'^ml^^' »^-V H isw^s m^ ..M mm THE LIBRARY OF THE UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA LOS ANGELES THIS BOOK BELONGS TO THE HISTORY, TOPOGRAPHY, AND ANTIQUITIES HIGHGATE. mai IS said upon a subject is gathered from a hundred people T Dr. Johnson. Nor- 33 .j'Ly^iff^-W'MA^rM^f^TS— c/^ C^ ^-Z^-'-'/^- THE HISTORY, TOPOGRAPHY, AND ANTIQUITIES H I G H Cx A T E, IN THE COUNTY OF MIDDLESEX ; mWh llotcs ON THE SURROUNDING NEIGHBOURHOOD OF HORNSEY, CROUCH END, MUSWELL HHX, ETC. JOHN H. LLOYD, //(WOKAKV SF.CKr.TARy OF I IIP. IIICIICATE I.ITF.KARY ASP SCIF.NTIFIC INSTirVTIOS'. Sclitb a IJlap anb ?-(IIu!itration.';. HIGHGATE: PRINTED I!Y SUnSCKITTION ON liEIIALI'" OF THK LlItRARY FUND, IN CliLElJRATION OF IHK JUHIhEE OF THE INSTITUTION. 1888. [hazell.wa tsoh HtL 77 TO THE RIGHT HONOURABLE THE BARONESS BURDETT-COUTTS, AN HONOURED RESIDENT OF HIGHGATE, WHOSE LARGE-HEARTED LIBERALITY HAS INAUGURATED WORKS WHICH, FROM THEIR MAGNITUDE, MAY BE CONSIDERED ALMOST NATIONAL, AND YET WHOSE UNOSTENTATIOUS CHARITY HAS NOT OVERLOOKED THE PERSONAL WANTS OF THE SUFFERING POOR, THIS BOOK IS, BY PERMISSION, BY HER ladyship's OBLIGED AND OBEDIENT NEIGHBOUR, JOHN H. LI.OYU. A r.^i^nfCi'n P:R E F A C E ' I "HE labour involved in compiling a volume like the present, to -*- one unaccustomed to literary work, is so considerable that my readers might reasonably enquire. Why was it undertaken ? Having served the office of Honorary Secretary of the Highgate Literary and Scientific Institution for some twelve years, and during that time — aiming to make it a centre of local interest — collected and collated a very considerable number of prints and portraits relating to Highgate and its neighbourhood (now hung upon the walls of the reading-room of thi; Institution), I became the depositary of much local information, tradition, and gossip, which has given me an immense interest in the old village. This accumulated information I have been kindly and repeatedly urged to put into some permanent form. Having but little leisure, the matter has stood over until such a time as convenience and inclination might hai)pily meet. When the "Jubilee fever" in connection with Her Majesty's happy reign set in, it brought to mind the fact that the Institution was founded in January 1839 ; therefore in January 1888 it would enter u[)on //.<■ jubilee year : and it occurred to me that such a time might b(; fitly celebrated on behall ot an Instilution, which had given so marketl an viii PREFACE. impetus to the social and literary life of Highgate ; and that the best way to acknowledge its past usefulness would be to try to make it more efficient and helpful for the future, and as the beneficent result of the Elementary Education Act was creating a new class of readers, and giving a considerable stimulus to literature and to literary pursuits, it would be a most desirable object largely to increase the library, and for that purpose, as a jubilee memorial, to try and raise the sum of Five Hundred Pounds! This sum would purchase some Four Thousand additional books, which, added to the present number, would form an important library of Ten Thousand Volumes ! I make this suggestion in the belief that the more valuable the library, the more assured is the permanence of The Literary and Scientific Institution. With this impression, and believing that if the enterprise were fairly started it would meet a hearty response, it appeared to me that the time had now arrived when with a definite purpose the proposed " History of Highgate" might be written, the intention being to devote the entire surplus proceeds — after providing for cost of printing, etc.— to the Library Fund ; and thus, if my plans were brought to a happy consummation, securing a not inconsiderable portion of the suggested sum. This purpose was strengthened by a knowledge of the fact that the population of the parish of Hornsey — of which Highgate may be considered the capital — had during the last six years increased by Fifteen Thousand inhabitants ! and this without taking into account the adjoining and interlacing districts of St. Pancras and Islington ; and, further, from the lands now being laid out for building purposes, and the plans deposited almost daily at the offices of the Local Board, it was likely that a vast increase would be maintained for many years PREFACE. ix to come, and that this army of peaceful invaders would naturally be interested in the history of the locality of their homes, and thus there would be a fair chance of the proposed book commanding a sufficient sale to fulfil the end in view. But I candidly confess, I should not have had the courage to commence such a work had not its foundation been already laid. In 1 84 1 the Committee of the Institution offered a gold medal for the best essay on the " History and Antiquities of Highgate," appointing Harry Chester, Esq., President of the Institution and Clerk to the Privy Council; Rev. J. B. Dyne, D.D., Principal of the Grammar School, and J. Gough Nichols, Esq., the antiquary, as adjudicators. The minutes do not record the number of competitors, but simply state that William Sidney Gibson, F.S.A., F.G.S., of Lincoln's Inn, was the writer of the successful essay, and was awarded the medal ; and that it was read by the author in the theatre of the Institution, on 17th December, 1841. This essay was published as a pamphlet of si.xty-seven pages in a paper cover in 1842. That there was at least one other competitor is certain, as an essay by Frederick Prickett was also pub- lished in 1842, in the shape of an 8vo volume of 174 pages. Prickett •does not allude to the competition, nor, for obvious reasons, was he likely to do so, and although he failed in his original purpose, in the end he was entirely successful. Gibson's essay is that of an able and scholarly man knowing his authorities well, and how to use them to the best advantage, but utterly wanting in local knowledge and in local sympathy. Prickett's work was a "labour of love," and a real labour it was. I le had had no literary experience, and possessed but little faculty for X PRE FA CE. arrangement ; and having to explore historical and antiquarian fields hitherto unknown to him, with all his painstaking endeavour, he missed some of the richest ; but he had this immense advantage. Jic knew Highgate well, being not only a native, but a member of a well-to-do family that had resided there for certainly four generations ! and being a resident, he was in touch with his neighbours, who, sympathizing with him in his disappointment, encouraged him to publish his essay by subscription, and this, although long since out of print (as indeed both essays are), still remains " The History of Highgate." Besides this essay, I have had the good fortune to have access to some MS. notes, compiled by Prickett at a later date, of which I have made full use. Under these circumstances, it is a matter of simple justice that in re- writing the annals of Highgate, the names of these industrious compilers, now both deceased, should be prominently noticed. They have preserved and handed down information which has largely helped to invest Highgate with a kind of "old world interest." To me, the old village seems to be like a grave and honoured old patriarch, sitting in solemn grandeur on the hill top, surrounded by a crowd of impertinent staring young suburbs, which came into existence the day before yesterday. Had this volume been submitted to the public under the usual trade competition, I freely admit it would be dear as a book, and, I fear, dearer still as a literary effort ; but my aim, as frankly set forth, will. I hope, disarm criticism, and find a sufficient excuse for many manifest shortcomings ; in fact, I would respectfully suggest that subscribers should consider they have simply made a donation of one s^uinea to the "Jubilee Library Fund,' and received a book in exchange. PREFACE. xi Compilations like the present must necessarily consist of a judicious combination of "paste and patience," for it is obvious that local history cannot be produced on the convenient plan of the collection of autographs belonging to an ancient gentlewoman, who vouched for their authenticity, on the ground that "she wrote them all herself;" but its success must depend upon the amount of diligent research made by the compiler into the records of the past, and this very modest merit I venture to claim. I gratefully make my acknowledgments for freely rendered informa- tion and assistance To Mr. J. T. Taylor, Assistant Secretary of the British Museum ; and to the Librarians of St. Paul's Cathedral and the Guildhall Libraries. To Miss Bloxam, Mr. W. P. Bodkin, J. P., Mr. John B. Dyne, Mr. Ciiarlks Turner, and Mr. John Martin, representing old resident families. To Mr. Gilbert Robins, Churchwarden of Hornsey ; Mr. R. C. C. White and Mr. De Courcv Meaije of the Hornsey Local Board, and to Mr. E. B. Bennett of the .South Hornsey Board. To Mr. George Potter and to Mr. Ambrose Heal for the fullest use of their interesting and important local collections. To Professor Tomlinson, P. R.S., for the Sonnet which so happily closes the last chapter. To Mr. John .Sime and Mr. Jaah;s Dru.mmond, for their very practical and valuable co-operation ; and lastly To Mv Daughters, for their cheerfully rendered assistance as amanuenses. xii PREFACE. Old Camden in his Britannia quaintly sums up the status of a compiler thus : — " Through dangerous fords, o'er ways unbeaten too, The searchers after Truth are bound to go ; This poor employ can few Professors get, A boyish task, below the men of wit. But 'tis a work of hardship when begun, A load uneasie to be undergone." Having so happy a motive, I have not been conscious of the "load uneasie," but it is almost too much to venture to hope that my subscribers may altogether escape from the sense of its infliction. J. H. LLOYD. Merton Lane, Highgate, January i6lli, 1888. LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS. PAGE Samuel Taylor Colerjvge, from a portrait by Dawe, R.A. (1812), in possession of the Lord Chief Justice of England. Etched by Lowenstam Frontispiece. A Map of \i\c\\opci^, showing the position of the old houses, the Hunting Lodge, Tumulus, etc., etc To face page 256 Coin of Budicca (Boadicea) . 8 The Tl'mull's in the Parliament Fields, looking from Hampstead ; St. Michael's and St. Anne's Churches in the distance. Drawn by Sulman 25 Deed of Fkank Pledge, Manor of Haringey, bearing the names of Sir Thomas Rowe and Sir John Wollaston. From the Potter collection (process) 65 Crest on Gable of Southwood Court — The (lying spur 84 HoRNSEY Church, the second building. From the Potter collection 86 Two views of Highgate Chapel, Chatelaine 1750 (process) 116,117 The Chapel of St. Michael, Highgate, showing the old School-House. From the Potter collection 124 The Arms and Signature of Sir Roger Cholmelev 135 Seal of The Archway Company (process) 166 Signature of Wm. Rath band, founder of the old Presbyterian Church. From the Potter collection '85 " A Prty Wall " — an old stone at Bisham House 205 A Group of Old Houses, \\z., The Mansion House — Lauderdale House — Andrew Marvell's House — Dr. Coysch's House — Cromwell House, back of — Dorchester House — Fitzroy House — The Gate House. Drawn by Sulman 207 A.D. 1614 — a date on garden wall of Cromwell House 219 Arundel House, from the prospectus of Dr. Duncan's Academy. The Potter collection (process) 225 Hillside, garden front of an old house in Jackson's Lane. Drawn by Sulman . . . 278 xiv LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS. PAGE The Priory, Hornsey, the scene of the Jubilee celebrations. From a photograph by Herbert Lloyd 292 Old Farm House at Hornsey. From the Heal collection (process) 294 The Old V Mile Stone in front of Miss Bloxam's house 302 The Grove, Highgate, showing the Church of St. Michael, and No. 3, the house in which Coleridge died. Drawn by Salman 303 The Coleridge Vault under the Crawley Chapel. From a photo 320 A Group of Highgate Houses, viz., Caen Wood Towers — Merton Lodge — West Hill Place Winchester Hall— Parkfield — Southampton Lodge — Sacheverell's. Drawn by Sulman . 356 The signature of the First Lord Mansfield 366 The Highgate Horns (Gate House) 373 The Highgate Assembly Ticket (Old White Lion). From the Potter collection (process) 3S0 The Ponds on the top of the hill. From the Potter collection 412 Jack Foster's Cottage and Water-Cart with which he supplied water at Ad. per pail. From a photograph by the late Mr. Oakeshott 413 The Entrance Gate of Southwood Court. Drawn by Sulman 449 The Old Forge, High Street. Drawn by Sulman 450 CONTENTS CHAPTER I. ANCIENT RECORDS I CHAPTER H. THE I'ARISll, THE CHURCHES, AND THE CHOLMELEY SCHOOL ... 8$ CHAPTER HI. THE HAMLET OF HIGHGATE 157 CHAPTER IV. THE HOUSES AND THEHi RESIDENTS 2o6 CHAPTER V. THE GROVE. THE IITZROV AND THE CAENWOOD ESTATES . . . 303 CHAPTER VI. GOSSIP — CUSTOMS, ETC. — KORMER RESIDENTS WHOSE HOUSES ARE UNKNOWN 372 CHAPTER VII. IHOtlGATE OK TO-DAY 4 50 APPENDIX. LIST OE FOSSILS FOUND IX THK AR( HWAY CUTTINC; 508 INDEX ■ 511 r - *.' ^^'V'^ 'T'^^ftf'^^ia? "- ' :-/< THE HISTORY OF HIGHGATE. ) » « » < CHAPTER I. ANCIENT RECORDS. Geological formation — Etymology — The Roman road through tlic Innst ul' Middlesex — The Watling Street — The River Fleet — The Abbot ol St. All)aiis protects the roads — The Saxon Chronicle — The Danish scares^The Shire and its Gemote — The Hundred — The Tithing — Parliament Hill and the Banow — The Norman settlement — Lands belonging to Abbot of St. Albans transferred by the Contiueror to the liishops of London — Odo a representative Norman prelate — The Hunting Lodge and mighty hunters — The Bishop's leases — Traditions of the old lodge — Wallace — Bruce — Bolingbroke — The Associated Barons — Richard H. — Henry VL — Queen Margaret — Edward V. —Henry VH. — The manor of Hornsey — The customs of the manor — The Domesday Survey — Records of adjoining lands — Reasons for paucity of record — Court rolls of manor — The great forest of Middlesex — The original charter, its conlirmation by Henry UL— Extracts from the chartcTS of Edward L, Edward IIL, Richard \\. — Yew and chestnut trees — Penalty for killing the king's deer — The farm of Middlesex granted to the citizens with per- mission to hunt in the woodlands by Henry L, confirmed by Stephen and successive kings — The forest disafforested by Henry IH. — Proclamation of Henry VHl. — The city hunt — Bishop Aylmer — Notes of so-called subsidiary manors — Manors of the " Prebends of Brownswood " — "Ducket's (jr Dovet's " — " Farnie or Fernelields " — " Topsheld " — " Haliwic ' — "St. lohn of Jerusalem " — The Bishop's lands at Hornsey sold by the Commonwealth — Part of the old forest lands of Middlesex restored to public use by the Ecclesiastical Commissioners. HERE is reason to believe thai long after other portions of Great Britain were inhabited by man, the great valley or basin of which Highgate is oni' of tht! highest still conliiuicd in the condilion of an estuary ; the waters of the river Lea, before the eiiihankmcnt of the Thanics by the Romans, covering the marshy lands of 'lottenham, and e.xtending probably eastern confines of the present parish of Hornsey, lake from Tottenhani to llcrtfortl,' to which ' Robinson's History of Tottenham. northerly ridges to almost the formed a continuous 2 THE HISTORY OF HIGH GATE. vast expanse of waters the eminences of Hampstead and Highgate, crowned by the great forest of Middlesex, would present a picturesque background of considerable altitude. The geologist has found that the strata of the hill upon which Highgate is situated, and the fossils therein discovered, exhibit un- equivocal traces of marine deposit, and partake of the character exhibited elsewhere in the formations to which these strata belong. The clay which forms the basis of the superior strata, and the superimposed layer of sand, — which is nearly identical with that of the sea shore, — are doubtless the deposit of that pre-existent ocean which once submerged our island, and had probably not retired from it before the separation of Great Britain from the continent of Europe.' The excavations on the eastern side of Highgate Hill for the founda- tions of the archway, as well as the railroad tunnels under Primrose Hill and Hampstead Heath, have thrown considerable light upon the geological structure of the district, and afford good reasons for the belief that Highgate and the neighbouring eminences are throughout of a similar structure, the basis being a vast mound of ferruginous clay of a dark bluish-grey colour, changing near the surface, or where united with the superior strata, to a yellowish-brown ; and the identity of the substratum with that which extends throughout a great part of East Kent, Surrey, Middlesex, and Hampshire is abundantly established. Upon this mound of clay, more particularly at Highgate and Hamp- stead, rests a stratum of sand not by any means of uniform thickness, but lying in seams of unequal depth, in many places mingled with rolled pebbles or with clay, in others almost superseded by them. On the sides of the hills the soil is either wholly composed of clay, or a mixture of sand and pebbles under a very few feet of mould ; Park says, " About Highgate the arenaceous formation unmixed with clay or pebbles is of inconsiderable extent." ^ This latter statement can now be authorita- tively corrected, as, upon the whole of the roads of Highgate being lately excavated for drainage works, it was found that the upper portion of the village stood upon a stratum of fine sand of a yellowish tinge — known to geologists as the Bagshot sand — from six to thirty feet in depth!'' This sand contains e.xceedingly few fossils, but in the lower clay formation many specimens are found, a list of some of which, discovered by the late well-known Highgate geologist, Mr. Wetherell, will be found in the Appendix. During the archway excavations, amongst other fossil remains were found vegetable productions, pieces of wood pierced by the teredines or ' Parkinson's Organic Remains of a Former Wurld. "- Park's History of Hampstead. ^ Some ihirty-si.x feet have been actually e.xcavated ! ANCIENT RECORDS. 3 ship worms, sharks' teeth, palates and scales of fish, shells, especially some fine nautili of the large species which is so abundant in the blue clay near Hordwell, Hants,' and a peculiar resinous substance, which emits an odour when heated, and melts into a limpid fluid, which has been named Highgatc resin or Copaliiic. At the Museum of Practical Geology there is a large model, on a scale of six inches to a mile, showing the formation of the " London Basin," covering an area of one hundred and sixty-five square miles, from H amp- stead on the north to Penge on the south, from Turnham Green on the west to Barkinsf on the east. It shows the strata to the " Gault," which at the time the model was made had only been touched by two borings, the one at Kentish Town, the other at Crossness ; since then some lower beds have been reached, but it is safe to say that the " Gault" underlies the whole of London, with the " Lower Greensand " underneath it, and at a depth of over a thousand feet the " Devonian " formation. Above the Gault is the " Upper Greensand," but none of these strata appear on the surface. Next above them is the "Chalk," which does not crop out nearer London than Chislehurst. This formation is five hundred feet thick ; above it are the sandy beds named after Thanet, Woolwich, and Blackheath, where they are observed. Above them is the great bed of " London clay," some four hundred and fifty feet thick, capped here and there, as on the summits of Highgate, Hampstead, and the upper part of Richmond Park, by the " Bagshot sand." On the surface, especially in the northern suburbs, are alluvial deposits of various periods, but all post-pleiocene, consisting of glacial and old river drifts." On the sides of the northern heights may be discovered traces of the glacial epoch— in the heavy clay mounds and the beautifully rounded slopes fashioned by the continuous action of the waters. The vast icebergs of this period, as the divinely-appointed time arrived for their disappearance, seem to have moved long distances, carrying with them vast masses of matter, being the soil on which their foundations rested, or absorbed by them during the ages ot their formation ; and when their movements were arrested by the inequalities of the earth or the subsi- dence of the waters, they deposited these enormous burdens, and so formed the upper clay and brick earth we are so familiar with round Highgate.'' ISIuswell Hill is supposed to be a deposit of the glacial period; the railway cutting at the entrance of Nether Street, Finchley, is a glacial moraine, the rocks and fossils found there, being identical with those of Lincolnshire.' Imagination can only faintly conceive what the breaking up of the ' Fint; specimen in the Hii;ligate Institution. - AN'hitaker, Gcolo;^y oj London. ' Fire and building bricks arc the produce of the washed boulder clay. ' Geological Survey. 4 THE HISTORY OF HIGHGATE. glacial period meant ; it seems to have been accompanied by an un- usual amount of diluvial action, and possibly the separation of some portion of the land hitherto a part of the European continent. " The ice was here, the ice was there, The ice was all around ; It cracked, and growled, and roared, and howled Like noises in a swound ! " Coleridge. The grinding of the glaciers, the rush of the great drift lloods, the local displacement of the sea level, rolling the ocean over the land, the storm and horrible tem23est, seemingly utter destruction and ruin, but in His hands Who guideth all things, the preparation for the sustenance of the coming nations. It is not the sun which has made our land fit for the ploughshare and the harrow, it is the water and the ice ; these mighty forces crushed up rocks which would have defied the effects of "mere weather," grinding them down till they fell through the silent waters in soft fertile mud. We owe our arable land to the agency of the frost and the flood ; which ground as in a mill the upper portions of the surface rocks, rounded them off so beautifully as to be a constant source of delight, and then covered them with their own deposit, thus preparing the earth in due time for "creation's heir," or, as Hugh Miller beautifully puts it, " Man, the appreciative guest of the Divine feast." ' There is no reasonable doubt that at the time of the Roman in- vasion the whole country north of their Trinobantium, or London, was covered by a vast forest ; these woods were the natural fastnesses of the earlier inhabitants, and it has been suggested by Camden' that the etymology of London may be traced to the British word " Lhwn," or Grove, as designating " Lhwntown," or the City of the Grove. In this light it is not a little interesting to note that the corporation of London have recently been aiding in the preservation of a remnant of the original woods' from which the metropolis itself may have taken its name ; but a distinguished modern authority ' prefers finding its derivation from the words Llyn-din or don, a lake fort ; and remembering that the name of the Thames is derived from the Saxon " Tarn Ise," a collection of waters, and that London is described ' For traces of Paleolithic Man in North- West Middlesex, see work of that title by J. .\. Brown, F.G.S. ^ Camden, Britannia. ' Gravel Pit Wood, Highgate. ' Loftie, History of London. ANCIENT RECORDS. 5 by Ptolemy as being situated on " Tamesa ^estuarium," there is great force in this suggestion.' The hamlet of Highgaic is situated principally in the parish of Hornsey (otherwise Harringay, also spelt Harringee, Harrenghee, Harnesey, and Harnsey), partly in Islington (otherwise Eyseldon, from Ishel = A>a'tv', also spelt Iseldon, Isendone, Izendune, Isenden, Isleton, and Vseldon), and partly in St. Pancras, and is bounded on the north by Hornsey, on the south by St. Pancras, on the east by Islington, on the west by Hampstead. The hill on which it stands is four hundred and twenty-six feet above the sea level ; the highest point of Hampstead being four hundred and forty-one feet — fifteen feet higher. The etymology of Haringey or Hornsey, the mother parish, — some ten-twelfths of the hamlet lying within it, — is from a Saxon root," " Haringe," a meadow of hares ; if to which is added the word " haia,'' enclosure, " Haringhaia," we get the full meaning, viz., the enclosure of the field of hares. The identification of the meaning of the Saxon " haia " with our modern word hedge is established,'' and that parts enclosed from a forest surrounded by a hedge were so called. The termination "hay" is preserved in many ancient localities. In Exeter there is both the northern and the southern " hay," etc. From the .same root we get the name of Ilighgate, the Haia-gat or gate — the hamlet at the entrance of the enclosure, — doubtless a sufficient indication for the few cottag(!S lying under the shelter of the hill, the inhabitants of which found employment in the woods or the fields of th(; great land-owner. Nearly all our old towns, and many of our villages, have thus sprung up the feudal retainers of the noble, gathering as closely as possible arounil the " Castle " for protection and assistance.' Hatfield, within a few miles of Highgate, is a case in point, the narrow streets of mean houses on the side of a hill crowned by the stately mansion of the Cecils dominating the entire town. The transition from Haia-gat to Highgate is so easy that it only needs the rapid repetition of the wortl some half-dozen times — and Highgate is the outcome. It is of interest to note that the word "haia" seems to ha\c been d('riv<;d from the hawthorn fence, which was largely used for protectiviy trace the origin of the " strays " or commons by the sides of the road, which in later days became of so much importance, affording as they did grazing ground for cattle travelling to the metropolis or the other great centres of popula- tion, and which have only lately disappeared under the provisions of the various Enclosure Acts. These old " strays " were very numerous about Highgate, the northern entrance to the metropolis, and may yet be traced along the lines of some of the roads by rows of fine old trees, from twenty to sixty feet inside the modern hedge. There is a good example on the left-hand side of the road from Muswell Hill to Friern Barnet. It is much to be regretted that these public lands have been so completely absorbed, as they would not only have provided open spaces for exercise and recreation, but would have prevented our modern roads becoming the painfully straight lines of "macadam," correctly kerbed and channelled, they now are ; and if judiciously planted these old strays would have added breadth, beauty, and diversity to our suburbs, which might have rivalled the charming boulevards of Paris ; but the oppor- tunity has now gone for ever. (3f the period preceding that of the Norman appropriation of the land, we have scarcely anything that can be strictly called historic record ; but a few facts, if placed side by side, afford fair room for conjecture, which, when supported by collateral evidence that may yet be gleaned, are full of interest. This part of Middlesex appears to have been well known to, and appreciated by, the Romans during their long occupation of Britain. At Harrow, Cassevellan, the proti'gc' of Ccesar, is said to have resided. At St. Pancras and White Conduit Fields were traces of Roman works. The latter is conjectured to have been the camj) of Suetonius Paulinus, to which he retreated after his evacuation of London, and from which he sallied forth and defeated Boadicea at Battle Bridge. The capital town of the patriotic Queen of the Iceni was probably Norwich, known as V'enta Icenorum ; and as the Trinobantes took part in that terrible insurrection so justly provoked by the rapacity and insolence of the Roman legionaries, the war spread rapidly over Essex. Camulodunum (Colchester) was sacked and burnt, and the Ninth Legion" cut to ' Edward I. caused the underwood to be cut away for two hundred feet on each side of the road. — Palgrave. ■ Tlic hehnct of a ccnUirion of the Ninth Legion is to lie seen at (lolchestcr ("astle. 8 THE HISTORY OF HIGHGATE. pieces. In London, all who could not escape were annihilated ; and the inhabitants of Verulamium suffered the same fate,* so that probably enough both Hampstead and Highgate saw something of that frightful outbreak, something of the slaughters, and gibbets, and flames, and crosses, for which, as we learn from Tacitus, the indignant Briton was then fiercely eager. For there are indications of Roman occupation in both places, Hampstead and Highgate, as well as Fortis Green and Muswell Hill, having yielded spoils to the antiquary. The most important "find" at Highgate was made in the grounds of the Priory, Shepherd's Hill Road (Colonel Stedall's), at the time the house was being erected, by Dr. Wilmer. While the e.xcavations were being made at some ten feet below the surface, a vase was discovered, containing many coins of Probus (A 276) and Caracalla (A 311), and amongst other articles a fine bronze sword-handle. The spot where the defeat of Boadicea took place in a.d. 61 is very uncertain, and various sites have been as- signed. It was certainly not far from Lon- don, and most probably on the northern side of the metropolis. The fact of the existence of the remains of an entrenched Roman camp at Barnsbury, in a field which was COIN OF HUDiccA (BOADICEA). Called the Reed Moat field, to the north- west of Islington workhouse, strengthens the general tradition that the fight took place near Battle Bridge.- It is interesting to note that in excavating the site of the supposed camp for building, the skeleton of an elephant was discovered," and there is a statement that Julius Ca;sar, in forcing the passage of the Thames, placed one of these animals in his front, to the terror of the Britons, who fied precipitately ; ' although, from what we know of the Roman galleys, an elephant would have been somewhat dangerous freight ! The great difficulty in accepting the Battle Bridge site is, that it does not accord with the description of the field of batde given by Tacitus, " a spot of ground, narrow at the entrance, and sheltered in the rear by a thick forest, with an open plain before," — which would suggest a couple of eminences protected by a wood. As the site is so uncertain, why not suggest a more likely one, viz., the valley between the hills of Highgate and Hampstead, backed by the forest and almost on the lines of the great military roads ? In support of this theory we have to the present day one, if not two, ancient British tumuli, which may either cover the remains of British chieftains ' Professor Hales. •'' Seymour's Survey of London. ^ Nelson's /j//«^/w/. ' Poly:emis. ANCIENT RECORDS. 