CHURCH-GATE,
about the middle of which he will pass through an area of about an acre and a half, the property of Sir Nigel Gresley, Bart. now used as a wood yard; but formerly given by Queen Elizabeth
to the freemen of Leicester, for the practice of public sports, and especially archery; whence, from the butts, or shooting marks erected in it, it is called Butt-close.
There is good reason to believe that plots of ground were once destined to the like purposes in almost every village, and butts erected for the practice of that art, to which several of the most important victories of the English were certainly owing. The use of the arbalest, or cross-bow, was certainly very antient in Europe, and was the weapon that proved fatal to Harold at the battle of Hastings: but the long bow was not familiar to the English, or, perhaps, not known in Europe, till the return of Edward the First from the Holy Land, where he became sensible of its superior advantages from his conflicts with the Saracens.
From this period till the time of Charles the First, frequent orders were issued by the kings, and acts of parliament were passed, enforcing and regulating the exercise of the long bow. Persons of all ages, from seven years old and upwards, were obliged by penalties to appear at stated times, each with his bow of a length equal to his own height, and, at least, a brace of arrows, to try his skill and strength before the butts near their respective places of residence; and by a statute of Henry the Eighth, no one under twenty-four was allowed to shoot at any mark, at a less distance than eleven score, or 220 yards, a distance of greater length than our Butt-close is at present; yet it is certain that the adjoining orchard once formed part of it, and other encroachments may have been made on it, probably at the north end.
The great execution that may be done by the bow, from the rapidity of its discharges, and the confusion a flight of arrows is likely to occasion, especially among cavalry, has inclined some to contend that it is a weapon in excellence superior to the musket. But the difficulty of procuring, in any great quantity, the proper wood for the formation of bows, the expense of arrows, and, above all, the long practice and training, even from infancy, necessary to form an archer capable of drawing an arrow a cloth-yard long, [23] will ever secure the preference to the latter weapon, which, though as commonly used, perhaps less
certain of hitting the mark, is however capable of doing much execution at double the distance to which the bow will carry [24].
Crossing the Butt-close, to the alley on the right, we pass the Presbyterian, or Great Meeting House, built, as appears by a date on the walls, 1708; the congregation of which was first established in 1680. The seats are calculated to accommodate eight hundred persons. An organ was erected here in 1800, a valuable advantage to the choir, who form a musical society, cultivated with great care, and justly celebrated for its excellence.
In an opposite lane, now called Causeway-lane, but formerly St. John’s, leading to the Town Goal, the scite of St.
John’s Chapel, is a small place of worship appropriated to the service of the Romish Church. It is secluded from observation, being situated behind the house of the officiating priest, and is a neat miniature representation of the peculiar decorations with which the members of that religion adorn the places where they offer up their public devotions.
Opposite the Great Meeting is a Meeting House newly erected by a society of Independents, which will seat six hundred persons; and in the adjoining lane, which has undergone a nominal degeneracy from St. Peter’s to Woman’s Lane, is another, erected 1803, by a society calling themselves Episcopalian Baptists. Between these two latter buildings, is an area used as a Bowling Green, and Tea Garden, with many small structures
erected for the general purposes of amusement; it is known by the name of the New Vauxhall. Among this various assemblage of edifices stands one, which from its size will attract the attention of visitors; it is a spacious House for the reception of Lunatics, under the direction of Dr. Arnold. From hence we pass an irregular street, now called the