O NTl RIES ITS INST'il LJTJONS AND AMU SEMEN -OLIVE-PERCIVM/ THE LIBRARY OF THE UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA LOS ANGELES mmfm r^felllif'lWW Hi i-^&tf ; m ' O ft; ffi TWO CENTURIES OF SOHO > jftrma, and (ftntueemente THE CLERGY OE ST. ANNE'S, SOHO J. H. CARDWELL, M.A. H. B. FREEMAN, M.A. G. C. WILTON, M.A. ASSISTED BY OTHER CONTRIBUTORS WITH PREFACE BY SIR WALTER BESANT LONDON : TRUSLOVE AND HANSON, 143 OXFORD STREET, W, 1898 RIORDEN, PRINTER 5 POLAND STREET, OXFORD STREET LONDON, \V. c/7 TO THOMAS F. BLACKWELL, ESQ. THIS WORK IS DEDICATED BY THE CLERGY OF ST. ANNE'S, SOHO PREFACE. I HAVE been honoured with an invitation to contribute a Preface to this book. It is a book written by many hands, among which my own cannot be reckoned. It is not a book compiled or made in the usual way, because the contributions are not written by hirelings, but by volunteers, and by those who write about the things they know by personal experience. My own claim to any voice in the matter is simply that, by the courtesy of Messrs. A. and C. Black, I have enjoyed the use of a room at No. 4 Soho Square, looking out upon the garden in which I have passed three years of pleasantly laborious days. The Quarter known as Soho has attracted great at- tention of late years as one of the most interesting districts of London. The great City has many Quarters which, like Soho, seem to stand apart and separate by themselves: having their own history : their own associations : and their own peculiar points of interest. Kensington is such a Quarter: Islington is another: Whitechapel, another. In the case of Soho the interest is varied. It was once the home of Fashion : the number of distinguished persons who have lived in Soho from time to time is very great. The world of Fashion has long since left the place ; but the solid and beautiful houses yet remain. The interest which attaches to the Soho of the present, apart from its associations, lies in the extraordinary amount of Religious, Philanthropic and Charitable work carried on within the limits of the district. There is also the in- terest, known to the fullest extent only by those who work in the place, that attaches to the vice and poverty of Soho, always present, against which these agencies are continually fighting. Little is said about the subject in these pages ; it should be sufficient to know that the Clergy of all denominations never cease in their efforts to beat down and expel the profligacy of which Soho is the modern centre. I have mentioned the Historical Associations of the Quarter. They are beautifully illustrated in the pages viii PREFACE. which follow. If we take Soho Square alone, for instance, we find the Duke of Monmouth living on the South Side; Gilbert Burnet, Bishop of Salisbury ; Sir Cloudesley Shovel ; the Earl of Winchilsea and Nottingham : the Earl of Carlisle ; Sir Joseph Banks ; Lord Bateman ; De Quincey, and many more. The Institutions which have their home in Soho are both numerous and important. There are Clubs of all kinds : clubs for men ; clubs for boys ; clubs for women ; clubs for gambling and dancing. There are Hospitals ; there are Houses of Charity ; there are Missions ; there are Foreign Workmen's Associations; there are Working Men's Institutes ; there are Anglican and Roman Catholic Schools ; there is all the machinery of modern organized parish work. There are again industries of a more varied and multitudinous kind, in Miss Maude Stanley's Club there are represented, among the girls, actually 57 different trades. If, lastly, this book should succeed in opening the eyes of the inhabitants to the many sides of the life that goes on around them ; if it makes them realize the associations of the past which cling to their stately streets ; if it makes them more ready to take their share in the work that is going on in their midst ; if it makes them feel more keenly than before the responsibility of man for man then this book will not have failed. I venture to prophesy that it will produce this effect, if only for the quiet, sober pre- sentation of the facts, and the determination of all who have been concerned in the work to put down nothing in exaggeration. More than one book has of late been written on Soho. Each has taken its own line. The book before me seems likely to prove the most useful of all, if only we take into account its reticence, as well as its revelations. WALTER BESANT. FROM THE OFFICE OF MESSRS. A. & C. BLACK, 4, 5, 6 SOHO SQUARE. January 18, i8y8. INTRODUCTION FIRST and foremost sincere thanks are due to Sir Walter Besant for his kind help in writing a Preface for this Book. As the greatest living authority on London, and as a temporary dweller in Soho Square, his opinion as to the present effort is of the utmost importance, and all readers will be glad to see that it is a favourable one. In the writing and compilation of this Book, the Clergy of St. Anne's and their Contributors have had in view not only the Parishioners, but the Public. They venture to think that the Volume makes a new departure. The history of St. Anne's has been studied through the rise and progress of her Firms, Institutions and Amusements, during the past two hundred years. It is hoped, however, that the results of such investigations will prove, in many cases, of more than parochial interest. The annals of a couple of centuries of Poor Law, Muni- cipal affairs and Ecclesiastical matters, derived chiefly from a study of the Vestry Minutes, should he helpful alike to the Social Reformer and the Churchman. Here and there, those who are responsible for the Work believe that they have broken new ground in Parish History, and that they have been able to settle definitely, now and again, the sites of houses which were the residencies of local Worthies. The long connection of Soho with Silver Smiths, Fiddle Makers and Dealers, Curriers, Furniture Makers, and Dealers in antique furniture and articles of vertu, besides Booksellers, Dealers in pictures, engravings, and works of Art, should render the stories of the Firms engaged in these trades interesting reading. As Soho, with the area immediately around it, has become more and more the centre of Pleasure for London and the x INTRODUCTION. world, a brief but tolerably exhaustive sketch of the principal Amusements since 1700, will probably be found welcome. Names like those of John Dryden, Sir James Thornhill, Sir Joshua Reynolds, William Hogarth, George Morland, Sir Thomas Lawrence, William Cruikshank, Edmund Burke, Charles Bell, (and a host of others could be added,) are a sufficient proof that St. Anne's need yield to no Parish of equal dimen- sions, in the glory of what her sons have accomplished for Science and Literature, Poetry and Art. That St. Anne's was a Pioneer in the provision of cheap Books and cheap Music, will be plain from the articles which deal with the Firms of Messrs. Bickers and Son, and of Novello and Co. Her forwardness in the ministries of Healing is abundantly evident in the lives of her great Surgeons, and from the records of her Hospitals. Nor, for two hundred years, has her hospitality failed towards the Foreigners who now form one half her population. The numerous Illustrations should be of distinct value. They at least form a Parish Portrait Gallery, past and present. Hearty thanks must be given, in general, to all those who have taken the trouble to provide information. They are owing, in particular, to the Rev. Dean Vere and to Mr. E. Heron Allen for their important contributions, to Mr. John Hollingshead for permission to make any or every use of his bright booklet on Leicester Square, to Mr. C. Alias, Mr. Litchfield, and others, for the loan of blocks and pictures, to Mr. George Allen for corrections and additions to the article on the Municipal Affairs of the Parish, to Mr. J. H. Penfold and Mr. W. Hall for assistance in examining the Vestry Minutes. Indebtedness is also felt to the unsurpassed wealth of material to be found in Rimbault and Clinch's " Soho and its Associations." Mr. Justen, (Dulau & Co.) who published the Book at considerable loss to himself, has "deserved well of the Republic." CONTENTS INSTITUTIONS. Religious. I. ST. ANNE'S CHURCH II. ST. ANNE'S SCHOOLS III. ST. ANNE'S BOYS' CLUB - IV. PAROCHIAL INSTITUTIONS - V. ST. MARY'S CHURCH VI. ST. PATRICK'S ROMAN CATHOLIC CHURCH VII. ST. PATRICK'S SCHOOLS VIII. CHURCH OF NOTRE DAME DE FRANCE IX. FRENCH PROTESTANT CHURCH X. BLOOMSBURY HALL XI. LONDON CITY MISSION XII. WEST LONDON MISSION - Medical. XIII. WESTMINSTER GENERAL DISPENSARY XIV. ROYAL EAR HOSPITAL XV. HEART AND PARALYSIS HOSPITAL XVI. LONDON LOCK HOSPITAL - XVII. ST. JOHN'S SKIN HOSPITAL XVIII. HOSPITAL FOR WOMEN General. XIX. ROYAL SOCIETY OF MUSICIANS XX. CHARING CROSS ROAD BOARD SCHOOLS - XXI. CHARITIES OF ST. ANNE'S XXII. WEST CENTRAL JEWISH GIRLS' CLUB XXIII. ST. ANNE'S BURIAL BOARD XXIV. SOHO BAZAAR XXV. ST. ANNE'S RECTORY XXVI. HOUSE OF CHARITY XXVII. ST. JOHN BAPTIST MISSION HOUSE XXVIII. SOCIETA ITALIANA CUOCHI-CAMERIERI XXIX. WESTMINSTER UNION SCHOOLS - XXX. SOHO GIRLS' CLUB XXXI. WORKING MEN'S CLUB AND INSTITUTE - i 19 27 29 3i 37 53 56 60 60 62 65 67 70 7 1 73 73 75 77 81 81 84 88 go 95 98 102 102 J 5 no 115 xii CONTENTS. XXXII. WESTMINSTER UNION WORKHOUSE XXXIII. ST. ANNE'S VESTRY: (a) MUNICIPAL AFFAIRS (b) ECCLESIASTICAL MATTERS BUSINESS FIRMS. Artists' Colour Manufacturer. XXXIV. JAMES NEWMAN Auctioneers. XXXV. ALDRIDGE'S HORSE REPOSITORY - XXXVI. PUTTICK & SIMPSON Billiard Table Manufacturers. XXXVII. BURROUGHES & WATTS - Blacklead Manufacturer. XXXVIII. W. G. NIXEY Booksellers and Printers. XXXIX. BICKERS & SON XL. DULAU & Co. XLI. HOWLETT & SON XLII. G. KlMPTON XLIII. MITCHELL & HUGHES XLIV. PETTITT & Cox - XLV. ROODS XLVI. JOHN RUSSELL SMITH Curriers, Leathersellers, and Saddlers. XLVII. JOHN ALMGILL & SON XLVIII. JOSEPH CLARKE & SON XLIX. C. H. & H. HORTON L. C. B. LEATHERBY - LI. G. G. ROBSON LII. GEORGE & Co. LIII. JOSEPH GEORGE (ALFRED BEAUELL) Furniture Manufacturers and Dealers. LIV. A. CRIBB & SON - LV. EDWARDS & ROBERTS LVI. THE SINCLAIR GALLERIES LVII. W. & J. WRIGHT - Glass Dealers and Stained Glass Artists. LVIII. A. GOSLETT & Co. LIX. HETLEY & Co. LX. WARD & HUGHES - Hat Manufacturer. LXI. HENRY HEATH PAGE 116 128 142 159 i6o 161 1 66 168 171 177 177 178 178 i So 1 80 181 182 182 183 185 188 IU2 I( J5 197 198 199 CONTENTS. Xlll Italian Warehousemen. LXII. CROSSE & BLACKWELL Livery Stables Keeper. LXIII. W. DUNSCOMBE Music Printers and Dealers. LXIV. NOVELLO, EWER & Co. - Musical Instrument Makers. LXV. BEVINGTON & SONS LXVI. VIOLIN DEALERS OF SOHO Printsellers and Picture Dealers. LXVII. C. W. BOOTH LXVIII. H. A. J. BREUN LXIX. A. W. PARKER LXX. J. L. RUTLEY LXXI. W. & G. SMITH - Silversmiths. LXXII. SILVERSMITHS OF OLD SOHO LXXIII. J. G. CROUCH AND SON LXXIV. PAIRPOINT BROTHERS LXXV. EDMUND TUCK Solicitors. LXXVI. ALLEN & SON LXXVII. W. J. ERASER Taverns. LXXVIII. TAVERNS OF OLD SOHO LXXIX. MORLAND'S HOTEL Tin-Plate Workers. LXXX. R. & W. WILSON & SON LXXXI. MISCELLANEOUS FIRMS PAGE 205 209 220 223 230 230 233 233 236 23? 245 246 248 248 251 254 255 257 264 AMUSEMENTS. LXXXII. Two CENTURIES OF AMUSEMENTS IN SOHO 268 APPENDIX 295 ILLUSTRATIONS FRONTISPIECE SOHO IN 1578. ST. ANNE'S CHURCH, EXTERIOR 3 THE ORIGINAL TOWER 5 REV. J. H. CARDWELL, RECTOR 10 MR. E. H. THORNE - 13 ST. ANNE'S CHOIR - - - 15 KING THEODORE'S TOMBSTONE 17 ST. ANNE'S CHURCH, INTERIOR 18 ,, ,, SCHOOLS- - - 20 ,, ,, BOYS' CLUB AT WESTON 28 ST. MARY'S CHURCH- - - 30 ,, ,, THE GREEK NAVE 32 IN HOGARTH'S DAY - 33 GREEK INSCRIPTION - - - 34 ST. PATRICK'S CHURCH, EXTERIOR 36 TERESA CORNELYS - - 38 ST. PATRICK'S OLD CHURCH, EXTERIOR - - 40 A GORDON RIOTER - - 42 REV. ARTHUR O'LEARY 43 ST. PATRICK'S OLD CHURCH, INTERIOR - - - 45 ST. PATRICK'S NEW CHURCH, INTERIOR - 47 CANON LONG - 49 REV. THOMAS BARGE 50 REV. DEAN VERE 53 LEICESTER SQ., FROM LEICESTER PLACE - 55 HIGH ALTAR, NOTRE DAME DE FRANCE 56 REV. FATHER THOMAS - 57 FRENCH PROTESTANT CHURCH - 59 BLOOMSBURY HALL - - 61 MR. PINO PREACHING IN A FACTORY 63 SISTER KATHERINE AND SISTER LILY 64 REV. H. P. HUGHES AND REV. M.G. PEARSE 66 HEART AND PARALYSIS HOSPITAL 72 ST. JOHN'S SKIN HOSPITAL 74 HOSPITAL FOR WOMEN 75 ROYAL SOCIETY OF MUSICIANS' BOARD ROOM - - 77 PURCELL - 78 HANDEL - 79 PRESIDENT JEWISH GIRLS' CLUB 85 MEMBERS OF JEWISH GIRLS' CLUB 87 LONDON NECROPOLIS, WOKING - 89 SOHO SQUARE - 92 MONMOUTH HOUSE - 96 ST. ANNE'S RECTORY 97 REV. J. C. CHAMBERS 99 FOUNDER AND WARDEN, HOUSE OF CHARITY - - - 100 CHAPEL OF HOUSE OF CHARITY 101 ITALIAN CLUB BAND 103 WESTMINSTER UNION SCHOOLS, TOOTING 105 SCHOOL BAND - 106 MR. JAMES STYLES - - 107 THREE OLD BOYS - 108 HON. MAUDE STANLEY no SOHO GIRLS' CLUB HOUSE in ,, ,, ,, MEMBERS - 113 ST. JAMES' WORKHOUSE, 1809 - 117 MR. F. H. BINGHAM - - - 120 MR. JOSEPH BOND - - - 124 MR. C. B. LEATHERBY 130 MR. T. F. CURTIS 132 MR. GEORGE ALLEN- 134 OVERSEERS OF ST. ANNE'S 136 MAP OF PARISH, BEFORE STREET IMPROVEMENTS - 138 MAP OF PARISH, AFTER STREET IMPROVEMENTS - 139 MR. SAMUEL BONSOR 141 DR. PELLING - - 144 THE BISHOP OF LONDON - 146 WILLIAM CROFT, Mus. D. 148 CANON WADE - 151 ILLUSTRATIONS. ASSISTANT CLERGY OF ST. ANNE'S 154 MR. J. O. SPINDELOW - 157 MESSRS. PUTTICK AND SIMPSON'S SALE ROOM - - 162 MR. SIMPSON - 163 STAIRCASE AT No. 47 LEICESTER SQUARE 164 DINNER PARTY AT SIR JOSHUA REYNOLDS' 165 MR. J. S. BURROUGHES - 1^7 MR. W. G. NIXEY'S PREMISES - 168 THE LATE MR. W. G. NIXEY - 169 MR. W. G. NIXEY 170 MESSRS. BICKERS AND SON'S PREMISES 172 LEICESTER SQUARE IN THE i8TH CENTURY - 179 MR. C. L. CRIBB 186 STAIRCASE, FROM LITCHFIELD'S " FURNITURE " 187 CORONATION CHAIR, FROM LITCH- FIELD'S " FURNITURE " 188 PANEL, FROM LITCHFIELD'S "FURNITURE" - - - 189 CRADLE, FROM LITCHFIELD'S "FURNITURE" - - - igo CASKET, FROM LITCHFIELD'S "FURNITURE" - igi A CORNER IN THE SINCLAIR GALLERIES - 193 DOORWAY, FROM LITCHFIELD'S " FURNITURE " - - - 194 MESSRS. A. GOSLETT'S PREMISES 197 MR. HENRY HEATH'S PREMISES 201 THE QUEEN AT WINDSOR, 1837 202 MR. T. F. BLACKWELL, J.P. - 204 MESSRS. CROSSE & BLACKWELL, MEMBERS OF THE FIRM - - 206 WHITE BEAR YARD STABLES 209 MR. VINCENT NOVELLO - 211 MR. J. ALFRED NOVELLO - 213 MR. HENRY LITTLETON - 214 WARDOUR HALL IN 1893 - 216 MESSRS. NOVELLO & Go's. NEW PREMISES - 218 FOUR FIDDLERS 224 MARQUIS DE CHATEAUNEUF 231 SIR JOSHUA REYNOLDS 234 STAIRCASE IN SIR J. REYNOLDS' HOUSE - - 235 SIR J. REYNOLDS' STUDIO - 236 ELLIS GAMBLE'S BUSINESS CARD 238 PETER DE LA FONTAINE'S BUSINESS CARD 239 BUSINESS CARDS OF OLD SOHO 241 SILVER GILT TABERNACLE DOOR 246 MR. EDWARD HERON ALLEN 249 MR. W. J. FRASER - 252 GEORGE MORLAND 256 MR. LEICESTER HOMAN AND MR. CHAS. CLARKE - 258 SIR JAMES THORNHILL - 259 WILLIAM HOGARTH - 260 STAIRCASE AT 75 DEAN STREET 261 ,, n .i i> - 262 MESSRS. WILSON'S PREMISES - 263 THE COCK PIT, AFTER HOGARTH 267 JOHN DRYDEN - - - 272 CONGREVE 273 TICKET FOR MASQUERADE BALL AT CARLISLE HOUSE - - 276 REMARKABLE CHARACTERS AT MASQUERADE 277 LEICESTER SQUARE - - 280 SANS Souci THEATRE 281 PETER THE GREAT - 283 Miss LINWOOD 285 THE LEVERIAN MUSEUM - 286 WYLDE'S GREAT GLOBE, Ex- TKRIOR - - - - 288 WYLDE'S GREAT GLOBE, IN- TERIOR - - - 289 Miss KELLY - 290 SIR THOMAS LAWRENCE - 294 MAP OF ST. ANNE'S PARISH IN 1755 298 ERRATA. Page 158, line i,for " 1670," read " 1770." ,, 197, for " Glass Dealers," read " Glass Dealers and Stained Glass Artists.' 1 ,, 252, for "Mr. W. F. Frasar," read " Mr. \V. J. Fra.se r." INSTITUTIONS AND FIRMS OF SOHO. I. ST. ANNE'S CHURCH. The Parish. A MAP published in the reign of Queen Elizabeth shows that the dis- trict now called Soho was then quite in the open country, without a single house upon it. In September, 1562, the Lord Mayor and Aldermen rode to inspect the City Conduit (where Conduit Street now stands), and, after hunting a hare, dined at their country ban- queting house, on the site of Stratford Place. On their return to- wards the City, a fox was found, and was killed in Hog Lane, now Charing Cross Road. In the following century there seem to have been four open mea- dows here, surrounded by thickly-grown hedges, containing large trees. These meadows were called Kemp's Field, Bunches' Close, Colman's Hedge Field, and Dog House Field, all in the parish of St. Martin's-in-the-Fields. This designation of the mother-parish, now so strikingly inappropriate, was at this time just beginning to lose its correctness, owing to the increase of building that took place after Cromwell had partly withdrawn the old restrictions to prevent the in- crease of London, imposed by Elizabeth and her immediate suc- cessors. The Restoration of Charles II. also gave a stimulus to the increase of London, from the number of Cavaliers who flocked to the Court in hopes of reaping the reward of their services to the new King while his fortunes were under a cloud, and also the influx of foreigners who flocked to England in hopes of royal favour. The name Soho, or So-hoe, was applied to this district at least as early as 1632, at which date it occurs in the rate-books of St. Martin's. Wheatley and Cunningham's " London, Past and Present," records that in 1634 there is to be found a grant of the lease of a " watercofirse of spring water coming and rising from a place called So-howe." In 1636, people were living at the " Brick-kilns, near Sohoe," and in the A 2 INSTITUTIONS OF SOHO. burial register of St. Paul's, Covent Garden, occurs the following entry : " 1660. Dec. 16. A pr'sh child from Soeho," while a Royal proclamation of April 7, 1671, prohibits the further erecting of cottages in the fields adjoining to " So-Hoe," which build- ings, it is said, " choak up the air of His Majesty's palaces and parks, and endanger the total loss of the waters, which, by expensive con- duits, are conveyed from those fields to His Majesty's Palace, at Whitehall." The district, called by this time Soho Fields, was rapidly built upon from the time of the Restoration to the end of the i7th century. The new population required more church accommodation than the mother-parish of St. Martin's then afforded, and it is much to the credit of the St. Martin's people of the day, that they took such vigorous action in the sub-division of their extensive parish. It was about a year after the formation of the new parish of St. James', Pic- cadilly, that a proposal to form a second new parish was brought be- fore the Vestry of St. Martin's. In August, 1676, just before Dr. Lamplugh, the Vicar of St. Mar- tin's, was advanced to the Bishopric of Exeter, a lady bequeathed 5000 to be expended by the Bishop of London (Compton) on the building of a new church where it was most needed. The Bishop offered this sum to St. Martin's Vestry, with the result that St. Anne's, Soho, was made into a separate parish. The necessary Act of Parliament was obtained in 1678, and the building of the Church was commenced. A church for the Greek re- fugees had already been built in Soho, and was consecrated in 1677. It now forms the nave of St. Mary's Church, Charing Cross Road. The Church. The site for the new Church was chosen in what was then Kemp's Field, but the building seems to have progressed somewhat slowly, as, in 1685, a second Act of Parliament was passed " to enable the inhabitants of the Parish of St. Anne within the Liberty of West- minster to Raise Money to build a Church to be the Parish Church there." This Act, which received the Royal assent June 27, 1685 (ist of James II.), in its preamble states that " Whereas several Persons who Erecled and built new Houses in a certain Field called Kemp's Field and the parts adjacent in the Parish of St. Martin- in-the-Fields in the County of Middlesex, did apply themselves to the Right Reverend Father in God Henry Lord Bishop of London, humbly Requesting him to cause a parcel of Ground part of the said Field to be set out for the Scite of a Church and a Ccemetary or Church-Yard for the Burial of Christian People there ; which the said Lord Bishop accordingly Directed, and the said Persons did thereupon lay the Foundation of a Church and Steeple, and ad- vance the building thereof to a convenient height above Ground, with a pur- pose to proceed and finish the same to be a Parish-Church, and made divers Subscriptions amongst themselves in order thereunto And forasmuch as the Inhabitants, &c., within the Precinct or Bounds of the said ST. ANNE'S CHURCH, SOIIO. (By permission of Messrs. Dulau and Co.) 4 INSTITUTIONS OF SOHO. intended Parish are desirous to have the said Church finished, That it may be Consecrated and used for the Public Worship of God and for the better in- struction of the People inhabiting and to inhabit therein, in the true Christian Religion, as it is now professed in the Church of England and Established by the Laws of this Realm, but cannot Legally make an equal Distribution amongst themselves for the performance thereof: " The Bishop was therefore authorised to appoint thirty Commis- sioners, who were to continue to act until the Church was completed. The Commissioners were to take the oath administered to them by the Vicar of St. Martin's, and to hold their meetings in St. Martin's Vestry, until their own Vestry Hall, at Soho, was built. They were empowered to raise 5000 (over and above what the pews should be sold for), in four years, at sixteen quarterly payments, clear of all de- ductions; towards raising which sum all tenants were to be rated at one-fifth of the sum charged upon landlords. Besides the building ot the Church, they were to undertake the erection of a rectory-house, and other parochial buildings. This Act settled the patronage of the living upon the Bishop of London, and by it the Rector is entitled, in fee, to a parcel of ground, then called King's Field, afterwards King Street, and now in Shaftesbury Avenue, of the length of 213 feet and depth of 45 ft. The pew-rents of the Church were to form part of the Rector's income, and it is be- lieved that this is the earliest known instance of such an arrangement. It should be mentioned, incidentally, that this is no longer the case, as the diminishing income now derived from this source helps to meet the churchwardens' expenses. The Consecration. The Bishop of London (Henry Compton), who had done so much for the formation of the parish, consecrated the Church on Sunday, March 21, 1685/6, and dedicated it to St. Anne, Mother of the Blessed Virgin. The name was no doubt chosen in allusion to the Prin- cess Anne, daughter of King James II., afterwards Queen Anne, who had just been betrothed to Prince George of Denmark. The interior of the Church was not completed, "all the pews were nott sett, neither below nor in the galleries," but the day of consecration" was the more hastened," as Sir John Bramston, who lived in Greek Street, tells us, " for that by Act of Parliament it was to be a parish from the Lady Day next after the consecration ; and had it not been consecrat that day, it must have lost the benefit of a year, for there was no other Sunday before our Lady Day." However, as the stonework was completed, the Bishop " made noe scruple of consecrating it, yet he would be ascertained that all the workmen were payd or secured their monie and dues first, and to that end made perticular inquiries of the workmen." (" Autobiography of Sir John Bramston.") The original Deed of Consecration is still in the possession of the Rector and Churchwardens. It is a curious document, written partly in Latin and partly in English, engrossed on two skins of parchment, and nearly every word is still legible, including the signature of the ST. ANNE'S CHURCH. Bishop, " H. Londin," in clear text-hand on the lowest margin. The seal, which should have been hanging from the place where the Bishop signed his name, is missing, but its strings remain. Although the consecration of St. Anne's Church took place on March 21, 1685/6, the Deed of Consecration was not signed until the gth of April following. Bishop Henry Compton, who shewed such interest in the forma- tion of St. Anne's parish, was one of the Seven Bishops who so nobly defended the liberties of the Church and People of England against the unconstitutional encroachments of James II., and, together with Archbishop Sancroft and five other bishops, he went to the Tower rather than betray the rights of Englishmen. It was Bishop Compton who defied the King when James II. tried to repeal the Test Adt. It was he, again, who refused to illegally suspend Dr. Sharp, Rector of St. Giles', for merely preaching a sermon defending the Church of England, and was, in consequence, suspended himself. He after- wards became one of the most famous of the Non-Jurors. Compton Street, Soho, is not named after him, but after Sir Francis Compton, who built the street in the reign of Charles I. The Tower Act. A third Ac~l of Parliament was found necessary in the 42nd year of George III.'s reign. " The Tower Act " was passed in 1802 to authorise the raising of an additional 6000 for the re- building of the Tower, the Ves- try Hall and the construction of Vaults. The original tower was not the present singular erection, but one said to have been mo- delled from a tower at Copenhagen. We are glad to be able to give an illustration of this original steeple, taken from an old draw- ing. A sketch by B. Cole may be seen in Maitland's " History of London," 1756. The preamble of the Tower Acl; states that the former tower, " being in a very ruinous condition, it became ne- cessary in the Month of June, 1800, that the same should be taken down and re-built." It seems that the Parish Vestry (a very inconvenient one) had been situated in the old tower, and was also in a ruinous state, together with the Watch House and Fire Engine House, so that it had be- come necessary to build a new Vestry Room, Watch House, and Engine House, with Vaults under the same. These were nearly 6 INSTITUTIONS OF SO HO. completed in 1802, and the principal purpose of the Act was to appoint Trustees to raise money for meeting the heavy expense of this work, for "the sum necessary to pay such Debts and Expences cannot be raised according to the Method prescribed by the Laws now existing, without being very oppressive on the Inhabitants of the said Parish, and occasioning considerable Distress to the poorer Classes of Housekeepers." Twenty-nine Trustees were appointed, including the Rector of St. Anne's (Rev. Stephen Eaton), the Rt. Hon. Sir Joseph Banks, Bart., Gen. Charles Raiusford, Benjamin Gee, Esq., and the Churchwardens and Overseers, seven of them to form a quorum. They were authorised to raise money, not exceeding ^6000, by the sale of Life Annuities, or " by Way of Loan upon Bonds,' 1 chargeable upon the rates. Fashionable Soho. Soho rapidly became the fashionable quarter of London. The Duke of Monmouth whose town house was in Soho Square, was be- headed the year before St. Anne's Church was consecrated ; but Gilbert Burnet, Bishop of Salisbury, Sir Cloudesley Shovel, Daniel Finch, Earl of Winchelsea and Nottingham, Lord Chancellor Maccles- field, Alderman Beckford, and nearly all the rank and fashion of the eighteenth century, including the French, Venetian, and Dutch Ambas- sadors, made their town quarters in Soho Square. Evelyn writes in his Diary under the date of Nov. 27, 1690, " I went to London with my family to winter at Soho, in the great Square ; '' while the second number of The Spectator (March 2, 1711) credits the Square with an inhabitant almost more famous than them all : " The first of our Society is a gentleman of Worcestershire, of ancient descent, a Baronet : his name Sir Roger de Coverley. When he is in town he lives in Soho Square.'' St. Anne's Church was, then, from its foundation a fashionable church ; and from that day to this, though many social changes have swept over the district, its congregation has always included those, from royalty downwards, who have continued the traditions of the time when Soho was the Mayfair of London. Dr. Rimbault in his " Soho and its Associations," has collected several interesting references to St. Anne's Church at this early time. In a letter dated April 6, 1686, (only a fortnight after the consecration of the church) the writer says : " I imagine your Countess of Dor- chester will speedily move hitherward, for the house is furnishing very fine in St. James's Square, and a seat taking for her in the new consecrated St. Anne's Church." About a year afterwards Evelyn writes (March 20, 1687) " I went to hear Mr. Wake at the new-built church of St. Anne, on Mark viii. 35, upon the subject of taking up the cross, and strenuously behaving ourselves in times of persecution, as this now threatened to be." This Dr. Wake was made Archbishop of Canterbury in 1715. Motteux, in his comedy " Love's a Jest," acted at the New Theatre in Little Lincoln's Inn Fields, and published in 1696, makes ST. ANNE'S CHURCH. 7 one of his characters say, " How fine 'tis to see one of you follow some foolish Celia like her shadow, and go even to St. James's or St. Ann's for a single look 'cross a pew." Restorations. The first Restoration, so far as is known, was carried out after the Church had been built about one hundred years. It took place in 1802, under the direction of Mr. S. P. Cockerell, when the present tower and spire were built in place of the first steeple. It is the only church tower to be seen from Piccadilly Circus, but beyond that its fame is chiefly founded on the extraordinary form of its summit. The architect, intending to provide four clock faces, and wishing to avoid the simple cube, which might have too closely resembled a dice, modified the structure until the result was a very close imitation of a beer barrel. It was at this time that a stained-glass window was inserted at the east end of the church. It consisted of five octagonal medallions, with the following subjects : Our Saviour, between a crown of thorns and another of triumph, and four saints with their names beneath them: " S'tus Petrus, Ap.; S's Johannes, Ap. ; S'tus Pauhis, Ap. ; and S. Jacob Ma\ Apo." the last between a chalice and an urn. This east window was replaced by the present one in 1862, which is the work of the well-known firm of Ward and Hughes, in Frith Street, and obtained a silver medal in the Exhibition of 1862. The principal subject of the window is the Ascension of our Lord. Immediately under it is The Last Supper, and round the central subject are arranged, borderwise, in medallions, various incidents in the Life of Christ. In 1831 the old roof was replaced by a new one. The Rector possesses a small wooden box, bearing this inscription : " Part of the Old Roof of the Parish Church of St. Anne, Westminster, erected 1686, taken down 1830, and re-erected. Joseph Sharpe, Church- warden.' 1 In November, 1866, the church was re-opened after considerable improvements, carried out by Mr. A. W. (now Sir Arthur) Blomfield. All the seats were lowered, and a chancel was formed out of one bay of the nave, the apse being reserved as a sac- rarium. The carved oak screen and choir stalls were erected, and separated from the side aisles by oak screens, surmounted by grilles of metal work. In 1887, to commemorate the Queen's Jubilee, a sum of four or five hundred pounds was spent in renovating the interior of the church. 1896-1897. A " dangerous structure notice " from the London County Council was received at the end of the year 1895, owing to the falling of pieces of the parapet of the Church, and the Rector and Church- wardens, without delay, obtained a report on the condition of the church from Messrs. Roumieu and Aitchison, of 10 Lancaster Place, Strand. This report made it clear that no time should be lost in carrying out substantial and extensive repairs. Accordingly some 8 INSTITUTIONS OF SOHO. leading parishioners were invited to form a Restoration Committee, and the following gentlemen agreed to a<5l : Mr. T. F. BLACKWELL, J.P., Chairman Mr. J. F. HUGGINS Mr. E. HERON ALLEN Mr. W. E. HUGHES Mr. G. ALLEN Mr. F. LITCHFIELD Mr. G. BRITTON Mr. C. B. LEATHERBV Mr. J. S. BURROUGHES Mr. A. PAIRPOINT Rev. J. H. CARDWELL Mr. W. H. PEAKE Mr. J. CHILD Mr. T. PETTITT Mr. E. CLARK Mr. H. H. POWNALL. Dr. CONNOR Messrs. R. & J. PULLMAN- MI-. C. L. CRIBB, Hon. Sec. Mr. G. J. RIMELL Mr. T. F. CURTIS Mr. H. C. RUSSELL Rev. G. H. P. GLOSSOP Mr. W. E. SAMPSON Mr. E. M. W. GOSLETT Mr. L. T. SNELL Mr. J. GOULBORN Mr. BASIL TREE Mr. W. HAIRSINE Dr. TUDGE. A public meeting was then called in the Vestry Hall on Nov. 6. 1895, for the purpose of enlisting the support of the parishioners. The meeting was presided over by Mr. T. F. Blackwell, J.P., and adopted a scheme for the restoration of the Exterior and the renovation of the Interior of the church, at a cost of ^3180. At the close of the meeting, the Hon. Secretary announced subscriptions amounting to 738. The scheme included (i) Repairs to the tower, spire, and roof, and re-cementing of the exterior; (2) the introduction of the Electric Light ; (3) the Mosaic Paving of the aisle passages ; (4) the Decorative Repair and Embellishment of the interior ; (5) Repairs and Additions to the organ ; and lastly, (6) the substitution of Choir Stalls for the temporary forms and book-stands. The necessary funds were collected, and the Restoration of the Exterior was carried out in 1896. On March 17, 1897, a second public meeting was called to promote the scheme for Renovating the Interior of the church. At this meet- ing the Hon. W. F. D. Smith, M.P. for the Strand, who subscribed 200, proposed that the work should be completed " as a parochial celebration of the Queen's Diamond Jubilee, so that in years to come the inhabitants of Soho might connect with pride this most striking event in English history with the renovation of their own parish Church." The proposal was warmly and liberally supported by the parish- ioners, and on October 14 in the same year, and the following Sunday, the complete Restoration of the church was celebrated. Dr. Creighton, Bishop of London, preached on October 14 ; and the sermons on the following Sunday were preached by the Bishop of Newcastle, Aus- tralia and the Rector. It is worthy of note that in the years 1896-1897, and while the Restoration of St. Anne's was carried out, large sums of money were also spent upon alterations and embellish- ment to the neighbouring churches of St. Giles, St. Martin's, and St. James', Piccadilly. ST. ANNE'S CHURCH. g Rectors. The following list of Rectors and Lecturers of St. Anne's is compiled from Dr. Kimbault's " Soho and its Associations." 1. Rev. JOHN HEARNE, B.D. Instituted, April i, 1686, died, 1704. 2. Rev. JOHN FELLING, D.D., Senior Canon of St. George's, Windsor, and Prebendary of St. Paul's. He was Rector forty-seven years, and died on March 30, 1750, aged 82. He was buried in the chancel of the Church, and his pall-bearers were the Bishops of Bristol, Carlisle, Norwich, Peterborough, St. David's, and Worcester. 3. Rev. SAMUEL SQUIRE, D.D. Instituted, June, 1751. He was at the same time Vicar of East Greenwich and Bishop of St. David's. He mar- ried one of the daughters of Mrs. Ardesoif, a widow of fortune living in Soho Square. He died on March 7, 1766, and is buried in the chancel of the Church. 4. Rev. RICHARD HIND, D.D., who died at Rochdale Vicarage, Lancashire, on February 18, 1790. 5. Rev. ROBERT RICHARDSON, D.D., F.R.S., Prebendary of Lincoln, Rector of Wallington, Herefordshire, and Chaplain to the King and the Earl of Gainsborough. He was instituted in 1778, and died on October 27, 1781, aged 50 years. 0. Rev. STEPHEN EATON, D.D., F.R.S., F.S.A., Archdeacon of Middlesex, was instituted in 1781, and died on February 14, 1806. 7. Rev. R. MACLEOD, D.D., held the Rectory nearly forty years, and died in 1845. 8. Rev. NUGENT WADE, M.A., Canon of Bristol, was instituted on January 30, 1846, and resigned in 1890. 9. Rev. JOHN HENRY CARDWELL, M.A., the present Rector, was instituted in 1891. Lecturers. Dr. THOMAS CHURCH, Vicar of Battersea, was Lecturer of St. Anne's Soho, and Prebendary of St. Paul's. He wrote two tracts in opposition to Middleton's " Free Inquiry." Dr. MARSHALL MONTAGUE MERRICK was Lecturer here. His large library was sold by Messrs. Leigh and Sotheby in 1783. Dr. JOHN MARSHALL was Lecturer in 1714. Rev. JOHN THOMAS and Rev. RICHARD BUNDV in 1732. Churchwardens. It is, unfortunately, impossible to give a list of the names of the Churchwardens for the first 150 years of parish life. We know those for 1786, whose names, as recorded on the first Centenary Tablet, were James Young and George Smith ; and in 1831 Mr. Joseph Sharpe was Churchwarden. The names of the Churchwardens from 1846 to 1889 are recorded on a large board erected in the Church, and the complete list to the present is as follows : THE REV. J. H. CARDWELL. Hector of St. A nne's, Soho. ST. ANNE'S CHURCH. ii 1846 Samuel Bonsor, Oxford St. Charles Legg, Wardour St. 1847 Robert Sampson, Sidney Alley Joseph Child, Leicester Sq. 1848 John Ashby, Old Compton St. 1849 1850 Joseph George, Dean St. Henry Tozer, Cranbourne St. 1851 1852 Joseph George, Dean St. John Ellis, Wardour St. 1853 Joseph George, Dean St. James Howell, Dean St. 1854 Joseph George, Dean St. Joseph Child, Leicester Sq. 1855 William Addis, Leicester Sq. Charles Jefferys, Soho Sq. 1856 1857 Joseph Smith, Greek St. John B. Osborn, Prince's St. 1858 1859 1860 Joseph Smith, Greek St. George King, Wardour St. 1861 Joseph Smith, Greek St. Henry Radcliffe, Frith St. 1862 1863 Joseph Smith, Greek St. Richard J. Jefferys, Oxford St. 1864 Charles Jefferys, Soho Sq. Charles Wakeling, Gerrard St. 1865 1866 Wm. Bacon, Old Compton St. 1867 1868 Charles Wakeling, Gerrard St. John J. Ruffell, Charles St. 1869 John J. Ruffell, Charles St. Richard J. Jefferys, Oxford St. 1870 Joseph F. Pratt, Oxford St. 1871 ,, ,, ,, William Powell, Lisle St. 1872 Thos. F. Blnckwell, Soho Sq. John Almgill, Gerrard St. 1873 1874 Samuel Webb, Oxford St. 1875 1876 John E. Shand, Sidney Place 1877 John E. Shand, Sidney Place 1878 " Ed. W. Mummery, Oxford St. 1879 Joseph Rogers, M.D., Dean St. William J. Fraser, Soho Sq. 1880 1881 1882 1883 1884 James S. Burroughes, Soho Sq. Edmund Warne, Soho Sq. Chas. B. Leatherby, Lisle St. John Mitchell, Cranbourne St. 1885 1886 Chas. B. Leatherby, Lible St. Dr. Edward Sandwell, Soho St. 1887 1888 Chas. B. Leatherby, Lisle St. 1889 1890 Thomas F. Curtis, Frith St. From 1890 to the present time Messrs. C. B. Leatherby and T. F. Curtis have continued in office. The Organ. It is a fine instrument, with an exceptionally mellow tone. The New View of London, 1708, state that at St. Anne's "There is a fine Organ made by Mr. Harris," but it is not considered probable that any of that instrument still remains. The present organ was built in 1795 by Robert and William Gray, and added to in 1868 by Walker. It was renovated in 1892, and considerable improvements have been carried out in 1897 by Mr. Rothwell. 12 INSTITUTIONS OF SOHO. The first organist was Dr. Croft, the composer of the well-known tune " St. Anne's." He resigned in 1711 in favour of his pupil, John Joham. In 1870 the organist was Mr. Ralph Wilkinson. In the following year, elaborate musical services were arranged under the direction of Mr. (afterwards Sir Joseph) Barnby. The first performance of Bach's Passion Music (St. John) was given in 1871, and its annual performance ever since (except in 1883, when Gounod's " Redemption " was sung, and in 1884, when the St. Matthew Passion was chosen in place of St. John) has made the name of St. Anne's, Soho, well-known throughout the musical world. Mr. Barnby retained his connection with the church until 1888, and the organists who assisted him were Mr. Oliver King, (afterwards organist of Marylebone Parish Church), Mr. James Coward, son of the organist of the Crystal Palace, and Mr. William Hodge (afterwards at Marylebone). In 1886 the choir had the high distinction of being summoned to Windsor, and sang Spohr's " Last Judgment " before the Queen. In 1888, Mr. Hodge was succeeded by Mr. Steggall, son of the famous composer, Mr. W. H. Cummings (now Principal of the Guildhall School of Music) being choirmaster. In 1890, Mr. C. H. Ould, now organist of St. Paul's, Camden Square, was organist. He was succeeded for a short time by Mr. H. Walford Davies, now a professor at the Royal College of Music. In 1891, Mr. E, H. Thorne accepted the office of organist and choir- master, which he has held now for six years. Under his able direction the choir has more than maintained its high reputation. Besides the choral and instrumental music of Sebastian Bach, of which Mr. Thorne is an acknowledged master, St. Anne's is now known as the church where all the best anthems of the English school, by such composers as Purcell, Greene, Blow and Boyce, are frequently sung. Mr. Thome's Bach organ recitals are widely known and appreciated. Parish Registers. The Registers of the Parish are unusually interesting and com- plete. They date from the foundation of the parish, in 1686, and afford a curious record of the many famous families who have lived in the parish. At least two peers of the realm are indebted to them for contributing evidence in proof of their right to sit in the House of Lords. The baptisms of seven princes and princesses are recorded between the dates of June, 1721, and July, 1751, all being children of the Prince and Princess of Wales of the time, who lived in Leicester Square. The present Speaker of the House of Commons (Mr. Gully) was baptised at St. Anne's. Thanks to the energy of Mr. W. E. Hughes, and the liberality of St. Anne's Vestry, the Registers were, in 1896, placed in a new damp- proof safe, and, at the same time, were re-bound in green vellum, any decaying or torn leaves being strengthened with transfer cloth. There are nine volumes of baptisms, twenty-four of marriages, and nine of burials, and they now form as interesting and well-cared-for series of Registers as are to be found in London. MR. K. H. THORNE. Organist and Choirmaster of St. Anne's, Soho. By permission of the Church Nr'spapi:r Co., Ltd. 14 INSTITUTIONS OF SOHO. The Churchyard. An interesting article written 25 years ago by the late Mr. R. L. Roumieu, whose son is the present head of the firm of Roumieu and Aitchison, under whose direction the present Restoration of the Church is being carried out, gives some gruesome details of the state of the Churchyard before it was closed for interments. Mr. Roumieu says : " The accumulation caused by the burial of some thousands of bodies has considerably raised the level of the Churchyard above the street, particularly at the west side, in Wardour Street. When the Parliamentary enquiry took place upon the subject of London inter- ments about 70 years ago, among the many witnesses examined were a number of the more intelligent of the parish sextons. The most horrible disclosures were reluctantly drawn from them as to the modes which had been used in making room for fresh interments in the vaults and churchyards of London. Many of them referred to a cer- tain Fox, sexton of St. Anne's, partly in a sort of dull admiration of his skill, and partly in extenuation of their own more excusable me- thods. This Fox seems to have been a very Napoleon amongst grave- diggers. The summary way in which he dealt with quite recent in- terments, evidently caused envious wonderment in the minds of his professional brethren, but did not so favourably impress the Parlia- mentary Committee, for the disclosures then made led to his dismissal, and it is to be hoped that those he left undisturbed will now rest in peace." Largely owing to the exertions of Mr. Joseph George, of Dean Street, senior Churchwarden from 1850 to 1854, the Churchyard was closed for further interments. Towards the end of 1891, the Metro- politan Public Gardens Association offered to lay out the Churchyard as a Public Garden. The Redtor, as freeholder, granted it to the parish as a place of recreation, and the Strand Board of Works undertook to provide the small annual sum required for maintenance. On June 27, 1892, the ground was declared open to the public by Lady Hobhouse. Flowers and green turf, together with a flourishing avenue of trees, make the Churchyard, in the summer months, a favourite re- sort for many of divers nations, who enjoy to the full its opportunities of rest and relaxation. On April 6, 1893, a handsome granite drinking fountain was pre- sented to the public garden by Mr. George Allen, the vestry clerk, whose family has been connected with St. Anne's for over a century. Monuments. The inscriptions on some of the more interesting monuments are as follows : (Within the church.) On the South side of the Altar : " In this Chancel lyeth interred the Body of the Right Honourable Lady Grace Pierpoint, Daughter to the mcst Noble and Puissant Prince, Henry Pier- point, Marquis of Dorchester, deceased. Who in her lifetime was exemplary for Piety, Virtue and Charity. She departed this Life on the 25th of March, in the year of our Lord 1703, in the 86th year of her Age." 16 INSTITUTIONS OF SOHO. Not far from this, on a small white marble stone : " Here under lyeth Interred the Body of Tho. Egar, Esq., Surveyor-General to King Charles the II. and King James the II. of their woods on the South side of the Trent, and Carver-in-ordinary to Catherine, the Queen Dowager of England. Who died the 27th of August, Anno Dom. 1687, Aged 45 years.'' There are also inscriptions to Egerton Heel, son of Thomas Heel, of Surrey, Gent., 1687 ; Lt.-Col. John Hardy, Governor of Dartmouth Castle, and Quartermaster-General during the late Siege of Gibraltar, he died January 23, 1788, aged 66 ; Sir John Macpherson, " the gentle giant," for some months Governor-General of India; General Harry Trelawney, Lt.-Col. Coldstream Guards, died 1800 ; and to William Hamilton, R.A., died 1801. Also to Mr. Shadrach Vendon, who died March 9, 1795, aged 87, and left 100 for the benefit of St. Anne's Charity Schools. In the churchyard lies buried Brook Taylor, LL.D., died 1731, discoverer of Taylor's Theorem, and fastened to the west wall of the tower are the two best-known gravestones of St. Anne's. The first reads as follows : " Near this spot rests William Hazlitt, born April roth, 1778, died Septr. i8th, 1830. He lived to see his deepest wishes gratified as he expresses them in his Essay 'On the Fear of Death,' viz., ' To see the downfall of the Bour- bons and some prospect of good to mankind.' Charles X. was driven from France, 2gth July, 1830. ' To leave some sterling work to the world.' He lived to complete his ' Life of Napoleon.' His desire that some friendly hand should consign him to the grave was accomplished to a limited but profound extent. On these conditions he was ready to depart, and to have inscribed on his tomb 'Grateful and contented.' He was the first (unanswered) meta- physician of his age ; a despiser of the merely rich and great ; a lover of the people poor or oppressed ; a hater of the pride and power of the few as opposed to the happiness of many ; a man of true moral courage, who sacrificed profit and present fame to principle, and a yearning for the good of Human Nature ; who was a burning wound to an aristocracy that could not answer him before men, and who may confront him before their Maker. He lived and died the unconquered champion of truth, liberty, and humanity. Dubitantes opera Icgltc. This stone was raised by one whose heart is with him in the grave." The other stone is to the memory of Theodore, King of Corsica. He died Dec. n, 1756, soon after his liberation from the King's Bench Prison, " by the benefit of the Act of Insolvency, in consequence of which he registered his kingdom of Corsica for the use of his creditors." " As soon as Theodore was at liberty he took a chair and went to the Por- tuguese minister, but did not find him at home ; not having sixpence to pay, he prevailed on the chairman to carry him to a tailor he knew in Soho, whom he prevailed upon to harbour him, but he fell sick the next day, and died in three more." WALPOLE to Mann., Jan. 17, 1757. The King died at the tailor's in Chapel Street, but was buried at the expense of an oilman in Compton Street, named Wright. Horace ST. ANNE'S CHURCH. 17 Walpole wrote the inscription for his tombstone, which has a crown " exactly copied " from one of Theodore's coins : " The grave, great teacher, to a level brings Heroes and beggars, galley-slaves and Kings, But Theodore this moral learn'd ere dead ; Fate poured its lessons on his living head, Bestow'd a kingdom, and denied him bread." THxBENirrrcr THEACTCTIS IV CCWSBQCEUTE OF WHICH REGISTERED K IS KINGDOM OF CXM OR THE USE OF HIS CREDITORS Tllf GRAVK.OMAT TUCHER..TO A. LIVIL MOBS > BICGARi.GALLZYt LAVES ASTD KIN OS THZODORE Tills MCJKAI.LKAKN'D d.KV. IKAD . PtXJRDl-n LESSONS OV HIS LIVING HBAD. "You will laugh to hear that when I sent my inscription to the Vestry for the approbation of the minister and churchwardens, they demurred, and took some days to consider whether they should suffer him to be called King of Corsica. Happily they have acknowledged his title." WALPOLE to Mann., Feb. 29, 1757. (For these facts we are indebted to Wheatley and Cunningham's " London, Past and Present.") Rubbings of the tombstones in the aisles of the church were taken before the present marble pavement was laid down, and an accurate plan has been made of the position of each stone. Several of them are adorned with boldly-cut coats of arms, but some of the inscriptions have been nearly obliterated by the footsteps of generations of wor- shippers. One of the earliest inscriptions reads as follows : " Here lyeth the Body of Mrs. Diana Farrell, who Departed this Life ye 7 of Sept. 1686, in ye aad year of her Age." B INTERIOR OF ST. ANNE'S CHURCH AFTER RESTORATION, OCTOBER, 1897. ( 19) II. ST. ANNE'S SCHOOLS. FOUNDED 1699. Uvustces THE RECTOR AND CHURCHWARDENS. Committee REV. J. II. CARDWELL, Treasurer. MR. BACON. MR. T. F. BLACKWELL, J.P. DR. S. GRAHAME CONNOR. MR. C. L. CRIBB. REV. H. B. FREEMAN. MR. J. GOULBORN. MR. SELWYN IMAGE. MR. C. B. LEATHERBY. REV. G. C. WILTON. MR. T. F. CURTIS, Hon. Sec. IT speaks much for the zeal of Soho Churchmen in the cause of popular education, long before any political profit was to be made out of it, that only thirteen years after the effort of building a new church, they determined, with the active encouragement of Dr. Hearne, the first Rector of St. Anne's, to institute a Free School, after the pattern of one lately erected at Westminster. Dean Gregory, in his " Account of the Rise and Progress of Elementary Education in England," points out that Wales has the credit of leading the way in the foundation of elementary schools, for though " Milton and Locke appealed to the people of England for the better education of neglected youth, the men of Cromwell's Parliament gave more heed to the Pulpit than to the common school.'' In Wales, however, Gouge's schools were founded at this early period ; and in 1629, a school was founded at Chigwell, where the children were to " read, write, cypher, and cast accompts." In these early schools the fees were low, and in many cases the school was free. Hampen's school (1526) was free, but three pennies a year were paid for " drink and brutal sports." Some results of this abuse of education may be seen in the fact that in some schools the parents were called upon to pay the " quarterage for roddes as hath been accustomed." These early efforts for popular education, being merely the result of individual energy, were necessarily few and far between, but by the beginning of the eighteenth century, national education had received a great impetus by the foundation, in 1698, of the Society for Promot- ing Christian Knowledge, which had for its primary object the support of schools where the poorest children might receive sound religious and secular teaching. A history of that Society, published in 1848, gives many particulars of the keen interest taken in popular education at this time. In Hatton's " New View of London," 1708, is given a list of twenty-two churches in London in which sermons were preached and collections made towards the maintenance of the charity schools. It is also stated that there were then in London sixty charity schools, where 2248 children were taught. By the year 1741, nearly 2000 charity schools had been founded by the S.P.C.K. in Great Britain and Ireland. Some of the colleges at Cambridge gave collections to this movement, and in 1717 we read the workmen of an ironworks at Winlaton, co. 20 INSTITUTIONS OF SO HO. Durham, devoted one farthing and a half per shilling per week out of their wages, which, with their master's contribution, maintained their poor, and afforded 17 a year for teaching their children to read. Several of the old London parish schools, founded at this time, are still in aclive work, but few can claim an earlier date of foundation than our own, in facl we only know of two, viz., St. Botolph, Aldgate, 1688, and St. John-of-Wapping, 1695. Though our schools were founded quite independently of the S.P.C.K., it is interesting to know that that Society took care that its schools should be thoroughly efficient, for on January 13, 1701, the S.P.C.K. appointed the Rev. M. Coghan to be " Inspector of all the charity schools in and about London and Westminster." It was in Nov., 1699, that a meeting of certain parishioners of St. Anne's determined to commence a Parish School. In the account of their first meeting (still extant) they mention " how greatly this Parish aboundeth with poor Children, who for want of being better engaged, are seldom out of the Fields, where from the company that frequents those places, they generally learn and contract such Evil Customs and Acquaintance whereby they become not only a perpetual grief and ST. ANNE'S SCHOOLS. 21 vexation to their friends and annoyance to all about them, but often bring their own lives also, by their wicked actions, to shameful and untimely ends." It is announced that subscriptions towards the pro- posed school were promised to the amount of 18 per annum, " which we thought soe hopefull a Beginning that there was no Ground to suspect the Design could sink." A weekly meeting of the Committee was arranged, and the names of those present, which should never be forgotten in St. Anne's, were as follows : Messrs. Edmund and John Holmes, Wm. Cook, John Bolton, and Wm. Webb. At their next meeting, encouraging progress was reported, and it was determined to rent two rooms, which were taken " on a Floor in the house of Mr. Johnson in Thrift Street," at a rent of j per annum. " and half a year's warning to be given on each side." It was also decided that "because a Schoolmaster fit for this Business is not to be had at every Juncture of time, Enquiry be made after such an One." Eventually, Mr. Walsh, late reader to the parish church at Wands- worth, and usher to a school there, was elected as the first school- master ; and we must imagine him installed in the two rooms in Thrift Street, with his forty boys, who were to be " cloath'd," by Christmas Eve, 1699, with " Caps, Bands, Gloves, Shooes, and Stockins." The Churchwardens of St. Anne's having granted the new school permission to erect a pew " next behind the Overseers," the Committee ordered it to be fitted up by Christmas Eve, being Sunday, and on that day, December 24, 1699, the first Schools Sunday was held at St. Anne's, Mr. Bolton, the new Treasurer, being empowered to receive the money collected at the church doors, which amounted to 24. The Bishop of Salisbury (Dr. Burnet) preached the Schools sermon in December, 1702, and 78 145. was collected at the morning and afternoon services. From the very first, the school was founded on a religious basis, on definite Church lines. On December 27, 1699, it was resolved that at every meeting of the Trustees, " Ye Divine Assistance be crav'd before we enter upon Business, and yt a Blessing be supplicated upon what we have done before we part." Forms of Prayer were drawn up for these meetings, and also for the " Master and Schollars," everyday at School. The boys were to learn short prayers, to be said, morning and evening, at home, and also at church, before and after service. No one could be a Trustee who was not a " member of the Church of England, of a sober life and Conversation, and a frequent Communi- cant." In January, 1703, it was decided that " no person, being a Dissenter from the Church of England shall have any boy for his Apprentice out of this School." The Trustees resolved on January 27, 1701, " That no boy shall ever be put out of this School to be a footman." In February, 1700, a boy was apprenticed to a freeman of London for 6, " the charge of his Binding not exceeding 205." In these early days, severe discipline seems to have been sometimes necessary, for in 1702 it was ordered that " Roper be whipt publicly at the Whipping Post, and that Mr. Smyth be desired to speak to 22 INSTITUTIONS OF SOHO. Justice Matthews for an Order." However, the Trustees did not neglect to discipline themselves, ior it having been decided that eight of the Trustees should be asked to promise punctual and regular at- tendance at the weekly Committee meeting, if anyone was late, he was fined twopence; " and if he come not to the Meeting at all, he forfeit fourpence, and sacli forfeitures be apply'd for ye buying Coals, Candles, or other things " for the meetings. Athletics were encouraged in those early days, for on August 27, 1701, the Trustees ordered " that Mr. Gray (the Master) go into the Fields with all the Boys on the two following Thursdays in the after- noon, there to play amongst themselves, instead of going to Bartholo- mew Fair, and also to buy half a hundred apples of about one shilling or 13^., to be distributed amongst the Boys equally each Day." In 1701 it was ordered that the Master and scholars shall begin work at 6, or 7 of tiie clock at the furthest, from February to November, and from November to February, being short winter days, at 8 o'clock at furthest. The Master was to teach diligently till n, "at which time he shall take them orderly to Church, and observe that they are civil and religious there." Lessons began again at i, except on Satur- days, and the boys were to be " kept close to their books till five in summer, and as long as they can see in winter (except on Thursdays, when they may be dismissed at 3), whereby ye boys may be kept from loitering and having too much liberty in ye streets." Mr. Walsh, of Wandsworth, as already stated was the first Master. He died in March, 1700, and was succeeded by Mr. Abraham Macbeth, an apothecary. He resigned in June, 1701, and the Trustees resolved to appoint a " Divine to succeed him, who shall, if the Doctor (i.e., the Rector) permits, read prayers morning and evening at such hours as shall be agreed upon." Possibly this was to avoid the necessity of taking the boys to church every day ; but the idea does not seem to have been carried out, for Mr. Gray, the new master, was not a " Divine." He seems, however, to have been a successful teacher, tor four months after his appointment the Trustees decided to remove the school to a larger building. But Mr. Gray's reign was short, for in March, 1702, there was a new election. The two candidates were Mr. Ford and Mr. Christy, and both being so well qualified and recom- mended, they ran a dead heat, and it was decided to make choice by lot, which fell on Mr. Ford. It is interesting to note that he had a testimonial from Dr. Bray, who can hardly have been other than the indefatigable pioneer of education, the commissary of Bishop Compton of London, and one ot the chief founders of S.P.C.K. and the S.P.G. In 1703, the school was removed to Wells House, at the corner of Church Street and Frith Street, where for thirty years the school flourished. It was at this time that girls were first admitted, ten being boarded in the house. A century later, the boarding of giris was dis- continued. In 1733, the leasehold of the buildings in Rose Street was bought from the Duke of Portland, the ground rent to be 5 4*. On the last ST. ANNE'S SCHOOLS. 23 day of that year, the school was moved from Church Street into its new home, where it continued for 139 years. The freehold of Rose Street schools was bought in 1796 from the Duke of Portland for 660. The new schools were fitted up at a cost of over 800, by Mr. Richmond, whose name seems to be perpetuated in Richmond's Buildings, dated 1732. The Trustees were assisted in their heavy expenses at this time by J. Meard, Esq., who advanced 2000 on mortgage, and lent 300 on bond : his name, too, is not for- gotten in Soho, Meard's Street being dated 1732. In the Rose Street schools, which many in this parish must remember well, were two niches containing two figures, a boy and a girl, wearing the charity clothing then in use. The girls had a brown dress, with white apron and tippet, and a close fitting straw bonnet, with white frilling round the face. The boys had dark grey coats and waistcoats, black caps with green strings, and "stout leather breeches." The two head boys were distinguished by light grey coats, and "stout, round hats," which latter seem to have cost 55. each. There were also two gorgeous in- dividuals in light blue suits, who must have flashed like dragon-flies along the dreary Soho streets. These were " Lady Chambers' " boys, of which more anon. Canon Wade, when he became Reclor of St. Anne's in 1846, in- stituted an infants' school, where fees were paid for the first time. In 1854 children were admitted to the other schools as paying scholars, and in a few years they outnumbered the charity scholars, who gradually disappeared, the distinctive dress being given up altogether in 1872, just before coming into the present schools. About 1846 the boys' school was placed under Government Inspec- tion, the girls' school following about ten years later, when Miss Minton, who had been head-mistress for twelve years, resigned. It is interesting to record that in 1843 Mr. John Graves was one of the assistant masters, who long afterwards became one of the first Presidents of the National Union of Teachers. It was at Christmas, 1855, when the Schools were still in Rose Street, that Mr. R. Poston became Head Master, a position he has held for 42 years. Mr. Poston has seen at least five generations of schoolboys pass through his school, and many of those he remembers as scholars are now filling places of trust and importance in the nu- merous business'Jiouses of Soho. It was at the beginning of his reign that the two children of the late Mr. Odger, well-known for his Chartist opinions, were at St. Anne's Schools. He remembers Mr. Charles Wakeling, who exercised such good influence as Superinten- dent of the Sunday Schools and Choir-master in 1855. He knew St. Anne's Church when the organ was in the west gallery, and the chil- dren, with their quaint uniform, used to sit on either side of it, the boys to the north, and the girls to the south, and not all Mr. Wake- ling's efforts could persuade the Sunday School children to sit amongst the " Charity scholars." Mr. Poston has seen the distinctive uniform become a thing of the past (alas ! for the two light blue suits), and 24 INSTITUTIONS OF SOHO. now he presides over a school where Jew and Gentile, French and Swede, Italian and English boys are all united in their endeavours to satisfy Her Majesty's Inspector. Miss Skeen became Head Teacher of the infants' school in 1879, and Miss Chester of the girls' school in 1882. In 1872 the numbers had increased so much that it was necessary to remove to larger buildings, and the freehold of what had been Caldwell's Dancing Academy was bought from the Glossop Estate for 5900 ; the adaptation of this building for its new use cost a further 2500. In 1878, more alterations took place, when the present class- rooms were built in place of premises belonging to Mr. Warne, and the lavatories took the place of a kiln connected with Messrs. Ward and Hughes' stained glass works. The Education Department hav- ing ordered extensive sanitary improvements in 1893, these were car- ried out by the managers at a cost of joo, and the present Rector of St. Anne's may congratulate the parishioners that their " Parish School " now occupies larger and more healthy premises than ever before. These schools were one of the most ancient foundations repre- sented at the annual service at St. Paul's Cathedral. This gathering of children from the Parochial and Endowed Schools of London used to be a scene of great pomp and circumstance. Bumble, the Beadle, considered it one of his great field days, and appeared more gorge- ously arrayed than Solomon. Galleries were erected under the dome of St. Paul's, and the sight of these filled with the quaintly dressed children of the " Charity Schools " attracted thousands of people to the service. In August, 1896, St. Anne's Schools were represented at this service (now shorn of much of its ancient glory) by twelve boys and twelve girls, who could boast that their School was an older foun- dation (1699) than any present, except two St. Botolph, Aldgate, 1688, and St. John-of-Wapping, 1695. No account of St. Anne's Schools would be complete without some mention of its endowments and benefactions. Few institutions of the kind can boast more " pious founders," and although, unfortunately, two of our oldest endowments have been lost, the money entrusted to St. Anne's Charity School has been well laid out, and has amply ful- filled the designs of our benefactors. The " Lady Chambers' " Charity was a yearly sum of 6, to be paid out of the great tithes of Feltham, Middlesex. It was from this money that the two elder boys in light blue clothes, who benefited by it, took their name of " Lady Chambers' boys." This endowment was left to the school on May 3, 1715, and was regularly paid until 1853. At that time the Feltham property was divided, and it has since then been impossible to obtain any money due, now amounting to over ^250. Another endowment which has lapsed, is that of Lord Fansha\v. who, on the death of his wife, in 1729, and to perpetuate her memory, left an annuity of 13 IDS. to be paid yearly for ever to the St. Anne's Charity School. ST. ANNE'S SCHOOLS. 25 A benefactor who must not be forgotten is Mr. John Young, beadle, who in 1789 left 43 175. id. for the use and benefit of the school. At present there are eleven managers, of whom Mr. Bacon has been longest in office, having been elected in 1864. Mr. T. F. Curtis has been honorary Secretary since the death of Mr. Nichols, in 1887. Mr. T. F. Blackwell became a manager in 1872, and the Schools are greatly indebted to his wise counsels and generous liberality for their present flourishing condition. It only remains to contrast the foundation of the little school for forty boys in two rooms in Thrift Street, and the present large schools, though none too large for the 700 children educated there. We trust this plain story of facts will show how groundless is the idea that Churchmen took no interest in popular education before 1870, and how well-founded was the confidence of those energetic parishioners of St. Anne's who thought they had made " soe hopefull a Beginning that there was no Ground to suspect the Design could sink." REPORT OF THE COMMITTEE FOR THE YEAR ENDING APRIL 30, 1897. The Committee are glad to be able to report that, as the result of the Government Inspection of the Schools, all three departments are excused examination next year. Though constant removals from the parish have reduced the num- bers on the books to 702, yet it is satisfactory to learn that the aver- age attendance, 586, shows a higher proportion than has been the case for some time past, and indicates an improvement in general regu- larity. The offer of a small prize to every child in the Infant School who is " Never Absent, Never Late " for twenty weeks, has practically done away with late attendances in that School. The physical training of the children has not been neglected. Mrs. Miller (Miss Breadin) has continued her excellent drilling class for girls ; and during the present summer swimming classes have been formed, Miss Riant teaching the girls, and Mr. Holt, the School care- taker, the boys. The balance due against the Schools has been still further reduced from 48 175. 