was
sold at Genoa; but no sooner was this outrage known
in England, than King Henry IV., who was not the
monarch to brook an insult, issued a proclamation, in
which he prohibited all commercial intercourse with
Genoa, until the merchants, to whom he had granted
letters of marque, should capture a sufficient number
of Genoese vessels to reimburse them the 24,000l.
they had lost, and 10,000l. more for damages, which
they were not long in securing, although the merchants
of London alone had to contend with the powerful
republic of Genoa.
The commerce of England had long before this
period been of sufficient importance to tempt the
Jews, who settled here in large numbers, and were
treated with a degree of cruelty, which marked the
rude and illiberal spirit of the age. The Hanse
merchants, who had an establishment in London at a
very early period, were scarcely less popular, and
encountered various persecutions, until they were
finally extinguished as a company in the reign of
Queen Elizabeth.
The spirit of commercial enterprise had, previous
to this period, been awakened among the Londoners,
and several trading companies formed. One of these,
consisting of 240 share holders, who subscribed a sum
of 60001. employed the celebrated navigator, Sebas-
LONDON.
by
*
L
tian Cabot, to superintend the fitting out of three ves-
sels for the purpose of making new discoveries. One
of these ships was the means of opening a maritime
intercourse with Russia, and in the succeeding reign
the English obtained an exclusive grant of the whole
trade of that country. This intercourse led the way
to the association of the Muscovy merchants; and se-
veral others were afterwards formed, particularly the
Eastland Company, the Spanish Company, and the
Levant Company: the latter undeceived the Grand
Seignior, who had hitherto considered England a pro-
vince of France. The reign of Elizabeth was parti-
cularly favorable to commerce, and many accidental
circumstances aided the support given to it by the
sovereign, particularly the civil dissensions which broke
out in the Netherlands, and afterwards in France.
That the merchants of London must have been
wealthy at this period may be inferred from their fit-
ting out thirty-nine ships, all amply furnished, to repel
the threatened invasion of the invincible Armada;
and at the same time they had 135 ships of 500
tons and upwards engaged in trade. In the fol-
lowing reign, in the year 1613, we find that the city
of London paid three-fourths of the whole customs
of the country. The discoveries of a Drake, a Ra-
leigh, a Hawkins, a Cavendish, and a Frobisher, in
the reign of Elizabeth, opened new sources of com-
merce, which the pacific though inglorious reign of
James in some degree improved; and a more active
intercourse was also opened with Spain, Portugal, and
France. Howe, in his edition of Stowe, enumerates
the various countries with which London traded at this
period, and the articles imported, adding, that it was
*
8
PERCY HISTORIES.
"one of the best governed, most richest, and flourish-
ing cities in Europe, plenteously abounding in free
trade and commerce with all nations.”
The reign of our first James was altogether favora-
ble to commerce; Virginia, the Bermudas, Barbadoes,
and Newfoundland, which had become colonies of
Britain, opened new markets to the London merchants,
and to the honour of the king it must be said, that he
gave them every encouragement. He abolished mo-
nopolies, which in the preceding reign had been so in-
jurious, and issued a commission for establishing a
Board of Trade, with a view to the extension of com-
merce and the forming of a better code of navigation
laws.
With the increase of foreign trade the naval
strength of the country was improved. While our
commerce was limited to the neighbouring shores of
Europe, small vessels were found sufficient, but the
discovery of the East and West Indies soon suggested
the necessity of having larger ships for long voyages,
that would require provisions in proportion to the pe-
riod it would require to perform them. The Portu-
gueze, who were the first to form European settlements
in India, introduced into the trade carracks of 1600
and 1700 tons; and our own East India Company
following the example, built two vessels, the James,
of 1000 tons, and the Trade's Increase, of 1100 tons,
which were larger than any ships at that time employ-
ed in the royal navy.
Peace, the "nursing mother" of commerce, pro-
moted its growth during the early part of the reign of
Charles I. and when the necessities of the misguided
monarch urged him to make illegal requisitions on his
LONDON.
9
subjects, the London merchants were called upon to
fit out seven ships of war, and in addition to this the
city, now become affluent, afterwards agreed, in 1643,
to make a weekly payment of 10,000l. for the use
of Parliament. The establishment of posts, the com-
mencement of price currents, or "weekly bills of the
prices of all commodities in the principal cities of
Christendom," which had long been customary abroad,
and the formation of banking houses, are all evidence
of the growing commerce of the reign of Charles the
First. It is true that this monarch afterwards, in re-
venge for the resistance which the city offered to his
arbitrary conduct, endeavoured to destroy what he
had assisted to strengthen, and issued a proclamation
declaring all persons traitors who had any dealings
with the citizens; but the decree proved, as all such
decrees must do, a dead letter.
The reduction of the rate of interest from ten to
eight per cent. in the year 1625, had proved highly
beneficial to trade; and Sir Josiah Child relates, that
ten years afterwards "there were more merchants to
be found upon 'Change, worth each a thousand pounds
and upwards, than were formerly, that is, before 1600,
to be found worth one hundred pounds each." This
rate of interest continued until the year 1651, when
Cromwell, who having firmly established his power
found leisure to apply his mind to civil affairs, and
enforce those plans from which the commerce of Eng-
land drew such great advantages, lowered the interest
to six per cent. One of the first measures of the reign
of Charles II., on his restoration, was to confirm this
act of Cromwell, and with every reduction of interest
10
PERCY HISTORIES.
commerce improved so much that the writer already
quoted says, "Now, since interest has been for twenty
years at six per cent. notwithstanding our long civil
wars, and the great complaints of the dulness of
trade, there are more men to be found on the Exchange
now worth ten thousand pounds than were then of
one thousand pounds;" and Sir Josiah adds, " our
customs are much improved, I believe above the pro-
portion of six to one, which is not so much by an
advance of the rate of goods as by the increase of
the bulk of trade."
The navigation act, which had been proposed by
James I. but was not passed into a law until the Pro-
tectorate, was also of signal advantage to commerce.
Trade rapidly advanced, nor did the great plague,
and the equally destructive fire in the following year,
do more than give it a temporary check, from which
it recovered in a few years, increasing more than ever,
until the wars of William III. with France. That
our trade was then extensive is evident from the losses
it was capable of sustaining, the French having, in
the course of two years, captured three thousand sail
of trading vessels belonging to this country. So much
was commerce depressed during this eight years' war,
that the tonnage of the shipping cleared outwards from
the port of London was 96,766 tons less in 1696 than
it was in 1688; and the value of the merchandize
exported had fallen in the same period from 4,086,087
to 2,729,5201. The restoration of peace by the treaty
of Ryswick, gave back to London its former trade,
which generally formed three-fourths of that of
the whole kingdom. In the year 1711, it appears
-
LONDON.
11
to have been more, the amount of the customs in
London being 1,268,9951. while those of all the out-
ports were only 343,3811.
The South Sea bubble, the Scottish rebellion of
1715, and the Spanish war three years afterwards,
were all so many checks on the progress of commerce
during the reign of George the First, and the same
may be said of the wars of his successor, and the un-
happy struggle in the reign of his late majesty, which
terminated in the independence of our flourishing co-
lonies in North America. Commerce, however, can
scarcely be said to have suffered by the change, for
in the year 1784 the value of the exports to America
amounted to 3,397,500l. being nearly 332,000l.
more than they were in any year previous to the war.
From this period to the commencement of the revo-
lutionary war with France, the trade of the metropolis
increased most rapidly; and the exports, which in
1784 were little more than three millions, were in
1792, £16,762,516. 13s. 4d. In commerce there is an
elasticity which overcomes all depression; and al-
though the exports were two millions less during the
first year of the war with France, yet no sooner was
the Continent embroiled in the contest, than the trade
of London was augmented so much, that in the year
1796 the exports were nearly eighteen millions and a
half, and the imports nearly fifteen millions. Large
as this sum may appear, it has since been more than
quadrupled.
During the war our vessels had nearly the whole
carrying trade of Europe, and Great Britain became
the entrepôt of all the products from beyond sea, des-
tined for the consumption of Europe. Hence our im-
12
PERCY HISTORIES.
ports, in 1811, amounted to 80,232,7671., and our ex-
ports to 77,392,0561, but on the return of peace, when
this country ceased to be the route for the conveyance
of foreign productions to continental Europe, the
amount of exports and imports became considerably
less. Ceasing then to be a channel for distributing
the productions of other countries, and of scanty re-
sources for export, Britain depends more than ever
for commerce on the skill and ingenuity of her inha-
bitants in the useful and elegant arts, and in all that
can give dignity to trade, and comfort to the people.
"It is on her manufactures," as an able writer ob-
serves, "that the great commercial importance of the
country rests on that technical talent possessed by
its inhabitants, of working up rude produce; of va-
rying the wrought commodity in every imaginable
form; of giving beauty, brilliancy, and durability of
colour to every diversity of texture, and combination
of material; this labour is the source of all that is
enjoyed of elegance and convenience in life."
It is true that our exports are less than during war;
yet our commerce has assumed a more healthy and a
more permanent character, Our foreign trade is in-
creasing in the most satisfactory manner-and also
the export of our domestic manufactures; and such is
the progress of science in this country, that every
year is presenting some new discovery for cheapen-
ing the process of manufacture, by substituting for
manual labour, the almost magic power of machinery,
which in this country does the labour of four hundred
millions of people. The following official document
exhibits the present state of our commerce.
LONDON.
13

WOL. III.]
Abstract of Accounts of the Trade and Navigation of the United Kingdom, during each of the
three years ending the 5th of January, 1821, 1822, 1823.
YEARS
ending 5th January.
Value of
Imports into the
United Kingdom
calculated at
the
Official Rates
of
Valuation.
Value of Exports from the United Kingdom, calculated
at the Official Rates of Valuation.
Produce
and
Manufactures
of the
United Kingdom.
Foreign and
Colonial
Merchandize.
TOTAL
EXPORTS.
Value of
the Produce and
Manufactures of
the United King-
dom
exported
ac-
therefrom,
cording to the
real & dcclared
value thereof.
£..
8. d.
£.
8. di
£.
8. d. £.
8. d.
£. S. d.
1821 | 32,438,650 17 3 38,395,555 7 2 10,555,912 10 3 48,951,467 17 5 36,424,652 13 11
1822 | 30,792,743 4 10 40,831,744 17 5
1823 30,500,094 17 4 44,236,533 2 4
10,629,689 5 8 51,461,434 3 136,659,681 3 0
9,227,589 7 11 53,461,122 9 3 36,968,964 9 9
14
PERCY HISTORIES.
In speaking of the trade of London, it is impossible
altogether to separate it from that of the country ge-
nerally; for, as Dryden says, "Commerce makes one
city of the universe."
The actual exports and imports to and from the port of
London alone were, many years ago, estimated at se-
venty millions sterling annually, and the number of ves-
sels which every year entered the port, were not less
than fifteen thousand, allowing for the several voyages
made by the same vessels. In the foreign trade alone
the number employed were, during the last year,
3,587, amounting in tonnage to 635,799 tons. The
following statement exhibits the relative proportion of
the commerce of the Port of London with foreign
countries, and our own colonies, independent of the
coasting trade, which is necessarily immense :—
The number and tonnage of all ships that have ar-
rived during the year 1823, at the Port of London,
distinguishing British from Foreign Ships.
COUNTRIES.
France
Russia
Prussia, Denmark, Norway, and
}
Sweden
Holland, Germany, &c.
Italy, Sicily, and other places in
the Mediterranean
Spain, including the Canary
··
· •
··
Islands
Portugal, including the Azores
Turkey
East Indies
China
West Indies
..
..
··
NO. OF SHIPS. TONNAGE.
Brit.
For.
114 59
320
··
144 310
208 173
204. 1
220 15
275
11
50
85
19
419
18,428
66,434
110,744
51,632
28,675
27,432
27,704
8,187
46,472
25,000
120,682
LONDON.
15
United States of America
South America
Canada
Cape of Good Hope, Sierra Leone,
}
New S. Wales, &c.
Ireland
Guernsey, Jersey, &c.
··
16,900
9,944
71,505
15,148
42,280
2,465
2977 610
635,799
London has always been, and must be, from its situ-
ation, the centre of British commerce; and although the
liberal spirit of the age, in throwing more open the
portals of trade, may bring other ports into competi-
tion, yet the London citizen may always exclaim with
pride, in the words of Cowper,
"Where has commerce such a mart,
So rich, so throng'd, so drain'd, and so supplied,
As London."
•
··
..
19 40
55
2
225
Total
78
460
27
THE CUSTOM-HOUSE.
The whole produce of the customs, on the exports
and imports of England, were for many years farmed
at 20,000l.—in the year ending the 5th of January
1823, they amounted to 10,662,8471.! Such has been
the growth of British commerce during a period of
less than two centuries and a half. The levying of
duties on ships and merchandize is generally attri-
buted to Ethelred, and is said to have been first re-
sorted to by that King, in 979, when all vessels
trading to London paid certain duties at Billingsgate,
or Belin's gate, as it was then called.
The principles upon which the revenue of the cus-
toms, which were originally on exports only, were vest-
ed in the King were, first, because the King was bound
16
PERCY HISTORIES.
of common right to maintain and keep up the ports
and havens, and to protect the merchants from pirates;
and secondly, because he gave the subject leave to
depart the kingdom, and to carry his goods along
with him.
In 1274, the custom duties were sanctioned, as a
source of revenue, by the parliament of Edward I.,
but the fees must have been very small for more than
three centuries afterwards, for in the year 1590 Queen
Elizabeth farmed them to one Thomas Smith, for
20,000l. a year.
The Queen was induced to do this
in consequence of the representations of a person of the
name of Carmarthen, to her majesty, that she had lost
95,720l. 3s. 7d. in the customs, during the preceding
eight years. Smith, who had been a collector of the
customs, well knew their value, for he gained up-
wards of 10,000l. by the contract.
In the year 1613 the customs amounted to
148,075l. 7s. 8d. of which London alone paid
100,572l. 18s. 4d. In 1666 they were farmed at
390,000l.; and in 1692 they amounted to 897,551l.
During the first half of the last century, the cus-
toms remained nearly stationary, although commerce
had greatly increased: the late reign was one, how-
ever, in which great skill and ingenuity were displayed
in inventing means to increase the revenue and
although the "official value of the goods" is still
computed, with reference not to the prices they bear
in the current year, but to a standard fixed so long
ago as 1696, yet in 1798 a duty of 2 per cent, was
levied on our exports, the value of which was taken,
not by the official standard, but by the declaration of
the exporting merchants.
f
LONDON.
17
The first house for "the receipt of custom" in
London was built in 1385, by John Churchman, one
of the Sheriffs. This building appears to have been
succeeded by another, which was destroyed in the
great fire of 1666; a new custom-house on a large scale
was erected, in 1668, at an expense of 10,000l., which
was also burnt down by fire, in Thames-street, in
1715. Three years afterwards another custom-house,
more spacious in its dimensions, and more regular in
its structure, was raised, in which the business was
conducted until a fire, which broke out on the morning
of the 12th of February, 1814, laid the whole building
in ashes, destroying several documents relating to
the customs, as well as property to an immense
amount. Two poor orphan girls, servants to the
house-keeper, perished in the flames, and one man was
killed by an explosion of some barrels of gunpowder
in the vaults, which occasioned a shock similar to that
of an earthquake.
Previous to the destruction of the custom-house,
which had become very inadequate to the increased
business required to be transacted in it, the Lords of
the Treasury had determined on erecting an edifice on
a larger scale, and had actually adopted a plan, sub-
mitted by Mr. David Laing, the architect, under whose
direction the present custom-house (of which a view
from an original drawing was given in Part II.)
was erected.
The new custom-house, which is situated on the
banks of the Thames, east of London bridge, extends
in length 489 feet, and in breadth 107 feet; the
grand front facing the river, from which it is sepa-
rated by a terrace, is of Portland stone. The centre
•
c 2
18
PERCY HISTORIES.
is quite plain to the height of the ground floor of the
building, but above the windows there is an entabla-
ture, divided into two compartments, ornamented with
figures in alto relievo. In one compartment the
commerce and industry of the country, and the arts
and sciences connected with them, are allegorically
represented; and in the other, the costume and cha-
racter of the various nations with which we traffic are
delineated. These groups are boldly executed; and
the height of the figures being nearly five feet, they
can easily be distinguished from the terrace. Between
the entablatures is an inscription recording the date
of the erection, surmounted by a large sun-dial, which
is sustained by two recumbent figures of Industry and
Plenty.
Each wing has six columns of the Ionic Order:
these give a grandeur to the edifice which, on so
extended a scale, might appear as carrying the sim-
plicity of architecture too far. There is one great dis-
advantage in viewing the custom-house from the ter-
race, because it is much too narrow to include the
whole building in one coup d'œil; and it can only
be seen to advantage from the river.
The interior of the building is admirably constructed.
There are necessarily several entrances to this noble
pile; the two principal ones are in Thames-street.
They lead through halls rather commodious than large,
to the Grand Staircase, which, by a double flight of
steps, leads to lobbies at each end of the Long Room.
This room which is in the centre is 190 feet in length,
and 66 in width; it is divided into three quadrangular
compartments, by eight piers, surmounted by three
domes, through which the rooms are ventilated. In
LONDON.
19
addition to the long room, there are upwards of an
hundred offices, appropriated to distinct branches of
the business of the customs, as well as several private
rooms. All the passages, lobbies, and the floor of
the long room, except where the clerks sit, are of stone
groined in brick. They are lighted by vertical
lantern lights; and the communication between the
most important parts of the house is by iron doors,
which slide into a groove in the wall, and are closed
at night, when they afford a good barrier against ac-
cidental fire. The whole building is well ventilated,
and in winter is warmed by means of air stoves.—
Several fire-proof rooms have been constructed, into
which the books and most valuable papers are every
night placed.
The first stone of the new custom-house, which is
as creditable to the architecture of the metropolis, as
it is characteristic of the commerce of the country,
was laid by the Earl of Liverpool, the first Lord of
the Treasury, and the Right Hon. Nicholas Vansittart,
Chancellor of the Exchequer, on the 25th of October,
1813; and the whole was finished, and opened for
public business, on the 12th of May 1817, at an
expense of nearly 200,000l.
The business of the customs is under the direction
of thirteen commissioners, two of whom fill the offices
of chairman and deputy chairman; a secretary, clerks,
and a great number of officers.
L
20
PERCY HISTORIES.
E
}
THE TRINITY HOUSE.
It appears by a recent report of a Committee of
the House of Commons, that although the society of
the Trinity House was first incorporated by a royal
charter of Henry VIII., dated the 20th of May, 1514,
yet, so early as the reign of King Henry VII. an
association existed, consisting of shipmen and mari-
ners, for the purpose of piloting ships and vessels
belonging to the crown, as well as all descriptions of
merchant ships; but what remuneration was received
for that service, and in what manner it was disposed
of, does not appear. The charter of Henry VIII.
granted to the shipmen and mariners of the realm
authority to erect and establish a guild or fraternity,
as well of men as of women, in the parish-church of
Deptford Strond, in the county of Kent, under the
name and title of "the Master, Wardens, and As-
sistants of the Guild or Fraternity of the most glorious
and undivided Trinity." They were empowered to
make laws and statutes among themselves, for the
relief, increase, and augmentation of the shipping of
England; to levy fines or subsidies on offenders-to
acquire lands and tenements to a certain amount; to
maintain a chaplain, and to do and perform other
acts of piety, and to enjoy all the franchises and
privileges shipmen and mariners of the realm have
used and enjoyed.
The charter of Henry VIII. was successively con-
firmed by Edward VI., Queen Mary, and Queen
Elizabeth. The act of Elizabeth, which was passed
in the eighth year of her reign, after confirming to
the society the general supervision of the buoys,
LONDON.
21
beacons, and ballastage, enacts, that the Corporation
of the Trinity House may at their own cost make,
erect, and set up any beacons and signs for the sea,
on such places of the sea-shore, or uplands near the
coast, or forelands of the sea, only for sea-marks, as
to them shall seem meet. The same act declares it
penal to disturb those marks, and further authorizes
the Master of the Trinity House to license mariners to
row on the Thames. By another act, in the 36th of
the same reign, the queen granted to the corporation
the lastage and ballastage of all vessels upon the
river, which was then held by the Lord High Admiral,
Lord Howard, who surrendered it for the purpose.
Some defects in the preceding patents and acts in-
duced James I. to grant a new charter to the corpora-
tion of the Trinity House, giving them more ample
powers for their government; and directing the
manner in which the society should in future be
constituted. The charter directed, a master, four
wardens, and eight assistants, should be elected from
the guild; that these thirteen persons should elect
eighteen other persons out of the whole company of
seamen and mariners, making altogether thirty-one
persons, whence they have sometimes been called,
"the Thirty-one Brethren." The eighteen persons
elected by the master, warden, and assistants, were
called Elder Brethren, and the rest of the members
are called Younger Brethren, and are unlimited in
number, as every master or mate skilled in naviga-
tion is eligible. The corporation still continues as it
was constituted by James I.; and although the so-
ciety, in imitation of many other corporations, sur-
rendered their charter to Charles II., yet his successor
Durat
22
PERCY HISTORIES.
l
restored it in 1685; and it is under the charter of
James I. thus restored, that the corporation at present
enjoys and exercises its several rights.
Although the act of Elizabeth authorized the Cor-
poration of the Trinity House to erect beacons and
sea-marks at their own cost, it did not authorize them
to levy a toll on shipping for their maintenance; and
although, of the fifty-five light-houses and floating-
lights which have been established, twenty of them,
exhibiting thirty lights, are under the management of
the Corporation of the Trinity House, yet the col-
lection of money for forming or supporting them has
always been authorized either by acts of the legis-
lature, or patents granted by the crown on the petition
of individuals who proposed their erection.
Few chartered companies in the metropolis are of
more importance to the commerce and naval power of
the country than the Corporation of the Master and
Wardens of the Trinity House; to whom is entrusted,
in addition to the authority over the beacons and sea-
marks, the examination of the masters of the navy,
the appointment of pilots for the river Thames, with
power to fine, in the penalty of twenty pounds, every
person who shall act as pilot without their approba-
tion-the settling the rates of pilotage--the prevent-
ing of aliens from serving on board British ships
without their license--the punishing of seamen in the
merchant-service for mutiny or desertion-the hearing
and determining of all complaints of officers and
seamen in the merchant-service, subject to an appeal
to the High Court of Admiralty-the granting of
licenses to poor seamen, who are not freemen of the
city, to row on the river Thames; and the examination
LONDON.
23
of the mathematical pupils in Christ's Hospital. Such
are the duties of this society, which is also charged
with the clearing and deepening of the river Thames,
in which service sixty barges are employed; and the
supplying all ships that require it with ballast.
The revenues of the Corporation, which received
its first charter through the benevolence of Sir Thomas
Spert, Comptroller of the Navy to Henry VIII., are
dispensed in charity. Independent of their alms-
houses, upwards of three thousand decayed seamen,
their widows and orphans, are annually relieved by
this society. The alms-houses of the Corporation,
twenty-eight in number, were founded in the year
1695, and are appropriated to the residence of de-
cayed commanders of ships, mates, pilots, and their
wives or widows, who are allowed a pension of 18.
a year, and a chaldron of coals. Among the bene-
factors to the Corporation was Capt. Saunders, who
bequeathed 100l., and the reversion of an estate worth
1471. a year more, which fell in the year 1746. A
statue of the donor is placed in the quadrangle.
There are also two hospitals at Deptford belonging
to the Corporation. The old hospital, originally
built in the reign of Henry VIII., and rebuilt in
1788, adjoins the church-yard of St. Nicholas, and
contains twenty-five apartments. The other hos-
pital in Church-street was built about the time of
the Revolution, and consists of fifty-six apartments,
with a chapel and hall. Both hospitals are occupied
by decayed masters or pilots of ships, their wives or
widows; each single person being allowed 18. per
annum, and the married couple 281.
The Trinity House, where the business of this
24
PERCY HISTORIES.
Corporation is transacted, is an elegant structure on
Great Tower Hill, built of Portland stone. It consists
of a rustic basement, but the general order of archi-
tecture is Ionic. The interior displays much good
taste and characteristic neatness, particularly the
court-room, which is neat and spacious. It was built
under the direction of Mr. Samuel Wyatt; the first
stone was laid Sept. 12, 1793, and it was opened for
business two years afterwards. The master of the
Trinity House is usually one of his majesty's minis-
ters, and not unfrequently the premier.
COMMERCIAL DOCKS.
Intimately connected with the commerce of the
metropolis is the establishment of closed docks, which
have been of the most decided service to the revenue
and trade of the country-to quote the words of the
report of the parliamentary committee on the West
India Docks, in June 1823, "the value of these in-
stitutions, whether in giving facility to commerce, in
securing the collection of the revenue, or in protecting
the interests of the merchants, is so unquestionable,
that it would be an unnecessary waste of time to enter
into any detailed discussion on the subject."
The insecurity in which the property of the river
was placed, and the daring plunder committed on it,
which has already been noticed (vol. ii. p. 126) no
doubt led to the formation of the Commercial Docks.
The most important of these are the East India, the
West India, and the London Docks; there are also
the East Country Dock at Rotherhithe, near the
king's victualling-office, which is appropriated to the
LONDON.
25
Baltic and American trade, the fisheries, &c. It will
contain eighty ships.
WEST INDIA DOCKS.
The depredations to which the shipping in the
river was liable was not the only circumstance which
called for some new regulation in our trade with the
West Indies; the warehouses on the quays were in-
sufficient to hold one-third of the quantity of sugar
that was imported, and the vessels employed in the
trade were too large to discharge their cargoes except
through the intermediate aid of lighters, which could
never unload with sufficient rapidity, but formed
a line from the quays to the vessels, which were
inoored at a considerable distance. This afforded
such a facility to the river plunderers, that the loss in
West India produce, which generally averaged up-
wards of 230,000l. annually, increased so much as, in
the years 1799, 1800, and 1801, to amount to
1,214,505l. 8s. 4d., of which the loss to the revenue
during that period was 411,100l. 15s. 4d. The West
India Docks, as will be seen by a reference to the
map in our last part, are situated in that penin-
sular part of the environs of London, called the Isle
of Dogs, and that they communicate with the Thames
at Limehouse on the west, and at Blackwall on the
east. These docks were commenced on the 12th of
June 1800, and finished in August 1802. The
West India Docks, and the ground belonging to them,
occupy an area of 204 acres. The dock for unload-
ing inwards is 2600 feet long, 510 wide, and 29 feet
deep; it is built round with brick-work five feet
VOL. III.]
D
26
PERCY HISTORIES.
thick the dock for loading outwards is similarly
constructed, and of the same dimensions except in
the width, which is only 400 feet, narrower than the
other. The entrance basin at Blackwall, which com-
municates by means of two locks with the import and
export docks, occupies a space of six acres: the basin
on the Limehouse side, which also has a communica-
tion with both docks, is somewhat smaller. The
warehouses which surround the docks are necessarily
of immense magnitude, and they are built in a style
of neatness that would render them an ornament to
any part of the metropolis.
The spirit with which these docks were commenced
and finished in a period of little more than two
years, and that too during one of the most expensive
wars ever waged, is a proof of the extent of British
commerce. The expense of these docks, which have
rendered an inestimable service to the trade of the
metropolis, was 1,200,000l.
During the construction of these docks, the ballast
which formed a barrier between the dock and the
Thames was driven away, and the water rushing in
from the river several persons were killed. The
largest dock was completed and opened for the recep-
tion of the water on the 3rd of August 1802; and
such is the extent of this artificial lake, that although
the water flowed in at the rate of from 500 to 1000
gallons in a second, yet the great dock was not com-
pletely filled a sufficient depth until six o'clock the
next morning, being ten hours. On the 3rd of Sept.
the grand ceremony of receiving the first ship took
place, when the Henry Addington, a new-built
West India vessel of 350 tons burden, was towed in
LONDON.
27
by ropes amidst the cheers of at least 10,000 spec-
tators.
So great was the advantage of these docks to the
West India trade, that it was calculated that upwards of
2,700,000l. had been saved by their formation in the
first seven years, of which more than a million had
been added to the public revenue. Calculating on
the same scale, it may be inferred, that by the forma-
tion of the West India Docks more than eight millions
of money have been saved, of which 3,000,000l. has
been received in revenue. It is due to George Hib-
bert and Robert Milligan, Esqrs. to state, that the
formation of these docks was principally owing to
their active zeal and spirit.
The proprietors of the West India Docks are an
incorporated body, under the title of the West India
Dock Company, and they are reimbursed by a
tonnage on the vessels that enter the docks, and a
per centage for landing, weighing, and warehousing
the cargoes.
Near the docks is a school, established by the
company, for the accommodation and instruction of
apprentices in the West India trade during the time
that the vessels are in the dock. The boys are
taught reading, writing, and arithmetic, and the ele-
mentary principles of mathematics and navigation.
Parallel with the docks there is a canal, which
enables vessels to save a distance of a mile and three-
quarters by avoiding the circuitous navigation round
the Isle of Dogs. This canal, which is three-quarters
of a mile in length, and two hundred feet in width,
was cut pursuant to an act of parliament, passed in
1799, at an expense of 133,849l. 12s. 6d. For the
►
28
PERCY HISTORIES.
first three years after it was formed, a small duty
was charged on all vessels that passed through it.
EAST INDIA DOCKS.
As the East India Company possesses warehouses
in town sufficiently large to hold the goods they im-
port, their docks are used more as a protection to the
shipping during the time of unloading, than as a place
of safe custody when delivered. The East India
Docks are farther down the river than the West India
Docks, though at no great distance from them; they
consist also of an import and an export dock: the
former, covering an area of eighteen acres and a half,
is 1410 feet long, 560 wide, and 30 feet deep; the
latter, which is of equal depth, is 730 feet long, 520
wide, and covers a space of 9acres. The entrance
basin occupies an area of two acres and three-quarters.
The largest dock is sufficiently capacious to admit at
the same time twenty-eight East Indiamen, with
double that number of smaller vessels. When the
goods are landed, they are conveyed along the East
India Dock and Commercial Roads to the Company's
warehouses in covered waggons, which are well
secured against all depredations.
The establishment of the West and East India
Docks has created around them an immense and in-
dustrious population, to which they give employ-
ment.
LONDON DOCKS.
The London Dock, situated in the parish of St.
LONDON.
29
John, Wapping, was formed for the same purpose as
the East and West India Docks-the facilitating the
unloading of vessels, and the safe custody of the
cargoes. This dock, which is not confined to any
particular branch of commerce, is 1262 feet long by
699 wide, and in depth 29 feet. It is capable of
containing two hundred sail of merchantmen, and was
constructed at an expence of 1,200,000l. The
dock, which is entered through a basin, opposite
Wapping Old Stairs, capable of containing several
sail, was opened on the 1st of Feb. 1805, when the
Perseverance of Liverpool, the oldest vessel in the
Oporto trade, decorated with the flags of all nations,
not excepting the French, with whom we were at war,
sailed majestically into the dock, which is nearly
surrounded by a quay 100 feet in width. The ware-
houses are immense, particularly two appropriated to
the reception of tobacco, which are under the direc-
tion of the officers of the customs. One of these ware-
houses is 762 feet long and 160 wide; the other 250
feet long and 200 feet wide. Underneath these ware-
houses are cellars, in which there are seldom less than
7000 pipes of wine.
The London Dock water is said to be very in-
jurious to health, and a modern historian of the mc-
tropolis gravely assures us, that it "never fails of
proving fatal to persons long immersed in it," a qua-
lity not peculiar entirely to the London Dock water;
nor is it very remarkable that a gentleman who
was eight minutes under water, should be drowned.
D Q
30
PERCY HISTORIES.
EAST INDIA HOUSE.
Addison, speaking of the Royal Exchange, and
the number of merchants congregated there, says,
"I have often fancied one of our old kings standing
in person, where he is represented in effigy, and
looking down upon the wealthy concourse of people
with which that place is every day filled. In this
case, how would he be surprised to see so many
private men, who in his time would have been the
vassals of some powerful baron, negociating, like
princes, for greater sums of money than were for-
merly to be met with in the royal treasury." Could
Addison himself visit Leadenhall-street, he would be
no less surprised than the monarchs to whom he
alludes, when he saw the Directors of the East India
Company negociating for millions, and giving direc-
tions for the government of an empire that contains
565,000 square miles, and a population of eighty-
three millions and a half. That a country of such
vast power and extent should be under the manage-
ment, both political and commercial, of a company
of merchants--a company, whose financial concerns
are equal to those of powerful states-whose revenue,
in the year 1822, was 21,982,521 l., and whose
debts at the same period were 39,533,655l., is a
phenomenon which the world never before presented.
Such is the present state of a company whose first
charter was granted in 1600, and whose whole
capital, at the end of the first eight years, did not
amount to more than 227,416 l.
A commercial association for trading with India
had been formed in 1599, when one hundred and one
LONDON.
31
persons subscribed, to the amount of 30,133l. 6s. 8d.,
in various sums from 130l. to 3000/.; but in conse-
quence of the pending treaty with Spain, the Govern-
ment delayed to sanction it. The first charter of this
great commercial company was dated on the 31st. Dec.
1600, and its duration limited to fifteen years.
The
money subscribed by the adventurers was augmented
to 68,3791., of which 39,7711. was expended in the
purchase and equipment of ships; 28,7421. was ap-
propriated to the bullion, and which, with goods to
the value of 68601. were carried out to commence a
traffic with the mighty empire of Hindoostan.
The first expedition of the East India Company
sailed from Torbay on the 2nd of May, 1601: it
proved successful, as, with a single exception, did
eleven others that followed, the profits varying from
120l. to as high as 340l. per cent. In 1609 the
company obtained a revival of their charter, without
any limitation as to its duration, except that if it was
found injurious to the nation their privileges should,
after three years' notice, cease and expire: but so far
was this from being the case, that when the first three
years of the renewed charter had expired, this privi-
leged body became a joint-stock company.
When the first expedition to India was sent out by
the company, the Queen gave the commander, Captain
Lancaster, letters of introduction to the several po-
tentates to whom he might have occasion to apply.
The traffic had, however, become of so much im-
portance in 1614, that it was determined to send Sir
Thomas Roe, as ambassador to the Mogul Court: his
mission was completely successful, for he obtained a
treaty, giving permission to the English to establish
32
PERCY HISTORIES.
factories in any part of the Mogul dominions, parti-
cularly Surat and Bengal. Sir Thomas, justly enough
presuming on his success, was very careful in commu-
nicating his advice to the directors of the East India
Company; he particularly cautioned them against all
territorial acquisitions and military expense, and point-
ed out a more powerful and less hazardous mode in
which they might succeed: “ "Half my charge," says
he, "shall compel all this court to be your slaves.
The best way to doy our business in it, is to find some
Mogul that you may entertain for one thousand rupees
a year, as your solicitor at court." Whether the
directors followed the advice of their ambassador or
not, does not appear; but it is more than probable
that it was not wholly lost on them.
The trade to India soon became much too extensive
for the capital employed in it, and in 1617-18 a
second joint stock company was formed, with a
capital of 1,600,000l.: the company now consisted of
954 proprietors, and had thirty-six ships of various
burdens, from 100 to 1000 tons each. In 1631 a third
joint stock company was formed, with a capital of
420,700l.; but it was not until the year 1641-2 that
the first important settlement was made in India, by
the erection of a fort at Madraspatam, which was
called Fort St. George, and was afterwards erected
into a presidency in 1653-4. The directors, like
Sir Thomas Roe, were at first opposed to making
territorial acquisitions, but they soon abandoned that
line of policy, and saw "a goodly prospect tempting
to the view" in establishing their power in India. In
the instructions sent out by the directors to their
factors in India, in 1689, they fully developed the
·
LONDON.
33
ambitious views then entertained. "The increase of
our revenue," say these founders of a mighty empire,
"is the subject of our care, as much as our trade; 'tis
that must maintain our force, when twenty accidents.
may interrupt our trade; 'tis that must make us a
nation in India; without that we are but as a great
number of interlopers, united by his majesty's royal
charter, fit only to trade where nobody of power
thinks it their interest to prevent us and upon this
account it is that the wise Dutch, in all their general
advices which we have seen, write ten paragraphs con-
cerning their government, their civil and military
policy, warfare, and the increase of their revenue, for
one paragraph they write concerning trade.”
A new East India Company was formed in 1698,
with a capital of two millions; but after a feeble
government of four years, it was united with the old
company, which took the name of "The United Com-
pany of Merchants trading to the East Indies." The
business was now managed regularly at home, and in
India there were three presidencies, at Madras, Bom-·
bay, and Calcutta, all independent of each other, and
accountable only to the government of England.
Although the desire of the directors to acquire
somewhat more than a commercial footing in India
had long been apparent, yet so late as the year 1746
the territory belonging to the company at Madras,
which for upwards of a century had been the princi-
pal settlement, extended only five miles along the
shore, and did not exceed a mile in breadth. The
number of English did not exceed three hundred per-
sons, of whom two hundred were soldiers in the
garrison.
34
PERCY HISTORIES.
The French had by this time become very active in
India, and not only seized on Calcutta, but excited a
revolution in the Carnatic. Fortunately for the Eng-
lish East India Company, Colonel Clive was at that
time in India, and although employed in a civil capa-
city, displayed talents which proved him qualified for
more important services. With a force of 200 Euro-
peans and 300 Seapoys, he seized on Arcot, and de-
fended it for fifty days against a force of 5000 men.
This extraordinary man effected a complete revolution
in the affairs of the East India Company;-had his
measures not been as skilful as they were gigantic,
their trade might have been annihilated: he, how-
ever, gave to it an empire. In a letter written in the
year 1765, Mr. now Lord Clive, who had arrived at
Madras with extraordinary powers, thus developed the
extension of his views: "We have," said he, "at length
arrived at that critical period which I have long fore-
seen, I mean that period which renders it necessary
for us to determine whether we can or shall take the
whole to ourselves. Surajah Dowla is beat from his
dominions; we are in possession of it, and it is scarcely
hyperbole to say, to-morrow the whole Mogul empire
is in our power."
The territorial acquisitions of Lord Clive, for his
words were not an idle boast, were successively extend-
ed under the governments of a Hastings, a Cornwallis,
and a Hastings, until they became that vast empire
which at present constitutes the possession of the East
India Company in India.
The commerce of the East India Company has
kept pace with its territorial acquisitions. The imports
have been continually augmenting, and the exports,
LONDON.
35
since the trade to India was by the act of 1813 partially
thrown open, have been singularly increased. It appears
by the parliamentary returns, that our exports in mer-
chandize, which in 1815 only amounted to 870,1771.,
had in the year 1819 increased to 3,052,7401., but as
the market was considerably overstocked, and the
exports in the following year were not more than half
that sum, the amount may not annually much ex-
ceed two millions. Independent of the commerce
with their possessions in India, the company has an
exclusive trade in tea with China, and all the
islands and ports between the Cape of Good Hope
and the Straits of Magellan. How much this
branch of the trade has increased may be known from
the circumstance, that the first order given by the
East India Company for tea was in 1677-8, when
their agents were directed to send one hundred pounds
weight only, and in 1814 the quantity consumed in
England was nearly twenty-five millions of pounds
weight, yielding a revenue to the government of up-
wards of four millions sterling!.
The government of the East India Company's pos-
sessions in India is confided to a viceroy, with the
title of governor-general and commander-in-chief,
who resides at Calcutta. The affairs of the com-
pany at home are managed by a court of twenty-four
directors, who are elected by the proprietors of East
India Stock. Six new directors are chosen annually,
so that the whole are renewed once in every four
years.
The East India House in Leadenhall-street, where
the directors hold their courts, and the chief business
36
PERCY HISTORIES.
of the Company is transacted, is a spacious building,
a portion of which was built in 1726, but was not
enlarged to its present dimensions until the year
1799. It cannot boast of much architectural neat-
ness; and although the front is crowded with orna-
ments, yet they are not sufficiently characteristic of
the Asiatic sovereignty of the Company. The front
consists of a portico, with six fluted Ionic columns
and two wings; the latter, which are extremely
plain, are surmounted by a neat balustrade. The in-
terior is fitted up in a manner, which combines ele-
gance and convenience; several of the rooms are
very spacious. The museum is rich in Oriental
curiosities, as the library is in Asiatic literature: in
the former are numerous trophies of British con-
quests in India. The library is frequently visited by
Oriental scholars from the Continent, who are ad-
mitted by the directors with a liberality and a facility
that shows a strong contrast to the unbending ob-
stinacy with which public buildings are too frequently
closed to the public in the metropolis.
In time of war the East India Company armed and
clothed a body of volunteers-men employed in
their own service as clerks and warehousemen, to the
number of two thousand; and on one occasion the
directors advanced from the funds of the Company
a sum of three millions to the British government.
Such merchants, like those of Tyre, might truly be
called “princes,”—such " traffickers," the "honour-
able of the earth."
1
LONDON.
37
SOUTH SEA COMPANY-BUBBLES.
The South Sea Company is one of the most inert
trading corporations in the metropolis, and remains
torpid while all around it is life and animation. It
was established by act of parliament, in the year 1711,
under the title of "The Company of Merchants of
Great Britain, trading to the South Seas and other
parts of America, and for encouraging the Fishery."
But although it thus appeared a commercial body, yet
its operations were principally financial, and have long
been wholly so. It had had its origin in the arrears
due to the army and navy, which exceeded nine
millions; this the South Sea Company agreed to pay
off, and advancing an additional sum of upwards of
800,000l., which made the whole loan to Govern.
ment ten millions ;-credit was given to that amount,
and the interest fixed at 600,000l. a year.
As this measure had been executed with success,
and the value of South Sea stock had advanced above
par, the directors made a proposal to government,
which under more favourable circumstances might
have proved equally beneficial, since the plan has
been partially acted upon by the present ministers in
the reduction of the 4 per cent. stock. The plan of
the directors of the South Sea Company was, to be
allowed to purchase, at different periods, the whole of
the funded debts of the crown, and by reducing the
rate of interest to render the capital more easily re-
deemable. The debts thus agreed to be purchased
amounted to 31,664,551l. 1s. 1d. For the privilege
of adding this to their capital stock, and for some ex-
clusive advantages to be gained by a treaty with
VOL. III.]
E
38
PERCY HISTORIES.
Spain, the directors agreed to advance to government
7,723,8091. So immense a sacrifice for a benefit that
under any circumstances did not seem to warrant it,
had, however, a very contrary effect to what might
have been expected. The directors had calculated
on gaining one per cent. by receiving five per cent.
on the capital from government, and paying only
four per cent. to the fundholders; they further an-
ticipated, that the new stock would bear a high
premium; and so indeed it did, for no sooner had
parliament passed an act, empowering the directors
to raise the money necessary for so great an un-
dertaking, than the company's stock began rapidly
to advance. The act authorised the directors "to
open books of subscription, and grant annuities to
such public creditors as were willing to exchange the
security of the crown for that of the South Sea Com-
pany, with the advantage of sharing in the emolu-
ments that might arise from their commerce."
The public, not then so familiar with a national
debt, as they have since become, had seen, that while
the debts due to the army and navy rested with the
government, the seamen's tickets, a substitute for
money, were sold at a loss of 40 or 50 per cent.: they
had also seen, that no sooner had the South Sea Com-
pany guaranteed those debts than they were liqui-
dated; and they felt the utmost confidence in the
plan,—so much so, that before the bill received the
royal assent South Sea Stock had risen to above
300 per cent.
The promoters of the scheme are said to have ex-
aggerated the profits; rumours were at the same time
circulated that the company, by monopolizing the
LONDON.
39
whole of the national funds, would reduce govern-
ment to the necessity of taking loans for them on
their own terms, and that by their wealth they would
possess such influence in parliament as to be able to
depose ministers when they pleased, and remodel the
government at their own pleasure. The public, in-
toxicated with these ideas, purchased with avidity;
and the stock, which at Christmas, 1719, was only
126, rose at the opening of the first subscription, on
the 14th of April, to above 3261.: thus the creditors
of the nation made over a debt of 100l. for 33 in
South Sea Stock. As the frenzy spread, and the
desire of making rapid fortunes became contagious,
the stock successively rose to above 1000 per cent,,
at which price the books were opened for the fourth
subscription on the 24th of August; and this sub-
scription, notwithstanding the market price of the
established stock was 800, was sold the same day at a
premium of 30 or 40 per cent.
Although this excessively rapid rise was excited by
various exaggerated statements of imaginary advan-
tages-of valuable acquisitions in the South Seas, and
hidden treasures to be found by the adventurers, yet
the public did not altogether go unwarned of the
futility of their hopes; and a ballad written on the
subject thus alludes to the Utopian dreams of the
speculators :-
Magd
"What need have we of Indian wealth;
Or commerce with our neighbours?
Our constitution is in health,
And riches crown our labours,
1
40
PERCY HISTORIES.
"Our South Sea ships have golden shrouds-
They bring us wealth 'tis granted ;
But lodge their treasures in the clouds,
To hide it till it's wanted."
Whether the directors had deliberately planned the
delusion on the public, or only profited by it when
they saw the opportunity, there is no doubt that they
resorted to desperate means to keep it up, nor had the
bubble burst when it did, but that their cupidity like
"vaulting ambition" overleaped itself. The South
Sea scheme had become so contagious, that the whole
nation was infected, and became a body of stock
jobbers and projectors. Every day produced some
project; and whether it was for "fattening hogs,"
"importing asses from Spain, in order to improve the
breed of mules," "raising silk-worms," "insuring mas-
ters from the loss sustained by servants," "rendering
quicksilver malleable," or "fishing for wrecks on the
Irish coasts," (and these are but a few out of 200
projects equally ridiculous), subscriptions were soon
raised, and the stock sold at a premium.
Fortunately for the nation, the South Sea Directors
took the alarm, and these delusive projects received
their first check from the power to which they owed
their birth. Jealous of their success, and desirous to
monopolize all the money of the speculators, the
directors obtained writs of scire facius against the con-
ductors of bubbles, and thus put an end to them. But
in thus opening the eyes of the deluded multitude,
they took away the main prop of their own tottering
edifice the bubble burst, - South Sea Stock fell
S
godkj
LONDON.
41
as rapidly as ever it rose: and in a few weeks sunk
from 1100, which it had reached, to 135. The dis-
tress occasioned by such fluctuations was dreadful :
government was compelled to interfere, and the pub-
lic voice called loudly for redress from the directors.
An investigation was instituted in parliament, and the
conduct of the directors being condemned, a consider-
able portion of their estates was confiscated, to the
amount of 2,014,000l. The property confiscated be-
longing to the directors varied frm 68,000 to 233,000l.
and to each was allowed for subsistence a sum varying
from 5000 to 50,000l. according to their supposed
delinquency.
Numerous are the anecdotes connected with this
fatal speculation. The story of the poor maniac
"Tom of Ten Thousand," who lost his whole fortune
and his reason too by the South Sea scheme, is well
known, as is that of Eustace Budgell. Others, though
less melancholy, are worth recording. A tradesman
at Bath, who had invested his only remaining for-
tune in this stock, finding it had fallen from 1000
to 900, left Bath with an intention to sell out. On
reaching town it had fallen to 250; he thought the
price too low, would not sell, and lost his all. The
Duke of Chandos, who had 300,000l. in this stock,
was advised by the Duke of Newcastle to sell all,
or at least a part; but he anticipated it would bring
him half a million: he delayed, and lost every
shilling. Gay, the poet, had 1000l. stock given him
by the elder Scraggs, postmaster-general, which,
added to the stock he had previously purchased,
amounted to 20,000. He consulted his friends;
and Dr. Arbuthnot advised him to sell out, but he
E 2
42
PERCY HISTORIES.
hesitated, and lost every shilling. Others were, how-
ever, more fortunate. The guardians of Sir Gregory
Page Turner, then a minor, had purchased stock for
him very low, and sold it out when it had reached its
maximum. to the amount of 200,000l. With this sum
Sir Gregory built his fine mansion on Blackheath,
and purchased 300 acres of land for a park. Two
maiden sisters, whose stock had accumulated to
90,000l., sold out when the South Sea Stock was at
970. The broker whom they employed advised them
to re-invest their money in navy bills, which were at
the time at a discount of 25 per cent. ; they took his
advice, and two years afterwards received their money
at par.
Thousands of persons were, however, totally ruined
by this speculation, which occasioned a dreadful
panic in the country, and had it not been for the
prudent conduct of Walpole, might have been pro-
ductive of the most fatal consequences.
The present South Sea Company, which is ma-
naged by a governor, sub-governor, and 21 directors,
annually elected, has no trade, although, when its
capital was funded in 1733, one-fourth was reserved
as a trading capital stock. The amount of the funded
capital in South Sea Stock and Annuities, on the 5th
of January, 1823, amounted to 12,192,580l. 13s. 11d.
POST OFFICE.
Of all the establishments in the metropolis there
is not one that is so complete, or of such universal
utility as the Post Office, by means of which a con-
stant and rapid communication is maintained, not
LONDON.
43
only between all parts of the United Empire, but
with every quarter of the globe. This perfection is,
however, of very modern date; for valuable as such an
institution is, and important as it must ever be to the
government and to the commerce of the country, it
was not until within the last half century that the post
office in London was placed on a good footing. This
is the more remarkable, as the use of posts may be
traced back to the ancient Persians.
Xenophon attributes the invention of posts to
Cyrus, who made use of them on his Scythian expe-
dition, about five hundred years before Christ, and
he describes the houses which were erected for the
relays, or the refreshment of the couriers, as magnifi-
cently built. Each courier, on arriving at the station,
delivered his despatches to the post-master, by whom
they were immediately forwarded.
Posts are supposed to have been known during the
Roman republic, though the first conclusive evidence
we have of their use is during the reign of Augustus,
when Suetonius assures us posts were established
along all the great roads of the empire.
In modern times, Charlemagne seems to have been
the first to revive the use of posts, which were dis-
continued at his death; nor is there any direct
proof of their existence until the year 1464, when
that suspicious monarch Louis XI. employed two
hundred and thirty couriers, to deliver his commands
at various stations, and to gain intelligence of every
thing that was passing in the remote provinces. There
does not, however, appear to have been anything like
a regular post in France until at least a century and
a half after that time.
44
PERCY HISTORIES.
In England posts appear to have been established
so early as the reign of Richard III., but they must
then have been an object of comparatively little im-
portance; and the first mention we find of a post-
master in England, is in the year 1581, when Sir
Thomas Randolph, an able diplomatist, who had been
employed in no less than eighteen distinct embassies,
filled the office.
Previous to this period, the foreign merchants
settled in London had been permitted to select from
among themselves, an individual to whom the manage-
ment of the foreign mails was given; but in 1568 a
dispute arose between the Flemings and the Spaniards,
when each chose a postmaster of their own. The in-
convenience of such a procedure was obvious, and was
so much felt, that on the petition of the citizens
Queen Elizabeth appointed a postmaster-general from
one of her English subjects; but in the reign of her
successor the business of the foreign post was for some
time under the direction of a foreigner, a Matthew
Le Quester.
In 1635 a letter-office, which communicated with
most of the principal roads, was opened, under the
direction of Thomas Witherings, who was superseded
for abuses in his office five years afterwards. The
plan was very ill organized, until, during the civil war,
when Prideaux, attorney-general to the common wealth,
became postmaster, and established a weekly con-
veyance of letters to all parts of the nation; the emo-
luments soon became so obvious that the common
council attempted an opposition post-office, but the
House of Commons, as ambitious and as jealous of
·
LONDON.
45
power as any sovereign could be, declared that the
office of postmaster is and ought to be in the sole power
and disposal of parliament.
The post-office, which in 1653 was farmed of par-
liament for 10,000l., received its first organization
from Cromwell, as a general post-office, three years
afterwards; and Charles II., confirming the regulations
of the Protector, settled the revenue arising from it
on his brother James, Duke of York, the produce
being, in 1663, 21,500l. Ten years afterwards this
amount was doubled, and it still continued to increase
until the reign of William III., when it was consider-
ably influenced by the hostile or tranquil state of the
country. The post-office revenue, which, during the
eight years of war only averaged 67,2221. a year, pro-
duced in the succeeding four years of peace on an
average, 82,319l. annually. A similar effect was ex-
perienced during the reign of Queen Anne, when
the war postage was about 60,000l., and the produce
during years of peace, upwards of 90,000l. a year.
This disproportion has of late years been reversed;
and the last years of war were those in which the
post-office has been most productive.
•
On the union of Scotland with England, in 1710, a
general post-office was established by act of parlia-
ment, which included not only Great Britain and
Ireland, but our West India and American colonies.
This extension of the post-office increased the revenue
to 111,4617. What portion of this sum was produced
by the respective countries does not appear, but there
is reason to believe that it was almost entirely inland,
and even English; for even so late as the years between
1730 and 1740 the post was only transmitted three days
46
PERCY HISTORIES.
a week between Edinburgh and London; and the
metropolis, which now sends between two and three
thousand letters a day to Edinburgh, on one occasion
during the period just mentioned only sent a single
letter, which was for an Edinburgh banker, of the
name of Ramsay.
The most remarkable event in the history of the
Post-office is the plan first suggested by Mr. Palmer,
in 1784, of sending the letters by the coaches, in-
stead of the old custom of transmitting them by
post-boys on horseback. From this moment the
prosperity of the Post-office commenced; and the
revenue, which, after the progress of nearly two
centuries, in 1783 only produced 146,400l. annually,
thirty years afterwards yielded a net revenue of
nearly one million seven hundred thousand pounds.
Nor was it only in increasing the revenue that Mr.
Palmer's plan was beneficial, for to use the words of
the Parliamentary Committee on the subject, “at the
same time that the revenue is augmented, answers are
returned to letters in half the time, and with a degree
of punctuality never experienced before: the ex-
pense is at a less rate per mile than upon the old
plan;" and when the plan had been so far carried
into effect, that the mail-coaches had travelled above
forty millions of miles, "not a single robbery had
been committed or a passenger insulted."
The Post-office consists of three branches; the
General or Inland, the Foreign, and the Two-penny
Post-offices. The General Post-office is necessarily
the most extensive and the most important, and some
idea may be formed of the number of letters that
pass through it, when it is known that the amount of
postage on the letters delivered in London from this
LONDON.
47
office sometimes exceeds 2500l. in a single morning.
Numerous as the letters are, such is the admirable
arrangement that the whole business of the day is
done in about six hours. Three hours in the morn-
ing, from six to nine o'clock, when the letters are
received by the mails, the amount taken, stamped,
sorted, and distributed to the several postmen, who
deliver them in every part of the metropolis. The
business of the evening, which is the most difficult,
is transacted between the hours of five and eight
o'clock, when all the letters are sorted and despatched
with the most surprising rapidity. On the day that
a Committee of the House of Commons attended at
the General Post-office to examine the details of the
business, the number of letters amounted to forty-four
thousand, the whole of which were sorted and
charged by one hundred and five persons in the
space of forty-five minutes. The office has as many
divisions as there are distinct mails, and the business
of the junior clerks is to sort the letters and hand
them to the chief clerk of each of these divisions,
who examines the letter to see whether it is single or
double, franked, or properly charged if paid for, and
then marks the proper charge of postage; and all
this is done at the rate of from sixty to seventy letters
in a minute. They are then made up into distinct
bags for the respective post-masters, sealed up, and
the amount charged, when they are handed to the
guards of the coaches, and are in a few hours dis-
persed over all parts of the kingdom. As auxiliaries
to the General Post-office, there are sixty receiving-
houses, which are kept open until five o'clock every
day.
•
48
PERCY HISTORIES.
The business of the Foreign Post-office, the Inland
Letter-Carrier's office for newspapers, and the Ship
Letter-office in Abchurch-lane, is conducted in a
similar manner, with a difference as to the days on
which letters are made up, and the hours of at-
tendance, as on foreign post days the office is open
for receiving letters until twelve o'clock at night.
The Two-penny Post-office, for the transmission
of letters from one part of the metropolis and its
environs to another, was projected by Mr. David
Murray, an upholsterer, of Paternoster-Row, in the
year 1683, and the plan was sometime acted upon
as a private speculation by Mr. William Dockwra, to
whom Murray communicated it. The postage was
at first only a penny: when the business became an
object of importance to the government, who took
the business into their own hands, allowing Dockwra
a pension of 2001. per annum for life. The two
principal offices for the Two-penny post are in Lom-
bard-street and Gerard-street; there are also upwards
of 120 receiving-houses in various parts of the metro-
polis, which are continually adding to their number
as new buildings are erected. The number of letters
circulating in a population of a million and a quarter
may readily be conceived to be immense; but there
is one day in the year in which they are in-
creased beyond any thing that imagination could cal-
culate this is St. Valentine's Day; it appears by
the official returns, that on the 14th of Feb. 1821, the
number of letters which passed through the Two-
penny Post-office in London exceeded the usual daily
average by two hundred thousand !
The whole business of the Post-office is under the
LONDON.
49
direction of two individuals, usually noblemen, who
jointly fill the office of Post-master General; but the
general management is confided to the secretary and
resident surveyor, who has under him inspectors,
comptrollers, a receiver general, and numerous other
officers-all places of great trust and confidence.
As a source of revenue, the Post-office is one of the
most fertile and least objectionable of imposts, since
no person can begrudge a shilling for having his
letter transmitted four hundred miles in the short
period of forty hours. The amount produced an-
nually by the Post-office is also of importance, even
in a country where the revenues are greater than any
ancient or modern country. It appears by the offi-
cial returns, that the gross amount of the revenue
from the Post-office, for the year ending the 5th of
January 1821, was 2,310,599l. 1s. 101d., from which
deducting a sum of 617,962l. 3s. 11žd., leaves a net
produce of 1,692,636l. 17s. 10 d. applicable to na-
tional objects-exhibiting in itself a proud monument
of the extensive commerce and active intercourse of
Great Britain.
The present situation of the General Post-office
in Lombard-street, though possessing the advantage
of being in a centrical situation, is inconvenient for
business so extensive; and more than ten years ago
it was determined to erect a new office on a larger
sale, and more worthy of this great city, on the
scite of St. Martin's-le-Grand.
The first money
raised was expended in purchasing the leases of the
houses, and after they were removed the ground has
remained unoccupied. It has, however, at length
been determined to proceed with the building, which
VOL. III.]
F
I
50
PERCY HISTORIES.
is to be on a magnificent scale, and will be completed
in two years.
THE EXCISE OFFICE.
Although the excise is of all others the most pro-
ductive branch of the public revenue, yet, as its
ramifications are extended to every county, port, and
even village in the kingdom, the establishment in
London is not on a very large scale. The Excise-
office, established in 1643, was formerly kept in the
Old Jewry, and afterwards transferred to Broad-
street, where a spacious and plain, but by no means
inelegant building, was erected on the site of
Gresham College and alms-houses in the year 1768.
In this office the superior and local business of the
excise is transacted by nine commissioners, with nu-
merous officers and clerks under them. The gross
amount of the excise in the year 1820 was
31,714,9351. 10s. 9d., of which a sum of 3,092,6871.
Os. 6d. was paid in drawbacks, discounts, and
charges of management, leaving a net revenue to the
country of 28,622,248l. 10s. 22d.
·
THE MINT.
The Mint is a very elegant building of modern date,
which has been erected on Tower Hill for the purpose
of coining and issuing all monies, so necessary to the
commercial intercourse of every civilized nation.
Before the use and value of money had been ascer-
tained, it was customary with the people to barter
the several articles they wished to possess or part
LONDON.
51
with; when the inconveniences of such a mode of
traffic were discovered, an intermediate instrument
was adopted in the precious metals, and the first
money used to replace the value of cattle, which
were formerly the medium of exchange, bore the
figure and name of the animal for which it was con-
sidered an equivalent: thus, a piece of money, bear-
ing the figure of an ox or a sheep, passed current for
the value of the animal.
When Cæsar landed in Britain, he found the me-
dium of exchange to consist of pieces of brass or
iron; but afterwards Cunobeline had coins of gold,
silver, and copper. The Saxons and Danes, while
bearing sway in this country, used only silver and
brass; and, the Normans rejecting the latter, silver
became the sole material of our coinage until the
reign of Henry III., when gold was introduced into
the mint.
Nothing is known of the manner in which the
Britons conducted the coinage of their rude substi-
tutes for money, if coinage it could be called, when
an equality of weight was, as we are assured by
Cæsar, the sole object in view. There is no proof
that the Romans ever coined any money in Britain,
and there are no documents that furnish any in-
formation respecting the mints of the British kings
after the departure of the Romans.
The Anglo-Saxon coins, in addition to the names
of the monarch, contained those of the moneyers,
who were responsible for the integrity of the money.
This custom has been frequently followed, even to
the present day, by the master of the mint having
the initials of his name on the coin, though so minute
as scarcely to be legible.
52
PERCY HISTORIES.
William I. was very careful not to alter the coinagé,
and his money not only resembled that of Harold in
weight and fineness, but some of it correctly imitated
the type of that monarch's silver pennies. From this
period the coin has been varied by different monarchs
until it has obtained its present perfection.
No sooner had the art of coining been stripped of
the rudeness of the first invention, than various at-
tempts were made to counterfeit money, and nu-
merous are the statutes that have been made to
punish this offence, though without preventing its
commission; for although Henry I. ordained that
falsifiers of money should suffer the loss of a hand,
and afterwards added still severer inflictions, of which
the loss of sight was scarcely the most severe; yet
these penalties were ineffectual, and the terrors of
the church were called in aid of the rigour of the law ;
nor was this even sufficient to deter others from this
gainful but fatal exercise of ingenuity: the crime was
afterwards deemed high treason, and yet continued
to be frequent.
Counterfeiting the coin seems to have reached its
maximum in the reign of Queen Elizabeth, for when
that princess called in the base money by procla
mation, in order to have it converted into sterling
coin at a separate mint in the Tower, it was found
that out of 631,950 lbs. of current money, there was
387,534 lbs. of dross. The antiquaries Agarde, who
was living at the time, and Hearße, relate a singular
anecdote connected with this purification of the coin,
which, if true, gives cause to suspect, that it had been
fluxed with arsenic. They state that most of the
workmen employed in melting the base coin "fell
sick to death with the savour, and that they were
LONDON.
53
advised to drink in a dead man's scull for their
rescue. Accordingly a warrant was procured from
the council to take off the heads from London-bridge,
and to make cups of them, out of which they drank
and found some relief, although most of them
died."
So early as the reign of Henry I. the English gold-
smiths had become so eminent as to be frequently
employed by foreign princes; but it was during the
commonwealth, when the celebrated Simon presided
at the mint, that the English coinage obtained what
may perhaps still be considered its highest point
of celebrity. The reign of Queen Anne was another
era in our coinage, as was that of his late Majesty
George III., who, in the year 1797, issued a copper
coinage to such an extent as entirely to supersede
the base trash which then passed current. In 1817,
the silver coin, the intrinsic quality of which was not
above one-third of the amount for which it circulated,
was called in, and a new coinage of silver substituted.
with great liberality on the part of government, who
took in exchange all the English coin in circulation,
however much it might be deteriorated by wear, if it
was not of base metal. The new coinage was issued
in all parts of the united empire at the same time, the
Isle of Man and the small county of Rutland (we
believe) excepted, which had been singularly for-
gotten in the arrangements. In London, offices for
exchanging the coin were opened in various parts of
the town for general convenience, and the whole
business was but the work of a few days. Gold
sovereigns, half sovereigns, and double sovereigns,
have since been issued; and the whole coinage`is
F 2
54
PERCY HISTORIES.
A
placed upon the most liberal and most respectable
basis.
The copper coinage of 1797 had been entrusted to
Messrs. Bolton and Watt of Birmingham, and to
these gentlemen the nation is indebted for the im-
proved machine now used in the Royal Mint on
Tower Hill. The machinery works the screw-presses
for cutting out the circular pieces of metal out of
plates, and coins both the edges and faces of the
money at the same time, and that with such rapidity
that four boys by the machinery are capable of
striking thirty thousand pieces of money in an hour.
The machine acts at the same time as a register,
keeping a faithful account of the number of pieces
struck.
1
After the money has been coined, and before it can be
issued, it undergoes a very rigid assay by a jury of per-
sons, who, by their rank and professional knowledge,
are well qualified to ascertain its purity. This is tech-
nically called the trial of the pix, from the pix or box
in which the coins selected for examination are placed.