9 or may have been raised as a national memorial of the eighty thousand Britons who are said by the Roman account to have fallen in that hideous slaughter.' It is true that there is no trace of a Roman camp in the neigh- bourhood, but such works if thrown up on the sandy soil would soon disappear. The percolation of water alone if formed on the lower ground, as the account intimates, would soon have caused its destruction, leaving entirely out of account the vast quantity of sand that has been removed from the Heath and its neighbourhood in past years ; for it has been stated that in 181 1 some seven thousand loads of sand were taken off the Heath in the course of a single year ! ~ There is little doubt that the neighbourhood of the Roman roads, and more especially the .stations or small camps formed on commanding jjositions, became in cour.se of time, from the protection afforded by the marching and countermarching of troops, what the auctioneers would call " highly desirable sites for building or occupation," and therefore it becomes a matter of great interest to trace the line of the great Roman roads cut through the forest at the points nearest Highgate. The principal road was the famous Watheling or W'atling Street, or "Royal Way."-' Leyland calls it " Atheling " or Noble Street, running from London (if not from the coast through London) to the north of England ; and whatever its exact line, which in many parts is e.xtremely doubtful, there is not much question as to the point from which it emerged from the city of London. As in the front of the Forum at Rome stood the famous Milliarium Aureum or golden milestone, the i>oint to which every Roman road converged — whence the old proverb, "All roads lead to Rome" — .so the London .Stone is supposed to have been the spot from which the great roads made; by the Romans in England radiated. A portion of this old r(;lic may still be seen inserted in the .south wall of St. Svvithin's Church, Cannon Street (opposite the railway station), where it was jjlacecl in I 798. Stow in his Survey says : — " On the south side of Candlewick .Strc;et (Cannon Street), near unto the channel, is pitched upright a great stone called the Lonclon Stone, fixed in the ground very deep, and fastened with iron bars, and otherwise so strongly set that, if carts do run against it, the wheels thereof may be broken, yet the stone it.self is not shaken. The cause why this stone was set there, the time when, or other memory thereof there is none,' but that the same has long continued it is manifest, for at the end of a gospel book given to Christ's Church at ' T.icitus. ' Nevvcomb's S/. Albans. - Uneciual Assessments, etc., 181 1. ' Stow wrote about a.d. 1560. 10 THE HISTORY OF HIGH GATE. Canterbury, by Ethelane, King of the West Saxons, I find noted, land or rents in London belonging to the said church, whereof one parcel is described as to lie near to London Stone." And Stow alludes to "a fire which happened in the reign of King Stephen (1135) close to London Stone, beginning at the house of one Ailward, consuming all east to Aldgate and west to St. Erkenwald's shrine in Pawles Church." " These," says the worthy old chronicler, "be the eldest notes I have read thereof." After this fire, Fitzaylwin, the first Lord Mayor of London, erected a house of stone which in consequence of its novelty, the erections hitherto being almost entirely of timber, or else from its proximity to this stone, was called "London .Stone." In 1240 this house was standing, and its tenant took the name of John de London Stone. The stone is oolitic building stone, and it is suggested it may be a vestige of the house of Fitzaylwin ; but if so it is somewhat remarkable that but one stone should be left in situ, protected with iron stanchions ; it must surely have meant more to the citizens than a stone of an old house. This stone, from being so well known a spot, became a place for tendering money, and in fact was to the merchants of those days what " Paul's Walk " and " the Royal Exchange " were to later generations. But we gather the most valuable information as to the original importance of the stone from the records of the operations of clearing the ground surrounding it after the great fire, 1666. Sir Christopher Wren discovered the foundations of buildings on that spot undoubtedly Roman, so extensive that he came to the conclusion that they must have supported a very considerable monument or temple. Tesselated pave- ments were found to exist over a large area, and it is suggested that they might have formed portions of some eminent building, in the centre of which the stone, from which all measurements were taken, was placed, surrounded by statues of the Roman Emperors. Mr. Loftie, a very good authority,' is of opinion that the whole site surrounding the stone was a Roman fortification on the high ground conmianding the river, defended on the north and east by ditches full of water, on the south by the Thames, and on the west by the rivulet rising in the fens beyond Moorgate, draining the higher lands of Islington, and discharging into Dowgate Dock, afterwards confined into very narrow limits, and known as the "walled brook" (Walbrook) ; and states that "within the fort, close to the western wall, and therefore overlooking Dowgate " (almost the identical spot where the stone was fixed before the last removal) " was a large hall or basilica, with a tesselated pavement, perhaps the residence of the Governor;" or, according to another authority, ' I.oftie, History of London, 1883, vol. i., page 33. ANCIENT RECORDS. ii " the court where justice was administered." ^ "The Roman portion of the place was small, for up to the time the great wall was built London was a city of suburbs, as it is to-day. The long peace of Roman rule rendered it unnecessary for ordinary townsmen to live within fortifications. The whole of the sfround round this Roman fort was covered with houses, some great, magnificent, artificially warmed, frescoed, and painted, and some no doubt mere hovels * * * such must have been Roman London during at least two-thirds of its existence. * * * We are accustomed to talk as if Roman London was always the same, and to forget that it underwent many changes, and only acquired its walls towards the end of the Roman occupation. * * * The building of the wall, which still in a .sense defines the city boundaries, is an event in the history of London, not second in importance even to its foundation, since it made a mere village and fort with a te/e da pont into a great city, the capital of provincial Britain." - Yet we have no records by which an exact date can be assigned to its erection ; all we know is that in A.n. 350 London had no wall, and in a.d. 369 the wall existed.^ The new wall must have taken in an immense tract of what was until then open country, especially towards Cheap and Newgate, and transformed London into " Augusta," the wall enclosing a space of three hundred and eighty acres, being three miles two hundred and five yards in length.^ The chief exit on the western side was by Newgate, almost on the site of the medi;u\'al gate. Here the W'atling Street emerged from the city, skirting the banks of the River Fleet,"' called by Stow the "River of Wells." This river had its rise from the higher level of the Highgate Ponds, and descended swiftly into the lower country, passing in a south-easterly direction to St. Pancras, — -where until 1 766 it formed a large pond, inundat- ing the country to Battle Bridge, and was known as " St. Pancras Wash,"" — and fiowing onwards to Bagnigge-wells, where it was called the River Bagnigge, it formed the " Bagnigge Wash." It then ran through "Cold Bath " l-"ields and the valley between Leather Lane and Cow Lane, receiving the overflow of the wells, viz., "the Clarke's Well (Clerken- wellj, Skinner's Well, Fag's Well, Tode Well, Loder's Well, and Rodwell, all v.hich sayd wels having the fall of their overllowing in the foresaid River, much encreaseth the; streame, and in that place gave it the name of Well"" (River of Wells ~^) ; from ihcnce to the ' Harrison. ■' l-oftie. -■ Sir William Tite arrives at this conclusion by the comparison of two passages in Ammianus. ' Harrison. '' History of Kentish Town, /\non. ■' " Kleot," a flood— Anglo-Saxon. ' Munday's Slow. " It is called the " River of the Welles," in a charter granted hy William the Contjueror, A.i'. 106S, tn the College of St. Martin's-le-(Jrand. 12 THE HISTORY OF HJGHGATE. foot of Holborn Hill, and so under the present New Bridge Street to the Thames. The Fleet has now wholly disappeared in the sewers, but it was once a very prominent feature of London topography. Both it and the Tyburn took their rise in the dense clay of the region just below Hampstead, and whilst the Tyburn wound its course towards the west, the Fleet ran towards the east. Its early name, Hole-bourne, is easily understood, when we find it running between banks so steep that in places they might have been called cliffs. At Battle Bridge it entered a long valley, cutting its way through clay hills on either side ' until it emerged in the open ground of the Farringdon Valley between Holborn and Snow Hills. In 1 199 King John permitted the Templars of the New Temple to use the waters of the Fleet for some mills they had erected near Baynard's Castle. In 1290 (Edward I.) the White Friars complained to the king of the putrid e.xhalations arising from the Fleet, which were so powerful as to overcome all " the frankincense burnt at their altar during service," and even occasioned the death of many of the brethren. They petition that " the stench may be immediately removed, lest they should all perish." The Friar Preachers (Black Friars) also, and the Bishop of Salisbury, who resided then in Salisbury Court (Fleet Street), and whose gardens would doubtless abut on the river, united in the same complaint.- In 1307 (Edward I.) Henry Lacy, Earl of Lincoln, in a parliament holden at Carlisle, represented that " whereas in times past the course of the Fleete had been of such bredth and depth, that ten or twelve .ships navies at once with merchandises were wont to come to the bridge of Fleet, and some of them to Oldbourne bridge : now the same course by filth of tanners and such others was sore decayed ; also by raising of wharfs, but specially by a diversion of the water made by them of the New Temple for their mills, and by divers other impediments, so that ships could not enter as they were wont, and as they ought." He therefore desired that " the Mayor and Sheriffs might be appointed to make it as it was wont of old." In answer to this petition the river was cleaned and the mills removed, but it was never restored to its original breadth and depth. ^ In 1502 it was again cleansed and " scowered down to the Thames."* In 1586 it became so clogged with filth as to be alluded to by Camden as "the little river Fleet, now of little value but formerly navigable," and the Corporation of London spent a thousand marks in improving ' J. ("i. Waller, f.ondon and Middlesex Transactions. '- History of Kciilisli Town. ■ Ibid. ■' Stow. ANCIENT RECORDS. 13 lh(j u[j|jcr courses ol the river, hoping by the increased force of the current to keep the channel clear. These works were in progress in 1589-90, but the plan does not seem to have been successful, as in 1606 twenty-eight thousand pounds were expended in cleansing it and erecting floodgates, notwithstanding which " the brooke by means of continual encroachments upon the banks getting over the water {sic), and casting the soylage into the stream," had in 16 18 become worse than ever. In 1668 all the stony rubbish unfit for the building of St. Paul's was carted to its banks at the lower part of Fleet Street, where the proposed buildings required "hard and substantial matter."' And in 1670 it was enlarged and deepened so as to admit barges of considerable burden as far as Holborn Bridge, where the water was five feet deep at the lowest tides." But so convenient was this river as a receptacle of filth, that not being .affected by the active scour of the tide, the expense of maintaining its navigation became very burdensome, and it at length became a great and dangerous nuisance.' It was therefore arched over in 1734. Thus becoming extinct as a river, its history merges into that of the general sewers of the metropolis. The history of the Fleet has been dealt with .somewhat fully for two reasons, — first, because it has its rise between the Highgate and Hamp- stead hills ; and .second, because the VVatling Street seems practically to have followed its course to almost its very source. This old road seems to have passed up the Farringdon Valley to Battle Bridge — probably by the line of Gray's Inn Road, its older name being " Portpool Lane ; " from Battle Bridge across the site of the Great Northern and Midland Railway Stations to St. Bancras Church, about which spot there seem to have been traces of a military outpost ; thence by Hampstead between Primrose Hill ami the lower part of the Heath, and, from the fact of the di.scovery on this line of numerous Roman remains, not unlikely through Well Walk.' Some authorities carry the road in a rather more westerly direction, but all agree that ii skirted the manor of Hampstead, as is set forth in a charter of King lulgar to his minister Mangoda, thus — " These are the bounds of Ilamstede, from .Sandgate, along towards the south to Foxhangre, by the west to IVaf/ittg^ Street, along by the street northwards to Coccinge Pool, and east to .Sandgate." ■' ' Lewis, History oj Jsliiii^loii. ' Allen's Middlesex. ■ History of Kentish Toji'ii. ^ Park's Hampstead. 3 " Fleet ditch, with disemboguing streams, Rolls the large tribute of dead dogs to Thames, The king of dykes ! than whom no sluice of mud Willi deeper sable blots the silver Hood."— Pope. 14 THE HISTORY OF HIGHGATE. If by Sandgate we may suppose is meant the spot now rejiresented by the Spaniards ; Fo.xhangre, St. John's Wood ; and Coccinge Pool, one of the many ponds formed by the tributaries of the Brent this side of the "Welsh Harp" waters, the description is still intelligible, the more so when it is borne in mind that Hampstead was at one time included within the parish of Hendon.' Camden states that on the northern edge of Middlesex the Roman road commonly called Watling Street enters this county, leading straight from old Verulam to London over Hampstead Heath ; and in the archives of the Dean and Chapter of Westminster is preserved a document dealing with the lands of " Lotheresley," which appear to have been portions of land at " Hendon," which, with " Bleccenham and Codenhawe," Uunstan gave to the Church at Westminster, in which repeated mention is made of Watling Street.'""' Norden himself resided at Hendon, and may therefore be the better trusted for his local knowledge. His words are these : " Another auncient high waie which did lead to Edgeworth, and so to St. Albans, was over Hampstead Heath, and thence to and through an old lane called Hendon Waste, neere Hendon, through which it passed to Edgeworth, whence over Brokeley hilles, by Radnet, Colne Street, St. Stephen's, and St. Mychael's, leaving St. Alban's half a mile to the East. This way of some is helde to be W^atling Streete, one of the fower high waies which Bellinus caused to be made, and leadeth as some affirme through Watling Street in London." At the summit of Brockley Hill was another Roman station, " Sulloniaca," where so many remains of their occupation have been found, that the country people have a couplet running thus — " No head can think, or tongue can tell, What lays 'tween Brockley Hill and Pennywell." ' On many of the fine sites along this line of road have been found Roman remains, of residence and of sepulchre, the law of the twelve tables wisely forbidding interments in walled cities. The Roman soldier was therefore usually buried on the line of the " via strata," or military way, for the twofold reason — protection of the tomb, which in the case of the officers was often a work of art imported from Italy, and to keep green, in the constant marching and countermarching, the memory of a comrade who had fallen in a foreign land. Prupertius, remarks Horsley,'*' would not have needed to beg that " he might not be buried near a public road," if it had not been the prevailing custom to do it. The old road is interesting to inhabitants of Highgate, as probably ' Park's Hampstead '^ Lysons. 2 Ibid. ' Brit Roman, p. 391. ANCIENT RECORDS. 15 dctcriniiiing the line ol ihc first road cut through the great forest, and from the fact that the village lay so near to its route. Its beautiful site must have been well known and a[)preciated by the Romans, as dis- coveries already quoted prove; and there is little doubt that as the ground is excavated for building purposes further remains will be found ; for it should be remembered that after the lands were disafforested they became demesne lands of the manors, and therefore but few excavations in comparison with those in other neighbourhoods yielding such " finds " have yet been made, and it is most desirable that any discovery, however trifling, should not only be made public, but be submitted to the judgment of persons capable of estimating its relative value. Both IMaitland and Nelson are of ojjinion that a second great Roman road, the " l'>myn Street," passed through Highbury, Stroud Green, and Hornsey Wood, and so by the green lanes to Enfield. If so, it gives additional interest to the subject, as it is well known that these skilful soldiers always commanded the heights, and so dominated the adjacent countr)% and having reached the high lands above Hornsey Wood by the one road, it would be more than likely that they would keep a cross line of communication open through Highgate and Hampstead Heath to the other road, thus commanding the whole northern heights of the metropolis. The discoveries in Shepherd's Hill Road, Highgate, already alluded to, which would be the direct line of the cross-road, would strengthen this suggestion.' When the Roman occupation ot Britain ceased, these great roads seem very soon to have fallen into disuse and decay. Burton- says of the Watling Street, that "at the expiration of the Roman power in the island, and all being set on fire by the Saxons with war, an universal face of barbarism overran all (the road) that lay between the Chiltern and London ; it was overgrown by trees and bushes, and not restored again or the way (juitted till by Leofstan, Abbot of St. Albans, a little before the Norman entrance." Matthew Paris, in his life of the twelfth abbot of St. .\ll)ans, has gi\en a curious account of the means which were taken to restore the Watling Street between the Abbey Church of that place and the city of London ; for Albanus had become a very popular .saint, and travellers and merchants who were going beyond seas resorted to his shrine, "pro expiatione peccatorum suorum et corporum prosperitate ; " but the way thither became so inf(;sted with outlaws, in consecjuence of the impenetrable woods which adjoined ii, which were al.so fiill of beasts of prey, that the good pilgrims were in imminent danger of their lives or property. Abbot Leofstan, ];erceiving that the gifts which were offered to his church might be thereby diminished, re.solvcd to restore the wav lo its ' See page 8. ^ Uurtun's Itinerary. i6 THE HISTORY OF HIGHGATE. former state ; he therefore removed the obstructions, rebuilt the bridges, and levelled the rough places. Paris goes on to narrate the engagement which was entered into by the Abbot and a valiant knight named Thurnotho ; by which the latter and his followers were bound to defend the whole of the said highway and the country in the neighbourhood of the Abbey, and was to be answerable for any losses which might happen through his neglect. The historian adds that "Thurnotho was to have a goodly manor for his reward, but that the knight gave privately to the Abbot about five ounces of gold, a beautiful palfrey for his own riding, and a very choice greyhound." Leofstan's successor, Fritheric, the thirteenth Abbot of St. Albans, continued his care of the public way, though he vested its preservation in the hands of Theobald Abbot of Westminster, who seems to have deputed the office to some of his military dependants, for we read that " he gave all possible trouble and vexation to the Abbot and monks of St. Albans," being supported by his Norman friends and having good interest at court ; ' the whole narrative seems to point to military tenure. The gold, palfrey, and greyhound were the consideration for the grant, and the protection of the public way, the received service by which the lands were held. Palgrave says, " The wise Romans made excellent roads extending through all parts of their empire, and some of them can yet be traced in England, running- along as straight as an arrow. One of them is the Watling Street so often mentioned in history ; but after the fall of the Roman empire these roads were neglected and fell into decay, and a traveller could hardly proceed without danger * * * the bridges were broken down * * * and at the end of his day's journey, instead of putting up at a comfortable inn, he was compelled to stretch his cloak upon the damp earth, or lay it on the broken pavement of a haunted ruined temple." ' In the year 409 England by the withdrawal of the Romans was again an independent state. In the Anglo-Saxon C/it'oinc/i\ the curious but meagre record of early events, which is supposed to have existed in the time of Alfred, and even to have been partly compiled by him, there is the following entry : — " A.D. 400. — This year the Goths took the city of Rome by storm, and after this the Romans never ruled in Britain, and this was about I I 10 years after it was built ; altogether they ruled in Britain 470 years since Caius Julius first sought the land." The Chronicler adds under the year 418: "This year the Romans collected all the treasures that were in Britain, and .some they hid in the earth, so that no one has since been able to find them, and some they carried with them into ' Newcomb's History of St. Album. ^ History of the Anglo-Saxons. AXCIEXr RECORDS. i; Gaul." Gibbon recognized the value of this authority, and observes, " Yet our modern historians and anticjuarians extend the term of the dominion, and there are some who allow only the interval of a few months between the departure of the Romans . 1441 and 1500,' for Thomas Southwell, a priest, .said mass in the Lodge at llornsey Park upon the necromantic instru- ments whicii were to b(^ used for liie purpose of consuming ilu- person ' Strutt. ■'■ Slnitt. ' l'"itzstephen ' .\or(lc'n. 42 THE HISTORY OF HIGH GATE. of Henry VI. in 1441 ;' and Hornsey Church was built in the year a.d. 1500, with the materials of the ruins of the bishop's palace. - These dates tally with Norden's .statement, that "trees of a hundred years' growth were flourishing upon the foundations ol the old building i" I. 593" In the course of time the bishops admitted customary tenants to the manor and granted leases upon " certain conditions." The substance of these feudal land laws is of considerable interest. The leading conditions of the bishops' leases were — "That they (the tenants) shall perform all the duties that belong to horsemen. " That they shall pay all things that are due unto the Church, and perform all other rights that belong to it. " That they shall swear to be in humble subjection at the command of the bishop as long as they shall hold their lands of him. " That as often as the occasion of the bishop shall so require they shall present themselves to be ready for it, and shall both furnish him with horses and ride themselves. " That of their own accord they shall be ready to perform all the work about the steeple of the church {i.e., cart the materials to build the tower of Hornsey Church), and for the building of castles and bridges. "That they shall readily help to fence in the bishop's parks, and to furnish him with hunting weapons when he goeth a-hunting. " That in many other cases, when the occasion of the bishop shall require, whether it be for his own service or the king's service, they shall in all humbleness and subjection be obedient to the chief captain or leader of the bishoprick, for the benefit done unto them, and the (juantity of land every one of them possesseth. " That after the expiration of three lives, the land shall return again to the bishoprick. '' That if there be any defect in the performing the premises by reason of some shall vary or break the agreement, the delinquent .shall make satisfaction according to the justice of the bishop, or shall forfeit' the land which he had of his gift." '' Such were the conditions forced on the tenants of bishops' manors, a part of the feudal chain which held the whole kingdom in vas.salage. Before leaving the old Lodge it is necessary to chronicle the historical records connected with it, or the adjoining park ; for doubtless, as long as the building was habitable, the gatherings mentioned centred round it. Curiously enough its traditions an; as.sociated with the names of both the Scottish patriots Wallace' and Bruce. The incidents are ' Stow. ' Sir Henry Spelnian. - Lysons. ' Spelt " Walcys " in tlic old records. ANCIENT RECORDS. 43 narrated by Miss Porter in a tu gid historical romance called the Scol/is/i C/iic/s, a work very popular with our grandmothers. It is too dreary to reproduce. The outline of the story is that after Wallace was executed in Smithfield on 23rd August, 1305, his remains were secretly removed to the chapel of the Lodge at Highgate, then occu- pied by Gilbert, Earl of Gloucester, the son-in-law of Edward I., and remained there until a fitting opportunity occurred to remove them to Scotland. .Soon after the execution of \\'allace, the fidelity of Robert Bruce was questioned. He had hitherto been faithful to Edward, as in 1299 he was appointed one of the four Regents of Scotland who ruled the kingdom under Baliol. In 1305 he was certainly in London, as he was consulted by the king concerning the settlement of the govern- ment ; but falling under suspicion, withdrew to the; solitude of xhv. Lodge at Highgate disguised as a Carmelite friar. An act of treachery well-nigh betrayed Bruce, for a letter giving .some information was read aloud by the king in the accidental presence of his son-in-law the Duke of (Gloucester, a warm friend of both the Scottish patriots, whom the king addressed with a .su.spicious smile, saying, in a low voice, " In case you should know this new rebel's lurking-place, presume not to leave this room till he is brought before me. See to your obedience, or your head shall follow Wallace's." The king withdrew ; and the earl, aware that search would be made; through all his houses, sought in his own mind for some expedient to apprise Bruce of his danger. To write in the presence-chamber was impossible ; to deliver a message in a whisper would be hazardous, for most of the surrounding courtiers, seeing th(! frown with which the king had left the apartment, marked the commands he gave the Marshal : " Be sure that the Earl of Ciloucester quits not this room till I return." In the confusion of his thoughts the earl turned his eye on Lord Montgomery, who had only arrivetl that morning from an embassy to .Spain. He had heard with unutterable horror the fate of Wallace, and had arranged with Gloucester to accompany him that very evening to pledge his friendship to Bruce. To Montgomery, then, as the only man acquainted with his secret, he turned, and taking his spur off tied a feather to it, the generally accepted symbol of haste, and pulling out a purse of gold, he said aloud, and with as easy an air as he could assume, "Here, my Lord Montgomc;ry, as you are going ilirectly to Highgate, I will thank you to call at my lodge ; put the.se spurs and this purse into the hands of the groom we spoke of; he will know what usr lo make of them." He then turned n('gligently on his heel, ami Montgomery (|iiitti'd th(' apartment. The apprehension of this xouiig lord was not less (|uick than the inxcnlion of his friend. I \v. y:ui's.sed that tin; Scottish chiel was 44 THE HISTORY OF HIGH GATE. betrayed ; and to render his escape the less likely to be traced — the ground being wet, and liable to retain impressions — before he reached the Lodge he dismounted in the adjoining wood, and with his own hands, it is said, reversed the shoes on the feet of the horse he had provided for Bruce. He then proceeded to the house, and found the object of his mission, disguised as a Carmelite friar. Montgomery, handing him the spur and purse, urged his immediate escape ; and it is said that Bruce had hardly gained the cover of the woods before a military detachment was seen crossing the park. No epi-scopal act seems to have been dated from the Lodge later than 1306,' and Camden records that the Earl of Gloucester was a resident there in that very year,' and, therefore, it is not altogether unlikely that the remains of Wallace found a temporary resting-place under a friendly roof until a fitting opportunity occurred of sending them to Scotland. Miss Porter states^ that Buchanan names "Montgomery" as the friend who apprised Bruce of his danger. Holinshed * attributes it to "Gloucester," but a Scotch tradition credits one of the "gentle John- stones " as the quick-witted messenger. This family is now represented by Sir F. W. J. Johnstone of Westerhall, of which family .Sir Harcourt Johnstone, now Lord Derwent, is of the younger branch. Their crest is the flying spur, with the motto, " Nunquam non paratus " (Never unready), which crest, it is stated, was bestowed on the family by Robert Bruce after he had obtained the Scotti.sh crown. This is a very interesting tradition, to present residents in Highgate, from the fact that when Mr. J. G. Johnson erected his charming house in .Southwood Lane (South- wood Court), without being aware of the tradition, the family crest, " the flying spur," was carved on the corbels."' And thus, after a lapse of nearly six Jnindrcd years, the achievement of the "ready messenger" is chronicled in stone, singularly enough within a few hundred yards of the place with which the tradition was first as.sociated. An event in which our village was doubtless interested was the visit of Llewellyn, Prince of Wales, and the Barons of Snowdon to London in A.I). 