4^. on April 30, 1896, to 26 js. $d. on April 30, 1897. The chief financial event of the year has been the passing of the Voluntary Schools Act, 1897. By means of this Act the Committee hope to receive substantial aid from the Exchequer, by which the efficiency of the Schools may be still further increased. By the same Act, the rating of the Schools is abolished, and the petition presented by the Managers of St. Anne's and St. Patrick's Schools to the Assess- ment Committee of the Westminster Union two years ago has been most effectually granted. Signed for the Committee, J. H. CARDWELL, July, 1897. Treasurer. CO J O O ffi o CO CO H CO oo " M OO 6 O irt-in OOO 00 M in ro O O 00 O O rt to bJO o * *g B g I 'is ^ o ^ 5 M O O >rt o o o t^ uO ro M M o H o O jig 1,1 "S w 5 O - QJ 2 O ! UJ R ~ to III. ST. ANNE'S HOYS' CLUB. As one amongst many institutions connected with St. Anne's which provide instruction and healthy amusement for those who have left the Parochial Schools, we give a short account of the club with which the Rev. R. H. Gee's name will be always connected. It was on Saturday, May 9, 1891, that the room behind the Rectory was opened by Mr. T. F. Blackwell, who has always taken the most practical interest in the welfare of the Club. About forty years ago the present club rooms were the recruiting offices of the East India Company, and the lower rooms were subsequently used as a laundry. Mr. Gee was practically the founder of the club, and took the keenest interest in every thing connected with its members. An account of his work, written by a club member after his death, may be quoted as showing the esteem in which he was held by the boys for whom he did so much : " What a genial spirit he was in our club, entering into all our games with as great an interest as any of us ; how many hours of well earned rest did he deny himself for our benefit on many evenings. A fine chess and whist player, at our outdoor games he could beat any of us at rounders, and always held the lead at our paper- chases. How we worried him with questions on almost every subject under the sun, and over it ; and what careful and thoughtful answers he gave to those questions. As for healing our quarrels, well, whenever he heard of one, 'Just see that it is all right to night, will you ? ' would be his words, and sure enough it was right that night. And couldn't he show us how to play, as well as work ! I am sure that none of us enjoyed the club holiday outings more than he, he controlled the the parties wonderfully, especially on the summer holidays at Weston and elsewhere, never on any occasion losing his temper, however much provoked. A peculiar look of his, with which we were acquainted, or at the very most a word or two, was always sufficient for us. It must have been his own strength of character and example I suppose, that made all the difference. ' Live this life so as to leave the world just a trifle better than you found it,' was his motto for us : surely he has set us a good example." The lower club room was opened on Thursday, April 18, 1895, after extensive alterations ; a billiard table, 8 feet by 4 feet, having been presented by Mr. James S. Burroughes. The summer holidays have always been a great feature in the life of this club. For the last six years a house has been taken at the seaside, and a party of about twenty club members have enjoyed a fortnight's holiday. Broadstairs was visited twice, Bournemouth once, and Weston -Super- Mare three times. The gymnasium has always been most successful, the present instructor being Mr. W. Regan. The officers of the Club at present are as follows : Presidents : The Rector and T. F. Blackwell, Esq., J.P. Vice-Presidents: The Assistant Clergy. Committee: A. H. Small (Sec.), H. Faulkner, H. Fowle (Librarian), A. H. Ward (Sub-Librarian), F. West (Treasurer), G. Tidman, E. Duck, H. White. IV. PAROCHIAL INSTITUTIONS. FOR THE YOUNG. ST. ANNE'S PAROCHIAL SCHOOLS, DEAN STREET. SCHOOLS' PENNY BANK. Deposits received at the Schools every Monday morning. SUNDAY SCHOOL at 3 p.m., with Catechising in Church, 3.45 p.m. CHILDREN'S SERVICE every Sunday morning, at the Schools, at ii a.m., under the direction of MR. HALL. CHILDREN'S SEWING PARTY, Girls' School, Mondays, 5.30. MINISTERING CHILDREN'S LEAGUE (St. Anne's Branch), GIRLS meet in the Schools, first Friday in each month at 5 p.m., and BOYS, in the Rectory Room, Bateman's Buildings, first Sat- urday, at 2 p.m. BAND OF HOPE, at the Schools, on Tuesday, 6.15 to 7.15. BIBLE CLASS for CHOIR BOYS, at the Clergy Vestry, 2.45 p.m. ,, for YOUTHS, at Rectory Room, 2.45 p.m. CHOIR. Boys 8 to 10 years of age, may apply for admission to MR. THORNE, at the Choir Vestry, on Wednesday or Friday, at 6.30. BOYS' CLUB, Rectory Rooms, open every night except Thursday, 7.30 to 10; 2,d. a week. A. H. SMALL, Secretary. GYMNASIUM, Instructor, MR. REGAN (free to members of the Boys' Club), is held at the Schools, every Thursday, 8 to 10 p.m. Non-members of the Club, 2d. weekly. LENDING LIBRARY (in connection with MESSRS. MUDIE), 2d. per volume weekly, open to all parishioners. Apply at Boys' Club, Tuesdays, 8 p.m. GIRLS' FRIENDLY SOCIETY, Girls' School, every Tuesday, at 8 p.m. FOR ADULTS. C.E.T.S. SOCIAL EVENINGS, at the Schools, every Monday, from 8 to 10 p.m. Children not admitted. COLLECTING SAVINGS' BANK OR PROVIDENT FUND. Col- lectors call weekly throughout the Parish. MEN'S SICK AND BENEFIT SOCIETY, Schools, Mondays, 8.30 p.m. SELF-HELP LOAN SOCIETY, Schools, Monday, 8.30 p.m. WORK SOCIETY, at the Rectory Room, every Friday morning, 10 to ii a.m., when Needlework is given out at a fixed rate. MOTHERS' UNION (St. Anne's Branch), meets quarterly, when an Address is given. Secretary, MRS. GOULBORN, 43 Greek Street. MOTHERS' MEETING, Lady Superintendents, MRS. GOULBORN and Miss KNIGHT, Infants' School, Mondays, from 6 to 8 p.m. SEWING PARTY meets on Wednesday, from 3 p.m. to 6 p.m., at the Rectory, to work for Annual Bazaar. ST. MARY-THE-VIRGIN, CHARING CROSS ROAD (EAST END). V. ST. MARY-THE-VIRGIN, CHARING CROSS ROAD. (The old Greek-Huguenot Church, j THE present nave of the Church of St. Mary-the-Virgin, Charing Cross Road, was originally the first Greek Church in England. It was built in 1677 by Joseph Georgeirenes, Archbishop of the Island of Samos, who had been driven from his See by the tyranny of the Turks. He recorded this in a Greek inscription, still over the west door, of which the following is a translation. " In the year of Salvation 1677, this Temple was eredled for the Nation of the Greeks, the Most Serene Charles II. being King, and the Royal (lit. ' born in the purple ') Prince Lord James being Commander of the forces, the Right Reverend Lord Henry Compton being Bishop, at the expense of the above and other Bishops and Nobles, and with the concurrence of our Humility of Samos, Joseph Georgeirenes, from the Island of Melos." Bishop Compton shewed his interest in the Greek Church by supporting a scheme for a Greek college, Gloucester Hall, now Wor- cester College, Oxford, which was called the " Greek College " from 1694 to 1705. The idea of this college originated with the Greeks themselves, and the Phil- Hellenes in England were but carrying into effect the suggestion of the Archbishop of Sarnos in his petition (1682 or 3) to Archbishop Bancroft, in which he touchingly sets forth the miseries and misfortunes of the Greeks, owing to the tyranny of the Turks and their own deplorable ignorance. In the London Gazette, February 12, 1680, the Archbishop describes himself as " an indifferent tall man, and slender, with long black hair, having a wart on the right side of his nose, but against his eye, and black whiskers, and very little beard." He came into England in 1676, and finding that his fellow-country- men had no church here, he set about obtaining a site and securing funds. The Bishop of London gave him a piece of ground in the centre of the Almshouses of St. Martin's, which stood on the north, west and south sides of the present church of St. Mary, Crown Street, now Charing Cross Road. He was also assisted by Nicholas Barbone, M.D. and M.P. for Bramber, Sussex, whose family was settled in Soho, and of French descent. He was a son of the notorious Praise-God-Barebone, the leather-seller of Fleet Street. He was a great builder, and from him Newport Market was formerly called Barbone Square. The Archbishop travelled all over England to obtain funds, and finally succeeded in getting together fifteen hundred pounds, with which he built the church, and dedicated it in honour of " The falling asleep," that is the Death of Saint Mary the Virgin. Within five or six years the Greeks removed to the City, leaving a record of their residence here in the name of Greek Street, Soho Square. The Archbishop tried to dispose of the building to the Vestry of St. ST. MARY'S CHURCH. Martin-in-the-Fields, but they offered only 200, alleging that the ground was theirs, and not the Bishop's. The poor old ecclesiastic details the result in a quaint statement of his, printed in 1682 in London : " Which I refusing to take, the Lord Bishop required me to give them the Key, which I denying to do, they told me they would take the Church without it, as they did accordingly, breaking open the dore, and taking possession. " This relation I have thought fit to make that hereby all persons may see I never sold the said church, nor received any sum for the building thereof." Nothing further is known of the Archbishop, but he is said to have died in 1686. The next date we find in connection with the church is 1684, in which year, 36 Car. II. on May 31, Letters Patent were given by Charles II., on the petition of Dr. Tenison, the Vicar, on the behalf of himself and the parish of St. Mar- tin-in-the-Fields, granting the sites and fabrics of the church, then used by the French Protestants, and Ahnshouses, unto the Right Hon. Thomas Lord Jermyn, Baron, of Bury St. Edmunds, in the county of Suffolk, and his heirs, in trust and for the benefit of the poor of the said parish. This was all sold by the parish in 1818 by virtue of an Act of 58 Geo. III. The Huguenots, called Le* Grecs after their predecessors, occupied the church till 1822, .when their lease being nearly expired, they sold the remainder of the term for 200 to a congregation of Calvinist Paedo-baptists, who continued here till 1849. In December, 1840, the old Greek-Huguenot Church was in danger of being turned into a dancing saloon and music hall, when the Rev. Nugent Wade, Rector of St. Anne's, Soho, bought it for 1500, and after being arranged for the service of the Church of England by Mr. P. C. Hardwick, it was on St. Peter's Day, June 29, 1850, consecrated by Bishop Blomfield, under the title of St. Mary the Virgin, as a Chapel of Ease to the mother Church. In October, 1856, a separate district was assigned to the church, and the Rev. J. C. Chambers was appointed Incumbent. During 1856-1857, Rev. W. W. Talfourd, son of Judge Talfourd, was curate here. Mr. Chambers died on May 21, 1874. By his untiring exertions, schools, chancel, north aisle, and clergy house were built. The foundation stone of the clergy house c Hogarths Day. e/r w o w U !* u a a * o A u 5 o a -, cj a o pc 5 w " H 2 EC H H - O a z cs x * o H O J ' a E w H c ** w G S ~ o I-) o a >d a Z en H o a j w Q Z a K ^ ^ h ^ a en o IGHT en OH C ~ O ^ > w ~ en b t-l ""* EC IV> X ^ 00 ; EMPLE H a - H oT THER I RENES, ~ H (4 O O a S en O Z O Q z o K K ( H W tC. p ~ U O CN. ^ H o ac M U) S3 cu pq O *" w UJ HH U EC o h 1 ' w H D en a e/f _; W 5 b o O cr a X r i o 1 1 a en Z tr\ 0) CL C/0 tn H Q a ac o H >-J o D EC O ST. MARTS CHURCH. 35 was laid by Mrs. Gladstone in 1869 ; that of the chancel by Canon Liddon on April 17, 1872. Mr. Hall Caine in his " Christian " introduces the Church at this crisis of its history as St. Mary Magdalene, Crown Street. Hogarth has given a representation of the south side of the old church in Hog Lane (the old name for Crown Street) in his picture of " Noon." published in 1738, a sketch of which is here shown, by kind permission of the Morning Leader. The figure coming out of the doorway is said to have been a very good likeness of his friend, the Rev. Thomas Herve, who was the minister there from about 1727 to 1731. This church, as the representative of the Savoy, has been considered as the mother church of the congregations of Huguenots at the West End of London, who conformed to the Church of England, using the English Book of Common Prayer in French, and having their clergy ordained by the Bishop of London. Their present church of St. John the Evangelist is in Bloomsbury Street, and the French service there is most interesting with the quaint old hymns and tunes. The present Vicar, Rev. Robert Gwynne (formerly curate of St. Anne's) was instituted on St. Andrew's Day, November 30, 1874. Restoration Committee His Grace the LORD ARCHBISHOP OF ARMAGH THE LORD BISHOP OF MARLBOROUGH The Right Hon. LOUD GEORGE HAMILTON, M.P. for Middlesex The Hon. W. F. D. SMITH, M.P. for the Strand The Right Hon. W. E. H. LECKV, M.P. for Trinity Coll. Dublin Mr. W. E. THOMPSON" SHARPE, M.P. for North Kensington The Rev. J. F. KITTO, Vicar of St. Martin-in-the-Fields, and Rural Dean The Rev. J. H. CARDWELL, Redtor of St. Anne's, Soho The Rev. A. W. OXFORD, Vicar of St. Luke's, Soho The Rev. ROBERT GWVNNE, Vicar of St. Mary's, Charing Cross Road The Hon. MAUDE STANLEY Sir E. MAUNDE THOMPSON, K.C.B., Principal Librarian, British Museum Dr. RICHARD GARNETT, C.B., Keeper of Printed Books, British Museum Mr. S. WAYLAND KERSHAW, F.S.A., Librarian of Lambeth Palace Mr. HALL CAINE, Greeba Castle, I>le of Man The Rev. SABINE BARING GOULD, Reftor of Lew Trenchard, North Devon Mr. B. F. STEVENS, 4 Trafa'gar Square Mr. A. GIRAUD BROWNING, Wandsworth Common With the approval of the Bishop of London, the Committee appeal for funds to put in a state of safety the old nave of St. Mary's, Soho, which has been condemned by the London County Council as a " dangerous structure." A competent builder estimates the cost of carrying out necessary improvements in the entire structure at about 1000. The parishioners are poor. The " City Bank," Shaftesbnry Avenue, in the parish has kindly consented to receive donations and subscriptions, which will be duly acknowledged. . r.*% I -VST,,* # -<" rf* **& c#v' afi?j'. v^S- ^- *^'*- \ 4M/^^M'^.\ ' KF:^' - J/P f: --*^ ^; Wj^ilj^f 2S-* -^ '^*^S|| / . ' >^.'^ n /('<' By permission of the "Daily Graphic." ( 37 ) VI. ST. PATRICK'S ROMAN CATHOLIC CHURCH SOHO SQUARE. Contributed, by the Rev. Dean Vere. (Rector of St. Patrick's.) ON the east side of Soho Square, at the south-west corner of Sutton Street, formerly stood Carlisle House, which we are told was built about the year 1690. There has been a great deal of confusion amongst writers on the subject of this mansion. There was evidently another " Carlisle " House, which existed not in Soho Square, but to the west of it, at the end of what is now called Carlisle Street, but which was then " King's Square Court," and afterwards called Den- mark Street, and also Merry Andrew Street. The description of the House, which now forms the premises of Edwards and Roberts, whose lower walls were of bright red bricks, of old English bond, standing in its own garden, with the famous " Cherry Garden " in the rear, applies to this family mansion of the Howards, which was erected soon after the Restoration. Of Carlisle House at the corner of Sutton Street we have no description except that which we gather from its records as the " Temple of Festivity " towards the latter part of the last century. It is conjectured that the garden of this mansion extended the whole length of Sutton Street, to what was then Hog Lane, afterwards called Crown Street, and now is Charing Cross Road. The House appears to have been built for Charles Howard, the third Earl of Carlisle. In the Parish Rate-book for 1707, Charles, the third Earl, is rated here for 5. Towards the stone base and iron railings of Soho Square, the Earl of Carlisle in 1748 subscribed the sum of ^60. The Rate Books also prove that members of the Howard family were residing there in 1749 and 1756. The writings, prints, papers, and advertisements of the period leave no doubt whatever that this house on the east side of Soho Square was originally the town mansion of the Earl of Carlisle. In 1756 or the following year, there arrived in England from the continent, a public singer who had make her mark in Germany and Italy. A German by birth, and evidently a woman of great tact, she was destined for many years to entertain " the votaries of fashion of both sexes" with a series of entertainments, masked balls, and con- certs, at once " fascinating and elegant." These were held in Carlisle House. This remarkable woman, who has been called the Circe of Soho Square, was Mrs. Teresa Cornelys. The Howards were in all probability immediately succeeded by this great leader of fashion. There is sufficient evidence to prove that she was residing in Carlisle House in 1761. In the grounds attached to the mansion she erected a large building, which consisted of two great rooms, one over the other, and used for balls, assemblies, and concerts. When this was eventually pulled down a very interesting relic was found, indicating the date of the erection of the building. This was a small copper- 38 INSTITUTIONS OF SOHO. plate, four-and-a-half inches by three-and-a-half inches, bearing the following inscription : " NOT VAIN BUT GRATEFUL IN HONOUR OF THE SOCIETY AND MY FIRST PROTECTRESS HONBLE MRS ELIZABETH CHUDLEIGH IS LAID THE FIRST STONE OF THIS EDIFICE JUNE ig 1761 BY ME TERESA CORNELYS '' TERESA CORNELYS. (From a caricature of the period.) I do not pretend to follow the fortune of this celebrate J adventuress. Royal personages, peers, peeresses, foreign ministers, and the aristoc- racy were her patrons and patronesses. They held high revel under the sway of this " Empress of Fashion." Concerts under the direc- tion of Bach, Abel, and others ; galas, masquerades, rural balls, festi- vals, harmonic meetings, society nights, subscription assemblies, and ST. PATRICK'S CHURCH. 39 such like festivities, were witnessed in rapid succession within the walls and grounds of this famous house. It is spoken of by a contem- porary as " by far the most magnificent place of public entertainment in Europe ; " and another avers that Carlisle House was " so well contrived for diversified amusements that no public entertainments could pretend to rival its attractions." The following advertisement is worthy of notice as it speaks of the entrances to the house : " 12 March, 1771. Annual Subscription Assembly. Tickets 215. The Doors will be opened at 9 o'clock and not before. Hackney chairs must come to the chair door in Soho Square, ranking from Greek Street. Carriages to the Coach door in Soho Square with the horses' heads towards Greek Street. The nobility and gentry's own chairs to the door in Sutton Street. These arrangements are earnestly requested to be observed, which will prevent any possibility of confusion, and render the access to the House extremely facile and agreeable." The entrance spoken of in Sutton Street is supposed to have been at the spot now occupied by the yard in front of Messrs. Crosse and Blackwell's cooperage, at the end of the church. Some idea of the size and accommodation of the mansion and its adjuncts and the splendour and magnificence of the entertainments provided by Mrs. Cornelys may be gathered from the following account of a forthcoming masked ball, February 19, 1776, taken from Lloyd's Evening Post. " For the information of our readers who intend to be at the Masquerade at Soho Square to-morrow we are happy to lay before them the follov/ing par- ticulars of the manner in which that elegant entertainment is to be conducted. The door will be opened at n o'clock precisely. The company are first to assemble in the Tea Rooms. As soon as these are sufficiently full, the doors leading to the great gallery will be opened and the Masks will enter through an elegant green walk with flowers and shrubs planted on each side. In the gallery, which will be curiously illuminated, is to be placed a Band of Music for Centre Dances. The Bridge room will be opened at the same time, and the circular space under the pavilion is to be appropriated for dancing Cotillons. The pavilion will be ceiled with looking glasses, which must produce a most charming reflection. The rest of that elegant apartment is laid out in a de- lightful garden perfumed with the odoriferous scent of the choicest flowers which the season can afford, and bordered with a thicket of the most curious shrubs, which will at once inspire the mind with the most rural ideas, and after the fatigues of the Dances, will afford a most desirable refreshment by the cool- ness of the shade. At i o'clock a Band of Music will announce the opening of the Supper Room by a March, and proceed at the head of the company up the great front stairs to the door of the Star room, at the entrance of which the most rural and delightful prospect will open upon the eye. In the middle of the Great Supper Room will appear an elegant walk bordered with two regular green Hedges, on each side of this beautiful walk is raised a curious platform where supper will be laid out on large round tables, each of which is encircled with trees, under whose embowering shade the Masks will sup, as if they were in pleine compagne, with the pleasure of seeing the rustic swains and their lasses mix in the gay dance on the turf beneath them. Those who may not 40 INSTITUTIONS OF SOHO. find room at these tables, may pass by the great back stairs into the stage- room which is laid out in a shrubbery with extraordinary taste ; in this and the Bridge-room, tables will be also laid for Supper, and the Masks, as they return into the Gallery, will be agreeably surprised by the opening of the Chinese- room which will be so decorated as to afford the most charming coup d'ceil. Upon the whole, there is every reason to believe that this will prove one of the most pleasing Entertainments that has been given to the town for many years, and that the night will be spent with true Arcadian felicity in this Paradis Terrcstc ! " Then follows a long paragraph of description, given on the author- ity of Mrs. Cornelys. From this we gather how spacious and elegant the mansion was, and how grandly it was furnished and decorated. EXTERIOR OF ST. PATRICK'S OLD CHURCH. She speaks of the various apartments, and among other rooms dilates on the beauty of the blue room, the red room, the tea room, the stage room, the bridge room with its grotto, the star room, the front drawing room, the ball room, the Chinese room, the great stairs, and the grand gallery, which was 120 feet in length. The size of these apartments may be gathered from the fact that over two thousand persons were present and entertained in them at the same time. At the beginning of the year 1778, Mrs. Cornelys's reign at Carlisle House was at an end, and the house was publicly advertised to be sold by private contract or "hired as usual." Mr. Hoffman, a confectioner, of Bishopsgate Street, undertook the management in 1779, but he was unsuccessful in his efforts. The rooms during the year were mostly ST. PATRICK'S CHURCH: 4 t appropriated to benefit concerts, and amongst others who had their benefits there were Cramer, Crosdil, Fischer, Giordani, Gonetti, and Fenducci. In 1780, Carlisle House was the meeting place of a debat- ing society called the " School of Eloquence." " The rooms," says a contemporary, " were very well and neatly fitted up in a style we have not seen in any debating rooms hitherto." But the society does not appear to have been a success. In May, masked balls and concerts were held ; but in June, July, and August the spacious rooms afforded a " promenade," which took place twice a week, and also on Sunday evenings. Admission 35., including tea, coffee, cappillaire, orgeat, and lemonade. It afterwards became a place for lectures, exhibitions of " monstrosities," and various amusements. Amongst others a ' town Ranelagh " was given in aid of " an Infant School of Genius." Mr. G. Clinch, in his book on " Soho and its Associations," says that Carlisle House was pulled down in 1788. Timbs, in his " Curiosi- ties of London," says that it was closed in 1797, and taken down in 1803 or 1804. On the site of the old mansion were erected two houses, formerly known as 2iA and 2iB Soho Square. The "edifice" erected by Mrs. Cornelys in 1761 was not demolished. In 1791 on October 26, a meeting of Catholic gentlemen was held in Covent Garden "to consider of the most effectual means of establish- ing a chapel to be called St. Patrick's, on a liberal and permanent foundation." The outcome of this meeting was the formation, with the approba- tion of the Catholic Bishop, Dr. Douglas, the Vicar Apostolic of the London district, of a society called " The Confraternity of St. Patrick." Through their efforts, the large edifice in Sutton Street, which Mrs. Cornelys had built, was rented for sixty-two years. In the June of that year, the Catholic Relief Act had been passed repealing the statutes of recusancy in favour of persons taking the Irish oath of allegiance of 1778. This Act likewise repealed the oath of supremacy, passed by William and Mary, as well as various declarations and disabilities, and it tolerated the schools and religious worship of Catholics. It seems incredible in these days of toleration and fair-play that a little more than one hundred years ago, loyal Catholics were obliged to sneak into chapels under the protection of a foreign Catholic ambas- sador, and there fulfil the duties imposed upon them by their religion. Yet such was the existing state of things. One instance will suffice. The Gentleman's Magazine gives the in- formation in 1767: that "another Mass house was discovered in Hog Lane, and the officiating Priest condemned to a perpetual imprison- ment." This for simply celebrating Mass and giving communion to a sick person ! After four years' imprisonment, his sentence was com- muted to exile for life ! In 1778 an Act of Parliament had been passed for relieving Catholics from certain penalties and disabilities imposed on them by an Act of +2 INSTITUTIONS OF SOHO. ii and 12 years of the reign of William III. This was of immense relief to all Catholics. They were now permitted to take an oath of allegiance to the Crown of Great Britain without at the same time the oaths of supremacy and the declaration against Transubstantiation, either of which latter oaths implied apostacy and renunciation of Catholicism. The result of that act of clemency was the famous Gordon Riots. The chief author of these riots of 1780 was John Wesley, who was bitterly hostile to any measure which tended to emancipate Catholics. A " Protestant Association " was formed with the object of petitioning for a repeal of the Relief Act of 1778. This conduct of the dissen- ters was the more remarkable, in- asmuch as they had already ob- tained an Adi of Toleration for themselves, and had always been loud proclaimers of the doctrines of civil and religious liberty. Filled with envy and jealousy at the smallest indulgence granted to Catholics, they held meetings in many parts of London, and wrote and spoke the most atrocious libels against the Catholic religion. Lord George Gordon became their pre- A GORDON sident. Catholic chapels were burnt down, as well as several houses belonging to Catholics. That short reign of terror, when the mob gained an almost complete mas- tery of London, is a matter of history. Rev. Arthur O'Leary, who afterwards was so intimately connected with St. Patrick's Church, was at this period in Ireland. He had an- swered and refuted Wesley's charges and inflammatory letters Whereas Wesley's attacks had thousands and thousands of readers, the priest who defended the Catholic religion had but a reader here and there, and so Father O'Leary 's tracts did not divert the coming storm. Speaking in the House of Commons on Feb. 26, 1782, Mr. Grattan said he could not hear the name of Father O'Leary mentioned with- out paying him that tribute of acknowledgment so justly due to his merit. " At the time that this very man lay under the censure of a law, which, in his own country, made him subject to transportation or death, from religious distinctions ; and at the time that a prince of his own religion threatened this country with an invasion, this re- spectable character took up his pen, and unsolicited, and without a motive but that of real patriotism, to urge his own communion to a disposition of peace, and to support the law which had sentenced him to transportation. A man of learning a philosopher a Franciscan he did the most eminent service to his country in the hour of its greatest ST. PATRICK'S CHURCH. 43 danger. He brought out a publication that would do honour to the most celebrated name. The whole kingdom must bear witness to its effect, by the reception they gave it. Poor in everything but genius and philosophy, he had no property at stake, no family to fear for ; but descending from the contemplation of wisdom, and abandoning the ornaments of fancy, he humanely undertook the task of conveying duty and instruction to the lowest class of the people. If I did not know him," continued Mr. Grattan, " to be a Christian clergyman, I should suppose him, by his works, to be a philosopher of the Augus- tine Age." Rev. Arthur O'Leary was a Franciscan friar, and, as a member of the Catholic Regular Clergy, was, under the then existing penal laws, subject to " transportation or death." This learned and witty Irish priest came to London in 1789, and became one of the Chaplains to the Spanish Embassy. He was moved by the terrible spectacle of the ignorance and poverty of his countrymen in Soho and its imme- 44 INSTITUTIONS OF SOHO. diate neighbourhood ; the misery of the thousands who, impelled by want in Ireland, had flocked to London, where they were living with- out the ministrations of any particular pastor of their own religion. The time was opportune, the new Act of Parliament encouraged them, and the gentlemen who constituted the " Confraternity of St. Patrick " set to work in earnest. The idea of converting the building in Sutton Street into a chapel first occurred to a Mr. Olivier, who communicated his views to Mr. George Keating, and his father, who lived in Wardour Street, and with whom Father O'Leary principally resided. An address to the public on the subject was drawn up by Father O'Leary and circulated through the metropolis. Bishop Douglas directed the attention of Catholics to the matter. The changes and improvements made in the building were considerable, and required a large sum of money to effect. " The original building consisted of two great rooms, one over the other, the upper part was, in the progress of the change, cut through, and enough of it, skirting in the organ end and sides, suffered to remain as answered for the level of the galleries. By the introduction of architectural and ornamental improvements," continues the old record, " the interior assumed an appearance of order and beauty, and what was once a scene of thoughtless gaiety and danger- ous amusement became, in a short time, a school of morality and virtue, where a pure and holy worship was offered to God." On September 29, 1792, the "chapel" was solemnly opened by Bishop Douglas, and the sermon on that occasion was preached by Father O'Leary. This was the first church in England dedicated to St. Patrick, and was one of the first " public Catholic chapels " in London which was not attached to an embassy. It was " supported by voluntary contributions," and until the end of 1813 was managed by a lay committee. The "rales and regulations to be observed for the management of the temporalities of St. Patrick's Chapel," were signed by the Bishop and the Board of Managers on January 3, 1798. After the Bishop's name come the signatures of the chaplain, Rev. Daniel Gaffey, and Rev. Arthur O'Leary. " The sermons preached by Father O'Leary in St. Patrick's Chapel were universally admired, and his auditory consisted of every class and description of persons." He had the consolation of seeing the happy fruits of his labours in the improved condition of the morals of the neglected poor. It was not, however, as a preacher and controversialist only that Father O'Leary shone ; he was an able diplomatist, an upright and conscientious politician, and above all, and besides all, a good man, in whom the poor and ignorant had a kind and constant friend. He had the reputation of being a wit of extraordinary versatility, and some of his sayings and repartees are truly ingenious, and character- istic of his Hibernian nationality. Though a great work was going on at St. Patrick's by the ministrations of this zealous disciple, yet God did not wish to prolong that life for many years. Towards the end of 1801 he fell into ill-health, and by the advice of his physician he went ST. PATRICK'S CHURCH. 45 to France, but the effbas of the voyage tended to hasten his death, and he passed peacefully away on the morning aftef his arrival, in the seventy-first or seventy-third year of his age. The Gentleman's Magazine (Ixxii., p. 90) says of Father O'Leary : " This remarkable clergyman mingled true piety and convivial talents, which to many would appear rather inconsistent. He was always cheerful, gay, sparkling with wit, full of anecdote and merry stories ; and never in company suffered his avocation to operate squeamishly or churlishly on the hilarity of those around him. In the language of his own Church let us say rcquiescat in i>ace." A description then follows of the requiem at St. Patrick's on January 13. " Mr. Webb presided at the organ, accompanied by an INTERIOR OF ST. PATRICK'S OLD CHURCH. orchestra filled with the first vocal performers of the Catholic persua- sion in London, among whom were Messrs. Kelly, Dignum, Danby, and Vinto." After paying high tribute to the funeral oration, preached by Rev. Morgan D'Arcy, who was one of the priests attached to St. Patrick's, and lived in Bateman's Buildings, the magazine adds : "A congregation of nearly 2000 real mourners concurred in the tribute of regret for the loss of so great and so good a man. He has gone to receive the reward of his admirable exertions, and may the bright example of his virtues direct and animate others in the same career." His remains were interred in St. Pancras' churchyard, and a monument placed over them by the Marquis of Hastings, a nobleman who highly valued his character, and testified to his memory and 46 INSTITUTIONS OF SOHO. genius. Eighty-nine years afterwards, I removed the mortal remains of this good and genial friar to the Catholic cemetery at Kensal Green, where after a solemn requiem Mass, they were interred in a grave close to that of Cardinal Wiseman. The old monument has been restored and placed over his grave. Another monument was also placed in St. Patrick's Chapel ; this is now in the new church. The Rev. Father N orris took charge of the chapel in 1809. The lease of the premises was assigned by the lay Committee to Bishop Poynter, and the management of St. Patrick's placed in his lordship's hands at the end of 1813. The mission was deplorably poor, and although the church was considered " a magnificent temple of God," there was not a statue in it, and only one or two pictures. In the body of the church, the free part, there were no seats until 1840, and the building was so densely crowded that there was scarcely standing room for the poor. The children were accommodated with seats in the organ gallery on either side of the organ. " Father O'Leary's Chapel," as St. Patrick's was called, became one of the most fashionable Catholic churches in London. St. Patrick's Day, and the great feasts of Easter, Whitsuntide, and Christmas were celebrated with becoming solemnity, and on these occasions the Bishop used to assist. In 1838 the Catholic Institute of Great Britain was founded and held its meetings for about ten years at 14 Soho Square. An anony- mous writer sending me a donation for the Children's Day in the Country some years ago, speaking of the old times, wrote : " The venerable Father Norris might be said to be one of the last old-fash- ioned priests. He wore knee-breeches and a wide-brimmed hat/' He was a very earnest preacher. The writer remembered a sermon preached by him on the " Prodigal Son," about the year 1838, and he added that he never would forget it. He then speaks of his goodness and piety. Catholic preachers at this period used to preach only on moral subjects, controversy being excluded as a forbidden subject:. In 1848 the Very Rev. Canon Long became Rector of St. Patrick's. He collected money towards the purchase of ground and the election of a new church, designs for which were prepared by Pugin and War- dell. The ground required could not be obtained, and so the project fell through. One of the principal benefactors was Miss Leigh, the niece of Martha Grazebrook, a relative of David Garrick, the actor. The Rev. Thomas Barge, or as he was always called, " Father Barge, 1 ' succeeded Canon Long in 1860. This good priest laboured most zealously and earnestly for nearly forty years among the poor of Soho and St. Giles's. In the early forties he came to St. Patrick's, and was known as the " handsome curate." He had a most wonderful love for the little ones of the flock. The children used to gather round him wherever he went, and his pockets were often filled with sweets and other prizes for his little favourites. The school report of 1849 speaks of his "enlightened zeal, benevolence, and energetic exertions " among the children, INTERIOR OF ST. PATRICK'S NEW CHURCH. 48 INSTITUTIONS OF SO HO. The lease of the old chapel had been renewed in 1853, at an in- creased rent. In 1865, the freehold, with two houses adjoining in Spho Square, was purchased. Father Barge always expressed his most sincere gratitude to Messrs. Crosse and Blackwell for their kind, generous, and most neighbourly conduct at the sale of the property, and on all other occasions. The same considerate and neighbourly kindness has been always extended by this firm towards the clergy and the church of St. Patrick's, and to the many Catholics in their employ. Father Barge gathered together funds towards the erection of the new church ; and the vestments, church plate, and church furniture, which he acquired were always of the best. He spent large sums in trying to make the old building more worthy and presentable as a place of religious worship. He was always most zealous for the tem- poral as well as the spiritual welfare of the poor. He instituted tem- perance and teetotal societies, and guilds for men, women, and children. He also started a Penny Bank, by means of which thou- sands of pounds of the hard-earned savings of the poor were saved for them. It was during the rectorship of this good priest that I came to Soho, in 1868, as third curate. I had been ordained about a fortnight. On the first Sunday of October Father Barge was to have preached in the evening, but not being very well, he left Soho in the morning. I was then told I must preach. " Well," I said, " I'll preach if you can get me a screw- driver ! " What had that useful instrument to do with a sermon ? My " notes " were still screwed up in a packing-case with my books. The screwdriver was found, and I preached my first sermon in Soho. There was much controversy concerning me, as the result of that sermon, many declaring that I was an out-and-out Irishman. During those first five years of my missionary life I gained a knowledge of Soho and its surroundings. I have preached with others in an out-door mission in the old " rookery," known as Church Lane, where dwelt some fifteen hundred of the Irish poor. The mission sermons were preached from the " tail of a cart " ; and Cardinal Manning assisted and preached two or three of the sermons. It was no easy work. The weather was inclement, and on one occa- sion it snowed. When the good Father Barge died, the requiem took place at St. Patrick's, Soho. Those who were present will not easily forget the devotion of the poor to the memory of their beloved pastor. Not only was the church crowded, but Sutton Street, Crown Street, and Soho Square were thronged with thousands and thousands of those good devoted children of St. Patrick, the Irish poor, who had learnt to love and venerate one who had indeed been to all a real father. After an absence of nearly twelve years I was sent back to Soho by the late Cardinal to carry on the good work of my worthy predecessor, and I had to build a new church and new schools. At a great expense and after much anxiety, the schools in Great Chapel Street were built and opened. Then came the building of the church. Through ST. PATRICK'S CHURCH. 49 the charity and generosity of zealous Catholics, money had been collected and subscribed, not only sufficient to pay for the freehold, but a certain sum was placed to the Building Fund of the new church. In 1889 the old chapel was found to be unsafe, and the District Surveyor advised its demolition as soon as possible. The man- ner in which the change from the old concert room to the chapel had been effected became evident as the building was pulled down. The result of cutting away the upper floor materially weakened THE VERY REV. CANON LONG. the structure, and the roof being excessively massive and heavy, the side walls, in the course of years had been so far thrust asunder, that upon examination the huge beams were in some places only a few inches in the walls. The good workmanship and the splendid material added to the natural strength of the walls, and prevented what might have been a dreadful catastrophe, the entire collapse of the building. The old " chapel " was not condemned to be pulled down, and the new church erected before it was absolutely necessary. D 50 INSTITUTIONS OF SOHO. The foundation stone of the new church was laid on June 18, 1891. For two years the inconvenience of a school chapel was most cheerfully put up with by the faithful and devoted congregation of St. Patrick's. On St. Patrick's Day, 1893, the new church was opened. It is in the Italian or Renaissance style. The church is built in red brick. At the corner of Sutton Street and Soho Square a red brick campanile rises to the height of about 125 feet. In the campanile is placed THK REV. THOMAS BARGE. the bell, and facing the square in a niche is a beautiful statue in white Portland stone of St. Patrick. The portico is also of white Portland, supported by Corinthian columns and pilasters ; in the tympanum is sculptured the Papal arms. The frieze bears the inscription Ut Christian! itaet Romani Sitis " As you are children of Christ so be you children of Rome " taken from the words of St. Patrick as recorded in the Book of Armagh. The entrance porch is large and lofty and contains the famous beautiful marble figure of the dead Christ ST. PATRICK'S CHURCH. 51 supported by an angel, which many years ago was given by Mr. Burgess. Under this is the holy water stoup. Passing from the porch through folding doors, we enter the antechapel, or Narthex, divided from the church by iron gates. This portion of the structure, from which may be obtained a good view of the interior of the church and of the High Altar, remains open nearly all day long. On the right is an entrance to the Presbytery, and the mural monu- ment to the great Father O'Leary. On the left is a flight of stone steps leading to the Tribune and to the Sodality Chapel. A few steps further a door leads down another flight of steps to a large Confraternity Room, which may be used for meetings, etc. Entering the church by the iron gates to the left is the Baptistry. In the recesses which follow are the Confessionals and a small porch, leading into Sutton Street, also the Altarina, which contains the picture of St. Patrick. The pulpit is of carved marble. Over the confessionals and side porch are some beautiful paintings, one of which is by Murillo. The organ is on the left of the sanctuary. The choir is a surpliccd one, and occupies the choir stalls, which are of carved walnut wood polished. The altar and altar rails are of choice Italian marble, and richly carved. The sanctuary and altar steps are of marble, and the floor of the sanctuary of polished parquetry. The sanctuary walls are richly decorated. On the left of the sanctuary is a small working sacristy, and on the right are the priests' and choir sacristies. On the right side of the church there are five side chapels. The one nearest the High Altar is dedicated to our Lady of Sorrows, which is admirably lighted from above. This contains the beautiful Pieta, and the grand pictures by Van Dyke and Carlo Dolci. The other chapels contain altars dedicated to the Sacred Heart, St. Joseph, SS] Martha and Mary Magdalene, and Our Lady of Lourdes. The church consists of one open span of roof, and the floor space for benches is un- broken by pillars, so that a clear view of the sanctuary is obtained from all parts. The lighting is from the clerestory, and the windows being glazed with ribbed glass, the rays of the sun are broken without obscuring the light, giving to the whole building an unusual amount of light and cheerfulness. The grouping of the pilasters with their fine ornamental Corinthian capitals and the rich mouldings and bold designs of the cornices give a very noble appearance to the edifice. A semi-circular roof springs from above the cornice over the windows, This roof is panelled and is richly decorated. The flooring of the church is wood blocks, and the heating apparatus is of hot water, which diffuses a genial warmth throughout the building, without overheating certain portions. The total external length is 157 feet. The nave is internally 92 feet long and 34 feet wide, the total width of nave and aisles being internally 47 feet. The height of nave is 57 feet. The sanctuary is 27 feet long and 25 feet wide. The architect is Mr. John Kelly. An intarasting and almost forgotten scrap of Catholic history may fitly close this article. From 1792 to 1799 the French clergy were THE REV. DEAN VERE. Rector of St. Patrick's Church, Soho Square. ST. PATRICK'S SCHOOLS. 53 driven out of France. At one time there were in England, from thirty to forty French Bishops and 10,000 emigre priests, of whom 8,000 were entirely dependent on public charity for board and lodging. The public Treasury (under Mr. Pitt) granted 8000 a. month for these exiles. Collections were, of course, made in the Catholic churches, but what is most remarkable is that the Archbishops of Canterbury and York set on foot collections in all the churches under their juris- diction for these poor exiled Catholic priests, and obtained the large sum of 40,000. The Government, altogether, gave nearly half a million of money. Many of these priests lived in Denmark Street, where they had a private chapel. VII. -ST. PATRICK'S SCHOOLS. This short sketch of St. Patrick's would be indeed incomplete without a word concerning the schools. St. Patrick's was the " Church of the Poor " its mission was to the poor neglected Irish of Soho and St. Giles's. The object of opening the chapel was " to disseminate instruction, etc., to reclaim from vice." In March, 1803, St. Patrick's Charity School was established by a few worthy individuals " to meet the evil by a remedy early education ! " The Schools were opened "for the daily and gratuitous instruction of both male and female children of Irish parents." In 1805 the benefit of this charity was extended to the support and maintenance of destitute orphans of poor Catholics. From the report published in 1817, we learn that " from small beginnings the institution (School and Orphanage) had reached, notwithstanding many dis- couraging circumstances, a state of unexpected importance and extensive utility." Six hundred children were receiving daily instruction, and hundreds of pounds were spent annually in the sole item of clothing, In 1822 St. Patrick's Schools " educated the whole of the Irish children west of a line running north and south through Fleet Market" now Farringdon Street. His Royal Highness the Duke of Sussex first became an annual subscriber to these schools in 1820, and for ten successive years presided at the annual dinner for their support. Daniel O'Connell was also one of the leading supporters of the charity, which at this time cost on an average over 1000 annually ; and this money was entirely raised by voluntary subscriptions, sermons, and the yearly dinner collection. In 1852 the schools were transferred from Dean Street and Thorney Street to Tudor Place, Tottenham Court Road, " The contiguity of Tudor Place to the miserable district of St. Giles's, where so many of the destitute Irish seek for shelter will," says the report, " render the schools easy of access." 1853 was the Jubilee year of St. Patrick's Schools. The Boys' school was taught by the Christian Brothers, and was not under Government inspection. Of the Girls' School the inspector reported " an exceed- ingly well-conducted school, in which unusually satisfactory results have 54 INSTITUTIONS OF SOHO. been already secured." Up to this time more than 20,000 children had been educated in these schools. There was an " upper school '' for boys, and from their numbers many were chosen, sent to college, and afterwards became most zealous priests in the English Mission, and amongst the number was the late Vicar-General, the Right Reverend Monsignor Provost Gilbert, of St. Mary's, Moorfields. In 1870 in addition to the Tudor Place Schools there were schools in White Lion Street, Greek Street, and Newport Market, with more than 1200 children on the books. The new schools in Great Chapel Street, Oxford Street, were opened on February 13, 1888, and have accommo- dation for 741 children. These schools are erected on freehold ground, and fitted up with all the appliances of modern education. They are under Government inspection, and owing to the zealous and conscientious labours of the teachers, the highest state of efficiency has been steadily maintained throughout the various departments. Besides several private venture schools, the schools of St. Patrick's Mission before they were transferred to Great Chapel Street, existed at different times in the following places : Beaumont Place, Carlisle Street, Crown Street, Dean Street, Dean Yard, Denmark Street, Dyott Street, George Street, Great White Lion Street, Greek Street, Hertford Place, Little Dean Street, Newport Market, Pancras Street, Princes Row, Stacey Street, Thorney Street, and Tudor Place. The story of St. Patrick's furnishes a very interesting chapter in the history of the parish, and we are much indebted to the Rev. Dean Vere for all the trouble he has taken in writing it. It is only one of the many a<5ts in which he shows himself a good neighbour. \Ve may add to what he has told us about his work amongst his own people at St. Patrick's, that he renders good service to the parish as a member of the Vestry and of the Strand Board of Works. On these Boards his regular attendance and his remarkable business capacity are greatly valued. a $ in (56) VIII. CHURCH OF NOTRE DAME DE FRANCE. (CHURCH OF THE MARIST FATHERS, LEICESTER PLACE.) THE founding of this church over thirty years ago was due to the suggestion of Cardinal Wiseman that the faithful in France should help their refugee brothers in England. It was his idea to evangelise the little foreign colony by means of some religious order, and the HIGH ALTAR, CHURCH OF NOTRE DAME DE FRANCE. Marist Society, a young religious order, accepted the task. The Marist Father, R. P. Charles Faure, came to London, in the first instance, to study the best way of undertaking the work, and after returning to Paris to get further enlightenment, he took up his task with the courage and energy of one who meant to carry it through. Leicester Square and its neighbourhood became the place of his mission, and RE\*. FATHER THOMAS. Superior of the diarist Fathers. 5 8 INSTITUTIONS OF SOHO. the Church of Notre Dame de Victoires was the model of the sanctuary which he wished to reproduce in London. He entered upon his work in 1865, and in 1868 the church was opened, corresponding in every part to the sanctuary in Paris. A boys' school was also opened at 18 Lisle Street (Leicester House), under the charge of the Marist Brothers ; and a girls' and infants' school, and a home, under the care of the Sisters of the " T. S. Sacre- ment de Romans " at 16 Leicester Square. The work, humble and small in its beginnings, has every year developed its influence for good. There are now four priests attached to the church, Revs. L. Thomas (Superior), E. Charrier, J. B. Gay, and M. Robin. The congregations are large, and the Baptismal Registers show a considerable number of children baptized. The clergy are constant in their visitation of their people all over London, and they pay special attention to their fellow- countrymen in the French hospital in Shaftesbury Avenue. At the same time the Belgians, Swiss, and Italians of the district are able to avail themselves of the religious privileges which are offered to them. The church is also a centre for charitable effort, and a considerable sum is given away annually, chiefly to those of the French Colony, who may be in distress. THE ST. ANTHONY'S BREAD CHARITY gives bread, coals, and shelter, by tickets. There is a distribution every day at 10 o'clock a.m. A Club for young men is also held in the schoolrooms. This is chiefly used in the winter evenings. There is no endowment, and all the religious and charitable work is supported entirely by the voluntary offerings of the faithful. The site of the church was formerly occupied by Burford's panorama, a favourite kind of exhibition in the earlier part of this century. Mr. Hollingshead in his charming little book on Leicester Square, quoting from M. Germain Bapst, gives an interesting account of the origin of panoramas. Their invention was due to a painter named Robert Barker, who lived in Edinburgh towards the close of the last century. In 1785 he was imprisoned for debt in the Scotch capital. His cell was lighted by an airhole in one of the corners, which left the lower part of the room in such darkness that he could not read the letters sent to him. He found, however, that when he placed them against the part of the wall lighted by the air-hole, the words became very distinct. The effect was most striking. It occurred to him that if a picture were placed in a similar position, it would have a wonderful effect. Accordingly on his liberation, he made a number of experiments which enabled him to improve his invention, and on June 19, 1787, he obtained a patent in London which establishes his claim to be the inventor of the circular panorama. After his success in London, Burke introduced panoramas into France and other countries, and for some time they were a most popular form of entertainment. FRENCH PROTESTANT CHURCH, SOHO SQUARE. IX. FRENCH PROTESTANT CHURCH, 8 AND g SOHO SQUARE. BY the courtesy of Pasteur Degremont we are able to give some details of the congregation over which he presides, and whose present hand- some church in Soho Square was opened in 1893, by the Bishop of London. This church is the place of worship, not only of the French population in Soho, but also for the descendants of the refugees who sought the protection of Edward VI, of whom it is the fourth church. In the first church, at Austin Friars, worshipped the French and Dutch refugees who, being persecuted in their own countries, sought the protection of England. King Edward VI granted them the use of the ancient Church of St. Augustine by the Charter of July 24, 1550. With the increase in the number of French refugees it became necessary to have another church, and from October 16, 1550, until January 3, 1841, nearly 300 years, the French congregation met in the Chapel of St. Antoine, Threadneedle Street, which belonged to the Chapter of Windsor. This chapel was burned down in the Great Fire of London, 1666, and was rebuilt by the French Huguenots at a cost of j33oo. The Revocation of the Edict of Nantes considerably increased the number of Huguenot refugees, and several new churches were built for their use. Two letters are in the Library of the French church in Soho Square containing King James II's authorisation for their erec- tion. By order of the King a collection was made in all the churches of the kingdom to help the Huguenots, and the amount collected amounted to over 63,000. The third Church was built at St. Martin's-le-Grand in 1841, and r.fter about fifty years was bought from the Consistory for the enlarg- ment of the General Post Office for 26,000. With this sum the present site and church were obtained. The handsome church in terra-cotta was erected by Mr. Aston Webb, who will this year build the new schools belonging to the same church in Noel Street. X. BLOOMSBURY HALL, MEARD STREET. THIS building was originally Salem Chapel, and was built in the summer of 1824 by a congregation of Strict Baptists. The chapel, including the erection of side galleries which were added in 1829, cost 4000, and seated 674 persons. The pastor was Mr. John Stevens, an interesting sketch of whose life has been kindly lent for the purpose of this article by Mr. John Box, the present pastor of the Baptist BLOOMSBURY HALL. 61 Chapel in Shaftesbury Avenue. Before Mr. Stevens and his congre- gation built Salem Chapel, they used a chapel in York Street, St. James's, which formerly belonged to the Spanish Ambassador. Dur- ing this period, owing to an unhappy dispute, the congregation divided, and part removed eventually to Soho Chapel, Oxford Street, at present used as a school by the French Protestant Church, Soho Square. For twenty-three years Mr. John Stevens ministered to his congrega- tion in Meard's Court, which was then a much more Christian, but not more orderly, locality than at present. Mr. Stevens was the author of many religious books, as well as a hymn writer; and on his death in 1847 a tablet was erected in Salem Chapel, which has now BLOOMSBURY HALL. been removed to the Baptist Chapel in Shaltcsbury Avenue. The inscription is as follows : " This tablet was creeled by the baptized Church of Christ meeting in this place, to the memory of their late Pastor, John Stevens, Who departed this life, October 6, 1847, in the 72nd year of his age. " He was upwards of fifty years an eminent minister of Jesus Christ, an elo- quent advocate of the dodrines of sovereign grace, as flowing from a Triune Jehovah, by purpose, purchase, and power, and an able and successful defender of the ancient complex existence of the Son of God. His 'writings remain to shew his capacious and sandtified mind ; and by them ' he being dead, yet speaketh.' " In 1878 the Strict Baptists removed to Shaftesbury Avenue, and the remainder of the lease of Salem Chapel, Meard's Court, was sold to Messrs. R. and W. Wilson and Sons, of Wardour Street. This firm owned the building for eight years, and used it as a warehouse. The second stage in its history as a centre of religious work was begun in 1886, when it was obtained by the Soho and St. Giles's Mission in 62 INSTITUTIONS OF SOHO. connexion with Bloomsbury Chapel, and received its present name ot Bloomsbury Hall. The Mission was begun in 1849, when Bloomsbury Chapel was built, and the first Missionary, Mr. G. W. McCree, came up from Norwich with the first pastor, Dr. Brock, both being well known to Sir Morton Peto, Bart., who built Bloomsbury Chapel, very largely at his own expense. Mr. McCree held services first at a hall in King Street, Five Dials, which was pulled down to make room for Cambridge Circus. Mr. McCree was succeeded by Mr. W. Harrison, who after many years of successful work, was called to the pastorate of Orange Street Chapel in 1895. The Mission is now worked by the members of the Bloomsbury Chapel congregation, assisted by a Mission Sister ; aud many services and meetings are held weekly for the benefit of the people of the neighbourhood. \Ve must thank Mr. \V. J. Benham, one of the Hon. Sees., for the information he has given about the Mission. The building is now almost identical with the original Salem Chapel, except that a plat- form and open benches have taken the place of a small pulpit and pews. There are also a few old gravestones, but the inscriptions are not specially interesting. XL LONDON CITY MISSION. IN 1837, the first year of the Queen's reign, the London City Mission began to work in St. Anne's parish, and has continued that work to the present time. At that time mission services were conducted by Captain Trotter and a City Missionary, in a vault under the Bazaar. In 1876 Mr. Stuart Trotter purchased the lease of 60 Frith Street, and built a commodious mission hall at the back of the house, capable of seating a hundred-and-twenty persons. In this house the City Mis- sionary, Mr. A. Pino, resides. Services are held every Sunday at 3 p.m. and 7 p.m., and every Tuesday at 7.30 p.m. From time to time there are also special meetings for men on Wednesday evenings. Mr. A. Pino is responsible for all the services except those on Tuesday evenings, which are conducted by Mr. C. Pell. He has worked in the parish for twenty-two years, and visits factories and workshops as well as Jews and other foreigners. Mr. Pell also visits workshops and the Lock Hospital in Dean Street, and his period of service extends over seventeen years. Twenty-seven years ago the City Mission appointed a missionary to visit the French, for whom Mr. Cantwell has for fourteen years held services at 6 Frith Street. This work has been very much helped by Mrs. Miller, who was mainly instrumental in starting it. This year Mrs. Miller feels herself obliged, on account of other engagements, to withdraw from active co-operation with the Missionary, but the Mission LONDON CITY MISSION. 63 sion will still retain her deep interest and liberal support. Mr. Cant- well will still have the active assistance of Mrs. Robson and Mrs. Rowley Hill. Mr. Travers, the Italian Missionary, has visited his countrymen in Solio for twenty years, and has meetings for them every Sunday, at 4 Frith Street. In connection with the work of the Society amongst foreigners, it may interest our readers to glance over the following table of the various nationalities in Soho, for which we are indebted to Mr. A. Shenvell, in his " Life in West London." Africans 4 French 901 Persians 2 Servians . i Americans . . 81 Germans 1070 Poles 481 Spaniards . 29 Austrians . , 107 Greeks 7 Portuguese. . 4 Swedes . 127 Belgians 174 Hungarians 27 Roumanians. 4 Swiss . 258 Danes . 26 Italians 652 Russians . . 232 Turks 9 Dutch . 88 Norwegians 9 Total 4 2 95 The object cf the London City Mission, as stated by its Com- mittee, is "to extend the knowledge of the Gospel among the inhabi- tants of London and its vicinity (especially the poor) without any reference to denominational distinctions. 1 ' In carrying out this object the missionaries are directed "to visit from house to house, read the Scriptures, engage in religious conversation, and urge those who are living in the neglect of religion to observe the Sabbath and attend public worship." The office of the Society is 3 Bridewell Place, New Bridge Street, E.C. SISTER KATHARINE AXH SISTER LILY (WEST LONDON MISSION). ( 65 ) XII. WEST LONDON MISSION, LINCOLN HOUSE, 60 GREEK STREET. ALTHOUGH this Mission has not been founded here more than ten years, yet the importance of the social work carried on at Lincoln House, together with the interesting history of the house itself, claim a place amongst the Institutions of Old Soho. The Rev. Hugh Price Hughes, the Superintendent of the West London Mission, informs us that Sir Thomas Lawrence, the famous portrait painter, formerly lived here, and that his celebrated picture of the Duke of Wellington was painted in the large, well-lighted room at the top of the house, which was then a studio. The house afterwards was used for many years as a school for poor Jewish children, and ultimately became a notorious club of evil fame, which was at last raided and broken up by the police. About ten years ago the Wesleyan Mission for West London ob- tained possession of the place, and named it Lincoln House, after the college in Oxford, of which John Wesley was a Fellow. This house is the headquarters of the Mission. Sister Katharine has for some years been the resident Sister-in- charge ; and Sister Lily, the Treasurer of the Sisterhood Fund, also resides there. On the ground floor are the offices of Mr. Lumsden, the Financial Secretary, who until lately was the chief cashier of the Salvation Army. On the same floor there is also a Dispensary, and a waiting room, where the poor receive from week to week the invaluable and gratuitous services of Mr. Philip A. Houghton, M.R.C.S., the Hon. Dispensary Surgeon to the Mission. Lincoln House is also the centre of the Musical Department of the Mission. This is also the centre of the District Nursing Work, which extends over a much larger area than Soho. The Musical Director, Mr. Heath Mills, occupies the first floor of the House. One end is par- titioned off as his office, and the other part of the large floor he uses for an orchestral band practice, or a choir practice for adults nearly every evening in the week. These practices bring together, especially on summer evenings, quite a concourse of listeners outside. The Creche formerly carried on at Lincoln House has lately been moved to Craven Hall, where it meets a great want of this neighbour- hood, in which so many women are obliged to go out to work. The spacious rooms of Lincoln House are also used by numerous societies and guilds and classes, which make up much of the religious and social life of the Mission. We are only concerned to record the work done by the Wesleyan West End Mission in our parish of Soho, but their efforts extend over a much larger field, including nearly the whole of West-Central London. The present leaders of the Mission take a liberal and enlightened view of their work, and are most willing to co-operate with the clergy of the Church of England in all that concerns the brightening and E REV. HUGH PRICE HUGHKS AND REV. MARK GUY PEARSE. Leaders of the West London Mission. WEST LONDON MISSION. 67 improving of the lot of the people. Their aim is to show sympathy with the poor in their struggles and difficulties, and to help them wisely and well, rather than to make proselytes for themselves. Their representatives have also lately seen the wisdom of getting elected as Vestrymen and Guardians, in order that they may enlarge their opportunities of watching the interests of the poor. Altogether we may be thankful for what the Wesleyan Mission is doing to solve some of the hard problems of poverty and misery in this part of London. XIII. WESTMINSTER GENERAL DISPENSARY, 9 GERRARD STREET. (Founded 1774.,) Chairman of Committee : T. F. BLACKWELL, ESQ., J.P. Two centuries ago, when St. Anne's parish came into existence, there were but two hospitals in London for the reception of the sick : St. Bartholomew's, founded in 1122, and St. Thomas', founded 1213. These were both well endowed ; the first institution of the kind sup- ported by voluntary contributions was Westminster Hospital, which was established in the year 1719. Licences to practise as physicians or surgeons in London, and within a radius of seven miles therefrom, were granted by the Bishop of London or the Dean of St. Paul's after examination of the candidates by experts. The profession of barber and surgeon were still one, their title being the Company of Barber- Surgeons. It was not until the year 1745 that the union of the two arts was dissolved and the Surgeons incorporated in a separate com- pany, which was subsequently, by a charter of the Fortieth year of King George III., denominated the Royal College of Surgeons in London. For these facls we are indebted to a " Retrospect " published by the Vestry at the bi-centenary of the parish of St. James', Picca- dilly. In the same pamphlet there were other details showing how inadequate and imperfect, and even sometimes how brutal, was the treatment of the sick in the earlier part of last century, in the time which just preceded the establishment of the Westminster General Dispensary in Gerrard Street in 1774. In St. Anne's Burial Register from 1791 to 1812 it is remarkable how many entries there are of deaths from small-pox, and how great was the mortality among the children. Amongst the causes of death named we note the following amongst others, " St. Anthony's Fire," " Yellow Gaunders," " Gin Fever," " Watery Gripes," " King's-evil," " Cut his throat," " Shot himself," " Threw himself out of the top garret window," &c., showing that in those days it was not the custom to enter the cause of death in accordance with a medical certificate. It is not often that a tavern becomes a dispensary, and yet there is a certain whimsical fitness in the nature of things, that the jovial house 68 INSTITUTIONS OF SO HO. where a former generation laid the foundation of gout and those ills which are caused by the pleasures of the table, should afterwards afford relief to their descendants. In this case the whirligig of Time brings its consolations. The identification of No. 9 Gerrard Street with the famous Turk's Head Tavern of the latter half of the eighteenth century is asserted by Dr. Rimbault in his book on " Soho audits Associations"; and no doubt he had excellent reasons for his statement. But other direct evidence is hard to find, except the chair which is still shewn in one of the fine rooms at the Dispensary as the very seat where Dr. Samuel Johnson so often sat at the meetings of the CLUB. Taking this chair as our sheet-anchor, we shall assume that this noble house, with its spacious rooms, panelled walls and wide staircase, is the very Turk's Head Tavern, where in 1764 was founded, on the suggestion of Sir Joshua Reynolds, THE CLUB, or as it was called at Mr. Garrick's funeral, the LITERARY CLUB. The original members numbered nine, amongst whom the most famous were Sir Joshua Reynolds, Dr. Samuel Johnson, Mr. Edmund Burke, Dr. Oliver Gold- smith, and Sir John Hawkins. Boswell tells us that they used to meet " at the Turk's Head, in Gerrard Street, Soho, one evening in every week at seven, and gener- ally continued their conversation till a pretty late hour." After about ten years, instead of supping weekly, it was resolved to dine together once a fortnight during the meeting of Parliament. Dr. Johnson seems to have taken the greatest interest in the meetings of this Club. "The CLUB holds very well together," he wrote on May 10, 1766. His im- petuosity is well shown as to the election of Garrick the actor. Not long after the institution of the CLUB, Sir Joshua Reynolds was speak- ing to Garrick. " I like it much," said he, " I think I shall be of you." When Sir Joshua mentioned this to Dr. Johnson, he was much dis- pleased with the actor's conceit. "He'll be of its," said Johnson, "how does he know we will permit him ? the first duke in England has no right to hold such language." However, when Garrick was regularly proposed some time afterwards, Johnson, though he had taken mo- mentary offence at his arrogance, warmly and kindly supported him, and he was accordingly elected, was a most agreeable member, and continued to attend the meetings to the time of his death. The CLUB still flourishes, and kept its centenary in 1864. Its numbers were gradually increased, till in 1798 they were fixed at forty. Their place of meeting has been several times changed, at the end of last century being the old Thatched House in St. James' Street. Sir Walter Scott was a member, and also Macaulay. And perhaps a fitting conclusion to these scenes of festivity long gone by, when public opinion did not condemn drunkenness as it does now, may be quoted from Sir George Trevelyan's Life and Letters of Lord Macau- lay. " I was amused," he writes on his first introduction to the CLUB, " in turning over the records, to come upon poor Bozzy's signature, evidently affixed when he was too drunk to guide his pen." WESTMINSTER GENERAL DISPENSARY. 69 But ten years saw a great change come over 9 Gerrard Street. It ceased to be a tavern ; the CLUB knew it no more ; but it began a history of beneficence which has continued for over 120 years ; and to which the inhabitants of a wide area, and not least those of the parish in which it is situated, can bear thankful witness. We happen to know the exact intentions of those who founded the Westminster General Dispensary, for there hangs to-day just behind the chair which tra- dition asserts to have been Dr. Johnson's, a framed and faded copy of Lloyd's Evening Post, dated September 19-21, 1774 (price twopence half-penny), in which the following notice appears : "WESTMINSTER GENERAL DISPENSARY, GERRARD ST. " August 29, 1774. " Several Noblemen and Gentlemen have instituted a General Dispensary for Westminster and Places adjacent, and opened a House in Gerrard Street, Soho, for giving Advice and Medicines to such useful Persons as support them- selves by their Industry when in Health, but are utterly unable to struggle with the Expences of Sickness ; and cannot, without Injury to their private Affairs, leave their Habitations to receive the Benefit of other Institutions. " To render the Advantages of this Society extensively useful, and to give the Generous and Humane an Opportunity of doing much Good, even by small Donations, they sollicit the Assistance of the Public, and inform them, that every Subscriber of One Guinea per annum may have one Patient in Physic, Surgery, or Midwifry constantly upon the Books, and any greater Number in Proportion to their Subscriptions. " Those who are able to go abroad have Advice and Medicines at the Dis- pensary ; and those who are confined to a Bed of Sickness are visited at their Own Houses with Care, Attention, and Humanity. " Plans of the Institution may be had at the Dispensary ; J. and T. Coutts, New Exchange Buildings, Strand ; John Drummond, Esq., & Co., Charing- cross ; Messrs. Croft and Backwell, Pall Mall ; The London Exchange Bank- ing Company, St. James's-street ; Messrs. Chambers, Franks, Hercy and Birch, and Messrs. Pybus, Byde, Dossett, and Cockell, New Bond Street ; Messrs. Sayer, Coote, Purdon & Co., Oxford Street ; Messrs. Pigot and Purvis, Adam- street, Adelphi ; and at John Harries, Esq., Treasurer, near Exeter 'Change, Strand ; where Subscriptions are received, " By Order of the Governor, " ANTHONY CLARKE, Secretary.''' Few institutions of a similar age can boast that their founders' wishes are still so exactly carried out ; for though physic and surgery may have known many revolutions since 1774, yet there are many inhabitants of St. Anne's who would gladly testify that still " those who are confined to a Bed of Sickness are visited " by the aid of this in- stitution," "at their own Houses with Care, Attention, and Humanity." XIV. ROYAL EAR HOSPITAL, .