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 Historical Notices of Chelsea, Kensington, 
 Fulham, and Hammersmith. 
 
 SOME PARTICULARS OF OLD FAMILIES. 
 
 ALSO 
 
 Account of rtjeir antiquities an& present 
 
 ISABELLA BURT, 
 
 AUTHORESS OF "THE LORD'S PRAYER FAMILIARLY EXPLAINED,' 
 
 "MEMORIALS OF THE OAK TREE," ETC. ETC. 
 
 J. SAUNDERS, 
 
 22, HIGH STREET, KENSINGTON. 
 1871.
 
 {ENTERED AT STATIONERS' HALL.} 
 
 DRYDEN PRESS. 
 J. DAVY AND SONS, 137, LONG ACRE, LONDON.
 
 TO 
 
 THE MOST NOBLE 
 THE MARCHIONESS OF THOMOND. 
 
 MADAM, 
 
 With your kind permission, I herewith 
 dedicate the following pages to your Ladyship, 
 with the wish that they were more worthy of the 
 honour of your patronage. 
 
 I take this opportunity of recording my gratitude 
 for all your goodness to me, and have the honour 
 to be, 
 
 MADAM, 
 Your Ladyship's most humble, 
 
 Very grateful servant, 
 
 ISABELLA BURT.
 
 CONTENTS. 
 
 PAGE 
 
 INTRODUCTION ... xi 
 
 PARISH OF CHELSEA. 
 
 CHAP. I. Description and general particulars ... ... 3 
 
 CHAP. II. Chelsea Parish Church : description of, and an 
 account of the monuments in church and church- 
 yard. Notices of some of those who were buried 
 there ... ... ... ... ... ... ... 7 
 
 CHAP. III. Royal Hospital at Chelsea : description of it 
 and its purposes. Notices of Lady Eliz. Hastings, 
 Nell Gwynne, Mrs. E. Davis, and others ... ... 15 
 
 CHAP. IV. Royal Military Asylum at Chelsea : description 
 of, notices of its inmates, and of the Duke of York 
 An account of St. Mark's College, and notices of the 
 old house attached to it, and of Lady Strathmore 
 and her husband A. Bowes. School of discipline ... 20 
 
 CHAP. V. Notices of old houses at Chelsea ; and of Lady 
 Shrewsbury; Earl of Middlesex. Particulars of the 
 Manor of Chelsea, and history of the Botanical Gar- 
 dens, with a notice of Sir Hans Sloane ... ... 24 
 
 CHAP. VI. Old houses continued : Church Street, Paradise 
 Row, Cheyne Walk. Notices of the various noble 
 and celebrated Persons who lived there ; with an 
 account of the famous Chelsea Bun House, and the 
 Chelsea bridges also a description of St. Luke's 
 Church, its monuments, &c. a notice of Hans Place, 
 and the celebrated Ladies who resided there an 
 account of Cremorne Gardens, and of Viscount Cre- 
 morne and his Lady ... ... ... ... ... 32
 
 Vlii CONTENTS. 
 
 PARISH OF KENSINGTON. 
 
 PAGE 
 
 CHAP. I. Highly aristocratic, long the abode of Royalty 
 
 Derivation of name, and general particulars ... ... 45 
 
 CHAP. II. Kensington Parish Churches, old and new : de- 
 scription of, and an account of the monuments 
 Notices of various characters ... ... ... ... 50 
 
 CHAP. III. Kensington Palace : description, and notices of 
 
 its royal inhabitants ... ... ... ... ... 55 
 
 CHAP. IV. A short account of Campden House, which was 
 
 destroyed by fire in the month of October, 1862 ... 58 
 
 CHAP. V. Holland House : description of it, and the grounds 
 Notices of Lord Holland, Sir W. Cope, General 
 Fairfax, Duchess of Buckinghamshire, Addison, Fox, 
 the second Lord Holland, and Lady Diana Rich ... 60 
 
 CHAP. VI. Old Houses at Kensington : description of them 
 and their inhabitants. A short account of the Royal 
 Albert Hall of Arts, and description of the Albert 
 Memorial ; also notices of Kensington Gardens, Bays- 
 water, and Hyde Park. A notice of disturbances at 
 Kensington relative to George the Fourth's consort... 65 
 
 PARISH OF FULHAM. 
 
 CHAP. I. Description of and general particulars 81 
 
 CHAP. II. Fulham Parish Church : description of, and of 
 
 the monuments in church and churchyard 86 
 
 CHAP. III. Fulham Palace : description of it, and its grounds. 
 Notices of the various remarkable Bishops who 
 lived there ; with an account of the moat, and the 
 wooden bridge ... ... ... ... ... 91 
 
 CHAP. IV. Contains particulars of the Old Houses at Ful- 
 ham, and notices of the remarkable characters who 
 once resided in them : Lord Peterborough, Miss A. 
 Robinson, Sir Thomas Bodley. Elm Park. Silk- 
 worm manufactory. Le Blon and Raphael's Cartoons ; 
 also Sir H. W. Wilson, and Nell Gwynne ... ... 99
 
 CONTENTS. IX 
 
 PARISH OF HAMMERSMITH. 
 
 PAGE 
 
 CHAP. I. Description and general particulars of ... ... in 
 
 CHAP. II. Gives a description of Hammersmith Suspension 
 
 Bridge, and of various old houses and characters ... 116 
 
 CHAP. III. Hammersmith Parish Church : a description of, 
 and account of the monuments. Notices of Sir 
 Nicholas Crispe, Caroline of Brunswick, &c. An 
 account of St. Stephen's Church at Shepherd's Bush, 
 and of the Roman Catholic Chapel and Training 
 College. Notices of St. Godolphin's School ... 122 
 
 CHAP. IV. Early historical events. Sir Nicholas Crispe. 
 
 Cromwell, and General Monk ... ... ... 128 
 
 LIST OF THE BISHOPS OF LONDON, with notes 131 
 
 RECTORS OF CHELSEA ... ... ... ... ... 135 
 
 VICARS OF KENSINGTON ... ... ... ... ... 136 
 
 VICARS OF FULHAM ... ... ... ... ... ... 137 
 
 CURATES OF HAMMERSMITH ... ... ... ... ... 138 
 
 CONCLUSION ... 139
 
 Historical Jtotices 
 
 OF 
 
 CHELSEA, KENSINGTON, FULHAM, 
 AND HAMMERSMITH. 
 
 INTRODUCTION. 
 
 HE four large Parishes about to be described 
 present important claims to our notice. It 
 is true that nearly all the green fields, and 
 nearly all the fine old trees, once so numerous 
 in them, have been ravaged and cut down by 
 that large army who wield the hod and mortar. 
 They are now no longer sweet pretty villages for 
 a summer day's excursion, although many " fine 
 views," pretty walks, and nooks may be found by 
 the curious pedestrian, more especially in FULHAM, 
 which still retains a good deal of its rurality ; while 
 CHELSEA has its Cheyne Walk, and the grounds 
 of the Royal Hospital ; HAMMERSMITH its Malls, 
 upper and lower, and KENSINGTON offers its stately
 
 CHELSEA PARISH CHURCH.
 
 $artsf) of Chelsea. 
 
 CHAPTER I. 
 
 F the four Parishes now under consideration, 
 perhaps CHELSEA offers the strongest claims 
 to our notice ; for among the suburban re- 
 sorts of our holiday excursionists, there are none 
 that are more suggestive of historical reminiscences 
 of the most interesting character. True it now 
 can boast no rural recommendations by way of 
 "walks" and ''groves of trees," for multitudes of 
 middling sized houses have encroached upon, and 
 spread over the greater part of it, covering each 
 green field and meadow so that the pedestrian is 
 lost in a wilderness of "streets" and "rows" of the 
 most uninteresting description. These have com- 
 pletely disguised nearly all the spots so well known 
 to history, and so dear to that class who love to 
 ascertain ancient localities. More especially the old 
 abiding places of those who in the exciting periods 
 of the " olden time" played a conspicuous part for 
 good or ill ; and left, as the case might be, a dis- 
 honoured or ennobled name to their posterity. 
 
 But if Chelsea is wanting in the natural beauties 
 it was once so admired for, it has acquired other 
 
 B 2
 
 4 CHELSEA. 
 
 recommendations, and objects of interest which 
 attract numerous visitors. In no place above London 
 Bridge does the Thames spread its gently flowing 
 waters into so noble an expanse as it does here ; 
 where it is known as the " Reach," and which 
 extending two miles east and west, exhibits, when 
 the tide is at the full, a truly noble sight, and 
 also affords ample means for all kinds of aquatic 
 amusements. The Royal Hospital for old soldiers, 
 with its extensive and handsome gardens ; the Royal 
 Military Asylum for their children ; that eminent 
 Institution St. Mark's College and Training School ; 
 the fine old Parish Church, containing so many 
 beautiful monuments ; and the new elegant Church 
 of St. Luke's, not forgetting Cremorne Gardens and 
 the Botannical Gardens, are all attractions for the 
 holiday visitors who never fail in the summer to 
 ramble over this old parish. 
 
 Few persons are aware that some really fine views 
 may be obtained from the upper windows of the old 
 houses in Chelsea ; more particularly from those 
 standing in CHEYNE Row, a place that still bears 
 evidences of its former wealthy and aristocratic 
 residents. Indeed, the antiquities of Chelsea are 
 chiefly by the water side. A walk of about three 
 quarters of a mile from Manor Street to Cremorne 
 Gardens presents nearly all the existing antiquities 
 now to be found in Chelsea. 
 
 Not wishing to trouble the reader with long anti- 
 quarian details, it may suffice to briefly explain the 
 derivation of the name of Chelsea. The earliest 
 records of this old parish are to be found in the 
 Saxon Chronicle of 785, where it is mentioned that
 
 CHELSEA. 5 
 
 a Synod was held here during the residence of Offa 
 King of the Mercians, who in that year met in 
 solemn council various bishops and archbishops. 
 But, as historians, in one respect at least, resemble 
 doctors, and do not always agree, various etymolo- 
 gies have been assigned to it. The most reliable 
 authorities, however, consider it to be derived from 
 the Saxon word Ceale-hythe, or a landing place for 
 chalk, this part of the river, in the then inefficient 
 state of land carriage, being the most convenient 
 place for landing a substance not found in the soil of 
 Chelsea, or contiguous districts. After the Norman 
 invasion, the Norman-French name of Chaussee was 
 bestowed on it, from the circumstance of finding some 
 strong and ancient embankments along the water 
 side. They are attributed to the Romans, and are 
 at this time apparently as good as ever, and whether 
 made by the Romans or not, have for ages sufficed 
 to keep the Thames from overflowing its banks at 
 this part of its course. Chaussee signifies causeway. 
 The amalgamation of Ceale-hythe and Chaussee has 
 gradually produced the word Chelsea, which name 
 it has borne for about three hundred years 
 
 Chelsea must have been a very agreeable place 
 for a long period of its history. Situated on ground 
 gradually rising to about fifteen feet above the water 
 level, and laid out with the parks and grounds of 
 the nobility and gentry, and interspersed with 
 beautiful nursery grounds, fine meadows and noble 
 trees, no wonder that for about three centuries 
 it was the dwelling place of all the celebrities 
 of those ages : of all the fashionable and aris- 
 tocratic. Although so near London, it does not
 
 CHELSEA. 
 
 lie in the London chalk basin. Its geological for- 
 mation is first a rich dark soil which has for ages 
 been highly dressed, owing to the successive resi- 
 dence of rich landed proprietors of extensive grounds 
 and gardens, and also as having for a long period so 
 many large nursery grounds. For years all kinds of 
 known flowers and plants were here brought as 
 nearly as possible to perfection ; to do so, the soil 
 has been so richly dressed as to be even now very 
 productive. This soil lies on a bed of siliceous 
 gravel about five feet thick, lying on a strata of stiff 
 blue clay several hundred feet in depth ; beneath 
 this a marine deposit of shells, &c., showing that 
 like many other places it must at some remote age 
 have been covered by the sea. The air of Chelsea is 
 mild, and good for consumptive and asthmatic com- 
 plaints, but it is not bracing, and in the autumn it 
 is very debilitating ; while in certain situations, and 
 at particular seasons, it is subject to very keen cold 
 winds. 
 
 Chelsea is bounded on its south by the noble 
 " Reach," on the north the Fulham Road divides it 
 from Kensington, on the east lies St. George's and 
 Hanover Square. Two small rivulets, now arched 
 over, formerly ran through green meadows, and 
 divided it on the east and west from St. George's 
 and Fulham. The Parish of Chelsea is about one 
 mile and a half long, by about a mile and a quarter 
 broad. Its area numbers 865 statute acres. In the 
 census of 1801 it was found to contain 11,604 
 inhabitants. In 1861 the population had increased 
 to 63,439.
 
 CHAPTER II. 
 
 HELSEA PARISH CHURCH is conspicuously 
 placed near the "Reach." It is very an- 
 cient ; no thoughtful person can look on 
 its venerable exterior without emotions of rever- 
 ence and interest. Time has dealt gently with it, 
 and mellowed its surface into an agreeable tint. 
 It is principally built of brick, the north and south 
 chapels are of stone ; it consists of a nave, two 
 chancels and two aisles. The most ancient part 
 of it was built in the reign of Edward II., 
 when the district was constituted into a Rectory, 
 Roger D. Berners being its first Rector, while the 
 King was the Patron. It has a noble tower, built 
 in 1668, and at that time was believed to be (as 
 probably it was) the highest piece of brickwork 
 in England. It is one hundred and thirty feet 
 high and twenty-four feet wide. 
 
 As the church had fallen into decay it underwent 
 a thorough renovation. The old parts were restored, 
 the inside paved, and the churchyard enclosed, 
 while Lady Jane Cheyne was at the sole charge 
 of a new roof. It possesses six good bells, and 
 also another bell, " the Ashburnham bell," given to 
 it under very peculiar circumstances. In the year
 
 8 CHELSEA. 
 
 1679, the Honourable William Ashburnham, one 
 foggy evening missed his footing, and got into the 
 river, and would no doubt have been drowned, 
 but that the old church clock striking the hour of 
 nine guided him to land and safety. In gratitude 
 for this narrow escape he presented the church with 
 a new bell. The churchwardens with good taste 
 have placed this pious memento of an interesting 
 event just inside the ancient porch, with a suitable 
 inscription. 
 
 The church has a good clock ; on the outside of 
 the tower is a sun dial. Lower down on the wall 
 is a large handsome tablet to the memory of the 
 learned Dr. Chamberlayne. Three of his sons and 
 his daughter lie in a vault near. The latter was too 
 remarkable a character to be passed over. Born 
 with amazonian tastes she naturally acquired mascu 
 line habits, and was of a bold and noble disposition. 
 Nature indeed made a mistake in enfolding so 
 martial a spirit in a female form. However, she 
 played a man's part, for she assumed the dress of 
 a man, and went to sea in afire-ship in June 1690 
 under her brother's command, and fought the French 
 in an action of six hours with the most undaunted 
 bravery. The epitaph on her tomb names her as 
 a second " Pallas, chaste and fearless," and that 
 sudden death called her away, leaving no projeny 
 like herself " worthy to rule the main." She was 
 married at the conclusion of her adventures to a 
 John Spragg, Esq. A newspaper of 1692 records 
 these circumstances, and the Gazetteer newspaper of
 
 CHELSEA. 9 
 
 October 30, 1788, reprinted it. These papers also 
 mention that another English lady was serving as 
 a volunteer in the French army in Piedmont. 
 
 In the south east corner of the churchyard, very 
 near the water, is a beautiful monument to the 
 memory of Sir Hans Sloane and his lady, composed 
 of Portland stone. On the top, under a portico, 
 supported by four pillars, is placed a vase of pure 
 white marble, with four serpents beautifully executed, 
 out of one piece, and done by a Mr. Wilton a 
 statuary. The arms, the crest, and two inscriptions 
 are on the four sides. 
 
 Near to this is a handsome obelisk to Phillip 
 Miller, author of the " Gardener's Dictionary," and 
 sometime curator of the Botanical Gardens at 
 Chelsea. In another part of the churchyard is a 
 flat stone recording that Woodfall, the printer of 
 " Junius Letters" lies there. 
 
 Besides these, the churchyard, and the outside 
 walls are filled and nearly covered with various 
 stones and tablets to the memory of the numerous 
 wealthy inhabitants of Chelsea. The interior is also 
 crowded with all sorts of tombs, tablets, and monu- 
 ments, which bear testimony to the wealth and 
 position of the former residents of this old parish. 
 
 Amongst the most curious is a handsome monu- 
 ment to Sir John Stanley, composed of different 
 coloured marbles, two figures, life size, of Justice and 
 Fortitude, support a tablet, on which is placed one of 
 the most fulsome epitaphs ever penned in memory 
 of the dead. It is well composed, but too long to
 
 IO CHELSEA. 
 
 quote ; its chief point is, that to say a Stanley lies 
 here, is epitaph enough, and that nothing 
 
 "Can dignify his grave, or set it forth 
 Like the immortal fame of his own worth!" 
 
 Another to two of his children is very pretty. 
 
 " The Eagle death found where the infants lay, 
 And in his talons bore their souls to Heaven. 
 Let no profane hand these reliques sever, 
 But as they lye, so let them rest for ever." 
 
 There is a large and ancient altar tomb to the 
 memory of the Brays, a noble family of knights, of 
 whom many members were here buried. Age has 
 defaced, and time obliterated, all but those simple 
 and beautiful words so often seen on old tombs. 
 " Of your charitie pray for the soul of Edmund Lord 
 Bray'' No inscription however long or well written 
 can convey a deeper sense of penitent humble piety 
 than is intimated in these quaint lines so brief, and 
 yet so forcible. 
 
 Against the south wall of the upper chancel is 
 placed a large upright flat tomb to the memory of 
 the celebrated Sir Thomas More. It is plain but 
 rich : under a gothic arch is a large slab of black 
 marble with a long Latin inscription written by 
 himself. Both this and the tomb were placed there 
 during his life, with a blank left for dates. Sir 
 Thomas More was born in Milk Street, London. 
 He married twice, and had three daughters and 
 one son. He built himself a large handsome 
 mansion in extensive grounds adjoining the Church. 
 The description of his life, piety, and gentleness
 
 CHELSEA. I I 
 
 during his long residence as set forth by various 
 biographers is very edifying : but no true member of 
 the enlightened faith will quite forgive his furious 
 and cruel zeal in persecuting heretics. 
 
 Sir Thomas was a constant attendant at divine 
 service at Chelsea Church, frequently assisting in 
 the celebration of the mass ; one of the small chapels 
 was built by him and is still called by his name. 
 He was also very charitable. It is a tradition of the 
 place that he hired a house to entertain old and 
 distressed persons in ; his beloved and favourite 
 daughter Margaret had it in charge to see that they 
 wanted nothing. Although Sir Thomas's tomb is 
 in Chelsea Church, it has been a matter of dispute, 
 not yet settled, whether or no his body was buried 
 there, or in London. His head, however, was 
 obtained by his daughter Margaret Roper, who 
 enclosed it in a silver casket, for which she was 
 imprisoned. It was buried with her. 
 
 On the south wall is the large and elegant monu- 
 ment of Jane Duchess of Northumberland. To the 
 right of her tomb are the effigies of the Duchess and 
 her five daughters all kneeling, and very gracefully 
 executed. The whole is under a gothic canopy, 
 supported by mosaic pillars, which together with the 
 tomb is richly ornamented. The figure of the 
 Duchess is also richly ornamented in enamel, repre- 
 senting her in the full dress of her order. 
 
 On the same wall is a magnificent and beautiful 
 monument to the memory of Gregory Lord Dacre, 
 and Ann his wife. They are represented in white 
 marble lying side by side, with a dog at their feet.
 
 12 CHELSEA. 
 
 The whole tomb, which forms a gothic canopy, is 
 very richly ornamented with flowers beautifully done, 
 and several elaborate pieces of mosaic work". 
 
 Another beautiful monument and effigy of Lady 
 Jane Cheyne was the work of the celebrated 
 Bernini, and cost ^500. The effigy of the Lady is 
 in white marble as large as life, reclining on a black 
 marble sarcophagus, under an arch of veined marble 
 supported by elegant pillars of the Corinthian order ; 
 the figure is slightly raised, with one hand on the 
 Bible. Remarkable in life for her goodness and 
 charity, she was a munificent benefactor to Chelsea. 
 She came of a noble stock, being a daughter of the 
 Duke of Newcastle, and married Charles Cheyne, 
 Esq., Lord of the Manor, and died in 1669. 
 
 The Lawrence Chapel is also interesting ; it con- 
 tains several good monuments to the Lawrence 
 family, who lived for many generations in Chelsea. 
 The handsomest of these is one to Thomas Law- 
 rence, Esq., with a quaint epitaph : 
 
 " The years wherein I lived was fifty-fowre, 
 
 October twenty-eight did end my life ; 
 Children five of eleven God left in store, 
 
 To be comfort of thayre mother and my wife ; 
 The world can say what I have been before, 
 
 What I am now examples still are rife. 
 Thus Thomas Lawrence speaks to tymes ensving, 
 That death is sure, and Tyme is past reneving." 
 
 Near to this last, is a very old monument to 
 Thomas Hungerford, Esq., in carved stone, with 
 effigies of himself, wife, and nine sons and daughters;
 
 CHELSEA. 13 
 
 all kneeling, according to their ages, in the quaint 
 stiff dress of the times. He seems to have played a 
 conspicuous part from the reign of Henry VIII. 
 to Queen Elizabeth, having been the faithful servant 
 of four monarchs in various capacities, displaying 
 in each no small amount of ability and tact. 
 
 Another small, but elegant white marble monu- 
 ment to the memory of two sisters, is much admired. 
 It consists of two marble urns under a portico. 
 
 Not wishing to tire the reader, only the most 
 beautiful of the monuments have been noticed ; 
 although they all merit attention. Indeed, very few 
 churches contain so many remarkable tombs and 
 tablets as this ancient edifice. Numbers of persons 
 who take interest in such things come a long way 
 for no other reason than to see them, take draw- 
 ings, &c. 
 
 The interior is so decorated, so venerable and 
 time-worn, that one wonders how a ponderous 
 dark wooden gallery, placed at the west end, was 
 allowed to disfigure it. In addition to it, there are 
 pews nearly breast high to match ; these are not 
 ornamented, and are in the most common-place style. 
 Nothing can be more out of keeping with the beau- 
 tiful pieces of antiquity in the church, than these. 
 On the south wall hangs a memento of monkish 
 times. A Bible, Prayer Book, Church Homilies, 
 and Fox's Book of Martyrs, are all chained over a 
 mahogany shelf. The altar-piece is very plain. 
 The font is modern. The pulpit is of oak, orna- 
 mented with foliage.
 
 14 CHELSEA. 
 
 Some of the Churchwardens' accounts are amu- 
 sing : 
 
 1668. Paid the Parish for Prayer Book for 
 the Prince of Wales .... o i o 
 
 1699. Paid the ringers the day the King 
 went over the ferry . . . .100 
 
 The ringers were also paid for some warlike ser- 
 vices we scarcely think they performed: 
 
 1706. Paid the ringers for taking Madrid . o 10 o 
 1708. Paid the ringers for taking Lisle . o 10 o 
 1179. P^d the ringers for taking the Citadel 
 
 of Tourney . . . . .0100 
 
 The Parish Register, part of it written in a 
 beautiful handwriting, commences in the year 1559. 
 Among the remarkable events connected with the 
 church may be mentioned that, owing to some un- 
 usually high spring tides in 1 809, the Thames flowed 
 quite up to the old walls, and many persons who 
 chose to go under such circumstances, were rowed 
 in a boat to church.
 
