Memorials of Old London. Volume 1 (of 2)

by Unknown

Memorials of the Counties of England

General Editor:
Rev. P. H. Ditchfield, M.A., F.S.A., F.R.S.L., F.R.Hist.S.
Memorials of Old London
VOLUME I.

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OLD BELL INN, HOLBORN, 1897
(From the painting by Philip Norman, LL.D.)

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MEMORIALS
OF OLD LONDON

EDITED BY
P. H. DITCHFIELD, M.A., F.S.A.
Fellow of the Royal Historical Society
Author of
The City Companies of London and their Good Works
The Story of our Towns
The Cathedral Churches of Great Britain
&c. &c.
IN TWO VOLUMES
VOL. I.
With many Illustrations
LONDON
BEMROSE & SONS LIMITED, 4 SNOW HILL, E.C.
AND DERBY
1908
[All Rights Reserved]

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TO
THE RIGHT HON.
Sir John Charles Bell, bart.
LORD MAYOR OF LONDON
THESE MEMORIALS OF THE ANCIENT
CITY OVER WHICH HE RULES
ARE DEDICATED, WITH HIS LORDSHIP'S
KIND PERMISSION,
BY
THE EDITOR

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PREFACE

In the year of grace one thousand nine hundred and nine the citizens of London are celebrating their Pageant, a mighty spectacle representing some of the stately scenes of splendour and magnificence which London streets have witnessed from the days of Alfred to the nineteenth century. It is perhaps fortunate that these volumes of the Memorials of Old London should appear when the minds of the people of England are concerned with this wonderful panorama of the past history of the chief city of the Empire. The Pageant will be all very beautiful, very grand, instructive and edifying, and profoundly interesting; but, after all, London needs no Pageant to set forth its attractions, historical and spectacular. London is in itself a Pageant. The street names, the buildings, cathedral, churches, prisons, theatres, the river with its bridges, and countless other objects, all summon up the memories of the past, and form a Pageant that is altogether satisfying. Many books have been written on the greatest city of England's Empire—some learned and ponderous tomes, others mere guide books; some devoted to special buildings and foundations, others to the life, manners, and customs of the citizens. This work differs from other books in that each chapter is written by an expert who has made a special study of the subject, and is therefore authoritative, and contains all the information which recent investigations have brought to light. It is not exhaustive. London contains so much that is of profound interest, that many additional volumes would be needed in order to describe all its treasures. The city of Westminster, the suburbs and the West End, have for the most part been excluded from the plan of this work, and possibly may be treated of in a subsequent volume. The domain of the city of London, not of the London County Council, provides the chief subjects of these volumes, though occasionally our writers have strayed beyond the city boundaries.

We have endeavoured to give sketches of London, its appearance, its life and manners, at various stages of its history. We have tried to describe its historic buildings, its fortress, its churches, the Exchange, and other houses noted in its annals. Monastic London is represented by the Charterhouse. Legal London finds expression in the histories of the Temple and the Inns of Court. Royal London is described by the story of its Palaces; and the old city life of the famous merchants and traders, artizans and 'prentices, is shown in our glimpses of Mediæval London, the histories of the Guildhall, the City Companies, the Hanseatic League, Elizabethan London, and in other chapters. Old inns, coffee-houses, clubs, learned societies, and literary shrines present other phases of the life of the old city which are not without their attractions, and help to complete the picture which we have tried to paint.

All the chapters have been specially written for this work, and my most grateful thanks are due to each of the contributors for their valuable papers, as well as to those who have supplied photographs, old prints, or drawings. I desire especially to thank Mr. Philip Norman for his coloured sketches which form the pleasing frontispieces of the two volumes; to Mr. Harold Sands for his skilfully constructed plan of the Tower of London; and to Mr. Tavenor-Perry for his valuable drawings of St. Bartholomew's Church, Smithfield, and the bridges that span the Thames.

P. H. Ditchfield.

Barkham Rectory,
Berks.,
August, 1908.

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CONTENTS OF VOL. I.

		Page
London in Early Times—Celtic, Roman, Saxon, and Norman	By Rev. W. J. Loftie, B.A., F.S.A.	[1]
The Tower of London	By Harold Sands, F.S.A.	[27]
St. Bartholomew the Great, Smithfield	By J. Tavenor-Perry	[66]
The London Charterhouse	By Rev. A. G. B. Atkinson, M.A.	[86]
Glimpses of Mediæval London	By George Clinch, F.G.S., and the Editor	[106]
The Temple	By Rev. H. G. Woods, D.D. (Master)	[133]
Holborn and the Inns of Court and Chancery	By E. Williams	[149]
The Guildhall	By C. Welch, F.S.A.	[178]
The City Companies of London	By the Editor	[191]
London and the Hanseatic League	By J. Tavenor-Perry	[224]
The Arms of the City and See of London	By J. Tavenor-Perry	[233]

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LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS
IN VOL. I.