* FRITH STREET, SOHO SQUARE. Patron HER MAJESTY THE QUEEN. THE Royal Ear Hospital was founded as far back as the year 1816 in Dean Street, Soho, under the name of the " Royal Dispensary for Diseases of the Ear," and it is the oldest Institution for the special treatment of Aural and allied Diseases, not only in this country, but in Europe. In the early part of 1876, it became necessary on account of the expiration of the lease, the increased attendance of patients, and the inadequacy of the premises for the purposes of the Hospital, to remove the Institution to its present quarters in Frith Street. The accommodation in this building enabled the Committee in 1833 to open a Department for In-door Patients, consisting of Wards for Males and Females, and a special Ward for Children. These important extensions and improvements have greatly increased the usefulness of the Insti- tution, but they have also considerably increased the annual expenditure, which continues to be a severe strain on the available funds of the Charity. From an early date the Committee have adopted the provident or part-payment system for patients who are in a position to pay a small fee, and the contributions from this source continue to form a sub- stantial item in the annual revenue. It is computed that upwards of 138,000 patients have received advice and treatment at the Institution since its foundation ; and a large number of Medical Practitioners and Students have from time to time availed themselves of the opportunities for instruction afforded them in the Hospital. In its early days, the Charity enjoyed the royal support of George IV. and William IV. In 1842 Her Majesty the Queen, through the good offices of the then Duke of Cambridge, became its Patron, and the late Prince Consort was for a time a Vice-Patron. Leopold, King of the Belgians, was also a most liberal supporter of the Charity, and took special interest in its welfare until the time of his death. By the death of H.R.H. the Duchess of Cambridge the Hospital has lost a very old supporter, for Her Royal Highness honoured it by being a Vice- Patron for nearly 50 years. The Institution formerly owed a great part of its success and popularity to the skill, energy, and experience of the late Mr. William Harvey, F.R.C.S., who for thirty years held the post of Senior Surgeon. In 1874, the increase of work necessitated the appointment of an additional Surgeon, and Dr. Urban Pritchard, F.R.C.S., Aural Surgeon to King's College Hospital, was elected to fill this post. On the death of Mr. Harvey, in 1876, Dr. Farquhar Matheson, C.M., was appointed Assistant Surgeon, and in 1880 he was elected Surgeon to the Hospital. Further developments rendered the assistance of a third surgeon, also ROYAL EAR HOSPITAL. 71 of an assistant surgeon, necessary, and Dr. E. Creswell Baber and Mr. Arthur H. Cheatle, F.R.C.S., were respectively appointed to these posts in 1893. In 1894 Dr. S. B. C. De Butts was, on the recommendation of the Medical Board, appointed Anaesthetist, and in 1895 Dr. St. Clair Thomson was appointed an additional Assistant-Surgeon. The Committee are appealing for Donations to the New Building Fund. XV. NATIONAL HOSPITAL FOR DISEASES OF THE HEART AND PARALYSIS, 32 SOHO SQUARE. patron H.R.H. THE DUKE OF CAMBRIDGE, K.G. patronesses. HER GRACE THE DUCHESS OF LEEDS. HER GRACE THE DUCHESS OF WELLINGTON. HER GRACE THE DUCHESS OF BUCKINGHAM AND CHANDOS. THE MOST HON. THE MARCHIONESS OF WESTMEATH. THE RIGHT HON. THE COUNTESS DOWAGER OF WINCHILSEA. THE RIGHT HON. THE COUNTESS OF KINTORE. THE RIGHT HON. THE COUNTESS OF ABERDEEN. THE RIGHT HON. THE COUNTESS OF GLASGOW. THE RIGHT HON. THE COUNTESS OF DARTMOUTH. THE HON. MRS. EDWARD STANHOPE. WHEN Omai, the South Sea Islander, whom Captain Cook brought to London, lost himself in the streets, he used to call out " Sir Joseph Banks, Sir Joseph Banks," and some passer-by was sure to know the Baronet's house at 32 Soho Square. The house, with its magnificent ceiling and graceful front, is still well known to many Londoners, for during the past forty years many thousands of patients with heart and paralysis troubles have obtained relief here. Sir Joseph Banks had a fine library and unrivalled botanical collections, which he bequeathed to the British Museum. He took great interest in the Linnasan Society, which held its meetings here from 1822 to 1857. In the latter year the Heart Hospital was established here, and during 1896 nearly 10,000 attendances of out-patients, and 144 admissions of in-patients were registered. The Rector of St. Anne's is Hon. Chaplain to this Hospital. HEART AND PARALYSIS HOSPITAL. ( 73 ) XVI. THE LONDON LOCK HOSPITAL, 91 DEAN STREET. Patron : H.R.H. THE PRINCE OF WALES, K.G. THE Lock Hospital was founded in 1746, and this year (1897) issued its one-hundred-and-fiftieth Annual Report for the year 1896. It was originally established for men and women in Grosvenor Place. The Hospital and the Home attached to it were removed in 1842 to Harrow Road. Up to 1862 both men and women were received at Harrow Road, but in that year funds were raised through the successful efforts of the late Lord Kinnaird, and the present Hospital at qi Dean Street was opened for male in- and out-patients, as well as for female out-patients. The Hospital receives patients from all parts of the kingdom. Every precaution is taken to prevent the charity becoming an en- couragement to vice. In the year 1896, 349 in-patients were treated, and the following out-patients : Male ... ... ... 19)763 Female ... ... ... 2,169 The patients are under the regular visitation of the Chaplain, assisted by one of the London City Missionaries, Mr. C. Pell, and a missionary to the female out-patients. XVII. ST. JOHN'S HOSPITAL FOR DISEASES OF THE SKIN, LEICESTER SQUARE, W.C. (Founded A.D. 1863.) patrons HER IMPERIAL MAJESTY THE EMPRESS FREDERICK. His MAJESTY THE KING OF THE BELGIANS. H.R.H. THE DUKE OF CAMBRIDGE, K.G. H.R.H. PRINCE CHRISTIAN, K.G. WE quote the following extract from an " appeal " issued by the late Charles Reade, on behalf of this Hospital, which gives a short account of the history and subject, of this institution. " Against such a weight of suffering, shame, and sorrow, what is the special provision in our enormous city ? I cannot undertake to say positively, but at present I am acquainted only with one small Hos- pital, that ought to be a great one, and will be in a year, if the public pleases. " St. John's Hospital for Diseases of the Skin, was established, some twenty years ago, in two little rooms in an obscure street in Westmin- 74 INSTITUTIONS OF SOHO. ster. It was then so little known that its Medical Officers only at- tended once a week ; it now entirely occupies a large house in Leicester Square, where the Medical Officers attend eleven times in every week and prescribe, on an average, for nearly one thousand patients weekly, and has a large in-patient department containing fifty beds, at Arling- ton House, Uxbridge Road, W. " Its scope is more than National. It is open, without payment, to all creeds and all races, the sole credentials for admission being disease and poverty. I receives patients from all parts of the world. A leper from India, a Jew from New York, a labourer from New Zealand, mariners from Germany, a clerk from France, have been some of its inmates. " What St. John's Hospital wants. At least fifty beds and an endow- ment to allow of the beds being always occupied ; in fat, 20,000 is wanted. Every available inch of space in the building is utilized, but all is still insufficient to meet the yearly-increasing applications for admission. The number of these applications proclaim how widely the misery of skin disease is spread, and how little England does to meet it," ( 75 ) XVIII. THE HOSPITAL FOR WOMEN, SOHO SQUARE, W. Founded 1842. Incorporated by Royal Charter 1887. Patron : H.R.H. THE PRINCE OF WALES, K.G. President : THE DUKE OF WESTMINSTER, K.G. AT a time when no special Hospital existed in the world for the treat- ment of diseases peculiar to the female sex, Dr. Protheroe Smith, then Assistant Lecturer on Midwifery and Diseases of Women at St. Bar- tholomew's School of Medicine, founded the Hospital for Women. HOSPITAL FOR WOMEN, SOHO SQUARE. An extensive correspondence with the heads of the Medical Pro- fession in this and other countries, which was published at the time abundantly proved the want of such an Institution, and supplied remarkable testimony to its urgency ; and the Hospital for Women thus founded not only met the emergency, but was the means of inaugurating a School of Medicine, which placed the treatment of the maladies of women, which had so long engaged the attention of the 76 INSTITUTIONS OF SOHO. profession, on a scientific basis like those of other diseases. And as one of the effects, that department of medicine termed Gynaecology, has since received from the profession greater attention, resulting in a marked improvement in the diagnosis and treatment of diseases peculiar to women. The Hospital was founded in 1842, and a house was at first rented in Red Lion Square, but so many more of the applicants required treatment as Iii-patieuts than the accommodation afforded that the site on which the building in Soho Square now stands was, in 1851, purchased to meet the peculiar growing exigencies arising from the large number of sufferers who sought admission. The new wing, for the reception of those who could afford to con- tribute towards the cost of their maintenance, was opened on July 22, 1869, by Her Royal Highness the Princess Mary Adelaide. Upwards of 4,500 such patients have been received since that date. In 1882 the Committee acquired the valuable freehold premises, 2 Frith Street, immediately adjoining the Hospital buildings, on the south-west side, and have since utilised a large portion of them for the increase of the Hospital accommodation. In the year 1887, being the Jubilee year of Her Majesty's reign, a Royal Charter was applied for and granted, constituting the Hospital a Corporate Body, under the name and style of " The President and Governors of the Hospital for Women." On June i, 1894, H.R.H. Princess Christian of Schleswig-Holstein opened the new buildings in the rear of the Hospital, which were constructed to provide a spacious Waiting Hall for Out-patients and Dormitories for the Nursing Staff. The following facts claim for the Hospital for Women the sympathy and support of the charitable and humane : 1. It was the first Institution established in this or any other country exclusively for the treatment of those maladies which neither rank, wealth, nor character can avert from the female sex. 2. It supplies a great need, as is shown by the fact that since its foundation, in 1842, upwards of 170,000 of the sick poor have received medical and surgical relief. 3. It is a National Institution, patients being received from all parts of the United Kingdom and the Colonies. 4. It is open to every poor and suffering woman. 5. It is conducted upon Christian principles, and thus provision is made for the spiritual as well as the physical welfare of the patients. 6. It was the first Institution in the Metropolis to recognise the necessity of the accommodation of those able to contribute towards the cost of their maintenance. 7. The Hospital, which contains sixty-one beds, is entirely depend- ent upon voluntary contributions. We find from enquiry that though the liberal donations to the Building Fund have made the Hospital one of the best equipped in London, the Maintenance Fund is in a depressed condition. (77) XIX. ROYAL SOCIETY OF MUSICIANS OF GREAT BRITAIN, 12 LISLE STREET. THIS article has been compiled by kind permission of Mr. Stanley Lucas, the Secretary, from his account of the Society in the Strand Musical Magazine for August, 1895. For the illustrations we are in- debted to the kindness of Mr. E. Hatzfeld, editor of the same period- ical. The full-length portrait at the end of the Board-room is a THE BOARD ROOM ix LISLE STREET. painting of George III. by Gainsborough, while interesting portraits of Handel and Purcell adorn the walls of the same room. The story of the foundation of the Society is interesting. Nearly two hundred years ago, an eminent oboe player named Kytch came to England from Germany, and resolved to settle in this country. His talent gained for him considerable fame ; engagements to play at private parties poured in upon him, and for a time he prospered. But, unhappily, he neglected his opportunities, and after he had led a miserable existence for a time, he was found dead one morning in St. James' Market. 78 INSTITUTIONS OF SOHO. Shortly after this tragic end of a promising career, it happened that Festing, the famous violinist, Wiedmann, who gave lessons on the flute to King George III., and Vincent, the oboe player, were lounging at the door of the " Orange " Coffee House, in the Haymarket, on the site of which Messrs. Ransom's Bank afterwards stood, when they saw two striking-looking lads driving milch asses. The interesting appearance of the boys caused the musicians to make enquiries about them, and to their astonishment they learned that they were the destitute orphans of the unhappy Kytch. Moved to pity by the PURCELL, FROM THE PAINTING BY CLOSTERMAN. unfortunate lot of their brother musician's children, the professors promptly raised a subscription for the benefit of the lads ; and after discussing the matter with other musicians of note, they established on April 19, 1738, the Society of Musicians, to relieve indigent mem- bers of the profession, and to assist their distressed widows and orphans. In 1790 a charter was granted to the Society, under the name of the " Royal Society of Musicians of Great Britain," and the reigning monarch, George III., who took a special interest in the institution, directed that the " Messiah," composed by one of its original members, should be annually performed for the benefit of the funds. In a document dated May, 1738, the names of Handel, Dr. Boyce, Dr. Arne, and many other eminent men appear in the list of members. Handel took the greatest interest in the movement ; and the Society ROYAL SOCIETY OF MUSICIANS. 7 g owes an incalculable debt to the great composer for his strenuous exertions on its behalf. In 1739 he composed a concerto specially for it, and played it at a concert, given for the Society's benefit, at the Opera House. A year later he requested that " Acis and Galatea " should be performed at Lincoln's Inn Fields, in aid of the funds; and on this occasion he played two concertos. And in 1741 Handel gave to the Society the proceeds of the performance of his serenata " Par- nasso in Festa " ; and on his death, in 1759, it was found that he had bequeathed to the Society the generous sum of 1000. Another generous friend of the Society was the late Mr. Thomas Molineux, who had been a distinguished bassoon and double bass player HANDEL, FROM THE PAINTING BY HUDSON. at Manchester, invented a check action for the pianoforte, and attained a position of affluence. His total subscriptions to the funds amounted to over 3000. The roll of members contains the names of many famous musicians. Besides Handel, Boyce, and Arne, there are to be found in the roll of names J. C. Bach, Dr. Callcott, Dr. Arnold, Sir W. Sterndale Bennett, Sir Henry Bishop, Sir John Goss, Sir Michael Costa, and Madame Sainton Dolby. In 1866 there was amalgamated with this Society the Royal Society of Female Musicians, which had been founded twenty-five years before with similar objects ; and to-day the total value of their united pro- perty amounts to no less than 100,000. 8o INSTITUTIONS OF SO HO. The Society's annual Festival is always a noteworthy musical function ; and at the annual dinner several rising musicians have made their debut. In 1829, Mendelssohn, then twenty years old, made his first public appearance in England at this dinner. The Spectator of the day said " Mr. Mendelssohn most kindly gave his assistance in an extempore fantasia on the pianoforte, in which he introduced suc- cessively subjects from the Sinfonias of Mozart, Haydn, and Beethoven, treating them with the skill and science of an accomplished musician." Five years before, Liszt, then a lad of twelve, had also made his debut in England at the Society's annual dinner. The Quarterly Musical Magazine said : " We heard this youth first at the dinner of the Royal Society of Musicians, where he extemporized for about twenty minutes before that judgmatical audience of professors and their friends." In the old days it was the custom for the President of the dinner to march in state to his seat at the head of the table, pre- ceded by a wind band ; and a march has been written for such an occasion both by Haydn and Weber. Sir Henry Irving is to preside over the dinner this year, but the stately inarch has been discontinued. The rooms of the Society in Lisle Street contain in addition to several valuable pictures and busts, many mementoes of musicians who have won fame. The following is the official statement of the Society's aim : " That the true intent for which this Society was founded may be clearly understood, it is expressly declared that the funds of the Society are not to be employed in supporting members arid their families whose only claim for relief is founded on want of employment, but in the maintenance of those members who from age, infirmity, or disease, are incapable of maintaining themselves ; and in the support of widows and orphans left destitute or without sufficient means of maintenance." " Sing a song of sixpence, a pocketful of rye ; " so trolls the thought- less youngster of Soho to-day, little knowing that the names of the original " four-and-twenty blackbirds," written in faded ink on yellow, age-stained paper, are hanging up in the rooms of the Royal Society of Musicians at 12 Lisle Street. These " blackbirds " were twenty- four fiddlers, so tradition says ; and the ancient document is an order for " Theise 24 Gentn. of His Maj. privatt meusick to attend at Wind- sor." It is dated 16 May, 1674, and states the sum to be paid to each man ; and very ample pocketsful of rye would they provide. The leader, T. Purcell, was to receive 100, and the total amounts to a very considerable sum, which the Socialist of to-day may be horrified to learn was to be " paid out of the Exchequer." " Was not this a dainty disli to set before a King? " XX. CHARING-CROSS ROAD BOARD SCHOOLS. (FORMERLY ST. MARY'S SCHOOLS.) THE chancel and the north aisle of St. Mary's Church and the Clergy House were built during the incumbency of the late Vicar, the Rev. J. C. Chambers, a prominent leader in the Catholic revival of this century, and one whose great work for the Church in Soho will, we hope, never be forgotten. The handsome schools had not reached completion when he died early in 1874; but the building scheme was carried through by the Rev. J. J. Elkington, who was secretary for the building from the beginning, and by whose able and untiring exer- tions as senior curate Mr. Chambers had been greatly supported in his work at St. Mary's. And, by the way, Mr. Elkington still works in Soho as Warden of the House of Charity in Greek Street (see p. 98), and takes as keen an interest as ever in the welfare of Soho. The schools were opened a few months after Mr. Chambers' death with accommodation for 600 children. The Rev. R. Gwynne, who succeeded Mr. Chambers as Vicar of St. Mary's, was for a time assisted in the maintenance of the schools by a liberal parishioner whom it is needless to mention ; but after two years the increased requirements of the Education Department and the lack of subscriptions made it appear advisable to the trustees to transfer them to the School Board for London, reserving their partial use for other parochial purposes. At the time of the transfer the teachers were re-appointed, and Mrs. M. A. E. Langford (nee Norman) still holds her position as a teacher in the school. As this is the only Board school in the parish, we are reminded that in the Westminster division the Voluntary schools take by far the larger share in the work of elementary education. There are 42 Voluntary schools and 7 Board schools in this large division of the School Board. We may add that the Board has built an addition to the school, and there are now rooms where instruction is given to boys in repousse metal work, wood carving, cabinet making, carpen- tering, fretwork, shoe making and mending, and to girls in embroidery and dressmaking. It ought to be known that these classes are open to others as well as School Board children. XXL CHARITIES OF ST. ANNE'S. SCHOOLS. THE building in Manette Street, formerly St. Anne's Schools, the freehold of which was bought by the Managers 100 years ago, is held on trust for the benefit of the Schools. It yields an income of 100 yearly, and, the old Trustees having all died, except Mr. Addis, the following were appointed, on January 31, 1896, as Trustees: The Rev. J. H. Cardwell, Messrs. C. B. Leatherby, C. L. Cribb, John Child, 82 INSTITUTIONS OF SOHO. Henry Wilson, John Beasley, T. F. Blackwell, Henry Cooper, and Alfred Pairpoint. (See page 24 for School Charities.) The following extracts from the Report of the Commissioners for enquir- ing concerning Charities, dated November 26, 1836, will be read with interest. SNOWDEN'S CHARITY. "John Snowden, of Norton, in the county of Durham, by will bearing date November 20, 1781, gave to the poor of the parish of St. Anne, in the liberty of Westminster, ,100 stock, four per cent, consols reduced to three per cent., to be transferred to the Vicar and Churchwardens, the interest to be divided always amongst four decayed house-keepers belonging to the said parish, if any should be there in the shoemaking business, such to have the preference. "The stock is standing in the names of the Rev. Roderick McLeod, D.D. (the Rector), and Stephen Bennett and John Hughes (Church- wardens), by whom the dividends (3 per annum) are distributed in small sums amongst the families of decayed shoemakers belonging to the parish. CHURCH CHARITY. "The Churchwardens of this parish have long been in the habit of receiving an annual charge of 50 from the estate of Newport Market, now the property of Mr. Dyneley, of Gray's Inn, and of several other persons, the origin of which has been sought to be traced without success. It has been paid by Mr. Dyneley when demanded, usually at intervals of three or four years, and when received is applied towards the general expenses of the Church, together with the pew rents and burial fees. VINCENS' CHARITY. "Cornwall Vincens, of the island of Antigua, by his will, bearing date February 10, 1730, gave 30 per annum, Antigua money, to be raised out of the rents and profits of his estate, to his wife for life, and after her death to the poor of the parish of St. Anne, Westminster ; and he also gave all the residue of his real estate in the said island or elsewhere, to the poor of the said parish. "The above extract was taken from a copy produced by the vestry clerk, on the back of which appears a memorandum to the following effect : ' In 1726 a will of John Vincens is on record in the Island of Antigua, giving to his nephew, Cornwall Vincens, certain lands and slaves ; and in default of issue, with remainder to the parish of St. Anne.' From various entries in the vestry minute bool-, it appears that the devise came into operation, and that the parish was in the occasional receipt of sums on account of the rents of the property in question. On January 3, 1788, 55 us. 6d. was in the hands of the Church- wardens, which they were directed to apply to the relief of the CHARITIES OF ST. ANNE'S. 83 deserving poor. The last entry relating to this fund bears date February 9, 1797, and records a resolution that the Rector and Churchwardens should be requested to obtain every information rela- tive to the estate in Antigua, devised to the parish by Cornwall Vincens, from a Mr. Lindsey, and also that the parish officers, assisted by a committee, should distribute the sum of 125 i6s. lod. received on account of the estate in Antigua, to such poor parishioners as appeared to them proper objects of relief. "From this time nothing has been received, although attempts have been made to recover the estate, for which purpose a power of attorney was executed to the Hon. John Burke and others, in 1808. An application was, however, made to the parish about 1832 or 1833 by a Mr. Osborne, formerly a barrister in Antigua, proposing to be- come the tenant of the property, which he described as having been much encroached upon by the neighbouring owners, and as being, in part, merely waste ground. This gentleman was not in England at the time of our enquiry (1835), and no means presented themselves of acquiring further information ; but neither the lapse of time nor the other circumstances of the case are such as to preclude the hope of a successful result to an active prosecution of the enquiry by the parish." Unfortunately, the hope expressed with regard to the last-named charity in 1836 has not been realised. A report made to the Chanty Commissioners twenty years later shows that the parish officers had interviews afterwards with a Mr. Osborne, a barrister, from Antigua, about the estate, but these inter- views led to nothing. At that time, 1857, the estate was believed to be waste property, and so encumbered with charges as to render any attempt at its recovery, to say nothing of the lapse of time, wholly inexpedient. ARNOLD TRUST. An account of the Charities of St. Anne's would not be complete without a reference to the Arnold Trust. A codicil to the will of the Rev. J. W. Arnold, D.D., of Leamington Priors, in the county of Warwick, dated Dec. 9, 1862, directs amongst other things that a sufficient sum be devoted to "putting into good and substantial, ornamental, and perfect repair, the monuments in the church of the said parish of St. Anne, Westminster, to the memory of my late brother, Edward Arnold, and of my great great grandfather, George Arnold, and his family." In 1891, the present Rector of St. Anne's received from his prede- cessor, the Rev. Canon Wade, the sum of 112 ios., being the balance in his hands at that time. This sum, with interest, now amounts to 116 55. iod., which has been placed in the hands of the official trustees of the Charity Commissioners. XXII. THE WEST-CENTRAL JEWISH GIRLS' CLUB. SA DEAN STREET. (By the Honorary Secretary.) THE West-Central Jewish Girls' Club was founded some ten years ago by Lady Battersea, assisted by Miss Emily Harris. It was primarily a religious institution, and met on the Jewish Sabbath eve for prayers. Gradually more ladies became interested in the work of the Club, and having regard to the needs of the large Jewish population in Soho, it was deemed advisable to re-organise the Club and establish it on a larger basis. A small committee, including Miss Harris as President, and Miss L. Montagu as Hon. Sec., moved the Club from its small room in Devonshire Street and established it at 71 Dean Street. Here numer- ous classes and social evenings .were arranged, and about a hundred girls were enrolled as members. In January, 1896, the committee felt that the accommodation was totally inadequate, and another move had to be made. The Club was at this time again re-organised, and the membership now numbers two hundred and ten girls, and the evening attendance averages sixty. The Club consists of one large hall, suitable for musical drill, dancing, concerts or lectures ; two class-rooms, one fitted with sink and dresser, suited and used for cooking and laundry classes, the other containing the lending Library, and used for evening school. In addition to these rooms, the elder girls have a small drawing-room where they sit and talk when too tired or unwilling to join classes. The Club is managed by a General Committee, consisting of (i) the three officers, President, Hon. Treasurer, and Hon. Secretary ; (2) of nine workers, i.e., ladies who visit the Club in regular rotation to instruct or amuse the girls ; and (3) of six members of the Club. Ten workers (from among whom an Hon. Sec. is annually elected) and the six representative members are elected annually by the general body of members over sixteen years of age. The following are the present members of the Committee : Miss EMILY HARRIS (President), 23 Clifton Gardens, Maida Vale. Miss NATHAN (Hon. Trcas.}, n Pembridge Square, W. Miss L. H. MONTAGU (Hon. Sec.), 12 Kensington Palace Gardens. Workers : Miss B. FRANKLIN, 35 Porchester Terrace. Miss M. FRANKLIN, 69 Elgin Avenue, Maida Vale. Miss LEWIS, 34 Leinster Gardens. Miss LUCAS, 5 Westbourne Terrace. Miss MONTAGU, 12 Kensington Palace Gardens. Miss AMY SCHLOSS, 120 Westbourne Terrace. Miss M. SAMUEL, 80 Onslow Gardens, South Kensington. Miss WALEY, 22 Devonshire Place, Portland Place. Miss ALICE SCHLOSS, 17 Leinster Gardens. JEWISH GIRLS' CLUB. Representative Members : Miss DORA BLUMENTHAL, 27 St. Anne's Court, Dean Street. Miss RACHEL BLOOM, 13 Princeton Street, Red Lion Square. Miss ROSE DAVIS, 13 Broad Street, Bloomsbury. Miss LILY JACOBS, 64 New Compton Street, Charing Cross Road. Miss PHOEBE ROSENULOOM, 57 Old Compton Street, So'.io. Miss SARA TKENNER, 14 Great Coram Street, W.C. MISS EMILY HARRIS. President of Jewish Girls' Club. The Superintendent (Miss Julia Kauffman, 28 Goodge Street, Tottenham Court Road.) attends the Club every evening, marks the registers, collects the subscriptions, and by sympathy and kindness, tries to secure a good and quiet tone throughout the Club. The Hon Sec., assisted by three ladies, visits members in their homes, and tries to obtain the sympathy and interest of parents in the work of the Club, She endeavours to find the girls work when they are out 86 INSTITUTIONS OF SOHO. of employment, and apprentices girls as they leave school. The Superintendent furnishes her with an absentee list every fortnight, and she visits the homes to discover the cause of absence. Every member is expected to attend one working evening a week. Should she, on two consecutive evenings miss a class for which she has en- rolled her name, she is expected to retire in favour of another member. In April last, the Club was recognised by the Education Depart- ment as an Evening Continuation School, and grants will be claimed for instruction in musical drill, French, literature, English reading, and composition, singing, cooking, laundry, and ambulance (ambu- lance and laundry given under the auspices of the Technical Education Board). Every evening foreign girls are instructed in English reading and writing. These classes are assisted by the Russo-Jewish Committee. Classes are also held for Hebrew, basket work, and brush-drawing. Before the Club closes every evening, a prayer is recited or a psalm sung by the members, and "on alternate Sunday evenings, the Rev. Gerald Friedlander visits the members and talks with them on Scrip- tural and religious subjects. Every Saturday Miss Harris holds a Sabbath class at the Westminster Jews' Free School, Han way Street, and the service is largely attended by members of the Club. Saturday evenings are given up to recreation. Members dance among themselves, and have music and recitations. Ladies and gentlemen visit the Club regularly on these evenings and act as host- esses and hosts. On the first Saturday in every month, a debate is held, for which two members read papers, and several others join in the discussion. Every Sunday evening a tea is given. A few members, assisted by the Superintendent, act as hostesses and prepare the teas and wait on the others. After tea, an address (religious or lay) is generally given and the rest of the evening is spent in dancing. The Club is open every evening except Friday (which is the Sabbath eve), from 8 till 10, and on Sundays from 6.30 till 10. The Club Library is well used, and managed by Miss Amy Schloss, assisted by two sub-librarians chosen from the members. This library has recently been federated to the Central Club Library, organised by the Women's Industrial Council, and the exchange of thirty new books every quarter is expected to add much to its interest. About twenty-five girls have joined the club branch of the London Medical Provident Association, and the Club Savings Bank is well used by many members. The members of the West Central Jewish Girls' Club include representatives of many different trades, but the great majority are tailoresses and work in the district of Soho, chiefly in domestic work- shops. There are also dressmakers, milliners, cigar makers, stationers, home helps, cap makers, waistcoat makers, and wig makers. The members subscribe id. per week, and pay zd. as entrance fee ; the main source of income is in outside subscriptions and donations. JEWISH GIRLS' CLUB. 87 The Hon. Sec. endeavours to arrange country holidays for all members who apply for assistance. With the help of the Factory Girls' Holiday Fund, one hundred and seventeen holidays were organised this summer. One farm was rented at Bishops Stortford, and another at Sevenoaks, and parties of twelve and eight girls spent two weeks together in the country. MEMBERS OF JEWISH GIRLS CLUB. The West Central Jewish Girls' Club, since its re-organisation in January, 1896, has taken girls as they leave school, while it still retains many of the original members. Women, the circumstances of whose lives are different from those of the members, spend evenings among them and sympathising with the joys and sorrows of their lives, seek to draw them to themselves by ties of friendship. The work of the club has been well started from the very beginning. As years pass, the Committee and members hope to see a spirit of mutual help and love general among workers and girls, so that they may all rejoice in a broader and happier life. XXIIL ST. ANNE'S BURIAL BOARD. ST. ANNE'S Vestry on July 18, 1854, determined to avail themselves of the Acts passed in the isth and i6th years of the Queen's reign, and to acquire a new Burial Ground for the parish. This necessitated the appointment of a Burial Board, and the following Ratepayers of the Parish were appointed, viz. : Mr. SAMUEL BONSOR, Oxford Street. Mr. JOSEPH GEORGE, Dean Street. Mr. RICHARD JAMES JEFFREYS, Oxford Street. Mr. JAMES REEVES, Cranbourne Strtet. Mr. WILLIAM Cox, Crown Street. Mr. JAMES CHATFIELD, Old Compton Street. Mr. HENRY GRANT, Cranbourne Street. Mr. JOSEPH ROGERS, Dean Street. Mr. George Allen was elected Clerk of the Board, a position which he has continued to fill to the present day. The parish of St. Anne was the first parish in London to elect a Burial Board. The first meeting was held on July 20, 1854, and, of course, the first business was the provision of a suitable Burial Ground, which, after considerable negotiation, was carried out in the year 1855. Arrange- ments were made with the London Necropolis Co., by which two portions of their cemetery, consisting of two acres of consecrated and one of unconsecrated ground, were for 1000 years set apart as the Burial Grounds for the parish of St. Anne. These grounds form two of the most desirable spots in the Cemetery, and have been appropriately laid out and planted by the Board. At one of their earliest meetings the Board gave their attention to another matter of great importance to the health of the parish the provision of a MORTUARY. They accordingly proposed to the Secretary of State for the Home Department, that the portion of the Watch House which the Police had formerly used under the Metropolitan Police Acts, and was no longer used for the purposes of those Acts, should be given up to the Board to be used as a mortuary. The Secretary of State at first declined to sanction the proposal, but after much pressure from the Board the surrender of the Watch House was at length allowed on certain conditions. The Chairman received the key from the police in March, 1856. On April 3, in the same year it was decided to erect an additional building in the rear of the Watch House and in the Churchyard for the actual lodgment of dead bodies, and to use the newly acquired portion of the Watch House as a Recep- tion room. St. Anne can claim to have been the first parish in London which provided itself with a Mortuary, and it is interesting in reading the records of the Burial Board to note the enquiries from other Boards which had to be answered with regard to its usefulness and its management. On January 8, 1869, a " dangerous structure notice " was received from the Metropolitan Police with regard to the bulging state of th go INSTITUTIONS OF SOHO. boundary wall of the Churchyard abutting on Wardour Street. The old inhabitants will remember that this boundary wall was of considerable height, and there was no entrance to the Churchyard from Wardour Street. The Burial Board considered that it would be a good oppor- tunity, not only for re-building the wall, but for carrying oat some much needed improvements to the Churchyard, and for making an entrance from Wardour Street. Some of this work, notably the moving of some of the tombstones, made it necessary to apply to the Bishop of London for a faculty which was granted on March 18, 1869. The total cost of the work appears to have been between 300 and 403. In 1891 the Board considered the proposal of the Rector and Churchwardens to make the Churchyard into a Public Garden for the quiet recreation of the inhabitants, the Metropolitan Gardens Associa- tion having agreed to bear the expense of putting it in order for this purpose. The proposal received the cordial support of the Burial Board, and eventually the Strand Board of Works agreed to take the Churchyard on lease and to maintain it as a public Recreation Ground under the Open Spaces Acts. The responsibilities of our Burial Board, which were very great, have been considerably lessened, but the services of that Board to the parish have been very great. Whilst many other Metropolitan Parishes have had to provide Burial Grounds at a great expense to the Ratepayers, the St. Anne's Burial Grounds were obtained tor 1000 years at a peppercorn rent, solely at the cost of laying them out, and a small annual expense for maintenance and inspection. The present members of the Burial Board are : Mr. JOHN CHILD, 43 Leicester Square. Mr. C. B. LEATHERBY, 7 Lisle Street. Dr. F. MATHESON, J.P., n Soho Square. Mr. HENRY COOPER, 24 Greek Street. Mr. J. W. R. ELGY, 18 Great Chapel Street. Mr. W. E. HUGHES, 140 Wardour Street. Mr. T. F. BLACKWELL, J.P.,ai Soho Square. Rev. J. H. CARDWELL, St. Anne's Redlory, Soho Square. Mr. T. F. CURTIS, 67 Frith Street. XXIV. SOHO BAZAAR. THE British Government, with that paternal regard for the widow, orphan and dependent relative of those who have sought a better world through the ever-open door of foreign military service, saw no way of utilising Mr. Trotter's generous plans on their behalf. W 7 hether it was altogether justified in its refusal is a question not to be decided here. But the fact remains that, in 1816, Mr. Trotter offered to the Government an extensive range of unoccupied premises, to be used for the benefit of those who were in distress and unable to find employ- SOHO BAZAAR. gi ment. As an experiment in practical economics his scheme was at least worthy of attention, and merited the success with which for many years it was encouraged. The premises of the Soho Bazaar at Nos. 4, 5, and 6 Soho Square, reaching on the one hand into Oxford Street, with a frontage there of over 270 feet, and on the other, into Dean Street, with a frontage of more than 130 feet, had previously been used for army stores, a purpose for which, in the peace following the battle of 1815, they were no longer needed. Mr. Trotter to whose descendants, by the way, the premises still belong conceived the idea of opening them " to encour- age Female and Domestic Industry." Accordingly the proprietor issued a notice setting forth the object of his benevolent venture. This ran as follows : " Shop counters in an immense range of premise?, eligibly situated, to be let to persons of respectability, by the day and by the foot measure, according to their actual wants." The risk incurred by the enterprise will be perceived when, as the advertise- ment promised, all expenses of taxes, lighting, heating, watching, would be borne, not by the tenant, but by the landlord. The duty of the tenant was simply to pay his rent. He should pay for one day, or one foot, or to any greater extent, at the rate of -$d. per day per counter foot, by which accommodation industries with slender means yet hope to thrive. Reduced tradesmen might thus recover and retain their lapsed connections. Before entering upon extensive speculations beginners might form friends, connections, habits, without the fear of debt or dim. And (an expansion of the scheme) artists, artizans, and whole families, employed at home, or infirm, or living in the country, might " securely vend their labour to advantage by proxy." So wide, indeed, was the scope of this enterprise that professional artists and authors were by no means forgotten. What would not many a literary aspirant now give for the chance of thus cheaply ex- hibiting to a ready market the cherished children of brain and pen ? As it is, he must hanker, perhaps many years, after one inch and a half of plank, kindly to be accorded him by W. H. Smith's sub-celes- tial representatives. And probably he may hanker in vain. But here many could offer their products without paying any rent a welcome admission in the then state of the book-trade. And those unfortunates in "distressed circumstances " might also offer what they had to sell in the unlet spaces of the Bazaar. And so it came about that the first institution of its kind ever attempted in this country was started on February i, 1816. Obviously the institution's success depended upon its capacity to meet these wants or fill in these gaps. The foreseen conditions were that the novel and expedient device should (i.) Encourage home work by getting the best price for it. (2.) Give an opportunity of beginning business in a small way with quick turnovers and immediate profits. (3.) Abolish the middleman, and put manufacturer in immediate touch with the consumer. SOHO BAZAAR. 93 That this purpose was answered will be concluded from the fact that the average daily attendance was something like 2500 persons, and that often there were as many as two hundred sellers. And it may be readily imagined that the reduced circumstances of many who had once occupied a good position, did indeed make Mr. Trotter's venture a welcome one to them. One curious fact may be noted. Out of the two hundred persons employed in the whole establishment, there were but two men with their wives. We presume that this fact is to be accepted in a sense neither complimentary nor the reverse to the sex at all times enamoured of bargains. A brief description of the interior of the Soho Bazaar may possibly be of interest, since at the present time these premises are almost entirely absorbed by a well-known publishing firm. In the first place, then, the' counters were two feet in breadth, and their total length seven hundred and fifty feet giving an idea of the possible daily rent. They had mahogany tops, and neatly painted panelled sides. From the main room a door at the north-west corner opened into the watch- men's apartments and into the kitchen, which lay along the whole length of the building. In the latter were fifty feet of dining tables, whereon, at a moderate cost, refreshments were provided for the stall- keepers. An archway from the first-mentioned room and nine-and-a- half feet wide, led you into the lobby. Through this to the "grotto," twenty-five feet by five, its sides covered with plants, shrubs and flowers belonging to one of the tenants. Thence into the "parterre," thirty-seven-and-a-half feet by about fifteen feet. In this and in the "Grotto," all the plants were for sale, and marked at the lowest figure. Finally, a staircase from the lobby communicated with the upper rooms, which also were fitted with counters like those on the ground floor. In connection with the earlier history of this Bazaar, it is well to note various customs and restrictions to which both customers and sellers had perforce to submit. For example, that the character of this daily resort might be preserved, it was enacted that no dealer, manufacturer, or other trader should be permitted to enter, with a view to selling his goods. Then the sellers seem to have been very select, for they had to produce testimony as to their respectability, moral character, and good temper. It is not easy, at this lapse of time, to see how the last condition could be satisfactorily fulfilled, good temper not being so universally obvious as respectability, or the other attri- bute. Persons " meanly or dirtily dressed," and hence of course not respectable, might feast their eyes on shop windows if they chose, but the inner joys of the Bazaar were denied them. It " encouraged home industry" after a more thorough method than that pursued by a cele- brated firm of match-makers lately in evidence, for without special leave, in writing, no article of foreign produce was admissible. One blessing to the male buyer, at least was the practice of marking every article at its ready-money price, without abatement being allowed. It did not matter at all what sort of an appearance 94 INSTITUTIONS OF SOHO. the buyer presented simple, keen, wise, foolish, worldly, other-worldly, young and old, maiden and matron, had all an equal chance, for the price was uncompromisingly staring them in the face. Whereas some modern shopkeepers can turn a timid person inside out in the lasting of a cheap pair of gloves. But woe to the counter tenant who broke the rules ! Any tenant who offered for sale or promoted the sale of Bandana handkerchiefs, French gloves, or other prohibited goods, was not only to be dismissed, but prosecuted " with the utmost rigour of the law," into the bargain. And protection levied a one guinea fine on each stall-holder for the benefit of the community, and to defray expenses if necessary. And out of the contribution, the fortu- nate person who " gave such evidence as would lead," etc., was to receive a solatium of five guineas. So clearly were the first principles of Mr. Trotter's enterprise kept in view. From what has been said it may be gathered that the needs which called such an institution into existence have been to a great extent satisfied, suppressed, or rendered impossible. But though there yet remains one large room devoted, as in days of yore, to the sale of various articles, from knitted woollen goods to toys and porce.lain, this, as has been stated, is but the shadow of former splendour. The stall-holders are still of the feminine sex, for the male tenant has ever been a thing unknown, and many of the young ladies are young, and fair to look upon. The rest of the great building is in the hands of, amongst others, Messrs. Noel and A. and C. Black. A well-sized cycling school, of course, is what was once a large part of the ground floor, with a sky-light roof; and another section is devoted to the purposes of a registry for servants ; while upstairs governesses are supplied with posts of responsibility, according to their capacities and endurance, probably. The sole entrance is now from Oxford Street ; and even in the Bazaar itself the knitting machines of Mr. Harrison, of Manchester, find a. pied-a-terre in this perplexing city. This state of transition, portending no doubt, the ultimate dis- appearance of the Bazaar, is of course, not difficult to be accounted for. When vast concerns like Peter Robinson's and Whiteley's are themselves neither more nor less than bazaars, following the tendency of all great retail " stores," the Soho Bazaar with its restriction to female tenancy and careful enquiry aud supervision, is naturally at a disadvantage the more so as competition with these giants of trade was never originally designed. It may be said in passing that as many as sixteen references have been demanded from the would-be tenant. Mr. Trotter, in spite of the spirit of charity which in a degree led to his placing before the Government, and then before the Prince of Wales (in 1816) his design, with its subsequent rejection by both, did in conducting the matter personally, qualify his results with a very effective monetary equivalent ; and in fact there is no disguise what- ever did in a great degree make out of his plans a successful com- mercial speculation. SOHO BAZAAR. 95 But the Soho Bazaar, after eighty years of existence, is falling away into different hands, and one feels as if one were almost about to say good-bye to an old friend. But it came, it fulfilled its purpose admir- ably ; and now goes from us little by little into the ever hungry void of things which have been. It remains for us to acknowledge the courtesy of Colonel Trotter's descendant. Mr. Taplin, to whom many of the above facts owe their source. XXV. ST. ANNE'S RECTORY. 28 SOHO SQUARE. The old Rectory House of S. Anne's stands at the north-east of the churchyard, and was built for the Rector's use in 1705. It is now owned by Messrs. Muller, watchmakers, having been sold during the incumbency of the Rev. Canon Wade. With the proceeds of the sale, and a loan of 1265 from Queen Anne's Bounty, the present Rectory was bought in the year 1862, the price being 2748 75. 5^. It stands on part of the site which was formerly occupied by the famous Monmouth House and Gardens, a site which extended from Soho Square to Queen Street (now Bateman Street) and from Thrift Street (now Frith Street) to Greek Street. Monmouth House was one of the earliest buildings in Soho Square, the site being conveyed to the Duke of Monmouth on February 17, 1681. It was built on a scale of much magnificence from designs, it is said, of Christopher Wren. In Mr. J. T. Smith's " Nollekens and his Times," there is an in- teresting account of Monmouth House, when the process of demolition had begun. " The gate entrance was of massive ironwork supported by stone piers, surmounted by the crest of the owner of the house ; and within the gates there was a spacious courtyard for carriages. The hall was ascended by steps. There were eight rooms on the ground floor ; the principal one was a dining-room towards the south, the carved and gilt panels of which had contained whole-length pictures. At the corners of the ornamental ceiling, which was of plaster, and over the chimney-piece, the Duke of Monmouth's arms were displayed. The staircase was of oak, the steps very low, and the landing places were tesselated with woods of light and dark colours. The principal room on the first floor was lined with blue satin, which was superbly decorated with pheasants and other birds in gold. The chimney-piece was richly ornamented with fruit and foliage, similar to the carvings which surround the Altar of St. James' Church, Piccadilly, so beautifully executed by Grinling Gibbons. In the centre, over this chimney-piece, within a wreath of oak leaves, there was a circular recess which, evidently, had been designed for the reception of a bust. The heads of the panels of the brown window shutters, which were very lofty, were gilt, and the piers between the 96 INSTITUTIONS OF SOHO. windows, from stains upon the silk, had probably been filled with looking^ glasses. The scaffolding, ladders, and workmen rendered it too dangerous for us to go higher, and to see more of this most interesting house." MONMOUTH HOUSE, SOHO SQUARE. Built by the unfortunate James, Duke of Monmonth, who was be- headed on Tower Hill, July 15, 1685, after receiving five strokes from the Executioner. The lioitse n>as purchased by the late Lord Bateman, and let by the present Lord to Count de Guerchy, French Ambassador; was taken down in 1773, and on the site Bateman's Buildings now stand. (From a Print published Jan. 11, 1791, by A". Smith, Great May's Buildings.) The Duke of Monmouth was executed in 1685. Monmouth House was offered for sale in the year 1693 in the London Gazette of September 7. Though it is impossible to find out who bought it, it appears to have been in the occupation of different French ambassadors, for in April, 1764, Count de Guerchy lived there, and a new chapel was being erected for him in the garden of the house. When the French ST. ANNE'S RECTORY, SOHO SQUARE. gS INSTITUTIONS OF SOHO. ambassador gave up the house, the chapel was rented for some time by a Society of French Protestants. For a short time it seems to have been the mansion of Lord Bateman, who is commemorated in Bateman's Buildings and Bateman Street, and of whom Horace Walpole narrates that George I. made him an Irish peer to prevent him having to make him a Knight of the Bath ; "for," he said, "I can make him a lord, but I cannot make him a gentleman." In 1773 it was pulled down, and the site has subsequently been occu- pied by Bateman's Buildings, the present rectory, and the Women's hospital. We have not been able to ascertain exactly the date of the present building, but if the tradition is correct that the drawing-room ceilings are the work of Flaxman, it must have been standing for about one hundred and ten years. We know that for some years before it became St. Anne's Rectory it was used as the recruiting station for the East India Company. The present Rector has spent about 700 on substantial repairs and improvements, and the premises at the back have been made into a Boys' Club. (See page 27.) XXVI. HOUSE OF CHARITY, i GREEK STREET. Founded 1846. Dtcc=patrons. THE EARL OF CRANBROOK, G. C.S.I. THE MARQUIS OF SALISBURY, K.G. Visitor THE LORD BISHOP OF LONDON. OTartcn THE REV. J. J. ELKINGTON. 'Crustcc0. LORD MEDWAY I J. G. TALBOT, M.P. W. C. COCKS G. T. BIDDULPH THIS fine house was the town residence of Alderman Beckford, the builder of Fonthill Abbey, who in 1762 and again in 1769 was elected Lord Mayor of London. During the political disturbances of 1770, Beckford made himself famous by an impromptu rebuke delivered to King George III. in person. His words have been inscribed in gold on the pedestal of his monument at Guildhall. Walpole wrote to Sir Horace Mann on April 19, 1770 : " The Lord Mayor had enjoyed tranquility as Mayor. As Beckford, his own house in Soho Square, was embroidered with LIBERTY in white letters three feet high. Luckily the evening was very wet, and not a mouse stirred." " Topsparkle," in Miss Braddon's " Mohawks," is intended for Alder- man Beckford. The present institution has occupied the house since 1861. By the kindness of its Warden, the Rev. J. J. Elkington, we are able to give the following particulars as to its history and objects. HOUSE OF CHARITY. gg Just fifty-one years ago it was first founded at No. 9 Rose Street. Its founders, prominently amongst whom must be named Henry Monro, M.D., and Roundell Palmer (afterwards Lord Selborne), the first Hon. Sees., stated that it was " the only home in London offered to such distressed persons as are of good chara<5ter ... to assure the well-conducted that their ills are not forgotten and over-looked amidst the present zeal in behalf of Refuges and Reformatories." Generally its main work is to prevent distress and misery : and its THE LATE REV. J. C. CHAMBERS. Warden, and Vicar of St. Mary's. mode of doing this work is by affording relief, after investigation into the charadler and antecedents of those who seek help. It is the only home in London gratuitously offered to such distressed persons as are of good character, upon a recommendation from someone who knows them. Of its first founders there yet remain with us the Right Hon. \V. E. Gladstone, the Earl of Cranbrook, Sir Thomas Dyke Acland, Bart., IOO INSTITUTIONS OF SOHO. and W. C. Cocks, Esq., and amongst other supporters who are deceased may be mentioned Sir J. T. Coleridge, a Judge of the Court of Queen's Bench, and Sir William Page Wood, afterwards Lord Hatherley, Lord Chancellor. It is unique that two friends joined in the same charitable work should both have attained to the exalted position of Lord Chancellor of England. There have been eight Clerical and two Lay Wardens, the two whose portraits we are able to reproduce being the late Rev. J. C. Chambers, who was Warden from November, 1856, until May, 1874, and the Rev. J. J. Elkington, the present Warden, who has been Chaplain since May, 1874. At the time of writing, the House of Charity is without a Patron, since the deathfof Archbishop Benson. HENRY MONRO,, M.D. Founder. REV. J. J. ELKINGTON. Warden. Among the various classes of distress relieved by the Home are patients discharged from hospitals seeking situations ; orphans or friendless girls who have inadvisably come to London ; widows re- duced to the necessity of seeking work ; emigrants waiting to embark ; out-patients of hospitals needing medical advice, food and rest. Up to this time over 23,000 persons have been admitted to the benefits of this institution. The following details of three cases lately helped will be of interest : A. Came from Australia as nurse on the voyage to find English relatives, but the place where they had lived " knew them no more." S:raa4eJ. Came to us half-starved. Overwhelmed with gratitude at HOUSE OF CHARITY. 101 the " peace and quiet of the house," after her sad experience. Obtained situation as nurse, at 30 per annum, in Cape Town, and a nominated passage thither. B. Grand-daughter of an Archbishop. Came highly recommended, having been some time out of health. She had exhausted all her savings as a trained nurse. She had to go into hospital for a serious operation. On her return to us we were able to give her two letters CHAPEL ATTACHED TO HOUSE OF CHARITY. for Convalescent Homes. Finally, she was able to take a situation as nurse attendant to a young lady. C. Was in the R.A. Then assistant station-master in the Scinde, Punjaub and Delhi Railway. Was instructor and drill-master to the Nizam' till 1890. Then instructor at school in Bombay. Fell ill Came to England in charge of insane gentleman. Exhausted his means. We received him through the Charity Organisation Society. At the end of a few weeks the friends of the insane gentleman paid his passage back to India. ( 102 ) XXVIL ST. JOHN BAPTIST MISSION HOUSE, (Under Cleiver Sisters.) MANETTE STREET. THIS " Industrial Home for Girls and Children," at No. 9 Manette Street, is intended for the reception of the children of poor parents who are either exposed to evil influences in their home, or are left orphans not merely, be it noticed, of orphans alone. The classification of those, who enter is children, from three to twelve years old, or girls from twelve upwards. This appears to be a very necessary institution. There may be other establishments where, at a point of emergency, those in need may receive more immediate assistance, but it is hardly for such that the home is meant. It is meant to educate rather than to relieve only, for the children are taught " all the branches of a plain education ; " and the girls are trained in housework, cooking, and laundry work. When thus prepared they are provided with suitable situations as domestic servants. Moreover, one girl who proved to be " unsuitable for service," is now living in the Home and attending a course of classes in book-keeping, in view of earning her livelihood in this manner. The following state- ment reveals much of the method : " We have, of course, disappoint- ments in some not doing as well as we could wish, but though for a time we may lose sight of them, they generally come back to us, feeling sure of a welcome and the help to start afresh." Here are the numbers for last year. Children. Girls. Total. In the Home, Jan. i .. .. .. 35 28 63 Admissions during year .... 2 9 14 Passed up from ' children ' to ' girls ' 5 5 Left . . 15 Vacancies . . . . . . . . 2 In Home, Dec. 31 .. .. .. 35 27 62 This Home was founded in 1862, and among its Council are the names of the Rev. T. T. Carter, Dean of St. Paul's, and Sir John B. Riddell, Bart. XXVIII. SOCIETA' ITALIANA CUOCHI-CAMERIERI, (ITALIAN HOTEL AND RESTAURANT EMPLOYES' BENEFIT SOCIETY) 27 SOHO SQUARE. " Do you see that yellow building on your left at the corner of Greek Street ? " asks a recent writer in the Manchester Umpire, " It is an Italian Restaurant Employes' Benefit Society. Its face shines with an 104 INSTITUTIONS OF sono. intimation that it is the Societd Italiana Cuochi-Camerieri. This after- noon going on opposite the door is a sort of undress bicycle gymkhana, composed of waiters off duty. The air is full of the language of Tasso, spoken with a Central London accent. One rider, indeed an enthusi- ast, is tearing round the square, having wagered to drink en route, in two rounds, a quart bottle of Whitbread's ale. Verily a merry, laughter-loving people, these sons of Italy. " They care not that in a room at No. 27 Soho Square (what is now their Benefit Society) lived and dreamed De Quincey, in abject poverty, sleeping at night covered with a borrowed horse-cloth, his head on pile of law papers. He was here the guest of Brunei, the money-lender's unprincipled attorney. ' I allowed him to sleep here,' he said, ' to save the cost of a lodging.' " Amongst the many clubs which make the name of Soho known far and wide, generally not to its credit, we are glad by way of contrast, to be able to give this short account of a Society which has for its aim the welfare of Italian cooks and waiters. The Societa Italiana Cuochi-Camerieri was founded in February, 1886, and after ten years' existence in Gerrard Street, was sufficiently prosperous to buy the lease of 27 Soho Square, with the furniture and fixtures of what had been a coffee tavern. The sum paid was 1000, and the Society has still 600 to its credit at the bank. The new premises proved to be large and convenient, and the members, of whom there were 450 in November, 1897, are able to enjoy games and music in the congenial society of their own countrymen to their hearts' content. The conditions of membership are strict, and admission to the club presents a striking contrast to the ease with which some Soho clubs welcome strangers ; while members who indulge too freely in intoxi- cants are firmly compelled to enjoy the fresh breezes of Soho Square. The Society elects honorary members of any nationality who contri- bute ^i is. to its funds. In case of sickness members are provided with medical advice, sick pay to the extent of 145. a week is given during a period of six months, and 8 in case of death. A registry office for Italians seeking work as cooks or waiters must be of great service to strangers from the ' land of sunshine and song" coming to the cold and fogs of London town to pick up some of the gold with which its streets are paved ; and for those who find London gold as difficult to catch as a rainbow, the Society thoughtfully provides food and shelter at a cheap rate until better days come. The only paid officials are the secretary and the steward ; all the other officers are elected annually by the members, and give their services gratuitously to further the success of the institution. Not only is the Society self-supporting, but its members are always ready to give generous help to any parochial undertaking needing their assistance. This Society is the first, and at present the only Sick Benefit Club for Italian waiters in London, and we sincerely hope that not only will ITALIAN CLUB. 105 it continue to successfully maintain a high standard of club life, but also become the pioneer of a healthier public opinion amongst foreign clubs in Soho. XXIX. WESTMINSTER UNION SCHOOLS, ST. JAMES' ROAD, TOOTING. OUR account of the Institutions of the Parish would not be complete without a reference to the Westminster Union Schools. Since the year 1868, when the parishes of St. Anne and St. James were united in one Poor Law Union, St. Anne's parish has been able to use the WESTMINSTER UNION SCHOOLS, TOOTING. Schools at Tooting, which were built in 1852, by the parish of S. Jarnes at a cost of 15,000. In the year 1850 the Directors of the Poor of the Parish of St. James had bought twenty acres of land from Lord Spencer for ,600, for the purpose of building a school. So rapidly did the land increase in value, that in the year 1878, the Guardians of Westminster Union disposed of it for 14,500, leaving the present site of about seven and a-half acres, of which about two acres are taken up by school buildings and yards, and the rest by playing fields and garden land. The school is a handsome three-storied brick building, with a io6 INSTITUTIONS OF SOHO. frontage of 230 feet, and forms three sides of a square. The Infirmary, which is detached, is built of brick, and contains two floors. The wards are bright and cheerful, and provide sick accommodation for 5-67 per cent, of the number for which the School is certified by the Local Government Board. That reminds us of the special distinction which belongs to the Westminster Union Schools, viz., that of being the smallest Poor Law School of the Metropolis. It is certified for 194 children, and has at present 133 inmates only of whom 83 belong to the Westminster Union, and 50 to the parish of S. John's, Hampstcad. SCHOOL BAND, WITH MR. II. L. FRENCH, SUPERINTENDENT, AND MR. A. AMOS, BANDMASTER. Being a small school, it has always had a better record as regards the health and training of the children than can be shown by the large Barrack Schools of other Unions, and the reports of the Government Inspectors have been almost uniformly good. Lately the Guardians have sent all the boys and girls to a neighbouring elementary school, leaving only the infants to be taught in the Institution, and they are the first, and at present the only, Metropolitan Board of Guardians who have taken this step. The children wear non-distinctive dress, and it is thought that this mixing with outside children will be a benefit to them. Already the superintendent informs us, the walk to and from school has much improved their appetites. A careful experiment is also being made in boarding out a few of the younger children. Mn MR. JAMES STYLES. Chairman of the School Committee, io8 INSTITUTIONS OF SOHO. and Mrs. French, the Superintendent and the Matron, endeavour in every way to make the School as much as possible like a home, and the Guardians take a personal interest in the welfare of the children. Mr. J. Styles, the Chairman of the School Committee, is unwearied in his efforts to make the children happy. All this reasonable and kindly treatment by the Guardians and Officers, has had a marked effect upon the whole character and demeanour of the children, and visitors to the School must be struck with the brightness of the children, and with the evident good understanding which exists between them, and those who have the care of them. We have heard much of late about the " pauper taint." This has entirely disappeared in the case of the children in the Westminster Union Schools. In former days the School used frequently to be mistaken for a Reformatory. Now the Superintendent receives THREE OLD BOYS SOLDIER, SAILOR, CIVILIAN. applications for a " prospectus " under the impression that the establishment is a respectable boarding school. A barrister making enquiries for the Poor Law Conference asked one of the local clergy what character the School, bore in the neighbourhood, and received the reply, " excellent." We may mention that the boys who do not attend the Board School, by virtue of having passed the necessary standard of exemption, are sent to the Church Institute Evening Classes, and it is satisfactory to note that last year all the fees were returned for good attendance, and five prizes were taken. Pains are taken to get desirable situations for the girls, who for the most part go into service when they leave school, and the Guardians are fortunate in having the help of Mrs. Casher, who makes it her special work to befriend the girls in every possible way when they go into service. The Guardians do all that is possible in giving the boys a WESTMINSTER UNION SCHOOLS. 109 good start in life, whether as civilians, or as soldiers and sailors. We give a picture of three of the old boys just leaving school. One of them is the Bounty Boy, who is apprenticed, out of a fund left by the late Mrs. Newton, to some trade which he chooses himself. The boy is elected by the vote of his schoolfellows, and must be from St. James' parish. The School Band, of which we also give a picture, is a popular institution, and very useful also. It is much in request for garden parties in the neighbourhood, and the Guardians allow a limited number of engagements to be made as an encouragement to the boys. The band contributes about six boys every year to the Army and Navy bands. Several of the old band boys are now holding good positions as band masters, and non-commissioned officers. According to the returns of the Local Government Board, there are twenty-one metropolitan schools, of which that of the Westminster Union is the smallest. The cost per head for an average year is given by the Departmenta Committee of the Local Government Board in Volume I. of their Report. WESTMINSTER SCHOOLS. s. d. s. d. Maintenance of children .. 12 n 2 per annum, or 4 gf per week. Salaries, and Maintenance of Officers .. .. 7 17 8 ,, 3 oj ,. Repairs, furniture, rates,taxes,&c. jog ,, 2 8J ,, Total .. .. 27 g 7 ,, 10 6 ,, This somewhat higher cost than in some other of the Poor Law Schools, is due to the smallness of the school, and to the fact that whilst it will accommodate 194, there are at present only 133 children; also it has to be borne in mind that practically the same staff is required for the 133 children as would be required for a larger number, Altogether we think that the ratepayers of St. Anne's have every reason to be proud of the Westminster Union Schools. It ought also to be mentioned that the Guardians send children to Roman Catholic Schools, which are periodically visited by the Guardians. The present writer cannot speak too highly of those Roman Catholic Schools which he, as a Guardian, has had the opportunity of visiting. The Guardians pay only five shillings a week for each child in these schools. Small as the payment is, it was one which the Roman Catholic authorities were willing to accept in their eagerness to educate their own children. We hope that this good bargain for the ratepayers may be re-considered in the light of what is just to the Roman Catholic community. In our article on " Two Centuries of Poor Law in St. Anne's " we give many details of the earlier history of the care of the poor children by St. Anne's parish. These details are specially worthy of attention at this time, when the Boarding Out System is under discussion. ( no ) XXX. THE SOHO CLUB AND HOME FOR WORKING GIRLS, 59 GREEK STREET, SOHO SQUARE. THE Hon. Maude Stanley established the Soho Club for Working Girls in 1880, and may be looked upon as the originator of the Girls' Club movement, which is now doing so much to brighten and improve the lives of thousands of young women workers in London and pro- vincial towns. The Girls' Friendly Society, and similar institutions, THE HON. MAUDE STANLEY. By kind permission of the Editor of " The Cliiirchwoman," 157 Strand. had done something for young women workers, but Miss Stanley saw plainly that Clubs were needed, which would be open every evening, and which would offer privileges to their members which hitherto had not been fully enjoyed. All who are interested in bettering the life of the working classes must rejoice in the success of her labours. The SOHO CLUB FOR GIRLS. in Soho Club has led the way, and the movement is now spreading, not only all over England, but in the United States of America. The Soho Club began in a very humble way in three small rooms at No. 5 Porter Street, Newport Market. There were forty-four mem- bers, and an average attendance of fourteen every evening. The premises, after a few months, proved too small, and a workshop at the back of 20 Frith Street was secured, at a rental of 50 a year. This building did good service until 1884, when Miss Stanley took in hand a much larger scheme, and, aided by her many benevolent friends, purchased the present commodious and beautiful building at a cost, for the freehold, building and furnishing, of 7200. With its SOHO CLUB *HO HOME fOR WOlliiNC GIRLS/] THE CLUB HOUSE. large room capable of seating 250 persons, and the ample space it affords for all kinds of healthful recreation and instruction, it is a veritable palace of delight for the young women toilers of Soho. We observed that the Annual Report of the Club for 1896 records that 198 girls were admitted during the year, that the average attendance each night was 47, and, better still, that as many as 95 girls attended classes. The management is shared by a Council and by a Club Com- mittee. The Council consists of ladies and gentlemen in a good social position, who give their sympathy and help in various ways, and watch over the interests of the Club. Most members of the Council have charge of the Club for a month at a time, visit new members in their homes, and go over the books of the Superintendent and Girls' Committee. ii2 INSTITUTIONS OF SOHO. The following are the present members of the Council : ARTHUR DAVIES, Esq., 41 Blenheim Crescent, Netting Hill, W. Mrs. EDWARDS, Leighton Banastro, Parkgate. Miss GIFFARD, 74 Warwick Square, S.W. Miss MARJORY ACLAND HOOD, 24 Cadogan Gardens, S.W. Miss MACDONALD, M.B., 47 Seymour Street, Portman Square, W. Miss MANSFIELD, 7 Warwick Square, S.W. VISCOUNTESS MORPETH, 41 Devonshire Place, W. R. C. PONSONBY, Esq., 73 Egerton Gardens, S.W. MARCHIONESS OF SALISBURY, 20 Arlington Street, S.W. Hon. MAUDE STANLEY, 3.2 Smith Square, Westminster, S.W. Miss MARGARET HANLEY, 18 Mansfield Street, Portland Place, W. Mrs. STUCLEY, 65 Cadogan Gardens, and Hartland Abbey, Bideford. Rev. R. S. O. TAYLER, 119 Barkstone Gardens, S.W. Hon. Secretary and Treasurer, Hon. MAUDE STANLEY. The Club Committee consists of members who are chosen by bal- lot every December. They receive new members, prepare the rooms for classes, and are in attendance at the Club, in turn, every evening. The object which Miss Stanley and the Council have in view, is to de- velop the self-help of the girls, and only to give a helping hand where it is absolutely needed. This accounts for the small cost of manage- ment, the Superintendent and Matron being the only paid officers of the Club. During the holidays of the Superintendent, the manage- ment and control of the Club is in the hands of the Girls' Committee, and this year they were solely responsible for looking after the Club for six weeks. The following are the present members of the Girls' Club Committee : CONSTANCE BUPNS, 51 Broad Street, Bloomsbury, W.C. FLORENCE BURNS, 51 Broad Street, Bloomsbury, W.C. ALICE VARLEY, 57 Poland Street, W. ROSE TABOR, 146 Sandringham Buildings, W. EMMA HICKS, n Seaton Street, Hampstead Road, N.W. ANNIE COLLYER, Peabody Buildings, Great Wild Street, W.C. WINNIE HOGAN, 3 Blenheim Street, Bond Street, W. AMY FLETCHER, 16 Duke's Court, Bow Street, W.C. The Home in connection with the Club is a most valuable institu- tion. During the year 1896 there were 91 lodgers. The domestic work of the Home is chiefly done by girls who are training for domestic service, and it is satisfactory to learn that there are girls holding good situations who received their training in the Home. The charges for board and lodging are very moderate. A Magazine is published monthly, giving information as to the life and progress, not only of the Soho Club, but of other Clubs affiliated with the London Club Union. We find it very interesting reading, and not the least interesting are some of the articles written by the girls themselves on their return from their pleasant holidays in the country houses where they have enjoyed the kind hospitality of wealthy friends of the Club. The sense of the beauties of nature and SOHO CLUB FOR GIRLS. 