This custom, which is mentioned in the reign of
Edward I., as one of common usage, was formerly
conducted in the court of exchequer, when the jurors
were sworn to examine by fire, by water, by
touch, or by weight, or by all, or by some of them,
in the most just manner, whether the monies are
made according to the indenture, and standard trial
prices, and within the remedies" or allowances to be
made for any errors to which the coin with the ut-
most care may be liable. The trial of the pix now
usually takes place before the Lord Chancellor, se
veral of the Privy Council, and a jury of freemen of
""
|
LONDON.
55
the Goldsmiths' Company, twelve of whom are se-
lected from a list of twenty-five returned by the
wardens.
The business of the Mint is conducted by a master
and worker, who has a salary of 3000l. a year, a de-
puty master and worker, comptrollers, assay masters,
and a number of other officers, whose aggregate
salaries, including that of the master, amount to up-
wards of 12,000l. a year. The salaries of the officers,
which are now liberal, were formerly very low, making
every allowance for the times: in the reigns of Henry
III. and Edward III., the warden's salary was two
shillings a day; in the reign of Henry VI. it was
only two shillings and sixpence, and the engraver had
only twenty pounds a year; now the warden has
upwards of 400l. and the engraver 500l. per annum.
The New Mint on Tower Hill, designed by Mr.
Smirke, and erected under his directions, is one of
the most elegant structures in the eastern division of
the metropolis. The building is of pure Grecian
architecture, combining a modest grandeur with the
convenience of being admirably suited to business.
In the interior the arrangements are so complete as
to exhibit one of the most remarkable proofs of the
advanced state of the fine and mechanical arts to be
met with in any part of the kingdom.
THE BANK OF ENGLAND.
It was an observation of the father of political
economists, Dr. Adam Smith, that "the stability of
the Bank of England is equal to that of the British
56
•
PERCY HISTORIES.
government," and the history of this establishment
has proved that the remark is just: it is an institu-
tion whose welfare is so intimately connected with
that of the state, that they must stand
or fall
together; not that the State is dependent on the
bank which it enriches, but that the obligation and
services are reciprocal. The bank is the agency house
through which the government pays the greatest por-
tion of its creditors, allowing a liberal sum as a com-
pensation for the trouble, which has of late years been
somewhat reduced in amount.
Kr
:
•
The origin of the banking system has been traced
by more than one historian to the time of Pharoah,
when Joseph gathered all the money in Egypt to the
house of his master, thus manifesting a partiality for
the precious metals which the descendants of his tribe
and nation have preserved unimpaired to the present
day. Among the moderns, Venice, the cradle of Eu-
ropean commerce, was the first to form one of those
institutions, which have since been found so advanta.
geous to its progress. The first bank in this flourish-
ing republic was established so early as the twelfth
century, when a bureau, called the Chamber of Loans,
was opened for receiving the deposits of a forced
contribution, which the pressing necessities of the re-
public rendered necessary, and paying the interest of
four per cent. Such was the origin of the first nati-
onal bank in Europe, which continued to flourish un-
til the invasion of France, in 1797, when the indepen-
dence of this republic was overthrown.
Venice was so much in advance of the other states
of Europe in commerce, that it was long before her
example was followed. Amsterdam was the next, but
LONDON.
57
the bank was not established there until the year 1609.
London was still later in adopting so excellent an in-
stitution, the Bank of England not having been esta-
blished until the year 1694. Not that the merchants
of London were ignorant of the principles of banking,
for considerable business had long been carried on in
that line by private individuals, particularly the Lom-
bard merchants. It has already been stated, (vol. 1.
p. 323.) that the goldsmiths were the first regular
bankers in London, and it exhibits a singular instance
of what may be termed the longevity of prosperous
commerce, that the descendants of the first two bankers
still carry on the business, and that, too, where they
first commenced. In an old tract, printed in 1675, en-
titled "The Mystery of the new-fashioned Goldsmiths
or Bankers discovered," the adoption of banking in
England is attributed to the distrust which was gene-
rated in the reign of Charles I., when the merchants
and tradesmen, who before trusted their cash to their
servants and apprentices, found it no longer safe to
do so; neither did they dare to leave it in the Mint
at the Tower, on account of the distress of majesty
itself. It is, however, rather to be wondered at, that
banks were not established long before, than that they
were only adopted in the year 1645. The first regular
banker in London was Mr. Francis Child, a goldsmith,
who kept a shop in Fleet-street, Temple-bar, where
the business of the respectable firm of Messrs. Child and
Co. is still carried on. The next bankers were Messrs.
Snow and Denne, whose shop is said to have been a
few doors west, and on or near the site of the banking
house of Messrs. Snow and Paull.
The success which attended the banking goldsmiths
58
PERCY HISTORIES.
suggested the idea of a public bank like those of Ve-
nice and Amsterdam, as the credit of an individual,
however respectable for wealth, integrity, and pru-
dence, could not be supposed in any case to be equal
to that of those public establishments which were the
general depositories of all the floating capital of the
community, of which the management was given to
directors publicly chosen, and bound down in their
conduct to certain general rules, from which they had
no discretionary power to depart.
About the period of the revolution, several projects
were formed by individuals for a national bank; but it
was not until some years afterwards, that a plan was
agreed upon, which had been formed by Mr. William
Paterson, a Scotsman of enlightened views, who, in
addition to being the founder of the largest and most
prosperous bank that ever existed, first suggested that
grand design, which we trust, will in a few years be
executed, of uniting the Atlantic and Pacific oceans by
the Isthmus of Darien or Panama.
Paterson had observed the difficulties with which
the government raised the supplies for the year, and
had seen an English minister under the necessity of
applying to the London tradesmen for a loan of a few
thousand pounds on the first payments of the land-tax
-and even taking it in sums so low as 201. He
therefore proposed the establishment of a national
bank, but met with great opposition; at length, all
difficulties were obviated, and in 1694, an act of Parli-
ament was passed, authorizing their majesties to raise
the sum of 1,200,000l. by loan, and to incorporate
the lenders into a body, under the title of "The Go-
vernor and Company of the Bank of England." No
LONDON.
59
person was to subscribe more than 20,000l.; and the
company was not only prohibited from raising more
than 1,200,000l. unless authorized by act of Parlia-
ment, but they were not allowed to trade either by
themselves or by the means of any agent in any sort
of goods or merchandize; their business being confined
to dealing in gold, silver, bullion, or bills of exchange.
The company had another privilege which has been
rarely acted upon, that of lending money "on plate,
lead, tin, copper, steel, and iron, at four per cent."
and selling them, if not redeemed within three months
after the time fixed for their redemption had expired.
It was at first intended that the government should
give only five per cent for the loan of this money, and
an office was opened to receive deposits, but with the
exception of 5000l. subscribed by the lords of the
treasury, the subscriptions did not amount to more
than 2,100l.: this was owing to the interest offered
by government, being three per cent. lower than the
usual rate. When, however, it was agreed to secure
to the company 100,000l. a year out of the receipts
of the exchequer, the subscription list was filled in ten
days, and the deposit of 25 per cent. paid.
The first years of the bank of England were by no
means prosperous, owing to its having agreed to take
the clipped and deteriorated coin at par in exchange
for its own notes, which in consequence were at a dis-
count of fifteen or twenty per cent. This circumstance
caused the bank to be attacked in several serious pam-
phlets and light pasquinades; one of the latter allu-
ding to Grocers' hall, where the business of the bank
was long carried on, had the following stanza :
60
PERCY HISTORIES.
"I'll have a law made,
None shall set up the trade,
To borrow or lend money,
But they at grocer's shop,
Who are at a full stop,
And neither pay all nor any."
The relief of Parliament became necessary, and a
new act was passed, authorizing the bank to increase
its capital to 2,201,171l. 10s. and other privileges being
granted to the company, its credit was completely re-
stored; so much so that the bank stock, which had
been given in exchange for exchequer tallies, then at
a discount of from forty to fifty per cent. rose twelve
per cent. above par. The exchequer tallies were af-
terwards paid off by the bank at par, by which means
many persons, who had bought them when at a great
discount, amassed large fortunes: one gentleman, Sir
Gilbert Heathcote, is said to have gained 60,000l. by
the fluctuation.
The bank had hitherto been a corporation, assisting,
but not connected with the State further than in
the relation of a lender to a borrower, but in the year
1706, it became the direct and immediate agent of go-
vernment by undertaking to issue exchequer bills to
the amount of a million and a half, which paid as in
later times an interest of two-pence per diem for every
100%.
}
The Bank of England now became prosperous; and
the act passed in 1708, for preventing more than
six persons engaging in a firm, though now a law of
questionable policy, did much service to the company,
so that in the following year, when the bank was em-
LONDON.
61
powered to double its capital, the sum of 2,201,171,10l.
was subscribed in the course of five hours, at an ad-
vance of fifteen per cent. This advance in the price
of bank stock was however nothing to what took place
when the South Sea bubble had frenzied the British
capitalists, and bank stock was actually sold at 260l.
per cent.
Successive acts of Parliament were passed to enable
the bank to increase its capital, and on all occasions
when the government required aid, the bank was wil-
ling to accommodate it on terms of reciprocal advan-
tage. The affairs of the company were highly pros-
perous, and its capital stock more than ten millions
when the rebellion of 1745 threatened to paralyse its
operations. In the first moment of alarm, persons
became anxious to obtain cash for their notes, and
crowded to the bank for that purpose. Unfortunately
the bank was not at that time very well supplied with the
precious metals, and certainly not, in any thing like the
quantity necessary to exchange the notes issued: some
expedient was necessary, and in order to gain time,
the directors paid the notes in silver, and wherever
they could in sixpences, which rendered the process
slow and tedious. But although the demands on the
bank were numerous they were not very heavy, and
the merchants and bankers in London felt so assured
of its stability, that eleven hundred of the most re-
spectable signed a declaration, expressive of their con-
fidence in the safety of the bank, and of their deter-
mination to support its credit by receiving the notes
in all payments, and circulating them on all occasions.
A more imminent danger threatened the bank,
which had been steadily increasing in prosperity and
VOL. III.]
G
62
PERCY HISTORIES.
consequently in capital, during the fanatical riots of
1780. Fortunately, this great establishment was not
the object of attack at the commencement of those
daring outrages; for, unprepared as it then was, it is
almost certain that it would have been entirely de-
spoiled. Dr. Johnson, in his Letters to Mrs. Thrale,
when giving what he calls a journal of“ a week's de-
fiance of government," unhesitatingly states that if the
mob had attacked the bank "at the height of the
panic," on Tuesday instead of the Wednesday night,
"when no resistance had been prepared, they might
have carried irrecoverably away whatever they had
found." Wilkes headed the party who drove the rio-
ters away, and this was the first effectual resistance
they encountered. Since this period, a guard of sol-
diers has been regularly sent every evening from the
Horse Guards, or from the Tower, and lodged in the
bank for its protection.
The punctuality with which the interest on the bank
stock, and the dividends on government securities
were paid, and the facility with which the principal
is obtained, soon pointed out the funds as the most con-
venient, and often the most advantageous modes of
investing capital, and to such an extent was this done,
that in the year 1791, when government called for a
return of the unclaimed dividends which had accumu-
lated in the bank, they were found to amount to
660,000l. of which half a million was advanced to go-
vernment without interest.
When the French revolution, that pivot on which
so much of European history turns, was extending its
principles to neighbouring states, and strong symptoms
of attachment to them had been manifested in Eng-
LONDON.
63
land, the stability of the government, and consequently
of the bank, began to be questioned, and several per-
sons withdrew their confidence and their money from
the public funds; this had been done to such an ex-
tent, that in the year 1797, the bank felt some diffi-
culty in obtaining the requisite quantity of specie,
which had been drained out of the country by loans
and subsidies, to meet the demand, The bank had
also been so liberal' in its advances to government,
that it had felt some inconveniences on this account;
but the minister still sued for aid, and the directors,
though protesting against further advances, could not
refuse them. At length, when the wants of the go-
vernment and the demands of the public threatened
to drain the bank of its last guinea, the directors sent
a deputation to Mr. Pitt, then Premier, on the 24th
of February, 1797, to represent the state in which they
had been placed, and to ask him "how far he thought
the bank might go on paying cash, and when he
would think it necessary to interfere before their cash
was so reduced as might be detrimental to the imme-
diate service of the state." Mr. Pitt was not the mi-
nister to hesitate on such an occasion; a meeting of
the Privy Council was held two days afterwards, who
passed an order, declaring it necessary for the public
service, that "the Directors of the Bank of England
should forbear issuing any cash in payment until the
sense of Parliament could he taken on the subject."
This order was extensively circulated, accompanied
by a notice from the Secretary of the bank, stating,
"that the general concerns of the bank were in the most
affluent and prosperous situation." The merchants
and bankers of London, with that generous confidence
64
PERCY HISTORIES.
which has always marked their conduct, again assem-
bled, as in the year 1745, to declare their confidence
in the Bank of England, and their determination to
receive bank notes on all occasions. Upwards of
four thousand of the most eminent mercantile men
in London signed this declaration, but the panic
had spread to the country, and a great shock was
given to public credit. A parliamentary commit-
tee was soon afterwards appointed to examine into
the affairs of the bank, when it was ascertained that
the company had a surplus of 3,826,8901. beyond all
their debts, exclusive of a sum of 11,686,800l. due to
them from government, forming a total net capital of
15,513,690l. This assurance was deemed satisfactory,
though it was some time before the funds recovered
the shock they had received. In consequence of
cash payments being abolished, it became necessary
to substitute a paper currency in notes of smaller sums
than had been hitherto issued. Until the year 1759
no bank notes of less than 20l. had been circulated,
but in that year, others of 10l. and 15l. were used;
in 1790, bank notes for 5l. were put in circulation,
and in 1797, when it was no longer obligatory on the
bank to pay in cash, notes of 1l. and 2l. were issued,
and continued in circulation until the year 1822, when
they were wholly withdrawn, and cash payments re-
sumed, an event which sadly disconcerted political
economists, who declared that a return to cash pay-
ments was totally impossible. Although in 1797, a
paper succeeded a metallic currency, yet the actual
amount of bank notes in circulation in the month of
December in that year did not exceed those issued
in February by more than two millions, and the sum
LONDON.
65
was altogether less, by about three millions, than in
1795. The run on the Bank, as the call for cash in
1797 is generally called, reduced the issues of bank
notes very considerably; and at the moment that the
Bank was relieved from the necessity of cash pay-
ments, the amount in circulation was only 8,601,964/.
From this period, however, the issues were continually
augmented, and they appear to have reached their
maximum in the month of August, 1817, when the
Bank had actually in circulation, bank-notes and bank
post bills, to the amount of 30,099,9081.
The restriction on cash payments, authorized by
the privy council in 1797, and confirmed by an act
of parliament, though intended as a temporary mea-
sure, was continued by various legislative acts until
the month of September, 1817, when the Bank is-
sued a notice that cash would be given for all their
notes of 1l. and 21. value, dated previous to the 1st of
January, 1816: so great, however, was the demand
for cash, that in the course of two years, from the 1st
of January, 1817, to the 1st of January, 1819, the
gold coin issued amounted to 1,596,256l. in guineas
and half guineas, and 4,459,725 in sovereigns. Had
this sum been withdrawn merely for the purpose of
superseding paper money in internal circulation, it
would have occasioned no uneasiness; but it was
found that it was exported to France at a premium,
and that in such quantities, that out of a new coinage
of 5,000,000l. made by the French government, nearly
four millions of it was out of the coin of this country.
In order, therefore, to prevent such a drain of the
precious metals, it was determined once more to in-
terdict cash payments. After this measure was adopt-
G 2
66
PERCY HISTORIES.
ed, two parliamentary committees were appointed to
investigate the affairs of the Bank. In the report of
the secret committee of the House of Commons, dated
May 6, 1819, we have a clear and decisive proof of
the flourishing state of the Bank of England, fully jus-
tifying that ample confidence which the public have.
reposed in the stability of its resources. It appears
by this parliamentary document, that the sum which
the Bank was liable to be called on to pay, in fulfil-
ment of its engagements, on the 1st of January,
1819, was 33,894,580l. and that it was then in pos-
session of government securities, and other credits, to
the amount of 39,096,9001. leaving a surplus in fa-
vour of the Bank of England, of 5,202,3201. exclu-
sive of the permanent debt due from government to
the Company, of 14,686,800l. repayable on the ex-
piration of the charter. Thus the total capital of the
Bank exceeds twenty millions sterling.
The proposal again to restrict the Bank from pay-
ments in cash, met with considerable opposition in
both houses of parliament, though the usnal orders of
the house were suspended, that the bill might pass
through all its stages in one day; and it passed
through the commons on the 5th of April, 1819,
and through the lords on the following day. This
act, which is known by the name of Mr. Peel's Bill,
limited the restriction to the 1st May, 1822, on which
day cash payments were resumed, and have conti-
nued uninterrupted and unlimited to the present time.
It will readily be perceived that the principal bu-
siness of the Bank of England is as the agent of go-
vernment in the management of the public debt; and,
in addition to the allowance it has for transacting
LONDON.
67
this business, considerable profit is derived from the
balances which it holds belonging to the government,
which have sometimes amounted to six millions. Al-
though there can be no doubt that the profits of the
Bank, for transacting the business of the government,
are great, yet it is but justice to this body, the first in
wealth and character that ever existed, to say that the
directors, on all occasions, manifest a corresponding
liberality—that their treasury has always been open
when the necessities of the government required a
loan, and that when, in 1798, voluntary contributions
were solicited for carrying on the war, the Bank com-
menced the subscription by a donation of 200,0001.
In nothing is the resumption of cash payments by
the Bank of England more gratifying, than the ser-
vice it has done to the cause of humanity, by putting
a stop to that system of forgery which every year sent
numerous victims to an untimely death. The for-
geries were generally in notes of the lowest value, and
these being entirely withdrawn, the crime has almost
ceased. A singular fraud, though not fatal to the
individual, yet of such an extent as would have se-
riously injured many establishments, was committed
on the Bank, in 1803, by Mr. Robert Astlett, a prin-
cipal cashier, who, by re-issuing exchequer bills, de-
frauded the company of 320,000l. a sum nearly equal
to the entire dividends of the half-year. Astlett was
tried on two several indictments, and capitally convic-
ted, but judgement was deferred; and after remain-
ing many years in Newgate, he was pardoned by his
present Majesty, on condition of quitting the country.
The Bank of England has, on several occasions, is-
ued a silver currency to a considerable extent, some-
68
PERCY HISTORIES.
times in dollars, and tokens of eighteen-pence and
three-shillings, at an advanced price on the value of
silver. The Spanish dollars, which were successively
raised from four-and-sixpence to five shillings, were,
in 1811, re-issued at five-and-sixpence, having been
previously re-stamped by one of Mr. Bolton's power-
ful machines, which entirely effaced the Spanish in-
signia, and replaced it by the head of his Majesty,
and a figure of Britannia.
The business of the Bank of England was at first
carried on at Grocer's Hall, and continued to be trans-
acted there until the year 1734, although the increase
of the establishment had long rendered larger premises
desirable. At length, in 1732, it was determined to
erect a new building of sufficient magnitude, and the
site chosen, was the house and garden of Sir John
Houblon, the first
governor of the company, in Thread-
needle-street. The original building has since re-
ceived so many additions, that it becomes more diffi-
cult to trace the architectural than the commercial
growth of the establishment. The first edifice,
which formed but a small portion of the vast fabric
which now constitutes the Bank of England, was
raised under the direction, and according to the de-
signs, of Mr. George Sampson, and was opened for
business on the 1st of June, 1734.
This building was soon found insufficient for the in-
creasing business of the company, and some adjoining
houses and ground having been obtained, wings were
added under the direction of Sir Robert Taylor. In
1788, Mr. Soane succeeded as architect to the Bank,
and to him is the present building indebted for its
principal ornaments, particularly the rotunda. Mr.
LONDON,
69
Soane had also the re-constructing of the principal
part of the interior, which he has rendered much more
commodious. From Mr. Soane's first appointment to
the present time, there has scarcely a year elapsed in
which he has not been engaged, either in making
some addition to the building, or in re-modelling and
simplifying the arrangement of the interior; nor has
he yet completed his work, but has recently added
what may justly be considered the most splendid por-
tion of this noble edifice. This consists of a new
wing at the east end of the Bank; the elevation forms
a colonnade of six fluted Corinthian columns which
connect two pavilions; the columns do not form a
portico, being barely insulated from the wall. The
entablature, which is surmounted with a very fine
parapet, has its frieze enriched with Vitruvian fret.
The whole possesses much novelty, boldness, and
elegant effect.
The whole building occupies an area of nearly four
acres. The centre of the south front erected by
Sampson, is eighty feet long, and is of the Ionic order.
The two wings, added by Sir Robert Taylor, were co-
pied from a building by Bramante, in the Belvidere
gardens at Rome, and, although neat, did not har-
monize with the centre. The north and west fronts
have been erected by Mr. Soane, who, in this, as well
as in several other parts of the Bank, has indulged in
his favourite attachment to the Grecian architecture,
which he has introduced in the purest style.
It is, however, in the interior of the Bank that the
skill of the architect is displayed to the greatest ad-
vantage. The rotunda, where the money-changers
daily assemble to traffic in real or fictitious stock, is a
70
PERCY HISTORIES.
fine octagonal room, fifty-seven feet in diameter, and
covered by a dome; the whole building being of stone.
It was erected in 1795, under the direction of Mr.
Soane. The court room, the pay-hall, the offices for
the several kinds of stock, the hall, the apartments for
the accommodation of the governor, the directors,
and the cashiers, with the various offices requisite for
the accommodation of eleven hundred clerks, who are
now employed in the Bank, are all admirably suited
for the purposes for which they are constructed, and
nothing can exceed the order and regularity with
which the business is conducted. As a whole, how-
ever, the Bank, from its having been built at different
periods, presents several architectural anomalies and
incongruities, and a confusion of orders as varied as
the Babel-like confusion of tongues heard in the ro-
tunda, when a sudden fluctuation in the funds has
created a multitude of hopes and fears among the cla-
morous multitude who usually assemble there during
office hours.
-
Over the hall of the Bank there is a curious clock,
which, by communicating rods, indicates the march of
time in sixteen distinct offices, where dial plates are
placed; thus obviating the inconvenience which might
arise in the transacting of business in the funds by
the variation of different clocks.
The affairs of the Bank of England are managed by
a governor, deputy-governor, and twenty-four direc-
tors, who are chosen annually. The duties are not
only arduous, but of great responsibility, when it is
considered that, independent of their own business in
discounts, the interest on a debt of nearly eight hun-
dred millions is paid in the Bank, and that with such
LONDON.
71
regularity, that at the time when the pressure of our
finances was the heaviest, not a creditor of the state
had to call twice for his dividend, although nearly the
whole of Europe was receiving millions from us an-
nually, either as loans or as subsidies.
The interest on bank stock had long been at five
per cent. half yearly, but in March 1823, it was re-
duced to four-and-a-half, which occasioned a fall in
the stock from 236 to 210; it has, however, since re-
covered its former price. At the same time the com-
pany entered into an arrangement with the govern-
ment, to advance a sum of 13,089,419l. in order to
pay the military and naval pensions, on condition of
receiving an annuity of 585,7401. for forty-four years.
A few months afterwards, the directors determined on
advancing money, on mortgages, in sums of not less
than 10,000l., at four per cent, one of the privileges
of this great corporation which has rarely been resort-
ed to, although a short time after it resumed its first
charter, a bank was proposed for the purpose, entitled
the Land-Bank, but it fell among the visionary pro-
jects of the age.
The name of Abraham Newland, a faithful and
trusty servant of the Bank of England, for upwards of
sixty years, is so connected with it, that the historian
of this great establishment would be guilty of a very
culpable neglect if he omitted to notice him. Mr.
Newland was a striking instance of the success of di-
ligence and integrity. At the age of eighteen, he was
appointed a junior clerk; and, it is said, added to his
salary the stipend of organist at one of the churches.
His appointment at the Bank was about the year 1748,
and in 1782, he became chief cashier, an office which
72
J
PERCY HISTORIES.
he retained until 1807, when he resigned with a
splendid fortune, the fruits of honest industry. On
his retirement he refused to receive the usual annuity,
which is very liberal, as, indeed, are all the transactions
of the bank, but the directors prevailed on him to ac-
cept a service of plate of the value of 1000 guineas.
So attentive was Mr. Newland to his trust, that for a
period of twenty-five years he never slept beyond the
walls of the Bank of England.
Mr. Newland died worth 130,000l., principally ob-
tained, says a modern historian, by various successful
speculations in the funds. It appears to us rather the
accumulation of a liberal and increasing salary during
the long period of sixty years. For had Mr. Newland
speculated in the funds, he would have violated one
of the regulations of the bank, and with that early
knowledge which he must ex officio have known of
the operations of the government, he might have made
more money than he died possessed of, in a single
hour.
THE STOCK EXCHANGE.
Of all the means of making a great fortune, there is
none so rapid as by speculating in the public funds.
Much has often been gained by bonâ fide purchases
and sales of stock, but the speculation is not thus
limited. Individuals who never had a shilling in the
funds, or the means of purchasing 100l. in the three
per cents. will speculate in thousands. The risk is,
however, small, and the danger still less, for as they
are gambling transactions they are not recoverable in
•
law. A jobber purchases or sells a certain quantity
Ü
LONDON.
73
•
of stock to be received or delivered on such a day.
When the time comes, he is not called on for any
transfer-all that is required is that he shall pay or
receive the difference in the price of that particular
stock on the day fixed from that on which the bargain
was made; if he has lost, and cannot or will not pay
the deficiency, he becomes a defaulter, or, to use the
jargon of the Stock Brokers," is a lame duck,”
and is not allowed to enter the Stock Exchange
again.
By means of speculating in the funds, we have
seen persons who began the world in a humble walk
of life, amassing fortunes of nearly a million of money
in a few years; and there is the instance of Mr.
Rothschild, who a few years ago was a dealer in
cloth at Manchester, and now deals in millions-
contracting for and supplying loans to all the powers
of Europe. To the honour of this gentleman it must,
however, be said, that although a member of that
persecuted people, the Jews, he possesses a heart
which does honour to human nature, and that to him
every increase of wealth is but an additional means
of doing good.
The amount of the national debt, which, during
the long war with France, rendered new loans con-
tinually necessary, increased the business of the
funds so much that the house in Change Alley, where
it was transacted, became too limited, and in 1801
it was determined to build a more commodious house
for the purpose. Capel-court, once the residence
of Sir William Capel, lord mayor in 1504, was fixed
upon as a convenient situation for the purpose.
The Stock Exchange, the first stone of which was
VOL. III.]
H
!
74
PERCY HISTORIES.
laid on the 18th of May, 1801, was raised by sub-
scription: the plate which has been placed in the first
stone bears an inscription, which after ages may con-
sider as a questionable proof of national prosperity,
although evidently intended to record it. Of national
good faith it is certainly an indisputable memorial.
It states that the public funded debt was then up-
wards of five hundred millions. There is nothing in
the building itself to excite particular attention, al-
though it is conveniently and handsomely fitted up;
but there is no place in the world where money
transactions are carried on to such an extent, an as-
sertion which will scarcely be doubted by those who
consider the fluctuations which must occur in a
funded property, which, on the 5th of January 1823,
amounted to 796,530,144l. 15s. 4d.
·
Although the number of persons, among whom this
sum is subdivided, is varying almost every day, so as
to render any calculation uncertain, yet, in a recent
investigation, it was found that there were 283,958
persons who had shares of various amounts in the
public funds; and that it requires upwards of twenty-
six millions yearly to pay the dividends. Of the
various fundholders more than 90,000 receive a divi-
dend not exceeding 10l. a year; nearly 100,000 more
a sum not exceeding 100l. per annum; and there are
215 persons who receive an annual income of 4000l.
and upwards from the funds. This statement is ex-
clusive of those persons who have deposited money in
the savings' banks, the number of which is immense.
In the Stock Exchange great pains are taken to ex-
clude improper persons, and no one is allowed to
transact business there unless admitted a member by
LONDON.
175
ballot. Four days a week the commissioners for the
redemption of the national debt attend to purchase
stock.
The principal stock is the three per cent. consols,
which amount to upwards of 365 millions. The price
of this stock has fluctuated in a singular manner dur-
ing the last ninety years. In the month of July 1736,
it was at 113; in February 1746, at 75; in 1752, at
106; and it continued at various prices, from 70 to
100, until the year 1778. The greatest and most
sudden depression that the stocks ever experienced
was in the early period of the French revolutionary
war. In the month of March 1792 the three per
cents. were at 96, and in 1797 they were as low as
48, which is the minimum. Although they had
gradually declined every year from the commence-
ment of the war, yet this great depression was owing
to the Bank suspending its cash-payments.
As the funds are necessarily much affected by poli-
tical events, individuals who possess prior or exclusive
intelligence will at any time be enabled to speculate
with great success. A broker, who, by means of an
intelligent Frenchman, with whom he became casually
acquainted, obtained the first information of the failure
of Lord Macartney's negociation with the French
Directory, made 16,000l. while breakfasting at Bat-
son's coffee-house, and had he not been timid might
have gained half a million-so great was the fluctua-
tion owing to the intelligence being quite unex-
pected.
As real events affect the funds, many efforts have
been made to produce the same result by false
rumours, and that with great success. The most
A
76
PERCY HISTORIES.
memorable instance of this was on the 21st of Feb.
1815, when a Mr. Random de Berenger, in concert
with some stock-jobbing gentlemen, played a sin-
gular hoax on the Stock Exchange. Mr. De Berenger
had gone to Dover, and personated a French officer
just landed with despatches, announcing that in a
late action Bonaparte had been killed. After writing
to Admiral Foley at Deal, who would have tele-
graphed the Admiralty had not the foggy weather
prevented it, De Berenger set off in a post-chaise to
town, drove rapidly past the Royal Exchange spread-
ing the news, which had such an effect that Omnium
rose nearly five per cent.
cent. The trick was afterwards
discovered, and Lord Cochrane, Mr. Butt, and De
Berenger, were indicted for a conspiracy. They
were found guilty; when Lord Cochrane and Mr.
Butt were sentenced to one year's imprisonment, and
to pay a fine of 1000l. each. De Berenger and some
others were sentenced to a year's imprisonment, and
the Hon. Cochrane Johnstone, who was also indicted,
quitted the country. This severe example has not
been without benefit, as it is the last great attempt at
fabricating false news that has been made, though
minor rumours are circulated daily.
A singular custom, worthy only of the cupidity and
intolerance of a barbarous age, is connected with the
Stock Exchange. The number of Jew brokers admitted
is limited to twelve, and these only on condition of
purchasing the privilege by a liberal gratuity to the
lord mayor for the time being. During the mayor-
alty of Wilkes, one of the Jew brokers was taken
seriously ill, and his lordship is said to have cal-
culated pretty openly on the advantage he would
LONDON.
77
derive from filling up the expected vacancy. The son
of the broker meeting the lord mayor, reproached him
with wishing his father's death. "My dear fellow,"
said Wilkes, with that sarcastic humour which was
peculiar to him, “
you are completely in error, for I
would rather all the Jew-brokers were dead than your
father."
1
LLOYD'S COFFEE-HOUSE.
It is difficult to decide whether Lloyd's Coffee-House
is more to be admired for its commercial importance,
or for the many acts of benevolence with which its
name and its subscribers are associated. This coffee-
house, which derives its name from the individual
who first kept it, is over the northern piazza of the
Royal Exchange; and though presenting none of
those attractions which would allure the gentleman
who loves" to take his ease at his inn," is more fre-
quented than all the other coffee-houses in London.
It is indeed the centre of British commerce-the
point where it concentrates, and whence it diverges
over the globe. A bank post-bill does not obtain a
readier currercy than an article of intelligence from
Lloyd's, and to name this house as an authority is
quite decisive with every person who knows the
means of information it possesses, and its accuracy.
Lloyd's Coffee-House is the great mart for mari.
time insurance, and in order to obtain correct infor-
mation it has agents in almost every port in Christen-
dom, who are in regular communication with it, an-
nouncing every event that can in the most remote
degree affect the political or commercial interests of
I 2
78
PERCY HISTORIES.
the country. It was by these means, that during the
late war government was often apprized of events, of
which they had received no official intelligence, the
arrival and sailing of vessels, a list of captures, acci-
dents, and every thing relating to the shipping in-
terests being regularly kept. One room in this
coffee-house is appropriated to subscribers, who pay
251. on being admitted, and four guineas a year. No
person, however, can be admitted without being re-
commended by six members, and approved by the
committee of management.
The subscribers to Lloyd's Coffee-House have been
as much distinguished for their patriotic benevolence
as for the extent of their commercial relations, and it
was with this body that the PATRIOTIC FUND origi-
nated. This noble charity, the object of which was
to provide relief for the widows and orphans of such as
die in their country's service, as well as to remunerate
the wounded, was commenced on the 28th July 1803
with a donation of 20,000l. three per cents. by the
subscribers to Lloyd's, independently of their contri-
butions as individuals; and so liberally was their ex-
ample seconded, that in the course of twelve years the
fund amounted to 543,450l. 18s. 11d., out of which
eighteen thousand persons had been relieved. Pre-
vious' to the formation of the Patriotic fund,
Lloyd's" had been the source and centre of many
liberal subscriptions, particularly in 1794 and 1798;
in the former year upwards of 21,000l. was raised for
the sufferers in Lord Howe's victory, and in the latter
32,000l. for the widows, orphans, &c. of the battle of
the Nile.
CC
↓
LONDON.
79
CORN EXCHANGE.
The business of a corn-broker is one of modern
growth and doubtful utility. Formerly the farmers of
Kent and Essex used to send their grain up the river,
and attend a sort of market at Bear Quay; but,
about the middle of the last century, when grain was
cheap, the farmers often returned home without
selling their grain. Those from Essex chiefly used
the Bull Inn, Whitechapel; and the landlord, who
was of an enterprising spirit, proposed that the
samples, with the prices, should be left with him, in
order that he might try to dispose of the grain in their
absence. This man, whose name was Johnson, and
who was originally the "Boots" of the inn, soon got
so much business in this way, that he opened an
office at Bear Quay as a corn-factor, and amassed a
fortune.
The business of corn-factors afterwards increased
so much, that they erected a market in Mark-lane,
which is called the Corn Exchange. The building,
with which two coffee-houses are connected, is of the
Doric order; and the quadrangle, where the samples
of grain are exhibited, is capacious. The brokers at
first wished to render the Corn Exchange a private
market; but on an application to parliament, it was
thrown open. Auxiliary to this market is a much
neater though smaller structure, called "The New
Exchange for Corn and Seed."
THE COAL EXCHANGE.
Coals appear to have been first used in London
80
PERCY HISTORIES.
•
about the year 1307; but the smoke was supposed to
corrupt the air so much, that in 1373 the use of
them was prohibited by a royal proclamation: the
quantity now consumed is immense, although in the
metropolis they are subject to an impost, from which
nearly every other part of England is exempt. The
first duty on coals was one shilling per chaldron,
which was imposed immediately after the Great Fire,
in order to raise wharfs along the river. In 1670,
an additional duty of two shillings per chaldron was
laid on all coals entering the port of London, for the
purpose of rebuilding churches, &c.; and those duties,
though for a specific purpose and a limited period,
have been increased until they amount to 9s. 4d. per
chaldron.
Legislative enactments have frequently been deemed
necessary in order to regulate the coal trade, and
others are still called for. In 1804, it was resolved
to erect a regular market for vending coals, and pre-
mises in Thames-street were purchased for the pur-
pose, where the present Coal Exchange, which con-
tains a handsome front and a neat rotunda, was
erected. Since the extensive application of steam-
engines in factories, and the introduction of gas, the
consumption of coals in London has been much in-
creased. In 1801, the quantity imported into the
port of London was 884,339 chaldrons; and in 1823
it was nearly double, being 1,437,251, the duty on
which amounted to 670,717l. 2s. 8d.
COMMERCIAL HALL.
The Commercial Hall, situated in Mincing-lane,
LONDON.
81.
was erected for the public and private sale of every
species of colonial produce, tea excepted. For this
purpose there are five sale-rooms, one of which is of
large dimensions, five show rooms, one sixty feet in
length, a large coffee-room, and numerous counting-
houses.
THE AUCTION-MART.-GARRAWAY's
COFFEE-HOUSE.
Garraway's Coffee-house, in Change Alley, has
long been celebrated for its public sales: it is much
frequented by ship-brokers, and much of the property
that is sold by auction is disposed of at this coffee-
house. The extent of business done here induced a
number of the London auctioneers to subscribe a suf-
ficient sum to erect an edifice wholly devoted to
their business: and in 1808 the first stone of the new
building in Bartholomew-lane, called the Auction
Mart, was laid. Here sales are registered, town and
country newspapers filed, estates and personal pro-
perty sold. The building is particularly light and
elegant; but notwithstanding the obvious utility of
such an establishment, it has not been very success-
ful; and it was recently proposed to the subscribers
to appropriate a portion of the building as a literary
institution.
BREWERIES.
In no article of general consumption does London
maintain so great a monopoly and supremacy as in
the brewing of porter, which is not only forwarded to
82
PERCY HISTORIES.
·
the most remote parts of the kingdom, but exported
to our colonies, to the United States of America,
and to many of the Continental States. Without in-
quiring whether the cervisia of the Romans, or the
ale of the Egyptians, was a fermented liquor made
from malt and hops, of which we have much doubt,
it is sufficient to know, that malt liquor has, from
time immemorial, been a favourite beverage with the
inhabitants of London. So early as the reign of
Elizabeth the consumption of beer must have been very
considerable, for in 1580 Sir Thomas Gorges, in ap-
plying for the office of gauger, stated to Lord Trea-
surer Burleigh that "there was a deceit to the buyer
of beer and ale, both in the assize of the vessels, and
in the not filling them up; and that the buyers taken
altogether were deceived hereby 30,000l. a year."-
There is also other evidence of the quantity of beer
brewed in London, in a calculation made in the year
1585, by order of Lord Burleigh. It appears from
this account, that there were at that time twenty-six
brewers in the metropolis, of whom one half were
stated to be foreigners. They generally brewed six
times a week, and the whole quantity brewed in
London, in one year, in small and strong beer,
was 648,960 barrels. This is certainly a large quan-
tity for so thin a population as London then con-
tained, but it is to be considered that ale and beer
were at this time, and long afterwards, the common
beverage for breakfast, and that it was frequently
exported in such quantities as to induce the queen to
prohibit the exportation, lest it should enhance the
price of corn. It appears, from a writer of that period,
that the brown jug with silver cover, so common in re-
LONDON.
83
spectable houses in the country, was then a favourite
in town. Speaking of the Londoners he says, they
drink their ale "not out of glasses, but from earthen
pots, with silver handles and covers; and this even in
houses of middling fortune, for as to the poor, the
covers of their pots are only pewter."
Before we quit the "olden time," we may observe
that the charge of adulteration, now so frequently
made, was urged against the brewers of the sixteenth
century, who are said to have put "darnel, rosin, lime,
and chalk, into the ale or beer, which making the
drinkers thirsty, they might drink the more ;" and that
when hops were dear, "they put into their drink
broom, bay-berries, ivy-berries, and such like things."
It is due, however, to the brewers to say, that these
charges were never verified by the surveyors.
Although the excise duties, and the general intro-
duction of tea and coffee, as a substitute for malt
liquor at breakfast, must have operated for some time
as a draw-back on the consumption, yet it seems
lately to have received a new impulse. In 1761 the
quantity of porter made in London, by 52 brewers,
was only 975,217 barrels, of 36 gallons each; now a
single firm, that of Barclay and Co., brews upwards of
330,000 barrels in a year; and the quantity made by
the twelve principal breweries has amounted, in one
year, to the astonishing number of 1,500,000 barrels.
What proportion of this quantity is consumed in
London it would be difficult to ascertain.
Some of the principal breweries are among the
curiosities of London which every stranger is anxious
to see. That known by the name of Whitbread's
brewery, in Chiswell-street, the plant of which was,
84
PERCY HISTORIES.
-
a few years ago, sold for nearly a million of money,
was deemed worthy of a royal visit at a time that its
business was not so extensive, nor its arrangements so
complete, as at present. It was on the 28th of May,
1787, that his late majesty, George III., accompanied
by his illustrious consort and the three princesses,
and attended by several lords and ladies in waiting,
visited the brewery. They arrived at ten o'clock in
the morning, and were received by Mr. Whitbread
and his daughter, who conducted them over the
brewery. In the stone cistern there were 3007 barrels
of beer, but the vat excited the most surprise, and the
queen and princesses determined to enter it, though
the aperture was so small that it was with difficulty
they could accomplish it. This cistern, which is of
stone, will hold upwards of 4000 barrels of beer.
After their Majesties had passed nearly four hours in
investigating the brewery, they were conducted to
the house, where a cold collation with every delicacy
had been provided. There were wines of every sort,
and a quantity of Whitbread's Entire, of which the
royal visitors partook, and then retired highly gratified.
The brewery of Messrs. Barclay is on an equally mag-
nificent scale.
A singular and melancholy accident happened to
one of the London porter breweries, that of Messrs.
Henry Meux and Co., in Tottenham-court-road, on
the 17th of October 1814, when one of the largest of
their vats, filled with beer, burst, and the liquor,
like a mighty torrent, swept away every thing before
it. One side of the house, in which the vat was placed,
was entirely thrown down, though twenty-five feet
high, and part of the roof fell in. The back part of
鹏
​LONDON.
85
several houses in Great Russel-street and New-street
were thrown down, and the whole neighbourhood was
inundated. The height of the vat which burst was
twenty-two feet, and contained 3555 barrels of porter.
On this vat there were twenty-two hoops, the least of
which weighed seven cwt., and the largest a ton. The
explosion was supposed to be owing to one of the
hoops having burst. Several other vats were injured,
and nearly 9000 barrels of beer wasted: the loss
amounted to 25,000l., and eight persons were killed
by this fatal accident.
It has already been stated that great quantities of
London porter are exported. It was, however, long
before malt liquor could be kept in a tropical climate;
and the inhabitants of the East and West Indies are
indebted to the late Mr. Kenton, for being enabled to
regale themselves witn London porter.
This gen-
tleman, who died worth 300,000l., fifty thousand of
which he saved at the Crown and Magpie public-
house, Whitechapel, discovered, that by leaving the
bottles uncorked for a few weeks, and shipping the
beer as flat as possible, it might be conveyed to the
East Indies, and, that during the voyage it had so
completely recovered its briskness as to possess all
the virtues of London genuine porter. The ale and
small beer breweries, and the distilleries in London,
are on a great scale, though inferior to the porter
breweries.
(
MANUFACTURES.
The manufactures of London are in proportion to
its commerce; and notwithstanding the advanced
VOL. III.]
I
86
PERCY HISTORIES.
rate of living, and the high price of house-rent, coals,
and every thing that can affect the artisan and me-
chanic, the manufactures of London are great and
flourishing, surpassing in quality those of any other
part of the country, so much, that any article war-
ranted "town-made" is certain of obtaining an ad-
vanced price. In the silk trade alone 50,000 persons,
or one-sixtieth of the whole population, are employed
in London, and in most of the light manufactures the
number is proportionably great. It is no disparage-
ment to the rest of the country, that London excels in
its manufactures, since where the best price is paid the
best workmen will be attracted; and it is due to the
country to say, that to it is London constantly in-
debted for a succession of artists and mechanics, by
whose ingenuity she is not only rendered celebrated
but enriched.
Many years ago Sheffield, justly celebrated for its
cutlery, challenged London to a trial of skill, by
sending a knife of a very curious construction to the
Cutlers' company, with an insertion on one of the
blades, defying competition. The London cutlers,
ambitious for the honour of their trade, made a pen-
knife, containing one well-tempered blade, in which
was introduced a piece of straw. On the blade
were some lines, stating the fact; and the Sheffield
cutlers, who might well feel incredulous, broke the
blade, and found the straw entire and unsinged,—a
piece of ingenious art for which they acknowledged
themselves unable to account; and yet Sheffield was
celebrated for its cutlery so far back as the time
of Chaucer, whose monk "a Sheffield whittle bore he
in his hose."
LONDON.
87
·
In the more scientific manufactures, such as machi-
nery, optical and mathematical instruments, London
has always been celebrated. It was in the metropolis
that Mr. Penn made his celebrated burning glass, of
such power, that iron, steel, flint, stone, and even the
diamond itself yielded to its almost magic power; and
here Dollond carried into effect, if he did not origi-
nate, that most important scientific discovery the
achromatic glasses; and a Mudge, an Arnold, and a
Brockbank, made chronometers, which seem to have
approached perfection as far as it can possibly be
attained.
It is highly honorable to the operative mechanics
and artists of the metropolis, that amidst all the fluc-
tuation of trade "such a thing as a journeyman,
tradesman, or any of his family begging is almost un-
known, and may with certainty be pronounced as one
of the rarest of contingent events."
RETAIL TRADERS.
A foreigner, in looking over a London Directory,
and finding a list of between thirty and forty thousand
trading firms, will be apt to consider the assertion of
Bonaparte, "that we are a nation of shop-keepers," true
to the letter; and if he is informed that this list, nu-
merous as it seems, does not contain more than one-
third of the shopkeepers in the metropolis, he will
suspect that there are almost as many sellers as
buyers. Still more would a stranger be astonished at
learning how lucrative a business shop-keeping is in
London-where a pastry-cook has been known to die
worth a hundred thousand pounds, and a dealer in
88
PERCY HISTORIES.
*
shell fish, who spent the best years of his life in selling
oysters in public-houses, has left to his heirs a sum of
40,000l. Yet, such is the case, nor are these solitary.
instances of success in life. Many a Lord Mayor in
London has risen from the humble office of a porter-
others have worn a livery, or served as a drawer or
errand boy at a tavern. Not to enumerate living cha-
racters, and yet to refer to those who are recollected
by the living, it may be mentioned that Walker, the
sugar-baker, who died worth a quarter of a million of
money a few years ago, was originally porter to a
wax chandler, with a salary of 16l. a year-that
Alderman Kennet, afterwards Lord Mayor, was once
a waiter at the Hoop and Bunch of Grapes public house
in Hatton Garden, -that Alderman Bates kept a pub-
lic house, as did the late amiable Alderman Thomas
Smith, after living servant with a gentleman, and of-
ficiating as an exciseman-that Crosby, the spoon
maker, who died worth 60,000l., was a charcoal boy
to Chawner ;--and that a living pavior, who has amas-
sed a fortune of a quarter of a million, and who can
neither read nor write, was once a common labourer,
who added to his daily earnings by officiating as a
watchman in the night. The list of individuals, who
have risen from poverty and obscurity to high rank
and splendid fortunes, would "stretch to the crack
o'doom," and it is unnecessary to quote more instan-
ces, nor are these named invidiously selected, but to
show that in London, the road to preferment, honour,
and fortune is open to the humblest aspirant.
That such fortunes are amassed in London, is the
more astonishing, when it is considered the great ex-
pense with which large establishments are maintained ;
LONDON.
89
that the rent and taxes of many a retail trader amount
to more than a thousand a year, and that the smallest
house, if in a great thoroughfare, will let at the most
extravagant rate. A shop, not more than three yards
square, with a room above it of the same dimensions,
has been known to be let as a snuff shop at a rental of
801. a year, and several other houses equally dear.
Of all the retail traders, the Haberdashers, (see
vol. 1. p. 331,) though dealing in such small wares,
seem to carry on business to the greatest extent. One
single house in the city is known to take on an average,
a million and a half sterling a year, or more than four
thousand guineas a day-one half of this vast sum is
received in cash for goods sold at the counter, and the
other, wholesale at a short credit. There are at least
two other houses in the same business whose returns
are 1000l. a day. The proprietor of one of these esta-
blishments, which is necessarily large on account of
the business being almost wholly retail, always gives
the persons in his employment an extra allowance for
supper when the receipts of the day amount to 1000l.:
thus expressing his own gratitude, and rewarding and
encouraging the exertions of those around him. Nor
are haberdashers the only tradesmen who carry on
extensive business, or amass large fortunes; there
is Exeter Change, long celebrated for its cutlery
and hardwares, &c. where the Prince of retail dea-
lers, the eccentric Thomas Clark, amassed a mil-
lion of money, and while he paid 7000l. a year to
government as income tax, spent only a shilling on
his own dinner.
About ten or dozen years ago a number of esta-
blishments somewhat similar to Exeter Change,
I 2
90
PERCY HISTORIES.
which is not confined to any one particular branch of
trade, sprung up in London, to which the oriental
term of Bazar was given, which literally means a mar-
ket. Of these, only two remain-the Western Bazar,
in Bond-street, and that of Mr. Trotter, in Soho-square.
The latter is a very extensive and well regulated esta-
blishment. Several large rooms are fitted up with
counters, drawers, shelves, &c. for the sale of almost
every species of light articles, where between five and
six hundred females attend and trade on their own
account in the various articles of domestic manufac-
ture. The price paid is in proportion to the space
occupied. The utmost care is taken that none but
persons of the strictest moral character are admitted,
and that they shall not be subject to any insult from
the idle and dissolute loungers of the other sex.
Two other marts for retail trade have been formed,
the Burlington Arcade, in Piccadilly, and the Royal
Arcade, in Pall Mall; both are elegant architectural
improvements, but they are too recently established
to enable us to speak decisively of their success.
The streets most celebrated for retail trade are
Fleet-street, Ludgate-hill, St. Paul's church-yard,
Cheapside, the Poultry, and Cornhill, in the city;
in the Strand, King-street, and Henrietta-street,
Covent Garden; Cockspur-street, Pall Mall, St.
James's-street, Piccadilly, Oxford-street, and Bond-
street, at the west end of the town. The recent im-
provements, in opening a communication from Carl-
ton House to the Regent's Park, has created a new
and spacious street for retail business, called Regent-
street; and the Regent's-quadrant, which has on each
side a grand colonade.
L
LONDON.
91
MARKETS.-CONSUMPTION OF PROVI-
SIONS.
Great as the population of London is, there is no
city "so drained and so supplied" with all the ne-
cessaries, comforts, and even luxuries of life. In Paris,
where the population and the consequent consump-
tion is much less, the supply of provisions is regulated
by the government, and there are greniers de reserve
for storing up grain, in order that bread may be kept
at a moderate price : a rather necessary policy on the
part of a government which has to pay a certain sum
annually, in order to keep the price of bread lower
in Paris than in the provinces. In London, freedom
of trade and the spirit of competition render the in-
terference of government as unnecessary as it would
be considered unconstitutional, and without any re-
gulation, the metropolis has a constant and an abun-
dant supply.
Although there is scarcely a street, with the excep-
tion of those occupied by persons of fortune at the west
end of the town, that is without à dealer in some ar-
ticle of provisions, yet there are large markets for the
more general sale. Smithfield is the grand mart for
the sale of live stock, which is held on Mondays and
Fridays. Newgate and Leadenhall markets take the
lead for butcher's meat, poultry, &c. although there
are several other markets in various parts of the me-
tropolis, where the business is equally respectable
though not so extensive. Covent Garden market is
celebrated for the early and abundant supply of fruits,
vegetables, herbs, and flowers. The only fish market
in London is that of Billingsgate, which is supposed
92
PERCY HISTORIES.
to have derived its name from Belinus, the son of Dun-
wallo, who built a gate here, which he ordered to be
surmounted with an urn containing his ashes, after his
death. It has long been a matter of regret that the
sale of fish should be confined to one market, as, owing
to the monopoly thus established, the supply of that
article is neither so abundant nor so reasonable as it
would otherwise be. In the mackarel season, if that
fish is very plentiful, the dealers will rather throw
their cargo over-board, or sell it for manure, than, by
bringing it to town, reduce the price.
Salmon, which is often very plentiful and sold as
cheap as at Berwick, or in Yorkshire, and Durham,
whence it is supplied, is brought to London packed
in ice. Turbot, though caught in great quantities on
the Yorkshire coast, and sold there at about four-
pence a lb., is always extravagantly dear in London—
so dear, indeed, as to render it a luxury attainable
only to the wealthy.
The fruits and vegetables consumed in the metro-
polis are principally produced in the environs; and
it is calculated that there are upwards of 6000 acres
of ground cultivated as gardens within twelve miles of
the metropolis, giving employment to 30,000 persons
in winter, and three times that number in summer.
It is the opinion of the intelligent author of the Poma-
rium Britannicum, that gardening has conferred a
great blessing on the metropolis, in the prevention of
pestilential diseases, by making cleanliness a matter
of profit, and giving a ready sale and liberal price for
the soil, which might otherwise be suffered to accu-
mulate.
Numerous calculations have been made of the an-
"
·
LONDON.
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68
nual consumption food in the metropolis, but this
is not easily ascertained with any degree of accuracy,
as, although we may know the number of cattle and
sheep, yet we have no means of learning their weight,
which, by the modern improvement in feeding, has
been considerably increased.
Of the quantity of cattle sold in Smithfield market,
we have the most accurate returns, and find that in
the year 1822, the numbers were 149,885 beasts,
24,609 calves, 1,507,096 sheep, and 20,020 pigs.
This does not, however, by any means form the total
consumed in London, as large quantities of meat in
carcases, particularly pork, are almost daily brought
from the counties around the metropolis. It would
appear that the inhabitants of London have become
more partial to mutton than formerly, for the quantity
of cattle consumed has not increased in proportion
to that of sheep; the quantity of cattle sold at
Smithfield in the year 1701, being 88,304, or more
than half the number sold in 1822, while the number
of sheep was only 480,000, or less than a third sold
in the latter year. The total value of the cattle sold
in Smithfield is calculated at 8,500,000l. It is sup-
posed that a million a year is expended in fruit and
vegetables;—the consumption of wheat amounts to a
million of quarters annually; of this, four-fifths are
supposed to be made into bread, being a consumption
of 64 millions of quartern loaves every year in the
metropolis alone. Until within the last few years the
price of bread was regulated by assize, and it may
afford some idea of the vast amount of money paid for
this staff of life,' when it is stated, that an advance of
one farthing on the quartern loaf formed an aggregate
1
94
PERCY HISTORIES.
increase in expense for this article alone, in London,
of upwards of 13,000l. a week.
The annual consumption of butter in London
amounts to about 11,000, and that of cheese to 13,000
tons. The money paid annually for milk is supposed
to amount to 1,250,000l. although the number of
cows kept in the neighbourhood of the metropolis does
not exceed 10,000. One grazier at Islington keeps
between six and seven hundred cows, and another
between four and five hundred.
The wretched quality of the London milk is pro-
verbial; and although the cow-keepers do not water
it themselves, they not only permit the milkmen to
do it openly, but have pumps convenient for the
purpose.
The quantity of poultry annually consumed in
London is supposed to cost between seventy and
eighty thousand pounds,—that of game depends on
the fruitfulness of the season and the kindness of
country friends. There is nothing, however, more
surprising than the sale of rabbits. One salesman in
Leadenhall market, during a considerable portion of
the year, is said to sell 14,000 rabbits weekly. The
way in which he disposes of them is, by employing
between 150 and 200 men and women, who hawk
them through the streets.
As the buildings and population of London increase,
new markets are opened in different parts of the town ;
they are, however, all open marts of trade, and can never
be subject to the abuses which have prevailed in those
of the city, where the markets were farmed to col-
lectors so extortionate, that in 1696, on a petition of
the market people, a Committee of the Common
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95
Council was appointed to investigate the charges.-
The report was favourable to the complainants, and
actions were commenced against the farmers to
Leadenhall Stocks, Honey-lane, and Newgate, mar-
kets, who "were guilty of arbitrary and extravagant
proceedings, whereby they had extorted an an-
nual rent of 10,896l. 9s. 10d. for stalls, and fines
amounting to 2194l. 1s. 6d. The farmers were
compelled to refund the several sums thus unjustly
levied.
FAIRS.
From markets to fairs the transition is natural
enough, since the latter, according to scriptural and
modern acceptation, are fixed meetings of buyers or
sellers, or markets on a larger scale; and it appears,
from the Northumberland-house book, that in the
early part of the 16th century, the stores for the
household for a whole year were usually purchased at
fairs. Far different, however, are the fairs held in the
metropolis and its neighbourhood, where
"C
raree shows are seen, and Punch's feats,
And pockets picked in crowds, and various cheats."
Three of these fairs were formerly held in the me-
tropolis, Bartholomew fair, Southwark fair, and May
fair: the two latter have been abolished, and the for-
mer shorn of much of its ancient glory. Southwark
fair commenced on the 8th of September, on which
day the lord mayor and sheriffs were wont to ride in
their scarlet gowns, after dinner, at two o'clock, to
St. Magnus's church, where they were met by the
96
PERCY HISTORIES.
aldermen. After evening prayer, they all rode
through the fair, as far as Newington bridge, and then
retiring to the Bridge house they "refresh themselves
with a banquet." Here, as at all the fairs in London,
there was
"First of all, crowds against other crowds driving,
Like wind and tide meeting, each contrary striving;
Shrill fiddling, sharp fighting, and shouting and
shrieking,
Fifes, trumpets, drums, bag-pipes, and barrow girls
squeaking.
"There was drolls, hornpipe dancing, and shewing of
postures,
With frying black puddings, and opening of oysters;
With salt-box solos, and gallery folks squalling,
The tap-house guests roaring, and mouth-pieces
bawling."
Plays were enacted as at Bartholomew Fair, and
Rich is said to have met with Walker, the original
Macheath, at this fair, playing in a booth: upon
being struck with his talents, he engaged him for the
Lincoln's Inn Theatre. This fair used to continue
for upwards of a week; but in September 1743 it was
limited to three days, on which the proprietors of
booths, who usually made a collection for the pri-
soners in the Marshalsea, declared they could no
longer afford it. This so incensed the prisoners, that
they pulled up the pavement, and threw stones over
the wall on the bowling-green adjoining the prison,
by which a child was killed and several persons
wounded. The high constables and magistrates now
determined on putting down the fair; but the pro-
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97
prietors of booths and stalls removed to the Mint, a
place that had long claimed peculiar privileges on
account of the palace which formerly stood there,
built by Charles Brandon, duke of Suffolk. Here the
fair was held for some time, until, in the year 1763,
it was entirely suppressed.
May Fair, which commenced on the first of May,
and continued for sixteen days, was held near Picca-
dilly and Park-lane, on the site now occupied by
May Fair Chapel and the adjacent mansions. The
place was formerly called Brook fields. More important
business appears to have been transacted at this fair
than mere drolls, since, in an advertisement of the
year 1700, it is stated, that the first three days of the
fair were "for live cattle and leather;" but, from its
being added, "with the same entertainments as at
Bartholomew Fair," it is probable that the pretended
sale of leather was only to give a show of business in
order to prevent its being suppressed.
Bartholomew Fair, that annual scene of disorder,
is still continued, though reduced in duration from a
fortnight, to which it had extended, to three days, the
time originally fixed, and it is declining so rapidly,
that in a few years it will probably be discontinued
altogether without any positive suppression, as has
been the case with the fairs in the environs of Lon-
don. Indeed, some doubts are entertained of the
legality of suppressing the fair, as it is held under a
charter granted by Henry II. to the priory of Bartho-
lomew, and confirmed by succeeding monarchs. This
fair, Stowe says, was appointed to be kept yearly
"at Bartholomew-tide, for three days; to wit, the
eve, the day, and the next morrow."
It was no
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1
98
PERCY HISTORIES.
doubt originally intended chiefly as a fair of business,
as the same historian says, the clothiers of England
and drapers of London repaired to it," and had their
booths and standing within the church-yard of this
priory closed in with walls and gates, locked every
night, and watched for safety of men's goods and
wares.
The fair soon appears to have been extended in its
duration; for the same writer says, in his time three
days were devoted to business, and the rest "to see
drolls, farces, rope-dancing, feats of activity, wonder-
ful and monstrous creatures, wild beasts made tame,
giants, &c." One of the many instances we find in
London of a particular branch of trade clinging to the
same place, is connected with this fair; for, leading
into Smithfield, there is a narrow lane, principally
occupied by clothiers, or woollen drapers, as they are
now more generally called, and which retains the
name of Cloth Fair.
It is probable, however, that although cloth was the
staple, it was never intended to be the only article
dealt in; and we find that at one time various parts
of Smithfield were appropriated to the sale of parti-
cular articles. Near Smithfield Bars, there was a
place where shoes were generally sold, and it was
therefore called Shoemaker-row; bows and arrows
were also sold here as we find from Tom d'Durfey,
who, in his " Pills to purge melancholy," describing
the fair in 1655, says,
:
"At Pye-corner end, mark well, my good friend,
'Tis a very fine dirty place;
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99
Where there's more arrows and bows, the Lord above
knows,
Than was handled at Chevy Chase.”
Pye-corner was also celebrated for roasted pigs, a
prominent attraction in the fair, which were sold
piping-hot in booths and stalls, and ostentatiously
displayed. Various allusions are made to the Bartho-
lomew Fair pig in Ben Jonson's comedy of Bartholo-
mew Fair, whence we learn that these delicacies were
not confined to one particular place in the fair.
Littlewit, addressing the puritanical wife, Win-the-
fight, says,
"Win, long to eat of a pig, sweet Win,
i'th' fair; d'ye see, i'th' heart of the fair, not at Pye-
corner." Of their attractiveness we have evidence in
the Festivous notes of Gayton, who says,
"If Bar-
tholomew Fair should last a whole year, nor pigs nor
puppet-shows would ever be surfeited of."
Although Charles II. only confirmed the original
charter of Henry II. which limited the fair to three
days, yet it appears to have extended to a fortnight's
duration, either in his reign, or soon after, as we find
from Ned Ward, who describes "the quality of the
fair strutting round their balconies in their tinsey
robes and golden leather buskins, expressing such
pride in their buffoonery stateliness, that I could but
reasonably believe they were as inuch elevated with
the thought of their fortnight's pageantry, as ever
Alexander was with the glories of a new conquest."
The drolls, or "motions," as they are more gene-
rally called in the early accounts of the fair, were a
sort of dramatic entertainment performed by puppets,
and generally founded on some part of the scripture
DorM
100
PERCY HISTORIES.
history. Ben Jonson, in his play, gives the names
of several of these motions; and among the Harleian
MSS. in the British Museum, there is a collection of
advertisements, about the reign of Queen Anne, in
which there are some curious bills of the performances
in the fair. Two of these (printed in the Percy Anec-
dotes of Pastime) are of "Operas," called the "Old
Creation of the World newly Revived;" and one of
them gives the " addition of Noah's flood; also seve-
ral fountains playing water during the time of the
play." The other adds a portion of the history from
the New Testament, including the birth of Christ,
Herod's cruelty, the Feast of Dives, his treatment of
Lazarus, and concluding with "Rich Dives in hell,
and Lazarus in Abraham's bosom; seen in a most
glorious object, all in machines, descending in a
throne, guarded with multitudes of angels, with the
breaking of the clouds, discovering the palace of the
Sun, in double and treble prospects, to the admiration
of all spectators."
Poor Elkanah Settle, who was the city Laureate,
and had what Ben Jonson called the chandlery-shop
pension, was, in his old age, reduced to the wretched
shifts of writing drolls for Bartholomew Fair, and even
to appear in a green leather case as a hissing serpent,
vomiting fire, a circumstance alluded to with somewhat
unfeeling severity, by Dr. Young.
Bartholomew Fair drolls were succeeded by a nearer
approach to the regular drama, as the actors were men
and not puppets.
The pieces performed by the animated machines
were of a less serious cast than those enacted by the
puppets; and, in the British metropolis, we are not
LONDON.
101
surprised to find that Whittington's history should
be one of the earliest and most popular of these
dramas. The following Bartholomew Fair play-bill
is of the reign of Queen Anne, and is copied from the
Harleian MS. already alluded to:
"At Ben Johnson's Booth, (by Mrs. Trynn's com-
pany of actors,) in the rounds in Smithfield, during
the fair, will be presented an excellent entertainment,
being the famous History of Whittington, Lord Mayor
of London; wherein, besides the variety of songs and
dances, will be shown an extraordinary view of several
stately and surprising scenes; as a rowling sea, bear-
ing a large ship under sayl, with Neptune, mermaids,
dolphins, &c.; also, a prospect of a Moorish country,
so swarming with rats and mice, that they over-run
the king and queen's table at dinner; likewise, a large
diverting scene of tapestry, filled with all living fi-
gures; and, lastly, concluding with a lord mayor's
triumph, in which are presented nine several pageants,
being six elephants and castles, a magnificent templẹ,
and two triumphal chariots, one drawn by two lyons,
and the other by two dolphins; in all which are
seated above twenty persons, in various dresses; with
flags, scutcheons, streamers, &c. The preparation
and decoration of which infinitely exceed, both in ex-
pense and grandeur, all that has ever been seen on a
stage in the fair.
