Transcribed from the 1869 edition by David Price, email ccx074@pglaf.org
CHELSEA,
In the Olden & Present Times.
BY GEORGE BRYAN.
“It is not given to all to have genius—it is given to all to have honesty of purpose; an ordinary writer may have this in common with the greatest—that he may compose his works with a sincere view of administering to knowledge.”—Bulwer Lytton.
Entered at Stationers’ Hall.
CHELSEA:
PUBLISHED BY THE AUTHOR,
4, ALFRED COTTAGES, CAMERA SQUARE, KING’S ROAD.
MAY BE HAD OF ALL BOOKSELLERS.
1869.
PREFACE.
There are circumstances in connection with the publication of this volume which I deem it necessary to mention. Some persons probably have thought that such an undertaking should have devolved on an individual possessing greater literary attainments, and occupying a higher position in the parish than I do in it. To this impression I willingly give my assent. But this has not been the case; and the length of time (upwards of forty years) since the late Mr. Faulkner published his “History of Chelsea,” and the consequent difficulty of procuring a copy—independently of the fact that much contained in that work is now altogether devoid of interest, and also that, from the great improvements and alterations in the parish, there required many additions to be made to it—induced me, in the decline of life, to undertake the present task.
As an additional justification for the course I have pursued, it must not be forgotten that Chelsea is my native parish, and that I have possessed peculiar facilities for acquiring the necessary information; and, moreover, that in early life I composed in type a great portion of Mr. Faulkner’s first edition, and at a subsequent period was employed as the printing-office reader of his edition in two volumes. This gave me frequent opportunities of seeing him, and witnessing his laborious exertions to produce a work as complete “as the utmost diligence, care, and patience enabled him to collect.” I cannot but think that these considerations—combined with the fact of my having been, for many years since that period, connected with the press in London—will remove all impressions of assumption, on my part, for submitting the present volume to the impartial judgment of the parishioners and the public.
I have purposely avoided all dry details of parochial management, &c., as being foreign to the nature of the work and rendered now unnecessary in consequence of the voluminous Annual Vestry Reports, which may easily be obtained. My object has rather been to make the volume interesting, as far as possible, without being guilty of “book-making.”
The work embodies all the essential and interesting information that could be obtained, with a great amount of original matter, and should the volume not appear so bulky as some might have expected, it is simply owing to the rejection of extraneous subjects.
That the intelligent working-man, and persons of limited means, might possess the work, I published a certain number of copies at a very great sacrifice, trusting that the motive would be rather an inducement than otherwise for others to purchase the volume. Local histories, unlike other works, can only have a small circulation, and the price charged for them must be necessarily regulated by the probable number that will be sold.
In conclusion, I beg to offer my grateful acknowledgments for the kindness and assistance which I have received from several gentlemen, and now submit the result of my labours to the favourable criticism, and I trust remunerative patronage of the inhabitants and others interested in a parish which, in many points of view is unusually interesting and instructive.
August, 1869.
INDEX.
(The figures at the end of each line denote the page. Notices of Distinguished Residents are interspersed throughout the volume.)
Alston House, [92]
Aston, the Misses, [152]
Ashburnham House, [55]
Atterbury, Dr., [78]
Arbuthnot, Dr. John, [80]
Astell, Mrs. Mary, [183]
Atkyns, Sir Robert, [219]
Boundaries of Chelsea, [8]
Bray, Lord, [5]
Bell, The Ashburnham, [10]
Bowes, Thomas, [15]
Buckingham House, [35]
Buckingham, First Duke of, [35]
Buckingham, Second Duke of, [36]
Bristol, Earl of, [36]
Beaufort House, [37]
Beaufort, Second Duke of, [37]
Beaufort Street, [39]
Battersea Bridge, [39]
Belle Vue House, [44]
