Marshalsea Prison, on St. Margaret’s Hill, Southwark, is a place of confinement for persons who have committed crimes at sea, as pirates, &c. and for debtors. In this prison is the Marshalsea court, the Judges of which are, the Lord Steward of his Majesty’s houshold for the time being; the Steward of the court, who must be a barrister at law; and a Deputy Steward. In all civil actions tried in this court, both the plaintiff and defendant must belong to his Majesty’s houshold, The persons confined in this prison for crimes at sea, take their trials at the Old Bailey.
In the same prison is the Palace Court, the jurisdiction of which extends twelve miles round the palace of Westminster, the city of London only excepted; and the debtors within any part of Westminster, and twelve miles round, may be carried to this prison for a debt of 40s. Actions for debt are tried in this court every Friday, and there are the same Judges, Counsellors and Attorneys here as in the Marshalsea court; these are, besides the Judges already mentioned, a Prothonotary, a Secondary, and Deputy Prothonotary; four Counsellors, and six Attorneys, But in this court neither the plaintiff nor defendant must belong to his Majesty’s houshold.
The buildings are mean and ruinous; but the court-room is pretty spacious and convenient.
Marsham court, Hog lane, St. Giles’s.†
Marsham street, Market street, Westminster.†
Martin’s court, 1. Whitechapel.† 2. Chick lane, Smithfield.†
St. Martin’s in the Fields, in St. Martin’s lane, near Charing Cross. This church received its name from St. Martin, an Hungarian, who was sainted for the cruelty with which he persecuted the Arians, and its being formerly situated in the fields. Though the present structure is of a modern date, there was very early a church upon the same spot, dedicated to the same saint; for there are authentic records of a dispute in 1222, between the Abbot of Westminster and the Bishop of London, concerning the exemption of the church of St. Martin’s in the Fields from the jurisdiction of the Bishop of London, How long before this a building for the service of religion was erected there, is not easy to determine; but it was probably a chapel for the monks of Westminster, when they visited their convent garden, which then extended to it. However, the endowments of this church sell with the monks who possessed it, and in Henry the VIIIth’s reign a small church was built there at the King’s expence, the inhabitants being then too poor to pay for it; but this structure not being capacious enough to accommodate the parishioners, it was greatly enlarged in 1607. At length, after many expensive repairs, that structure was taken down in the year 1721, and soon after the first stone of the present edifice was laid. Five years completed the building, and in 1726 it was consecrated.
It is observable, that on the laying of the first stone, his Majesty King George I. gave an hundred guineas to be distributed among the workmen, and some time after 1500l. to purchase an organ. The whole expence of building and decorating this church, amounted to 36,891l. 10s. 4d. of which 33,450l. was granted by Parliament, and the rest raised by the above royal benefaction, a subscription, and the sale of seats in the church.
St. Martin’s in the Fields is an elegant edifice built with stone. In the west front is an ascent by a very long flight of steps to a very noble portico of Corinthian columns, which support a pediment in which is the royal arms in has relief. The same order is continued round in pilasters, and in the intercolumniations are two series of windows surrounded with rustic. On each side the doors, on the sides which are near the corners, are lofty Corinthian columns; the roof is concealed by a handsome balustrade, and the spire is stately and elegant.
The decorations on the inside are extremely fine; the roof is richly adorned with fret-work; slender Corinthian columns raised on high pedestals, rising in the front of the galleries, serve to support both them and the roof, which on the sides rests upon them in a very ornamental arch-work. The east end is richly adorned with fret-work and gilding, and over the altar is a large window finely painted.