"The chief parts are performed by actors from
both theatres. Vivat Regina."
In another bill, of a later period (1731) a piece
was performed, entitled, "The Emperor of China,"
written by the author of the "Generous Freemason."
Who this author is, is not stated, but we find the latter
K 2
102
PERCY HISTORIES.
piece to have been written by William Rufus Chet-
wood, who was the tutor of the celebrated Barry, and
for twenty years prompter at Drury-lane theatre.
Bartholomew Fair theatricals do not appear to have
been thought so contemptible formerly as at present,
for both Shuter and Yates had booths there in 1761,
when the prices of admission were half-a-crown for
the boxes, 1s. 6d. the pit, and a shilling to the gal-
lery.
Dramatic representations, or rather misrepresenta-
tions, still prevail at the fair, but they are of the most
wretched description. Formerly the lord mayor used
to proceed in great state to Smithfield, and after pro-
claiming the fair, wait to see a wrestling match. The
proclamation of the fair by his lordship is still conti-
nued, but with much less pageantry than formerly.
Two other fairs were held in London, in Tothill-
fields, and at Stepney; but these have been sup-
pressed, as have those of Bow, Edmonton, Brook-
Green, and West End, all in the immediate neigh-
bourhood of London. There is another fair, which,
though at some distance from town, claims a noticę
on account of its popularity with almost all ranks in
the metropolis. This is Fairlop Fair, which is held
on the first Friday of July, in Hainault forest. This
fair was founded by Daniel Day, an eminent block
maker in Wapping, who, having an estate in Essex,
used to assemble a few friends around him on the 1st
of July, under a huge oak in the forest, to dine on
beans and bacon. Public curiosity was at length at-
tracted to the spot from this circumstance, and a fair
established, which, in fine weather, is frequented by
thousands from the metropolis, the block-makers
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103
proceeding in a huge boat, rigged like a ship, which
is mounted on a carriage and drawn by six horses.
PUBLIC GARDENS.
The ancient sports and pastimes of the citizens of
London have already been noticed. When the more
chivalrous, but less refined, of these amusements had
passed away, and a love of music and the drama had
succeeded, a new species of entertainment sprung up,
which, to these attractions, united those of sociability
and an indulgence in the pleasures of the table. These
were obtained at the public gardens, which, in the
early part of the last century, were so numerous in the
metropolis. The entertainments usually consisted of
music, vocal and instrumental; fire-works and trans-
parencies were displayed, and sometimes burlettas, or
other dramatic pieces performed. Of these once po-
pular places of amusement, Vauxhall is the only one
that retains its original character, the others having
either entirely disappeared, and their sites been oc-
cupied with buildings, or they have sunk into com-
mon tea-gardens, where the humbler classes of society
relax on a Sunday evening in summer, and indulge
themselves with a glass of "home-brewed ale," or
their wives and families with a cup of tea.
The most celebrated, and one of the most recent of
these gardens was Ranelagh, near Chelsea, once the
seat of a nobleman of that name. On his death, in
1733, the estate was sold, and fell into the hands of
some speculative gentlemen, who determined on form-
ing it into a place of public amusement, similar to
Vauxhall, which had just risen into popularity. In
104
PERCY HISTORIES.
the fitting up the gardens, a magnificent rotunda was
erected, a hundred and fifty feet in diameter, in which
was an orchestra, with numerous boxes and seats for
the audience. The entertainments principally con-
sisted of vocal and instrumental music. The rotunda
was opened with a public breakfast, in April 1742,
which was followed by a concert. The inhabitants of
London are, however, too much occupied to assemble
in sufficient numbers for entertainments in the day;
and the morning concerts at Ranelagh were soon re-
linquished for evening amusements. For some years
the tide of fashion set strong in favour of Ranelagh,
which was one of the most attractive resorts of the gay
world; but afterwards ceasing to be popular, the pro-
prietors, in 1803, rased the building to the ground,
and sold the materials. The price of admission was
half-a-crown.
Mary-a-Bonne Gardens occupied the site of Man-
chester-square; they were not formed into a place of
regular amusement until the year 1737, when Mr.
Gough, the proprietor, who had before kept them gra-
tuitously open, charged a shilling to each person, who
in return received a ticket, which enabled him to have
victuals or liquor to the full amount of the money paid
on entering the gardens. Charles Dibdin and Charles
Bannister made their debut, when youths, in Mary-
la-Bonne Gardens, where very splendid fêtes
were frequently given, particularly on the birth-day
of his late majesty. Fire-works, and a representa-
tion of Mount Etna, were among the amusements.
A sort of fair was once held in the gardens, which
were on that occasion fitted up with numerous shops
and booths.
LONDON.
105
Islington was long celebrated for its public gar-
dens; for, in addition to White Conduit House, and
Bagnigge Wells, now mere tea-gardens, there were the
New Tunbridge Wells, or Islington Spa, and Sadler's
Wells, which have been erroneously confounded as
the same by most of the London local historians.
The Islington Spa, a spring of chalybeate water, now
in a small garden in Lloyd's Row, near the New
River Head, was discovered about the year 1690,
and was opened to the poor gratis, provided they
did not go out of mere curiosity, but with a certifi-
cate from a surgeon or an apothecary. A few years
afterwards, as we learn by an advertisement of the
year 1700, there was "music for dancing all day
long every Monday and Thursday during the summer
season." but, with a due regard to public morals, no
masks were admitted. In 1733, the Islington Spa
rose to the very height of popularity, in receiving the
patronage of royalty. Their royal highnesses the
Princesses Amelia and Caroline having been recom-
mended the use of chalybeate waters, repaired to
Islington Spa daily during the season of that year.
Their example was soon followed by the nobility and
gentry to such an extent, that the proprietor fre
quently took 30l. in a single morning. The birth-
days of the princesses were always celebrated at the
Islington Spa, with discharges of artillery, bonfires,
and other testimonials of joy. The breakfast-room,
which was forty feet long, contained an orchestra at
one end, and the testimonials of the virtues of the
mineral waters, written by persons who had ex-
perienced its beneficial effects, more numerous (and
certainly more authentic) than any dealer in a patent
106
PERCY HISTORIES.
medicine could produce. Even the trees in the walks
were converted into an album for the purpose, and
the bark of one of them bore the following inscrip-
tion, curiously cut in the bark :—
"Obstructum reserat; durum terit; humidum siccat;
Debile fortificat,—si tamen arte bibas."
The gardens were for some time opened with music
and fire-works and other amusements, to which the
more rational entertainment of an orrery and evening
lectures was added in Lent.
White Conduit House, where the humbler class of
the inhabitants hie, merry-hearted, on a Sunday, is
one of the most celebrated of all the tea-gardens
in the neighbourhood of London, numerous as they
are. The house takes its name from an old stone
conduit, erected in the year 1641, which supplied the
charter-house with water through a leaden pipe. The
garden of White Conduit House is very spacious, and
a neighbouring field was formerly attached to it as a
cricket-ground, where a club of noblemen and gentle-
men assembled to practise that game. This house
was some years ago occupied by a Mr. Christopher Bar-
tholomew, a gentleman whose unconquerable passion
for gaming in the lottery reduced him to beggary,
notwithstanding he was at one time worth 50,000!.,
and had several lucky hits, one of which he celebrated
by a fête champêtre in these gardens," to commemorate
the smiles of fortune," as the tickets of admission ex-
pressed it; it was, however, no wonder that he was
ruined, as he sometimes spent two thousand guineas.
a day in insurance in the lottery, selling his stacks of
hay or any thing to raise the money. The last thirteen
LONDON.
107
years of his life were passed in great poverty, yet
still his passion never forsook him; and when towards
the close of his life he got about 600l. by a new ad-
venture in the lottery, and had purchased an annuity
with the money, he sold it again to indulge in his
fatal propensity.
Near White Conduit House was formerly another
tea-garden, called d'Aubigny's, which is memorable
from the circumstance of its being the first place where
equestrian exercises were exhibited in London, and
that with so much ability, that if the accounts of
contemporaries are to be relied on, we suspect that
Price and Sampson, the equestrians of the middle
of last century, exhibited as extraordinary feats of
horsemanship as are to be seen at the Royal Amphi-
theatre at the present day.
There are several other tea-gardens much frequent-
ed on Sundays, but they appear rapidly declining in
popularity; and Bagnigge Wells, once the residence
of the celebrated favourite of Charles II., Nell
Gwynne, is by no means respectably attended.
On the Surrey side of the Thames there were for-
merly several public gardens. The most respectable was
the Bermondsey Spa, in Grange Road, Bermondsey.
The spring, which was chalybeate, was discovered in
1770 ; but some years previous to this time, Mr.Thomas
Keyse, the proprietor of the gardens, a self-taught
artist, rendered them attractive by exhibiting a col-
lection of his own paintings, principally subjects of
still life, which possessed considerable merit. Keyse
afterwards obtained a license for opening his gardens
with musical entertainments during the summer sea-
son. Burlettas were also sometimes performed on
108
PERCY HISTORIES.
small temporary stages, erected in the garden. Fire-
works were occasionally introduced; and one season
Mr. Keyse constructed an immense model, which
covered four acres of ground, of Gibraltar, in order
to represent the memorable siege of that place in
1782. The height of the rock was upwards of fifty
feet, and the exhibition was as popular as it was
creditable to the mechanical ingenuity of Mr. Keyse,
but his talents were almost thrown away from the un-
favourable situation in which they were exerted.
Cuper's Gardens, near the New Cut, Lambeth,
were once celebrated for their fire-works, and were
occasionally visited by Frederick Prince of Wales,
the grandfather of his present Majesty, and his Con-
sort. The company was entertained with the usual
amusements at such places; but the gardens soon
became a scene of low dissipation, and they were
suppressed in 1753. The Dog and Duck, and the
Apollo Gardens, were of a similar character.
Independent of the public gardens in the imme-
diate environs of the metropolis, attempts have been
made to introduce them at some distance from town;
and in the year 1742, Ruckholt House, Leyton,
Essex, which is said to have been once the mansion
of Queen Elizabeth, was opened by Mr. Barton, the
proprietor, with public breakfasts, weekly concerts,
and occasional orations, but the distance from town
was unfavourable, and the entertainments were not
continued more than four years.
Several of the taverns near London have large gar-
dens, which are much frequented in the summer sea-
son, although they possess no attractions beyond the
sale of refreshments.
LONDON.
109
VAUXHALL GARDENS.
For upwards of a century and a half, Vauxhall
Gardens, which are situated on the banks of the
Thames near Kennington, have, though with various
degrees of popularity, continued to be a favourite
place of public amusement. It is said the gardens
were planted in the reign of Charles I., nor is it im-
probable, since, according to Aubrey, they were well
known in 1667, when Sir Samuel Moreland, the pro-
prietor, added a public room to them, "the inside of
which," he says, "is all looking-glass, and fountains
very pleasant to behold, and which is much visited
by strangers." Addison and the other Essayists of
that period all notice Vauxhall as a place of fashion-
able resort. The entertainments at that time seem to
have been entirely of a musical description, nor were
they extended to any thing else until the eccentric
Jonathan Tyers took the premises; he altered the
house considerably, planted several trees, formed
shady walks, and opened the gardens with a ridotto al
fresco. The success he met with for some seasons,
induced and enabled him to make many embellish-
ments in the gardens, and to employ the talents of
Hogarth and Hayman in some excellent paintings ;
and a fine statue of Handel was executed for the
gardens by Roubiliac. The amusements at Vaux-
hall have been frequently varied, but generally con-
sist of vocal and instrumental music, performed in a
large orchestra erected in the gardens.-There are also
fire-works on a very extensive scale, rope dancing,
ballets, ombres Chinois, hydraulics, cosmoramas, &c.
Of late years some new buildings have been erected,
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110
PERCY HISTORIES.
capable of accommodating several thousands of per-
sons, and entertaining them with various amusements in
case of rain; the walks are illuminated with numerous
variegated lamps, which are arranged with great taste.
The company, which unites the extremes of society,
has been known to amount to fifteen thousand per-
sons, most of whom, independent of the price of ad-
mission, take refreshments in the gardens.
In 1812, the magistrates of Surrey refused to li-
cense the gardens on account of the proprietors having
permitted masquerades, but after an explanation the
license was renewed. In July 1813, these gardens
were the scene of one of the most splendid fêtes ever
given in this country, in honour of the victory of Vit-
toria, which was attended by the royal family, and
nearly the whole of the fashionable world then in
town.
MYSTERIES AND MORALITIES.
Rude as the early dramatic and scenic representa-
tions in the metropolis may now seem, they were
proofs of an advance in intellectual knowledge and
refinement of manners beyond those of our continental
neighbours. To England, Germany was indebted
for the drama, and in France it only became worthy
of notice half a century after Shakspeare had raised
it to its zenith of glory in England.
The mysteries, those precursors of the regular drama,
which consisted of dramatic representations of re-
ligious subjects, either from the Old or New Testa-
ment, apocryphal story, or lives of the saints, are
LONDON.
111
clearly proved to have been known in this country in
the year 1110, which is more than a century earlier
than the first record of them in Italy, where, according
to Dr. Burney, they were not known until the year
1243, when a spiritual comedy was represented at
Padua. Matthew of Paris relates, that in the year
1110, Geoffrey, a learned Norman master of the
school of the abbey of Dunstable, composed the play
of St. Catherine, which was acted by his scholars;
and Fitz-stephen, who wrote in 1174, speaks of the
mysteries as quite common in the metropolis: "Lon-
don," he says,
for its theatrical exhibitions has re-
ligious plays, either the representations of miracles
wrought by holy confessors, or the sufferings of
martyrs."
That the mysteries were one of the means used
by the priests to sustain the Roman Catholic religion,
is evident from the pope granting pardons and in-
dulgences to those who attended some mysteries that
were represented at Chester about the year 1398.
By this time they had become so popular that the au-
dience wished to have them in English, and it is re-
lated in one of the Harleian MS. in the British Mu-
seum, that the author of the Chester plays, Ranolph
Higden, "was thrice at Rome before he could obtain
leave of the pope to have them in the English tongue;"
the objection of the pope was no doubt that which
the Roman Catholic church so often feels against the
people being acquainted with the sacred Scriptures.
The inference from this is, that the ancient mysteries
were performed in Latin, and yet neither Matthew of
Paris nor Fitz-stephen assert this.
The most eminent performers of the ancient mys-
112
PERCY HISTORIES.
teries in London were the parish clerks, who were in-
corporated about the year 1240; and one of the prin-
cipal scenes of these exhibitions was at the Skinner's
Well, in Rag-street, or, as it is now called, Ray-street,
Clerkenwell. One of the most remarkable of these
mysteries, as has already been stated, was per-
formed here on the 18th, 19th, and 20th of July,
1391, when they had for an audience Richard the
Second, his queen and court. Another mystery on a
more extended scale was performed here in 1409, be-
fore Henry the Fourth, several nobles, and the princi-
pal citizens: one of the mysteries was founded on the
creation of the world, and the performances were ex-
tended to eight days.
·
Few, in London, are the memorials of the olden
time that are preserved on modern buildings, a cir-
cumstance which is much regretted; to the honour,
however, of the inhabitants of Clerkenwell, they have
recorded the celebrity which the parish once possess-
ed, by causing the following inscription to be placed
in letters of iron on the pump on the east side of Ray-
street.
A. D. 1800. WILLIAM BOUND, JOSEPH BIRD,
Churchwardens. For the better accommodation of the
neighbourhood, this pump was removed to the spot
where it now stands.
"The spring by which it is supplied is situated
four feet eastward, and round it, as history informs us,
the parish clerks of London, in remote ages, commonly
performed sacred plays. That custom caused it to be
denominated Clerk's well, and from whence this parish
derived its name.
"The water was greatly esteemed by the prior and
LONDON.
113
brethren of the order of St. John of Jerusalem and
the Benedictine nuns in the neighbourhood."
The mysteries were succeeded by the moralities,
which made a nearer approach to dramatic represen-
tation. They were, as Mr. Hone, in his work on An-
cient Mysteries, observes, "dramatic allegories, in
which the characters personify certain vices or virtues,
with the intent to inforce some moral or religious
principle." A curious copy of one of those morali-
ties, entitled the "Castle of Good Perseverance,"
was formerly in the library of the late Dr. Cox Macro,
the first leaf of which contains not only directions to
the players, but the colour of the dresses they shall
wear. The three daughters are denoted to be clad,
"i metelys," that is appropriately; Mercy with
righteousness in red altogether, Truth in sad green,
and Peace all in black; and the person that plays
Belial is particularly cautioned to have gunpowder
burning in pipes in his hands, eyes, and other places
when he goeth to battle.
When the reformation took place, mysteries and
moralities, which had been expressly employed in fa-
vour of the Roman Catholic religion, were resorted to
in order to overturn it, and was found a good auxiliary
for such a purpose.
The parish clubs appear to have been rivalled
in the performing of mysteries and moralities by
"the children of Powles," as a body of juvenile ac-
tors, to whom the English drama is considerably in-
debted, was called. They can be traced back as far
as the year 1378, when they petitioned Richard II.
to prohibit ignorant persons from acting the history of
the Old Testament, as they had been at great expence
L 2
114
PERCY HISTORIES.
in preparing it for the ensuing Christmas. The place
of exhibition was generally their school room near
St. Paul's, where they continued to act their mysteries
and moralities until the year 1580, when, on account
of the plague, all interludes were prohibited and the
house pulled down. The price of admission was
about two pence. The children of Paul's sometimes
exhibited before Queen Elizabeth at Whitehall and
Greenwich, and after their school had been erased to
they ground they performed at Blackfriars.
THE FIRST THEATRES.
When dramatic representations ceased to be founded
on religious subjects, they were no longer performed
in churches, as was the case sometimes with the mys-
teries and moralities, and playhouses became neces-
sary. The convenient form of the inns (still preserved
in
many of them) in London, with an open area in the
centre, and a gallery on each side of the quadrangle,
presented itself as a theatre ready made, with the ex-
ception of the stage; this was easily raised either in
the centre or on one side of the court, and thus many
of our early dramatic pieces were performed in the
yards of the inns. Even the first theatres were but a
very slight improvement, for the area or pit was gène-
rally exposed to the air.
The first company of players that received the
sanction of a patent, was that of James Burbidge and
others, the servants of the Earl of Leicester, to whom
Queen Elizabeth granted a patent in 1574. The
children of the royal chapel, afterwards called the
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115
children of the Revels, were next formed into a
company; and the Lord Admiral and Lord Strange
had each a company of players, who occasionally ex-
hibited at the houses of their patrons, or in other parts
of the town. Stowe states, that Lord Strange's players
performed an obnoxious play at the Cross Keys in
1589; and although the lord treasurer had requested the
lord mayor to suppress it, they disobeyed the order,
which induced his lordship to commit two of them to
the Compter, and to prohibit all plays until the plea-
sure of the lord treasurer was known. Previous to
this time the plays were complained of as personal
satires; and so early as the year 1574, Sir James
Hawes, lord mayor, issued a proclamation in which
he claimed for himself and the court of aldermen, the
privilege now exercised by the lord chamberlain,
of perusing and sanctioning the plays previous to their
being acted. A penalty of five pounds and fourteen
days' imprisonment were inflicted on all actors of
plays, "wherein should be uttered any words, ex-
amples or doings of any unchastity, sedition, or such
like unfit and uncomely matter." Yet it was provided
that this act should not extend to plays performed in
private houses, the lodgings of a nobleman, citizen or
gentleman, for the celebration of any marriage or
other festivity, and where no collection of money was
made from the auditors."
It appears from Stowe, that the first players were
ingenious tradesmen and gentlemen's servants," who
united in a company of themselves "to learn inter-
ludes, to expose vice, or to represent the noble actions
of our ancestors ;" but that in process of time it became
an occupation, when the players publicly " uttered
(6
116
PERCY HISTORIES.
popular and seditious matters, and shameful speeches;
and these plays being commonly acted on Sundays
and festivals, the churches were forsaken, and the
play houses thronged."
When the first London theatre was built, or where
it was actually situated, seems doubtful; but early in
the reign of Elizabeth, the Curtain, the Red Bull, and
the Globe theatres, were all flourishing. The love of the
drama appears to have spread with singular rapidity;
for Rymer, in his Fœdera, relates, that in the sixty
years preceding 1629, no less than seventeen" com-
mon play houses" were built in and about London,
"five inns or common osteries were turned to play-
houses, one cockpit, St. Paul's singing school, the
Globe on the Bankside, the Fortune near Golden
Lane, one in White Fryars, &c. besides the new
built Bear-gardens, built as well for plays as fencers,
bear and bull-baiting." Popular, however, as plays
were, they appear to have yielded in royal estimation
to bear-baiting; and there is an order of the privy
council of Queen Elizabeth in 1591 extant, which
prohibits plays been acted on Thursdays, because they
"were a great hurt and destruction of the game of
bear-baiting and like pastimes, which are maintained
for her majesty's pleasure" on those days. Among
the early London theatres, the Globe is entitled to
the first notice, on account of its connection with the
great magician of the drama.
Pennant was so anxious to identify Shakspeare
with the Globe Theatre, that in a map he has given,
purporting to be a plan of London and Westminster
in the year 1563, he has introduced the singular an-
achronism of "Shakspeare's play-house," although
LONDON.
117
the immortal bard was not born until the following
year, nor the Globe Theatre built on the scite of an
amphitheatre for bear-baiting in Bankside, South-
wark, until the year 1596-8. It is a round build-
ing of wood, a circumstance which seems to be alluded
to by Shakspeare in the play of Henry V.
M
"Can this cock-pit hold
The field of vasty France? or can we cram
Into this wooden O, the very casques
That did affright the air at Agincourt ?”
The house was very spacious, the partial roof was
covered with rushes, but the area was open. On the
turret or roof a silk flag, the usual emblem of places
of amusement, was displayed; and in the front of the
building was a painting, exhibiting Hercules support-
ing the globe, with the motto,-Totus mundus agit his-
trionem. The Globe Theatre was the scene of Shak-
speare's exertions as an actor, and here many of his best
pieces were first performed. The Globe was burnt
down on St. Peter's day, the 29th of June, 1613. The
fire originated, according to Winwood, with the mimic
discharges in Shakspeare's play of Henry VIII., when
the rushes of the roof caught fire; and he adds,
that the attention of the audience was so much
engaged with the actors, that they did not notice
it. Fortunately, however, there were few or no ac-
cidents, a circumstance alluded to in an old ballad
of the time, of which the following is the first stanza.
"Now sit thee downe, Melpomene,
Wrapt in a sea coal robe;
And tell the doleful tragedie
That late was play'd at Globe :
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PERCY HISTORIES.
For noe man that can singe and saye,
Was scar'd on St. Peter's daye.
Oh sorrow, pittifull sorrow; and yett all this
is true."
The theatre was rebuilt in the following year, in so
superior a manner, that Taylor, in his epigram, calls it
a stately theatre :
As gold is better that's in fire tried,
So is the Bankside Globe, that late was burn'd;
For where before it had a thatched hide,
Now to a stately theatre is turn'd."
Although the interior arrangements of the theatre
in the time of Shakspeare did not, in their leading
features, differ from those observed at the present
day, yet the construction was rude and inconvenient;
galleries were formed on three sides of the house, and
beneath them were rooms, which were equivalent to
our boxes: and there is reason to believe they were
occasionally the property of individuals, and not let
commonly. The stage was divided into two parts,
namely, an upper and a lower stage; an advantage
which was particularly felt in representing the play-
scene in the tragedy of Hamlet. The musicians did not
intervene between the pit and the stage, but were sta-
tioned in an elevated balcony, nearly occupying that
part of the house now denominated the upper stage-
box. At the private theatres seats were placed on
the stage for critics and amateurs, a privilege by which
Dekker says, " you have a signed patent to engross
the whole commodity of censure; may lawfully pre-
sume to be a guider and stand at the helm to steer the
passage of scenes."
LONDON.
119
When the " Village Opera" was presented at
Drury-lane Theatre, in 1729, an attempt was made
to revive this absurd custom in favour of the Duchess
of Queensbury, but the audience hissed inces-
santly until the seats were removed. A wit of the
day has alluded to the circumstance with great ele-
ance in the following lines:
"Bent on dire work, and kindly rude, the town,
Impatient, hissed thy seat, dear Duchess, down;
Conscious that there had thy soft form appear'd
Lost all in gaze, no vacant ear had heard :
Thy lambent eyes had look'd their rage away
And the relenting hiss, and sav'd the play.
Thus not in clouds (as father Homer sung),
Such as fair Venus round Eneas flung,
Had our dull Bard escap'd the dreadful fright,
But sunk conceal'd in an excess of light."
Near the Globe in Southwark, which seems to have
been the first refuge of the regular drama, were the
Swan and the Rose, two very early theatres, and they
all appear to have been very attractive, if the assertion
of Taylor, the Water poet, can be relied on, that
"about the year 1596, the players began to play
on the Bankside, and leave playing in London and
Middlesex for the most part. The number of water-
men, and those that live and are maintained by them,
and by the only labour of the oar and scull, cannot be
fewer than forty thousand; the cause of the greater
half of which multitude hath been the players' play-
ing in the Bankside." Twenty thousand watermen
employed in conveying audiences to and from the
120
PERCY HISTORIES.
theatres shows a love of the drama at that early pe-
riod of its history which is most extraordinary.
Bankside, though the most attractive scene of the
drama, and no wonder, when the plays of Shakspeare
and Ben Jonson were first performed there, was not the
only place; for there were either then, or soon after,
six other theatres on the Middlesex side of the
Thames.
If the Globe was rendered memorable by Shak-
speare's connection with it, the Curtain Theatre near
Shoreditch, the name of which is preserved in the
Curtain-road, had a similar distinction, by its being
the place where "rare Ben Jonson" acted, before he
obtained celebrity as an author; yet the Curtain The-
atre never appears to have flourished, although it had,
as an actor, Dick Tarlton, one of the best comedians
of the time of Elizabeth. Aubrey, who wrote in 1678,
nearly a century after the theatre was probably
erected, notices it as "a kind of nursery or obscure
playhouse, called the Green Curtain,' situate in the
suburbs towards Shoreditch." Although there is no
positive evidence of the fact, it is by no means impro-
bable conjecture, that the Curtain Theatre took its
name from its being the first to adopt that necessary
appendage of the stage.
The Red Bull, St. John's-street, Clerkenwell,
was another of our early theatres, where the poor.
players, when suppressed by the puritans, sometimes
assembled, during Christmas and Bartholomew fair,
on the summons of Alexander Goffe, the woman
actor (for ladies had not been yet introduced on
the stage), at Blackfriars. They were, however, fre-
quently disturbed and imprisoned. The Red Bull
LONDON.
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}
appears to have been of an inferior rank to the Globe
and Blackfriars theatres; for, in a poem addressed to
Sir William D'Avenant, in 1633, it is described as
that
"degenerate stage
Where none of the untun'd kennel can rehearse
A line of serious sense."
In the reign of Charles I. there were six playhouses
allowed in town, says old Downes, the prompter to
Sir W. D'Avenant's company, which he enumerates
as "the Blackfriars company, his majesty's servants
the Bull,-one in Salisbury-court-another, call-
ed the Fortune,'-another, at the Globe,-and a
sixth, at the Cock-pit, Drury-lane; all of which con-
tinued acting till the beginning of the civil wars.
The Fortune, near Whitecross-street, Barbican,
which very recently exhibited the royal arms in plas-
ter on its front, of venerable antiquity, was built by
that celebrated and benevolent actor, Edward Alleyne,
the pious founder of Dulwich College, in 1599.
Maitland, in whose time its remains were still stand-
ing, describes it as a large brick building. Although
Alleyne died possessed of a large fortune, yet he
could scarcely have made it at this theatre, for, in his
diary, he records, that he had once so slender an audi-
ence, that the whole receipts of the house amounted
to no more than three pounds and a few odd shillings-
a sum which would not pay the expences; for it appears
by the MS. of Lord Stanhope, treasurer to James I.
that the customary sum paid to John Heminge and
his company, for the performance of a play at court,
was twenty nobles, or 6l. 12s. 4d.
VOL. III.]
M
122
PERCY HISTORIES.
Alleyne was also proprietor of the Blackfriars'
theatre, as we learn from the following entry in his
diary, which is still preserved at Dulwich College,
dated September, 1618:-" More disbursed for the
building of the Blackfriars for this year and in anno
1617, when it first began, with the 200l. disbursed by
my father; buying in of leases, charges in law, and
the building itself, is 1,105l. Os. 2d.”
The White Friars' play-house was built in 1629;
and the Cockpit or Phoenix was in existence before
that period; there was also a theatre in Salisbury-
court, and, several others in different parts of the
town. Indeed, Prynne, in his Histrio-Mastix, enu-
merates nineteen theatres in London, in the year
1630; and, in a humorous dialogue in Randolph's
"Muses Looking-glass," published in the same year,
a fanatical preacher thus notices our early theatres
in a supposed prayer:
"That the Globe,
Wherein (quoth he) reigns a whole world of vice,
Had been consumed, the Phoenix burnt to ashes;
The Fortune, whipt for a blind ; Blackfriars!
He wonders how it 'scap'd demolishing
I' the' time of Reformation; lastly, he wished
The Bull might crosse the Thames to the Bear Gardens,
And there be soundly baited."
C
When the age of puritanism had passed, and the
gay court of Charles II. had succeeded the gloomy
monotony of the Protectorate, the drama again reared
its head, and the few players who had not fallen in
the wars or died of poverty, assembled under the
banner of Sir William D'Avenant, at the Red Bull
LONDON.
123
Rhodes, a bookseller, at the same time fitted up the
cock-pit in Drury-lane, where he formed a company
of almost entirely new performers. These two com-
panies were afterwards united, and called the Duke of
York's company; while Killigrew collected together
a few of the old actors, who were honoured with the
title of "His Majesty's Servants," an honour still
claimed by all the children of Thespis, from the Ros-
cius of the day to the poor strolling player.
Sir William D'Avenant afterwards built a theatre
in Lincoln's-inn-fields, which he opened in 1662,
with the play of the Siege of Rhodes, written by him-
self. In this play Sir William introduced scenery for
the first time, which may be considered as one of the
greatest improvements the drama could receive. Har-
lequinades were also first introduced at this theatre,
and were so successful, that, in 1723, they excited the
jealousy of the Drury-lane managers, who got up a
satire on them, called Blindman's Buff, in which were
eight harlequins. But the editor of the Monthly
Journal says, "the thing was so ridiculous, that there
was no music to be heard but hissing."
The custom of having soldiers to do duty at the
theatres originated at this house, on account of a riot
which young noblemen, who had been admitted be-
hind, committed during the performance of the Beg-
gar's Opera.
Another theatre was built in Gibbon's Tennis Court,
Clare-market, where Killigrew's company performed
for some time and a third theatre was built by Sir
Christopher Wren, in Dorset Gardens, near the river,
which was opened by the Duke of York's company
on the 3d of November, 1671. It had a handsome
124
PERCY HISTORIES.
front towards the river, with a landing-place for the
convenience of the visitors by water. In 1709, this
theatre was taken down, and the scite is now occupied
by the Gas-light company.
Before quitting the early English stage for the
modern and existing theatres, we shall briefly advert
to two recent attempts to establish theatres in Lon
don, beyond the supposed precincts of the Lord Cham-
berlain's authority. About the year 1777, the ware-
house of a paper manufacturer, at Rotherhithe, called
China hall, was opened as a theatre, where comedies
and farces continued to be performed until the winter
of 1778-9, when the building was destroyed by fire.
The late celebrated George Frederick Cooke was one
of the performers at this theatre in the last season it
was open. About the same period, a tavern in White-
chapel, called the Angel and Crown, was converted
into a "
Lilliputian Theatre," where dramatic pieces
were represented.
Some customs peculiar to our early English theatres
are entitled to notice. The audiences, less patient
than those of the present day, amused themselves
with reading, playing cards, drinking, and even smok-
ing, until the play commenced; and even women are
said to have indulged in these unfeminine enjoyments.
Prynne, contrasting the manners of the Romans with
those of the moderns, says, "In the play-houses at
London they offer them (the women) the tobacco-pipe,
which was then (to the Romans) unknown." Nuts
and apples were sold in the theatres as at the present
day, (a nuisance which ought to be abolished); play-
bills were printed at the very infancy of the drama,
and in the Stationers' books there is the following en-
•
LONDON.
125
try: "Oct. 1587, John Charlewoode, lycensed to
him by the whole consent of the assistants, the onlye
ymprinting of all manner of bills for players, provided
that if any trouble arise herebye, then Charlewoode
to bear the charge :" a rather prudent resolution this
of the Court of Assistants, when the stage was so per-
sonally satirical.
The play-bills were anciently affixed on posts in the
public streets, whence the phrase, 'posting-bills,' which
is still retained; and Taylor, the Water poet, has the
following bon mot on this custom. "Master Field the
player, riding up Fleet-street at a great pace, a gen-
tleman called him, and asked him what play was
played that day. He being angry to be stayed on so
frivolous a demand, answered that he might see what
play was to be played on every poste.
"I cry you
mercy," said the gentleman, " I took you for a poste,
you rode so fast."
DRURY LANE THEATRE.
Our ancient theatres were little better than barns-
those of the present day may vie with palaces, in ex-
tent and splendour of decoration, and nothing can
more strongly exhibit the contrast between the pre-
sent age and that of Queen Elizabeth, than the differ-
ence in the expence of a London theatre. The Rose
play-house, which was erected about the year 1592,
cost only 103l. 2s. 7d. a sum which could not pay
half the expences of a modern theatre for a single
night; while, instead of an open area, we have a pit
with covered seats, saloons like drawing-rooms, and
halls, staircases, and corridors, in the noblest style of
architectural decoration.
M 2
126
PERCY HISTORIES.
The first theatre in Drury Lane was a cock-pit,
which, hoisting a Phoenix for a sign, was sometimes
called by that name: it was not, however, until after
the restoration of Charles II., that a house suitable
for the accommodation of the public was erected.
It soon shared the too common fate of the London
theatres, and was burnt down in 1671; and three years
afterwards it was rebuilt under the direction of that
great architect, Sir Christopher Wren. This fabric,
which was of considerable dimensions, and excellent
in its internal arrangements, remained undisturbed
until the year 1791, when it was determined to take it
down, and re-build it on a scale better adapted to the
increased population, and the more refined taste of
the age. During this period, Drury Lane Theatre
had been highly attractive; on its boards, a Garrick
and a Siddons had trod, and the former, after amassing
a splendid fortune, sold his share of the property for
35,000!.
The theatre built by Sir Christopher Wren was
probably too small, though we hear no complaints of
that sort, even when the popularity of the British
Roscius was at its height; but certain it is, that in
building the new theatre in 1793, the architecture fell
into the opposite extreme; the house was so enlarged
in its dimensions, as to be a theatre for spectators,
rather than hearers; and as the audience lost all those
advantages, which a convenient distance from the
speaker gave in seeing the expression of his counte-
nance, and hearing the varied modulations of his
voice, the love of spectacle, which had already mani-
fested itself, began to predominate. The splendour
of the scenes, the ingenuity of the machinist, and the
LONDON.
127
richness of costume, aided by the captivating charms
of music, superseded the labours of the poet; and
while Otway a century ago obtained but 15l. for the
tragedy of Venice Preserved, Mr. George Colman
the Younger, was in our day rewarded with 1000l.
for the spectacle of "Blue Beard." It has been as-
serted, that the love of the legitimate drama has de-
clined. Were this the case, which we deny, the pro-
prietors of the London theatres are chargeable with
having vitiated it by substituting show for sense, and
building the theatres of such a size, that one of the
senses only could be gratified. "There can be no-
thing," says a modern writer on this subject," very
gratifying in watching the movements of an actor's
lips, when we cannot hear the words that proceed from
them; but when the animating march strikes up, and
the stage lays open its recesses to the depth of a
hundred feet, for the procession to advance, even the
most distant spectator can enjoy his shilling's-worth
of show. What then is the poet's chance? Exactly
what the parson's would be, if the mountebank was
in the market-place, when the bells were chiming for
church."
Fortunately, however, the evil has begun to remedy
itself, and the managers now perceive that a theatre
may be too large. When it was determined to take
down the edifice erected by Sir Christopher Wren,
Mr. Holland was appointed the architect, under whose
direction the new theatre was built, and opened on
the 21st of April, 1794. As so many theatres had
been destroyed by fire, it was determined to take
every precaution against such a calamity in future.
An iron curtain, which resisted the force of a sledge
128
PERCY HISTORIES.
hammer, was constructed so as to let down in a mo-
ment of danger, and separate the audience from the
stage, while a reservoir was formed on the top of the
house, filled with water sufficient, as the epilogue
spoken at the opening of the theatre, by Miss Farren,
gave assurance, to "drown the audience in a mi-
nute." On the first night, the iron curtain was iet
down, and the stage was filled with water, on which
a man rowed round with a boat: the managers boast-
ed of their reservoirs,
"A firm reliance,
Whose streams set conflagration at defiance."
•
But these were luckless words,' a bootless boast,'
for, fifteen years a fterwards, the whole fabric
was burnt to the ground. This calamity occurred on
the 24th of February, 1809, and so rapid were the
flames, that, although the fire did not break out until
11 o'clock at night, the immense edifice was reduced
to a pile ofruins in less than three hours.
So various and so conflicting were the interests in
the property of the theatre, that it was long before
they could be reconciled; at length it was determin-
ed to rebuild it on a somewhat diminished, but more
magnificent scale, and Mr. B. Wyatt was appointed
architect for the purpose. From his plan, and under
his direction, the present edifice was raised, and open-
ed to the public on the 10th October, 1812. The
former theatre had been constructed to hold 3611 per-
sons, producing a sum of 8261. 6s. The theatre had
been found too large, and that erected by Mr. Wyatt
would only contain 2810 persons, or 750l.: but even
this theatre was deemed too spacious, and the whole
LONDON.
129
of the interior was taken down and rebuilt in the year
1822, on a reduced scale by Mr. Beazely. The roof
was lowered six or seven feet, the boxes were brought
five feet nearer the stage; indeed the whole audience
part of the theatre was remodelled. Some alterations
were also made on the stage, and the architect ven-
tured on a great, but a successful innovation-the re-
moval of the stage doors-
*
\
"which have oft with burnish'd pannels
stood,
And golden knockers glittering in a wood;
That serv'd for palace, cottage, street, or hall,
Used for each place, and out of place in all :
Station'd like watchmen, who in lamplight sit,
For all the business of the scene unfit."
✔
The whole rebuilding the interior of the theatre
cost upwards of 14,000l. and was executed in the
short period of two months. To describe the interior
decorations of a theatre, which are changed every
season, is unnecessary-it is, however, due to the
proprietors to state, that alteration, while it adds
something to the comfort of the audience, renders the
ornamental decorations more chaste and elegant, and
it is difficult to conceive a more beautiful structure
in its interior, than Drury Lane Theatre. The grand
entrance, in Brydges street, is through a spacious hall
into a rotunda of great beauty, two noble staircases
lead to the boxes, and to a saloon eighty-six feet in
length, the walls of which are nearly covered with
looking glasses the lobbies are spacious, and the
house, which is lighted with gas, is well aired and
ventilated. The exterior of the theatre is plain, but
130
PERCY HISTORIES.
by no means inelegant. To the front, which is of the
Doric order, a portico, surmounted by a statue of
Shakspeare, was added in 1820, which is infinitely
beneath the dignity of so noble a structure.
Both the theatres of Drury Lane and Covent Gar-
den enjoy the privilege of a royal patent, which au-
thorizes them to act dramas of every description, from
tragedy, comedy, farce, operas, ballets, or spectacles of
every class, provided they have previously been sub-
mitted to, and authorized by the Lord Chamberlain.
Among the remarkable events in the history of
Drury Lane Theatre, was the attempt to assassinate
his late Majesty as he entered the royal box, on the
15th of May, 1800, by discharging a loaded pistol at
him. The king had that morning attended the field
exercises of the grenadier battalion of the guards, when
in one of the volleys, a ball cartridge was fired, which
wounded a gentleman, a few paces only from the king.
The cartouch boxes were examined, but the act could
not be fixed upon any individual. The ball fired at
his Majesty in the theatre, passed only eighteen
inches over his head. The perpetrator, whose name
was Hatfield, was instantly seized, and found to be a
maniac, on which account he was acquitted, but con-
fined in the New Bethlem Hospital. Notwithstand-
ing the alarm, his Majesty remained to witness the
performances.
COVENT GARDEN THEATRE.
In its general management, in the character of the
performance, and in the periods at which the house is
opened and closed every season, Covent Garden
LONDON.
131
Theatre resembles that of Drury Lane ;-and while
there is an honourable rivalry in the elegance of their
respective structures, in the spirit with which new
pieces are produced, or new actors of eminence are
obtained, the proprietors are mutually accommodating
to each other.
Covent Garden Theatre possesses a patent, origi-
nally granted to Sir William Davenant, and under
which, successive companies acted at the theatres in
Dorset-street and Lincoln's-inn-fields; nor was it until
1733, that a theatre was built in Bow-street, Covent
Garden, when Mr. Rich, who had formerly had the
direction of Drury Lane Theatre, and afterwards,
that of Lincoln's-inn-fields, removed to the new
theatre, over which he presided until the year 1761,
having been for fifty years the manager of a company
under the patent granted by Charles II. In 1767,
Mr. Harris, a young man, who had not attained his
twenty-first year, became a principal proprietor of
this theatre, a considerable share of which remains
in his family.
Various improvements were made in the interior of
this theatre, and in 1792 Mr. Harris expended 25,000l.
upon it, when the prices of admission were raised.
For some years Drury Lane had an advantage over
Covent Garden, in possessing the talents of Mrs.
Siddons, and her brother, John Philip Kemble, who
did so much to rescue the stage from the ridiculous
and barbarous costume which had hitherto disgraced
it: but in the year 1800, this company gained a great
accession of strength in the person of George Fre-
derick Cooke, whose debut on a humbler stage has
already been noticed, and whose talents and dissipa-
132
PERCY HISTORIES.
tion made him so long an object of public admiration
and regret.
Three years afterwards, Mr. Kemble, who had pur-
chased a sixth share of Covent Garden theatre for
24,000l., saw all his splendid talents neglected, and
all his well-earned fame momentarily eclipsed in the
Rosciimania which had commenced in the country, and
extended itself to the metropolitan theatres royal.
When Master William Henry West Betty, then in
his thirteenth year, reached London-the two theatres
contended for him, and at length, a compromise was
made, that he should play at each house alternate
nights. Fifty, and afterwards a hundred guineas a
night were given to this child, who performed all the
principal characters in tragedy; and so eager was the
public to see him, that the doors of the theatre were
besieged so early as one o'clock. Off the stage, Mas-
ter Betty was sought after by noble lords, was caress-
ed by ladies of the highest rank, and entertained by
the primate of all England. The success which at-
tended Master Betty, who was called the young.
Roscius, brought forth other adventurers with less ta-
lents and more assurance, until the public applause
was changed into disgust; and the managers of the
theatres, who are condemned
"With every meteor of caprice to play,
And chase the new blown bubbles of the day,"
saw the stage resume its proper rank once more.
On the 2d of September, 1808, this theatre, with
all that it contained, was completely burnt to the
ground, and so rapid were the flames, 'that they
threatened destruction to the whole neighbourhood.
LONDON.
133
Several houses caught fire, and were reduced to ruins,
and the walls of the theatre falling, twenty persons
were killed. No time was lost in rebuilding this
theatre, the first stone of which was laid on the 31st Dec.
1808, by his present Majesty, then Prince of Wales.
In ten months this immense edifice was finished, and
opened to the public on the 18th of September, 1809,
when a new danger threatened the proprietors, who,
having built the theatre at an expense of 150,000l.,
sought an indemnity, by raising the price of admis-
sion. This was warmly resisted by the public; and
for more than a month the theatre was a scene of con-
tinued riot and confusion, which is known by the
name of the "O. P. (old prices) war." At length a
compromise was effected; but the injury done to the
theatre, and the loss sustained by other causes, was
long felt by the proprietors.
This theatre, like that of Drury-lane, is continually
receiving some new alteration or improvement in its
interior, which is at once elegant and convenient,
though the hall and entrances are neither so grand
nor so appropriate as those of the sister theatre. In
its exterior, however, it far surpasses it. The prin-
cipal front, which is copied from the temple of
Minerva, in the Acropolis, has a very fine portico,
and is embellished with statues and basso relievos,
which represent the ancient and modern drama. This
building, which is really an ornament to the metro-
polis, was erected by Mr. Smirke, the architect.
KING'S THEATRE, HAYMARKET.
In the infancy of the drama, national prejudices
were sunk in the thirst for novelty; and so early as
VOL. III.]
N
134
PERCY HISTORIES.
the reign of Henry VII., when the stage was only
shaking off the absurdity of the mysteries and morali-
ties foreign actors were encouraged in England. In
one of the records, in the Remembrance Office in the
Exchequer, which contains a daily account of the
expences of that monarch, there is an entry "to the
French players in rew 20s. ;” and in the time of Shak-
speare, there was a theatre in Paris Garden, which is
supposed to have taken its name from the French
players performing there. It was not, however, until
nearly the close of the 17th century that the opera
was introduced into this country, when it met with
great opposition in London. Addison, in the 18th
number of his Spectator, attacked it with all the
eloquence and vigour of his pen. He states that
Arsinoe, Queen of Cyprus, which was written
after the Italian manner, by Peter Motleaux, and
performed at Drury Lane Theatre, was the first
opera that gave us a taste for Italian music, but
we believe that Hydaspe had been represented
several years before. Addison ridicules, with great
humour, the English translations of the Italian, and the
singular effect it had when the translator sometimes
transposed the words, and made the music very absurd
in one tongue that was natural in another, and he enu-
merates several ridiculous instances. I remember,"
says he," an Italian verse that ran thus, word for
word :
'And turn'd my pity into rage;'
"which the English, for rhyme-sake, translated-
And into pity turn'd his rage.'
<<
By this means the soft notes that were adapted to
pity in the Italian, fell upon the word rage in the
LONDON.
135
English; and the angry sounds that were turned to
rage in the original, were made to express pity in the
translation."
At length Italian actors were introduced, but in the
principal characters only, and the hero of the play
spoke Italian, while the subordinate actors, who
were our countrymen, answered in English. The next
step was to perform the operas entirely in Italian, so
that Addison supposes it very natural for an historian
two or three hundred years afterwards, who does not
know the taste of his forefathers, to record that "in
the beginning of the 18th century the Italian tongue
was so well understood in England, that operas were
acted on the public stage in that language."
The remonstrances of Addison were ineffectual;
and the opera had become so popular, that a theatre
had been built for it in the Haymarket by Sir John
Vanburgh, the architect. It was raised by thirty per-
sons of rank, principally of the whig party, if we may
judge by their inscribing the first stone with the
words "Little Whig," in compliment to Lady Sunder-
land, a celebrated beauty of the day. The money
subscribed was 100%. each, and the theatre opened on
the 9th of April, 1705, with an Italian opera, which
was far from being successful; it, however, continued
under various managers, and with doubtful success,
until the year 1720, when a sum of 50,000l. was raised
by subscription to support the Italian opera, which
has ever since ranked as one of the favourite amuse-
ments of the fashionable world; but the expense
requisite to support it, on account of the extravagant
demands of foreign singers, has prevented it of late
years from being lucrative to the proprietors.
136
PERCY HISTORIES.
From the commencement of the Italian opera in
London, it has been conducted with great liberality;
and when, in 1723, the celebrated Francesca Cuzzoni
arrived from Italy, her engagement for the season was
2000l.; nor did the managers lose by an engagement
seemingly so extravagant, for on the second night she
appeared, the tickets for admission were raised to four
guineas each, which was cheerfully paid, and the
theatre crowded. It was on this lady that the follow-
ing elegant and complimentary lines were written :-
"If Orpheus' notes could woods and rocks inspire,
And make dull rivers listen to his lyre,
Cuzzoni's voice can, with far greater skill,
Rouse death to life, and what is living, kill."
The Opera House was burnt down on the 17th of
June, 1789; and on the 3d of April, in the following
year, the first stone of the present structure was laid,
by the Earl of Buckinghamshire, with numerous in-
scriptions, one of which, "Prævalebit justitia," is
excessively common place, and more applieable to a
court of law, than a theatre erected for singers and
dancers. Although the interior of the "king's
theatre," as it was now called, is well constructed,
yet in its external appearance it was one of the most
gloomy and clumsy buildings of the metropolis, until,
in the recent improvements in this part of the town,
a fine colonnade was added to the fronts in Pall Mall
and the Haymarket, and the whole exterior remo-
delled, covered with stucco, and embellished with a
relievo, by Mr. Budd.
The interior of the King's Theatre is magnificent and
extensive. It contains 172 boxes, of which 68 were
LONDON.
137
private property. The others are either let by sub-
scription, or reserved for the establishment. The
admission to the pit and gallery is the same as at the
other theatres. Attached to the theatre is a large
concert room, ninety-five feet long, and forty-six feet
broad. The usual performances at the King's theatre
are Italian operas and French ballets; masquerades
are also sometimes given, but this exotic entertain-
ment does not flourish in an English soil.
HAYMARKET THEATRE.
The little theatre in the Haymarket," as this
house was called, to distinguish it from the Opera-
house, has long possessed an uninterrupted and exten-
sive share of public favour; and the legitimate drama,
when almost excluded from every other theatre, here
found an asyluni. To a speculating mechanic of the
name of Potter, this theatre owes its rise; it was first
erected in 1720,without any specific object beyond that
of letting it to the "French players,” as the foreign
actors and singers were then called, be their country
what it might. On the 29th of December in that year
it was opened with a comedy, entitled, La Fille à la
Mode, and for many years was occupied by foreign ad-
venturers, who gave various entertainments, in which
tumbling and rope dancing were not omitted. It was
at this theatre also that Foote revelled in his gay
humour and personal satire, under the tolerance rather
than the sanction of the Lord Chamberlain ; until, in the
year of 1766, it was raised to the dignity of a theatre
royal, and a patent granted to Mr. Foote, authorising
him to build a theatre in the city and liberties of
N 2
138
PERCY HISTORIES.
Westminster, and to exhibit dramatic performances,
&c. from the 14th May to the 14th September in each
year during his life. Mr. Foote immediately had the
old theatre taken down, and a new one built; but
whether this was an improvement or not, may be fairly
doubted, as a more disagreeable or inconvenient
structure can scarcely be conceived than the late
theatre, which was opened in May 1767. In nothing
was the house more disadvantageously constructed
than in the entrances, which were extremely narrow;
a melancholy proof of this occurred on the 3d of Feb.
1794, when his Majesty having bespoken the play, the
rush to the pit on the opening the doors was so great,
that fifteen persons were killed, and more than twenty
others dreadfully injured. It has been severally under
the management of Foote, the two Colmans, and
Thomas Dibdin, all gentlemen of such talents, and so
intimately acquainted with the detail of a theatre, as
to ensure its success.
A ridiculous riot took place at this theatre in the
year 1805, when Mr. Dowton announced, as one of
the pieces for his benefit, a farce called "The Tailors, or
a Tragedy for Warm Weather," which had been acted
with great success, under Foote, in 1767. No sooner
was this announced, than the whole body of tailors
arose as one man, to resist what they thought an illi-
beral attack on their trade. Threatening letters were
sent to Dowton and the manager, some of which were
signed with the name of the individual, and one by
the secretary to one of their clubs. On the night of
performance, 700 tailors besieged the doors, and got
possession of the gallery, when such symptoms of
tumult were manifested, that it was necessary to call
LONDON.
139
i
in the police; and afterwards a detachment of the
guards; when, after thirty-two of the rioters had been
taken into custody, the piece was performed, amidst
loud shouts of disapprobation.
In 1821 the old theatre was taken down, and a
more elegant, as well as a more commodious building
was erected, from designs by Mr. Nash. In the front
is a lofty portico, supported by six columns of the
Corinthian order: above the portico are nine circular
windows, which are ornamented and connected with
rich sculpture. The interior of the theatre, though
elegant, is not very conveniently arranged for com-
pany, particularly the boxes, which are capable of
considerable improvement.
ENGLISH OPERA HOUSE.
Addison deprecated the introduction of the Italian
opera, on account of its superseding our own national
music-his fears were groundless, and there is some
reason to believe that it has rather aided than injured
the cultivation of this science: indeed, the list of
eminent composers that England has produced within
the last century is a proof that music has not been
cultivated unsuccessfully. It was not, however, until
within the last few years, that the English opera had
a house exclusively appropriated to it. This was the
Lyceum, or, as it has since been called, the English
Opera House, in the Strand, which was opened on
the 26th of June, 1809. It did not at first meet with
the patronage to which so laudable an attempt was
entitled, and the plan has since been extended so as
140
PERCY HISTORIES.
to include farcical burlettas and serious melo-dramas,
as well as operas.
The Lyceum was rebuilt a few years ago under the
directions of Mr. Beazely, an architect whose
talents in this line have been successfully exercised
on several occasions in London, as well as in Dublin.
A neat portico has recently been erected in the front,
which does not afford room for much display; and
the interior combines much comfort (that truly Eng-
lish word) with appropriate elegance.
The English Opera House has of late years been
rendered particularly attractive by the comic talents
of Mr. Matthews, who, by his single exertions, has
filled the theatre forty nights each season to witness
his "At Home."
MINOR THEATRES.
The distinction of a minor theatre from a theatre
royal, formerly consisted in the contrast between the
pieces respectively performed at each; for, while the
minor theatres were prevented by law from represent-
ing the regular drama, the theatres-royal seldom
trespassed on the domain of their humble neighbours,
which was understood to be confined to melo-dramas,
burlettas, rope-dancers, and equestrian spectacles-
the distinction exists no longer, since both parties are
approximating; and our winter theatres often pro-
duce pieces as extravagant as a Bartholomew-fair
droll, while at the minor theatres we sometimes wit-
ness nearer approaches to tragedy, comedy, and farce,
than many new productions which are honoured with
**
LONDON.
141
these names at the theatres royal. There are nine
minor theatres in London.
The Surrey Theatre, in Blackfriars' Road, formerly
called the Royal Circus, was built about the year
1779, for burlettas and equestrian exercises, and was
for some time under the direction of the British
Tyrtæus, Charles Dibdin. In 1805 it was burnt
down, but was immediately rebuilt. It has recently
been remodelled in the interior, and is one of the
largest and most elegant of the minor theatres.
Astley's Royal Amphitheatre, Westminster Bridge,
(for it will not easily lose its name, although Astley
is no more, and he is succeeded by Mr. Davis), was
first opened about the year 1767, as a riding-school
by Mr. Peter Astley, who had served in the army,
and was a remarkably good horseman. The skill be
displayed in managing the noblest of all quadrupeds
attracted public attention, and Mr. Astley thought
he might turn it to advantage by receiving money as
an exhibition. An information was soon lodged
against him, when, fortunately for him, his late Ma-
jesty was riding over Westminster Bridge on a spirited
horse, which proved restive and unmanageable even
by the king, who was an excellent horseman. Mr.
Atley happened to see him come up, and soon con-
vinced his Majesty of his skill in the managing of
horses; the result was, that Mr. Astley got rid of the
information, and in a few days obtained a license.
The amphitheatre is now principally celebrated for its
equestrian spectacles and gymnastic exercises.
The Cobourg Theatre, in Waterloo Bridge Road,
which indicates its recent origin by its name, is an
elegant little theatre, and was built in 1817. It is
142
PERCY HISTORIES.
more remarkable for the beauty of the scenery than
the merits of the dramas produced, or the talents of
the actors.
Sadler's Wells Theatre was long celebrated for its
Naumachia, which it exhibited by means of having a
large current of water to flow under the stage. The
real water, so long its greatest attraction, is now very
'seldom resorted to; and melo-dramas, burlettas, and
pantomimes, are the favourite performances: in the
latter description of pieces, Sadler's Wells Theatre
had, for many years, the benefit of Grimaldi's ta-
lents as clown. A dreadful occurrence took place at
this theatre on the 15th of October, 1807, when some
person, from mere wantonness, it is supposed, called
a fight," which was mistaken for the word
"fire." In vain did the manager come forward to
assure the audience of the mistake,-they rushed
from the gallery with dread impetuosity; and many,
finding the avenues blocked up, leaped into the pit ;
in consequence of which, eighteen persons were killed,
and several others wounded. The managers granted
free benefits to the relatives of the deceased.
out "
The Adelphi Theatre, formerly the Sans Pareil, in
the Strand, and the Olympic Theatre, in Wych-street,
erected by Mr. Astley, in 1806, are two small, but
neat theatres, where burlettas and pantomimes are
performed; and such are generally the amusements
of the West London Theatre, in Tottenham-street,
Tottenham Court Road, although it has occasionally
been used for French subscription plays.
The Royalty, or East London Theatre, in Well-
street, Wellclose-square, presented many amusing
scenes during the war, of real, and not of mimic life,
:
LONDON.
143
on account of the company by which it was fre-
quented being principally sailors, whose eccentricity
could not be restrained by the decorum of a theatre.
This theatre was built in 1787, with a view of per-
forming the regular drama, which it was supposed the
magistrates of the Tower Hamlets, in whose precincts
it was, could authorize. Mr. John Palmer tried the
experiment, which was only permitted one night. The
performances were then confined to pantomimes and
pantomimic burlettas, and that so rigidly, that an in-
formation was lodged against Delpini the clown, for
calling out," roast beef" in a pantomime.
A theatre was erected in this neighbourhood at the
beginning of the last century, which was situated in
Goodman's Fields, near Prescot-street; and, although
it was spoken of contemptuously in the public jour-
nals of the times, "as a great ease to the ladies of
Rag Fair, who were forced to trudge as far as Lin-
coln's Inn Fields, to mix themselves with the ladies
of quality," yet it ought not to be forgotten that it
was at this theatre in Goodman's Fields that Garrick
made his first appearance in town, when the picture
was reversed, and "the people of quality" were seen
crowding night after night towards Rag Fair, to see
the great master of the mimic art, who had burst forth
in its precincts.
ROYAL ACADEMY OF MUSIC.
Eastcott, in his Sketches of Music, seems to regret
that he cannot trace the science to a more remote pe-
riod than the early history of Egypt: had the reverend
144
PERCY HISTORIES.
divine written on dancing, he would no doubt have
been equally sorry that he could not find any earlier
mention of it than in the Levitical law. To most per-
sons, however, the antiquity of both will be deemed
sufficient. Music has been esteemed in all ages, par-
ticularly at courts. Saul, having heard of David's
skill in music, when he was sore afflicted, sent for
him, and "David took a harp and played, so Saul
was refreshed and was well." In England, from the
time of Alfred, who, in the disguise of a harper, pene-
trated the tent of the Danish chief, and thus ascer-
tained the state of the enemy, to that of his present
Majesty, who is allowed to be the best amateur per-
former on the violin in his empire, music has always
been the favourite of royalty; and, notwithstanding
the assertion of foreigners, that the English are not a
musical people, music has always been liberally en-
couraged.
Numerous as the literary and scientific institutions
in the metropolis are, and highly conducive as they
have been in promoting the objects for which they
were established, one was yet wanting devoted ex-
clusively to music. Such an institution has recently
been formed under the immediate patronage of his
Majesty; and though yet in its infancy, it promises
to rank with the most flourishing institutions in the
country.
The object of the institution, which was founded
in 1822, is "to promote the cultivation of the
science of music, and afford facilities for attaining
perfection in it, by assisting in the general instruction
of the natives of this country, and thus enabling those
who pursue this delightful branch of the fine arts to
enter into competition with, and rival the natives of
LONDON.
145
other countries, and to provide for themselves the
means of an honourable and comfortable livelihood."
In order to attain these objects, a number of pupils,
male and female, proportioned to the funds of the in-
stitution, are admitted, between the ages of ten and fif-
teen, and instructed by the best masters. The students
pass an examination to ascertain if they possess a de-
cided aptitude or disposition for music, before they can
be admitted as candidates, and the election takes
place by ballot; the subscribers voting according to the
amount of their contributions. Each student, on
being admitted, pays fifteen guineas to the funds,
and ten guineas annually; but the fees of the children
of professors of music are somewhat modified.
The subscriptions to the Royal Academy of Music
were so liberal, that the committee of managers, over
which Lord Burghersh, who first suggested the idea of
such an institution, presides, have been able to com-
mence their operations on a liberal scale. The noble
mansion, lately occupied by the Earl of Carnarvon,
in Tenterden-street, Hanover-square, has been fitted
up for the purposes of the Academy. The rooms,
appropriated for general practice and lessons, are of
large dimensions, two of them being upwards of seventy
feet each in length, and the other apartments afford
every convenience. A clergyman of the established
church having been selected to superintend the male
department, and a lady of unblemished character and
ability appointed to preside over the females, the
committee proceeded to an election on the 8th of
March, 1823. The number of candidates for admis-
sion amounted to sixty, twenty of whom were elected;
one boy was afterwards added, on the recommenda-
VOL. III.
0
146
PERCY HISTORIES.
tion of his Majesty; and since the election, eight
more boys, and the same number of girls, have been
admitted, not however as ordinary students, whose
education is chargeable on the institution, but as
extra students or boarders, who augment the funds by
the liberal sum they pay for their education.
;
The professors, selected to superintend this esta-
blishment, are gentlemen of acknowledged talent
and there is every prospect of the institution becoming
not only flourishing, but highly advantageous. The
subscriptions are very liberal, and music and musical
instruments to the value of upwards of 1200l. have
already been contributed.
The title of this institution is not new, though its
objects have not before been aimed at in this country.
In the year 1720, a sum of 50,000l. (of which his
Majesty George the First gave 1000l.) was sub-
scribed for the performance of Handel's oratorios,
under his own direction, at the Opera House, and the
association was called "the Royal Academy of
Music." It continued to flourish for some years,
until Handel and Senesino (whom Farinelli, on the
first night of their performing together, so softened by
the sweetness of his voice, that he forgot the tyrant,
and embraced the slave) quarrelled, and the aca-
demy was dissolved, after it had existed for rather
more than nine years.
MUSICAL INSTITUTIONS-CONCERTS.
So great is the love of music among the British
nobility, or so liberal is their patronage of its pro-
fessors, that the mansions of several noblemen are
not only thrown open to their friends, whom they
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entertain with a concert, but they permit eminent
musicians to take a benefit at their bouses, which
they cause to be fitted up for the purpose-a com-
pliment not paid to any other class of individuals.
Independent of these concerts, and of those given
by subscription at taverns and public rooms, there are
several buildings in London devoted almost exclu-
sively to musical entertainments; and numerous
associations formed to promote the science.
The
Argyle Rooms, in Regent-street, which were rebuilt
in a splendid manner in 1818, were first appropriated
to public entertainments by Colonel Greville. They
now consist of a grand concert-room, fitted up with
an orchestra at one extremity, and boxes at the other,
a ball-room of large dimensions, a drawing-room and
ante-roum, and other apartments. These rooms are
let for balls, concerts, and masquerades; and here the
Royal Harmonic Institution, which is as much of a
trading as a scientific association, is established.
This society, which is managed by musical professors,
give lectures, publishes musical works, and purchases
and disposes of harps, pianofortes, and other musical
instruments.
The Philharmonic Society was established in 1815,
for the purpose of giving encouragement to the higher
classes of musical composition; and it has been suc-
cessful in eliciting several works of considerable merit.
The Concert of Ancient Music, or King's Concert,
is designed to perpetuate a love for the Old Masters-
a species of musical antiquarian society. The concerts
are usually given in a house appropriated for the pur-
pose in Hanover-square.
The Cecilian Society was commenced in the city in
the year 1785, by a person of the name of Husband,
!
148
PERCY HISTORIES.
a teacher of vocal music, who invited his friends to
assist his pupils in practising anthems at his own
house once a week. So rapid was the progress of this
friendly society, that three years afterwards they ven-
tured to perform the Messiah, and other of Handel's
Oratorios, in public, and for that purpose took a
room at the Saracen's Head Inn, Friday-street. From
this period, the Cecilian Society has continued its
meetings regularly, though at different places. It is
at present fixed at Coachmaker's Hall. Mr. Russell,
who was for some time organist to the society, com-
posed several pieces of music of considerable merit.