Bælar, Pætrus, [47]
Brunel, Sir Mark Isombard, [51]
Boscawen, Mr. [61]
Balloon Ascent in 1784, [62]
Chelsea Steam Captive, [169]
Centenarian Trip in ditto, [224]
Boyle, Robert, Esq. [64]
Balchen, Admiral Sir John, [65]
Bowack, Mr. [82]
Burney, Dr. [104]
Baths, Dr. Dominiceti’s, [117]
Butler, Rev. Weeden, sen., [117], [152]
Blunt, the late Rev. Henry, [139]
Blunt, Rev. G. A. [140]
Bentley, Mr. [168]
Bedford, Mr. Paul, [168]
Blackwell, Dr. Alexander, [183]
Bunhouse, the Original Chelsea, [200]
Burial Ground, St. Luke’s, [141]
King’s Road, [151]
Moravian’s, [46]
Jew’s, [74]
Royal Hospital, [195]
Burial of a Female Dragoon, [196]
Burgess, Rev. R. [210]
Botanic Gardens, Queen’s Road, [177]
Borough of Chelsea, 1st Election, [222]
Church, The Old Parish, [3]
St. Luke’s, [125]
Christchurch, [180]
St. Jude’s, [207]
Trinity, Sloane Street, [209]
St. Saviour’s, [214]
Cugnac, The Marquis de, [5]
Cheyne, Lady Jane, [9]
Cheyne, Charles, Esq. [9]
Chamberlayne, Dr. 14, [81]
Cadogan, the Hon. and Rev., [20]
Clock House, [49]
Cremorne House, [54]
Cope, Sir John, [64]
Carlyle, Thomas, Esq. [91]
Clarendon, 3rd Earl of, [66]
China Manufactory, [86]
Cheyne Walk, [93]
Clare, Rev. Thomas, [106]
Chalmer, Francis, Esq. [113]
Cook’s Ground, [92], [165], [170]
Cadogan, Lieut.-Col. [135]
Clark, Rev. George, [137]
Cipriani, John Baptist, [151]
Coffee House, Don Saltero’s, [108]
Church Street, [75]
Chelsea Common, [215]
Cadogan Place, [214]
Chelsea Chapel, [208]
Cancer Hospital, [219]
Consumption Hospital, [221]
Dacre, Lord and Lady, [11]
Davies, Rev. R. H. [22]
Sir John Danvers, [42]
Duke Street, [44]
Duel, Fatal, [66]
Denyer, John, Esq. [91]
Dodd, Dr. [118]
Doggett’s Coat and Badge, [121]
Dispensary, Chelsea, [160]
Durham House, [186]
Dudmaston House, [55]
Dilke, Sir C. Wentworth, Bart. [211]
Etymology of Chelsea, [2]
Ellesmere, Rev. Dr. Sloane, [152]
Eggleton, The Misses, [113]
Flood, Luke Thomas, Esq. [44], [137]
Flowers and Fashion, [161]
Flood Street, [164]
Faulkner, Mr. Thomas, [185]
Farrier, Mr. Robert, [186]
Gervoise, Richard, Esq. [6]
Guildford, Richard, Esq. [9]
Gorges, Sir Arthur, [12], [34]
Gregory, Lord Dacre, [33]
Gough House, [181]
Gibson, Patrick, the Centenarian, [52]
Heber, Rev. Reginald, [20]
Hatchett, Charles, Esq. [44]
Harding, Bishop, [69]
Hargrave, Francis, Esq. [75]
Haworth, A. H. [77]
Hoadly, Bishop, [100]
Hunt, Leigh, Esq. [113]
Hutchins, Mrs. (Daring Robbery and Murder at her house) [156]
Hoblyn, Thomas, Esq. [211]
Hans Place, [213]
Indian Esquimaux, [48]
Jennings, Henry C. Esq. [49]
Justice Walk, [86]
Jubilee Place, [164]
Kingsley, Rev. Charles, [137], [140]
King’s Road, [153], [155], [169]
King, Rev. Dr. [19]
Kent, Duke of, [182]
Littleton, Rev. Dr. Adam, [6], [19]
Lawrence, Sir John, [8]
Lindsey House, [45]
Lindsey Row, [49]
Lordship’s Place, [91]
Lawrence Street, [88]
Lowry, Wilson, [167]
Monuments in Old Church, [4]
Milman, Sir W. [13]
Manor House, Description of the, [105]
Martin, John, R.A., [51]
Moravians, the, [45]
Mazarin, Duchess of, [182]
Markham Sq. Con. Church, [174]
Marlborough Chapel, [216]
Mead, Dr. Richard, [183]
Mellon, Mr. Alfred, [167]
Monsey, Dr. [195]
Northumberland, Duchess of, [12]
North, the Hon. Brownlow, [102]
Neild, James, Esq. [120]
Ormond, Duchess of, [185]
Orrery, 4th Earl of, [65]
Owen, Rev. J. B. [207]
Park Chapel, [67]
Parish Registers, [144]
Petyt, William, Esq. [85]
Pavilion, the, [212]
Presentation of Colours to the Old Volunteers, [198]
Queen’s Elm, [73]
Queen’s Road West, [177]
Queen’s Road East, [202]
Royal Hospital, [187]
Royal Military Asylum, [203]
Ranelagh, Old, the Rotunda, [197]
Roman Catholic Chapel, [215]
Stanley House, [56]
St. Mark’s College, [58]
Stanley, Sir Robert, [13]
Sloane, Sir Hans, [14], [37], [173]
Swift, Dean, [79]
Shadwell, Thomas, Esq. [80]
Smollett, Dr. [89]
Sailing Matches, [41]
Sloane Terrace Chapel, [210]
School of Discipline, [185]
Turner, J. M. Wm., R.A., [53]
Trelawney, Bishop, [99]
Trimnell, Bishop, [100]
Winchester Palace, [97]
Walpole, Sir Robert, [185]
Wellesley, Hon. and Rev. Dr., [138]
Woodfall, Henry, Esq. [15]
Whitelocke, Gen., Trial of, [193]
Whitelands Training Institution, [176]
Whitlock, Rev. G. S., [181]
West Brompton Con. Church, [60]
Warren, Henry, Esq. [217]
Vestry Hall, The, [171]
Varley, Mr. John, [167]
Victoria Hospital, [181]
BOOK I.