 CHAPTER III. 
 
 HE ROYAL HOSPITAL for old and disabled 
 soldiers is surely one of the noblest results 
 of well-directed benevolence we have in 
 the country. It stands on the site of a college 
 founded in the reign of James I. as a training college 
 for divines, in which to be exercised in various 
 controversial themes. But, after undergoing various 
 discouragements and difficulties, it failed. It was 
 called King James' College. 
 
 The Royal Hospital is in the King's Road. The 
 building is quiet, but imposing. Its gardens, which 
 were originally laid out in an ugly form, with two 
 small, absurd canals, are now arranged according to 
 the modern notions respecting these things. Its 
 canals have been filled in, and laid over with grass 
 plats, gravel walks, and flower-beds. In the winter 
 these gardens are sheltered from the winds ; while 
 in the summer they are very pleasant, and much 
 admired and enjoyed by the neighbouring inha- 
 bitants and sight-seers. All the charming views once 
 to be seen over the river are of course blocked out 
 by the numberless erections at all points, which have 
 sprung up of late years. 
 
 The well-known tradition that the erring, but
 
 1 6 CHELSEA. 
 
 amiable Nell Gwynne, was the original projector of 
 this place, seems to have a good foundation. One 
 or two newspapers of the time noticed the circum- 
 stance, while an anonymous writer of her life states it 
 as a fact namely, that one day, when she was riding 
 in her coach, a man who was, or pretended to be an 
 old soldier returned from the wars at Tangiers, 
 begged charity of her. Affected to tears, she took 
 the first opportunity of intreating the King to pa- 
 tronise any scheme that might be suggested to 
 provide for the support of wounded, aged and sick 
 soldiers persons who had spent their lives and 
 shed their blood for their country. She also inte- 
 rested many noble and influential persons in this 
 cause ; among them Sir Stephen Fox, ancestor of 
 the Lords Holland. He was one of the most liberal 
 and zealous of its founders, Chelsea Hospital was 
 built from designs of Sir Christopher Wren ; it was 
 begun in 1682, and finished in 1690, at the cost of 
 ; 1 50,000. Charles II. laid the first stone. The 
 Hospital, with its gardens, principal buildings, courts 
 and offices, all attached, occupy about fifty-four square 
 acres. It has three large courts or squares. It is 
 built of red brick, toned down by time and weather. 
 It is a sober, imposing looking edifice, and adapted 
 with good taste in every respect for the comfort and 
 recreation of worn-out veterans. 
 
 The most stately entrance is from the King's 
 Road, through an avenue of trees to the Queen's 
 Road, where admission is gained through some high 
 and handsome gates. They open into a spacious 
 and lofty vestibule. Steps to the right and left
 
 CHELSEA. 1 7 
 
 conduct to the dining hall on one side, and the 
 chapel on the other. These are both one hundred 
 and ten feet long. The dining hall is not now used 
 for meals, but is furnished with some books, and 
 used as a lounging and smoking room. At one end 
 is a very large picture of Charles II., with alle- 
 gorical figures, the face of Nell Gwynne being intro- 
 duced at the corner. It was painted by N orris, and 
 is beautifully done. At the other end, in centre of 
 the gallery, are the Royal arms, elegantly carved on 
 an oaken shield. Over the gallery is (or will be 
 very shortly) another fine picture of the Duke of 
 Wellington in a triumphal car, trampling on the 
 emblems of War and Rebellion ; while Victory is 
 crowning him. Peace is following with her train. 
 This is painted by Ward. 
 
 The Chapel is paved with black and white 
 marble, and the wainscot is of Dutch oak. It was 
 consecrated by Compton, Bishop of London. The 
 Bishop of London and the Rector of Chelsea have 
 certain rights and immunities connected with the 
 Hospital, which were duly arranged at the time of 
 consecration, and are very stringent. The chapel 
 has an altar piece representing the Sepulchre watched 
 by Roman soldiers. It was painted by Sebastian 
 Ricci. 
 
 The altar is also elegantly decorated with carvings 
 by Grinling Gibbons. The roofs of both hall and 
 chapel are hung with a variety of flags both old and 
 new, and standards taken in the various battles. 
 The vestibule conducts to a handsome large square. 
 In the centre of this stands a bronze statue of
 
 1 8 CHELSEA. 
 
 Charles II., dressed in a Roman habit. Why are 
 Englishmen so often pourtrayed in this garb ? 
 What similarity is there between sturdy John Bull 
 and an ancient Roman ? It is so out of keeping, 
 and disturbs one's notions of the fitness of things. 
 
 The square opens to the south, overlooking the 
 gardens. On the side that joins the building runs 
 an elegant colonnade, which is useful in winter and 
 a shelter from the heat in summer. 
 
 East and west of this square are two long ranges 
 of buildings, in which the greater part of the old 
 soldiers are lodged. On the other side of these 
 buildings are two large courts. At this time, De- 
 cember 1870, there are 537 pensioners. 
 
 The private soldiers are well fed, comfortably 
 lodged, and warmly clothed, and receive seven pence 
 a week and one pint of beer daily. 
 
 A Cemetery is attached to the Hospital. The 
 first old soldier buried there was Simon Bax, and 
 he must have had an eventful life, and at all events 
 performed his duty to his country ; for he had 
 served in the army during four reigns Charles I., 
 Charles II., James II., and lastly William III. The 
 remains of many brave officers lie there. And 
 in 1739 a Mrs. Christian Davis, known as " Mother 
 Ross," was interred with military honours, she having 
 in man's attire served well and bravely as a soldier 
 in some of the campaigns under King William and 
 the Duke of Marlborough. Hannah Snell, another 
 female soldier, was buried in this place. She en- 
 listed in a regiment of foot in 1 744. After serving 
 in it for some years, she deserted, and joined the
 
 CHELSEA. 19 
 
 Marines. Being severely wounded, she was sent to 
 England, and rewarded for her bravery with a pen- 
 sion of ^30. a year. She also had a pension from 
 the Hospital, and always wore her uniform. 
 
 There is an amusing epitaph to one William 
 Hiselend, stating that at one hundred years of age 
 he -married. One wonders how old his bride was, 
 or whether, like him, she was in second childhood. 
 He had served in the army eighty years. At his 
 death in 1732 he was one hundred and twelve years 
 old. 
 
 The once famous and elegant RANELAGH GAR- 
 DENS, which, with the Earl of Ranelagh's House, 
 adjoined the Hospital, are now Crown property, and 
 have been assigned for the recreation of the inha- 
 bitants of the Hospital. The public are admitted, 
 with certain restrictions. These gardens were once 
 very famous, and the resort of the nobility and 
 gentry, who were attracted by the singing and 
 dancing. It was conducted with the utmost pro- 
 priety and elegance, to suit its aristocratic visitors. 
 It was furnished with a pretty Rotunda. The com- 
 pany promenaded round at their pleasure. 
 
 An excellent School for the daughters of old sol- 
 diers is attached to the Hospital. It was founded 
 and endowed by Lady Elizabeth Hastings and some 
 others, whom she had interested in her benevolent 
 plan. She was the daughter of the Earl of Hunt- 
 ingdon, and was born 1682, dying in 1739. In the 
 forty-second number of the " Tatler," her character 
 and life is fully described by Sir Richard Steele, under 
 
 the name of Aspasia. 
 
 c 2
 
 CHAPTER IV. 
 
 HE ROYAL MILITARY ASYLUM, or, as popu- 
 larly called, the " Duke of York's School" 
 for the children of soldiers of the regular 
 army, is situated near the Hospital. It stands on the 
 site of a handsome house which belonged to the 
 Cadogan family. It was purchased and pulled down 
 to make way for this fine institution. The founda- 
 tion stone was laid by the Duke of York in June, 
 1 80 1, accompanied by a large number of general 
 officers and a great many of the nobility. The sound 
 principles of policy and humanity which originated 
 this establishment, and which are still exercised in 
 carrying it on, are an honour to an enlightened age, 
 and congenial to our benevolence. It provides for 
 so many helpless numbers of the community in such 
 a practical, sensible way, that this asylum is justly 
 held in great estimation. Here children of both 
 sexes are clothed, well and amply fed, comfortably 
 lodged and decently educated, and grounded in the 
 principles of Christianity. 
 
 The building is spacious and handsome, built of 
 brick, and formed into three sides of a quadrangle. 
 It has an elegant stone balustrade in front, with a 
 fine portico, also of stone. It consists of four large
 
 CHELSEA. 2 1 
 
 columns supporting a pediment, with frieze running 
 round, the Royal arms in the centre. It has two 
 large dining-rooms and two large stone rooms, in 
 which the boys, every morning, winter and summer, 
 are plunged into cold baths. 
 
 Near these rooms are two large school-rooms, in 
 which they learn to read and write and cast accounts. 
 They are also drilled, and undergo a military train- 
 ing, and are indeed soldiers in miniature, They 
 excite a good deal of attention and interest when- 
 ever they are taken into public places ; and indeed 
 it would be difficult to find a finer body of sturdy, 
 healthy boys, than these. London has few plea- 
 santer sights to show than these embryo soldiers 
 marching along with their band, which is played 
 with considerable ability, considering the youth of 
 the performers. 
 
 The large piece of ground in front is laid out in a 
 handsome way, planted with trees, and ornamented 
 with grass-plats and flower-beds, with gravel walks 
 and seats. The Duke of York, by whose instru- 
 mentality the asylum was established, took much 
 pride and pleasure in the result of his exertions. 
 He constantly visited it, and was always interested 
 in its welfare, taking much notice of the boys. At 
 his last visit, he was affected to tears by their crowd- 
 ing round and cheering him. " God bless you, my 
 lads," he said. And departing, they saw their bene- 
 factor no more. 
 
 There are some excellent schools of various kinds 
 in Chelsea. Of these, the parochial schools are large 
 and flourishing. The building for them is particu-
 
 22 CHELSEA. 
 
 larlyneat and commodious. The Hon. and Rev. J. 
 Wellesley laid the first stone in June, 1324. 
 
 The WHITELAND TRAINING INSTITUTION, in the 
 King's Road, is well known and duly appreciated. 
 It provides for the education and maintenance of 
 more than one hundred young women between the 
 ages of eighteen and twenty-five. Here they are 
 trained with a view of becoming skilled teachers in 
 the National Schools, and also as daily teachers in 
 four schools in the neighbourhood. It is patronised 
 by Miss Burdett Coutts and other ladies of con- 
 sideration. The premises are extensive. An old 
 house is attached, which for a long series of years 
 has been used for educational purposes. 
 
 ST. MARK'S COLLEGE is an institution on similar 
 principles, for training young men as schoolmasters, 
 in connexion with the Established Church. It is 
 divided into the Upper, Middle, and Lower Schools. 
 The first gives a superior education to boys, in- 
 cluding Latin and French. The Lower is for the 
 humbler classes. The premises are very extensive. 
 The grounds alone, which are laid out partly as 
 flower gardens, partly as playgrounds, occupy eleven 
 acres. 
 
 The old house assigned as the residence of the 
 principal is one of the old Chelsea houses, with a 
 history attached to it. In the reign of Elizabeth, 
 Stanley House formed part of the estate of Sir 
 Arthur Gorges. He was the friend of Spenser the 
 poet, who wrote a beautiful elegy on Lady Gorges, 
 entitled the " Daphniad." The house, after being 
 occupied by a variety of residents, became in 1777
 
 CHELSEA. 23 
 
 the property of that unhappy Countess of Strath- 
 mere who married the infamous A. Bowes, Esq. 
 Her ladyship was one of the best female botanists 
 of the age. She built large greenhouses and exten- 
 sive hothouses, filling them with rare and beautiful 
 exotics. Her wretched husband, as a part of his 
 systematic cruelty to her, destroyed them. 
 
 Jesse Foot, in his " Life of Bowes," has given a 
 shocking account of his barbarities to her. At 
 length, however, she got a separation, under heavy 
 securities. Worn out in body and mind, the poor 
 lady died in 1800. He met with his deserts, and 
 died miserably in jail. 
 
 St. Mark's College was established by the Na- 
 tional Society, who bought this old house and fitted 
 it for the residence of the head master or principal. 
 The buildings forming the schools are in the Italian 
 style, with a neat chapel, containing windows of 
 stained glass. A large number of boys are educated 
 here. Also one hundred young men are trained as 
 schoolmasters. Indeed, this institution is one of the 
 most eminent of its kind in this country. 
 
 The SCHOOL OF DISCIPLINE is the oldest Refor- 
 matory for young girls in London or the suburbs. 
 It was opened by the famous Mrs. Elizabeth Fry. 
 It was established in Chelsea in 1825. It is a 
 certified Industrial School, reforming, boarding, 
 clothing and educating begging, homeless girls. 
 They are paid for by the Home Office.
 
 CHAPTER V. 
 
 HEN designated the " VILLAGE OF PALACES," 
 Chelsea must have been an elegant place, 
 and at all events was a highly favourite 
 one. A mere list of those who lived here is 
 suggestive of the most stirring events in history, 
 and brings to mind the actions and characters of 
 those celebrated individuals who have left so many 
 impressions of themselves in the literary productions 
 and works of art of their times, and who were 
 distinguished as warriors, statesmen, painters, or 
 poets. 
 
 The first nobleman mentioned as living at Chelsea 
 was the celebrated warrior the Earl of Warwick, 
 renowned for his prowess at the battles of Cressy 
 and Poictiers. His house has long since gone. 
 His successors in the residence were first the 
 Bishop of Salisbury, and afterwards it was granted 
 by Richard III. to the widowed Duchess of Norfolk 
 for her life, to be held by the elegant service of a red 
 rose. The Marquis of Berkeley also lived there. 
 He was an adherent of Henry VII. 
 
 George Earl of Shrewsbury, who had the custody 
 of Mary Queen of Scots, lived for some time at 
 Chelsea, leaving his residence there to his wife,
 
 CHELSEA. 25 
 
 Elizabeth, one of the most beautiful women of that 
 time, and remarkable for her extraordinary good 
 fortune in marriage. Having had successively four 
 husbands all wealthy or noble, she lived as a widow 
 for seventeen years, and from her position, great 
 wealth and rank, excercised considerable power. 
 She built three noble mansions, Chatsworth, Old- 
 cotes, and Hardwicke. 
 
 In this parish, as well as the other three treated of 
 in this work, numbers of old houses rendered 
 interesting by remarkable residents, have been 
 destroyed. 
 
 The most interesting of these, the mansion built 
 for himself by the celebrated Sir F. Thomas More, 
 Lord High Chancellor in the reign of Henry VIII., 
 and who lost his head by his obstinacy in denying 
 the King's supremacy, has long since disappeared. 
 He went to Chelsea about 1520, his house and 
 grounds, which adjoined the Church, were, as Eras- 
 mus describes them, " Neither mean nor subject to 
 envy," yet magnificent and commodious. 
 
 Beaufort Street and Row, and other houses, have 
 been erected on the spot. Parts of the very high 
 walls which bounded his grounds are left in many 
 places, and confine the gardens belonging to the 
 houses in Beaufort Street. 
 
 The porter's lodge not many years since was an 
 interesting and picturesque relic. It was the well 
 known " Clock House." A builder who purchased 
 it found the interior so very inconvenient, that he 
 (although with regret) pulled it down, erecting a 
 more convenient place. The old garden, or at
 
 26 CHELSEA. 
 
 least what is left of it, is shewn. A very aged twisted 
 mulberry tree is pointed out as having in its day 
 supplied Queen Elizabeth with many a plate of its 
 fruit ; also the gate (although blocked up) is shewn 
 through which Sir Thomas passed on his way to the 
 boat that conveyed him to the Tower. 
 
 After the attainder and death of Sir Thomas 
 More, the house became the residence of the Marquis 
 of Winchester, Lord High Treasurer in the reign 
 of Queen Elizabeth ; Lord Dacre succeeded. His 
 widow, who only lived a few months after his death, 
 left the house to her brother, the great Lord 
 Burleigh. At his lordship's death it fell to his 
 younger son the Earl of Salisbury, who sold it to the 
 half mad Earl of Lincoln. He was one of the peers 
 who sat on the trial of Mary Queen of Scots, and 
 also on the trial of the Earl of Essex. His lordship's 
 descendant Sir Henry Gorges, who also lived here, 
 left some curious memoirs of his life and exploits. 
 
 Cranfield, Earl of Middlesex, Lord High Trea- 
 surer, was the next possessor. Commencing as 
 merchant of the city of London ; he gradually rose 
 from one high post to another only to have a great 
 fall. For offending his patron, the Duke of Buck- 
 ingham, his treasurer's staff was taken from him, 
 and he became imprisoned in the Tower, while the 
 Duke coolly took possession of his house at Chel- 
 sea in 1626. This was the celebrated Duke of 
 Buckingham, the favourite and friend of James the 
 First, and who was assassinated at Portsmouth by 
 Felton in 1628. The house, which had previously 
 undergone many alterations, was then called
 
 CHELSEA. 27 
 
 BUCKINGHAM HOUSE. His lordship's daughter, the 
 Duchess of Lennox, resided in it. Passing from 
 her into various tenancies, it became the residence 
 of the second Duke of Buckingham, who, after a 
 profligate life, died very poor, leaving none to 
 lament him. 
 
 The Marquis of Bristol was its next tenant. It 
 was afterwards sold to the Duke of Beaufort ; 
 various members of this noble family occupied it 
 until the year 1720. The house, on coming into 
 the possession of the Beaufort family, was called 
 BEAUFORT HOUSE. In 1738 it was purchased by 
 the celebrated Sir Hans Sloane. Eventually it was 
 pulled down in 1740. The gate, which was built 
 by Inigo Jones, was given by Sir Hans Sloane to 
 the Earl of Burlington, who placed it in his grounds 
 at Chiswick. 
 
 While Sir Thomas More lived in this remarkable 
 house he received many guests, whose names are 
 of historical interest. Hans Holbein the painter 
 resided with him for three years. Erasmus the 
 learned scholar was his beloved friend ; he gives a 
 pleasing picture of the peaceful, simple life of More, 
 and describes the highly affectionate manner of his 
 life to his large family, his wife, his son, and his 
 wife's three daughters and their husbands, with 
 eleven grand-children. Henry VIII. frequently 
 visited him, besides various illustrious foreigners 
 and scholars. 
 
 The MANOR OF CHELSEA is a very ancient one, 
 and passed through many illustrious and noble 
 hands. So far back as Edward the Confessor's
 
 28 CHELSEA. 
 
 reign it was bestowed on the Abbot and Convent 
 of Westminster, by a charter, in the Saxon lan- 
 guage. This charter is still preserved in the 
 British Museum. Several court rolls of this Manor 
 are preserved among the records of the Dean and 
 Chapter of Westminster. In one of these it is men- 
 tioned that " the wife of Phillip Wells was fined 
 sixpence for being a common babbler." Sir Regi- 
 nald Bray was one of the earliest lords of this Manor. 
 He had been greatly instrumental in determining 
 Henry VII. to the throne: he obtained great honour 
 and wealth in consequence. 
 
 Henry VIII. possessed this Manor, and built a 
 beautiful Manor House for the use of his children. 
 In it his daughter Elizabeth passed part of her 
 youth under the care of the Queen Dowager, 
 Catherine Parr, and her husband, the celebrated and 
 unfortunate Duke of Somerset. Strange accounts 
 of the coarse conduct of the Duke to his young 
 charge have been handed down to us. 
 
 After the death of the Queen Dowager, it was 
 bestowed by Edward VI. on the Duke of North- 
 umberland, who in Mary's reign was beheaded for 
 treason. His wife Jane was a singular instance of 
 the variations of fortune She lost her husband 
 and one son on the scaffold ; saw her other children 
 dispersed, while her property was confiscated, and 
 she reduced to poverty. Eventually the Queen was 
 successfully urged to reinstate her. She lived and 
 died in the Manor House, and left a remarkable 
 and long will. Her ladyship's magnificent tomb in 
 Chelsea Church has been described.
 
 CHELSEA. 29 
 
 Ann of Cleves, who luckily for herself was only 
 divorced from Henry VIII., instead of losing her 
 head, also resided here some time, although she had 
 a palace at Lewes in Sussex, which is still shown 
 among the antiquities of that old town. Several 
 families of consideration held this old Manor and 
 house, but eventually it got into the noble family of 
 the Cheynes. 
 
 Sir Hans Sloane purchased the Manor of the last 
 Viscount Newhaven in the year 1712. Sir Hans 
 Sloane was one of those men who leave their mark 
 on the age in which they flourish. He was de- 
 scended from a Scotch family, but educated in the 
 North of Ireland. He was an ardent botanist, of 
 no mean ability ; he studied the various branches of 
 physic successfully ; was President of the Royal 
 College of Physicians ; and was so great a bene- 
 factor of the botanical gardens at Chelsea, that he 
 greatly enriched them with scarce and curious 
 plants. 
 
 These gardens were the third of their kind in 
 England. The celebrated John Gerarde, the father 
 of English botany, established the first botanical 
 gardens in this country. The gardens of Trades- 
 cant, at South Lambeth, were the next. He col- 
 lected a number of rare and curious plants. But 
 the whole were given, in 1667, to the University of 
 Oxford. 
 
 The BOTANICAL GARDENS at Chelsea are nearly 
 four acres in extent. Evelyn, that lover of trees 
 and gardens, mentions them in high terms in his 
 beautiful Diary. Various persons of ability managed
 
 3O CHELSEA. 
 
 them, until they fell under the care of Petiver ; he 
 accumulated so large a collection of specimens of 
 plants, &c., that after his death Sir Hans Sloane 
 purchased it, and it was sent to the British 
 Museum. 
 
 It was at these gardens that he first studied his 
 favourite science. A statue of him, by the cele- 
 brated Rysbrach, in marble, stands in the centre. 
 Sir Hans Sloane was physician to Queen Anne, 
 and in her last illness he was called in ; he was also 
 the intimate friend of Sir Isaac Newton. He was 
 created a Baronet by George the First, and was 
 appointed Physician -General to the Army, being 
 the first physician in England who had been thus 
 rewarded. George the Second and his Queen 
 placed entire confidence in his skill. When he 
 purchased the Manor of Chelsea, he gave a large 
 piece of ground to his favourite gardens, besides 
 contributing in various ways to their embellishment. 
 After Sir Isaac Newton's death, he was made 
 President of the Royal Society. 
 
 He lived at Chelsea, in the Manor House, for 
 some years, in elegant retirement ; visited, however, 
 by all the literary society of the day, including 
 learned foreigners. Also, the Royal Family fre- 
 quently paid him visits. He died in 1753, and was 
 buried in the churchyard at Chelsea, with his lady. 
 His magnificent tomb has been described. 
 
 Sir Hans Sloane may be said to have founded 
 the British Museum ; for his invaluable collection 
 was sold at his death for ,20,000., and was 
 bestowed on that place, forming, as it were, the
 
 CHELSEA. 3 1 
 
 nucleus for the present enormous collection. At 
 his death he divided the Manor of Chelsea between 
 two of his daughters, one the wife of George 
 Stanley, Esq., and the other married to Lord Charles 
 Cadogan. The property still remains in the 
 Cadogan family. The eldest sons of the Earls of 
 Cadogan bear the title of Viscount Chelsea.
 
 CHAPTER VI. 
 