About the time that the Cecilian Society was esta-
blished, the Handelian Society was commenced in
Wych-street, which, after continuing a few years,
was prosecuted for holding evening concerts, which
caused the society to be dissolved. Less delicacy is
observed in the present day, for nothing is more fre-
quent than to read in the newspapers of concerts
being given on Sunday evenings at the mansions of
the nobility and gentry. The scattered members of
the Handelian Society afterwards rallied under Dr.
Arnold, and formed a benevolent institution, now
known as the Choral Fund.
METROPOLITAN BENEFICENCE.
In England, where humanity forms a part of the
national character, charity is universally diffused;
and, while private beneficence is too extensive and
too diffident to be known, the public charities are so
numerous that their records would form a library. The
reports of the commissioners appointed by parliament
to inquire into the charities of England, already
149
occupy upwards of nine thousand folio pages, and
their labours are far from being concluded.
It is in London, however, that the charities are the
most numerous and the most splendid; and there is
no species of misery or misfortune that is without an
institution especially devoted to its relief, independent
of those general charities, whose revenues are as
splendid as their objects are comprehensive. That
charity has ever been a leading feature of this great
metropolis, is evident from the numerous endowments
that have been founded at different times, and of
various degrees; the same benevolent spirit which
induced a Guy to appropriate a fortune of nearly
half a million sterling to deeds of charity, influenced
Lady Howe in her more humble bequest to the parish
of St. Margaret Pattens, of "three shifts, if made
up, or cloth for three shifts, and 2s. 3d. in money,
to be given at Christmas to three women, not in the
workhouse:" and when the munificent foundation of
a Sutton is recorded, the benefaction of Joan Barnett
ought not to be forgotten. This poor woman, who
sold oatmeal, and saved a little money, bequeathed
one guinea for a sermon to be preached annually at
St. Margaret's church in the Borough, half-a-crown
for reading prayers, one shilling and five-pence for
the sexton, and forty shillings to be paid annually to
twenty decayed housekeepers of the parish. But,
however much the public charities are entitled to a
place in every history of London, their number pre-
cludes us from giving more than a general notice of
them, with a few exceptions; as the very list alone,
with the names of the founders, and the amount be-
queathed, would occupy a volume; indeed, the
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150
PERCY HISTORIES.
Pietas Londinensis of Mr. Highmore, though by no
means amplified, fills two bulky volumes.
Proud as London may justly be of her stately
edifices, her vast wealth, and her extensive com-
merce, she may boast that her benevolence is commen-
surate with her greatness. While living, the inhabit-
ant of the metropolis has a "hand open as day to
melting charity;" and when he dies, Shakspeare's
lines might form an appropriate epitaph-
"For his bounty
There was no winter in't; an autumn 'twas
That grew the more by reaping."
Although in former times the poor were generally
supported out of the abundant revenues of the church,
yet, from an early period, they received considerable
auxiliary aid from the laity in London, as well as
from the private income of the higher orders of the
clergy. The venerable Bede, who lived in the
seventh century, relates, that in his time the prelates
had "on their board at their meals an alm's dish,
into which was carved some good portion of meat,
out of every dish brought to their table, which was
given to the poor, as well as the fragments that were
left ;" and it is related of one prelate, that in a season
of scarcity, he even sold the silver dish, and gave the
money to the poor.
In the eleventh century, Robert of Winchelsea,
archbishop of Canterbury, independent of his alm's
dishes, gave a loaf of bread every Friday and Sunday
to all applicants, who generally amounted to between
four and five thousand.
Thomas-à-Becket, though a haughty, was a benevo-
LONDON.
151
lent, prelate; and during a time of dearth" daily fed
and sustained ten thousand persons from the first of
April till new corn was inned ;" and when in his dis-
grace, those summer-flies-his retinue of knights and
followers-forsook him, he sent his servants out to
collect the poor, the halt, the blind, and the maimed,
from the streets and lanes of the metropolis, and in-
vite them to his table, observing, that with such an
army he should more easily obtain the victory over
his enemies than with those who had so shamefully
forsaken him in, the hour of danger.
Such was
Becket's confidence in works of charity.
In the year 1236, Henry III. ordered his treasurer
to feed 6000 poor people at Westminster, on a cer-
tain day that was appointed; and the same monarch
caused all the poor and needy children that could be
found to be feasted in the great hall at Windsor ;
"and the king's children being weighed and mea-
sured their weight and measure to be distributed for
their good estates." Such traits of royal benevo-
lence have not been confined to the Plantagenets, but
have equally distinguished the illustrious house of
Brunswick.
When the monasteries were suppressed and their
property confiscated, other institutions became neces-
sary for the relief of the poor,-laws, rendering it in-
cumbent on the more wealthy inhabitants to support
them, were passed, houses for their reception were
built, royal hospitals were founded for specific and
general purposes, and the stream of benevolence
did not cease with the reformation, but only flowed in
a new channel. Charitable individuals, or corporate
bodies, erected alms-houses for the decayed livery-
152
PERCY HISTORIES.
men of their respective trades, the management of
which was confided to the several companies, and
that to such an extent, that the livery companies of
London alone distribute nearly 80,000l. a year in
charities, of which they are the guardians; and the
sum annually expended in the various hospitals,
colleges, alms-houses, and other miscellaneous cha-
rities, is not less than a million sterling.
In the metropolis there are thirty-nine religious so-
cieties formed for the purpose of disseminating religious
instruction to every nation and to every people. Some
idea of the extent of the pious benevolence of Eng-
land; for, it is proper to acknowledge that the whole
sum is not collected in London, though principally so;
may be formed from the following statement of the re-
ceipts of the religious charities in the year 1822 :
£. S. d..
British and Foreign Bible society.. 97,062 11 9
Society for promoting Christian
Knowledge
Church Missionary society
Wesleyan Ditto
London Ditto
Moravian Ditto (in London)
•
▼
Home Ditto
Society for the conversion of Jews
Religious Tract society. ...
•
Church of England Tract society
Female Penitentiary society
Society for the Relief of Pious Cler-
•
gymen.
Prayer-book and Homily society
British and Foreign School society..
··
57,566 19 5
35,000 0 0
$1,748 0 0
31,266 1 11
2,691 8 3
4,311 1 9
11,400 9 10
8,854 9 4
636 8 8
3,219 4 0
2,282 8 2
2,082 ? 6
2,053 16 11
0.9
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153
Naval and Military Bible society
Sunday School Union society
Continental society.
·· ·
•
African Institution.
Society for promoting Religious
Knowledge among the Poor
Society for Encouragement of Fe-
male Servants
Merchant Seamen's Bible society
Sunday School society
Society for Building Churches and
Hibernian society..
Hibernian Bible society ·
Irish Religious Book and Tract so-
ciety...
Irish Evangelical society ·
Sunday School society for Ireland..
Irish Baptist society
Irish Society of London.
•
£• S. d.
1,929 2
1,746 19
1,536 7
1,134 2
ov
9
Chapels, total from commencement 61,913 3 10
Ditto, annual subscriptions.
630 14 0
2 2 1
825 15 7
819 18
6
648 10 2
540 4 6
£385,302 8
6
8,984 13
4,343 0 11
3,750 7 7
2,275 2 3
1,883 17 0
1,771 0
0
403 6 7
8 7
Nor does this sum, large as it is, include all the
money collected for religious charities, as there are
nine other societies, which, like tributary streams,
flow into the ocean of benevolence. In a preceding
year some of the institutions produced more money
than in the year 1822, particularly the Bible society,
the receipts of which, in the year 1821, amounted to
103,8021. 17s. 1d.
154
PERCY HISTORIES.
There are twenty-four hospitals for the sick, the
lame, for children, for the cure of particular com-
plaints, as diseases of the eye, or the ear, &c.;—
numerous alms-houses for the maintenance of the
aged, and upwards of thirty dispensaries for the gra-
tuitous supply of medicine and medical aid to the
poor, 60,000 of whom are thus annually relieved. In
justice to the medical profession it ought also to be
said, that not only several apothecaries, but even
physicians and surgeons of the highest rank, give
advice gratuitously to the poor once or twice a week.
Reserving for a distinct notice some of the most pro-
minent of the London charities, it may be necessary
to give a cursory view of the beneficial influence and
effects of others.
Of all the institutions in London, there is not one
more humane or more useful than the " Society for the
Discharge and Relief of Persons imprisoned for Small
Debts," which was established in 1772, principally
through the means of the unfortunate Dr. Dodd.-
Within the first fifteen months after this society was
formed, 986 prisoners were liberated through its means;
and the number discharged and relieved in 1818,
from various prisons in London and the country (for
its benefits are not confined to the metropolis) was
1,138 persons, who had 823 wives, and 2,187 children.
The sum with which so much good was achieved is
comparatively trifling; the average expense of the
liberation of each prisoner, including every inci-
dental expenditure relating to the charity, being only
21. 17s. 2 d.
T
The British and Foreign Bible Society has, since its
commencement in 1804, distributed more than three
LONDON.
155
millions of bibles and testaments, and has circulated
the sacred scriptures in almost every living language.
In addition to the principal establishment, there are
nearly six hundred auxiliary societies, in various
parts of the country, whose funds do not come into the
general stock, but are locally applied.
The Society for promoting Christian Knowledge,
which was founded in 1693, for the purpose of dis-
tributing religious works, bibles, prayer-books, tracts,
&c., at a cheap rate, not only in Great Britain, but in
the Colonies, has put in circulation upwards of a
million and a half of works of this description.
The Westminster Hospital, or Public Infirmary,
which was established in 1719, was the first institution
of the kind in England, and may be considered
as the parent of all the subscription hospitals in the
kingdom. Since its formation it has afforded comfort
and relief to more than 174,000 of the sick and
afflicted poor.
The City Dispensary, in Grocers' Hall Court,
Poultry, is an institution of the utmost usefulness.
Since its establishment, in 1789, 138,302 patients
have been admitted. Of these 136,442 have been
cured or relieved, 393 discharged for irregularity,
and only 1467 died: 50,346 persons have been
attended at their own habitations, and several thou-
sands relieved without the formality of a letter of
recommendation. The number of persons who re-
ceive medical or surgical assistance from this institu-
tion every year, is nearly 5000.
The National Vaccine Establishment is another
institution of extensive utility; many diseases have
their thousands of victims every year, but the small-
156
PERCY HISTORIES.
there now,
pox had its tens of thousands. What an alteration is
not only in the human countenance, but in
the aggregate duration of human life, which has
been increased more than two years by vaccination
alone. It appears by the last report of the vaccine
establishment, that within the five years ending in
1823, 34,275 persons have been vaccinated in London;
and the total number vaccinated in Great Britian,
during the same period was 327,521 persons.
The Royal Humane Society was instituted in 1774,
for the recovery of persons apparently drowned or
dead, by diffusing a knowledge of the best means
to be resorted to in such cases, and by rewarding with
honorary medals such individuals as have exerted
themselves to save the life of a fellow creature. One
of these medals, which may be compared to the most
honourable reward the Romans could bestow-the
corona civica, was given to the Emperor Alexander of
Russia, who was instrumental in saving the life of a
peasant, and who may be more proud of this mark of
distinction, than if "stuck o'er with garters and hung
round with strings."
The society has twenty receiving houses in the
metropolis, where persons are in attendance with the
necessary apparatus to be employed. Since the com-
mencement of this establishment, it has been the
means of saving the lives of 5,500 persons, who were
apparently dead; and more than 21,000 persons have
been rewarded for their exertions in endeavouring to
save the lives of others, principally in cases of ship-
wreck.
Fifty institutions, similar to that of the Royal Hu-
mane Society, have been formed in various parts of
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157
Great Britain; and the example is already adopt-
ing in most of the nations of Europe.
The Royal Universal Dispensary for Children, which
is open, in cases of danger, to a first application for
relief without recommendation, was instituted in the
year 1816; and since that time 60,000 children have
been attended, only one in sixty of whom died. Since
this Dispensary was instituted, the number of children
in London, under ten years of age, that have died, is
5000 less than in the preceding seven years.
The Royal Infirmary for Diseases of the Eye, though
an infant establishment, has preserved the sight of
thousands. It appears from the report of this institu-
tion in 1822, that since the opening of the charity in
1805, 32,400 poor persons have received the benefit
of the charity and of this number, (which is upwards
of two thousand annually), 30,250 have been dis-
charged, cured and relieved, and 888 deemed incura-
ble. During the same period, 1252 operations, for
the removal of the cataract, had been performed, 1174
of which terminated successfully, although of this
number of cases 122 persons had been born blind.
There are fourteen hospitals in London, expressly
appropriated to females during a period, when, of all
others, they most require assistance. Some of these
are for attending married women, at their own habi-
tations, gratuitously; others for affording them pecu-
niary relief, or the loan of linen, &c.: and a third
class of hospitals is for admitting in-door patients. The
City of London Lying-in Hospital, in the City-road,
which is perhaps the largest of these establishments,
was founded in 1750, and Dr. Sherlock was one of
VOL. III.]
P
158
PERCY HISTORIES.
its earliest patrons. From this period to the year
1809, 24,902 poor married women were assisted, and
25,196 children born within the walls of the hospital.
A singular instance of the advantage of having all the
departments of a public institution filled with persons
duly qualified for their office, occurs in the history of
this charity. In the year 1803, the Royal Humane
Society was called upon to attend to the claims of Mrs.
Newby, the matron of the City of London Lying-in-
Hospital; a situation which she had filled for thirty
years, and, during that period, “had recovered more
than five hundred children, some of whom for five,
others for ten, and some for twenty minutes, did not dis-
cover any signs of life; but by her judicious exertions
were restored to their mothers." The society did not for
a moment hesitate in bestowing on this lady the silver
medal, which, among other appropriate inscriptions,
bore the following:-" Regia Humana Societas, Anna
Newby, pro Vitis Infantum Conservatis Dono dat. 1803.”
•
The British Lying-in Hospital, in Brownlow-street,
was instituted in 1749, and a remarkable instance of
the advancement of medical science is exhibited in the
records of this charity. During the first ten years after
its establishment, one woman in forty-two died; and
in the fifth ten years, only one in 288. In the first
ten years, one child in every fifteen died, but in the
fifth ten years, the number of deaths was reduced to
one in seventy-seven, and afterwards to one in nine-
ty-two.
The Spafields Benevolent Society, though of a local
nature, has ample business on its hands; and if the
sphere of usefulness is more limited than it ought to be,
*
LONDON.
159
it is because the funds are limited also. It has, how-
ever, in ten years afforded prompt and highly ser-
viceable relief to 94,909 persons.
In the year 1799, a few benevolent individuals
formed an institution for the purpose of relieving the
poor of the city of London and its vicinity with coals
and potatoes, at a reduced price during the winter; and
in the winter of 1822-23, 11,930 bushels of coals, and
164,836lbs. of potatoes were distributed by this so-
ciety at less than half the usual prices; the relief
in other years has been proportionate.
The Strangers' Friend Society was formed for the
purpose of relieving the distressed. The principles
on which this truly charitable institution is founded,
are the most benevolent and disinterested. Neither
country nor religion are considered as obstacles to its
relief; and in carrying on this work of mercy, three
hundred visitors are employed" to inquire the wretch-
ed out," whether living in garrets or cellars, and well
do they discharge this painful and laborious duty,
without any other reward than that which arises from
the consciousness of doing good.
Such are a few of what are considered the minor
benevolent institutions of the metropolis-to do justice
to their history would require limits much more ex-
tensive than we can assign to them. It may, however,
be observed of the charities of London generally, that
none are more faithfully administered, nor is it neces-
sary to suppose that the inhabitants are more honest
or more faithful than those in the country; but there
is a want of previous acquaintance, which forms a great
bar to combination in the individuals who preside over
the beneficent institutions of the metropolis.
4
160
PERCY HISTORIES.
ALMS-HOUSES.
It has already been stated, that independent of the
charitable institutions of the several corporate bodies
of the city of London, they are the guardians or trus-
tees of several other charities. In a commercial city,
like London, it would be as idle to expect that every
tradesman should make a fortune, as that every ad-
venturer in a lottery should draw a prize, and there-
fore it can excite no surprise, that in every associated
trade there are some members who from misfortune
are reduced. In order to relieve such, the principal
companies have alms-houses, where the decayed
liverymen find a refuge in old age, or poverty. These
charitable institutions have generally originated with
some humane individual, who bequeathed a sum for
the purpose, and the money thus left has been con-
tinually receiving augmentations. It is not, however,
to the corporate bodies alone that alms-houses are con-
fined-many, very many in London have been founded
by individual charity, and a fund been appropriated
sufficiently ample for their maintenance. These
charities are continually increasing, and we never pass
through Greenwich, and view the alms-houses erected
there in honour of the Jubilee, without thinking it
the best manner in which the sway of the most ami-
able of sovereigns for a period of half a century could
be perpetuated.
In London there are one hundred and ten different
foundations of alms-houses, in which upwards of fif-
teen hundred persons of both sexes are comfortably
maintained, in a degree of comparative independence.
The Drapers' company, whose charitable donations
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161
are upwards of 4000l. a year, have alms-houses which
contain 113 persons, either founded by themselves, or
by individuals who have appointed them guardians;
and among the charities, the administration of which is
vested in the Drapers' company, is "Queen Eliza-
beth's College," at Greenwich, which was founded
for twenty-four persons, in 1576, by William Lam-
barde, the author of the "Perambulation of Kent,"
and is said to be the first hospital which was founded
by a protestant. In the parish registry of Greenwich,
there is a singular instance of marriage and longevity
connected with these alms-houses. It states, that on
the 18th of November, 1685, John Cooper, alms-man,
in Queen Elizabeth's college, aged 108, was married to
Margaret Thomas, of Charlton, aged 80, by leave of
the governors of the drapers.
ST. BARTHOLOMEW'S HOSPITAL.
Five hospitals in London are termed royal on ac-
count of their having been founded or endowed by
English sovereigns; these are St. Bartholomew's,
St. Thomas's, Bethlem, Bridewell, (already noticed)
and Christ's Hospital.
St. Bartholomew's Hospital, in West Smithfield,
may claim as a benevolent institution an antiquity of
more than seven centuries, it having been originally
founded in 1102, by Raherus, who is said to have
been a minstrel to Henry I., and established a priory
of black canons near it. The endowment of the hos-
pital, which was for "brethren and sisters, sick per-
sons, and pregnant women," was 305l., and it received
several additional bequests previous to the time of
P 2
162
PERCY HISTORIES.
that great innovator, Henry VIII., who, while he
suppressed the monastery, preserved the hospital,
and gave 500 marks a year to it, on condition that the
city should give an equal sum. It was a death-bed
bequest on the part of Henry, and not a very sincere
one;-the property on which the 500 marks annually
were insured was not only in a very ruinous state, but
already charged with pensions, so that a very small
sum, indeed, was available towards the support of
the hundred poor sick of the city of London, for whom
his apparently liberal bounty was intended.
The bad faith of the monarch was, however, but
an additional incentive to the liberality of the citizens,
who repaired the ruinous houses the monarch had
bequeathed, which they did at an expense of 1000l.,
and provided the means of receiving 100 persons into
the hospital so early as the reign of Edward VI., who
incorporated it. The expences of the hospital at this
period amounted to 795/. a year; the king's endow-
ment, after the repairs made by the city, produced
the five hundred marks,-a similar sum was given by
the corporation, and the deficit was raised by the
citizens.
No sooner did the funds admit of an increase of
patients, than it was made so, that in the year 1660
the hospital maintained upwards of three hundred
sick or lame persons at an expense of 2000l. a year.
The hospital, fortunately, escaped the dreadful con-
flagration of 1660, although several houses constituting
a portion of its revenues were destroyed, but they
were almost immediately rebuilt by the citizens, and
then became more productive than ever. Thus the
hospital continued until the year 1730, when it was
: LONDON.
163
deemed necessary to rebuild the whole, and a sub-
scription was raised for the purpose. Gibbs, who
built the churches of St. Martin in the Fields and St.
Mary le Strand, was selected as the architect, and
under his direction the present structure was raised.
The building forms a quadrangle, with an inner
court of considerable dimensions. The principal en-
trance in Smithfield, erected in 1702, is of the Doric
order of architecture, and consists of a large arch, sur-
mounted by a statue of its nominal founder, Henry
VIII. The royal arms, and two figures representing
sickness and lameness, also ornament the front. The
interior of the hospital is spacious and well arranged.
The hall, which is large, contains several paintings,
particularly one, representing St. Bartholomew holding
the knife by which he was flayed alive, a portrait of
Henry VIII., and another, of Dr. Radcliffe, who was
a great benefactor to the hospital. The staircase is
indebted to the gratuitous pencil of Hogarth, who has
enriched it with a picture of the cripple at the pool of
Bethesda, and another of the good Samaritan, as well
as other paintings, in return for which he was elected
a governor.
St. Bartholomew's hospital, which formerly had two
auxiliary establishments, in Kingsland-road, and
'Kent-street, in Southwark, is open to accidents at all
times, and there is considerable facility given to the
admission of patients, who receive the best medical
and surgical advice. The number of in-patients is
about 5000, and that of out-patients nearly 6000.
annually.
·
164
PERCY HISTORIES.
ST. THOMAS'S HOSPITAL.
St. Thomas's Hospital, in Southwark, devoted to
the same objects as that of St. Bartholomew, under
the same government, that of the lord mayor and al-
dermen, or a select portion of them, owes its royal
foundation to the same prince, affords the same faci-
lities to its benefits, and extends relief to the same
extent; the number of poor admitted as in or out
door patients in 1820, being 11,451.
This hospital owes its origin to two similar charities,
founded in the early part of the thirteenth century-
a hospital built in 1207, by the canons of the priory
of St. Mary-over-Rhe, and an almonry or alms-house,
erected by Richard Prior, of Bermondsey, for the
reception of indigent children, and necessitous prose-
lytes. In the year 1538 it was surrendered to the
crown; and in 1551, when the mayor and citizens
purchased the manor of Southwark of Edward VI.
for the sum of 6471. 2s. 1d., they repaired and enlarg-
ed the hospital, so as to render it capable of receiving
260 poor, sick, and helpless objects.
In 1693 it was deemed necessary to rebuild the
hospital, which was done in three quadrangles by sub-
scription. The benevolent Thomas Guy built three of
the wards at his own expense, and Thomas Frederic,
esq. one of the governors, built three others. Another
quadrangular court, with several wards and offices, was
added in 1732, which increased the number of wards
to nineteen, containing nearly five hundred beds.
Sir Robert Clayton, who was lord mayor in 1680, was
a great benefactor to this excellent charity.
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GUY'S HOSPITAL.
Though not honoured with the appellation of
royal," the foundation of Guy's Hospital was an
act of more princely liberality than either of the pre-
ceding. It is one of the most munificent gifts that
an individual ever presented to the public; and al-
though it may be contended, that Thomas Guy, a
London bookseller, the son of a lighterman, in Hors-
leydown, who began business with only 200l., gave
his money in public charity out of pique, because his
servant, whom he intended to marry, displeased him in
disobeying his orders respecting the paving of the
street in front of his house, yet the whole life of this
man was such a scene of continued beneficence, that
it is fair to presume he would, under any circum-
stances, have appropriated a considerable portion of
his princely fortune to works of charity. It has been
seen by his munificence to St. Thomas's Hospital,
that he was an individual by no means of ordinary
benevolence; nor was the hospital, which bears his
name, an act of posthumous charity, but on the
contrary erected during his life, at an expence of
18,793l. 16s. 1d. although he did not live to see it
finished. The foundation was laid in 1722, and two
years afterwards Mr. Guy died, having endowed the
hospital with the vast sum of 219,499l. Os. 4d.; he
also left a perpetual annuity of 400l. a year to Christ's
Hospital, and 1000l. for discharging such poor pri-
soners as could be released at an expence of 5l., by
which above six hundred persons were set at liberty;
nor was Guy unmindful of the claims of kindred, for
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PERCY HISTORIES.
he bequeathed annuities for life to them of 8701., and
legacies to the amount of 75,5891.
Guy's Hospital, which possesses no architectural
claims to particular notice, consists of a centre and two
wings, which includes thirteen wards. The number
of in and out patients admitted annually, varies from
between four and five thousand.
The governors of the hospital are incorporated, and
by an act passed in the year 1808, it is joined with
the royal hospitals, the Foundling, the Universities,
and Colleges of Eton, Winchester, and Westminster,
in the clause of exemption from the tax on servants.
BETHLEM HOSPITAL.
Louis XIV. has been dignified with the title of
Great, and yet he had the weakness to feel offended,
because the old Bethlem Hospital, in Moorfields, was
built on the plan of the palace of the Thuileries, and
to resent the unconscious affront, by ordering a plan
of St. James's Palace to be taken, in order to erect a
Lunatic Asylum in imitation of its architecture.
Bethlem Hospital was not, however, originally in
Moorfields, but was formed out of a priory on the
site of the street in the ward of Bishopsgate, now
called Old Bethlem, built by Simon Fitzmary, a
sheriff of London, in the year 1247. Three centuries
afterwards, Henry VIII. granted the lands and re-
venues of the priory to the corporation of London, for
the reception and maintenance of lunatics. The
number of these unfortunates increasing considerably,
a more spacious building became requisite, when the
LONDON.
167
corporation appropriated a plot of ground in Moor-
fields for the purpose, and a new building was erected
in 1676 by subscription, at an expence of 17,000l. to
which two wings were added in 1735.
The hospital becoming ruinous, and its removal
consequently desirable, in order to make the projected
improvements in Moorfields, it was determined to
erect a more magnificent building for the purpose, on
the site of the Dog and Duck Tavern, in George's
Fields. The building which was begun in 1812, and
completed within a short period, is a very magnifi-
cent structure, extending, the centre and wings in-
cluded, to the length of 580 feet in front. The centre
has an Ionic portico of six columns; and the building
is surmounted by a neat dome. The hospital was de-
signed by Mr. Lewis, and cost upwards of 95,000l.
The building is capable of accommodating several
hundred patients, and every friend to humanity must
regret that it should be so numerously tenanted as it
frequently is.
It appears from a return made by the physicians
of this hospital, to the governor, in January 1822, that
the number of patients in the hospital was 346; of
whom 210 were deemed curable; 77 incurable, and
59 criminals who were to be confined for life, among
whom were Margaret Nicholson and Hadfield, the
two individuals who attempted to assassinate his late
Majesty.
Bethlem Hospital does credit to the talents of the
architect, and is an ornament to this part of the me-
tropolis, yet it is one of the most painful charities that
can be contemplated. The two celebrated statues of
raving and melancholy madness, by Caius Cibber,
168
PERCY HISTORIES.
which formerly stood on each side of the gates in the
hospital in Moorfields, are now placed in the hall of
the new building.
ST. LUKE'S HOSPITAL.
So early as the year 1731, in consequence of the
insufficiency of Bethlem hospital to contain persons
who unfortunately had
"that noble and most sovereign reason,
Like sweet bells jangled, out of tune and harsh ;"
a few benevolent individuals resolved on erecting
a new asylum for their accommodation. A house
was first built on the north side of Upper Moor-
fields, and opened for the reception of patients,
but it was soon found not to meet the number of
deserving applications, and in 1786 a more extensive
building was erected at the corner of Old-street, at an
expense of 55,000l. It is a large and well-built edi-
fice, extending nearly five hundred feet in length;
and is capable of holding upwards of three hundred
patients.
In the vicinity of London there are several private
asylums for lunatics, on a much larger scale than
either Bethlem or St Luke's Hospitals; and although
some of them are respectable and well managed, yet
there strong reason to believe that there are others
of a very different character, and they ought to be
submitted to that controul which a well organized
medical police (one of the few institutions the metro-
polis requires) could exercise.
LONDON.
169
FOUNDLING. HOSPITAL.
Although infanticide was not looked upon as cri-
minal in the eye of the Roman law, yet both in that
republic and in Greece, provisions were made for
bringing up such foundlings as might be without
protection. It is true that the children thus found
became the slaves of the individuals, or the state to
whom they were indebted for nurture, until Justinian,
more enlightened, gave orphans their freedom; and
the Emperor Trajan appropriated the sum of 1,044,000
sesterces to the unprotected children, legitimate or
illegitimate, of the community of Velleia. Institutions
for the reception of foundlings appear to have been
established at a very early period, both in Athens and
Rome, whence they have been successively copied
in all the civilized states of the world.
•
In London, the proposal for a foundling hospital,
which originated in the reign of Queen Anne, and
was strongly recommended by Addison, in the Spec-
tator, was suffered to slumber for many years; nor
was it until the year 1739 that Captain Thomas
Corani, who spent the whole of his fortune in the
benevolent object, on presenting a memorial to his
Majesty, signed by twenty-one ladies of the first
rank, and several noblemen and gentlemen, obtained
a royal charter for the incorporation of a foundling
hospital.
As the hospital was to be raised and supported by
subscriptions, and a large sum was necessary in order
to commence the charity on a scale sufficiently exten-
sive, some time was necessary in order to raise the
requisite funds. In 1740 the committee appointed to
VOL. III.]
170
PERCY HISTORIES.
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carry the measure into effect purchased fifty-six acres
of land of the Earl of Salisbury, on the northern
side of Ormond-street, and extending to Gray's
Inn, for the trifling sum of 7000l.; out of which
the Earl liberally gave 500l. to the charity. On
the 16th of September, 1742, the first stone of the
new building was laid; benefactions continuing to
flow in, a chapel was built, to which Handel gave an
organ, and the benefit of his oratorio of the Mes-
siah; and as he conducted the performance him-
self, he, in the course of a few years, produced to
the charity 6,700l. Hogarth, one of the earliest
patrons of the charity, presented the hospital with his
celebrated pictures, the March to Finchley, and
Pharoah's daughter receiving Moses, as a companion to
one presented by Mr. Hayman-the finding of Moses.
Liberal as the subscriptions were, they did not keep
pace with the demands on the hospital, which, before
the end of the year 1752, had received 1040 infants,
of whom 559 were then under its protection, Four
years afterwards, parliament voted a sum of 10,000l.
in aid of this charity, declaring that the enabling the
hospital to receive all the children that should be
offered, was the only method to render the charity of
lasting and general utility. The second of June was
fixed for the general reception, and on that day 117
children were received; and the number increased so
rapidly, that before the 31st of December in the fol-
lowing year, the number amounted to 5,510, and in
1760 to six thousand. The indiscriminate admission
of children under a certain age, was found attended
by an evil consequence, and in 1760 the law which
authorised it was repealed.
LONDON.
171
Parliamentary aid still continued to be given to the
hospital, until the improvement of its revenues, by
letting ground on building leases, no longer rendered
this necessary. The annual receipts of the hospital now
amount to upwards of 13,000l. a year, a sum which is
considered as sufficient to maintain five hundred
children. This large revenue is produced from the
following sources :-
Dividends on funded property
Receipts at the chapel
Rents.
Children's work, general benefactors, lega-
cies, sermons, &c.
£ 2,951
2,902
4,672
2,730
£ 13,255
The hospital is open to both boys and girls, who
are nursed, educated, and provided with all necessa-
ries, until they are apprenticed out, the boys at
twelve or thirteen years of age, the girls at fourteen.
The foundling hospital is built of brick, and con-
sists of two wings, with a chapel in the centre; the
gardens and playground for the children are very
large, and the situation is altogether as healthy as
could be found in the heart of so large and so popu-
lous a city as London.
THE ASYLUM.-LONDON ORPHAN
ASYLUM.
The foundling hospital is limited to the reception
of infants-the Asylum for Female Orphans at
Lambeth, and the London Orphan Asylum for boys
172
PERCY HISTORIES.
and girls, have been founded for the reception of
destitute children, who are admitted at a more ad-
vanced age.
Those of the Lambeth asylum, which
originated with Sir John Fielding, between the age of
nine and twelve; and at the London orphan asylum,
from seven to ten. They are both excellent institu-
tions. The children are educated and industriously
employed, until sufficiently old to be apprenticed out,
when the utmost care is taken that they are provided
with suitable situatious.
MAGDALEN HOSPITAL.
The character of this excellent institution, which
was commenced principally through the exertions of
the Rev. Dr. Dingley, Henry Fielding, esq. and
Dr.. Dodd, is well drawn, and its usefulness pro-
perly described in the will of Mr. Charley Wray,
who was for many years a govenor of the hospital, and
therefore well able to judge of its merits.
"I be-
queath," says he, "to the Magdalen Hospital 500l.,
as a farewell token of my affection, and of my sin-
cere good wishes for the everlasting success and
prosperity of that humane and truly Christian institu-
tion; which, from my own knowledge founded on
many years' experience, and beyond my most san-
guine expectations, hath restored a great number of
unfortunate young women to their afflicted parents
and friends, to honest industry, to virtue, and to hap-
piness."
Since the institution of this society, on the 10th of
August, 1748, to the 3rd of January, 1822, 4986
young women who had strayed from the paths of vir-
LONDON.
173
tue, have been admitted, of whom 2,343 have been
restored to their friends, or placed in service; and it
is an invariable rule, that no female shall be discharged
unless at her own desire, or for misconduct, until
means have been provided by which she may obtain
an honest livelihood. No recommendation is necessary
to entitle the unfortunate to the benefits of this hos-
pital more than that of repentant guilt, so that a
wretched female need not now exclaim,
"Had I but a parent! had I but a home,
A sister, a brother, ab, had I a friend!
No more in the streets would I comfortless roam,
No more my long-suffering conscience offend."
Since the Magdalen, which is situated in Black-
friars-road, was instituted, two auxiliary societies have
been formed in London; the Female Penitentiary at
Pentonville, which was instituted in 1807, and the
Guardian Society, for the preservation of the public
morals, which, though an infant society, has admitted
681 females into the asylum in St. George's in the
East, of whom 170 have been placed in service, 166
restored to their friends, and 36 sent to their respec-
tive parishes.
ASYLUM FOR THE DEAF AND DUMB.
It appears from medical enquirers on the subject,
that in every country one person in less than three
thousand is born deaf, and consequently grows up
dumb. In France, an institution, under the venerable
· Abbè l'Epée, had long been formed for the instruction
174
PERCY HISTORIES.
of persons in such a state of mental destitution with
the happiest effects, but it was not until the year
1792 that a similar establishment was formed in Lon-
don; although a benevolent individual, Mr. Came,
had previously left certain pensions to persons so afflict-
ed, which are yested in the Cordwainers' company.
The attention of the British public was first called
to the deaf and dumb, by the Rev. John Townsend,
and through his exertions an institution formed for
their relief; not in order to remove those physical de-
fects under which they labour by medical assistance,
for this is nearly impossible, though some have been
enabled to speak, but to enable them to communicate
and interchange ideas with each other and with per-
sons blessed with that faculty, which to them had been
denied. That such objects are not unattainable has
been proved both in France and England, and the
memorable answer of the deaf and dumb boy, who,
being asked what gratitude was, replied, "the lan-
guage of the heart," is a proof how correctly they can
feel and reason.
-
Since the establishment of the Deaf and Dumb
asylum in Kent-road, between five and six hundred
children have been instructed in writing, arithmetic,
and the principles of religion. They have also been
taught some useful manual occupation, by which, when
they leave the asylum, they can earn a livelihood.
SCHOOL FOR THE INDIGENT BLIND.
Several bequests have been made by benevolent
individuals in London for the relief of the blind. Mr.
LONDON.
175
Came, the gentleman who left annuities for the deaf
and dumb, placed at the disposal of the Cordwainers'
company a fund for the relief of the blind; and Mr.
Hetherington also left a large sum " for the relief of
blind persons of sober life and conversation, not re-
ceiving alms, nor being common beggars, nor having.
any annuity or income of 20l. and resident in Eng-
land." To this fund, which is vested in Christ's Hos-
pital, other benefactors have contributed, so as to en-
able the trustees to relieve 450 persons with an an-
nuity of 101. each: another humane individual be-
queathed annuities of the same sum to 175 blind per-
sons, which are distributed by the Paper-stainers'
company.
The law of the school for the indigent blind, esta-
blished in St. George's-fields in 1799, is to instruct
persons thus deprived of one of Heaven's best bless-
ings, in a trade by which they may be able to pro-
vide for their existence. The establishment contains
about sixty persons, who are employed in the manu-
facture of baskets, mats, thread, lines, &c. in which
they can earn upwards of 600l. a year, and thus afford
a very essential return to the charity for the benefits
they receive.
PHILANTHROPIC REFORM SOCIETIES.
The investigations which of late years have taken
place on the subject of the criminal laws, have led to
the establishment of several institutions in London,
with the view of correcting offences by other modes
than those of direct punishment; and for giving in-
176
PERCY HISTORIES.
struction to the most debased. The Society for the
improvement of Prison Discipline, has in a few years
effected a moral reform in our gaols, and established
order and decency where vice reigned uncontrouled.
The institution has also been instrumental in rescuing
a great number of juvenile offenders from the haunts
of crime, and of preventing many distressed youths
rom resorting to criminal practices for support.
The Philanthrophic Society, in St. George's Fields,
was established in 1788, for the reform of discharged
juvenile offenders, and the offspring of criminals, by
providing them with suitable employment, and train-
ing them to habits of virtue and industry. Nearly
two hundred children of both sexes are admitted into
this excellent institution, and instructed-the boys,
in printing, book-binding, shoe-making, &c., and the
girls in needle-work, and other duties, to qualify them
for household situations.
-
Another institution, of a similar nature to the pre-
ceding, is the Refuge for the Destitute. Although
the object of this establishment is the reformation of
juvenile offenders, of whom it is calculated there are
8000 in London, yet adults are sometimes admitted
to its benefits: they are almost all criminals, who
have either been recommended by the judges on their
trial, or by the magistrates; or are so young, that it
would be improper to inflict upon them the punish-
ments annexed by law to their offences. In the early
period of the institution, out of 131 that were ad-
mitted, forty-six proved incorrigible; but a better
system of instruction and discipline has been
adopted; and it appears, by evidence given before a
committee of the House of Commons, that nipe-
Q 2
LONDON.
177
tenths of the criminals admitted are restored useful
members to society.
MARINE SOCIETY.
This excellent society, for fitting out boys for sea-
service, and affording an asylum to destitute sailors,
was established in 1756, and owed its origin to the
following circumstance :-In the spring of that year,
Lord Harry Pawlett, afterwards Duke of Bolton, then
commanding the Barfleur, requested Mr. John Field-
ing, the magistrate, to collect a number of poor boys
for his ship, and to clothe them. These boys, on
their way to Portsmouth, were met by Fowler Wal-
ker, Esq. of Lincoln's Inn, and, struck with their
appearance, it occurred to him that a society for
fitting out poor boys in a similar manner would not
only be a benevolent institution, but a national
benefit. On returning to town, he called on Mr.
Fielding, who had some doubts of the success of the
plan, but readily acquiesced in it; and subscriptions
were raised in a short time sufficient to clothe between
three and four hundred boys. Mr. Jonas Hanway,
"the friend of the poor," as he was emphatically,
but justly called, next took up the plan; when the
Marine Society was formed, and it has continued to
be one of the most flourishing and most useful charities
in the metropolis.
A ship is moored off Deptford for the reception of
the boys, who are clothed, fed, instructed, and
qualified for sea-service; and so extensive have been
the benefits of this charity, which was incorporated in
1792, that, since its establishment in 1756, 33,171
178
PERCY HISTORIES.
boys have been fitted out; and the number of men
and boys, who have been clothed and relieved by
the institution, is 72,531. The boys, who have the
advantage of the instruction of the Marine Society's
School, are invariably the best sailors, whether
employed in the navy, the East India Company's
service, or in merchant ships.
COURTS OF JUSTICE.
In a country where the administration of justice
has so nearly approached perfection, and in a metro-
polis remarkable for the grandeur, or at least con-
venience of its public buildings, it may excite some
surprise that our courts of law and equity are so ill
suited to the business transacted within their walls.
The Lord Chancellor, who, in addition to his
duties as the first officer of the state, and the keeper
of the King's conscience, presides in the highest
court of judicature in the country, with the exception
of the parliament, who, by his fiat, decides cases of
the utmost importance, and by his receiver general
holds the money of suitors to the amount of upwards
of thirty-four millions. This great law-officer, who
has the especial charge of lunatics by virtue of his
situation, and is the appointed guardian of minors
and heiresses, is really without a court, and holds his
sittings, by permission of the society, in the hall of
Lincoln's Inn, except during term, when he presides
in a court scarcely larger than a porter's lodge.
The business of the Court of Chancery has of late
years increased so much, that, in the year 1815, a
Vice Chancellor was appointed; and, three years
LONDON.
179
!
afterwards, a new court, which rather resembles a
school-room in its exterior, was erected near Lin-
coln's-Inn Hall, from which, however, his Honour is
excluded during term, and he is obliged to content
himself with one of the committee rooms of the House
of Commons.
The Master of the Rolls, who, in addition to his
office as Keeper of the Records and Acts of Courts
Equity, decides causes, is better provided for; his
court and mansion are in Chancery-lane; and, as he
generally hears pleadings in the evening, he has
only to step from his dining or drawing room to the
seat of equity, and decide the cases of anxious, if not
hungry expectants, as the merits of the case may
guide him.
In the Courts of King's Bench, Common Pleas, and
the Exchequer, there are four judges each, who will
shortly be much better provided for than they were
some time ago, as new Law Courts are now building for
them. The Court of King's Bench was a sort of tem-
porary structure in Westminster Hall, not much larger
than one of those caravans which traverse the country
with those "rarer monsters" that attract the general
gaze. This court would scarcely contain the briefed
and briefless barristers who attended, and the great
constitutional privilege of all courts being open was
here almost neutralized; for, although the court was
open, yet the solicitors, the jury, and a few reporters
for the periodical press, occupied the whole space not
previously filled by the " gentlemen learned in the
law."
This Court is called the Court of King's Bench
because the King is supposed to preside, either in
180
PERCY HISTORIES.
person or by his representative. Edward IV. and
James I. actually presided in person more than once;
and Alice Pierce, the imprudent mistress of Edward
III. in his old age, usurped his royal prerogative, and
actually sat in the Court of King's Bench on more
than one occasion. Alice was, perhaps, the first,
though not the only female that presided in a court of
justice, since at a later period we find Henry VIII.
granting a special commission to Lady Anne Berkeley;
by virtue of which she sat on the bench in the public
sessions hall at Gloucester, impanelled a jury, and
received evidence on the trial of Sir Nicholas Porynz,
and several others who were convicted of riots and
other disorders which they were charged with having
committed.

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The Percy Histories.
LONDON.
Peace be within thy walls, and prosperity within thy palaces.
Psalm cxxii. 7.
ROYAL RESIDENCES.
ALBERTI supposes the origin of architecture, as a
science, to have arisen from the natural ambition of
kings to possess more splendid habitations than their
subjects; the palaces of the ancient world, however,
seem only to have been appendages to, or a por-
tion of, the temples, particularly in Egypt, where there
are still so many monuments of regal and religious
grandeur. The most magnificent palace of ancient
or modern times was one in Upper Egypt, not far
from Assuan, the ancient Syene; and it is a singular
coincidence, though perhaps an accidental one,
that the village of Richmond, near London, in an old
Harleian MS., is called Syenes, or Sheen, in conse-
quence, it is supposed, of the magnificent palace which
stood there, Sheen or Shene in Saxon signifying bright
or shining,
At what time London first became the seat of
royalty is not accurately known; but from its
VOL. III.]
R
7
+
182
PERCY HISTORIES.
rapidly increasing population, and its convenient si-
tuation, it is probable that it occasionally had that
honour soon after the Roman invasion; although, dur-
ing the contest between the Britons and the Saxons,
Winchester was the capital of the West Saxons, and
when Egbert united the several kingdoms of the Hep-
tarchy it became the metropolis of England. Win-
chester continued to be a regular royal residence so
late as the reign of William the First, and has been
occasionally so at a much more recent period.
The British monarchs appear formerly to have been
more partial to the country, than those of a later
period, and numerous, indeed, were the royal resi-
dences in the immediate vicinity of London. One of
the oldest of these was Havering Bower, near Rom-
ford in Essex, which was long a favourite retreat of
our Saxon kings.
WOODSTOCK, in Oxfordshire, is memorable from the
palace built there by Henry I., which was afterwards
the prison of Elizabeth previous to her removal to the
tower by her vindictive sister Queen Mary; and for
Rosamond's Bower, built by the love-sick monarch
Henry II. Henry III. built a royal palace at King's
Langley, in Hertfordshire, where afterwards Richard
II. and his consort kept their Christmas.
ELTHAM PALACE, in Kent, which still exhibits much
of royal grandeur in its ruins, was long a favourite
residence of our monarchs. At this palace Edward
III. entertained his illustrious captive, King John of
France; and many and pompous were the festivals of
succeeding monarchs within the spacious hall of
Eltham.
GREENWICH PALACE, the site of which is now oc-
LONDON.
183
cupied by the Royal Hospital, was built by Hum-
phrey, Duke of Gloucester, to whom the manor was
given by his nephew, Henry VII. The palace built
by the duke, and somewhat affectedly called Placen-
tia, or “ the Manor of Pleasaunce," was considerably
enlarged by Henry VII., and appears by the old
prints to have been a large and stately pile.
HATFIELD, in Hertfordshire, had also the honour of
a royal palace, though a much less stately edifice
than the mansion of the Marquis of Salisbury, which
now occupies the same situation.
THEOBALD'S, James the First's favourite residence,
and the place where he died, was situated in the
same county. The gardens and pleasure grounds at
Theobald's are said to have been laid out with much
taste, and the mansion, though not remarkable for its
architectural beauties, was large and convenient.
NONSUCH, SO called on account of the singular
beauty of the structure, and the taste displayed in the
gardens and other grounds, was a royal palace near
Epsom in Surrey, which Hentzner describes as built
"with an excess of magnificence."
In addition to those palaces, several of our
monarchs have occasionally resided at other places in
the vicinity of the metropolis; but tradition has fabled
so many royal residences, of which there is no authen-
tic evidence, that it is difficult to ascertain the truth.
Had King John been an itinerant minstrel, he would
scarcely have required to sleep at more houses than
are dignified with the name of " King John's Palace,”
and several places, particularly a house at Islington,
have been fixed as the country lodging of Queen
Elizabeth, without the slightest evidence to support it.
184
PERCY HISTORIES.
RICHMOND PALACE was the favourite abode of
Henry VII. (who gave it the name from his own title
before he ascended the throne,) and of Caroline, queen
of George the Second. Allusion has already been
made to the ancient name of this manor, where
Henry I. is supposed to have resided, although he
alienated the estate, which remained in the hands
of subjects until the reign of Edward the First.
The Emperor Charles V. resided at Richmond Pa-
lace in 1523, where banquets, tilts, and tourna-
ments were frequently kept. When Cardinal Wol-
sey gave Hampton Court to Henry VIII., he was
permitted, in return, to reside in this palace; an ho-
nour which seems to have been very unjustly envied,
as we learn from Hall, who says, "when the common
people, and especially such as had been servants to
Henry VII., saw the cardinal keep house in the
manor royal of Richmond, which that monarch so
highly esteemed, it was a marvel to hear how they
grudged, saying, "So a butcher's dogge doth lie in
the manor of Richmond," thus ungenerously alluding
to the humble birth of the cardinal.
A
/
C
The present royal residences in the country are,
the Pavilion at Brighton, Windsor Castle, the King's
Cottage in Windsor Park, the Queen's House, Frog-
more, Kew Palace, and Hampton Court.
The PAVILION, at Brighton, was built by his present
Majesty, when Prince of Wales, and it has always
been the favourite residence of his Majesty. Since
its first erection, in 1784, it has been continually un-
dergoing alterations and repairs; and, though spacious
and splendidly furnished, it is deficient in that solid
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and sober grandeur which most persons would ex-
pect to find in a royal palace.
WINDSOR CASTLE was the favourite residence of his
late Majesty, who died within its venerable walls.
It was first erected by William the Conqueror.
Under Henry III. Windsor Castle received consi-
derable addition, but it was to Edward of Wind-
sor, afterwards Edward III., to whom this noble
Castle owes its present great extent, and much of
its grandeur. This monarch, whose attachment to
Windsor probably arose from its having been the place
of his birth, caused the whole of the castle to be taken
down, with the exception of three towers at the west
end of the lower ward, and the whole rebuilt under
the direction of William de Wykeham. Artificers
were impressed for the service from all parts of the
country, and compelled to give security that they
would not run away; and writs were issued to the
sheriffs for levying 360 men at a time, to proceed
with the building, which, in 1874, was completed.
Thirty years before the castle was finished, the king
had commenced a building, called the Round Table;
it was a circular room, two hundred feet in diameter,
where the knights of the illustrious order of the gar-
ter, founded by this monarch, first assembled. In the
years 1345 and 1349, justs and tournaments, to
which foreign princes and nobility were invited, were
held in Windsor Castle; and at those in the latter
year, David King of Scotland, then a prisoner in
the palace, distinguished himself by his feats of
arms, as did the English monarch himself, who had
for his device a white swan gorged or, with a daring
motto, which would be deemed somewhat profane at
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PERCY HISTORIES.
the present day, concluding, "I am thy man." A
splendid feast, at which were justs and tournaments,
was given at Windsor Castle in 1557, in honour of
King John of France, then a prisoner in England;
and such was the costly magnificence of the specta-
cle, that the French monarch observed," he never
knew or saw such royal show and feastings, without
some after-reckoning for gold and silver."
Richard II. frequently kept his court at Windsor
Castle, as did Henry IV., and Henry V. This king
gave a grand entertainment at Windsor Castle, in the
year 1416, to Sigismund, Emperor of Germany, who
was installed a knight of the garter, and in return
promised to the chapter of St. George, an invaluable
relic-nothing less than the heart of St. George. It
can scarcely be necessary to say, that the emperor did
not, in this instance, keep his royal word.
Edward IV. frequently resided at Windsor Castle,
which he improved; he also took down the chapel of
St. George, and commenced rebuilding it in a style
of superior magnificence. Richard III. appears to
have visited Windsor but once, where he remained
only a short time, but his rival and successor Henry
VII. frequently resided here, and proceeded with the
building of the chapel, which his son, our Eighth
Harry, completed. Edward VI., Queen Mary, Eliza-
beth, Charles I., and James I., all occasionally
resided at Windsor.
The dilapidations which this palace suffered during
the time of the commonwealth, although Cromwell
sometimes resided at it, were more than repaired by
Charles II., who employed the best architects and
artists of the time to give it additional splendour. It
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is, however, to be lamented, that some of the alte-
rations, particularly the windows of the upper ward,
are incompatible with the character of the building.
Sir John Denham, Sir Christopher Wren, and
Baptist May, were all employed in the alterations,
while the more decorative parts were assigned to the
celebrated Neapolitan artist, Verrio. Grinlin Gib-
bons, who, as Horace Walpole says, "gave to wood
the loose and airy lightness of flowers; and chained
together the various productions of the elements with
the free disorder natural to each species," was also
liberally employed in the exercise of his art in the
palace.
Since the time of Charles I., to whom Windsor
Castle was so much indebted, nothing has been done
to the palace until the reign of George the Third,
except a painted staircase, began in the reign of
Queen Anne, by Sir James Thornhill, and finished by
him in the reign of George I., which was removed in
1800 to make room for the more magnificent gothic
staircase erected by Mr. Wyatt.
Windsor Castle, which is most delightfully situated
on the summit of a lofty hill, is divided into two
courts, or wards, with a large keep between, formerly
called the middle ward; a tower once stood near the
Dean's house, which with a wall and draw bridge
separated this part from the lower ward. The whole
occupies about twelve acres. The terrace in front of
the castle is faced with a rampart of stone, 1870 feet
in length. Adjoining to the terrace is a gate leading to
the parks, which are four miles in circumference.
It would occupy a volume to do justice to the in-
terior of Windsor Castle, almost every room of which
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PERCY HISTORIES.
is so fertile in embellishment, ornamented with valu-
able paintings, and furnished with the most princely
magnificence; nor have we room to enumerate the
entertainments which have so frequently taken place
within its walls,
"In greater feast than Priam's son of Troy ;"
or, with the accomplished Earl of Surrey, to recount
"The stately seats, the ladies bright of hue,
The dances short, long tales of great delight,
With words and looks that tigers could but rue."
Some idea of the expense bestowed on embellish-
ing Windsor Castle, may be formed, from the sum paid
by Charles the Second to a single artist, Verrio, for
painting the ceilings, which amounted to 79451. 8s. 4d.
exclusive of several private gratuities which, probably,
were not much less, and a large sum he received for
painting St. George's Hall, one of the most spacious
and magnificent apartments in Europe.
The royal chapel of St. George, commenced by
Edward III., enlarged and beautified by Edward IV.,
as well as by subsequent monarchs until its com-
pletion by Henry VIII., and renovated with many
splendid additions by George III., is one of the most
beautiful specimens in existence of that richly orna-
mented species of architecture which has been so suc-
cessfully cultivated in this country.
The choir, which is appropriated to divine service,
the installation of the Knights of the Garter, and the
records of their names and honours, is chiefly in-
debted for its magnificent appearance to the venerable
monarch George III., who principally resided at
Windsor Castle. The richly carved stalls of the
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Sovereigns and the Knights Companions of the Order,
the windows, the altar piece, all constitute the richest
coup d'œil that art could effect or the imagination
conceive.
St. George's Chapel has been the burying place of
many royal and illustrious sovereigns, whose monu-
ments embellish its walls; and here rest the remains
of the pious monarch George the Third, and his illus-
trious consort, with those members of his family who
have quitted the prospect of a mortal for the posses-
sion of an immortal crown.
The QUEEN'S HOUSE, Frogmore, is a small villa near
Windsor, which was purchased by Queen Charlotte,
the consort of his late majesty, and tastefully fitted
up under the direction of Mr. Wyatt, as a place where
the queen might retire from the pageantry of a court,
and indulge in the luxury of private and domestic
life. The library contained some curious tracts, copied
by her majesty-some geometrical drawings, executed
by his present majesty, when a boy-several pen and
ink drawings by the Princess Royal, and a volume of
etchings by the Princess Elizabeth.
The same motive which induced Queen Charlotte
to procure Frogmore, led his present majesty to erect
a cottage in Windsor Great Park, near the Sandpit-
gate, one of its chief entrances. It was designed by
Mr. Nash, and occupies the site of Frost Lodge,
formerly the residence of Mr. T. Sandby, the archi-
tect. It is a fine specimen of cottage architecture,
with mullioned windows, inclosed by casements, a
verandole covered with honeysuckles, and other
creeping shrubs, and a roof thatched with reeds. The
apartments are not numerous, but well proportioned.
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KEW PALACE, which has been singularly omitted by
Mr. Pyne, in his splendid history of the royal resi-
dences, is situated on the banks of the Thames, at a
short distance from town. It was at this palace that
George the Third, his consort, and family, when
young, lived for several years, uniting the privacy
and comforts of domestic life, with the dignity and
affluence of royalty.
Kew Palace is more celebrated for its gardens than
for the buildings; the orangery, the flower-garden,
the menagerie, and the pagoda, attract visitors, who
would never think of quitting home to see the edifice
itself.
It was within the walls of this palace, where the late
Queen Charlotte had passed so many happy months,
that her majesty died. When her health had be-
come so dangerous, as to require a change of scene
and air, her majesty was removed to Kew Palace,
where, on the 17th of November, 1818, she breathed
her last in the arms of her son, our present sovereign,
who had the gratifying but painful task,
"To rock the cradle of declining age;
With lenient arts extend a mother's breath,
Make languor smile, and smooth the bed of death;
Explore the thought, explain the aching eye,
And keep awhile one parent from the sky."
HAMPTON COURT. That one prelate should build
two palaces, such as those of Whitehall and Hampton
Court, is an instance of unexampled wealth and
munificence combined, and that both should be
wrested from him, by a sovereign, is one of the
grossest acts of tyranny that ever was exercised to-
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191
wards a subject. Yet such was the case with that
princely prelate, Cardinal Wolsey, "the last of the
enlightened churchmen of old, whose munificence
patronized that style of building, which, originating
with the ecclesiastics, seemed to end in his fall."
The establishment of Cardinal Wolsey at Hampton
Court Palace, which he built, was, during the pleni-
tude of his power, on the most magnificent scale;
eight hundred persons were in his suite, and he was
clothed in "scarlet and fine linen, and fared sump-
tuously every day." To us who, in the present day,
are accustomed to see the Lord Chancellor walk
down to Westminster Hall, or the Archbishop of
Canterbury perambulating the streets unattended,
the pageantry of a Wolsey, who held both these
offices, borders rather on the ridiculous, than other-
wise. Previous to his leaving Hampton Conrt to at-
tend Westminster Hall, during the term, his retinue
was summoned to his privy chamber, where being ap-
parelled, and supplied with a vinegared sponge, in
the peel of an orange, to prevent his olfactory nerves
being affected by the plebeian suitors who might ap-
proach him, he proceeded to his presence chamber,
two lords carrying his cardinal's hat, and the great
seal of England before him, the gentleman ushers
exclaiming, “On, masters, before, and make room for
my lord." On arriving at his gate, he mounted his
mule, with a saddle and trappings of crimson velvet,
and accompanied by his cross-bearers, and pillar
bearers, on horses, and a train of gentlemen footmen,
with battle axes, &c. he proceeded to Westminster.
When Henry VIII. disgraced Cardinal Wolsey,
for an act which left no stain on his moral character,
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he seized on both his palaces, and gave several
splendid feasts, at Hampton Court, which had been
most elegantly furnished by the cardinal, being, as
historians assure us, richly stored with gold and
silver plate, and containing 280 silk beds for strangers
only. The palace was celebrated abroad, as well as
at home, and Grotius has eulogized its grandeur
above all other palaces, in the following emphatic
compliment.
"Si quis opes nescit (sed quis tamen ille?) Britan-
nus,
Hampton Curia, tuos consultat ille lares.
Contulerit toto cum sparsa palatia mundo,
Dicet, ibi reges, hic habitare Deos."
Hampton Court has been successively occupied by
Edward VI., Elizabeth, Mary, James I., Charles I.,
Cromwell, William III., and Queen Anne ; but their
successors, George I. and George II., only visited it
occasionally, for the purpose of holding courts.
During the exile of the house of Orange, a few years
ago, the late prince of that name resided in this
palace.
Hampton Court Palace, which is situated on the
banks of the Thames, thirteen miles from London,
consists of three principal quadrangles, of large di-
mensions, which are divided into numerous suites of
apartments; the third quadrangle was built by Sir
Christopher Wren, for King William. The palace
is rich in pictures, including the celebrated Car-
toons of Raphael, a gallery of portraits of British
Admirals, painted by Sir Godfrey Kneller, and Mr.
Dahl; several portraits, and historical paintings by the
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193
old masters; portraits of his majesty, George III.,
Queen Charlotte, and the first thirteen of their chil-
dren, painted by West; the gallery of English beau-
ties, as it is called, being a collection of the portraits
of Mary, Queen of William III., and the principal
ladies of her court. All these pictures, with some
hundreds more which we have not enumerated, the
royal apartments, the gardens, the grapery, with the
finest vine, perhaps, in the world, are accessible to
visitors, which occasions Hampton Court to be much
frequented in summer.
THE ANCIENT PALACES OF WESTMINSTER
AND WHITEHALL.
In the course of this work, several houses in Lon-
don have been mentioned as the temporary or occa-
sional residence of the English sovereigns, as Bay-
nard's Castle, Bridewell, Crosby House, and others:
none of these, however, aspired to the dignity of a
royal palace, like that at Westminster, the recollection
of which is perpetuated in Old Palace Yard, where it
formerly stood. Canute is known to have occupied a
house or palace in Westminster, which was burnt
down in the time of Edward the Confessor; but it is
by no means certain that it was situated on the same
spot where the latter monarch built the palace, some
remains of which are still to be seen in the neighbour-
hood of Old Palace Yard, particularly the lancet
windows in the painted chamber adjoining the House
of Lords. William the First, who was crowned here,
enlarged the palace considerably to the northward,
VOL. III.]
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PERCY HISTORIES.
and his son, William Rufus, built Westminster Hall
as a banquetting room.
The palace at Westminster, like many of the ancient
buildings of the metropolis, fell by conflagration.
Twice had it been materially injured by fire, in the
years 1263 and 1299, but the injury done both these
times was repaired; not so the fire that took place
in this building in 1512, which was so destructive
that it was not deemed advisable to rebuild the ruined
edifice.
The next royal residence in Westminster was
Whitehall Palace, originally built by Hubert de
Burgh, Earl of Kent, the great justiciary of England
in the reign of Henry III. Hubert bequeathed the
mansion to the Black Friars, who sold it to the Arch-
bishop of York in the year 1248, and it continued the
residence of the Prelates of that See until the reign of
Henry VIII., when Cardinal Wolsey, who had lived in
York House, for so it was called, with super-regal
pomp, presented it, with all its costly furniture, as a
peace offering to his rapacious and incensed master;
nor had the prelate even the honour of being thanked
for his princely gift, for in an act of Parliament passed
immediately afterwards for declaring the limits of the
king's palace, it is stated, "that the ancient palace
erected time out of mind, and situated near the
Abbey of St. Peter, had fallen into utter ruin and
decay, which induced the king to purchase one great
mansion place, and house, sometime parcel of the
possessions and inheritance of the Archbishop of
York." The house, during the residence of Wolsey,
was fitted up in a style of great magnificence; the
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195
chambers were hung with cloth of gold and silver, and
the services of plate consisted of massive gold.
As the king had got the original mansion for
nothing, he could well afford to expend something on
enlarging it, and the act of parliament already quoted,
assures us, that his majesty added many "distinct,
beautiful, costly, and pleasant lodgings, for his
grace's singular pleasure, comfort, and commodity, to
the great credit of the realm; and that he had inclosed
the premises by a wall of brick and stone for a park,
with many conveniences and decorations fit only for
the residence and honour of so great a Prince."
Hentzner asserts that it was "a truly royal structure;"
a gate of singular elegance in the Gothic style of
architecture, a Tennis Court, Cockpit, Tilting Yard,
and Bowling Green, with a gallery whence the sports
in these places might be viewed, were among the
buildings raised by this monarch.
His daughter,
Queen Elizabeth, made many additions to this palace,
particularly the banquetting room, and a jet d'eau in
the gardens, which often afforded amusement to the
court by its liberally sprinkling the idle gazers who
approached it. Nor was this the only childish amuse-
ment with which the court of Queen Elizabeth was here
indulged. That accurate historian, Hollinshed, appro-
priates six folio pages to an account of a ridiculous
pageant in honour of her majesty, in 1581, when the
Duke of Anjou sent commissioners to propose his
marriage with the queen. The gallery erected by her
father, "whereat her person should be placed," and it
appears was placed, was called, "the castell or for-
tresse of perfect beautie ;" and was assailed by "De-
sire and his four foster children," with all the cere-
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mony of established warfare. Combatants of the
highest rank appeared to attack and defend the fortress,
which was regularly summoned; and on the governor
refusing to surrender, "two cannons," says Hollinshed,
"were fired off, one with sweet powder, and the other
with sweet water.". These being necessarily ineffec-
tual," prettie scaling ladders" were raised against the
wall, and then "the footmen threw flowers, and
such fancies, against the walls, with all such devises
as might seem fit shot for Desire ;" and this "amor-
ous foolery," as a modern historian of London justly
calls it, did the royal coquette of forty-eight patiently
sit to witness.
Whitehall having become ruinous in the reign of
James I., that great architect, Inigo Jones, was ordered
to furnish a plan of an entirely new palace on a large
scale;
but the banquetting house, on the site of that
built by Elizabeth, was the only part of his plan
which was carried into effect, a circumstance the more
to be regretted, as the design appears to have been
admirable, and the part executed furnishes a proof of
the great talents of the architect. This house, now the
chapel royal, to which purpose it was appropriated
by George I., is a fine building with a rustic base;
and the upper stories of the Ionic and Corinthian
orders. The ceiling of the chapel, which is an Apo-
theosis of James I., was painted by Rubens, who was
rewarded with a sum of 3000l. for his labour, and
Cipriani had afterwards 2000l. for retouching it.