1277 to do homage to Edward L They were accompanied by large retinues, who went quartered in Islington and the neighbouring villages. " They liked neither the wine nor the ale of London, and though plenti- fully entertainctd, were much displeased at a new manner of living, which did not suit their tastes, or perhaps their constitutions ; they were still ^ Lysons. 2 Gilbert Clare, Earl of Gloucester and Hereford, went with oilier En.olish barons to the Pope, respecting the canonisation of Thomas de Cantilojie or Canlilupc. Bishop of Hereford about 1305. — Ormsby-Gore MSS. ^ Scottish Chiefs. ■« Chronicles. " See p. 84. ANCIENT RECORDS. 45 more otTciidcd at the crowds of people that llocked about them when they stirred abroad, staring at them as if they had been monsters, and laughing at their uncouth garb and appearance. They were so enraged upon this occasion that they engaged privately to rebel on the first opportunity, and resolved to die in their own country, rather than ever to come again io London, as subjects to be held in such derision." ' In A.i). 1386-7, in the tempestuous reign of Richard II., "the Duke of Gloucester, the Earls of Arundel, Warwick, Derby, and Nottingham, etc., etc., repaired to arms for the purpose of opposing Robert de Vere, Earl of O.xford, whom the king in the excess of his partiality had created Duke of Ireland. They assembled their troops in //aniuoay Park, and so overawed the king that he requested a confer- ence at Westminster." "' Another version states, with respect to this rising '■' : — " The Duke of Glocester and the Lords of his party linding the designs of the courtiers against them, first endeavoured to vindicate and then to defend their artifices. And the duke offered to purge himself by oath before the Bishop of F^ondoii, that he had no design against the King's person or dignity ; with which the Bishop accjuainted the King, and was like to have obtained credit, till the Earl of Suffolk violently incensed his Majesty against the Duke. For which the Duke took the liberty to tell him openly. That it became Jiini to be wholly silent, since he lived condemned in Parliament, and lived only by the Kings grace and favor. But finding the King so much at the F.arl's disposal, as to com- mand him out of his presence, he informed the Duke how much the King was inlluenced by his wicked counsellors, and advised him to obviate the destruction prepared for him ; whereupon the Duke immediately sent for the Larls of Arundel, IVarioick, and Derby, eldest son to the Duke of Lancaster, who all resolved to raise an army and stand u[)on their guard, and to treat with the King concerning the Public affairs, and that im- moderate favor sheiun to them who ivere traitors both to him and the Public. But the King endeavoured to SLirprise them singly, belure they had joined thtMr forces ; but failing in the design, the confederate Lords marched towards London to Ilarringay I 'ark, near llighgate, where at their rendezvous the;)- mustered above 40,000 mc;n. This broke all the King's measures, and prevented a voyage he had designed for I'" ranee, when, as Walsingham assures us, he was to have delivered up Calais and other important places to the French King, which, l)y lh(' fatal counsel of his llatterers, he was to have sold to that Prince, on condition he was to ' CartL-, tlistory of Eiij^land. " Camden, History of England. ' Eachard, History of Em^/nnd. 46 THE lUSTORV OF IllGHGATE. assist him to subdue his rebellious nobility. The King was now in great contusion, and held several consultations with his favourites ; and being one time willing to divert himself by the rambling discourse of a crack- brained Knight, called Sir Hugh de Lynn, kept by the charity of the courtiers, he jocularly asked him what he should do with the Lords at Harringay Park. To which Sir Hugh answered very gravely, ' Let us inarch out, .Sir, and kill every man of them, and then, by * * * * eyes, you will have bravely destroyed the most faithful subjects in your Kingdom.'" A.i). 1397. — "On St. Matthew's day, Edward, Earl of Rutland, the Earls of Kent, Huntingdon, Nottingham, Somerset, and Salisbury, with the Lords Spencer and Scrope, in a suite of red gownes of silke, garded and bordered with white silke, embroidered with letters of golde, propounded the appeal by them to the King, at Nottingham, in the which they accused Thomas, Duke of Glocester, Richard, Earl of Arun- dell, Thomas, Earl of Warwick, and Thomas de Mortimer, knight, of the premised treasons, and of an armed insurrection of Harringay J 'ark, traitorously attempted against the King.'" A.D. 1399. — "When King Richard the Second was taken prisoner by the Earl of Northumberland, and conveyed to the Duke of Lancaster, he was removed by Nantwich to Newcastle in Staffordshire, where the old Earl of Warwick, recalled from banishment in the Isle of Man, met him to upbraid his severity ; from whence he was brought from Stafford to Lichfield, and being lodged in the castle had like to have escaped out of a window, but was discovered and put under greater security. From hence he was carried in a few days through Coventry, Daventry, Northampton, Dunstable, and St. Albans to London. When the Duke was come to Harringay Park, the ALiyor and companies in their liveries, with trumpets sounding, met him and paid him much more respect than the king himself"" Rymer and Holinshed state that the nobles were attended in the above turbulent periods by such prodigious retinues that they not only filled all the vacant apartments in London and its vicinity, but in all the towns and villages round the metropolis. A.D. 1441. — "Roger Bolingbroke, a great astrologer, with Thomas .Southwell, a canon of St. .Stephen's Chapel at Westminster, were taken as conspirators of the king's death, for it was said that the same Roger .should labour to consume the King's person by way of Negromancie, and the said Thomas shoukl say masses in the Lodge of Harnsey Parke beside London, upon certain instruments with which the said Roger should use his craft of Negromancie against the faith, and was assenting to the said Roger in all his works. And the five and twentieth day of July, being .Sund.iy, Roger Bolingbroke with all his instruments of ' Stow. ^ Daniel, History of England. ANCIENT HISTORY. 47 Negromancie, that is to say, a chayre paynted vvherin he was wont to sit, upon the 4 corners of which chayre stood 4 swords, and upon every sword an image of copper hanging with many other instru- ments : he stoode on a high scaffolde in i^iul's Churchyard, l)erore the crosse, holding a sword in his right hand and a scepter in his left, arrayed m a meruellous attire, and after the sermon was ended by Maister Low, Bishop of Rochester, he abiured all articles longinge to the crafte of Negromancie or missowaing to the faith, in presence ot the Archbishop of Canterbury, the Cardinal of Winchester, the Bishops of London, Salisbury, and many other. " On the Tuesday next followinge dame Eleanor Cobham, daughter to Reginald Cobham, Lord of Stirborough, Duchesse of Glocester, lledde by night into the sanctuary at Westminster, which caused her to be suspected of treason." ' "In the meantime Roger Bolenbrooke was examined before the King's CouiLsaile, when he confessed that he wrought Negromancie at the stirring and procurement of the said Dame Eleanor to know what should befall of her, and to what estate she should come, whereupon shee was cited to appear in St. Stephens Chapel in Westminster, th(-re to answer certain articles in number 28, of Negromancie, witchcraft, sorcerie, heresie, where when shee appeared the foresaide Roger was brought forthe to witnesse against her, and said that shee was cause and hrst stirred him to labour in the said Art. " That these four persons should at the request of the said Duchess, devise an image of wax, like unto the king, the which image \\\v)- dealt so with, that by their devilish incantations and sorcery, they inteiuk-tl to bring out of life little and little the king's person, as they little and little consumetl the image, for the which reason and others, finally they were convicted and adjudged to die, but Ahister Thomas Southwell died in the Tower of London." - "The Devil teacheth how to make [)ictures of wax or clay, that by tile roasting thereof, the persons that they bear the name of, may be continually melted or dried away by continual sickness," — is the dictum of the wise King James, and in Grafton's Chronicle it is laid to the charge (among others) of Roger Bolingbroke, a cunning necromancer, and Margery Jordane, the cunning Witch of Eye, " that they at the recjuest of Eleanor Duchess of Gloucester had devised an image of wax representing the king (Henry VI.), which by their .sorcery gradually consumed ; intending thereby finally to waste and destroy the king's person. " .Shakespeare alludes to this circumstance in i'ari II. Ilciiry / 7., Act I., Scene iv. ' :3tow. " Fabyan. 48 THE HISTORY OF HIGHGATE. A.D. 1461. — "The Earl of March routed the king's army at North- ampton, when Henry was again taken prisoner, brought to London, and lodged once more in the bishop's palace. The success of the confederate lords had so elated the citizens of London, who were well affected to the cause, that they committed several outrages against many persons of the Lancastrian party. " The Lord Scales, who had refused to deliver up the Tower to the Earl of Marche before the battle of Northampton, now, finding the king in the hands of his adversaries, and despairing of relief, surrendered upon terms. " Imagining, however, that the articles were not sufficient to secure him from the fury of the citizens, whom he had highly injured, he endeavoured to escape by water ; but being unfortunately discovered by some of the Earl of Warwick's watermen, he was barbarously murdered and his body thrown into the river. No enquiry being made after the perpetrators of this deed, it gave encouragement to carry on a kind of proscription, and among others who suffered death by the violence of the mob was Thorp, formerly Speaker of the House of Commons, but at this time a Baron of the Exchequer." ' " Baron Thorp was a man of many good parts, and ever faithful to his Soveraigne Lord King Henry the Sixt, by whom he was specially employed bothe in peace and warre, against the violence of his headstrong Lords, but in the end it was the hard happe of this v'right Exchequer man to be beheaded at Highgate, by the Commons of Kent, the 1 7th day of February, 1461.""' .\.i>. 1 47 1. — Highgate was enlivened by a scene of great martial display, upon the return of Queen Margaret, consort of King Henry VL, at the head of the Lancastrian troops from the battle of St. Albans, where she had defeated the army of Yorkists, commanded by the Earl of Warwick. What number of troops entered Highgate is unknown, but Camden states 2,300 of the vanquished perished in the pursuit, and if so our fields must have been covered with the dead and the dying. A.D. 1483. — That youthful, unfortunate, and short-lived Prince PZdward V. succeeded to the throne. " As the king and Duke of Gloucester drew near the City of London, Edmund Shaw, Goldsmith, then Mayor, and William White and John Mathews, Sherriffs, with all their brethren the Aldermen in scarlet, and 500 commoners on horseback in purple-coloured gowns, met at Harnsey Park, and with great honour and reverence conducted him through their City to the Bishop of London's Palace near St. Paul's, on the 4th of May." •' ' HaxxKon's History 0/ London. '' Wecvcr's Funeral Monununts. ^ Sir Thomas More. ANCIENT RECORDS. 40 In this solemn cavalcade the Duke of Gloucester's deportment was very remarkable, for riding uncovered before the king, he frequently called to the citizens with an audible voice to " behold their prince and sovereign." ' A.I). 1485. — After the battle of Bosworth put an end to the short usurpation of Richard III., and placed the crown on the head of Henry Earl of Richmond, the king was received by the magistrates of London with due formalities at Highgate, and conducted to St. Paul's Cathedral, where he offered the standards taken in the battle. A.u. 1487. — Henry \'II., on his return to London after his defeat of Simnel and his adherents, " was met in Harnsey Park by the INIaior, Aldermen, and Sherriffs and principal Commoners of the City of London, all on horseback and in one livery to attend upon him, when he dubbed Sir William Home, Maior of London, Knight, and betwixt Isledon and London he dubbed Sir J. Percival, Alderman, Knight." ' There are records of Royal visits to Highgate at later dates, but these were associated with Arundel House rather than with the Lodge and Hornsey Park. THE MANOR OF HORNSEY. The antiquity of the manor of Hornsey is established by the fact that the lands therein descend according to the ancient custom of gavelkind. Sir William Blackstone ob.serves that " from Caesar's account of the tenets and discipline of the Druids a few points may be collected which bear a great affinity and resemblance to some of the modern doctrines of English law, and it may be observed that the very notion of an oral unwritten law, handed down from age to age, by custom and tradition, may have been derived from Druidical sources, and the partible quality also of lands by the custom of gavelkind which still obtains in many parts of luigland, and did obtain universally in Wales till the reign ot Henry VIII., is undoubtedly of British origin." And after enumerating the most remarkable among the .Saxon laws of King .Alfred's code — the original of that system of maxims and customs known as the Common Law — he instances " the descent of their lands to all the males equally without any right of primogeniture — a custom which obtained among the Britons, was agreeable to the Roman law, and continued among the .Saxons till the Norman Conquest. " ''' Lands descend in the manor of " Hornsey," as well as in the adjoining Manor of " Cantlowes," according to this ancient custom. This tenure or custom is very common in the county of Kent. The word is .said by Lambard to be compounded of three Saxon ' WX^n'^ Jliilory 0/ Loin/oii. * Stow. ' lilackstone's CV/z/wcw/rt/vh'. 4 50 THE HISTORY OF HIGHGATE. words, gyfe, eai, /cyn, or omnibus coguatioiw proxiniis data. Verstegan calls it gavel kind, or "give all kind,' that is, to each child his part; but Taylor, in his history of Gavel kind, derives it from the British Gavel that is, a hold, or tenure, and coined gcneralio, or faniilia ; and so gavel cenned might signify tennra genej'ationis. It is generally knovv^n what struggles the Kentish men made to preserve their ancient liberties, and with how much success those struggles were attended : and as it is principally here we meet with the custom of gavelkind, though it was, and is, to be found in other parts of the kingdom, we may fairly conclude that this was a part of their liberties. According to Selden, before the Norman Conquest gavelkind was the general custom of the realm. The principal and distinguishing properties of this kind of tenure are these : ist. The tenant is of age sufficient to alienate his estate by feoffment at the age of fifteen ; 2nd. The estate does not escheat in case of an attainder and execution of the tenant for felony, the maxim being, " the father to the bough, the son to the plough ; " 3rd. In most places the tenant had the power of devising lands by will, before the statute for that purpose was made ; 4th. The lands descend not to the eldest, youngest, or any one son only, but to all the sons together, which was indeed anciently the most usual course of descent all over England, although, in particular cases, particular customs prevailed.' In the adjoining manors of Islington and Edmonton, the customs of " Borough English " prevailed, by which the younger son inherited the lands in preference to his elder brothers, the probable reason being that the youngest son on account of his tender age was not so capable as his elder brothers of maintaining himself; or this custom may possibly have had an eastern origin — the elder sons having taken their portion and left the younger .son with his father. But there are other reasons assigned. It is of singular interest to note the preservation of these ancient customs, and, remembering the violent changes which passed over early Engli-sh society, it is remarkable that these landmarks should have made a successful defence against the tide of time, which has swept away nearly all other local associations. If the statement Is correct, that the Conqueror seized the lands belonging to the abbey of St. Albans south of Barnet, and added them to the see of London in .v.d. 1068,- which lands would without doubt Ije on the line of the great north road, then the Manor of Hornsey has belonged to the Church from time immemorial. In the history of the diocese of London '' It is stated that " this parish, Hornsey, or Harnsey, in old records Haringeye, Haryngaye, Ilarringhay, or Ileringhay, for .so many ways is it written, is in all matters of eccle- ' Cyclopadia Britannica. - Daniel's Hislory of England. •* Newcourt. ANCIENT RECORDS. 51 siastical cognizance exempt from the archdeacon of Middlesex, and entirely subject to the Bishop and his Commissary of London and Middlesex, both the manor and the advowson of the Church having been beyond all record in thd Bishop of London." This fact seems to favour the idea that if the lands were bestowed by the Conqueror on Odo. or any other Norman prelate, they were rather a personal than an official gift : and it is further remarkable that the manor is not mentioned in the Domesday Survey, in which record Fulham and Stepney are the only manors set forth as belonging to the see of London ; but there are reasons which would fully account for this omission, which will be presently referred to. Sir Richard Baker, a resident of Highgate.' asserts that "William I., by the advice of Roger, Earl of Hertford, caused the whole realm to be described in a censual roll (whereof he took a precedent from King Alfred, so as there was not one hyde of land but both the yearly rent and the owner thereof was therein set down), — how many plough lands, what pastures, fens, or marshes, what woods, farms, and tenements, were in every shire, and what every one was worth. Also how many villains every man had ; what beasts, what cattle, what fees, what other goods, what rent or commodity his possessions did yield. This book was called The Roll of lVi7iton, because it was kept in the city of Winchester. By the English it was called Doomsday Book, either by reason of the generality thereof, or else corruptly instead of Domus Dei book, for that it was laid in the church of Winchester in a place called Domus Dei." According to this roll, taxations were imposed, sometimes 2S., and at this time ds., upon every hyde of land (a hyde containing, as Master Lambert proveth, one hundred acres). In all those lands which he gave to any man he reserved dominion in chief to himself, as also a yearly rent, and likewise a fine whensoexer the tenant did alien or ilie. These were bound to him 1)\' oath of f(^alt\' or homage, and il au)' ilied his son being within age, the king received the profits oi his lands, and had the custody and disposing of the heir's bod)' until his age of one-and- twenty years ! " The list of the public records states " there are two volumes of Domesday, containing a general survey of England, made in the time of William the Conqueror, which are the most ancient books of record in the realm. One volume contains the counties of Essex, Norfolk, and Suffolk, the other contains the rest of the counties in England, except Durham, Cumberland, Westmoreland, and Northumberland." This important work, invaUiable to the student of history, was begun by order of the far-.seeing ' Clironidcs of the Kiiii^i 0/ Eiii^laiui. '' The survey was called Domesday, the popular idea being thai it was a boolc of" judgment. 5 2 THE HISTORY OF HIGHGATE. Conqueror in a.d. 1080, and finished in 10S6, as appears by an entry at the end of the second volume, in what seems to be contemporary writing. "Anno Millesimo OcTOGEsnio sexto ab ixcarnatione Domini ViGESIMO VERO REGNI WiLLI FACTA EST ISTA DESCRIPTIO, NON SOLUM PER lies TRES COMITATUS SED ETIAM PER ALIOS." All the country between the Tees and the Tyne was held by the Bishop of Durham, and he was reputed a count palatine, having a separate government ; the other three northern counties had just been laid waste by fire and sword. There was nothing to chronicle ! ' A few notes may be acceptable, showing by what manner of men the land was then occupied. There were the barons, who were the Norman nobles,- and the Thanes, the Saxon ; there were the freemen, the freeholders of a manor — many of these were tenants of the king "in capite," i.e., they held their possessions direct from the crown ; others placed themselves under the protection of some powerful noble, paying some stipend or performing some service. Next to the freemen came the " socmen " or dependent landholders, with a permanent tenure ; then the " villani," who were allowed to occupy land upon performing services of the meanest nature — they could acquire no property in lands or goods, and were subject to many exactions and oppressions, not altogether bondmen, but representing the Saxon " churl ; " and lastly, the slaves, or the Sa.xon " theow." ^ Leaving the nobility and the dwellers in towns, the rural population, which would then represent Hornsey, were divided into bee-keepers, ploughmen, shepherds, neat- herds, goat-herds, swine-herds, and vine dressers. DoDicsday affords indubitable proof of the cultivation of the vine in England. There are thirty-eight entries of vineyards in the southern and eastern counties.' The primary object of the Survey was tor the purpose of taxation, which, levied under the name of "danegeld," was first collected by King Ethelred about a.d. 990 to pay the Danes, either as friends for protection, or as foes whose room was more appreciated than their company ; and although this reason had passed away in the Conqueror's time, yet the tax was continued under its old name, although it was appropriated to entirely different purposes. The number of hides of land in England dealt with by this Survey is ' Sir H. Ellis, Introduction to Domesday. - Ten Norman chiefs, who held under the crown, are enumerated in the Siinvy as jwssessing 2,820 manors ! 3 Sir H. Ellis. ' There was a vineyard in East Sniithtleld belonging to the Nunnery of .\ldgate. The Isle of Ely was called l.a He des Vignes, and notes of tithes for wine appear in the accounts of many of the parishes of Kent, Surrey, etc. — Holinshed's Chronicle. See Forest Charters, p. 70. A NCI EXT RECORDS. 53 estimated at 243,600,' and rated at 6s. a hide, which was the sum exacted yearly by the Conqueror, would amount to about ^73,000. In the suc- ceeding reign, William Rufus, it was reduced to ^s. ; by 1 Ienr\- I. to t,s. ; and by Stephen to 2s. a hide. The following are a few extracts from the Domesday Survey, beino- records of the nearest adjoining lands to Hornsey, which may be of interest as showing the items reported : — In Osolvcstane {Ossulton) Hundred,- Bishop of Londons lands. " Ralf a canon holds Rugmere, it answered for two hides ; there is land to one jjlough and a half ; there is one plough in the demesne, and half a plough may be made. Wood (nemus) for the hedges four shillings ; this land is worth thirty-five shillings ; the same* when received in King Edward's, forty shillings ; it was in King Edward's time and now is in the demesne of the Canons. " Manor. — The Canons of St. Paul's hold Tothell ('I^ithill). It always answered for five hides. There is land to four ploughs. There are three ploughs and a half there, yet a half may be made. There are four villanes and four borders. Pannage for one hundred and fifty hogs ; and twenty shillings for herbage. Its whole value is four pounds ; the same when received in King Edward's time, one hundred shillings. This Manor belonged and belongs to the demesne of .St. Paul's. "Manor. — The Canons of .St. Paul's hold four hides in .San Pancra- tium (St. Pancras). There is land to two ploughs. The villanes have one plough, and another plough may be made. W'ood for the hedges, pasture for the cattle, and tw(;nty pence. There are four villanes who hold this land under the canons, and seven cottages. Its whole value is forty shillings ; the .same when received in King Edward's time, sixty shillings. 'Fhis land laid and lies in the demesne of .St. Paul's. " Walter, a canon, holds one hide to San Pancratium (St. Pancras). Land to one plough; then; are twenty-four vassals, who |)ay thirty shillings a year. This land laitl antl li(;s in the demesne of the church of .St. Paul's. "In Lsendone (Islington), the canons of St. Paul's have two hides of land to one plough and a half. There is one plough there, and a half may be made. There are three villanes of one virgate. Pasture for thi; cattle of the village. This land is and was worth forty shilling.s. This land laid and lies in the d(Mn(;sne of the church of .St. Paul's. " In the same villaofe the canons th(;msel\'es have two hides ol land. There is land there to two ploughs and a half, and they are there now. There are four villanes who hold this land under the canons ; and four borders and thirteen cottagers. This land is worth thirty shillings ; the ' C'aniden'.s Britannia. '- Kev. \\ . li.iwdu-cn's Translation nf Domesday. 54 THE HISTORY OF HIGH GATE. same when received in King Edward's time, forty shillings ; this laid and Hes in the demesne of the church of St. Paul's." Land of Geojfry De Mandevile in Osuk'csiaiw [Ossitlton) Hundred. " Gulbert holds of Geoffry half a hide in Isendone (Islington) ; there is land to half a plough, and it is there, and one villane and one border. This land is worth twelve shillings ; the same when received in King Edward's time, twenty shillings. Grim, a vassal of King Edward, held this land and might sell it." Land of Derman Londonensis. " Derman holds of the king half a hide in Isendone (Islington). There is land to half a plough. There is one villane there ; this land is, and was, worth ten shillings. Algar, a vassal of King Edward's, held this land, and he might sell and give it. " The suburb (hoc suburbium) of Hertford pays twenty pounds weighed and burnt, ^ and three mills ten pounds by tale ; when Peter the Sherriff received it, it paid fifteen pounds by tale. In King Edward's time, seven pounds and ten shillings by tale."" Several causes may be assigned for the fact that no mention is made in the Survey of the lands of Hornsey. In the first place the lands of the bishops and the religious houses were, although partly scheduled, exempt from the tax, in consequence of their holding them by direct grants from the crown. Secondly, the forest land was not liable, as the crown had overriding jurisdiction, if not in actual possession. Thirdly, it is set forth that in some few estates the number of hides was not known, and that they never paid the tax is probable, owing to their never having been turned into tillage, and it is certain the forest of Middlesex was not in tillacje when the Survev was taken. Fourthly, the bounds of the manors of St. Pancras and Islington were not accurately set out, and, therefore, the small portion of arable land then existing in the parish of Hornsey may have been included within their limits. And fifthly, the lands formerly belonging to the Abbot of St. Albans, south of Barnet, had been seized by the Conqueror, and they are supposed to have included Hornsey, and may at that time have been in his actual possession. There is yet another inference which may be suggested by the immense number of acres covered by the expression "the suburb of Hertford," which may have; included these lands, for the ' When Domesday was compiled there was always a fire in the Exchequer, and if they liked not the alloy of the money they burnt it and then weighed it. * Bawdwen. ANCIENT RFXORDS. 55 payment (as a compounded sum) was £20, in lieu of the (ax, and taking the hide, say of a hundred acres at six shillings, this would bring the acreage up to nearly seven thousand ! Therefore, there seems little doubt but that this was one of the estates of " unknown quantity," and as it included the forest lands it may have embraced the whole parish of Hornsey.' (See page 64.) It should be borne in mind that the " hide " of land was of somewhat uncertain quantity ; there was certainly a larger hide of one hundred and twenty acres, and a smaller hide of some thirty acres, as yElfgar, a king's thane, left by his will, a.d. 958, a legacy of "a hide of one hundred and twenty acres." On the other hand, it is stated with authority- that it is impossible to assign, on the basis of a general calculation of the area of the kingdom, more than " forty statute acres ' to the Saxon hide, on the lines of which, as the recognized measurenutnt of the country, the Normans doubtless acted. Of the old demesne lands of the Manor of Hornsey there are but few records, and, therefore, we must be content with such limited infor- mation as we may be able to gather from them, supplemented by any gleanings that are available; from less direct sources. A great and deeply lamented cause is assigned for the ab.sence of numer- ous valuable documents, which might have been rescued from oblivion but for the destroying hands of ignorant marauders. Ancient records collected by the monks whose monasteries were suppressed, and libraries pillaged, were destroyed in great quantities, with merciless barbarity. Collier .says : — " Another misfortune consequent upon the suppression of the abbeys was an ignorant destruction of a great many valuable books ; most of the learned records of that age were placed in monasteries. Printing was then but a late invention, and had .saved but a few books in comparison with the rest. The mass of learning lay in manuscripts, and the most considerable of the.se, both for number and quality, were in the monks' possession. Hut the; abbeys at their dissolution, falling often- times into hands who understood no further than the estates, the libraries were miserably disposed of. The books, instead of being removed to royal libraries, to the cathedrals or the universities, were frequently 'thrown in' to the grantees, as things of slender consideration. Now these men oftentimes proved a very ill protection for learning and antiquity. Their avarict; was sometimes so mean, and their ignorance .so undistinguishing, that when the covers were somewhat rich, and would yield a little, they pulled them off, threw away the books, or turned them ' I'art of the suburb of Hertford is slill hounded by the brook at Whetstone, not very far from the extreme northerly jioint of the parish of Hornsey, which, not many years since, extended further in thai direction than at present. '■^ Kemble's Anglo-Saxons. 