CHAPTER VII.

The Old College of Physicians-Ivy Lane-Lovell's Court; Richardson wrote some of his works there-Panyer Alley, the highest spot in the city -Newgate Market-St. Nicholas, Shambies-Bladder Street-Mount Goddard Street-The Sanctuary in St. Martin's-le-Grand-The Curfew Bell-Rescue of a prisoner, and flight to the Sanctuary-The Sanctuary broken by the Sheriff of London, and important consequences detailedManufacture here of counterfeit plate-New Post Office-Origin and progress of the General Post Office-Paternoster Row, the great mart of the Booksellers, anciently for Mercers-Little Britain, formerly the headquarters of literature-John Dunton-Ave-Maria Lane-Stationers' Hall, on the site of the palace of the Duke of Bretagne-Stationers' Company incorporated-Grant of James I. to the Stationers' Company-Concerts and other entertainments given in their Hall.

THE large building in this lane, now converted into a market, and partly inhabited by Mr. Tylor, was long used by the College of Physicians, before their removal to their new abode, of which we have spoken.

The college was first in Knight Rider Street; afterwards it was removed to Amen Corner; and finally fixed here. present building was the work of Sir Christopher Wren.

The

Ivy Lane was so called on account of ivy which grew on the walls of the prebendal houses belonging to St. Paul's. These were afterwards converted into various public offices, which were destroyed by the great fire. Ivy Lane is now, with Paternoster Row, part of the great hive of the booksellers. Here Dr. Johnson held one of his favourite literary clubs.

Lovell's Court is built on the site of a mansion first belonging to the Dukes of Bretagne, after they left Little Britain, and then to the family of Lovell, from whence it got the name of Lovell's Inn. Matilda, the wife of John Lovell, held it in the first of Henry VI. John, lord Lovell, was ruined through his taking part with the house of Lancaster against that of York. While the celebrated Richardson, the author of "Grandison," "Clarissa," &c., was living, a Mr. Alderman Brigden had a dwelling-house and a handsome garden in this court, which having the conveniency of an alcove, Richardson, as a friend to the alderman, is said to have written several of his works in this retired spot. The garden has been built upon, and considerably retrenched during some years past.

Panyer Alley, Stow says, was so called from such a sign. There is a small stone monument placed about the centre, having the figure of a pannier, with a naked boy sitting upon it, erected in 1688, with a bunch of grapes held between his hand and foot, and underneath the following couplet

"When you have sought the city round,

Yet still this is the highest ground."

Newgate Market is one of the best in London for meat and poultry, and once stretched to both sides of the street, but is now confined to one. The church here was called St. Nicholas, Shambles.

The site of Bull Head Court formerly contained the church of St. Nicholas, Shambles, from whence there was a lane to St. Martin's-le-Grand. Shambles, it seems, stood in the middle of Newgate Street, beyond which there was a lane, called Pentecost Lane, filled with slaughter-houses. This church and its tenements, Henry VIII. gave to the city. In Butcher-hall Lane, then called Stinking Lane, the hall of the butchers was afterwards erected.

Newgate Market then stretched almost as far as Eldenese, now Warwick Lane; it was then appointed for vending corn and meal; hence, in the first of Edward VI., "a fair new and strong frame of timber was set up at the city, near the west corner of St. Nicholas, Shambles, for the meal to be weighed."

Bladder Street, by some called Blowbladder Street, is the name which anciently distinguished the east end of Newgate Street, opposite St. Martin's-le-Grand, and was so called on account of the sale of bladders within it, from the adjoining shambles. The continuation of the street to Ivy Lane, was called Mount Goddard Street.

At the end of Newgate Street, to the left, is the General Post Office, standing on the site of the ancient church and sanctuary of St. Martin's-le-Grand. Pennant, who is, however, rather too profuse in his denunciations of the privilege of sanctuary-good in itself, but, like many other good things, too frequently abused -gives an account of St. Martin's, which we shall transcribe, and add some particulars which he has omitted. "This imperium in imperio," says he, "was surrounded by the city, yet subject near three centuries to the governing powers of Westminster Abbey. This was a college in 700, founded by Wythred, king of Kent, and rebuilt and chiefly endowed by two noble Saxon brothers, Ingelric and Edward, about the year 1056. William the Conqueror confirmed it in 1068, and even made it independent

of every other ecclesiastical jurisdiction, from the regal, and even the papal. It was governed by a dean, and had a number of secular canons. Succeeding monarchs confirmed all its privileges. It had sak, sok, tol, and all the long list of Saxon indulgences. It had also, from the beginning, the dreadful privilege of sanctuary, which was the cause of its being the resort of every species of profligates, from the murderer to the pick-pocket; and was most tenaciously vindicated by its holy rulers. In 1457, the king thought proper to regulate these privileges, and to distinguish how far they might be protected; and that the dean and chapter should take care that none of the villanous refugees. should become further noxious to their fellow-creatures.

"A magnificent church was erected within this jurisdiction, which was continued till the college was surrendered in 1548, when it was pulled down, and a great tavern erected in the place. St. Martin's-le-Grand was then, and still continues, under the government of the Dean of Westminster. It was granted to that monastery by Henry VII. It still continues independent of the city: numbers of mechanics (particularly tailors and shoemakers) set up there, and exercise their trades within its limits, and have votes for the members for the borough of Westminster. The dean and chapter have a court here, and a prison.