This is certainly a fine painting, but very inappropriate
for a place of worship.
The ill-fated Charles I. was decapitated on a scaf-
fold erected in front of the banquetting house, on the
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30th of January, 1649. He died, as Rapin says," with
great constancy, and without showing the least signs
of weakness or amazement ;" and this event, which
happily stands alone in English history, was consider-
ed so trivial as to be recorded in an ordinary para-
graph of three lines in the newspapers of the day.
It is remarkable that Charles II., on his restoration,
should take up his residence at Whitehall palace,
which was still reeking with the blood of his father,
and yet it was here that he first received in state his
lords, commons, and repentant subjects, and after-
wards frequently kept his court. Although White-
hall has long ceased to be a royal residence, the prin-
cipal part of the palace having been destroyed by
fire on the 4th of January, 1697, yet many public do-
cuments and state papers are still dated " Whitehall."
In this conflagration the pictures which had escaped
republican spoliation, and those purchased by Charles
II. and James II. were destroyed; twelve persons
perished in the fire, and in a pamphlet printed at the
time, and reprinted in the Harleian MSS., the writer
"It is
thus pathetically describes the conflagration.
a dismal sight to behold such a glorious, famous, and
much renowned palace reduced to a heap of rubbish
and ashes, which the day before might justly contend
with any palace in the world for riches, nobility,
honour, and grandeur." Between Whitehall chapel
and the river is a very fine statue of James II. by
Grinlin Gibbons. The chapel contains several military
trophies, taken from the French during the campaign
in the Peninsula.
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ST. JAMES'S PALACE.
The stranger, who visits London and sees the splen-
did mansions of our nobility and merchants, and the
extent and grandeur of our public buildings appro-
priated to works of charity and benevolence, generally
feels disappointed with the apparently mean and in-
congruous appearance of the royal palaces, particularly
St. James's Palace and Carlton House; and, indeed,
the genius of bad taste seems to have presided over
the former for two centuries at least. The exterior
was formerly of the mixed style of Gothic architec-
ture which characterized the age of Henry VIII. and
it was indebted to Charles I. for some improvement;
but every subsequent external alteration has injured
its original character, if we except the opening,
defended by a pair of lofty iron gates, that has been
made at the cast end of the palace, from Pall-mall
into the park. But however deficient St. James's
Palace may be in its exterior, it is universally allowed
to be the best adapted for regal parade of any palace
in Europe.
The palace is built on the site of an hospital for
Lepers which was erected here, before the Conquest, by
some pious citizens of London, and dedicated to St.
James; the hospital was continued until the reign of
Henry VIII. who seized upon its revenues, pensioned a
few persons who were on the establishment, razed the
house, and built the present edifice according to a de-,
sign, it is said, of his then favourite, Thomas Cromwell,
Earl of Essex. The king only intended it for a private
residence, and it was called the King's Manor House.
His daughter Queen Mary resided here during the
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last two years of her reign, and terminated her in-
glorious and blood-stained life within its walls. That
hopeful youth Prince Henry, son of James I. also
died in St. James's Palace, after having made many
improvements in the interior. It appears to have re-
ceived successive decorations, as le Sieur de la Serre,
who accompanied Mary de Medicis, Queen of Henry
IV., and mother of Henriette Marie, on a visit to the
English Court in 1638, describes it as very magnifi-
cent and extremely convenient, and its interior de-
corations as singularly rich and beautiful.
Charles I. enriched the palace with many valuable
works of art, and employed an agent in Italy to col-
lect them. The Cardinal Barberini was very liberal
in gratifying the taste of the monarch, with what
view we learn by a letter he wrote to Cardinal Maza-
rine on the subject. "The statues go on excellent-
ly," says Barberini, "nor shall I hesitate to rob
Rome of her most valuable ornaments, if in exchange
we might be so happy as to have the King of Eng-
land among those who submit to the apostolic see.
The valuable gallery of pictures collected by
Charles I., and which contained, several chef d'œuvres
of Raphael, Titian, Correggio, Holbein, Leonardo da
Vinci, Tintoretto, Guido, and other eminent masters,
were scattered by the republican parliament, and sold.
for the trivial sum of 12,0491. 4s. Some of the pic-.
tures, however, obtained a good price, particularly
The flaying of a Satyr, and another piece on the same
subject, both by Correggio, which were sold for 1000l.
each;
but it is very characteristic of the strong re-.
publican feeling that pervaded the times, that a por-.
trait of Queen Elizabeth, in her parliamentary robes,
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PERCY HISTORIES.
was sold for 1l.; King Charles I., when a youth, for
21.; and a portrait of his queen produced no more
than five shillings!
Cromwell had the good taste to secure some of the
treasures, and that honourably; he gave 300l. for
the Cartoons of Raphael, and 30,000l. for the rich
tapestry (manufactured principally at Mortlake)
which belonged to St. James's Palace, Hampton
Court, and Whitehall.
St. James's Palace was for some time the pri-
son of Charles I., and here his body was brought
after his execution, and exhibited for some days to
the public. Cromwell is said to have been one of the
visitors: muffled up in a cloak, and otherwise dis-
guised, he walked round the corpse, and exclaiming
"dreadful necessity!" withdrew.
James II., William the Third, Queen Anne, and
George I., all resided in this palace, where many royal
births and baptisms have since taken place, and many
a nuptial ceremony has been celebrated in the chapel
royal.
His most gracious majesty, George the Fourth, to
whom these volumes are dedicated, was born in St.
James's Palace; and as a presage of the glory of his
reign, scarcely had he entered the world when the
treasure of the Hermione frigate, one of the richest
captures recorded in the annals of the British navy,
passed St. James's in a long train of waggons, when
his late majesty and the nobility present appeared at
the windows, and joined in the acclamations of the
multitude. Snch was the domestic condescension of
their majesties, George III. and his illustrious consort,
that before their first born was twelve days old the
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201
public were admitted to see him, when they flocked
in such numbers, that the expense in cake and caudle
(which was presented to all visitors) was upwards of
forty pounds a day!
The most picturesque part of this ancient palace
fell a prey to the flames on the night of the 21st of
January, 1809, when the whole south-east angle, in-
cluding the private apartments of their majesties,
some of the state rooms, together with the Dutch
and French chapels, were destroyed. Since this time
the courts have been held either at Buckingham
House or Carlton House, although they are both de-.
ficient in the antique grandeur which distinguishes
the presence chamber, the privy chamber, the levee
rooms, and other state apartments in St. James's
Palace. As the palace has since undergone very
extensive repairs, his majesty will be again enabled
to hold his court within its venerable walls.
CARLTON HOUSE.
Carlton House, in Pall Mall, has, in the course of
less than a century, risen from a plain mansion to be.
the principal town residence of the King of Great
Britain. The estate, which formerly belonged to the
Earls of Burlington, was, in the year 1732, sold to
His Royal Highness Frederic Prince of Wales, who
immediately employed Flitcroft to make some ne-
cessary alterations in the building, and the celebrated
landscape gardener, Kent, to lay out the grounds,
which he did with great taste. A beautiful saloon,
paved with Italian marble, and an elegant bath, were
constructed in the garden, which was ornamented
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with statues. Two of these, representing Alfred the
Great and the Black Prince, were sculptured by
Rysbrack. During the residence of the Prince of
Wales at Carlton House, it was the scene of those
party intrigues, which have so often been employed
to preserve what is called the balance of the state, by
placing the sovereign and the heir apparent in politi-
cal array against each other. This prince, of whom
Horace Walpole satirically observes, that "he re-
sembled his pattern, the Black Prince, in nothing but
dying before his father," was of an amiable and
generous disposition. On his death, on the 5th of
March, 1757, the princess, his royal widow, con-
tinued to live at Carlton House, where she died on
the 8th of February, 1772. From this period until
the year 1783, the place was unoccupied, and rapidly
sinking into ruin, when his present majesty coming of
age, it was deemed necessary that his royal highness
should have a separate establishment, and Carlton
House was repaired, or rather rebuilt, for little of the
old structure was suffered to remain, under the direc-
tion of Mr. Holland. The alterations having been
nearly completed, his royal highness took possession
of Carlton House in 1790, and held a levee there on
the 8th of February in that year, which, with the ex-
ception of their being no ladies-the brightest orna-
ments of the court, was as numerously and as splen-
didly attended as the drawing rooms of the sovereign
himself. Here his present majesty has ever since
wholly resided when in town, whether as Prince
of Wales, Prince Regent, or Sovereign, and nume-
rous splendid fêtes have been given at this palace.
The most remarkable entertainment of this de-
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scription, and the only experiment ever made at any
court of Europe to give a supper to 2000 of the
principal nobility and gentry, was made on the 19th
of June, 1811. The largest entertainment at the
most brilliant period of the French monarchy was
that given by the Prince of Condé to the King of
Sweden at Chantilly, when the number of covers were
only 400; while at the fête given by the Prince
Regent, covers were laid for 400 in the palace, and for
1600 more in pavilions in the gardens. This fête
originated in the desire of his royal highness to shew
every respect and filial affection to his father's birth
day, it not having been convenient to hold a drawing
room on its anniversary: and with a due regard to
our internal commerce, the invitation cards expressed
a strong desire that every person should appear
dressed in articles of British manufacture only.
The fête was attended by Louis XVIII. and the
French princes then in exile-all the royal dukes, and
such an assemblage of beauty, rank, and fashion, as
no other court in the world could boast. The banquet
was most sumptuous in all its arrangements, and
all the state rooms were fitted up with an elegance
and grandeur which gave the palace more
more the
appearance of an enchanted castle than that of
the usual residence of a British prince. The urba-
nity of his majesty, who is allowed to be the most
polished gentleman of the age, gave a life and zest
to the entertainment which rendered it doubly pleas-
ing to those who had the honour of being invited to
this truly royal banquet.
Humble as the exterior of Carlton House may
seem when viewed from Pall Mall, where, owing to the
204
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*
inequality of the ground the house is one story less
than in the garden front, the interior is splendid and
commodious; the great hall of entrance is forty-four
feet long by twenty-nine feet wide, exclusive of the
vestibule and corridor, with a pavement of veined
marble-Ionic columns of beautiful Sienna marble,
and other architectural embellishments, singularly
neat and appropriate. The Vestibule and the Great
Staircase are very fine, and the West Ante-room,
which is appropriated to persons on business, and
such as have not the privilege of the entré, contains
several fine portraits by Sir Joshua Reynolds, parti-
cularly one of the Duke of Orleans (Egalité) who
fell, during the revolution, a victim to his duplicity.
The Crimson Drawing Room is remarkable for its pro-
fusion of rich draperies, chandeliers of brilliant cut
glass, large pier glasses, massive furniture richly gilt,
elegant vases, and other splendid decorations, which
display the perfection which the arts and manu-
factures have attained in this country. A superb
font, presented to his present majesty by Pope Pius
VII., and several valuable pictures, ornament this
room. The circular room adjoining is a rotunda of
the Ionic order, every part of which is selected from
the finest specimens of ancient Greece. An hemis-
pherical ceiling, painted to represent a sky, suspends
a magnificent cut chandelier, representing a jet d'eau,
which is reflected on several pier glasses in various
parts of the room. "The architectural embellish-
ments of the Throne Room," says Mr. Pyne, to whom
every writer on the royal residences must be indebted,
"bear an elegance and grandeur of character well
suited for the purpose." The principal attraction is
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205
perhaps the throne itself, which consists of a chair of
state and footstool, elevated upon a platform and
surmounted by a magnificent canopy-the whole of
crimson velvet. The Ante-Room, leading to the
Throne Room, the Rose Satin Drawing Room fitted up
in the Chinese style, with its circular table of Sevres
manufacture, presented by Louis XVIII., is rich in
pictures by the old masters. The Blue Velvet Room,
and the Blue Velvet Closet, are all splendid apart-
ments beautifully decorated, and displaying the most
refined taste; nor are the lower suite of apartments,
including the Vestibule, the Library, the Golden
Drawing Room, the Gothic Dining Room, the Ante-
Room, and the Dining Room to which it leads, the
Bow Room, the Conservatory, or the Armory, defi-
cient in this respect. The armory is very rich in
military antiquities, particularly in costume, the dis-
play of which makes "forgotten generations live
again." Among other curiosities, it contains swords
formerly belonging to Chevalier Bayard, the great
Duke of Marlborough, Louis XIV., the patriot
Hampden, General Moreau, Marshal Luckner; with
a couteau de chasse, used by Charles XII. of Sweden.
The various apartments in Carlton House contain
many valuable pictures by the old masters, as well
as by the most celebrated professors in modern art.
BUCKINGHAM HOUSE.
Buckingham House, a plain, but by no means in-
elegant structure of brick and stone, situated at the
west end of St. James's Park, was purchased by
his majesty, George III., for his consort, in case of
VOL. III.]
T
اكثر
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her surviving him, instead of Somerset House, the
hereditary residence of queens dowager. This man-
sion was once, truly, what an inscription on its
front stated it to be, rus in urbe, whence the view to
the north was open as far as Hampstead, and south
nothing intervened to the Thames. It was founded by
John Sheffield, Duke of Buckingham, who held the
office of Lord Privy Seal to Queen Anne. This
nobleman, who passed his retirement at Bucking-
ham House in uninterrupted connubial bliss, has very
circumstantially described its attractions in his time
to a noble friend, but these have been considerably
enhanced of late years, although an air of neatness
and conjugality generally pervades the apartments;
nor is this to be wondered at, as Buckingham House
was intended as the domestic residence of his majes-
ty, or more particularly of his royal consort, whence
it was called the Queen's House, and here the whole
of their late majesties, children, with the exception of
George the Fourth, were born.
The entrance hall, which is spacious, is ornamented
with several pictures, principally scenes in Rome and
Venice, and leads to a grand staircase erected by the
late Mr. Wyatt. The apartments occupied by
George III. are consonant to those habits of sim-
plicity which marked the domestic life of this sove-
reign. A gallery is appropriated to the pictures of
Mr. West, to whom his majesty was a most liberal
patron, having paid him upwards of 40,000l. for his
labours. The pictures in this gallery are some of the
best historical efforts of Mr. West's pencil, including
his picture of Regulus, (for which alone his majesty
allowed him a munificent pension,) the Death of
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207
General Wolfe, the Battle of La Hogue, and the Death
of that preux chevalier, sans peur et sans reproche,
Bayard. Another picture in this room, by West, re-
presents Hamilcar swearing the infant Hannibal at
the altar.
In the king's dining room there are some valuable
portraits, particularly one of the great Lord Burleigh
by Zucchero; and others by Vandyke, Lely, Zoffa-
ny, Daniel Mytens, and Houseman. The crimson
drawing room, the second drawing room, and the
blue velvet room, are splendid apartments, well suited
to the pageantry of royalty, and ornamented with
several valuable pictures.
Scarcely had his late majesty ascended the throne,
than he commenced the formation of an extensive
and splendid library: the first purchase that he made
was that of the library of Mr. Joseph Smith, the
British consul at Venice, in 1762, at an expense of
10,000l.; six years afterwards Mr. Bernard, the li
brarian, who was previously instructed by Dr. John-
son as to the best means of completing the royal
library, was sent to the continent by his majesty,
where he made large purchases. To these collections,
which formed the nucleus of a good library, his ma-
jesty added other books to the amount of 2000l. a
year until his death, and a similar sum has been an-
nually expended by his present majesty. This li-
brary, consisting of sixty-five thousand two hundred
and fifty volumes, and formed at an expense of
150,000l. paid out of the privy purse of the king,
was deposited in spacious apartments, fitted up for
the purpose in Buckingham House. It is now des-
tined to be added to the valuable treasures of the
S
208
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British Museum; his present majesty, whose reign
may justly be termed the Augustan age of Great
Britain, having, with a generosity which is above all
praise, presented the whole library to the British na-
tion. Acts like this will perpetuate the memory of
George the Fourth, when the military glories of his
reign, great as they are, will be forgotten.
KENSINGTON PALACE.
Kensington Palace was purchased of the Earl of
Nottingham, son of the Lord Chancellor of that
name, by King William III., who partly rebuilt and
much enlarged it under the direction of Nicholas
Hawksmoor, from designs by Sir Christopher Wren.
This palace, in consequence of its airy situation and
contiguity to town, was very convenient to the state
of the king's health, which required a fine air and
relief from fatigue. The mansion, when King Wil-
liam purchased it, had only twenty-six acres of land
attached to it; thirty more were purchased by Queen
Anne, and Queen Caroline encroached on Hyde Park
for 300 acres more, which now collectively form that
pleasing promenade and scene of city attraction in
summer, Kensington Gardens.
A scene occurred at Kensington Palace during the
residence of King William, so honourable to the ge-
nerosity of this monarch and the fidelity of Mr.
Carstares, his confidential secretary, that we are sur-
prised it has not been the subject of a picture for its
walls. The king, who had been rendered suspicious
of the Scottish clergy, during the absence of their
steady advocate, Mr. Carstares, was induced to
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209
issue out an order that every minister should take the
oath of allegiance, and sign an assurance, declaring
King William to be king de jure, as well as de facto,
before he should be allowed to take his seat in the
general assembly. Lord Carmichael, the commis-
sioner sent to Scotland to execute this decree, per-
ceiving the determined spirit of the Presbyterian
ministers against the measure, sent despatches to the
king, stating, that if persisted in, it would endanger
the peace of that country. Lord Carmichael's des-
patches arrived at Kensington a few hours before the
return of Mr. Carstares, who on his arrival found that
the courier had been sent back with positive orders
to enforce the royal commands. He immediately
hastened after the messenger, and, overtaking him,
demanded his despatches in the king's name, when,
though late at night and his majesty in bed, he re-
quested an audience on a matter of the utmost im-
portance. On entering the royal chamber, he found
the king sound asleep, when he fell upon his knees,
and gently awoke his majesty, who, with surprise,
demanded his business. Sire," said Mr. Carstares,
"I come to solicit my life." "And is it possible,'
said the king," that you can have committed a crime
that should forfeit it?" He acknowledged he had,
and showed the despatches he had taken from the
messenger. "And have you," said his majesty sternly
looking at him, "presumed to countermand my or-
ders ?" "It was to save one of the pillars of your
majesty's throne," said the secretary, who was gra-
ciously allowed to explain his reasons for an act of
such peril; they were quite satisfactory to the ami-
able monarch, who ordered Mr. Carstares to throw the
(6
""
T 2
210
PERCY HISTORIES.
despatches into the fire, and prepare fresh instruc-
tions, couched in such terms as he deemed advisable,
assuring him that he would immediately sign them.
.. King William was a most affectionate husband;
and when his friends condoled him on the death of
his wife, which took place at this palace on the 21st
of December, 1694, in the thirty-third year of her
age, his majesty replied, that he could not but grieve
for her who had been his wife for seventeen years,
and whom he had never known guilty of an indiscre-
tion; nor was his grief confined to expressions only;
the bracelets composed of her hair found upon one of
his arms after his death, were a proof of his lasting
affection, of which all his attendants were perfectly
ignorant.
His majesty, Prince George of Denmark, the con-
sort of Queen Anne, and their promising son, the
Duke of Gloucester, all died at Kensington Palace.
Towards the close of her majesty's life she manifested
a wish that the son of the exiled monarch, James II.,
should be her successor, and during her last moments
the Tory party were plotting within the palace for
the same purpose; but the prompt interference of the
Duke of Somerset, who forced himself into the coun-
cil-chamber, disconcerted their measures, and the
moment her majesty had breathed her last, the Duke
of Argyle hastened to town, and caused the Elector
of Hanover to be proclaimed.
George the First resided much at Kensington Pa-
lace, which received some material alterations in his
reign, but still more during that of his successor, par-
ticularly the gardens, which were beautifully laid out
by Brown, (better known by the name of capability
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211
Brown,) who gave a new word to our language, and a
new taste to our landscape gardeners. To Queen
Caroline, Kensington Palace is indebted for its best
ornaments—a fine gallery of pictures, with a collec-
tion of drawings of heads, by Hans Holbein, which
her majesty found in a bureau in one of the apart-
ments of the palace soon after she became queen;
and several busts, executed by her orders by Rys-
brack and Roubiliac. Both Queen Caroline and
George II. died in Kensington Palace, where his
majesty had principally resided during the greatest
part of his reign, carrying on many of the im-
provements which had been planned or commenced
by his munificent consort. George the Second was
the last British monarch who resided at Kensington
Palace, and since his death the state apartments
have remained unoccupied, although a part of the
palace has always been inhabited by some members
of the royal family.
-
Kensington Palace is a plain building, like most of
our royal residences, unpromising in its exterior, but
spacious and convenient in the arrangement of the
apartments, many of which are splendidly decorated
with some of the choicest paintings of the old mas-
ters, including several by Holbein, Leonardo da
Vinci, and other eminent artists.
THE PARKS.
It is fortunate for the inhabitants of London, that
the parks are royal demesnes; or these "lungs of
the metropolis," as a British senator not inaptly,
called them, had long ago been groaning under
212
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huge masses of bricks and mortar, and the London
citizen been compelled to extend his rambles to the
west, a few miles farther, before he could see a blade
of grass.
66
St. James's Park, which was formerly a marsh, was
inclosed by Henry VIII., and afterwards much en-
larged by Charles II., who employed Le Notre,
gardener to Louis XIV., to lay out the grounds.
What is now called Bird Cage Walk, was formerly
an aviary, and near it was a pond, where Charles II.
might be seen, playing with his dogs, and passing
his idle moments in affability." Le Notre constructed
the Mall, so long a fashionable promenade, and fre-
quently mentioned by our British Essayists. In this
park are two pieces of artillery, the trophies of our
arms, in distant parts of the globe. One is a Turkish
piece of ordnance, about eighteen feet in length,
which was brought from Alexandria, by our troops,
in the campaign of 1798-9. The other is a grand
mortar, which was cast in the French camp, during
the siege of Cadiz, in the last Peninsular war. It is
eight feet long, the bore is twelve inches in diameter,
and it will throw a shell a distance of three miles.
When the British troops, under the immortal Welling-
ton, compelled the French to raise the siege, this
mortar fell into our hands, and was brought to Eng-
land. In 1816 it was mounted on a bed of metal,
weighing 16 tons, with several allegorical devices and
an appropriate inscription, and placed in this park.
The Green Park is a triangular piece of ground,
parallel with Piccadilly, and adjoining to St. James's
Park and the gardens of Buckingham House. It
contains a sheet of water on the north side, with
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213
a promenade round it, which is much frequented in
summer.
•
Hyde Park, which extends from the western ex-
tremity of the metropolis, to the walls of Kensington
Garden, contains about four hundred acres. The
serpentine river, which a stranger is surprised to find
neither a river, nor serpentine, but a strait sheet of
water; and a colossal statue, in honour of Wellington,
on a pedestal of granite, of equal height; are the only
objects that attract a visit beyond the rides, drives,
and promenades, and the persons who frequent them.
The statue bears an inscription which fully explains
itself: "To Arthur Duke of Wellington, and his
brave companions in arms, this statue of Achilles, cast
from cannon taken in the battles of Salamanca,
Vittoria, Thoulouse, and Waterloo, is inscribed by
their country women.' On the base is inscribed,
"Placed on this spot, on the 18th of June, 1822,
by command of His Majesty George IV."
Among the rejoicings by which great events are
celebrated, none seem to be more universal than fire-
works, which are as common in China, on such occa-
sions, as in Europe. Twice has this mode of gratify-
ing the public been resorted to in London, on a mag-
nificent scale, and both times in the Green Park.
The first was in honour of the peace of Aix la
Chapelle, when a magnificent Doric temple, 410 feet
long, and 114 feet high, was erected, ornamented
with inscriptions, statues, allegorical pictures, &c,
On the 27th of April, 1749, the preparations which
had been for several months in hand, were completed;
and the anxiously expected exhibition took place.
After a grand overture of warlike music, composed
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214
PERCY HISTORIES.
by Handel, a signal was given for the commencement
of the fire-works, when a royal salute of 101 guns
rent the air. The fire-works were then displayed,
and consisted of several thousand rockets, cascades,
archimedean screws, wheels, fountains, fixed and ver-
tical suns, marrons, tourbillons, pots de brin, fire-
balloons, &c. When the discharge of the fire-works
was over, the machine became illuminated, the alle-
gorical pictures, which had been removed, were suc-
ceeded by the same subjects in transparency, and the
whole exhibited a beautiful temple. Unfortunately,
one of the pavilions, on the right side of the temple,
took fire, when one person was killed and another
wounded.
A similar exhibition, even unfortunately as to the
accident, took place on the 1st of August 1814, in
the double honour of the peace, and the centenary of
the house of Brunswick to the throne. A magnificent
temple was erected in the Green Park, from which
fireworks, of the most beautiful and varied descrip-
tion, were discharged or exhibited, during the whole
of the evening, commencing with a discharge of ar-
tillery, in imitation of storming the temple, which was
so covered as to represent a large fortress. In St.
James's Park, a lofty pagoda was erected, and beau-
tifully illuminated, but it caught fire, and one person
was killed. This park was fitted up with tents and
pavilions, and with bands of music stationed in various
parts. During the afternoon a balloon ascended from
St. James's Park, and there was a naumachia on the
serpentine river.
A new park has recently been formed on the north
side of London, which will be noticed elsewhere.
LONDON.
215
WESTMINSTER HALL.
Westminster Hall is one of the most venerable re-
mains of our ancient English architecture, and it has
been associated with the most splendid pageants of
royalty, for upwards of seven centuries. Within its
time-honoured walls, kings, princes, and the chivalry
of England have banquetted, and the poor been fed ;
here, lawyers have wrangled; a monarch was tried,
and condemned to death; and the same floor, on which
the English senate once assembled, and legislated for
future ages, is now become a common thoroughfare,
and yet its grandeur is unimpaired.
It has already been stated that Westminster Hall
was built by William Rufus for a banquetting room,
as an appendage to the palace; and although it is
now the largest room in Europe, unsupported by pil-
lars, yet this monarch is said to have called it a mere
bed-room in comparison of what he would build. It
is, however, to Richard II. that we are indebted for
the present noble structure; and it has recently been
discovered, that Rufus's hall was divided by pillars of
stone or wood. It is doubtful whether the dimensions
were the same, although we find Henry III. feasting
six thousand persons in this ball, and some other
rooms of his palace, in honour of the coronation of his
Queen Eleanor. A more extensive banquet is stated
to have been given by the same monarch, in 1243,
when it is said the number of dishes amounted to
thirty thousand; the story does not, however, rest on
very good authority. Edward II. feasted his nobi-
lity here in 1317, at Whitsuntide, when a female, on
horseback, is said to have entered the hall, and, after
216
PERCY HISTORIES.
riding round the several tables, to have presented a
letter to the king, complaining of his having neglected
those knights who faithfully served his father and
himself.
Richard II. caused the old hall to be taken down,
and raised the present edifice in the year 1397; and,
two years after, he gave a "house-warming" in this
hall, when, if we are to rely on Stowe, he feasted ten
thousand persons.
Westminster Hall has, from the most remote period,
been the place where the Coronation banquets have
been held. It was formerly the custom for the so-
vereign to proceed from the Tower on the previous
evening, and sleep in Westminster; and his Majesty,
George IV., on the evening of his coronation, slept
in the house of the Speaker of the House of Com-
mons, adjoining the hall. On the morning, his Ma-
jesty proceeded to the hall, which was magnificently
fitted up on the occasion; and, having taken his
seat on the throne, gave the regalia to the individuals
who had been previously declared, in the court of
claims, entitled to the honour of bearing it. The
procession was formed in the hall, whence it pro-
ceeded in great state along a covered platform to
Westminster Abbey, where the coronation ceremony
took place. When this was over, his Majesty, sur-
rounded by the nobility, knights of the several or-
ders, and gentlemen, all clothed in splendid robes,
returned to Westminster Hall, where a dinner of
every luxury that could be procured had been pro-
vided in the utmost abundance. After the first
course, the King's Champion, mounted on a richly
caparisoned steed, rode into the hall, ready to main-
LONDON.
217
tain his sovereign's right to the Crown against all
comers, and, after causing proclamation to that ef-
fect to be made, threw down his gage. Tradition,
which attaches an anecdote to every coronation,
states, that the glove was taken up by an old woman,
which is perhaps as true as that the Pretender was at
the coronation of George III.
Westminster Hall is universally allowed to be the
largest room in Europe unsupported by pillars, being
in length 270 feet, ninety feet high, and seventy-
four feet broad. The roof of this venerable building
is a fine specimen of the carpentry of the middle ages,
and for strength and durability could not be excelled
at the present day.
Parliaments have formerly been held in West-
minster Hall, and here trials before the court of
peers generally take place.
When the republican government of Cromwell had
been succeeded by the restored monarchy, the grave
could not shelter some of the most prominent person-
ages of the Commonwealth; and in January 1661, the
bodies of Oliver Cromwell, his son-in-law Henry
Ireton, Lord Deputy of Ireland, and John Brad-
shaw, who presided on the trial of Charles I., were,
pursuant to a vote of the House of Commons of the
8th of December preceding, taken out of their graves
by John Lewis, a mason, as appears by the following
receipt :-
""
May the 4th day, 1661, rec. then in full of
the worshipfull Sargeant Norfolke fifteen shillings
for taking up the corpes of Cromell and Ireland and
Brasaw. Rec. by mee,
John Lewis."
The coffins of Cromwell and Ireton were taken up
VOL. III.]
U
:.*
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218
PERCY HISTORIES.
on the 26th of January, and that of Bradshaw on the
Tuesday following; and on the 30th January, the
anniversary of Charles's death, all the three coffins
were conveyed upon sledges to Tyburn, and the
bodies hanged "at the three several angles of the
gallows until sunset." They were then beheaded,
the trunks thrown into a deep pit under the gallows,
and the heads set upon polls on the top of West-
minster Hall. Tradition relates, that on a stormy
night, in the latter end of the reign of Charles II.
or James II., the head of Cromwell was blown off
the top of the pole, and afterwards presented to the
Russell family.
HOUSE OF LORDS.
The hall in which the second branch of the state,
the House of Lords, assembles, is a part of the ancient
palace of Westminster, and is therefore rather to be
admired for its venerable antiquity than for its ele-
gance. Indeed, those who witness the nobility of
England assembled within these walls in their plain
dress, and still plainer manners, would think that
rank, like beauty, when" unadorned, is adorned the
most;" but, on the opening or prorogation of par-
liament by the king in person, the peers wear
robes.
The House of Lords, which is a court of appeal as
well as a legislative assembly, is an oblong room of
somewhat limited dimensions, hung round with ta-
pestry, representing that memorable event in English
history, the destruction of the Spanish Armada,
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219
which was presented by the States of Holland to
Queen Elizabeth; portraits of the heroes who shared
in the destruction of that haughty and dreadful
armament, form a matchless border round the room.
At the upper end of the House of Lords, is the
throne, rich in gilding, but somewhat tasteless in
its decoration. Some improvement has been made in
the approaches to the House of Lords, under the
direction of Mr. Soane, consisting of a noble staircase
and magnificent gallery, one hundred feet long and
twenty-seven feet wide. The gallery is divided into
three parts by columns, in imitations of veined marble,
of the Ionic order. There is somewhat of a profusion
of ornament in the decorative part of this gallery,
but it presents a noble vista, and the dome and
arches are novel, though rather too full of ornament.
Adjoining the House of Lords is a room where con-
ferences between the Peers and the Commons are
held, called the Painted Chamber, which is known to
be as old as the time of Edward the Confessor, who
is said by Howel to have died in it. It was in this
chamber that the fatal warrant for the execution of
Charles I. was signed; and here also was held that
important conference between the Lords and Com-
mons, which led to the revolution of 1688, and res-
cued the country from the fangs of an arbitrary and
bigotted monarch.
The Painted Chamber is so called on account of
the paintings on its walls, which are of great anti-
quity; and although their age is not known, it is
certain they are as old as the year 1322, and pro-
bably much older, as in a Latin manuscript Itinerary
of Simon Simeon and Hugo the Illuminator, in that
220
PERCY HISTORIES.
year, preserved in Benet College, Cambridge, there
is a passage, which, after alluding to the monastery
of Westminster, adds, "there is almost immediately
joined that famous palace of the king, in which is
that well-known chamber, on whose walls all the
histories of the wars of the whole Bible are painted,
beyond description, and with most complete and
perfect inscriptions in French, to the great admira-
tion of the beholders, and with the greatest regal
magnificence." There is reason to believe that these
paintings are of the reign of Henry III.
The dreadful plot of Guy Fawkes and his asso-
ciates, to exterminate Kings, Lords, and Commons, at
"one fell swoop," in the reign of James I., is well
known, since the anniversary is not only a fast in
the Calendar, but, previous to every parliament, the
cellars underneath the House of Lords, where the
conspirators had planted thirty-six barrels of gun-
powder for the meditated explosion, are searched.
The House of Peers is unlimited in its number,
and varies according to the new creations that take
place or the titles that become extinct or devolve on
females. At the meeting of parliament, in 1824, the
House of Peers consisted of 386 members, of whom
six were of the blood royal, 19 dukes, 16 marquises,
103 earls, 22 viscounts, 146 barons, 26 spiritual peers
of England, 16 Scotch and 28 Irish peers, both of
which are elective, and 4 Irish spiritual peers.
In a country like England, where the road to wealth
and honour is open to all, family antiquity is less
thought of; and yet it is remarkable, that of the 504
peers in England, including those of Scotland and
Ireland, not peers of the realm, there are 154 whose
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ancestry can be clearly traced to the Norman in-
vasion.
+
THE HOUSE OF COMMONS.
The house in which the Commons of Great Britain
assemble is called St. Stephen's Chapel, and is a
part of the ancient palace, generally supposed to
have been built by king Stephen, as a chapel for the
palace, and dedicated to his namesake. Edward I.
repaired it at considerable expense, but it was entirely
rebuilt by Edward III., who made it a collegiate
church with a regular endowment, which it had not
previously possessed. Soon after its dissolution, in
the reign of Edward VI., it was converted into a
parliament-house, where the Commons of England
have ever since held their sittings. In what manner
it was at first fitted up does not appear; but it was
not until the reign of Queen Anne that the galleries
were added under the direction of Sir Christopher
Wren. It was then customary to cover the walls
with tapestry, which were renewed every new par-
liament, the housekeeper claiming on such occasions
the old hangings as her fee.
Since that period to the year 1800, little appears
to have been done to the house; but when the 100
Irish members were to be added, in consequence of
the union with Ireland, it was found too small, and it
was therefore determined to take down the original
side walls, which were three feet thick, and build
others only one foot thick, which enlarged the house
four feet. It was in doing this that it was first dis-
covered, on removing the wainscotting, that the walls
U 2
222
PERCY HISTORIES.
of the building had originally been painted with his-
torical subjects and single figures, engravings of
which were soon afterwards made from drawings by
Mr. Smith.
The Speaker, or more properly the Chairman of the
House of Commons, is chosen by the members, and
on every new parliament has an allowance of two
thousand ounces of plate. It is somewhat remarkable,
that while the aristrocratic branch of the Legislature,
the House of Peers, is open to the public, who may,
uninterruptedly, be present at its proceedings, the
popular or representative branch, the House of Com-
mons, is only accessible by an order from a member,
or a fee to the door-keepers.
The privilege of reporting the debates is by cour-
tesy; and even so late as the last century it was not
permitted to give the names of the members who
spoke on any question, but to give them fictitious,
generally Roman names. So important is a report of
the proceedings in Parliament thought, that one of
the daily papers expends between two and three
thousand pounds every session in procuring it; and
such is the rapidity with which the intelligence is
communicated to the public, that should a debate
close at four o'clock in the morning, a report of it,
that shall fill a whole newspaper in small type, will be
published within four hours afterwards.
WESTMINSTER ABBEY.
Notwithstanding the confidence with which Mal-
colm asserts that the building of the Abbey Church of
St. Peter, Westminster, is "involved in mists too
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dense for the sun of antiquarian search to dissipate,”
it has been very satisfactorily proved that it owes its
origin to Sebert, King of the East Saxons; and that
it was founded about the year 604. If, however, we
could rely on dreams, and particularly on those of
monks, we might quote the authority of Wulsinus,
that the Apostle St. Peter himself had a chapel or
oratory on the site of the magnificent pile dedicated
to him. The vision of Wulsinus was turned to
some advantage by the succeeding monks, who added
a new legend of St. Peter's crossing the water one
stormy night, to consecrate the church, and rewarding
the fishermen who ferried him over Thorney (water
which surrounded the church, the site of which was
called Thorney Island), with a miraculous draught of
salmon, assuring him and his fellow watermen that
they should never want fish, provided they would give
one-tenth of what they caught to the newly conse-
crated church. To those who consider the influence
of the Catholic priesthood, it will not excite much sur-
prise that the tale was believed, and that for several
centuries the monks of Westminster fed on the offer-
ings of the Thames fishermen. What was at first
solicited as a benevolence, in the course of time was
claimed as a right, so that in the year 1231 the monks
brought an action at law against the minister of
Rotherhithe, in which they compelled him to give up
to them one-half of the tithe of all salmon caught in
his parish.
From the foundation of the Abbey to the time of
Edward the Confessor its history is very obscure; but
this pious prince, in consequence of an injunction
from Leo IX. who had absolved him from a rash
224
PERCY HISTORIES.
1
(6
vow, appropriated one-tenth of his property, in "gold,
silver, cattle, and all other possessions," to the re-
building of the Abbey. It was commenced in 1050,
and finished fifteen years afterwards.
This King
endowed it very liberally, and gave it numerous pri-
vileges, pronouncing an eternal anathema and
punishment with the betrayer Judas, against all those
who should contravene or violate the liberties thus
given.” Edward also enriched the Abbey with,
what at the time was highly attractive, numerous
relics, the authenticity of which in those days it was
not the custom to dispute, though some of them are
sufficiently startling. Among these relics, the monk-
ish writers assure us, were part of the manger in which
Christ was born, the frankincense offered to him by
the Eastern magi, a splinter of the table of our Lord,
a crust of the bread that he blessed, a slab of the wall
of the prison in which he was confined, a shred of his
undivided garment, fragments of the sponge dipped
in hyssop which he sucked, the scourge with which he
was tortured, and the lance by which the side of the
Saviour of mankind was pierced. Even the sepulchre
itself, with Golgotha and Calvary, are said to have
given up memorials of the sufferings of Christ to
the Abbey Church of St. Peter. Nor were these the
only relics that Edward is said to have bestowed on
the church, since the legends assure us that he pre-
sented a portion of the milk and hair of the Virgin
Mary, relics of most of the Apostles, including the
beard of St. Peter, with half a jaw and three teeth of
St. Anastasia.
From the time of the Confessor to the reign of
Henry III. little appears to have been done to the
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225
Abbey; but in the year 1220 the latter monarch laid
the first stone of a new chapel, in honour of the Virgin
Mary, on the site now occupied by Henry the
Seventh's chapel; but little was done to the building
until the year 1245, when it was more actively prose-
cuted, and that with a prodigality of expense, which
at the period was unparalleled. Between the years
1245 and 1261 the expense incurred in this portion of
the Abbey amounted to 29,605l. 19s. 8d.
church was opened for service in 1269; and although
Henry III. did not give the abbey any relics, he
certainly made a very curious present, "a dragon, in
manner of a standard or ensign, of red samit, (taffeta
or satin) to be embroidered with gold, and his tongue
to appear as though continually moving, and his eyes
of sapphires or other stones."
The
When the chapel had been completed, Henry III.
resolved that the remains of the Confessor should be
removed into the new shrine in the chapel; and,
says Neale, in his excellent history of this Abbey,
"in the sight of all the principal nobility and gentry of
the land, who were assembled here; he, and his
brother Richard, carried the chest containing St.
Edward's remains, upon their shoulders, to the new
shrine, wherein it was deposited with vast ceremony
and exultation. The Princes, Edward and Edmund,
together with the Earl of Warren, the Lord Phillip
Basset, and others of the nobility, assisted to support
the chest; and we are informed, by Matthew of
Westminster, that, on seeing it exalted, the devils
were instantly cast out of two possessed persons, who
had come purposely (the one from Ireland, the other
226
PERCY HISTORIES.
L
from Winchester,) to receive benefit on the day of
St. Edward's removal !"
The anniversary of St. Edward's translation was
long observed by the corporation and principal citi-
zens visiting his shrine, and the monarch and his
court frequently mingled in the group.
During the reign of Henry III. and Edward I. the
eastern part of the nave and the aisles were rebuilt,
and finished in 1307. To Edward II. Edward III. and
Richard II. we are indebted for the Great Cloisters,
Abbot's House, and the principal monastic buildings.
The western parts of the nave and aisles were rebuilt
by successive monarchs, between the years 1340 and
1483. The west front and the great window were
built by those rival princes, Richard III. and Henry
VII.; and it was the latter monarch who commenced
the magnificent chapel which bears his name, and which
was finished by his son and successor. The first stone
of this chapel was laid on the 24th of January 1502-3,
by the Abbot Islip; and although the King did not
live to see the work finished, yet, after amply endow-
ing the Abbey, he gave Islip 5000l. towards
completing it, only a few days before his decease.
Although Henry VIII. finished the chapel, yet he did
not spare the Abbey from the general dissolution of
the monasteries, nor could an existence of upwards of
nine centuries successfully plead in its behalf.—
The monarch, however, while he seized on its re-
venues, which were nearly 4000l. a year, raised it to the
dignity of a Cathedral, by royal letters patent, and
endowed it with a revenue of 586l. 13s. 1d. Queen
Mary restored its monastic privileges; but, in
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1556, Elizabeth finally established it as a Collegiate
Church.
From the time of Henry VIII. to the accession of
the House of Brunswick, little appears to have been
done to improve the Abbey; but, on the contrary, it
suffered the profanation of the soldiery during the
civil wars of Charles I. when Sir Robert Harlow, the
bigot, who was employed to demolish the venerable
Cross at Cheapside, broke into Henry VII.th's Chapel,
demolished the altar stone, and committed other
outrages. It appears, by a statement in the "Mercu-
rius Rusticus of 1646," that in July 1643, the Abbey
was converted into barracks for the soldiers, who
broke down the rails about the altar, placed forms
round the communion table, from off which they
dined and supped, drinking ale and smoking tobacco
as they sat; they demolished the organ, and pawned
the pipes at the neighbouring pot-houses for ale; and
dressing themselves in the surplices and other cano-
nical habits, turned into ridicule every thing that
was religious.
During the reigns of George I. and George II. the
great west Window was rebuilt, and the Western
Towers completed; but it is to their immediate suc-
cessors that Westminster Abbey is most indebted, in
the restoration of the exterior of Henry VII.'s Chapel
to its original beauty, after it had become so much
dilapidated. This work was commenced in 1809,
under the direction of Mr. James Wyatt, and has
been completed at an expense of about 42,000l. The
external appearance of the Abbey is not strictly uni-
form, but the appearance of the West front is extremely
magnificent. The gate is wrought with much delicacy,
228
HISTORIES.
PERCY
and the light and elegant screen corresponds with the
large window it supports. The two towers, which are
of more recent date, are not so much to be admired.
On entering the great western door, the body of
the church presents an impressive appearance, to
which its loftiness, lightness, symmetry, and elegance
contribute, although the view is somewhat disfigured
by the monuments, which are neither good in them-
selves nor tastefully arranged. The church consists
of a nave and two side aisles, separated by ranges of
lofty columns supporting the roof, which is raised to
a great elevation. The nave is separated from the
choir by a screen; the choir, in the form of a semi-
octagon, was formerly surrounded by eight chapels,
but there are now only seven,-that which was for-
merly the central chapel now forms the porch of that
of Henry VII.
The choir, the only part of the Abbey that can be
seen gratuitously, and that only during the hours of
divine service, which is celebrated every day at ten
o'clock in the morning and three o'clock in the after-
noon, is celebrated for its beautiful Mosaic pavement,
venerable in its age, costly in its materials, and of
almost inimitable workmanship. This pavement, made
at the expense of Abbot Ware, and named after him,
is formed of innumerable pieces of jasper, alabaster,
porphyry, lapis-lazuli, serpentine marbles, and touch-
stone; these pieces, which vary in size from half an
inch to four inches, are arranged in the most varied
and beautiful forms, and present a platform of singu-
lar beauty. On the 9th of July, 1803, the roof of
the choir was much injured by a fire, which threatened
the entire destruction of this magnificent structure.
•
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The Chapel of Henry VII. is a magnificent speci-
men of ecclesiastical architecture, which, from the
beauty of the design, and the rich and elaborate man-
ner in which it is executed, proves that it must have
been the work of no ordinary artists and artificers.
The chapel is nearly square; the east end forming
five sides of an octagon. When viewed exteriorly it
presents a light and airy structure, and the interior
is of singular beauty and symmetry, though much dis-
figured by the stalls and flags of the Knights of the
Bath, who are installed here.
Within this Chapel is the tomb of its founder,
enclosed by a screen of gilt brass, said to have been
executed by Torrigiano, the rival of Michael Angelo.
Here also are entombed the ill-fated Mary Queen of
Scots, and her vindictive persecutor Queen Elizabeth,
who sent her to the block; death having levelled all
the distinctions between them. Many illustrious
members of the royal family have been buried in
this Chapel, which was originally intended as the place
of royal sepulture.
Edward the Confessor's Chapel, situated at the
east end of the choir, contains several royal tombs, as
well as the celebrated coronation chair, which contains
the still more celebrated stone, monkish tradition re-
lates to have been, Jacob's pillar. This stone is
placed within the frame work of the chair, and was
brought from Scone, in Scotland, in 1267, by Ed-
ward I. It is a remarkable instance of the force of
superstition, that this stone has been the subject of an
express article in a treaty of peace, as well as of a con-
ference between Edward III, and David II., king of
Scotland. By the treaty it was agreed to give the
VOL. III.]
X
230
PERCY HISTORIES.
"
stone up to Scotland, and in the conference it was re-
solved that the king, after being crowned in England,
should repair to Scotland, and be crowned king at
Scone; but neither of these resolutions were carried
into effect.
A prophetic distich, said to have been cut on this
stone, by King Kenneth, is no doubt the cause of the
Scottish attachment to it; since, translated, it means,
"Where'er this stone is found, or fate's decree is
vain,
The Scots the same shall hold, and there supremely
reign."
And this prophecy, unauthorized as it is, is said to
have reconciled many of the Scottish nation, to the
union with this country. Buchanan evidently alludes
to the tradition, when, mentioning the spoils trans-
ferred from Scotland to England by Edward I., he
says, "he sent also to London an unwrought marble
stone, wherein it was vulgarly reputed and believed
that the destiny of the kingdom was contained."
The Chapels of St. Andrew, St. Benedict, St. Eras-
mus, St. John, St. Michael and Henry V., all con-
tain the tombs of some distinguished person, as does
the Poet's Corner; but, although monuments to the
memory of many illustrious characters are to be found
in various parts of Westminster Abbey, yet there are
others who have scarcely any claim to such a distinc-
tion. Except the sovereigns, down to those of the
house of Stuart, we look in vain for the tombs of the
great men who have adorned the annals of our history.
Instead of the De Montforts, the Montacutes, the
Nevilles, who shone so conspicuous, we have the
Į
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•
tombs of Sir John Pickering, Sir James Puckeridge,
and Sir Bernard Brocas, who lost his head in the
cause of Richard II.; then, instead of Wickliffe, Wol-
sey, Cranmer, Sir Philip Sidney, Raleigh, Bacon, and
a host of worthies who offer themselves to the memory,
we have Colonel Popham; Thomas Thynne, who is
immortalized for having been assassinated, though
not in the public cause; and a monument to Mrs.
Nightingale, which, however, may be excused as it
was sculptured by Roubiliac. In the Poet's Corner,
the statue of Shakspeare, and that of his great exem-
plifier, David Garrick, will attract attention; but the
greatest of modern dramatists, Richard Brinsley
Sheridan, may escape notice, unless the visitor is
pointed out to the only memorial of him, a black
marble slab which covers his remains. The names of
Chaucer, Spenser, Ben Jonson, Milton, Butler, Prior,
Addison, Dryden, Goldsmith, and several other dis-
tinguished authors and artists, have also a memorial
in the Poet's Corner; and in other parts of the Abbey
are numerous monuments to modern statesmen, sena-
tors, and lawyers; including one to Charles James Fox,
by Westmacott, and another to the memory of Mr.
Percival, whose assassination is represented in basso
relievo. To describe all the monuments is impossible,
and even to enumerate their names would but furnish
a dull catalogue; we may, however, observe, in the
words of Francis Beaumont, that
"Here's a world of pomp and state
Bury'd in dust.”
From the time of William the First, to that of His
Majesty George the Fourth, Westminster Abbey has
232
PERCY HISTORIES.
been the place where the august and religious cere-
mony of crowning the kings of England has taken
place, on which occasions it has been customary to
fit up the interior for the purpose.
This church has been governed in succession by
forty-two abbots, one bishop, created by Henry
VIII., with twelve prebends, and several deans, in-
cluding the celebrated Atterbury, Bishop of Roches-
ter, who was so attached to this church, that when the
sentence of banishment had been passed upon him,
he entreated that he might walk through the Abbey
church for the last time, but this favour was denied
him. The government of the Abbey church of St.
Peter's, is intimately connected with that of the city
of Westminster itself, although, since the reformation,
the civil authority has been in the hands of the laity,
yet the right of nominating the chief officers is still
exercised by the dean and chapter: they appoint the
high steward, and the high bailiff, who is the returning
officer at the election of the two representatives which
the city sends to parliament; and several subordinate
officers cannot enter on their duties until confirmed by
the dean and chapter.
From the south aisle of the Abbey, there are two
entrances into the cloisters, which are entire, and con-
sist of four arched walks, on the sides of an open
quadrangle. The walls are nearly covered with small
monuments, and the ground with tombstones. The
chapter house, which was built in 1220, is on the
east side of the cloisters, and is entered through a
magnificent gothic portal. In 1377, the commons of
England held their sittings here, and continued to do
so until the reign of Edward VI,, when they transferred
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•
the scene of their deliberations to the chapel of St.
Stephen. The chapter house is now used as a deposi-
tory for the public records, where the celebrated
domesday book, and the records of the court of star
chamber, are preserved. These are accessible on the
following terms, which are given in the Report on
the Public Records:
For every search in Domesday
6s. 8d.
4d.
For copies of Domesday, for each line.....
For a search in any other Record ..... 8s. 4d.
For copies of all Records, except Domesday,
for every sheet of 72 words..
For the examination and certifying each
copy.
·1s. Od.
2s. Od.
The Jerusalem Chamber, near the Abbey, is me-
morable for its being the place where Henry IV.
died, and thought a prophecy fulfilled. To the north
of the Abbey stood the ancient sanctuary, where even
royalty itself has sought a refuge, though in vain;
and westward of the sanctuary, was the Almonry,
more memorable for its having been the place where
the first printing press was erected by Caxton, than
for the alms anciently distributed within its walls.
The following dimensions of the Abbey, from the
most correct admeasurement, will give a good idea of
the magnitude, though not of the grandeur, of this
venerable pile.
"Exterior:-Extreme length, 416 feet; ditto, in-
cluding Henry the Seventh's Chapel, 530 feet.
Height of the western towers, to the top of the pin-
nacles, 225 feet 4 inches.
"Interior.-Length of the nave, 166 feet; breadth
x 2
234
PERCY HISTORIES.
J
of ditto, 38 feet 7 inches; height of ditto, 101 feet 8
inches; breadth of the aisles, 16 feet 7 inches; ex-
treme breadth of the nave and aisles, 71 feet 9 inches.
Length of the choir, 155 feet 9 inches; extreme
breadth of ditto, 38 feet 4 inches; height of ditto,
102 feet 2 inches. Extreme length of the transept,
including the choir, 203 feet 2 inches; length of each
transept, 82 feet 5 inches; entire breadth of ditto,
including the aisles, 84 feet 8 inches; breadth of the
body of each transept, 39 feet; ditto of the aisles, 22
feet 10 inches; height of the south transept, 105 feet
5 inches. Extreme length from the west door to the
piers of Henry the Seventh's Chapel, 383 feet; ditto,
including Henry the Seventh's Chapel, 511 feet 6
inches.
ECCLESIASTICAL ARCHITECTURE, AND
The British metropolis contains upwards of four
hundred places of public worship, which exhibit as
great a variety in their age and construction, as in
the several creeds that are professed. Of these, the
churches of the Establishment, necessarily, take the
lead, on account of their magnificence, as well as their
antiquity. The cathedral of St. Paul's, and the
Abbey Church of St. Peter, Westminster, have al-
ready been historically described, at some length; an
account has also been given of the ecclesiastical go-
vernment of London, which renders it less necessary
to dwell on the churches that remain to be noticed.
MEMORIALS.
The first churches in Britain were of wattled work
with thatched roofs, without any thing in the shape
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235
of a steeple, or even a choir or chancel, additions
which were made after stone buildings had been in-
troduced. Even the Anglo Saxon churches, of which
there are several remains in this country, have no
tower or steeple; but as a substitute, a diminutive
arch to cover two very small bells, the ropes of which
were let down into the church by holes through the
roof. The tower is said to have been introduced in
the time of Alfred, and as architecture became better
understood, to have been increased in altitude by the
Normans. The spire was known so early as the
eighth century, when it was very low and roofed with
shingles in the eleventh century it assumed a conical
or pyramidal form, and was constructed of wood; in
the twelfth century the spire began to gain in height,
and in the thirteenth to assume the tall modern form.
:
•
The temples of the heathens were circular, and the
rude and irregular structures of the Druids approached
that shape. It was not, however, until the Crusades
had made the sepulchre of Jerusalem known to the ro-
mantic adventurers that churches built in this form were
introduced into this country. The first round church
built in England is supposed to be that of St. Sepul-
chre, Cambridge, which was erected in the reign of
Henry I., between the first and second crusades. The
round church of St. Sepulchre, Northampton, built by
the Knights Templars, exceeds that of Cambridge in
beauty of proportion; but both these are infinitely
surpassed by the temple church in London, (see vol.
II. p. 156.) This church is supposed to have been
first erected in the year 1185, and was afterwards
partially, or wholly, rebuilt in the year 1244. It
forms a complete circle of six clusters, and pillars
236
PERCY HISTORIES.
with fillets on the shafts and Saxon capitals. In rais-
ing the superstructure of the circular part, the archi-
tects appear to have mixed the new with the old style
of arches.
After the churches had assumed their quadrangular
form, they still differed much in their style of archi-
tecture, the comparative ambiguity of which may be
pretty clearly ascertained by the arches, which are
old in proportion to their acuteness. This does not,
however, apply to the buildings of the Anglo Saxons,
or Normans, in which the arches were semi-circular.
A spurious sort of English architecture frequently
prevailed, of which the church of St. Catherine Cree,
built in 1630, repaired in 1805, is an instance. This
church is memorable as the place where Sir Nicholas
Throgmorton, ambassador to Queen Elizabeth, and
the celebrated Hans Holbein, were interred. The
Earl of Arundel wished to erect a monument over the
remains of the latter, but the exact place where they
lay could not be ascertained.
Inigo Jones introduced the Grecian order in our
churches, and Sir Christopher Wren, the matchless
architect, who had the talent to render every branch
of the art subservient, and to combine the various
orders with a grace and elegance never before at-
tempted, may be said to have carried ecclesiastical
architecture to its highest perfection in this country.
Since his time, with few exceptions, it has been gra-
dually declining, and many of the incongruous su-
perstructures of the present day will stand as monu-
ments to show that in the particular science of archi-
tecture, we have retrogaded in as rapid proportion as
we have advanced in literature, science, and the arts
T
LONDON.
237
generally. A pedantic imitation of the venerable
temples of Grecian and Roman antiquity has been
made, without any regard to situation or propriety-
heathen images adorn Christian temples; and our
modern flimsy erections bear as little comparison with
those of the ancients, as a fortification in pastry does
to the strong walls it is intended to represent.
CHURCHES PREVIOUS TO THE GREAT
FIRE.
In London there are upwards of twenty churches
which date their erection prior to the great con-
flagration of 1666. This fire destroyed eighty-
nine churches, besides chapels, and threatened to
annihilate every venerable edifice in the metropolis.
One of the most ancient of those buildings which re-
main, the church of St. Peter ad Vincula, in the
Tower, has already been described, (Vol. II. p. 233.)
and the others are entitled to a brief notice.
St. Margaret's, Westminster.-This church was
founded by Edward the Confessor, within a few yards
from the Abbey, in 1064. The ancient edifice re-
mained until the reign of Edward I. when it was re-
built by the merchants of the staple and the
parishioners, with the exception of the chancel, which
was added by the Abbot of Westminster, about the
year 1307. The church underwent frequent repairs
during the seventeenth century, principally by the
benevolence of individuals, but, in 1735, it was found
necessary to call upon the government, and parliament
granted a sum of 3,500l., in order to rebuild a part of
the tower, and make other substantial repairs. Twenty-
238
PERCY HISTORIES.
three years afterwards, a sum of 4000l. was appro-
priated to embellish this church, and in the year 1803,
when some further repairs were necessary, a richly
ornamented pulpit and desk, with a new organ, and
a chair for the Speaker of the House of Commons,
were added. The church is a neat Gothic edifice,
but its principal ornament is a beautiful window, of
the crucifixion, which was painted by direction of the
magistrates of Dort, as a present to Henry VII., for
the Abbey. The king and his consort sent their por-
traits, and they are represented at their devotions in
the picture, which not being finished when the king
died, it fell into the hands of the Abbot of Waltham.
On the suppression of that monastery, the window
was removed to New Hall, and after passing to seve-
ral persons, including General Monk, who was not
such a vandal as many of his early associates, it was
sold to the committee appointed for superintending
the repairs of this church, for four hundred guineas.
The figures, which are numerous, are extremely fine;
and in addition to that of the Saviour, there is a re-
presentation of the two thieves, reaping the different
rewards of their obstinacy and penitence. A fiend is
bearing off the soul of the hardened thief, while an
angel waits to receive that of the penitent. The
subordinate figures consist of the two Marys; the
Roman Centurion, mounted on a spirited charger,
finely executed; St. George of Cappadocia; Catha-
rine, the martyr of Alexandria; Henry VII., and his
Queen, and other auxiliaries, which are finely grouped,
and have a striking effect.
The church of St. Margaret contains no monuments
worthy of notice, nor, with the exception of Sir Walter
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239
Raleigh, does it contain any of the illustrious dead,
who are to be found in many of the churches in the
metropolis. The only memorial that has been raised
to this victim of the tyranny of James I. is a tablet
with the following inscription :
"Within the walls of this church was deposited
the body of the great Sir Walter Raleigh, Knt., on
the day he was beheaded in Old Palace Yard, West-
minster, Oct. 18th, An. Dom. 1618.
Reader, should you reflect on his errors,
Remember his many virtues,
And that he was a mortal."
((
Surely, posterity might afford a monument to the
memory of this great man, who distinguished himself
as much by his literary talents as by literary prowess.
The head of Sir Walter was not interred in the church,
but was long preserved by his family.
St. John the Baptist.-This church is almost the
only remains of the ancient palace of the Savoy, in
the Strand, which was built in the year 1245. It
does not appear that the chapel suffered by the
riots of the Kentish rebels, already noticed, but a
considerable part of the palace was demolished, and
the whole was repaired in 1509. The roof of this
church is very fine, being divided into pannels, on
which numerous religious and heraldic devices are
carved. This church, which was very tastefully re-
paired in 1820, contains several ancient monuments
of the Willoughby, Howard, and Compton families,
as well as of other persons.
St. Dunstan's in the West.-No church in London
is perhaps so well known as St. Dunstan's, in Fleet-
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PERCY HISTORIES.
"
street;
not certainly on account of its external
elegance, but for the equivocal celebrity it has
acquired by the two wooden figures placed on
a pediment in front, in 1671, representing savages,
who indicate the hours and quarters by striking a bell
with their clubs. As they are very visible in the
street, they are, says an historian, more admired
by many of the populace on Sundays, than the most
elegant preacher from the pulpit within." Charity
induces us to hope better, particularly, as Dr. Donne,
the celebrated Richard Baxter, and the pious Ro-
maine, were preachers at St. Dunstan's. There is no
evidence when this church was erected, but Stowe
records burials in it so early as the year 1421. In
the year 1820, it underwent considerable repairs.
St. Giles', Cripplegate, one of the best Gothic
buildings in London, was erected, in 1546, on the
site of the ancient church, built by Alfune, the first
master of Bartholomew Hospital in 1090, and burnt
down in the year 1545. It is a light, airy, well-
proportioned structure, which will always be attractive
to the antiquary and the poet, on account of its being
the place, where Speed the historian, Fox the mar-
tyrologist, and Milton, "who in loftiness of thought
surpassed," were interred. Oliver Cromwell and his
wife, Elizabeth Boucher, were married in this
church.
a
St. Bartholomew the Great.-This Church, which
was a part of the ancient priory of St. Bartholomew,
in Smithfield, owed its foundation to Raherus, “
witty gentleman, and therefore in his time the king's
minstrel," about the year 1202. Matthew of Paris
relates a singular rencontre which took place in this
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241
priory, when Boniface, archbishop of Canterbury, in
a visitation, thought fit to go out of his diocese, and
visit it. The canons were willing to receive him as a
guest, but would not acknowledge his authority.
This enraged the bishop, who called the canons Eng-
lish traitors, and, after striking the sub-prior in the
face, honest Matthew adds that the archbishop, " with
oaths not to be recited, rent in pieces the rich cape
of the sub-prior, and trod it under his feet, and
thrust him against a pillar of the chancel with such
spiritual violence, that he had almost killed him.”
The archbishop was, in his turn, knocked down, but
his men came to his assistance, and routed the canons,
who "ran bloody and miry, rent and torn, to the
Bishop of London, to complain;" but it does not
appear that they got redress. The church was re-
built about the year 1410.
St. Bartholomew the Less.-This Church, which is
entered through Smithfield, appears to be of consi-
derable antiquity, as there are monuments in it of as
early a date as the year 1438. The sculpture in the
interior, which is in the Saracenic Gothic style, is
very antiquated.
St. Helen's, Bishopsgate, so called on account of its
being dedicated to the mother of Constantine, was
originally a priory of black nuns, founded anterior
to the reign of Henry III. The church, which is a
light Gothic structure, with a tower, built in 1669,
is honoured with the remains of Sir Julius Cæsar, Sir
Thomas Gresham, Sir John Crosby, Hooke the
astronomer, and other worthies. The parsonage was
leased out by Queen Elizabeth, in lieu of a pensión,
to Captain Nicholas Oseley, who, while in Spain,
VOL. III.]
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242
PERCY HISTORIES.
gave the first intelligence to the English Court of the
fitting out of the Spanish Armada.
St. Andrew Undershaft.-This Church, which is
situated in Leadenhall-street, is so called on account
of a May-pole, or shaft, having formerly been raised
every year on the first of May, which was higher than
the church-steeple. After the "Evil May-day"
(vol. i. p. 74) the May-pole was not reared, but sus-
pended over the doors along the street, until Sir
Stephen, a bigot of St. Catherine's Church, preaching
at St. Paul's Cross, called it an idol, when the inha-
bitants, over whose doors it had been suspended on
iron hooks, returned home, and cut it to pieces. This
Sir Stephen was an eccentric priest: he would quit
his church to preach from an elm tree in the church-
yard, and sing high-mass in English from the tomb of
the dead. This church was rebuilt in the year 1525,
at the expense of William Fitzwilliam, the founder of
the noble house of Wentworth.
St. Olave, Hart-street, Crutched Friars ;-a Church
which has nothing but its antiquity to recommend it.
The first record of this church is in 1319, since which
time it has neither had external or internal grandeur
to boast of; nor does it appear that a single individual
of note sleeps within its undignified walls.
The Church of St. Catharine's Square, near the
Tower, so called to distinguish it from St. Catharine
Cree (already noticed) formerly belonged to an hos-
pital founded, in 1148, by Matilda, consort to King
Stephen. The church, which is collegiate, is a neat
Gothic building, with several very handsome stalls;
an elegant east window, which distributes a flood of
light on all around; an octagonal pulpit, which repre-
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243
sents, on its sides, the ancient building, and the several
gates of the hospital; and an altar, which is the finest
specimen of the Gothic style in England. The
organ, which was erected in 1778, is fine toned and of
great power. This church, after escaping the fangs
of Henry VIII. and the Puritans, had nearly fallen a
prey to the rioters of 1780, who, headed by a soldier
of the name of Macdonald, and two women, were
proceeding to demolish it, on the ground that
it was built in the times of popery. Fortunately,
some of the members of the London Association ar-
rived in time to save this venerable pile from destruc-
tion; and Macdonald and the women, who were
arrested afterwards, were executed on Tower-hill.-
This church contains one of the oldest monuments in
London, that of John Holland, Duke of Exeter,
Admiral of England and Ireland, who died in the 25th
of Henry VI.