 ITH respect to ancient houses, but few of 
 them are left, and these chiefly by the 
 water-side. Lindsay Row, Paradise Row, 
 Church Street, and Cheyne Row contain the oldest 
 houses now to be found in Chelsea. These were 
 once the residences of remarkable characters. Sir 
 Richard Steele, Dr. Hoadly, Dr. Smollett, Dr. 
 Attenbury, Bishop of Rochester, and the Earl of 
 Radnor were a few of the most noteworthy. The 
 Earl of Radnor gave a sumptuous entertainment 
 to King Charles in 1660, at a house in Paradise 
 Row. It is but a shabby, mean-looking place now ; 
 one wonders, in looking at the little squeezed- 
 up houses, how accommodation was found for 
 so many noble owners and their servants. But 
 in it, however, lived for a large portion of their 
 lives the Duke of St. Albans, the Duchess of 
 Hamilton, the Earl of Pelham, and the Earl of 
 Sandwich. 
 
 Dean Swift had only a lodging in Church Street, 
 which, in a letter to " Stella," he thus mentions : " I 
 got here with Patrick (his servant) and my portman- 
 teau for sixpence, and pay six shillings a week for one 
 silly room, with confounded coarse sheets." Dean
 
 CHELSEA. 33 
 
 Atterbury, however, who had a house opposite, 
 invited him to the run of his house and gardens. 
 
 House rent was not very high in Chelsea at 
 that time, for Sir Richard Steele is mentioned in 
 the parish accounts as paying fourteen pounds a 
 year for his house in Paradise Row. 
 
 The celebrated Sir Theodore Mayne, physician 
 to four kings Henry IV.and Louis XIII. of France, 
 and James I. and Charles I. of England lived 
 near the water-side. John Pym, the well-known 
 member of the House of Commons in Charles the 
 First's reign, and whose character and actions are 
 matters of history, also resided here. 
 
 The Duchess of Mazarine, Charles the Second's 
 beautiful mistress, had an elegant residence at 
 Chelsea, near the water. Thither, of course, the 
 King frequently went, taking all the fine gentle- 
 men, courtiers, and wits of his court with him. 
 Very grand musical entertainments, partly dramatic, 
 were given by the Duchess ; the performers being 
 the most eminent that could be procured. It is 
 believed that at these concerts the design of intro- 
 ducing the Italian Opera on the London boards was 
 first suggested. In 1770 the opera of " Arsinoe" 
 was performed at Drury Lane Theatre. 
 
 The Earl of Danvers had a mansion and park near 
 the river side. It is now covered by mean streets, 
 inhabited by denizens of the free-and-easy order. 
 
 WINCHESTER HOUSE, no longer standing, was 
 the residence of eight Bishops of Winchester, who 
 resided there successively after the Restoration of 
 
 Charles II. 
 
 D
 
 34 CHELSEA. 
 
 Mrs. Mary Astell, who was honoured by the 
 friendship of Lady Hastings, (mentioned a few 
 pages back), was a remarkable woman. Highly 
 educated, she was mistress of the French and Latin 
 languages, and a proficient in logic and philosophy ; 
 she spent nearly all her life at Chelsea, devoting it 
 to literature, and wrote several remarkable works on 
 religion and politics, and an Essay on the Female 
 Sex, also an Address to them. She was the intimate 
 acquaintance of all the eminent men of her time. 
 
 Sir Robert Walpole, Earl of Orford, who figures 
 so conspicuously in the reigns of the two Georges, 
 First and Second, had an elegant abode adjoining 
 the Royal Hospital. 
 
 The once well-known DON SALTERO'S COFFEE 
 HOUSE is still to be seen in Cheyne Walk. He lived 
 there for a number of years, and had a large collec- 
 tion of curiosities, which were duplicates of some in 
 the possession of Sir Hans Sloane, whose servant 
 he had been. A humorous description of him and 
 his collection may be seen in No. 34 of the Taller. 
 
 Some very curious particulars have been related 
 respecting the famous CHELSEA BUN HOUSE. It 
 was rather a stylish cottage, with a well kept garden. 
 George II., Queen Caroline, and the Princesses, 
 bought buns here; as did also George III. and 
 his family. It was so fashionable in the beginning 
 of the last century, that on some Good Friday 
 mornings no less than ^250. has been taken 
 for buns; and on the Good Friday of 1839 the 
 prodigious number of 240,000 buns were sold. 
 Were it not an accredited fact, this statement would
 
 CHELSEA. 35 
 
 appear incredible. Not only did royalty and the 
 nobility and gentry think a " Chelsea bun" indis- 
 pensable, but the working-classes, servants, shop- 
 men, and others, who amused themselves in the 
 Five Fields (on which Eaton and Belgrave Squares 
 now stand) when their holidays occurred, considered 
 a visit to the " Bun House" as absolutely necessary 
 as a visit to Greenwich Fair was considered a short 
 time since, when that fair existed. 
 
 There were other things at the Bun House which 
 might have been attractive. It exhibited a collection 
 of pictures (not first-rate), models, grotesque figures, 
 and antiques. In the absence of " music halls," 
 public cheap concerts, and other public places of 
 amusement so numerous in the present day this 
 place obtained a celebrity it would never have gained 
 now. 
 
 The celebrated CHELSEA CHINA MANUFACTORY is 
 a thing of the past. It was originally begun by a 
 Mr. Sprimont, a foreigner. The particular kind of 
 porcelain issued from this place has always been, 
 and is now, highly valued. Even now that the 
 produce of foreign manufactures are open to us, a 
 genuine specimen of the " Chelsea china " always 
 fetches a fancy price. 
 
 Of the old houses by the water-side, those in 
 Cheyne Row, which were built in 1 708, are the most 
 imposing. There are several very high ones of a 
 handsome description, one with gothic balconies, and 
 its forecourt paved black and white ; they have not 
 been neglected, and are inhabited by highly respect- 
 able families. In these houses have lived a succes- 
 
 D 2
 
 36 CHELSEA. 
 
 sion of those who were distinguished in their day for 
 mental gifts or social advantages. Want of space, 
 however, prevents the writer from dwelling at 
 greater length on the character and circumstances of 
 the remarkable persons whose residences rendered 
 Chelsea so interesting and attractive for so long a 
 period of its history. Like Hammersmith and 
 Fulham, Chelsea had its Fishery, which was so 
 lucrative and extensive as to be quite an institution. 
 It gradually declined, however, from the same 
 causes that destroyed the fisheries of the other two 
 parishes. 
 
 The picturesque WOODEN BRIDGE, so attractive to 
 artists, which crosses the river from Chelsea to Bat- 
 tersea, was built, or at least begun, in 1771, at a cost 
 of ,20,000. It is most inconvenient, and numbers 
 of lives have been sacrificed. It is now, however, 
 condemned, for a beautiful bridge is at last begun, 
 to be called the " ALBERT BRIDGE." Chelsea may 
 then be justly proud of its bridges ; more especially 
 of that elaborate and very elegant suspension bridge, 
 known as Battersea Bridge, but really belonging to 
 Chelsea. 
 
 With respect to Churches, in addition to the 
 Parish Church, Chelsea contains five others, of which 
 the elegant CHURCH OF ST. LUKE'S in Robert Street 
 claims precedence. The Duke of Wellington laid 
 the first stone on the I2th of October, 1820. It is 
 built of Bath stone in the gothic style of the four- 
 teenth century. From an elegant arcade in the front 
 rises a beautiful and lofty tower, strengthened at the 
 four corners by octagon-shaped buttresses, while the
 
 CHELSEA. 37 
 
 upper part is furnished with an open battlement. 
 The altar window at the east end is very much 
 admired. The nave and the two sides are separated 
 by pointed arches and clustered columns. The roof 
 is elegantly groined, and it is said, done in a style that 
 has not been attempted even for three hundred years. 
 The altar-piece is the entombing of Christ, very 
 beautifully executed by Northcote, who had pre- 
 viously exhibited it at the British Institution in Pall 
 Mall. The architect was Mr. James Savage. It 
 has a crypt. 
 
 Among some good marble tablets to the memory 
 of some highly respected inhabitants, is a very 
 elegant monument by Chantrey, recording the death 
 and services of the Hon. Henry Cadogan, who fell 
 at the battle of Vittoria in 1813. It represents his 
 soldiers lamenting the death of their beloved officer. 
 His portrait is on a medallion, underneath is the 
 Imperial Eagle of France, and at the top of the 
 pillar supporting these is the letter N. This piece 
 of sculpture is in Chantrey's best style. 
 
 Several members of the noble family of Cadogan 
 are buried in a vault near the spot. In the Cemetery 
 attached to it are buried some more of the late 
 respected residents of the neighbourhood. 
 
 Christ Church, and St. Jude's, have little besides 
 their usefulness to recommend them. 
 
 TRINITY CHURCH, Upper Chelsea, is rather ele- 
 gant : it is of brick, but built and ornamented in the 
 gothic style. Besides these there are two or three 
 handsome Congregational Chapels, Roman Catholic 
 and Nonconformist places of worship, and all these
 
 38 CHELSEA. 
 
 have schools attached to them, which are flou- 
 rishing. 
 
 Although a large portion of Chelsea consists of 
 mean, dirty houses, with a not very refined popula- 
 tion roaming its streets, yet it contains many noble 
 streets of very handsome mansions and fine squares 
 inhabited by fashionable and aristocratic residents. 
 
 A great many extensive alterations which will really 
 be improvements are in progress, and when com- 
 pleted the modern Chelsea will be a handsome Town. 
 
 By the water side a handsome Boat Pier has been 
 erected the CADOGAN PIER, with a handsome hotel, 
 the Cadogan Arms attached. Oakley Street, leading 
 from this spot to the King's Road, is a long street of 
 very good houses, both as to size and appearance. 
 
 The King's Road appears to be the most direct 
 thoroughfare through Chelsea. In the time of 
 Charles I. it was merely a footway used by the 
 gardeners and farmers to reach their lands. It 
 obtained the name of " King's Road " in the reign 
 of Charles II., who found it a convenient way of 
 getting to Hampton Court. From being a noted 
 place for robberies and murders, it has gradually 
 been built on, and at one time was highly attractive 
 for its beautiful nursery gardens. Even now there 
 are several large and flourishing places of this de- 
 scription : the Royal Exotic Nursery contains a 
 choice collection of rare Cape plants. The Ash- 
 burnham Park Nursery, and " Bull" Nursery, are 
 also well supplied with rare and valuable plants. 
 
 A handsome commodious building, the VESTRY 
 HALL, is in the King's Road. It is built in the
 
 CHELSEA. 39 
 
 Italian style. Viscount Chelsea laid the first stone 
 in 1859. It contains ample and superior accommo- 
 dation for vestry meetings, committees, and other 
 requirements of this busy and intelligent parish. 
 Paulton Square and Oakley Square are staid, re- 
 spectable places, with some good houses. 
 
 Queen's Road obtained this name from an old white 
 house called " Queen Elizabeth's Larder," which had 
 stood there many years ; it is now pulled down. 
 The Victoria Hospital, Chelsea Dispensary, the Hos- 
 pital for Consumpton, the Cancer Hospital, are all 
 admirable institutions and beautiful buildings. The 
 two last, indeed, are not exactly in Chelsea ; but as 
 they adjoin the parish so nearly, they are mentioned. 
 
 Sloane Square is at the end of the King's Road, 
 and now is merely a place of business ; at one corner 
 is Grosvenor Bridge, once known as Blondel and 
 then as Bloody Bridge. It led to the Five Fields 
 on which those fine squares Eaton and Belgrave 
 Squares now stand. This place was remarkable 
 for murders and other outrages. Hence the signi- 
 ficant and horrible cognomen of " bloody " was 
 attached to the bridge and gate close to it. It was 
 a wooden bridge, of picturesque form, not above ten 
 or twelve feet wide, and spanned a narrow creek 
 opening from the Thames. 
 
 Hans Place is a collection of old fashioned houses. 
 It occupies the site of a beautiful estate called the 
 Pavilion, built by a gentleman of the name of 
 Holland for himself. That interesting poetess, 
 L. E. L., or Miss Landon, was born at number 
 twenty five in this place, and educated at number
 
 4O CHELSEA. 
 
 twenty-two. The lady who kept the school was a 
 literary lady of considerable acquirement and ability, 
 Miss Bowden ; she wrote some creditable works 
 " A Poetical Introduction to the Study of Botany," 
 and the " Pleasures of Friendship." She afterwards 
 married the Count St. Quentin. 
 
 Among Miss Landon's fellow-pupils were Miss 
 Roberts, who wrote so many intelligent articles on 
 India ; Lady Caroline Lamb, who stabbed herself 
 with a pair of scissors at a ball, for the sake of Lord 
 Byron, who mentions her in his "Don Juan" as 
 " having played the devil, and then wrote a novel." 
 She certainly did write three romantic novels, and 
 was afterwards the wife of Viscount Melbourne ; she 
 lived for some time at number twenty-two. 
 
 Miss Mitford, Lady Bulwer, and Mrs. S. C. Hall 
 were partly educated by the same accomplished 
 lady at number twenty-two ; forming a galaxy of 
 talent not often collected in one place. They were 
 not all there at the same time, it is true ; but a 
 very short interval elapsed between them, and 
 Miss Roberts was the intimate friend of L. E. L. 
 
 Miss Landon was very fond of this place, retiring 
 to it with pleasure when anything called her away. 
 It is a very dull place, and an ugly one ; and yet 
 here she wrote all her graceful productions. She 
 usually sat in her sleeping-room, which was destitute 
 of any thing at all ornamental. It is said that places 
 produce or contribute to the making of geniuses. 
 Now, nothing in Hans Place could suggest any 
 poetical ideas or flights of fancy ; but would have a 
 tendency, one would think, to extinguish any feel-
 
 CHELSEA. 41 
 
 ings of this kind in their birth. So that places will 
 not create talent, if nature has withheld all intellec- 
 tual gifts. 
 
 CREMORNE HOUSE was built and the grounds 
 laid out in an elegant style early in the eighteenth 
 century by Theophilus Earl of Huntingdon, who 
 died in the year 1746. Viscount Powerscourt was 
 their next possessor, and successively this property 
 fell to the Dowager Countess of Exeter and Sir 
 Richard Lyttleton. He was the husband of the 
 Dowager Countess of Bridgewater. He died in 
 1770, and her ladyship died in 1777. After their 
 death Baron Dartry, Viscount Cremorne, purchased 
 the estate. His lordship very considerably enlarged 
 and beautified the house and estate, with the aid and 
 skill of the eminent Mr. James Wyatt. He lived to 
 the great age of 89, and was truly lamented for his 
 enlarged generosity, and Christian goodness. His 
 lady, the Viscountess Cremorne, was born in Phila- 
 delphia. She resided for a large portion of every 
 year at Chelsea, and was truly the Lady Bountiful 
 of the place, being one of the kindest and most 
 charitable residents in the parish. She kept a large 
 establishment ; exercising a liberal hospitality, not 
 only to the rich, but frequently entertaining the poor 
 in her elegant grounds. Her ladyship was highly 
 respected, and like her lord she, too, was much 
 lamented when she died in 1825. When residing 
 at Cremorne House, a visit from Queen Charlotte 
 was no unusual event. After her death Granville 
 Penn, Esq., descended from the celebrated William 
 Penn, resided here for a long time.
 
 42 CHELSEA. 
 
 Eventually they fell into the hands of various 
 proprietors, and are now the well known Cremorne 
 Gardens. Everything has been done to render this 
 once elegant place suitable for cockney tastes, but 
 the gardens are still beautiful. Much has been said 
 about the deterioration of Chelsea owing to these 
 gardens. But although the idle and the dissolute 
 throng there, so they do in all our public places and 
 streets. Meantime a good deal of innocent amuse- 
 ment goes on there. They are refreshing and 
 healthful, and command fine views over the river, 
 and are still studded with fine old trees. Consider- 
 ing the class for whom chiefly these gardens have 
 been arranged, the amusements are conducted with 
 considerable decorum, while a great deal that is 
 refining and instructive is set forth in pyrotechnical 
 and occasionally zoological representations, and even 
 the theatrical entertainments are on a par with the 
 minor theatres of London.
 
 HISTORICAL NOTICES 
 
 of Kensington*
 
 The New PARISH CHURCH, KENSINGTON
 
 of Henstngtott* 
 
 CHAPTER I. 
 
 ROM the following description of Kensington 
 it will be found that this parish has in no 
 way deteriorated, but that from an early 
 period it has been favoured not only (for some 
 years of its history) by Royalty, but as being the 
 residence of numbers of the nobility and gentry. 
 In the present day, indeed, it has become a 
 continuation of the "West End." It is a very 
 large and important parish, boasting of a Royal 
 Palace and Park, Holland House and grounds, a 
 noble unique Museum, Horticultural Garden, as well 
 as the Royal Albert Hall of Arts, shortly to be 
 opened by Her Majesty the Queen. Exactly oppo- 
 site to this is a Memorial to his Royal Highness the 
 late Prince Albert. It is the most elegant of the 
 numerous erections of this kind in the country. 
 Kensington also contains a great many very fine old 
 houses, and an abundance of noble modern mansions, 
 the town houses of the aristocracy.
 
 46 KENSINGTON. 
 
 It .has a much larger population than the other 
 three parishes. In 1861 it showed the number of 
 inhabitants to be 70,108, it is more than 100,000 
 now. No doubt when the particulars of the new 
 census are published, as they will shortly be, the 
 numbers will show a great increase. 
 
 Kensington lies on a bed of gravel from six to ten 
 feet thick, sparsely covered by a rich dark loam that 
 has been highly dressed. The air is not quite so mild 
 as it. is in the neighbouring parishes. It is more 
 bracing and very pure and healthy. It is one mile 
 and a half from Hyde Park Corner; the parish of 
 Fulham bounds it on the south west ; Chelsea and 
 Hammersmith join it; towards Netting Hill and 
 Bayswater, the land rises almost into the dignity 
 of hills. It is a wide rambling parish, running 
 from St. Margaret's, Westminster, to Paddington. 
 It includes the districts of Earl's Court, the two 
 Bromptons, old and new, the Gravel Pits, Kensal 
 Green, Little Chelsea, or as now called West 
 Brompton. All these places were once small vil- 
 lages, some of the parochial divisions are rather 
 odd, for a few of the houses in Sloane Street, 
 (which is in Chelsea) belong to this parish. 
 Kensington Palace, and part of the High Street are 
 in the parish of Westminster. 
 
 Between forty and fifty years ago, while the writer 
 of these pages was living at Kensington, a great 
 scandal, and no little merriment was occasioned by 
 the circumstance of a poor wayfarer dropping down 
 dead on the boundary line of the two parishes : his 
 head lying in one parish, and his legs in the other,
 
 KENSINGTON. 47 
 
 for some time neither of the two parishes would bury 
 him. At length, however, the poor defunct was 
 interred, the parishes dividing the expense between 
 them. 
 
 Kensington once sent no small amount of hay, 
 vegetables, and fruit to the London markets. But the 
 vast amount of building that has been going on in 
 the parish for the last twenty or thirty years, has 
 gradually occupied the lands so long devoted to gar- 
 dening and agriculture. This parish once abounded 
 with mineral springs ; there is one now in Kensington 
 Gardens (St. Govan's Well), which is still resorted 
 to and taken care of. In 1698 some of those wells 
 were highly valued ; more especially those at Netting 
 Hill, where there was a house built for the purpose of 
 dispensing the waters. For many years subsequently, 
 they attracted a considerable number of the public, 
 and were very fashionable. Some of these wells 
 contained a large quantity of salts. The one in 
 Kensington Gardens is chalybeate. Henry VII Ith's 
 Conduit on Palace Green was once very celebrated. 
 It had some curious buildings attached to it, called 
 the Bell and Water Tower, built for the use of 
 Queen Elizabeth when a child. The water in it has 
 long been unfit for use. The brick-work around it 
 has fallen partly in, some large shrubs have rooted 
 themselves there, and it is now enclosed in the 
 Barrack-yard, presenting in the summer a not un- 
 picturesque clump of greenery. 
 
 The origin or derivation of the name of Ken- 
 sington has been a matter of some dispute ; but it 
 seems to have been originally CJtenesiton, and is thus
 
 48 KENSINGTON. 
 
 mentioned in " Domesday Book." Various writers 
 mention it as Kensitune, Kensintunce, Kingsington, 
 and eventually Kensington. The north part of this 
 parish was once a portion of the great Middlesex 
 Forest, which stretched away for miles on this side 
 of London. 
 
 The MANOR OF KENSINGTON is ancient, and 
 was held by the noble family of the De Veres, 
 whose descendants with few exceptions were all 
 brave soldiers and influential subjects. One of them 
 was a Baron of the Magna Charta, and one com- 
 manded at the battles of Cressy and Poictiers, while 
 another was conspicuous for his bravery at Agincourt. 
 Another noble descendant was that great lord who 
 entertained Henry the Seventh with such magnifi- 
 cence at his house, that he was fined for doing so at. 
 a cost so evidently beyond his means. This family 
 gave no less than twenty Earls of Oxford to the 
 English Peerage. 
 
 The first Lord of this Manor was Bishop Con- 
 stance, who came over with William the Conqueror, 
 and Aubrey de Vere, who also came over in his train, 
 held it of the Bishop. Eventually the Manor came 
 wholly into the possession of the De Veres. One of 
 the Earls of Oxford in 1526 dying without issue, it 
 descended through various noble or knightly hands 
 until it came to Sir Walter Cope, who in the reign of 
 James the First built Holland House. Sir Walter 
 Cope also held the Manors of Earl's Court and of 
 West Town, as that part of Kensington contiguous to 
 the Holland Estate was called. 
 
 Of the seven oldest and most interesting places
 
 KENSINGTON. 49 
 
 that Kensington boasts of, namely, Holland House, 
 the Square, the Palace, the Gardens, the Church, 
 Kensington House, and Campden House, two of 
 them have disappeared. The Church has been pulled 
 down, as it showed symptoms of giving way, but it 
 will be replaced by a very handsome new one in 
 progress of building; while Campden House was 
 destroyed by fire a few years ago. Its destruction 
 attracted much public attention. It had been heavily 
 insured. The office that held the insurance dis- 
 puted payment, but after an unpleasant litigation 
 were obliged to satisfy the claim in full. It was a 
 great loss to Kensington. It was so beautiful and 
 interesting a place, and contained so many valuable 
 paintings, besides numerous objects of art and vertu. 
 The gardens also were very beautiful, and had been 
 laid out with great taste.
 
 CHAPTER II. 
 
 HE PARISH CHURCH of Kensington, although 
 considered by the late Bishop Blomfield 
 as the ugliest church in his diocese, was 
 an interesting structure, on account of the historical 
 reminiscences attached to it. It certainly was 
 remarkably plain and unpretending, but it was a 
 very comfortable, convenient, capacious erection ; 
 and contained a good many monuments, which if 
 not remarkable for their beauty, were interesting 
 mementos of those who had been loved and ho- 
 noured in their lives. 
 
 It stood on the site of a very ancient Saxon church. 
 So far back as the reign of Henry I. it is mentioned 
 that a Godfrey de Vere, to whom it belonged as 
 lord of the manor, left it on his death-bed to the 
 Monastery of Abingdon. Eventually it was placed 
 under the patronage of the Bishop of London, in 
 whose diocese it now is. The present, or rather 
 the church that has lately been pulled down, was 
 built in 1683 or 1684. The expense was defrayed 
 by subscription. King William III., Princess Anne 
 his daughter, the Bishop of London, and other noble 
 persons, gave large sums towards the expenses of 
 its erection.
 
 KENSINGTON. 5 1 
 
 It contained one hundred and fourteen monu- 
 ments and tablets of various descriptions, but not 
 any of them so beautiful as those in Chelsea old 
 Church. The most considerable of these is a monu- 
 ment in white marble to the memory of the Earl of 
 Warwick, who died 1759, and his Countess, as also 
 their daughter, the Lady Charlotte Rich. The Earl 
 is represented as sitting, resting his arm on an urn, 
 and clothed in a Roman habit. Some of the tablets 
 affixed to the walls are handsome. All these me- 
 mentos .have been carefully removed, and will be 
 placed in the new church. 
 