56 THE HISTORY OF HIGHGATE. to waste paper. Thus many noble manuscripts were destroyed, to a public scandal and an irreparable loss of learning." ' John Bale, a man remarkably averse to popery and the monastic institution, remonstrates against this barbarity in pretty strong language to King Edward VI. " Covetousness was at that time so busie about private commodity, that public wealth, in that most necessary respect, was not anywhere regarded. A number of them which purchased those superstitious mansions, reserved of those library books, some to serve their jokes, some to scour their candlesticks, and some to rub their boots, and some they sold to the grocers and soapsellers, and some they sent over the sea to the bookbinders, not in small numbers, but at times whole .shipsful. Yea, the universities of this realm were not at all clear in this detestable fact. But cursed is the belly which seeketh to be fed upon so ungodly gains, and so deeply shameth his natural country. I know a merchantman (which shall at this time be nameless) that bought the contents of two noble libraries for forty shillings price ; a shame it is to be spoken. This stuff hath he occupied instead of grey paper, by the space of more than these ten years, and yet he has store enough for as many years to come. A prodigious example is this, and to be abhorred of all men which love their nation as they should do. Yea, what may bring our nation to more shame and rebuke, than to have it noised about that we are dispersers of learning ? I judge this to be true, and utter it with heaviness : that neither the Britons under the Romans and Saxons, nor yet the English people under the Danes and Normans, had ever such damagfe to their learned monuments as we have seen in our times. Our posterity may well curse this wicked fact of our age, this unreasonable spoil of England's most noble antiquities." " The Arts and Sciences fell under this common calamity. " How- many admirable manuscripts of the Fathers, Schoolmen, and Commenta tors were destroyed by this means ! What numbers of historians of all ages and countries ! The Holy Scriptures themselves, as much as these gospellers pretended to regard them, underwent the fate of the rest. If a book had a ' cross ' on't it was condemned for popery, and those with lines and circles were interpreted the black art, and destroyed for conjuring. And thus divinity was profaned, mathematics suffered for correspondence with evil spirits, physic was maimed, and a riot com- mitted on the law itself." ' The author of a work entitled Letter's ivritten by Eminent Persons in ilie Seventeenth and Eightccntli Centuries states : — " The splendid and magnificent Abbey of Malmesbury, which possessed some of the; ' Collier's Rixlesiastical Jlistoiy. - Bale's declaration upon Ldattd's Journal, 1549. ^ Fuller's Cliiinh History. ANCIENT RECORDS. t,y finest manuscripts in the kingdom, was ransacked, and its treasures either sold or burnt to serve the common purposes in life. An antiquary who travelled through that town many years after the dissolution relates that he saw broken windows patched up with rem- nants of the most valuable manuscripts on vellum, and that the bakers had not even then consumed the stores they had accumulated for heating their stoves." "As brokers in Long Lane when they buy an old suit, buy the linings together with the outsides, so it was conceived that such as purchased the buildings of monasteries should in the same grant have the libraries (the stuffing thereof) conveyed to them ; and these ignorant owners, so long as they might keep a Lieger book or Terrier by direction thereof to find such straggling acres as belonged to them, they cared not to purchase any other ornaments.' ' " They were sold to grocers and chandlers, and whole ship loads were sent abroad to the bookbinders, that the vellum or parchment might be cut up in their trade ; covers were torn off from their brass bosses and clasps, and their contents served the ignorant and careless for waste paper. In this manner English history sustained irreparable losses, and it is more than probable that some of the works of the ancients perished in the indiscriminate destruction."- I'Vom causes such as these, the reason is evident why documents relating to the lands of Ilornsey in common with those of other Church lands are faulty and meagre ; but still a few valuable facts can be gathered by which the tliin line of history may be followed. The See of London, although its muniment room may not have suffered pillage, has been particularly unfortunate, fire having more than once destroyed its cathedral, and presumably many of its more ancient documcmts. But a few have fortunately been saved, thanks to conscientious official care, in spite of barbarism, fire, and damp. The most ancient documents known relating to Hornsey are : — A.I). (,\) Court Roll of the Manor .... (li) The Record of Pope Nicholas's Taxation (c) Record of an Escheat of the liishop's Lands . (d) Election of a Bailiff ..... (i;) Patent Rf)lls ; Rcxord of Conveyance of Laiuls i Mortmain to th(; Archbishop (i) Court Roll ((;) Court Roll ' l-'iiller's Church Ilis/ory. - Southcy's History of the Chxreh. 1284 I29I 1 303 1 '344 '375 1460 58 THE HISTORY OF HIGHGATE. The Court Rolls are of peculiar interest, throwing light, as they do, upon old customs, and recording the names of old residents ; the only regret is, that more have not been preserved. By the courtesy of the Librarian of the Chapter House Library, St. Paul's Cathedral, we have the satisfaction of printing extracts from the only three that exist, which we do with the greater pleasure, that not only have they never been before printed, but beyond occasional shifting and dusting, it is probable they have hardly seen the light since they were deposited with the archives of the See of London in St. Paul's five to six hundred years since, excepting when they were removed during the burning of the Cathedral. Translation : — A.D. 1284. Court Rolls, etc., of Haringay Manor, in the Custody of the Dean and Chapter of St. Paul's C.\thedral, Londo.n. Roll I. — Roll of Accounts of William de Kent, Steward of Haringay, dated from Friday after the Feast of St. Bartholomew [24th August] 12 Edward I. [1284], to Saturday after the Feast of Exaltation of Holy Cross next following [14th September], namely, for three weeks. [N.B. — The roll consists of two membranes.] Mcitibraiw I. Amongst the items are : — {a) Plough, etc., account. For iron ; and shoes for the horses, etc., 13?/. (b) A bushel of meal for " potmell," fr/. ; for salt, id. Membrane II. Account of John Saward from Saturday after Feast of E.xaltation of Holy Cross [14th September] to Monday after Feast of St. Martin [11th November] 12 Edward I. [1284], namely, for eight weeks. Among the items are : — [a) Rent from Haringay for Michaelmas Term, £\ \2s. \0^d. Rent from Finchley for same term, 6s. ^\d. Received for Romscot,' 2od. (b) Pannage account. For pannage \i.c., pasturage, etc., for pigs] for pigs of Her [ingay] and Fynch [ley], '^'^s. \od. id) For lease of Haringayelond for 5 weeks, los. jfr/. And for lO foals going into the lords park, 2s. 6d. (d) Expenses of lO men with 5 ploughs, ploughing "ad parcariam " [i.e., enclosure] of the lord, and for 2 " scattercrs " [spargcntes], and I sower, ighi. with two meals a day. (<•) Salt for the family pottage, 2d. ; for making two bushels of oats into "potmell," i\d. if) Payment to the Chapter, by hands of J. de Tcmscrhall, for taxes, 72s. lod. ' Rome's scot, or due, i.e., Peter's jience. ANCIENT RECORDS. 59 A.D. 1291. The Taxation of Pope Nicholas. Taxalio Ecclesiastica P. Nicliolai. Teniporalia Archidiac. Midd. Bona Prioris de Warewick. In 1 laringeyc de tcrris. j'.,s'. Taxatio spiritualitatis Archidiac. Lond. & Middi. Ecclesia de Haringeye, £^ 6s. 8d. A.D. 1303. Ilaryngeye. An escheat of tl;e year 32 Ed. I. [1303] of some- lands on the death of Richard de Gravesend, Bishop of London. Ilaryngeye — tenet xl acras terrse et ij acras bosci ibidem. A.D. 1 31 3. Memoranda of proceedings for the choice of Bailiff in tiie Manor of Haryngcyc. Court Rolls of the Manor 12th Ed. 111. in Queen Ann's Bounty Office. Calendar of Patent Rolls. A.D. 1344. 2nd Patent 18 Edward III. [1344]. Quod Arcliidiaconus Richmund possit amortizare Archiepiscopo Cantuar, ununi messuagium, tres canicatas tcrrte, viginti acras prati, ([uinfiuc acras bosci, et viginti solidos redditus in Ilarnghe. TraiislalioH — That the Archdeacon of Richmond may alien in mortmain to the Archbishop of Canterbury one messuage, three ploughlands of land, twenty acres of meadow, five acres of wood, and twenty shillings' rent in Ilarnghe. Curiousl}' enough, this entry is confirmed b}' one of th(» same year in the " Post- mortem inquisitions.'' luqtiisitkmes Post Mor/rui. Robertus de Wodchous, .\rchdeacon of Richmond, for John, Arciibishop of Canterbury. Co. Middl. Ilaringhaui, 3 ploughlands of land, etc., remain to the same Robert. 18 Edward 111. [1344]. Court Roll (Translation). A.D. 1375. Court Roll I if the Dean and Chapter of St. Paul's (the See being vacant] of court held on Wednesday after the Feast of St. Denis r'9 October] 49 Edward III. [1375]. Amongst the proceedings of this court are : — (n) John Denes came to the court, and was admitted Tenant on tiie death of his father John Denes. (/)) Also came Margery Mayheu and paid a fine of 6t/. for an enquiry to he made concerning her right to an acre of land lately belonging to Richard Mayheu, her luicle. Claim aljuwed, and she does fealty for the same.' ' The act of fealty in some of tiie old manorial courts was toucliing tiic steward's wand, which was exlcnded for that imrpose. Sec \>. 6fj. 6o THE HISTORY OF HIGHGATE. (f) Names of the jurj' : Benedict Herberd, William Kent, John Ailbern, Nicholas Patfot, Walter Sandre, William atte Fryth, Robert Ponte, Geoffrey Ileyborne, John Parkyn, John Kent, Stephen Hugh, jun., and Thomas atte Cherche, who made presentment that Richard Rook, Benedict Smyth, John Philips, and John Shepperde were two pence in arrear with their rent, and had submitted themselves to the Court. {(I) The said jury also presented, that Stephen Hugh, who held from the lord 2 messuages, 28 acres of land, etc., was dead ; that the lord had received, as a heriot, an ox, of the value of 15s. ; and that the sons of the said Stephen had been admitted tenants. (rj That John London, who held a messuage and 12 acres of land [excepting part of a house called " Le Insctehous "] was dead, that the lord had received, as a heriot,' an ox, of the value of I IS. Sf/., and that Juliana, the widow, had been admitted tenant to the lands during the infanc}' of John and Geoffrey, the sons. (/) That Benedict Hugh, who held half a messuage and 2 acres of land, was dead, that the lord had received nothing as a heriot, because the deceased had no beast [quia non habeat animal], and that Thomas Hugh his next heir had been admitted tenant on payment of 2s. 6d. (g) To this court also came Roger Rede and surrendered to the lord one cottage and 6 acres of land to the use of John Rede, to be held by the latter for the support of the said Roger, and Christina his daughter, to the end of their lives in food and sufficient clothing ; and if the said John should fail to do this, in part or whole, the said Roger may obtain the help of the neighbours to re-enter and re-take possession of the said premises. The said John does fealty and paj's 6d. (Ii) Also came John Deenes of Eynesmolle and surrenders a messuage, with garden and curtilage, and one acre of land called "Causcroft," in Haryngej'e, and receives a re-grant of the same to himself, Matilda his wife, and their children. He does fealty and pa3^s 3s. 4(/. (i) John Osbern, who has been frequently admonished for refusing to take oath as juryman and take his share in the transactions of the Court, who is therefore a rebel to the steward, throws himself on the mercy of the Court. ' A "heriot" was a fine payable to the lord on the death of a tenant before his heir could enter into i)ossession. It seems to have arisen from the circumstance that by the feudal land laws every tenant had to follow his lord into the battle-field, but the lord had to find horse and armour — which were not always returned — of which his heir had a very ]iractical reminder in the heriot. ANCIENT RECORDS. 6\ (/•) Walter attc Chcrchc, John attc Chcrche, Stephen atte Clierche, are fined \d. each for refusing to proceed against Thomas atte Chcrche ' concerning certain land in the Manor. (/) J'lhn Ileyborne, Geotlrej' Heyborne, John Robyn, Robert Godfrey, John Parkyn. and John Kent, are fined 3f/. each for trespassing in the lord's woods, Richard Cornewalle 2(L, William Shepherde 6d., William Lynd 3^/., Alice Holewell ^d., and John Bakere 30'., for the same offence. (m) The jury find that William Maynard came to llaringeye and unlawfully took a horse of the value of lOs. from Thomas Hugh, Stephen Hugh, and Thomas Hugh, serfs [nativi] of the lord. Fined 3^'.- On the back of this roll are the transactions of the ne.xt court held on the morrow of Feast of St. Martin [i ith November] in the same year. (a) The same jur\' sworn. ili) Stephen Patfot pays ^d. for enquiry into an alleged trespass of John Denes, damages laid at is., also 2d. for enquiry into an alleged detention of a mare and foal by Nicholas Patfot, damages laid at 40(/. ; and also \d. for enquiry into an alleged detention of a chest [cista], damages laid at 6d. ; also \d. for lead detained, damages laid at 120'.; and yi. for an alleged trespass by the said Nicholas Patfot's pigs on the said Stephen's oats, damages estimated at 2 bushels of oats. (c) The following were fined : — Stephen Patfot 6d., Thomas Gussel yi., William Harald 3?/., for trespassing on the lord's woods; John Co.N yi., Roger Smyth yi., John Jaket yi., Edward Hymmot yi., John Tromer 3^/., John Sanny yi., William Bykemor yi., John Bykenior 3^)'., John Hunt 3d., William Blakcwelle 3^/., John Child y{., Ralph Fyncheslee yi., Thomas Cok 2d., John Bakere zd., John Smyth 2d., Alice Holeway 2d., Henry Smyth 2d., Isabel Holeway 2d., and Juliana Keylemers 2d., "because they did not come to the cross, the accustomed place for satisfying the lord concerning pannage for pigs, on St. Martin's Day." ' There is an Kdmnnd de Ilaryngeie named in a deed of above date A;;//>. Edward 111.' Court Roll ( TRANsLAriON). A.i). 1406. General Court of the Dean and Chapter [the See being vacant after the death ol' Roger Walden, late Bishop of London] held on Monday after the Feast of St. Barnabas [l 1 June] of Henry IV. [1406]. ' The evident origin of the family name. * By this and other entries it appears thai the Manorial Courts were really Courts of Petty Session. ' This was probably the "Cross" at Crouch End, and, like the Old London .Stone, was a place for the legal tender of money, being a well-known spot. ' St. I'aul's MSS. 62 THE HISTORY OF HJGHGATE. {(i) Names of the jury: Jolin atte Frith,' Thomas Howe, John Saundre, Thomas Herbard, John Elbarn, Alan Goodyer, Thomas Kent, John Herbard, John Ponde, John atte Hylle,' Richard Colberd, and Geoffrey London, who say on their oath that 32 " lojrges " called "sparres" had been taken for the use of the cathedral church of St. Paul's, namely for the " Bellefrey." Also, that looo faggots [focalia] had been made for the use of the Dean and Chapter. (J)) Also that Drugo Barantyn, Allan Goodyer, William Shepherde, Thomas Janyn, John Sange, Ralph Heyne, Walter Sanny, John Abbot, Alice " the Wyse," and Agnes Knyton, all of Finchley, are tenants by suit of court. (c) A day is appointed for John Abbot and Alice "the Wyse"^ to shew why they became tenants. (r/) The following are tenants of Marengeye, viz., Robert Wolrey, Geoffrey Patfot, Nicholas Patfot, Geoffrey London, John London, John atte Ilille, Thomas Hawe, Walter Whelcr, Thomas Maynard. Simon atte Fryth, Hugh Wyse, John Ponde, Thomas JBryan, John Stapvlford, Richard Mayhewe, Thomas Cosyn, William Kent, Benedict Holeweye, William Tolyngdon, Richard Colberd, Richard Hawkyn, Peter Balwe, Thomas Lyonel, Henry Hey- bourne, Richard Busshe, Richard Gaynesburgh, Matthew Barbour, John Barnecastell, John Deyster, Richard Leylond, John Inglond, Thomas Somenour, John Strounge, Sibil Lovcll, William Benet, John Wassyndon, Walter Sanny, William Kymniote, John Serle, Isabella Wyrales, John Iremonger.^ {e) John lle^boum makes complaint against Isabella Wyrhales that she has let to waste [fecit vastum] the hall, barn, etc., of a tenement which she holds, and of which complainant has the reversion on her death. A day is appointed for 12 jurymen to try the case. (/) Benedict Holweye makes complaint against William Tolyndon con- cerning the right of waj' from his house to his land in the Hamefeld. A day is named for the jury to try the case. {s) T^o ''"s court came Peter Balwe and surrendered an acre of land in a field called " Cheldewatere " to the use of Richard Chaundeler, the clerk, on condition that the said Peter pays 205. to Richard ne.xt Michaelmas Day. The latter paid 2s. and did fealty. (N.B. — This was apparently a mortgage from Peter to Richard.) (//) Also came Richard Saundre and surrendered to the use of John ' Origin of the family name. * A wise woman or " witch," who was evidently an unwelcome neighbour. ^ This seems to be intended for a full list of the tenants of the mnaor ; forty-one tenements in the whole parish ! l)ut it can hardly be a correct one, as names of tenants appearing at same court are absent. I AXC/EXT RECORDS. 63 Saundre (who paid 5s. and did fealty) 2 acres of land and 2 cottages, of which the 2 cottages and i acre lie in " Bereng- couresfeld," being " parcels of the tenement of Berengeours," and the other acre lies in " Dourefeld," being parcel of the tenement of Thomas atte Cherche. (/) Also came Thomas Holmes and surrendered 3 acres of land in a field called " Denesfeld," near Tiiomas Maynard's tenement on the east, and the king's highwa}' on the west, in Herengeye,' to the use of John atte Frythe,- who paid 4s. and did fealty. There is another interesting document, which, although it refers but incidentally to Hornsey, throws very considerable light upon the claims of the bishops of those days. Extract fioiii •' Placita de Quo Warranto," p. 475, 22 Edw. I. [1294]. Ric/iant dc Gravcsoid (Archdeacon of Norlliainfilon), Bis/iap of London 1280- 1306. — Richard, Bishop of London, was summoned to answer to the lord the king in a plea under wiiat warrant he claimed to have amends of the " broken assize " of bread and beer,' frankpledge,' infangenthef,' utfangenthef," chattels of fugitives and condemned persons, a year's rents of their tenants and waste of the lands of the same, pillory, cucking-stool, gallows, and amercements of their men in Stcbenhethe [Stepney], Hakeneye [Hackney], Heringeye [Haringay], Fulham Gillyng [? Ealing], Acton and Fj'nchesleye [Finchley], etc. llaringiiye a/. Hornsy, member of the Manor if Stebenhealh al. Stepney. — And the Bishop comes and says that I lackney and Haringay are members of Stepney, and that Gillyng, Acton, and Finchley are members of Fulham. And he says that -he and all his predecessors from time immemorial have held in the said vills and their members, tiie chattels of fugitives and condemned persons, a year's rents of their tenants, and waste of the lands of the same and amercements of their men, without interruption, e.xcept when the see was vacant. And on this he places himself in the hands of his country. The Uean and Chapter seem to have been summonetl in the first instance, as will be seen by the following record, but they fall back on the Bishop, and the verdict .seems to uphold his claim. Co.m' Mn)ij'. " Phas of our Lord the King of Quo warranto before the Justices in eyre at the Stone Cross {the Strand Cross) in the County of Midd/ese.v, in the twenty- second year of the reign of King Ed-ward, the son 0/ King Henrv." The dean and chajiter of the church of St. Paul London were summoned to ' Park Road was originally " Ma) nard Street." - This name seems suggestive of some waters affected by the tide. Probably the waters of the K.iver Lea ran up some of the valleys on the east side of f lonisey ; they certainly once covered a great part of Tottenham, which closely adjomed. ' Fixing the price of i)rovi.sioiis. ■* Fees for taking sureties. ' The privilege of trying a thief cauglu within the manor. '' The right of taking any man of his manor out of any other jurisdiction, and trying him at his own coutt. 64 THE HISTORY OF HIGHGATE. answer to our Lord the King of a plea by what warrant they claim to have view of frankpledge and fines for breach of the assise of bread and ale, pillory, tumbril, infangentheft, outfangentheft, gallows, the chattels of their tenants fugitive and condemned, the year and waste of lands of the same, and the amerciaments of their men in Chesewyk, Sutton, Willesdon, Iselden, Schordych', Stokene Neuton, Kentyshton', Drayton, Purtepol Sokne, and Fynsbury Sokne, &c. And the dean and chapter came. And the dean saith that he found the aforesaid church seised of the aforesaid Liberties, and that he ought not to answer thereof without the Bishop of London. And the bishop is present and freely joins himself with the aforesaid dean and chapter in answering. ******* The jurors hereunto chosen upon their oath say, that the aforesaid bishop, dean, and chapter had the aforesaid Liberties in their Manors aforesaid, and the same had fully used from time out of mind, without any interruption, except that they have not gallows unless in the aforesaid vill of Fvnesbury. And they say, that when any one of their men of the aforesaid vills were taken, they caused to be summoned their twenty -two hides to proceed to judgment concerning him. Therefore let the aforesaid bishop, dean, and chapter go thereto without delay — saving the right of our Lord the King, &c. — Roll 36. Hornsey is included in Finsbury Sokne, or Soke,' in which the bishops had the right of " hanging." The limits of the ancient jurisdiction of Finsbury and Wenlocksbarn extended from Finsbury to the extremest point of the possessions of the bishop, dean, and chapter, and are delineated in ancient maps of Middlesex as " Fynesbury and Wenlax- barne Liberties," which seem almost co-extensive with the old hundred of Ossulston.- In more modern maps " Ossulston Hundred " appears, as now, divided into three districts, viz., Holborn, Finsbury, and Kensing- ton ; but Finsbury division not only comprehended what until lately formed the metropolitan borough of that name, but extended further northward to Whetstone. A point of great interest is, that the bishop's Loi'dship of Stepney, which included Hornsey, was claimed as a " Barony," which is proved by the record called Testa de N^eville, or Book of Knights' Fees, Cnni Midd\ where occurs the following passage: "' Item de Episcopatit, London. . . . Et de iiij''' parte iinius feodi de Veer in Stebenheth de baronia Episcopi, de Lond ; and the fact that Hornsey was a member of the bishop's Barony of Stepney may be yet another reason why it is not set out in the Domesday Survey. It may have been included in Stepney, which was a very extensive and valuable manor, probably of uncertain size, as it included so much marsh land, but a " mill " at Hornsey is referred to in the survey. There is yet another document relating to a court baron of Sir John The liberty of holding a court in a certain jurisdiction. - See Norden's Map in Camden 1610, teller's Map 1633, Milward 1742. ANCIEXT RECORDS. 65 Wollaston, of a much later date, but of considerable interest, as it relates to the iK;alino;s of two old residents, Sir fohn Wollaston of Hiufh"ate, who purchased the manor at the sale of the bishop's lands by the parliament, and Sir Thomas Rowe of Muswell 1 Till, concerning both of whom further particulars will be found under the heading of " The Houses and their Residents." The following is a facsimile of the document and its transcript. J/i,^a)r^r0.ry^ ^ /^ 7 * . ^' j'tm.'ijTdffir fi?v;>fo/cjra-.f,/S3>a(p c? i,i/ih(^ 'J^to'^ah cU- C/ (SotilffClitfdehi/ijrMs ^ Wluii/d/i . z Haringcy al. IIonwsey.—\i the Court of th( \'icw of Frank Pledj^'e with the Court Baron of Sir Johii U'ollasloii, Knt., iioldcn at Hii;liiiui. 68 THE HISTORY OF HIGIIGATE. Justiciary, to hold pleas of the Crown within the walls of the city, and their ancient right of hunting was confirmed in Middlesex and the woodlands.' The citizens were not slow to avail themselves of these privileges, for they took delight in fowling with merlins, hawks, etc., and likewise in hunting in Middlesex, Hertfordshire, and all the Chiltern country,'- ivliich they had a right to do:'' " Stephen, to establish himself in his kingdom, pleased the clergy by forbearing to keep bishopricks and abbeys vacant ; he pleased the nobility by allowing them to build castles upon their own lands ; he pleased the gentry by giving them liberty to hunt the king's deer in their own woods, but afterwards caused them to be impleaded for using that liberty, — a trick which perhaps he learnt from hunting, first to give men leave to do a thing, and then to fine them for ha\-ing done .it ; but this is the privilege of Princes, that their leave must be interpreted by him that gives it, and not by him that takes it." ' In the reign of Henry II., Hornsey, Tottenham, Edmonton, Enfield, and the adjoining parishes were for the great part a forest, which extended from that part of the city called Houndsditch, about twelve miles north, and was the joint property of the whole corporation of London.' The first formal Act relating to the royal forests was an Act of Henry II., made at Woodstock [1154], and called "The Assize of Woodstock," or "The Assize of the Forest." The subject was also dealt with in the 44th, 47th, and 48th clauses of King John's charter [Magna Charta] ; but the Charta de Foresia was the Act of King Henry III., wherein he remedies certain abuses which had sprung up since the accession of Henry II., and deals with the offensive affores- tations which had been made under Richard I. and John. The 9th and following articles of the "Charta de Foresta " repeal the most obnoxious clauses of the Assize of Woodstock. This charter is dated A.I). 12 I 7. The following are a few of the subjects touched upon. Article 3. — All woods afforested by Kings Richard and John are to be forthwith disafforested, e.xcept the king's own demesne woods. Article 5. — The king's Regarders are to make visitations of the forests, as used to be done at the time of the first coronation of Henry II. Article 6. — For the preservation of the king's game, all dogs are to be /aa/ffl^ [expeditati, i.e., the balls of their feet cut out] every third year, but the " Tawing " need not consist of having the balls of their feet cut out, but three claws of the forefoot (without the ball) must be cut off, under a penalty of three shillings. Article 7. — No forester or beadle is to have "Scotale."" That ' -Sir R. Twy.sden. ' Sir R. Baker's ChronicU. * Fitzstephen. ^ Thornton's History of London. ^ Maiil aid's History. " The English t-quivalent is "Ale shot." ANCIENT RECORDS. 69 is, no forester or beadle shall keep an ale house in the forest, causing people to come thereto by colour of his office, and to spend their money, under pain of displeasure. Article 9. — Every free man may turn his cattle into his own wood in the forest, and may have pasture for his pigs {i.e., pannagium = mast, acorns, etc.), and may also drive his cattle or |)igs through the demesne wood, without let or hindrance. Article 10. —No man shall lose life or limb for killing the king's deer, but shall be fined, and if he have nothing to pay the fine with, he shall be imprisoned for a year and a day, and then set free if he can find surety not to offend again ; if not, he shall abjure the realm. Article 11. — Every Archbishop, Bishop, Earl, or Baron may kill a deer or two in the king's forest or chase through which he is passing, but it must be done in view of the forester, but if the latter be absent, a horn must be blown, lest he appear to be taking the deer by stealth. Article 13. --Every freeman may have eyries of hawks, sparrow hawks, falcons, eagles, and herons in his own wood, and may also keep the honey found in the same. Article 14. — No forester, except he be a forester paying farm to the king, may take toll for carts, etc., but if he be a forester paying farm to the king he may exact the following tolls, viz., for a cart, twopence every half year, and for a sumpter horse, one halfpenny every half year ; but no toll is to be exacted in places other than where it used to be exacted. The following are extracts from the Charters of Edward I.,' (which confirm the several articles of the Charta dc Forester,) Henry III., and Richard II., the latter referring especially to the forest of Middlesex. Charter of Ed\v.\rd I. Edward by y<^ grace of God Kyg of Englad, Lord of likind ;uk1 Duke of Gu\an, to alle to who this present letters shal com, greting, we have lieliolden tlie charter of Henry l)y y<' grace of God Kjiig of Englad, Lord of h-hld, Duke of Norniade and of Guya, &c. As in the preceedent charter, iurst we granule y' alle y"" forestis y-' whiche Kynge Herry our graund fadir a forestid be viewed by good and lawful men and yf any wood other than y^ lords wood his owne be aforested to y" luirte of hy of who y° vs'ood were, it shall be disafibrested and yf he afforested his owne p'par wood rewayne it forest, sauf the comon of herbage and odur in y'' same forest to the ye whiche were first to have it. Of IVoodes to be aforested. Also the wode which were aforestid by Kyng Richard oiu- vncle or Kyng Jolin our fadir vnto our furst coronacion anon sliali be disaforestid but as yf they were our wodes. ' I'lciiii an old iraiislation in I'lickcU's possession. 