"This church, with those of Bow, St. Giles, Cripplegate, and Barking, had its curfew bell long after the servile injunction laid on the Londoners had ceased. These were sounded to give notice to the inhabitants of those districts to keep within, and not to wander in the streets, which were infested by a set of ruffians who made a practice of insulting, wounding, robbing, and murdering the people whom they happened to meet abroad, during the night."

This liberty, of which Pennant has collected these few particulars, extended eastward to Foster Lane, and westward to the church of St. Martin's-le-Grand. The south gate opened into. Newgate Street, and the western limit, consisting of the gardens, ran up to Aldersgate, a little to the left of which was the church dedicated to St. Leonard. For a long course of years, the city authorities endeavoured to establish a right of search and jurisdiction within it, but the claim was always strenuously opposed by each successive dean of St. Martin's. Upon the dissolution of the religious houses, the monastery and church were pulled down; but the deanery and all its privileges were granted to the Abbey of St. Peter's, Westminster.

Mr. Alfred John Kempe, in a small work entitled "Historical Notices of the Collegiate College, or Royal Free Chapel and Sanctuary of St. Martin's-le-Grand, London.-London, 1825;" has collected a vast number of curious particulars relative to this spot, to which the reader, who is desirous of further information, is referred. One instance in which the right of sanctuary was used or abused, may be worth transcribing, as it gives in itself a complete history of the privilege, as far as this place is concerned.

The

In the reign of Henry V., while a soldier named Knight, confined in Newgate, was being conducted to Guildhall, in the charge of an officer of the city, in passing the south gate of St. Martin's, which faced Newgate Street, five of his comrades rushed out of Panyer Alley, with daggers drawn, rescued him from the officer, and fled with him to the holy ground. sheriff, indignant at this outrage upon their officer, repaired to the church, followed by a large mob, and demanded the soldier and his companions. On the refusal of the person in charge of the place, the sheriff gave orders to the people under his command, who thereupon forced the sanctuary, and conveyed away, not only their original prisoner, but the whole of his companions, and committed them all to Newgate. Cawdrey, the dean of St. Martin's, made a formal complaint of this violation of sanctuary. He applied to the sheriff for the release of the prisoners, or their restitution to sanctuary, and on their refusal applied to the lord mayor and aldermen. They appointed the case for hearing within five days; but the dean would not brook this delay, and repaired immediately to the King at Windsor, to lay his grievance at the royal feet. The King in consequence directed letters to the sheriff, commanding that the prisoners should be restored to sanctuary forthwith. The bearer of these letters was the Lord Huntingdon, who, accompanied by Lord Tiptoft, proceeded to the Tower and sent for the lord mayor, sheriffs, and aldermen. On their arrival, he delivered to them the royal mandate under the privy seal; but the citizens, who in all ages have been great sticklers for their rights, real or supposed, and not to be frightened by any array of kingly power or authority against them, excused themselves from opening the letters, upon two pretexts: first, that they were within the Tower of London, a place of royal privilege and entirely without the franchise of the city, and in which, consequently, they could, as a corporate body, perform no public act; and secondly, that as the letters were addressed to the mayor,

sheriffs, and aldermen, in general terms, and as the greater part of the aldermen were not present, they could not proceed to open them or take any cognizance of them, until a greater number were assembled. Lord Huntingdon, being unable to overcome their objections, produced the King's writ, no longer under the privy seal, but under the great seal of England; whereupon the city authorities retired into Barking Church, as a place within their liberties, and waiving their first objection, read the letters, and craved until the following day at noon, to give in their answer. This was granted, and at the appointed time they excused themselves from obeying the writ, on the ground of a statute of one of the Edwards, which enacted, that if the King for the time being were to address letters to a judge, charging him "to cease of his process of judgment," and if by that mandate, either of the litigating parties should be injured in their right, the judge should stand excused by the statute, from obeying the writ; and they maintained that this case was immediately in point; for if the mayor were to obey the King's writ, the sheriff would be liable to pay a fine of £100 to Lord Huntingdon himself, who had an action to that amount against the prisoner rescued from their serjeant, the king's officer. They added, that they would personally bear this answer to the King at Copthall, in Essex, where he was then staying.

On their arrival, the King, offended at their obstinacy, would not receive them, but deputed the Bishop of Salisbury, Sir James Fiennes (afterwards Lord Say and Sele, and the same who was murdered by Jack Cade), with two other persons, to inform them that, since they had thought proper to disobey his letter and wish, the matter should be referred to the "lords of his bloude and greater counsaile," and that he "would make a Star-Chamber matter of it;" which implied a threat of punishment by fines, for their disobedience. And with this answer the lord mayor and sheriffs departed "right heavilie.”

The affair was in due course brought before the Star-Chamber, where the dean attended, and made his complaint of violated privilege. The corporation, in reply, pleaded, that if the chapel of St. Martin were endowed with any peculiar privilege, it could only be in criminal cases, in which the life or limb of the subject might be endangered; and, moreover, that it formed with its precinct, "beyond time of mind, parcel of the city of London." The dean, in his rejoinder, insisted on the general nature of the sanctuary, and that the free chapel of St. Martin formed no part whatever of the city of London. He alleged the