 Kensington churchyard is a very pretty one. A 
 number of those graceful trees, the willow, are dotted 
 over it, and it contains a number of good monuments, 
 interspersed with flowers. Just at this particular 
 time that the new church is being built, it is of 
 course in disorder. But when that is finished, the 
 church and churchyard will be highly ornamental to 
 Kensington. 
 
 The churchyard is full of monuments to various 
 noble and remarkable persons, and on the outside 
 walls were various tablets, one of them to Viscount 
 Molesworth and his lady, dated 1819. Another 
 tablet records the death of James Elphinstone, who 
 lived at Kensington House, author of several trea- 
 tises on education, and who translated Martial. On 
 a flat stone is recorded the death of Francesco 
 Bianchi, the musical composer, and his infant 
 daughter. He died of grief for her loss. Sir Thomas 
 Meaulis, the celebrated Bacon's attached secretary, 
 was buried here. He raised a statue (still standing) 
 
 E 2
 
 5 2 KENSINGTON. 
 
 to his beloved master's memory, at St. Alban's. 
 Another burial is that of a Sir Manhood Pen- 
 ruddock, remarkable only for the manner of his 
 death. He fell in a duel, fought at Notting Wood 
 in 1608; the place is near "Notting Hill." The 
 father and grandfather of the two George Colmans', 
 the dramatists, were here consigned to their last 
 repose. 
 
 Under a flat stone lie the remains of Dr. John 
 Jortin, author of the " Life of Erasmus," who was 
 an elegant scholar and sound theologian. The Rev. 
 Martin Madan, who startled the religious world by 
 his book, entitled " Thelypthora, or Female Ruin," 
 has a grave and stone to his memory. On the 
 strength of the Mosaic law, he advocated polygamy 
 as a remedy for immorality. He got into consi- 
 derable disgrace by these opinions ; the more espe- 
 cially as they were advanced in strong, and rather 
 too explicit language, considering the nature of the 
 subject. 
 
 Mrs. Elizabeth Inchbald, who will never be for- 
 gotten while her two beautiful works of the " Simple 
 Story" and "Nature and Art" are read, lies here; 
 not far from the grave of the learned and amiable 
 Dr. Warren, a celebrated physician with whom she 
 was secretly in love. It is said by one of her bio- 
 graphers that she used to pace Sackville Street, in 
 Piccadilly, after dusk, merely to get a glimpse of 
 him, if possible, through the blinds. 
 
 Spofforth, composer of so many beautiful glees, 
 has a small tablet. James Mill, the historian of 
 British India, is mentioned on a small tablet inside
 
 KENSINGTON. 53 
 
 the church. Several of the tombs and tablets have 
 long and well-written epitaphs, but all of them are 
 too long for quotation. 
 
 The old church had many interesting memories 
 attached to it. Lord Holland and Wilberforce, so 
 extremely different in their principles, attended ser- 
 vice regularly ; surprising the Rev. Thomas Rimell, 
 when he officiated, by sitting in the same pew side 
 by side. It was, indeed, a remarkable contrast, and 
 a very pleasing one. 
 
 Canning's grand and massive head was often seen 
 bowed in prayer. He had a house for many years 
 at Kensington. David Wilkie, who painted a great 
 many of his pictures at his residence in this place, 
 attended divine service ; although the son of a 
 minister of the Kirk of Scotland. Nassau Senior, 
 the well-known political economist, attended also, 
 although he lived at Hyde Park Gate. Thackeray, 
 who planned and built a comfortable, good-looking 
 house on Palace Green, was often one of the con- 
 gregation. Lord Macaulay, when he came to reside 
 at Holly Lodge, Campden Hill, lost no time in 
 securing himself a seat in the parish church, and 
 also obtaining a list of the parochial charities. Con- 
 fined to the house in the winter by asthma, yet he 
 was regular in his attendance during the summer. 
 
 To go back for a century or so, Sir Isaac Newton, 
 while he lived in the place, was one of the wor- 
 shippers in the old church. Lady Macdonald, who 
 resided in this parish for some years, was a devout 
 and regular attendant. Her ladyship, however, is 
 only thus briefly mentioned as being the mistress
 
 54 KENSINGTON. 
 
 of that Flora Macdonald who was so instrumental 
 in aiding the escape of Prince Charles Edward, after 
 the unfortunate battle of Culloden. 
 
 Coke, the eminent agriculturist, had a pew in the 
 church. He is celebrated for the introduction of 
 turnip husbandry into the county of Norfolk, where 
 it has quite altered the face of the country, and been 
 productive of vast benefit.
 
 CHAPTER III. 
 
 ENSINGTON PALACE is a remarkably plain, 
 solemn pile of red brick buildings ; large, 
 and no doubt extremely comfortable in its 
 interior arrangements. It has, however, been ren- 
 dered an interesting place by those who have resided 
 in it. Her present Gracious Majesty was born and 
 passed her early youth in it. The place was first 
 mentioned in the parish books in 1651, as the pro- 
 perty of Sir Heneage Finch. It was then much 
 smaller than it is now. After Sir H. Finch had 
 been raised to the peerage as Earl of Nottingham, 
 it was called Nottingham House. Daniel, the 
 second Earl of Nottingham, sold it to King William 
 the Third. It then became the " Royal Palace of 
 Kensington." The various monarchs who have 
 lived in it made many important additions and 
 alterations. Part of it was arranged by Sir Chris- 
 topher Wren. The Palace is now of considerable 
 extent ; it consists of three courts, the clock court, 
 the prince's court, and the princess's court. It has 
 also extensive buildings for domestic uses, and a 
 large long building built by Queen Anne for a ball- 
 room, but used until lately as a green house. 
 
 Although the Palace stands in extensive park-like
 
 50 KENSINGTON. 
 
 grounds, yet its present inhabitants have no private 
 gardens. They are open to the public, and sur- 
 rounded on all sides by a large population, who 
 traverse its stately walks and avenues from morning 
 till night. It is a matter of surprise, indeed, that no 
 portion of the grounds have been rendered exclu- 
 sive ; especially as there is always one or more 
 members of the Royal Family residing in it. The 
 grounds are also too full of trees, which have in con- 
 sequence grown up weak and thin, and there are 
 very few large trees there. 
 
 The Palace was a favourite abode of Royalty for 
 about two centuries ; a circumstance that has ren- 
 dered Kensington the fashionable, aristocratic place 
 it is. The tide of prosperity and fashion set in to 
 it when William came to reside here, and has never 
 since receded. His Majesty, indeed, was very fond 
 of the place, and found considerable relaxation from 
 his public duties, when he could retire with his 
 Queen and some select friends. A great many im- 
 portant Councils however were held here, and many 
 interesting occurrences of his reign happened during 
 his residence in it. In this palace he breathed his 
 last. 
 
 Queen Anne and her husband Prince George of 
 Denmark succeeded his Majesty, and were also 
 extremely attached to Kensington, and they also 
 died here. King George the First came next. 
 During his reign the interior of the Palace was much 
 improved. The cupola room was built, and the 
 chief staircase decorated in a handsome manner. 
 George the First, however, died at Osnaburgh.
 
 KENSINGTON. 5 "J 
 
 When George the Second came to the throne, 
 his favourite residence was Kensington Palace ; his 
 Majesty and his consort Queen Caroline were both 
 delighted with its situation, and the genial air of the 
 place. The Queen expended large sums in im- 
 proving the palace and grounds, and, being fond of 
 society, handsome entertainments were given in a 
 magnificent style ; while she held a Court regularly 
 every Sunday after divine service. During the 
 residence of this royal couple, Kensington became 
 very attractive and fashionable. They also both 
 died here. 
 
 A large and valuable collection of pictures once 
 ornamented the galleries and rooms of the Palace ; 
 but they have been removed some time since and 
 distributed. 
 
 Since the death of George II. and his consort, 
 there are always some high members of the Royal 
 family who either reside here wholly, or use it as 
 their town residence. At present their Royal High- 
 nesses the Prince and Princess of Teck reside here 
 when in town.
 
 CHAPTER IV. 
 
 LTHOUGH CAMPDEN HOUSE is no longer 
 standing, it was so well known and admired, 
 and so many persons doubtless remember it, 
 that perhaps a short account of it may be acceptable. 
 It was built by Sir Baptist Hicks in 1612. Formed 
 of brick, with stone mullions and quoins, it was of 
 no decided order of architecture, but still it was 
 picturesque and quaint. 
 
 The interior was very handsome : the hall wains- 
 coted with veined oak. The great dining-room 
 was a truly beautiful room, the wainscot was so 
 richly carved ; the mantel-piece was an elaborate 
 piece of sculpture, called the Tabernacle mantel, 
 six beautiful columns supported a pediment. Be- 
 tween the columns were various grotesque devices. 
 Two nearly life-size human figures supported this 
 imposing structure, while the whole was ornamented 
 in a unique, if quaint, yet most effective style. It 
 was, indeed, a beautiful specimen of the arts of the 
 time it was erected in. Some of the fine rooms in 
 the house were ornamented with stuccoed ceilings, 
 and otherwise decorated with richly-carved wains- 
 cots and mantel-pieces. Added to these, the whole 
 house was furnished in the most elegant manner,
 
 KENSINGTON. 59 
 
 and enriched with fine pictures and numerous articles 
 of vertu. 
 
 Queen Anne lived here for five years, and the 
 house was then enlarged and beautified for her resi- 
 dence. It was called Campden House after the first 
 Viscount Campden. He was the son of Sir M. 
 Hicks, a silk mercer of London : he was advanced 
 to the Peerage in 1628. After his death, his son- 
 in-law, Lord Noel, resided here. The Noel family 
 possessed the house until Queen Anne came to 
 Kensington for the benefit of the air for her little 
 son the Duke of Gloucester. LITTLE CAMPDEN 
 HOUSE, which is still standing, was built, it is said, 
 to accommodate her Majesty's household. Queen 
 Anne hired the house of the Noel family. Various 
 noble persons occupied this fine mansion. Even- 
 tually it became the property of Stephen Pitt, Esq., 
 a wealthy parishioner. At length, a few years ago, it 
 was, with all its rich and beautiful works of art, 
 totally destroyed by fire. Another large house, in 
 very good taste, has been erected on its site. It is 
 not, however, inhabited. The garden has been 
 neglected, and is at present nothing more than a 
 piece of waste ground : some fine trees standing 
 there give it a melancholy appearance, attesting so 
 plainly to its by-gone beauty.
 
 CHAPTER V. 
 
 OLLAND HOUSE is the largest and most 
 interesting mansion to be found near the 
 Metropolis. It is well known to nearly all 
 the civilized world ; for a large amount of political 
 interest is attached to it, from having been the 
 residence of such celebrated statesmen. It is not 
 remarkable for its beauty; but it has a particularly 
 venerable, quaint appearance, and attracts numerous 
 visitors. Even foreigners of any taste for ancient 
 localities go to see " Holland House." It stands in 
 a very pleasing situation, on a slight eminence, 
 surrounded by its gardens and park ; for although a 
 large portion of the Holland estate is now built 
 upon, yet a considerable portion of the park is left, 
 and is laid out with so much taste that it is very 
 beautiful. 
 
 Near the house, at the back, are some very large 
 old cedar trees, and one magnificent elm, which 
 measures, at a yard from the ground, nineteen feet 
 round. A portion of the grounds in front are 
 elegantly laid out in the Italian style, interspersed 
 with green alleys, and fences of trees trimmed to 
 form arches. 
 
 All the turf about these grounds has been so well
 
 KENSINGTON. 6 1 
 
 kept that it forms a luxurious green carpet at all 
 times of the year, and many secluded nooks may be 
 found in the park, an agreeable feature which is 
 not a little surprising, considering it is not more 
 than two miles from Hyde Park Corner. Near the 
 house is an arbour dedicated to Rogers the poet, 
 with a long copy of verses by Luttrell, and a very 
 neat couplet by the late Lord Holland. 
 
 " Here Rogers sat, and here for ever dwell, 
 To me those pleasures that he sang so well." 
 
 A tradition, (which is not positively established, 
 however,) belongs to the meadow in front of the 
 house. It is said that Cromwell and Ireton held a 
 consultation in the middle of it, being thus secure 
 from listeners. 
 
 A bust of Napoleon in the grounds is inscribed 
 with a quotation from Homer. It has been thus 
 translated : 
 
 " He is not dead, he breathes the air, 
 
 In lands beyond the deep ; 
 Some distant sea-girt island, where, 
 
 Harsh men the hero keep." 
 
 In Aubrey's " Miscellanies" is another interesting 
 tradition attached to the gardens. Lady Diana 
 Rich, the beautiful daughter of one of the Lords 
 Holland, met the apparition of herself, dress and all, 
 at the unromantic hour of eleven in the forenoon. 
 One month afterwards she died of the small-pox, 
 
 After such an occurrence, of course her ladyship's 
 ghost used to frequent the place. But as ghosts in
 
 62 KENSINGTON. 
 
 these prosaic days no longer visit us, the place is 
 now free from these interesting visitors. 
 
 In these gardens was grown the earliest specimen 
 of that now well known flower the dahlia. It had 
 been brought from Spain by Lord Holland. 
 
 Holland House was built about the latter end of 
 the 1 6th century by Sir W. Cope, after the designs 
 of John Thorpe, an architect of some ability. It is 
 formed of the usual red brick so much in vogue at 
 that time, with stone dressings. The outside has 
 such a venerable time-worn appearance, that it looks 
 much older than it is, and offers the only appearance 
 of antiquity it has ; for the interior has been by its 
 successive residents much altered and completely 
 modernized. It is elegantly fitted up and adorned 
 with beautiful pictures, statues, statuettes, and busts. 
 These are so numerous, that a mere list of -them 
 would form a tolerably sized catalogue. 
 
 The upper part of Holland House overlooks 
 extensive views. The back commands some pleas- 
 ing scenery of the Surrey hills, while the front 
 overlooks those of Hampstead, Harrow, and High- 
 gate. 
 
 The first noble inhabitant of Holland House was 
 Henry Rich, Earl of Holland, who married Isabella, 
 daughter and heiress of Sir Walter Cope. It came 
 into his possession, therefore, in right of his wife. 
 His lordship's mother was the " Sacharissa" of that 
 elegant, excellent, and gallant gentleman Sir Phillip 
 Sydney, whose graceful pen has recorded her 
 attractions. 
 
 Lord Holland, after passing a gay and sparkling
 
 KENSINGTON. 63 
 
 life, and entertaining all the rank, fashion, and cele- 
 brities of the time, was put to death in the civil 
 wars ; and like the fop that he was, he went to the 
 scaffold in a white satin waistcoat and cap, the latter 
 trimmed with silver lace. 
 
 General Fairfax occupied the house a few months 
 afterwards. At the Restoration the house reverted 
 to its rightful owners. Part of the time from the 
 Restoration to the Georges, first and second, the 
 house was let on short leases, and even as apart- 
 ments for lodgers. Among these temporary residents 
 were some remarkable persons. The first Earl of 
 Annesley, who obtained the title from Charles II. 
 as a reward for his services ; Sir John Chardin, the 
 well known traveller, who was made a knight by the 
 same monarch ; the Duchess of Buckinghamshire, 
 illegitimate daughter of James II. Her whimsical 
 ladyship was a star of some magnitude in her time. 
 Bishop Atterbery also lived here a short time. But 
 the most interesting and illustrious of these tem- 
 porary lodgers was the celebrated William Penn, 
 who was even then so famous, and his visitors so 
 numerous, that on some occasions no less than two 
 hundred persons would be waiting to greet this the 
 future founder of the now great state of Pennsyl- 
 vania in America. He can only in this place be 
 thus briefly alluded to ; although his character, 
 actions, and life merit a more particular notice. 
 They are, however, set forth and described by able 
 pens in other works. Shipper, the famous Jacobite, 
 sojourned for a time here. 
 
 The second Earl of Holland lived so quietly here
 
 64 KENSINGTON. 
 
 that the only interesting circumstance connected 
 with him is, that his son Edward, who succeeded 
 him not only in the title of Earl of Holland, but as 
 fifth Earl of Warwick (in consequence of a failure of 
 heirs in the elder branch), married a daughter of 
 Sir Thomas Myddelton, who, when a widow, mar- 
 ried Addison. He was tutor to one of her sons. 
 Addison's residence bestowed undying interest on 
 the old house. The green lane that he used to 
 pace in his meditations is now the Addison Road, 
 and large handsome villas line it, filled with wealthy 
 and aristocratic tenants. 
 
 It was to her son, the Earl of Warwick, that 
 Addison is said to have spoken those memorable 
 words attributed to him when dying, " See how a 
 Christian can die." 
 
 After Addison's death the house remained in the 
 possession of the Warwick family until it was sold 
 to Henry Fox, who afterwards became the first Earl 
 Holland of the Foxes. He was no mean orator, 
 and remarkably addicted to all the pleasures of this 
 world ; and being blessed with particularly good 
 health, vigour, and wealth, his life was more full of 
 unbroken enjoyment than falls to the lot of the 
 majority. He married a daughter of the Duke of 
 Richmond under romantic circumstances, for he 
 eloped with her. His marriage also was a very 
 happy one. 
 
 Holland House was rendered still more notable 
 by the residence, during his youth, of the celebrated 
 Charles Fox. The house has been for some years, 
 and is now, in the possession of the Foxes.
 
 CHAPTER VI. 
 
 HE old houses and other interesting places 
 have now to be noticed. The most con- 
 spicuous of these is KENSINGTON HOUSE, 
 at the beginning of the High Street, coming from 
 London. It may here be observed that, of the four 
 parishes, Kensington has the best approaches to it. 
 The road from Hyde Park Corner to the town is 
 really a beautiful drive or walk, especially coming 
 from Knightsbridge. Hyde Park and the Gardens 
 on one side, and the other bordered by large, im- 
 posing, and some of them beautiful mansions. 
 
 Kensington House was built about two hundred 
 years ago, of handsome red brick, with stone facings 
 and dressings. It is very wide, and not very high, 
 and from some reason or other shows no sign of 
 age ; looking so fresh, it is difficult to believe that 
 this remarkable looking house is old. It was built 
 by a member of the Noel family, some of whom 
 resided here. Charles II. was a frequent visitor to 
 his beautiful mistress, the Duchess of Portsmouth. 
 She had been the charming Louise de Queroailles, 
 and lived here for a long time. Somewhere about 
 1 753> James Elphinstone opened a school here. 
 He was not only an excellent man, of a simple pious 
 
 F
 
 66 KENSINGTON. 
 
 character, but also a scholar of considerable attain- 
 ments, and an able, intelligent teacher. He was also 
 an author. One of his works was rather remarkable. 
 " Propriety ascertained in her picture, or English 
 speech and spelling rendered mutual Guides." It 
 was an attempt, and an unsuccessful one, to alter 
 the entire system of etymology. He was much 
 respected, and visited by many distinguished per- 
 sons, while Dr. Johnson and the celebrated Franklyn 
 were his intimate friends, Among his scholars was 
 the late Mr. Shiel. After Elphinstone's death, the 
 house was opened as a boarding house. The charm- 
 ing Mrs. Inchbald lived here for about two years, 
 and here she died. The house is now a private 
 lunatic asylum. 
 
 In the beginning of the present century most of 
 the roads were very different to what they are now. 
 Among the very worst of them was the road from 
 Hyde Park Corner to Kensington. It was at times 
 nearly impassable from mud and holes, which ren- 
 dered it very dangerous. The worst part of it was 
 THE GORE, this name being bestowed upon that 
 place as being particularly muddy. The road is 
 now as smooth as a bowling green. At this place 
 has been erected quite a little town of handsome 
 houses, none of them very old, but remarkable and 
 interesting persons have rendered this spot attrac- 
 tive. KINGSTON, or as once, ENNISMORE HOUSE, was 
 built by the Duchess of Kingston who makes such 
 a disreputable appearance in history. She was a 
 beautiful bold woman, who used to swear ; and 
 frequent public places, dressed so scantily as to be
 
 KENSINGTON. 67 
 
 nearly in a state of nudity. On one occasion she 
 went to a msquerade dressed, or rather not dressed, 
 as Eve. She married twice first, a boy in his 
 teens, the Marquis of Bristol ; secondly, a man old 
 enough to be her father, the Duke of Kingston. 
 There are a few old houses at the UPPER GORE which 
 are very interesting. They are not large, but they 
 speak so plainly of former respectability and fashion, 
 and are so well preserved and tenanted by highly 
 respectable families, that, contrasted as they are 
 with the showy modern erections in their immediate 
 neighbourhood, they forcibly arrest the attention. 
 Small and narrow, and possibly inconveniently so 
 inside, some well-known persons resided there. 
 Mrs. Inchbald lodged at number two. Wilkes the 
 democrat, the pious Wilberforce, and Count d'Orsay 
 lived in one or other of them for a part of their 
 lives. The late Hon. Miss Eden also lived and 
 died there. She was the authoress of two well- 
 known works of fiction, and published many enter- 
 taining letters from India. 
 
 GORE HOUSE, so well known to all the Literati and 
 fashion of the day, when inhabited by Lady Bless- 
 ington and Count d'Orsay, has been removed. On 
 its site stands the ROYAL ALBERT HALL OF ARTS. 
 It was first occupied by a Government contractor of 
 such mean propensities that the memory of his miser- 
 like habits remains yet. Wilberforce lived there for 
 some time. The next was Lady Blessington, about 
 whom it is unnecessary, interesting as her life and 
 character is, to give any information, as no doubt the 
 readers of these pages are well acquainted with 
 
 F 2
 
 68 KENSINGTON. 
 
 them. The last inhabitant of this once-elegant 
 house was Monsieur Soyer, of gastronomical fame. 
 He opened the house as a large Restaurant for the 
 million during the year of the Great Exhibition. 
 
 KENSINGTON NEW TOWN, as it is called, consists 
 of handsome streets and houses, and lies at the back 
 of the road to London. It occupies the place of 
 green fields and nursery gardens, once so numerous 
 in this parish. There are a few of them left, but 
 much contracted in size. 
 
 KENSINGTON HIGH STREET has been rendered as 
 much like a London street as smart handsome shops 
 can make it. But it still resembles a country town. 
 The houses are not all of the same height or width, 
 and hardly two of them alike. There are some fine 
 old houses left standing about the town. One of them, 
 COLBY HOUSE, in the High Street, was built by a 
 miser, Sir Thomas Colby, a Commissioner in the 
 Victualling Office, in 1720. Of penurious habits, he 
 amassed a large fortune, and was created a baronet. 
 Going down one night from his warm bed to secure 
 the key of the wine cellar, which he had forgotten, 
 he caught a cold, which killed him. At his death, 
 his fortune was divided between six day labourers, 
 his only relatives. 
 