70 THE HISTORY OF HIGHGATE. Of Jf'as/cs and P'pirs/iin's. Archbishops bishops priours erles baros knyght freeholders y'' whiche were wont to haue thervvodes the tynie of y"^ furst coronacion of Kj'iig Ilerry our Grandser, so that they be guyte p'petually of all prepresturs wast and all made in the woode after that tyme vnto the begynnj'ng of y'= second yeare of our coronacion. And we fro hesforthe made waste prepresture or Kyttigis of in the, wythout our licence off ther same wastis p'prestures and any Kyttings or carieng to vs shal thei answer. For IiKjuisio and Rrgardi. Our raungers shal goo by our forest to make regarde as they were wont to doo the tyme of the furst coronacion of the foresaid Kyng Henry our Grandsir and noon odur wyse. Inquisio or vyew of chasing of hundis beyng in the forest fro hensforthe shal be made whan it ought so to be made regarde y' is to saj' fro thredde yere to thredde yere, and tha be it made by sight and witnesse of sad and trewe men, and non otherwise ; and he of whom the hounde were not expeditate so he shall pay for his mercy iij* and fro liensforthe be thei noo oxe taken for cxpeditacion of houndis. Expeditacion of houndis is such be assice comoly vsed that iij toes of an hound be cut away of y= foremost feete wythout foothe, nor be not hounde expeditate soo fro hensforthe but in thoo places in the whiche they were wont to be expeditate in the tyme of the furst coronacion of Kyg Hcry our Graundsir. Lybaiic for Lordis in tlir Forestis. Whosoeuer Archbishop bishop ' erle or baion coniyng vnto vs at our maundemcnt goyng by our forest, be it leful to h^'m to take von beste or twej-ne be the sight of our foresters yf they were present or ellis Icte them doo make blowe an horn that thei be not seid to do that stelyngli. Itm be it leful to them i thir comyng aj'en to do as it is aforesaid. The Liberie of Freemen in their oivne Jl'oodix. Eayche freeman - from hensforthe wythout ocasion make in his landc whiche lie bathe i the forest a mille, and vyne yard, a pond, a diche, a marie pit, or other erable lande, wythout covert in erable land. So tiiat it be not to the nogment of any neybar, eayche freema may haue in his woodis medues of goshawkis sparakis faucons egles, and haue also the honey that is found in his woodis. The Confinnatio of this Charlur. Theis liljarties of the forest we have granted to all archbishops, bishops, abbotis, |)riours, erles, barons, knights, and other freeholders, as well as parsones of the chirche, as to secular teplais thei libarties and free vsages in the forest and w3'thout wareyuship also in alle other ]ilaces forsothe all the libarties and voages afoi-esaid the whiche we haue graunted to be hoidc in our rcame as nuiych as to us parteyneth and ayenst theirs forsothe for this donacion and concession of thes lybartis and of other contej'ned in the more charter of lybarties of England. ' The Bishop of London is next in authority to the Archbishop of York, and had liberty to hunt in the king's forest. — GiMwii. - The freemen iieic mcnlionefl were such as had portions of the forest assigned to them. The Bishop ot London, by his representative, for instance, still retains possession of a considerable tract of land ; the other ]iarts have long since been subilivided. ANCIEXT RECORDS. 71 28 iH Kino Edward III., an Act of Parliament relating to the rvTHiNO OF trees. Also at y° Parlcmct of y'' grct and comons shewynge be their petition that how thai shuld selle their gret woede of age XX ycre or XL yere or of gretter age to niarchant to thcyr jirofyte in hel]3C of tiie Kynge in his warre, persons vycais of holy chirche y- said niarciiant enplede and travel) 1 Crystc coui-t for ye dynies of said woede in name of this worde silvre cedue wherefore thei may not selle thei woode to v'ri value to gret harnie to hi and of y" reame, it is ordeygned y' phibicio 1 this case granted and vppo attachme, as hath be vsed afor this tyme. Wherbi it appcrethe be this statute y' no more shulde have no tithe for noo trees past XX yere of age, yf any persons or vicars of holy chirche trouble any man for suche tythcs, he to have a good occion ayens the I the Kyngs benchc or in ye como place. F.XTRACT FROM THE CHARTER OF LoNDON GRANTED BV KVNG RlCH\RD II. The XX artycle. Richard by the grace of God Kynge of England, Lord of Iiland, Duke of Normandy and of Aquitagnc, &c. &c., unto Archbishops, Bishops, Abbots, Priours, Lilys, Barons, Justicis, Sherreffs, Styrwardis, Mynj-styrs, Foresters, and to alle Bayliffs and to alle his true men gretynge, welith wel that we have grauntyd and by our chartour confermyd for vs and for our eyers, to Archbishops, Bishops, Abbotys, Priours, Erles, Barons, Knightes and Freeholders, and to alle of the Coniite of Mydelsex — That all the wareyn wyth the apertenaunce be unwareyned and unforested for evermore so that all the forsayd citezens of London hir eyers and hir successours iiave all the fraunchcscs of the wai'cyn and forest unblcmysshed in the same wareyns wythin which they shulde enowe taken hir landis, and hewe hir wodes, and ordeyne therefore right for hir owne well, wythott sight, or with sa3'eng of wareyn, or forester, or of any odmynster, and wythin which wareyn nether wareyner ne forester nor justice of our forest of hir landis and wodes ne huntynge ue of repyage of hir cornes entermet hem anythinge nor hem cj'ers or successours, b}' any somoning or distressc befor our justic of forest or wareyns, do come by eucheson of hir landis and tenementis that they have wythin the same porties when furst thcr was one to be wardeyac. But beuthey and ther eyers and successours landis and tenementis wythin thoo parties conteined free and guyt of alle maner axios axing and attenemet and of alle manor thigis that to wareyn or to forest or waryner or forester longcn. Wherefore we wylk; and stcdfastly bydde that al the landis and tenementis holdyiig wythin the forcsayd parties hir eyers and hir successours have the forsaj'd libertees and guytaunce and hir landis and tenements aforsayd unwarencd, been they and vnforested evermore and guyt fro all thing y' to wareyn or forest or to wareyns or forests loge, as it is above said by these Wytnesses, Hubert of Borough, Erie of Kent, Justice of England, Gilbert Clare, Erie of Gloucester and of Hertford, Will'" Marshall Erie of Pembroke, Phelpy of Albrmak, Walter Eucrmere, Osbiyght Gyftbrd, Richard of Argentyne, John Phclpyson, Richard Fitzhugh and others, yeuven by the handis of the worshipl'iill fad, Rauf Bishop of Chichester, our Chancellor at Woodstock y'' XVTII"' day of August, ye yere of our reign XI. In these ancient woodlands were two kiiul.s of timber-trees wiiicli are now exceedingly scarce, viz., the yew and the sweet chestnut. The former is a tree capable of magnificcnit devtilopnient, running upwards somk; forty feet, with a trunk of great thickness, branching a few feet from the groimd, 72 THE HISTORY OF HIGH GATE. and riourishing from four to fi\'e hundred years. The older forests contained many of these trees, as they were carefully cultivated for the sake of making bows, for which they were preferred to every other kind of wood ; and still the roots of the yew, frequently of great proportions, are grubbed up when clearing the woodlands of Hornsey. They were often planted in churchyards as the emblems of immortality — evergreen and ^I'^rlasting. " Cheerless, unsocial plant, that loves to dwell 'Midst skulls and coffins, epita[)hs and worms." As sweet chestnut trees are now rarely to be found growing in the woods and forests of England, some doubt has been expressed whether the sweet chestnut ever was an indigenous tree of this island, but a little research will show that it was so, and is to this day, to be found in many parts of England. The older houses of the city of London were built with this timber.^ Certainly it did not grow far off, and most probably it came from some forests near the town ; for FitzStephen in his Descriplion of London, written in the reign of King Henry II., speaks of a large and very noble forest which grew on the north side of it. Rudhall, near Ross in Herefordshire, is built with chestnut, which probably grew on that estate ; for, although no tree of the kind is now to be found growing wild in that part of the country, yet there can be no doubt but that formerly chestnut-trees were the natural growth of the neighbouring woodlands, since we find that Roger Earl of Hereford, founder of the Abbey of Fla.xley in Gloucestershire, by his charter - gave to the monks there, the tithe of the chestnuts in the forest of Dean, which is not above seven or eight miles from Rudhall. In the court before the house at Hagley Hall in Worcestershire, the seat of Lord Lyttelton, are two vast sweet chestnut trees, which seem to be at least three hundred years old. There is one of an enormous size at Torts- worth in Gloucestershire, which has continued a boundary to that manor from King Stephen's time, as it stands upon record ; and which tree is still living, and surrounded by many young ones, that have sprung up from the nuts dropped by the parent tree.' And there are in the north- ea.st part of Kent several large woods, consisting principally of chestnut trees and stubs. In the parish of Milton, near Sittingbourne, is a manor called Norwood Casteney, otherwise Chesteney, from its situation among chestnut woods, fronting to the highway from London to Dover, and a hill between Newington and Sittingbourne, called Chestnut Hill ; ' The old " Black Swan " in Holhorn, ami the old houses in I'alace Y'ard, Westminster, were built of cheslnul timber {Diicarel). " Dugdalc's Alonasticoit. ^ Evelyn's Sylva. ANCIENT RECORDS. 73 the chestnut trees growing plentifully on each side of it, and in woods round it for many miles. Much of the fine timber-work in old English houses, in Hertfordshire especially, was constructed of chestnut, and this has been remarked of a similar style of house in Normandy, where the chestnut does not grow, and the inhabitants have a tradition that the wood was imported from England.' The great forest of Middlese.x was partially disafforested a. n. i 21S by Henry HI. ; the portions dealt with being those immediately adjacent to London, which necessity required should be converted into tillage and grazing lands, for there was no considerable erection of buildings till the time of Queen Elizabeth. Year by year the old woodlands have been encroached upon, until they are now only represented by some three hundred and si.xty acres, principally lying in the parish of Hornsey ; but their effacement has been very gradual, for so lately as the middle of the last century the woods afforded cover for game in considerable quantities, and Henry V'lH. so highly valued the near pro.ximity of a royal chase to his palace of Westminster — doubtless as a relief from his little domestic difficulties — that he issued the following proclamation : — " A proclamation y noc p'son iiitcrnipl the kin^s game of partridge or pheasant. " Rex niajnri et vicccomitibus London. Vobis mandamus, etc. " Forasmuch as the king's most roj'all ma"^' is much desirous to have tiie games of hare, partridge, piieasaunt, and heron, p'served in and about iiis honor, att his palace of West'"' for lus owne disport and pastime ; tiiat is to saye, from his said palace of West"' to St. Gyles in the Fields, and from tiience to Islington, to o"" Lady of the Oke, to Highgate, to Hornsey Parke, to liamstead Heath, and from thence to his said palace of West'"', to be preserved and kept for his owne disport, pleasure, and recreac'on ; iiis highnes therefore straightiie chargeth and commaundeth all and singuler his subjects, of what estate, degree, or codicon soev' they be, tiiat tiiey, ne any of them, doe p'sume or attempt to hunt or to hawke, or in any meanes to take or kill any of the said games witiiin the precintes aforesaid, as they tender his favor, and will estehue the ymprisonment of their bodies, and further piinishni' at his ma'' will and pleasure. " Et hoc sub p'ccula incunibenti nuUatenus omittat. "Teste meipso apud West'"' vij" die Julij, anno tricesinio septimo Ilcnrici. Octavi, 1546." It is w<;ll known that Henry's passionate attachment to hawking once nearly cost him his life, for falling into a muddy ditch he was almost suffocated.' His love for s[)()rt is shown by a proclamation ' Diicarcl's Normatidy. 'I'lie galleries round many of the old inn yards were consuiicted i>r ( hesUnit timlicr. I lall s Clir(>tiiih\ 74 THE HISTORY OF HIGHCATE. "against destroying of havvkes egges and young hawkes, " and "against bringing up of hawkes by hand in mewe or otherwise." ' There is a record of James I. sleeping at Highgate," and hunting in St. John's Wood the next day. The Act 1/ Charles I. enacts "that no forest where the courts had not been held for sixty years past shall l^e hereafter deemed a forest." That the citizens took full advantage of their hunting privileges is certain, but the beautiful forest of Epping seems to have been their favourite ground. One of the members of the Lord Mayor's household was the "city huntsman," and a pack of hounds was kept in the City Road near the toll house, which was called the " Dog House Bar. ' Doubtless when hawking was the fashion many a party of citizens rode through the Highgate woods in pursuit of their quarry, and the royal hawks were, it is said, kept in a cottage in Jackson's Lane— then a common surrounded by woodlands. Whilst on the subject of the woods of this interesting manor it will not be out of place to state that John Aylmer, Bishop of London, had a hou.se at Hornsey, which was burnt down. Strype, in his Life of that prelate, says: — "But now let me proceed to a matter that created the Bishop some passion and disturbance. He made a good fall of his woods, and that in so large a proportion and (as it was pretended) so unlawfully, that information was brought to the Lord Treasurer and Council against him for it, as though he had made a great spoil of the woods and timber, and wasted the revenues of the bishoprick. It was informed that he had. felled and sold three hundred timber trees at one time, and an hundred at another ; also that a great number of acres of wood were sold at divers times, allowing to every acre certain timber trees. Though this information was partly true, yet it had more of malice than truth in it. But the Bishop upon this was brought before the Council in 1579, when the said Treasurer openly blamed him, holding himself bound, as he said, to do so, as he was a Public Minister, and with all plainness and freedom telling him there was a Bishop once displaced for such a deed. These words gave the Bishop some uneasiness, and provoked him to some anger, holding himself unblameable for what he had done. Whereupon coming home he took up his pen, and in that heat that was upon him, vented his grieved mind to the same noble lord, telling him these were but indigested surmises, of his wasting the wood, giving (in a writing enclosed) to the particular articles of accusation, particular answers ; wherewith, as he shortly told him, if his lordship should be satisfied he should be glad, but if not, he would stand to the justification of his doings both in that and in all other things. He added that if he (the Lord Treasurer) thought his answers were either untrue or not sufficient to ' 12, Hcnr) VIII. - See Ariiniicl House. ANCIENT RECORDS. 75 satisfy him, he prayed him to call to him a gentleman, well acquainted with the Bishop's doings, and one whom his lordship judged both upright and wise, and of great experience, and to inform himself by him ; and if it fell out that he (the Bishop) was not too careful a man of his woods, and that they were much the better for him, then let him lose his credit with Her Majesty and all their Honours of the Council. l')Ut, in fine, all these surmises against him he counted but light, in comparison of his grief, as he expressed himself, that my Lord Treasurer should have a discontented mind towards the Bishop of London, whose friendship he valued above all, and therefore the seeming estrangement thereof could not but be very affecting to him." The sum of the paper above mentioned wherein the Bishop endea- voured to clear himself by distinct answers to each charge was this: — " That those trees which he had given order for falling were not timber trees, but pollards doated and decayed at the top, nor was the number of them so many as informed. He acknowledged that in the years 1577, 1578, and 1579, he sold fifteen acres by the arbitrament of the Lord Dyer, and consent of the tenants, and allowed two lopped and doated trees to each acre ; which he would justify to be an increase of wood ; for that for which he had received ^300, at the next fall (the spring being kept) would be worth ^500, and that whereas it was informed that the sale of the.se woods amounted to ^i.ooo, he showed that they came to but .;^6oo. And in the whole he desired that it might be considered, that in these three years he had paid as much to the Queen as .;/J^ 1,800 besides his housekeeping, where he had three score persons young and old ; that he bought his fuel at Fulham wholly ; and that at London and Hornsey he used coals, .sparing wood which came to six .score pounds annually, in the whole in fuel eighteen score pounds. Moreover that the burning of his house at Hornsey put him to two hundred marks charges; and lastly h(; was able to prove that whereas four hundred acres were destroyed by his late predecessor, and three score more in his time, the estate was the Ivtter by ^100 a year." But in short this business still depended ; for half a year after, the Queen sent her letters to the Bishop and some others to enquire into the felling of those woods; to which the I'ishop with the others [)repart;d their answer : and for direction therein the Bishop craved the said Tre.isurer's advice. This ended at length with a restraint from Her Majesty " that the l)isho[j hereafter shoulil take down no more of his woods." Strype also states : — " It was mentioned that our Bishop had a busine.ss depending at Court, concerning some complaint made against him for embezzling his woods; he was again informed against in 1585, by one Litchfield, a court musician." The Rev. lames (Granger, in his 'Foftoc^raf^/iical Ifixlory 0/ I'.iii^laiid. ^6 THF. HISTORY OF HIGHGATE. states that Aylmer, Bishop of London, was a learned prelate, who had the felicity, and, it may be added, the glory, of being preceptor to Lady Jane Grey.' And Sir William Musgrave states in his M.S. notes to the above work, " He taught so gently, so pleasantly, and with such fair allurements to learning, that .she thought all the time nothing, while she was with him. And when she was called from him, she would fall a- weeping, because whatever else she did but learning, was to her full of trouble, grief, fear, and altogether misliking to her." Towers, in his biography of Bishop Aylmer, states that the cause of his being neglected was his declaiming, in his answer to Kno.x, against the splendour and wealth of the Church in these words : — " Come off, ye bishops ; away with your superfluities, yield up your thousands ; be con- tent with hundreds, as they do in other Reformed Churches where be as great men as you are. Let your portion be Priestlike, not Princelike. Let the Queen have the rest of your temporalities and other lands to maintain these wars which you procured, and your mistress left her embroiled in ; and with the rest to build and found schools throughout the realm. That every parish church may have its preacher, every city its superin- tendent, to live honestly and not pompously ; which will never be unless your lands are dispersed upon many which now feed and fat but one." Aylmer, when he was afterwards promoted to a bishopric him.self, being reminded of this passage, replied in the words of St. Paul, " When I was a child, I spoke as a child, I thought as a child. But when I became a man, I put away childish things." In confirmation of the fact that Bishop Aylmer had a house in this manor here is the copy of a licence granted by him to one Manering, which was to keep good order at funerals of the nobility, dated from Hornsey: — "John, by the permission of God, Bishop of London, to all and singular to whom these presents shall appertain, greeting. Whereas about the hearses of honourable and worshipful men there groweth sundry discourse by embezzling and stealing away escutcheons of arms and other ornaments to funerals belonging ; with such other rudeness and misdemeanor ; we have good consideration hereunto moved, permitted and licensed Nicholas Manering, servant to the Right Honourable the Countess of Darbj', to the keeping of the said hearses within our diocese of London, for the avoiding the said inconveniences and disorders ; and this his license to endure the natural life of the said Nicholas Manering, not abridging but aiding the Heralds in their office. Yeoven under our hand and sp.tI it Hornsey September 25th, 1579, the 20th of the Queen. "John London." The Rev. Daniel Lysons, speaking of Fulham Palace, states that " Bishop Aylmer, or Elmer, a worthy prelate, died there in 1 594." The zeal ' It would be an interesting fact if it were known whether this unfortimalc lady visited the liishop at Hornsey. ANCIENT RECORDS. jj with which he supported the interests of the EstabHshed Church exposed him to the resentment of the Puritans, who among other methods which they took to injure the Bishop, attempted to prejudice the Oueen against him, alleging that he had committed great waste at Fulham by cutting down the elms ; and, punning upon his name, they gave him the appellation of Bishop Mar Elm. " But it is a shameful untruth," says Strype, "and how false it was all the Court knew, and the Queen herself could witness, for she had lately lodged in the Palace, where she misliked nothing, but that her lodgings were kept from all good prospect by the thickness of the trees, as she told her Vice-Chamberlain, and he reported so to the Bishop." Aylmer was one of the exiles for religion in the reign of Oueen Mary. During his residence in Switzerland he assisted John Fo.\ in translating his Jlariyrology into Latin, and wrote a spirited answer to Knox's First Blast of the Trjinipet against the Monstrous Regiment and Empire of JVome/t (written against the Queens of England and Scotland), a pamphlet not only remarkable for its insolence in respect of the subject, but also for the acrimony of style which distinguished the works of that turbulent reformer. The zeal and assiduity of the Bishop in maintaining the doctrine and discipline of the Church of England recommended him to the particular favour of Queen Elizabeth. It was usual with him, when he saw occasion to rouse the attention of his audience to his sermons, to take a Hebrew Bible out of his pocket and read them a few verses, and then resume his discourse. Strype tells us, among other instances of his courage, that " he had a tooth drawn, to encourage the Queen to submit to the like operation." There are still extant some prayers he composed on the occasion of the great earthquake in London on April 6th, 1580,' and it is nxorded that he usually played at bowls on .Sundays in the afternoons." The demesne lands of the manor are still very considerable, but large portions are now the property of private individuals, separated many years since from the orighial domain. Other manors connected with the locality it may be interesting shortly to allude to. The Manor of Brownstuood (or Erogwood),^ Lysons states, is the corps of a prebend of St. Paul's Cathedral. By a survey taken in 1649, it appears that this manor had been devised to John Harrington in 1569 for ninety-nine years ; it had pas.sed into the possession of Lady Kemp, the reserved rent being £\g ])er annum, and was sold together with the manor of Friern Barnet to Richard Utbur for ^'3,228 4s. \od. In 1621 Sir Thomas Draper was lessee ; John Baker, his son-in- ' Strype. -' NvaVs J/isfi'/y 1/ /'i'n/ 1 7V^/,.._Enficld Chase, part of the old woodlands north of" l.unilon, was also cut down by order of Parliament {Harrison). 84 THE HISTORY OF HIGHGATE. In the times referred to, in the earlier history of the parish, the probability is that these figures would be reversed, and the woodlands, instead of being 300 acres, would have been nearer 2,500 acres ! After the constant record of alienation the history of the manor affords, it is quite refreshing to chronicle a recent graceful and generous act of the Ecclesiastical Commissioners, in whom the lands of the Bishop of London are vested, in restoring for public use a portion of the old forest of Middlesex as represented by " The Gravel Pit Wood," Highgate. The inception of the idea which led to this interesting concession is due to Mr. H. R. Williams, of the Priory, Hornsey, the Chairman of the Hornsey Local Board, who urged the subject upon public attention in a letter to The Times on loth September, 1884; it was warmly seconded by a leading article in that paper on the next day, followed by similar articles in the daily and weekly press. Mr. Williams followed up his suggestion in other letters under date 13th September, 17th September, the 8th and 20th October, 1884, which The Times again followed by a leader on the latter date. The outcome was, that this beautiful wood consisting of about 70 acres was conveyed by the Commissioners to the Corporation of the City of London, as a free gift for the use and recrea- tion of the public for ever ; and it was dedicated to that purpose by the Lord Mayor (Sir John Staples) on the 30th October, 1886. Fuller reference to this interesting matter will be found under the chapter " Highgate of To-day." Important as this gift is in itself, and still more important as the recog- nition of public claims on property held for public uses, it hardly goes far enough. To make the gift complete, it should include the " Church- yard Bottom Wood," from which the Gravel Pit Wood is divided only by a narrow road running almost its entire length, and thus secure about one hundred and twenty acres of beautiful and diversified wood- land within five miles of the City. If the second wootl unhappily falls into the hands of the builder, it will entirely mar the intention of the original gift, as it will then without doubt be surrounded by houses ; whereas the two plots of woodland combined, would command an isolation which would greatly enhance the charm of their sylvan beauty. THE FLYI.NG SPUR. CHAPTER II. THE PARISH, THE CHURCHES, AND THE SCHOOL. Origin ol the i)aiish — The parish chiinhes ol Hornsey — The rectors from 1321 — Monuments in the church— Notes referring to some ol' the rectors'— The Rev. WiUiam Coh- and the Bishop — Extracts from the parish register and the vestrj' minutes — Bishop Aylmer — Hornsey items — Hornsey charities — The Hermitage of St. Michaels, Highgate— The Hermits— Paviage grants — The Hermitage conveyed to Sir Roger Cholmeley as a suppressed religious foun- dation — The old chapel, its monuments, gifts — The Highgate charities — Extracts from the registers— The preachers or readers of the old chapel — The Cholmeley school — Sir Roger Cholmeley— The original statutes of the school, its income — The great law suit, Dr. Dyne and its resuscitation — The school and the school buildings — The consolidated chapelry and church of St. Michael — Order in council— The vicars— The parsonage — The ecclesiastical district of All Saints. ARISHES were first ordained in England by llonorius \'., Archl)i.shop of Canterbury, about 636 ; prior to which period the clergy lived in common, every clerk receiving his proportion out of the common stock for his maintenance. These parishes appear, however, to have been bishoprics, or at least conlprehended a greater portion of territory or district than is consistent with the ordinary extent of a parish or parochial cure of souls ; when the distribution into smaller districts took place, it seems difficult to ascertain. The boundaries ol parishes were first ascertained by those of a manor or manors, because it very seldom happens that a manor e.xtends itself over more than one parish, though there are often many manors in one parish. As Christianity spread, the lords began to build churches upon their own demesnes or wastes, in order to accommodate their tenants in one or two adjoining lordships ; and that they might have; divine service regularly performed therein, obliged all their tenants to appropriate their tithes to the maintenance of the one officiating minister, instead of leaving them at liberty to distribute them among the clergy of the diocese in general ; which accounts for the frequent intermi.xture of parishes one with another. Eor if a lord had a parcel of land detached from the main of his estate, but not sufticient to form a parish of itself, it was natural tor him to endow his newly-erected church with the tithes of such land.s. Hence the parochial division of England in the Ta.xatio Ecclesia.stica. compiled 86 THE HISTORY OF HIGHGATE in the time of Edward I., a.d. 128S-92, appears to have been nearly the same as now established."^ It is an interesting subject for enquiry, under what circumstances the earlier churches were built ; it is suggested, with considerable force, that it was a matter that pertained to the honour and dignity of the landed proprietor that a church should be built in his village. Staveley says that " if the churl thrived by his calling or industry so as to arrive at the character and reputation of a Thein, then we must suppose him to have gained some considerable quantity of land and acres where he seated himselt and there designed to fix his posterity. And there, in the first place, he would be sure to have a church or oratory, and a priest for celebration of divers service for the honour of God, and prosperity of himself and family ; in the next place a kitchen for provisions, a bell house and all other accommodations, and then he became a ' right compleat Thein ; ' and from this usage we may observe that there is scarce any \illage, town, or hamlet but it still retains, or anciently had some church or chapel there anciently built by some chief proprietor or lord in that place or circuit. And for tythes to be paid Blackstone's Comni., i. 112. THE PARISH OF HORNSEY, ETC. 87 to this Thein's church there was a special provision made in the laws of King Edgar, as also in those of King Canutus as they are exhibited by Brompton." ' The parish church of Hornsey is dedicated to St. Mary, and in the older records is styled " The Church of St. Mary of Haringey." It is a rectory in the collation of the Bishop of London ; and it is a significant fact that it is e.xempt from the Archdeacon of Middlesex, and entirely subject to the Bishop and his Commissary.' This is very suggestive of the personal character of its gift by the Conqueror. The church seems to have been rebuilt at least twice since the original erection. Of the first church, the only record extant is a list of its rectors dating from 1321. The second church was erected about 1500, the third (the one now standing) in .