113 the powers of description displayed in these articles are often very striking and remarkable. Ample provision is made for the instruction and recreation of the members. There are classes for musical drill, reading, singing, gym- nastics, drawing, and art needlework, and lectures from time to time on nursing, dressmaking, and other useful subjects. For the recrea- tion of the members there is a musical entertainment every Wednes- day evening, and there appear to be excursions and amusements of one kind or the other nearly all the year round. MEMBERS OF THE SOHO GIRLS CLUB. We must not omit to mention also the Library, which is well used, and managed by the Girls' Committee, and the Penny Bank, con- ducted on the rules of the National Penny Bank. A Dispensary is also established at the Soho Club for the members, who pay for the first visit is., and subsequent ones 6d. The medicine is gratis. One of the ladies of the Council, Miss Macdonald, M.B., attends there every Saturday. 150 visits were paid during the last year, and there is a decided improvement in the health of the girls, in consequence of the care of this lady doctor. No religious test is required for membership, but a Guild was started in 1888, in accordance with the wish of the Club members, under the direction of the Rev. R. S. O. Tayler, Assistant Priest of H H4 INSTITUTIONS OF SOHO. St. Augustine's Church, South Kensington. The Guild meetings are held once a quarter. Mr. Tayler has also held Bible and Confirmation Classes for those who wished to attend them, and many members of the Club have availed themselves of the opportunities afforded them of religious in- struction. We have been much interested in noting the variety in the daily occupations of the members of the Club and the lodgers in the home. The following is a more or less perfect list from the books of the Club. Book folders Fadory workers Nixey, Mr. W. G. Book keepers Fancy box makers Packers Boot fitters Feather makers Paper makers Bottle-cap makers Flower makers Perfumers Braiders Governesses Portmanteau makers Cap makers Hat trimmers Shirt makers Card makers Infant-boot makers Shoe makers Cashiers Jewel Polishers Shop assistants Castell& Brown, Messrs. Ladies' bag makers Shorthand writers Chair caners Lamp-shade makers Silk winders Clerks Laundresses Silver burnishers Crosse & Blackwell, Leather workers Stage, on the Messrs. Machinists Stationers Compositors Mantle makers Tailoresses Concertina makers Military cap makers Typists Domestic servants Milliners Upholstresses Dress makers Musical students Waistcoat makers Elementary teachers Music folders Waitresses Embroidresses Needlewomen Wig makers It is quite impossible to measure the beneficial influence of such an institution as the Soho Girls' Club. If it were no more than a strong counter attraction to the coarse and low pleasures of the Music Halls and Dancing Rooms and a pre- servative from the temptation to lounge about the streets, it would be an institution of great value. But it is far more than this. It pro- motes good fellowship amongst our young women toilers, it brings about a sympathy between one class and another, and affords an opening for all kinds of friendly ministration to those who have little to cheer and brighten their lives. Most warmly, from our own obser- vation, do we endorse the following words from a lady who visited the Club and Home. " I wish the Soho Club and Home were more widely known amongst the class of girls who go to work all day at our great establishments, for I can hardly think that the independence which is so greatly valued can be better secured than in the Home ; and I think that the lodgings which they often frequent cannot compare with the Home in comfort and cleanliness. Not only girls employed in business, but those engaged in study would find it difficult to secure elsewhere the protection and quietude of such a well-organised place. A bedroom may be had including use of sitting-room with fire and gas, washing of bed-linen and towels at a cost of 35. to 55. a week. The advantages SOHO CLUB FOR GIRLS. 115 of the Club are many. It is open every evening but Saturdays from 7 to 10 o'clock, and offers recreation, instruction, amusement, and pleasant companion- ship after the work of the day, and classes in various useful subjects for the members. I can speak personally to the happy tone, comfort, and charm of the entire place, and to the care and discrimination evinced in the kind of amusements supplied. " Bohemian and migratory as the class of working girls is, it would be well if kind-hearted employers would draw the attention of their workers to such institutions as these." In writing to the Rector a short time ago the Hon. Maude Stanley says : " Our Home Matron is now so good that the Home is always full with thirty lodgers." This could scarcely be more satisfactory, and speaks itself for the usefulness of the Club and Home. XXXI. ST. JAMES' AND SOHO WORKING MEN'S CLUB AND INSTITUTE, COMPTON HOUSE, FRITH STREET. WE believe this is one of the oldest, if not the oldest, Working Men's .Club in London, and certainly it is one of the most successful. We have been fortunate enough to get from Mr. G. Millbank, the much- respected Secretary, the following account of the history of the club during the thirty-three years of its existence. " The first attempt to establish St. James' and Soho Club was made in 1864. A public meeting was held in that year in the National School-rooms, Piccadilly, kindly lent by the Rev. J. E. Kempe, Rector of St. James', Piccadilly. Sir John Shelley, Bart, M.P., was in the chair, and the following resolution was carried unanimously : " That in the opinion of this meeting, the efforts now being made to establish and maintain a Working Men's Club and Institute in St. James' and Soho, deserve the hearty support of the working class of the neigh- bourhood." After other resolutions had been adopted, the following gentlemen were proposed as a provisional Committee : W. Thackerey Marriott, Esq., Henry Hoare, Esq., Hamilton Hoare, Esq., Rev. Harry Jones, and Messrs. J. Pratt, Tarley, Clutterbuck, Taylor, Masters, Pettitt, Phillips, Cameron, Watts, Matthews, Fuller and Little. The provisional Committee having arranged all preliminaries for starting the Club, dissolved, and the following gentlemen were appointed as the first Committee of the Club : Henry Hoare, Esq., Rev. Harry Jones, and Messrs. Shipley, Randall, Turley, Matthews, Thrower, Pike, Masters, Watts, Pratt, Clutterbuck ; Secretary, Mr. Tarley ; Treasurer, Henry Hoare, Esq. The use of the rooms under St. Luke's Church was kindly given rent free. These premises were, however, found to be unsuitable in n6 INSTITUTIONS OF SOHO. many respects for the development of the Club, and a first floor was obtained in Broad Street, Golden Square. At this period of our history we were in serious financial difficulties, and a broker's man was put in possession. 5 of the debt was paid by Miss Anna Swanwick, and Mr. Henry Hoare collected 40 for us. We again found our premises inadequate, and on December 4, 1865, we took the ground floor and hall of No. 6 Rose Street. Mr. Hoare guaranteed the rent, and here we remained for two years. Our next move was to Rupert Street. Up to this time the Club had been conducted on strictly temperance princi- ples. It was now decided to sell excisable articles. Mr. Hoare advanced 1000 to purchase the lease and make the necessary altera- tions. Nearly 1600 members joined during the first three weeks. After occupying these premises for seven years we were obliged to seek a new home, and took the premises in Gerrard Street in February, 1875. We had to borrow to adapt these premises to our purposes, and in the year 1875 our entire indebtedness amounted to 2028 8s. 6d. By the year 1889 we had come to the end of our financial difficul- ties, the balance sheet of the preceding year showing an excess of assets over liabilities of 859 gs. 6d. Prosperity continued, and in January, 1896, we were able to enter into the occupation of our pre- sent premises, having purchased the leasehold. Our members now number 700." Mr. Hall Caine has lately given in his novel " The Christian" such a graphic account of the evils connected with " bogus " clubs in Soho, that it is especially gratifying to record the existence of this large and flourishing club, against which no such accusations can be made. In such a club, working men have the benefits of good fellowship without the obligation to drink, which is a necessary condition of meeting in the public house. Added to this there is the opportunity of reading and amusements in large airy rooms which so much diminishes the temp- tation to excess ; and perhaps, best of all, the suggestions for mutual helpfulness which such an association affords. XXXIL WESTMINSTER UNION WORKHOUSE. TWO CENTURIES OF POOR LAW IN ST. ANNE'S. ST. ANNE'S VESTRY, 1678-1837. STRAND UNION, 1837-1868. WESTMINSTER UNION, 1868-1897. Two Centuries ago the Relief of the Poor was administered by the Churchwardens and Overseers, under the control of the Vestry. There were then no Workhouses, " the first London Workhouse being erected next to Sir Peter Finder's in Bishopsgate Street in the year 1698." Relief was mainly given in the form of pensions and clothing, though rooms were rented for the poor to some small extent, and surgical aid was also given at the cost of n8 INSTITUTIONS OF SOHO. the parish. The poor at that time were suffering, and the com- munity was suffering from the unwise and unjust " Act of Settlement " as it was called, of Charles the Second's reign an Act which had been passed from the mistaken point of view of the lord of the manor or the rich citizen. Amongst the many evils arising from the working of this Act was the large expense incurred by the Overseers in the remova of labourers to their own parish when they had left it in search of work, and one of the earliest records in the minutes of St. Anne's Vestry, is the protest against the " extravigancys " of the Overseers in a removal case. In the end the following sums were " alowed," which appear to us ample : * rf- Expended in going to Shrewsbury to take William Jeffreys . . 690 Expended upon waiting upon Major Gibson . . : . . o 10 o Expended in going to Hammersmith . . . . . . . . . . o 10 o 790 It must be remembered that the Churchwardens and Overseers had to perform their duties personally, as there were at that time no paid officers. These duties were so burdensome to men engaged in business, that persons nominated to serve, frequently applied to be relieved, and indeed submitted to the then substantial fine of 12, rather than accept office. The Vestry minutes at the nomination of overseers continually illustrate this aspect of the case : " April 6, 1702. John Mist was duly elected Overseer, but made application to the Vestry to be excused, which they would not admitt of; then he voluntarily consented and agreed to pay as a ffme the sum of twelve pounds, which sum were accepted of by the Vestry, and immediately the aforesaid Richard Townsend was elected in his place. " ffriday, April ye 6th, 1711. fforasmuch as application have been made to this Board by George Arnauld, of Cock Lane, in the parish of St. Ann, desireing to be exempted from serving any office in the said parish, aledging that the affaires arising by his station and calling was very important, and obleiged him to be absent from the sd parish severall times in the year, by which means he was rendered incapable of performing any office, etc. He therefore humbly requested to pay a fine of Twelve Pounds in order to be exempted and ffreed from all such offices as this Board shall or may at any time impose upon him. And further desired that the said sum may be forth- with paid into the hands of Mr. William Baker, Churchwarden, for and towards the use of the poor of this sd parish of St. Ann.' It was agreed that he should be ' hereafter exempted, ffreed and discharged from serving all such parish offices as are in the power of the Board to impose upon him.' " The sources of INCOME for the relief of the poor at that time were rates, collections at the church doors, and fines of 12 each paid by those who wished to be exempt from serving the parish as churchwardens and overseers. In addition to these sources of income, there were the fines "for breach of the Sabbath," which never seem to have amounted to more than a few pounds in the year, and soon disappeared altogether. There WESTMINSTER UNION. ng were also parish charities whose income was added to the Poor fund, such as the Vincens' Charity, which appears for many years on the minutes of St. Anne's Vestry, but was at length lost to the parish. The first progressive step taken by St. Anne's in the provision of the poor, was to take a lease of twelve houses for them in " Symbols' Alley,' wherever that may have been, in 1697. The lease of this property was afterwards renewed in 1704. FIRST WORKHOUSE, 1728. The erection of the first Workhouse, or Industrial House as it was then called, for St. Anne's Parish was decided upon by St. Anne's Vestry in the year 1728. Legislature had lately advanced a step (by A61 9, George I., c. 7, of 1723), having ordered that parishes should be entitled "singly or in combination, to build, buy, or hire workhouses, and that any poor person refusing to enter one of such houses should not be entitled to ask or receive collection or relief." Our first workhouse was in Oxford Road (Oxford Street as it is now). The lease of this expired at Lady Day, 1766. Three houses were then rented in Chapel Street, and at the same time two houses and the site attached to them were bought in Rose Street, with a view to building and providing the accommodation required. It appears that in the middle of last century the large contractor had not come into existence, or that the Vestry preferred to be direct employers of labour, according to the " Progressive " principle of our own day. In the case of St. Anne's Workhouse, however, the Vestry found them- selves in trouble with the workmen, and there was a long delay and lengthened disputes before the building could be finished. During these building operations it was found that a workman was being employed who was not a parishioner, and an indignation meeting was held which resulted in his dismissal. ""Parochialism" could hardly, we think, be carried further than this. Mr. G. Smith Bradshaw, a parishioner, lent the parish 1000 to enable the Vestry to carry out this work, a mortgage upon the building being assigned to him as security for his loan. FIRST GUARDIANS APPOINTED, 1767. An A61 was passed in 1767, for "the better regulation of the Parish Poor Children " (7th George III.), and at a Vestry held on the loth day of July in that year, we find the following Order : " The five following gentlemen being inhabitants of this parish are appointed and chosen Guardians of the parish poor children of this parish." Rev. Richard Hind, D.D., Rector of the Parish Right Hon. Lord Pigot William Beckford, Esq. Charles Boone, Esq. Rose Faller, Esq. We observe that the term Guardian was first used in connection with the care of the poor children. The appointment was made for three years. BOARDING OUT ADOPTED, 1767. We are at once curious to know what these Guardians did with the children, and we find that they adopted the boarding out system of which we have lately heard so much. MR. F. H. BINGHAM, F.S.I. Chairman of Westminster Union Guardians. Vestryman and Guardian, first for St. Anne's and then for St. James', since 1885. Chairman of the Building Committee of the Central London Sick Asylum. O'AV ill, 69 New Bond Street. WESTMINSTER UNION. 121 Opening the "Abstracts of accounts of monies for Nursing and Maintenance, etc., of poor children, commencing ist of July, 1767," we observe that the children were boarded out at such places as Whetstone, Enfield, Chertsey, Hand Cottage, Holborn, Cambridge, Lincoln, and Harrow; and that the average expenditure for the nursing, clothing, medicine and schooling of each child was about 2s. 6d. per week. To this, however, was added the large expenditure ncurred in visiting and " viewing " them. We find, e.g., such items as 5 175., 8 155. urf., 3 gs., put down for these visits. PAUPER LABOUR. On January 26, 1781, the Vestry resolved to erect an "additional building in the yard appertaining to the present workhouse, for the better maintaining and employing of the poor of the parish." The following Vestry resolution passed on Thursday, February 14, 1782, is interesting: " That Mr. Salter, the Vestry Clerk, be appointed Clerk of the Workhouse with a salary of ,20 a year, and also 6 per cent, on all the neat produce of all the work done by the paupers [this is the first time we meet with this wordj in the Workhouse, excepting the money given to the paupers for their encouragement." What kind of work was done by the inmates of the Workhouse ? Fortunately it is easy to answer this question, because the Vestry still possess what is called the '' Pauper's Work Book," from which we copy the following : s. il. Encouragement. 1824. March 26. Mr. Young making 2 shirts ^ 2/- o 4 o . . 008 ,, Mr. Belcher ,, 9 ,, ,, /io 076^ ,, ,, ,, 12 ,, ,, /8 o 8 o - 1 4 6 041 ,. >- 9 .. !/- 090) ,, Mr. Graham ,, 24 ,, /6 o 12 o ,, Messrs. Rood and Co., 187^ Ib. wool .. o 9 4^ o i 6| ,, 30. Mr. Machean carding 20 Ibs. wool . . o i o 002 April 15. Mr. Boswell making 6 waist- coats . . . . (ft /9 o 4 6 ,, 15. Mr. Boswell making 4 pr. drawers . . . . @ /6 o 2 o ' 16. Mr. Appletree, 13 Ibs. hair (' /6 . . 066 1827. Sept. 29. Making 91 pairs of Men and Women's Shoes @ 2/3 io 4 ,, 42 pairs of Boys an;l Girls .. .. 1/9 3 13 Mending io pairs ditto. . . ,, i/- o io o Vig 13 3 35 Making 18 suits of clothes 4/6 4 i o j ,, 8 pairs of trowsers ,, 1/6 o 12 o Repairr, . . . . . , ..0120 -066 122 INSTITUTIONS OF SOHO. One Quarter's Salary as Master of the Workhouse tot :,. , . r 10 o o Michaelmas, 1827 .. .. .. .. . . ' One Quarter's allowance in lieu of ale to ditto. . . 3 12 o Neat Earnings of the Paupers to Michaelmas .. 157 2 3 Making and repairing Shoes for the Paupers in j Workhouse, and Children at Edmonton, 10-14 8 3 Michaelmas.. .. .. .. .. ..) Examined. WM. WATTS. JAS. ATKINSON. T. How. B. DAVIKS. WM. CHARLTON. W. KILK. The allowance for beer can hardly be called illiberal. YEARS OF GREAT DISTRESS (1795 l8l6) We pass on to the closing years of the eighteenth century, and the opening years of the nineteenth, and the story of the working of the Poor Law in our parish would not be fully told without some reference to the wide-spread distress which then prevailed. Of this the Vestry minutes of St. Anne's afford abundant evidence. The Vestry met on June 7, 1795, to consider some "mode for relieving the distresses of the industrious poor occasioned by the present high price of provisions," and resolved to open a subscription " for supplying the poor of the parish with bread at two pence per quartern loaf under the assize price." The following year the Vestry took the practical itep of ordering twelve loaves to be made of rye flour, and the same number of barley flour, by way of experiment, to see whether bread made of rye or barley flour could be brought into general use during the scarcity of wheat. Having made the experiment, they agreed that this could not be done with any degree of utility to the public. But they resolved that they would " in their own families promote the most rigorous savings of bread and other articles made of wheat, and would thus endeavour to the utmost of their power to carry into effect the resolu- tions of the two Houses of Parliament, *and the recommendation of His Majesty's most Honourable Privy Council." They further expressed the view that this object "could not be more effectually pro- moted than by increasing the consumption of vegetables. Signatures were obtained from house-keepers pledging themselves to carry out these resolutions in their own homes, and thus to follow the example which had been set them in other parishes. In the year 1800 the Vestry again took into consideration the high and increasing price of provisions, and unanimously resolved to " give up the use of the following articles (except for children), until they are sold at the reduced prices named : * , -c Irf V "n JU "rt u *rf c "rt ri ~a E "3 a * o > S V III S u fa !H u H S c H 1878 15 123 6 39 IOI 284 19 8 6 7 15 o 27 3 6 1879 15 103 3 32 77 230 16 o 5 599 21 IO 2 1880 12 85 IO 22 66 195 13 2 II 466 17 9 5 1881 5 77 9 3 88 209 13 14 7 488 18 3 3 1882 7 83 3 4i 124 258 14 15 o 749 21 19 9 1883 10 84 5 43 128 2/0 15 2 O 729 22 4 9 1884 20 78 10 36 126 270 15 16 o 814 23 17 4 1885 14 72 8 37 112 243 14 o 2 6 i ii 2O 2 I 1886 12 82 IO 38 92 234 13 5 o 536 18 8 6 1887 9 74 9 22 54 168 10 17 o 3 16 i H 13 i 1888 9 73 7 28 73 190 ii 4 7 3 J 4 4 14 18 ii 1889 10 80 5 20 35 150 ii 14 6 367 15 i i 1890 7 75 5 15 25 127 10 9 6 2 10 5 12 IQ II 1891 3 81 3 II 28 126 10 7 6 2 13 10 13 i 4 1892 6 : 75 12 18 in 9 15 o 2 12 i 12 7 I 1893 4 : 8l , 3 9 25 122 1 1 i o 227 13 3 7 1894 6 68 9 22 10 5 10 13 6 084 II I IO 1895 3 66 - 3 5 77 10 o o o i 6 10 i 6 1896 S 60 2 3 70 10 6 6 10 6 6 1897 5 56 i I 6 69 II 2 O O I O ii 3 o November 19, 1897. I 3 I 40 | I i 44 | 7 13 o | 7 13 o The result has been a considerable decrease in the amount of out- door relief as will be seen from the table which we give above. If a better classification could be carried out than is possible in the present building, the Guardians might see their way to abolishing out-door relief altogether. We must not omit to mention that the credit of the improved state of things is due to the ability and zeal of Mr. J. H. Penfold, our Relieving Officer, who was appointed in 1892. A short time back the Guardians discussed the removal of the Workhouse a few miles out of town, but decided to provide better accommodation upon the present site rather than take this step. \Ve venture to think that the present position of workhouses in the centre of the population is a distinct incentive to pauperism, because it enables the drunken and worthless to remain in the immediate neighbourhood until past midnight, and then to demand admission under the plea of " desti- tution." If these loafers had to walk six or seven miles before gaining admission, the ratepayers would rarely be put to the expense of maintaining them. 128 INSTITUTIONS OF SOHO. GUARDIANS AND OFFICERS. Guardians from the Parisli of St. Anne. J. H. CARDWELL, M.A., 28 Soho Square, W., Vice-Chairman. S. G. CONNOR, M.B., 4 Soho Square, W., Representative at the Metropolitan Asylum District. HENRY COOPER, 24 Greek Street, W. W. J. FRASER, 2 Soho Square, W., Representative at the Central London Sick Asylum. JAMES GOULBORN, 43 Greek Street, W. C. B. LEATHERBY, 7 Lisle Street, W., Representative at the Central London Sick Asylum. H. 0. STONE, 21 Little Newport Street, W.C. JOSEPH BOND, Clerk to the Board. FAUQUHAR MATHESON, M.B., J.P., Medical Officer (Outdoor Poor). F. W. AXIIAM, 31 Glasshouse Street, Medical Officer (Indoor Relief). PERCY J. EDMUNDS, 5 Great Marlborough Street, Public Vaccinator. J. H. PENFOLD, Relieving and Vaccination Officer. Population of the Union, 1896. Rateable Value, 1897. St. Anne .. .. .. 12,048 St. Anne .. .. ,"163, 798 St. James .. .. .. 23,051 St. James .. .. 801,480 35-99 ,965.278 XXXIII. ST. ANNE'S VESTRY. (A) TWO CENTURIES OF MUNICIPAL AFFAIRS. ST. ANNE'S VESTRY, during the Two Centuries of its existence has been intimately concerned with (i) Poor Law Administration ; (2) Municipal Affairs, and (3) Ecclesiastical Matters. Upon the work of the Vestry in the Relief of the Poor, we have dwelt at considerable length in our article on the Westminster Union Workhouse, or Two Centuries of Poor Law in St. Anne's. In considering the history of the Vestry from a Municipal point of view, we are able to avail ourselves of the information afforded by an interesting Retrospect published by the neighbouring Vestry of St. James, Piccadilly, in 1885, the bi-centenary of their Parish ; and we shall venture to quote some parts of it in this first part of our article. But first it may be well to give the dates of the formation of St. Anne's and the neighbouring parishes. St. Martin's was taken out of St. Margaret's, Westminster, in 1356. Out of St. Martin's were created : St. Paul's, Covent Garden in 1660. St. Anne's, Soho ... 1678. St. James', Piccadilly ... 1685. St. George's, Hanover Square 1728. ST. ANNE'S VESTRY. 129 In the case of St. Anne's, the parish was formed and the Vestry created before the Church was built. St. James' Church was built, and the Parish formed in 1685. Local Government 220 years ago was widely different from what it is now, and it is difficult even to imagine the conditions of life which then existed. To quote Macaulay, only the nucleus of the present Metropolis then existed. In the West, with which we are concerned, scarcely one of those stately piles of buildings which are inhabited by the noble and wealthy, were then in existence, and Chelsea was a quiet country village with about one thousand inhabitants. On the north, cattle fed, and sportsmen wandered with dogs and guns over the site of the borough of Marylebone, and Islington was a solitude. THE STREETS were practically unpaved until the passing of the Westminster Paving A 61 in 1761, unless the inhabitants chose from pride, wealth, or caprice, to pave the space in front of their own doors, in which case they were free to indulge their personal tastes without restraint. In a few cases, however, small districts were paved. Macaulay tells us that St. James' Square was a receptacle for all sorts of offal and for all the dead cats and dead dogs of Westminster, that at one time a cudgel player kept a ring there, and at another time a Squatter settled and built a shed for rubbish there. A special Act for St. Anne's was passed shortly after the West- minster Paving Act, " for the better paving and lighting of the parish of St. Anne," and we find among the names of the trustees for carry- ing it out, the following: John Trotter, Sir William James, Bart., Sir Joshua Reynolds, Knight, and Sir George Savile, and in the later minutes of the Vestry, we find that some of the leading inhabitants of the parish served on this important ' Commission." The streets were almost the same as they are now, but kerbstones were unknown, and there was no distinction between the carriage ways and footpaths, except in some of the principal streets, where a line of posts and chains afforded occasional protection. The extremely simple mode of identifying a house by giving it a number had not then occurred to our Parish Rulers. Houses of business were usually known by a sign, and the mansions of the Gentry received the names of their occupiers, if they had any distinctive appellation at all. The houses of the wealthier of the middle class, then rapidly increasing in number and importance, were simply described as being situated on the north, south, east, or west of the street, square, or place, as the case might be, or by their contiguity to better known premises. The earlier rate books illustrate the difficulty with which this class of property could be identified. The first street in the Metropolis, the houses of which were numbered, was New Burlington Street, and the date of this innovation was 1764. i MR. C. B. LEATHERBY. Churchwarden of St. A nne's since 1883. Guardian of the Poor, Member of the Strand Board of Works. O'Xeill, 69 AViv Bond Street, ST. ANNE'S VESTRY. 131 SANITATION. The general condition of the streets is illustrated by a writer in The London Chronicle, who, speaking of paving the City and Liberties of Westminster, in 1752, says : " All sorts of dirt and ashes, oyster shells, and the offal of dead poultry and other animals, will no longer be suffered to be thrown into the streets, but must be kept until the dustman comes ; nor will the annoyance created by coachmakers be permitted; and when a house is pulled down, the rubbish must be carried to a proper place, and not left in the streets." Until the year 1670, rainwater was generally discharged from the roofs of buildings on to the streets below, and the evil had become so intolerable as to lead to the fixing of stack pipes being made compulsory in the City of London, an example which was subsequently followed in Westminster. Nor was rain water the worst nuisance to be encountered. The " cesspool " which contained the house drainage was emptied when necessary, by the contents being pumped into the street. Sewers were mostly open ditches, either natural streams or artificially constructed, scarcely in any way corresponding to the term sewer as we understand it to-day. The Fleet Ditch remained an open "sewer" until the year 1737. It is difficult to imagine such an unsatis- factory state of affairs. The Great Plague occurred only thirteen years before St. Anne's Parish was formed. There were, according to the tables of mortality, no fewer than 97,306 deaths from the visitation in 1665, and that was probably below the actual number, as it is not likely that accuracy would be observed when the deaths were so numerous, and many Sextons and Parish Clerks were numbered among the dead. The annual rate of mortality during the plague exceeded 220 per 1000, or about ten times the present Metropolitan death rate from all causes. Sanitation was simply not understood. Pumps abounded in the parish in close proximity to cesspools, and as late as April 18, 1804, we find in the Vestry minutes: " Resolved that it be recommended to the Trustees for re-building the Tower of the Church to consider the propriety of opening a way to the Pump in the Rector's Churchyard for the accommodation of the Inhabitants." Not until the outbreak of cholera in 1832 was there a general clearing away of pumps, and it was not until January, 1868, that the pump standing opposite to the Church in Dean Street was removed. LIGHTING. The streets were lighted, when they were lighted at all, by candles. Public lighting was, however, not undertaken as a municipal duty in the sense now understood, but, if light was not provided voluntarily, householders were required, upon the order of the constituted authority, such as the Aldermen in the City Wards, or the Burgess in Westminster, to display candles from their premises from sunset till nine or ten o'clock in the evening. In 1694, glass lanterns for burning oil were introduced, but this luxury was confined for some time to the road leading from Whitehall to Kensington Palace. I n MR. T. F. CURTIS. Churchwarden of St. Anne's since 1890. Member of the Strand Board of Works, O'Neill, 69 AYzei Bond Street. ST. ANNE'S VESTRY. 133 Oil served as an illuminant until the introduction of gas at the begin- ning of the present century, the first street lighted with gas being Pall Mall, in the year 1807. It may be remarked that oil was used in the lighting of Grosvenor Square as late as 1842. It can readily be imagined that an occasional candle and oil lantern did not afford an efficient, still less a brilliant means of street lighting. To remedy this, Linkmeu were called into being, who, for a consideration would walk before or beside the chair of the belated traveller with torches. Links were used until 1807, and a relic of their time may still be seen in the extinguishers attached to the entrance of houses in many of the old London squares. The character of the Linkman is not described in a very flattering way by Gay in the following lines : " Though thou art tempted by the linkman's call, Yet trust him not along the lonely wall ; In the mid-way he'll quench the flaming wand, And share the booty with the pilfering band." In the Whitehall Evening Post of November 29, 1792, St. Anne's Parish is highly complimented for certain improvements. Amongst other innovations was the following : "To remove the general complaint of a bad light from the lamps, it is ordered that three additional threads of cotton should be added to each burner." When St. Anne's became a Parish, the offices of CONSTABLE AND WATCHMAN 1 were honorary, but compulsory, and it was not until 1719 that substituted service was accepted. In the following year the payment of Watchmen was made a charge on the Watching Rate. It was not until the year 1829, that the foundation was laid for the present Metropolitan Police Force. The new Officers were called '' new Constables " for many years after their re-organisation, or " bobbies " and " peelers " as they were familiarly called, after Sir Robert Peel, the author of the Act of Parliament which created the new body. A more complete change than that from the watchmen, frequently feeble old men, to active constables, can scarcely be imagined : and is well illustrated by comparing the comparative immunity from street out- rages at the present day with the danger which formerly attended a visit to the suburbs after nightfall, or even, on a dark night, the crossing of Lincoln's Inn Fields, which was then merely a large unenclosed space. THE PREVENTION OF FIRE. It seems almost incredible that London remained without a Metro- politan Fire Brigade until 1833, when the various Insurance Companies made some kind of provision for united and systematic action on the outbreak of fire. Even then, and for thirty years later, the residents in London were mainly dependent on the voluntary efforts of the Fire Insurance Companies for protection from fire. It is true that before 1833, and subsequently, there were, as in our own parish, fire engines MR. GEORGE ALLEN. Clerk to the Overseers. Appointed, 1851. Clerk to the Burial Board. Appointed, 1854. Vestry Clerk, under the Vestry Clerks' Act. Appointed, 1857. Clerk to the Justices of the St. James' Division, comprising the Parishes of St. James and St. Anne. Appointed, 1872. ST. ANNE'S VESTRY. 135 maintained at the expense of the Parish. Our equipment consisted of a large engine and a hand pump kept in the engine-house in Dean Street, under the present Vestry room, and in those days it was suffi- cient for all ordinary purposes, being assisted by the engines of the neighbouring parishes. A hearty activity was encouraged by a system of graduated rewards to the first, second and third engines arriving on the scene of a fire. An enormous number of fires were extinguished by the use of the hand pump (sometimes called the "parish squirt") which by reason of its portability and central position was on the spot and at work almost as soon as the fire began, and before the engine could be brought into action. In 1767 a Colonel Brereton proposed an "expedient" for pre- serving lives in cases of fire, viz., special kinds of ladders, and the Vestry ordered them to be provided. It was not until 1865 that the Metropolitan Fire Brigade was f< rmed by the Metropolitan Board of Works. The Brigade was transferred to the London County Council, on the formation of that body in 1889. VESTRY PROGRESSIVE AND REFORMING. A study of the Vestry minutes shews very clearly that our Parochial Rulers in the past were for the most part a progressive and reforming body. The legislation which intimately concerned the daily lot of the great mass of the people was keenly watched and commented on by the Vestry of St. Anne's, and crowded public meetings were frequently held to discuss such subjects as the Corn Laws, the Reform Bill, and the Tax on Windows. Whatever else Parliament might overlook, they could not overlook the existence of St. Anne's Vestry. It would be a pleasure if we had the space to quote at length from some of the admirably-written petitions which went up from this parish to Parlia- ment during the first half of this century. The opposition to the Window Tax was long-continued and vigorous, and ended at last in success. We are thankful for the public spirit which has always been manifested in the Parish, and it is a pleasure to know that the names of some of the good citizens who served St. Anne's so devotedly in the earlier days of its history are with us still. Richard Rider, Alexander Hollen, John Meard, Richard Moor, Thomas Richmond, gave names to some of the streets and courts with which we are so familiar to-day. For Thomas Richmond's and John Meard's good work for the schools, see p. 23. Richard Rider took a prominent part in building the Rectory in 1705. We have so far mainly dwelt upon the progress in Municipal matters which has affected not only St. Anne's parish, but the whole of London. We must not close, however, without a reference to the forming of Charing Cross Road and Shaftesbury Avenue, which has conferred special benefits upon St. Anne's. CHARING CROSS ROAD AND SHAFTESBURY AVENUE. Before these great improvements were carried out St. Anne's was far more a place of slums than it is to-day. The southern part of the MR. HENRY COOPER. MR. WILLIAM DUNSCOMRE Overseers. MR. JOHN HEASLEV. MR. ALFRED PAIRPOINT. ST. ANNE'S VESTRY. 137 parish was a maze of small, narrow, crowded streets. In the language of some of the Vestry literature upon the subject "it was difficult in that part of the Parish to direct anybody, and more difficult still for anybody to find his way when he had been directed." The writer of the present Article can well remember losing himself in St. Anne's streets some twenty-five years ago when he tried to take a short cut by going through Ryder's Court, little thinking that the time would come when he would know every nook and corner of the Parish as well as he does to-day. As early as 1838 the agitation began about street improvements. In that year the existing Paving Committee of the parish considered the matter, and reported the need of better communication direct north and south of the parish. At that time the only direcl; communi- cations between Pall Mall and Oxford Street were by Whitcomb Street, Princes Street, Wardour Street; and between Charing Cross and Oxford Street, the only direct route was by St. Martin's Lane, Great St. Andrew's Street, and Broad Street, St. Giles'. The agitation was renewed in 1861, and on January 10 in that year, a petition on the subject was sent to the Metropolitan Board of Works. Nothing resulted from this petition. CRIMINAL STATISTICS. Twenty years later, on April 23, 1881, the state of the southern part of the Parish had become such as to afford a strong argument for pulling down the property, the site of which was needed to make Charing Cross Road and Shaftesbury Avenue. At the Vestry meeting of that date it was resolved " to call the attention of the Chief Commissioner of Police to the state of those parts of the Parish abutting on Newport Market, rendering it a disgrace to any civilised community." It is described as " dangerous to the Ratepayers and other respectable persons who frequent those parts, owing to the assaults and robberies which took place." In a letter from the Vestry Clerk to Superintendent Dunlop, we read of " one of the Members of the Vestry himself having been knocked down and another been saved from that indignity by a con- federate of the would-be assailant, who recognised the object of the proposed attack." On November 16, 1881, Chief Officers of Police met the Vestry, and it was stated at the interview that the police had been aug- mented in those parts of the Parish which had been complained of ; and also that since June 7 (five months) there had been 233 arrests in the neighbourhood of Newport Market, and 388 in the whole Parish particulars of which were given as follows : Newport Market. Whole Parish. Simple larceny . . . . 14 . . . . . . 35 Larceny from person . . 21 . . . . . . 23 Other offences . . . . 12 43 Assaults . . . . . . 35 . . . . . . 59 Drunk and disorderly .. 151 .. .. .. 228 Total . . 233 . , . . . . 388 'aR^UoEdSE 140 INSTITUTIONS OF SOHO, On April 13, 1882, Mr. Churchwarden Webb brought about an inter- view with the Home Secretary on the subject of the great injury which the Parish sustained " owing to the delay in destroying the houses in Newport Market and Porter Street and constructing the proposed new street from Charing Cross to Tottenham Court Road." On April 19, 1882, the Report on the subject by Superintendent Dunlop to the Home Secretary was read at the Vestry, and contains amongst other statements the following : " It (Newport Market and neighbourhood) is now a veritable focus of every danger which can menace the health and social order of a city. The houses, from their insanitary condition, are horribly disgusting, and can only be fitly designated as well prepared propagating ground for every kind of contagious and loathsome disease. . . . The grossest immorality flourishes unabashed from every age downwards to mere children. ... It would be an acl of true philanthropy to break up this reeking home of filth}' vice . . . and removing this festering sore from the centre of London life." After a few years more the Vestry, with the able assistance of their Clerk, had the pleasure of seeing this "reeking home of filthy vice" removed from the parish. Shaftesbury Avenue was completed in 1886, and Charing Cross Road was opened by the Duke of Cambridge, on Saturday, February 26, 1886. In connection with the formation of Shaftesbury Avenue, Hayes' Court, leading from Greek Street to Newport Market, was widened from a passage to a roadway. RYDER'S COURT AND EARL'S COURT. In i8go, Ryder's Court was opened in a straight line from Little Newport Street to Cranbourne Street, partly widened, the part running westward from its centre and then southwards having been closed by an order of the Court of Quarter Sessions, and Earl's Court will be closed in the coming January Quarter Sessions. Both these spots have been a nuisance to the respectable inhabitants from their peculiar formation ; and almost, if not quite rivalled Macaulay's description of St. James' Square, to which we have already referred. Daly's Theatre has been built over the closed part of Ryder's Court, and an important building scheme has been arranged and sanctioned by the London Count}' Council covering the present site of Earl's Court. Both these improvements would have been impossible without these closures. DISORDERLY HOUSES. There is another important work in which the Vestry has of late been especially engaged to which some reference must be made : the suppression of Disorderly Houses. Early in the century this evil was beginning to make itself felt, but not to the same extent as in the last forty or fifty years, during which the neighbourhood has gradually become more and more the centre of London's amusements and pleasure-seeking. Frequent references to this subject are to be found in the Vestry minutes, especially for the years 1867 and 1868. In the latter year a petition was sent to Parliament asking for special legislation on the subject. Very little way, however, was made in combating the THE LATE MR. SAMUEL BONSOR. Forty-eight years Guardian of the Poor, and many years Vestryman. Member of the Burial Board and Strand Board of Works. Churchwarden, 1845 1846. Called the " Nestor of the Parish." Died, February 3, 1897. Aged 93. 142 INSTITUTIONS OF. SOHO. evil, and in 1895 some of the Vestrymen, notably Mr. Henry Wilson, feeling the terrible condition into which the Parish was sinking by the ever-increasing invasion of vice, determined to move their fellow Vestrymen to take some immediate and resolute action. A prompt response was made, and the whole Vestry resolved itself into a Committee for dealing with the matter. The result has been that 14 convictions have been obtained and 24 houses have been closed, in addition to which about 70 notices have been served on landlords with the best results. The prosecution of offenders is still going on, and the Vestry is becoming more and more a terror to evil-doers. Apart from the moral aspects of the question, we believe that unless the Vestry had embarked in these energetic measures a large number of our working people would have been driven from the Parish because they are unable to afford the bigger rents which vice can pay. CONCLUSION. The late Archbishop of Canterbury used to say " History is very comforting," and it is quite certain that this is true of the story of St. Anne's during the last two hundred years. The Social Reformer may find stimulus and hope as he turns over the Vestry minutes of the past and sees the success which has crowned one good endeavour after another to brighten and better the life of the people. And he may learn some of those lessons of the patriotism which Mr. Chamberlain has lately told us should manifest itself in the smaller details of Parochial and Municipal affairs, as well as in the wider sphere of Imperial politics. St. Anne's has never been without men to devote their time and brains and energy to serve the parish without fee and reward, and such men are with us still men who interpret their duty in no narrow and selfish way. But many more of such men are needed to face the work which still lies before us in our own Parish and in London, and which calls for all the love and thought and courage which each good citizen can give. (D) TWO CENTURIES OF ECCLESIASTICAL MATTERS. NOW-A-DAYS whatever interest the members of the Vestry may take as individuals in Church matters they consider that, as a body, they are very little concerned with them. Beyond appointing the Church- wardens, who still retain some of their old civil functions, they consider that so far as the Vestry is concerned, the Church may go its own way. It was not so two hundred years ago, when St. Anne's Church was built. The connection between the Vestry and the Church was then most close and intimate. The Vestry minutes of those early days have quite as much to say about the Church and its Services as about Poor Law and Municipal ST. ANNE'S VESTRY. 143 matters. The Vestryman of that day cared as much about his Church as the Nonconformist deacon of the present day does about his Chapel. THE CHURCH A SOCIAL CENTRE. Vestrymen met at breakfast on the great Festivals of the Church. On December 2, 1801, we find the order that " coffee be allowed for the use of the Vestry on Sunday evenings and on Feast Days as formerly." Wine was also allowed on special occasions. The " Visitation Dinner," when the Churchwardens were " sworn in," was one of these occasions, though it was ordered that not more than 4 might be spent upon this piece of festivity. The Vestry was indeed, from one point of view, a sort of Parish Club whose social gatherings were connected with the services of the Church. It is rather pathetic, a hundred years afterwards, in the bad old times at the beginning of this century (to which we have alluded at length in our article upon the Poor Law history of St. Anne's), to find that these festivities had to be abandoned in consideration of the general distress which then prevailed. December 21, 1809 : " Resolved, That in the future no wine be allowed in the Tower Vestry Room except on the three great Festivals and the days on which Charity Sermons shall be preached, and that no coffee be allowed on Sunday evening.'' This is a reminder that so late as last year we revived the good old custom of holding a Vestry Dinner, and we think that this is a step towards promoting that good feeling in the Parish which is such an obvious help in doing good plblic work. OFFICERS OF THE VESTRY. The Vestry Officers combined to a great extent the work of Parish and Church officials. There was not the division of labour in Munici- pal, Poor Law and Church affairs which exists no\v. A mere glance at the names of those officers who served under the Vestry will illustrate this. Churchwardens Surveyors of the Highways Sextons Overseers of the Poor Constables and Watchmen Pew-keepers Scavengers Beadles Lampmen To these may be added the parish " Chirurgeon," though at first he was paid for his services as they were required, and not an annual salary ; also the " Raker," who corresponded to the dust contractor of modern times. Notice of Vestry meetings was given in Church. Churchwardens were "proclaymed" in Church, and their responsibilities were as much ecclesiastical as parochial. THE AUTHORITY OF THE VESTRY in Church matters may almost be said to have been supreme. St. Anne's Vestry began by claiming to appoint the Churchwardens, though even then it was often the custom for the Rector to nominate one. Dr. Hearn, the first Rector of St. Anne's, claimed to appoint one, and entered a " caveat " at Doctors' Commons against the 14!- INSTITUTIONS OF SOHO. " swearing in " of a Churchwarden who had not been nominated by himself. But he was defeated. In spite of his defeat he tried on December 3, 1703, a few years later, to appoint one Richard Browne to be " sole sexton " when the Vestry wanted to appoint a second. In DR. FELLING. Second Rector of St. Anne's. 1704 to 1750 vain did the Rector show the Vestry letters which he had received from the Bishop in favour of Richard Browne being sole Sexton. The " gentlemen of the Vestry " would not consent, and ordered " a letter to be writt to the Bishop of London to show cause why they did not consent "to fall in with the wishes of his Lorcbhip and the Rector. And in the end they won. It is pleasant to note that in spite of these ST. ANNE'S VESTRY. 145 and other differences with Dr. Hearn, the Vestry ordered, when he died on December 26, 1704, that a new pall should be bought for his funeral. Dr. Felling, his successor, was of a more yielding dis- position than Dr. Hearn, and it does not appear to have required much trouble to reduce him to submission when he claimed the right at least to nominate the sexton. At a Vestry meeting on February 27, 1716, we read that "he gave up all pretensions to the same, and left it to the Vestry to elect a fit and proper person." This Dr. Felling, by the way, was Senior Canon of St. George's Windsor, and Prebendary of St. Paul's. He was Rector forty-seven years, and died on March 30, 1750, aged eighty-two. He was buried in the chancel of the church, and his pall bearers were the Bishops of Bristol, Carlisle, Norwich, Peterborough, St. David's, and Worcester. We are able to give a copy of his picture, which hangs in the vestry under the Tower. He is the only Rector who has been so honoured. The following testimony was given to the life and character of Dr. Pelling after his death : " He was truly pious and benevolent, without worldly views, and liberal without ostentation. His charities were extensive, and the distribution of them secret. By his doclrine and practice he promoted peace on earth, good- will towards men. By his death the Church has lost a valuable ornament, and the poor a dayly father. To his family and friends he left a bright example of Christian love and goodness." THE BISHOP. We have mentioned the Bishop. The frequent reference to the Bishop is a striking feature in the " minutes." Deputations from the Vestry asked for and obtained frequent interviews with the Chief Pastor of the diocese, and as a rule submitted to his decisions; but not always, and they seem to have been especially angry if the Bishop for reasons of his own, declined to license the " lecturer " or " reader " whom they had chosen. It is clear that Laymen of London were then more in personal touch with their Diocesan than they can be in our own time, when the Bishop's labours have so largely increased. VESTRY AND CLERK IN ORDERS. On December i, 1765, the Vestry still further asserted its authority by claiming the appointment of the Clerk in Orders. Dr. Squire was at that time the Rector of St. Anne's, and was also Bishop of St. David's, and Vicar of East Greenwich. We are therefore not much surprised that the only time he appears on the "minutes" of St. Anne's Vestry was in connection with this dispute. The Court of King's Bench decided that the nomination rested with the Rector, but that the "inhabitants might assent thereto or dissent therefrom." By the way, we may mention here that in the early Vestry minutes we do not find the word " Reverend " applied to the clergy ; the title Dr. or Mr. only being applied until the middle of the eighteenth century. DR. MANDELL CREIGHTON, BISHOP OF LONDON. Translated from the See of Peterborough in January, 1897. Patron of St. Anne's, ST. ANNE'S VESTRY. 147 RECTOR AND READER OF PRAYERS. In the time of Dr. Hind, the Rector who followed Dr. Squire, there is another curious example of the power which the Vestry wielded. On March 5, 1778, a matter in dispute between the Rector and the " Reader of the prayers " was brought before the Vestry. It appears that Mr. Martyn, the " Reader of the Prayers," declined to bury any who did not belong to the parish without extra remuneration. The Rector considered that it was part of the Reader's duty to take all the funerals for the salary he received. Warm words seem to have passed between the Rector and the Reader in the presence of the " gentlemen of the Vestry," and the disputants were requested to withdraw until the Vestry had arrived at a decision. The decision was, that the " Vestry Clerk with Mr. Martyn do prepare a case to be laid before Council for an opinion thereon." What strikes the reader of the Vestry minutes on this occasion is the deference shown to the " gentle- men of the Vestry." The reason for this is probably not far to seek. The Vestry had the " power of the purse." VESTRY AND CHURCH FINANCE. The supreme authority of the Vestry was also shown in the fact that all Church income except the Vicar's glebe rents, was absolutely under their control. The income of the Church and the Parish were merged in one. Rents and sales of pews, burial and other fees, fines, collections at the church doors, rates, and whatever source of income there might happen to be, made one fund. The Churchwardens were not allowed to spend money and then ask the Vestry for their formal approval. As late as 1786 there is an order of a meeting on March 16 " that Churchwardens shall not spend more than 5 upon any work whatsoever without consent of the Vestry." They also appear to have settled matters between the old Rector or his representatives and the new one. This was so, at any rate in the case of Dr. Hearn and Dr. Pelling. DOUBTFUL METHODS OF FINANCE. Some of the financial transactions of the Vestry in the early days of its existence would hardly meet with our approval now. Note the following minutes : DR. CROFT, ORGANIST. " Ye 28th of Septembr, 1703. " Ordered that Mr. Phillip Croft (the organist) be called in, who accordingly was, and being demanded what wages were due to him he informed the Gentle- men of the Vestry that a year and three quarters of a year wages were due to him ; and arising therefrom it was resolved that Mr. Croft should be paid half a year's wages for playing upon the organ. But during the time he did not play upon the organ when the organ was oute of order, it was resolved that no wages should be paid him for that time. Whereupon the sd Mr. Croft answered that it was to his great detriment and disadvantage, yet would play upon the organ for one quarter of a year in the hopes that ye gentlemen of the Vestry would consider him for the loss of that time." At the time of writing this, the organ of St. Anne's is under repair ; what would our organist think of a proposal to cancel his stipend ? I 4 8 INSTITUTIONS OF SOHO. Dr Croft was the first organist of St. Anne's, appointed 1700. He was the composer of the well-known tune '' St. Anne's." In the year following his experience of the Vestry's methods of economy, he accepted the post of organist at the Chapel Royal, Whitehall, TREATMENT OF NEW OFFICERS. We meet with another practice which does not commend itself to our present ideas of what is quite just. On more than one occasion WILLIAM CROFT, MUS. D., OXON., 1678-1727. Organist St. Anne, Soho - 1700. Chapel Royal - 1704. Westminster Abbey 1708. when an officer of the Vestry died, it was ordered before a new appointment was made that his widow should receive the first half year's salary from the new officer. Of course he applied for and accepted the position, knowing beforehand what it involved, but on ST. AXXE'S VESTRY. I 49 the part of the Vestry it was an exercise of liberality at some one else's expense. This happened within a short time in the case of the death of a Vestry Clerk and of a Surveyor. By the way, the payment to the Vestry Clerk was not excessive at that time. Mr. Norton the first clerk received 10 a. year, and his successor, Mr. Peter Pegg, only succeeded in getting the salary raised to 14 per annum in 1705. EXTENT OF VESTRY'S MONETARY CONTROL. This control of expenditure by the Vestry appears to have extended to very small matters. On Monday, March 26, 1705, we find the following, and it is the only minute of the proceedings on that day : " Agreed that a sounding board be set over the pulpitt, and to be set upon two pillars over the sams. Ordered therefore that Mr. John Chaplin do forth- with goe about in doeing and finishing the same." Dr. Pelling desired to have a little adornment for the Altar and Pulpit, but had to apply to the Vestry for it. On July 22, 1706, it was ordered : " That the moneys which shall appear to be remaining in the hands of Mr. Joseph Rose, Mr. Nicholas Patrick, Mr. John Weeks and Mr. Henry Orme, late Overseers of the Poor, in auditing and stating their accounts, be appropri- ated to the use of adorning the Altar and Pulpitt with velvet, gold ffringe and other matters necessary, relating thereunto." Such a concession as that of a little velvet and gold fringe was of rare occurrence, and whitewash was the only kind of " beautifying and adorning " the House of God which found favour in the early days of St. Anne's. But these economies practised by the Vestry were rather an accident connected with their control than an essential part of it, for in some matters they were liberal. RECTORY BUILT BY VESTRY. One of the earliest a5ts of St. Anne's Vestry was to build the Rectory out of parish funds the house next door to the church, and now the property of Messrs. Muller (see page 95). Like the Presbyterians in Scotland at the present day, they kept the minister's house in order. On November 17, 1707, Dr. Pelling, the Rector, complained to the Vestry about the state of the drains adjoining the Rectory, and it was forthwith ordered : " That Mr. John Mist, the Senr. Churchwarden, doe employ some able workman to amend the same, and that Richard Rider, Esq., be desired to se the same perfected and done." And on December 21, 1773, we find the Vestry ordering a new fence to be put up at the Rectory at the request of Dr. Hind. We now turn to a subject which fills hundreds of pages in the Vestry minutes the business in PEWS. When the church was built, these were sold for the lifetime of the buyer, after which they became the property of the Vestry. This does not appear always to have been made quite clear, for instances occur not unfrequently of widows claiming the use of the pew which their late husbands had bought. The claim, however, was never allowed i5o INSTITUTIONS OF SOHO. The average price for the purchase of a pew appears to have been about 40. In course of time letting seems to have taken the place of selling. The, possession of a pew or of sittings was evidently greatly valued by the parishioners, and we meet with such " orders " as the following : " Odt. ye ijth, 1711. Ordered that Mr. Thomas have the first good place which falls in the middle aisle." The following shows a kindly regard for the children, and is another instance of the way in which the Vestry could " sit upon " the Church- wardens if the occasion seemed to demand it. " Jan. igth, 1704. " Ordered That ye addition to the top of the Churchwardens' Pew be taken dmvne ; it being to the advantage of the Poor Charity Girls." According to a former resolution of the Vestry, the Charity girls sat behind the Churchwardens' pew. A little later on, and at a time when pews were much in request, it appears that the Churchwardens had appropriated sittings to their own families, and when the Vestry heard of it they ordered that this appropriation should be discontinued. The names mentioned in the following minutes have some historic interest. LORD MOHUN. " Feby. ye 2gth, 1703. " Mr. Morris, steward for ye Lord Mohun acquainted the Gentlemen of the Vestry that his Lordship desired he might continue to sit in his Gallery Pew as long as he thought conveynient paying an annual rent for the same : " Ordered That ye Lord Mohun do continue his sd gallery pew according to his desite paying a rent of six pounds per ami. for the same, and also to pay two years arrears which is due for ye same." This man had eleven years before this been tried with Captain Richard Hill for the murder of William Moumfort the actor. Jealousy of William Mountfort because of his attachment to Mrs. Bracegirdle the beautiful actress, was supposed to be the motive of the murder. " The Grand Jury found a true bill against Mohun and Hill for murder. Hill made his escape, and Mohun after five days trial by his peers was acquitted." (Whcatlcy and Cunningham.) Nine years after this pew transaction he was killed, November 15, 1712, in a duel with the Duke of Hamilton. " The cause of this quarrel was said to have been the right of succession to Gerrard, Earl of Macclesfield, both having married nieces of the Earl." Lord Mohun lived in Macclesfield Street, but at the time of the duel he appears to have been living at a house in Marlborough Street. He was buried at St. Martin's. THE LEICESTER FAMILY. " Nov. ye iath, 1705. The Countess of Leicester's steward showed to the Board a receipt entitleing her husband and herself, the survivor to a Gallery Pew ; and it appearing upon the receipt that after the decease of her sd husband she had assigned and given the sd pew to the late Earl of Leicester, her son, who is lately deceased, and she the sd Countess having been absent REV. CANON WADE, M.A., 1809-1893. Rector of St. Anne's for 44 years. 1 52 INSTITUTIONS OF SOHO. from the parish about a year, it is the opinion of the Board that pursuant to the order of the Vestry for the sale of pews, the said Countess of Leicester hath no real title to the sd pew but -that the same is fallen to the disposing of- this Vestry." At the next meeting of the Vestry it was ordered : " That the Countess Dowager Elizabeth of Leicester have that Gallery Pew for one year, which was in the possession of the late Earl of Leicester deceased, she paying six pounds per ann. for the same." The Earls of Leicester mentioned must have been the fourth and fifth. John Sidney, the sixth Earl lived on the north side of Soho Square, his house in Leicester Square being let at that time to the French Ambassador. COUNTESS OF FALCONBRIDGE. " April ye loth, 1710. Ordered that the Rt. Hon. the Earl of Scarborough have that gallery pew No. i situated in the South side of the Church, late in the possession of the Rt. Hon. Countess Dowager of ffalconbridge." The last-named lady was Mary, third daughter of Oliver Cromwell, who lived at 21 Soho Square, now the offices of Messrs. Crosse and Blackwell. Falconbridge House and all property in her power was left away from her husband's relatives. Her country house was at Sutton Court, Chiswick, and from this house Sutton Street takes its name. " Like most of her brothers and sisters she appears to have been at heart a Royalist. On the death of the Protector she shed abundant tears: but they were soon dried up, and on the abdication of her brother Richard, she com- menced busily exerting herself in favour of the Restoration. After that event her husband was appointed by Charles II., Ambassador to Italy. Lord Fal- conbridge died in 1700, and his widow survived until the I4th of March, 1712, about the 7&th year of her age." Soho and its Associations. LADY SHOVELL. " Febr. I5th, 1711. " Ordered That the Dr. or Churchwardens do attend the Lady Shovell, to accommodate matters relating to her pew." Sir Cloudesley Shovell lived in the house at the corner of Sutton Street and next door to Falconbridge House a house which was after- wards called the " White House," and had an evil fame. It was pulled down and rebuilt by Messrs. Crosse and Blackwell, and now, with Falconbridge House, forms their chief offices. Sir Cloudesley Shovell was " memorable for his gallant conduct, his melancholy death, and his execrable periwigged monument in Westminster Abbey. After hair-breadth escapes too many to be told, the gallant Admiral's ship struck upon a rock on the 22nd of O<5t., 1707, and every soul on board perished. His body having been thrown on shore on the Island of Scilly, was brought from thence to his house in London, and subsequently, after lying in state, was conveyed from Soho Square with considerable pomp to Westminster Abbey." Soho and its Associations, p. 28. Lady Shovell, referred to in the Vestry minutes, continued to reside in Soho, but in a smaller house i Soho Square. ST. ANNE'S VESTRY. 153 PRINCE OF WALES HIS PEW AND HIS TAXES. There was a flutter of excitement in St. Anne's Vestry on November 6, 1718, when it was announced that the Prince of Wales (afterwards George II.) had " Discovered an Inclination to come to this Church provided he can be conveniently accommodated therein ; " Ordered therefore that ten or twelve of the Gentlemen of the Parish do attend His Royal Highness to-morrow about one of the clock to give him an invitation in the name of the parish." A letter was also written to a Mrs. Williamson, at Chigwell in Essex, asking her to give up her pew to the Prince. It is worth reproducing. " Maddam, " The Speaker of the House of Commons haveing acquainted the Gentlemen of the Vestry that His Royall Highness the Prince of Wales living now in this parish intends to come to St. Anne's Church in case he may be accommodated with a convenient seat. Upon which we have had it under our consideracion, how it may be done in the best manner to express the sence we have cf the Honour he intends Us. And we cannot possibly find any better expedient, than that you will joyne with Us therein : by your accepting of the next Seat which the late Countess of Essex had, and permitting to lay yours and My Lady Onflow's into one, for their Royall Highnesses. This we have great reason to hope you would be so good to our parish, as to agree to. Since we cannot conceive it will be any prejudice to you. And in case His Royall Highness shall at any time think fit to leave the Parish we will make an order that you shall be restored to your seat againe if you should desire it, or any other seat you shall desire, that shall be vacant sooner. And in regard His Royall Highness intends to come to this Church next Sunday, we desire you will be pleased to favour us with your answer by the Bearer, His Royal High- ness being to be attended on this account to-morrow. " Maddam, Your most Humble Servants, " Signed by the above named." The toadyism of this letter is as objectionable as its grammar. We wonder whether, alter all this fuss, the Prince came to the Church, and if he did whether he paid his pew rent ? When he became King he certainly did not pay his taxes on Leicester House, and the Vestry were inclined to approach him on the subject in a somewhat less deferential way than when they wished to welcome him as a seat-holder in St. Anne's. In the Vestry minutes of Monday, February 16, 1729, we find the following : " Joseph Kendall Ck to this Board (pursuant to an order of this Board made the and of this instant) delivered an accompt of the several Arrears of Taxes due in the years 1727, 1728, 1729 from His Majesty for his House in Leicester Square and also a petition to His Majesty praying payment of the same, which was read accordingly." We may now pass on to another subject suggested by a perusal of the minutes of St. Anne's Vestry. ASSISTANT CLERGY OF ST. ANNE'S, 1891-1897. KEY. R. H. GEE, M.A. New College, Oxford. Formerly Curate of St. Mary's, Colchester. Died, December 12, 1894. REV. H. B. FREEMAN, M.A. Trinity College, Oxford. Formerly Curate of St. Mary - the - Virgin, Oxford, and Lecturer in Divinity to iinattached Students. Master and Asst. Chaplain, Bath College. Curate of Christ Church, Bath. Chaplain of Holy Trinity, Algiers. REV. G. C. WILTON, M.A. Organist-Scholar of Christ's College, Cambridge. Formerly Citrate of Neivbottle, Durham, ST. ANNE'S VESTRY. 155 SOME OF THE OLD METHODS OF RAISING MONEY FOR CHURCH BUILDING. The sale of pews, rates, and bonds upon the security of the rates, we have drawn attention to in our article upon St. Anne's Church. There was another method, however, which we did not mention and which we came across in turning over the Vestry minutes. A duty on coals was granted by Queen Anne for the building of fifty churches in the " Cityes of London and Westminster," and we find that on October, 18. 1711, a letter was received by St. Anne's Vestry "from the Commissioners for the building of new Churches desiring the num- ber and condition of the inhabitants of this parish, and further to inform them of a proper place for a site of a Churchyard and Minister's House ; also what Chapell or Chapells are in the same parish and whether fit to be made parish churches." The parish constables and beadles were ordered to make this census, and a committee was " appoynted to search oute a piece of ground in the said parish which should be fitt and necessary for the purpose." The following parts of the Report are interesting : NUMBER AND CONDITION OF THE INHABITANTS. English inhabitants .. .. .. .. .. .. .. 2142 English children under ye age of ten.. .. .. .. .. 1556 English servants .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. 1155 ffrench inhabitants .. .. .. .. .. .. .. 612 ffrench children under ye age often .. .. .. .. .. 192 ffrench servants . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 158 Lodgers who are chiefly ffrench their children and servants .. 3318 Totall .. .. 