St. Dunstan's, Stepney.-This Church, which is of
the Anglo-Gothic architecture, was erected in the
14th century. On the exterior of the walls are some
pieces of rude sculpture, representing the crucifixion,
and the Virgin and child. In the western porch there
is a stone, which an inscription states to have been
taken from the wall of Carthage; but there is no evi-
dence in support of the assertion. In the church, Sir
Henry Colet, the father of Dean Colet, founder of St.
Paul's School, and the benevolent Benjamin Kenton,
are interred. The church-yard, celebrated in the
Spectator on account of the epitaphs, has quite a rural
character, from the limes and poplars which line its
paths.
St. Saviour's, Southwark.-This Church, which was
244
PERCY HISTORIES.
originally founded previous to the arrival of the Nor-
mans in this country, was successively a house of sisters,
a college of priests, and a priory of canons regular, and
was supported by a ferry across the river. The church,
which was formerly, and is now sometimes, called St.
Mary Overy, was rebuilt in the year 1400. John
Gower, the poet, the friend of Chaucer, and author of
the "Confessio Amantis," was a liberal benefactor,
and was interred within its ancient walls. When the
priory had been surrendered to Henry VIII. or rather
seized upon by that monarch, the inhabitants of
Southwark purchased it, with a charter which consti-
tuted the churchwardens a corporation. At a subse-
quent period this corporation appears to have mani-
fested very little regard for their purchase, and to
have actually let a part of it out for a common bake-
house. "The fair pillars," says Strype, who feelingly
deplores the manner in which that part of it, since
called the New Chapel, was defiled, "were ordinary
posts, against which they piled billets and bairns. In
this place they had their ovens-in that a bolting
place in that their kneading trough; in another I
have heard a hog's trough; in another a store-house,
to store up their horded meal; and in all of it some-
thing of this sordid kind and condition." For upwards
of sixty years were the bakers suffered to carry
on their traffic in the temple of St. Saviour's, South-
wark.
This church, which is very spacious, with three
aisles and a cross-aisle, like a cathedral, is of the
ancient Gothic order; twenty-six pillars, in two rows,
support the roof of the church; and the chancel, and
the galleries in the walls of the choir, are adorned
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245
·
with pillars and arches, similar to Westminster Abbey.
The tower, which is erected on four very strong
pillars, with the spire, is 150 feet high, and contains
twelve of the finest bells in Great Britain. It is me-
morable from its being the place whence Hollar
took his views of London, both previous and subse-
quent to the great fire.
Gower is not the only poet who has been buried in
this church, for here sleep, in one grave, Philip
Massinger, and Fletcher, of whom it may briefly be
said-
C
"They were friendly in their lives,
And in their death they were not separated."
In Collet's Relics of Literature there is an affecting
and melancholy instance of the straits to which genius
is sometimes reduced, in three letters from Massinger,
Nat Field, and Daborne, all men of talents, and
dramatic writers, supplicating a joint loan of five
pounds, with all the humility of men in the utmost
distress. The celebrated Cashier of the Bank, Abra-
ham Newland, was interred in this church.
•
The Church of St. Pancras, which was built in the
14th century, is of small size and rude architecture;
it consists of a nave and chancel, in which are several
monuments; and no church or church-yard, in or
near the metropolis, affords a last home to such
a diversity of characters as are buried within its pre-
cincts. Jeremy Collier, the non-juror, and Father
O'Leary, the amiable Friar of the Order of St.
Francis; Pascal Paoli, the Corsican patriot (who has
a monument in Westminster Abbey), Woollett, the
engraver, Cavallo, the Neapolitan philosopher, and
•
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PERCY HISTORIES.
Chevalier D'Eon, the Knight Errant of the last age,
have all been buried in the church or church-yard
of St. Pancras, where a plain square monumental
pillar, with a willow tree on each side, bears an in-
scription which records, that here lie the remains of
the philosophic Mary Wollstonecraft Godwin.
The Church-yard of St. Pancras is remarkable for
the great number of Roman Catholics interred in it;
and the Church was the last in England where mass
was performed after the Reformation.
Allhallows, Barking.—This Church, which escaped
the fire, was built in 1651, at the corner of Seething-
lane, Great Tower-street. It formerly belonged to
the Abbess and Convent of Barking, in Essex,
whence its name is derived. It is a spacious church,
and contains a mixture of Tuscan and modern Gothic
architecture.
St. Ethelburga is a small Church, on the East side of
Bishopsgate. It is supposed to have been erected in
the year 1420; and a charity was founded here
in 1436. It is a Gothic building, with a small spire;
and, among other monuments, contains one in memory
of a person of the name of Williams, who had attended
on forty-two Lord Mayors, and died in 1583.
St. James's, Duke's Place.-This Church, which is
very small, and built of brick, was erected in 1622, on
the site of the priory of the Holy Trinity, founded
by the Empress Maud, in 1108. As it was the
richest Priory in England, it was one of the first that
was dissolved.
LONDON.
247
CHURCHES BUILT BY SIR CHRISTOPHER
WREN.
Fortunately for the metropolis, the great fire of
1666 occurred at a period when England possessed an
architect who possessed the talents to seize on so un-
usual an opportunity to enrich the new city with
some of the noblest structures that any capital in
Europe can boast. Of Sir Christopher Wren, whose
name is inseparably associated with the metropolis,
an account has already been given (vol. ii. p. 69), and
several of the monuments of his talents have also
been noticed ;-in addition to these he erected fifty
new churches, between the years 1668 and 1718,
a list of which, chronologically arranged, is subjoined.
St. Oluve, Jewry, formerly called St. Olave, Up-
well; situated in the Old Jewry, and erected after the
fire of 1666.
St. Dunstan's in the East, St. Dunstan's-hill. This
Church was only partially destroyed by the great
fire. The body, which remained, has since been re-
built, in 1820, under the direction of Mr. Laing, who
was enabled to preserve the singularly beautiful
tower and spire erected by Sir Christopher. The
spire is raised on four Gothic arches, and presents a
light and airy appearance.
St. Michael's, Wood-street.-So early as the year
1359, the Church of St. Michael's was liberally en-
dowed; and tradition reports, that the head of James
IV. of Scotland was buried here, after the battle of
Flodden field. The new church, which is of the Ionic
order, was erected in 1669. The old turret has since
been altered into a clumsy spire.
K
248
PERCY HISTORIES.
St. Stephen's, Walbrooke.-This Church, which has
already been noticed in the memoir of Sir Christopher
Wren, is more celebrated on the continent than the
Cathedral of St. Paul's or Westminster Abbey.-
Although there was a church in this parish so early as
the year 1135, yet the site on which the present
beautiful edifice is erected, was not thus occupied
until the year 1429. The first stone of the new
church was laid in 1672, and in 1679 it was com-
pleted. The interior of this church is allowed to be
of the most beautiful and matchless architecture.
St. Mary, Aldermanbury, was erected on the site of
an old church, which appears to have stood five cen-
turies and a half, when the fire of London destroyed
it. The infamous Judge Jefferies was buried in this
church.
St. Nicholas, Cole Abbey, Old Fish-street.-A
plain stone building, with a square tower.
St. George, Botolph-lane.-A small neat church,
of Grecian architecture: indeed, a large church is
quite unnecessary, as the parish, according to the
census of 1821, only contained thirty-three houses,
two of which were uninhabited, and a population of
101 persons!
St. Bartholomew, Bartholomew-lane.-Rebuilt in
1670.
St. Stephen, Coleman-street.-A chapel belonging
to the Deans of St. Paul's; rebuilt in 1670.
St. Michael, Bassishaw, Basinghall-street.-An
ancient rectory, which, in 1140, was in the presentation
of the Prior and Canons of St. Bartholomew's. The
old church, which was taken down in 1460, is said to
have been very beautiful. Two centuries after it
LONDON.
249
was rebuilt it was destroyed by the great fire, and
succeeded by the present edifice.
St. Michael, Queenhithe.-Built in 1677.
St. Ann and St. Agnes, St. Anne's-lane.-A plain
edifice, with a square tower; built in 1685.
St. Mary-at-Hill, Lower Thames-street, was only
partially destroyed by the great fire. It is sur-
mounted by a plain square brick tower; built in
1670.
St. Christopher-le-Stock. This Church, which was
rebuilt by Sir Christopher Wren, was taken down
after the riots of 1780; and its site has since been
occupied by the additional buildings to the Bank of
England.
St. Vedust, Foster-lane: dedicated to a Bishop of
Arras, in 484; rebuilt in 1698.
St. Sepulchre's, Skinner-street. It is not known
when this church was first erected, but there are re-
cords of its existence in the middle of the thirteenth
century; and it is probable that it is one of the
oldest foundations in London. The church that was
erected in 1440 was not entirely detroyed by the
great fire, but it was almost entirely rebuilt in 1670.
Stowe relates that one Robert Dove, citizen and
merchant tailor, gave to the parish church of St.
Sepulchre's the sum of 501. for the following special
purpose:-
"That after the several sessions of London, when
the prisoners remain in the gaol, as condemned men
to death, expecting execution on the morrow follow-
ing the clerk (that is, the parson) of the church
should come in the night-time, and likewise early in
the morning, to the window of the prison where they
250
PERCY HISTORIES.
J
lie, and there ringing certain tolls with a hand-bell,
appointed for the purpose, he doth afterward (in
most Christian manner) put them in mind of their
present condition, and ensuing execution, desiring
them to be prepared therefore as they ought to be.
When they are in the cart, and brought before the
wall of the church, there he standeth ready with the
same bell, and, after certain tolls, rehearseth an ap-
pointed prayer, desiring all the people there present
to pray for them. The beadle, also, of merchant-
tailors-hall, hath an honest allowed stipend, to see
that this is duly done."
In the Annals of Newgate it is stated, that it was
long a custom for the bell-man of St. Sepulchre's
parish, on the night preceding an execution, to pro-
ceed under Newgate, and repeat the following verses
to the criminals in the condemned cell:
"All you that in the condemn'd-hold do lie,
Prepare you, for to-morrow you shall die.
Watch all and pray, the hour is drawing near,
That you before th' Almighty must appear.
Examine well yourselves, in time repent,
That you may not t' eternal flames be sent:
And when St. 'Pulcre's bell to-morrow tolls,
The Lord have mercy on your souls!—
Past twelve o'clock !"
St. Mary Woolnoth, Lombard-street. Although
this Church is entered in the MS. of Sir Christopher
Wren, yet it was built by his pupil, Nicholas Hawks-
moor, probably from some designs by his master,
particularly the interior. The Rev. John Newton,
the friend of Cowper the poet, was rector of this parish.
LONDON.
251
St. Mildred's, Poultry, 1676.
St. Bennett Fink, Threadneedle-street, 1673.
St. Mary le Bow, Cheapside.-This church, which
is supposed to have been erected in the reign of
William the First, was the scene of many interesting
events. It was unroofed in 1090 by a tempest, and in
1271, a great part of the steeple fell down, when
several persons were killed. Five years afterwards,
when Fitz Osbert, commonly called Long Beard, had
raised an insurrection, he sought refuge in this church,
and fortified it; but fearing that the king's justiciary
would set it on fire, he made a desperate effort to
escape, but was taken, and, with eight of his com-
panions, executed two days afterwards.
When the church had been destroyed by the fire of
1666, Sir Christopher Wren, who had intended to
raise two arches over the pavement, was compelled
to erect the edifice to range with the street, when, in
digging to the depth of eighteen feet, he found a
Roman causeway four feet thick, on which he laid
the foundation. The principal ornament of this church
is its steeple, which combines the five orders of archi-
tecture, and is considered as one of the chef-d'œuvres
of this great master. It is two hundred and twenty-
five feet high, and is surmounted with a gilt ball and
dragon. The inside contains two Corinthian and two
semi pillars in length, against each of which are two
pilasters; and it is from those that the arches between
the nave and side ailes are turned. Their capitals are
foliage, and the arches have cherubim on the key
stones. They reach to the great cornice of the
order continued round the church, and consequently
the architecture and frieze are confined to the columns.
1
252
PERCY HISTORIES.
In 1818, a survey having been made of this church,
the steeple was deemed unsafe, and it was determined
that it should be taken down and rebuilt, which has
since been done, and the church otherwise substan-
tially repaired.
St. Michael's, Cornhill. This church dates its origin
beyond the year 1133, when it was presented to the
Abbot and Convent of Evesham. The present church,
which is justly admired for its beautiful gothic tower,
and the admirable symmetry with which the various
orders of architecture are combined, was erected in
1672. Fabian, the alderman and historian, has a
monument in this church.
St. Magnus, London Bridge, 1676.
St. Edmund, Lombard-street. 1690.
St. Lawrence, Jewry. Edward I. gave the patron-
age of this church to Baliol College, Oxford, which
now possesses it. The church was rebuilt in 1677. It
is a handsome building, and the interior has lately
been rendered very elegant. A monument of Arch-
bishop Tillotson adorns this church.
St. Bride's, Bride-lane, Fleet-street, is another of
those churches on which Sir Christopher Wren bestow-
ed the greatest care. The church is a plain but neat
structure; but it is in the lofty spire that the taste
and skill of the architect is displayed. This spire
was much injured by lightning on the 18th of June,
1764, when several large stones were forced from their
places, one of which fell through the roof into the
north gallery, and another was thrown into a house
in Bride-lane. It was, however, soon repaired,
though at an expense of 3000L. This spire was
again struck by lightning in 1805, and in repairing
/
**
U
→
RT
LONDON.
253
it, the steeple was somewhat lowered. In 1822-3,
this church, which the parishioners guard with just
pride, was substantially repaired, and a rich window
of stained glass added.
Among the eminent persons buried in this church
are Samuel Richardson, the author of "Pamela," Sir
Richard Baker, the author of "The Chronicle of
the Kings of England," Pope's Corinna, Mrs. Eliza-
beth Thomas, and Wynken de Worde, the famous
printer.
St. Dionis Back Church, Lime-street, Fenchurch-
street, rebuilt 1674-84.
St. James, Garlick-hill, rebuilt in 1683.
St. Peter's, Cornhill.-This church is of very an-
cient foundation, and very richly endowed. The
present plain edifice was rebuilt immediately after the
Great Fire. There is a plain monument in this church
to the memory of seven children, the whole offspring
of James and Mary Woodmason, who were burnt to
death in a house in Leadenhall-street, in 1782.
St Bennet, Paul's Wharf, built in 1181, and re-
built in 1682. Inigo Jones is said to have been
buried in this church, but there is no record of the
circumstance.
St. Martin, Ludgate, 1684.
Allhallows the Great, Thames-street, 1683.
St. Swithin's, Cannon-street. A small but elegant
church, built in 1680, on the ruins of one of very
ancient foundation. This church is memorable from
the celebrated "London Stone," being placed in
front of it.
Christchurch, Newgate-street. Previous to the
dissolution of the monasteries, this was the church of
VOL. III.]
1
Z
My Ca
UorM
254
PERCY HISTORIES.
}
Grey Friars, and one of the most superb conventual
houses in the metropolis. It was built in the begin-
ning of the fourteenth century, and was consecrated
in 1325. The ancient church, which was burnt down
in the fire of London, was of large dimensions, being
300 feet long, 89 broad, and 64 feet high. The only
part that has been rebuilt, is the choir, to which has
been added, a tower, not remarkable for its exterior
grandeur. It is an elegant and commodious church,
which is much frequented on account of the scholars of
Christ's Hospital regularly attending divine service
here.
Weever, in his "Funeral Monuments," relates that
the old church was honoured with the sepulture of
four queens, nineteen of the nobility, and thirty-five
knights; but few of their monuments remain, a gothic
Lord Mayor, Martin Bowes, having sold the marble
and alabaster stones, and iron railings, for the paltry sum
of 50l., in 1545. In this church the remains of Mr.
Burdett, ancestor to the baronets of that name, was
buried; this gentleman, for wishing that the horns
of a favourite white buck of his, which Edward IV.
killed, were in the body of the person who thus ad-
vised his majesty, was tried and executed. Richard
Baxter was also buried in this church.
Allhallows, Bread-street, 1684.
St. Austin's, or St. Augustin's, Watling-street, 1695.
St. Anthony's, Budge-row, built by Cartwright, from
designs by Wren, 1682.
St. Mildred's, Bread-street, 1683.
St. Bennet, Gracechurch-street, of which there are
records as early as the year 1190, was rebuilt in 1685.
St. Mary, Abchurch-lane, 1686.
LONDON.
255
Dr.
St. Mary Magdalen, Old Fish-street, 1685.
St. Matthew, Friday-street, rebuilt 1669.
Lewis Bayly, author of the "Practice of Piety," and
afterwards Bishop of Bangor, was rector of this
church in 1647.
St. Clement's, East-cheap, 1686.
St. Alban's, Wood-street, was originally founded by
Athelstan, the Saxon king, who is said to have resided
in a house adjoining, and whose name, somewhat cor-
rupted and abridged, is preserved in Addle-street,
formerly called King Adel-street. This church was re-
built in 1634, destroyed by fire in 1666, and the pre-
sent edifice, of the gothic order, erected in 1685. It
contains a richly ornamented altar-piece, and a pulpit
finely carved.
St. Margaret Pattens, Rood-lane, rebuilt in 1687.
Some carvings in the altar-piece of this church are by
the celebrated Grinlin Gibbons.
St. Michael's, Crooked-lane.-This Church, which
was rebuilt in 1688-98, stands in Miles-lane. Sir
William Walworth, who killed Wat Tyler, was buried
in this church, to which Walter Warden bequeathed
the Boar's Head, East-cheap-the identical house in
which Falstaff kept his revels, as recorded by Shak-
speare.
St. Margaret, Lothbury, an ancient foundation, re-
built in 1690. It is a plain, but neat church, with a
handsome exterior, and a font beautifully ornamented
with several historical subjects from the Old and
New Testaments.
St. Mary Somerset, Upper Thames-street, first erect-
ed about the year 1335, and rebuilt in 1695.
Allhallows, Lombard-street; a church was stand-
256
PERCY HISTORIES.
ing on this site so early as the year 1053; the present
edifice was built in 1694.
St. Andrew's Wardrobe, more frequently called St.
Anne's, Blackfriars, built in 1692. There is a fine
monument to the memory of the Rev. Wm. Romaine
in this church, where he preached for many years. It
is allowed to be one of Bacon's best performances.
St. Michael Paternoster Royal, College-hill. A col-
lege was founded here by the celebrated Sir Richard
Whittington, which has since been converted into
alms-houses, for thirteen poor men.
A church was
standing here so early as the year 1285. It was re-
built by Sir Richard, who was interred here, and had
a splendid monument, which was violated by the sa-
crilegious cupidity of a priest, named Mountain, who,
disappointed of finding money in the tomb, carried
away the leaden coffin in which the body was in-
closed.
QUEEN ANNE'S CHURCHES.
Though Sir Christopher Wren was principally em-
ployed in rebuilding the churches after the fire of
London, yet, the erection of a few was confided to his
contemporaries, who were employed in similar works
in other parts of the metropolis. A few of these are
entitled to notice, though necessarily brief, although
they embrace some of the most interesting speci-
mens of ecclesiastical architecture, from the time of
the fire to the commencement of the 19th century, ex-
cepting those built by Wren, which have already
been noticed.
St. Martin's church, St. Martin's-lane, built by
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James Gibbs, between the year 1721 and 1726, is á
beautiful edifice, and will be seen to great advantage
now that the wish of Mr. Ralph, "that a view might be
opened from the Mews to St. Martin's church," will
be realized. The west entrance has a very noble por-
tico of Corinthian columns, the entrance to which
is by an ascent of a long flight of steps. This church
unites the light and picturesque beauty of the modern
temple with the sober grandeur and solidity of Grecian
architecture, and the spire is light and elegant. On the
1st of June, 1727, Mr. Volante, an Italian, descended
head foremost by a rope, with his legs and arms ex-
tended, from the top of the steeple of St. Martin's
church, over the houses in St. Martin's-lane, to the
farthest side of the Mews, a distance of about three
hundred yards in half a minute. The crowd was im-
mense, and the young princesses with several of the
nobility were in the Mews.
St. James's Westminster, Piccadilly. This church,
which was built in the reign of Charles II., is a plain
building of brick and stone, with a lofty steeple. Dr.
Akenside and Tom D'Urfey were interred in this
church, where there is a neat font of white marble,
carved by Grinlin Gibbons.
St. George's, Hanover-square.-In the reign of
Queen Anne, parliament determined to build fifty
new churches, of which that of St. George's was one.
The front of the church is very fine, and forms a sin-
gular contrast to the uncouth construction of the in-
terior. It was to obtain the living of this church, that
Dr. Dodd offered a bribe of 3000l. to Lady Apsley.
-
St. Anne's, Soho, built in 1685, is more remarkable
for its being the burial place of Theodore, King of
z 2
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Corsica, than for any particular merit in its construc-
tion. Too much sympathy has been excited for Theo-
dore, who was only an adventurer without talents to
take advantage of the good fortune which was acciden-
tally thrown in his way. His monument records that
he bequeathed his kingdom of Corsica for his credi-
tors; he might as well have left them Hindostan, since
neither he nor they could give possession, or even
had any legitimate right to it.
St. Paul's, Covent-garden, was erected by Inigo
Jones, at the expense of the Earl of Bedford, who, in
giving his directions, said, "a barn would do."
"Then," said Jones, " you shall have the most mag-
finicent barn in England." On the 17th of Sept. 1795,
this church was burnt down, but it was rebuilt ac-
cording to the plans of Jones. It has a noble, massy
portico, of the Tuscan order, and the interior boasts
of great neatness and simplicity. Butler, the admired
author of Hudibras, Dr. Wolcot, and a continual suc-
cession of the children of Thespis, have been buried in
this church-yard.
St. Giles's in the Fields. This church is built on
the site of an hospital, founded by Matilda, wife of
Henry I. The present building was erected in 1730,
the former edifice having become so ruinous as to
render it necessary that the whole should be taken
down. Over the north-west gate, leading to the
church-yard, there is a representation of the Resurrec-
tion finely sculptured, which belonged to the old
church. Andrew Marvell, the Yorkshire Patriot, Sir
Roger L'Estrange, and Richard Pendrell, the preserver
of Charles II., are buried in this church or church-yard.
St. George's, Bloomsbury.-This church was built
LONDON.
259
by Hawksmoor, the pupil of Sir Christopher Wren,
and so closely did he calculate the expense, that he
only exceeded the estimate by three pounds. It is
a singular, and by no means harmonious compound of
the Tuscan and Corinthian orders, with a good portico
in the front. The steeple, which is pyramidal, is sur-
mounted by a statue of George I., a circumstance
that has been rather happily alluded to, in an epigram
which states, that the pope only made Henry VIII.
head of the church, but that king George's good loyal
people made him bead of the steeple."
St. Mary le Strand.—This church does credit to the
taste and skill of Gibbs, who had just returned from
Italy, when he was called upon to erect it. Though
somewhat thwarted in his original design, and urged
by the commissioners for building the fifty new
churches, to spare no pains in beautifying it, whence
he has been lavish of ornament, yet it is a superb edi-
fice. On the proclamation of peace in 1802, a serious
accident occurred at this church, when one of the
stone urns, which ornament the railing round the
roof, fell and killed three persons, wounding several
others.
St. John the Evangelist, Milbank.-Had Sir John
Vanbrugh really built this church as he is said to have
done, he needed no other claim to the epitaph Dean
Swift wrote for him than,
"Lie heavy on him, earth, for he
Laid many heavy loads on thee."
It is, however, due to his memory to state, that he did
not build it, but that to Mr. Archer belongs the blame
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of throwing away two good porticoes on a building
which, in every other respect, is a compound of absur-
dities.
There are several other churches which would claim
a notice, were not our "Memoriais" rather historical
than descriptive.
NEW CHURCHES.
Under the head of New Churches we include such
as have been erected since the commencement of the
present century, and those are sufficiently numerous
to have given a character to the architecture of the
age, did they not " have no character at all."
It has been objected to Sir Christopher Wren, that
in rejecting the pointed style of architecture for eccle-
siastical edifices, he sacrificed what would have been
a great improvement to the buildings on which his
"heaven directed spires" were raised; his followers
imitated his example in this, and it would have been
well if they had copied him in more important and less
questionable matters; an opportunity was certainly
afforded them, for no sooner had he ceased to pursue
his profession, than fifty new churches in London were
proposed to be built, when his pupil, Hawksmoor,
showed how little he had learnt under his great master.
These churches, however, as will have been seen from
the account we have given of them, were not all built
by Hawksmoor, nor are they generally so deficient in
grandeur, as they are overloaded with a profusion of
ornaments, which fritter away that effect simplicity
imparts to a religious edifice. If the architecture of
the last century was thus faulty, what shall we say to
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261
that of the present day, when our architects, pretend-
ing to take the pantheon for a model, imitate it only
in its portico, while the body of the church has win-
dows like those of an ordinary dwelling house? nor is
this all, for they add towers to the architecture of an
age many centuries before towers were known, and fit
up the temples of God with the petit-maître frivo-
lity and tawdry decorations of a modern theatre.
Within little more than a century and a half, three
great occasions have occurred to the respective archi-
tects of the times-the rebuilding of London after the
fire of 1666, when England had an architect worthy
of so vast a field-the building of fifty churches in
the reign of Queen Anne; and the numerous and ex-
tensive buildings in the metropolis during the last
twenty years. How much the architects of the second
period failed, has already been noticed, and yet they
deserve honourable mention compared with those of
the present day, whose edifices are marked by "de-
fective proportions, ill applied or unmeaning orna-
ments, shapeless campaniles, and other deformities."
In the year 1818, a commission was appointed by
royal patent, pursuant to a previous act of parliament
for building, and promoting the building, of additional
churches in populous parishes. The commissioners
recommended the erection of several churches and
chapels in London and its immediate neighbourhood,
and no time was lost in carrying the proposed mea-
sure into effect. Previous to the parliamentary com-
mission, a chapel of ease had been erected in the
New Road, for the parish of Mary la Bonne, which
was afterwards enlarged and raised to the dignity of
a parish church; a tower was substituted for a small
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HISTORIES.
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cupola, a portico with six Corinthian columns added
to its front which was extended, and several other
alterations made, under the direction of Mr. Hardwicke
the architect. The interior is fitted up with an upper
and lower gallery, but it is decorated in a style much
too gaudy for a place of worship. Mr. West, the
historical painter, presented the church with a very
fine picture of the Nativity, for an altar piece.
One of the first and the largest, as well as the most
expensive of the churches erected under the parlia-
mentary commission, was that of St. Pancras, which
was built at the cost of 70,000l. by Mr. Inwood.
The exterior is formed in imitation of the temple of
Erectheus, at Athens, so far as regards its portico of
six Ionic columns. The wings are on the model of
the Pandrosium, which was attached to the temple of
Erectheus, but they are too profusely ornamented.
The eastern end is semicircular-though the original,
whence the building purports to be copied, is square.
The steeple, which is 165 feet high, is an avowed
imitation of the temple of the Winds-with this dif-
ference, however, that the Athenian temple had no
windows, and only four columns, while that of St.
Pancras new church has fifteen. The interior of this
church is tasteful and elegant; above the com-
munion table are six splendid, antique Scagliola
columns, with bases and capitals of white statuary
marble. The windows are on the Grecian model, and
the pulpit and reading desk are formed of the cele-
brated Fairlop oak.
If economy in the expense, correctness of design,
and elegance of execution, are recommendations in
a public building, the church of St. Paul, Shadwell,
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263
rebuilt in the year 1820, under the direction of Mr.
John Walters, would stand at the head of modern
edifices, since, although it only cost 14,000l., yet the
building is simply neat and elegantly chaste. The
steeple is peculiarly beautiful, and in correctness of
design, and in the simple harmony of its several parts,
scarcely yields to the most admired object of the kind
in the metropolis. Another church, which boasts some
degree of neatness, has been erected at Hackney: it
is of the Doric order, with a portico and cupola. The
interior is fitted up with taste and simplicity, and the
altar of Scagliola marble is elegant, though some-
what too profusely ornamented.
Several other churches have been completed, but
they add so little credit to the architects and to the
age, that the historian who passes them over will do
uo injury to the individuals, or to the national taste.
It appears by the reports of the commissioners laid
before parliament in the years 1821, 1822, and 1823,
that it was intended to build twenty-four new churches
in the diocese of London, several of which were in
progress.
DISSENTERS' CHAPELS AND MEETING
HOUSES.
In a country where the utmost toleration is given,
and where every person may worship his Creator aç-
cording to the dictates of his own conscience, chapels
and meeting houses are necessarily numerous, and
increase in proportion to the growth of the metropolis,
and the progress of sectarianism. In London, there
are six Jewish synagogues, the chief of which is in
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Duke's-place-six meeting houses of the Quakers or
Friends; in one of these, in White Hart-court, Grace-
church-street, which was burnt down in 1721, the
great founder of the sect, George Fox, as well as the
no less celebrated William Penn, preached. There
are fifteen Roman Catholic chapels; one of these
erected in Moorfields is remarkable for the elegance
of its interior. Nineteen Foreign Protestant churches
and chapels, accommodate those who have embraced
the reformed religion, and wish to attend divine wor-
ship in their respective languages. In one of these,
the Dutch chapel in Austin Friars, several autograph
letters of Calvin and other celebrated reformers are
preserved.
The chapels of the Whitfieldian and Wesleyan
methodists, and the various classes of protestant dis-
senters, exceed one hundred and sixty in number,
and are continually increasing. Many of these are
remarkable for the popularity of the present, or the
recollection of former eminent ministers. The chapel
in Union-street, Borough-the oldest dissenting meet-
ing house in London, is the place where John Bunyan
preached, when in town; and such was his celebrity,
that a few hours notice was sufficient to fill the chapel
when he mounted the pulpit, even at seven o'clock in
the dark mornings of winter. The chapel in Bury-
street, St. Mary Axe, was the place where Dr. Watts
officiated; and New-court meeting, in Carey-street,
among other distinguished pastors has had the eccen-
tric nonconformist, Daniel Burgess, who preached
with an hour glass by his side, and his no less cele-
brated or eccentric successor, Tom Bradbury. The
methodist chapel in the City-road was erected by
L
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265
John Wesley; and the Tabernacle, at a short dis-
tance from it, was built by George Whitfield. Here
these celebrated and pious men promulgated their re-
spective tenets, with the zeal of apostles, and the
confidence of martyrs. Providence chapel, Gray's-
inn-lane, was built by the well-known William Hun-
tingdon. This singular man, in a sermon which he
preached soon after the destruction of Drury Lane
and Covent Garden Theatres in 1808 or 1809, con-
gratulated his audience that " two of the devil's tem-
ples had been burnt down ;" when, a few weeks after,
his own chapel fell a prey to the flames. He was
soon, however, enabled by subscriptions to build a
much larger edifice in Gray's-inn-lane.
Simplicity and neatness is the general characteristic
of the dissenting chapels-indeed, some are affectedly
so the most elegant structure of this kind, is a chapel
erected in Stamford-street, Blackfriars, which is truly
classical in design, and chaste in the execution.
CEMETERIES.
Desirable as it is for the sake of health that the
grave of the dead should be at some distance from the
house of the living, yet custom has so consecrated
the annexation of a burial ground to a church, even
in the centre of a great city, that it is not easy to
eradicate the prejudice. It is true, that in many
parishes in London, the population has outgrown the
cravings of the tomb, and the progress of decay, and
that new burying grounds apart from the church have
been formed; but there is still a strong desire in the
inhabitants of Great Britain, that their remains should
VOL. III.]
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rest near the place where the last offices of the
church are performed over them. This was not the
case in the early ages of Christianity, for Eusebius
assures us, "that when the Christians, by favour of
Constantine, built churches in the great cities, yet
they had their burial places allotted them out of those
cities and towns." Theodosius also enacted a law,
in which it was said, "Let no one imagine that the
churches of the apostles and martyrs were designed
for burial places of the dead;" yet, both Constantine
and Theodosius were the first to violate their own
laws, and were interred in the porch of the great
church of Constantinople,
Burials in churches were introduced into England,
in the seventh century, by Cuthred, King of the West
Saxons, previous to which time, inhumation was per-
formed in the open fields. The custom does not,
however, seem to have been general, for, in the follow-
ing century, Cuthbert, the Archbishop of Canterbury,
deemed it necessary to apply to the Pope for the pri-
vilege of having church-yards for interment, and even
so late as the year 1076, a council held at Winchester
under Lanfranc, Archbishop of Canterbury, forbade
the burial in churches. The custom has, however,
now so far prevailed, that not only the church-yard
or church-porch, but even the aisles and choir, are ap-
propriated as vaults for the dead.
Independent of the prejudice to health by so many
cemeteries in the very centre of the metropolis, there
is something very revolting in having the grave of a
much loved friend, or relative, disturbed-perhaps
within a few days of their having become its tenant,
or in seeing an affectionate wife, or a loved daughter,
·
LONDON.
267
huddled among, "the surfeit-slain fools, common
dung of the soil;" and yet it has never entered into
the contemplation of the legislature, or even of an in-
dividual, to form a general and extensive cemetery
in the suburbs of the metropolis.
In London, there is one general burying ground,
in Bunhill Fields, City Road, which has been princi-
pally used by dissenters. The ground was let in
1665, by the corporation of the city of London, to a
Dr. Tindal, who converted it into a cemetery; and
here John Bunyan, Dr. Isaac Watts, the mother of
John and Charles Wesley, Dr. Richard Price, and
several other eminent dissenters have been interred,
of many of whom there is no record, as a register of
the interments is not kept.
One of the most universal, and by no means the
least important, features in former histories of London,
is the epitaphs in the churches and church yards, and
some of them are certainly sufficiently curious, did
not every church yard abound with such. Among
the churchyards in London, that of Stepney is the
most remarkable for its epitaphs, and has on that ac-
count been noticed in the Spectator.
"Whether or
no," says the writer," it be that the people of that
parish have a particular genius for an epitaph, or that
there be some poet among them, who undertakes that
work by the great, I cannot tell, but there are more
remarkable inscriptions in that place, than in any
other I have met with." Had the writer extended
his researches to other churches and church-yards, he
would have found epitaphs equally curious as those of
Stepney, nor does he even appear to have selected
the most remarkable. The Epitaph,
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PERCY Histories.
"Here lies the body of Daniel Saul,
Spitalfields weaver; and that's all."
is not more curious than that on Joyce Rich and her
daughter, on a grave stone which stood a little south-
west of the church;
"We two within this grave do lye,
Where we do rest together,
Until the Lord shall us awake,
And from the goats us sever.'
""
A more emphatic inscription was placed on a grey
marble stone, near the south wall,
Aspice
Respice
Prospice.
Acrostics and puns, for even the grave would not
prevent our ancestors from indulging in a joke, are the
prevailing characteristics of the epitaphs in the Lon-
don church-yards, which are too well known to need
to be enumerated.
GOVERNMENT OFFICES.
A government whose ramifications are so extensive,
and whose sway embraces every quarter of the globe,
necessarily requires numerous offices for the transac-
tion of business; nothing, however, can be less os-
tentatious than these buildings in London, as most of
them have been town mansions, and would be con-
sidered as such were it not for the sentinels stationed
at some of them. The Foreign Office, where business
is transacted with the representatives of every power
LONDON.
269
A
accredited at our court; the Colonial Office, whence.
orders are transmitted to our most ultramarine provin-
ces; the Office of the Chancellor of the Exchequer,
where the weight and pressure of the public burdens
are adjusted, and those nice calculations of finance
are made, on the policy of which the sinew of war,
and the glory of peace-money-depends; are all plain
but extensive edifices in Downing Street.
The Treasury is a massive, but handsome, stone
edifice, facing the parade in St. James's Park. The
three stories of the front, which was erected by Kent,
exhibit the Tuscan, Doric, and Ionic orders, with a
rustic basement.
The Horse Guards, where the commander-in-chief
has his office, and the business of the war department
is transacted, is an elegant modern building, consist-
ing of a centre, through which is an arched passage.
to the park, and two wings. Sentinels of both foot
and horse daily do duty at the Horse Guards.
The Admiralty is a large building, erected by
Ripley, with a lofty portico, and two deep wings, in
which the Lords of the Admiralty reside. The
screen in front was erected by the brothers Adams.
The Ordnance Office is a spacious building in Pall-
Mall. In Cannon Row, Westminster, a handsome
building with a portico, of the Ionic order, was
erected as a Transport Office, but the return of peace
having nearly rendered such an office unnecessary, it
has been appropriated to the Board of Controul for
the affairs of India.
1.
Somerset House, in the Strand, is the most spacious
and the most elegant building in London, appro-
priated to public offices. It occupies the site of an
2 A 2
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1
extensive palace, which was erected about the year
1549, by Edward Seymour, Duke of Somerset, who
despoiled several churches and chapels in order to
furnish materials for the structure. John of Padua,
"devisor” of buildings to Henry VIII., is generally
believed to have been the architect; and although his
salary was but two shillings a day, he proved himself,
by the erection of this edifice, to have been deserving
of a more ample remuneration, since it was the first
specimen of the Italian style of architecture intro-
duced into this country.
This palace was occasionally occupied by queen Eliza-
beth, Anne of Denmark queen of James I., the consort
of Charles II., and several queens dowager; and it has
also sometimes been appropriated as a residence for
foreign ambassadors. It appears to have been splen-
didly fitted up and furnished, for the period, and even
when the building was taken down, about half a cen-
tury ago, many vestiges of a royal residence were
found. The original palace had received considerable
additions, by Inigo Jones, but even these were com-
pelled to give way to modern improvement, when,
in 1774, it was determined to erect a large suite of
government offices on this spot. Sir William
Chambers was selected as the architect, and although
the economical spirit of the government, rather than
the want of money, when it was undertaken, prevented
him from completing his design, yet the building is
such as to do credit to himself, and to the age in
which he lived.
Somerset House consists of a spacious quadrangle ;
the south front, on the banks of the river, has a very
fine terrace, raised fifty feet above the bed of the
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271
river, and fifty feet broad, on arches of massive rus-
tic work ;the centre arch, or water-gate, is ornamented
with a colossal mask of the Thames in alto relievo.
The whole building is nearly eight hundred feet long,
and three hundred and forty feet wide; the quad-
rangular court is three hundred and forty feet long, and
two hundred and ten wide. The north and south
fronts of the quadrangle are formed by massive build-
ings of rustic work. The centre of the south side is
ornamented with an arcade of four columns, with two
pilasters on each side; on the columns rest a pedi-
ment, in the tympanum of which is a basso relievo re-
presenting the arms of the royal navy, supported by a
sea Nymph. On the corners of the pediments are
military trophies, and above the columns are very
elegant vases. The east and west are nearly similar,
but not so profusely ornamented.
The front in the Strand is only one hundred and
thirty five feet long. It consists of a rustic basement,
formed of nine arches, three of which, in the centre,
are open, and form the entrance into the quadrangle.
The three arches on each side of the entrance are
filled with windows of the Doric order, and adorned
with pilasters, pediments, and entablatures. On the
key-stones of the arches, Ocean and eight of his prin-
cipal tributary streams are exhibited in emblematie
masks, in alto relievo. The basement is surmounted
by ten lofty Corinthian columns (comprising two
floors) on pedestals, with regular entablatures; the
lower windows are surrounded with plain architraves,
but the upper ones have a balustrade in front, and are
ornamented with Ionic pillars, pediments, and enta-
blatures. The three central windows have la:ge
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tablets, covering part of the architrave and frieze, on
which, in basso relievo, are medallions of their late
majesties, as well as of their son, our present Sove-
reign. The attic extends over three intercolumnia-
tions, and is divided into three parts by four colossa-
statues, placed over the columns of the order, emble-
matic of Justice, Truth, Valour, and Moderation.
The whole is surmounted with a group, consisting of
the arms of the British Empire, supported on one side
by the genius of England, and on the other by Fame.
The vestibule, which forms the only entrance, is
closed at night by iron gates. It is decorated with
columns of the Doric order. Over the side doors in
the vestibule leading to the Royal Academy and
the society of Antiquaries, are two busts, by Walton;
that over the academy entrance represents Michael
Angelo Buonarotti, and the other is a bust of Sir
Isaac Newton.
The principal public office in Somerset House is
that of the Receiver General for Stamps-one of the
least oppressive and most prolific sources of revenue,
yielding upwards of six millions annually. Here
also are the Tax and Navy offices, the offices for the
Lottery, the Duchy of Cornwall, the Privy Seal, the
Surveyor of Crown Lands, the Victualling Office, the
Signet Office, and several others, in which several
hundreds of clerks are employed.
Several other public offices, including the Mint, the
Custom House, and the Excise Office, have already
been noticed.
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273
GALLERIES OF ARTS.
A Roman Catholic is said to have tauntingly in-
quired of a Protestant, where his religion was before
the time of Luther; a foreigner might almost in the
same manner inquire of an Englishman, where the
fine arts were in his country before the reign of
George III.? It is true, that England was not without
individuals who distinguished themselves in this pro-
fession, or that many of our monarchs were wanting
in patronage, but there was no school in which the
young artist could study-no gallery in which emula-
tion might receive its stimulus, or the professors profit
by the talents of each other. Hence the number of
eminent painters that the country produced was very
limited, and
"Like angel visits few and far between."
England has for many ages been rich in pictures
of the old masters, and no wonder, when untitled con-
noisseurs can be found to offer five thousand guineas
for a single painting, and a merchant dies possessed of
thirty-eight pictures, which are sold for the immense
sum of 57,000l.! Numerous, splendid, and valuable,
are the private collections of pictures in the metropo-
lis, and several of the possessors have, with a liberality
which is beyond all praise, gratuitously opened them
to the public.
It was not, however, until the accession of his late
majesty that modern art received due encouragement,
or that the brow of the living artist was adorned with
that wreath, which had hitherto been reserved to
adorn his bust. When his majesty ascended the
1
1
274
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*
throne, a new era burst on Britain; the sister arts
of painting and sculpture, caught the inspiration of
the great masters of antiquity, and the foundation
of the Royal Academy was one of the proudest gems
in the diadem of the British sovereign. From this
period, the progress of arts, and the increase of artists,
has been progressive; and it appears by a calculation
made in the year 1818, that modern patronage had
created no less than nine hundred and thirty one
professional artists of various descriptions, in and
near the metropolis. Of these, five hundred and
thirty-two were painters, including forty-three ladies;
forty-five sculptors; one hundred and forty-nine ar-
chitects; ninety-three line engravers; thirty-eight in
mixed style; eighty-three in aquatinta; nineteen in
mezzotinto; and twenty-two in wood. The number
has since that period been considerably augmented.
Independent of the Royal Academy there are
other institutions and exhibitions of the fine arts,
which may be considered as permanent; particularly
the British Gallery, and the Society of Painters in
Water Colours. In 1823, a new institution was
commenced, under the appellation of the Society of
British Artists, which promises to be an admirable
auxiliary to the institutions already established. It
has been formed by a body of artists, who have as-
sociated together, to erect an extensive gallery for the
annual exhibition and sale of the works of living
artists of the united kingdom, in the various branches
of painting, (in oil and water colours,) sculpture,
architecture, and engraving. The gallery, which is
finely adapted to the purpose of display, is in Suffolk
Street, Pall Mall East.
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Mr. West's gallery, which was built, in 1821, from
designs by Mr. Nash, contains nearly one hundred of
his pictures, including the first and last he ever
painted.
The Panoramas in the Strand, and Leicester
Square, present a continued succession of paintings,
not inaptly called the "perfection of perspective.”
They are varied in order to enable the proprietor to
"catch the living manners as they rise," and select
the most popular subjects.
The Diorama, though an exotic recently intro-
duced, has taken root in the garden of British Art.
It is equally calculated for architectural or landscape
scenery, and is on a similar plan to the Eidophusikon
of Loutherbourg, by which a storm at sea was so na-
turally represented, that an English sailor, fascinated
by the illusion, exclaimed, "she has struck again,
all is over now." Both the Diorama and the Eido-
phusikon depended much on the modification of the
light on transparent and partially transparent sur-
faces.
Those who have read the account of Mademoiselle
Rozee, who was called the "Sorceress," on account
of the singular skill with which she worked silk floss,
of various colours, into pictures which rivalled the
best paintings in oil, may not object to our classing
Miss Linwood's exhibition of needle work, among the
galleries of art, even if they have not seen it. In the
hauds of this lady, the needle has been a magic wand,
which has conjured up whatever form she pleased,
and given it life. Among the pictures which this
lady has copied in needle work, are several of the
choicest productions of the old as well as the modern
276
PERCY HISTORIES.
masters, and that with such skill and beauty, as to
elicit the highest eulogiums from Sir Joshua Rey-.
nolds and Mr. West.
In London there are many temporary exhibitions
of works of art, well entitled to notice; but they are
of too fleeting a character to be noticed in an histo-
rical work.
THE ROYAL ACADEMY.
The first attempt at an association of artists, and
exhibition of works of art, in England, was made
about the year 1759, when a society was formed, and
met in St. Martin's Lane, under the imposing name
of an Academy. Their first exhibition was in the
year 1760, under the sanction of the Society of Arts.
The first effort was sufficiently promising to induce
these associated artists to seek a permanent establish-
ment, and after a few exhibitions, his majesty, by
royal charter, dated the 28th January, 1765, incor-
porated them by the name of, "The Society of
Artists of Great Britain." The combination of a
body of painters with a society which embraced
manufactures and commerce, was somewhat anoma-
lous, and the union was by no means permanent.
Three years afterwards, a separation took place, and
the Royal Academy was established. Sir Joshua
Reynolds was appointed the first president, an office
which he filled with great ability, until the year 1791,
when he was succeeded by Mr. West, who for thirty
years kept the chair. On his death, in 1820, Sir
Thomas Lawrence, one of the first portrait painters
this country has produced, was selected his successor.
A
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The members of the Royal Academy are divided
into three classes, Royal Academicians, Associates,
and Associated Engravers; the number of the latter
is absurdly limited to six, nor are they eligible to any
office in the academy, or to a vote on any question
that may be discussed in their assemblies. The
Royal Academicians are forty in number, and are
elected from the Associates, of whom there are twenty,
but the election requires the sanction of his majesty,
and, when approved, the new member is called upon
to present to the academy a picture, bas relief, or
other specimen of his talents, in that branch of the
art he professes. When a vacancy occurs it is soon
filled up and in order to encourage students, the
Academy distributes prizes to those who have excelled
in the art of design. The prizes consist of gold and
silver medals; the silver medals, for the best academy
figures, and architectural drawings, are awarded once
a year. The gold medals are given for historical
composition in painting, pieces of sculpture, and
designs in architecture. Success in this competition
is a step to a more important advantage, as all stu-
dents, whether painters, sculptors, or architects, that
have obtained the academy's gold medal, have the
privilege of becoming candidates by rotation, to be
sent abroad by his majesty's pension, which allows to
the successful candidate 60%, for his journey there
and back, and 100l. a year, for three years. Such a
privilege is a great advantage to any student, and we
trust that the time is not far distant, when an English
school will be established at Rome, where our artists,
whether sent out by royal bounty, or otherwise, may
be best instructed and guided in their studies.
2 B
VOL. III.]
278
PERCY HISTORIES.
There are four professors of anatomy, painting,
sculpture, and architecture, who deliver a course of
six lectures, each on the respective arts, every winter,
to which students may gain admission, by a ticket,
signed by any royal academician or associate.
Every year there is an exhibition of works of art,
in painting, architectural designs, sculpture, &c., to
which any artist, connected or unconnected with the
academy, may contribute. No copies of any kind
are admitted, with the exception of paintings in
enamel, or impressions from unpublished medals or
medallions. The exhibition, which, generally, con-
tains from eleven to twelve hundred works of art,
opens in May, for a period of about six weeks; and
the receipts are, in this short period, generally, about
six thousand pounds, although the price of admission
is only one shilling. It may, therefore, be calculated
that nearly a hundred thousand persons visit the ex-
hibition every year.
It is much to be regretted that the rooms of the
Royal Academy, (as all rooms not built for the pur-
pose must be) are but ill calculated to display pic-
tures to advantage, particularly as so numerous are
the accepted pictures, that they generally cover the
walls, from the ceiling to the floor. We doubt not,
however, but that a splendid gallery, with suitable
offices, will, ere long, be erected for this noble institu-
tion.
Many of the rooms in the academy are richly de-
corated; the ceiling in the library was painted by
Sir Joshua Reynolds and Cipriani, and represents the
theory of Art: Nature, History, Allegory, and Fable.
In the council room, the centre of the ceiling is di-
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279
vided into five compartments, which are occupied by
as many pictures painted by West. That in the
centre represents the Graces, unveiling nature, sur-
rounded by emblematic figures of the four elements.
At the extremities of the ceiling are four pictures, by
Angelina Kauffman, representing Invention, Composi-
tion, Design, and Colouring; and in other parts of
the ceiling, are medallions of Apelles, Phidias, Archi-
medes, and Apollodorus, by Rebecca. Eight smaller
medallions are placed at intervals, in chiaro scuro, of
those great masters, Palladio, Bernini, Michael An-
gelo, Flamingo, Raphael, Domenichino, Titian, and
Rubens.
The Royal Academy is not rich in works of art,
for, with the exception of the pictures, statues, &c.
presented by the Academicians on their election, it
contains nothing original. The other pictures are
copies of the Cartoons of Raphael by Sir James
Thornhill, and a few pictures of Rubens. In the
council room there are also a choice collection of
casts presented to his majesty, when Prince Regent,
by Pope Pius VII.
BRITISH INSTITUTION.
The Royal Academy had continued for nearly
forty years, fostering modern art, and affording it the
opportunity of displaying itself, when an auxiliary
sprung up in "The British Institution for promoting
the Fine Arts in the United Kingdom." That patron
of the arts, Alderman Boydell, had previously laid
the foundation of a school of British historical paint-
ing in the establishment of the Shakspeare Gallery.
280
PERCY HISTORIES.
Whether the plan was too extensive, or the arts were
not then so liberally patronized as at present, we
know not, but the project failed; and the worthy
Alderman, in order to idemnify him in some degree
for his great losses, obtained leave to dispose of the
pictures by lottery, in 1805. The Alderman had ex-
pended a sum of 350,000l. in forming the first gal-
lery of historical paintings in England, and as the
failure of success affected him so much, it is perhaps
not to be regretted that he did not live to see the
treasures he had collected, scattered. The first prize,
consisting of all the pictures painted from Shak-
speare's work, fell to Mr. Tassie, the dealer in gems;
he had taken the ticket of a friend, who had bought
two, and wished to dispose of one of them.
When the Shakspeare Gallery was dispersed, the
house was purchased for the British Institution, which
had been formed for the exhibition and sale of works
of living artists, the display of works of great merit,
where artists may study, and the encouragement of
art, by offering premiums for such large paintings,
as might exceed individual patronage. This Institu-
tion has been very successful; and the first year of
the exhibition, in 1806, pictures (many of which had
previously been before the public) were sold to the
amount of 5,500l.
The collections of Reynolds, Hogarth, Gainsbro,
Wilson, and many of the choicest productions of the
best old and modern masters, generously lent by his
majesty, and other distinguished patrons of the art,
have since been exhibited at this gallery. There are
two exhibitions every year, at this institution, one, a
collection of eminent works of art, of every age and
LONDON.
281
country; the other, the productions of living artists,
who send them for exhibition and sale.
The plan originally adopted, of giving premiums,
has been abandoned by the directors, but they fre-
quently give commissions for painting, sometimes as
high as 1,000l., as was the case with Mr. Ward's
Allegory of the Battle of Waterloo, which they have
presented to Chelsea Hospital.
SOCIETY OF PAINTERS IN WATER
COLOURS.
Xerxes wept to think that in a hundred years his
army, the largest that ever took the field, would be
no more; and the connoisseur who views those lovely
productions of art, in water colours, which our
countrymen produce, must sigh to think that, in a
much less period, those beautiful and delicate paint-
ings will perish.
This society may be said to have branched from the
Royal Academy, when the rooms in Somerset House
became so engrossed with oil paintings, that there
was little hope of any water colour drawing been ex-
hibited to advantage. The painters in this branch of
art, therefore, in 1804, determined on an exhibition
of their own; two societies were at first formed, but
one soon ceased to exist, and the survivor has con-
tinued to flourish. In 1821, a commodious gallery
was erected for this exhibition, in Pall Mall East,
a part of London, which, whatever it may be in its
architecture, promises to be more classic in the busi-
ness to which the buildings are appropriated, than-
almost any portion of the metropolis.
·
2 B 2
282
PERCY HISTORIES.
The exhibition, which generally opens in May,
contains the finest specimens of painting in water
colours, a branch of art, which has been brought to
the highest perfection in this country.
*
LITERARY AND SCIENTIFIC INSTITU-
TIONS.
Literature and science are so intermingled in the
several institutions of the British metropolis, and, in-
deed, have so much in common, that it is difficult to
separate them, nor is it necessary to our purpose. It
is a common, but a very just remark, that in England,
objects are achieved by individuals, which, in any
other country, could only be accomplished by the go-
vernment; and hence, nearly the whole of our insti-
tutions have emanated from the public-few, indeed,
having originated with the state, although the sanc-
tion and patronage of the sovereign may afterwards
have contributed to their success. When we con-
sider the eminence to which England attained in
science and the arts at an early period, it may seem
surprising that the country remained so long without
institutions to foster it; and that we have not long
ago had societies formed in honour of a Shakspeare,
a Milton, a Bacon, or a Newton. England has long
laboured under a serious disadvantage in this respect,
and we need only look back to the last twenty years,
to be convinced of this, since, without any disrespect to
the oldest institution devoted to science in the metro-
polis-the Royal Society, we do not hesitate to assert
that the Royal Institution has in twenty years done
more towards the promoting of science and scientific
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283
discovery than the Royal Society has done in a
period of a century and a half.
Next in point of precedence to the Royal Society,
which, with the more prominent institutions will be
described in distinct articles, is the Mathematical So-
ciety in Crispin-street, Spital Fields, which, however
obscure, has been of considerable service to that class
of persons for which it was intended, and has num-
bered amongst its members, a Dollond, a Simpson,
and a Sanderson. This society was formed in 1717,
by Mr. John Middleton, who, with a few journeymen
mechanics, agreed to meet and instruct each other
once every week. The original number of members
was sixty-four, they were afterwards increased to
ninety-one, and may be augmented by ballot. After
the Mathematical Society had been established some
years, it was joined by an Historical Society: this
considerably increased the library, which is now excel-
lent, and the mathematical and philosophical apparatus
very complete. Lectures are delivered by the mem-
bers on a variety of scientific subjects, and it is a
fundamental principle in the society that, "it is the
duty of every member, if he be asked any mathema-
tical or philosophical question by another member, to
instruct him in the plainest and easiest manner he is
able."
Of a similar nature, but more comprehensive in its
objects, is the Mechanic's Institution, established in
1823, for the purpose of instructing operative work-
men in the various branches of mechanical art and
sciences by means of lectures, schools, a library, &c. ·
The Linnean Society was established in 1788, to
promote the study of natural history, and named in
284
PERCY HISTORIES.
honour of the naturalist, Linnæus. This society, of
which Sir J. E. Smith was the founder, was incorpo-
rated in 1802.
The Entomological Society was instituted in 1806,
for promoting the study of that branch of natural his-
tory from which it derives its name.
The British Mineralogical Society established in
1799, has been of considerable service to the mining
districts of England, as well as to agriculture gene-
rally, by gratuitously ascertaining the composition
and qualities of all specimens of soils or minerals that
are sent to the society.
The Geological Society, established in 1813, takes a
a more extensive range, and has published several
volumes of its transactions, which throw much valu-
able light on the theory and structure of the earth,
and the principles of mineralogy.
The Astronomical Society, founded in 1820, has for
its object the promotion of one of the most sublime.
sciences that is given to man to study.
The London Architectural Society has been esta-
blished for cultivating the study of an art, which is
certainly not at its zenith in the present day.
Although agriculture and horticulture were neces-
sarily the first of human arts, yet it was only within
the last thirty years that societies were formed in
England to reduce them to science; so little, indeed,
was horticulture attended to in England, that, two
centuries ago, we imported all our culinary vegetables
from Holland or Flanders. The Board of Agricul-
ture, for diffusing a better knowledge of the subject,
and encouraging it by premiums, was established in
1793, under the auspices of Sir John Sinclair and
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285
Arthur Young, esq. It has long been supported by
an annual parliamentary grant, and has published
much valuable information on the best means of in-
creasing the produce of the earth, improving the breed
of cattle, &c. Sir John Sinclair, who has devoted his
fortune and the greatest portion of his life to pursuits
of this nature, was for many years President of the
Board of Agriculture, and, while filling this office,
thought himself entitled to higher and more substan-
tial honours. He waited on Mr. Pitt, then Premier,
and stated that he thought the president of so impor-
tant a society should be a British Peer. Mr. Pitt
agreed in the propriety of such a measure, but instead
of recommending his majesty to elevate Sir John to
that dignity, he displaced him from his presidency,
and appointed his own brother, the Earl of Chatham,
his successor. The Horticultural Society was not
established until the year 1805, but since that period
it has considerably improved the useful art of garden-
ing, and the quality of our native fruits; and by
means of its foreign corespondence, several useful
exotics have been added to our fruit and culinary
gardens.
BRITISH MUSEUM.
The British Museum is the only public establish-
ment in London that is open to the public. To the
disgraceful cupidity which marks the conduct of the
age, our temples, like those of Jerusalem, are occu-
pied by “money changers," who watch the gate like
Cerberus, and like him are only to be passed by a
bribe; not so, our great national establishment, where
286
PERCY HISTORIES.
persons of all ranks in society are admitted free, on
merely giving their names; and although upwards of
two thousand visitors have been admitted in the course
of five or six hours, yet there has never been the
slightest injury done to any of the curiosities it con-
tains.
The building in which our national collections are
deposited, is situated in Great Russel-street, Blooms-
bury, and was formerly called Montague House, on
account of its having been the residence of the Dukes
of Montague. It was built by Ralph, the first duke
of that title, in the reign of Louis XIV., under the
direction of Peter Puget, a celebrated French archi-
tect, who was brought from Paris for the purpose.
The principal building, which is on the north side of
a spacious quadrangle concealed from the street
by a lofty brick wall, is 216 feet in length, and 57
feet high. The two wings are appropriated to the
residence of the officers of the establishment, who are
by no means liberally paid. The exterior is of no
positive order of architecture; but in the interior, the
hall is spacious, the staircase ample, and the rooms.
not only lofty, but the ceilings of several of them are
painted by Rousseau and Charles de la Fosse. The
great staircase, the decorations of which have been
recently restored, was painted by these two artists.
The ceiling, which represents Phacton petitioning
Apollo for leave to drive his chariot, was painted by
de la Fosse, who was eminent for the beauty and
chasteness of his colouring; the landscapes and archi-
tectural decorations were by Rousseau, whose skill in
perspective is perpetuated in many buildings in Paris,
as well as in this staircase.
+
LONDON.
287
The British Museum is rich in MSS., printed books,
sculpture, and the curiosities of nature and art; the
collection of manuscripts is the most numerous and
most valuable of any in Europe. It was commenced
by Henry VIII., who was anxious to found a royal
library, and on the suppression of the religious houses,
purchased such manuscripts as Leland and others had
rescued from the spoils of the monasteries; this li-
brary, which was considerably increased by his suc-
cessors, continued to be kept in one of the royal
palaces, until the reign of George II., who présented
it to the British Museum.
The Harleian collection of MSS. was formed by
Harley, Lord Oxford, and increased by his son; they
are bound up in 7639 volumes, and include, besides
distinct treatises, nearly forty thousand original rolls,
letters patent, signs manual, charters with their con-
firmations, warrants, deeds, and other instruments
connected with the history or topography of the
country. Among these manuscripts there is a finely
illuminated copy of Hardyng's Chronicle much more
perfect than Grafton's edition. In this copy, Har-
dyng, who served Hotspur, and was with him in all
his battles, has inserted the letter of defiance sent to
King Henry IV., by the Earl of Northumberland, his
son Henry Hotspur, and his brother, the Earl of Wor-
cester, previous to the battle of Shrewsbury. The
library also contains a very old copy of William of
Malmsbury's elaborate treatise de Gestis Regum An-
glorum, which was formerly preserved with the most
religious care at Rochester; several copies of the
Dunstable Chronicle, one of which is beautifully illu
minated, and another adorned with the blazon of the
C
288
PERCY HISTORIES.
arms of several emperors and kings. The library is
rich in heraldic collections, and include genealogies
and memoirs of most of the British monarchs, a large
collection of royal letters and mandates, and a curious
volume which formerly belonged to Lord Treasurer
Burleigh. It contains a register of the grants, &c.,
which passed the privy seal, signet, or sign manual
during the reigns of Edward V. and Richard III.,
including two thousand three hundred and seventy-
eight distinct documents. There are also in this col-
lection several volumes formerly belonging to Sir
Simond d'Ewes, the Suffolk antiquary, Stow, the his-
torian of London, Mr. Charles, the Lancaster herald,
and the manuscripts of Fox, the martyrologist. This
valuable collection of MSS. was purchased by govern-
ment for the sum of 10,000l. and it is much to be
regretted, that the printed books belonging to the
Harley library were not purchased at the same time.
They were sold to Osborne, the bookseller, for 13,000l.
which was 5000l. less than the binding had cost the
Earl of Oxford.
The Cottonian collection of MSS., the next in num-
ber and value, was founded by Sir Robert Cotton,
the friend of Camden, Lambard, and other learned
antiquarians of that period; and such was the avidity
with which he collected books, and the attachment he
felt for them, that when he fell out of favour with
Charles I., in consequence of his amanuensis having
copied a tract which was in his library, written by Sir
Robert Dudley, Duke of Northumberland, at Flo-
rence, in 1613, he was shut from his books, he de-
clared, “that they had broken his heart, who had
locked up his library from him," and a short time
LONDON.
289
before his death he addressed a memorial to the privy
council, stating that it was the cause of his mortal
malady. The obnoxious tract was entitled " Propo-
sitions for his Majesty's service to bridle the imperti-
nency of Parliaments," but it was circulated under
the new title of " A project how a Prince may make
himself an absolute Tyrant."
The library, which originally consisted of 958
volumes, was, by a fire, in 1731, reduced to 861, of
which 105 were damaged bundles in cases; the num-
ber of articles, however, are upwards of 26,000. The
fire took place when the library was deposited in a
house in little Dean's-yard. The books which were
removed to the British Museum, in 1753, are arranged
in 14 presses, over which are placed the busts of the
12 Cæsars, with Cleopatra and Faustina. In this
collection there is the original Magna Charta, which
King John signed at Runnymede, together with the
original copy of the articles preparatory to the sign-
ing of the Great Charter, with the seal perfect; the
latter was presented to the Museum in 1769, by Earl
Stanhope.
The Lansdown MSS., purchased pursuant to a vote
of parliament of the Marquis of Lansdown, in 1807,
for the sum of 4,3251. contain the Burghley Papers,
in 122 volumes, including one of Charters and other
documents of an early date; and the Cæsar and
Kennett Papers, formerly belonging to Sir Julius
Cæsar, Judge of the Admiralty to Queen Elizabeth,
and to Dr. White Kennet, Bishop of Peterborough.
They are bound up in 1,245 volumes; and are rich
in original letters, and historical, biographical, and
heraldical documents,
VOL. III.]
2 C
290
PERCY HISTORIES.
The collections of Sir Hans Sloane and Dr. Birch
are also large; that of the former, containing 4,100
volumes, principally on physic, natural history, and
natural philosophy, with several journals of voyages,
and some oriental MSS. Those of Dr. Birch, many
of which are copies of valuable papers in private col-
lections, are, in number, 337, chiefly on history, bio-
graphy, divinity, and literature.