\.d. 1832, with the exception of the tower, which formed a part of the second building, and seems substantial enough to become a portion of even a fourth church, should it be erected on the same spot. The church being situated in the midst of woodlands, the tower was possibly used for a beacon light, as in the case of Hadley Church. It was heightened considerably when the church was rebuilt in 1832. In the records of Pope Nichola.s's taxation, a.d. 1291, the Ecclesia de Haringey is entered at viij marks. In 1535 the rectory was rated in the king's books at _;^22 ; .\.i>. 1659 it was valued at ^^92, in 1749 at /"135, and in 1880 at Z730. The following are records relating to the time of the second church': — Computus MiiiislroruDi Doniiiii Regis Iciiip. Hciirici VHl. (Abstract of Roll, 33r(l Henry VIII., Augmentation Office, Monasterium Sancti l\tii Westmonast. Hornsej^ . . . Redd. Terr. . . . . £\ I0.«. od. Valor Ecclrsiasliais Hciirici VHI. Rcdditus assisae cum aliis redditibus, etc., in Herin,u:av Iviii. /. viii..";. .\i. (yd. {£S^ 8s. Hi). Woods existing there, viz. in Harint,'e\ , c. ,s-. Perquisites of the courts there, viz. Haringey, xx-xii.-s. y.\.d. Annual value of benefices in Co. Midd. : — 1 laringay Rectory — Clear annual value .... xxii. /. (;{^22). Tithes here ..... xliiij. .s. {£2 4.S-.). The rectory is thus described Icinp. James I. : — Midd — Terrier a.d. 1610. One dwelling-house, one barn, one cow-house, one stable, thirt^'-seven acres and one rod of land, besides a ground belonging to the barn, but how many acres it contains is not said.'' ' Staveley's I/is/ory of Cluirchcs. ' I )ugdale's .Moiiaslicpii. ^ Newcouri. ' l.ysons. 88 THE HISTORY OF HIGH GATE. Terrier a.d. 1663. Besides the Homestall fields, tiie old orchard and other small parcels of land containing in all five or six acres, there are about forty acres and a small angle of glebe belonging to this rectory. L s. d. Primitiae . 22 o o Decimae . . . . . • .240 Onera hujus Ecclesise. Proc Episc . .040 Proc Arched . .000 Rectors of Hornsey for Five Hundred Years. Rad. de Olney. Joh. de Ishelham 18 kal. Jan. 1321 per resig. Olney. Will. Tolre, cl[ericus] 5 kal. Nov. 1334. Thomas de Besewick. Rad. Harper. Thomas Chandeler, 22 Nov. 1401, per resig. Harper. Rob. Child, 25 Aug. 1405, per resig. Chandeler. Edw. Tovvlsbury. Thomas Clement, 28 Jan. 1441, per resig. Tovvlsbury. Ric. Baumford. Joh. Smith, cap[ellanus] 28 Nov. 1469, per mort. Baumford. Joh. Lichfield, pr. 21 Dec. 1472, per resig. Smith. Will. Moor, A.M., 20 Mar. 1482, per resig. Lichfield. Joh. Wippyll, A.M., 26 Aug. 1487, per mort. Moor. Joh. Bunoult, cap. 21 Sept. 1504, per mort. Wyppyll. — Bingham. Chr. Chauncey, A.M., 11 Feb. 1516, per mort. Bingham. Walt. Preston, S.T.P., 20 Mar. 1525, per mort. Chauncey. Joh. Symond, pr. 9 Aug. 1530, per resig. Preston. Ric. Ewer, S.T.B., 19 Maij 1536, per resig. Symond. Rob. Willarton, A.M., 25 Jan. 1556, per resig. Ewer. Rob. Harrington, cl. 29 Apr. 1 560, per depriv. Willarton. Pet. Lilly, S.T.P., i Nov. 1610, per mort. Harrington. Thomas Westfield, S.T.P. [afterwards Bishop of Bristol]. ' Thomas Lant, D.D. ... ... ... Instituted 1637- — Collier John Dalton Samuel Bendy Thomas Lant, D.D. Wright Burdett, M. Richard Sear John Adams Lewis Atterbury, D.D.' ... Lawrence Cook, LL.B. Thomas Cartwright, D.D.' William Cole, M.A., F.A.S. 1644* 1654* 1659* reinstated at Restoration; died 1682. Instituted 1688 . „ 1695 1711 1719 •731 1733 ; died 1749. 1749; died 1782. ' Newcourt. - From the Bishop's registry, with the exception of the names marked *, which were appointments under the Commonwealth. ^ Also Preacher at Highgate Chapel. * Archdeacon of Colchester. Instituted 175 i 1758 1775: died 1780. 1780; „ 1829. 1829; res. 1879. 18S0. THE PARISH OF HORNSEY, ETC. 89 Joiin Territt, B.I). Thomas Lloyd Francis Haultain, M.A. ... Charles Sheppard, M.A. ... Richard Marvey, M.A.' James Jeakes, M.A. It is a remarkable fact that the two rectors immediately preceding the present incumbent held the office between them exactly one hundred years ! During Mr. Harvey's term of office, six distinct ecclesiastical districts were formed in the parish, and churches erected, viz., St. James, Muswell Hill; Christ Church, Crouch End; St. Matthias, South Hornsey; Holy Innocents, Tottenham Lane ; Holy Trinity Church, Stroud Green ; and All Saints, Highgate: and one church removed out of the parish, viz., St. Michael's, Highgate. Mr. Cole in his account of the church of his time says : — " It is a very neat one, and not very large, consisting of a square tower at the west end, much too big for the rest of the church ; in which hang six tunable bells, and a clock, which was given to the church the year preceding ; nave and .south aisle, both of which arc tiled. The chancel seems to be part of the nave, and only distinguished from it by a step into it, and a difference of the arch of the pillars which divides the rest of the nave from the .south aisle. The altar is neatly railed round, and adorned with paintings above it of Moses and Aaron, thv. Decalogue-, Creed, and Lord's Prayer. " The living is a rectory in the patronage of the Bishop of London, who is also Lord of the Manor; it is seated in the liberties of Finsbury and Wedlakesbarn, and in ecclesiastical matters subject to the Bishop and his Commissary of London and Middlesex, but cxoiipl from the .Xrch- deacon of Middlesex. " The church is dedicated to the honour of the Blessed Virgin, and has a neat vestry on the south side of the tower, in which is a chimney, and other conveniences for the rector and officers ol the [xirish. The living, one year with another, — as I was informed by my curate, the Rev. Mathew Mapletoft, late of .St. John's College, and son of the Rev. Mr. Mapletoft, Rector of Barlow in Cambridgeshire ; as also by the Rev. Mr. Towers of Ilornsey, late curate to my predecessor the Rev. Thomas Cartwright, D.D., .Archdeacon of Colchester, — is between /T 130 and ^140 a year ; but the duty of it is hard in point of burials. The large hamlet of Highgate being in my parish, from whence all the poor people who are not able to pay the accustomed dues at Highgate Chapel are brought down to the mother church at Horn.sey for interment, makes it neces.«"iry, except I should do more than I cwxv. for, and I can do ' (."anon of (lloucuslur and I'rcljendary of lirownswood. go THE HISTORY OF HIGHGATE. safely, to keep a constant curate and assistant. The reason of the small- ness of the profit of the livuig arises from a modus which has fixed the tythe at four pence an acre throughout the parish, and I was told that one of my predecessors had began a suit at law to recover his right, whose name was Cook, but did not live long enough to see the event." ' Staveley says : — " Other churches have towers more like castles than steeples, built of flint and pebbles incrusted together. Of this sort we may see about London. But the most monstrous I ever saw of this kind are at Hornsey in Middlese.x, and Hitchin in Hertfordshire."' The tower was evidently much too large in proportion for the other parts of the old church ; this confirms Mr. Cole's statement. In 1832 the body of this venerable church was pulled down, leaving the tower to form a part of the new building, in which is placed a beautiful stained-glass window by Evans, of which the following account was published : — "The window of stained glass by Evans at Hornsey Church consists of two tiers of lights containing eighteen full-length figures, drawn in an easy and natural attitude. St. Matthew is clothed in blue, St. Mark bears an open Gospel, .St. Luke in a gold vest appears attentively writing on a tablet, St. John holds a golden chalice in his left hand, and in his right a closed book. In the lower tier, St. Peter holds his symbol, the keys in one hand and a book in the other ; St. James has a club in one hand and the Holy Scriptures in the other ; St. Jude bears his Epistle ; St. Paul sustains his emblem, a sword in his left hand, his right being uplifted in the act of exhortation pointing towards heaven. The figures stand on rich Gothic pedestals surrounded by a canopy of the most delicate work. "The three principal compartments within the pointed arches of the window are filled with designs of The Adoration of the Shepherds, by Guido ; The Wise Men's Offering, by Rubens, the colouring of which is very rich ; and in the apex is the Annunciation from Carlo Maratti. These subjects well harmonize with the figures below. "The total cost of building this church was ^7,484 55-. w/., out of which ^2,670 io.f. were voluntary subscriptions. Ditto for Catacombs, ^^504; Loan, ^2,000; Church Building Society, _^ 700." ' There are sketches of some of the tracery of the windows of the older church in " Kerrick's MS. Collections of Architecture " in the British Mu.seum. The church pulled down in 1832, appears to have been built about the year 1 500. The architecture was that of the period, and the arms ' Coles, Church Neks. '^ Staveley, History of Churches. ' Gentleman' s Magazine, vol. iv. THE PARISH or HORXSEY, ETC. 91 of Savage and Warhain (iwo succeeding Bishops of London) on the tower fix the date.' The following monuments are recorded to have been placed on the walls: -PVancis, only son of Sir John Musters, Knight (1680); The Reverend Dr. Cartwright, seventeen years rector (1749); Samuel Towers, A.M. (1757). Upon a pillar on the south side were those of Robert Harrington, fifty years rector: he was son of .Sir John Harrington, of E.xton (1610) ; and Thomas Lant, B.D. (1682). On the lloor were the tombs of Lady Basset, wife of Sir Francis Ba.s.set, and daughter of Sir John Trelawny, Bart. {ob. 1682) ; and Dame Jane, wife of .Sir John Musters, and daughter of Sir Francis Basset (16 — ). On the north wall of the nave was a monument in memory of Colonel Edward James, who was shipwrecked in the Grosvciior, Fast Indiaman, on the Caffre coast in 1782 ; and his sister Elizabeth Chambers, who died in 1756; and that of Samuel Buckley (the editor of T/iatmus), with the following inscription : — " To the memory of Samuel Buckley, who having not only discharged all the duties of life with ability, industry, and tender- ness to eacii relation, but offices likewise of state and trust, with prudence, fidelity, and gratitude to his benefactors, concluded his days in the study of letters, and the enjo3'ment of honest and honourable friendships, in the si.\t3'-eiglith year of his age, 1741." Against the wall of the south aisle was fixed a small obelisk to the memory of " Master Richard Candish, of Suffolk, Escp : — " Candish, deriv'd from noble parentage, Adornde with vertuoiis and heroicke partes, Most learned, bountiful, devout, and sage, (Iraced with the graces, muses, and the artes. Deer to iiis prince, in English court admired, lieloved of great and honourable peeres. Of all estcem'd, caibraced, and desired, Till death cut off his well-employed yeeres. Within this earth, his earth entombed lies, Whose heavenly part surmounted hath the skies. " Promised and made by Margaret, Countess of Coberland, 1601.' This Richard Candish was choscui one of the burgesses for Denbigh, anno 1572, in opposition to the inclination, and even the threats, of Queen Elizabeth's great favourite, the Earl of Leicester.- It seems by his epitajjh that he was afterwards in the Court interest. On the wall of the same (south) aisle was a large slab placed ui^right on which were engraved the figures of a man, his two wives and .son, ' Bishop Savage was promoted to the See of London a.d. 1497, and translated to Vork in 1500. It is probable that both he and Warham were contributors to the buiMing. ^ Pennant's Wa/es. 92 THE HISTORY OF HIGHGATE. in the dress of Queen Elizabeth's or King James's time, erected ' in memory of George Ray of Highgate, Gent. " Against a pillar on the north side of this aisle was the monument of John Carter, goldsmith (1776). On the floor was the tomb of the Reverend Matthew Mapletoft (1751); and also a small brass plate with the figure of an infant, underneath which was the following inscription : " Jsu Criste, Mary is son — Have merci on the soul of John Skevington." ' In the churchyard are many tombs, for the ground must have received the bodies of the inhabitants of the parish for some fifteen generations at least ; but the only one that attracts much attention is that of Rogers the poet, in the north-east corner of the ground. Samuel Rogers, poet, was born in July 1763, at Newington Green, and succeeded his father as head of the well-known banking firm of Rogers, Olding, & Co. His early literary friends were principally amongst the Presbyterians, including Dr. Price, Dr. Towers, Mrs. Bar- bauld. Dr. Kippis, etc., but later in life his circle embraced all the celebrities of the day. In 1792 he published his Pleasures of Memory, which at once made his reputation as a poet, four editions having been called for during the first year of its publication. On the death of his father, Rogers, who was thirty years of age, being inheritor of a large fortune, practically left the management of the bank to others, and devoted himself to literature and art. In 1795 he was in close asso- ciation with Home Tooke, Erskine, Fox, Grattan, and Lady Holland and the brilliant circle of Holland House In 1803, during a journey to Scotland, he became acquainted with Wordsworth, Coleridge, and Scott, and in the same year he removed into the house in St. James's which is so closely associated with his memory, and in which he resided fifty-three years, and gathered his wonderful "art" collection. In 1 8 14 he made a prolonged visit to Italy, and in 1S22 published Ha/y, a Poem, the large paper edition of which was illustrated by Stothard, Turner, and others ; and in 1834 he published his earlier works in the .same elaborate style. These two beautiful volumes cost him ^7,000 ; but they are .said to have repaid him the outlay. For half a century the residence of Rogers formed one of the centres of literary society ; almost every known artist or author was welcomed, treated as a personal friend, and, if necessary, met with liberal assistance. Rogers died in December 1855, in his ninety-second year, and was buried in Hornsey churchyard ; in accordance with his own request, in the same grave as his brother and sister. His nephew, the late accomplished scholar Samuel Sharpe, says : — " I ' Lysons. Sir John .Skevington was Sheriff in 1520. THE PARISH OF HORNSEY, ETC. 93 never left his company without feeling my zeal for knowledge strength- ened, and with a fresh determination to do my best in everything." He adds that his uncle " trained his mind to look for the beautiful and the good in all that came before him." The art collection left by Rogers was dispersed by a public sale extending over twenty-two days, producing a very large sum. He was of weakly constitution, which showed itself in a pale, sickly countenance,' but by care he grew stronger as he grew older, praising the use of the " flesh brush," which he called "the art of living for ever." His political as well as his religious sentiments were unchanged throughout a long life. He was a parliamentary reformer, when to be so meant persecution and obloquy. He was one of the founders of the " British and Foreign School Society," for the education of the poor of every sect ; also of University College, London. He was unshaken in his disapproval of requiring a belief in fixed creeds and articles of religion, and had a disbelief of the orthodox doctrines of the Atonement and the Trinity, although after the repeal of the Test and Corporation Acts he did not refuse to worship and to commune with, the Church of England. It is somewhat remarkable that each of the two graveyards in the parish contains the remains of a celebrated poet, — Rogers lying in Hornsey churchyard and Coleridge in that of Highgate. The following notes refer to some of the rectors of Hornsey. Thomas Westfield, who resigned the rectory of Hornsey .\.\). 1637, was afterwards made Bishop of Bristol. His biographer, speaking of his manner of preaching, says:— "He made not that wearisome which should be welcome, never keeping his glass,^ except upon extraordinary occasions, more than a (|uarter (jf an hour ; he made not that common which should be precious, either by the coarseness or curiousness of his matter. Me never, though almost fifty years a preacher, went up into the pulpit but he trembled, and never preached before the King but once, and then he fainted." ' ^ A volume of his sermons is extant. He was held in such esteem by all parties, that on the 13th day of May, A.n. 1643, the committee for sequestering delinquents' estates, being informed that his tenants refused to pay him his rents as I^ishop of Bristol, it was ordered that all the profits of his bishopric should be ntstored him, cUid that he should have a ' The sallowness of Rogers was so remarkable, that a story is told of a cahinan, who was hailed by him at a late hour one night in St. Paul's Churchyard, refusing the fare, and adjuring him " to go back to his grave, and not try and bilk a pore cabby.'' - 'I'he pulpit sand-glass, to regulate length of sermon. ' Harl. .\ISS., No. 7476, 94 THE HISTORY OF HIGHGATE. grant of safe-conduct to remove his family to Bristol, being a man far advanced in years, and of great learning and merit.' His successor, Thomas Lant, D.D. (who was turned out of the Rectory House with his wife and children), a native of Salop, became a Fellow of Jesus College, Cambridge, and was admitted to this living in 1637. In 1644 he was ejected by a Committee of the House of Commons, at which time "one Collier" was, by the same authority, substituted in his rectory, who " violently thrust himself into the Parsonage House, turning Mr. Lant, his wife, and three small children out of doors, without any time allowed them to provide a place of retirement for his helpless family, and deprived of all present means of subsistence, and upon great penalties prohibited to exercise any part of his ministerial function, the profits of the living, and even of that year in which he had served the cure, being seized by Mr. Colliere ; which Mr. Lant modestly and with great meekness claiming as his right, and what he had great occasion for to subsist his family for that present, was by Colliere roughly and most cruelly denied, saying, ' And what must I have this year to live upon ? ' and being asked by Mr. Lant how he could have the conscience to take the benefit of another's labours, replied, 'What! do you tell me of conscience?' In this suffering condition Mr. Lant remained sixteen years, and at the Restora- tion found the parsonage almost entirely ruined and out of repair, and the chancel not much better, which he was obliged to repair at a vast charge." ■ John Dalton was presented to the rectory by Sir John Wollaston A.D. 1654, and Samuel Bendy by Dame Rebecca Wollaston a.d. 1659. Bendy, soon after his admission, presented a petition to the Committee, setting forth that the rectory was only ^92 per annum, out of which he was obliged to pay _^ 16 to the wife and children of the late incumbent. He prayed, therefore, that a like sum might be granted him out of other rectories, which was complied with.^ Dr. Lewis Atterbury, who was collated to the rectory of Hornsey in 1 719, had resided several years at Highgate, where he was elected preacher at the chapel in 1695. He was brother to the celebrated Bishop Atterbury, and himself a man of considerable note. Several of his sermons are in print, some published by himself, and others after his death.' William Cole, F.S.A., a most industrious antiquary, who died in 1782, and bequeathed his large collection of interesting MSS., consisting of thirty-nine volumes of parochial surveys, historical anecdotes, etc., to the British Museum, with an injunction that they should not be opened till twenty years after his decease, was collated to the rectory of Hornsey in the month of November a.d. 1749, and held it for about twelve months. ' Harl. MSS., 7176. « i.ambeth MSS. ^ Walker's Ejected Clergy. ^ Lysons. THE PARISH OF HORNS EY, ETC. 9S He resigneil it partly in consequence of the dampness of the soil, of which he bitterly complains ; he mentions that so wet was the church- yard that several of the brick altar tombs actually contain the bodies of deceased persons, instead of covering the graves, as is usual with such erections.' It must be remembered that there was no drainage, and that the New River then encompassed the church and the rectory like a net, crossing and recrossing the road four times in about a quarter of a mile ; also that the flood waters from Muswell Hill caused the roads to be almost impassable in winter. Mr. Cole, referring to the interments in the altar tombs, says : — " I never saw the same fashion elsewhere, ex- cepting the tumuli on the Gog and Magog Hills, where troughs or funnels exist as here, to let out the water that should happen to come in. * * * To the coldness and dampness of the soil Mr. Towers attributed his ill health and rheumatism, and therefore resigned his curacy." ' The New River at Hornsey flowed from the direction of Wood Green parallel with Nightingale Lane, crossed the Priory Road opposite the end of the lane, ancl, inclining to the east, immediately crossed the end of Middle Lane, proceeding through the gardens of the " Three Compasses," then, returning, re-crossed the main road just below the rectory garden, and describing an arc, once again crossed the road below the church near the present railway bridge. This meandering stream, flanked by some fine old trees, gave great life and beauty to the village, which, crowned as it was by the ivy-covered tower of the old church, and backed by the rising ground of Muswell Hill and Highgate woods, was noted for its picturesque beauty, and was a very great attraction to visitors who flocked to the numerous tea- gardens in its neighbourhood during the summer season ; but, from the circumstances already alluded to, the village must have been a damp and cold place of residence in winter, for even some twenty years since, pedestrian traffic was constantly stopped in the Priory Road by the overflow of the flood waters from the hills. Mr. Cole seems to have been a man of most precise habits, and recorded in writing every passing event, however trifling — even to the weight of his body at different times of his life. There is a portrait of him in Nichol's Literary Atiecdoles, which quite confirms this impression of his character. Amongst his MSS. is a series of letters respecting the rectory of Hornsey, which are worth quoting, although space will not permit that they should be reproduced in full. 1749. Nov. 15th. Mr. Cole is requested to wait on the Bishop ol London. Nov. 23rd. — Formal declaration upon being collated into the living. I Coles MSS. 96 THE HISTORY OF HIGHGATB. Table of fees paid for the same, ^17 js. bd. Copies of deed of institu- tion. Letters testimonial from the Bishop. Order to induct William Cole, Master of Arts, into the said rectory of Hornsey. Nov. 25th. — Certificate of induction signed by Matthew Mapletoft, witness Samuel Towers. Nov. 26th. — Certificate that William Cole did read himself in on 26th Nov., 1749, signed "Jos. Cock, Church wardin." Dec. 4th. — Statement by Mr. Cole that it would take .^400 to make the rectory habitable, and Dr. Cartwright's executors offer only ^35 (guineas) ; so, finding he "is likely to have a law suit on his hands," " to build a new house of £:^ or 500," " to maintain a curate which I must keep whether I reside or not — the duty of burials being so hard from Highgate, from whence all the poor people are brought to be buried at their mother church of Hornsey," " and the king's taxes and other annual dues would reduce the living from ^130 to about /^6o," he resolves on sending in his resignation. Dec. 19th. — Letter from the Bishop, suggesting, " You might possibly be unacquainted with the consequence of it (resignation) to yourself You should advise with your friends." Dec. 2 1st. — Upon "advising with his friends," he finds he is liable for dilapidations, having accepted the living, and accordingly withdraws his resignation. Dec. 28th. — The executors of Mr. Cartwright increase their offer to ^40 (guineas) towards dilapidations. 1 750. Jan. 2nd. — The Bishop advises him to accept the ^40 (guineas), and says, " As to a successor in your living, I have not resolved who it shall be, nor have I made any offer of the living to any person, nor will I until it is actually vacant, and then 1 will make no conditions with him, but whoever he is I think he loill or ont^/i/ to be contented with the ^40 (guineas)." Jan. 9th. — Resigns a second time. January. — The Bishop accepts the resignation, and appoints a Mr. Territt, a Fellow of St. John's and Reader of the Temple, to the rectory.' .Statement by Mr. Cole. " Mr. Territt told me the living was not worth his acceptance, but that he dared not refu.se it after it was offered by the Bishop, from whom he expected preferment; and in 1758 Mr. Territt was appointed by the Bishop to a better living in Essex. " A few extracts from the parish register ma\, be interesting : it dates from 1653, but some leaves are missing : — ' For some reason Mr. Territt was not instituted till 1751. THE PARISH OF HORNSEY, ETC. 97 "A young man died at the Countess of Huntingdon's at Higho-ate ; buried April 1663." "Francis, son of Sir John Musters and Lady Jane his wife, was baptized the iSth of May, 1664." He was buried April 17th, 1680. " Sir Richard Spencer and Mrs. Mary Musters married July 23rd, 1672." "Sir Thomas Davis and Mrs. Elizabeth Ridgfe married Feb. ^rd 1669 — 70. "The old Lady Basset was buried July 17th, 1682." " Reginald Grey of Ruthen, Earl of Kent, died at Hornsey March 17th, 1573, and was buried in the Church of .St. Giles, Cripplegate. " ' "John Lightfoot, the learned commentator and Hebrai.st, went to reside at Hornsey in the year 1628, for the purpose of being near London, where he might have? access to the library at .Sion College." One of his works is dated from his study at Hornsey." ' The vestry minutes are of no special interest, but the following items are suggestive. Assessment for the poor in 1680 was ^42 Sj. '^d. ; in ■698. ^134 y. od. The poor's rate 181 2-3 was 4.^. in the £, and the land was assessed at £1 \os. per acre. The surveyor's account for the care of roads, etc., for 1668 was ^10 2,s. "jd. : for 1670, ^20 i6.f. od. ; but in e.xplanation of these trifling sums it should be stated that fifty-two inhabitants are credited in the accounts with " si.\ days' work each, on the roads, " in .some cases with their teams. The churchwardens' accounts in 1664-5 amounted to ^,93 ys. gd. ; 1668-9, £^^ 7'^- 2rt'. ; 1669-70, ^41 18.V. od. (inclutling one item of £7 ?>s. $d. " for relief of the maimed souldiers in the King's Bench," etc); 1674-5, ^30 6.S- od. ; 1675-6, ^14 \\s. od. In the accounts for 1801 is an item of 5,s\ "for killing hedgehogs," and in 1S06 " subscription for the army " ^85 \s. od. ; and in one of the accounts we are informed there is an item of "^5 for killing Hies." This item will most likely be found in the account of the year 1782, when the bushes and trees of north London were infested by a poisonous fly. The following letter appeared in the Genllemans 3fagaziiii\ vol. Ix.x.xi., de.scribinof the effects of contact with them, and showing that Hampstead, and doubtless other parishes, paid for their destruction. " Hampstead, 1782. — 1 am sorry you was disappointed when your ' Holinshed's Chronicle, vol. iii. ' Biograf Extracted from the parish records and published l)y the Churchioardens , 1 869. Estates. The Church Field. An estate containing 4 acres 21 perches (formerly about 7 acres), which is recorded to have been given by a Bishop of London for the use of the Church and poor, and held of the Lord of the Manor of Hornsey by copy of court roll. In the vestry book of a.d. 1670 it is stated that this field was let at £^ per annum, and in an old lease it is described "as situated near the church of Hornsey, together with the Way, lying at the lower end of a field, called ' Tyle Kiln Field,' leading from a lane called Crouch End Lane, unto the said pasture called Church Field ; the said lane containing in length about six hundred and fifty feet, more or less, and in breadth about twenty feet, or thereabouts, as the same Way is now, and for more than sixty years past has been separated, and divided by stones, set into the ground, at the lower end of the said Tile Kiln Field." At the present time (1869) these stones still mark the boundary of the way, or road to this field. In the year 1832 the land was let on lease for 21 years, at the annual rent of ^21 ; and in 1847, the Great Northern Railway Company having purchased a portion of this land, the rent was reduced to ^14. ' These charities are about being dealt with by a scheme in course of preparation by the Charity Commissioners. THE PARISH OF HORNSEY, ETC. loi In the year 1S53 the lease of this field expired ; it was let at the increased yearly rent of ^24, commencing at Michaelmas 1853. The quantity of the land taken by the Railway Company measured 3 acres 3 perches, or thereabouts, for which they paid the parish the sum of ^1,000, which, according to "The Lands Clauses Consolidation Act," was paid by the Company, in the year 1850, to the Court of Chancery ; when by order of the Court it was invested in the purchase of /^ 1,036 ^s. ^d. Three per Cent. Consols (the price being ninety-six- and-a-half per cent.), and transferred into the name of the Accountant- General of the Court of Chancery, " In trust, for the Rev. Richard Harvey, and others, for the Hornsey parish church field," and the money to be applied, according to the said Act, in the purchase of any real estate, whenever a fit opportunity offers. The yearly dividend on this stock is ^30 T)S. 8d., and is carried, with the rent, to the Churchwardens' General Account for the use of the church. T/ie Bowling Alley Estate, near Hornsey Church. "The Bowling Alley given for the use of the poor of this parish by a person out of memory, and now held by John Hankin, at xos. yearly rent, payable to the Churchwardens." Part of this estate consists of a narrow slip of land measuring about sixty feet by twenty, at Hornsey, let at the annual rent of /i io.f., as garden ground ; and on the remaining portion are two cottages, with gar- dens, which are occupied by two poor widows, belonging to the " Hornsey side " (free and clear of rent), who are nominated by the Rector and Churchwardens in public vestry, when a vacancy occurs. In an old X'estry Book, in the year i 747, these cottages are particularly mentioned. The Hornsey Inclosure Book (1816) records this estate as follows: — " Part of a garden near the Compasses : containing i rood 8 perches, now let to Jacob Warner, Esq., at the yearly rent of 30.