8133 The above table is very interesting as showing the number of servants and of French Inhabitants 168 years ago. Soho was then filled with the mansions of the wealthy which have since become the tenement houses of the working class ; and the French emigres who were the well-to-do Huguenots driven hither by the Edict of Nantes. "We have also informed ourselves as to what ground may be proper for building any new church and find only three places where there is any fitt for that purpose, viz., in Wardour Street in old Sohoe, a piece of ground in King Square, and another piece of ground at the end of Litchfield Street . We finde further the ffrench ministers to be possessed of ffour Chappells in the said parish none of which are capable of being made parochiall Churches. " We beg leave to take notice that the account of the inhabitants before mentioned is generally extending to persons of all persuasions there being many Roman Catholics and Dissenters that came not to Church." This method of raising money had been resorted to by James II. for completing the new Cathedral of St. Paul. A duty of eighteen- pence a chaldron or ton on sea coals was imposed. No new church was at that time built for St. Anne's, but it is worthy of note that eighty-two years afterwards the Vestry joined with other parishes in praying for a repeal of this duty on coals. 156 INSTITUTIONS OF SOHO. VOLUNTARY OFFERINGS. It is a remarkable fact that though considerable sums were raised in St. Anne's for Church building and repairs by other expedients, yet it is only within the last fifty years that money for these purposes has been raised by voluntary subscriptions. The Vestry at different times col- lected large sums by subscriptions to relieve suffering and distress, but for Church purposes they adopted the other methods we have described. A Voluntary Rate made on June 10, 1836, marks the beginning of a better order of things, for, surely, we are following the more excellent way in depending upon the voluntary gifts of the people. The failure of the pew business at the end of Dr. McLeod's and the beginning of Canon Wade's incumbency, made the Offertory and Subscriptions a necessity. During some years of Canon Wade's incumbency the Offer- tory amounted to more than the sum total of the Church income from every source at any previous time in the history of St. Anne's. And it should be a satisfaction to the parishioners and the congregation to know that the 3000 they have lately spent upon the Restoration of their Church is, so far as we can ascertain, the largest sum which has ever been given voluntarily in St. Anne's for such a purpose. There is another subject which occupies a large amount of attention in the Vestry minutes of the i8th and the earlier part of the igth century, and that is the DAILY PRAYERS. It may surprise many of our readers to be told that daily prayers were offered in St. Anne's at the first at 6 a.m. and 6 p.m., and after a few years at 10 a.m. and 4 p.m. also. The " Reader of Prayers" was appointed by and paid by the Vestry. The salary was 30 a year, partly paid by a bequest of a Mr. Bishop, but when this was no longer available, out of the other income of the church. The clergyman who read prayers at 10 a.m. and 4 p.m. was styled the " Reader of extra Prayers," and for many years received 10 per annum. During the whole of the i8th century these prayers appear to have been fairly well attended, and it is not until the igtli century that non-attendance is mentioned as a reason for giving up the "extra prayers" (at 10 a.m. and 4 p.m.) As early as January 8, 1704, we find the following order to the pew keepers with regard to the daily prayers. " That the severall pew keepers do four times upon every day in the week attend the prayers, or as often as there is prayers in a day, to ye end that may suppress disturbances and noyse made in the Church by children, and let people into pews." This did not mean that all the pew keepers were to attend all the four daily services, for it is farther ordered at the same meeting of the Vestry that a rota shall be fixed in some convenient place in the church " that the pew keepers may know when their turns are to attend prayers." It is a matter of thankfulness as you turn over the minutes of St. Anne's Vestry to find that apparently at no time in the history of the parish has the Daily Prayer ceased to be offered. JAMES OUTRIDGE SPINDELOW. Sexton, Parish Constable, Sub-Inspector of Nuisances, Coroner's Officer Verger, and Vestry Messenger. 158 INSTITUTIONS OF SOHO. EVENING LECTURERS AND READERS OF PRAYERS. The election of evening Lecturers and Readers of Prayers remained in the hands of the Vestry until well on in this century, and these elections were evidently times of considerable excitement. ASSISTANT CLERGY. It is a significant fact that until this century we find no mention of Assistant Curates in the Vestry minutes, but only of " Clerks in Orders, Lecturers and Readers of the Prayers" reminding us how mu'ch nar- rower was the conception of the work of the clergy during last century than it is now. Sir Walter Besant lately described the work of the Church in this great city a century ago. " One has no wish,'' he said, " to attack our own grandfathers, but we must remember the theory of the Church in the last century. The doors were open on Sundays, and sometimes on weekdays, for those who chose to come; the clergy were always ready to attend the sick and the dying when they were invited. But they waited, you see, to be invited ; they waited for the people to come to church. That they should themselves go among the people was not yet part of their daily work." But now the clergy are expected to go among the people, and a fireside ministry of brotherly helpfulness is considered to be as much a part of their work as their ministrations in the pulpit and at the altar. It is expected that their ministry shall concern itselt" with what touches and concerns the whole of human life. And because one clergyman working alone in a parish cannot pos- sibly render such a service as this, a new and devoted band of Assistant Curates has been raised up during this century, and espe- cially during the last sixty years. This new body of clergy now serve in the sacred ministry of the Church with emoluments in the great majority of cases which would not satisfy a good mechanic, and with- out them the ever-increasing claims upon the clergy could not be met. BUSINESS FIRMS OF SOHO THE FOLLOWING FIRMS WERE FOR THE MOST PART IN EXISTENCE AT THE BEGINNING OF THE QUEEN'S REIGN. Artists' Colour Manufacturer. XXXIV. MR. JAMES NEWMAN, 24 SOHO SQUARE. MR. James Newman began business somewhere about the year 1670, and in the year 1800 purchased in Soho Square the three houses now occupied by his own linn and by Messrs. Marion and Co. The estab- lishment of this house of business and the opening of No. 37 as a book- seller's shop in the year 1800 mark an important date in the history of the square. Up to that time it had been an entirely residential quarter, and naturally the inhabitants did not look with favour upon the inva- sion of the square for business purposes. Mr. Newman's purchase included a beautiful garden at the back of the houses which extended to what is now Charing Cross Road, and which in those days was quite a refuge for any birds which escaped from the St. Giles' bird catchers, A parrot and a monkey have been seen there by a very old inhabitant. Well, it appeared to Mr. Newman's neighbours nothing short of van- dalism to build a manufactory in this beautiful garden, and Mr. Newman himself sympathised entirely with the objections which were made, and determined to make his manufacturing premises as little of an eyesore as he possibly could. Accordingly he built them to look like a church. This act of consideration for his neighbours has resulted in some inconvenience to his successors in the business, who find themselves with a building not exactly suited in some respects for their purposes, as to the present day some of the rooms have to be reached by ladder-like steps. Mr. Newman appears to have taken a pride in having everything about the houses and buildings of the very best, and so far did he 160 FIRMS OF SOHO. cart}' out this rule that even the chimney pots were made of heavy copper. These copper chimney pots were a temptation, it seems, to two men who determined to steal them. Having made their appear- ance in the guise of chimney sweepers they managed to carry them off, but they were afterwards captured and brought to justice. The present proprietor, Mr. \Y. F. Mills, fully maintains the gener- ous traditions of the firm, and is a liberal supporter of parochial institutions. He is also an antiquarian in his tastes, and has a very interesting collection of paintings and curiosities in the rooms above his office, which he takes a great pleasure in showing to his friends. There is no one who takes a deeper interest than he does in the history of the parish. Auctioneers. XXXV. ALDRIDGE'S HORSE REPOSITORY, (Mr-ssRs. W. AND S. FREEMAN) ST. MARTIN'S LANK. THIRTEEN years before Tattersall's, in 1753 that is, this well-known horse repository was established in St. Martin's Lane. Horses in- numerable have been since that time wont to look forward to Aldridge's as one of the many turning points in their career, the destiny of the gracious hunter alone being exempt. At the close of the West End season, the job-master repairs to this market as the recognised medium for disposing of those animals for which he has no further or no immediate use. Many of these are bought by owners from the sea-side, whose harvest will shortly begin ; and it is hoped that they benefit by the change of air and scenery. As in the old days, coach horses also come here to choose other masters. And in 1771 it was advertised that the stable of hunters belonging to " the subscription Fox Hounds at Croydon, late the property of Henry Thrale, Esq.," were to come under the hammer. Messrs. Freeman also sell the highest description of carriage horses, and have obtained some of the highest prices ever known by auction for animals of this class. There is a distinct difference between a very quaint old print repre- senting the sale by auction of (amongst others) a most architeclually eccentric animal, probably a horse, surrounded by human animals, scarcely less curious, and in a small shed of an auction room, and the large, new premises, upon the improvement of which, even so lately as 1883, a large sum was spent. The scope of the firm's business has increased proportionately. For instance, in a day or two from the time of writing, are to be sold forty coach horses, which have been working the "Excelsior" coach during the past season between A UCTIONEERS. 161 London and Sevenoaks, and Margate and Herne Bay. The whole list includes hunters, grand stepping harness horses, about five and six years old, several match pairs and teams, and fast roadsters. These the proprietors have selected from the principal fairs in England and Ireland. And a glance at the books discloses the names of many well- known owners of coach horses. The firm of Aldridge (W. and S. Freeman) claims to be the leading firm in negotiating the sale of all sorts of animals connected with sport. This claim will be at once seen, and unhesitatingly admitted when it is known that they include the valuation and sale not only of horses and of dogs for the moors, but also even of elephants a cause of some amusement, it may be remembered, in a recent Daily Graphic. The firm is named after Aldridge, the original proprietor. XXX VI, -MESSRS. PUTTICK AND SIMPSON, 47 LEICESTER SQUARE. THE first quarters of this firm were in Piccadilly, where it was estab- lished in 1794. The business was removed to 47 Leicester Square in 1858. The present members of the firm are Mr. W. Simpson, Mr. S. Simpson, and Mr. W. Wilson. No better idea can be given of the kind of business done than by giving a list of some of the sales, which we take from the ' Publishers' Circular " of March 3. 1894. SALES. Donnadien books and MSS. .. .. .. .. .. ,3923 o o Libri collection . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8929 o o Books and MSS. of Dawson Tuin^r .. .. .. .. 9453 19 o Books and MSS. of Edwin Crown-in-shield . . . . . . 4826 6 o Books and MSS. of Sir Edward Dering . . . . . . . . 7259 16 o Emperor Maximilian's Mexican library . . . . . . . . 3985 12 6 Books from William Penn's library . . . . . . . . 135 o o John C-iinden Hotten's stock .. .. .. .. .. 375 1 5 o Books of Sir Edward Nicholas, Secretary to Charles I.. . . . 977 16 o The Sunderland library, belonging to the Duke of Marlborough 59,000 o o The Gosford library .. .. .. .. .. .. .. 11,318 5 6 The Hartley library . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16,530 o o This gives some idea of the trade in books. But perhaps even more interesting than the trade in old literature are the sales of musical instruments. We are told that it is quite a sight when the spacious gallery of the auction room is filled with customers who bid for undoubted examples of Stradivarius, Ruggerius and Guarnerius, which often realise far more than their weight in gold. It is interesting to learn that No. 47 has for so long kept up its connection with Art. Before Messrs. Puttick and Simpson took over L A UCTIOXEERS. 163 the premises they were the headquarters of the " Western Literary Institution." The proprietors tell us that not a few artists lived here, and among them Nieman, Frederick Sandys, and Bernard Lucas. 47 Leicester Square is also connected with Sir Michael Costa in this way : the late Mr. John Fell Puttick was a musical amateur and enthusiast, and was for many years Hon. Sec. to the " Sacred Har- monic Society," previously known as the " Ancient Concerts," and frequently, when Exeter Hall was not available, a full band rehearsal MR. SIMPSON. From the" Publishers' Circular." conducted by Sir Michael Costa would be held in the sale room, and many a time on a Sunday morning he would make use of this room to rehearse the principals for the approaching concerts. But that which makes No. 47 one of the most famous of the houses in Soho is the fact that Sir Joshua Reynolds lived here. In the year, 1770 " in the full tide of his popularity as a portrait painter he re- moved from 5 Great Newport Street to 47 Leicester Square. The house remains at the present time very much what it was when he lived in it. " The front, the staircase and the corridor remain as in Reynolds' time, but the studio gave place many years ago for the Auction Room." i6 4 FIRMS OF SOHO. When we called, our attention was drawn to the iron balustrades of the staircase, which curve outwards towards the bottom, in order to give room for the hoops which ladies wore last century. It would take too long to tell all that might be told about Sir Joshua Reynolds and his friends at 47 Leicester Square. We will STAIRCASE AT NO. 47 LEICESTER SQUARE. Lent ty Mr. C. Alias. content ourselves with giving a few sentences of Mr. Tom Taylor, which very vividly bring the man and his times before us. " Sir Joshua's qualities as a man helped to insure the popularity which he at first owed to his new and fascinating merits as a painter. In spite of his deafness, which he used to say was often convenient, as it helped him to bear with bores, he was the most genial and intelligent of companions. His good AUCTIONEERS. 165 temper was imperturbable. Northcote used to say of him ' If the devil was on his back, no one would learn it from his face.' His house was the place of reconciliation for all the quarrels among members of his singularly various society. He was the explainer of misunderstandings, the discreet adviser to whom all carried their troubles, and he was one who never abused a confidence, broke a promise, or was false to a friend. . . . There is no more lovable man in all that large circle so minutely painted for us by two of the best re- corders that ever put pen to paper Boswell and Miss Burney. Dictatorial Johnson waxed placable and playful in the pannelled parlour of Leicester Fields, and fussy touchy Oliver Goldsmith found comfort in Reynolds' hearty DINNER PARTY A Lent by Mr. C. Alias. appreciation and good-natured sympathy. We never open Boswell or Miss Burney for a description of a party at Sir Joshua's but it is a pleasant one. It is always some office of kindness in which we find Sir Joshua engaged in his house in Leicester Fields --that house whose dinners have become almost as historical as its pictures. " There is one side of Sir Joshua's life which, so far as we have seen, has not been touched upon by his biographers. We mean the interest which he took in parish affairs. In addition to all the other engage- ments which his busy life brought him, he managed to act on what was called the " Paving Committee," an important body, appointed by St. Anne's Vestry, which numbered among its members some of the leading parishioners of the day. Sir George Savile, the owner of the famous Savile House, and the friend of Burke, was a member of the :66 FIRMS OF SOHO. same committee. It is pleasant to find that the old Vestry minutes of St. Anne's throw this further light upon the life of Reynolds. He died at the age of sixty-nine on Thursday, July 23, 1792, and was buried in St. Paul's Cathedral. " Ten peers, friends and associates of the dead, bore the pall, and the body was followed to its resting place in the crypt, close to the tomb of Wren, by all the most distinguished in the Senate and in science, in arts and letters a funeral worthy of the man who has left a name still the highest in English art." One word more about 47 Leicester Square. Within a few months it will be taken down to give place to a larger structure, which Messrs. Puttick and Simpson are about to build on the site. We are glad to be able to perpetuate the memory of the famous house by giving pictures of the interior, for as the house itself will soon be a thing of the past, these pictures will be the only means of knowing what it was in the clays of the great painter. Billiard Table Manufacturers. XXXVIL MESSRS. BURROUGHES AND WATTS, 19 SOHO SQUARE. BILLIARDS, as we know it, is comparatively a modern game. Fifty years ago there were no India rubber cushions, and leather cue-tips, as well as slate beds were unknown. It is largely due to the firm of Messrs. Burroughes and Watts, which was founded in 1836 at the above address, that so many valuable improvements have been made during the Queen's reign. To their enterprise we owe the use of slate beds for billiard tables, jointed cues, and many inventions relating to the cushions. They introduced the low cushion, cold-resisting and vacuum cushions, and steel blocks for cushions. Few of those, probably, who play billiards give a thought to the variety of sources from whence come the materials for the making of a modern billiard table. The slate bed comes from the quarries of Wales ; the wilds of Africa supply the ivory for the billiard balls the average sale of Messrs. Burroughes and Watts requires an annual destruction of 1140 elephants; the flocks of Germany alone carry fleeces sufficiently fine to weave the cloth ; and the caoutchouc tree of Central America must supply the india rubber if perfect cushions arc desired ; while the wood chiefly used is mahogany, Riga oak, American walnut, pine and ebony. Besides enjoying the patronage of the Queen and other royal personages, and being employed by the War Office and Admiralty. Messrs. Burroughes and Watts have been awarded many medals for their work. Prince Albert presented Mr. W. Burroughes with his first medal at the great Exhibition in 1851, and since then the firm BILLIARD TABLE MANUFACTURERS. 167 have secured a continuous stream of similar successes at the exhibi- tions of Sydney, Melbourne, Calcutta, Chicago, and the Inventions and Indian Exhibitions in London. Mr. J. S. Burroughes, the present head of the firm, was born at 19 Soho Square in 1840, and holds the office of Commissioner of Taxes ; he was Churchwarden of St. Anne's in 1881 and 1882. The house is MR. J. S. BURROUGHES. interesting as the residence of Sant, a former Royal Academician, who painted a portrait of Mr. Burroughes as a child. The firm have their manufactory in Great Peter Street, additional show-rooms at 37 Dean Street, and business premises in Manchester, Newcastle, Birmingham, Glasgow, Sheffield, Cardiff and Belfast. It speaks much for the energy of Messrs. Burroughes and Watts that they were one of the pioneers among business firms in London to use a motor van for the carriage of their goods. Black lead Manufacturer. XXXVIII. MR. W. G. NIXEY, 12 SOHO SQUARE. ADVERTISING in these days has become a fine art, and original indeed must! he be who contrives something really novel. Pictures in fire, and balloons scattering bank notes and handbills, are amongst the newest developments of this adjunct of trade. But seldom have MR. \V. G. NIXEY'S PREMISES. modern advertisements surpassed in boldness of idea and success in its result the famous device which may be said to have founded the fame of Mr. W. G. Nixey's Black Lead fifty years ago. We have before us a sketch of this early Living Picture, whose progress through the streets of London in those days caused such excitement and obstruction that Parliament was petitioned to prohibit such unheard-of novelties. BLACK LEAD MANUFACTURER. 169 This representative of Mr. Nixey was dressed in complete armour, well polished with the new black lead. He was mounted on a magni- ficent black charger, also in a coat of mail, and carried a banner, on which was the then strange device, " W. G. Nixey's Refined Black Lead." His stately progress through the streets of London was at- tended by enormous crowds ; and though his career was at length summarily stopped, yet by this time Mr. Nixey's name was so well known that his new venture was fairly launched, and an enormous impetus was given to the demand for his black lead. Mr. Nixey had for some time before this carried on business as an oilman at the corner of Moor Street and Dudley Street as they were THE LATE MR. W. G. NIXEY. then called, near where Lockhart's now is in Cambridge Circus. But when the sale of black lead in block form had vastly increased his business, six houses in Dudley Street were taken for the manufacture of his new invention, and on the same site, now in Shaftesbury Avenue, the factory still is, now, of course, greatly enlarged. The plumbago used in the manufacture comes from Ceylon, and the blacklead from Austria. The manufacture itself, however, is all carried on in Soho, and not abroad. The firm holds the Royal War- rant for the sole manufacture of blacklead to H.M. the Queen and H.R.H. the Prince of Wales, and have obtained the highest awards and prize medals and special certificates at the following exhibitions : London, 1851 and 1862; Dunedin, 1890; Adelaide, 1887; Melbourne, i yo FIRMS OF SO HO. 1888; Chicago, 1893. It is worth noting in connection with the last-named distinction that the First Order of Merit was obtained in a country where the sale of Nixey's blacklead is debarred by the protective tariff. The trade mark of the firm is a stag, and is to be found on many other useful and well-known inventions which they have brought out, MR. W. G. NIXEY. such as knife polish, bag blue, emery cloth and stove polish. In fact it has been said that " Nixey's can make us black, brown, or blue, expeditiously and cheaply." Mr. John Langsford, the general manager, is a member of the Society of Arts, and happens this year to be celebrating his silver jubilee. This is also Mr. Nixey's golden jubilee. Booksellers and Printers. XXXIX. MESSRS. BICKERS AND SON, i LEICESTER SQUARE. HENRY BICKERS, journeyman book-binder, founded this firm in 1832 by opening a book window at i Leicester Square. At that time New Coventry Street did not exist, and the entrance to Leicester Square, at the north-west corner, was by (now) Sidney Alley. As St. Anne's, by Messrs. Novello and Co., gave the world cheap music, so, by Messrs. Bickers and Son, she took a leading part in giving the world cheap books, as the following story shows. On May 5, 1852, a day memorable in the book-trade, Mr. Bush, junior partner in the firm, stood forth as a doughty champion for the free lances among the purveyors of Literature. It was on this date that a meeting of authors, publishers, and booksellers, was held at the rooms of Mr. John Chapman, in the Strand. Charles Dickens was in the chair. Perhaps it will be possible to put the object of this historic assembly of great names in Letters, with tolerable simplicity, and in a few words. A combination had existed for many years, which went by the name of the Booksellers' Association, and which rigorously dictated to retail dealers the terms on which books supplied to them should be sold. Mr. Gladstone's admirable speech in the House of Commons on May 13, shows us that the publishers of books were in the habit of supply- ing the retail traders at a fixed price, usually at a discount of twenty- five per cent, upon the publishing price. The custom of the retail trade was not to grant the public who purchased, a greater discount than ten per cent., leaving fifteen for the retail trade. Against the tyranny of this hard and fast rule, certain adventurous tradesmen rebelled. They boldly asserted that they could afford to give their customers a higher discount than ten per cent., and that they were fully prepared to do so. At this point, the Association, or, as it was sometimes invidiously called, the "Inquisition," stepped in, and said, in effedl, " If you will not trade on our terms, you shall not trade at all. We are stronger in combination than you can be individually, and we absolutely refuse to supply you with books." Previously to the promulgation of this majestic ultimatum, we find hints thrown out as to an ambitious and unscrupulous West End book- seller, who made a point of being contented with small profits on the volumes he disposed of, and of underselling all his neighbours. A " vulgar device," as the Morning Httrald called it. We have no direct evidence in the matter, but we strongly suspect that the distinction of having been thus calumniated belongs to the heroic and original Mr. Bush. At the Charles Dickens' meeting to which we have referred, after a long letter in favour of the insurgents had been read from Thomas Carlyle, Mr. Bush (as quoted in The Times) went so far as to say that in his opinion, " The association which came to him to dictate the 172 FIRMS OF SO HO. terms on which he should deal with his customers, might be properly handed over to the police." (Laughter.) Mr. Bush must have spoken with authority, for we find that the Sun (not T. P. O'Connor's) of April 15, 1852, speaks of Mr. Bohn and Mr. Bickers as " two of the most remarkable among the number of undersellers now-a-days." Even more striking is the testimony of Lord, then plain " Mr.," Macaulay. So unique had been the success of the volumes recently published of Macaulay's famous English History, that the sales of this book, and MESSRS. BICKERS AND SON S PREMISES. the profits they should bring in, are referred to again [and again as a sort of " test case " in the controversy, notably by Mr. Gladstone in the House of Commons. Mr. Macaulay said to Mr. Longman, whose firm, it may be remembered by readers of Trevelyan's " Life," had paid Macaulay 20,000 in a lump sum, the largest single cheque ever, up to that date, or perhaps since, drawn out by publisher for author, " If you think Mr. Bickers, or anybody else, injures you or injures BOOKSELLERS AND PRINTERS. 173 my book, by selling it at and under price, by all means have no deal- ings with them." Macaulay, as well as Mr. Gladstone, Carlyle, and the Times newspaper, was an advocate of free trade in the matter of discount ; in fact, Mr. Gladstone's long and beautifully clear speech before Parliament contains a most just and interesting compendium of the main points at issue. Mr. Bohn, the head of the once famous house for the production of classical " cribs " or translations, was sufficiently enterprising to want to " go one better " than Messrs. Bickers and Bush, for he remarked to Mr. Longman, during the pro- gress of the controversy, " If Mr. Bickers can sell at five per cent, profit, I can sell at one." But in spite of competition from rivals, and opposition and obloquy from enemies, the plucky Bickers and Bush, refused to budge an inch from their taclics, and may fairly claim to be among the first pioneers of the liberal discount system five-and- forty years ago. The question, which had attracted a considerable amount of public attention, was settled once and for all on May 19, 1852. The dispute was referred to Lord Chief Justice Campbell, with whom, as assessors, were Dean Milman, Mr. Grote, and other literary men ; and after a consideration of a little over a month, his Lordship gave judgment against the Booksellers' Association, which had exercised its coercive and inquisitorial principles since its foundation on December 29, 1829. By the " Lord Campbell's Judgment '' it was broken up for ever ; and Messrs. Bickers and Bush, along with Mr. Bohn and a few other pioneers, no doubt earned, as they deserved, the thanks of their emancipated brethren, who had groaned, for more than twenty years, under a crippling and unjustifiable monopoly. XL. MESSRS. DULAU AND Co., 37 SOHO SQUARE. This firm was founded in 1792 by Dom Arnand Bertrand Dulau, a Benedictine. He was related to Jean Marie Dulau, Arch- bishop of Aries, for whom he acted as amanuensis. The Archbishop was massacred in 1792, and Dom A. B. Dulau came over to England to save his life. Almost immediately after his arrival he began busi- ness as a Foreign Bookseller. There he afforded hospitality to many famous refugees, amongst many others. Beautnarchais, the great dram- atist, the immortal author of the " Barbier de Seville," and the " Manage de Figaro " ; and Chateaubriand, who wrote " Le Genie du Christianisme," a book attributed to the influence of Dom Dulau. In 1800 the business was removed to its present quarters at 37 Soho Square. Dom Dulau had successively as partners in the busi- ness, Baron Charles de Meilhan, Julien Delarue, and Jacques Hector de Dourdon. He died suddenly on October 12, 1813, and was buried in Old St. Pancras Churchyard. At this time the business was carried 174 FIRMS OF SOHO. on under great difficulties, during the war with Napoleon. Books were sent to America and then sent to London, and were very costly. This accounts for the large number of foreign books of this time which bear the name of Philadelphia as the place of publishing. In 1830 the business passed into the hands of Messrs. Leftly and Twentyman. The latter was called the Adonis of Soho. He died in 1871. During the last seventeen years Mr. Frederick Justen has owned and carried on the business, and has more than maintained its wide and well-deserved reputation. Our space would fail us to do more than name a tew of the better known publications of Dulau and Co. As foreign school publishers their name is perhaps best known. Levizac's famous French Grammar was published by them ; many thousand copies of it have been sold. They also published the famous School Books of Tarver, the French master at Eton, and the Royal Phrase- ological French and English Dictionary, which is still used. The firm took the chief part in forming the Natural History Museum Library, which is considered the finest in the world. They are also agents to the Royal Society of London, and London publishers of Baedeker's and Baddeley's Tourist Guides. We do not find that any members of the firm have taken any part in parish affairs, but Mr. Justen has taken a pleasure and a pride in preserving many interesting records of the past history of St. Anne's, and in 1895 published " Soho and its Associations," a valuable addition to our parish literature. This was a generous acl, because such a book could not be expected to bring in any adequate commercial return for the money expended on its publication ; and Mr. Justen deserves the heartiest thanks of the parishioners. XLI. MESSRS. HOWLETT AND SON, 10 FRITH STREET. MR. H. R. Hewlett established this business in 1804, and for some years produced books and ordinary printing. In 1820 Mr. Brimmer became a partner, and enabled the firm to take a new departure by the invention of printing in gold. When we were making our en- quiries we were shown specimens of Opera programmes, printed in 1830 by the firm in real gold, for the use of the King and Queen when they visited Drury Lane Theatre. \Ve also saw a book of nearly two hundred pages demy 8vo printed in real gold, an expensive curiosity, which we suppose it would be difficult to meet with elsewhere. About the same date the firm used to print in real gold on silk to be after- wards made up into ladies' dresses, gentlemen's waistcoats, &c. The firm celebrated the accession of the Queen by printing the Victoria Golden Almanack, and this brilliant little golden calendar and record of events has been printed every year during the Queen's reign. The printing of Messrs. Howlett and Son appears now to be of every BOOKSELLERS AND PRINTERS. 175 possible kind : it is in real gold, in gold and silver bronzes, colours, &c. You can see every kind of photographic process applied to printing, and you can see an endless variety of work, from a gold-tipped cigar- ette to a menu card for the royal table ; from a hand-bill to a book of a thousand pages ; from a pill-box label to a catalogue in gold and colours. XLII. MR. G. KIMPTON, 126 WARDOUR STREET. THE founder of this business, Richard Kirnpton, died on May 26, 1894. According to the Lancet of that date he was the oldest book- seller then living, having reached the great age of ninety-one years. He began business over sixty years ago ; and among medical students his name has long been familiar. It is no exaggeration to say that the majority of medical men have dealt with him. When he first began to trade he was a general bookseller, and he took part in the so-called " Battle of the Books," but after a few years he devoted himself to the special branch, in which he soon became famous. At that time there were only two other medical booksellers .in London, one in St. Martin's-le-Grand, and one in Aldersgate Street. Medical books were even more costly than at present, and the teachers laid more stress on clinical than on theoretical knowledge. The growth of his business was probably helped by its proximity to a once famous dissecting room, presided over by a Doctor Corpue, who has been immortalised by Hood, in a rather gruesome poem. " I can't tell where my right hand is, But Dodlor Corpue can. As for my trunk, it's all packed up To go by Pickford's van." The growth of the medical societies and the keen competition of to-day have robbed the old house of much of its prestige ; but those interested in the history of the medical profession will find much to interest them among Mr. Kimpton's stock. The student will find many a quaint old treatise, which perhaps embodies the germ of the so-called " discovery " of to-day. " Everything ain't good that's new ; I guess our grandfathers knew something too." XLIIL MESSRS. MITCHELL AND HUGHES, 140 WARDOUR STREET. IN the history of this firm, which this year completes its centenary, is exemplified the wonderful progress which the art of Printing has hiade since 1797. If William Caxton could be introduced into the 176 FIRMS OF SO HO. office of one of our great London newspapers at the busiest hour of the twenty-four, when the gleaming stereo plates are being fixed on the very latest among American patents in the way of printing mach- ines, he would find it hard to believe that his first sheet, slowly and laboriously pulled off at Westminster more than four centuries ago, could be the parent of the tens of thousands of copies that yonder complicated and yet exquisitely adjusted machinery will fling off, fold, and finish within the next sixty minutes. Mr. Walter, of The Times, was one of the first, if not the very first, to adapt steam power to printing. So indomitable was he, that on one occasion his workmen struck, and he worked himself for thirty-six hours as editor, compositor, and pressman. In the early days of this firm, the Satirist was published at 24 Wardour Street ; this number was altered by the Board of W r orks to 140 when the new premises were re-built in 1880. In the days of the Satirist, the establishment was a general printing office. Later, the once well-known George Robins would have sheets of " particulars " drawn up at this No. 24, and it was a curious characteristic of this fastidious customer, that he would write his directions with his hands encased in white kid gloves. The first editions of the works of Emanuel Swedenborg were printed and revised at this office under competent editors. Opinions as to this most remarkable man will always differ, nor is the world likely to ever quite satisfy itself as to how much of his lofty imaginings is due to genius working upon truth, and how much to temporary mental aberration, aggravated by dyspepsia. Some of us in our youth were brought up upon Butter's spelling books. We re- member the minute and careful way in which Mr. Butter marked off the syllables to suit his morsels for our immature mental digestion. At the present moment we can see the word im-prove-ment ; it used to stand, we recollect, at the head of the column. " Improvement " was hardly a term of happy omen as far as we were concerned : for spell- ing was always our most irksome and difficult lesson. We are prompted to this reminiscence because we are not sure how far we owe Messrs. Mitchell and Hughes a debt of gratitude for having classed this fam- ous Mr. Butter among their able Swedenborgian editors : there was one childish mouth indeed in which " Butter " never melted. This firm was responsible for the printing of the Journal of Sacred Literature, at first edited by Dr. Kitto, the gifted father of the present Vicar of St. Martin's-in-the- Fields. Alone among London printing houses, its speciality is the execution of pedigrees and family history. Among the pedigrees are those of the Prince and Princess of Wales, emblazoned for the Indian Council; both were contained in one sheet; the Prince's was in royal red, and the Princess's in navy blue. Messrs. Mitchell and Hughes have been responsible for the pedigrees of the " William Salt Archaeological Society ''; the transactions of the " Kent Archaeological Society " ; and the various handsome volumes of the Harleian Society; also for " The History of the Hundred of Black- heath " ; as well as for Dr. Lee's " History of Thame, Oxfordshire, and its Church." BOOKSELLERS AND PRINTERS. 177 For further information as to the typographical achievements of this firm during the past hundred years, we must refer our readers to the artistically printed circular which it has issued in commemoration of its centenary. From this paper we have compiled the facts contained in the present article. We may mention, on our own account, that the present head of the firm has served the parish of St. Anne's as overseer, as well as member of the Vestry, Burial Board, and Strand Board of Works ; and is at present on the Committee for the Restora- tion of the Church. Last year Mr. Hughes drew the attention of the Vestry to the bad state of the old and valuable registers of St. Anne's, with the result that they were renovated and rebound, and placed in a new safe. XLIV. MESSRS. PETTITT AND COX, 22 AND 23 FRITH STREET, AND 50 OLD COMPTON STREET. IN 1825 Mr. T. H. Pettitt, the father of the present senior partner in the business, took over Hubert's Circulating Library and Stationery business at No. i Old Compton Street. At that time Soho was more like the present Mayfair than it is now. It was only beginning to lose its residential character and becoming a quarter for business. One of the customers at the library, and a resident in Soho, was Mr. Ward, the author of the celebrated novel " Tremaine." As the business houses increased in number Mr. Pettitt added a printing office in 1847. The business grew, and the premises at the corner of Frith Street were built in 1854. The series of annual Diaries, commenced by the late Mr. T. H. Pettitt at the old premises, were here enlarged, and obtained a very extensive circulation under the present senior partner. No diaries are better known in the commercial world. But the firm has not only taken a leading place in commercial printing, it has a wide repute for very tasteful old-style and artistic printing, many of the designs and ornaments of which are actual reproductions from early English ornaments and printing. We have never seen more beautiful specimens of this kind of printing than '" The Story of Old Soho : Picturesque Memories of Mid-London," printed by this firm in 1893 for our famous Parish Bazaar in Soho Square. Some of the success of that Bazaar was due to that beautifully printed book. AMONGST the Soho booksellers and publishers of the past who had a considerable reputation in their time, we may mention the following : XLV. MESSRS. RODDS, GREAT NEWPORT STREET. THIS was an eminent firm of London booksellers and publishers. Thomas, the elder, who died in 1822, was the author of a number of M i 7 3 FIRMS OF SOHO. works. Perhaps the best known was " Ancient Spanish Ballads," 1821. Thomas, junior, (1796 1849) succeeded his father. His cat- alogues were particularly interesting, especially those relating to America and Early English literature. His last general catalogue contained over 50,000 volumes. He was highly spoken of by the Hon. Thomas Grenville, and by Lord Campbell in his " Lives of the Lord Chancellors." XLVI. MR. JOHN RUSSELL SMITH, 36 SOHO SQUARE. HE retired from business in 1887, and died in 1896 at an advanced age. He opened a shop in old Compton Street in 1843, and removed to Soho Square in 1860. These premises were previously occupied by Messrs. Routledge, the celebrated publishers until their removal to the Broadway, Ludgate Hill. Mr. J. R. Smith was a man of very extensive information, and an authority on all matters relating to English topography, genealogy, and anonymous literature. He was known far and wide as " Anti- quity Smith," and was greatly respected and well known to book collectors all over the world. He accumulated an enormous stock of topographical books, engravings, portraits and pamphlets, and pub- lished many catalogues, including one of 26,000 pamphlets, on almost every conceivable subject, and another of 10,000 tracts and pamphlets and 50,000 old engravings and drawings, illustrating the topography and antiquities of England and Wales the result of thirty-five years collecting. He was also a publisher of no small repute. The well- known Library of Old Authors was originated and published by him ; and last, but not least, he compiled and published " Blbliotheca Can- tiana,'" a biographical list of books, etc., on the county of Kent, which to this day is the only work on the subject. Mr. Smith's house was 36 Soho Square, which is now the place of business of Mr. C. Alias. Curriers, Leathersellers, and Saddlers. XLVIL MESSRS. JOHN ALMGILL AND SON, 43 GERRARD STREET, SOHO. MESSRS. ALMGILL AND SON in 1857 succeeded Mr. Thomas Dale, whose family had carried on the business from the end of the last century. Mr. John Almgill was Churchwarden of St. Anne's in the years 1872, 1873, and 1874, and was also a member of the Strand Board of Works. He was succeeded, after his death in December, i8o FIRMS OF SOHO. 1884, by his son-in-law, Mr. Frank Dickinson, who has lately taken into partnership Mr. J. Grimwood. Some of the best work is done by this firm, and it is probably no exaggeration to say that there is hardly a bridle in the Prince of Wales's saddle room which has not passed through their hands, and the Duke of Cambridge has been supplied through them for the last forty years. The premises are interesting because Dryden, the poet lived there, a fuel which is recorded in front of the house on a tablet placed there by the Society of Arts. The staircase has corkscrew banisters and a mahogany rail, characteristic of Dryden's time. " In the dedication of Don Sebastian (1690) to Lord Leicester, the poet calls himself a ' poor inhabitant of his Lordship's suburbs, whose best prospect is on the garden of Leicester House.' " Soho and its Associations. He died on May n, 1700, and was buried in Westminster Abbey, where he is commemorated by a bust erected at the expense of Sheffield, Duke of Buckingham. XLVIIL MESSRS. JOSEPH CLARK AND SON, 76 DEAN STREET. THE firm was founded in 1825 a t 4 Bear Street, Leicester Square, and removed to Dean Street in 1834. The old name of the firm, Marley and Clark, is said to have suggested to Charles Dickens the first words of his famous " Christmas Carol '' which begins with the words " Marley was dead " ; but it is quite certain that the surviving pro- prietor of the business could not have suggested the character of Scrooge had the novelist known him. Mr. Edward Clark is a Com- missioner of Property, Land and Assessed Taxes. He is a member of St. Anne's Restoration Committee, and a liberal subscriber to the Restoration Fund. The institutions of the parish enjoy his constant and generous support. The occupants of the premises before Mr. Clark's firm took posses- sion of them were Messrs. Bhmdell and Bridge, silversmiths to the King. Formerly the house belonged to the Derby family, and there is a fine painted staircase and some interesting chimney pieces in a good state of preservation. XLIX. MESSRS. C. H. AND H. HORTON, 8 LISLE STREET. THE grandfather of the present partners established the firm in 1832. It appears that the business is limited to the supply of the metal work connected with harness. We did not know before we were so informed that this was a distinct trade by itself, and we are also interested to CURRIERS, ETC. 181 learn for the first time that the process employed for plating harness metal work is different from the electro process, which is almost uni- versal in all other kinds of plating, and which indeed is sometimes used for the cheaper kinds of harness work. This silver instead of being deposited on the metal by an electric battery is worked on by hand in silver sheets, the agent which is used in connecting the silver with the article to be plated being a mixture of tin and lead, commonly known as pewter. The process is more expensive, but more durable than electro plating. Many of the fish and dessert knives of the better class are plated by the same process. In the Geological Museum in Jermyn Street, a number of knives are shown in the differ- ent stages of being plated by this process. For the parts of the harness where there is hard wear by the rubbing of one piece of metal against another, what is called the hard solder process is employed. In this case sheet silver is also used, but the connecting agent is the silver solder which is used by jewellers in brazing. The whole article with the sheet silver and the silver solder attached, is put into a furnace and brought to a red heat. The solder melts and spreads all over the work, uniting the silver to the inferior article. Great care is required, as the sheet silver melts almost as quickly as the solder, and if the article is not snatched from the fire at the exact moment the whole thing will be spoiled. The sheet silver has in some cases, owing to the shape of the articles, to be worked on in six or seven pieces ; yet so perfectly are the joints made that they are indistin- guishable to any but the trained eye. The sheet silver, rolled especially for this trade, is made in various thicknesses, from the stout silver used by first class firms, to another so thin that when you hold it up to the light you can see that it is full of holes. This is known as cobweb silver, but let it be said at once for the sake of the reputation of the parish, that it is not used in Soho. For the cheap and nasty goods produced at Birmingham and Walsall it is very useful. Lisle Street has been a centre for the leather and harness business almost from the time it was built, and this is probably due to the fact that it is so near to Long Acre, which for two centuries has been the seat of the coach building trade. The trades in connection with or dependent upon the principal trade naturally get as near as possible to their market. Messrs. C. H. and H. Horton are Auditors for the Parish. L. MR. C. B. LEATHERBY, 7 LISLE STREET. WHEN we were paying one of our first visits in St. Anne's parish it was remarked to us that we ought to be proud to have the best saddle maker in the world as our Churchwarden. We wondered what evi- dence could be produced for such an assertion, and found that it was 1 82 FIRMS OF SOHO. based upon the fact that Mr. Leatherby had made the saddle which won the first prize at the International Exhibition in 1862. After having been apprenticed to Mr. Blyth, of Park Lane, Mr. Leatherby went to Messrs. Gibson and Co., of Coventry Street, Leicester Square, until the year 1878, when he purchased the business of the late Mr. Owen, in Lisle Street a business which had been established for fifty years. Since that time the little boy whom the Queen kissed in Kensington Gardens in the year 1836 has had the honour indirectly of making more than one saddle for Her Majesty the last one being in 1891. So far as the claims of his business have admitted of it, Mr. Leatherby has thrown himself heartily into all parochial work. He is an ex-officio member of the Vestry, a member of the Strand Board of Works, and of the Burial Board. He is also a Guardian ; but it is probably as a Churchwarden of St. Anne's during the last fourteen years that he has done the best work for the parish. He is always at his post, and begrudges no effort in the service of the Church. LI. MR. G. G. ROBSON, 33 LISLE STREET. MR. GEORGE ROBSON, the father of the present proprietor, began busi- ness in 1827 m Little Court, Castle Street (now Charing Cross Road). Little Court stood at the junction of Cranbourne Street and Charing Cross Road, and was pulled down when Cranbourne Alley was widened into Cranbourne Street. Mr. Robson moved into Lisle Street in the year 1838, a currier named Burton having previously occupied the premises. Mr. Robson, senior, died in 1875. We may say for the benefit of the uninitiated, that the business of a currier consists in dressing and preparing hides and skins after they have been tanned, for use by carriage builders, saddlers, harness makers, boot makers and others. A shoe currier's trade is quite different from that of a saddle, harness, and coach currier and it is for the latter trade that Lisle Street is so well known. Not only the best West End houses, but Paris, Berlin, Vienna and other continental cities send customers to Lisle Street. Mr. Robson is a good citizen, and has always shown himself willing to take his share in parish work. He has been Over- seer, Vestryman, and member of the Strand Board of Works. He is at the present time a member of the Committee of the Westminster General Dispensary, in which his father and his family have taken an active and liberal interest for many years. LII. MESSRS. GEORGE AND Co., 102 DEAN STREET. THE founder of this firm was Mr. Clement George, an older brother of Mr. Joseph George, of 81 Dean Street, and he began business in 1832. CURRIERS, ETC. 183 Like his younger brother, he was greatly interested in parochial matters, but Marylebone and not St. Anne's had the benefit of his attention. He died in 1872, leaving the business to his son Frederick George. Mr. W. E. Sampson succeeded to the business at the death of Mr. Frederick George. Mr. Sampson has filled the office of Overseer of St. Anne's, and was until lately a member of the Vestry. LIIL MR. JOSEPH GEORGE, 8 1 DEAN STREET. (MR. ALFRED BEADELL.) Mr. Joseph George began business in 1835 as an ornamental Leather manufacturer for cabinet and upholstery purposes, and was succeeded in 1868 by his son-in-law, Mr. Alfred Beadell. Our space only permits of our alluding to one branch of the work done by this firm, but this is particularly interesting. We refer to the "reproduction of ornamented leather, long since dis-used," for which they obtained the medal of the Exhibition of 1862. It appears that most of this leather is obtained from abroad, from places where it has been in use for centuries, and consists chiefly of old Spanish leather hangings. When restored it is often hung upon the walls of the man- sions of those who care to afford so costly an adornment. We under- stand that the first cost of this leather before it has been restored and fixed up is not less than two or three hundred pounds for a fair sized room. Much of the best of it is supposed to have been made at Cordova, when Spain was at the height of her prosperity, about the middle of the sixteenth century. Cordova was then the celebrated manufactory of leather. Of course older leather than this is to be found centuries back, as leather hangings and tapestry were much used to cover the uneven surface of the walls, and they served the double purpose of keeping out the draughts, and ornament. The pieces, which are supposed to be horse-hide, are generally two-feet- six by two-feet. The raised patterns were obtained by pressing the leather when wet into deeply-carved moulds. The designs consist of scrolls, flowers, birds, amorets, festoons of fruits, and sometimes sub- jects are treated, such as the representation of St. Hubert and the Boar, and various scenes of the chase. The work must have been done by very clever artists. From the nature of the designs it is clear that they came from various countries. Some are Venetian, some Dutch, some Moorish, and some English. Many are very beautiful ; and one advantage of these leather hangings is that like fiddles time improves them. Examples of this antique leather may be seen at the South Kensington Museum, but as they are only in pieces they convey but an imperfect idea of their effect. The work of the firm is to be seen in the Houses of Parliament in the well-known devices of the V. R. and portcullis on the backs of the 184 FIRMS OF SOHO. seats, and the gilt leather upon the library shelves, at Longleat, Knebworth, and many of the most beautiful houses in England. Mr. Joseph George, the founder of the firm has left behind him a name in the parish for courage, humanity, and rectitude, and perhaps for combativeness, which will not soon be forgotten. In national and municipal politics he appears to have been a man who had to be reckoned with. For years he proposed the member for Westminster. The following extracts from an address which was presented to Mr. George on April 2, 1852, throw some light upon the history of St. Anne's in the first half of this century. They also help us to under- stand what manner of man he was. The enthusiastic admiration of his friends is expressed in somewhat exuberant terms : " To Mr. Joseph George, Senior Churchwarden of, and one of the Guar- dians of the Poor, for the Parish of St. Anne, Westminster. " We whose names are hereunto subscribed, being Ratepayers of the Parish of St. Anne, Westminster, in Vestry assembled, beg your acceptance of the accompanying Tea Service, as a trifling Testimonial of our high esteem for your untiring energy in the cause of Parochial and Sanitary Reform. " Sir, while we trust we are not ungrateful to those gentlemen (your co- adjutors, who have so nobly aided you to fight our battles on the Parochial and Sanitary Field, and to whom we desire to return our warmest thanks) still they, with us, are ready to yield the palm of ascendancy to yourself; well remember- ing that in the question of the Window Duty yon were from morning until night and from night until morning, ever active, in this and other parishes, advocating the repeal of that unjust, obnoxious, and disease-spreading impost, until to your gratification and our comfort that burden was removed from our shoulders. . . ." Then follows a reference to the closing of the Parish Churchyard, which Mr. George was largely instrumental in bringing about. There is also a reference to Mr. George's opposition to what were supposed to be the "Romanizing and Puseyite practices of the Rector" and to the payment of Church rates. The latter part of the address deals with Mr. George's work as a Guardian of the poor, and brings out another fadt in parish history : " Who but yourself sought out and effeded the increase in the number of our representatives at the Board of Guardians by which means the parish of St. Anne's has been acknowledged by the Poor Law Commissioners, and placed by them in the highest position in the Strand Union ; and the practical benefit of this is to be found in the reduction of taxation and the moral control the representatives have over the Board." This moral control was shown, it appears, in putting a stop to " gluttony and wine-bibbing at the parish expense." The other improvement which as a Guardian he brought about are described as a " certain amount of liberty to the aged and unfortunate poor " ; " supplying the suckling pauper with a proper amount of nourishment ; and the division of the guilty idle pauper from the merely unfortunate and helpless." Truly if only one half of what Mr. CURRIERS, ETC. 185 George's friends said of him were true, he was a social reformer to whom St. Anne's is largely indebted. He died in 1868, aged 58. He chose to be buried at Woking in the beautiful cemetery which he did so much to secure for the parish of St. Anne's, and which as yet has been very little used by the parishioners as a burying place. Furniture Manufacturers and Dealers. LIV. MESSRS. A. CRIBB AND SON, 38 SOHO SQUARE. THIS old-fashioned high-class business was established in 1770, and is therefore 127 years old. Amongst the Furniture Manufacturers and Decorators of the West End it has always been held in high esteem for the quality of its work. The good old practice of training each member of the firm in the workshop, before taking part in the management, has long been followed in this business, and secures that practical acquaintance with the details of the work which is so necessary in the control of skilled labour. The late senior member of the firm, who died last year, began his business career in 1831, and was thus closely connected with the history of furniture during the whole of the Victorian era. When the Queen came to the throne it had long been the fashion to follow the French style in furnishing the best houses, and English art in furniture had sunk to a very low ebb. Few allusions to the designs of decorative woodwork were to be seen in the periodicals of the day, showing that it attracted little or no attention. The application of steam power to the manufacture of furniture dates from the early part of the Queen's reign, and with the introduction of steam power dates the decline of the apprenticeship system and the displacement of " day-work " by " piece-work." Then, too, was introduced the objectionable " rococo " style, and ornamen- tation became florid, vulgar and pretentious. In fact, from the beginning of this century until the great Exhibition in 1851, the general taste in furnishing houses was at its worst. This exhibition, however, gave a stimulus to art and industry which was soon felt, both in the manufacture of furniture, and the decoration of houses, and created a healthier taste in all that lent itself to the comfort and beauty of the Englishman's home. One noticeable feature has been the revival of Marquetry work, and the reproduction during recent years, of Chippendale, Adams, and Sheraton designs, which have been manufactured in enormous quantities, the greater part, however, being very inferior to the original work of these old masters. Whatever advantages the introduction of machinery brought to the manufacture of furniture, quantity rather than quality is too often the result. Machinery cannot, in really artistic work, take the place of tools controlled by the delicate touch MR. CHARLES LUSON CRIBB. FURNITURE DEALERS. 187 of a skilled workman. Raskin says, " the first condition of a work of art is that it should be conceived and carried out by one person." It is satisfactory to know that there are still firms like those of Messrs. Cribb and Son where the result of the careful craftsman's skill can yet be obtained, though, of course, at greater cost than the machine-made article. The firm has enjoyed the distinction of Royal patronage, but it is a still more gratifying testimony to the character of the work they do that many of their customers' names appear upon their books for two or three generations. The present proprietor is Mr. C. L. Cribb, who began his busi- ness life in 1859, serving four years in the workshops of the firm, two years afterwards on the staff of a large Manchester House, and finally rejoining his father in 1865. He has always taken his part in parochial and municipal affairs. He has served as a guardian and a vestryman, and at the present time is a member of the Strand District Board of Works, a sidesman of our Church, and hon. secretary of the Restoration scheme for St. Anne's Church. For the enthusiasm and business capacity which he has brought to bear upon this last named scheme he is especially entitled to the gratitude of his fellow- parishioners. He is also Honorary Accountant for all the Funds ad- ministered by the Redlor and Churchwardens. LV. MESSRS. EDWARDS AND ROBERTS, WARDOUR STREET, CHAPEL STREET, DEAN STREET, & CARLISLE STREET MR. Wood commenced this business in a small way 70 years ago. In 1845 it became the firm of Edwards and Roberts, and rapidly From Litchfield's "History oj Furniture." developed into what it is now, one of the leading businesses of the kind in England. Wardour Street at the earlier part of this century was quite the well known resort of those interested in old furniture and works of art, and to a large extent still retains the same character. We are informed FURNITURE DEALERS. 189 that in the earlier days of the business, the aristocracy were the principal customers, and the demand for old things was not so great as it is now. People are now better educated in matters of art, and old furniture and pictures have four times the value they had sixty years ago. Old oak though it still fetches a good price, is not so much in From Litchfield's " History of Furniture." demand as it was, and the "rage" during the last twelve years has been for furniture by "Chippendale," "Sheraton," " Hepplewhite," and " Adams," which was produced about the middle of last century, a great period in the history of furniture. A fine and complete library of the works of these old designers is to be seen at Messrs. Edwards and Roberts The old French styles i go FIRMS OF SOHO. of the period of Louis XIV., XV., XVI., and of the " Empire" are much in request, especially of the period of Louis XV. The productions of this period are largely due to the encouragement given by Royalty to the manufacture of beautiful furniture in the great age of French luxury. There is a perfection of design and workmanship about the furniture of | this time which cannot now be obtained. The Jones collection at the South Kensington Museum comprises some of the best examples of the old French style. As to the frauds said to be perpetrated in the production of imitations of old furniture, a representative of the firm told us that articles of furniture got up in a rough way, were sometimes offered to them for purchase as old furniture From Litchfidd's " History of Furniture." but were not likely to deceive any but the most inexperienced. He also said that high class imitations of old furniture were very costly. He believed that very little fraud was practised. We were amused with one story which we were told during our visit as to the strange uses to which old furniture is sometimes put. The firm had an order a short time back, to take out the inside of a beautiful tortoise shell tea-caddy, and fit it with an air tight box and a Chubb lock of the best kind. A silver plate with three initials and the date was also placed upon the lid. When completed the customer con- signed the cremated ashes of his wife to the tea-caddy. Amongst their customers Messrs. Edwards and Roberts number H. M. the Queen, the Duke of Saxe Coburg-Gotha, the Duke of FURNITURE DEALERS. 191 Cambridge, the late Archbishops of Canterbury and York, and the present Emperor of Russia and a large number of the Aristocracy. Messrs. Edwards and Roberts occupy as part of their premises Carlisle House, in Carlisle Street, which was erected soon after the Restoration, and was the family mansion of the Earl of Carlisle. It Prom Litchfield's " History of Furniture." still contains beautiful marble mantle pieces and ceilings. The old carving has been sold. Before it came into the hands of Messrs. Edwards and Roberts, twenty-seven years ago, it was Whittaker's Hotel, well known for many years as an hotel which was largely used by clergymen when they visited London. The present proprietor, E. Loibl, has, until lately, taken an active part in parish matters, having for some time filled the offices of Vestryman and Overseer. 192 FIRMS OF SOHO. We can recommend the show-rooms of Messrs. Edwards and Roberts as one of the most interesting " things to see " in this in- teresting parish, and the lovers of the antique in furniture and articles of vertu will be able to satisfy their utmost desires. LVL THE SINCLAIR GALLERIES, 55 SHAFTESBURY AVENUE. Standing on part of the Glebe land of St. Anne's with a bold frontage on Shaftesbury Avenue, and its back windows looking over St. Anne's Public Garden, stands the somewhat imposing block of buildings known as the " Sinclair Galleries." The five large floors are entirely devoted to Art, and to those whose delight it is to render their homes tasteful and beautiful, these Galleries have a decided advantage over the ordinary Museum. You can touch and handle, you can obtain any information you require about what is exhibited, and more than this if you have a good banking account, you can by the trifling exertion of signing a cheque, add to the " Lares and Penates " of your household. Here are tapestries of the i5th, i6th, and iyth centuries, suites of carved and gilt furniture, with Beauvais and Aubusson coverings of the time of the Louis of France ; commodes, consoles, escritories, which have graced the boudoirs or salons of the old nobility of France in the times of the Grande Monarque, the unfortunate Marie Antoinette and the ambitious Napoleon, chimney-pieces in stone and marble, many of which are from famous houses, e.g., three from Arundel Castle before the present Duke of Norfolk pulled down and partly re-built it ; one from Chesterfield House in the old days of the Magniacs ; and one at least from the old house in Golden Square where rumour says Ralph Nickleby lived in the early days of Charles Dickens. Like many other large businesses in our famous old parish, the Sinclair Galleries had a very modest beginning. George Sinclair was a skilful marble mason, rising from journeyman to master, and beginning business on his own account about the time the Queen came to the throne, in a little shop in Wardour Street. He had taste beyond those of his class, and gradually attracted the notice of con- noisseurs of wealth and position, and by making the best of his opportunities, he educated himself by his constant employment in re- moving, altering, and re-constru6ting the fine old marble chimney pieces of the old mansions to which he was called by his customers. The late Mr. George Cavendish Bentinck, M.P., became a liberal patron, recommended him to the late Duke of Portland and many members of the Bentinck family, and assisted him with capital with which to build the present premises in what, twenty-five years ago, was King Street, Soho. When some ten years ago Shaftesbury Avenue was formed, and many of the old houses were pulled down, From Litchfield's "History of Furniture.' A CORNER IN THE SINCLAIR GALLERIES. 194 FIRMS OF so no. old King Street disappeared, and George Sinclair's King Street Galleries became part and parcel of the new street. Mr. Bentinck had a partiality for travelling in Italy and collecting more old furniture and objets d' Art than he could himself find room for, and many of his treasures he placed with Mr. Sinclair for sale, and hither he brought many of -his friends, so that the business grew to considerable dimensions. The death of Mr. Bentinck seriously crippled Mr. Sinclair's resources, and the want of abundant capital caused him constant anxiety and worry. When George Sinclair followed his patron in 1893, it was found that he had left an enormous but unrealisable stock of expensive works of art. In order to make FURNITURE DEALERS. 195 the best of the estate, the Court of Chaucer} 7 appointed a Receiver, and after two years the building, or rather the greater part of it, and all its valuable contents, was purchased by Mr. Frederick Litchfield in 1895. At this time the idea was to form a Public Company to take over and work the business, making Mr. Litchfield the Managing Director, but instead, Mr. Litchfield made an offer which the Court of Chancery accepted. We have been glad to make the acquaintance of our new parishioner, for previous to his coming among us we had known something of his writings on art subjects, and we have culled from the pages in his ' Illustrated History of Furniture," some of the information which we have endeavoured to impart in our notice of Art Business in these pages. This is a book of considerable literary merit, and would well repay the perusal of those who want to under- stand the mysteries of the Wardour Street trade. Mr. Frederick Litchfield has from his earliest days been associated with the com- mercial as well as the literary side of art. His father, the late Mr. Samuel Litchfield, was at one time buyer to the famous Mr. Baldock, the doyen of dealers in bric-a-brac, and sixty or seventy years ago, his gallery in Hanway Street, which was then known as Hanway Yard, was visited by all the wealthy collectors of the time. He retired with an ample fortune, and Mr. Litchfield succeeded to his business and connection in 1838, the year of our Queen's Coronation. He in his turn retired on a well earned competency, and after becoming a member of the first Hertfordshire County Council and filling many other public offices, died at a ripe old age some lew years ago at Cheshunt. When Mr. Frederick Litchfield purchased the Sinclair Galleries he transferred his business from his old-established premises in Hanway Street to Shaftesbury Avenue. Mr. Litchfield numbers among his clients Her Majesty the Queen, the Emperor of Russia, the Empress Frederick of Germany, and several members of our English and foreign Royal Houses, the Roths- child's and a large number of the plutocracy of England as well as many of the older aristocratic families. His later literary work has been the editorship and revision of Chaffers's standard work on Ceramics, " Marks and Monograms on Pottery and Porcelain," a rather ponderous Cyclopaedia of some thousand pages or so. LVIL MESSRS. W. AND J. WRIGHT, 144 WARDOUR STREET. AT the end of last century Mr. W. Thrale Wright, carver and gilder to H. R. H. Princess Sophia Matilda, occupied the present premises and began to import oak panelling, carving and marquetry. At that time he and a man named Hall had the business almost to themselves. ig6 FIRMS OF SOHO. For more than a century the business has been carried on with little or no change in its character, and " Old Curiosity Shop " is still the most appropriate description of the business, as nothing modern seems to be admitted. The show-rooms at the back occupy a large space behind Carlisle House which was formerly the site of a famous riding school kept by a Mr. Angelo during the latter part of the eighteenth century. From enquiries we learn that strictly speaking the word " Antique " should only be used when alluding to the Greek and Roman works of at least 2000 years ago ; but it has become a term which is most casually applied, and is ussd in a most elastic sense as describing furniture which cannot have been made a hundred years, if genuine, and also as describing work which is quite modern. In no class of old work, however, is the word more generally or more inaccurately used than when speaking of those darkly stained, ill carved and much varnished pieces of furniture called "Antique" work. Seriously speaking, if we consider what was the furniture of a room some two or three hundred years ago what should we find ? a dresser perhaps, or a court cupboard, an armoire, a table, a chair for the master of the house, some benches for the rest of the family, but that is all, and very few of these remain to tell the tale of the past. When there is a demand, there will be a supply, and therefore we find a vast amount of carved oak, some of which has been made a sufficient time to acquire a tone and appearance of venerable age, while some has been "treated" in such a way as to deceive the unwary purchaser. Very often the so called "Antique" oak cabinet is made up of old pieces of work adapted to its new form and the whole stained to a dark " black oak " to hide the differences of tone and colour. A practised eye can generally detedt in an old oak chimney piece the different component parts. The front of an old chest perhaps forms the frieze. Two figures which formerly did duty as the ornamental supports of a cabinet are on each side, and the rest has been made more or less to correspond. If these compound pieces are well arranged and carefully composed by the adept they have considerable merit and value, because the real connoisseur knows perfectly well that the genuine old article is almost impossible to obtain, and when such work has been made or arranged for thirty cr forty years a good tone is acquired which is acceptable to all but the hypercritical. We are now referring to the more ornate kind of oak carvings. Occasionally one may still find in old houses some of the plainer oak chimney pieces and cabinets of the time of James I to Charles II, such as are in the South Kensington Museum from the houses pulled down in the City a few years ago. This is termed the Jacobasan period of carved oak, and although not so ornate as the so-called Elizabethan, it is in better taste. There is a good example of Elizabethan carved oak work in part of the interior of the Charterhouse immortalised by Thackeray, and in the Hall of Grays' Inn, built in 1560, and in the Middle Temple Hall built in 15702. At Hardwicke Hall and at Knole FURNITURE DEALERS. 