 About the middle of the High Street is a turning 
 leading to some mean houses, calculated to accom- 
 modate a few hundreds. Nevertheless, a colony of 
 one thousand of the lower orders of Irish are located 
 here. The reader may imagine the state of things. 
 Fortunately for the town they are (for Irish people) 
 tolerably quiet. Efforts have been made to remove
 
 KENSINGTON. 69 
 
 them. The existence of a place like this in aristo- 
 cratic Kensington is rather surprising. On the 
 opposite side of the way is a Pastry-cook's, remark- 
 able for being the very oldest establishment of this 
 kind in or near London. Cobbett's house and 
 garden, in which he took such pride, is now a candle 
 manufactory. Kensington Square contains some 
 large noble houses of a melancholy aspect, owing to 
 their being built in a fashion now gone by. The 
 square was built in the reign of James II., and until 
 lately was inhabited by high and celebrated persons, 
 and for a hundred years or so was as fashionable a 
 place as any of the London squares are at this time. 
 The famous Duchess of Mazarine, niece of Cardinal 
 Mazarine, was the first character of note who resided 
 here. Various accounts record her taking evening 
 walks, surrounded by French noble gallants and her 
 faithful admirer and friend, St. Evremond. That 
 curious character, author of books which few can 
 wish to read Sir Richard Blackmore, Physician 
 to William III. had a house in this place. Three 
 prelates, whose characters are noteworthy, dwelt 
 here for some time : Hough, Bishop of Winchester ; 
 Herring, Bishop of Bangor, who contributed some 
 excellent letters to that well known educational work, 
 " Elegant Epistles," with Bishop Mawson, thus be- 
 stowing no small amount of clerical dignity on the 
 place. It is very respectably inhabited at the pre- 
 sent time. But the new railway station in the town 
 being so near to it, and the pulling down so many 
 houses, has rendered the approaches to it now so 
 very disagreeable that it is difficult to say what this
 
 7O KENSINGTON. 
 
 fine old place will come to. There is an ancient 
 Bluecoat School in the town, and a very handsome 
 Vestry Hall. The Phillimore Terraces, Upper and 
 Lower, Bath Terrace, and Earl's Court Terrace, are 
 all old-fashioned solemn looking places, that contrast 
 very oddly with the new-fashioned showy style of 
 architecture of the present day. 
 
 The most interesting house in the town lies at the 
 back of the High Street. BULLINGHAM HOUSE, in 
 which Sir Isaac Newton resided for two years, on 
 account of an illness. In 1726 he came to this place 
 again ; and here he died, in the eighty-fourth or 
 eighty-fifth year of his age, possessed of a large 
 fortune, and unmarried. Bullingham House is now 
 used as a high-class seminary for young ladies. An 
 iron plate on the wall commemorates the circum- 
 stance of his residence here. 
 
 The OLD VICARAGE is not far off, and several fine 
 old houses are close by, all standing in such odd posi- 
 tions and shut up in such high walls, that this part of 
 Kensington is certainly the oddest nook in the place. 
 Holland Street and Church Street join at one corner. 
 They are both old-fashioned places, although Church 
 Street is a very busy one. The road takes a violent 
 twist just here, and what with the extreme narrow- 
 ness of the pavement, nothing can be more danger- 
 ous. One wonders why some improvement is not 
 made. Kensington is remarkable for containing 
 within its bounds three such large places of recrea- 
 tion and intellectual amusement as the Horticultural 
 Gardens, the South Kensington Museum, and now 
 the HALL OF ARTS.
 
 -KENSINGTON. 71 
 
 This noble building is much admired. There is 
 nothing in any part of London on so large a scale. 
 The whole building forms an elliptical oval, with 
 three handsome porches ; it is two hundred and 
 seventy-two feet long, by a width of two hundred 
 and thirty-eight feet. It extends from the Kensing- 
 ton Road to the Horticultural Gardens, with which 
 it is connected ; it is elegantly formed of coloured 
 bricks, which were made at Fareham, in Hampshire, 
 and tastefully decorated with terra cotta, designed 
 and executed by Messrs. Gibbs and Cumming of 
 Tamworth. A very handsome frieze runs around 
 the dome, divided into seven compartments, contain- 
 ing allegorical designs commemorative of the Great 
 Exhibition. These have been furnished by nume- 
 rous able artists, and are very beautiful. The iron 
 roof was supplied by the Engineering Company, and 
 Lieut.-Colonel Scott was the architect. Inside, the 
 arrangements are at once elegant and commodious. 
 The Arena is at the bottom, in the centre of the Hall ; 
 surrounding this, is the Amphitheatre, arranged 
 in ten rows of chairs. These last are made on a 
 novel and most convenient plan ; being made to 
 revolve on a central iron leg screwed to the floor. 
 Thus the occupant of a chair can give it a half turn, 
 and so allow late arrivals to pass to their seats with- 
 out rising. The back seats of the Amphitheatre are 
 arranged into Loggia boxes ; next comes the Grand 
 Tier of boxes. The boxes intended for her Majesty 
 the Queen, and for the Prince of Wales, are on this 
 tier. There is yet another tier of boxes, and above 
 these the Balcony. Higher still is the Picture
 
 72 KENSINGTON. 
 
 Gallery, which has not only seats for two thousand 
 persons, but is wide enough for a promenade ; seve- 
 ral doors open from this to an outside balcony. So 
 the promenaders can take the air when they choose, 
 by walking on the flat roofs of the building. 
 
 The Hall is calculated to accommodate from six 
 to eight thousand persons. It is one hundred and 
 thirty- five feet high, and is surmounted by a domed 
 skylight of painted glass, with an opening in the 
 centre to admit of a large star of gas burners. Besides 
 this star, there are thirty clusters of one hundred and 
 five jets suspended from various parts of the roof. 
 
 The orchestra will accommodate one thousand 
 performers. The organ was built by Mr. H. Willis. 
 It is sixty feet wide and seventy feet high, and con- 
 tains nine thousand pipes ; some of them the largest 
 ever made. The whole of the interior is in good 
 taste, while the scagliola columns of the picture 
 gallery have been much admired. 
 
 The floors are comfortably covered by dark red 
 cocoa-nut matting ; no less than nine thousand yards 
 having been used for this purpose. 
 
 In one most important respect, the Albert Hall 
 will be a model for all buildings intended for large 
 gatherings of the public. Spacious corridors run 
 round on every floor, and are connected with twenty- 
 two wide staircases ; and there are nineteen doors for 
 exit and entrance. So that in the event of any real 
 danger, or during any of those extraordinary panics 
 which occasionally occur in places of this kind, the 
 whole building might be safely vacated in less than 
 ten minutes.
 
 KENSINGTON. 73 
 
 Exactly opposite to the Hall, across the Kensing- 
 ton Road, stands the ALBERT MEMORIAL, which, when 
 completely finished, will be certainly one of the most 
 elegant erections in or near London. It is fashioned 
 as an open shrine for a life-size figure of his Royal 
 Highness Prince Albert. The shrine stands on a 
 pedestal of the purest and hardest Sicilian marble 
 ever brought to this country. On its four sides 
 have been carved nearly one hundred and eighty 
 figures, life-size. These form a kind of panorama, 
 representing the special Fine Arts which his Royal 
 Highness did so much to encourage. The south 
 side, facing the Hall, is devoted to Music and 
 Poetry. On the north, Sculpture is represented ; 
 while the east and west sides illustrate Painting and 
 Architecture. The life-size figures representing 
 these Arts are not allegorical ; but accurate and 
 elaborate portraits of those great geniuses of all 
 ages and nations, who were known to the world as 
 Painters, Poets, Musicians, and Architects. The 
 Albert Memorial, therefore, will not only be very 
 beautiful, but also the most remarkable and interest- 
 ing object in England ; if not in Europe. The 
 architect is G. G. Scott, Esq. At the four corners 
 are to be placed four groups of white marble figures, 
 representing the four quarters of the world. It is 
 not nearly finished, and this description is necessa- 
 rily imperfect. It stands in an elegant garden, and, 
 with the Albert Hall, will make two magnificent 
 objects, and still further ornament the already fine 
 approach to Kensington.
 
 74 KENSINGTON. 
 
 KENSINGTON GARDENS. There does not appear 
 to be any authentic account of these Gardens, as 
 to who originally planned them, or when this was 
 done. But when King William the First purchased 
 the house now called Kensington Palace from Sir 
 Heneage Finch, it is mentioned that the extent 
 of the gardens was about twenty-six acres, and laid 
 out in the formal style prevalent at that time. When 
 Queen Anne came to reside at Kensington, her 
 Majesty greatly improved and altered them. It 
 remained, however, for Queen Caroline, consort of 
 George the Second, to give the Gardens their pre- 
 sent pleasing appearance. Nearly three hundred 
 acres of land were obtained from Hyde Park. Bridge- 
 man, the landscape gardener, was employed to plant 
 and lay them out. At one time a few rare trees 
 and shrubs were planted ; now that the Gardens 
 are thrown open to the public all these have dis- 
 appeared. 
 
 The Gardens are divided from Hyde Park by 
 means of a fosse and low wall, almost level with the 
 ground. This is a good contrivance, for it makes 
 the Gardens appear so much larger. Although 
 Hyde Park is not in Kensington Parish, yet a few 
 words respecting it may be acceptable. 
 
 HYDE PARK is ancient ; it was once the Hyde 
 Farm of the Monastery of Westminster. At the 
 Reformation it fell into the possession of the Crown, 
 and became one of the Royal Parks. George Roper 
 was the first keeper, and he had sixpence a-day for 
 his services. Various knightly and noble persons 
 afterwards held this office, which gradually came to
 
 KENSINGTON. 75 
 
 be of some value. During the usurpation of Crom- 
 well, Hyde Park was put up to sale in three lots. 
 At the Restoration, King Charles the Second made 
 his brother, the Duke of Gloucester, Keeper of Hyde 
 Park. At this time it was well stocked with fruit 
 trees. A Mr. Hamilton was the next keeper, and 
 he let it out in Farms. But in 1670 it was enclosed 
 with a wall, and stocked with deer. The SERPEN- 
 TINE RIVER, which is so great an ornament to it 
 and to Kensington Gardens, was formed partly 
 under the influence of Queen Caroline. All the 
 springs, conduits and water-courses about the Park 
 were made to run into the bed that was dug for the 
 purpose, at an expense altogether of about nine 
 thousand pounds. Hyde Park was the scene of 
 many a conflict between the Royalists and Round- 
 heads. The latter threw up two large forts with 
 four bastions each ; one opposite ST. GEORGE'S 
 HOSPITAL, and the other close to Mount Street. 
 The Park has also been the scene of some extraor- 
 dinary gatherings and grand reviews. 
 
 BAYSWATER closely adjoins the Gardens. It was 
 once a pretty village at the top of the hill, and known 
 as " Bayard's Watering Place." It is remarkably 
 invigorating and healthy, and seems to be a favoured 
 spot. For it is built all over, and with large hand- 
 some houses and squares. NOTTING HILL, adjoining 
 Bayswater, is equally as favoured. About fifty years 
 since, this large populous place was a large farm on 
 the top of the hill, from whence some very fine views 
 were obtainable. 
 
 No remarkable historical event ever happened in
 
 76 KENSINGTON. 
 
 Kensington. Nevertheless, about fifty years ago, 
 Kensington and Hammersmith were witnesses of 
 very painful scenes ; a description of which, it is 
 hoped, will not be handed down to posterity. While 
 that misguided and unhappy lady, Caroline, Consort 
 of George the Fourth, was residing at Brandenburgh 
 House the once very elegant residence of the cele- 
 brated Margravine of Anspach Kensington and 
 Hammersmith were kept in a constant state of 
 unseemly excitement. All the various London 
 trades, and even some of the Guilds, made proces- 
 sions, with the various insignia of their callings, to 
 offer addresses to her. The inhabitants of these 
 two parishes took a decided and demonstrative part 
 in the extraordinary and unhappy disputes of the 
 Royal pair, and protected, as far as they could, 
 the poor lady who lived so near them : for Bran- 
 denburgh House, which is now pulled down, 
 stood in beautiful grounds between Hammersmith 
 and Kensington, at the back of the road running 
 through the two places. At her death, matters, in 
 Kensington at least, reached their climax. Orders 
 had been given that her remains were not to pass 
 through the Parks, and that the Hearse should go 
 up Church Street, and along the Bayswater Road. 
 The Kensingtonians, however, determined that this 
 programme should be altered. The stones were 
 grubbed up, and two waggons were capsized across 
 the entrance, rendering it impossible to take any 
 vehicle up the street. Understanding that, unless 
 haste was made, the Park gates would be closed by 
 the military, the Hearse containing poor Caroline's
 
 KENSINGTON. 77 
 
 body galloped through the town as fast as the horses 
 could go. Chance stones had been flung about at 
 the soldiers. One of them had struck the coachman 
 on the back of his head, and as the hearse tore along 
 blood was running down his back. After all, the 
 Hearse did get through the Park, although a man 
 was shot dead at one of the gates ; but it was not 
 until London was quite cleared that the funeral 
 cortege was able to go along in the usual decorous 
 manner on its way to Harwich, being reverently 
 received at all the churches and resting-places on 
 the way.
 
 HISTORICAL NOTICES. 
 
 parts!) 
 
 ^
 
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 o 
 
 <! 
 
 w
 
 of jFulijam. 
 
 CHAPTER I. 
 
 HE Parish of FULHAM is of an ancient date. 
 So far back as 691 it is mentioned in a 
 grant of the manor by Tyrhtilus Bishop of 
 Hereford, to Erkenwald Bishop of London, as 
 Fulankam. 
 
 Camden derives the name of FulJiam from the 
 Saxon word Fullonham, or the home of water fowls. 
 Fulham once included Hammersmith, then a hamlet. 
 It is now like Hammersmith, a London suburb. It 
 is in the archdeaconry of Middlesex and diocese of 
 the Bishop of London. It lies like its neighbour, 
 on the north bank of the Thames ; is in the juris- 
 diction of the Central Criminal Court, and of the 
 Metropolitan Board of Works, and is in the South 
 Western Postal District. Its population in 1861 
 was 15,589. 
 
 This parish is about five miles and a half long, 
 and nearly two miles wide. The THAMES forms its 
 southern bonndary, and the views in passing down 
 the river in this part of its course, are very soft and 
 
 G
 
 82 FULHAM. 
 
 pleasing. From CHELSEA, to CHISWICK (about five 
 miles,) a constant succession of charming objects 
 gratify the eye of taste. The fine old houses on 
 Chiswick Mall, Chiswick Church, the Bishop's 
 Palace ; the quaint old bridge of Fulham, the 
 Churches of Fulham and Putney, exactly alike, and 
 exactly opposite to each other, and views of the 
 Surrey Hills, form a succession of pleasing and 
 picturesque scenery that attracts many visitors. 
 The rivers of the Dove, the Trent, the Avon, and 
 the Wye, are all remarkable for special lovely 
 scenery of their own ; but in few places in England 
 is there such a soft, dream-like beauty spread over 
 the scenery as pervades the banks of the Thames 
 from Hammersmith to Kingston. 
 
 A great quantity of fish was once caught, year by 
 year, and sent to the London markets. The sale, 
 indeed, was so considerable, that in the seventeenth 
 century the fisheries were leased to Sir Nicholas 
 Crispe and others for three salmons a-year. 
 
 A very cruel custom prevailed here and at Ham- 
 mersmith. The Jews used to give a good price for 
 fishes scales to manufacture false pearls with. The 
 fishermen caught the white fish, and of those not 
 large enough for sale, they scraped the scales from 
 their backs, and tossed them in the river again to 
 die in torture. But as the fish left the river this 
 custom, together with the fisheries, gradually ceased. 
 
 In the Thames near Fulham Bridge is a shifting 
 sand-bank, well known to builders and others for 
 yielding a constant supply of sand peculiarly adapted 
 for mixing with lime for building purposes. This
 
 FULHAM. 83 
 
 sand may be useful, but lying where it does, it 
 renders the navigation difficult if not dangerous. 
 
 The air of Fulham is very soft and pure ; this, 
 together with the rich alluvial soil, so liberally spread 
 over the greater part of its lands, renders this parish 
 so very favourable to the growth of all kinds of 
 garden produce, of fruit trees, and flowers, that for 
 ages it has sent large supplies of these articles to the 
 London markets. A large quantity of asparagus of 
 a superior kind is grown in this place, and is duly 
 valued in the markets to which it finds its way. 
 
 Fulham, notwithstanding that bricks and mortar 
 have made their usual encroachments on some of its 
 green places, is a pleasant rural place. There are 
 numbers of fine trees, large gardens, and the estate 
 belonging to the Bishop's Palace, offering such a 
 beautiful walk along the bank that confines the 
 moat. 
 
 The older part of Fulham has been so little 
 altered that it still retains the characteristics of a 
 country town; of an aristocratic description, however, 
 for it was once the favourite resort of the higher 
 classes, and even now numbers a great many families 
 of consideration amongst its inhabitants. A paucity 
 of omnibuses and cabs, and the Railway Station 
 being, as these places so often are, inconveniently 
 situated, keeps the little town very quiet. 
 
 So much of this parish is laid out in market and 
 fruit gardens that it offers numerous healthful walks. 
 
 It is true that there is nothing at all picturesque 
 in the arrangements and appearance of market 
 gardens ; yet at the proper seasons, fields of flourish- 
 
 G 2
 
 84 FULHAM. 
 
 ing green vegetables, and trees loaded with hand- 
 some fruit, are pleasing objects, and the wind blows 
 freely and freshly over them. 
 
 In a place so favourable to the production of 
 flowers and fruits, there are many nursery gardens. 
 Of these the largest and best known is the Fulham 
 Nursery and Botanical Gardens, established about a 
 hundred years ago, the various proprietors have 
 carried it on with vigour and liberality. At these 
 gardens were exhibited the first Cork tree, the Cham- 
 pion oak, and the Bengal oak, all beautifully grown 
 splendid individuals of their kind. Here also was 
 seen the first Magnolia Grandiflora, the original 
 parent of the large plants to be seen in our various 
 conservatories. 
 
 The institution of Parishes is very ancient. Man- 
 kind being of sociable habits, it naturally followed 
 that collections of dwelling places were found to be 
 agreeable and convenient. To these the word 
 Parish has been applied from ancient times. Bishop 
 Honorios, who lived in the beginning of the seven- 
 teenth century, is said to have introduced this arrange- 
 ment into England. 
 
 In Domesday Book the divisions and bounds of 
 our parishes are described ; and with few variations 
 the bounds and divisions are the same now. 
 
 In the primitive ages, parishes were patriarchal 
 in their character. The Lord of the Manor and the 
 Rector were looked up to : the former as chief whose 
 will was law, and the latter as a father whose spiritual 
 admonitions it were well to obey ; and in many 
 respects a parish resembled a large family. Very
 
 FULHAM. 85 
 
 kindly relations and feelings existed between the rich 
 and poor of a parish. The latter took all their grie- 
 vances to the former, being sure of the requisite 
 amount of sympathy, assistance, and advice ; these 
 things are greatly altered now, and not for the better. 
 This alteration, however, is chiefly among the inferior 
 classes. The rich and noble of the present day do 
 still sympathise with and help their poorer brethren, 
 and that most liberally. But that loving feeling of 
 homely respect is no longer felt or displayed by the 
 poor and the working portion of a parish towards 
 their superiors. A multitude of pernicious cheap 
 publications, and also the vast increase of the 
 various populations, has destroyed these feelings. 
 The cheap publications have taught them to think, 
 and to think improperly. While the immense popu- 
 lations of our time divides the social system into a 
 variety of classes unknown to our forefathers ; in 
 whose experiences there were but two ; the rich and 
 the poor. The higher classes of the present day, 
 to their honor be it asserted, do all they can to 
 revive these kindly relations ; but it is only in 
 parishes remote from London influence that any- 
 thing like the old homely devotion is at all under- 
 stood. Of course all the parishes in the London 
 district have long lost all feelings of the kind.
 
 CHAPTER II. 
 
 ULHAM PARISH CHURCH stands at no great 
 distance from the water. It has been built 
 of stone in the decorated English style, and 
 parts of it are ancient. It has a lofty and handsome 
 tower at one end, supposed to have been erected 
 in the fourteenth century. But even this is not all 
 of the same period ; for, in consequence of a storm 
 which injured it in 1798, some modern battlements 
 have been substituted for those that were thrown 
 down by the winds. Antiquarian writers vary in 
 their accounts of the exact period it was erected in. 
 It has ten very beautiful bells. Some of them have 
 curious inscriptions ; on the sixth bell is written, 
 " John Ruddle cast us all." On the tenth, 
 
 " I to the church the living call, 
 And to the grave I summons all." 
 
 It is dedicated to " All Saints." 
 
 Fulham is now a vicarage, and always in the gift 
 of the Bishops of London. The earlier parish regis- 
 ters have been lost ; of those remaining, they com- 
 mence in 1679, but a large register book of benefac- 
 tions, neatly written on vellum, begins in 1622. The 
 book opens with a beautiful prayer, and contains a
 
 FULHAM. 87 
 
 long list of bishops, noblemen, and various pious 
 persons, who bequeathed money and lands to the 
 poor of Fulham and Hammersmith, these two places 
 being in one parish at that time. 
 
 Among the " items" of the " Churchwardens' 
 Accounts " is a curious one relating to hats or caps. 
 By a law passed in the reign of Elizabeth, every 
 male person older than seven was obliged to wear a 
 woollen hat or cap of a particular make, or be fined. 
 In 1578, the churchwardens received a fine of five 
 shillings for this offence. During the sad period of 
 the Great Plague, some other " items " read oddly 
 enough now : 
 
 " 1640. ' Item.' Paid to Eliz. James, she 
 
 being shut upp . . . . .0160 
 
 For a truss of straw for her to lye on .003 
 
 For taking her to the hospital, where she 
 
 died a pitiful creature . . . .060" 
 
 In the bell room of the steeple is a record of the 
 several peals that have been rung at various times. 
 One is rather curious : 
 
 " The College youths of this society did ring, on 
 the 6th of October, 1776, a complete peal of 5040 
 Oxford treble bob-ten-in, in three hours and 45 mi- 
 nutes, with the sixth at home, twelve times wrong, 
 and twelve times right, being the first performed 
 here." 
 
 Bell-ringing, although noisy, is cheerful. It is 
 said that England is the only country where the 
 practice is reduced to a science, not beneath the 
 notice of our best musical composers. 
 
 The church has some good monuments. The
 
 55 FULHAM. 
 
 most ancient one now left is one of a Lady Legh. 
 It is about twelve feet high. Under an arch is the 
 effigy of Lady Legh, with an infant in her arms, and 
 one by her side. She is depicted in the full dress of 
 the times, with her hair disposed in a number of 
 small curls. The. whole is carefully executed, and 
 the monument is a handsome one. 
 
 It bears the date of 1603. This church had once 
 a good many old monuments, but during the usurpa- 
 tion of Cromwell many of them were destroyed, with 
 several fine brasses. Near the altar, which is plain, 
 is a monument to a once celebrated person, Sir 
 Nicholas Butts, a learned scholar, and chief phy- 
 sician to Henry VIII. There is an elegant monu- 
 ment in coloured marbles to the memory of Bishop 
 Gibson, who died in 1748. There are several me- 
 morials to other bishops. There are two very 
 handsome, stately monuments that may not pass 
 unnoticed. One of them is a large slab of black 
 marble, supported by a white marble pedestal. On 
 it stands a statue (almost too large for life) of 
 Viscount Mordaunt, in a roman habit, his coronet 
 and gauntlets being placed on elegant black marble 
 stands, at each side of the monument ; while against 
 the wall are oval tablets recording his birth, death, 
 life and services. The whole is beautifully done, 
 and does credit to the sculptors for there were 
 two, Bushnell and Bird, who were, according to 
 Bowack, celebrated at that time. It cost, according 
 to the same authority, ^"400. 
 
 Viscount Mordaunt is highly commended in Cla- 
 rendon's " History of the Rebellion." A younger
 
 FULHAM. 89 
 
 son of the Earl of Peterborough, he commenced his 
 remarkable career at an early age as a staunch Roy- 
 alist, casting his lot with the King's fortunes. He 
 partook of all the varied misfortunes, difficulties, and 
 dangers of that exciting time, and played his part 
 as an actor of no mean ability, and with spirit and 
 energy. Upon the restoration of Charles II., that 
 monarch loaded him with benefits. He was created 
 Viscount Mordaunt, Lord Lieutenant of the County 
 of Surrey, and Constable of Windsor Tower. He 
 eventually died at Parson's Green, and was buried 
 in this church. 
 