^. ; " also, •• Two cottages and garden, containing i"] perches." The rent is received by the Churchwardens, and carried to the Waste Land Fund account. This estate is numbered on the parish map 181. Copyhold ground and premises. High Street, Highgate. A general Court Baron of the Lord of the Manor of Cantlowes was held in Highgate, on the 17th day of April, 1811. At this Court, on the humljlc petition of Charles Walker ot Highgate, Churchwarden, and Giles Thomas, of the same place. Overseer, both of the parish of Hornsey, leave was granted to enclose a small piece of Waste, 25 feet long and 15 feet wide, situate near the " Ponds" in the I02 THE HISTORY OF HIGHGATE. High Street, Highgate, for the purpose of erecting thereon an engine house ; and possession of the said piece of Waste Land was delivered unto the said Charles Walker and to Thomas Strafford, the then Church- wardens of the parish of Hornsey, on the payment of a fine of ^5 to the said Lord, and a yearly quit-rent of 2s. hd. at Michaelmas. Accordingly, the parish erected in the same year a building for the Fire Engine on part of this ground, and the remaining part was ordered by Vestry, held September 22nd, 1814, to be let by tender, when Mr. Robert Colson's tender was accepted, he consenting to lease it for thirty- five years, at a yearly rent of 30^., and to lay out ^200 in erecting a build- ing thereon, since let at ^13 135-. per annum. Parish Alms Houses, coninionly called Waste Land Cottages. A general Court Baron of the Lord of the Manor of Hornsey was held on the 5th day of May, 1806, when permission was granted to two of the trustees of the Waste Land Fund, to enclose a long slip or piece of ground, part of the Waste lying on the south-east side of the road leading from Highgate to Muswell Hill, called -Southwood Lane, ex- tending along the said road-side 600 feet, and in depth at the east end 107 feet, and at the south-west end 84 feet, or thereabouts, and con- taining in the whole i acre and 18 perches, for the purpose of erecting cottages for the use of the poor of the Parish of Hornsey. To have and to hold the same in trust, for the Churchwardens and Overseers of the said parish for the time being, tor the purpose aforesaid, on paying a yearly quit-rent of y. \d. at Michaelmas. The parish has accordingly erected, at various periods, eight cottages ; the four nearest to Muswell Hill being occupied by poor persons belonging to the " Hornsey side," and the other four by poor persons belonging to the " Highgate side." These cottages are let, at one shilling per week, to such persons as the Churchwardens and Overseers for the time being find to be most eligible, and the rents arising therefrom are paid to the Treasurer of the Waste Land Fund. Parish Allotment, Granted under the Hornsey Inclosure Act, 53 Geo. HI., 18 1 J, called ''Irish Corner Allotment.''' {Fuel Fund.) The Com'.iissioners appointed by the Hornsey Inclosure Act, dated March 23rd, 1813, awarded the following allotment of 12 acres 3 roods and 19 perches to the Parish of Hornsey, to be vested in the Lord of the said Manor, the Rector of the said Rector)-, and the Churchwardens and Overseers of the said Parish for the time being for ever, as trustees for the poor of the said parish. i'he rent and profit arising from the said allotment to be from time THE PARISH OF HORNSEY, ETC. 103 lo lime laid out in purchasing fuel, and such fuel to be distributed amongst the poor inhabitants of the said Parish of Hornsey, who shall be legally settled and resident therein, as shall be prescribed by the said Trustees. The situation of this allotment is described in the award-book, which is dated June 14th, 1816, as follows: — "All that allotment (No. 98) of freehold land, containing 12 acres 3 roods and 19 perches, situate in the lower part of Hornsey Common, bounded on the south-east by the allotment of the prebendary of the Prebend of Brownswood, on the north by Hornsey Common Road, and on the south-west by the Parish of Finchley." The first distribution of fuel from this estate took place at Christmas 1 81 8, the yearly rent at that time being ^14.' Fords Green Allotments. (Fuel Fund.) The Commissioners also awarded to the said trustees, for the use and benefit of the poor of Hornsey, two allotments on P'ortis Green, numbered on the parish map 62 and 63. The award-book states : — " We also award unto the Overseers of the poor for the time being of the Parish of Hornsey, in lieu of the right of common belonging to their estates in Hornsey, all that allotment (No. 62) of waste land, containing 2 roods and 21 perches, Copyhold of the Manor of Hornsey, situate on the said P'ortis Green, bounded on the south-east by P'ortis Green Road, on the north-west by Coalfall Wood, on the north-east by the allotment of the said poor, and on the south-west by the allotment of the Bishop of London." This allotment is now freehold, it having been enfranchised by deed, dated the 14th day of fanuary, 1868. Also all that allotment (No. 63) of freehold land containing i acre, situate on the said Fortis Green, bounded on the south-east by Fortis Green Road, on the north-west by Coalfall Wood, on the north-east by the allotment of William Lister, Esq., and on the .south-west by the allotment of the said overseers of the poor of Hornsey. These two allotments are let, with the sanction of the Charity Com- missioners, for the erection of si.\ houses to the Rev. Charles Room, for a building term of ninety-nine years, from the 25th of March, 1869, at the rent of £^ for the first year, /"lo for the second, ^"25 for the thirtl, and ^50 per annum for the remainder of the said term, free from all rates and taxes, except property tax. The rent and profit are directed by the said .Xcl lo be laid out in purchasing fuel, to be distributed amongst the poor inhabitants of the said parish who shall be legally .settled and resident therein. ' This land has been aLquiixd (ur puMic luiriiosc-, by llic Local Ho.ird for llic sum of 104 '^HE HISTORY OF HIGH GATE. Highgate Cojuiuon Allotment. {Fuel Fund.) The Commissioners also awarded to the said trustees, for the use and benefit of the poor of Hornsey, one acre on Highgate Common (in Wood Lane), numbered on the parish map 194. This piece of ground was let by the trustees with the sanction of the Charity Commissioners, by a contract dated 15th May, 1867, to Mr. Edwin Shales, of Christ's Hospital, in the City of London, Surveyor, on a building term for 99 years, computed from the 25th March, 1867, at the rent of ^5 per annum for the first year, ^20 for the second, and £^0 per annum for the remainder of the term, free from all rates and taxes, except property tax, for the erection of ten houses which are situate on the north side of Wood Lane. Charities. Priestly s Gift, a.d. 1620 {Noble Money). William Priestly, of Hornsey, Esq., by will, dated May 2nd, 1620, gave to the Master and Wardens of the Merchant Taylors' Company the sum of ;^250, in trust, for eight poor men for ever, allowing each of them four nobles a year, to be paid them quarterly ; four of the said poor men to be chosen at the discretion of the Master and Wardens for the time being, and to be of the poor of the said Company, and the other four poor men to be of the Parish of Hornsey, in Middlesex, appointed at the discretion of the Rector and Churchwardens for the time being. One pound six shillings and eightpence (being the amount of four nobles) is paid quarterly to four poor men of the Parish of Hornsey, duly appointed agreeably to the provisions of the above will. Jo/in Smith's Gift, a.d. 1655. John Smith, of Highgate, Esq., by will proved June 26th, 1665, gave the sum of ^10 to be distributed on the 21st day of December in each year, for ever ; that is to say, £1 to the Lecturer of Highgate Chapel, in the Parish of Hornsey, to preach a sermon in the forenoon of that day ; £^ to be distributed in sums of 55. each, after the service, to twenty of the poorest men and women, residing in that part of Highgate situated in the Parish of Hornsey ; and £.\ to be distributed in sums of 4-s'. each, on the same day, to twenty of the poorest men and women, inhabitants of the village of Hornsey. The same poor people continue to receive the gift, as long as they live, provided they conduct themselves properly. The above sum of ;^io is a rent-charge upon an estate in Kent, called the Barton Court Estate, and is distributed, as above, by the Governors of the Grammar School, Highgate. THE PARISH OF HORNSEY, ETC. 105 Consolidated Apprentice Funds, comprising Draper, Smith, and Midwinter's Gifts. Drapers Gift, Anno, 1659. Roger Draper, of Hornsey, Esq.,' by will, dated May 4th, 1659, bequeathed the sum of ^120 for putting out six boys of Hornsey apprentices to freemen of London, to such honest and lawful trades and callings, except silk-weavers, tailors, and vintners, as his executor, if living, and the greater part of the parishioners of Hornsey, assembled in Vestry, should think fit. It appears that, after the death of Mr. Draper, some difficulties arose as to the proper application of this legacy, according to the precise import of his will ; in consequence of which proceedings were instituted in the Court of Chancery, the Churchwardens of the Parish of Hornsey against Sir Thomas Draper, baronet, executor of the will of Roger Draper ; and by a decree in that cause, dated i8th July, 1661, it was ordered that the defendant should pay the said sum of /'120 to the plaintiffs, to be laid out in lands ; and that the profits thereof should be for ever disposed of for the benefit of such poor boys born or to be born in the said parish as the parishioners, or the greater part of them in Vestry there, should think fit. In pursuance of this decree, and by agreement with the parishioners, Sir Thomas Draper, in consideration of the said ^120, on the 22nd September, 1668, surrendered into the hands of the lord of the manor of Canonbury two acres of land or pasture, with the appurtenances, in Isleden (Islington), of which the said Sir Thomas Draper was then customary tenant, to the use of Sir Thomas Rowe and eleven others, their heirs and assigns, upon trust, for the town and parish of Hornsey, to the intent that the rents and profits of the said premises should be disposed of, for the placing forth of poor boys of the said parish to be apprentices, from time to time, according to the true intent of the will of the said Roger Draper and of the said decree. There was a good deal of litigation respecting the trust, which was ultimately setded by Chancery suit in December i 798. The vestry minutes of the 15th June, 1794, contain further informa- tion respecting this benefaction. In the year 1862 (Christmas) the said lea.se fell in, and in the following year the trustees with the sanction of the Charity Commis- sioners employed a surveyor to go over the estate and report, which resulted in new leases being granted of the ten houses forming Hornsey • His body, wrapped in lead only, was recently found in the churchyard, and was removed to the vaults under the church. io6 THE HISTORY OF HIGHGATE. Row, in the Upper Street, Islington, and seven houses (one having been pulled down), in Canonbury Lane, for twenty-one years from Christmas 1862, with repairing covenants, at rents amounting in the whole to ^608, and with reference to a portion of the ground at the back which before had formed and been used as garden ground to the said houses, the same was let with the like sanction of the Charity Commissioners on a building term of 80 years from Lady Day, 1864, upon which ten houses have been built, at ground rents producing in the whole ^65 per annum ; so that this estate at the present time (March 1869) produces to the parish the rental of £^^l per annum. The rents (together with the income derived from Smith's and Midwinter's gifts) are applied by the churchwardens and overseers under order of Vestry (two special vestries being held in the months of June and December in each year), in apprenticing boys and girls of the parish, according to the scheme adopted by the \'estry and confirmed by the Charity Commissioners. Ann Smith's Gift, Anno 1662. Consolidated with Draper and Midwinter's Gifts, by Order of the Charity Commissioners. By indenture, dated 8th July, 1662, between Mrs. Ann Smith, of Highgate, widow of John Smith, Esq., of the one part; and Sir John Rayney, baronet, and others, of the other part ; it was witnessed, that the said Ann Smith, according to a power reserved to her by a certain indenture therein mentioned, gave to the said parties of the second part, their heirs and assigns, a messuage, and divers lands and premises, therein particularly specified, situate respectively in the parishes of St. Paul and Bridge, in the county of Kent, and in Westbear Marsh in the said county, on trust after her death, among other things, "to pay ^20 yearly, out of the rents and profits of the said premises (e.xcept the premises in Bridge parish), to the Churchwardens and Overseers of the poor of ' Highgate side' and ' Hornsey side,' lying within the parish of Hornsey, in the county of Middlese.x, for the time being, for putting out four poor children apprentices to some honest trade or occupation, and to give ^5 with every one of them, the same to be paid only at the feast of the birth of our Saviour yearly for ever." The premises from which this annuity is received consist of about 125 acres, with necessary farm-buildings, situate in the parish of St. Paul, Canterbury, and Westbear Marsh, in the county of Kent, and are vested in trustees for certain charitable purposes in Canterbury. The amount received in respect of this Charity has, since December 1866, been raised to ^40 per annum, the Charity Commissioners THE PARISH OF IfORNSEY, ETC. 107 having agreed that Hornsey parish was entitled to that sum instead of ^20, in consequence of the increased value of the Charity property. Midwinters Gift, Anno, 1750. Consolidated with Draper and Smith's Gifts, by Order of the Charity Commissioners. Daniel Midwinter, of Hornsey, Esq., by will dated 20th June, 1750, gave to the Master and Wardens of the Stationers' Company, from and after the decease of his wife, £ i ,000, on condition that the said company should, yearly, forever pay the sum of_^30 for the following purposes: that is to say ^14 a year to the parish of Hornsey, in Middlesex, to put out two boys or girls of that parish apprentices, and to buy them some clothes when they go out; and' also _^ 14 a year to the parish of St. Faith, in London, for the like purpose ; the boys or girls to be put out apprentices with the consent of the Rectors as well as the Church- wardens ot the said respective parishes. The remaining _^ 2 to be applied towards a dinner for the Master and Wardens of the said Company. The annual sum of ^14 was for many years received from the above Company, and when apprentices were appointed by the parish, the indentures were sent to the Company, and thereupon £"/ was paid for each indenture. But in the year 1866 the Company paid to the official Trustees of the Charity Commission the capital on which they had hitherto paid interest, which has been invested in the purchase of /"550 New Two-and-a-half per Cent. Annuities, now standing in their names, as also a sum of ^^43 \s. i id. in the same annuities, which was purchased with a sum of ^31 15^-., the arrears due from the Company at the time the investment was made. The income on these two sums of stock, amounting to ^14 i^s. 6d., is applied in accordance with the scheme before-mentioned. Doles — Bread Fund Charities. Piatt's Gift, Anno 1637. William Piatt, of Highgate, Esq., by will dated November 4th, 1637, devised certain lands and premises to .St. John's College, Cambridge, and directed that the said college should, out of the yearly revenues of the said premises, after his wife's decease, yearly and for ever, pay ^20 on New Year's Day to the Overseer or Overseers for the poor of the Parish of .St. Pancras, in the county of Middlesex, and the Overseer or Overseers for the poor of the Parish of Hornsey, in the .said county, to be bestowed and (;mploy(;d for the relief and benefit of poor inhabitants of the said two parishes ; namely, ^14, part thereof, for the benefit and relief of fourteen poor people of the said Parish of St. Pancras, and the other ^"6 for the relief of six poor people of the said Parish of I lornsey. io8 THE HISTORY OF HIGHGATE. This annual rent-charge of _^6 is received on New Year's Day from the Bursar of St. John's College, Cambridge, and expended in bread, and distributed in church every Sunday morning, after Divine Service, to poor inhabitants of the parish, in their respective districts, of Hornsey and Highgate. Chambers s Gift, Anno 1640. Mrs. Susannah Chambers, of Hornsey, widow, by will, dated December 28th, 1640, left certain premises, consisting of a house and grounds in Hornsey Lane,' near Highgate Hill, charged with the annual payment of £2 i 2s. to be distributed in bread by the Rector and Church- wardens upon every Sunday, amongst the poor inhabitants of the Parish of Hornsey. Joyners Gift, Anno 1738. Extract from the will of Catherine Joyner, late of the Parish of Hornsey, and of St. George the Martyr, in the county of Middlesex, spinster, dated May 6th, 1732: — " I give unto the poor of the Parish of Harringay, alias Hornsey, that is to say, to the poor of the ' Hornsey side,' and not to the poor of the ' Highgate side,' the clear and yearly sum of ^4 free of all taxes and assessments whatsoever, to be paid to the Churchwardens and Over- seers of the said parish on the ' Hornsey side,' and to their successors for ever ; to be laid out in bread, and disposed of by them to the poor of the said parish on the ' Hornsey side,' as they shall think fit ; and for securing the payment of the said annual sum of ^4 as aforesaid, I do hereby will and desire my sister Elizabeth Joyner, to subject and charge such part of the copyhold estate at Harringay, alias Hornsey, aforesaid, as she shall think proper." Accordingly, the said Elizabeth Joyner did, by her will, dated May 4th, 1738, subject and charge her copyhold estates in the Parish of Hornsey, for that purpose. In the year 1847, this estate was sold to the Great Northern Railway Company, who now pay the rent charge, for the purpose of making the railroad which now passes through the centre of the land. It is numbered on the parish map 107, 108, 109, etc. Hollands Gift, Anno 1756, and Evans s Gift, Anno 1763. Richard Holland, of Hornsey, Esq., by will, dated February 28th, 1756, " gave to the Rector and Churchwardens of the Parish of St. Mary, Hornsey, for the time being, £t yearly and for ever, to be laid ' Linden Hou.se. THE PARISH OF HORNS EY, ETC. 109 out in bread, to be delivered in the church, on a Sunday, to the poor of the ' Hornsey side ' not taking alms of the said parish, and being of a sober life." Mr. Richard Holland appointed Mr. William Evans, of Newgate Street, London, his sole executor and residuary legatee. The said William Evans died in the year 1768, leaving by his will, dated July 2nd, 1763, the same gift of £6 yearly and for ever, and upon the same conditions as directed by the said Mr. Richard Holland. It appears that these two gifts, of £6 each, were not paid to the Parish of Hornsey until after the executors of Mr. William Evans had applied to the Court of Chancery respecting them, when, by a decree of the said court, dated August i8th, 1770, they transferred, out of the name of the said William Evans, ^400 Three per Cent. Consols, to the Rector and Churchwardens for the time being. This ;^400 Three per Cent. Consols, forming part of a sum of ^^ i, i 7 1 I \s. \d., now stands in the names of the trustees. Ellis's Gift, Anno 1785. Samuel Ellis, of Hornsey, Esq., by will, dated October 3rd, 1785, gave to the Rector and Churchwardens of the Parish of St. Mary, Hornsey, the sum of ^^300, upon trust, to invest the same in the public funds in the names of the Rector of the .said parish and of such other person or persons as should be named and approved of by the parishioners of the said parish in a public vestry, to be called for that purpose ; and upon the death of such Rector, or any one or more of such person or persons, so to be named and approved of as aforesaid, the said trust funds to be transferred into the name of the Rector of the said parish for the time being, and of such one or more person or persons, so to be named and apijroved as aforesaid, and so from time to time ; and upon further trust, that all the dividends and interest accruing from the said trust funds should be laid out in bread, and such bread distributed and given weekly, and for ever, to the poor of the said Parish of Hornsey, at the discretion of the said trustees, for the time being. This legacy is invested in ^331 os. 8d. Three per Cent. Consols, forming part of a sum of /"i, 171 i i.v. \d. in the hands of trustees. Crmiden's Gift, Anno 1797. (Bread Fund.) Isaac Crunden, of the Parish of St. Giles-in-theT^"ields, Middle.sex, Yeoman, b)' will, dated May i ilh, 1797, gave to the poor of the Parish of Horn.sey, in the said county, his freehold estate, situate in the Clayfield, belonging to the town and county of Nottingham, \\\m\ known by the name of Deacon Hill and Primrose Hill, containing l)y csiinialion 1 acn; no THE HISTORY OF HIGH GATE. and 13 perches, and then let at the yearly rent of £2 \os. He also gave 2^150 Three per Cent. Consols, that the interest arising therefrom should be distributed for ever, on every Sunday, amongst the poor of the said Parish of Hornsey. This gift was by order of vestry placed to the Bread Fund Account. The devise of the land being void under the statute 9 Geo. II., c. 36, the parish has derived no benefit from it. The ^150 Three per Cent. Consols was transferred, by the executors, in the year 1797, to the Rector and Churchwardens for the time being, and now stands in the names of trustees. Pa/mores Gift, Anno 1S12. (Bread Fiind.) Richard Patmore, of Hornsey, yeoman, by will, dated June 9th, 181 2, gave ^100 Four per Cent. Annuities to the Rector and Churchwardens of the Parish of Hornsey for the time being, in trust, "to apply the interest arising therefrom in bread, to be distributed yearly, for ever, to the poor inhabitants of the said Parish of Hornsey (nof receiving parochial alms), at the discretion of the said Rector and Churchwardens, and at such times and seasons as they shall direct." This gift of ;^ioo Four per Cent. Annuities was transferred by the e.xecutors on the 5th December, 1816, to the trustees of the Bread Fund, and afterwards, being reduced to three-and-a-half per cent, by Act of Parliament, it was sold, and ;^ioo Three per Cent. Consols purchased with the proceeds. This ;^ioo Three per Cent. Consols now stands in the names of trustees. The income arising from the several bread charities (amounting in the whole to ^^45 os. 6d. per annum) is applied in the purchase of bread, which is distributed in church every Sunday morning, after Divine Service, amongst the poor of the parish in their respective districts. The persons partaking of it are those who are considered to be the most necessitous, and amount generally to about forty-four in number, each receiving a sixpenny or a threepenny loaf Brozvns Gift. Anno 1826. Charles Brown, Esq., of Hornsey, Surgeon, by will dated September 28th, 1824, gave ^100 Three per Cent. Con.sols to the Rector and Church- wardens for the time being of the Parish of St. Mary, Hornsey, upon trust " to apply the whole interest arising therefrom, every year at Christmas, in the purchase of eight blankets, to be by them distributed from time to time to and amongst eight paupers of the said Parish ol Hornsey, who may be proper objects of compassion." THE PARISH OF HORNSEY, ETC. in The legacy duty on this t^il'i reduced the amount of stock to /,90 lO.^". 5^. Three per Cent. Consols, and forms part of a sum of /' I , I 7 1 I I.e. \d. now standing: in the, names of trustees. ' Biicktofis Gift. Anno 1S47. George Buckton, Esq., of Hornsey, by will, dated March 17th, 1845, gave ^200 stock Three per Cent. Consols (clear of legacy duly) to the Rector and Churchwardens, for the time being, of the Parish of St. Mary, Hornsey, upon trust, to apply the interest arising therefrom, in the first place as it shall be necessary to keep in perpetual re|)air his family tomb, his mural tablet, erected on the north wall of the, church aforesaid. Then upon trust, that the said trustees shall apply the remainder of the said interest, or the whole thereof, in the purchase of blankets and warm clothing, to be by them distributed, about Christmas in each year, amongst such of the deserving poor of the said parish, not receiving ])arochial alms, as they shall think most fit. ihis sum is invested in the names of trustees. Two Small IloJises for the Poor of Hio/ioatc in Sojtt/nuood Lane, near Sir fo/in ]]\'>llaston s Aliiis/iouses. These almshouses were given for the use of the poor of this parish, by a person out of memory, and are now occupied, free and clear of rent, by four poor widows. At a general Court Baron of the Lord of the Manor of Hornsey, held the 22nd day of May, 1843, Mr. George Prickett and Mr. Thomas Danes, the surviving trustees, surrendered into the hands of the Lord of the said Manor " all that piece of ground, formerly waste, situate in Southwood Lane, containing in length, from north to south, 44 feet, and in breadth, from east to west, 24 feet of assize, with the buildings thereon ;" when the Lord of the said Manor admitted new trustees, on behalf ol the Churchwardens and Overseers of the Parish of Hornsey, who pay a yearly cpiit-rent of ^s. ^d. Passing from Hornsey, it will now be convenient to direct attention to the " (31d Hermitage" at Highgate, from which both the Church of St. Michael and the famous Cholmeley Grammar School originated. At what period the Hermitage was formed, and the first recluse took up his abode upon this then dreary spot, is uncertain, but it must have been prior to a.d. 1364; indeed, it is most probable that it was about coeval with the foundation of th(; chapel at Muswcll Hill. The author of a i)ami)hlr[ entitled "Some Account ol the l'r(,-e 112 THE HISTORY OF HIGH GATE. Grammar School at Highgate," speaking of the Hermitage at Highgate, says that "could its history be accurately traced, there is little doubt that the Hermitage would be found to have been one of those cells or humble dwellings which in the early periods ol our history were scattered over the wild and unfrequented parts of the country ; and none would be much more wild than this — the summit of a steep hill, far distant from any church, and to which no road conducted. To this Hermitage probably a small room or chapel was attached, where before the crucifix, or perhaps the image of the tutelary saint, the hermits who occasionally resided there, or pilgrims journeying to 'our Lady of Muswell,' offered up their vows, and performed the superstitious ceremonies of their religion." In 1537, says Mr. Froude, while the harbours, piers, and fortresses were rising in Dover, "an ancient hermit tottered night after night from his cell to a chapel on the cliff, and the tapers on the altar before which he knelt in his lonely orisons made a familiar beacon far over the rolling waters. The men of the rising world cared little for the sentiment of the past. The anchorite was told sternly by the workmen that his light was a signal to the king's enemies " (a Spanish invasion from Flanders was expected), " and must burn no more ; and, when it was next seen, three of them waylaid the old man on his way home, threw him down, and beat him cruelly."' This instance shows how long the custom lingered ; and " doubtless hermits were to be found in the remoter parts of these realms when the sudden tempest of the Reformation swept away alike the palace of the rich abbot and the cell of the poor recluse, and exterminated throughout England the ascetic life."- Tomlins, describing the antiquity of the road between the Gate House and Smithfield (Maiden Lane, now Dartmouth Park Hill, into which Swain's Lane runs), states it was made as a communication with the great North Road via Whetstone, and is described in a paviage grant of the 37th of Edward HI., a.u. 1364, "as the highway between Highgate and Smethefelde." Hermits were useful people ; the care of the roads with the collection of tolls was an office they very frequently filled, and the probability is that the earlier hermits of Highgate were the gate-keepers to the bishop's park, and their hermitage, the lodge at its entrance. Many of the paviage grants, or licences to collect tolls or customs for the repair of a road, are directed " To our well-beloved A. B., the hermit," etc. The paviage grant authorizing the collection of a toll for the repair of this road would doubtless point to a time when its traffic was considerable, and consec[uently needed most ' History of E>ig/a7id, vol. iii., p. 256. - Kingsley, The Hermits. THE PARISH OF HORNS EV, ETC. 113 reparation, and also justify the statement of Fuller as to the " nameless hermit." The paviage grant dated ah. 1364, translated, is as follows : — "The King to his beloved William Phelippe sendcth greeting. We highly commend the pious motive which for the advantage of our people passing through the highway of Heghegate and Sniethefield, in many places notoriously miry and deep, you unre- mittingly and continually exert in the emendation and support of that way in wood and sand, and other things of that nature necessary thereto at your own cost ; and since 3'ou assert that your own means are not sufficient for the purpose, we are willing upon due consideration to assent, and considering that those who from the performance of the said work obtain benefit and advantage to contribute to the same as is just ; therefore with that intent, we have granted to you that in aid of repairing the said way for one year next ensuing, that you may take by yourself, and others whom you shall depute for this purpose, from persons passing through the aforesaid way, the customs or tolls underwritten, that is to say : For every cart shod with iron, laden with merchandises, by the week, twopence ; for every cart not shod with iron, carrying such merchandises then by the week, one penny ; and for every horse carrying such merchandises by the week one farthing. And that the mone^' from the said customs accruing, you do apply in the reparation of the way aforesaid. But the year being completed, the customs aforesaid shall altogether cease, and further they shall not be levied. In witness thereof, etc. For the said year to endure. "Teste Rege apud West™, 11'" die Novemb'r, " By the Council." ' It appears, therefore, that this William Phelippe had at his own costs and charges repaired this road, and finding his means insufficient, had applied for a licence to collect and take a toll from the persons using the road with carts, etc. The act of amending a highway in those days was deemed, as in fact it was, an act of great public utility, and therefore it does not appear so extraordinary that we find hermits living on bridges and by the sides of roads, acting as toll gatherers, as numerous n-cords indubitably prove, and there can be no doubt that this William Phelippe was the nameless hermit Fuller alludes to thus : — '• A nameless hermit dwelling in the Hermitage where now the School is, on his own cost caused gravel to be digged on the top oi Highgate Hill, where is now a fair pool of water, and therewith made a causeway from Highgate to Islington; a two-handed charity, providing water on the hill, where it was wanted, and cleanness in the vale, which belore, especially in the winter, was passed with miic/i Iribulation."'