197 there are fine specimens of the Jacobasan period. In the Halls of the City Guilds too, old carved oak at different periods may be studied. Descriptions and illustrations of some of these fine old specimens of English woodwork will be found in " Illustrated History of Furniture," by Frederick Litchfield. Glass Dealers. LVIII. MESSRS. A. GOSLETT AND Co., 127, 129, 131 CHARING CROSS ROAD. THIS business was founded by the late Alfred Goslett, who was a J.P. for Middlesex, about the year 1835. His son, Mr. E. M. W. Goslett, became a partner in 1872, and after his father's death, in 1886, carried ig& FIRMS OF SOHO. on the business alone until 1896. At the beginning of the year 1897 a private limited liability company was formed. The principal changes in the business are due to improvements in manufacture, and introduction of more artistic taste in designs. Improved machinery has also considerably reduced prices. In the case of plate glass, the cost is less than half what it was in the early seventies. The premises in Soho Square were originally, together with No. 25, a' private house of considerable size. Here lived Field-Marshal Conway, only brother of the Earl of Hertford, who was employed in the unsuccessful expedition against Rochefort, and died in 1795. There still remains at No. 26 the black and white marble pavement of the hall, and also the magnificent staircase, with its lovely ironwork balustrades and mahogany hand-rail, leading to the ' state-rooms " on the first floor. These are now used as show-rooms, and we ven- ture to think the old inhabitants of the house would be astonished to see the charming effect of Messrs. Goslett's newest wall-papers with their old-world staircase and cornice mouldings. Mr. E. M. W. Goslett is a member of the St. Anne's Church Re- storation Committee. LIX. MESSRS. HETLEY AND Co., 35 SOHO SQUARE. THIS ranks as one of the oldest houses of business in Soho Square, and may be said to be the pioneer of the window-glass trade of the present day. It was established by the late Mr. Richar-d Hetley in 1826, who was succeeded by his son, Mr. James Hetley, in 1835. The trade at first was chiefly in glass shades, which at that time were in great demand, and difficult to obtain, as France was the only place of manufacture. This trade gradually diminished owing to changes of fashion, and has by now become practically obsolete ; but Mr. Hetley, with great foresight, converted the manufacture of glass shades into that of sheet window-glass, and was the first to introduce that article into England, the old Crown glass, with a bull's eye in the centre, be- ing then the only glass made in England. He established a factory at Miellen, near Strasburg, in the Black Forest, and carted the glass by road to Calais for shipment to England. The cost of transit was enormous, so much so that 50 worth of goods at Miellen was valued at 600 by the time it arrived in London, which it took a month or six weeks to reach. There was also a heavy duty on window-glass of 8d. per lb., which, with the expense of its produc- tion, made it almost a luxury only to be enjoyed by the wealthy. But the knowledge and energy of Mr. Hetley changed all this, and aided by the abolition of the iniquitous tax on light, he became the pioneer of a new industry for this country which now employs many thousands of hands, GLASS DEALERS. 199 The present premises were, in 1832, the recruiting depot of the East India Civil Service, which, in 1835, was removed to the rooms behind the Rectory now occupied by the St. Anne's Boys' Club. The firm of Hetley and Co., has had the honour for many years past to supply H.M. the Queen with glass shades for Windsor Castle and Buckingham Palace. LX. MESSRS. WARD AND HUGHES, 67 FRITH STREET. No. 67 FRITH STREET is a fine specimen of a i7th century mansion, and has an interesting history much connected with art. It seems probable that this was the house where, in 1745, the Venetian ambas- sador lived in great state. He arrived in London on the 8th of October in that year, and shortly afterwards his wife gave a masquerade at her " Thrift Street " mansion, the splendour of which, Dr. Rim- bault tells us, excited much admiration. It seems that this house, together with the building now St. Anne's Schools, in Dean Street, formed a well-known centre for the high-class music of the day the St. James' Hall of the end of the i8th century : for the General Adver- tiser of March 23, 1750, announces a concert of Vocal and Instru- mental Music, " at the Great House in Thrift Street, Soho (late the Venetian Ambassador's)," and a similarnotice in 1751 says, " Coaches are desired to come to the Door in Frith-street, and Chairs to the Door in Frith Street, or Dean Street, as happens to be convenient." This early connection with music was continued when, in 1829, Alfred Novello began his business as a music publisher at 67 Frith Street, and this house was the favourite resort of some of the best known musical and literary people of the time. (See Article on Novello and Co. Soon after this Mr. Thomas Ward commenced business here as a house decorator and upholsterer, and about 1834, with his partner, Mr. Nixon, took up the work of glass painting. The large window of St. Stephen's Church, Coleman Street, City, was made by them, and, in 1840, they designed the south transept windows in Westminster Abbey, which were completed in 1847. The firm of Ward and Nixon had been dissolved some considerable time before Mr. Ward died in 1848, aged 71 years. His nephew, Thomas Ward, succeeded him in his business. About 1854 the business was transferred to Mr. Henry Hughes, who had assisted Mr. Ward for some time, and the firm was henceforth known as Ward and Hughes. Mr. Hughes largely increased the business, and in 1861 he was commissioned to restore the great east window of Gloucester Cathe- dral. In the following year he executed the east window of St. Anne's Church, which gained a medal at the 1862 Exhibition. The east win- dow of the Savoy Chapel Royal was made by him for Mr. Willement, 200 FIRMS OF SOHO. of Green Street, Grosvenor Square, a well-known pioneer among stained-glass painters. On Mr. Willement's retirement, Mr. Hughes purchased his premises, and went to reside there until his death in 1883. In 1872, his design for the large west window of the Guildhall, in memory of the late Prince Consort, was chosen by the Queen from a series of designs submitted by the principal glass-painters in England and on the Continent. He was succeeded by his nephew, Mr. Thos. F. Curtis, who was his first pupil, having been articled to him in 1858. The business is now more widely known than ever, and must be regarded as one of the leading firms in the great revival of interest in English stained- glass, which has been such a marked feature of the last sixty years. Amongst the many important examples of church windows executed by Mr. Curtis may be named his restoration or construction of three out of the four largest Flamboyant windows in England. He restored the great east window of Selby Abbey, which consists of a Jesse genealogical tree, and in its tracery, a Doom, which is quite unique. This, after the east window at Carlisle, is the largest in England ; the next in size being Heckington and Sleaford, which Mr. Curtis has lately executed. This firm is also noted for its imitations of ancient glass, a good example of which we have seen at Nettlestead, Kent, where two old windows have been cleverly restored. Several of Mr. Curtis's draw- ings have been accepted by the Academy, and one of his latest works is a memorial window of John Hampden, at Great Hampden Church, for his descendant, the Earl of Buckinghamshire. His most important work of mural decoration is at St. Mary's Church, Plaistow, Kent. Mr. Curtis has filled the office of Churchwarden of St. Anne's Church since 1890. He is also one of the managers of St. Anne's Schools, and a member of the Church Restoration Committee. It is an interesting item of Soho tradition that Mr. Curtis' work- shops were formerly the stables for Morland's Hotel, and the yard, with the " cobble " stones still remaining, must have seen many a smart team run out to take the Edinburgh coach on the first stage of its long journey. Hat Manufacturer. LXL MR. HENRY HEATH, 105, 107, 109 OXFORD STREET. AMONG other industries in our parish is that of Silk Hat manufactur- ing, which has grown and flourished in the house of Henry Heath since 1822. It must be remembered that in the early days of this cen- tury beaver hats were worn almost exclusively ; in fact it was even the custom for them to be worn by men working in the fields, and in the HAT MANUFACTURER. 201 National Game of Cricket. Owing to the great demand, beaver hats became very expensive, as the beaver was being gradually extermi- nated, and it became necessary to provide a substitute. At first this consisted of a roughly " napped " hat, examples of which may be seen in the naval and military pictures of Napoleon's time. A specimen of this kind of hat may be seen at Henry Heath's ; it is a field marshal's hat, worn by the Duke of Wellington, at Waterloo. The " napped " hat was gradually superseded by the silk plush hat, which has now developed to such perfection. Perhaps there is no article of apparel that passes through more hands in its manufacture than a silk, or what is generally known as a top, hat. No less than HER MAJESTY THE QUEEN AT WINDSOR, 1837. HAT MANUFACTURER. 203 seven men and two women are employed in the making of one, an in- teresting piece of co-operation, not accomplished without skill. During Her Majesty's reign the industry has become a very important one, and it has done its part in adding to the general prosperity of the country. Hat manufacturers may be justly proud of the position the trade holds with regard to British exports, since it is a remarkable one. Thousands of silk hats are exported to every civilised nation in the world, yet none are imported. It is no exaggeration to say that there is no city in the world of any importance to which Mr. Henry Heath does not send hats. This old-established firm has been honoured by the patronage of Her Majesty the Queen, H.R.H. the Prince of Wales, H.R.H. the Princess of Wales, and, in short, by nearly every Member of the Royal Family, and most of the foreign monarchs. An interesting fact connected with this house is that Her Majesty the Queen makes straw and chip plait, which she entrusts to Mr. Heath to be made into hats for her little grandchildren. Old parishioners of Soho may remember the early days of this firm, when it consisted of one house, with small factory, in Allen's Court, long since demolished by the improvements in Oxford Street. The present handsome building was erected in 1887, the year of Her Majesty's Jubilee, which fact is commemorated on the front of the building, where there is also a well executed medallion of George IV., in whose reign the business was commenced. The building is on Crown land, which is said to have originally formed part of the estate of Fontleroy, the last man who was hanged for forgery, and through this occurrence the land was confiscated to the Crown. The terra cotta fa9ade is well worthy inspection, and the frieze over the shop front is an unique treatment of a shop facia and a fine work of art. It is a bas-relief in terra cotta, illustrating the various processes of hat-making. The work was executed by Benjamin Creswick, a man whom John Ruskin had tutored under his personal care. The manufactory extending in the rear to Hollen Street gives em- ployment to some of the boys reared in our schools. We do not hesi- tate to have boys apprenticed to this trade from a fear that the demand for top hats will decrease, for we understand there is a greater desire for them than ever. The accompanying picture is from a block] kindly 'lent by Mr. Henry Heath specially for our use, and represents the Queen wear- ing one of the hats made for her by Messrs. Heath, as she appeared at a review at Windsor in the year of her accession. She was accom- panied on this occasion by the King of the Belgians and the Duke of Wellington. No doubt this will prove one of the more interesting of the many representations of the Queen in the first year of her reign, with which the 6oth year has been so familiar. MR. T. F. BLACKWELL, J.P. Burgess of Westminster. Chairman of Messrs. Crosse and Blackwell, Ltd. ( 205 ) Italian Warehousemen. LXIL MESSRS. CROSSE AND BLACKWELL, SOHO SQUARE, SUTTON STREET, AND CHARING CROSS ROAD, ETC. SOHO SQUARE is probably now more widely known than at any time during the two centuries of its existence, not excepting the period when it was the residence of ambassadors, and the centre of the fashionable life of London. Throughout the world, Soho Square, though it possesses many other distinctions, is now chiefly known as the place of the principal factories and offices of Messrs. Crosse and Blackwell. The founders were Mr. Thomas Blackwell and Mr. Edmund Crosse, and the history of the firm goes back as far as 1806, when it traded on the spot where the Shaftesbury Theatre now stands. Mr. Edmund Crosse was Churchwarden of St. Anne's in 1843. Mr. Thomas Blackwell always took the wannest interest in every- thing which concerned the welfare of the parish. When the Parochial Schools were removed in 1872 at a large cost from the cramped build- ings in Rose Street, to their present commodious quarters in Dean Street, he was the largest contributor, and many stories have we heard from old inhabitants of his upright and generous dealings. Mr. Thomas F. Blackwell and Mr. E. Meredith Crosse, the sons of the founders, and the chairman and vice-chairman of the present company, have more than preserved the generous traditions of the firm. Mr. Thomas F. Blackwell has always been ready when money has been needed, and he has never begrudged any personal effort and sacrifice by which he could serve the parish. He appears to have filled every parochial office, and is at present a member of the Vestry and Burial Board. He is a Burgess of Westminster, a trustee of the St. Martin's Alms Houses and Pension Fund, and chairman of the Committee of the Westminster General Dispensary. He has also lately been chairman of the Committee for the Restoration of the Church. In the year 1893 Mr. T. F. Blackwell was made a Justice of the Peace for the County of London, and his fellow-parishioners marked the occasion by a complimentary banquet and the presentation of a handsome silver bowl. We remember how on that occasion Mr. Blackwell said that, amongst his heirlooms, he was proud to possess a testimonial which was given to his grandfather, Mr. Charles Blackwell, in 1829, on which were inscribed the words " as a mark of esteem for the honesty and integrity he has shown as executor." Mr. Blackwell was High Sheriff for Middlesex in 1894. Having indulged ourselves in these personal references, we pass on to a description of the business itself, and in doing this we have permission to avail ourselves of an interesting and well-written article in Commerce, published on September 27, 1893. <3 ITALIAN WAREHOUSEMEN. 207 The writer begins by remarking that it is " difficult to convey any adequate notion of the magnitude of its operations. In addition to the industries of Soho Square and Charing Cross Road, there is the Soho Wharf, Lambeth, where an enormous factory flanks a big slice 01 the river Thames; there is the Victoria Wharf, Millwall; the Vinegar Brewery in the Caledonian Road, with its ninety-one vats, one of them containing 115,000 gallons of liquid, which supply one million gallons of pure malt vinegar per annum ; there is the branch factory in Cork ; and lastly, there is the lemon squeezing factory at Vauxhall." The same journal remarks that " the marvellous development of the business has done more than anything else for the fruit industry in this country. It has created a hitherto unknown demand for the products of our fruit-growing community. The fruit and vegetables come from numbers of farms all over the home and Eastern counties, and the immensity of this supply is simply bewildering." The system and despatch with which perishable commodities are dealt with is also noticed. " The raspberries and strawberries are grown in Kent. They are gathered in the morning and sent direct in the growers' carts to the jam factory in Soho Square, arriving about noon on the same day. There is a staff of workmen at hand who unload the fruit, which arrives perfectly cool and fresh, and it is literally taken in hand and made into jam at once. Hard fruits, such as greengages, damsons, plums, etc., are sent to the factory by rail, chiefly from Cambridgeshire. During the months of July, August and September, there is a constant arrival of these consignments, which seem to have no limit to their quantity." The same despatch is shown in the case of fish. " Some of the herrings I saw already packed in their tins had left our north- eastern coast only the previous night, had been cleaned and fried in oils during the day, and would be preserved and hermetically sealed in the boxes in an hour or two, the interval between the death of the herring and its preservation being under twenty-four hours." Another facl is mentioned. " No colouring matter whatever is used in the preparations. The vege- tables appear in their natural complexion ; and the late Mr. Thomas Blackwell more than forty years ago took the lead in discountenancing the dangerous artificial colouring of green fruits and vegetables, and did much by his import- ant evidence before a Committee of the House of Commons in 1855, to bring public opinion round to his own way of thinking. This colouring is still largely employed, principally in France. To the credit of English pickle manufacturers generally, there is little of this sort of thing now done on this side of the English Channel." For other interesting details we must refer our readers to the article itself, from which we have quoted so largely. The more one knows of the business of the firm, the more impressed one becomes with its wonderful organization and the minute attention which is given to every detail. But what interests us more than anything else in Messrs. Crosse and Blackwell is the care and consideration which they show towards 2 S FIRMS OF SO HO. their employes. The 2000 hands employed are for the most part unskilled labourers, and there are firms which would be tempted to avail themselves of this facl to pay only a " sweating " wage in order to increase the profits of the concern. Messrs. Crosse and Blackwell give fair and just wages. And they do not stop there. They encour- age thrift by giving a liberal interest upon savings, and they make a liberal provision at Wembley Park for the recreation of their work people. There is a good cricket and football team, and also a female cricket team, a very fitting institution where so many women are employed. Probably the concern is no loser in the long run by the consideration shown to its work people ; but however this may be, it is a pleasure in these days of labour troubles to observe the good understanding and hearty good will which exists between employers and employed in this great firm. There are interesting associations in the past connected with the buildings belonging to the firm and the site on which they stand. No. 21, at the corner of Sutton Street, stands on the site of the notorious " White House," which was taken down some years ago and replaced by the present building. It was the residence of Sir Cloudesley Shovell, whose widow lived at i Soho Square after his death. According to Mr. Clinch, who appears to have taken great pains in examining the rate books of St. Anne's, it was the residence in 1726 of the celebrated Dutch adventurer and Spanish minister, Don Ripperda, who lived there in great magnificence. No. 20, Mr. Blackwell tells us, was the house of the Earl of Falcon- berg, who, Mr. Clinch informs us, was one of its earliest inhabitants, if not its builder. " On November 18, 1657, he married Mary, the third daughter of Oliver Cromwell. Like most of her brothers and sisters, she was at heart a Royalist. She attended St. Anne's Church, and when in the country, went to church at Chiswick. After the death of her brother Richard, she busily exerted herself in favour of the Restoration. Lord Falconberg was appointed by Charles II. as Ambassador to Italy. She died in 1712 at Sutton House. After the death of Lady Falconberg, the mansion was occupied by Sir Thomas Frankland, her husband's nephew who was for many years Governor of the Post Office, and very successful. Sutton House, Chiswick, the country house of the Falconbergs, gave its name to Sutton Street, and Falconberg Mews, which was formerly situated between Falconberg House and Charing Cross Road, preserved the memory of the family until it was pulled down to make room for the factories of Messrs. Crosse and Blackwell. Falconberg Mansion itself still remains much the same as it always was. It is a beautiful house. The ceilings are said to have been painted by Angelica Kaufman and Biragio Rebecca ; and Mr. Augustus J. C. Hare, in his "Walks in London," speaks of it as the "best specimen of domestic architecture in London." There is a beautiful chimney-piece in what was Lady Falconberg's drawing room, and is now the private office of Mr. Blackwell. ( 209 Livery Stables Keeper. LXIIL WHITE BEAR YARD STABLES, 25rV LISLE STREET. (Proprietor, MR. W. DUNSCOMBE.) AT our request Mr. Dunscombe very kindly had a photograph taken of his interesting premises, and we are able to give our readers a glimpse at what is probably one of the oldest bits of Old Soho. These WHITE BEAR YARD STABLES. stables are said to have belonged to the famous Leicester House ; and certainly the study of the position of Leicester House in the old maps, and the character of the building itself, makes this tradition very probable. Anyhow, when you climb up the old staircase and find yourself in the quaint rooms above the stables, you feel at once that you are in the old world. Leicester House was, according to Mr. 210 FIRMS OF SOHO. Tom Taylor, built between the years 1632 and 1636, and was one of the first houses in Soho. Newport House, the residence of the Earl of Newport, which stood on what is now the site of Newport Street, was probably built earlier, but these two houses appear in the earlier maps with no buildings around them. As Leicester House in the eighteenth century was for so many years a royal residence, the stables, if they belonged to Leicester House, may still claim some special interest as having been used in past days by the royal family. When Leicester Square could only be entered by Sidney Alley on the west, and by Cranbourne Alley on the east, Lisle Street was the thoroughfare on the west to Covent Garden, and in coaching days the White Bear Stables were an important stopping place. We sincerely hope that this picturesque bit of Soho may long escape destruction. Mr. Dunscombe, the proprietor, whose family have had the stables for fifty years, is an Overseer, member of the Vestry, Strand Board of Works, and takes a very active interest in the welfare of the parish. Music Printers and Dealers. LXIV. MESSRS. NOVELLO, EWER AND Co., HOLLEN STREET. FOUNDATION OF THE FIRM. THE first connection of the house of Novello with St. Anne's was in 1829, when Alfred Novello began his business as music publisher at 67 Frith Street, with an issue of Purcell's Sacred Music. It was on the whole a Very modest beginning ; the casual passer-by would only have seen " a couple of parlour windows and a glass door, with a few title pages bearing composers' names of sterling merit, and Vincent Novello as editor." The object of this short sketch is to briefly trace the course of the untiring industry and enterprise which has made that "simple parlour-shop the germ of the mart for supplying England nay the world with highest class music." Although the little shop' in Frith Street bore the name of Alfred Novello, it was his father, Vincent, originally a hard-working professor of music, who in 1811 actually laid the foundation of the future pub- lishing house. Finding it impossible to discover a publisher who would take the risk of the work, he himself bore the expense of having his " Collection of Sacred Music " engraved and printed in two folio volumes, and thus became his own publisher. This music was per- formed at the Chapel of the Portuguese Embassy, in South Street, Park Lane, where Vincent Novello was organist, and had the organ accompaniment fully written out, instead of merely being indicated by a figured bass, an innovation at that time not at all welcome to organists, as it did away with much of the mystery of their craft. MUSIC PRINTERS. art CHURCH MUSIC. In December, 1828, Vincent Novello had begun to issue Purcell's Sacred Music, and this was continued from the new house in Frith Street, and completed in seventy-two numbers in October, 1832, the last number being followed by a Life of Purcell, written by Vincent Novello. This is especially interesting to church musicians as the VINCENT NOVELLO. first printed issue of collected music for church use since the time of Boyce, Arnold and Page. SOCIAL LIFE. During this time the Novello family lived at their house of business; and the musical evenings at Frith Street were the favourite resort of some of the best known literary and musical men of the time. De Beriot, with his wife, Malibran, Willman, on the Corno di bassetto, and Mendelssohn, with his wonderful power of improvisation on the piano the memory of such musicians must cling to the old-fashioned rooms for many a day to come. And Charles Lamb's verses, which he wrote in Vincent Novello's album, with all their outspoken disdain of music, seem to have an undertone of quizzical amusement that 212 FIRMS OF SOHO. speaks much for the social pleasures which even such an unmusical mind could find in such musical company. " FREE THOUGHTS ON SOME EMINENT COMPOSERS. Some cry up Haydn, some, Mozart, Just as the whim bites. For my part, I do not care one farthing candle For either of them, nor for Handel. I would not go four miles to visit Sebastian Bach or Batch which is it ? No more I would for Bononcini. As for Novello and Rossini, I shall not say a word to grieve 'em, Because they're living. So I leave 'em. C. LAMB." To which, on the same page, Miss Lamb added the following : " The reason why my brother's so severe, Vincentio, is my brother has no ear. Of common tunes he knows not anything ; Nor ' Rule Britannia ' from ' God save the King.' He rail at Handel ! He the gamut quiz ! I'd lay my life he knows not what it is. His spite at music is a pretty whim : He loves not it, because it loves not him. f M. LAMB.'' PRINTING WORKS. In 1834, Alfred Novello removed from Frith Street to 69 Dean Street, which, together with No. 70, is still used by the firm as their printing works, though preparations are already being made for the transfer of the ever-increasing printing work of the firm to a large block of buildings newly erected on a site near Wardour Street. There is a curious tradition in parish history that this valuable plot of ground became the property of the Crown by confiscation, its last owner, a banker, having been executed for forgery. In 1689, a chapel was opened on this site by Huguenots, which afterwards became Wardour Hall. At this time, Dean Street, Berwick Street, Crown Street (now Charing Cross Road), and Newport Market, each possessed its own Huguenot Chapel, which fact gives us some idea of the num- ber of French colonists then living in Soho. This by the way. CHEAP MUSIC. It is as the pioneers of " cheap music " that the house of Novello have made their name best known throughout the world of music. When Queen Victoria ascended the throne, there were many vexatious taxes upon knowledge. For example, every publication containing any item of news must bear a stamp ; every advertisement must pay duty. There was also a very heavy excise duty on paper, and an im- port duty on books and music. And besides all these hindrances in the spread of knowledge, the trades' rules of the printers placed additional obstacles in the way of improvements in the mistaken idea of keeping up the cost of labour, while the use of lithography was then but imperfectly understood. MUSIC PRINTERS. 213 Mr. Alfred Novello, assisted (in 1841) by Mr. Henry Littleton, set himself to overcome these difficulties. In 1836, Mendelssohn's new oratorio of St. Paul was published by Alfred Novello at thirty-two shillings for the pianoforte score, the vocal parts at five shillings each. Now, the same work, with pianoforte and vocal score, may be had from the same firm for one shilling; while Handel's Messiah, arranged by Vincent Novello, which in 1846 was issued at the unpre- ]. ALFRED XOVELLO. cedently cheap price of six shillings and sixpence, may now be bought for the same modest sum of one shilling. "THE MUSICAL TIMES." The chief agent employed by Novello's to bring about this revolu- tion in the price of first-class music was the publication of the Musical Times. This monthly paper was projected as long ago as 1844, its object being to encourage the formation of choral societies, to record their progress, and to provide material for their practices. The size of the paper suggested the idea of the " octavo editions " of oratorios, which by their handy form and cheap price have done so much to make the greatest oratorios known to the people. 214 FIRMS OF SOHO. TYPE MUSIC PRINTING. The difficulties which Alfred Novello had to encounter with the trade printers as to the issue of this new venture caused him to under- take the business of type music printer himself. Type music printing had been vastly improved by Messrs. Clowes, but vexatious trade rules had made the new method of printing music almost useless, and Messrs. Clowes threatened to destroy their splendid fount of music type. However, the energy of Alfred Novello brought in a better state of trade public opinion, and at the outset of his new career as a HENRY LITTLETON. printer, in February, 1847, he issued from " Dean's Yard, over against Dean Street, near Soho Square, in the City of Westminster," a small pamphlet giving an account of some of the improved methods of printing music with moveable types he intended to introduce. The fount used at the present time for the popular editions of oratorios, called the " gem," was designed at this time, and the work of its con- struction was undertaken by Mr. Palmer, of the Soho Type Foundry. In May, 1845, a city branch was established at No. 24 Poultry, at the sign of " The Golden Crotchet," one of the last of the London signs, while in August, 1852, a branch of the house was opened in Broadway, MUSIC PRINTERS. 215 New York. Later still (in 1878), a book-binding branch was opened in Southwark Street. MUSIC AT REDUCED PRICE. On January i, 1849, Alfred Novello issued from the London Sacred Music Warehouse, Dean Street, a circular with the following well- chosen lines of Shakespeare : "Tidings do I bring, and lucky joys, And golden times, and happy news of price." " Make trivial price of serious things." The " happy news " was to the effedl that, as the buyers of music had so vastly increased in number of late years, Mr. Novello purposed to attempt to encourage its study by reducing the price of nearly all his publications 'by fifty per cent. To those who might complain of this sudden cheapening of articles for which they had been compelled to pay so much more, Mr. Novello pointed out that he who buys green peas at a guinea" a quart in January does not grudge those who are able to obtain the same luxury for a shilling in June. The " winter " of musical " discontent " was not yet, however, changed into "glorious summer " by the efforts so perseveringly made, for in April, 1850, Alfred Novello found it necessary to petition the House of Commons to abolish the various grievous taxes which hindered the spread of musical knowledge; and it was not 'until 1861 when the last of these irritating obstacles, the duty on paper, was removed. For these ser- vices to the community, Mr. Alfred Novello might have had a knight- hood had he not declined the honour. Mr. Henry Littleton became the head of the firm in 1857 a year famous in the] annals of the house for the issue of the centenary editions of Handel's oratorios, and also for the commencement of a series of church music by modern composers, which has done much to add dignity to the worship of God. ANTHEMS AND SERVICES. In 1857 an experiment was made to provide a series of compositions by the best living writers for the use of the Service of the Church of England. The first of this series was an anthem by John Goss, organist of St. Paul's Cathedral, for the enthronement of Bishop Jackson, in December, 1856. The demand for this anthem was enormous, ' and '"since then thousands of services and anthems by living composers have been issued by Messrs. Novello, many of them appearing first in the Musical Times, and being published at three- halfpence each. In 1860, Hymns Ancient and Modem were first issued by Novello, many millions of copies of which have been sold. SIR JOSEPH BARNEY. In 1867 several fresh developments took place. Messrs. Novello acquired the business of Ewer & Co., and with it all the existing copy- rights of Mendelssohn's works. The publishing and literary branches \\ARDOUH HALL IN 1893. . (Seep. 212.) Site now occupied by Messrs. Novdlo, Ewer and Co. MUSIC PRINTER'S. 217 of the business were removed from Dean Street to a more extensive house in Berners Street, where, since then, no less than thirty other music houses have established themselves round the warehouse of the pioneers of cheap music. But the advance which most nearly interests us at St. Anne's was the request made by the firm to their musical adviser, Mr. (afterwards Sir) Joseph Barnby, and late choirmaster of St. Anne's Church, to organise a choir for the practice of sacred and secular music. Even so late as thirty years ago obstacles were placed in the way of good music which we should think incredible. In 1865 it was attempted to put in force a fossil Act of Parliament which forbade musical perform- ances in any licensed house, room, or garden, before 5 p.m. The Musical Times of December, 1865, pointed out the absurdity of a law which " virtually declares that a sonata of Beethoven's, at the Hanover Square Rooms, at three o'clock, has a more injurious tendency than ' Slap-bang ' at the music halls at midnight." Mr. Barnby's choir became one of the chief factors in London musical life, and by its means were introduced to the English musical world some of the noblest choral music ever written. In 1872 Mr. Barnby became conductor of the Royal Albert Hall Choral Society, with which his own choir became merged ; and Messrs. Novello were asked to take the general direction of the Society's work. After giving short daily concerts for upwards of six months at the International Exhibition held in London in 1873, the house of Novello undertook the bold scheme of organising a series of concerts on a large scale, to be given every week evening. These took place in the Albert Hall, beginning on November 7, 1874, and were continued with great success for seven weeks. The retirement of Mr. Henry Littleton in 1887, (who died May u, 1888) and the death of Mr. Joseph Alfred Novello in July, 1896, after thirty years' retirement, deprived the house of men to whose dauntless energy and enterprise we owe the present excellence and cheapness of the best vocal music ever written. The present members of the firm are as follows : MR. ALFRED HLNRY LITTLETON MR. AUGUSTUS JAMES LITTLETON MR. GEORGE TOPHAM STRANGWAVS GILL MR. HENRY WILLIAM BROOKE MR. HENRY REGINALD CLAYTON A stained glass window has been placed in the north transept of Westminster Abbey in memory of Vincent Novello. It is near the seat which he used to occupy in his constant visits to the abbey, and represents Saint Cecilia, the patron saint of music. London is gradually being beautified. Even the "back streets" are beginning to bear evidence of the change. Here and there dreary little houses are being replaced by buildings of fine elevation and MUSIC PRINTERS 219 attractive exteriors. One of the most recent examples of this pleasant transformation is to be found in two short thoroughfares in Soho Hollen Street and Little Chapel Street both leading eastward out of Wardour Street, famous for its curiosity shops. Here on a large piece of ground held on an eighty years lease direct from the Crown, have been erected the substantial and commodious printing and book- binding works and warehouses of Messrs. Novello, Ewer and Co. The illustration represents the Hollen Street (northern) frontage, which is built of red brick, with dressings of Casterton stone ; the Little Chapel Street (southern) exterior being similarly treated. The works occupy nearly the whole of the large area lying between Hollen Street and Little Chapel Street, and the buildings surround two large courtyards, of which, as will be presently shown, good use has been made. The whole premises cover a space of no less than 18,000 square feet. It may not be without interest to record some of the impressions produced by a peregrination of these new and extensive buildings. Beginning at the basement, the chief feature is the large machine room, measuring 112 by 50 feet, where no less than twenty printing machines will be in operation. This fine and commodious room is practically made by two glass- covered courtyards. The two-fold advantage of this arrangement are light only the glass roof inter- cepting the light from the sky and absence of vibrations in the revolutions of the machines, the machines being placed on terra firina. The boiler room, where the pulse-quivering power of the vast network of machinery is generated, next claims attention. In this naturally warm apartment are two boilers of a hundred horse-power each, which have been specially constructed by Messrs. Davy, Paxman and Co., of Colchester. In close proximity is a convenient fitter's shop, where slight defects in the machinery can at once be rectified on the premises. This basement the lower regions of the establishment also contains the hydraulic presses and hot-rolling machines, a spa- cious drying room, a paper storing room, a paper damping room, in addition to a convenient range of lavatories. Moreover, it can claim so important an adjunct of the operations of the business as a fire- proof plate room, wherein will be stored the vast array weighing many tons of stereotyped and engraved plates. The Moor of this room has been sunk to a lower level than the remainder of the basement. Ascending to the ground floor if the paradox will be allowed we find the engine room (28 by 23 feet), its centre of attraction being two engines, one being held in reserve. The ground floor will also contain the printers' warehouse, where the work after being printed will be finished either for stock or delivering ; the bookbinder's warehouse, the lithographic printing machines and presses ; in addition to the manager's rooms, and offices for the clerical staff of the establishment. The upper floors will be apportioned to compositors, music composi- tors, music engravers, printers, and the various branches of book- 220 FIRMS OF SO HO. binding. The topmost floor may literally be said to groan under the weight of tons of printed sheets, only waiting for that early call which awaits them from the bookbinding department, when they will make way for similar burdens. By no means the least pleasant section of the building is the flat roof, a visit to which at once conjures up visions of a garden party on Chimney-pot Common, or a series of elevated afternoon teas in Soho ! The building is fire-proof throughout, thirty iron doors on rollers helping to contribute to this desideratum. The various floors are reached by four spacious fire-proof staircases. The entire structure is heated by steam in such a manner that the temperature can be regulated to a nicety. Steam power is used in working the various lifts. The lighting, to which much careful attention has been given, is mainly electric, Jandus arc lamps being largely employed. There is a genial lightness and airiness about the whole of this massive struc- ture that is in striking contrast to the stuffy, ill-lighted, incommodious interiors of old printing works. The comfort of the staff has been no less carefully considered than the requirements of the gigantic business. The architect of the new building is Mr. Frank L. Pearson, of Mansfield Street, W. Musical Instrument Makers. LXV. MESSRS. BEVINGTON AND SONS, Organ Builders. MANETTE STREET. MR. HENRY BEVINGTON, the grandfather of the present partners, founded the business about the year 1794. He belonged to an old Quaker family living at Shipston-on-Stour, Worcestershire. After completing his apprenticeship he took the position of journeyman with Gray, who was then an organ builder in a small way in Euston Road, While with Mr. Gray he married Miss Ling, whose father owned large grounds covering a part of the north side of Euston Road, and devoted chiefly to the cultivation of mushrooms. Soon after his marriage, Mr. Henry Bevington started in business for himself in a house in Greek Street, opposite what was then Rose Court. Business prospering, he took over the business of " Snetzler's," a firm of German organ builders, and moved into a larger workshop over stables in Rose Yard. He then took as his private residence 12 Greek Street, now Weddes' Hotel and Restaurant. At this time number twelve was part of a man- sion belonging to the Portland family, with splendid staircases, panelled ceilings, and a magnificent oriel window in the centre. The mansion was divided into three houses, of which number 12, was the centre house. At the back of the house were grounds called " The Drive,' 1 with a disused chapel at the bottom and stables at the side. Miss Bevington, the only surviving child of Henry Bevington, whose MUSICAL INSTRUMENT MAKERS. 221 faculties, in spite of her great age, are still very vigorous, remembers perfectly playing as a child in the disused chapel and in the stable lofts. The property in Greek Street is supposed to have passed into the hands of a Mr. Tate, a coachbuilder, and then to a Mr. Wilson, timber merchant, whom no doubt many parishioners will remember. To meet the requirements of an increasing business, Mr. Bevington gradually acquired more stables and lofts in Rose Yard and turned them into workshops. But it was not until after his death, when he was succeeded in business by his four sons, that the premises were entirely acquired, and the term Rose Yard became extinct. When we visited the factory we could see evident remains of the old stables in the cobble stone yard (now mostly used for the storage of timber) and an old pump, which still draws water from an old well. In the course of our enquiry into the details of the business itself) Mr. L. H. Bevington, one of the present partners, informed us that the Church was practically responsible for barrel organs. Years gone by, when the instrumental music of the Church was rendered by a small and usually ancient orchestra, it often became a matter of diffi- culty to replace the old players as they died out. To meet the diffi- culty barrel organs were brought into use, upon which a few tunes could be played by turning a handle. As musical education advanced, organs were made with a key-board as well as with a barrel attach- ment, so that if there arose any difficulty in supplying a proper organist, the parish beadle could officiate at the handle. Mr. Bevington men- tioned an instance which he knew of not many years back, and within ten miles of London, where the beadle or sexton turned the handle with one hand, and with the other kept the children in order by the aid of a long stick. Messrs. Bevington had many amusing traditions to relate as to the primitive state of Church music at the early part of this century. These barrel organs were in turn superseded by the one- manual organ, with an octave of 16 feet Bourdon on the keys. The players were not then sufficiently skilful to play with their feet. Then fol- lowed the introduction of a separate pedal organ. This latter depart- ment came from Germany, the earliest examples of this work taking the form of small projecting pieces of wood coupling the keys, and were termed German foot pedals, and from these the separate pedal organ of 30 complete notes gradually evolved. These small organs were called chancel organs, and the firm gained a special reputation for them. Business continuing to increase, the four brothers took a lease of 48 Greek Street (now Messrs. Breidenbach's) as a residence, and for show rooms and offices. In reply to enquiries as to the work done by th^ firm and any honours they had gained, we were informed that in 1855 they exhibited a large three-manual organ at the Universal Ex- position in Paris and gained a first class medal. In 1862 a larger three-manual and a small chancel organ were exhibited, and both gained first class medals ; and, finally, at Paris in 1867, a small chancel 222 FIRMS OF SOHO. organ carried off first class honours. The firm have carried off many other honours, but those 'mentioned above are the chief. The 1855 instrument was exhibited at the Crystal Palace, and afterwards erected in the Drill Hall, Derby. The 1862 instrument was creeled at Isen- hurst Manor, Sussex. Messrs. Bevington have erected nearly 2,000 organs to present date. But those near to us, such as St. Paul's, Covent Garden, St. Martin-in-the-Fields, the Foundling Hospital, and the Roman Catholic Church, Moorfields, will suffice to interest parishioners. As regards the latter organ, Vincent Novello was organist, and C. E. Willing at the Foundling. As regards the Foundling Hospital organ, an errone- ous idea exists that some portion of the old organ that Handel used to preside at was incorporated in the new instrument. This is an error. The work was too poor to utilise. Some portions of the old organ were saved, out of reverence for the great master, but unfortunately they were destroyed by a fire which took place at the Rose Street factory about 1854. From 1845 to 1865, Miss Bevington, the lady previously alluded to, a very accomplished amateur musician, with her brother Henry (then head of the firm), who was organist of King's College Chapel, gathered round them a numerous circle of accomplished musicians, and gave about six Concerts during the season to aid various charities. We may mention that the Hospital for Paralysed and Epileptic, in Queen's Square, Bloomsbury, owes its beginning to a Concert arranged at 48 Greek Street by Miss Bevington and Miss Chandler. The latter gave her life to the work, and Miss Bevington, until lately, took a prominent part in the administration of the charity. At these con- certs such men as Vincent Wallace, who wrote the greater part of his opera, " Maritana," in the drawing-room at 48 Greek Street, V. Novello, W. F. Best, Willing, Isaac Pitman, Augustus Tamplin, who used to bring a small Mustel organ with him, George Lindley, and many other celebrated men of the day, were to be seen and heard. Coming to more modern times, the brothers married, and, per- force took separate establishments in the suburbs. 48 Greek Street was given up, and the entire work concentrated at the factory. The reputation gained by the firm has been mostly for small organs for difficult places. Amongst such instruments built by the firm, we may mention the small organ erected in the Hall of the Supreme Council of the Freemasons, Golden Square, an organ built under the super- vision of Sir Michael Costa, and another instrument as example of miiltum in parvo is the one at Christ Church, Mayfair. Of late years the firm have been building many organs for churches abroad. These involve special construction in every detail, and we are informed that the export trads of Messrs. Bevington is now the largest of any English firm. While on this topic of organs for abroad, it is just ten years ago since Soho was honoured by the visit of Queen Kapiolani and suite, of the Sandwich Islands, on the occasion of a private recital on the MUSICAL INSTRUMENT MAKERS. 223 organ built for her Majesty. This lady was over here as a visitor on the occasion of our beloved Queen's Jubilee. As Messrs. Bevington ton have a large organ for Port Elizabeth now nearing completion, they hope, if circumstances permit, to give another recital on their premises. If so, they will, we feel sure, be pleased (if space permits) to send cards to any parishioners who may be musically inclined. So far as we can learn, Messrs. Bevington have never had anything to do with the organ in St. Anne's, or taken any part in parish matters. The only connection they have with us, and that is very remote, is that amongst their employees they number two of Mr. Barnby's earliest choir-boys, sons of the late Mr. W. Livins, of Queen Street, a very old and respecled inhabitant. They have also built organs for St. Mary's, Battle, and St. Mary's, Peckham, where two of Mr. Barnby's articled pupils presided. As parishioners know, the name of Rose Street has now been changed to Manette Street, and there is no doubt that it is Messrs. Bevington's establishment that is alluded to by Dickens when he makes Dr. Manette say in the " Tale of Two Cities " : " In a building at the back, attainable by a courtyard, where a plane tree rustled its green leaves, clnircJi organs claimed to be made, and silver to be chased, and likewise gold to be beaten by some mysterious giant, who had a golden arm starting out of the wall of the front hall as if he had been beaten himself precious, and menaced a similar conversion of all visitors." (This sign of the goldbeaters and the goldbeater's shop here alluded to is still to be seen.) LXVI, -VIOLIN DEALERS OE SOHO. By E. Heron Allen. THERE are few of us whose early education has been so lamentably neglected that we are not acquainted with the repute of the " four- and-twenty fiddlers all of a row," celebrated in nursery song. It would be a shameful thing if we of Soho were ignorant of their fame, for we may be said to have invented them, and introduced them to the English-speaking world. There are two arts inseparably connected with our parish from the period of its foundation to the present time. With one of these, that of the silversmith, we have dealt in a former article. The other to which we now propose to turn our attention is that of the fiddle-maker. The courts of Henri IV., Louis XIII., and Louis XIV. of France, were celebrated for the brilliance and ingenuity of the ballets there enacted ; and the passion of those monarchs for the ballet (a branch of art which, also, we may be said to have brought to perfection in Soho) led to the formation of the celebrated band which, founded by Louis XIII., and abolished by Louis XV. in 1761, was known by the title of th e 224 FIRMS OF SOHO. " Vingt-quatre Violons du Roi " " The twenty-four Fiddlers of the King's Chamber." We have seen in a recent article of this series how Soho from its earliest days was the centre of fashion and luxury in London. It is, consequently, not surprising that it became the centre of the two trades that supplied the two inseparable concomitants of luxury and amusement, to wit, silver-plate and fiddlers. After the restoration of Charles II., the Court and society aped the manners and customs of France in a manner which has only been equalled by the rage in America for all things English; and it was not long before the Court of St. James' had also its twenty-four fiddlers, who were sung about by Durfey, the lampoonist of the time, whose doggerel has come down to us in the words of the familiar nursery rhyme. This band consisted of six violins, six counter-tenors, six tenors, and six basses, and its first leader was Baltzar, " the incomparable Lubecker " of Anthony a' Wood's " A thence Oxoniensis." The strange church-instru- ments, the serpent, and horns, were superseded by the.m at the Chapel Royal, and Mr. Evelyn records in his diary his disapproval of their " French fantastical light way of playing," in accompanying the anthems, and services there. The airy and elegant confidences of Mr. Pepys are full of references to the growing taste for the violin among distinguished amateurs after the Restoration, but before that time we have Anthony a'Wood's authority for the statement that gentlemen VIOLIN DEALERS. 225 " esteemed a violin to be an instrument only belonging to a common fidler, and could not endure that it should come among them for feare of making their meetings to be vaine and fidling.'' The history of the violin at this period is in itself a picture of the times, but we must resist the temptation to touch further upon it in this place. Before Soho entered upon its separated corporate existence, Jacob Rayman was making fiddles in Southwark ; Urquhart, Pamphilon, and Pemberton were working elsewhere, and these men founded the English school of violin makers, whose traditions were carried on by Norman, Cross, Barrett, Hare and others. The east end of Piccadilly became the first centre of the trade, and there we find working Peter Wamsley, Henry Jay, and Thomas Smith, who was the master of Norris and Barnes, of Coventry Street, whose business is still carried on in Soho by Edward Withers. Before we turn our attention to our contemporaries we may give a few moments to the fiddle-makers who preceded them in the parish. Chief among them we find records of the following : John Holloway, who worked in Gerrard Street about 1760 ; John Marshall, of Covent 'Garden ; Merlin, whose place of business was on the other side of Oxford Street, but who achieved celebrity by playing a violin of his own make on wheel skates at one of Mrs. Cornelys' masquerades at Carlisle House, Soho Square, and " impelled himself against a mirror of more than five hundred pounds' value, dashed it to atoms, broke his instrument to pieces, and wounded himself most severely." (Dubourg.) John Morrison made fiddles in Princes Street, Soho, about 1760 ; Taylor worked in Princes Street about 1750 : and one Torring, of whom little is known, worked in Coventry Street about the same time. William Forster, one of the greatest of English fiddle-makers, established himself at the top of St. Martin's Lane, in the middle of the last century. It was in the latter quarter of the eighteenth century that the fiddle-makers appear to have recognised Soho as their own ground, and at this time we find recorded Edmund Airton, of Hog Lane, subsequently Crown Street, and now Charing Cross Road. The fiddle-making name, however, that rises uppermost in the mind, is that of the Hill family, beginning with William Hill, of Broad Street, Carnaby Market; Joseph Hill, of the Haymarket, who was the father of Lockey Hill, grandfather of William Ebsworth Hill, who worked in Wardour Street, and great- grandfather of Alfred, William, and Arthur Hill, who within our time have risen to the head of the fiddle-making and dealing trade, and who removed a few years ago to Bond Street. Benjamin Banks, the celebrated Salisbury maker, removed to Golden Square, at the end of the last century. Thomas Dodd. the father of the celebrated bow- maker, worked in St. Martin's Lane about the same time, and was buried at St. Giles'-in-the-Fields at the beginning of this century. The parish has been the haven of foreign makers from an early date. Bernard Simon Fendt worked in Dean Street at the beginning of the century, and died in 1852 ; his son, Jacob worked for Davis, the suc- cessor of Norris and Barnes, and predecessor of Edward Withers, 22 6 FIRMS OF SOHO. whose workshops were the field of the labours of that erratic genius John Frederick Lott, whose adventurous life was recorded hy Charles Reade in his novels " Cream," and " Jack of all Trades." His brother, G. F. Lott, also worked for Davis, and their father, J. F. Lott, made fiddles in King Street, Soho. Beyond these we have records of lesser lights in the fiddle-making world, such as George Corsby, of Princes Street, Soho, and Tobin, who worked for old John Betts, and subsequently had a workshop in West Street, Soho. Among the names of distinguished foreigners who have worked in Soho, we find those of Vincenzo Panormo, and his son Joseph, who worked in New Compton Street, and subsequently in King Street. George Panormo, another son, worked in High Street, St. Giles' ; and finally the three eminent colleagues, compatriots and co-apprentices of the great J. B. Vuillaume, Boullangier, Maucotel, and Chanot, the two first of whom worked for Davis until Withers took over the business, and then established themselves respectively in Greek Street and Rupert Street. Chanot originally worked with Maucotel, and took over his business when he retired, and that business is still carried on by his son in Wardour Street. Of Theress Charles, who came from Mirecourt, the centre of the French fiddle-making industry, and set up in King Street, Soho, I know and can learn nothing save that when he first arrived he worked for Maucotel. The claim of our parish records to a prominent place in the history of fiddle-making has, therefore, been abundantly proved. We can now turn our attention to the state of the trade in fiddles as it flour- ishes amongst us in the present day. To avoid any implied expres- sion of opinion as to the relative merits of the present representatives of the fiddle-makers of Soho, we will take them in alphabetical order. SIGNOR CARLO ANDREOLI, SOHO STREET. SIGNOR ANDREOLI was until the year 1881 a distinguished musician, playing the clarionet in all the best orchestras in London. In 1881, however, he became the London agent of Zanetti, of Milan, and B. G. Rinaldi, of Turin, two of the principal dealers of Northern Italy. His success in this line, and as an importer of strings, led him to establish himself in his present premises in 1888, since which time many very valuable Cremonese instruments have passed through his hands. MESSRS. BEARE AND GOODWIN, 186 WARDOUR STREET. MR. JOHN BEARE entered the house of Metzler and Co. at the age of thirteen, his father being then manager to that firm. Established in Brixton in 1869, afterwards removed to Euston Road, where, Liter, his father joined him in partnership. Larger premises were taken later on in Brewer Street, which again proving too small for an ever- increasing business, the present premises (wholesale) were taken in Rathbone Place. Mr. Beaie is a very well-known personality in the musical instrument business, and since the death of Messrs. VIOLIN DEALERS. 227 Hart, Hill, and Chanot, seniors, is one of the oldest of the London dealers. He has had an immense number of instruments through his hands, and at one time had practically a monopoly of the old violin business in the provinces. He has not only an intimate know- ledge of every known musical instrument, but is a fair performer on a great number. Mr. Edward Goodwin's first connection with the trade dates from 1894, at which time he was engaged in the wine trade at Bordeaux. He had always taken a great interest in old violins, but while there had special facilities for seeing and handling many good instruments, thus increasing his knowledge of the work of the various makers. He soon began to buy old instruments, which he sent to London, where they were sold at good profit. Finally he decided to come to London, and established himself as a violin dealer, taking rooms in Berncrs Street. His stock then consisted of about sixty violins, all purchased in Bordeaux. He afterwards removed to Great Marlborough Street, thence to 186 Wardour Street, where in partnership with Mr. John Beare, he founded a successful business which, has been carried on since 1893. The principal business of the firm consists in buying and selling high-class violins and violoncellos, the greater number of which are obtained through agents abroad, who are periodically visited by Mr. Goodwin. MR. SZEPESSY BELA, 168 WARDOUR STREET. THIS maker, who is a true artist among violin-makers, first set up in business in London in 1881 with Felix Herrmann. He was apprenticed to Samuel Nemessany, of Buda Pesth, and subsequently worked for Zach, of Vienna. After a short stay in Munich, from 1879 till 1881, he came to this country, where his work has been very highly appreciated, his instruments, which are covered with a soft, yellowish-red varnish, having a character entirely of their own. They have been a great deal played upon already as solo instruments on the concert platform. MR. JOSEPH ANTHONY CHANOT, WARDOUR STREET. THE house of Chanot in Wardour Street, though "across the road," and not stridtly in the parish, is so much an institution of Soho. that an account of the fiddle makers would be lamentably incomplete without a notice of it. Joseph Anthony Chanot is the son of George Chanot, who died in May, 1895, who was the son of George Chanot of Paris, who was in turn the son of George Chanot of Mirecourt, who came to Paris at the beginning of this century and instructed his son and the great J. B. Vuillaume in his workshop. George Chanot the third visited London at the time of the Exhibition of 1851, on his father's business, and ended by staying here for life. He worked at first with Maucotel in Rupert Street, and on Maucotel's retirement in 1860 took over the business, removing in due course to Wardour Street, where his son now carries on the business. George Chanot was 228 FIRMS OF SOHO. the last survivor of the classic times of violin-making. His instruments are superb, far excelling most of the old masters of the second rank. He taught his art to his son Joseph and to me and it was in his workshop in Wardour Street in 1882-3 that we made our first fiddles side by side. To be a friend and a pupil of George Chanot, was in itself a liberal education, he knew everybody and everything, and his cynical contempt for the customs of his trade, made him the most delightful companion, though it made him bitter enemies. Joseph Chanot is one of the few men in London who can make a violin now-a- days, and as a workman he is unsurpassed. MESSRS. HART AND SON, WARDOUR STREET, THIS firm has been established for the greater part of this century, and has obtained a position of great distinction as importers of perhaps more Stradivarius violins than any other firm in London, until Messrs. Hill began to run them close. Mr. John Hart the founder of the firm was one of the first connoisseurs in Europe, and by him, and under his advice and direction were formed some of the finest collections of violins of his day, notably the famous Coding and Gillott collections. His son, George Hart, who was born at 23 Wardour Street, the house which was formerly known as 14 Princes Street, in 1839, considerably increased the reputation of the firm, having inherited his father's extraordinary eye and hand in judging violins. I had occasion recently to record in the Violin Monthly Magazine, that " among the many important collections which he either formed wholly or supplemented by their more valuable examples, was the major part of the Adam group perhaps the finest, if not the largest gathering of grand instruments that was ever made in this country, if indeed, it ever was surpassed anywhere in modern times." Mr. George Hart was an accomplished performer upon the violin and pianoforte. He was also a man of considerable literary gifts, and his two works, "The Violin and its Makers," and "The Violin and its Music," are the most elaborate works that have been published on the violin in general in this country. The work has been translated into French by Alphonse Royer, and issued as a magnificent edition de luxe, by Schott Freres. He died on April 25, 1891. after an honourable and useful life, and was succeeded by his son, Mr. George Hart, who is said to conduct the business on the same honourable lines, and with the same marked ability as his forefathers. MR. FELIX HERMANN, SOHO STREET PUPIL of Bausch, the Leipzig fiddle-maker, Felix Hermann came to this country in 1881, and set up in Wardour Street in partnership with Szepessy Bela, above-named. When this partnership was dissolved, he worked in Berners Street for a while, returning to the parish in 1888, and setting up in his present premises. He makes a speciality of supplying Swiss and Dalmatian pine and maple woods to makers both professional and amateur, and is an agent for Lyon and Healey, the great violin-dealers of Chicago, to whom he sends hundreds of VIOLIN DEALERS. 229 dilapidated fiddles yearly. Their ultimate re-incarnation opens a wide field for^conjecture. MESSRS. JAMES TUBES AND SON, 94 WARDOUR STREET, (From Illustrated London.) THIS business stands out prominently among others of a similar kind. It is over a century since the business was commenced by the great-grandfather of the present proprietor. The concern has been handed down from father to son, each successive owner inheriting that rare gift, the ability to make a perfect violin bow. Heads of the musical world are loud in their praise of the correctness and beauty of the productions of this firm, and they are makers by special appoint- ment to H.R.H. the Duke of Edinburgh. The fame of the bows of Messrs. James Tubbs and Son, extends to all parts of the world, orders coining to them from each quarter of the globe. The Americans are large purchasers, as are also the Colonials. Messrs. James Tubbs and Son claim the distinction of being the only firm of bow-makers who have been successful in gaining medals in recognition of the quality of their productions, they having made the bows which obtained the medal at the International Exhibition of 1862, and in the more recent Inventions Exhibition they had the honour of attaining the position of gold medallists in their class. MR. EDWARD WITHERS, 22 WARDOUR STREET. THE business was established by Messrs. Norris and Barnes at 31 Coventry Street in 1765. After the death of Barnes it was carried on by W. Davis, and on his retirement in 1856, it passed into the hands of the father of the present proprietor, who succeeded to the business in 1875. In 1877 the premises were removed to 22 Wardour Street. In 1893 Mr. Withers was appointed violin maker to the Duke of Edinburgh, and it is interesting to see from the books of the firm how many cele- brated musicians have dealt with them ; amongst others Molique, Vieux- temps, Carrodus, Sainton, Joachim, Lady Halle, Piatti, Blagrove and Wilhelmj. Charles Reade, the celebrated novelist, lived over the shop at 31 Coventry Street, and was a great judge of violins. He wrote a series of letters in the Pall Mall Gazette at the time of the Musical Instrument Exhibition of 1872, which was subsequently issued as a sumptuous pamphlet ; and rumour accuses him of being rather an amateur dealer than an amateur player. Edward Withers was a pupil of his father and of John Lott, and employs several excellent work- men. He does not make many instruments, but what he has made are of highly-finished workmanship, and are beautifully varnished. We reproduce the following from Musical Opinion : Mr. E. Withers has now in his possession a Quartet of Instruments (two violins, a viola, and a violoncello), which first saw the light at his father's premises in Coventry Street about half a century ago. And in this wise : It appears that, owing to a leakage in the roof, the builder's workmen were obliged to occupy the attic of the house, the 230 FIRMS OF SOHO. workmen laying down a plank of maple along the attic floor to walk upon. After the repairs were executed, it chanced that the maker of violins came across this identical piece of maple, and struck by the beauty of the grain, made the four instruments as above enumerated out of this one piece of wood. The instruments were amber varnished, and were soon sold to different persons. One violin realized .50, and has been re-sold since, upon two occasions, for a similar amount, one of the purchasers being Mr. L. d'Egville, who presented the violin to Wilhelmj ; its fellow at first only fetched 30 (although afterwards, being re-sold for 120) ; the tenor was sold for 40, and the violon- cello for 150 ; and his quartet of instruments has now returned post tot naufragia to the possession of Mr. Edward Withers, who informs us that he would not part with the instruments at any price, preferring to keep them as heirlooms; but he is willing to allow any of our readers interested in violins to inspect them. Mr. Withers is also the patentee of a hollow sound post, for which magical properties are claimed. Violinists are, however, a conservative race, and we doubt whether an extended vitality is in store for this invention. Lastly, an account of the musical instrument makers of Soho would not be complete without the mention of MESSRS. C. MAHILLON AND CO., 182 WARDOUR STREET, who have been manufacturers of military musical instruments since 1836, though only lately established in Soho. Clarionets, saxophones, bassoons, oboes, flutes, and piccolos, bagpipes, cornets, horns, trumpets, trombones, euphoniums, bombardons, drums, and guitars, are amongst the musical instruments which this firm produces. Printsellers and Picture Dealers. LXVIL MR. C. W. BOOTH, 106 WARDOUR STREET. MR. BOOTH began business in Wardour Street in 1862. His chief trade is in works of the Early School of English painting, and we understand that he is considered one of the best judges of this school of painting. He appears to sell a large number of Hogarth engravings. LXVIIL MR. H. A. J. BREUN, 4 GREEK STREET. OF the hundreds who every day pass this shop, few we imagine, are aware of the antiquity of the business ; and still fewer of the interest- ing family history of Mr. Breun's ancestors. Mr. Breun is the thir PRINTSELLERS, ETC. 231 son of the late and sixth Duke de Vitry. The brother of one of these ancestors was the celebrated Protestant Chancellor of France, Michel de 1'Hopital, who originated the Edict of Nantes, which granted toleration to the Protestants in 1562, and who narrowly escaped assas- sination at the bloody Massacre of St. Bartholomew, after that Edict had been repealed. The present head of the family, Mr. H. A. J. Breun's eldest brother, who now lives in Dublin, bears the title of PAUL FRANCIS GALLUCCIO DH L H3PITAL, MARQUIS DI 7 , CHATEAUNEUF. Due de Vitry, and is the seventh in succession ; but like most French royalists, his titular greatness is rather under a cloud. However, he is not without some of the consolations of a distin- guished ancestry. He has a ring given by Queen Henrietta Maria to an ancestor who was of assistance to Charles I., one of his imme- diate ancestors having married a daughter of the Duke of Albany, of Scotland. The ring contains a small miniature of the King, set with rose diamonds and a lock of his hair. It formed part of the Stuart Exhibition, held at the New Gallery in 1889. 