 The other handsome monument is to the memory 
 of Lady Dorothy Clarke. The monument is stately, 
 of white marble, fenced by iron rails. At the top is 
 an urn, with beautiful festoons of flowers, supported 
 by two winged genii, the work of that prince of 
 flower sculptors, Grinling Gibbons. It cost 300., 
 and is dated 1682. There is a pretty little monu- 
 ment to a Mrs. Catherine Hart. She is depicted 
 with her four children in stiff dresses, all kneeling 
 bolt upright, and all extremely well executed. At 
 the bottom it is recorded that she " lived virtues lye 
 and died godlie ye 23 daie of Octo. 1605." 
 
 These are by no means all of the pretty tablets 
 and small monuments in the church, erected, some to 
 names well known to history, and others to wealthy 
 and respectable inhabitants ; but enough has been 
 written to show that a visit to this interesting place 
 would not be in vain to those who take interest in 
 these things. 
 
 No less than eight bishops were buried in the
 
 9O FULHAM. 
 
 churchyard. Theodore Hook lived for some years 
 in Fulham, at Egmont Villas, now pulled down to 
 enable the Chelsea Waterworks Company to erect a 
 bridge over the Thames to carry the water to 
 London, and they wanted the ground on which the 
 villa stood to erect a tower upon. Theodore Hook 
 was buried in the churchyard opposite the chancel 
 window. A stone marks his grave, with only the 
 plainest of inscriptions. The churchyard, indeed, is 
 full of good monuments, interspersed with trees, and 
 it is altogether an interesting, beautiful churchyard.
 
 CHAPTER III. 
 
 ULHAM PALACE, the residence of the Bishops 
 of London, is very pleasantly situated on 
 the banks of the Thames, and adjoins the 
 Church. Its grounds, which are handsomely and 
 romantically laid out, are nearly forty acres in extent 
 the whole is surrounded by a moat with two 
 bridges. The broad bank that confines the moat 
 forms a delightful promenade. 
 
 Part of the bank runs sideways with the Thames, 
 so that on one hand the beautiful grounds of the 
 palace are seen, and on the other charming views 
 over the Thames. The Palace is ancient, and has 
 always served as a residence for the Bishops of 
 London. The greater part of it was built by Bishop 
 Fitzjames in the reign of Henry VII., and was 
 much larger than it is now, although at the present 
 time it contains upwards of sixty rooms. In the 
 year 1715 parts of it became ruinous. Sir Chris- 
 topher Wren, and Sir John Vanbrugh examining it, 
 it was decided to pull down a large portion, leaving 
 it as it now stands. It is a venerable looking large 
 plain building, in no way remarkable for ornamen- 
 tation, or any particular style of architecture. 
 
 It is formed of brick and has two Courts. The
 
 92 FULHAM. 
 
 principal entrance is through an arched gateway into 
 the great quadrangle, from which is the entrance 
 into a noble hall fifty feet long, and twenty-seven 
 wide ; this fine room has been renovated from time 
 to time, and over the chimney place are the arms of 
 one of the bishops, Bishop Sherlock, they are hand- 
 somely carved in wood. 
 
 Hanging on the walls are also some fine full- 
 length paintings of Henry VII., Queen Anne, and 
 Queen Mary, with George II. In the lobby adjoin- 
 ing are some handsome oil paintings on paper, 
 affixed to canvas, of Henry VIII., Thomas a 
 Becket, and Margaret of Anjou. 
 
 There are many fine rooms in the Palace, among 
 others, the dining room and the library. The con- 
 tents of the latter were given by Bishop Porteous. 
 The books are chiefly on theological and abstruse 
 subjects. These two rooms open on the gardens. 
 The library also is hung with well painted portraits 
 of the Bishops of London, a good many of which are 
 copies. There is a small neat chapel built by the 
 present Archbishop of Canterbury when Bishop of 
 London. 
 
 FULHAM PALACE GARDENS have been little altered 
 since Bishop Grindall had them laid out. Bishop 
 Compton greatly improved them. The gardens 
 were once very celebrated. To them were brought 
 many rare and beautiful trees and plants, and here 
 was grown the first tamarisk tree seen in England. 
 The gardens have a number of fine trees still stand- 
 ing ; especially two monstrous ones a hicory or 
 American walnut tree, and a cedar of Lebanon, the 
 largest it is said in England.
 
 FULHAM. 93 
 
 At the time when these beautiful productions of 
 foreign lands were introduced, the gardens attracted 
 more attention than they are likely to obtain in 
 future, interesting as they are, from the reminis- 
 cences of the learned men who once walked among 
 them. 
 
 Having two Horticultural and Botanical Gardens 
 in London, with those of Kew and the Crystal 
 Palace, nearly all the plants, flowers, and trees of 
 other countries are familiar to us. 
 
 The most ancient, if not the most interesting relic 
 connected with the Palace is the moat that runs 
 entirely around it. It is both wide and deep, and is 
 conjectured, not without good reasons, to be a work 
 of the Danes, who visited Fulham in the autumn of 
 879, and encamped here for that winter ; and as they 
 generally stayed near the water and their ships, it 
 is supposed that their camp occupied the spot 
 where the Bishop's Palace now stands. None but a 
 large body of vigorous men could have made such 
 a long, deep and wide excavation. It is nearly a 
 mile in its circuit, and is a great ornament to this 
 part of Fulham. 
 
 The old, oddly built, quaint WOODEN BRIDGE, 
 conducting from Fulham Church to Putney Church, 
 is a very picturesque object. The views from the 
 centre are very soft and pleasing. It was built 
 about 1725, in a curious zig-zag style. It has been 
 often anathematized in very strong language by the 
 owners of steam boats and barges ; for, indeed, 
 what with its narrow arches or locks, and the sand- 
 bank in the river, navigation is dangerous and diffi-
 
 94 FULHAM. 
 
 cult. It is much valued by the inhabitants of the 
 neighbourhood, who have hitherto stoutly and suc- 
 cessfully resisted any effort to remove it. 
 
 The palace, the moat, the two churches, with 
 the quaint bridge between them, and the softly 
 flowing stream, form a group of interesting pic- 
 turesque objects not often seen in one place. The 
 Bishops of London and their servants, or any one 
 in their employ, pass toll-free over this bridge as 
 often as they please. This privilege was accorded 
 to them in lieu of the ferry, which was in use before 
 the bridge was built, and which belonged to them. 
 
 The Palace has been rendered for ever memora- 
 ble and interesting by the residences of so many 
 remarkable Prelates of various and widely differing 
 characters, some of whom have left their memories 
 to all time. Erkenwold was the fourth, and first 
 remarkable, Bishop of London. To him was granted 
 the Manor of Fulham. Of liberal notions, he laid 
 out large sums of money on ecclesiastical purposes, 
 and obtained by his vigour and perseverance many 
 privileges for the clergy. 
 
 Bishop Bonner, one of the chaplains to Henry VIII, 
 experienced a variety of fortunes not always of a 
 dignified nature, and always using his abilities and 
 power either openly or disguised to obstruct the 
 Reformation. A favourite of Henry, and possessing 
 considerable talent as a negotiator, he was employed 
 to break off the marriage with Katherine, and also 
 sent as Ambassador to Denmark, France, and Ger- 
 many. Eventually he was made Bishop of London. 
 In Edward the Sixth's reign he got imprisoned for
 
 FULHAM. 95 
 
 not enforcing some laws respecting the Reformation. 
 At liberty again in Mary's reign, he was included in 
 all the commissions for the trial and prosecution of 
 Protestants. As it was quite safe to do so, he had 
 by this time exhibited his character in its true light 
 as a cruel, bigoted Roman Catholic. 
 
 History records his cruelty during his seasons of 
 prosperity. Even at the Palace many brutal scenes 
 were enacted which he sanctioned, not only with his 
 presence, but actually perpetrated with his own 
 hand. It was in the beautiful gardens of his resi- 
 dence that on one occasion he had one Thomas Hen- 
 shaw fastened to a bench and most cruelly scourged 
 him with a rod. John Willes was punished in the 
 same way, after being kept eight days in the stocks. 
 The most sickening instance of his barbarity, how- 
 ever, was that of Tomkins a weaver. Though illite- 
 rate and of humble station, he was illustrious by his 
 fortitude, faith and exemplary piety, and sanctified by 
 his sufferings. Bonner examined him harshly in the 
 presence of the Archbishop and other noble persons. 
 Finding he could not make him recant, he then took 
 his hand and held it over a candle of three or four 
 wicks until the sinews actually shrank, and the flesh 
 was black. 
 
 For three years at that period he exercised his 
 cruel disposition. Hume computes that no less than 
 two hundred and thirty-seven men, women, and 
 children were tortured, burnt, or ruined by fines and 
 confiscations under his rule. Refusing to take the 
 oaths when Elizabeth came to the throne, he was 
 again imprisoned, and this time for life ; for he died
 
 96 FULHAM. 
 
 in the Marshalsea ; and was ignominiously buried 
 at night. 
 
 History records no stronger contrast than the one 
 afforded by his successor, Bishop Ridley; who, leading 
 a holy life of blameless, gentle purity, was one of 
 the brightest, as he was one of most efficient of the 
 Protestant martyrs. As Bonner degraded, so Ridley 
 hallowed the Palace by his residence. There are 
 few biographies more quaint, .graphic, and deeply 
 interesting than that of Fuller's account of this 
 excellent prelate. His character, life, and horrible 
 death, cannot be dwelt upon without exciting feel- 
 ings of the highest admiration, and of the deepest 
 commiseration. 
 
 Bishop Grindall was a remarkable and able pre- 
 late. He had been chaplain to Ridley, with whom 
 he was deservedly a favourite. He assisted Ridley 
 in compiling the Liturgy, and at his death succeeded 
 to the bishopric. During his residence he laid out 
 the gardens, and bestowed such care on his green- 
 house, and his grapes were so highly celebrated, that 
 every year Queen Elizabeth was presented with 
 some. He afterwards became Archbishop of Can- 
 terbury, and died blind at Croydon. 
 
 The Bishops Sandys and Aylmer were both 
 zealous Protestants, and the last conspicuous for 
 humanity and kindness. Another of the bishops 
 must not be passed over : Bishop Laud also passed 
 the greater portion of his life at Fulham. Bishop 
 Compton was also a prelate eminent alike for his 
 scholastic attainments and abilities. He was the pre- 
 ceptor of the Princesses Anne and Mary, daughters
 
 FULHAM. 97 
 
 of James II. In after years he assisted at their 
 marriages : and later still he welcomed them back to 
 this country. 
 
 Bishop Compton had a fine taste in gardening, 
 and enriched and beautified the grounds of the 
 Palace by bringing a large quantity of shrubs, trees, 
 and plants, all at that time very rare, and some quite 
 new to this country. For many years after his 
 death these gardens were very highly and deservedly 
 estimated. 
 
 He was a man of unbounded liberality and bene- 
 volence, and led a life of strict piety and charity. 
 He lived to the age of eighty-one years. There 
 were many other bishops whose names deserve 
 honourable and kindly notice, but their lives and 
 characters are described in other works with so much 
 more ability and learning than these pages pretend 
 to exhibit ; that the writer (although reluctantly) 
 leaves them. 
 
 The first recorded public event that happened in 
 Fulham was an incursion of the Danes in 879. 
 They remained the winter, and appear to have done 
 nothing more than dig the moat, described a few 
 pages back. It is supposed they found Fulham not 
 quite so defenceless as other places. During the 
 civil war it was made the stage where the Royalists 
 and Roundheads alternately enacted the strange 
 and painful dramas of those times. The Puritans 
 insulting and defacing the two churches of Putney 
 and Fulham by breaking windows, destroying monu- 
 ments, stealing the brasses, and even stabling their 
 horses in the interior. 
 
 H
 
 98 FULHAM. 
 
 Fulham and its neighbourhood were indeed in a 
 sore strait when Cromwell and his ironsides occu- 
 pied it. Puritans quartered in every household. 
 The whole place under the sternest discipline. The 
 Vicar driven away, the Bishop deprived, and the 
 Palace sold to a rough soldier ; the wealthier inha- 
 bitants chased for their lives, and their goods appro- 
 priated. 
 
 This appears to have been the last public event 
 that troubled the little Town.
 
 CHAPTER IV. 
 
 LMOST every old large house in these four 
 Parishes have a history attached to them. 
 They were the homes, during their day, of 
 celebrated historical characters : wits, beaus, beauties 
 and scholars, who here played out their parts : uncon- 
 scious of the interest and amusement posterity would 
 take in their sayings and doings. 
 
 People certainly exhibited their characters more 
 heartily and openly in those days than they do now, 
 and seemed to be more in earnest than we are. For 
 although we have doubtless the same variety of 
 characters amongst us, yet the surface of society is 
 rendered so smooth by the excessive refinement and 
 high breeding considered indispensable among cer- 
 tain classes ; and every kind of demonstrativeness is 
 considered such an infringement of good taste, that 
 the members of what is known as "good society" 
 may be said to exhibit no character at all, being 
 stereotyped editions of one another. 
 
 Fulham has more old houses still standing than 
 the other parishes ; but the majority of them do, 
 indeed, present a melancholy appearance, having 
 placards of " To let" on their venerable fronts. 
 Their wealthy inhabitants are deserting them ; the 
 
 H 2
 
 IOO FULHAM. 
 
 numerous railways affording such facilities for travel- 
 ling. They can live in more picturesque and bracing 
 places, and actually reach them more easily. 
 
 A number of fine old mansions are standing on 
 PARSON'S GREEN, about half a mile from Fulham. 
 It was once a pretty village, with the Parson's house 
 (still standing) at the corner. The Green is left in the 
 same state as when the parson and his family, and at 
 other times the villagers, disported themselves upon it. 
 
 Large houses were built around it for the nobility 
 and gentry, who had here their country seats. Of 
 these the most remarkable is Peterborough House, 
 which stands in large grounds, with a high wall all 
 round it. It occupies the site of an old house known 
 as " BRIGHTWELL'S," in the reign of Elizabeth. The 
 present mansion was rebuilt by Thomas Carey, son 
 of the Duke of Monmouth. Two of its ancient 
 gateways are still preserved ; they are of stone, 
 curiously carved. One of them disguises the en- 
 trance to a stable, and the other forms part of an 
 arbour. These gardens exhibited, about a hundred 
 years ago, a remarkable tulip-tree, one hundred 
 years old, and seventy-six feet high, bearing a large 
 yellow tulip-shaped flower. It was said to be the 
 first and last of its kind in this country. 
 
 PETERBOROUGH HOUSE has had some celebrated 
 inhabitants. It was the property of that Lord 
 Mordaunt, whose tomb in Fulham Church has been 
 described, and his character, life, and services to his 
 king and country briefly noticed. Here he lived 
 and died. From him the estate descended to that 
 extraordinary character, the celebrated Lord Peter-
 
 FULHAM. IOI 
 
 borough, who married Anastatia Robinson, the well 
 known singer. 
 
 His great abilities as a soldier and commander, as 
 a councillor and orator, are evidenced by the various 
 and numerous commissions of high trust and respon- 
 sibility that were held by him ; and notwithstanding 
 the multitude of occupations thus imposed upon him, 
 he found time to cultivate the muses. Graceful and 
 elegant in manners and person, he associated with 
 all the wits and learned persons of his day. Pope, 
 Swift, Locke, Gay, besides a host of others, were 
 constant visitors at Parson's Green, for he exercised 
 unbounded hospitality. His marriage was the 
 oddest thing done by this universal genius. 
 
 Miss Anastatia Robinson, having for a long time 
 resisted all improper offers of his, he at length mar- 
 ried her in 1723, and took a house for her and her 
 mother at Parson's Green, where she was visited by 
 persons of high rank and respectability, who doubt- 
 less had the best of reasons to believe her to be his 
 wife, or they would hardly have countenanced her 
 and her mother. His lordship eventually, about 
 twelve years afterwards, acknowledged his mar- 
 riage at the Bath rooms, by desiring a servant to 
 enter, and in a loud voice to announce that " Lady 
 Peterborough's carriage waits." 
 
 The celebrated Sir Thomas Bodley resided at 
 Parson's Green. He founded the Bodleian Library 
 at Oxford, the contents of which are now more 
 curious than useful perhaps; as by far the larger 
 portion is on such abstruse subjects, that only very 
 learned scholars are likely to use them.
 
 IO2 FULHAM. 
 
 IVY COTTAGE, a long, low, picturesque house, 
 covered with an aged ivy, was the residence of 
 Oliver Cromwell, when he inflicted his visits on 
 Fulham. It is still standing very near the Green. 
 
 A fine imposing old mansion, still standing in this 
 place, and now empty, was formerly the residence of 
 Samuel Richardson, the celebrated novelist, whose 
 lengthy productions were read with such delectation 
 by our predecessors. 
 
 Foote the dramatist resided at a favourite villa at 
 WALHAM GREEN, then a pretty little village. It is 
 now covered over by a multitude of very dirty little 
 streets, with here and there a good shop, and a very 
 fine church in the middle, built in the Gothic style, 
 and dedicated to St. John. There are also some 
 neat, pretty almshouses " The Butchers' Alms- 
 houses " and some flourishing National Schools, 
 besides a large cocoa-nut fibre manufactory. But all 
 this is modern. When Foote lived there, it was a 
 pretty, secluded place. There are still standing 
 several fine old trees, which appear to look with 
 disgust on their present surroundings. 
 
 All the gay, the lively, and the fashionable of his 
 time of course visited this celebrated dramatist. His 
 abilities as an author and an actor, with his remark- 
 ably pleasing companionable qualities ; his comic 
 humour and talents as a mimic, made him the orna- 
 ment of his age. When he died, some wit wrote : 
 
 " Foote from his earthly stage, alas ! is hurled, 
 Death took him off, who took off half the world." 
 
 NORMOND HOUSE is another ancient house, used 
 now as an asylum for ladies.
 
 FULHAM. IO3 
 
 ELM PARK, the residence of Sir John Henniker, 
 but who resides chiefly at Compton Manor in. 
 Somersetshire, is one of the finest and most interest- 
 ing of the old mansions in the four parishes. It 
 properly belongs to Chelsea ; but as the entrance to 
 it is in the Fulham Road an account of it is given 
 here. Elm Park and house occupies a large portion 
 of land known in old deeds as the " Sand Hills," 
 later down as Chelsea Park ; and it was then part of 
 the estates of Sir Thomas More. Originally it was 
 open fields. In 1625, however, a brick wall was 
 built around it by the Lord Treasurer, Lord Cran- 
 field. But greater part of the wall, if not all, has 
 been taken down, and part of the land been built on. 
 The park originally consisted of thirty-two acres. 
 
 At one time this land was planted with mulberry 
 trees, with the intention of breeding the silk-worm : 
 a patent was even obtained for the manufactory of 
 raw silk. The public were much interested in it, 
 and every effort made for its success, but in vain ; 
 for the variable temperature of England destroys 
 the silk- worm. The next attempt to put the land to 
 some use was an interesting and rather remarkable 
 one. A Frenchman of some ability, Christopher 
 Le Blon, built houses and erected looms for tapestry, 
 with the design of copying Raphael's Cartoons. 
 He made some very beautiful drawings for this 
 purpose. The project was opened, and for a short 
 time carried on by subscription. But it failed : 
 several persons lost their money, and Le Blon dis- 
 appeared. The mulberry ground, the houses and 
 looms were all done away with, and a short time
 
 IO4 FULHAM. 
 
 afterwards the grand mansion now known as Elm 
 Park was built. It presents, grounds and all, an 
 exact specimen of an aristocratic house of the " olden 
 time." In most of the old houses standing about 
 these parishes some attempts have been made to 
 give them or their gardens a modern appearance ; 
 but with good, and indeed rare taste, this fine old 
 place has been kept intact. To walk through its 
 stately rooms and about its old grounds is to step 
 back at once from modern life at least a hundred 
 and fifty years. There is a tradition that one of 
 Charles the Second's numerous mistresses resided 
 there, so a suspicion of royalty clings to the place. 
 
 A rather remarkable gentleman resided there for 
 some years, Sir Henry Wright Wilson. He mar- 
 ried a daughter of the Earl of Aylesbury, and a very 
 odd circumstance happened to this lady. She went 
 frequently to the opera, and when there observed a 
 gentleman who did little else but stare at her, which 
 annoyed her greatly. One morning at breakfast she 
 was informed that an unknown individual of the 
 name of Wright had died at a mean lodging, and 
 left her an estate producing ,3,000 a-year. Know- 
 ing no one of the name, she remembered how she 
 was persecuted by a pair of eyes at the opera ; she 
 went to see him in his coffin, and recognized him. 
 In life they had never spoken to each other, and she 
 did not even know his name ; nor could it have been 
 her beauty that attracted him, for she was very 
 plain. Sir Henry shortly afterwards lost this estate 
 for the expenses of contesting his seat as a member 
 of Parliament.
 
 FULHAM. IO5 
 
 Sir Henry and his lady lived in great style, and 
 in a free and generous manner. He was a magis- 
 trate, and in one of the large rooms in the house 
 he held his Sittings ; it is now locked up. An 
 anecdote of the humorous way in which he some- 
 times shewed his displeasure is amusing. He had 
 a very large establishment of well fed, well paid 
 servants, whom prosperity, we suppose, had rendered 
 a little insolent. Sir Henry had desired a carpenter, 
 who was occasionally employed, to get a certain 
 amount of work done in a given time. The car- 
 penter required a little help, which the servants 
 thought themselves above giving him. The work, 
 therefore, was not done. 
 
 Sir Henry having been told the reason, said no- 
 thing until the next morning, when he ordered his 
 carriage to be got ready with four horses, and 
 astonished the servants by desiring the carpenter to 
 seat himself in it. He himself accompanied it on 
 horseback, and led the way through all the miry 
 places he could find in the neighbourhood. Taking 
 into consideration the state of the roads at that time, 
 the condition of the carriage and horses may be 
 perhaps imagined by the time he got back to Chel- 
 sea. He then desired the servants to clean the 
 carriage and horses immediately or quit the house. 
 He was a kind good master and they obeyed him. 
 They never again, however, gave that carpenter any 
 cause of complaint. 
 
 The exterior and interior of this fine old house 
 gives ample evidence of the wealth and state in 
 which its various tenants here lived. It is, or was,
 
 IO6 FULHAM. 
 
 a part of the Earl of Cadogan's estate. It contains 
 at least forty rooms, some of them very large and 
 handsome. The dining room is a fine specimen of 
 bygone taste and wealth. The ceiling and sides of 
 the room and mantelpiece are all richly decorated 
 with carving and devices that look like Grinling 
 Gibbons's work. It is the only room so profusely 
 ornamented, although nearly all the rooms are hand- 
 some. The grounds have been left in the old- 
 fashioned way they were laid out in. Some very 
 fine large elms are standing near the back of the 
 house, which may have given it the present name of 
 Elm Park. 
 
 Even the greenhouse gives one no idea of a 
 greenhouse of the present time. It looks like a 
 comfortable cottage with very large windows. High 
 walls shelter it from the Fulham Road. 
 
 The last old house to be noticed is a very inte- 
 resting one, for it was the seat of " Nell Gwynne.' 
 It has been taken care of and well preserved by 
 various respectable families, who from time to time 
 have lived in it. It is a large white, plain, but 
 handsome house. The interior is of polished oak, 
 dark with age, but rich and handsome throughout. 
 Long, low, very comfortable rooms. The windows 
 once overlooked a park, which has been gradually 
 curtailed until only a moderate-sized garden back and 
 front is left. It stands a short distance from the 
 Thames. It now belongs to the Imperial Gas Com- 
 pany, who let it, and it is surrounded by their 
 works. There were four magnificent walnut trees, 
 planted by Royal hands. These have been cut
 
 FULHAM. IO7 
 
 down ; for gas companies are very prosaic and prac- 
 tical in their operations : and as the trees were in the 
 way, no considerations of their beauty or the interest 
 attached to them prevented their destruction. 
 