The Etymology and Boundaries of the Parish—The Old Church: its Monumental Inscriptions; Remarkable Spring Tides, taken to Church in a Boat, Penance, &c.—Ancient Manor Houses, and Distinguished Residents—Moravian Chapel and Burial Ground—Park Chapel—St. Mark’s College—The New West Brompton Congregational Church—Loss of Sir John Balchen and 1100 Seamen in the “Victory”—Ascent in a Balloon in 1784—Fatal Duel—The Knight and the Poor Carpenter—Jews’ Burial Ground, to which is added an Amusing Anecdote—The Queen’s Elm—Singular Tavern Signs, &c.—The old Embankment of the Thames. Interspersed with Notices of many of the most Eminent Residents in the Parish in the “Olden Times,” and other Interesting Particulars.
Lord Brougham, in the course of some remarks on modern English literature, incidentally observed that “local histories were not only interesting to the residents in the districts to which they referred, but such minor works would be found of immense value to future national historians.” This was also the avowed opinion of Mr. Faulkner, when he published his invaluable “History of Chelsea,” upwards of 40 years since, and my motive in undertaking the present work is to carry forward the great object which that laborious local historian contemplated. The defects, and no doubt there will be many discovered in it, are submitted to the kind and impartial consideration of the reader. My humble position in life will not in the slightest degree, I feel confident, tend to depreciate my long-cherished desire—especially as the shades of evening are fast closing the day-light of my earthly life—to add to the information which has already been given respecting a parish to which I am much attached, both by birth and early associations.
The earliest mention of Chelsea is to be found in the Saxon Chronicle, in the year 785; from which record it appears that a Synod was then held in it, and at which period it was the residence of Offa, king of the Mercians. As regards the etymology of its name both ancient and modern writers have expressed different opinions. Mr. Lysons says, he has seen it written Cealc-hylle, in an old charter of Edward the Confessor, and hence objected to the obvious etymology, as there is neither chalk nor hill in the parish. Mr. Faulkner considers, however, that “hylle” is an evident mistake for “hythe;” and Cealc-hythe signifies not a place abounding in chalk, but a wharf or landing-place for chalk brought from other quarters. This amended definition seems at once to remove the previous objection, particularly as large quantities of chalk and lime were formerly, and even now at times, landed at a wharf by the river-side at Chelsea. In the ancient record of Domesday, it is written Cherchede and Chelched. The parish was called Chelchethe in the taxation of Pope Nicholas, in 1291; and this was the common way of spelling it for several centuries. Among the manorial records of the time of Edward II. it is spelled Chelcheya and Chelchuthe. Mr. Norden says, “It is so called from the nature of the place, whose strand is like the Chesel, (ceosel, or cesel,) which the sea casteth up of sand and pebble stones, thereof called Cheselsey, briefly Chelsey.” How altered is the state of the strand or shore at the present time! Would that there were now only the sand and pebble stones! But there is a probability that this complaint will be remedied. The long expected embankment from Battersea Bridge to Chelsea College, it is said, really is to be commenced and completed, and those old and dilapidated houses in that narrow and dangerous thoroughfare, known as Duke Street and Lombard Street, are to be pulled down. If this should be the case, the parishioners will then possess one of the finest promenades, with Battersea Park opposite to it, which may be found along the entire banks of the river Thames.
Having made this slight digression, to infuse a little of what is popularly called “new life” into our subject, we will here mention that the county of Middlesex received its name from having been inhabited by a party of Saxons, who, being located in the midst of the three kingdoms of the East, West, and South Saxons, were called by their neighbours Middlesaxons, which, in common conversation, was soon abbreviated to Middlesex.
The parish of Chelsea is bounded on the north by the Fulham Road, which separates it from Kensington. On the east at the entrance into Sloane Square, at which place there was an open rivulet, which divided it from St. George’s, Hanover Square, and was said to rise at or near to Hampstead; and, after crossing Hyde Park, where it formed the Serpentine River, and Knightsbridge, flowed behind Cadogan Place (along a portion of Lowndes’ Square) into the Thames, at Ranelagh, which adjoined Chelsea College. In January, 1809, this rivulet overflowed its banks, and caused great devastation for several days. The waters formed a complete lake, and were of considerable depth. Boats were employed in carrying passengers from Chelsea Hospital to the old Bunhouse, on their way to London. On the west, the parish is divided from Fulham a little beyond St. Mark’s College; and on the south it is bounded by the Thames.
That portion of the parish at Kensal New Town, which is near to Wilsden, will be briefly noticed again in reference to the “Ancient Manor Houses.” This land, as held by the parish, is about 173¾ acres.