232 FIRMS OF SOHO. After many troubles in their inhospitable country at the first Revo- lution, the family emigrated to England ; and Mr. Breun still has receipts for money paid by his great-grandmother, the Duchesse de Vitry, for permission to reside in England during the war with France. She was also compelled to report herself, and state where she was living from time to time. The business has been established in Greek Street for about thirty- five years ; and at the beginning of this century was at 4 Crown Street, Moor Street. Previous to that it was in Chelsea ; and its first establishment in England was in 1789. And this family is a remarkable illustration of the " vicissitudes of illustrious families." Tracing it back to the end only of the seven- teenth century we find Paul Francis Galluccio de 1'Hopital, the Marquis de Chateauneuf de 1'Hopital. and de Vitry was acknowledged by the Neapolitan Government of that time to be descended from the ancient house ot Galluccia or Galluccio of that kingdom. The nobility acknow- ledged him on December 12, 1743, and this was followed by a deliber- ation of the hundred cavaliers or nobles of Naples on February 6, 174.4, when his name was inscribed on their registers by virtue of a despatch from the King of the Sicilies, dated January 24 of that year, in which it states the Neapolitan nobility themselves had demanded the reinstating of the names of the Marquis de 1'Hopital. On Feb- ruary 1 6 he was at the assembly of the same nobles, when he was elected one of the presidents. And in 1748 letters patent were granted to him to bear the name of Gallucio in conjunction with that of Hopital. He was Ambassador from France to Naples. The King of the two Sicilies created him a Knight of St. Januarius in June, 1746. And on his return to France in 1750, the King made him first equerry to Mesdames Henrietta and Adelaide^, and on October 23 following, the King of the two Sicilies granted him a patent declaring him and his descendants perpetual citizens of Naples. He then became Ambas- sador from France to Russia. In 1768 he was created Due de Vitry, in the remainder, having no male heirs, to Margaret Elizabeth. His wife was Elizabeth Louis de Boulogne, daughter of John de Boulogne, Chancellor of the Parliament of Metz, Grand Treasurier and Com- mander of the King's Orders. She was appointed in 1739 Lady of Honour to the Princesses Henrietta and Adelaide. His daughter, Margaret Elizabeth married John Le Brim or Breun, of Normandy, and was the great-grandmother of John Needham Breun-Gallucio de 1'Hopital, the father of the present Due and Mr. H. A. J. Breun mentioned above. Margaret Elizabeth, Duchesse de Vitry, was buried in St. Anne's on February i, 1811. The full description of the head of the family is Due de Vitry, Marquis de Vitry; de 1'Hopital ; Choisy ; Chateauneuf sur Cher; Viscomte d'Omer ; Baron de Choisy aux Loges ; de Montigny ; Lacoup de Comtraville Crevercouer in Brie et Alleneux in Palluel; Seigneur de Montignon and d'Ozuer le Vogis. PRINTSELLERS, ETC. 233 The next brother of the present Due is Mr. J. Ernest Breun, R.B.A.. who has his studio at 4 Greek Street, and who was elected a member of the Royal Society of British Artists in 1893. He was for six years silver medallist when a student of the Royal Academy ; gold medallist at the Paris Salon in 1891 ; and has for many years exhibited portraits at the R.A. Exhibition at Burlington House. Among them of late years have been Field-Marshal Lord William Paulet, G.C.B. ; Sir Nicholas O'Conor, K.C.B., British Ambassador to Russia : Earl of Carnarvon : General E. Hutton, C.B. ; the Earls of Cowley and Northbrook ; Lord Sandys ; Admiral Sir George King, K.C.B. ; Madame Adelina Patti; Michael Biddulph, Esq., M.D. ; General" E. Hutton, C.B. ; Dr. W. G. Grace ; the late Howell Gwyn, Esq., M.P. ; Sir John Llewelyn, Bart., M.P., Mayor of Swansea, and in 1896 the Earl of Stamford. It is interesting to record that Peter Vander Bane, the mezzotint engraver, lived in Greek Street, and many of his engravings were published there. Also Charles White, the stipple engraver, lived at 19 Greek Street, and his wife, Jane, published some of his works at that address in 1786. Another old-established printseller's business is that of Mr. Breun's cousin, LXIX. MR. A. W. PARKER, 7 SPUR STREET, LEICESTER SQUARE. which was founded by the present Mr. Parker's grandfather in W ardour Street in 1790. LXX. MR. J. L. RUTLEY, REYNOLDS' GALLERY, 5 GREAT NEWPORT STREET. SIR JOSHUA REYNOLDS lived in two houses, in this parish ; first at 5 Great Newport Street, where he began house-keeping, and then at 47 Leicester Square, where he spent the remainder of his days. It is not a little interesting that these two houses should still be connected with Art, and this is especially the case with 5 Great Newport Street, and it sometimes happens that a picture of the famous painter is here sold on the very spot where it was painted. At the time we had our conversation with Mr. Rutley a picture of the great master was hang- ing up for sale in his old house. The house, built in Charles the Second's time, remains very much the same as when Sir Joshua lived and worked in it ; and no doubt the originals of many of his famous pictures went up the quaint stair- case, which still stands as substantial and massive as ever. The 234 FIRMS OF SOHO. portly figure of Johnson would often be seen on those stairs, and tradition says that George III. and Queen Charlotte were amongst the visitors of Reynolds' in this house. The chief change which has been made since Reynolds' time is the erection of a gallery on the space formerly occupied by the garden. In other respects the house is much the same as it was a century ago. After Sir Joshua removed to Leicester Square, the house remained for some time in careless hands, for when Mr. Rutley's grandfather SIR JOSHUA REYNOLDS. took possession, about 1810, he found the floors covered with the dirt of years. The present tenant's father next succeeded to the business, and died in 1887, aged eighty years, so that four generations of Rutley's have kept up the old associations of the house with Art, and especially with one of the chief of England's painters. In our article about 47 Leicester Square (Messrs. Puttick and Simpson) we have quoted Mr. Tom Taylor's vivid picture of Sir Joshua Reynold's as a man, and we cannot do better here than to quote a few sentences from the same author which give us an estimate of him as a painter. PRINTSELLERS, ETC. 23 " It is thanks to Reynolds that we know Sterne, as we know Johnson, Gold- smith, Gibbon, Warton, Boswell, Mason, Burney, Foote, Colman, in fadt, all the leading literary men of that time, whose living images it is such a pleasure to have before us as we read our Boswell. By his help we are able to people the well-furnished stage of that generation ; to call up the flexible features and STAIRCASE IN SIR JOSHUA REYNOLDS HOUSE. luminous eyes of Garrick as he turns from tragedy, with an apologetic shrug, to follow her more winning sister ; the brassy swagger of Woodward ; the rapt and majestic beauty of Siddons, the impersonation of the tragic muse. The famous men of the Senate are as much indebted to him as those of the stage. But for him what should we know of the outward man of Burke and Fox, Townshend and Barre, Windham and Sheridan, Erskine and Pratt ; the heroes 236 FIRMS OF SOHO. of Indian conquest and administration, Clive and Hastings, and Lawrence, etc. Then the unsullied goodness that dignifies Reynolds' art increases its value. Nobody has ever embodied the pure ecstasy of maternal love and the innocent beauty of childhood like Reynolds. Bachelor as he was he seems to have felt a peculiar delight in the painting of young mothers with their children, as if he could enter into their hearts. . . Two qualities met in him to account for his unequalled eminence as a portrait painter; a most vivid sense of what was pictorial, and a most keen feeling of what was distinctively human in his sitter, whether man, SIR JOSHUA REYNOLDS' STUDIO. woman, or child in other words, an appreciation of both the inward and the outward characteristics of the subjects with which he had to deal." He ended his fifteenth and last discourse at the Royal Academy with the memorable words : " I should desire that the last words I should pronounce in this Academy and from this place should be the name of Michael Angelo." Amongst those who were formerly well-known were : LXXL MESSRS. W. AND GEORGE SMITH, LISLE STREET. THESE brothers had an extensive business on the continent as well as in this country. We believe that the business was founded by their PRINTSELLERS, ETC. 23? father. They retired about fifty years ago, after many years of suc- cessful trading. The elder brother, William, whose knowledge of portraits was perhaps unequalled in this country, afterwards became vice-chairman of the then newly-formed Portrait Gallery, and was of great assistance in its formation. Some pictures and drawings were bequeathed by him to the National Gallery. Silversmiths- LXXIL SILVERSMITHS OF OLD SOHO. By Edward Heron Allen. BETWEEN the dates of the grant of the fields now covered by the parish of Soho, made by the trustees of Queen Henrietta Maria to the Earl of St. Albans (to wit, 1682) and that of the final grant by King William III. to the Earl of Portland (circa 1696) of a district containing already the streets familiar to us as the main arteries of the parish to-day, Soho may be said to have been invented by Gregory King, and popu- lated by King Louis of France. The survey of Soho Fields begun in 1675 by King no doubt fixed the boundaries of the tract that became separated from the parish of St. Martin-in-the-Fields in the year 1678, to enter upon a corporate existence of its own as the parish of St. Anne, Soho. The main streets of the parish, viz. : Compton Street, Church Street, Greek Street, and Frith Street, would appear to have been built with extraordinary rapidity ; and it was not unnatural that, when King Louis revoked the Edict of Nantes in October, 1685, and drove from France nearly the whole body of its silversmiths (who were almost without exception Huguenots), those of the persecuted religion that took refuge in London should have congregated in the new and sparsely populated district, which was already the suburban home of many of the Stuart nobility. It was thus that Soho became as im- portant a centre of the silversmiths' industry as " Chepesyde " and " Lumbarde Street " had been in the preceding centuries. When one looks at the list of foreign and English silversmiths established in Soho at the beginning of the eighteenth century, one is at first in- clined to wonder that there could be sufficient employment for so many hands in a trade that found its only outlet in the luxury of the wealthiest classes. A moment's reflection, however, will supply us with the explanation. Almost the only Jacobasan plate that survived the civil and foreign wars of Charles I., James II., and William III., was that which had been treasonably, or at least disloyally, according to the Stuart way of thinking, concealed, and so preserved from the royal melting-pot. This is not the time or place in which to give the history of the silver troubles (acute then as now) of the period extend- ing from 1680 to 1730. Suffice it to say that at the end of the Stuart monarchy the noblemen and wealthy merchants of the town found 238 FIRMS OF SOPIO. themselves practically without plate for the furnishing of their tables. An extraordinary activity, the object of which was to supply this demand, displayed itself among the silversmiths, recruited as they were from France in 1685. Masses of silver coin was poured into the melting-pot as soon as it was minted, to re-appear as table and other ornamental silver, and as a result the nation was as destitute of small change as is to-day the island of Capri, whence a steamer plies once GOLDSMITH, at (he Golden Angel in Cran bourti-S trc e t , LEICESTER-FIELDS. O RFEURE, a L'En fe igne de lAnge d'Or dans Cranbourn-S treet LEICESTER-FIELDS BUSINESS CARD, BY HOGARTH. a week to Naples with all the gold on the island to be turned into silver, the whole of which silver is at once re-absorbed by tourists from Naples, who appear never to have anything smaller than a hundred franc note. Something had to be done ; accordingly in 1696 an Act of Parliament was passed making it illegal to make table or ornamental or domestic silver articles of a lower standard than n oz. 10 dwt. to the pound troy ; the sterling, or coin standard being(as it is to-day)only 1 1 oz. 2 dwt. to the pound troy. Silver coin thus became unavailable for table- spoons, and the silver currency was saved from extinction. However, SILVERSMITHS. 239 it was soon found that the " fine " or " Queen Anne " silver, was too soft for domestic use, and in 1720, the silver coinage having been in the meantime replenished and established, it was again allowed by Adi of Parliament to make silver for the table and boudoir of sterling standard, i.e., n oz. 2 dwt. "fine." This "Queen Anne" silver as it is loosely called, is distinguishable from sterling silver by the fadl that in the hall marks, the walking (or "passant") lion is replaced by a BUSINESS CARD, BY HOGARTH. figure of Britannia (not unlike that upon the reverse of a penny) ; a lion's head " erased " and looking to the left, is substituted for the crowned leopard's head, which latter was finally superseded in 1822 by the smiling pussy cat that is stamped upon the silver of to-day. The centre of this renaissance of the silversmiths' art was the parish of St. Anne, Soho, and its immediate neighbourhood. It would be easy to give the names of hundreds of silversmiths within half a mile of the parish boundaries: St. Martin's Lane, Orange Street, Green Street, 240 FIRMS OF SOHO. Coventry Street, Windmill Street, and the Haymarket, simply bristled with silversmiths, and there are frequent instances recorded of silver- smiths of old standing moving into Soho, doubtless to be nearer the centre of their trade. Thus the archpriest of the craft, Paul de Lamerie, who worked in 1715 in Windmill Street, registered himself after 1730 in Gerrard Street, where he died in 1751, leaving no successor in his business. The books and registers at Goldsmiths' Hall prior to 1700 are in a condition that leaves much to be desired, but as our parish was not then old enough to have had any succession of silversmiths, our quarrel with the " Hall " is not serious. The earliest recorded silversmith in the parish was Ellis Gamble, of the " Golden Angel," Cranbourn Alley, Lester Fields, who entered his mark at Goldsmiths' Hall in 1696. [N.B. It must be carefully borne in mind that the dates given below are those at which the silversmiths " entered their marks" at Goldsmiths' Hall. Every silversmith had (and still has) to stamp, upon every piece of plate that he makes, a mark consisting of the initials of his name, by which it may be identified as his work. It gives his personal guarantee of the standard of the silver, and iden- tifies him for punishment in cases of fraud. These makers' marks are stamped upon a leaden plate at Goldsmiths' Hall, and the date of the " entry of the mark " is affixed. So that a new mark might be entered in 1700 by a maker who had been established in the parish for as long as there had been any parish to be established in.] Ellis Gamble above named was the son of a noted silversmith, William Gamble, in Foster Lane, E.G. ; and it was to Ellis Gamble that in the year 1712 Hogarth was apprenticed. During his employment by Gamble, he engraved several bill-headings for the tradesmen of the- parish, which are now much sought after by collectors, the one engraved by him for his master, representing an angel holding a palm, the plate bearing the legend that Gamble " makes, buys, and sells all sorts of plate, &c." Hogarth also engraved the shop card of Pierre de la Fontaine, the silversmith. (For other traces of Hogarth's residence in the parish, consult Mr. Clinch's work " Soho.") The books at Goldsmiths' Hall, as far as they concern the present writing, are three in number, the " Large Workers' " book, 1697-1739 ; " Large Workers, " 1739-1769 ; and the " Small and Larger Workers' " book, 1758-1805. The earliest Soho makers' mark recorded was that of Pierre Harache, junior, in 1698. He is described as of " Comp- ton Street, Near St. Anne's Church.' He was the son of an equally celebrated father, Pierre Harache, of Suffolk Street, Pall Mall, and the father of Jean Harache, whom we find entered under date June, 1726, in the " Small Workers' " book at Goldsmiths' Hall as " a former residing in Riders Corte, Soho." Here then is the list (in alphabetical order) of the silversmiths of Soho entered in the Registers for 1698-1739, with the dates of their entries. ("lhe Corner of Kidcrs Court LEICESTER SQUARE, I are made * Sold J t. fjf on the matt Reasonable Ter *yrma*i,0f>n l aA/iOjt^^/^^^ i J/stcJf. ^$g^y-3$%r BUSINESS CARDS OF OLD SOHO. 242 FIRMS OF SOHO. 1 Hugh Arnell, King Street, 1734 2 James Beschefer, Lester Fields, 1704 3 Abel Brokesby, St. Anne's Lane, 1727 4 John Barrett, Castle Street, 5 John Corporon, Princes Street, 1716 6 Isaac Callard, King Street, 1726 7 Paul Crespin, Compton Street, 1720 This man and Nicholas Sprimont, No. 45, achieved celebrity as the recog- nized designers of marine pieces, shells, fish, seaweed, and the like. 8 Fleurant David, Lester Fields, 1724 9 Louis Dupont, Wardour Street, 1736 10 John Farnell, St. Anne's Lane, 1714 11 Pierre Harache, junior, Compton Street, 1698 ii Henri Herbert, Lester Fields, 12 Lewis Hamon, Great Newport Street, 1735 12 (2) Lewis Hamon, Church Street, 1735 13 Paul Hamet, Great St. Andrew's Street, 1715 14 Edmund Proctor, St. Anne's Lane, 1700 15 Simon Pantin, Castle Street, 1720 This man came to Castle Street from St. Martin's Lane, E.G., in 1717. His son entered his mark in 1729, and he was succeeded by his wife Mary in 1733. 16 Simon Pantin, junior, 1729 17 Mary Pantin, 1733 18 Charles Perier, Macclesfield Street, 1727 19 Abranf Russell, St. Anne's Lane, 1702 20 John Robinson, Porter Street, 1735 21 William Shaw, Gerrard Street, 1727 22 James Shruder, Wardour Street, 1737 25 John Tuite, Litchfield Street, 1721 26 Francis Turner, St. Anne's Lane, 1709 27 Edward Turner, St. Anne's Lane, 1720 28 William West, Lester Fields, 1738 By 1739 the trade was firmly established in Soho, and new recruits poured in continually, converging upon the common centre of the industry. In the >l Large Workers' " book for the period 1739-1769, we find the following silversmiths of Soho, some being the marks of former residents re-entered : 7 (2) Paul Crespin, 1739-1757 29 Paul Callard, King Street, 1751 30 Lewis Dupont, Compton Street, 173;) (? 9) 31 Theophilus Davis, King Street, 1759 32 Abram le Francois, Porter Street, 1740 33 Benjamin Gignac, Deans Court, 1744 34 Louis Guichard, King Street, 1748 35 Pierre Gillois, Wardour Street, 1754 12 (3) Lewis Hamon, 1739 36 Charles Hillan, Compton Street, 1741 ii (2) Henry Herbert, 1739 37 William Hunter, King Street, 1739 38 P. de Lamerie, Gerrard Street, 1739 See the introductory remarks. SILVERSMITHS. 243 39 Edward Lamb, Castle Street, 1740 40 Thomas Mercer, West Street, 1740 41 Lewis Pantin, Leicester Fields, 1739 42 Mary Piers, Leicester Fields, 1758 43 Philip Roker, King Street, 1739 44 William Robertson, Porter 22 (2) James Shruder, Greek Street 1739 21 (2) William Shaw, 1739 45 Nicholas Sprimont, Compton Street, 1742 46 Ernest Sieber, Crown Court, 1746 47 William Solomon, Church Street, 1747 48 John Schuppe, Deans Court, 1753 Street, 1753 The " Small and Large Workers' " books for the period 1758-1805 gives us only eight new names, but among them two which are worthy to rank with those of Lamerie, Harache, and Garrard. I mean John Bridge and Paul Storr. The eight are as follows : 49 John Bridge, Church Street, 53-54 William Pitts ; Joseph 1792 Preedy, Newport Street, 1791 50-51 Andrew Fogelberg ; Stephen 55 Paul Storr, Church Street, 1793 Gilbert, Church Street, 1780 56 Christopher Woods, King 52 Carl Mierz, Porter Street, 1767 Street, 1775 John Bridge and Paul Storr, who entered their names as of 1792 and 1793, in Church Street, were partners in the celebrated firm of Rundell and Bridge, which developed into Storr and Mortimer, and thence into Hunt and Roskell, under which title it exists to this day. Their house in Bond Street is well known. In 1807 they moved into Dean Street. The above books, however, do not exhaust our sources of informa- tion as to the silversmiths of Soho. From a Parliamentary return published in 1773, we find working in Soho, in addition to many of the workers cited above, the following : 57 J. Barbe, West Street 58 Pointer Baker, Compton Street 59 James Beaty, Greek Street 60 Nathaniel Harwood, Dean Street 61 Samuel Jarman, Great Newport Street 62 John Innocent, Little Newport Street 63 Stephen Joyce, King Street 64 James Morisset, Denmark Street 65 William Robertson, Newport Street 66 John Romer, Compton Street 67 Peter Romilly, King Street 68 Richard Rawlins, Grafton Street 69 William Sheenfe, St. Anne's Lane 70 Marmaduke Tokett, Wardour Street 71 William Vincent, St. Anne's Lane In addition to these some silversmiths of Soho have come down to us by the repute of their Signs, the number and diversity of which was considerable. We find records of three " Golden Balls," one the sign 244 FIRMS OF SOHO. of Bradshaw in St. Anne's Lane (1697), one f Hilland in Earl Street (1736), and one of Crespin in Compton Street (1739). Ellis Gamble's Golden Angel has been referred to above. Then we have : The Golden Cup, St. Anne's, Soho, Rongent, 1731 The Crown and Golden Ball, Compton Street, W. Cripps, and also Hilland, both in 1743 (which must have caused some confusion) The Golden Hart, Dean Street, Hebert, 1747 The Half Moon, Porter Street, Allix These names bring the number of the silversmiths of Soho in the i8th century up to seventy-five, a goodly showing for so small a parish, and one which justifies us in our boast that as far as the silver industry is concerned St. Anne's has led the Kingdom, and for this distinction we have to thank the original foreign settlers of 1685, a race, doubt- less, more respect-worthy in general deportment, and more valuable as citizens and parishioners than the generality of their representa- tives in the present day. It is a little difficult to account for the decrease in number of silver- smiths working in Soho after 1820, but it is reasonable to suppose that as trade in Sheffield-plated goods declined in the various large towns in the North, such as Birmingham and Sheffield, the manufacturers turned their attention to making silver ware, and owing to their ex- penses being lower than those of their competitors in London, they were able to produce ordinary pieces of silver at a lower price than the London makers. But they were never able to make the goods so well as in London, and London-made goods have always realized a higher price on account of their superior design and finish. The cause oi the decline of the Sheffield-plate-making industry was the introduction of the process known as electro-plating, i.e., the deposit by electro- decomposition upon copper or white metal of a thin film of silver, a process naturally not so durable as the old Sheffield-plating, which consisted of rolling a sheet of copper and a sheet of silver together so as to lorm a strongly silvered plate. It was called " Sheffield " plate wherever it was made, that town having been originally the centre of the industry. The industry may be said to have breathed its last in Soho, Messrs. Watson and Cooper in Dancey Yard being noted, about 1830, for their chased Sheffield-plated copper kettles, which are some- time found partially gilt, and are much esteemed by collectors. We believe that Radclifte, in Frith Street, was the last Sheffield-plate manufacturer in London. (See Messrs. J. G. Crouch & Son). The silversmiths of this century have been few, but their quality has made up for their quantity. Foremost among them is one of the most picturesque figures in the history of London Trades. This was Thomas Hamlet, an illegitimate son of Sir Francis Dashwood, of Medmenham fame or infamy. He and Francis Lambert were co- assistants of Clark, a silversmith of Exeter Change, and in 1800 they set up on their own account in a shop in St. Martin's Court, subse- quently moving to Sydney Alley, facing Coventry Street, the shop occupying the site upon which the " Leicester " Tavern now stands. SILVERSMITHS. 245 Soon after this Lambert went to Lisbon where he failed in business, but returned and founded, in 1803, the world-renowned business of Lambert's, in Coventry Street. Meanwhile Hamlet conducted his business successfully for nearly forty years, but being of a venturous turn embarked in side ventures, such as pearl fisheries in Bussorah, and the building of the St. James's and the Princess's theatres. The end of this came in the form of bankruptcy in 1842, when his effects in Sydney Place were sold by auction, and he died, a pensioner of the Charterhouse, in 1849. The rest of the silversmiths of the century are, happily, still living or represented among us to-day. Among them we may note MESSRS. BROWNETT, of Richmond Buildings, established in 1840, who claim the invention of the familiar spring-cap for scent bottles. The present proprietor is Mr. Weir. MESSRS. Fox BROS., established in Queen Street (now Bateman Street), and now removed to Berwick Street. The firm is noted for their excellence of work- manship, and decoration in the Flaxman style. The descendants of RADCLIFFE, the Sheffield-plater referred to above, still carry on business in Bate- man Street. (See Crouch & Son). MR. BRAHAM, of 40 Gerrard Street, works where the earliest Huguenot silversmiths of Soho established themselves. MESSRS. STOCKWELL, of Greek Street, were established in 1820, and made presentation swords and cup and bottle mounts in gold and silver. MR. VANDER, of Lisle Street, came to us in 1881 from Bow Street, and is noted for cups, statuettes, and epergnes in silver. Our latest recruits are MESSRS. HARRIS BROS., of Bateman Street, who established themselves there last year. LXXIIL MESSRS. J. G. CROUCH AND SON, Water Gilders, Electro Platers and Gilders. 15 BATEMAN STREET. THE business of Messrs. J. G. Crouch and Son was founded in 1802 by the grandfather of Mr. J. G. Crouch, and was first carried on in St. Martin's Lane, side of St, Martin's Church, near the old King's Mews, 246 FIRMS OF SOHO. but has been located in St. Anne's Parish during the whole of Queen Victoria's reign. When we called and were allowed to see the operation of water gilding, we found the workmen engaged in water gilding the metal work of the Queen's equipage in preparation for the coming Diamond Jubilee, and were informed that the firm did similar gilding for Wil- liam the Fourth. . The process of water gilding is the best (and curious to say is done by charcoal fire and mercury), and said to have been done in the time of the Romans. It is nearly all done in London, even Birmingham sends this work to be done in London. The firm is the oldest in London. The work requires great skill, and the art is handed down from father to son. Some very beautiful work in water gilding is entrusted to this firm, including church plate, race cups, and the Queen's plate. Messrs. J. G. Crouch & Son also carry on another branch of busi- ness as electro platers and gilders, in which' they are successors to Radcliffe, who came into Soho in 1787 as a Sheffield-plater, and after- wards became a manufaauring silversmith. The Sheffield process appears to be almost, if not entirely, an extincl: art. LXXIV. MESSRS. PAIRPOINT BROTHERS, Silversmiths. 8o.\ DEAN STREET. THE grandfather of the present proprietors of the business was William Pairpoint, the celebrated water-gilder, who was well-known at the beginning of the present century. That branch of the business is still carried on, under the name of W. Pairpoint and Sons, in Ger- rard Street. Mr. Edward Pairpoiut, the father of the brothers Pair- point, who had been apprenticed to one of Lambert's subsidiary houses, began business in 1848. Of the place occupied by the four brothers Pairpoint in the silver world little is necessary to be said, for their silver mark J p may be seen in every retail silver merchant's window in London. It is admitted on all sides by experts, sometimes with a sigh of regret, sometimes with a grin of malice, that " Pair- point " copies of ancient patterns are dangerously near being indis- tinguishable from the originals, whilst their new manufactures carry one back to the days when the master silversmiths employed the first artists of the day to assist them in their productions " devised in love and fashioned cunningly." The firm is principally known to the trade as manufacturers of large and important works, such as centre pieces, presentation vases, and the like. To the amateur of antique silver and Sheffield plate, whether he be in Europe or America, the name of Pairpoint is a household word, and the quantity of antique plate and old " Sheffield " that has passed through the hands of the firm since SILVER GILT TABERNACLE DOOR. Presented by Col. Stevens to Church of English Martyrs, Streatham. Manufactured by Pairpoint Brothers, OA Dean Street, 1897. 248 FIRMS OF SO HO. the renaissance of 1874 is little short of fabulous. Of Mr. Alfred Pairpoint's activity as a Parishioner much might be said. He is doing good work as an Overseer, Vestryman, and Member of the Strand Board of Works, and is also a member of *the Committee for the Restoration of St. Anne's Church. LXXV. MR. EDMUND TUCK, Electro Plater and Gilder. 35 DEAN STREET. MR. JOSEPH LIVERSIDE TUCK, the grandfather of the present pro- prietor, was jeweller and cutler to the Crown during the latter part of the last century, and carried on business in Charles Street, Hay- market. He was succeeded by his son Mr. Edmund Tuck, who was the patentee of " improved plating." He, again, was succeeded by his son, Mr. Edmund Tuck, who worked for the 1851 Exhibition in connection with Messrs. Hunt and Roskell, and still does some of the best work which can be done. Solicitors. LXXVL MESSRS. ALLEN AND SON, 17 CARLISLE STREET. THIS firm of Solicitors has been intimately connected with the history and progress of the parish for more than a hundred years, and we are glad to be able to give a few particulars about them. Mr. Emanuel Allen, the founder of the firm of Allen & Son, was born in the Quantock Hills in the year 1752, was articled to a solicitor (then called an Aitorney-at-law) at Taunton, and served the last part of his articles in London. He was admitted in the Court of King's Bench in 1788. At that time he was living in Bateman's Buildings, but he took an office first in Wardour Street and, shortly afterwards, in Carlisle Street, where he established the business which has been successfully carried on to the present time. He was elected Vestry Clerk of the parish soon after his admission He was also Clerk to the Justices who at that time held Petty Ses- sional Courts in the parish Vestry room. He soon afterwards became Solicitor for the old County of Middle- sex, and a considerable part of the business of that portion of the old County, which now forms part of the County of London, is still carried on from the office in Carlisle Street. It was due to his exertions that MR. EDWARD HERON ALLEN. 250 FIRMS OF SO/70. the Act of Parliament in 1802 for building the present Ver.try room and Vestry lodge was obtained and carried out, the money being raised by bonds charged upon the rates. The Vestry room and Waiting room continue as originally built. The Vestry lodge was formerly the old Parish Watch house and Engine house, and continued to be so until the establishment of the Metropolitan Police and the Metropolitan Fire Brigade. His military knowledge was by no means to be despised. In the time of the great war he was Adjutant of the Westminster Volunteers, who used to drill in the Barrack Yard behind the National Gallery, with field days on Barnes Common. His commissions bear the following dates, 2nd Lieutenant of the St. Anne's Volunteer Com- pany, September 19, 1795 ; Adjutant of the Westminster Volunteers, April 3, 1798; Captain, April 26, 1798; Adjutant Royal Westmin- ster Volunteers, July 16, 1803, under Colonel James Robertson, who commanded the Regiment. He died on July 16, 1829, aged sixty- seven. A large tablet was erected to his memory at the east end of the north gallery of St. Anne's Church where it now is. After his death the business was carried on by his two sons, Mr. Charles Pellitt Allen, and Mr. John William Allen, and his son- in-law, Mr. John Parker Gylby. After the death of Mr. Gylby in 1843 the survivors carried on the business under the title of Allen, Gylby & Allen until 1854, when the firm became Allen & Sons by the admission of Mr. Charles Allen and Mr. George Allen, sons of the partners, and so it continued until 1858. From the death of Mr. Emanuel Allen in 1829, Mr. John'William Allen was Vestry Clerk of the Parish until 1856, in which year he was succeeded by the present Vestry Clerk, Mr. George Allen, who was appointed under the Vestry Clerks' Act. Mr. John William Allen was also Clerk to the Justices acting for the parish of St. Anne from 1828 to 1854, when the parishes of St. Anne and St. James were formed into the St. James' Division, and he and Mr. George Buzzard, the Vestry Clerk of St. James', became joint Clerks until Mr. J. W. Allen's death in 1878. On Mr. Buzzard's death shortly afterwards, Mr. George Allen was appointed Clerk to the Justices of the Division, an appointment which he now holds. From 1858 to 1871 the firm consisted of Mr. C. P. Allen, Mr. J. W. Allen, and Mr. George Allen. Mr. C. P. Allen died in 1871. From that date Mr. J. W. Allen and Mr, G. Allen continued the business in partnership as Allen & Son until 1871, when Mr. J. W. Allen retired. In 1884 Mr. George Allen took his eldest son George M. Allen into partnership, a partnership which was early dissolved by the death of the latter in 1889, and Mr. George Allen was alone until 1892. In that year he retired from general practice and constituted a new firm under the old name of Allen & Son, consisting of his youngest son, Mr. Edward Heron Allen, Mr. Arthur de Fonblanque, grandson of Mr. C. P. Allen, and Mr. J. R. Rotton, a descendant of one of the firm's SOLICITORS. 251 oldest connections, by whom the business has since been successfully continued. Notwithstanding his partial retirement there are not many days when Mr. George Allen cannot be seen in his old office, and he is always ready to give his advice and generous help in anything which concerns the interest of his old parish. The gift of the churchyard to the parish as a public garden in 1892 was largely due to his assistance, and the marble drinking fountain which he erected for those who use the garden, will long remain as a memorial of his thoughtful kindness. It, may. be mentioned that for years he was an ardent volunteer. His " Certificate of Proficiency" as an officer of the West Middlesex Volunteers, is dated in March 1871. Outside the parish Mr. George Allen appears to have had a large and varied experience. His uncle, Mr. Charles Pellitt Allen, was Treasurer of Middlesex from 1837 to I ^7i> when he was elected as his uncle's Successor. He held that office until 1889, when his office was practically abolished, the Magistrates' jurisdiction being principally transferred to the London County Council. He is, amongst other things, a Director of the Westminster Fire Office, and of the Grand Trunk Railway of Canada, which country he visited as one of the new Board after the alteration of the management in 1895. LXXVIL MR. W. J. ERASER, 2 SOHO SQUARE. IT is not difficult to conceive of Richmond Buildings as the site of a solicitor's office. The tall, severe houses surround the quiet little court with an air of judicial respectability even to this day, as if they themselves personified the grave and reverend seigneurs who, a hundred years ago, unravelled the tangled knots of human life, and helped men to make their wills before they left the world. In the year 1790, a solicitor named Mr. Field carried on business at 12 Rich- mond Buildings, where he was joined about eight years afterwards by Mr. William Wood, who shortly afterwards practised on his own account. In 1832, Mr. Wood took into partnership with him his son, Mr. Charles Thos. Wood, who had been educated at Westminster School and Trinity College, Cambridge. About the same time Mr. John Fraser, who had been managing clerk to Mr. Wood, was also taken into partnership, and the firm became Messrs. Wood, Wood and Fraser. Their office was removed to 78 Dean Street. The elder Mr. Wood died in 1841, and his son in 1850. Mr. John Fraser con- tinued to practise alone until 1853, when he took his managing clerk, Mr. Henry May, into partnership. The firm of Fraser and May was dissolved in June, 1867, by the death of John Fraser, at the age of seventy-five. The business was then divided, Mr. May removing in MR. W. F. FKASEK, SOLICITORS. 253 1868 to Golden Sqnare, and Mr. William Joseph Fraser (the elder son of Mr. John Fraser) continuing to practise at 78 Dean Street until 1877, when he removed to his present office at 2 Soho Square. Mr. W. J. Fraser was admitted a solicitor in November, 1866, after gaining a first class in his final examination, and winning the Clifford's Inn Prize. Mr. Fraser became a Guardian of the Poor for the Westminster Union in 1868, and has so continued up to the present time, except during the year 1874, when for personal reasons he retired. He subsequently failed to secure election, but was co-opted by the members of the Board of Guardians themselves. He also became a Vestryman of St. Anne's, and was for some time a member of the Strand District Board of Works. He has been for some years one of the managers of the London Central Sick Asylum District, of which Board he is now chairman. Mr. Fraser was Churchwarden of St. Anne's from 1878 to 1881. No account of Mr. Fraser's parochial work would be complete without some mention of the heated controversies connected with the election of Guardians about the year 1883, which produced a plain-spoken article in the Standard, and a still more plain-spoken broad sheet from " An Indignant Ratepayer," besides abundant other broad sheets and sandwich-board alarums as the election drew near. The question was as to the character of the administration of the Workhouse under the master who was then in charge, and the need of reform. Mr. W. Fraser and his fellow-Guardians, Mr. Bonsor and Mr. Privett, strongly felt that reform was needed, and the Local Gevernment Board on being appealed to, supported their view of the matter. At the next election, during which lively scenes were witnessed, the votes of the ratepayers were entirely in favour of the reform desired by the "Three Guardians" of the previous Board, and as a successful reformer, Mr. W. J. Fraser was elected chairman of the Board. Mr. Fraser took an important part in the trial of the late Rev. J. S. Watson, many years Head Master of Stockwell Proprietary School, who was charged with the murder of his wife in the year 1871. Mr. Watson was a classical scholar, as well as an author of considerable repute, and entrusted his defence, as well as the management of his affairs, to Mr. Fraser, who had formerly been a pupil in his school. After a long trial the prisoner was convicted and sentenced to death, but the sentence was afterwards commuted to penal servitude for life. While in prison he used to correspond with Mr. Fraser, and when he died, fifteen years afterwards at Parkhurst Convict Prison, Mr. Fraser was the only mourner, and provided the funeral expenses. Mr. Fraser has been for fifteen years one of the examiners to the Council of the Incorporated Law Society. No. 2 Soho Square was formerly the house of John Harrison Curtis, F.M.S., aurist to H.R.H. the Prince Regent, and lecturer on anatomy, physiology, and diseases of the ear. The house was then 2 5 4 FIRMS OF SdHO. connected in the rear with premises in Dean Street, which Dr. Curtis used as a dispensary for diseases of the ear. Taverns. LXXVIIL TAVERNS OF OLD SOHO. THE decline of the " tavern " and rise of the modern public house, has banished to the region of ancient history many interesting associations- Even the strictly proper young person, whose lips could never shape themselves to pronounce the coarse syllables of the latter name, may yet without reproach talk indiscriminately of institutions linked in tradition with a Goldsmith, a Johnson, a Joshua Reynolds. And a good deal might be written of these old Soho meeting-places, but it will probably suffice to glance at one or two, whose sign-boards appear un- usual or significant. Before the erection of Dibdin's theatre, the Sans Sonci, there was in Leicester Place, close to the Square, a public house called the " Feathers." This sign was given to it in honour of Prince Frederick, son of George II., and father of him whose record has been but now so happily broken. The " back parlour "of this tavern was for a long time the rendezvous of a club of artists and amateurs, among whom were the marine painter Scott, Luke Sullivan, Captain Grose, and Hearne of Teddy Hall. Subsequently the club died a lingering death, having fastened itself to the " Blue Posts," once a tavern in Dean Street. According to another singular sign, the " End of the World " was at 7 Greek Street. '' Hercules' Pillars " is also the name of a similar institution in Great Queen Street. ' The Intrepid Fox," at the corner of Peter Street and Wardour Street, was famous for the political energy of its landlord, " Honest Sam House," who in the Westminster election of 1784, kept open house at his own cost. It is also celebrated for its connection with the beautiful and unconventional Duchess of Devonshire in her active canvassing in the cause of Fox. Crown Street probably owed its name to the " Rose and Crown " (now 119 Charing Cross Road). When the union of the rival houses of Lancaster and York created the half-red, half- white Tudor rose under a crown as the royal badge, from this time dates the familiar " Rose and Crown " as a public house sign. A sign in Wardour Street is " The Two Chairmen." The name is supposed to have been given when rubber tyred hansoms were the wildest of dreams, and sedate Sedan chairs conveyed the fashionables of Soho. And lastly, the old il Turk's Head Tavern," perhaps the most famous of all, but now non-existent, was for many years the meeting-place of the celebrated Literary Club, of which Sir Joshua Reynolds was first proposer. An account ot this club is given by Boswell ; and an amusing picture of a meeting, in a letter of Dr. Barney's, quoted in the " Diary and Letters of Madame D'Arblay." LXXIX. MORLAND'S HOTEL, DEAN STREET. THIS ancient place of entertainment was originally called " Jack's Coffee House," a name which it derived from John Roberts, one of the singers at Drury Lane Theati'e, in Garrick's days. At the beginning of this century, the actual and responsible landlord appears to have been Henry Morland, though it does not seem quite clear what interest his brother, the famous George, had in the concern. Perhaps, as we have seen it stated in a newspaper account of Henry, published after his death, it was through George's influence in high quarters that the license was in the first place granted. In any case, it is unlikely that the magnificently gifted, but volatile and erratic, artist, ever took any share in the management of the business. Morland's Hotel was im- mensely the vogue during the closing years of the old century, and the early years of the new ; and Henry amassed money rapidly. Through the patronage of Richard Brinsley Sheridan, who found it easier, possibly, to become treasurer of the navy than to write a successor to " The School for Scandal," the proprietor of Morland's Hotel obtained the contract for supplying wine to the British fleet, and this proved a most lucrative enterprise. Elated by his success, he spent a tidy amount of money in freighting a vessel to France on an illicit ex- pedition with a large cargo of brandy. This cargo was seized by the proper authorities and confiscated, and from this misadventure, Henry Morland dated his subsequent ruin. His means dwindled till he was obliged to leave his house in Dean Street. A mansion which he built at Norwood as a last speculation, turned out a financial failure ; and during the latter period of his life, his circumstances were so reduced that he was compelled to support himself by attending sales of pictures, which he bought on commission for wealthy patrons of art. In spite of his poverty-stricken appearance, he managed to get a fair amount of business, for as regards anything in the artistic line, he was regarded as a considerable connoisseur. Poor Henry Morland died at 46 Union Street, Blackfriars Road, after an illness of only two days, when he was more than eighty years of age. It was a sad ending for the popu- lar and humorous landlord of the Dean Street hostelry. But the saddest, and yet most picturesque memories which cluster round this Dean Street hotel, will always be those connected with Henry Morland's wayward and yet incomparable painter brother, George Morland. Many a time during those last gloomy years between his father's death in 1797, and his own premature end in 1804, would George seek a refuge within those friendly walls, when he was being ignominiously hunted by his creditors, and after his enforced departure from his house in Charlotte Street, Fitzroy Square. It was here, and in several houses in the immediate neighbourhood, that the greatest rustic artist of his age, or perhaps, of any age, produced many of the scenes of rural life and jollity which have made his name immortal. " Jn all the range of British art," as W. E. Henley has said, ''there GEQKGE MORLAND. TA VERNS. 257 are few things better than a good Morland." And yet these master- pieces would frequently be wrought out at an easel that was surrounded by grooms, drivers of stage coaches, and prize-fighters, all merrily carousing on red herrings and gin. But the drink habit that killed him, as it has slain its thousands and its tens of thousands, though rarely, with the exception of the poet Burns, with whom he had much in common, such a genius as he was, appears to have been poor Morland's only vice. He was a man of prodigious industry, and marvellous rapidity of execution. His memory was extra- ordinary. He could recall and reproduce accurately in every detail on his Soho canvas, some impression which had struck him in a country ramble months before. He was of genial manners, and generous, open-hearted temperament ; a kind and faithful husband ; an affectionate, though easily duped, friend. His artistic chef d'ceiivre, "The Farmer's Stable," which is hung in the National Gallery, " plain for all folk to see," may be a proof for those who pass the old hotel in Dean Street with a pitying thought for the big brain and deft hand that toiled there, of the greatness of George Morland's genius. And this man, whose innumerable pictures and drawings, if judiciously sold even in his own day, would have produced a more than comfort- able competence, while at present competitive prices they would realise a fortune beyond the dreams of avarice, this artist, ground down to the last penny by rascally dealers who traded on his business incapacity and indifference to his own merits, hounded from lodging to lodging through his few and evil years, by creditors who had taken advantage of his weakness; losing the use of his left hand from paralysis, and yet still making shift, from mere force of habit, to execute sketches when half asleep in a public house, for a little money, and then seized with a fit as the pencil was between his fingers, and dying swiftly and miserably of brain fever and all this through his own fault the pity of it. George Morland's pictures called "The Warrener" and "Shep- herds," were published by H. Morland, 10 Dean Street, January i, 1806; also " Puss," April n, 1810. "Partridge Shooting," published by J. Harris, 38 Dean Street, January i, 1790. Also the painting " How sweet the love that meets return," and " The Lass of Living- stone," were published by T. Gaugain, 4 Little Compton Street, Soho, 1785. Tin-plate Workerg. LXXX. MESSRS. R. AND W. WILSON AND SON, LTD. 92 WARDOUR STREET AND 75 DEAN STREET. As the stranger walks up and down the streets of Soho he has little idea of the large industries which are carried on at the backs of the houses. The space which two hundred years ago was covered with the R 258 FIRMS OF SO HO. gardens of the old mansions is now occupied by extensive workshops. You little suspect as you enter the offices of Messrs. R. and W. Wilson and Son, Ltd., that their manufactories cover two acres of ground between Dean Street and Wardour Street. It was also a matter of surprise to find a business of this kind carried on in Central London ; and we had thought that, at any rate, there was no manufactory of the kind in London which could rival in extent and importance the great manufacturing firms of the Black Country. The business was estab- lished by two hard-working and enterprising young Scotchmen, Mr. Robert and Mr. William Wilson, about sixty years ago. It was purchased in 1886 by Mr. Charles Clarke, who had previously, from 1870 to 1881, been an ironmonger in Bayswater, and after that had MR. LEICESTER ROMAN. MR. CHARLES CLARKE. travelled for some time in the Australian Colonies in order to gain experience. After the business had been vigorously carried on by Mr. Clarke for three years, it was formed into a limited liability company, and he became the managing director. At this point in the history of the firm, Mr. Leicester Homan joined it as a director. Amongst the great variety of goods manufactured by this firm, baths and tin goods appear to be their speciality. The mansion, 75 Dean Street, which forms part of the premises, possesses considerable historical interest as the residence of the celebrated painter, Sir James Thornhill. He was born at Melcomb Regis in 1676. At an early period in his life he received the com- mission of Queen Anne to paint the interior of the dome of St. Paul's Cathedral. Eight scenes from the life of St. Paul formed the subject of the painting, and he received the moderate remuneration of 2 per TIN -PL ATE WORKERS. 259 square yard. The execution of this work made him one of the most popular painters of the day. The work, however, nearly cost him his life. The scaffolding on which he worked was wide, but without the protection of a railing. One day when a friend was with him, he stepped back to take a view of what he had done, and had uncon- sciously reached the very edge of the platform, when his friend, seeing SIR JAMES THOKNHILL. Painted by W. Hogarth, his son-in-law, and etched by S. Ireland from a portrait in oils. Published March i, 1786, by Dickenson, 158 New Bond Street. that there was nothing else to be done, hastily smeared his work. The painter rushed back to his work, angrily asking what his friend had done. The answer was, " I have saved your life." These paintings at St. Paul's were destroyed in 1853. In 1708 he began his great work at Greenwich Hospital, and was occupied with it for nineteen years. For the painting of the ceiling he received 3 per square yard. There is a tradition that Queen Anne sat for her portrait at 75 Dean Street, and this may have been so. as Sir James Thornhill 2 6o FIRMS OF SOHO. appears to have occupied this house in the earlier part of his working life. The unusual sign, "The Crown and the Two Chairmen," which the public-house diredUy opposite still bears, is said to have been derived from the facl that the Queen was brought here in a sedan chair with two chairmen, a mode of conveyance which was very usual at the beginning of the iSth century. WILLIAM HOGARTH, 1/64. The walls and some of the ceilings of Burlington House were also painted by Sir James Thornhill. He became historical painter to George I., who knighted him. The School for Painting in Covent Garden, which he established, was considered to have been the germ of the Royal Academy, of which Sir Joshua Reynolds was the first President. He died in 1734. But 75 Dean Street is still more in- teresting because of its association with the more famous painter, TIN -PLATE WORKERS. 261 William Hogarth, the son-in-law of Sir James Thornhill. From this house Hogarth is said to have run away with Jane, the only daughter of Sir James Thornhill. They were married at the old church at Paddington, which then stood in green fields, on March 23, 1729. At STAIRCASE AT 75 DEAN STREET. Paintings said to be by Sir James Thornhill and William Hogarth. the time Hogarth had not made his reputation, and Sir James Thorn- hill objected strongly to the match. The young and struggling artist was not thought to be a suitable match for the daughter of the prosperous painter. However, very shortly afterwards, when Sir James Thornhill saw some work which Hogarth had done, he said that " The man who could paint like that 2 6 2 FIRMS OF SOHO. was able to maintain a wife," and received the runaway pair into his favour. The story of Hogarth, his early struggles, and the reputation he achieved is a very engrossing one, and furnishes a vivid picture of the STAIRCASE AT 75 DEAN STREET. Paintings said to be by Sir James Thornhill and William Hogarth. times in which he lived ; but it is a story too long to enter upon here. We must not forget however that he was apprenticed to Ellis Gamble, the silversmith in Cranbourne Street. In our article on the silver- smiths of Soho, we have reproduced the shop bill which he designed for his master. The elaborate ornamentation with which articles of gold and silver-plate were treated in those days gave great opportune- TIN -PLATE WORKERS. 263 ties to the designer, and "the distance between the silversmith's shop and the studio of the painter was not nearly so great then as it is now." The mansion 75 Dean Street, has a beautiful staircase. The walls are painted to represent columns with figures standing or sitting be- hind a balustrade. Some of this painting is attributed to Hogarth, and the whole of it is in a good state of preservation. Soho once abounded in beautiful specimens of wall painting, but for the most part they have been neglected or destroyed, and few now remain to tell of the faded glory of the past. It is a matter for rejoicing that the beautiful paintings at 75 Dean Street have fallen into the hands of those who value them, and will take a pride in preserving them. Messrs. R. and W. Wilson are always ready to show them to those who present their cards. We will only add two more items of interest in connection with these premises. The Waltham Watch now so celebrated as an American manufac- ture was first made here, but the charter was opposed by the Clerken- well watchmakers, and thus an important industry was lost to England and taken to America. The principal piece of Gold-plate which decorates the Windsor Castle sideboard was made at this house. Hogarth lies buried in the quiet churchyard of Chiswick. Here may still be seen the square marble tomb, erected in 1771 by the sub- scriptions of his friends, headed by Garrick, who wrote this inscription : " Farewell, great painter of mankind ! Who reach'd the noblest point of Art; Whose pictured morals charm the eye, And through the eye correct the heart ! If genius fire thee, reader, stay ; If nature touch thee, drop a tear ; If neither move thee, turn away, For Hogarth's honoured dust lies here." LXXXL MISCELLANEOUS FIRMS. Besides those already mentioned, the following Firms were in existence at the beginning of the Queen's Reign : Founded W. ADDIS (C. Heap and Co.), 14 and 15 Leicester Street, Iron- mongers ... ... ... ... ... ... 1837 ASTON AND MANDER, 61 Old Compton Street, Mathematical In- strument Makers ... ... ... ... ... 1809 R. AUSTIN, 37 Oxford Street, Rope and Twine Maker ... 1834 BIGGS AND SONS, 85 Shaftesbur)' Avenue, Builders ... ... 1837 W. AND F. C. BONHAM AND SONS, Leicester Street and Ox- ford Street, Auctioneers ... ... ... ... 1793 J. CHILD AND Co., 43 Leicester Square, Ale and Stout Merchants 1828 C. FENN, 27 Frith Street, Poulterer ... ... ... ... 1788 HOPKINS, PURVIS, AND SONS, 20 Greek Street, Oil and Colour- men ... ... ... ... ... ... 1811 W. AND C. NIGHTINGALE, 63 Dean Street, Bedding Manu- facturers ... ... ... ... ... ... 1804 R. J. JEFFREYS AND SON, 25 Oxford Street, Blind Manufacturers 1798 R. AND J. PULLMAN, 17 Greek Street and 8 Manette Street, Leather Dressers ... ... ... ... ... 1718 RYMER AND SONS, 10 Nassau Street, Leatherseller ... ... 1816 G. W. SCOTT AND SONS, SA and gA Manette Street, Basket Makers ... ... ... ... ... ... 1699 STAGG AND MANTLE, 2 Leicester Square, Mercers ... ... 1835 YOUNG AND SON, 5 Bear Street, Scale Manufacturers ... ... 1773 I 265 ) LXXXII. TWO CENTURIES OF AMUSEMENTS IN SOHO. WE are disposed to shudder still sometimes at the barbarity of a considerable portion of the British populace. To pass by the vexed question of fox hunting, and the infamous achievements of the Royal Stag Hounds, there are plenty of us who feel that exhibitions such as the merciless and silly massacre of harmless pigeons at Hurlingham, are the reverse of creditable to us as Englishmen, who are supposed to be living in an advanced state of civilization. And there are persons, tender-hearted enough in the main, who are horrified to find within themselves, in their introspective moments, just a suspicion of this very cruelty which they loathe. They wonder if they would be so excited over an acrobatic act, if there were not the possibility that the net might break, or over a lion tamer's performance, if there were not just the off-chance that the tamer might go into the den once too often. They cannot be sure of their own motives in witnessing some deed of exceptional daring, such as the descent of a foolhardy parachutist from a balloon that has already sped halfway towards the clouds. Is it honest admiration for the artiste's pluck and skill, or is it they hardly like to face the only alternative. And if indeed it were true that a drop of the tiger's blood lurked in the veins of each of us, even of the most cultured and refined, we could hardly marvel when we consider the states and customs of the ances- tors from whom we sprang. Let us look at the sports and pastimes (as it is part of our present task to look) that were fashionable in and about London a couple of centuries ago ; and if we except here and there an honest bit of rough and tumble humour, it is difficult to see for what they are remarkable, save coarseness, cruelty, and the indul- gence of every brutal instinct that ought to be remorselessly called to heel. Considering the stock we came from, it is perhaps to our credit that we are as humane and as law-abiding as we are. SPORT IN 1700. How did our Soho forefathers entertain themselves when Queen Anne was on the throne, with a margin of a score of years or so on either side that resplendent reign ? Very widely speaking, let us fix our date at 1700. Well, there was the polite pursuit of Bull and Bear baiting. Witness this remarkable announcement of a grand field day " At the Bear Garden at Hockley in the Hole." 266 AMUSEMENTS OF SOHO. " This is to give notice to all gentlemen gamesters, and others, that on this present Monday is a match to be fought by two dogs, one from Newgate Market against one of Honey Land Market, at a bull, for a guinea to be spent : five let go out of hand ; which goes fairest and furthest in wins all. Likewise a green bull to be baited, which was never baited before, and a bull to be turned loose with fireworks all over him : also a mad ass to be baited. Likewise there are two bear dogs to jump, three jumps a-piece at a bear, which jumps highest, for ten shillings to be spent : with variety of Bull and Bear Baiting : and a dog to be drawn up with fireworks. To begin exadlly at three of the clock." This was the sort of recreation that was provided for all classes, for the higher quite as much as the lower, within a few years after St. Anne's Church was built. We can only regard it as too probable that members of our morning congregation exchanged greetings, and wagers, in the Bear Garden at Hockley in the Hole. What conceivable gratification, save of the vilest and most bestial kind, can there have been for the spectators of the baiting of these bulls and bears ? It is of a piece with the pleasure derived by the inhabitants of certain country towns, who, once a year, had a bull presented to them by some munificent donor. This wretched beast was turned loose early in the morning and chased up and down the streets till night. Occasionally the sport was varied by the animal jumping from a bridge into a river, and swimming across, then, along the flat meadows by the banks, the hunt began anew. When darkness began to fall, the bull was slaughtered, and his flesh sold to the poor for supper, as after a Spanish Bull Fight at the present day, at two or three pence the pound. The brutality of this amusement of Bull Baiting appears to have grated, at a rather earlier period, upon the not over fine feelings of the ubiquitous Mr. Pepys, for he describes a visit to the " Beare Garden " in 1666, where he " saw some good sport of the bulls tossing of the dogs, one into the very boxes, but it is a very rude and nasty pleasure.'' The aristocratic pastime of cock fighting, though it was indeed the delight of all classes at this period, seems only a degree more reason- able and less cruel. Our readers will be glad to see a reproduction of Hogarth's well-known picture of " The Cock Pit." The pencil of the caricaturist may find less than its usual scope in depicting a scene that is hardly susceptible of exaggeration. The excitement at these contests was tremendous ; almost every stroke from the steel spurs of the plucky little cocks, who seem never to have turned their backs, but always to have died fighting, was the signal for furious bets on the part of the spectators. The continuous " ting-a-ting-ting " of these steel spurs, gafflcts, as they v/ere called, was in itself an item in the enthusiasm, as the combatants oscillated this way and that, during " the rigour of the game." A candid critic says that any stranger from another nation coming in upon an English cock fight such a spectacle as that presented in Hogarth's picture would not unchari- tably conceive the entire assembly to be mad. It is worth observing that the Cock Pit at Whitehall stood upon the site of the present 268 AMUSEMENTS OF SOHO. Privy Council Office. It was built by Henry VIII, and extensively patronised by James I. Members of Parliament found it a recreative resort during the labour of the Session ; a curious contrast to the present innocent pleasures of Afternoon Tea upon the Terrace. The Incumbent of St. Mary's, Hayes, Middlesex, writes in Decem- ber, 1750: "On Shrove Tuesday we had prayers and sermon in the church, which, by the blessing of God, prevented the throwing at cocks in the churchyard, which had been a bad custom beyond the memory of the oldest man." A couple of years afterwards, however, the parish was not so fortunate, for the rabble " threw at cocks in the churchyard, and no person hindering them, in spite of the justice, minister, parish officers, and constable." " I know no law," confessed a magistrate at Hayes, two years later still, perhaps the acquiescent " justice " before referred to, " against throwing at cocks, not even in a churchyard." More heartless even than the town cock fights was the horrid country custom of Thrashing the Fat Hen on Shrove Tuesday. This hen was fastened to a yokel's back, who also had bells hanging from his arms and legs; the rest of the farm servants, blindfolded, chased the hen and her bearer round an enclosure, armed with long sticks. Doubtless they got some shrewd slashes themselves ; but in due course the doomed victim was whipped to death, and boiled with bacon. Let us trust that indigestion followed so ghastly a repast. The good-humoured duck fared no better than the mettlesome cock under the tender mercies of the Bloods of that iron age. We who know Mayfair as the abode of Luxury and Fashion, and the har- vest field for enormous rents to lucky landlords, have long forgotten the famous Fair from which the name is derived, and which was such an institution during the greater part of the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries. We hardly now associate the environs of haughty Piccadilly with "mountebanks, fire-eaters, ass-racing, sausage- tables, dice-tables, up-and-downs, merry-go-rounds, bull-baiting, grin- ning for a hat, running for a shift, hasty pudding eaters, eel-divers, and an infinite variety of similar pastimes." Mayfair, in fact, on a larger scale, was not greatly unlike the country fairs, which the elder among us can yet remember, when we were children. The present frequenters of Burlington House would hardly appreciate the " Strong Woman," a French lady, " short, but most beautifully and delicately formed, and of a most lovely countenance," who lifted a ponderous blacksmith's anvil with her hair, " a light auburn, of a length descending to her knees," and then allowed two smiths, fetched in quite at random, to forge a red hot horse shoe upon her chest, as she lay upon a sofa, " talking and singing during the whole process," with surprising equanimity. But to come to the unhappy ducks. In the vicinity of Mayfair there was a considerable expanse of water, known as the Ducking Pond. Hard by, there was a sort of Pavilion, with walks, arbours, and alcoves around it, and the proprietor catered for the patrons of the humane diversion of duck hunting. Those who brought WRESTLING. 269 dogs with them, and were considered as the chief supporters of the place, only paid a trifling sum for admission ; those who merely came as sight-seers were charged a double fee. A duck was let loose in the pond by the master of the hunt, the leash was slipped from the necks of the expectant dogs. Again and again the bird would baffle its pursuers by diving under the pond's surface, and the action would be accompanied by shouts of derision against the defeated hounds. At last, some hunter, more expert than the rest, would contrive to snap at and hold the luckless quarry, and would carry the poor duck, amid the applause of the spectators, to its master's feet. This cruel and cowardly pastime had an extraordinary vogue. It is strange to read that Charles II., who might be supposed to have had some love for birds, as he would spend part of his numerous leisure hours in watch- ing his water fowl in St. James's Park, was a devoted frequenter of this so-called ' sport," in the well-matched companionship of several of his curs and nobility. WRESTLIXG AND ATHLETICS. Wrestling and prize-fighting were of course immensely popular, and by sheer force of contrast, the latter doubtful hobby appears positively respectable. Wrestling, a manly enough exercise in itself, was a matter of grim earnest. Just at the close of the seventeenth century, a fatal accident occurred, close to St. Anne's newly-erected doors, in Leicester Fields, for a young man in a wrestling ring received so severe a fall that his neck was broken. Coming to less turbulent and cruel amusements, Football, Tennis, Hawking, Boxing, had all their votaries. There were Bowling Greens hard by Soho, at Spring Gardens, and at Piccadilly Hall, near the corner of Windmill Street. Coventry Street also had its upper and lower Bowling Greens. John Locke, in one of his private journals, mentions the recreation of bowling, at Marylebone and Putney, many years before the Georgian epoch celebrated by Austin Dobson in his Ballade of Beau Brocade : " London then, as its ' Guides ' aver, Shared its glories with Westminster ; And people of rank, to correft their tone, Went out of Town to Marybone." Fireworks were a much earlier English institution than we are apt to suppose, and as the royal displays (notably one in 1688) took place on the Thames, doubtless those who dwelt on the high lands of Soho would have a view, over a sloping area comparatively unencumbered with buildings, almost equal to that enjoyed by the inhabitants of Gipsy Hill and Norwood, in these more brilliant days of Brock. There was plentiful store, as ever in London, of acrobats, quacks, and mountebanks, to beguile the Great Public's vacant hour. Jacob Hall, a famous rope dancer, had a booth at Charing Cross. He is immortalized in the following not very lofty lines by Dryden, the Poet Laureate, in which his name is connected with that of Andre, the dancing master : 2 7 o AMUSEMENTS OF SOHO. " Have you not seen the dancing of the rope ? When Andre's wit was clean run off the score, And Jacob's capering tricks could do no more, A damsel does to the ladder's top advance, And with two heavy buckets drags a dance ; The yawning crowd perk up to see the sight, And slaver at the mouth for vain delight." Queen Victoria's present Poet Laureate has, we believe, written a set of verses, subsequently delivered as a Recitation at the Alhambra Music Hall, in praise of a British Hero, whose deeds were subsequently rewarded by a term of imprisonment, but we can hardly imagine the late Lord Tennyson composing an ode eulogising the performances at the Royal Aquarium, Westminster. The author of a dull and slightly disreputable volume, published in 1700, which purports to give the experiences and reflections of one " Tom Brown," together with those of a guileless " Indian," whom the satiric Thomas takes round to behold the glories of " London's Meridian," has one passage which it is perhaps worth while to quote, as the picture which it draws is of local interest. Note the plurality of capitals. " In Leicester Fields I saw a Mountebank on the stage with a Congrega- tion of Fools about him, who like a Master in the Faculty of Lying, gave them a History of his Cures beyond all the Plays and Farces in the world. He told them of Fifteen Persons that were run clean through the Body, but in Four and twenty Hours he made 'em as whole as Fishes, and not so much as a Scar for a Remembrance of the Orifice. He was Physician in Ordinary to a great Prince that dy'd about Five and twenty years ago, and yet the Quack was not Forty." Mr. John Hollingshead, the author of the accurate and vivacious booklet entitled " Leicester Square," whose love of London is as genuine as was that of the Dickens who, as an editor, valued his con- tributions so highly, has given us a gracious leave to range at large over his ample and picturesque preserves, so we will annex an account of the only genuine exhibition (and that a private one), for which we have authority in the Soho of this early period. The description is given us by Evelyn, in his well-known Diary. The historian was dining with Lady Sunderland one evening at Leicester House, and for his amusement, the hostess sent for Richardson, the celebrated fire- eater and acrobat. " He devoured," says Evelyn, " brimstone on glowing coals before us, chewing and swallowing them; he melted a large glass, and eat it quite up ; then taking a live coal on his tongue, he put on it a raw oyster, the coal was blowed on with bellows till it flamed and sparkled in his mouth, and so remained till the oyster gaped and was quite boiled. Then he melted pitch and wax with sulphur, which he drank down as it flamed. I saw it flaming in his mouth a good while. He also took up a thick piece of iron, such as laundresses use to put in their smoothing boxes, and when it was fiery hot, held it between his teeth, then in his hands, and threw it about like a stone, but this I observed that he cared not to hold very long. Then he stood on a small pot, and bend- THE DRAMA. 