 Numbers of persons go to see the old home of 
 " poor Nell," whose errors as being a King's mis- 
 tress have been so readily condoned by posterity, on 
 account of her amiable, generous character, and that 
 benevolence which was the origin of so noble an 
 institution as the Chelsea Hospital. 
 
 Fulham boasts of a valuable manufactory, known 
 as the WHITE GORGES PORCELAIN POTTERY. It is of 
 ancient date, established so far back as 1684, by 
 John Dwight, Esq., an Oxfordshire gentleman of 
 fortune. He had been secretary to two successive 
 Bishops of Chester. A patent was granted to him 
 the same year. 
 
 Very beautiful dinner services, statuettes, figures, 
 and jars were produced by this manufactory ; as 
 also transparent porcelain articles ; likewise a dark 
 opaceous, red-coloured porcelain, known as China 
 and Persian wares. 
 
 The old house in which the original proprietor 
 lived still stands in the middle of the main street, 
 still looking solemnly down on the little town, which 
 has seen but few changes. The chief articles now 
 produced are stone jars of a superior sort, and pots 
 and other small things. Besides this, and the cocoa- 
 nut manufactory at Walham Green, there are only 
 the ordinary and necessary trades and small manu- 
 factories, most of them connected with gardening, 
 carried on at this place. 
 
 There are a good many local charities and gifts to
 
 IO8 FULHAM. 
 
 the poor, arising from lands and monies bequeathed 
 by pious donors of former ages, both to this parish 
 and that of Hammersmith. 
 
 One of the most important of them is SIR WIL- 
 LIAM POWELL'S ALMSHOUSES, founded in 1680, for 
 poor men and women. These have recently (as they 
 were very ugly and dilapidated) been pulled down 
 and re-erected. They stand now adjoining the 
 churchyard, and exactly opposite the vicarage, and 
 have been built in good taste neatly and prettily in 
 the Gothic style, with a long strip of well kept-grass 
 plat before them. They are, however, not in keeping 
 with the church or vicarage, forming a striking con- 
 trast to the last, which is a sedate, venerable, but 
 very plain edifice. Fulham supports a large na- 
 tional school for three hundred children. An infant 
 school and a new national school for boys were 
 erected by voluntary contributions in 1860. All 
 these schools are well maintained and conducted. 
 
 The late Right Honourable Laurence Sullivan, of 
 Broome House, near the bridge, erected and en- 
 dowed some useful, well managed schools, called the 
 Elizabethan Schools, in Broomhouse Lane. 
 
 NORTH END is a suburb of Fulham. There is 
 little to notice in the place, although it has been 
 made into an ecclesiastical district, with a church, 
 minister, and schools of its own. It has a population 
 of 4,000, and is under the same social government as 
 Fulham. There are several interesting old houses 
 standing here and there, forming a not unpleasing 
 contrast to the modern smart villas and good new 
 houses that have been erected. There are four 
 lunatic asylums in this parish.
 
 HISTORICAL NOTICES 
 
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 of 
 
 CHAPTER I. 
 
 AMMERSMITH, once the prettiest of hamlets, 
 is now one of the largest and most flourish- 
 ing of the suburbs of London. It is plea- 
 santly placed on the left, or north bank of the 
 Thames, and lies on the London clay. The air is 
 peculiarly mild and soft ; and it is well sheltered 
 from cold winds by Hampstead and Highgate hills 
 on the north, while on the south the Surrey hills 
 protect it. It is not invigorating, but extremely well 
 suited for the alleviation of bronchial and pulmonary 
 complaints, and when offering retired walks and 
 pretty scenery, was much resorted to by invalids 
 suffering from these affections. It appears to derive 
 its name from the Saxon word Ham, signifying a 
 town, or collections of dwelling-places, and Hyde, or 
 Hythe, a harbour, or creek, large enough to form a 
 quay or dock for landing any kind of merchandize. 
 
 Numerous places on the banks of the Thames 
 have names ending in Hythe, such as Erythe, 
 Greenhithe, now Greenwich, Queenhithe, Lambithe,
 
 I I 2 HAMMERSMITH. 
 
 now Lambeth, Chelsithe, now Chelsea, and other 
 places. 
 
 There is no reliable data to be found for its 
 present name " Hammersmith ;" but in the court 
 rolls of the early part of Henry VI I. 's reign it was 
 so called. Bowack has given an amusing but absurd 
 legend for its designation: The two churches of 
 Fulham and Putney being exactly alike, and exactly 
 opposite to each other, with the river flowing 
 between, were feigned to have been built by two 
 pious sisters of gigantic stature, who had but one 
 hammer between them, which, in throwing it across 
 the water to each other, got broken. A smith 
 residing at Ham-hythe mended it, enabling them to 
 continue their pious employment ; and the place 
 afterwards was called Hammersmith. No doubt the 
 fact of two pious sisters originally founding these 
 two churches, and the name getting corrupted, or 
 altered as names do from age to age suggested 
 this legend. 
 
 The Great Western Road runs right through the 
 parish, a road once so well frequented by pack- 
 horses, waggons, horsemen, and noblemen's car- 
 riages, stage coaches (and, it may be added, High- 
 waymen), with all the traffic now conveyed by 
 railway; and, at convenient distances, those dear old 
 inns of the old coaching days, smoking steeds, and 
 loving cups, where travellers were welcomed like 
 an old friend, and the arrangements for the com- 
 fort of those who sought their hospitality, however 
 well paid for, was never dear at the price. To 
 think of their cosiness and comfort makes one
 
 HAMMERSMITH. I 13 
 
 shudder at the new-fangled refreshment rooms of 
 the railway stations : smartly painted and gilded as 
 they are, with the indifference of the attendants and 
 the indigestible cosmestibles, which the traveller is 
 hardly allowed time to eat. 
 
 One of the old Roman roads was discovered in 
 the year 1834, and traced through a large portion 
 of its course ; and in digging to make a road now 
 known as Gold Hawk Road, they came to the 
 old Roman causeway, made in the usual manner of 
 those famous road-makers. Various coins and small 
 matters were picked up, some of which have been 
 preserved. 
 
 Hammersmith is a very ancient parish, and was 
 included in the manor of Fulham, and mentioned in 
 Domesday-book ; its lands being even then highly 
 cultivated. A few ages later both Hammersmith 
 and Fulham were famous for their flowers and 
 vegetables, and, indeed, served as a great fruit and 
 kitchen garden for the London market. 
 
 Hammersmith is a polling place and police court 
 district; it is about four miles from Hyde Park 
 Corner. It was made into a separate parish in 1834 
 by an Act of Parliament, and was constituted into 
 a vicarage. Its population in 1861 was 24,413; its 
 rateable value is 80,000. 
 
 As it is included in the district of the Metropo- 
 litan Board of Works, it partakes largely of all the 
 modern sanitary arrangements, draining, paving, 
 and abatement of nuisances. The effective and 
 extensive drainage has cleared the air from the
 
 114 HAMMERSMITH. 
 
 aqueous particles with which it was once loaded ; it 
 bids fair, therefore, to become one of the healthiest 
 of London suburbs. 
 
 It is not and never was, remarkable for its manu- 
 factures; but for Nurseries and Horticultural Gardens 
 it was once famous ; it boasts of several even now 
 that it has been so built upon. The most remarkable 
 of these is LEE'S NURSERY, known as the " Royal 
 Vineyard," situate near the high road, conducted now 
 by Mr. C. and Mr. Ed. Lee ; it is an old establish- 
 ment, carried on by three generations, ever since the 
 year 1 760. Mr. James Lee, the original proprietor, 
 was a Scotchman. He entered into partnership with 
 a Mr. Kennedy, gardener to the then Lord Bolton, 
 and commenced business at the Vineyard, which, 
 about the middle of last century, was well known 
 as producing annually a considerable quantity of 
 Burgundy; the air and soil of Hammersmith being 
 favourable to the growth of the grape from which 
 this wine is made. But the increasing intercourse 
 with foreign countries caused this novel (at least in 
 England) branch of commerce to fail. In a house 
 which has been built in the grounds, lived for some 
 years, Worlidge, a celebrated engraver, who here 
 executed the most valuable of his productions. Mr. 
 James Lee and his partner took it and established a 
 most successful Horticultural Nursery, remarkable 
 for obtaining from distant countries everything rare 
 and beautiful to be obtained. They maintain a 
 collector at the Cape of Good Hope, and another 
 in America ; so they are of world-wide celebrity.
 
 HAMMERSMITH. 115 
 
 Every known, rare, or new plant can be obtained 
 there. They once received a letter addressed, 
 "Lees Nursery, England" which reached them 
 readily. They were the first who brought Ttisia 
 coccinea to this country, and sold it for a guinea a 
 plant. They also had the first China rose. 
 
 I 2
 
 CHAPTER II. 
 
 HE SUSPENSION BRIDGE, the first of its kind 
 hung over the river Thames, is a handsome 
 ornament to Hammersmith. It was de- 
 signed and built by W. T. Clark, Esq., engineer to 
 the West Middlesex Water Works Company, who 
 have very extensive works at this place. The 
 foundation stone was laid by his Royal Higness the 
 Duke of Sussex, on the 7th May, 1825, with con- 
 siderable ceremony; winding up with a handsome 
 dinner, without which, as is well known, no public 
 ceremony whatever can be properly conducted. 
 
 Three hundred and fifty tons of iron were used to 
 make this bridge. The suspension turrets are of 
 stone : thirty six iron bars of various sizes sustain it. 
 It has one hundred and thirty-five feet more of 
 roadway than the Menai Bridge at Bangor in Wales. 
 It cost ,45,301. IDS. gd. 
 
 The WEST MIDDLESEX WATER WORKS were esta- 
 blished in this and the adjoining parishes in the 
 beginning of the present century. The Grand Junc- 
 tion Canal is a great convenience to the place ; it 
 runs through the northern part of the parish, which 
 is well supplied with railways, omnibuses, and all the 
 modern appliances of Town.
 
 HAMMERSMITH. II 7 
 
 Hammersmith, like its neighbour Chelsea, was 
 formerly a highly aristocratic place, and although 
 but few of the stirring events of history were enacted 
 here, yet a great many celebrities of earlier times 
 found here an agreeable dwelling place. The 
 BROADWAY, with its green, now converted into road- 
 way, and the houses around all used as shops, &c.> 
 was once daily thronged by the carriages of the gay 
 and fashionable : many large noble mansions are yet 
 standing which attest to the wealth and taste that 
 erected them. 
 
 Decidedly the most interesting part of Hammer- 
 smith are the Malls, upper and lower, which, stretch- 
 ing along by the water-side, join CHISWICK MALL, 
 also a handsome interesting place. Indeed the walk 
 from the Suspension Bridge at Hammersmith to 
 Kew Bridge is a very charming one ; combining as 
 it does memories of many high or famous person- 
 ages ; together with the noble river flowing so softly 
 yet grandly by, and the number of large old beau- 
 tiful trees which adorn the river side, and the grand 
 old mansions ranged in such solemnity along. Some 
 of these are standing back in their extensive old 
 fashioned gardens, while the rest approach to within 
 a short distance from the water, which is guarded 
 here and there by brick copings, low enough to sit 
 upon. The views from this place are very pretty, 
 and have furnished "subjects" for the artist and a 
 " theme " for poets, and the Suspension Bridge is 
 seen to great advantage. 
 
 To give long biographical notices of the various 
 celebrated or noble persons who about a hundred
 
 Il8 HAMMERSMITH. 
 
 and fifty years ago had country residences here, 
 would swell this work to proportions not intended 
 by the writer ; moreover, the dwelling places of a 
 great many of them, like their inhabitants, are gone, 
 pulled down ; some built over with small cottages, 
 others converted into places of business. However, 
 a few of the persons who were remarkable in their 
 day, will be alluded to : the curious in these matters 
 are referred to Faulkner's works; and only those 
 places which the writer has seen are mentioned in 
 these pages. 
 
 UPPER AND LOWER MALLS are divided by a group 
 of small mean tenements, known as LITTLE WAP- 
 PING. The " Dove" coffee house has undergone but 
 little alteration, and is well preserved. Thomson 
 wrote his " Seasons" there in a room overlooking the 
 river. Adjoining it is a four-roomed cottage known 
 as the Duke of Sussex's smoking box. Opposite to 
 it is the small mean house his Royal Highness dwelt 
 in, when he resorted to Hammersmith for change of 
 air. Charles II. resided for several years in a noble 
 mansion in the Upper Mall ; after his death his 
 widowed Queen continued to live there, and built a 
 capacious house known as the Banquetting House ; 
 it is even now very handsome, and attracts the atten- 
 tion of strangers. She also had the frontage of the 
 Mall carried out in the form of a bastion, and planted 
 elms which are now very large and handsome. 
 Some of them, measured by the writer, are from 
 fifteen to seventeen feet in girth. After her death, 
 Dr. Radcliffe, an eminent physician, resided there. 
 He was not only known for his abilities, but con-
 
 HAMMERSMITH. I 19 
 
 spicuous for his drollery. Being penurious, he parted 
 with his money so unwillingly, that his tradesmen 
 found it a hard matter to get paid. One of them, a 
 persevering paviour, insisting on having his debt, he 
 said to him, " Why, you have only spoilt my pave- 
 ment, and then covered it over with earth to hide 
 your bad work." " Doctor," said the paviour, " mine 
 is not the only bad work the earth hides." " Witty, 
 are you," said the Doctor, " why, you must be poor ; 
 come in and be paid." 
 
 Lord Allington, Sir George Warburton, and the 
 Duke of Norfolk afterwards successively resided 
 there. Eventually it got into the possession of 
 George the Fourth's head cook and purveyor, as well 
 as owner of the Pavilion at Brighton, Louis Weltjie, 
 Esq. Sir Godfrey Kneller also lived in the Mall. 
 
 HAMMERSMITH TERRACE is a sedate, solemn, re- 
 spectable row of houses by the river side ; the back 
 of them is laid out prettily for a pleasure garden 
 in common. At number five lived and died Mrs. 
 Mountain the singer, whose sweet strains so often 
 charmed the ears of our fathers and grandfathers. 
 
 At number thirteen lived that extraordinary 
 painter, J. De Loutherburg. He came to England 
 at the request of Garrick to superintend the scenery 
 at Drury Lane Theatre, about 1770. He was an 
 excellent landscape painter, although a certain exces- 
 sive richness of colouring he gave to his scenery is 
 offensive to severe critics, who characterise it as 
 gaudy and extravagant. He lived a respectable 
 moral life ; therefore the delusion he fell into re- 
 specting himself, and so cleverly impressed upon
 
 I2O HAMMERSMITH. 
 
 others, (for great numbers believed in him) is not to 
 be accounted for. He asserted boldly that he had 
 been gifted with miraculous powers of healing all 
 known complaints and disorders, by the power of 
 sympathy ; he merely looked at his patients and they 
 were cured ! Some of his admirers published a long 
 list of cures, too long and too absurd to be noticed 
 gravely. His fame was great and followers nume- 
 rous. He was buried in Chiswick churchyard, which 
 lies in such a sweet spot by the Thames which 
 flows so gently here. A handsome tomb, with a 
 well written, long, but rather fulsome epitaph, was 
 erected to his memory. 
 
 Time, and the exigencies of modern civilization, 
 are destroying as fast as they can the substantial 
 mansions of the olden times, more especially in the 
 suburbs. The last thirty or forty years has com- 
 pletely changed the face of the country within reach 
 of our insatiable Metropolis. The old mansions are 
 gone, and their places occupied by cold, comfortless, 
 ugly erections of " Villas," " Lodges," &c., which 
 will never be ancient. Surely nothing can be more 
 flimsy and fragile than the majority of the houses 
 built in these times. To be sure they will not be 
 standing long enough to make the next generations 
 wonder at the want of taste and care so distressingly 
 displayed in them. However, a great many grand 
 old dwellings are left here and there in these four 
 Parishes. 
 
 In addition to those in the Mall, an interesting 
 one, with two handsome cedars in its quaint old 
 garden, has been left close to the old church
 
 HAMMERSMITH. 1 2 I 
 
 BRADMORE HOUSE ; of which a long account is given 
 in Faulkner. 
 
 BROOK GREEN, a very genteel part of Hammer- 
 smith, has several, especially one called THE EAGLES, 
 built in the reign of Queen Anne. It is very large 
 and handsome, in an old-fashioned style, that is. 
 Theresa Terrace is an old substantial terrace for the 
 better classes, and will no doubt afford comfortable 
 homes to many generations long after the majority 
 of modern terraces have disappeared. St. Peter's 
 Square, close to a plain, substantial church of that 
 name, has comfortable genteel residences for those 
 who can afford to live there. 
 
 Cedar trees must have been plentiful at Hammer- 
 smith, so many of them are still to be seen at either 
 the back or front of the older houses. 
 
 Hammersmith is remarkable for its schools, owing 
 we suppose to so many houses which are too large 
 for persons of ordinary means to support, and stand- 
 ing generally in large gardens. Their internal ar- 
 rangements, with the mild air, is suitable to educa- 
 tional establishments. The tide of fashion flowing 
 now in other directions, the owners are glad to let 
 them at a moderate rent.
 
 CHAPTER III. 
 
 HE PARISH CHURCH was consecrated in 1631 
 by Bishop Laud. It was the last church he 
 consecrated. It was originally a chapel of 
 ease to Fulham Church, Hammersmith at that time 
 being in the parish of Fulham ; but since the divi- 
 sion of the two parishes took place in 1834, it has 
 been reckoned as the parish church. It is a plain, 
 spacious, handsomely built brick structure. The 
 altar piece is handsome, although very heavy ; as it 
 is of oak, or painted oak colour, from top to bottom, 
 consisting of three stories of the Corinthian order, 
 with slabs for seven large candlesticks, carved and 
 gilt. The pilasters and compartments are orna- 
 mented with rich carvings of foliage and cherubs, 
 supposed to be the work of Grinling Gibbons. The 
 paintings on the walls and ceiling of the chancel 
 represent adoring angels, with rich drapery, sup- 
 ported by cherubs. Cipriani, the celebrated artist 
 who painted Brandenburgh House, was employed. 
 There are some interesting monuments ; one of the 
 most noticeable is of handsome black marble, against 
 the wall, to the memory of Alderman Smith. He is- 
 represented in the full official dress of an alderman
 
 HAMMERSMITH. 123 
 
 of the sixteenth century, and is oddly enough sup- 
 ported by two weeping female figures. 
 
 Another adjoining, to the memory of Sir Edward 
 Neville, is rather elegant. On the east wall of the 
 north gallery is a handsome tablet of white and 
 veined marble, in the form of a pyramid, comme- 
 morating the death of George Pring, Esq., the pro- 
 jector of Hammersmith Suspension Bridge. There 
 is also a fine bronze bust of Charles I., erected by 
 Sir Nicholas Crispe, whose heart was buried at the 
 foot of the pedestal. He was a loyal subject of, and 
 sufferer in the misfortunes of that unhappy monarch. 
 Sir Nicholas Crispe was a munificent benefactor to 
 the church of this, his native place ; for he was born 
 at Hammersmith. He was one of the most zealous, 
 upright, brave and sensible friends and followers the 
 King ever had. The old church door is approached 
 by a handsome avenue of limes, trimmed and trained 
 to a state of neatness. It has a quadrangular tower, 
 supported by graduated buttresses. It has six good 
 bells. The living is a vicarage in the gift of the 
 Bishop of London. 
 
 There is yet another interesting reminiscence 
 attached to the church. Queen Caroline (George 
 the Fourth's consort) dwelt for some months at 
 Brandenburgh House. On 'one occasion a curious 
 and interesting procession left the East Gate of that 
 place. The principal inhabitants, with all the parish 
 functionaries appeared, each carrying a white wand, 
 and conducted her, all on foot, to the Church, where 
 she publicly received the Holy Sacrament from 
 the hands of the Rev. Mr. Leggatt. Afterwards,
 
 124 HAMMERSMITH. 
 
 special prayers were solemnly offered up for her 
 welfare. 
 
 St. Peter's is a handsome stone church. St. John's 
 is also a fine, well-built structure. Another hand- 
 some church is to be erected in a wretched neigh- 
 bourhood near Kensington Railway Station. The 
 foundation stone was laid by Lady Barrow on the 
 22nd of October, 1870. There are various dissenting 
 chapels. 
 
 The most beautiful church in Hammersmith is the 
 one at Shepherd's Bush. 
 
 SHEPHERD'S BUSH is a mile from Hammersmith, 
 and three from the Marble Arch, London. Once a 
 very small village, surrounded by wild waste lands, 
 it is now a rapidly rising, smart London suburb. 
 It is dry, airy, and very healthy, and bids fair to be 
 respectably populated. 
 
 Near this place is WORMWOOD SCRUBS. It was once 
 a large wild wood of two hundred acres. In 1812 
 Government took it on a long lease at ^100. per 
 annum. It has been levelled and properly prepared 
 for the exercise of troops of soldiers, the various 
 companies of volunteers, and others. 
 
 There is a very elegant church, built and endowed 
 at the cost of the late Bishop Blomfield, dedicated 
 to St. Stephen. It is built in the Decorated style, 
 of stone, with a spire and tower rising to a height 
 of 150 feet, and forms a graceful and conspicuous 
 object from every point of approach. It is fitted 
 with carved oaken benches, to hold six thousand 
 persons. Three thousand of these seats are free ; 
 its windows are filled with beautifully stained glass.
 
 HAMMERSMITH. 125 
 
 It cost 10,000., and was indeed a munificent gift. 
 There are four services a day, and four sermons 
 preached every Sunday. 
 
 All the churches have excellent schools attached 
 to them, both national and infant, all well con- 
 ducted and flourishing: and all have Sunday schools 
 as well. 
 
 At the corner of Brook Green stands a Roman 
 Catholic chapel and training college, with almshouses 
 and school, the whole erected in the Gothic style, 
 and forming handsome and striking objects. 
 
 The Roman Catholics have also a Reformatory 
 for boys at Blythe House. Near the Broadway is a 
 convent of English Benedictine nuns, founded 1669. 
 There is also a convent of " Good Shepherds," in 
 an old house formerly known as Beauchamp House. 
 It is one of the most charitable institutions in the 
 country. Women of lost reputation are here in- 
 structed in moral and religious training, and taught 
 to earn their living in some honest way. There is a 
 class of Magdalens for those who decline to enter 
 the world again. 
 
 Besides these, there are classes for the preserva- 
 tion and detention of young children. There is also 
 another convent, devoted partly to the aged, and 
 partly to diseased crippled infants ; so these bene- 
 volent institutions embrace all classes and all ages. 
 Hammersmith is rich in charities and schools, 
 both old and new. Edward Latymer, in 1624, 
 bequeathed thirty-five acres of land for the clothing 
 of poor men and boys, and educating the latter.
 
 126 HAMMERSMITH. 
 
 The land now is so valuable that it provides for 
 thirty men, one hundred boys, and fifty girls. 
 
 The educational establishments of Hammersmith 
 have received a valuable addition in the new institu- 
 tion known as ST. GODOLPHIN SCHOOL ; it is close to 
 St. John's Church. It has playgrounds four acres 
 in extent. The foundation stone was laid by the 
 Bishop of London in June, 1861. It can accommo- 
 date two hundred boys. There are class rooms, 
 dining hall, and dormitories for forty boarders, and 
 a handsome residence for the head master. It is a 
 public Grammar School, founded in accordance with 
 the will of William Godolphin, Esq. For a yearly 
 payment of eight pounds, boys in the neighbourhood 
 are instructed in all the acquirements of a liberal 
 education. It has been so prosperous, that two 
 small branches have been opened at a little distance 
 in the town. 
 