Old Bell Inn, Holborn, 1897	[Frontispiece]
(From the painting by Philip Norman, LL.D.)
	Page, or Facing Page
Roof Tile (Roman)	[3]
Red-Glazed Pottery (Roman)	[5]
Roman Sandals	[9]
Bronze Pin, with Christian Emblems (Roman)	[15]
The Gates of the City:
Aldersgate and Bridgegate	[10]
(From old prints)
Bishopsgate and Cripplegate	[20]
(From old prints)
Ludgate and Newgate	[24]
(From old prints)
Moorgate and Aldgate	[26]
(From old prints)
Gold and Enamel Brooch (Ninth Century)	[18]
(From the Catalogue of W. Roach Smith)
The Tower of London	[28]
(From an engraving by Hollar, 1647)
Plan of the Tower of London about 1597	[32]
(Drawn by the Author)
St. John's Chapel, Tower of London	[42]
(From a photo. by F. Frith & Co., Ltd.)
The Tower of London	[58]
(From a photo. by G. W. Wilson & Co.)
St. Bartholomew's, Smithfield:
Norman Capital, discovered in 1863	[69]
Priory Gate and Church Tower in 1863	[70]
Transitional Capital, discovered in 1863	[71]
East Bay of South Aisle of Nave	[73]
Screen of Roger de Walden's Chantry and Rahere's Monument	[75]
Prior Bolton's Window	[77]
Eastern Ambulatory and Purgatory before Restoration	[79]
Interior of Church in 1863	[82]
(Drawn by J. Tavenor-Perry)
The Charterhouse Hospital	[86]
(From a print by Toms)
Old Porch, Charterhouse	[96]
(From a drawing by J. P. Neale [1813], engraved by Owen)
Charterhouse Hall	[100]
(From a photo. by Stuart)
Old London Bridge: Showing its Wooden Houses with Projecting Stories	[108]
(From an old print)
Old Wooden Houses at Cripplegate (recently demolished)	[110]
(From a photo. by the Author)
Alley near the Cloth Fair, Smithfield
(From a photo by the Author)	[112]
The Cloth Fair, Smithfield: Looking to the south-west, andshowing the south side of the street	[114]
(From a photo. by the Author)
The Cloth Fair, Smithfield: The north-east end of the street	[116]
(From a photo. by the Author)
The Cloth Fair, Smithfield: Looking to the south-west, andshowing the north side of the street	[118]
(From a photo. by the Author)
Old Wooden Houses, near the Temple Gate, Fleet Street	[120]
(From a photo. by the Author)
South View of Old St. Paul's when the Spire was standing	[122]
(From an old print)
The Temple Church: Exterior View	[134]
(From a photo. by F. Frith & Co., Ltd.)
Doorway of the Temple Church	[136]
(From an old print)
The Interior of the Temple Church before it was Restored	[144]
(From an old print)
Lincoln's Inn Gate, Chancery Lane	[170]
(From an old print published in 1800)
Middle Temple Hall	[172]
(From a photo. by Mansell & Co.)
Lincoln's Inn Hall: The Lord Chancellor's Court	[176]
(From a drawing by T. H. Shepherd)
The Guildhall	[178]
(From a drawing by A. R. Quinton)
Gray's Inn Hall and Chapel	[182]
(From an old print)
The Guildhall	[184]
(From an engraving by R. Acom, 1828)
Inner Temple Hall	[186]
(From a photo. by F. Frith & Co., Ltd.)
The Old Guildhall	[188]
(From an engraving by Hollar)
Staples Inn Hall	[192]
(From a drawing by T. H. Shepherd in 1830)
Model of Barge formerly used by the Clothworkers' Companyin Civic Procession	[192]
Furnival's Inn	[196]
(From an old print published in 1804)
The Chair of the Master of the Salters' Company	[198]
Bell (cast 1463) from All Hallows', Staining, belonging to theGrocers' Company	[200]
The Hall of the Mercers' Company: Entrance Colonnade and Site ofAncient Cloister	[218]
(From a drawing by A. R. Quinton)
Merchant Taylors' Company—the Kitchen Crypt	[220]
Samuel Pepys's Loving Cup	[222]
Coat of Arms of Hansa Merchant in London	[226]
(From a drawing by Mr. J. Tavenor-Perry)
A Flemish Gray-Beard from the Steel-yard of London	[231]
Sir William Walworth's Dagger (Fishmongers' Hall)	[235]
Seal of Ralph de Stratford, Bishop of London	[236]
The City Seal in MDCLXX	[238]
The City Arms, as portrayed by Wallis, in the Reign ofCharles II.	[239]

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LONDON IN EARLY TIMES
By W. J. Loftie, B.A., F.S.A.