The Hargrave MSS., purchased in 1813, consist
of 499 volumes, which are almost exclusively devoted
to law. The MSS. of Dr. Burney, which, together
with his library and printed books, were purchased for
13,500l., contain the most complete and valuable
copies of Homer's Iliad, a series of the Greek orators,
the Greek Gospels of the 10th and 12th centuries,
and many other classical works.
These are the principal collections of MSS.; they
are, however, far from including all that are deposited
in the Museum, as many have been added by gift,
bequest, or purchase, among which are twenty-four
volumes of MSS., principally oriental, belonging to
Brassey Halhed, Esq. M. P. A collection of MSS.
and Rolls, consisting of sixty-two articles, relating to
Kent, purchased of Mr. Hasted, the historian of the
county. Fifty-seven volumes of public acts, &c., re-
lating to the history and government of England, from
the
year 1105 to 1608, collected by Thomas Rymer,
but not printed in his Fœdera. Sixty-four volumes
of Rolls of Parliament, which, together with Rymer's
papers, were presented by the House of Lords. Forty-
three volumes of Icelandic MSS., presented by Sir
Joseph Banks. Forty-one volumes, containing the
decisions of the commissioners for settling the city
LONDON.
291
estates after the fire of London, presented by Thomas
Cowper, Esq. A collection of forty-seven volumes,
relating to the history of Ireland, presented by the
Rev. Jeremiah Milles, Dean of Exeter. Sir William
Musgrave's MSS., forty-four volumes, thirty-two of
which consist of an obituary, the rest being a collec-
tion of biographical adversaria, autographs, original
warrants, catalogues of portraits, &c., which were be-
queathed by the Baronet.
The MSS. of the Rev. William Cole, M.A. This
gentleman, although a clergyman of the Established
Church, was a rank and intolerant Catholic; his MSS.,
which are principally topographical, are interlarded
with so many coarse and pointed personalities, that,
in bequeathing them to the Museum, he ordered they
should be sealed up, and not opened until thirty
years after his death. Mr. Cole had originally writ-
ten only on one side of his MSS., but economy after-
wards prompted him to fill up the other, so that the
volumes contain the most singular admixture of sub-
jects; thus, in the Cartulary of some monastery, we
frequently find a receipt to make good soup, an entry
respecting a servant, a tirade against Wilkes and li-
berty, the price of hay and corn at Cambridge market,
or the number of the last lottery ticket he had pur-
chased. Thirty-eight volumes of MSS., and nine of
drawings, relating to the history and topography of
Sussex, by Sir William Burrel, to which, John Fuller,
Esq., of Rose Hill, has added several collections on
the same subject, made by the Rev William Hayley,
of Brightling. Twenty-seven volumes of music, by
the old composers, presented by James Mathias, Esq.,
and twenty-four volumes on the history of this de-
292
PERCY HISTORIES.
lightful science, which, with a large collection of
printed books, were bequeathed by Sir John Haw
kins there are also several other MSS., presented by
Mr. Cracherode, Dr. Askew, and others.
The library of printed books, though by no means
complete, is very extensive, and is, perhaps, the
richest in the world, not only in early typography,
but in curious works of a more recent date. His Ma-
jesty, George III., presented a most valuable collec-
tion of pamphlets, relating to the civil wars, which
had been commenced by Charles I., and prosecuted
by him, even when compelled to quit London, and
seek refuge, when he could no longer resist the
power which so long threatened him in the country.
The library of printed books, belonging to Dr. Bur-
ney, is particularly valuable; it contains a collection
of newspapers, from the year 1603, until the time of
his death, in 1817. This collection, which is by no
means complete, extends to several thousand volumes.
The collection of materials, for a history of the stage,
by the same learned gentleman, amounting to between
three or four hundred volumes, is invaluable. The
collection of prints is large, and includes the finest
specimens of ancient arts.
In sculpture, the British Museum is particularly
rich. The Towneley collection, which was formed
by Charles Towneley, esq. during a residence of many
years at Rome, consists of numerous splendid terra-
cottas and marbles. Several fine pieces of ancient
sculpture, formerly belonging to Sir Hans Sloane, Mr.
Burke, and other collectors, have been added. There is
a fine bas relief, representing the Apotheosis, or dei-
fication of Homer, which for many years adorned the
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Colonna palace at Rome; a colossal head of Her-
cules, dug up at the foot of Mount Vesuvius, where
it had been buried by the lava. Independent of the
Egyptian marbles, and the Elgin collection, there are
in the Museum, 46 terracottas, 45 Roman sepulchral
antiquities, and 225 Greek and Roman sculptures.
Among the Egyptian antiquities are two very fine
mummies, and fifty-six sculptures, most of which had
been collected by the French, during Bonaparte's
campaign in Egypt, and came into the possession of
the English army, in consequence of the capitulation
of Alexandria. Among these, are a large Egyptian
Sarcophagus, used by the Turks, at Grand Cairo, as
a cistern, and called the "Lover's fountain ;" and the
Rosetta stone with three inscriptions, recording the
services which Ptolemy the Fifth had rendered his
country. To this collection several valuable articles
have been contributed by modern travellers, particu-
larly the head and upper part of the body of a colossal
statue, brought from the ruins of the Memnonium,
and presented by Mr. Salt, and the late Louis Burck-
hardt.
Twenty-three bas reliefs, representing the battles of
the Centaurs and Lapithæ, and the combat between
the Greeks and the Amazons, also enrich this gallery.
They were found in the ruins of the temple of Apollo
Epicurius, which was built by Ictinus, a contempo-
rary of Pericles; but the most valuable collection is
that formerly belonging to the Earl of Elgin, formed
during his embassy to the Ottoman Porte, and pur-
chased by government for 35,000l. These sculptures
consist of fifteen of the metopes, and the exterior
frieze of the cella of the Parthenon, with numerons
2 c 2
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PERCY HISTORIES.
other relics of antiquity, from that celebrated temple,
as well as from that of Erectheus. They are generally
believed to have been executed from the designs of
Phidias, the celebrated Athenian sculptor. Lord
Elgin has been very harshly treated, for.having de-
spoiled Athens of these matchless productions of an-
cient art. The muse of Byron, most powerful in its
hate, has perpetuated his abhorrence of the spoliation,
in a poem, called, "The Curse of Minerva ;" and
some of our travellers have recorded their sentiments
on the ruins of the temple itself at Athens, the plaster
wall, on the west side of the temple of Minerva Pol-
lias, bearing the following inscription, cut in very
deep characters :
Quod non fecerunt Goti
Hoc fecerunt Scoti.
The British Museum contains a most extensive col-
lection of minerals, systematically arranged, with
numerous specimens of native iron, and fragments of
the most celebrated aërolites that have fallen at va-
rious periods, either in England or abroad. In one
room, a British Oryctognostic collection has been
commenced, and, when complete, must be a very va-
luable contribution to science. The minerals of the
counties of England are distinctly classified, so that
it may be ascertained at one view, if any, and which
of the four classes of earths, metals, inflammable sub-
stances, and salts, are to be met with in any part of
Great Britain. The counties are arranged alphabeti-
cally, though, if space could be obtained, it would be
better that they should be classed geographically,
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295
when the approximation of the different substances in
adjoining counties would more easily be traced.
The collections in zoology, chonchology, and orni-
thology, are not very complete, but that of entomo-
logy contains about ninety thousand specimens. The
collection of medals and coins, the basis of which
was formed by the cabinets of Sir Hans Sloane, and
Sir Robert Cotton, has received so many additions,
that it is now the most complete of any in Europe.
In another room, there is a curious collection of
Penates, pateræ, necklaces, ear-rings, Hindu, Chinese,
and Japanese idols, specimens of ancient armour, and
other antiquities, which formerly belonged to Sir Wm.
Hamilton, together with the celebrated Barberini, or
Portland vase, the most ancient and the most beauti-
ful specimen of sculpture in glass that is known to
exist.
These are only a few of the curiosities of this great
national depository, the whole of which are open to
the public, with the exception of the library, to which,
access for the purposes of study is by no means diffi-
cult.
ROYAL SOCIETY.
The earliest literary, association, of which in modern
times we have any record, is a rude and defective
academy, said to have been formed by Charlemagne,
which consisted of the principal persons of his court,
including the sovereign himself; but from this period
we find no mention of any literary societies until
the sixteenth century, when several were formed in
Italy, though very imperfect; nor was it until Lord
Bacon gave the true delineation of a philosophical
296
PERCY HISTORIES.
society, that an institution of this sort, for the im-
provement of arts and sciences, was formed. This
great philosopher wished the learned world to be
united in one vast republic, which, though consisting
of many detached states, should hold a strict union,
and preserve a mutual intelligence with each other
in every thing that regarded the common interest;
for this purpose he recommended to the reigning
prince of every state to institute societies of learned
men, who should give to the world, from time to time,
a regular account of their researches and discoveries.
The suggestions of a Bacon were not to be disre-
garded, and although an institution was not immedi-
ately formed on his plan, yet the men of science
began to associate together, both in London and in
Oxford, when the philosophic Bayle, one of the first
of political economists Sir William Petty, Wren
Bishop of Ely, uncle of Sir Christopher Wren, and
Lawrence Rooke, an eminent mathematician, as-
sembled at the apartments of Dr. Wilkins, of Wad-
ham college, in order to discuss scientific subjects.
The members of this little band afterwards renewed
their scientific intimacy in town, and having an apart-
ment in Gresham College, formed themselves into
a society, which was afterwards incorporated by
Charles II., and has continued to prosper until the
present day. The meetings of this society continued
to be held at Gresham College until, in the year 1711,
they were held in Crane-court, whence they were
afterwards removed to apartments in Somerset House,
which his Majesty George III. assigned to them.
The library and museum of this society are excellent;
it is, however, to be regretted, that, as a body, the
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297
society has not done for science what it might and
ought to have done, with the means it possesses.
Indeed, the Royal Society has rather become
an aristocratic than a scientific body; it has late- -
ly been more ambitious to get titled than talented
members: there could not be a better proof of
this than that, although the number of members
exceeds seven hundred, the greater portions of them
are actually unknown in the annals of science.
The society publishes annually a volume of its pro-
ceedings, entitled “ Philosophical Transactions of the
Royal Society of London," and although in the early
stages of the society, many theories were contended
for, and many principles asserted, which have since
vanished before the lights of matured discovery, yet
several of the members have rendered considerable ser-
vice to science. The meetings of the society are once
a week, and the election of officers once a-year.
SOCIETY OF ARTS.
The avowed object of this society, which was in-
stituted in 1753, by Mr. Shipley, an artist, and Lord
Romney, is the encouragement of arts, manufactures,
and commerce, by the presentation of premiums in
money, honorary medals, &c. The Fine Arts, which
have never ceased to be one of the objects of this
society, were a prominent feature in the early period
of the institution, until the Royal Academy, by being
wholly devoted to that object, almost entirely super-
seded the annual exhibition of the Society of Arts.
The society, which is very comprehensive in its
D
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objects, and embraces almost every branch of art,
whether useful or ornamental, consists of nearly
eighteen hundred members: their meetings are once a
week, from October to June, and the exhibition of
the works of art which have been contributed, as well
as the distribution of the prizes, takes place in public
once a year.
The library and gallery of models belonging to the
Society of Arts are in a very handsome edifice,
erected by the brothers, Adams, in John-street, Adel-
phi. The principal room is enriched with a series of
paintings, by the celebrated James Barry, designed
to illustrate the maxim, that the attainment of hap-
piness, individual and public, depends on the cultiva-
tion of the human faculties.
Nothing can be more liberal than the plan on which
this society is formed; there are no galling restric-
tions on the admission of members, and even stran-
gers are admitted to its sittings, on the recommen-
dation of a member.
SOCIETY OF ANTIQUARIES.
No class of scientific inquirers have been subjected
to so much ridicule as antiquaries, whom poets, nove-
lists, and dramatists, have delighted to laugh at, and
yet their pursuits are neither absurd nor unprofitable.
The Society of Antiquaries is one of the oldest lite-
rary or scientific associations in London. It dates
its origin towards the close of the sixteenth century,
and enumerates among its founders, Camden, Stowe,
Archbishop Parker, and Sir Robert Cotton; but it
was not until the year 1751 that the society was in-
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299
corporated: Queen Elizabeth and James I. had both
been applied to, to form a college of English Antiqua-
ries, but they refused their consent, and the Society
was left to struggle with neglect, and even ridicule.
The society consists of a president and council, an-
nually elected, and an unlimited number of mem-
bers, or fellows, who are admitted on very easy terms.
ROYAL INSTITUTION.
•
No establishment formed for the purpose of promo-
ting science was ever better patronized in the outset,
or more successful in its progress, than the Royal In-
stitution of Great Britain, in Albemarle Street, which
was first projected by Count Rumford, in the year
1799, for the purpose of teaching, by courses of phi-
losophical lectures and experiments, the principles of
science, and their application to the improvement of
arts and manufactures, as well as the common conve-
niences of life. Scarcely had the plan of the Society
been organized, than subscribers crowded to enrol
their names, and within a few months of its formation,
it numbered on its books upwards of eleven hundred
members, under the various denominations of Pro-
prietors, Life and Annual subscribers. The society
now possesses a valuable scientific apparatus, by
means of which, Sir Humphrey Davy made those ex-
periments on the nature and properties of flame,
which led to the discovery of the safety lamp; the
library of the Institution, though not large, is very
valuable ; and the courses of lectures, which are annu-
ally delivered on science and literature, are well
attended.
300
PERCY HISTORIES.
7
ROYAL SOCIETY OF LITERATURE.
Towards the close of the year 1820, it was suggest-
ed to his Majesty, that a Society of Literature, some-
what similar to the French Academy of Belles Let-
tres, might prove advantageous to the country; the
king immediately expressed his approbation, and au-
thorized the establishment of such a society under his
immediate patronage. Some delay took place in its
formation, but, at length, the officers have been ap
pointed, and the actual business of the society com-
menced. The objects of this Institution are, to ex-
tend and unite the general interests of literature,
to reward literary merit by patronage, to excite lite-
rary talent by premium, and to promote literary edu-
cation, by bestowing exhibitions at the universities
and public schools in cases of distinguished merit.
❤
The patronage of his Majesty has not been nominal,
for with that munificence, which is a leading feature
in his character, he has assigned to it a sum of a
thousand guineas, annually, to be divided among ten
associates distinguished for their learning, who are
to contribute, within the year after their election, a
literary Essay to be printed in the Society's Memoirs
of Literature.
LONDON INSTITUTION.
Though commerce, like arts, is a jealous mistress,
and requires almost undivided attention, yet the Lon-
don merchants have not been so absorbed in the pur-
suit of gain, as to neglect those refinements which
have ever been attendant on commercial prosperity.
LONDON.
301
In the year 1805, a number of gentlemen connected
with the city associated together, for the purpose of
forming an Institution, calculated to promote science,
literature, and the arts. The number of subscribers
was limited to a thousand, and the shares seventy-five
guineas each; the subscription list was soon filled,
and the Institution opened with a good library in
January, 1806, in a house, which formerly belonged
to Sir Robert Clayton, in the Old Jewry; the library
was afterwards removed to King's Arms Yard, Cole-
man Street, where it remained until a new and mag-
nificent building was erected for the Institution in
Moorfields, under the direction of Mr. Wm. Brooks,
the architect.
This building is 108 feet in length, with two wings
of 16 feet each; the centre has a handsome portico,
with pillars of the Tuscan and Corinthian orders, sur-
mounted by a neat pediment. The interior arrange-
ment, is admirable: on the ground floor, in addition
to the entrance halls, there are separate reading rooms
for newspapers, magazines, and reviews, as well as for
meetings of the committee, &c. and a noble staircase
leads to the library on the first floor, which is 97 feet
long by 42 wide; and the lecture room is 63 feet by 44.
The library consists of a very extensive collection of
modern works, and is particularly rich in topography;
several courses of lectures on a variety of subjects are
annually delivered, and in general are well attended.
RUSSEL INSTITUTION.
The Russel Institution in Coram Street, though on
a smaller scale, embraces the same objects as the Lon-
VOL. III.]
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302
PERCY HISTORIES.
don Institution, with this difference, that a portion of
the library of the former, which contains a valuable
collection of works on English history, is circulatory
among the members.
ARCHIEPISCOPAL LIBRARY-LAMBETH
PALACE.
Lambeth Palace, situated on the South Bank of
the Thames, is a venerable pile, which, having been
built at various periods, contains, although it does not
combine, almost every species of architecture. It has
been the residence of the Primate of all England for
six centuries and a half, having been originally built by
Archbishop Baldwin, in the year 1188. Whether
any part of the ancient edifice remains or not seems
doubtful, as in the year 1250 it had become so
ruinous, that Boniface, then Archbishop, rebuilt the
greatest part of it, as an expiation for his outrage on
the priors of St. Bartholomew's. Succeeding prelates
have made numerous additions and alterations, to
which its want of uniformity is to be attributed, al-
though the interior, considering the age in which it
was arranged, is not deficient in convenience. The
gate, which is a noble structure, was built by Cardinal
Pole. The Lollard's Tower, at the west end of the
chapel, remains a lasting memorial of the cruelty of
Archbishop Chicbley: it is a small room, planked
with elm, twelve feet by nine. In the walls there are
eight rings and staples, to which the persecuting pre-
late, who converted his own palace into a dungeon,
chained the poor Lollards.
Lambeth Palace contains a fine library, which was
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commenced by Archbishop Bancroft, in 1610, and in-
creased by succeeding prelates to its present extent.
It now contains 25,000 volumes, exclusive of between
seven and eight hundred volumes of valuable manu-
scripts. To the honour of the present Archbishop of
Canterbury, Dr. Charles Manners Sutton, it ought to
be stated that he has been at the expense of printing
an excellent and copious catalogue of the manuscripts,
and has also partially opened the Archiepiscopal
library to the public; that he has not rendered it more
accessible is probably owing to a delicacy he may feel
on the account of his being only a guardian for life of
the treasures, and bound to hand them down to his
successors unimpaired. We trust, however, that
scruples of this sort will not long be allowed to inter-
fere with the diffusion of literature and science.
RED-CROSS-STREET LIBRARY.
Few capitals, perhaps, not one in Europe, are so
rich in literary treasures as London, and yet no incon-
siderable portion of them are of no service to the pub-
lic, in consequence of the restrictions which bar access
to them. The Red-Cross-Street Library was founded
by Dr. Daniel Williams, a dissenting minister, who,
dying in 1715-16, left it for the use of the ministers
of his own persuasion. The library has been since
considerably increased, and now contains nearly
17,000 volumes, comprising many valuable works on
theology. Several interesting portraits of the noncon-
formist ministers, and curious manuscripts, have since
been added, to which persons are admitted, under
304
PERCY HISTORIES.
J
certain limitations, on procuring an order from one of
the trustees.
SION COLLEGE.
Sion College, London Wall, is both a charitable
and a literary institution. It was originally a hospital
for blind paupers, and after passing through various
hands, was purchased for the purpose of erecting
Sion College, for the use of the London Clergy, who
were incorporated by Charles I. The purchase was
made in consequence of the will of Dr. Thomas
White, vicar of St. Dunstan's in the West, who left
3000l. for the purpose. The library was the gift of the
Rev. John Simpson, rector of St. Olave's, Hart-street,
one of Dr. White's executors; but it was afterwards
considerably increased, both before and after the fire
of London, which destroyed a considerable number of
the books.
MEDICAL AND SURGICAL INSTITUTIONS.
It has been said, and with great truth, that for
want of timely aid thousands have died of medicable
wounds; the observation will, however, scarcely ap-
ply to the metropolis, where almost every complaint
or disease incident to human nature has its particular
hospital, and where the most eminent physicians and
surgeons give their advice, gratuitously, to the poor.
The most prominent of the public hospitals have al-
ready been described, but there are other medical
or surgical institutions which remain to be noticed.
LONDON.
305
The College of Physicians was established in the
reign of Henry VIII. when the number of members
was limited to thirty. Charles II. increased the num-
ber to forty, and James II. extended it to eighty. The
first charter was granted by Henry VIII. in the tenth
year of his reign, in order, as the preamble states, “to
restrain the boldness of some wicked people, who
shall profess physic more for their own covetousness
than out of any good conscience, when many incon-
veniences may arise to the ignorant, credulous, and
common sort." This charter was ratified by an Act
of Parliament four years afterwards, which enacted
that, “no person of the said political body and com-
monality be suffered to exercise physic; but only
those persons that be profound, sad, and discreet,
groundly learned and deeply studied in physic.”
"C
Queen Mary confirmed the charter; and Elizabeth
gave them a new one, authorising them to take,
yearly, for ever, one, two, three, or four humam
bodies, to dissect or anatomize, having been con-
demned and dead." The college, which still pos-
sesses a prohibitory power against any person prac-
tising physic without its license, formerly had autho-
rity to imprison all offenders; and in 1602 Popham,
Lord Chief Justice, decided on the Bench that he
could not admit the College's prisoner to bail, even
although he should be a freeman of London.
Towards the close of the seventeenth century the
College of Physicians established three dispensaries,
in many parts of London, for the purpose of supplying
the poor with drugs at a low rate. Two physicians
also attended at each of these dispensaries, in order to
2 D 2
*
1
:
306
PERCY HISTORIES.
give advice to the poor gratis; but these benevolent
views do not appear to have been long continued.
The College of Physicians was first held in Knight-
rider Street, afterwards in Amen Corner; and when
the latter house was destroyed by the fire of 1666,
they purchased some ground to the west of Warwick-
lane, where Sir Christopher Wren erected an extensive
building in Warwick Square; here the meetings of
the Society continue to be held, although a new
College in Pall Mall East is one of the most recent
improvements of the metropolis.
ROYAL COLLEGE OF SURGEONS.
Although the Surgeons obtained an Act of Parlia-
ment, in 1745, to separate from the Barber's Company,
with which they had been incorporated from the reign
of Henry VIII. yet it was not until the year 1800
that they obtained a new charter, erecting them into
a distinct college. The business of the society was for
some time carried on in the Old Bailey; but a new
Hall has since been erected, on the south side of
Lincoln's Inn Fields, which is enriched with a
valuable museum, library, &c. Among its treasures
is the extensive collection of the celebrated John
Hunter, containing preparations of every part of
the human body, which exhibit all the gradations of
nature, from the most simple state in which life is
found to exist, up to the most perfect and complex of
the animal creation-man himself. The museum has
also been enriched with several valuable contributions
from Sir Joseph Banks, Sir William Blizard, Sir
Everard Home, and others. It also contains what
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307
may certainly be regarded as a curiosity, the wife of
an eccentric character, well known a dozen years ago
in the streets of London-Martin Van Butchell: she
is preserved in a wooden box, and her face, which is
protected by a glass covering, is generally shown to
those persons who can obtain access to the museum,
which is only attainable by the introduction of a mem-
ber.
Surgeons' Hall is a fine, though somewhat heavy,
building, of the Ionic order, with a lofty and hand-
some portico, surmounted by the arms of the college,
which are supported by figures of the sons of Escula-
pius, Podalirus and Machaon. The interior of the
building is admirably arranged, and the numerous lec-
tures which are given in the course of every year are
delivered by surgeons the most distinguished for their
professional talents.
Ka
MEDICAL SOCIETY-MEDICAL LECTURES.
The Medical Society, in Bolt Court, was formed
for the purpose of giving gentlemen of the profession,
whether physician, surgeon, or student, the opportunity
of meeting together in order to advance the study of
medicine and surgery. The first meeting was held in
1773, in Crane Court; but in 1788, Dr. Lettsom
having presented the society with a house in Bolt
Court, it was removed thither. The library contains
upwards of 30,000 volumes, of which 10,000` were
presented by Mr. Sims.
At all the hospitals courses of lectures are annually
given, as well as at the private residences of some of
the most eminent physicians and surgeons.
+
•
308
PERCY HISTORIES.
VETERINARY COLLEGE.
Until of late years the art of farriery was left to
the most ignorant and vulgar class of society, who,
unacquainted with the principles of the science, or the
properties of medicine, followed the mode of treat-
ment which had been traditionally handed down to
them, without any attempt at improvement, or inquiry
how far it was proper. In 1791 a college for farriery
was erected at the bottom of Gray's Inn Lane. The
great object of this institution is to form a school of
veterinary science, in which the anatomical structure
of quadrupeds of all kinds, horses, cattle, sheep, dogs,
and the diseases to which they are subject, and the
remedies proper to be applied, may be invested and
regularly taught.
The utility of such an institution was soon felt; and
although it was first supported by subscription, yet
Parliament has frequently afforded liberal support, in
order to prosecute its object. The building consists
of a theatre for lectures and anatomy; a school,
where from thirty to forty pupils are instructed in the
veterinary art; and stables for sixty horses.
EDUCATION-SCHOOLS.
The citizens of London, in all ages, seem to have
been impressed with the truth of the scripture pro-
verb, "that the soul be without knowledge it is not
good ;" and although it is now impossible to ascertain
when public schools were first established in the
metropolis, yet they are proved to have existed for
upwards of eight centuries. Ingulphus, the Abbot of
LONDON.
309
Crowland, who states that he was born "in the most
beautiful city of London," and educated in Westmin-
ster, relates a singular anecdote of royal condescension,
on the part of Edgitha, Queen of Edward the Con-
fessor.-"I have seen her," says he, “often, when,
being but a boy, I came to see my father, dwelling
in the King's Court; and often coming from school,
when I met the Queen, she would oppose me touching
my learning and lesson; and falling from grammar to
logic (wherein she had some knowledge) she would
subtilly conclude an argument with me; and, by her
handmaiden, give me three or four pieces of money,
and send me into the palace, where I should receive
some victuals, and then be dismissed."
Fitzstephen relates, that in the reigns of Stephen
and Henry II. there were in London three principal
churches which had "famous schools, either by pri-
vilege and ancient dignity, or by favour of some par-
ticular persons," besides several "inferior schools.".
The three churches alluded to by the historian are sup-
posed to have been the cathedral church of St. Paul,
the monastery of St. Peter, Westminster, and that of
St. Saviour, at Bermondsey. The same accurate
historian gives a curious picture of the public exhibi-
tions of the scholars in his time, when, "
upon festival
days the masters made solemn meetings in the
churches, where their scholars disputed, logically and
demonstratively; some bringing enthymems, others
perfect syllogisms; some disputed for shew, others to
trace out the truth; and cunning sophisters were
thought brave scholars when they flowed with words.
Others used fallacies; rhetoricians spoke aptly to
persuade, observing the precepts of art, and omitting
310
PERCY HISTORIES.
nothing that might serve their purpose. The boys of
divers schools did cap, or pot verses, and contended
of the principles of grammar." The love of argument
seems to have been so predominant with the London
scholars formerly, that those of St. Paul's and St.
Anthony's schools would challenge each other in the
street with a "Salve." "Salve tu quoque." "Placet
tibi mecum disputare?" "Placet." "And so," says
Stow, "proceeding from this to questions in grammar,
they usually fell from words to blows, with their
satchels full of books, many times in such great heaps,
that they troubled the streets and passengers, so that
finally they were restrained." It appears from this
statement that London scholars, as well as London
apprentices, were of a very pugnacious character.
With the suppression of the monasteries, the
schools attached to them were abolished; but they
were succeeded by others, either endowed by wealthy
and liberal citizens, or by the city companies, some of
whose schools have been very eminent. These after-
wards found powerful auxiliaries, and of late years
large subseriptions have been raised for educating the
children of the metropolis on the principle of mutual
instruction, as recommended by Dr. Bell and Joseph
Lancaster. This system is by no means new; and
the only merit these gentlemen can claim is that of
having introduced it to public notice in this country.
Guillatiere, who travelled in Greece in 1669, describes
the plan very minutely, as he saw it practised by a
Greek schoolmaster with thirty scholars:
plan," he says, "was pretty, and much beyond ours ;"
and after describing the process, he adds-"Thus
one lesson was enough for a whole form, how nume-
"his
LONDON.
311
rous however; and which was very convenient for
the master, as the boys were not constrained to come
to him one after another, for every one was a master to
his neighbour."
Independent of the endowed schools, the parish
schools, the Sunday schools, and those on the system
of Bell and Lancaster, there are upwards of four
thousand private schools in the metropolis and its im-
mediate vicinity. The number of children educated
in the last class, though not easily ascertained, can
scsrcely be less than a hundred thousand.
According to a return made to Parliament, in
1819, "the proportion of scholars who are educated
gratuitously, and those who pay for their instruction,
in the several schools in Middlesex (which may be a
fair estimate for London as Southwark is not included)
is 16,130, of whom 480 pay; the number educated in
the unendowed schools is 24,289, of whom 6,742
pay. The total number educated in the endowed
and unendowed schools is 36,419, of whom 32,196
are educated gratuitously.
In addition to the great number of poor children
that are thus educated gratuitously, there are between
forty and fifty thousand more, who are taught in the
Sunday schools, which belong to almost every church
and chapel, of whatever denomination, in the metro-
polis. The teachers of the Sunday schools, who
amount to between four and five thousand, are all gra-
tuitous, and very assiduous in their attendance.
There have been ages in which ignorance might be
deemed a bliss; but these are now past, and expe-
rience has proved that education is the best means of
312
PERCY HISTORIES.
improving the morals of the people, and that it is the
ignorant that are the most criminal.
WESTMINSTER SCHOOL.
Westminster School is certainly the first in point of
rank in the metropolis, if not in antiquity. It is sup-
posed to have been founded towards the close of the
eleventh century, and to have been one of the public
schools alluded to by Fitzstephen. It appears, how-
ever, to have declined, since Elizabeth restored, or re-
founded it, in the year 1590, for the education of
forty boys, who, in her honour, were called Queen's
Scholars. From this period the school has been dis-
tinguished for its masters, and, consequently, for its
pupils. Camden, the celebrated antiquary, was one
of the former, and "rare Ben Jonson" one of his
scholars. Dr. Busby, notorious for the severity of
scholastic discipline, swayed no barren sceptre in this
school, where he was successively a scholar and the
master; and so convinced is he related to have been
of the necessity of keeping up his dignity, that he
would not take off his hat when he conducted
Charles II. (to whom he had been faithfully attached)
through the school, observing, that he should never
be able to rule the scholars if they thought there was
one man in the world greater than himself. The
Doctor, who was one of the masters of the school for
upwards of half a century, was also a liberal bene-
factor, and not only founded the museum, but en-
larged and rebuilt many of the houses connected
with it. The celebrity of Westminster School soon
14
LONDON.
313
recommended it to the nobility and gentry, who
became anxious to place their sons at this famed semi-
nary. The increase of pupils of this class have not,
however, increased the moral reputation of the school,
which is sometimes in a state of insubordination,
though whatever may be the laxity of discipline, there
has been no want of attention to the improvement
of the scholars.
CHRIST'S HOSPITAL.
If the reign of Edward VI. was to be estimated by
the number of beneficent acts he performed, it would
appear one of the longest in English history, and yet it
continued but five years, thus proving how much good
may be effected in a very short time: indeed, from
his accession to the throne to the time of his death, his
whole life appears to have spent in doing good. The
foundation of Christ's Hospital was his last act of cha-
rity, and, perhaps, one of the most prominent. It
was only two days before his death that he signed the
charter of incorporation for this school, when, with a
sort of prophetic consciousness of its future benefit to
the metropolis, he exclaimed, "Lord, I yield thee
most hearty thanks that thou hast given me life thus
long to finish this work, to the glory of thy name."
The hospital was erected, "for the education and
maintenance of the poor children of decayed mer-
chants and tradesmen of the city of London ;" on the
site of a convent of Grey Friars, which had been an-
nihilated by Henry VIII. Dobbs, the benevolent
lord mayor, and the pious Bishop Ridley, were
among the earliest patrons of the hospital, and had no
VOL. III.]
2 E
314
PERCY HISTORIES.
inconsiderable share in its formation. A committee
was appointed to examine into the state of the poor
of the metropolis, whom they divided into three
classes; "the poore by impotence, the poore by
casualtie, and the thriftless poore:" all these it was
determined to provide for; and Pennant states, that
on the suggestion of Bishop Ridley, the king founded
these great hospitals judiciously adapted to the neces-
sities of the poor, the hospital of St. Thomas, South-
wark, for the sick or wounded poor; Christ Church,
for the orphan, and that of Bridewell for the thrift-
less.
So active were the citizens of London in second-
ing the views of the monarch, that, in less than six
months, the old monastery of Grey Friars was con-
verted into an hospital, capable of accommodating
three hundred and forty boys. From this time, the
school has been continually increasing, both in size
and importance, so that the three hundred and forty
scholars have been augmented to the number of eleven
hundred and fifty. The establishment will now ac-
commodate eleven hundred and fifty six children, in-
cluding eighty girls, who are provided for, without
any expence to their parents or friends, and furnished
with every thing necessary to forward their education.
In the year 1809, there were only 1065 children
upon the foundation, of whom 65 were girls. Of the
1000 boys, 161 were presented by companies,
parishes, &c., 498 were sons of freemen, 239 were
sons of non-freemen, and 102 sons of clergymen.
The hospital was, at first, particularly intended for
orphans; and although their state of destitution is no
longer an indispensable qualification, yet it is a strong
LONDON.
315
recommendation; so that, of the 1000 boys in the
school, in 1809, there were 360 who were either or-
phans, or had lost one of their parents.
About a third part of the children, including all
the girls, are educated at an auxiliary branch of
Christ's Hospital, at Hertford, whence the boys, when
sufficiently advanced in their studies, are transferred
to London.
Christ's Hospital continued to flourish from its
commencement, and, in 1672, Charles II. founded the
mathematical school, for the instruction of forty boys
in navigation, endowing the hospital, at the same time,
with a sum of 1000l. a year, for seven years. The
school has seven exhibitions for Cambridge, and one
for Oxford, in every seven years, and although the
most promising students are transplanted to the uni-
versity, yet it must be confessed that Christ's Hospi-
tal has not been prolific in men of literary or scientific
eminence, though hundreds of its students have at-
tained the highest mercantile respectability, and not
a few obtained the ultima thule of civic ambition, the
lord mayoralty of London.
•
•
The government of Christ's Hospital, or the Blue
Coat School, as it is more familiarly called, is vested
in the lord mayor, and aldermen, and twelve common
council men, chosen by lot; benefactors to the
amount of 400l. are also governors. There are four
schools, for grammar, writing, mathematics, and
drawing; the boys admitted to the mathematical
school are compelled to go to sea, and when their
education is finished, they are placed with comman-
ders of vessels by the governors, and equipped for
their situation at the expense of the hospital.
316
PERCY HISTORIES.
Christ's Hospital consists of several buildings,
which extend from east to west, on the northern side
of Newgate Street; and is approached by five dif-
ferent entrances. The exterior of the hospital has no
pretensions to architectural beauty; but the grammar
school, on the north side, which was erected in 1793,
is a neat brick edifice; the hall is a very noble room,
and contains a large picture, by Verrio, of the court
of James II., the governors and several of the chil-
dren, and a portrait of Charles II., by Sir Peter Lely.
In the counting house there is a portrait, more re-
markable for the anxiety manifested respecting it, by
a benefactor, than for any merit in itself, or interest
that it can excite. The testator, a Mr. James Amand,
left considerable property to the hospital, which was
to be alienated if the governors did not preserve this
picture (a portrait of his grandfather) and show it
once, annually, to whomsoever the vice chancellor
of Oxford shall send to demand a sight thereof."
""
There is nothing connected with Christ's Hospital,
on which its historians dwell with so much pleasure as
the public suppers; they dilate with rapture on the
long tables, wooden platters, buckets of beer, and
baskets of bread and cheese, which are there to be seen.
The religious ceremony attending the supper is cer-
tainly indicative of that gratitude, which children so
well provided for, should be taught to consider a part
of their duty; but there is nothing so imposing in it as
to call forth such exaggerated eulogies, as have been
bestowed upon it: Christ's Hospital is, however, an
excellent institution, and if in public charities, as in
governments," what's best administered is best," few
institutions will rank higher than the Blue Coat
School.
LONDON.
317
CHARTER HOUSE.
The Charter House, which is situated on the north
side of the square to which it gives its name, occupies
the site of an ancient monastery, for Carthusian
monks, called the Grand Chartreux. It was part of the
estate of the hospital of St. John of Jerusalem. Sir
Walter de Manny, of Hanault, one of those gallant
knights who served in the wars of Edward III., and
one of the first that was honoured with the order of
the garter, and Michael de Northburgh, Bishop of
London, built and endowed the priory for twenty
four monks, in the year 1361. The monastery was
suppressed in 1538; notwithstanding the obstinate
resistance of the monks, many of whom suffered
death, rather than consent to the spoliation. Seven
monks were drawn on hurdles, through the city, to
the place of execution; some were gibbeted, and
others put to the torture.
After the dissolution of the Charter House, it
passed into the hands of the Howard family, who re-
sided at the house; and James I., on entering his new
capital, on the 1st of May, 1604, paid his visit to Lord
Thomas Howard, who entertained his majesty and
suite, for four days, at the Charter House. Seven
years afterwards Lord Howard, who had been created
Earl of Suffolk, sold this estate for the sum of 13,000l.
to Thomas Sutton, Esq. citizen, and girdler. Mr.
Sutton, who was of a good family in Lincolnshire,
commanded one of the five batteries at the siege of
Edinburgh, in 1573; but this was one of the least of
his services to his country, although it procured him
a pension of five marks a year from Queen Elizabeth!
2 E 2
318
PERCY HISTORIES.
When the invasion of England was threatened by the
Spanish Armada, Mr. Sutton knew that the queen
had no fleet capable of opposing it; he also knew that
the Spanish fleet could not set sail, but through the
means of aid from the bank of Genoa, he, therefore,
purchased all the bills he could, in every commercial
town of Europe, and discounting them at that bank,
drained it so much of its specie, that it was twelve
months before it could give the necessary as-
sistance to Spain, and, by this time, England was pre-
pared for the contest. He, afterwards, commanded a
barge, that bore his name and contributed to the
destruction of that very armada, the invasion by
which he had so happily averted twelve months be-
fore. Mr. Sutton now commenced merchant, and
acquired a splendid fortune, which he devoted to
works of charity, and among the most striking, was
the foundation of the Charter House, at an expense
of 20,000l., independent of an endowment of 44931.
19s. 10d. per annum. Mr. Sutton intended to pre-
side as master of the hospital, but he died on the 12th
of December 1611, six months after he had obtained
the charter for its incorporation. The benevolent in-
tentions of the founder were followed by the govern-
ors, who, in 1613, made an order, that no one should
be admitted into the hospital, but only "such poor
persons as can bring good testimony of their good
behaviour, and soundness in religion," and "
children whose parents have any estate in lands to
leave unto them, but only the children of poor men
that want means to bring them up."
The hospital was endangered during the civil wars:
but as soon as Cromwell gained the ascendancy, he
LONDON.
319
was elected governor, and attended several of the
meetings; and, since that period, no event has oc-
curred to injure this extensive charity. The number
of scholars educated in the hospital is seventy-three;
of whom, forty four are on the foundation, and twenty-
nine students at the universities, with an allowance of
201. per annum for eight years, Boys who give no
promise of getting a living by their education, are
put out apprentices, and have each a sum of 401. on
leaving the school.
Eighty pensioners are maintained on the endow-
ment, who live in handsome apartments, and have all
the necessaries of life provided for them; in order to
enable them to clothe themselves, they have each an
allowance of 141. a year, and a gown. The hospital
is managed by a master and sixteen governors.
The Charter House, though a venerable pile, has
few vestiges of the ancient conventual building: the
chapel, is built principally of brick, and lined with
wainscot; it has two aisles with Gothic windows;
two of these, in the north wall, contain the arms of
Mr. Sutton, in painted glass. There are several
monuments in the chapel, particularly the tomb of the
founder, which was erected at an expense of four
hundred pounds. The old court room is of the age
of Elizabeth, and contains a profusion of colouring;
the hall is spacious, and the apartments for the mas-
ter convenient. The grounds, which are large, and
well laid out, afford a fine promenade, though not one
to which the public have access.
V
320
PERCY HISTORIES,
ST. PAUL'S SCHOOL.
This school was founded by Dr. John Colet, the
Dean of St. Paul's Cathedral, whose eloquence in
the pulpit was so powerful, that Henry VIII. sought
to enlist him on his side when he was commencing a
war with France, and endeavoured to persuade him
to represent it as a defensive and not an aggressive
contest, from the pulpit.
4
So early as the reign of Henry I. there was a school
at St. Paul's, (as has been already stated) and indeed
a school appears to have been an appendage to every
cathedral, for, at a general council held at Rome, in
1176, it was decreed that "Every Cathedral Church
should have its school-master to teach poor scholars,
and others as had been accustomed, and that no man
should take any reward for license to teach."
Upon the foundation of this ancient school, Dean
Colet erected the present seminary, in 1509, for the
education of 153 boys. For this purpose he conveyed
the whole of his estate in London, to the Mercers'
Company, to whom he left the perpetual care of the
school, and when asked the reason of committing such
trust to them, he observed, "that there was no abso-
lute certainty in human affairs; but, for his mind, he
found less corruption in such a body of citizens than
in any other order or body of mankind." The con-
fidence of the worthy Dean was not misplaced, for
under the prudent management of the Mercers' com-
pany, St. Paul's School has not only flourished and
been a great benefit to the metropolis, but by their
good management of the revenues, they have always
LONDON.
321
possessed a fund, from which they were enabled to
assist the more indigent scholars.
The rules for the government of the school, which
are very minute, were drawn up by the Dean himself,
who directed, that in the grammar school, there should
be a high master, chosen by the warden and assistants
of the Mercers' Company; he was to be "a man
hoole in body, honest and vertuous, and learned in
good and cleane Latin, literature, and also in Greke,
if such may be gotten." If a priest, he was to be
one who had "no benefice with cure, and no service
that may lett the due business in the schole."
Although Dean Colet only lived ten years after he
had founded the school, yet he had the satisfaction
of seeing its prosperity, and of receiving the congratu-
lations of Sir Thomas More, who, in a letter to him,
compared it "to the wooden horse of Troy, out of
which the Grecians issued to sacrifice the city ;'
adding "out of this your school, many have come
that have subverted and overthrown all ignorance and
rudeness."
St. Paul's School is free, the only charge being
one shilling on the admission of each scholar.
After a classical education on the foundation, the
Mercers' Company have an indefinite number of ex-
hibitions, of £50 a year to each, to either of the
Universities. In addition to the original fund of
Dean Colet, the school has had several bequests of
considerable amount, and a donation of 16,000l. three
per cents, by Viscount Camden, for exhibitions of
100l. a year each, at Trinity College, Cambridge.
The original school was destroyed by the great
fire, and was rebuilt by the Mercers' Company, but
322
PERCY HISTORIES.
the latter structure has given way to the mouldering
hand of time, and is succeeded by a more elegant
and more convenient building.
St. Paul's School has been eminent in its scholars,
and among those who received their education at this
establishment, were Camden, the antiquary, Milton
the poet, the great Duke of Marlborough, the philoso-
phic Earl of Orrery, Strype, the Editor of Stow's
London, Dr. Edmund Halley, the celebrated astrono-
mer; and several other distinguished persons.
Merchant Taylors' School, another eminent semi-
nary in London, has already been described. See
vol i. p. 328.
PRISONS FOR DEBT.-KING'S BENCH.
In a great trading city like London, there must
necessarily be many debtors and creditors, and until
the former are all honest, and the latter all compas-
sionate, prisons for debtors will be necessary; unless,
indeed, the laws for imprisonment for debt be abo-
lished, which has recently been proposed in the
Senate of the United States. Independent of the four
principal prisons in the metropolis for debtors, the
King's Bench, Fleet, White-cross Street, and Marshal-
sea (the latter of which is of a mixed character) there
are others belonging to minor courts, and numerous
lock-up houses, which are a sort of purgatory
through which the debtor passes to prison, unless he
either settles with his creditor, or agrees to remain in
the custody of the sheriff, which he can only do at a
ruinous expense.
LONDON.
323
The King's Bench Prison, Southwark, is princi-
pally appropriated to the confinement of debtors, al-
though persons convicted of libels and misdemeanours
are sometimes confined here, as was the case with
Lord Cochrane, who contrived to scale the walls, and
take his seat in the House of Commons, whence he
was reconducted back to his old quarters.
At what time a prison for the Court of King's
Bench was first erected in Southwark is unknown,
but it was formerly customary for the Court to be held
in different places, and the prisoners to be confined
in the nearest gaol. That there has been a prison on
or near this spot, for some centuries, we learn from
Stow, who states, that, in the reign of Elizabeth,
several persons died there of what was called " the
sickness of the house," which was occasioned by a
large number of prisoners being confined in very small
apartments.
The King's Bench Prison, which is surrounded by
a lofty wall, contains two hundred rooms, in which
upwards of five hundred persons have been confined
at one time. Prisoners, who can give the necessary
security, are permitted, during term, to go out for
the day, and others may purchase the privilege, in a
certain limited district, without the walls, which rules are
denominated the Rules of the King's Bench; they
include a space of nearly a mile square; it is not
always, however, that the debtor restricts himself to
their limits; for, when an application was made, some
years ago, to the Lord Chief Justice of the Court,
that the Rules should be extended, he replied, that
they were extensive enough, for that, to his know-
ledge, they reached to the West-Indies.
324
PERCY HISTORIES.
The emolument of the marshal of the King's Bench
Prison, as appears by the Report of the Parliament-
ary Committee, in 1815, amounted to 3,5901. a
year, of which 872l. arose from the sale of beer in
the prison, and 2,8231. from the Rules.
FLEET PRISON.
The earliest record we have of the Prisona de la
Fleet, as it was then called, is in the year 1169,
although it is probable that it is of much greater
antiquity. It appears, that, in those days, when
from a palace to a prison was but one step, the custody
of both were vested in the same person; thus we find
that Richard I., in the first year of his reign, con-
firmed the custody of his house or palace, at West-
minster, "with the keeping of his gaol of the Fleet,
at London," to Osbert, brother to the Lord Chancel-
lor of England, William Longchamps, and his heirs
for ever. King John, by a patent, in the third year
of his reign, also united these seemingly opposite
offices, in the person of the Archbishop of Wells.
The Fleet was, at this period, and for some centu-
ries after, used as a state-prison. It was long the re-
ceptacle for victims of the Court of Star Chamber,
and when that odious court was abolished, the Fleet
was appropriated to debtors and persons committed
for contempt of the Court of Chancery.
In the riots of 1780, the prison of Fleet was almost
wholly demolished in the riots with which Lord
George Gordon's name was associated; when the
city was for three days at the mercy of a lawless
mob. It has since been rebuilt, and protected in
LONDON.
325
Fleet-market by a high wall. It consists of four stories
of 180 feet each, containing 109 rooms, and is cal-
culated, says a very recent historian of London,
"to hold comfortably two hundred and fifty per-
sons."
The Fleet prison has been frequently the subject
of parliamentary inquiry, and many are the abuses
that have been detected. But the most serious evil
attending this prison was the facility with which illicit
marriages might be performed. Complaints having
reached Parliament, a committee of inquiry was ap-
pointed, who, on investigating the subject, ascertain-
ed, on evidence that, from the 19th October, 1704,
to 12th February, 1705,-2,954 marriages were cele-
brated in this way in the Fleet, without either license
or certificate of banns, besides others that were known
to be omitted. Twenty or thirty couple were some-
times joined in one day, and their names concealed
by private marks, if they chose to pay an extra fee.
The warden of the Fleet, Anthony Grindall, and his
Registrar of Marriages, Robert Saunders, were proved
before the committee to have forged and kept false
books. But notwithstanding this inquiry and detec-
tion, the profit which the wardens made by the illegal
marriages was too great to induce them to relinquish
so prolific a branch of revenue easily. A female cor-
respondent, in the "Gentleman's Magazine," in the
year 1745, deplores the many ruinous marriages that
were then every day performed in the Fleet, " by a
set of drunken, swearing parsons, with their myrmi-
dons, that wear black coats, and pretend to be clerks
and registers to the Fleet, plying about Ludgate-hill,
pulling and forcing people to some peddling alehouse
VOL. III.]
2 F
326
PERCY HISTORIES.
or brandy shop, to be married, and even on Sundays,
stopping them as they go to church." Pennant, also
at a later period, confirms this account of the daring
with which the nefarious traffic was carried on. He
says, in walking by the prison, in his youth, he has
been often accosted with "Sir, will you please to
walk in and be married?" and he states, that painted
signs, containing a male and female hand conjoined,
with the inscription, " Marriages performed within,”
were common along the building. A dirty fellow,
outside, generally conducted you to the parson, a
Bardolph looking fellow, in a tattered night gown,
who, if he could not obtain more, would marry a
couple for a glass of gin or a roll of tobacco, though he
has sometimes been known to marry twenty or thirty
couple-at, from ten shillings to one pound each.
This glaring abuse, which continued so many years,
to the ruin of children, and destruction of their pa-
rents, was only put an end to by the marriage act in
1753.
.
MARSHALSEA PRISON.
The Court of Marshalsea was at first instituted for
determining the causes of the king's menial servants,
and was under the controul of the Knight Marshal of
the Household. It had cognizance of all murders
and other offences in the king's court; such as striking,
which was anciently punished with the loss of the
offending hand. At an early period, however,
the knight marshal has endeavoured to extend the
jurisdiction of his authority, but met with a timely
check by the citizens.
LONDON.
327
The Marshalsea Court has now a jurisdiction ex-
tending twelve miles round Whitehall, (the city of
London excepted), for actions, debts, damages,
and trespasses. The prison is appropriated to pirates
and debtors, but it is small, inconvenient, and un-
healthy, on acconnt of the crowded state it frequently
is in. A benevolent debtor, a Mr. Allnutt, who was
for some time a prisoner in the Marshalsea, had a
large estate bequeathed to him during his confine-
ment. He had learned sympathy by his sufferings,
and feeling for others' woes, left 100l. a year for the
discharge of poor debtors from this prison, by which
means, every year, many obtain their liberation. The
average number of debtors in this prison is stated, in
the parliamentary report of 1815, to be about sixty.
WHITECROSS-STREET PRISON.
When so much humanity has of late years been
manifested by the legislature in mitigating the severity
of the laws against debtors, it is much to be regretted
that the last prison erected for their confinement,
should unfortunately be of a very opposite description.
There certainly was something particularly repugnant
in having debtors confined in Newgate, where the
rattling of the felon's chains, the shrieks of his all but
widowed wife ; or, the profane oaths of his companions
in guilt and confinement, might grate on the ear of an
honest but unfortunate debtor, or be heard by an
amiable wife or a youthful daughter. To separate
the debtors from Newgate, was indeed an act of
humanity; but to do this, it was not necessary that
the new prison should be rendered irksome and un-
2
328*
PERCY HISTORIES.
healthy; and yet this is the case, and such the com-
mittee of the House of Commons appointed in 1815,
to inquire into the state of the prisons of the metro-
polis, found it. The prison at that time was not
completed, and had undergone some judicious altera-`
tions, which the committee had suggested the preceding
year; and yet the Report says, "they have much
to regret, that those who have had the management
of the building, should have suffered a prison to be
undertaken upon a plan so little likely to answer its
object."
The Committee, also, in their Report further state,
"That they are also of opinion that the placing
debtors in large communities in the sleeping rooms,
is a great aggravation to the pains of imprisonment;
and they cannot conceive a mode by which the dis-
tressed situation of a debtor can be more augmented,
or the forlorn condition of a decent and respectable
woman more aggravated, than the turning them on
the first day of their arrival into a room, with from
six to fifteen persons, most of them probably strangers
to the new comers, and many perhaps of character
and manners the most disreputable."
The White-Cross-Street Prison is calculated to hold
four hundred prisoners, who are separated into diffe-
rent wards, accordingly as they are city or county
prisoners.
NEWGATE.
In what black characters is the history of this
prison written! its annals are the annals of crime in
its most appalling form-of vice, in its most abhorrent
depravity; it is the receptacle of those whom society
LONDON.
329
has disgorged-the ultima domus of the forfeit lives
of great offenders. So early as the year 1218, New-
gate (so called from its being later built than the rest)
was used as a prison, and continued as such until
finally removed in 1777; but, although the gate was
frequently rebuilt, yet there seems to have been no
attempt at improving the apartments, and so late as
the year 1750, a pestilential disorder called the gaol
fever broke out among the prisoners, owing to so
great a number being confined in so small a space;
the infection extended from the gaol to the Sessions
House, when Sir Samuel Pennant, Lord Mayor,
Alderman Sir Daniel Lambert, the Chief Justice of
the Court of Common Pleas, Sir Thomas Abney, Mr.
Baron Clerk, Mr. Cox, under Sheriff, several barristers,
and nearly the whole of the jury, and several specta-
tors, fell victims to this pestilential disease.
Notwithstanding this melancholy event, twenty
years elapsed before the first stone of a new prison
was laid by Alderman Beckford, and scarcely was the
building finished, when the whole of the interior was
demolished, during the disgraceful riots of 1780.
To repair the damage that was done in a few days
by those "Lords of Misrule," a London mob,
30,000l. was necessary, which was chiefly supplied
by Parliament. Newgate is now a massy and some-
what superb building, and perhaps the exterior ap-
pearance of no structure ever better corresponded
with the purpose for which it is intended; there is a
sort of gloomy grandeur and terror-striking uniformity
in its outer walls, which would at once point it out
as the abode of crime or misery. The interior of the
prison is equally suitable to its objects; the cells for
2 F 2
330
•
PERCY HISTORIES.
condemned malefactors are dark as the grave itself;
and such is their impression, even on the most har-
dened, that Mr. Howard says, "I was told by those
who attended me, that criminals who had affected an
air of boldness during their trial, and appeared quite
unconcerned at the pronouncing sentence upon them,
were struck with horror, and shed tears when brought
to these darksome solitary abodes.”
Within the last few years, prison discipline has
occupied much of the attention both of the public
and the legislature, and considerable improvements
have been made in the classification of prisoners:
which has had the best effects.
·
Since the debtors have been removed to the new
prison in Whitecross Street, there is a better opportu-
nity of classifying the prisoners, but they are still too
numerous to enable the keeper to do this effectually :
the average number of prisoners in Newgate is 420.
Adjoining the prison is the Sessions House, where
there is a gaol delivery eight times a year, and yet
the prisoners are so numerous that each Session gene-
rally continues a fortnight or three weeks.
GILTSPUR-STREET COMPTER.
Giltspur - Street Compter, Newgate, was built
according to a plan suggested by the benevolent
Howard. It is confined solely to the city of London,
and is a prison for offenders before trial, and a house
of correction for such as have been convicted and
sentenced to various terms of imprisonment, of from
one month to two years. It is also used for persons
committed for assaults, night charges, disorderly per-
sons, vagrants, and prisoners remanded for future
LONDON.
331
examination, and numerous indeed are the persons
who run the gauntlet of at least one night's lodging
in Giltspur-Street Compter; as it appears by the
evidence of Mr. Teague, the keeper, that from the
1st of January, to the 31st of December, 1818, in-
clusive, 4,581 persons were committed to this prison,
of whom 1176 were for felonies, 637 for assaults,
1721 for misdemeanors, and 1407 as vagabonds.
COLD-BATH-FIELDS PRISON.
This prison, which is called the House of Conviction
for the county of Middlesex, was, like Giltspur Comp-
ter, built on the suggestions of Mr. Howard, though
it is to be doubted, that his benevolent objects have
been realized; the clamours of party at one time ran
very high against this prison, which even in the
House of Commons was designated the British
Bastile; an inquiry was instituted, and the Governor,
on account of various abuses which he had introduced
or permitted, was dismissed from his situation.
This prison contains nearly three hundred sleeping
cells, and even these are sometimes found insufficient;
so that barracks of wood, in each of which from 15 to
30 persons sleep, are erected in the yard. In the
year 1818, 3,902 persons were committed to this
prison, of whom 748 were females: and the average
number of prisoners is about four hundred. The
prison is almost entirely used as a house of correction;
the prisoners were employed in picking old rope for
oakum, until the year 1823, when a Tread-mill capa-
ble of working 320 individuals was introduced. The
332
PERCY HISTORIES.
"
annual expense of maintaining this prison is about
7,000l.
CLERKENWELL PRISON.
Bridewell was anciently, not only the prison for
the city, but for Middlesex also, and all offenders
were sent there by the Justices; but, says an old
historian, “These miscreants so increased that Bride-
well could not contain them, nor employ them,
neither were the Governors willing to receive them."
It was therefore in the year 1615, found necessary to
build a new prison, and Clerkenwell was fixed upon
as the spot. The building which, together with the
ground, cost 2,500l. was defrayed by the Justices and
the inhabitants. The Governors of Bridewell gave
500l. which was principally expended in furnishing
the prison. Previous to the erecting this prison, there
had been a sort of large watch-house called the cage,
which was taken down in 1614.
The present Clerkenwell Prison, which is nearly on
the site of the old one, is a sort of auxiliary to New-
gate, and includes prisoners waiting the Old Bailey
sessions, who are always removed to Newgate on the
Thursday previous to their commencement-others
for petty larcenies who are detained for the Middlesex
sessions, and prisoners committed for re-examination.
The prison is capable of holding 350 prisoners, and
in the year 1818, 4,012 persons were committed to
the New Prison, Clerkenwell.
LONDON.
333
TOTHILL-FIELDS BRIDEWELL.
Upwards of three thousand persons are annually
committed to this prison, and the average number of
inmates is about a hundred, who for a day room
have only one apartment, which measures no more
than twelve feet by twelve and a half. This prison
is wretchedly deficient in size and means of classifi-
cation, and the place where it stands is unwholesome.
The Borough Compter is equally defective in
point of classification, as prisoners of all ages, and of
every grade in crime, are compelled to herd together.
The Surrey County gaol, in Horsemonger Lane,
was built in 1781, and is appropriated to the con-
finement of debtors as well as felons. Adjoining to
the prison is the sessions house where all misdemean-
ors are tried, and the assizes for the County are
sometimes held here. On the top of this prison Colo-
nel Despard and his associates were executed in 1803.
PENITENTIARY, MILBANK.
After nearly half a century spent in deliberation,
even when the necessity of the measure was acknow-
ledged, a penitentiary, as a substitute for transporta-
tion, was erected, at an expense of more than half a
million of money; and after an experiment of seven
years, the mal' aria of Milbank has defeated the
views of the legislature, and the prisoners have all
been removed, either to the ci-devant Opthalmic
Hospital, Regent's Park, or the Hulks at Woolwich.
So early as the year 1779, a plan was formed for
334
PERCY HISTORIES.
a system of penitentiary imprisonment, calculated to
reform offenders; and an act was drawn up under the
direction of Sir William Blackstone, with the advice.
and concurrence of Mr. Howard. In the preamble of
this act, which passed the legislature, a conviction
was expressed, that" if many offenders convicted of
crimes for which transportation has been usually in-
flicted, were ordered to solitary confinement, accom-
panied by well regulated labour, and religious
instruction, it might be the means, under Providence,
not only of deterring others from the commission of
the like crimes, but also of reforming the individuals,
and inuring them to habits of industry."
Fifteen years after this declaratory statute had
passed, it was followed by a new act of parliament
for carrying the plan into effect, and a contract was
entered into with Mr. Jeremy Bentham for that pur-
pose, but so many difficulties arose in the mode of
carrying this measure into execution, that the contract
was re-purchased for the sum of 23,5781. and the
plan abandoned until the year 1811, when a commit-
tee of the House of Commons recommended that it
should be resumed.
Milbank was fixed upon as the site of the new
penitentiary, which was almost immediately com-
menced, under the direction of Mr. Harvey, and so
rapidly was the work conducted, that in 1816 a part
of the building was opened for the reception of con-
victs. The building is of an octagonal form, and
occupies a space of eighteen acres. In the centre are
the apartments of the Governor, whence he can have
a complete view of the seven distinct wards which sur-
round him. The rooms for the prisoners are about
LONDON.
335
twelve feet by seven, and are supplied with a bed-
stead and comfortable clothing; the prisoners are
kept to hard labour, but are entitled to a per centage
of their earnings, which is set apart as a fund for
them on their discharge.
The Penitentiary was at first only intended for
400 male, and an equal number of female convicts,
but it is capable of holding 1,000 and it appears
from a report of a select committee of the House of
Commons in 1823, that when the committee visited
the prison, there were 869 prisoners, of whom 566 were
males and 303 females. Of these 101 had been sen-
tenced to transportation for life, 57 for fourteen, and
711 for seven years. The ratio in which the trans-
portation is commuted for imprisonment in the Peni-
tentiary, is, that all those who have been capitally
convicted, are imprisoned for ten years; those who
are sentenced to fourteen years' transportation for
seven, and all seven years' cases for five. This com'-
mutation is disproportionate, but the smallest term
was fixed conformably to an opinion expressed by Mr.
Howard, that five years should be the minimum of
imprisonment on the Penitentiary system.
Although solitary confinement and hard labour
may in some cases be an excellent mode of prison
discipline, yet the experiment at the Milbank Peni-
tentiary has not been a successful one; and it is
perhaps doubtful, how far a system which is calcu-
lated to excite feelings of despair and weariness of
thought can be conducive to the reformation of the
offenders; though it may insure a dreadful punish-
ment. The motto which Dante gives for the gates of
336
PERCY HISTORIES.
the Infernal Regions, might with little qualification
be inscribed on the entrance of the Milbank Peni-
tentiary.
Lassat' ogni speranza, vio che 'ntrate.
+
An evil attending the Penitentiary at Milbank,
though it does not apply to the system, is, that
although the prisoners are employed in the manu-
facturing trades, yet, says the report, "it is in evi-
dence that the best class of work is not taught, and
that those who are brought up as tailors, can hardly
hope to gain their daily bread, at their discharge.
That it may happen that persons who have passed
from five to ten years in the Penitentiary, may be
discharged from it, without any means of gaining
their subsistence, and may thus be exposed to temp-
tations by which poverty and want are assailed, and
which perhaps originally induced them to commit the
crimes which had subjected them to punishment."
G
It appears that the Penitentiary system is of very
doubtful benefit, for while a Cominittee of the House
of Commons express an opinion that, the prison at Mil-
bank, "
though one of severe punishment, reforms
while it corrects," yet they so narrow its application
as to render it useful on a very small scale. They
state that it has been found by experience, that the
confinement and discipline of the Penitentiary are
not calculated for boys and girls, and that " the class
of persons most fitted for this establishment, are those
whose misfortunes, more than their moral turpitude or
confirmed habits of crime, had subjected them to the
sentence of the law. Young persons of both sexes
(not under 16) offenders for the first time, the victims
LONDON.
337
to artifice and seduction, and all the various shades
of early guilt, which the severity of the law punishes
with the same sentence as more hardened criminality.
These are the classes of individuals which are deem-
ed suitable for for the Penitentiary-but surely ten,
seven, or even five years' hard labour and solitary
confinement is too severe a punishment for the victims
of misfortune, artifice, or seduction; and such indeed
is the opinion of the committee, who suggest that a
reduction of the scale of punishment may produce
all the salutary ends the legislature by the former
enactments had in contemplation to effect.
The Penitentiary system has now been temporarily
abandoned; not, however, in consequence of its
avowed inadequacy, but from the extensive and fatal
sickness which prevailed in the prison at Milbank,
during the winter and spring of 1823. The "doctors
disagree" as to the cause of this sickness; but there
is little doubt that, if not occasioned, it was much in-
creased, by the unhealthiness of the marshy situation
on which the prison is built, and which generates
those noxious exhalations so injurious to health,
wherever they are found.
Shortly after the report of the committee had been
presented to Parliament, in July, 1823, it was deter-
mined to remove all the prisoners from the Milbank
Penitentiary; and his Majesty, in consequence of the
increased punishment the prisoners must have suffered
by disease, has expressed his gracious intention of
granting a remission of the terms of their imprison-
ment, in proportion to, the period for which they were
sentenced.
VOL. III.]
2 G
338
PERCY HISTORIES.
TYBURN-THE OLD BAILEY.
Prisons and Penitentiaries are not the extreme
punishments of crime, for the English Statute Book
groans under a list of nearly two hundred offences
punishable with death. It is true, that the dreadful
penalty is only exacted in a few instances, but where-
ever the criminal is capitally convicte it is recorded,
and until very lately the sentenced was passed in all.