 The town supports a well-written newspaper, The 
 West London Observer. The West London Hos- 
 pital is highly creditable to the inhabitants of Ham- 
 mersmith ; it is conducted on liberal principles, and 
 is open day and night to all cases and patients of all 
 denominations. 
 
 Fishing was once quite an institution at Ham- 
 mersmith, and supported a number of families. 
 Some years ago, when the Thames was so plenti- 
 fully supplied with the fish usually obtained in fresh 
 waters, it was caught in considerable quantities, and 
 sent to the London market. Naturally this trade 
 declined as the fish deserted the Thames.
 
 HAMMERSMITH. I 2 7 
 
 The Mall, however, is very lively in the summer, 
 when the row boats are in requisition for pleasure 
 parties and all sorts of aquatic amusements. A 
 large, handsome house of entertainment the " Rut- 
 land Hotel"- has been built in the Mall, which is 
 in no want of customers when the season com- 
 mences.
 
 CHAPTER IV. 
 
 HE very earliest historical event that hap- 
 pened in Hammersmith was the irruption 
 of those pests of the early ages, the Danes, 
 who ravaged and burnt with their usual ferocity. 
 
 In after ages, the quiet rural precincts of Ham- 
 mersmith was made the stage upon which a portion 
 of the scenes of the Civil War was enacted, a war 
 which spread ruin and desolation over the land, and 
 equalled, if not exceeded, in cruelty anything done 
 by the Danes. Hammersmith has always been noted 
 for its loyalty ; and one of the brightest ornaments 
 of the Civil War was a native of Hammersmith, 
 Sir Nicholas Crispe, whose loyalty to his King, 
 Charles II., was only equalled by his attachment to 
 the Established Church. He was in all respects a 
 brilliant and remarkable character ; uniting many 
 rare and estimable gifts with the most practical 
 common sense. Born heir to a large estate, and a 
 gentleman by education and birth, he was so inocu- 
 lated with a love of business that, amidst all the 
 distractions of the Civil War, he contrived to carry 
 on such extensive dealings in foreign lands, that it 
 brought in , 100,000. a-year to the exchequer. 
 
 All the correspondence and supplies of arms which
 
 HAMMERSMITH. I2Q 
 
 were obtained by the Queen in Holland, and by the 
 King's agents in Denmark, were consigned to him, 
 and by his prudence and vigilance found their way 
 safely to the appointed places. His zeal and ardour 
 were so great that, when wishing to conduct any 
 particularly delicate and secret business, he trusted 
 it to no one, but conducted it himself, nor cared what 
 disguises he assumed. He often passed between 
 Oxford and London as a butter-woman on horse- 
 back, between a pair of panniers. Again, he would 
 be at the water-side with a basket of flounders on 
 his head, besides various other disguises ; and he 
 never failed to attain his ends. He was equally 
 distinguished as a military commander. At his own 
 expense he raised a regiment of horse for the King, 
 put himself at its head, and performed many signal 
 services. The King's affairs becoming desperate, 
 he embarked with Lord Culpeper and Colonel Monk 
 for France. Being eventually allowed, on certain 
 conditions, to return to England, he turned his 
 attention to business again, and continued to send 
 the King assistance of monies. 
 
 Upon Cromwell's death, he was greatly instru- 
 mental in urging the citizens of London to give the 
 proper amount of encouragement to General Monk. 
 When Charles returned, he made him a Baronet, 
 and reinstated him as Farmer of the Customs. 
 Finally, he passed the last four years of his useful 
 life at his native place, Hammersmith ; and here he 
 died. His body was interred in the vault with his 
 ancestors, in St. Mildred's, Bread Street, London, 
 while his loyal heart was buried beneath the bust of 
 
 K
 
 1 30 HAMMERSMITH. 
 
 his loved master and king in Hammersmith Church. 
 Sir Nicholas Crispe had built himself a noble house 
 at Hammersmith, which, during his absence, Crom- 
 well occasionally made his head-quarters, while 
 General Fairfax and other officers were quartered 
 at Butterworth (now pulled down and built on), 
 belonging to Lord Mulgrave. While there, the 
 officers amused themselves by breaking the windows 
 and otherwise damaging the church, as their resi- 
 dence was near that sacred edifice. To this day 
 the memory of Sir Nicholas Crispe is justly held in 
 great estimation in Hammersmith. 
 
 There are several old inns left in this parish, but 
 there is nothing noticeable in their appearance, and 
 they have been so patched up and disguised, that if 
 ever they were picturesque they have lost all pre- 
 tensions to it now. There was one, which has not 
 long been pulled down, that has been drawn by 
 many artists, and that was indeed a quaint affair. 
 Hammersmith has a neat Cemetery. A handsome 
 well-built Union Workhouse serves for this place 
 and Fulham : it is in the Fulham Road. 
 
 The New Road turning off to the right from the 
 end of the town is a very pleasant part of Hammer- 
 smith. It is a long, wide, good road, with good 
 residences at intervals interspersed with trees, and 
 conducts to Shepherd's Bush. Very highly respect- 
 able families reside there, and it is altogether a 
 pleasant place to live in, and forms a good clean 
 walk in all weathers.
 
 BISHOPS OF LONDON 
 
 FROM THE FOUNDATION OF THE SEE. 
 
 
 A.D. 
 
 A.D. 
 
 Melitus 
 
 605 
 
 Alfstern 959 
 
 Ceadda 
 
 ... 654 
 
 Wulfston 981 
 
 Wina 
 
 ... 666 
 
 Alhunus(c) ... 1004 
 
 Erkenwald (a) 
 
 ... 675 
 
 Alroy 1016 
 
 Waldonus ... 
 
 ... 685 
 
 Elfward 1032 
 
 Ingualdas ... 
 
 ... 715 
 
 Rob. Gemeticensis . 1044 
 
 Egnulphas 
 
 ... 727 
 
 Guilielmus ... 1050 
 
 Wighed 
 
 ... 756 
 
 Mauritius (d] ... 1087 
 
 Eadbright... 
 
 761 
 
 Richard De Beaumes 1 108 
 
 Eadgar 
 
 ... 768 
 
 Gilbert 1128 
 
 Kenwalgus 
 
 - 773 
 
 Robert de Segillo (e) 1 141 
 
 Eadbald ... 
 
 ... 784 
 
 Richard Beau mes ... 1152 
 
 Heckbert ... 
 
 ... 795 
 
 Gilbert Foliot ... 1163 
 
 Osmond ... 
 
 ... 813 
 
 Richard Nigellus ... 1189 
 
 Ethelnob ... 
 
 ... 835 
 
 Guilielmus de Sancta 
 
 Ceolbert ... 
 
 ... 838 
 
 Maria ... ... 1199 
 
 Ranulphus 
 
 841 
 
 Eustachius de Fau- 
 
 Snithulfus... 
 
 ... 854 
 
 conbridge ... 1221 
 
 Eadstan ... 
 
 ... 860 
 
 Roger Niger ... 1229 
 
 Wulfsius ... 
 
 ... 873 
 
 Fulco Basset ... 1244 
 
 Ethelwerd . . . 
 
 ... 878 
 
 Henry de Wing- 
 
 Elston 
 
 ... 886 
 
 ham (/) ... 1259 
 
 Theodred ... 
 
 900 
 
 Richard Talbot ... 1262 
 
 Wulstan ... 
 
 922 
 
 Henry de Sandwich 1263 
 
 Brithelmus 
 
 ... 94i 
 
 John de Chishul ... 1274 
 
 Dunstan (b] 
 
 ... 958 
 
 Richard de Gravesend 1280
 
 132 
 
 BISHOPS OF LONDON. 
 
 A.D. 
 
 Richard de Baldock 1304 
 
 Gilbert Seagrove ... 1313 
 
 Richard Newport... 1317 
 
 Stephen Gravesend 1318 
 
 Richard Bintworth . 1338 
 
 Ralph Stratford ... 1339 
 
 Michael Northbrook 1354 
 
 Simon Sudbury (g) 1361 
 
 William Courtney . 1375 
 
 Robert Braybrook . 1381 
 
 Roger Walden ... 1404 
 
 Nicholas Bubworth 1406 
 
 Richard Clifford ... 1407 
 
 John Kemp ... 1422 
 
 William Gray ... 1426 
 
 Robert Fitshugh ... 1431 
 
 Robert Gilbert ... 1436 
 
 Thomas Kemp ... 1449 
 
 Richard Hill ... 1489 
 
 Thomas Savage ... 1496 
 
 William Warham (/z) 1502 
 
 William Barnes ... 1504 
 
 Richard Fitsjames (2) 1506 
 Cuthbert Tunstall () 1522 
 
 Edmund Bonner(/) 1540 
 
 A.D. 
 
 Nicholas Ridley (m) 1550 
 
 Edmund Grindall (72) 1559 
 
 Edmund Sands (d) . 1571 
 
 John Aylmer ... 1576 
 
 Richard Fletcher... 1594 
 
 Richard Bancroft . 1597 
 
 Richard Vaughan . 1604 
 
 Thomas Boves ... 1607 
 
 George Abbott ... 1609 
 
 John King 1611 
 
 George Mountaigne 1621 
 
 William Laud (p] . 1626 
 
 William Juxon ... 1633 
 
 Gilbert Sheldon ... 1660 
 
 Humphrey Hinchan 1663 
 
 Henry Compton (q) 1675 
 
 John Robinson ... 1713 
 
 Edward Gibson ... 1723 
 
 Thomas Sherlock . . 1748 
 
 Thomas Hayter ... 1761 
 
 Richard Osbaldeston 1762 
 
 Richard Terrick ... 1764 
 
 Robert Lowth ... 1777 
 
 Beilby Porteus ... 1787 
 
 John Randolph ... 1809 
 
 The present Bishopric of London is held by the 
 Right Hon. and Right Rev. John Jackson, D.D., author of 
 many able theological works, besides numerous tracts 
 and pamphlets. 
 
 NOTES. 
 
 (a) Erkenwald. A bishop of very enlarged ideas and 
 much learning ; he was the son of Offa, king of the East 
 Saxons. By his energy and liberality he obtained many 
 privileges for the clergy.
 
 BISHOPS OF LONDON. 133 
 
 (b) Bishop Dunstan was said to be a good musician, 
 painter, and mechanic. He had been Abbot of Glaston- 
 bury and Worcester, then Bishop of London, and eventu- 
 ally Archbishop of Canterbury. He was remarkable for 
 opposing the marriage of the clergy. 
 
 (c) Alhunus, tutor to Edmund Ironside and Edward the 
 Confessor. 
 
 (d) Bishop Mauritius. He was chaplain to William the 
 Conqueror, and afterwards Chancellor. He refounded and 
 greatly contributed to the building of St. Paul's Cathedral, 
 which had been destroyed by fire. 
 
 (e) Robert de Segillo was made bishop by Queen Ma- 
 tilda. In the wars of his reign he was made prisoner in his 
 own palace, and regained his liberty by paying a heavy 
 fine. 
 
 (/) Bishop Wingham was Lord High Chancellor in the 
 reign of Henry III., who often visited him at the Palace. 
 
 (g) Bishop Sudbury became Archbishop of Canterbury 
 1375, and was beheaded in Wat Tyler's Rebellion in 1381. 
 
 (//) Bishop Warham, a prelate of great learning and 
 ability as a lawyer, a statesman, and a divine. Living in 
 the reign of Henry the Seventh, he was successively Master 
 of the Rolls, Keeper of the Great Seal, and Lord High 
 Chancellor, becoming Bishop of London in 1502, and 
 eventually Archbishop of Canterbury. 
 
 (?) Bishop Fitsjames rebuilt the great quadrangle of the 
 Palace. 
 
 () Bishop Tunstall, a prelate of high character, eminent 
 for his abilities and goodness ; he was imprisoned several 
 times, and eventually died a prisoner, in the reign of Eliza- 
 beth, as a Catholic refusing to take the oaths. 
 
 (/, m) Of these two bishops Bonner and Ridley the 
 first died in prison for refusing to take the Protestant oaths, 
 and Bishop Ridley was burnt for refusing to be a Catholic. 
 The only redeeming point in Bishop Bonner's character is 
 his firm adherence to his principles.
 
 134 BISHOPS OF LONDON. 
 
 () Bishop Grindall, who improved the Palace Gardens, 
 was a divine of remarkable ability. He assisted Fox in 
 collecting information for his " Book of Martyrs," and also 
 assisted Ridley in compiling the beautiful Liturgy used in 
 the Church of England. 
 
 (o) Bishop Sands. Highly valued by Elizabeth; he 
 was appointed to assist in the celebrated Conference held 
 with the Roman Catholic divines, and also assisted in the 
 new translation of the Bible in her reign. 
 
 (/) The celebrated Bishop Laud was born at Reading, 
 and was the son of a clothier of that place. A learned 
 scholar, but of bigoted views, he passed the earlier part of 
 his public life in contentions with the Puritans, a sect which 
 even then was gaining ground; he violently, and always 
 so contemptuously, opposed their principles, that eventu- 
 ally, when they had the power, they destroyed him. In 
 1640 he was accused by Parliament of high treason, and 
 sent to the Tower ; after a trial of twenty days, he was 
 beheaded in 1644 or 45. He was Archbishop of Canter- 
 bury ; and the afternoon before he went to prison, he 
 gathered all his household together in the fine old chapel 
 of Lambeth Palace, and performed the Evening Service for 
 the last time, reading some appropriate psalms, and taking 
 leave of them in a beautiful prayer. 
 
 (g) Bishop Compton, one of the worthiest of divines. 
 He took part in the troubles of those times, and was treated 
 with much resentment by the Catholic party, at that time 
 gaining ground under the Duke of York, who lived such a 
 short reign as James II. He was sequestered in his palace 
 at Fulham, and was suspended from his see. While under 
 this cloud, he passed his time in beautifying and enriching 
 the gardens. He had a fine taste, and also had a scientific 
 knowledge of the subject ; and for many years afterwards 
 these gardens were remarkable for the beauty and value of 
 the numerous trees and plants he had so tastefully disposed 
 about the grounds.
 
 RECTORS OF CHELSEA. 
 
 135 
 
 RECTORS OF CHELSEA, 
 
 COMMENCING WITH THE FIRST ON RECORD. 
 
 A.D. 
 
 Roger de Berners . 1316 
 Nicholas Horsbound 1339 
 Martyn de Moulish 1348 
 William Palmer ... 1368 
 Thomas de Preston 1369 
 John Laske ... 1530 
 
 John Richardson ... 1543 
 Richard Ward ... 1585 
 Adam Littleton, D.D. 1669 
 John King, D.D. ... 1694 
 Sloane Elsmere, D.D. 1699 
 
 A.D. 
 Reginald Heber (a) 1766 
 
 Thomas Drake, D.D. 1770 
 
 W. B. Cadogan ... 
 Charles Sturges ... 
 Hon. and Rev. Dr. 
 Wellesley() ... 
 Rev. Dr. Lockwood 
 Charles Kingsley... 
 G. A. Blunt 
 John Rush 
 
 1775 
 1797 
 
 1805 
 
 The present Rector is the Rev. R. H. Davies, who suc- 
 ceeded in 1855. 
 
 (a) Father of the late lamented Reginald, Bishop of 
 Calcutta. 
 
 (b] Was brother of the late Duke of Wellington.
 
 VICARS OF KENSINGTON. 
 
 VICARS OF KENSINGTON, 
 
 FROM THE FIRST ENDOWMENT OF THE VICARAGE. 
 
 A.D. 
 Bagot de Berthosp- 
 
 vol Westrop ... 1260 
 Wm. de Northton . 
 
 Henry de Driffield 1322 
 
 Thomas de Ryeleppe 1328 
 
 John Wyseman ... 1336 
 John de Kernetby 
 
 Gilbert Rawlein ... 1363 
 
 Wm. de Lydington 13/0 
 John Thomas 
 
 John Trigg ... 1372 
 
 John Charleton ... 1373 
 W. Gaston 
 
 Phillip Montgomery 1388 
 
 Richard Stokes ... 1391 
 
 Roger Paternoster 1394 
 
 Wm. Tonge ... 1395 
 
 Hame de la More . 1396 
 
 John Smith ... 1400 
 John Wellys 
 
 Rob. Caldicott ... 1415 
 
 David Spark ... 1418 
 
 Wm. Roper ... 1432 
 
 Rich. Rumney ... 1443 
 
 Richard More ... 1451 
 
 John Locke ... 1461 
 
 A.D. 
 Robert Cade 
 
 John Ifield ... 1465 
 
 Edmund Aspys ... 1484 
 
 John Sampsqn ... 1492 
 John Judson 
 
 John Parsons ... 1519 
 
 John Batemanton... 1556 
 
 Geo. Leedes ... 1558 
 Leonard Watson, 
 
 M.A 1563 
 
 Henry Hopkins ... 1571 
 
 Henry Withers, M.A. 1571 
 
 Richard Elkins ... 1608 
 Thomas Hodges, 
 
 M.A. (a) ... 1641 
 William Wigan ... 1672 
 John Millington ... 1700 
 Robert Tyrwhitt ... 1728 
 John Wilcox ... 1731 
 John Jortin, D.D. . 1762 
 James Waller, D.D. 1770 
 Richard Ormerod . 1795 
 Thos. Rennell, M.A. 1816 
 R. Potts, M.A. ... 1822 
 The Venerable Arch- 
 deacon Sinclair . 1842 
 
 (a) Rev. T. Hodges. He was a distant relative of that 
 foppish Earl Holland, who went to the scaffold, when he 
 was executed, in a white satin waistcoat, &c. The Rev. 
 Mr. Hodges attended his lordship thither.
 
 VICARS OF FULHAM. 
 
 137 
 
 VICARS OF FULHAM. 
 
 
 A.D. 
 
 AD. 
 
 Henry Martin 
 
 1329 
 
 James Aynsworth . 1511 
 
 Thomas Offring ... 
 
 1361 
 
 Rob. Egremont ... 1513 
 
 John Coding 
 
 1392 
 
 Rob. Newton ... 1529 
 
 Gilbert Janyn 
 
 
 Joseph Smyth ... 1545 
 
 Walter Gerard 
 
 1397 
 
 Nicholas Smyth ... 1550 
 
 John Stevens 
 
 1416 
 
 William Hewett ... 
 
 Richard Eaton ... 
 
 
 Christopher Goffe . 1591 
 
 John Sudbury 
 
 1434 
 
 Andrew Smyth ... 1593 
 
 Henry Smith 
 
 H5I 
 
 Peter Lily 1598 
 
 Wm. Layton 
 
 1452 
 
 Thomas Walkington 1615 
 
 Henry Watfree ... 
 
 1453 
 
 Richard Cluett (a) . 
 
 Wm. Redenes 
 
 1461 
 
 Adonirum Bryfield . 1649 
 
 Richard Hendock . 
 
 1463 
 
 Isaac Kright ... 1657 
 
 John Cooke 
 
 1465 
 
 Edward Kerne ... 1660 
 
 John Elton, B.D. ... 
 
 1466 
 
 Vincent Barry ... 1691 
 
 John Chadalworth . 
 
 1467 
 
 Phillip D wight, D.D. 1708 
 
 Wm. Lax ... 
 
 
 W. N. Blomberg ... 1733 
 
 Wm. Harvey 
 
 
 Samuel Knight ... 1750 
 
 John Petitot 
 
 1471 
 
 Denison Cumber- 
 
 Walter Newton . . . 
 
 1472 
 
 land (b) 1757 
 
 Richard Seffrey ... 
 
 1476 
 
 Anthony Hamilton 1763 
 
 John Cooper 
 
 1479 
 
 Graham Jepson, B.D. 1776 
 
 Wm. Stokes 
 
 1481 
 
 William Wood, B.D. 1811 
 
 John Woodhouse ... 
 
 1502 
 
 Rev. R. G. Baker, 
 
 John Phipps 
 
 1503 
 
 M A., Prebendary 
 
 Adam Forster 
 
 1506 of St. Paul's ... 1820 
 
 (a) He was chaplain to the Bishop of Chichester, a 
 justice of the peace, and at the Rebellion suffered greatly 
 for his loyalty. 
 
 (b] Father of the celebrated Richard Cumberland.
 
 138 
 
 CURATES OF HAMMERSMITH. 
 
 CURATES OF HAMMERSMITH 
 
 UNTIL 1834, WHEN IT WAS MADE A VICARAGE. 
 
 A.D. 
 
 J. Dent 1631 
 
 Isaac Kright ... 1647 
 Math ew Fowler, D.D. 1661 
 
 J. Wade 1662 
 
 Michael Hutchin- 
 
 son, D.D. ... 1707 
 
 F. Allen ... 
 T. Rayne ... 
 T. Sampson 
 Dr. Smith... 
 T. S. Atwood 
 
 A.D. 
 1740 
 1751 
 1757 
 1763 
 1788 
 
 The present Vicar of Hammersmith is the Rev. James 
 Connell, M.A., of King's College, Cambridge.
 
 CONCLUSION. 
 
 HE writer of these pages has given but 
 meagre statistics of the four parishes, for 
 two reasons. As the four places are all in 
 the London district, very ample particulars of these 
 things may be so readily obtained at either of their 
 Vestry Halls. Also, the particulars of the new 
 Census will in a short time be made public. All 
 the four parishes are busy in building and improving 
 their respective districts. Of the four, however, 
 Chelsea appears to be the most active in works of 
 utility ; and even amusements, as of late it even 
 boasts of an elegant little theatre, opened in Sloane 
 Square. So that, with Cremorne Gardens, it has 
 two places of public entertainment, which are well 
 supported considering how far they are from 
 London. The other parishes make no attempts of 
 this kind. At Fulham is a Working Man's Insti- 
 tute, and now and then a concert. Kensington and 
 Hammersmith have only Penny Readings and occa- 
 sionally concerts. 
 
 Chelsea and Kensington have each their own 
 Workhouse. Fulham and Hammersmith a hand- 
 some well-built Union Workhouse for the two 
 parishes. All the parishes support local news-
 
 I4O CONCLUSION. 
 
 papers, which are really well written and supplied, 
 and at a very, moderate charge. Of the cemete- 
 ries belonging to them, Kensington has decidedly 
 the largest and handsomest. The CEMETERY at 
 WEST BROMPTON is very elegantly laid out. It has 
 a noble avenue, bordered by a double row of fir 
 and lime trees, which are very effective. It is 
 crowded with very excellent, and some very beau- 
 tiful, monuments, enclosing the remains of high and 
 celebrated persons ; one of the most conspicuous 
 of the monuments is one raised by public sub- 
 scription to the late Alfred Mellon, as some testi- 
 mony to his musical abilities and as a well-merited 
 tribute to his character. Around his tomb lie many 
 Actors and Actresses of note. This cemetery is 
 well worthy of a visit, and in the summer it is 
 much resorted to. The flowers and trees so pro- 
 fusely adorning it, rob it of the melancholy usually 
 attendant on these places : the other cemeteries 
 are also very pretty and neat. 
 
 With the exception of Fulham, all the four 
 parishes are amply supplied with every kind of con- 
 veyance by means of cabs, omnibuses, and railways, 
 a conveyance of some kind or other leaving the 
 last three parishes every five minutes or so. The 
 postal arrangements are the same as in London. 
 
 THE END. 
 
 DRYDEN PKESS : J. Davy & Sons, 137, Long Acre, London.
 
 A 000106427 8