271 ing his body, took a glowing iron in his mouth from between his feet, without touching the pot or ground with his hands." Such is the careful Diarist's record. It is a proof of how little public taste changes in a couple of cen- turies, that an advertisement appeared in the daily newspapers at the close of 1897, which announced the performance of a Fire Eater and Human Salamander at Barnum and Bailey's Kensington Show, in terms which recall Evelyn's memories of his bizarre entertainment after Lady Sutherland's dinner at Leicester House, about the time that St. Anne's Church was built. Populus vult decipi, now as ever. THE DRAMA IN IJOO. Here, as before, the date can only be a rough one, and we must allow a margin on either side, but the first year of the eighteenth century is a good land mark, for reasons which will soon appear. On April 30, The Postboy, a London newspaper, had the following an- nouncement : " John Dryden, Esqre., the famous poet, lies a-dying." And on the morrow, the journalist's prediction was fulfilled, and the greatest Poet since Elizabeth quietly breathed his last at his house in " Gerard " Street. That May Day brought a bitter loss to England's poetry, but a loss comparatively insignificant to her drama. Dryden's influence on the stage certainly did not make for righteousness, and hardly for common decency. His dramas pandered to the depraved taste of his epoch, and are examples of a degradation of a genius which was meant for (and which accomplished) infinitely higher things. " I am not at all happy," wrote Sir Walter Scott in a letter to a friend, '' when I peruse some of Dryden's comedies : they are very stupid, as well as indelicate ; sometimes, however, there is a consider- able vein of liveliness and humour, and all of them present extra- ordinary pictures of the age in which he lived." Lord Macaulay's judgment is even more severe : " Even when he professed to translate, he constantly wandered from his originals in search of images, which, if he had found them in his originals, he ought to have shunned. What was bad became worse in his versions. What was innocent contracted a taint from passing through his mind." Wycherley did not die till 1715, and, though he had ceased to be a playwright for many years, his comedies were still in vogue. Only those who, like the present writer, have read the principal of those productions, can form any idea of the iniquity and foulness which passed for sentiment and wit, when Royalty was restored in England. The body of a Wycherley, who was, if possible, a viler man than he was dramatist, rests in the vaults of St. Paul's, Covent Garden, while the bones of an Adrienne Lecouvfeur were not permitted, because she was an actress, to pollute by their presence the sacred sepulchres of profligates in the Parisian cemetery of Pere la Chaise. It was the year 1700 which witnessed, not only the death of Dryden, but the production of his friend Congreve's most highly- finished, though not most financially successful, comedy " The Way of the JOHN DRYDEN. THE DRAMA. 273 World." Congreve was a great, and not in all respects an unworthy figure, in the dramatic history of his generation. To something, far too much, in fact, of Wycherley's coarseness, he certainly added great felicity of language and a far more varied and original power of characterization. In the face of eulogies like those of Macaulay, on Congreve's marvellous brilliancy, it is indeed presumptuous to suggest that these masterpieces of seventeenth and eighteenth century comedy Engraved by J 2'mk-i-w.Jt. CONGREVE. may have been over-rated. The writer remembers once lending his volume of Congreve's Comedies to one of the wittiest, though not one of the best-read, men whom he has ever known. A few days after- wards he called to see his friend, who was confined to his bed, and to ask him how he was getting on with Congreve. " Oh, I am half way through the book, and I am just wondering when he is going to begin to be funny I " It may be treason to say so, but we wonder how many moderns, if they were to read Congreve instead of talking about him, would be of the same opinion. s 274 AMUSEMENTS OF SOHO. It was only two years before 1700 that the non-juring Clergyman, Jeremy Collier, published his famous diatribe against the pernicious and immoral tendency of the drama of the period. The valiant parson came to the fray single handed, and proved practically un- answerable. In fact, some of Collier's more general objections have to this day never been answered, and perhaps never will be. So deep was the impression made, and so keenly did the truth of many of the accusations bite home to a national conscience not absolutely dead, that the memorable pamphlet was speedily followed by an extraordi- nary and most salutary dramatic reform. Congreve ventured to enter the lists with Collier, and was egregiously beaten ; and small wonder. The sedulous polisher of deft and scintillating dialogue failed utterly as a refuter of solid argument, and the victory, even so far as the mere contest of wit was concerned, was on the side of the Church as against the Stage. Finding it impossible to defend his grossness, Congreve sought various disingenuous ways out of his dilemma. He pretended, for instance, that he regarded one of his early plays the '' Old Bachelor," as a mere trifle, unworthy of serious regard. " I wrote it." he said, " to amuse myself in a slow recovery from a fit of sickness." " What his disease was," smartly rejoined his clerical opponent, " I am not concerned to enquire : but it must be a very ill one to be worse than the remedy." Exit Congreve. John Dryden took a far nobler and more manly line. His action, in the face of an attack of which he saw the justice, but which humbled him bitterly, makes us respect his memory, and inclines us to condone faults in his works which a severer taste should condemn. He frankly owns that he had been to blame. It was something for a man who possessed incontestably the greatest literary reputation of his age, one of whom Pepys had spoken, more than thirty years before his death on that May Day in Gerrard Street, as "the Poet," to say of his antagonist : " If Mr. Collier be my enemy, let him triumph. If he be my friend, as I have given him no personal occasion to be otherwise, he will be glad of my repentance." In the same strain Dryden expresses himself in verse (he had been accused of bringing ridicule upon clergymen) : " What I have loosely or profanely writ, Let them to fires, their due desert, commit : Nor when accused by me, let them complain, Their faults and not their fun&ion I arraign." On the whole, any Englishman whose heart is filled with a generous gratitude for the too sparse splendours of his country's verse, will be glad, when he thinks of " glorious John," to take as his charitable motto these four lines of Dryden, which, though not part of the same poem, we venture to place together : " Now in good manners nothing shall be said Against this play, because the poet's dead ; Be kind to my remains; and oh, defend, Against your judgment, your departed friend." THE DRAMA. 275 We have thus endeavoured to give, within a brief compass, some idea of the style of dramatic entertainments which would be presented to those of St. Anne's earliest congregations (the church, we shall remember, was consecrated within fifteen years of 1700) who had the good or ill fortune to be play-goers. It was Charles II., forty years or so before the beginning of the eighteenth century, who architectur- ally changed the interior of the English theatre from what it had been in Shakespeare's day. It might be wished that the Merry Monarch had possessed either the desire or the capacity to alter the interior morally as well. Most of Charles's improvements were imported from the Continent with which his wanderings had made him so familiar, just as, at the present moment, Vienna and other foreign cities are supply- ing the pattern for new stage appliances at Drury Lane. Structurally, except that stalls were not introduced till 1833, the English theatre has changed very little during the past two centuries. It could hardly, however, have been a pleasant place for the ladies of our seventeenth and eighteenth century congregations to visit, even by the special staircase which, in the case of Drury Lane, was only pulled down two or three years ago, to make room for an enlarged Box Office. The audiences could hardly be called exclusive, even by a Society which does not show itself particularly squeamish about such matters at a modern Music Hall. First nights of plays were considered especially objectionable, and, to these, Ladies of Condition rarely ventured with- out hiding their faces in the masks which were a fashionable feminine appendage of the period. Even at the ruthless sacrifice of a certain amount of fin de siccle beauty, one would be glad to exchange for these masks the abominably big hats which are the desperation of the latter- day play-goers : " Grande et conspicuum nostro quoque tempore monstrttm." 1800. In dealing with the second of our two Soho centuries, our method of description will be a little different. While we shall allow, as before, a most liberal margin on either side of our date (coming down, in facl, on this side, to the present day) we shall confine ourselves strictly to concerns within the boundaries of our own area. Towards the close of the seventeenth, and at the beginning of the eighteenth, century, our definite data with regard to local recreations were so few, that our only available course seemed to be to sketch the general amusements of the neighbourhood and period, in the full assurance that they would be abundantly patronised by our parishioners. Now, however, we are writing with more exacl: information, and in a clearer light, and there will be no need to wander outside our own confines. We shall not, for example, feel called upon to trace the interesting fortunes of the Alham- bra Theatre (formerly the Panopticon) in Leicester Square, inasmuch as it happens to stand just on the other side of the limits that we have prescribed. So far as metropolitan space is concerned, this second division of our subject is therefore conveniently compact, 2 7 6 AMUSEMENTS OF SO HO. While it is clear that it was about the date of the building of St. Anne's Church that Soho Square became an aristocratic neighbour- hood, authorities do not seem agreed as to the particular time at which it may be said to have reached the zenith of its fashion. Miss Brad- don, in her vivid and engrossing Romance " Mohawks," which is thoroughly aglow with the colour of the period, tells us that, though Soho Square was still " a place of palaces," in 1726, its glories were beginning to drift towards Golden and Cavendish Squares ; but against this statement we must set the assertion of Nollekens, the famous sculptor, who was not born till 1737, and who distinctly says that he TICKKT FOR MASOT K KAD1C HAI.L AT CARLISLK HOfSK. could remember when the Square was at the same time the residence of four Ambassadors. We cannot help concluding that there were no very marked signs of decadence during the greater part of the seven- teenth century. We have reason to believe that one of Miss Braddon's prominent characters, introduced under the name of Mr. Topsparklc, is really Alderman Bcckford, and \ve are still more confident that the mansion she so admirably describes as Topsparkle's is the abode where Beckford lived, the present House of Charity, No. i Greek Street. Alderman Beckford was twice Lord Mayor of London, and it is probable that, by his splendid establishment, lavish entertainments, and munificent charities, he managed to keep his own corner of London pretty well to the fore. Those of us who enjoyed the adap- CARLISLE HOUSE. 277 tation of Anthony Hope's " Prisoner of Zenda" at the St. James's Theatre in 1896, may remember that it was " at my Lady Crandower's rout in Soho Square," that the erring wife of the last century Prologue was discovered with Rudolf of Ruritania, when her husband returned from abroad. CARLISLE HOUSE. But it was the notorious Teresa Cornelys who blazed like a dis- reputable comet, if a bold figure of speech may be permitted in men- tioning one not herself conspicuous for her modesty, across the fashion- able firmament of Soho, for more than a decade when George III. was king. It does not fall within the present writer's scope to say much of Madam Cornelys, the dancing master's daughter from Flor- ence, the lady whose history, previous to the opening of her most successful campaign at Carlisle House, with her net profit of two or three thousand a year, would be most fitly expressed by asterisks. This " Priestess of Soho," as she was called, has been dealt with by another hand, and in another article of this Volume ; but it would be impossible not just to note, in dealing with Soho Amusements, the tremendous factor that Mrs. Cornelys was in the social life of her epoch. The trail of Teresa is over it all. The woman had a genius for reclame. Her advertisements in the public journals were as racy as (may I say in all good humour and without offence ?) were those of Mr. John Hollingshead during the twenty years or so that 278 AMUSEMENTS OF SOHO. he poured fortunes into the pockets of the Gaiety shareholders. Vixere fortes ante Agamemnona, which is, being interpreted, " There were Barnums before Barnum was born." Of this type was the ingenious, and ingenuous, Teresa. She curried favour with the servants of her illustrious patrons by giving them a gratuitous ball, she deferentially hoped " the hackney coachmen would make no disturbance" as they drove their clients to her palatial doors. And, as a reward for her tact and enterprise, her masquerades, dances, and concerts, were crowded by the elite of society, from Princes of the Blood downwards. Soho Square had other titles to public recognition than the presence, within its precincts, of Nolle- kens's four Ambassadors. The revellers of Carlisle House were willing to pay five guineas apiece for their tickets, and small wonder, when a visitor was able to exhibit a hundred thousand pounds' worth of jewels at one time upon her person. But the tide of the prosperity of Madam Cornelys ebbed at last ; her distinguished clientele forsook her, and she fell upon evil days. It is ill sport to throw stones at those who have been dust for (in her case precisely) a hundred years, and we would fain deal gently with her memory. Let us recall that, in her forsaken old age, she retailed unsuccessfully asses' milk at Knights- bridge, that she died in the Fleet Prison, and that, in the days of her affluence, she gave coals to the poor of St. Anne's. Farewell, Teresa. The remaining annals of Carlisle House are neither voluminous nor remarkable. We hear of a scientific Lecturer who endeavoured to draw an audience, but whose apparatus was imperfect, and who was so grossly insulted by " a young man who seemed to have been sacrificing to Bacchus," that he left the room in apprehension of personal violence. The needy Foreigner next came along with intent to turn (as he does to this day in Soho) the nimble ninepence. A certain Count Borawlaski, " the celebrated Polish Dwarf," gave a concert, we are not told with what success. Each half guinea ticket " entitled the purchaser to see and converse with that very extra- ordinary personage," so perhaps the appearance and personal charm of this alien nobleman were superior to his music on the English guitar. He was accompanied by a Signer Conetti on the " Apollo's Harp." This, presumable, Italian, claims, in the advertisement, the invention of an instrument which we had supposed to be due to ancient Greece. MOZART AND WOMBWELL. From a quack to a genius, even a precocious one, is always a wel- come rebound, and it is interesting to observe that, twenty years before Borawlaski, the youthful Mozart (he was then only eight years of age) had been giving concerts in " Thrift " Street, at less than half the Count's fee, "with all the overtures of his own composition." We wonder how many of those who, in later times, listened to the noble C Major symphony, or enjoyed the operas of " Don Giovanni," or " The Magic Flute," had given the child composer " anything to play at sight " in the dingy lodgings in Frith Street, or had watched the small fingers as they wandered over the harpsichord. WOMBWELL'S MENAGERIE. 279 As our history winds its way downwards from Carlisle House towards Leicester Square, it is impossible not to notice on our road George Wombwell, who kept a boot and shoe shop in Compton Street when this century was young. It is doubtful if any man has done more for the instruction and amusement of the boys and girls of succeeding generations, than the originator of those gigantic, (or so they seemed to us), Wild Beast Menageries, whose periodical visits to our native towns in the North, or South, or Midlands, made epochs in the uneventful lives of those of us who are middle-aged and country bred. We are not prepared to swear that the descriptions given of the animals were always painfully accurate. It is Captain Marryat, we fancy, who speaks somewhere of the magnificent Bengal tiger, who measured seventeen feet from the tip of his nose to the end of his tail, and seventeen feet and-a-half from the end of his tail to the tip of his nose. And then, there is the showman's graphic account of the " Hippopotamus, or river horse, derived from hippo a river, and potamos a horse. The hide of this here animal is so wonderfully thick that you might as well try to shoot marbles through the Rock of Gibraltar, as to pierce the hide of the same with a bullet. Turn him round, John, and show the ladies and gentlemen his exteriors." Our childish notions of natural history may have been imperfectly trained by the explanations given of the contents of those caravans, but we should be glad to feel a thrill of the old excitement as we now trudge decorously round the educational London Zoological Gardens. Un- doubted benefactor as George Wombwell was, not only to his family, to whom he left, at his death in 1850, three enormously valuable travelling menageries, but to young folks of the British Race in general, he does not appear to have been in himself a very amiable or estimable individual. For the sake of gain he allowed his finest lions, Nero and Wallace, to be brutally baited by bull dogs at Warwick. A gentleman to whom he was far from considerate or courteous at the Bartholomew Fair of '25, when civilly requested to redress a grievance in his show, and rebuke a drunken keeper, describes him as "undersized in mind as well as form, with a skin reddened by more than natural spirits, and he speaks in a voice and language that accord with his feelings and propensities." Alas for our heroes with the varnish off! George Wombwell must have resembled an attendant of his to whom the present writer once proffered a respectful enquiry as to the den in which the " Tasmanian Devil " was to be seen, and received a repulse so rough and brutal, as to suggest the idea that the keeper addressed must have been no distant relative of the recently imported animal in question. Still, we owe to \Vombwell's unquestionable capacity and perseverance in collecting, from his first pair of serpents, (which he bought at a bargain), onwards, many delightful hours of youth. IN" LEICESTER SQUARE. We have reached Leicester Square at last. It. was near the end of Cranbourne Street that the premises for Burford's Panorama were 28o AMUSEMENTS OF SOHO. erected in the year of the great French Revolution. This enterprise had been conduced hard by for half-a-dozen years or so previously, with great success. Our two Leicester Square authorities, the late Tom Taylor and the, fortunately, living, Mr. John Hollingshead, give a different account of the origin of this panoramic idea. Mr. Taylor tells us that the earliest inventor, a certain Robert Barker, hit upon the thought one day as he put up his sketching umbrella on a hill near Edinburgh, and looked round at the beautiful view. Mr. Hollingshead, who draws his information from a later and, what seems likely to be, a more correct source, makes out that this same Robert Barker, so far from sketching at his own sweet will on the LEICESTER SQUARE, ABOUT 1760. heights of Edinburgh, was prosaically imprisoned for debt within the gaol of that capital. His cell was lighted by an air hole in one of the corners ; this orifice left the dungeon so dark, except in the upper part, that he was unable to read the letters which he received. He found, however, that when he put the paper against the portion of the wall illuminated by the air hole, the writing became perfectly legible and distinct. It occurred to him how effective a pifture placed in the same position would be, and, as soon as he was released from prison, he set to work on experiments which resulted in the elaboration of a useful and pleasant form of entertainment ; for panoramas proved lucrative and popular, in their original home in Leicester Square, for more than seventy years. Tom Taylor speaks in the warmest terms of the excell- ence of the panoramic entertainments which he again and again witnessed PANORAMAS. 281 under the auspices of Messrs. Barker and Burford, and he expresses his surprise and regret that they should ever have been discontinued, as they were late in the fifties. Curiously enough, we believe it is to Mr. Hollingshead himself that the Panorama owes its, at least tem- porary, revival as an object of attraction in London. Those of us who visited " Niagara," which had a very successful career, though not one as long as Burford's, under his management, some half-dozen years ago, must have been struck by the marvellous perfection to which the Parisian artist, Philippoteaux, has brought the art of the painting and the arrangement of panoramas. Real objects, we may remember, such as shrubs, fences, and bridges, were placed in the forefront of the vast circular picture, and were combined so cleverly with the actual paint- SANS SOUCI THEATRE. ing, that it was impossible for an untrained eye to discern where solidity ended, and the genuine painted canvas began. One would suppose that the scenic illusions enjoyed by Mr. Tom Taylor in the palmiest days of Burford's, could hardly have been as complete as those presented to an intelligent public by Mr. Hollingshead four decades afterwards. CHARLES DIBDIN. Even in these days of "Nancy Lee," and "They all love Jack," most of us have a kindly thought for glorious "Tom Bowling," and we are sorry to think of the stress and storm, and final shipwreck, of the career of honest and gifted Charles Dibdin, the composer of " Tom Bowling,'' and about six hundred other stirring sea songs. Four years before the beginning of the nineteenth century, Dibdin, who had 282 AMUSEMENTS OF SOHO. previously been doing his best with a little hall in the Strand, built and opened in Leicester Square his small Sans Souci Theatre in twelve weeks. The site was not far from that of the present Daly's. Except that there were no changes of costume, Dibdin's entertainment appears to have been rather on the lines of the show provided by the German Reeds and the admirable John Parry, whom the writer can remember at the Gallery of Illustration nearly five-and-thirty years ago. For the amusement of his patrons the Manager depended mostly upon his own melodies and slight dramatic sketches, though there is a remark- able, and apparently true, story of the great tragedian, Edmund Kean, having appeared in his boyhood at the Sans Souci as an acrobat. Poor Dibdin did not find music without vulgarity, wit without wicked- ness, very saleable commodities in the Leicester Square of those days, whatever they may be in our own. In spite of the slender proceeds of a music shop attached to the theatre, where the composer sold the songs on his own account which had previously enriched only the retail dealers in such delicate brain ware, Dibdin found it impossible, after a few years' trial, to meet his expenses, while ensuring for himself the most moderate amount of profit. On the strength of 200 a year granted him by the Government, he closed his elegant little theatre, and retired from public life. But the succeeding Administration brutally took his small pension away, and, at the age of sixty-three, he again opened a music shop as a means of bare livelihood, and subsequently went into bankruptcy, poverty, paralysis, and death. It was only a portion of his Government pittance that was restored to him, when it was too late; and the great amusement-loving Public that shouts itself hoarse over its favourites in the heyday of their triumphs, has little thought for them when they are faded, or past service. The late Lady Rosebery unveiled a memorial to Charles Dibdin in Camden Road ; a fifty pound note, in his burdened lifetime, would have done more good to the man, some of whose sea songs will last as long as the English language remains a vehicle of musical expression, and Britannia rules the waves. THE ROMANCE OF SAVILE HOUSE. The site of the present Empire Theatre of Varieties has certainly associations at once ancient and picturesque. It was within the walls of old Savile House that Peter the Great banqueted off half-cooked meats, and caroused from midnight till morning on beer liberally "laced " with brandy and cayenne pepper. Prince Bismarck's favourite beverage, during the Franco-German war, of champagne and Guinness's stout in equal proportions, seems a mild and innocent tipple after this. Peter does not appear to have been an imperia visitor more agreeable in his personal habits than was the lamented Shah of Persia. He was no great sanitary acquisition to the mansions that he deigned to honour with his presence, as he steered his blood- stained way towards Autocracy with a hundred Kaiser power. It is important to notice that Savile House was joined to Leicester House in 1718. so their history, for our brief practical purpose, may be regarded SAVILE HOUSE. 283 as one and the same. Twenty years earlier, Dryden says how delightful was the prospect of their gardens, which joined his at the bottom of Gerrard, (then spelt "Gerard"), Street. It was here that the second and third Georges, after quarrelling in succession, as Princes of Wales, with their respective royal Fathers, set up in turn a rival Court which outshone, in everything but dignity, the Court of St. James's itself. It was in front of Savile House that George III. was proclaimed King. By a singular coincidence, Dean Vere's most interesting little volurie on the " History of St. Patrick's Church, Soho," was presented to us at the very moment our pen had traced the two preceding lines. We were on the point of mentioning PETER THE GREAT. the Gordon Riots, which were the terror of London for a lurid week in June, 1780, and which are so intimately connected with Savile House and Leicester Square. Like Lord dive, Dean Vere must " stand astonished at his own moderation," as he speaks of the ghastly outrages committed at that dreadful period against helpless Roman Catholics in the name of Religion. Surely, Cranmer, Ridley and Latimer were half avenged. Let us commend and imitate the wise charity which would bury mutual mistakes in oblivion. Talking, however, of mistakes, we cannot help concluding that the accurate Mr. Hollingshead has fallen into error when he tells us that no more graphic and descriptive picture of the gutting of Savile House can be found than the one in Charles Dickens's immortal " Barnaby Rudge." 284 AMUSEMENTS OF SOHO. The spoliation of Savile House has a passing line of allusion in the great novel, but it is nowhere actually described. Gutted it un- doubtedly was, for the generous-hearted owner, Sir George Savile, had been sufficiently humane and courageous to introduce a Bill into Parliament for remitting the more iniquitous of the penalties enforced against the Roman Catholics. It must have been a dire spectacle on which Sir Joshua Reynolds and the other inhabitants of the Square gazed, as they watched the bonfires blazing in front of Savile House, and continually fed by the costly furniture which was flung by the rioters from the windows. The sense of fairplay and decency ex- hibited by Savile's Bill, was too much for the well-meaning Fool, Lord George Gordon, and his pack of attendant fiends, and they wrought their worst, during their week of licence, to execute, not only at Savile House, but upon Papists all over London, a dastardly revenge. Our next scene shows us this House no longer as the ancestral home of the noble-hearted Saviles, but as the receptacle of Sir Ashton Lever's extraordinary and encyclopedic Museum. This Lever he was not knighted till quite late in life, perhaps as a sort of recompence for his personally disastrous good intentions had a country seat near Manchester. From a boy he had a mania for all sorts of collections. At school he would insist on possessing the largest number of marbles among his playmates, and as he grew to man's estate, he thought nothing of hiring a boat to take him to France, and of thei'e purchas- ing a few hogsheads of curious shells. Corals, fossils, stuffed animals, savage implements, outlandish dresses ; all these, and every other sort of conceivable curiosity, were in turn the objects of this queer enthusi- ast's quest. He had besides a great love for living creatures, and an unusual capacity for training them. Fifteen of his pointers have been known " to make a point " in the field at one time. His hunters would fetch and carry, as well as open and shut doors. A favourite bullfinch would fly from its cage to his hand and back again, and would sing one of its tunes at the word of command. He even went so far as to teach a goose to perform, at any rate in part, the duties of a butler, and to stand behind his chair at dinner with a napkin under one wing. One could almost imagine that Sir Ashton must have admitted this intelli- gent bird to be his private and particular counsellor, for his subsequent actions do not appear to have been marked by any large degree of com- mon sense. He had, however, the most liberal of dispositions, and says that he only lived to give pleasure to others. Crowds of people were allowed to visit his collection gratuitously while it was in the country, and many of them got a dinner at his hospitable board, besides. When the numbers grew so great that admission was denied to those who came on foot, an enterprising gentleman who mounted a cow in a neighbouring lane, and rode her boldly up to the front door, was not refused an entry. Beguiled by the specious promises of professing patrons, the unpractical Lever transported his immense collection from Lancashire to Leicester Square, where it was still further enriched by a large proportion of the curiosities brought to England from the voy- S A VILE HOUSE. 285 ages of Captain Cook. Of the thirteen unlucky years that the Lever- ian Museum was open to the public, there is little to say, except that its career was a consistent failure. Its founder called it the " Holo- phusikon," a title, one would fancy, hardly to the advantage of any financial enterprise. The collection was disposed of by lottery in 1786, but the winner found it impossible to make money by its exhibi- tion in another locality. It is interesting to learn from Boswell that Dr. Johnson was of opinion that the entire concern ought to have been purchased by the nation. The unfortunate collector died two months before the Museum, which had been the passion of his life, was re- moved from Leicester Square. Poor Sir Ashton Lever; if his pracli- MISS LIXWOOD. cal knowledge of affairs was small, his heart was large enough for even ' Holophusikon " to have been found written on it, like Queen Mary's " Calais," after his death. The next exhibition for which Savile House was famous was certainly one which "came to stay," for it lasted forty-seven years. Miss Linwood was a Leicestershire lady who had a remarkable talent for copying pictures with her needle upon linen. Wools were specially dyed for her work, and she was able to produce extraordinary results. Her first successful copies were made before she was twenty, and her last when she was three-score-and-ten. The " Gallery " was removed from the Hanover Square Rooms to Savile House in 1806 ; it appears 286 AMUSEMENTS OF SOHO. to have combined the unusual characteristics of innocence and popu- larity ; the subjects of the numerous (sixty -four, to be exact) pictures were above reproach ; and the staple refreshments were buns, sponge cakes, and lemonade. Altogether it must have been an admirable entertainment to which to take one's maiden great aunt, when she came up from Stow in the Wold, for a giddy whirl of metropolitan dissipation at Christmas. Mr. Tom Taylor describes vividly his boy- THE LEVERIAN MUSEUM. ish recollections of Miss Linwood's exhibition. " In the long gallery hung with scarlet, and approached by an imposing flight of steps, you saw Jcpthah's Rash Vow " (and many other pictures). " Then came a mysterious and darkling passage, like a corridor in the Castle of Otranto, with entrances to prison cells, where you peeped in at Hubert and Arthur, and Lady Jane Grey. Then, by way of contrast, you looked in through a cottage window at Gainsborough's Children Warming themselves at the Fire. Next yawned a gloomy cavern with S A VILE HOUSE, 287 a terrible Tigress, and a Lion and Lioness, after Stubbs; while through another opening of the same cave, you saw a bright sea breaking on a rocky shore." Last came " the Scriptural Room," with its worsted copies of the Salvator Mundi of Carlo Dolci, and various other great works of Art. As in the case of the Leverian Museum and poor Sir Ashton, Miss Linwood's pictures did not long survive their originator. This unique needle-woman passed away at an advanced age, in 1845, and thirteen months afterwards the entire contents of the gallery were sold by auction, realizing less than a thousand pounds. Savile House certainly now enters upon its less romantic epoch. It became the home of shows which did not appeal to a high type of intellect, or, in some instances, an even respectable standard of moral- ity. Among the more harmless, was the inevitable giant, who seems to live from generation to generation like an immortal Vanderdecken, and who can always cover (and is only too glad to do so) a crown piece with his thumb. A troupe of " real negroes direct from the cotton fields of America," who probably carried their burnt cork in their pockets, were the precursors of the Moore and Burgess Minstrels. The Bearded Lady was as lovely in the fifties at Savile House, as at Kensington in this present year of grace ninety eight. Then, as always, " the beard is jet black, reaching from one ear to the other, yet without impairing her beauty." Her affability is eternal. " She will approach all who honour her with their company, and give an account of her birth and the motives which have induced her to quit her country." This was written in fifty-two, and it was only three days ago that an enthu- siastic visitor to Barnum's told the writer that he thought of seriously paying his addresses to the Bearded Lady. We cannot wonder at it. After the reign of this hirsute charmer, an Egg Hatching Apparatus anticipated the modern Baby Incubators that magnetized mothers last season at Earl's Court. A hundred " Industrious Fleas " danced, if we are to believe their play-bill, performed upon various instruments, had games of whist, flirted, and perused newspapers with a particular enjoyment of the politics. We are not aware if this is the first histori- cal introduction of fleas to our neighbourhood ; but the present writer can testify, from personal experience, that these ingenious and engaging little insects have not ceased, at the present day, to regard certain portions of Soho as a means of honest and profitable livelihood. It is a sad fact that, after a long series of exhibitions more or less successful, the Mansion, which was once the home of Sir George Savile, degenerated by degrees into a ramping and roaring French Cafe Chantant. We are indebted to Mr. Hollingshead for the singular information that, when every other place of public amusement was closed in London, on the occasion of the death of Her Majesty's mother, the Duchess of Kent, the coarse entertainments at Savile House were being carried on to crowded audiences, and in full blast. After such desecration we can hardly regret that the Fabric was burnt to the ground in 1865. The flame-lit obsequies of the abode of " so much shame and so much glory," were watched by no less a Personage SAVILE HOUSE. 289 than H.R.H. the Prince of Wales, then two years married, who donned a fireman's helmet and joined the Metropolitan Brigade. It was fitting that a Prince should be "in at the death" of a House which used, in the Georgian era, to bear the name of the " Pouting Place of Princes." After an interval of desolation, panoramas, and buildings of mush- room growth, there was erected upon the ruins of Savile House the structure now known as " The Empire." It was unfortunate, we gather, as a Theatre, but has since been credited with abundant success as a species of glorified Music Hall. The Heir to the Throne, together with the Flower of the English Nobility, is understood to fully WYLDE'S GREAT GLOBE INTERIOR. appreciate the luxurious entertainments provided, so the site of Savile House is the " Pouting Place of Princes " no longer. It is not for us to say whether, following the order of all created things, this Later Glory in its turn shall pass, and whether, to this campaign of so many victories, there shall ever come a Waterloo. We know not whether a Childe Harold of the dawning century will ever say sadly to himself, as he surveys the deserted scene of the triumphs of the Monte Christo Ballet, or the Performing Dogs, or the Great Trickoli " Stop, for thy tread is on an Empire's dust ! " WYLDE'S GREAT GLOBE. This was a fixture in the middle of Leicester Square from 1851 to 1861 ; instructive and pleasant as it no doubt was in its own decade, it T 290 AMUSEMENTS OF SOHO. is not an entertainment which appeals extensively to the historic imagination, and we are almost content to leave the exterior and interior views which we have provided, to tell their own tale. It is as well to state, however, that the Building measured sixty feet round, that the World was pictured in relief on the inside of the Globe, and that visitors were able to make a tour of the various countries from galleries at different elevations. There were four big rooms in the structure besides, and, in these, casts of monster nuggets from the MISS KELLY. Australian gold fields, as well as minerals, models, and diamonds, were on view. THEATRICAL ODDS AND ENDS. The Royalty Theatre in Dean Street has had a long and variegated history. A brief resume of its chequered fortunes appeared as lately as in the Dally Telegraph for the morning after Boxing Day, 1897, presumably from the pen of Mr. Clement Scott. The principal person connected with its earlier career was undoubtedly Miss Kelly, of whom we are able to furnish a portrait. This lady, who was a member of the Chorus at Drury Lane in the first year of the nineteenth century, was still on active dramatic service in the late forties. She acted, amid a host of other parts, the character of Prince Arthur to the Constance of Mrs. Siddons in Shakespeare's " King John, "and delighted to tell, in THEATRES. 291 later times, how, after each performance, her boy's collar was wet through with the great actress's tears. At " Miss Kelly's Theatre," as the Royalty was called fifty years since, beginners were taught their profes- sion by the talented and experienced manageress. It was a sort of dramatic academy. At a later period came F. C. Burnand's admirable Burlesques, such as " Ixion" and " Black-eyed Susan." It is a thousand pities, to our thinking, that such provocatives to harmless and healthy laughter have now lost their savour, to the advantage of more highly- spiced fare, and that a British Public was found to tolerate and applaud a piece like " His Little Dodge," produced (not by the proprietress of the theatre) a year or two ago. Mr. Meyer, for many summers in succes- sion, conducted a most prosperous season of French plays, and by considerably raising the prices, actually made the little House hold four hundred pounds. Miss Santley's " La Marjolaine" was also an enormous success. For a time subsequently, the theatre fell upon evil days, but it has recently been enlarged and overhauled, and several thousand pounds have been spent upon its re-decoration. Under the refined management of Mr. and Mrs. Arthur Bourchier, the Royalty regained much of its lost prestige. It rejoices at the present moment (January, 1898) in the services of a genuinely comic actress, and that it may continue to do well, will be the sincere wish of the many friends of its present gifted and kind-hearted owner, Miss Kate Santley. Of the remaining theatres in Soho, Daly's, like the America to which we owe it, is too young to have a history. The Shaftesbury is best remembered by Mr. Willard's fine performances, and for his famous Clerical Invitation Matinee of " Judah," at which we were present, and which was so vehemently denounced afterwards by Mr. Spurgeon. The Shaftesbury is now mainly given over to light operatic pieces, either because they are in accord with the frivolous taste of the day, or because, as Mr. Willard once remarked to the writer, the thinness of this theatre's walls renders it hardly suitable for the pro- duction of non-musical plays. The magnificent Royal English Opera House, now called " The Palace," began with the prospect of being one of the grandest serious theatres in Europe. After a brief and disheartening dramatic career, it followed the example of the " Empire," and became a Music Hall. As such, it appears, like the " Empire," to please nightly multitudes, but those whose pulses have been thrilled, within its walls, at the tragic splendours of Bernhardt's " Phedre," are hardly likely to find an adequate compensation in the songs of Miss Marie Lloyd. AT THE FALL OF THE CURTAIN. Our task of surveying ''Two Centuries of Amusements in Soho" is now accomplished ; the remaining paragraphs are by way of com- mentary, and can be skipped by readers whose inlerest in the question is historical rather than civic and patriotic. This epilogue would perhaps be out of place in an article which was not issued under the 2g 2 AMUSEMENTS OF SOHO. auspices of those whose work lies in the amelioration of Solio's social conditions, and in the encouragement of morality and of the highest kind of culture. Amusement is, at the present moment, simply a gigantic factor in our mid-London life. It was not always so. We were conversing, some time back, with a man, ninety years old, well acquainted with Soho at the beginning of the century, and he told us that opportunities for recreation were far rarer than nowadays, that times were harder, and that far less money was spent, save by the really affluent classes. We do not grumble at this latter-day multiplica- tion of Amusements in our midst ; we know that it must be a needful condition of our existence, living as we do within the beat of the great artery of the mightiest City's heart in the world. But we should be sorry for outsiders to suppose that we regarded the unreal and fantastic nature of our surroundings as an unmixed blessing. The present state of things is hard on the poor, whose trade com- pels them to live near their place of work. A suitable site for a Theatre or Music Hall will always fetch, in mid-London, an enormous sum ; rents are consequently rushing up every day, and dwellings, where respectable artisans might live, are being continually pulled down. " They will soon leave us poor folks nowhere to go to ! " remarked a woman to the writer, as we stood watching the demolition of houses to make room for the erection of the present Daly's Theatre. And these facilities for Frivolity have a specially harmful influence upon the boys and girls, more especially the latter, who grow up from babyhood to maturity, within a square mile of Charing Cross. Before writing these words, (though our own convictions upon the subject were fixed enough), we sought the opinion of an experienced Girls' Teacher, no prude either, and this is her reply, " The great number of Theatres and Music Halls in the neighbourhood has a distinct effect on the children, who, though quite as innocent as country children, are decidedly precocious and frivolous. Their frivolity is shown in their great love of, and acquaintance with, popular tunes, choruses, refrains and catchwords, and in their intense love of step-dancing. No street organ ever plays without its contingent of dancers, and numbers of school children, not by any means the poorest, join the theatrical dancing classes, and go with troupes on tour for six weeks at a stretch, in defiance of School Boards. They return to school to be a nuisance to the teachers, for finding the routine intolerably slow, they either set to work to enliven it, or treat the whole concern with a listless in- difference which nothing can overcome." It is absurd to imagine that this forcing-house atmosphere can tend towards the natural and healthy moral development of childhood. It would be an ill ending to introduce personal controveisial matter into an article intended to be peace-making and light-hearted, but, as we are showing that "all is not gold that glitters," it is impossible not to allude, in the most general terms, to the fact that, in quite recent times, well-grounded objections have been made, on the score of morality, by men neither fanatics or fools, against portions of enter- THEATRES. 293 tainments provided within the Soho area of our recent survey. Those objections met with no consideration, and the abuses complained of were not, so far as we know, redressed. Nor, should a similar cause of complaint arise, is there again likely to be any reparation or power of appeal. The Press, (with an eye to its advertisement columns), is hostile or indifferent, and no one who has been present at the pro- ceedings of the Licensing Committee of the London County Council, who has seen the brow-beating of opposition witnesses, who has listened to the unrebuked laughter at their expense on the part of interested spectators, can affect to believe that these Licensing Deliberations are conducted with much sense of justice and impar- tiality. We would fain flatter ourselves that these pages have shown that they have been written in a spirit of thorough sympathy for any- thing which has been hearty, healthy, and humorous, in the Amuse- ments of Soho of Two Centuries, but, when that which is vile and ignoble is foisted upon the young and unwary under the pretence of " High Art," then, we confess, we are inclined to say of such a present- ment, with the Veiled Prophet of Khorassan : " Nay, judge if hell, with all its power to damn, Can add one curse to the foul thing I am ! " Resident in Greek Street and Leicester Square. (See p. 65.) ( 295 ) APPENDIX PARISH OF ST. ANNE, WESTMINSTER. 1898. LIST OF OFFICERS. Clergy Parish Church of St. Anne. Rev. JOHN HENRY CARDWELL, M.A., Rector, Reftory House, 28 Soho Square Rev. H. B. FREEMAN, M.A., i Soho Square Rev. G. C. WILTON, M.A., 28 Soho Square Clergy Saint Mary, Charing Cross Road. Rev. ROBERT GWYNNE, M.A., Vicar, Clergy House, Charing Cross Road Rev. W. W. BUSBY, Clergy House, Charing Cross Road Rev. W. B. RUMANN, M.A., Clergy House, Charing Cross Road Churchwardens. Mr. CHARLES BLUNDELL LEATHERBY, 7 Lisle Street Mr. THOMAS FIGGIS CURTIS, 67 Frith Street Overseers. Mr. HENRY COOPER, 24 Greek Street Mr. JOHN BEASLEY, 35 Little Newport Street Mr. WILLIAM DUNSCOMBE, 25^ Lisle Street Mr. ALFRED PAIRPOINT, 8o.\ Dean Street Vestrymen. Rev. JOHN HENRY CARDWELL, M.A., 28 Soho Square \ o Mr. CHARLES BLUNDELL LEATHERBY, 7 Lisle St. ) [ *' .. _, ,. . , ' .- Churchwardens i W* Mr. THOMAS FIGGIS CURTIS, 67 Frith Street J Mr. JOHN BEASLEY, 35 Little Newport Street THOMAS FRANCIS BLACKWELL, Esq., J.P., 21 Soho Square Mr. HENRY COOPER, 24 Greek Street Mr. CHARLES DURBAN, 28 Lisle Street Mr. LAURISTON EVELYN FRASKR, 51 Charing Cross Road Mr. JAMES GOULBORN, 43 Greek Street FARQUHAR MATHESON, Esq., M.B., J.P., n Soho Square Mr. ALFRED PAIRPOINT, SOA Dean Street 296 APPENDIX. Mr. DOLBY BELHAM, SA Manette Street Mr. JOHN CHILD, 43 Leicester Square Dr. SAMUEL GRAHAME CONNOR, 15 Soho Square Mr. WILLIAM MILLER, 2 Macclesfield Street Mr. GEORGE BALL SHIPTON, i Upper St. Martin's Lane Mr. FREDERICK SMITH, 25 Newport Court Mr. ALFRED CLARE VARLEY, 137 Charing Cross Road Mr. ISAAC WILLIAM WOOLCOTT, 30 Little Newport Street Mr. GEORGE BRITTON, 66 Wardour Street Mr. CHARLES LUSON CRIBB, 38 Soho Square Mr. WILLIAM DUNSCOMBE, 25^ Lisle Street Mr. WILLIAM JOSEPH FRASER, 2 Soho Square Mr. FREDERICK WRIGHT GREGORY, 31 Little Newport Street Mr. JAMES MANDER, 61 Old Compton Street Rev. LANGTON GEORGE VERE, 2iA Soho Square Mr. HENRY WILSON, 5 Little Newport Street Auditors. Mr. GEORGE JOHN DONCASTER, 12 Leicester Place Mr. SIDNEY ERNEST FRASER, 51 Charing Cross Road Mr. CHARLES HENRY HORTON, 8 Lisle Street Mr. HENRY HORTON, 8 Lisle Street Mr. THOMAS FRIDAY, 58 Old Compton Street Vestry Clerk. Mr. GEORGE ALLEN, 17 Carlisle Street Messenger, Parish Constable, Sub-Inspector of Nuisances, & Coroner's Officer. JAMES OUTRIDGE SPINDELOW, Vestry Lodge, Dean Street Members of the Board of Works for the Strand District for St. Anne. Mr. JOHN BEASLEY, 35 Little Newport Street Rev. JOHN HENRY CARDWELL, 28 Soho Square [ 0% Mr. CHARLES LUSON CRIBB, 38 Soho Square Mr. WILLIAM DUNSCOMBE, 25^ Lisle Street Mr. THOMAS FIGGIS CURTIS, 67 Frith Street Rev. LANGTON GEORGE VERE, 2iA Soho Square Mr. LAURISTON EVELYN FRASER, 51 Charing Cross Road Mr. JAMES GOULBORN, 43 Greek Street Mr. WILLIAM MILLER, 2 Macclesfield Street FARQUHAR MATHESON, Esq., M.B., J.P., n Soho Square Mr. ALFRED CLARE VARLEY, 137 Charing Cross Road Mr. HENRY WILSON, 5 Little Newport Street Mr. HENRY COOPER, 24 Greek Street Mr. CHARLES DURBAN, 28 Lisle Street Mr. FREDERICK WRIGHT GREGORY, 31 Little Newport Street Mr. CHARLES BLUNDELL LEATHERBY, 7 Lisle Street Mr. ALFRED PAIRPOINT, SOA Dean Street Mr. GEORGE BALL SHIPTON, i Upper St. Martin's Lane A PPENDIX. 20,7 Clerk to the Board of Works. Mr. HENRY ANDREWS, 5 Tavistock Street, Covent Garden, W.C. Medical Officer of Health. FRANCIS J. ALLAN, M.D., D.Ph. Camb., 5 Tavistock St., Covent Garden, W.C. Public Analyst. Mr. C. H. CRIBB, B.Sc. Lond., Shaftesbury Avenue Surveyor and Chief Inspector of Nuisances. Mr. ARTHUR VENTRIS, 5 Tavistock Street, Covent Garden, W.C. Clerk of the Works and Inspector of Sewers. Mr. W. WILSHIRE, 5 Tavistock Street, Covent Garden, W.C. General Purposes Committee. The Parish Members of the Board of Works for the Strand Distrift. Improvements Committee. Messrs. BRITTON Messrs. LEATHERBY BEASLEY MANDER BELHAM MILLER DUNSCOMBE PAIRPOINT DURBAN SHIPTON L. S. FRASER VARLEY GOULBORN WILSON Disorderly House Committee. The Vestrymen Commissioners of Property, Land and Assessed Taxes. THOMAS FRANCIS BLACKWELL, Esq., J.P., 21 Soho Square Mr. E. MAYNARD W. GOSLETT, 26 Soho Square Mr. HENRY JOHN BERTRAM, 100 Dean Street Mr. JAMES SAMUEL BURROUGHES, ig Soho Square Additional Commissioners. Mr. EDWARD CLARK, 76 Dean Street Mr. JOHN CHILD, 43 Leicester Square Clerk to the Commissioners. Mr. EDWARD HERON ALLEN, 17 Carlisle Street, Soho Square Surveyor of Taxes. Mr. HENRY COLES, 37 Spring Gardens, S.W. Collectors. Mr. GEORGE BRITTON, 66 Wardour Street of Queen's Taxes Mr. ALFRED BEADELL, 81 Dean Street of Poor Rate, General Rate, and Sewers Rate For List of Guardians sec page 127. MAP OF ST. ANNE'S PARISH IN 1755, 299 INDEX Ads of Parliament : Catholic Relief 41 St. Anne's Church and Parish 2, 250 ,, Tower . . 5-7, 250 Weight of Silver .. ..238 Addis, Mr. William . . 81, 264 Airton, Mr. Edmund .. .. 225 Albert Hall Choral Society .. 217 Aldridge's (W. & S. Freeman) 160, 161 Alias, Mr. C 178,179 Allen & Sons, Messrs. .. 248-251 Mr. E. Heron 8, 14, 88, 250, 297 ,, Emanuel . 248, 249 ,, George . . 814, 88, 296 Beckford, Alderman 6, 95, 119, 276 Beethoven . . . . . . . . 217 Bela, Mr. Szepessy . . . . 227 Benham, Mr. W. J. ( B.A. . . 62 Best, Mr. W. F 222 Belts, Mr. John . . . . . . 226 Bevington, Mr. Henry .. .. 220 ,, Miss . . . . 220, 222 Mr. L. H 221 ,, & Sons . . 220-223 Bibliotheca Cantiana .. .. 178 Bickers & Son, Messrs. .. 171-173 Biggs & Sons, Messrs. . . . . 264 Bingham, Mr. F. H. . . 120, 125 Alley, Cranbourne . 238, 240 ,, Sidney . . . 240, 244 Almgill, Mr. John . 11,178 Almshouses .. . . . 31 Amusements of Soho . . . 265 Andreoli, Mr. C. . . . . . 226 Anne, Queen . . 155, 258, 259, 265 Anthony a Wood . . . . . . 224 " Antiquity " Smith .. .. 178 Arnold Trust 83 Assistant Clergy, St. Anne's 154, 158 Bishop Burnet .. .. 6,21 ,, Creighton . . . . 8, 146 ,, Compton .. 2,4,5,22,31 ,, of the Diocese .. 145, 146 ,, Squire . . . . 9, 145, 146 Bishop's Bequest .. .. .. 156 Blackwell, Mr. T. F. 8, n, 19, 25, 27 67, 82, 90, 295 Blomfield, Sir Arthur . . . . 7 Bloomsbury Hall . . . . 60, 62 " Blue Posts " . . . . . . 254 Aston & Mander, Messrs. . . 264 Athenas Oxoniensis . . . . 224 Austin, Mr. R. . . . . . . 264 Authority of the Vestry .. 144-147 Bach's Passion Music .. .. 12 Ballets . . . . . . . . 223 Baltzar . . . . . . . . 224 Bane, Peter Vander . . . . 233 Band of Hope . . . . . . 29 Banks, Mr. Benjamin . . . . 225 Banks, Sir Joseph 12, 216, 217, 222 Barebone, Nicholas .. .. 31 Barge, Rev. Thomas . . 46-50 Barnby, Sir Joseph 12, 216, 217, 222 Barrel Organs .. .. ..221 Barrett, Violin maker . . . . 225 " Battle of the Books" 171-173, 175 Bazaar, Soho . . . . 9-95 Bazaar, 1893 . . . . . . 177 Beadell, Mr. Alfred . . . . 183, 297 Bear and Bull Baiting . . 267, 268 Bearded Lady . . . . . . 287 Beare, Mr. John . . . . . . 226 Beasley, Mr. John . , 82, 295 Blundell & Bridge, Messrs. .. 180 Board School, Charing Cross Rd. 81 Boarding-out .. 106, 109, 119 Bond, Mr. Joseph .. 124, 125 Bonham, Messrs. W. & C. . . 264 Bonsor, Mr. Samuel .. n, 88 Booksellers' Association. . .. 173 Booksellers, Old 178 Booth, Mr. C. W. .. .. 230 Borawlaski, Count . . . . 278 Boswell . . . . . . 225, 254 Boulangier . . . . . . 226 Boyce .. .. .. ..211 Boys' Club.. .. .. 27,28 Braddon, Miss . . . . . . 98 Braham, Mr. . . . . . . 245 Bray, Dr. . . . . . . . . 22 Bread Charity, St. Anthony's . . 58 Breun, Mr. H. J. A. . . 230-233 J-E 233 Brooke, Mr. H. W 217 Brownett, Messrs. . . . . 245 Building of St. Anne's .. .. 4 Burford's Panorama . . . . 279 Burial Board and Ground 88, 89, 184 3 INDEX. Burial Registers . . . . 67 Burke, Mr. Edmund . . 68, 235 Burney, Miss . . . . 165, 235 Burroughes & Watts, Messrs. 166, 167 Bush, Mr. . . . . . . . . 171 Business Cards . . 238, 239, 241 Caldwell's Dancing Academy . . 24 Cantwell, Mr. . . . . . . 63 Cardwell.Rev.J.H. 8, 9, 10, 35,71,81, 295 Carlisle House . . 37, 191, 277 Carlyle, Thomas .. .. .. 171 Casher, Mrs. . . . . . . 108 Catholic Inst. of Great Britain . . 46 Cecilia, St. 217 Chambers, Lady, Charity 23, 24 Chambers, Rev. J. C. . . 31, 81 Chandler, Miss . . . . . . 222 Chanot, George Joseph and An- thony . . . . . . 226, 227 Charities of St. Anne's .. 81, 84 Charity Children . . . . 23 Charity School . . . . . . 150 Charles, Theress . . 226, 227, 228 Charles II. . . . . . . 269 Charlotte, Queen . . . . . . 234 Chateauneuf, Marquis of .. 231 Cheap Music .. .. .. 212 Chester, Miss . . . . . . 24 Child, Mr. John . .8, 81, 90, 264, 296 Children's Service . . . . 29 Christmas Carol . . . . . . 180 Church Building Methods 4, 6, 155 ,, of the Marist Fathers 56-58 ,, of Notre Dame de France 56 ,, Rev. Thomas . . . . 9 Churchwardens, List of . . . . 9-11 Churchyard . . . . 14, 88-90 Clark, Mr. Charles . . . . 258 Clark, Mr. and Mr. Joseph 8, 190 Clayton, Mr. H. R. .. ..217 Clerk in Orders . . . . 145, 146 Clinch, Mr. . . . . . . 240 Clive . . . . . . . . 236 Cock Pit at Whitehall . . 267, 268 Cockerell, Mr. S. P 7 Collecting Savings Bank . . 29 Collier, Jeremy . . . . . . 274 Commissioners for Building New Churches . . . . . . 155 Compton, Sir Francis . . . . 5 Congreve .. .. .. 271,272 Connor, Dr. S. G. 8, 19, 128, 296 Cooper, Mr. Henry 82, go, 128, 295 Cornelys, Teresa . . . . 38, 277 Corno di Basetto .. .. ..211 Corsby, George . . . . . . 226 Costa, Sir Michael 79, 163, 222 "Cream" .. .. .. .. 226 Cribb, Mr. C. L. .. 19, Si, 187, 296 Criminal Statistics . . . . 137 Croft, Dr. . . . . . . 12, 147 Cross, Violin maker . . . . 225 Crosse & Blackwell, Messrs. . . 182 Crouch & Son, Messrs. J. G. 245-246 " Crown and Golden Ball " . . 244 " Crown and Two Chairmen" . . 260 Curtis, Dr. J. H 253 Curtis, Mr. T. F. . . n, 19, 93, 295 Daily Prayers Davis, Mr. W. De Beriot, Mr. Derby Family Diamond Jubilee . . Dibdin, Charles . . Dibdin's Theatre . . Dickens, Mr. C. 171, 180 Dickinson, Mr. Frank Dobson, Mr. Austin Dodd, Mr. Thomas Dorchester, Countess of Drama in 1700 Drinking Fountain Drury Lane Dryden, John 180, 269, Duck hunting Dulau & Co., Messrs. Dunscombe, Mr. W. 82, Durfey, the Lampoonist Duty on Coals for Churches .. 156 225, 229 . . 211 .. 180 . . 246 ..281 ..254 , 192, 223, 270 .. 180 . . 269 ..225 ..6 ..271 14,251 ..275 271, 272, 274 268, 269 !73. 174 209-210, 295 ..224 Building ..155 Eaton, Rev. Stephen . . . . 9 Edict of Nantes . . 155, 229, 231, 237 Edmonton School for Parish Children .. .. .. 123 Edwards & Roberts, Messrs. 188-191 Electro-plating and Gilding 244, 246 Elkington, Rev. J. J 81 Endowments of Schools. . .. 24 Evelyn . . . . . . 224, 270 Exhibition, 1851 .. .. 227, 246 Factory Girls' Holiday Fund . . 87 Falconbridge, Earl & Countess of 152 Fanshawe, Lord, benefaction to Schools . . . . . . . . 24 " Feathers," The . . . . . . 254 Fendt, Bernard Simon . . . . 225 ,, Jacob . . . . . . 225 Fenn, Mr. C. . . . . . . 264 Fiddlers, Twenty-four . . 80, 224 Fifty Churches, Queen Anne's . . 155 Fines for not accepting Parish Offices 118 First Guardians .. .. ..119 ,, Workhouse.. .. 119,125 Fontaine, Peter de la . . 239-240 Foreigners in Soho 63, 155, 171 Forster, William . . . . . . 225 Fox . . . . . . . . . . 235 Fox Bros., Messrs. .. .. 245 INDEX. 301 Fraser, Mr. W. J. u, 125, 128,251-254 Hermann, Mr. Felix .. 228 Freeman, Rev. H. B. 19, 154, 295 Hill, Mr. Alfred . . .. 225 French Chapels . . . . . . 155 ,, Arthur . . . . 225 French Protestant Church 59-60 ,, ,, Joseph . . 225 Furniture during the Victorian ,, ,, Lockey . . 225 Era 185 William . . 225 ,, ,, William Ebbsworth . . 225 Gamble, Ellis .. 238,240,262 Hind, Rev. Richard 9, 119, 147, 149 ,, William . . . . . . 240 " Hockley in the Hole" . . .. 265 Garrick 235, 263 Hog Lane 35 Gee, Mr. Benjamin .. .. b Hogarth, William Gee, Rev. R. H 27, 154 238, 239, 240, 260-263, 266, 267 George I., II., III. 260, 153, 78, 77, 234 Hollen Street 2IO, 2ig ,, Mr. Joseph 11,88, 125, 183,184 Hollingshead, Mr. John . . .. 2 7 & Co 182, 183 Holloway, Mr. John .. 22 5 Georgeirenes, Joseph, Archbishop " Holophusikon ". . 285 of Samos .. .. .. 31 Homan, Mr. Leicester . . .- 2 5 8 Gill, Mr. G. T. S. .. .. 217 Hopkins, Purvis, & Sons . . 264 Girls' Friendly Society . . . . 29 Horton, Messrs.C.H. & H. 180 , 181,296 Gladstone, Mr. W. E. . . 99, 171-173 Hospitals : Gold Printing 174 Diseases of the Skin . . 73. 74 Gold-beaters, Sign of . . . . 223 Heart and Paralysis 73 " Golden Angel," The .. 238, 240 Lock 73 " Golden Balls," The . . . . 243 Royal Ear .. 70 " Golden Cup " . . . . . . 244 Women's 75. 7 6 "Golden Hart" .. .. .. 244 House of Charity .. 125 " Golden Crotchet," The . . 214 House, Sam .. 254 Goldsmith, Oliver 68, 165, 235, 254 Hewlett & Son, Messrs. . . 1 74- 1 75 Goldsmiths' Hall .. .. 240,241 Hubert's Circulating Library 177 Goodwin, Mr. E. . . . . . . 227 Hughes, Rev. H. P. 65-66 Gordon Riots . . . . . . 283 Hughes, Mr. W. E. Goslett, Mr. E. M. W. . . 8, 297 8, 12, go, 175, 176, 177 Goss, John . . . . . . 215 Huguenots.. .. 31,155, 212, 237 Goulborn, Mr. J. . . 8, 19, 128, 295 Gray, Messrs. R. & W. .. n, 220 Industrial Home 102, 125 Greek Huguenot Church 2, 31 " Intrepid Fox " . . 254 Guardians, first appointed .. 119 Irving, Sir Henry. . .. So for St. Anne's .. 128 Guild, Girls' Club .. 113,114 " Jack's Coffee House " . . .. 226 Gully, Mr. Speaker .. .. 12 Jay, Mr. Henry . . 225 Gwynne, Rev. Robert . . 35, 81, 295 Jeffreys & Son, Messrs. . . .. 264 Gylby, Mr. J. P 250 Jewish Girls' Club 84-87 Gymnasium . . . . . . 29 Johnson, Dr. 68, 165, 234, 2 35. 2 54 Justen, Mr. F *73, J 74 " Half Moon " .. .. .. 244 Hall, Jacob . . . . 269, 270 Katharine, Sister 64-65 Hall Caine, Mr. .. .. 35,116 Kean, Edmund . . 282 Hamlet, Mr. Thomas . . . . 244 Kelly, Miss . . 290 Handel . . 78, 79, 213, 215, 222 Kemp's Field 2 Harache, Pierre . . . . . . 240 Kimpton, Mr. J 175 ,, Jean . . . . . . 240 King, Mr. Gregory 237 Hare, Violin maker . . . . 225 King of Corsica .. 1 7 Harleian Society . . . . . . 176 King of the Two Sicilies. . .. 232 Harris, Organ builder .. .. n Kitto, Dr .. I 7 6 Bros. . . . . . . 245 Kytch 77 Miss Emily . . . . 85 Hart, Messrs., & Son . . . . 227 Lamarie, Paul de . . . . 240 ,, Mr. John .. .. .. 228 Lamb, Mr. Charles 211, 212 ,, Mr. George . . . . 228 ,, Miss . . 212 Hazlitt, Mr. W 16 Lambert, Mr. Francis 244, 245 Hearn, Rev. John . . 9, 19, 145 Lamplugh, Dr. " Hercules' Pillars " .. .. 254 Langsford, Mr. John .. I 7 302 INDEX Lawrence, Sir Thomas . . 65, 294 Leatherby, Mr. C. B. 8, n, ig, 80, go, 128, 181, 182, 2g5 Leftly & Twentyman, Messrs. . . 174 " Leicester," The . . . . 244 Leicester, Earl of, and family 150, 152, 180 ,, House . . . . . . 209 ,, Square 55. 219, 233-237, 270, 271 Lending Library . . . . . . 29 Leverian Museum . . . . 284 " Life in West London " . . 63 Lily, Sister . . . . 64, 65 Lincoln House . . . . . . 65 Lindley, Mr. G. . . . . . . 222 Linnaean Society .. .. ..71 Linwood, Miss . . . . . . 285 Litchfield. Mr. F. . . 8, 195 Literary Club . . . . 68, 254 Littleton, Mr. Alfred Henry 213-217 ,, Augustus Jas. 213-217 ,, ,, Henry .. 213-217 Loibl, Mr. E. . . . . . . 191 London City Mission . . 62-63 London Necropolis Co. . . . . 89 Long, Rev. Canon . . 46, 49 Lott, Messrs. E. F. & J. F. 226, 229 Macaulay, Lord 68, 129, 172, 173, 271 Macclesfield, Lord Chancellor . . 6 Macleod, Rev. Dr. . . 9, 156 Mahillon & Co., Messrs. . . . . 230 Malibran .. .. .. ..211 Manette, Dr. .. .. .. 223 Manette Street . . . . 220, 223 " Maritana " . . . . . . 222 Marley & Clark .. .. .. 180 Marshall, John, Violin maker .. 225 Marshall, Dr. John . . . . 9 Matheson, Dr. F., J.P. 70,90, 128, 295 Maucotel, Violin maker . . 226, 227 Mayfair . . . . . . . . 268 Meard, Mr. J. . . . . 23 Medical Booksellers . . . . 175 Mendelssohn .. 80, 211, 213, 215 Merlin, Violin maker . . . . 225 Merrick, Dr. Marshall Montague 9 Metropolitan Fire Brigade . . 250 ,, Police . . . . 250 ,, Public Gardens Assn. 14 Michael Angelo . . . . . . 236 Millbank, Mr. George .. .. 115 Ministering Children's League . . 29 Mitchell & Hughes, Messrs. 175, 179 "Mohawks" .. .. 98,276 Mohun, Lord . . . . 150-152 Monmouth, Duke of . . . . 96 Monmouth House . . 95-96 Montagu, Miss Lily N. . . 84-87 Monuments .. .. I 4' I 7 Morland, George .. .. 255-257 Morland, Henry . . . . . . 255 Morland's Hotel . . . . 255-257 Morrison, John, Violin maker . . 225 Mothers' Meeting.. .. .. 29 ,, Union . . . . 29 Mozart . . . . . . . . 278 Music Printing .. .. .. 214 " Musical Times " .. .. 213 National Gallery . . . . . . 237 Newport, Earl of . . . . . . 210 ,, House . . . . . . 210 ,, Market . . . . . . 137 Nightingale, Messrs. W. & C. . . 264 Nixey, Mr. W. G. .. 168-170 Nollekens and his times . . 95, 96 Norman, Violin maker . . . . 225 Norris, Rev. Father . . . . 46 Norris & Barnes, Messrs. . . 225 Novello & Co., Messrs. 171, 210-220 Novello, Mr. Alfred 210-212, 213, 215 ,, ,, Joseph Alfred . . 217 ,, ,, Vincent 2IO, 211, 213, 214, 217, 222 O'Leary, Rev. Father .. 43-45 Onslow, Arthur, Speaker . . 153 Organ .. .. .. n Organists .. .. .. ..12 Out-door Relief .. .. ..127 Overseers, Expenses of .. . . 118 Pairpoint Bros., Messrs... 246-248 ,, Mr. Alfred 8, 22, 246, 295 Palace Theatre . . . . . . 291 Pamphilon.. .. .. .. 225 Panormo, Vicenzo Joseph .. 226 ,, George . . . . . . 226 Paralysis and Epileptic Hospital, Queen's Square. . .. .. 222 Parker, Mr. A. W. . . . . 233 Parochial Institutions .. .. 29 Pauper Labour .. .. .. 121 Paving Committee . . 129, 165 Pearse, Rev. Mark Guy . . 66, 67 Peel, Sir Robert 133 Pell, Mr. C 60, 63, 73 Pelling, Dr. John.. .. 9, 145, i4g Penfold, Mr. J. H. . . 127, 128 Peter the Great . . . . . . 282 Pettitt, Mr. T. H. .. 8, 177 Pew Business . . . . . . 156 Picturesque Memories of Old Soho 177 Pino, Mr. A. . . . . 62, 63 Pitman, Mr. Isaac . . . . 222 Poland Street Workhouse . . 126 Population of St. Anne's . . 128 Portland Mansion . . . . 220 Poston, Mr. R. .... -.23 Prince of Wales, his pew and taxes . . . . . . . . 153 Public Garden . . . . 90 Pullman, Mr. John . . 8, 264 INDEX. 33 Purcell, .. .. 78, 210, 2ii Puttick & Simpson, Messrs. .. 161 " Queen Anne " Silver . . . . 239 Queen Anne's Fifty Churches . . 155 Queen Henrietta Maria .. 231,237 Queen Kapiolani . . . . 222, 223 Radcliffe . , . . 244, 245, 246 Rainsford, Gen. Charles . . . . 6 Rayman, Mr. Jacob . . . . 225 Reade, Mr. Charles . . 226, 229 Reader of Prayers .. 147,158 Redlors of St. Anne's . . . . g Redtory House, St. Anne's 95-97, 149 Registers . . . . . . . . 12 ,, of Silversmiths . . 240 Representatives of St. Anne's on the Strand Union Board .. 125 Representatives of St. Anne's on the first Westminster Union Board .. .. .. ..125 Restorations . . . . 7, 8, 156 Restoration Committee . . . . 8 Restoration of Charles II. .. 224 Reynolds, Sir Joshua 68, 129, 163-166, 223-236, 254, 260 Reynolds' Gallery . . . . 233 Richardson, Rev. Robert . . 9 Richmond, Mr. T. . . . . 23 Rider's Court . . . . 140, 240 Rinaldi, Mr. B. C., Violin maker 226 Robson, Mr. G. G 182 Rodds, Messrs. . . . . 177, 178 Rose Court . . . . . . 220 Rose Street . . . . 220, 222 " Rose and Crown " . . . . 254 Roumieu, Mr. R. L. . . . . 14 Roumieu & Aitchison . . 7, 14 Routledge, Messrs. . . . . 178 Royal Society of London .. 174 Royal Society of Musicians 77-80 Royal Soc. of Female Musicians 79 Royalty Theatre . . . . . . 290 Rutley, Mr. J. L. . . . . . . 233 Rymer & Son, Messrs. . . . . 264 Sacred Harmonic Society . . 163 " St. Anne's," Tune of . . . . 148 St. Anne's : Boys' Club . . . . 27 Burial Ground . . . . 88, go Choir . . . . . . 15 Church . . . . . . 3, 5, 18 Consecration . . . . . . 4, 5 Churchwardens.. .. g, n Churchyard .. .. 14, 251 Charities . . . . 81-83 Creation of Parish .. 2, 128 Parochial Institutions . . . . 29 Public Garden . . . . 14 Redors of . . . . . . 9 Rectory House . . . . g5-g? Schools . . . . . . ig-26 School Managers .. .. ig Volunteer Company . . . . 250 Workhouse .. .. 119-125 St. James' Square . . . . 129 St. James' and Soho Working Men's Club .. .. 115,116 St. John the Baptist's Home 102, 125 St. John the Evan., Bloomsbury 35 St. Margaret's, Westminster . . 128 St. Martin's .. ..2, 176, 128 St. Mary's, Charing Cross Rd. 2, 30-35 ,, Restoration Com. . . 35 St. Patrick's R.C. Church 25, 36-53 ,, Reftors of . . 36-53 ,, Schools . . 53-54 Sans Souci Theatre . . 254, 282 Sant . . . . . . . . 167 " Satirist," The . . . . . . 176 Savile House . . . . . . 282 ,, ,, Burning of.. .. 287 Saville, Sir George .. 129, 165 " School for Scandal " . . . . 255 Schools Penny Bank . . . . 2g Schools, Rose Street . . 22 Scott, Sir Walter . . . . 68, 271 Scott, & Sons, Messrs. G. W. . . 264 Self-help Loan Society . . . . 29 Sewing Parties . . . . . . 2g Shaftesbury Theatre . . . . 2gi Sheridan . . . . . . 235, 255 Sheffield Plating . . . . 244, 246 Shovel, Sir Cloudesley and Lady 6, 152 Shrove Tuesday Amusements . . 218 Silversmiths, List of . . 240-243 ,, of Old Soho 237-248 ,, Signs of . . 243-244 Sinclair Galleries . . . . 192, 193 ,, Mr. George . . . . ig2 Skeen, Miss .. .. ..24 Smith, Mr. T 225 Smith, Hon. W. F. D., M.P. 8, 35 Smith, Messrs. W. & G 236 Snetzlers, Organ builders . . 22 Snowden's Charity . . . . 82 Society of Arts .. .. .. 180 " Soho and its Associations " 174, 240 Soho and St. Giles' Mission 61, 62 Soho Girls' Club .. .. 110-115 Soho, Story of Old .. .. 17 Soho Type Foundry .. .. 214 Spanish Embassy . . . . 43 Spindelow, Mr. J. O. . . 157, 296 Squire, Bishop . . . . . . 9 Stagg & Mantle . . . . . . 264 Stanley, Hon. Maude 35, 111-115 Stockwell, Messrs. . . . . 245 Strand Union . . 123, 124, 184 Stuarts, The . . . . . . 237 Stuart Exhibition . . 224, 23* Styles, Mr. James . . 107, 108 INDEX. Sunday School "Tale of Two Cities" Tamplin, Mr. Augustus Taverns of Old Soho Tayler, Rev. R. S. O. Taylor, Mr. Tom . . Taylor, Violin maker Taxes on Knowledge Thatched House . . "The Royal Kiss" Thomas, Rev. John Thome, Mr. E. H. Thornhill Sir James Titles of Clergy . . Tobin, Violin maker . . 29 ..223 . . 222 ..2 54 .. 113,114 164, 210, 234 .. 225 222, 215 . . 68 ..182 9 ..13 259, 260 ..145 . . 226 Tom Brown's Amusements of Meridian London " . . . . 270 Torring, Violin maker . . . . 225 Tower Adi. . . . . . . . 5, 7 Tower, Old 5 Travers, Mr. . . . . 63 " Tremaine," by Ward . . . . 177 Trotter, Mr. . . . . 90, 91 Trotter, Mr. Stuart . . . . 62 Trustees of Tower Adi . . . . 6 Tubbs, Messrs. James & Son . . 229 Tuck, Mr. Edmund . . . . 248 Tuck, Mr. J. L 248 " Turk's Head " Tavern. . 68, 254 Urquhart Vander, Mr. Vere, Rev. Dean . . 37, Vestry, its Authority Vestry and Church Finance Vestry and Churchwardens 144, 147, 150 Vestry Clerks, Mr. Kendall . . 153 ,, Mr. Norton . . 149 ,, Mr. Peter Pegg.. 149 Mr. Salter . . 121 Vestry Hall built 5 Vestry Lodge . . . . . . 250 Vincens' Charity .. ..82, 83, 119 Violin and its Makers . . 227, 228 Violin Dealers . . . . . . 223 Vitry, Due de 231 Vitry, Duchesse de . . . . 232 Voluntary Offerings . . . . 156 Voluntary Rate 156 Vulliaume, J. B., Violin maker .. 226 Wade, Rev. Canon 9, 23, 31, 83, 95, 151, 156, 184 Wake, Dr., Archbishop of Canter- bury . . . . . . . . 6 Wakeling, Mr. Charles .. n, 23 Walker, Mr., Organ builder .. n Wallace, Mr. Vincent . . . . 222 Walpole, Mr. Horace . . . . 17 Waltham Watch . . . . . . 263 Wamsley, Mr. P. . . . . . . 225 Ward & Hughes, Messrs. 7, 199 Wardens of the House of Charity 81, too Wardour Hall .. .. .. 212 Wardour Street . . . . 188, 219 Watch House . . . . 5, 250 Water-gilding . . . . . . 246 Watson, Rev, J. S. . . . . 253 Webb, Mr. Samuel .. .. n Weddes' Hotel . . . . . . 220 West London Mission . . 65, 66 Western Literary Institution . . 163 Westminster General Dispensary 67-69 ,, Union Reforms 126, 127, 253 ,, Union Schools . . 105 ,, Union Workhouse 116-126, 125 ,, Volunteers.. . 250 " White Bear " Yard 209 22 5 White, Mr. Charles 233 Whittaker's Hotel 191 245 Willing, Mr 222 52. 53. 296 Willman, Mr. 211 144-147 Wilson, Mr. Henry . . 82, 142 e . . 147 : Wilson, Messrs. R. & W. Ltd., 257-265 Wilson, Mr. W 161 Wilton, Rev. G. C. 19, 154, 295 W'inchelsea and Nottingham, Lord . . . . . . . . 6 Window Tax . . . . 135, 184 Withers, Mr. Edward .. 225-229 Wombwell, Mr. George . . . . 279 Wylde's Globe . . . . . . 290 Young, Mr., Benefaction to Schools . . . . . . 24 Young & Sons, Messrs. . . . . 264 Zanetti . . . 226 UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA LIBRARY Los Angeles This book is DUE on the last date stamped below. WAY 10A.M. DUE - o uU1 l^CLA URUILL I WKS FRi Form L9-25)(i-9,'47(A5618)444 DO NOT REMOVE THIS BOOK CARD^J University Research Library