It appears from the official returns of the Secretary of
State's Office for the Home Department, that in the
seven years from 1817 to 1823 inclusive, 18,337 per-
sons were committed for trial in London and Middle-
sex, for various offences. Of these 1216 were capitally
convicted, and sentenced to death, 175 of whom were
executed, making the average number of persons exe-
cuted in each year twenty-five. This, however, is not
a fair estimate, as, since the restoration of a metallic
currency, forgery, which was the principal crime
visited with the punishment of death, has nearly been
annihilated.
Capital punishments, of the policy of which the
wisest of philosophers and legislators entertain great
doubts, have in England been various, including de-
capitation, burning alive, and hanging, and even the
rack has been used in this country-and that, too,
in the "glorious reign of good Queen Bess." Deca-
pitation was usually performed by the hands of the
executioner with an axe; but the ingenuity of man
discovered an easy process, since so fatally improved
upon in France, by which the body was decapitated by
means of an axe, charged with a great weight, which
was raised to a considerable height, and then let fall
upon the neck in the ame manner as a rave for driv-
ing piles. The "Maiden," for so this instrument was
LONDON.
339
called, was first introduced in Yorkshire, though its
use was not limited to that county. During the reign
of Queen Elizabeth twenty-four persons suffered by
it; and James I. who almost fainted at the sight of a
naked sword, did not hesitate to send twelve persons
to their long home, by the "Maiden," in the course
of two years.
Executions have occasionally taken place in various
parts of the town; and when the terror or local exam-
ple was deemed necessary, the criminals have suffered
the punishment as near as possible to the scene of
their offence; there has, however, in all ages, been
some place more immediately appropriated to this
purpose. Tower Hill, as has already been seen, was
the place where persons convicted of high treason were
executed, though not always the case, as Lord
William Russel suffered in Lincoln's-Inn-Fields, and
Sir Walter Raleigh in Old Palace Yard.
Smithfield was long the place of execution; and
even before Tyburn was selected for the purpose
about the middle of the twelfth century. This place
was not so called from its being the place where crimi-
nals were either burnt or tied up, but from a burn or
brook, called Tye.
Tyburn Tree, as the gallows was called, was erected
at the end of Park-lane, and not far from Tyburn
turnpike. The criminals were usually drawn on a
hurdle from the prison to the place of execution, and
not unfrequently were allowed to take a glass of
wine, in Holborn.
The unfortunate Earl Ferrers, who was executed at
Tyburn for the murder of his steward, Mr. Johnson,
was tried before the House of Peers, in West-
340
PERCY HISTORIES.
minster Hall, on the 16th of April, 1760, and
was condemned. The unhappy nobleman petitioned
to be beheaded in the Tower, but this was refused by
the King, and nothing marked his execution from that
of an ordinary criminal, except that he was conducted
to the fatal spot in his own landau, and that the
scaffold on which he suffered was covered with black
baize.
The infamous Catharine Hayes, for the murder of
her husband, under circumstances of unparalleled
barbarity, was executed here, in 1726.
The punish-
ment of petit treason was burning, the criminal being
first strangled; but in the present instance, after she
was chained to the stake, and the rope was fixed
round her neck, either the executioner letting it go on
account of the flames reaching his hand, or through the
indignation of the populace, she was literally burnt
alive; and the spectators beheld her pushing the
faggots from her, while she rent the air with her cries
and lamentations.
At the north-east corner of Tyburn Bridge formerly
stood the Lord Mayor's Banquetting-house, whither
it was usual for his Lordship to repair with the Alder.
men, accompanied by their ladies, " in waggons," to
view the city conduits, after which they had a splendid
entertainment. This edifice was taken down in 1737.
A melancholy instance of the influence of the
priests occurred at Tyburn in 1626, when Henrietta
Maria, the Queen of Charles I. was induced to walk
from the Palace to Tyburn by way of penance, a cir-
cumstance which so justly irritated the King, that he
banished all the French attendants of her Majesty
from the kingdom.
LONDON.
341
After Tyburn had continued a place of public
execution for upwards of six centuries and a half, a
sense of the inconvenience of dragging a criminal
through the streets, a distance of two miles, and
a wish to improve the neighbourhood of Oxford-street,
induced the local authorities to transfer the scene
from Tyburn to the Old Bailey, where the first exe-
cution took place in December, 1783. The crimi-
nals now suffer on a temporary scaffold, erected
in front of Newgate, and which is ascended by
a ladder, from the door of the prison. On the 23d
of February, 1807, at the execution of two men of the
names of Holloway and Haggerty, for the murder of
a Mr. Steel four years before, a dreadful accident took
place, when, owing to the immense crowd that was
assembled, thirty persons, men, women, and children,
were suffocated, or crushed to death.
One poor
woman, who had a child in her arms, finding she
could not save herself, threw it up, and after being
tossed for some time by the crowd towards the extremi-
ties, it was taken in at a window and saved.
SMITHFIELD.
There is, perhaps, no place in London whose
annals are so chequered as Smithfield at one time
the scene of tilts and tournaments, where princes and
nobles struggled for the prize of renown at the hazard
of their lives; or where the young citizens displayed
their skill in active sports, before their admiring
parents and masters. Here murderers have expiated
their crimes, and pious Christians earned a crown
of martyrdom; and here trade has its mart, and,
2 G 2
342
PERCY HISTÓRIES.
once a year, mirth its revels. The Smoothfield (the
original name of the place) which was once inclosed
by lists for combatants, armed cap-a-pee, and sur-
rounded by balconies, whence Queens and Princesses,
with the ladies of their court, viewed the warlike
sports of their sons, sires, or suitors, is now divided
into filthy pens for cattle, with no inhabitants around,
and no spectators, but those engaged in traffic.
The tournaments held in Smithfield, as well as in
other places in the metropolis, have already been
noticed (vol. i. p. 143); and except the occa-
sional exercises of the London archers,-these are the
only events which took place here on which the his-
torian can look back with pleasure. Smithfield was
the arena where judicial combats on appeal usually
took place; and Shakespeare, in the play of Hen. VI.
Part II. has described, with satiric humour, the trial
by battle in Smithfield, in 1445, between an armourer
and his apprentice. The poor armourer, whose name
was William Catour, was appealed of high treason by
his apprentice John Davy, in consequence of which
the combat was awarded, when Catour being, by the
kindness of his friends, too much charged with
"malmsey and aquavite," says Grafton, was easily
overcome, and then, as was usual in all such cases,
drawn to Tyburn and there beheaded. In the
Cottonian MSS. in the British Museum there are the
original warrants for this combat, from which it ap-
pears, that upon battle being awarded both the com-
batants actually received lessons in the use of arms
from persons assigned and paid by the Crown.
It has already been stated, that Smithfield was used
as a place of execution for felons, and a most sin-
*
LONDON.
343
gular and severe punishment was inflicted in this place
in 1530. A cook, of the name of John Roose, had
poisoned seventeen persons, belonging to the house-
hold of the Bishop of Rochester, two of whom died;
for this crime he was, by a retrospective law, con-
demned to be boiled to death, and the horrible sen-
tence was carried into effect in Smithfield, where eleven
years after, a young woman of the name of Mary
Davie suffered in the same manner for a similar crime.
But if our feelings are shocked, and our sympathies
awakened, by such punishments on those guilty of the
worst of crimes, what are we to say, when men for no
moral guilt, but for a mere difference of religious
opinion-men, whose lives are acknowledged to be
exemplary, are condemned to be burnt alive-yet
how often has Smithfield been seen reeking with the
blood of martyrs !
The first person who suffered death for religion in
England, was William Sautre, a Lollard, who was
burnt alive in the year 1404, by virtue of the king's
writ de Heretico comburendo. Some of our historians
boast that no English monarch ever witnessed one of
those Auto da fes, as the kings of France and Spain
have done; this is, however, but a sort of negative
virtue, and although no kings may have witnessed an
execution of this sort, yet at the burning of Badby, a
Lollard, in 1410, the Prince of Wales, afterwards
Henry V." had arrived," says Rapin, " to be present
at the execution, and as the poor wretch gave sensible
signs of the torture he endured, ordered the fire to be
removed, and promised him a pension for life, pro-
vided he would recant; but Badby, recovering his
1
344
PERCY HISTORIES.
spirits, refused to comply with the offer, and suffered
death with heroic courage."
The torch of persecution once lit, was not quickly
extinguished, and neither age nor sex were spared.
Henry VII. sent to the stake Joan Boughton, the
first female martyr in England, who was upwards of
eighty years of age, and afterwards, her daughter,
Lady Young, suffered the same cruel death. Henry
VIII. and even Edward VI. had his victims; during
the reign of the former, Thomas Bilney, and afterwards
James Barnham, were burnt to death. The latter,
when his extremities were half consumed at the stake
in Smithfield, cried out, "O ye papists, ye look for
miracles, and behold a miracle; for in this fire, I feel
no pain: it is to me a bed of roses. The same mo-
narch sent to the flames the amiable and accomplish-
ed Ann Askew, after she had been previously almost
torn to pieces by the rack in the Tower.
Joan Bocher, the poor Kentish woman, was burnt
to death in the reign of Edward VI. to the disgrace
of Cranmer, who "compelled the amiable Edward,
by forcing his reluctant hand to the warrant.
در
""
On the death of this prince, the prosecution of the
protestants assumed an activity it had never before
known, and the annals of the reign of Mary are
written in the blood of martyrs, nearly three hundred
of whom persished at the stake in various places.
The first victim in Mary's reign was John Rogers,
a Prebendary of St. Paul's. After his condemnation,
he asked permission to see his wife and ten children,
but the brutal monsters, Gardiner and Bonner, would
not permit it. His wife met him, however, on the
morning of his death, as they were conducting him to
LONDON.
345
Smithfield, with her ten children, one of whom was
at the breast-but even a sight like this, and the
offer of pardon if he would recant, did not shake his
courage, but, washing his hands in the flames as they
blazed around him, he met death not only with pa-
tience, but with joyfulness. Bradford, Leaf, Cranmer,
and an army of martyrs, met their death with similar
constancy, nor did Smithfield cease to be stained
with such atrocities, even on the death of Mary; for,
in the reign of Queen Elizabeth, two Dutchmen were
burnt here, for being anabaptists. The last person
whe suffered at the stake in England, was Bartholo-
mew Leggatt, who was burnt in Smithfield, for deny-
ing the Athanasian and Nicene Creeds in the year
1611, nor was Leggatt the only victim of James I.
as Edward Wightman suffered for the same offence,
at Lichfield.
·
·
-
Smithfield has, from the earliest period, been a
market for horses and cattle. Fitzstephen notices
it, as the place where an active trade of this sort, as
well as in implements of husbandry, was carried on in
his time. "Without one of the gates," says he, "is
a smooth field, both in name and deed, where every
Friday, unless it be a solemn bidden holiday, is a
noble shew of horses to be sold. Earls, barons,
knights, and citizens, resort thither to see or to buy.
There may you of pleasure see amblers pacing it de-
licately. There may you see trotters fit for men of
arms, setting more hardly. There may you have not-
able young horses, not yet broken; may you have
strong steeds well limbed, geldings which the buyers
do especially regard for pace and swiftness. The boys
which ride these horses, sometimes two, sometimes
346
PERCY HISTORIES.
three, do run races for wages, with a desire of praise
or hope of victory."
For an account of the extensive business done in
Smithfield market, see vol. ii. p. 92. As, however,
the place is much too small for the number of cattle
brought for sale, and a cattle market in so central a
situation is a nuisance, it is to be hoped it will ere
long give way to the spirit of improvement, and that
the market will be transferred to the environs of Lon⭑
don.
CLUB-HOUSES.
There are few cities where a person may live more
extravagantly or so economically as in London. A
late Duke of Norfolk, who used frequently to dine at
a tavern in Covent Garden, always allowed two
guineas for his dinner-the more humble artisan will
dine, and well too, for less than a shilling; and there
are houses in abundance which offer all the interme-
diate grades of living in the metropolis. At the West
end of the town there are club-houses, some of a
political, others of a professional, and some purely
of a social character.
Brooke's Club House, and White's Club House,
both in St. James's Street, are the general rendezvous
of the two parties in the senate, known by the name
of ministerial and opposition; and here the heads of
each party muster like the staff of rival armies to talk
of former victories or defeats, and to plan new modes
of attack or defence in the political campaign.
Previous to the building of the Club House, by Mr.
Brookes in 1777, to which his name has been given,
the whig party, to which it is devoted, used to meet
LONDON.
347
at Almack's ; but if we may judge from the records of
the house, their meetings were rather convivial and
sporting than political. A book was regularly kept,
in which all wagers were entered; one of these is
worth recording, although it has already appeared in
the Percy Anecdotes of Fashion.
.
"Almack's, March 11, 1774, Lord Clermont has
given Mr. Crawford ten guineas, on the condition of
receiving £500 from him, whenever Mr. Charles
Fox shall be worth £100,000, clear of debts." This
was a very safe wager on the part of Mr. Crawford,
for saving money was the last thing Fox ever thought
of. The number of members in Brookes's Club-house
is limited to four hundred; they are elected by ballot,
and pay an annual subscription of eleven guineas.
White's Club-house, on the opposite side of the
street, is the rendezvous for members of opposite
principles to those who assemble at Brookes's, and is
on a similar plan. As, however, party names are
rapidly passing into oblivion, it is very probable, ere
long, that the political distinctions of these rival club-
houses will cease.
To these may be added the United Service Club,
for the two professions of the army and navy; the
University Club, for members of the two Universities
of Oxford and Cambridge; the Traveller's Club, for
such noblemen and gentlemen as have travelled five
hundred miles out of England; and several other
similar societies. All these Club-houses are support-
ed by annual subscriptions, and they afford great con-
venience to the members, who may go in the morning,
and read all the newspapers and periodicals, and either
take refreshment or not, as they please-in the after-
348
PERCY HISTORIES.
•
noon, they may either dine alone, or in a party of the
members, which is a great advantage to the single
gentlemen, and such as may not have an establishment
in town. To officers it is particularly acceptable, as
their limited means often prevent them from living
in expensive lodgings; but at the Club-house, they
can ensure the best company, let their residence be
where it may.
TAVERNS,COFFEE HOUSES.
An old writer, who had studied men as well books,
describes a tavern as "the busy man's recreation, the
idle man's business, the melancholy man's sanctuary,
and the stranger's welcome." Although this descrip-
tion, from being general, may be strictly applicable to
the present age, yet in some of the more minute fea-
tures, taverns have changed their character. No
prince, or even knight, is now found to indulge in open
revels, as Prince Hal and Falstaff, and all "the
merry men of Eastcheap," did at the Boar's Head;
nor would our Raleighs, our Shakespeares, our Ben
Jonson's, Beaumonts, Fletchers, or Seldens, (had we
any such) pass their evenings in taverns in Alders-
gate Street, Fleet Street, or Cornhill, as the worthies,
we have just named, were in the habit of doing. It
is, perhaps, to the aristocratic feeling, which keeps
modern dramatists aloof from the world, that we are to
attribute their want of those delicate, touches, which
bespeak an acquaintance with human nature, as it ap-
pears in all its phases: "a tavern," says the old
writer, we quoted at the commencement of this article,
"is a broacher of more news than hogsheads, and
LONDON.
349
more jests than news, which are sucked up here by
some spungy brain, and from thence squeezed into a
comedy." Sheridan is a striking instance in modern
time of the advantage of a man's mixing much in
society, for the whole of his dramas are those of real
and not of imaginary life, and hence they are the
most popular.
A
The taverns in former times were not merely re-
creations, but in the city were much more used, than
at present, for transacting business; here accounts
were settled, conveyances executed, and attornies sat
as at country inns, on market days, to receive clients;
nor during the hours of business did these attornies
lose sight of the bar, since it is on record that at the
Crown, a tavern near the Royal Exchange, it was
not unusual in the course of a single morning to draw
a butt of mountain, of a hundred and twenty gallons,
in gills.
Among our ancient taverns, the Boar's Head will
necessarily claim pre-eminence, since it is celebrated
by Shakspeare, as the scene of those revels in which
a dissolute, but not unamiable, prince and his more
abandoned associates revelled. Learned antiquaries
have been much puzzled to know what the liquor,
called sack, for which Falstaff called so loudly to
Dame Quickly, was; but there is no doubt that it was
sherry, indeed the facetious knight expressly calls it
Sheries Sack. Many of our old dramatists and poets
might be quoted in proof of this, but one instance
may suffice. In an old ballad introduced in a poem
called, "Pasquil's Palinodia," printed in 1619, sack
and sherry are used throughout as perfectly synony-
mous, every stanza to the number of twelve ending,
VOL. III.]
2 H
350
PEECY HISTORIES.
Give me sacke, old sacke, boys,
To make the muses merry,
The life of mirth, and the joy of the earth,
Is a cup of good Old Sherry."
Prince Hal was not the only member of the royal
family, who frequented the house of Dame Quickly;
in 1410, while his younger brothers Thomas Duke of
Clarence, and John Duke of Bedford, were supping
at the Boar's Head, an affray took place among their
attendants, between two and three o'clock in the
morning, after the watch had departed, which could
not be appeased without the interference of the
mayor and sheriffs, who were afterwards summoned
before the king, to answer for the riot; and what is
most remarkable is, that Sir William Gascoigne,
the chief justice, who committed the heir apparent to
prison, on another occasion, advised the city to throw
itself upon the king's mercy. The lord mayor with
becoming spirit refused thus to succumb, asserting
that he and his colleagues had not offended, "except
the law were an offence, and that they had exerted
their utmost power in maintaining the peace, and
suppressing riot and disorder.”
Shakspeare, Ben Jonson, Beaumont, and others of
their contemporaries used to assemble at the Mermaid
Tavern, Cornhill; under Sir Walter Raleigh an in-
tellectual and convivial society of the spirits of the
age was formed, called the Mermaid Club, which,
says one of the most acute writers of his day, Mr.
Gifford," combined more talent and genius, perhaps,
than ever met together, before or since." Beaumont
in a poetic epistle, from the country, to Jonson, has
LONDON.
351
:
•
described the "wit combats," as Fuller calls them,
which in those days took place at Mermaid Tavern,
where
"there hath been shown
Wit able enough to justify the town
For three days past,-wit that might warrant
For the whole city to talk foolishly,
Till that were cancell'd, and when that was gone,
We left an air behind us, which alone
Was able to make the two next companies
Right witty; though but downright fools, more
wise."
Ben Jonson was a bon vivant, and did not confine
himself to the Mermaid; he was a great frequenter
of the Devil Tavern, by Temple Bar, (now occupied
by Child's Place) and the Swan Tavern, near Char-
ing Cross.
In an extempore grace made before
King James, after blessing the king, queen, the Pals-
grave, and his wife, with several others, he thus con-
cluded,
"God bless them all, and keep them safe,
And God bless me, and God bless Ralph.”
The British Solomon "was mighty inquisitive,"
says Aubrey, "to know who this Ralph was: Ben
told him it was the drawer, at the Swan tavern, by
Charing Cross, who draws him good canary. For
this drollery his majesty gave him a hundred pounds."
"Rare Ben" appears to have owed much of his
inspiration to sack and canary; in a MS. preserved at
Dulwich, and said to be his Journal, he ascribes the
failure of some of his pieces to the death of the
352
PERCY HISTORIES.
"honest Ralph," when he appears to have left the
house, for, says he, "I and my boys drank bad wine
at the Devil." This, however, was not always the
case, for in another memorandum he says, "The first
speech in my Cataline, spoken to Sylla's ghost, was
writ after I had parted with my friends at the Devil
Tavern; I had drank well that night, and had brave
notions."
At a later period we find the men of genius mixing
together at a tavern, many allusions to which are
made in the Spectator, the Tattler, and other Essays,
of the early part of the last century. Sir Richard
Steele was fond of a tavern, and however ridiculous
his uxoriousness may, and must appear, yet we have
always thought a passage of one of his letters to his
wife, written from a tavern, particularly expressive,
when he assures her that he will be with her, not in
half or a quarter of an hour, but " within half a bottle
of wine."
Although the Kit Cat Club, "the patriots who
saved Britain," as Horace Walpole designates them,
originally met at the house of a pastry cook, in Shire-
Lane, yet they soon enabled Christopher Cat, their
host, to accommodate them better at the Fountain,
in the Strand, where their principal meetings were
held.
A more ancient tavern, however, than any of these,
was the Tabard, in the Borough (now the Talbot)
the place whence Chaucer's Pilgrims set out.
The taverns of the present day can scarcely boast
of any literary associations, and although Professor
Porson frequented a house in the neighbourhood of
Covent Garden, which now displays his portrait, it
I
LONDON.
353
was rather to indulge unrestrained, than to seek in-
tellectual society. Some of our coffee houses, where
the newspapers and periodicals are liberally taken
in, still attract the literati. Of these, Peel's Coffee
House, and the Chapter Coffee House, are the most
celebrated. Towards the close of last, and the be-
ginning of the present century, a box at the latter
coffee house was designated the wittenagemote, on
account of a number of literary gentlemen who usually
assembled in it; the title, however, seems somewhat
gratuitous.
In a more humble class of houses of entertainment,
the company were formerly entertained with music,
dancing, merry-andrews, and some sports of a low
dramatic character.
MODERN IMPROVEMENTS.
If during a war, unexampled in its duration, and
in the expense at which it was sustained, the British
metropolis continued not merely to add house to
house, but street to street, and to increase in magnifi-
cence, it was to be expected that, "the piping time of
peace" would give a new impulse to improvement.
Such, indeed, is the case, and with the exception of
the west end of the town, where Hyde Park seems to
say, "hitherto shalt thou go, and no farther," we see
London stretching out its Briarean arms in every
direction, swallowing up every villa in its environs,
and making them a part of the great capital. Isling-
ton has long been connected with London, which still,
unsatiated, stretches northward. Somers' Town has
no other division from the rest of the metropolis than
2 H 2
354
PERCY HISTORIES.
- a road, and Kentish Town, and Camden Town, will
soon be closely connected with it. Hackney can
scarcely be called a distinct village, and eastward we
find a chain of buildings erecting, which will soon
unite the adjacent villas with "enlarged and still in-
creasing London,; if we turn to the south we shall
find the buildings increasing so rapidly, that Green-
wich road will soon become one continued street.
Nor is it in the environs of London only that the
spirit of improvement has gone forth, since it pervades
almost every part of the metropolis. Within a
few years Moorfields has been changed from a barren
field, to a neat circus; the Bank has been enlarged;
the only private house remaining, built by Sir
Christopher Wren, formerly the civic palace, restored
in a style appropriate to its original grandeur, and
numerous other improvements in hand, and in con-
templation. At the west end of the metropolis, the
change is still more manifest. Charing Cross, the
only memorial of the affection of Edward I. for his
beloved Eleanor, remaining in London, still retains its
form, as does the equestrian statue of Charles I., cast
by Le Sœur, but the alterations in the immediate
neighbourhood are immense. Where the royal stables
formerly stood, (the Mews) splendid buildings are
arising, and the church of St. Martin's in the Fields
will no longer remain like a candle hid under a
bushel. Scotland Yard (so called from the Kings of
Scotland having a palace there, when they visited
London,) is now occupied by a fine street stretching
towards the river, and the cathedral of St. Paul's can
now be viewed from the Admiralty.
Regent Street, which extends from Carlton House
-
LONDON.
355
to Portland Place, though of varied architecture,
some of which is not in good taste, is still a noble
street, and leads to one of the greatest ornaments of
the metropolis, the Regent's Park, around which
noble terraces are springing up as if by magic.. This
park, which is very spacious, is beautifully laid out
the grounds exhibiting a charming variety of lawns,
lakes, shrubberies, &c. Such are a few of the im-
provements which have taken place under the auspices
of George the Fourth, and if it cannot be said of his
majesty as of the Roman emperor, that he found a
city of brick, and left one of marble, it cannot be
denied that, while he has sustained the national
honour abroad, he has done more to patronize litera-
ture, to advance the fine arts, and to improve the
metropolis, than any sovereign that ever wielded the
British sceptre; and should providence spare his
majesty to complete his designs, and preserve the
peace of Europe, we may anticipate that England
will continue to be the first country, and London the
first city in the world: and in the last words of Paolo
Sarpi in speaking of his native Venice, we shall say
of London, esto perpetua!
THE ENVIRONS OF LONDON.
When the Emperor Alexander of Russia paid a visit
to this country, in the year 1814, he is said to have
been no less struck with the beauty of the scenery on
the banks of the Thames, than with the wealth and
commerce of the metropolis, and the apparent comfort
which appeared to pervade the dense population of
this great city. The climate of London is salubrious,
356
PERCY HISTORIES.
and the air at a few miles distant, as pure as that on
the Grampians; and although the environs do not
present monastic ruins, ornamental canals, or those
formal plantations to be met with in some of our
parks, which Pope has so happily described, as where
"Grove nods at grove, each alley has its brother,
And half the platform just reflects the other,"
yet there are vales rich in verdure, and eminences
which command an extensive prospect, particularly
the point at Blackheath, which affords one of the
most varied, and one of the richest panoramic scenes
in the world.
In the vicinity of London there is no "deserted
village, ""no glades forlorn," or, " tangling walks and
ruin'd grounds," which Goldsmith describes and la-
ments so pathetically; but splendid villas and popu-
lous towns, all in active bustle, stud the environs of
London for a circuit of many miles; these villages
form a pleasant day's excursion to the secluded ci-
tizen. Many of the neighbouring towns have also
other attractions, from some event associated with
their history-some institution worthy of public no-
tice, or from some recollections of their former occu-
pants. Who, that has ever passed through" merry
Islington," has not thought of Cowper's inimitable
ballad of John Gilpin ; and what traveller ever rested
at the Bell at Edmonton, who did not sympathize
with Mrs. Gilpin on the disasters of her wedding day?
Hampstead Heath, and Jack Straw's Castle, carry us
back at once four centuries and a half, and we feel
grateful that the peace of the metropolis, and the
stability of the government, are no longer endangered
LONDON.`.
357
by a lawless mob. At Highgate, we may laugh at
the nugatory oath which honest Boniface wishes every
new visitor to swear, that he will not eat brown bread
when he can get white, or kiss the maid when he may
salute the mistress, unless he likes her better; or, if
we wish to be serious, let us turn to Chalk Farm, and
reflect on those victims to a sense of false honour, who
have fallen in duels on this spot. Even Paddington
with its canal, which now circumscribes London, since
the Regent's canal has been added to it, is worthy of
notice. If we follow the derious course of the latter
to White Conduit Fields, we lose sight of it for some
distance, on account of its subterraneous navigation.
At Paddington, we may also smile at the whimsical
fancy of the two maiden ladies who fettered an annual
donation of bread, with an injunction that it should be
thrown from the steeple of the church!
Twickenham, so long "the favourite retreat of the
scholar, the poet, and the statesman, that almost every
house has its tale to be told ;" and Richmond, so long
the seat of royalty—whose hill is London's pride, are
as attractive, on account of the beauty of their natural
scenery, as the endearing recollections with which
they are associated.
Chelsea will ever be famed for its Hospital, where
the veteran "shoulders his crutch, and shows how
fields were won ;" and the young embryo soldier
in the military school burns with eagerness to reap
those laurels his father won, reckless of the fate of war.
Chelsea Hospital was founded by Charles II. on the
site of a college his grandfather, James I. had erected,
for controversial divinity! The new hospital was built
by Sir Christopher Wren, and is a handsome brick
¿
358
PERCY HISTORIES.
1
building, 790 feet long. It consists of a large quadran-
gle, open on the south side, in the centre of which
stands a bronze statue of the founder, Charles II.
The east and west sides are 365 feet long. The hos-
pital was erected for maimed and superannuated
soldiers, upwards of four hundred of whom are
comfortably boarded and lodged, at the expense
of the country for which they fought. The es-
tablishment consists of a
governor, lieutenant-
governor, major, two chaplains, physician, surgeon,
&c. There are also belonging to this establishment,
four hundred sergeants, who are out pensioners and
receive a shilling a day, and an unlimited number
of privates, out-pensioners, who have five-pence per
day. The expenses of this noble establishment are
defrayed by annual grant from parliament.
The Royal Military Asylum was erected in 1801,
and owes its foundation to his royal highness, the
Duke of York. It was erected for the education and
maintenance of the children of the soldiers of the re-
gular army; seven hundred boys and three hundred
girls are in this establishment.
From the veterans and youth of the British army,
we turn to those heroes who have contributed to main-
tain the supremacy of their country on the ocean,
who are equally well provided for in the Royal Hos-
pital at Greenwich. The idea of a national asylum
for seamen, disabled by age, or maimed in the service
of their country, is said to have originated with Mary
the Queen of William III., who highly approved of
it: when their majesties had resolved to found a hos-
pital for this purpose, Sir Christopher Wren sug-
gested that Greenwich Palace, which Charles II. had
·
LONDON.
359
begun to rebuild, and finished one wing, should be
converted to this use, and enlarged with new buildings.
The suggestion was adopted, and to the lionour of the
great architect, he superintended the new buildings
for many years, without any emolument or reward.
The first stone of the Hospital was laid on the
3d of June, 1696, from which time it has been suc-
cessively enlarged and improved, until it has attained
its present splendour and magnificence.
Greenwich Hospital consists of four distinct piles
of building, which are named in honour of King
Charles, Queen Anne, King William, and Queen
Mary, and in the centre is the grand square, 270 feet
wide. The royal hospital was first opened in January
1705, when forty-two seamen were admitted; the
sum has since been increased to nearly three thou-
sand; the number of out pensioners is much greater;
the hall, the chapel, and the several buildings of
Greenwich Hospital are a source of great attraction
to strangers.
It was a part of the original plan of Greenwich
Hospital, that it should provide for the education of
seamen's sons, and nearly 4000 boys have been thus
instructed. In the same year in which the military
asylum was founded, a naval asylum was commenced
at Paddington, but in 1807 it was removed to Green-
wich, where 800 boys and 200 girls are now educated.
Sterne says, "I hate the man who can travel from
Dan to Beersheba and find all barren," and fastidious
indeed must that person be, who does not find some-
thing to gratify him in almost every village within a
circuit of a dozen miles of London; Deptford has its
dockyard, Woolwich its arsenal and other military
:
360
PERCY HISTORIES.
establishments; and all and each present somewhat of
interest to the intelligent traveller. Dulwich, in Surrey,
ensures a visit from the lover of the fine arts, on ac-
count of the picture gallery and the college, founded
by Edward Alleyne, the comedian and contemporary
of Shakspeare, who, when actors were not paid as they
are now, realized a fortune. The gallery, which is
open to the public, was bequeathed by Sir Francis
Bourgeois, an eminent historical painter, as the
nucleus of a national gallery- an institution which
will soon be formed under the immediate auspices of
that munificent sovereign to whom this history of
London is inscribed.

MAGURU VARELA
121
Westminster Hall.
HIT
$15977
THE
LONDON:
Printed by D. S. Maurice, Fenchurch-street.
Academy, the Royal
Achilles, statue of
Adelphi Theatre, the
Admiralty, Court of
Agriculture, Board of
Aix la Chapelle, peace of
Alarm, whimsical
Alderman, a Prior
Aldermanries
Aldermen, origin of the
Alfred the Great i.
the days of
Alleyne, Edward
Allnutt, Mr. legacy of
Almack's
Almanack Predictions
Alms Houses
Alsatia
..
..
INDEX.
··
Page.
iii. 276
iii. 213
iii. 142
··
181, ii. 18
i. 20
iii. 121
iii. 327
iii. 347
ii. 103
iii. 160
i. 175
ii. 332
..
American War, the
Amusements, military ii. 182, 192
Anatomists Barber-ous
i. 352
Andrew, St., Church of
Anne, Queen, Statue of
Churches of
Antiquaries, Society of..
Apothecaries' Company
Appeal of treason
Apprentices, the London i. 128
··
ii. 351, i. 152
Arches, Court of
ii. 172
Archery
i. 63, ii. 186, 187
Architecture, Ecclesiastical, iii. 234
Architectural Society
iii. 284
Armada, the ii. 190, iii. 318
Armour, manufacture of ii. 183
ancient mistakes re-
•
··
ii. 173
iii. 284
iii. 213
ii. 301
i. 245
i. 238
i. 235
iii. 242
ii. 67
iii. 256
ii. 32
i. 355
iii. 342
··
··
the
specting
ii. 245
Armoury, the Tower
ii. 242
at Carlton House, iii. 205
Artificers, impressment of iii. 185
Artillery Company, history of
ii. 205
Ground, the ii. 191, 208
Artists, Society of British, iii. 274
number of
iii. 274
Astley's Amphitheatre iii. 141
Astronomical Society iii. 284
Asylum, the
iii. 171
iii. 232
Atterbury, Bishop
Auction Mart
Bacon, Lord
iii. 81
iii. 295
t
Bakewell, Sir Richard
Ball, John
Balmerino, Lord
Bank of England, the
runs upon the
Cash payments
Stock
K
iii. 61, 63
iii. 65, 67
iii. 71
i. 323
iii. 56
i. 242
i. 41, 230
iii. 203, 215
at Ely House
ii. 314
Barberini Cardinal
iii. 199
Barbers' & Surgeons' Company
Bankers, the first
Banking System, the
Banner of St. Paul
Banquets, splendid
..
Page.
i. 327
i. 149
ii. 253
iii. 55
··
i. 347
i. 14, ii. 307
ii. 324
ii. 170
Barbican, the
Barnard, Sir John
Barnard's Inn
Bartholomew's Hospital, St. iii. 161
Fair
iii. 96, 97
St. Church iii. 241
i. 241
iii. 90
i. 51
..
iii. 348
i. 312
Baynard Castle
Bazar, the
Bear and Bull baiting
Beaumont, Francis
Becket Gilbert, á
Beckford, Lord Mayor
i. 279
ii. 330
i. 278
Monument of
Beggars, number of
Bellman's Verses
Beneficence Metropolitan
Bermondsey Spa
Bethlem Hospital
Bible Society, British
Bill of Fare, economical
Bills of Mortality, Origin
Bilney and Barham burnt,
Birch, Dr. MSS. of
Bishops of London, early
Blackfriar's Bridge
Black Boy Alley gang
Blind, School for the
Blood, Col. attempts to steal the
crown
Boar's Head Tavern
Bocher, Joan, burnt
Bonner, Bishop
Book monopoly
Books destroyed by fire
ii. 270
iii. 250
iii. 148
iii. 107
iii. 166
iii. 154
i. 332
of i. 360
iii. 344
iii. 290
ii. 2-11
ii. 132
ii. 261
ii. 174
ii. 237
iii. 348
iii. 344
ii. 7, 39
i. 340
1. 344
1
1
1
дам
INDEX.
··
Borough Compter
Botanical Garden
Boughton, Joan
Bourgeois Gallery
Bowyer, Wm. charities of
Boydell, Alderman
Breweries, the
Bride's, St. Church of
Bridewell Hospital
Brighton Pavilion
Britain, a healthy climate
Brookes's Club House
Brunswick, House of
Buckingham, House of
Bucklersbury
··
i. 293, iii.
Caroline, Queen of
Carstares, Mr. fidelity of
Building, restraints on
Building Materials, and
of
i.
Bunhill Fields
Bunyan, John
Burials in Churches
Burleigh, Lord
Burney, Dr. library of
Burrel, MSS.
Busby, Dr.
Butlery, Office of the
Cade, Jack
Cadiz mortar, the
Cæsar's Ford, mistakes respect-
ing
Canute
Card-playing
Carlisle House
Carlton House
..
Cato Street conspiracy
Catour and Davy
Cattle sold annually
Cemeteries
Chamberlain, the
Chambers, Sir Wm.
Chapter House
Chapel of St. George
Chapels on bridges
Charities
Charles I.
··
Page.
iii. 333
i. 355
ii. 344
iii. 360
i. 346
280
iii. 81
iii. 252
ii. 272
iii. 184
i. 116
execution of
Charles II., charter of
iii. 346
ii. 322
iii. 205
iii. 345
slavish executions
i. 104
style
117, 124
iii. 267
iii. 264
iii. 266
i. 86, 255
iii. 292
Carthage
iii. 2
Catherine Square, Church iii. 242
Catholics, treatment of the ii. 321
ii. 341
iii. 291
iii. 312
i. 290
i. 15, 156
iii. 212
蓝
​j. 7
i. 22
i. 59
ii. 317
iii. 201
iii. 211
iii. 209
iii. 342
iii. 92
iii. 265
i. 264
iii. 270
i. 97
iii. 148
i. 203
iii. 196
i. 205
210
at the Great fire ii. 288
Charlotte, Queen, death of iii.
Princess
Charter, the Great
Charters
190
ii. 340
i. 35
Charter House, the
iii. 233
iii. 188
i. 26, 27
iii. 317
Chatham, Earl, Monument to
Chelsea College
Cheriton Downs, battle of
Chopping Sticks, origin of
Christmas, the style
revels
Christ's Hospital
Christ Church
ii.
Churches, early British
fire
••
··
Exchange
Coaches and Sedans
Coburg Theatre
Cockneyism defended
Coffee Houses
Coinage, the British
Anglo Saxon
previous to the Great
iii. 237
built by Sir C. Wren
iii. 247
iii. 260
counterfeiting
Coke, Sir Edward
New
Citizens opulence of the
i. 38
privileges i. 23, 24, 26, 56
City Arms, the
Dispensary
i. 321
iii. 155
Civil Government since the re-
volution
Wars, the
Clark, Thomas
Clement's Inn
Clerkenwell Moralities
Prison
Clifford's Inn
Climate of the Metropolis
Clive, Lord
..
Cloth-workers' Company
Club Houses
Coal Trade, the
Page.
··
··
··
the
Common Hall
Council
Commons, House of
Concerts
Cook boiled to death
Corinæus
Cornhill
i. 281
iii. 358
ii. 197
i. 260
ii. 95
144, 356
iii. 313
Corn Exchange
Cornish, Alderman,
iii. 254
iii. 234
iii. 235
ii. 320
ii. 195
iii. 89
ii. 167
iii. 112
iii. 332
ii. 167
i. 110
i. 262
iii. 320
i. 209, 211
Colet, Dean
Common Council
Common Sergeant, the i. 268
Hall, the i. 267, 268
Conflagrations remarkable ii. 276
Commerce, the source of nobi-
lity
iii. 34
i. 337
iii. 346
i. 48
iii. 79
i. 298
iii. 141
i. 164
i. 62
of London, history of
i. 12, 38, iii.
i. 200, iii.
i. 269,293
ii. 330
iii. 330
iii. 343
i. 287
ii. 346
iii. 79
i. 213, 254
iii. 348
iii. 51
iii. 52
1
80.
INDEX.
il. 348
ii. 353
iii. 189
Coronations
Correggio's pictures sold
Costume, ancient city
Cosmo, Duke of Tuscany
Cottage, the King's
Cotton, Sir Robert
Cottonian MSS.
Covent Garden Theatre iii. 131
Crime, State of, in London ii.
Criminal's warning, a
Cromwell
iii. 288
iii. 289
260
iii. 250
i. 204
exhumation of iii. 217
ii. 306
··
Crosby House
Crosses, origin of
Crown, the new Imperial
Crucifixion, painting of the
Curtain Theatre, the
Custodes, the ancient
Cutler's Company
Cutler, Sir John
Cutlery, London
Custom House, the
Customs, history of the,
Danish Conquest, the
Davenant, Sir Wm.
·
Deaf & Dumb, Asylum for, iii.
Depredations, annual
Despard, Colonel
··
West India
East India
London
MADRAS)
Doctors' Commons
Dove's Legacy
Drapers' Company
Dress, ancient
·
..
··
Dispensary for Children
Dissenters' Chapel
Docks, Commercial
··
··
··
Devil Tavern, the
Dialect, London
Dining with Duke Humphrey ii.
Diorama
..
··
··
luxury in
Drinking to the Sheriff
Drury-lane Theatre
Dugard, Wrá.
Dugdale, Sir Wm.
Dulwich College
Dunstan, St. Church of
··
Dutchman's agility, a
Dyott Street
Earl Marshal Office, of the
Earthquakes
Eastcheap
Ecclesiastical History
Edgitha, Queen
Education, state of
O
Page.
i. 225
iii. 199
··
ii. 35
ii. 240
iii.
238
iii. 120
i. 189
i. 356
i. 317
iii. 86
iii. 15
iii. 15-1
i. 21
i. 300
173
ii. 266
ii. 337
iii. 348
i. 163
27
iii. 275
iii. 157
iii. 263
iii. 24
iii. 25
iii. 28
iii. 28
ii. 171
iii. 249
i. 319
ii 438
ii. 150
i. 252
lii. 125
i. 329
ii. 175
iii. 360
iii. 240,
243, 247
ii. 20
ii. 268
ii. 175
ii. 300
ii. 345
ii. 1
iii. 309
iii. 308
Page.
Edward the Confessor i. 24, iii. 225
Shrine of iii. 225
Chapel of iii. 229
i. 148, 188, 118
i. 190
i. 191
i 234
iii. 195
iii. 293
Edward I.
Edward II.
Edward III.
Egyptian Hall, the
Elizabeth, Queen i. 143. 200,
ii. 220, ii. 312, i. 172.
Elgin, Marbles
Eltham Palace
Ely House
Empson & Dudley executed i. 199
Entomological Society
jii. 284
Environs of London
Episcopal Residences
Evelyn, John
Exactions on the City
Exchange, the Royal,
Excise Bill, the
iti. 182
ii. 311
..
iii. 395
ii. 310
··
··
ii, 34, 286
i. 193
··
i. 301, 305
••
iii. 157
ili. 95
izi. 68
..
ii. 324
Office
iii. 50
Exports & Imports, iii. 11, 12, 13
Eye Infirmary
Fairs, London
Faith, St.; Church of
Falconbridge, attempt to sieze
the City
i. 100, 159
Ferrers, Earl, execution of iii. 339
Fine Arts, rise of the iii. 273
Fines, excessive
i. 207
Fire, the Great, of 1666, i. 43, 304,
317. ii. 282.
··
··
··
··
··
··
..
•
descriptions of the, ii. 285,
286
Fire, value of the property de-
stroyed
ii. 290
Fires, dreadful i. 207. ii. 277
-plans for extinguishing ii. 281
Fireworks in the Park
Fishmongers' Company
Fitzwalter, Baron
Fitzwilliam, family, origin of i. 63
iii. 213
i. 319'
i. 35
··
ii. 18
Flagellants, the
Fleet Prison
Marriages
ditch
iii. 324
iii. 326
ii. 134
Floods, great
Folkmote, the city
ii. 120
ii. 268
Fool, the Lord Mayor's .. i. 231
Football played in the streets, i. 57
Foreign Settlers, history of
the
··
i. 68, 74, 171
Foreigners' opinion of Lon-
don
Fortifications
Foundling Hospital
Frosts, severe,
Funds, speculations in the iii. 73, 75
iii. 169
iii. 112
··
..
••
··
ii. 353
i. 13.
INDEX.
•
Furnival's Inn
Galleries of Art
Gaol fever, fatal
Gardens, public
Garraway's Coffee House
Gascoigne, Sir Wm.
Gates, the city
Gay the poet
41
Geological Society
ili. 284
George I., accession of iii. 210
George III.
i. 273
i. 15
··
iii.
nate
••
George III., insults on
IV., birth of
••
..
attempt to assassi-
··
..
··
tion
Gray's Inn
Green Park, the
Greenwich Palace
Hospital
Gresham, Sir Richard
Gresham, Sir Thomas
..
··
··
munificent dona-
..
..
iii.
tion of
iii. 208
coronation of
216, 232
George, St., church of iii. 258
Gerard's Hall
i. 240
Giles, St., church of iii. 240, 258
Giles, St., state of
ii. 271
Giltspur Street compter iii. 330
Globe Theatre, the
iii. 117
Gloucester, Humphrey duke
••
··
of
ii. 27
··
··
··
Gog and Magog, history of i. 286
Goldsmith's Company,
i. 322
banking
iii. 57
Government Offices
iii. 268
civil of London i. 181
since the revolu-
··
·
..
··
Hawksmoor the architect
Hawkwood, Sir John
··
..
Page.
ii. 169
iii. 273
..
··
i. 302
life of ii. 89
Gresham College i. 303, 306. ii.
Lectures, the
Professors, eminent ii.
84
82
i.
··
83
i. 315
Grocer's Company
Grotius
iii. 192
··
i. 103
iii. 275
iii. 220
Growth of London
Guildhall, the
Gunpowder plot
Guy's Hospital
Haberdasher, extensive ..
Haberdashers' Company
iii. 165
iii. 89
i. 330
Hackney Coaches, the first i. 299
Hampton Court Palace iii. 190
Hangman's Gains explained i.
Hansard, Luke
83
i. 347
iii. 287
Harleian MSS.
Hatton House
iii. 329
iii. 103
iii. 81
iii. 350
··
··
·
iii. 132
ii. 335
iii. 200
ii. 320
ii. 163
iii. 212
iii. 183
iii. 360
i. 301
ii. 308
iii. 260
i. 327
·
··
Hayes, Catherine
Haymarket Theatre,
iii. 137
Helen, St., Church of iii. 241
Henry I., charter of
i. 27
Henry III. ... i. 38, 184. iii. 215
Henry IV.
i. 196
Henry VI.
i. 197
Henry VIII. loves archery ii. 186
Henry VII.th's chapel iii. 226, 229
restoration ofiii. 227
Henry VIII.
i. 200, 351
Henrietta Queen, her penance
..
··
•
K
C
iii. 340
Herald's College
Highgate oath
Highland wish, a
ii. 173
iii. 350
i. 178
i. 259
··
Hobnails, counting the
Hogarth's march to Finchley ii. 202
Holbein, Hans
iii. 236
Holloway and Haggerty, exe-
cution of
iii. 341
"Holy Land," state of the ii. 271
Honours conferred on citizens i. 61
Horner, Mr., his views of Lon-
don
..
..
--
..
ii. 63
··
iii. 285
Horsemonger Lane Gaol iii. 341
Horticultural Society
House of Lords
Commons
..
··
··
··
··
··
House warming, a royal
Howard, Mr.
Humane Society, Royal
Hunting in the city
Hurricanes, dreadful'
Hyde Park
Icelandic MSS.
Imposts, resistance to arbi-
trary
Impressment resisted
Improvements modern
India Company, East
Trade to
House, the East, ..
Inflexibility civic
Inns of Court
Inscriptions, Tower
Institution, British
··
··
Royal
Institutions, Literary and
Scientific
Insurance, origin of
Offices
Ironmongers' Company
Hospital
··
··
..
··
··
··
··
..
··
··
..
··
i. 161
ii. 332
iii. 353
iii. 30
iii. 31
iii. 30
i. 358
ii. 139. ii. 144
ii. 227, 233
..
··
iii. 279
iii. 299
··
··
··
.. ··
..
Pago.
iti. 340
iii. 282
ii. 296
ii. 296
i. 332
S
i. 334
iii. 105
iii. 226
..
··
..
Islington Spa
Islip, Abbot
James I. i. 67, 201, 202, 351
his visit to St. Paul's ii. 32
i. 213
..
James II.
··
iii. 218
iii. 221
··
··
iii. 216
iii. 384
iii. 156
iii. 137
ii. 302
iii. 213
iii. 290
INDEX.
··
James, St., Palace of
··
-'s Park,
Jews, historical account of
their treatment
Jefferies, Judge
Jerusalem Chamber
Jewel Office, the
John the Baptist St., church
··
of
·
··
i, 89
i. 214
iii. 233
ii. 235
iii. 239
of
··
··
•♥
··
iii. 259
John, King
35, 91, 184, ii. 21
John, King of France iii. 186
Jones, Inigo ii. 33. iii. 236, 250
Jonson, Ben
iii. 120, 348
Jubilee, the
ii. 337
Justice, Courts of
iii. 178
Juvenile offenders
ii. 265
Kenton, Mr. B. i. 335. iii. 85
Kensington Palace
iii. 208
Kew Palace
iii. 190
King's Library, the, in the
Museum
King's Theatre
King's Bench Prison
Knighten Guild, the
Knight's Templars
Kyffin, Mr., anecdote of
Labour regulated by Bow
Bells
Lambeth Palace
··
··
..
··
•
..
..
..
-- the Evangelist, church
..
..
··
··
P.
library
Lancaster, Duke of..
Lancasterian system, not new
Page.
iii, 198
iii. 212
·
··
..
··
iii. 310
··
iii. 289
ii. 38, 187
i. 223
Lansdown MSS.
Latimer, Bishop
Laureate, the city
Laurence, Sir John
Law students, ancient
Leather-sellers' Company
Leeds, Duke of, his origin
Legend of St. Peter
Leggatt, B., burnt
Library, Royal
ii. 115
ii. 142
i. 357
i. 61
iii. 223
iii. 345
iii. 207
ii. 103
Lilly, the astrologer
Lincoln's Inn
ii. 157
iii. 283
iii. 275
··
Linnæan Society
Linwood's Exhibition
Literary property,
i. 343
Livery, rights of the
i. 271
Lloyd's Coffee House,
iii. 77
Lollard's, pennance of
ii. 41
LONDON, foundation of the City,
i. 3.-Name, 5.-State of, before
the Romans, 5.—State of, under
the Romans, 11.-Stone,15. Dark
ages, 18.-Renovated, 20.—Pri-
vileges, 23-24, 26.-Sheriffalty of
..
iii. 292
iii. 133
iii. 323
i. 246
ii. 150
i. 215
i. 131
iii. 302
ibid.
i. 192
Page.
Middlesex united to it, 29.-Ad-
vancement under Richard I.,
30.-Early, wealth and luxury,
38.-Sports and pastimes, 50.-
Growth of, 103.-Population,
107.-Climate, 110.-Plans for
rebuilding, 120, 121.-Paving
and lighting, 127.-Conduits,
136. Water Companies, 138.-
Pageants, 141, 226, 314.—Tour-
naments, 143.-Entered by Wat
Tyler, 149.-By Jack Cade,
156. By Falconbridge, 159.
-Dialect, 163. Sanctuaries,
167. Shop signs, 175.-Civil
government till the Revolution,
181.-Excessively fined, 193, 207.
--Privileges suspended, 212.-
Oppressed by James II., 214.-
By Henry I.. 269.-Ecclesiasti-
cal history, ii. 1.-Bishopric of
10.-Panoramic views of 63.–
Clerical Reveries, 67.- Plagues of,
92-117.-Floods, 120.-Military
defence, 181.- Police 250.
Fires in, 276.-The Great Fire
of, 1666, 282.-Earthquakes, and
hurricanes, ii. 300.-Civil Go-
vernment since the Revolution,
320.-Riots in, 327. 329, 335,
340.-Commerce, iii. 1.-Brew-
eries, 61.-Manufactures, 65.-
Markets and consumption of
provisions, 91.- Fairs, 95.-
Beneficence, 148.-The seat of
Royalty iii. 182.-Environs iii.
355.
..
London Bridge, history of i. 95
Institution,
iii. 300
“ Londoners,” the " brave"
unjustly im-
ii. 181


·
peached
Lottery, the first
Louvre, building of the
Lovat, Lord
..
Love story, affecting
Loyalty Loan
Luke's Hospital, St.
Luxury, restraint on
Lyceum, or English Opera
Lying in Hospitals
Lyon's Inn
J
..
··
Magdalen Hospital
Manners of the citizens
Mansion House, the
Manufactures
Margaret, St., church of
Marine Society
Markets
··
..
··
ii. 225, 253
i. 336
..
··
ii. 185
ii. 28
ii. 73
..
ii. 336
iii. 168
i. 41
iii. 139
iii. 157
ii. 168
ii. 172
ii. 352
i. 232
iii. 85
iii. 237
iii. 177
iii. 91


INDEX.
Masque, in the Temple
Mathematical Society
Mars, Field of
Marshalsea Prison
Martin, St., church of
legend of
Martin's le Grand, St.
Martyrdoms
··
iii. 341
iii. 104
Mary-le-Bonne Gardens
Mary-le-Bow, St., church of iii. 251
Mary-le-Strand, church of iii. 259
ii. 106
iii. 283
Matilda the Saracen
i. 312
Mayor, Lord, history of the of-
fice
··
i. 217
i. 223
i. 249
court of
97
··
iii.
iii. 283
iii. 307
iii. 304
iii. 263
i. 311
··
i. 309
Mayday, the Evil.. i. 58, 76, 161
Mayfair
Mechanic's Institution
Medical Society
Institutions
Meeting Houses
Mercers' Company, the
Merchant guilds
Merchant Taylors' Company i. 326
School i. 328
Mendicity, history of
il. 266
Mermaid Club, the
iii. 350
Meux's brewery, accident at iii. 84
Middlesex, Sheriffalty of i. 29
Middleton, Sir Hugh
i. 138
Military defence of London, ii. 181
Asylum
iii. 358
Mineralogical Society iii. 284
Mint, the
i. 175, iii.
··
51
ii. 317
ii. 262
in Southwark
Mohawks, the
Monmouth, Duke of
ii, 251
Monument, the
iii. 294
Mosaic pavements.. i. 17, iii.
Muscovy merchants
Museum, British
..
228
iii. 7
iii. 285
iii. 143
iii. 146
iii. 110
iii. 359
iii. 10
i. 285
-'s show
••
··
•
Page.
i. 16
iii. 326
.. iii. 256
i. 336
i. 173
··
··
..
··
··
Music, Royal Academy of
Musical Institutions
Mysteries and moralities
Naval Asylum
Navigation act, the
Nelson, Lord, monument of
Newcourt's plan of London,
Newgate
i. 121
iii. 328
ii. 168
New Inn
Newland, Mr. Abraham .. iii. 71
i. 138
i. 344
i. 227
New river, the
Nicholas, Mr. John
Norman, Sir John
Normans, the
Offering, singular
Old Bailey
Opera, the in London
i. 25, 183
ii. 17
iii 338
iii. 143
..
··
··
··
Page.
ii.
iii. 171
53
ii. 89
··
Organ of St. Paul's
Orphan Asylum, London
Osterley house, banquet at
Pageants
i. 141, 226, 314
Painted chamber, the iii. 219
Painters' Company
i. 355
Paintings in churches, on.. ii.
Palaces, ancient
Palmer, Mr.
Pancras church
56
iii. 182
--
46
iii.
iii. 245
new church
iii. 262
Panoramas, the
iii. 275
Panoramic views of London, il.
Parish Clerks
Parks, the
64
i. 359
iil. 211
iii. 222
..
··
Parliamentary reporting
Pasquinade on the Bank iii. 60
Passengers over the Bridges, ii. 136
Paterson, Mr. Wm.
iil. 58
Paul's, St. old cathedral of ii. 12, 34
new cathedral of ii. 42
cross
ii. 35
school
iii. 320
walk, described ii. 25
Covent Garden iii. 258
Shadwell
iii. 262
Paving & Lighting the streets,i. 127
Pearls, artificial
ii. 128
Peerage,British,its antiquity iii. 220
Peers ennobled by commerce, i. 60
Penitentiary, Milbank iii. 333
Pepperers
i. 316
Perceval, Mr. assassination of ii. 353
Petitions, city
i. 273
Philanthropic Reform Societies
··
..
··
··
..
..
..
··
iii. 176
Physicians, College of iii. 305
Picking pockets, academy for
ii. 263
··
Piper, anecdote of a
Pitt, Mr., monument of
Pix, trial of the
Plague years
""
ii. 101, 117
iii. 93
iii. 125
ii. 254
i. 317
i. 107
the Great
causes of the
Playbills, ancient
Police of the metropolis
Pope's unjust satire
Population, progress of
Port of London, its tonnage iii. 14
Porter, quantity brewed.. iii. 83
Port-reve, the
i. 183
Posts, invention of
Post office, the
Printers' mottoes
Printing, progress of
Prisons for debt
Prophecy, Scotch
iii. 43
iii. 42
iii. 322
iii. 230
Provisions, consumption of iii. 19
··
··
ii. 177
i. 284
iii. 54
iii. 92
i. 338
i. 339
INDEX.
Page.
iii. 189
iii. 119
i. 52
Queen's house, Frogmore
Queensbury, Duchess,
Quintain, game of the
Quo Warranto, the
Raleigh, Sir Walter, i. 87, iii. 239
Raphael's Cartoons
Ratcliff, fire at
i. 212
··
iii. 200
ii. 279
Rebellion of 1745, the, ii. 202, 325
Recorder, office of the
Records, public
Red-Cross-street, library
Regalia, the
Regent's Park
i. 263
iii. 233
iii. 303
ii. 235
Street
Relics, ancient
Remembrancer, the
Rennie, Mr.
iii. 556
iii. 355
iii. 224
i. 235
ii. 131
ii. 303
Residences, ancient
Retail Traders
Revenues, Clerical
Review, grand, in Hyde Park ii. 203
iii. 87
ii. 76
Revolution, French
Reynolds, Sir Joshua
Richard I.
··
- II.
ii. 333
iii. 276
i. 30
i. 142, 145, 193
charter of
i. 153
III. murders of i. 172
Richmond Palace
iii. 184
Riots, serious, in 1517 i. 172
St. George's
..
··
··
•
··
..
··
..
..
..
..
Fields
Riots, serious, of 1780.
Newgate, Bank, Fleet.
River Pirates
Robberies, ancient
·
on the Thames
Rogers, John, burnt
Rokeslie, Gregory de
Rolls, master of the
Roman Remains
Romans in London
Rome, English artists at
Roscius, the young
Rosetta stone, the
Rothschild, Mr.
Royal Residences
Russel Institution
Rysbrack's sculptures
Sabbath, respect for the
Sacheverell, Dr.
Sack explained
··
..
TH
ii. 27
See
ii. 124
ii. 256
ii. 124
iii. 344
i. 188
ii. 178
i. 13, 15
i. 6,11
iii. 277
iii. 132
iii. 293
Sadler's Well's Theatre
Salters' Company
Sanctuaries
Sarcophagus Egyptian
Sautre, Wm. first English mar-
..
tyr
iii. 343
Saviour's, St., church of, iii. 243
Savoy, the
1. 152, 174, 192
iii. 73
iii. 181
iii. 301
iii. 202
i. 202
ii. 322
iii. 349
iii. 142
i. 331
i. 167
iii. 293
••
Sawpits in St. Paul's
Saxons, the
Say, Lord, beheaded
Scales, Lord, combat of
Scholars, disputations
Schools
Scotland Yard
··
••
Sepulchre, St., church of
Serjeants' Inn
rings
Shakspeare
··
gallery
Shaw, Dr., sermon of
Sheriffs or Bailiffs
choice of
qualifications for
duties of the
i.
Shipping engrossed by foreign-
ers
..
··
Page
ii. 29
i. 181
i. 159
ii. 147
iii. 309
iii. 309
iii. 354
iii. 249
ii. 164
ii. 165
iii. 118,000
iii. 280
ii. 39
i. 183
249, 256
i. 259
i. 260

··
STAND
··
··
Sorceress, the
South Sea Company
Bubble
Shop signs
Shore, Jane, residence of
Shoreditch
Silk Trade
Simony at St. Paul's
Sion College
Skinners' company
Sloane, Sir Hans,..
Smithfield
Soane, Mr.
Society of Arts
··
··
•*
Hall
Steele, Sir Richard
Stephen, St., chapel of
Wallbrook
iii. 297
iii. 298
Antiquaries
Literature, Royal iii. 300
Royal
ii. 295
for relief of prisoners
••
iii. 154.
for promoting Chris-
tian knowledge
Societies, religious
Somerset House
Song, by prisoners in the Tower
iii. 86
ii. 24
iii. 304
i. 323
iii. 290
iii. 93, 341
iii. 69,219
i. 80
i. 175
ii. 347
ii. 347

••
··
..
Anécdotes of
Southwark, borough of
i. 248
Annexation of i. 94
Bridge
ii. 136
Spectacle, aquatic
i. 226.
Spitalfields Weavers, riots of ii.. 329
Sports and Pastimes, ancient i. 50
Sprat, Bishop, letter of ii. 85
Stafford, Lord, execution of, 1. 254
Staples Inn
ii. 619
Stationers' Company
··
..
iii. 155
iii. 150
iii. 269
ii. 251
iii. 275.
iii. 37
iii. 39:
iii. 49.
i. 337
i. 345.
iii. 301
iii. 221
i. 74
INDEX.
!
Stepney Church-yard
Stock Exchange, the
Hoax
Straws' castle
Streets, the ancient
Stone, the London
Strahan, Andrew
Stranger's Friend Society
S
J
...
··
כ'
··
names of
..
Stuart, Lady Arabella
Success in life, instances of iii.
Sudbury, Archbishop
Superstitions
ii.
Surgeons, College of
ignorant
Surrey Theatre
Sutton, Mr. Thomas
Swan Tavern
Sword Bearer, the
Synagogue, dedicated to the
•
Virgin Mary!
Tailors, riot of the
Tapestry
Tassie, Mr.
Taverns
Temple, the
··
··
·
..
ii. 153
··
Inner
Middle
ii. 154
Church ii. 156, iii. 235
and fireworks in the
..
iii. 214
park
Temples, Roman
i. 16
Thames, the, and its conser-
vancy
Thavies Inn
Theatres, the first
Theobalds
Theodore, King of Corsica
Thomas's Hospital, St.
Tithes, London
Toll in St. Paul's
Tooke, Horne, trial of
Tothilfields Prison
Tournaments
..
..
..
··
..
ii. 118
Frost Fair on the i. 113 115
Amusements, aquatic ii. 126
ii. 170
iii. 114
iii. 183
iii. 257
iii. 164
ü. 76
ii. 27
ii. 334
iii. 333
i. 143-149
iii. 185
ii. 213
ii. 248
iii. 292
iii. 13
ii.
23
ii. 194
ii. 274
i. 274
i. 171
iii. 20
i. 292
i. 325
..
••
..
..
at Windsor
Tower, history of the
Hill, executions on
Townley Marbles, the
Trade of England in 1823
Traffic in St. Paul's
Trained Bands, the
Treadmill, the, not new
Treby, Sir George
Tresillian, Sir Robert
Trinity House, the
Trophies of Ramelies
Tunbridge School
··
Page.
iii. 267
iii. 72
iii. 76
1. 15
i. 347
iii. 159
iii. 357
i. 119
ii. 342
ii. 230
88
6
··
ii. 100
iii. 306
i. 349
iii. 141
iii. 518
iii. 349
i. 235
i. 92
iii. 138
iii. 218
iii. 280
iii. 548
ii. 150
Tunnel, projected
Tyburn
Lord Mayor's country-
house at
..
··
··
Tyre, commerce of
Union of the rival Houses
Usury, effects of
Vaccine Establishment
Vanbrugh, Sir John
Vauxhall Bridge
Gardens
..
S
..
··
iii. 109
iii. 334
iii. 308
i. 334
..
iii. 257
iii. 347
i. 177
Venice
Veterinary College
Vintners' Company, the
Volante's descent
Wager, singular
Walker Walter, executed
Walking, Stuart
Walpole, Sir Robert
Walworth, Sir Wm.
Wards, origin of
1. 236, 258
Ware Abbot, pavement of iii. 228
i. 149
Wat Tyler's Insurrection
Watch setting" the marching"
ii. 130
ii. 324
··
i. 154, 320
i. 142, ii. 257
i. 133
i. 140
ii. 122
i. 137
ii. 339
ii. 150
Hospital
Palace
Page.
ii. 127
iii. 338
Water, supply of
Water Companies
Bailiff, the
Water-works
Waterloo, battle of
Bridge
Water Colours, Society of paint-
ers in
Wealth and Luxury, early
Weapons, changes of
Wells, ancient
i. 135
West, Mr. B., patronage of iii. 206
Westminster city, foundation of i.31
civil government
ii. 232
Abbey, i. 31, 169, 172
Bridge
Hall
iii. 222
••
iii. 340
iii. 2
i. 198
fil.
9
iii. 155
iii. 259
ii. 139
··
iii. 281
i. 38
ii. 192
Fair
School
ii. 62
iii. 327
ii. 222
Whispering gallery, the
Whitecross-street prison
White Tower, the
White Conduit House
White's Club House
Whittington, Sir Richard
iii. 106
iii. 346
··
i. 44
's Cat, explained i. 45
iii. 190
Whitehall Palace
iii. 197
Chapel
i. 5
••
Wickliff
Wilkes, proceedings against ii. 326
ii. 128
iii. 215
iii. 155
iii. 193
i. 32, 34
iii. 312



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DA
677
R65
1824
v.3
60067
Robertson, J.C.
London
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UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN
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