- Nicholson, in his notes on the old hermit's uscfiil employment, con- fuses Highgate Pond on the; lop of the hill with the Highgate ponds lying far below in the valley, and twits the old writer with " knowing nothing of geology"!' ' i'at. 57 Edward III. ' iiiller's Worthus. ^ Nichohvn's Sotip 0/ //i.<:/<>n: 8 114 THE HISTORY OF HIGH GATE. The pond originally dug out by the hermit was in Pond Square, now South Grove, opposite the Congregational Church. The bed of the pond has recently been filled in, and asphalted as an open space by the parish authorities. The Highgate Hermitage was in the gift of the Bishop of London, for on the 20th February, 1386, Bi.shop de Braybrook' bestowed it on William Litchfield, " a poor infirm hermit weighed down by poverty and age " " — not to be confounded with John Lichfield, who was rector of the parish a.d. 1472. The next record is a grant by Bishop Stokesley, A.D. 1 53 1, to "William Forte, a hermit, in consideration of his good services to the said Bishop, to pray for his soul, and the souls of his predecessors, and the souls of all the faithful deceased."^ The hermits whose cells were not endowed with land are spoken of as "mendicants" in several of the grants of Edward III., whereas that of Highgate sets forth "the messuage garden and orchard," and the hermit must have been a man of good repute, and worthy life and manners, if he did not actually belong to the sacerdotal order. Indeed, it seems exceedingly likely that William Forte, the last hermit, performed Divine Service in the chapel, as the officiating priest, seeing that his office was considered to be of sufficient importance to be under the special appointment of the Bishop. It appears from these dates, that the site of the old chapel was occupied by the hermits five hundred years since, ^ and possibly long before ; as it is not unlikely that its foundation dated from A.u. 1 1 12, when Bishop Beauveys granted land at Muswell Hill for a similar purpose ; and thus it would form one of a chain of similar foundations spread over the woodlands north of London. There is no doubt that it existed prior to A.I). 1364,' the date of the first paviage grant, which sets forth the long continued service of the hermit. There was a second paviage grant in 1377, in favour of certain inhabitants of Highgate and Islington, for the same purpose ; but this seems less an act of charity than a business speculation. The transla- tion runs thus : — "The King to his beloved William Maynerd,'' William Smyth of Ileghegate, and William Smyth of Iseldon, greeting : Know ye that we have granted in aid of ' " Rut here we must not omit the particular mention of Robert Braybrook, Bishop of London, sometime Lord High ("lianccllor of l''.iigland, who dieil August 27th, 1404, the 5th Henry IV., abo\e 260 years before the ruin of this church (.St. Paul's) in i566. Not- withstandni}!; this distance of time, upon pulling down the stonework, and the removal of the rubbish, his body was found entire, the flesh still enclosing the bones ; on the breast there was a hole, made, I suppose, by accident.'' — Dugdale. '' Norden. ■* Camden. Newcourt, Norden. ^ Newcourt. ' See Court Roll, p. 61. THE PARISH OF HORNSEY, ETC. 115 repairing and amending of the King's highways (regiariiiii slra/aniiii) from our City of London to Heghegate that from the day of the execution of these present until the end of three years next ensuing complete ye shall take at the Heghegate (aptid Ic Hcghegak) and elsewjnere in our King's highway (rcgia strata nostra) in this behalf where ye shall deem most expedient the customs underwritten ; that is to say, For every hogshead of wine for sale, one penny ; for every pipe of wine for sale, one halfpenny ; for every rundlet of w-ine for sale, one farthing ; for every cart-load of leather tanned and tawed or cordewain for sale, one penny ; for every horse-load of the same for sale, one farthing ; for every cart-load of avoir du poise for sale, one penny ; and for every horse-load of the same, one farthing ; for every cart-load of wollen cloth for sale, one penny ; for every horse-load or truss of the same for sale, one farthing ; for every cart-load of wood and of the ashes of the same and warence for sale, one penny ; for every horse-load of the same for sale, one farthing ; for a score of gross beasts for sale, one penny ; for a score of sheep for sale, one farthing ; for a score of hogs for sale, one farthing ; for every horse-load of iron or lead for sale, one farthing ; for every cart-load of corn or malt of whatsoever kind it be for sale, by the week, one penny ; for every horse-load of the same, by the week, one farthing ; for every horse-load of potters-ware for sale, by the week, one farthing ; and for every cart-load of timber, boarding, laths, fire-wood, or charcoal, for sale, by the week, one penny. And therefore we command you, that you, the aforesaid customs until the end of the aforesaid term, do take as is aforesaid, but the term being com- plete of the said three years the said customs shall utterly cease and be destroyed. In witness, etc. To last for the aforesaid three years. Indeed we will not that, of the goods, wools, woolfcls, salted skins, or venison, or fiom ecclesiastical persons by colour of this our grant abovcsaid, anything be taken from the inducement aforesaid. " T. R. (Teste Rege) at Westminster tlu' third day of June, " By "the Council." ' Milton thus alludes to the hermitages : — " Then may at least my weary age Find out the peaceful Hermitage, The airy gown, and mossy cell, Where I may sit and nightly spell Of every star that heaven doth show, And every herb that sips the dew." No doubt these lines embodied the poiniiar sentiment of later times respecting these recluses, but their lot was hardly an enviable one ; " airy gowns and mossy cells " are very well in poetry, but hardly agree with the bones of an infirm man " weighed down by poverty and age," on the top of Highgate Hill ! Before leaving the old Hermitage of St. Michael, an interesting enquiry suggests itself as to the name of the so-called .saint. St. Michael is not only considered the superior of the guardian angels, but is the especial protector of high places, — St. Michael's Mount, both in England and France, to wit ; and many of the older churches dedicated to him were erected on a hill, as in this instance. Hut the most striking fact ' Patents 51 Edward III. I i6 THE HISTORY OF HIGH GATE. in connection with his name as far as Highgate is concerned is that, as before stated, he is the tutelary saint of Normandy ; and this fact strongly suggests that the old Hermitage was established when the Norman Bishops of London resided at Lodge Hill. There is an engrav- ing extant from a picture of Sabbatini of Bologna, representing the Holy Family. St Michael is standing o)i the devil, presenting the infant Jesus with the .souls of men, after weighing them on a pair of scales ; the idea being, doubtless, that in the quality of his office as archangel he was the preliminary judge of the claims of departed spirits. And there are good grounds for the supposition that St. George and the Dragon are neither more nor less than St. Michael contending with the devil, i.e., the divine destroyer of the spiritual serpent. Tht SoulUWVit \icw of ilio-liQ-atc Cliappel The order of St. Michael of France was instituted in honour of the supposed appearance of the Archangel on the bridge of Orleans, when it was besieged by the English a.d. 1428. The site of the old Hermitage House was granted by Bishop Grindal to Sir Roger Cholmeley, who afterwards conveyed it to the six wardens or governors of the Free Grammar .School, " with the house, edifices, gardens, and orchards, etc., together with two acres of pasture on the common abutting on the King's highway." ' The two acres of pasture, comprise the ground Irom the old School Hou.se to the Red Lion, North Road, bounded by South wood Lane, from which the principal endowment of the school is derived. For some ' sir R. Cholmeley ilied the same year. a.d. 1565. THE PARISH OF HORNSEV, ETC. 117 reasons which do not apijcar, the same chapel and land were again granted in a.d. 1577 to John Farneham, reserving 4^. per annum to the Crown. This Act evidently jioints to what was deemed a conceal- ment, as it was included in a grant with several other Church properties which had devolved on the Crown. John Farneham was a gentleman pensioner of Queen Elizabeth ; he afterwards .sold the ruinous cottage or chapel, .v.u. 1583, to the receiver-general of the school, who in the March of the following year re-leased the .same to the Governors of Sir R. Cholmeley's Free Grammar School, one of whom he afterwards became. Newcourt,' speaking of the chapel, says : — " Which school Edwyn Sandys, Bishop of London, enlarged in .\.L). 1570 by the addition of 'Jlic iSiniiii l*^-ift \i(.\s of I[i(;-ln>-atc Chappcl a chapel for Divine Service, since which the chapel hath been again enlarged by the piety and bounty of divers honourable and worthy personages." The chapel attached to the school, and in which the .schoolmaster officiated, originally joined the master's house, and was ixirtially used by the inhabitants for Divine Service, it being enjoined on them "to resort to their parish church on the first .Sunday of every month, to hear prayers and receive the Iloly Communion," and this involved a journey to Horn.sey Church. Iherefore for the convenience of worshipping in Highgate it was considered incumbent on the resi- dents to defray out of their own [jurses all cost of repairing and enlarging the chapel, as from time to time the increased population might require, ' Repertoriiim. ii8 THE HISTORY OF HIGH GATE. without any encroachment on the funds of the School ; in confirmation of which it is stated that the chapel was rebuilt and enlarged by subscription of the bishop, wardens, inhabitants and others, in a.d. 1578, A.D. 1616, A.D. 1620, A.D. 1719, and A.D. 1/72.' " Lysons states that when it was repaired in 1719 it was with a donation of ^700 from Mr. Pauncefort when treasurer of the charity, and ^300 from the inhabitants, aided by other contributions." The chapel must have been originally very small indeed ; both it and the house annexed thereto were partly under one roof, as two dwelling rooms which were over the chapel were, so lately as a.d. 1772, taken away to elevate the building. A memorandum in the constitution book, dated September, a.d. 1573, states that " there is laid out and disbursed for reparations of this free school and chapel the sum of ^^4 \bs. ^d., — a large sum, considering that the surplus revenues beyond the schoolmaster's stipend amounted to only 13.?. ^d. for the year. The following is Mr. Cole's account of the old Chapel of St. Michael the Archangel at Highgate- : — "June 22nd, 1750. The Chapel at Highgate, which is a daughter of the Parish Church of Hornsey, stands upon the summit of the hill near the gate, and is built of brick, being capacious enough, and full as big as its mother church : it consists of a small brick tower, at the west end, on which hangs one bell and a clock ; two porches on each side of the tower tiled, and the nave or whole chapel now divided into two aisles with the range of si.x pillars running through the middle, and is very beautiful, being made with arched cupola, in the centre of which, being gilt work, is wrote l.H.S. ; it is neatly railed in on an eminence, and paved with black and white marble. " A neat gallery runs all along the side of the north till it reaches the chancel ; at the west end is a gallery, and in it a small organ, and under- neath the organ loft, is placed the font. The pulpit is very neat, and is placed about the middle of the south aisle against the wall. " The Chapel is endowed with about ^80 a-year, and is in the presentation of the Governors of the School. The Rev. Mr. Yardly, Archdeacon of Cardigan, is the present morning preacher, and enjoys the endowment ; he was formerly of St. John's College, Cambridge, and married a person who lived with my predecessor, Dr. Lewis Atterbury, who at his decease left her a handsome fortune. The reader at the Chapel is the Rev. Mr. Felton, .son to a Head Master of a Hall in Oxon, who has the small living of Lofts in Essex, is married, with several children, supposed to be methodistically inclined, on which account Mr. ' Notes of law proceedings. « Cole's MSS., British Museum. THE PARISH OF HORN SEW ETC. 119 Archdeacon Yardly ilon't alU)w him lo preach in the Chapel ; he also teaches a school at Hio/ioate,^ but has no great number of scholars. "There are a great many and mostly very elegant monuments in this Chapel, but not calling soon enough in the evening, had no time to take any other inscriptions but the three following, which as more particularly coming under my observation, the one being for one of my predecessors, and the other two connected with my Cambridgeshire antiquities, could not pass them over, — Mr. Piatt's, Dr. Atterbury's, and Sir Francis Pemberton's. On the north wall, near the east end, between the two windows of the chancel part, is fixed a mural monument of stone, finely adorned with about 36 coats of arms, beautifully blazoned with their proper colours, with the busts of a man and a woman ; under them are the two following inscri]jtions in gold. In the middle are these arms, or fretty sable ; plate on each cross bar, argent ; impales, sable ; 2 bars argent, and in chief 3 plates : — " Dedicated to tlie Memorie of William Piatt of High Gate, in the Countie of Midd., Esq., Sonne and Heire of Sir Hugh Piatt of Kerbie Castle of Bednal Green in the County of Midd., Knight, who married ye youngest daughter of Sir John Hungerford of Downamy in the Countie of Glocester, Knight. He had one brother of the whole blood and three sisters, viz., Robert Piatt, Judeth Piatt, Judeth Piatt, and Mary Piatt. He departed this world upon the seventh day of November, One thousand si.\ hundred and thirtie seaven, aged five and forty years. " Here lieth the Body of Mary, Daughter of Sir John Hunger- ford of Downamy in the Count}' of Glocester, Knight, who was lirst married to Edward Tucker of Madingly in the County of Wilts, Esq., by whom she had one onely Daughter married to Sir Thomas Gore of Barrow in ye County of Somerset, and was interred ye 26th of September, Anno 1686, in the 86 yeare of her age. " Repaired and beautified at the eliarge of Saint John's College, Cambridge, in memory of their generous benefactor,'- a. d. mdccxlui. " About the middle of the south wall, on the west side of the pulpit, and close to it, is fixed a very elegant and well-formed mural monument of white marl)le, being a small Corinthian pillar fluted on the to|), on which are placed these arms, viz., paley of 6 pieces, or and sable a chielvaire for Atterbury, and on an inescutcheon of pretence argent an eagle displayed gules for Bedingfield. The same arms hang by it on an ' (^holmeley School. • Mr. t'latt founded six Fellowships in St. John's College, which are (ailed by his name, the Platl Fellowships. The nionumcnl was removed to old St. I'ancras Church when the Chapel was pulled down. I20 THE HISTORY OF HIGHGATE. achievement, being Atterbury impaling Bedingfield, and with the in- escutcheon also on the base of the pillar is the following inscription, and below it is a book open with the Latin exhortation, ' Abi, Spectator, et te brevi moriturum scito.' ' "To the memory of Lewis Atterbur}', LL.D., formerly' Rector of Sy well in the County of Northampton, and one of the six Preachers to her late sacred Majesty Queen Anne at St. James's and White- hall. He was 36 years Preacher of this Chapell, 24 years Rector of Shepperton in the County of Middlesex, and 1 1 years Rector of the Parish of Hornsey. He married Penelope, the Daughter of John Bedingfield, Esq., by whom he had 4 children ; namely two sons who died young ; Bedingfield Atterbury, who died soon after he entered into Holy Orders ; and Penelope, who was married to George Sweetapple, of St. Andrew's, Holborn, Brewer, by whom he had one daughter, Penelope Sweetapple, now living. He died at Bath Oct. 20th, Anno Dni 1731, in the 76th year of his age, and lies buried near this place. " Near Mr. Piatt's monument, over the vestry door at the east end of the north aisle, and near the altar, is fixed a very handsome mural monument of white marble, with these arms at the bottom : A chevron under 3 buckets sable hooped or ; for Pemberton (.Sir Francis Pemberton) impales ermine, 2 boars passant in pale gules, for which cote above them is this inscription : — "M.S. venerabilis admodum viii D Francisci Pemberton Eq., aurati, servientis ad legem, e sociis Interioris Templi, nee non sub serenissimo principe Carolo 2''" Banci Regii ac communis capitalis Justiciarii ; sacras majestati a secretioribus consiliis ; \'ir plane egregius, ad reipublicae pariter ac suorum diilcc decus d prasidinm feliciter natus. Patre Radulpho in agro Hertford Generoso, ex antiqua Pembertonorum prosapia in Com. Palat. Lancastrise oriundo. Charissiniam sibi adscivit conjugcm Annam Domini Jeremiae Whichcote Baronetti filiam natu maximam ex qua liberos undccim suscepit, quorum septem superstites reliquit : e vivis • placide et pie excessit 10""' die Junii A" Dom 1698'"" ^Etatis suae 72 mo. " -' Such is the interesting account of the old chapel given by Rev. William Cole, F.S.A., the antiquarian Rector of Hornsey already alluded to, who be(]ueathed many volum(;s of MSB. to the British Museum, describing churches and monuments in several counties, especially Cambridgeshire, which are quiet witnesses of his painstaking research.^ ' " Go, Spectator, and know that thou shalt soon die.'' ^ This monument was removed to Cambridge when the chapel was pulled down * See p. 94. THE PARISH OF HORNSEY, ETC. 121 The following arc notes ot the inscriptions and monuments he does not allude to for the reason stated : — Wadham Knatchbull, 3 years Preacher of Higligate Chapil ; died 6th January, 1773- On a pillar with a globe on it : — Robert SpringncU ; died 25th July, 1624. On a triangular pillar : — Mr. Peter Pretty; died 30th Dec., 1678. John Schoppins; died 22nd June, 1 720. Mary his wife; died 28th Dec, 17 18. On this tombstone was inscribed by their son : — " In life they were lovely, In death they were not divided. May their ashes rest in peace." Strange to say, this was the only vault disturbed in the erection of the Crawley Chapel, one of the foundation piers actually dividing the vault, and causing the removal of the coffins. Mr. John Bailey ; died 29th Dec, 1712: — " Now farewell Africa, farewell, Full thirty years our conversation tell ; Unfaithful thou hast been to me, The faithfuUest of husbands unto thee." Hart. Bailey, M.I). ; died 21st Aug., 1740. Moinniiciil : -Samuel Foster, Esq. ; died 25th .Xiiril, 1752. Mary his wife ; died 14th Juno, 1744. Mr. Foster, " One of the worthy Governors of the Free Grammar School of this town, bequeathed to them by his last will X3°°i '-^ ^^ '3'<^' "^" at their discretion for the increase of the pension of the poor widows in the almshouses here." Tablet : — Mr. Jonathan Lowe ; died 15th April, 1795. Formerly of the Gate House. A nioiiunient nutli arms: — Sir Edward Gould, Knt., one of the Governors of this Chapel; died 26th Sept., 1728. His first wife was Elizabeth, daughter of Richard Gower of Highgate. Flat Stones : — Mrs. Elizabeth Atkinson; died 19th Jan., 1772. WifV of Jonathan Atkinson, of Finchley, who died Jan. lOth, 1773. Margaret Makepeace; died 29th Sept., 1790. Christopher Watkinson ; died 1 2th Aug., 1676. Merchant adventurer, who was born at Leeds in Yorkshire, of which Corporation he was constitutetl an Alderman by Roj'al Charter. lb- was l.oyall subject to ins Prince, Conformable son of the Church, A ■{ I'aithful I'atriot to his country, Prudent Majestrate in his office, Just correspondent in his Travels. 122 THE HISTORY OF HIGHGATE. Mrs. Frances Hewit ; died 2ist May, 1632. Daughter r,f Sir Henry Hobart, Knt. and Baronet, late Lord Chief Justice of the Common Pleas. " Frances the Faire, the Wise, the Good. Judge Hobart's daughter mixed her Blood And changed her name for Hewit's love, When he did such a husband prove As when he dies she'd the desire, And so doth he, to rest here by her." Mrs. Elizabeth Lisle; died isth March, 1633. Wife to John Lisle, Esq., and daughter of Sir Henry Hobart, Knt. and Baronet, etc. John Schoppins (the younger); died 1st July, 1728. " Reader, pass on, walk freely o'er my bones, 1 lately trod such monumental stones; A few days hence shall others tread on thine, So small the difference 'twixt thy fate and mine." Before the Comniiniioii Tabic : — Mrs. Rebekah Pauncfort ; died 2nd Nov., 1719. Wife of Edward Pauncfort of Highgate, Esq., and daughter of Sir Sanuiel Meyer, Bart. John Smith, of Highgate, Esq. ; died 3rd March, 1655. One of the Governors of this Chapel. Defaced. "John Smith, son of John Smith, Esq., late of this parish, by Anne his wife, being the only child which the said John Smith left at the time of his decease. He came into the world as a blessing obtained from Heaven by the devout prayers of his most religious mother, which she daily offered up at the Throne of Grace for the space of thirty years together, during which time she had been childless, and then God answered her petition and gave her this son." ' Basil Nicolls ; died 14th Oct., 1648. One of the Governors of this Chapel and Free School. Elizabeth Jacques; died June i8th, 1624. Wife of John Jacques — whose " sorrowful widdowe she was 19 years." " Noe epitaph need make this just one famed, The Good are pray'sd when Tha're only named." Mrs. Elizabeth York; died 23rd Dec, 1724. Nicholas BurvveJl, of Gray's Inn, Esq. ; died 2nd Sept., 1670. William Ord, Esq. ; died 20th March, 171^, in the 7th year of his age. Mr. W. Carpenter; died 18th Feb., 1781. Mr. Joshua Wilkinson ; died 23rd Dec, 1790, late of this town. Also Mrs. Sarah Wilkinson, died 24th June, 1793, wife of the above. * See Highgate Charities. THE PARISH OF HOKiXSEV, ETC. 123 In Chapel Yard : — James Meredeth Clerk ; died 2nd May, 1777. Rev. Edward Yardloy ; died 26th Dec, 1769. " He was chosen preacher of this Chapel Nov. 5th, 1731, and continued to discharge his duty in that otiire to (iod and man with unremitted diligence as a I'aitliful Pastor to the Day of liis Death." Mrs. Ann Vardley ; died 15th May, 1773. In the Churchyard: — " Here lyeth the body of Mary, wife of Robert Harris.son, who departed this life the 28th Feb., 1727, in the 60th year of her age. " The Grave is but a Fining Pot Unto believing eyes, For here the Flesh must lose its dross And like the sun arise. " Since none can see Cod's face and live, For me to I)y is best ; Through Jordan's streams who would not dive To land at Canaan's rest ? " Lord, let me i)raise Thee whilst I live, And praise Thee when I die. And praise Thee when I rise again To all eternity." ' Many of the old " Ledger stones," some of black marble from the aisles of the old church, are carefully preserved in the vaults. Since so little remains as a tnemorial of this ancient place of worshij), comparatively unimportant incidents are worth recording, and the following entries from the chtirch records may he of interest : — "Edward I'aunccfort, Esq., in 1705, ordered the plate to be double _u;ilt at his own charge." " William Bridges, Esq., in 1706, gave a new clock and surplice, and a cnmniun prayer book, to the chapel." "Sir Edward Gould, in June, 1712, gave a velvet pidpit cloth and cushion with a gold fringe." "Mr. William Thatcher, Senior, in 1713, gave a silver plate to collect the sacramental money in, and surplice." " Sir William Ashurst, in 17 17, bought the "rgan, three branches, and two dozen sconces for the pews." " Lady Pritchard gave by will 50.-;. yearly for ever, to be distributed by the minister of the chapel, to ten poor old maids of the hamlet of Highgate ; or widows, when no old maids can be found." "The Lady Moyer, in 1720, gave the velvet cloth to the comuuinidn table." ' "Church Notes," by John Simco, MSS., British Museuni. I 24 THE HISTORY OF HIGH GATE. " The Lady Child gave two common prayer books, bound in velvet, for the altar." "Mr. John Scoppin gave a suite of fine damask linen for the altar." " Mr. Edward Stanton paved the altar with black and white marble, at his own cost." " The communion plate, were two silver flaggons, given by Mrs. Jane Savage, widow, one silver chalice and cover, and one silver plate for the bread." " The clock, upon the chapel being pulled down, was removed to the residence of Joseph Claypon, Esq., on Hampstead Heath." The black and white paving mentioned above was laid down in the hall of the house, now the residence of Mr. W. P. Bodkin, J. P., West Hill Place. The organ was sold and removed to a chapel in the country. THE OLD CHAPEL AND SCHOOL HOUSE. CHARITIES. H.^MLET OF HlcnCKTE. The following charities, which are given in the Report of the Charity Commissioners, published in the year 1828, belong exclusively to the hamlet of Highgate: — .Anno 1562 Sir Roger Cholmeley's Gift Sir John Wollaston's Gift Edward Pauncefort's Gift John Schoppens' Gift 1658 1728 ' There is a rough sketch of Highgate Chapel in the scrap book of .Samuel Peins, in Magdalen College, Cambridge. THE PARISH OF ffORNSEY, ETC. 125 Anno Hannah Boise's Gift .... 1746 Samuel ForstersGift .... 1752 Robert Bootle's Gift 1757 John Edward's Gift ..... 1768 Tobias Kleinert's Gift .... 1784 Thomas Cook's Gift . . . . . 18 10 Thomas Coventry's Gift .... 1636 Lady Gould's Gift . . . . . 171 2 L:idy IVitchard's Gift .... 1707 Thomas Bromwich's Gift .... 1787 These charities are nearly all under the management of the Governors of the Grammar School, and are principally for the benefit of the residents in the almshouses and the school for girls. The [particulars as set forth in the Commissioners' Report are as follows. The income, being principally derived from funded property, is practically the same at the present date. Leaving Sir R. Cholmeley's gift for separate and more detailed treatment, we will commence with Sir fokn Wollaston s Foundation. Sir John Wollaston, Knight, by will, dated the 15th April, 1658, reciting that he had built six almshouses at Highgate, devised the said six almhouses and their appurtenances to the Governors of the Free School at Highgate and their successors for ever, on trust and confidence, for the use of si.\ poor almspeople, men and women, of honctst life and conversation, inhabitants of llornsey and Highgate in the said parish of Hornsey, or one of them ; whom the said Governors, and their successors, shall from time to time, for ever, in their dis- cretion appoint to dwell in and inhabit the same. And he further devised to the said Governors and their successors for ever an annuity or yearly rent charge of £\(>, to be issuing out of his messuage or tenement in Highgate next adjoining to his capital messuage where he dwelt, and his two closes of meadow or pasture called High Readings, containing by estimation eleven acres or thereabouts, situate in the parish of Hcjrnsey, payable cjuarlerly at the four usual feast days, upon trust, that the said Governors should from time to time pay and dispose of the said annuity as follows, vi/., to (tach of the said poor almspeople who should inhabit in the said almshouses, by the apijointment ol the said Governors and their successors, the yearly sum of ^os., to be paid to them on the feast days aforesaid by equal portions. And that the residue of the said annuity should be from time to time disposed of by the said 126 THE HISTORY OF HIGHGATE. Governors in repairing the said almshouses as need should require ; with a power to the said Governors, in case of non-payment of the said annuity for thirty days after any of the said feast days, to enter into the said premises and hold the same, and take the rents and profits thereof, until the arrears of the said annuity should be satisfied. The two closes called the Readings were in 1830 the property of William Belcher, Esq. They contained the one about six acres and the other about three, a part having been taken by the Highgate Arch- way Company, for the purpose of making the new road. Mr. Belcher was also the owner of a house at Highgate (Cholmeley Park), which was built upon the site of some old houses, formerly part of the Wollaston property. Mr . Belcher was unable to ascertain with certainty whether either of these old houses was the one charged by Sir John Wollaston's will with the annuity to the almshouses, but thought it most probable that such was the case. Mr. Belcher paid to the trustees ^18 io.y. a year in satisfaction of the two annuities given as above mentioned by Sir John Wollaston's will. Pauiucforts Foundation. Edward Pauncefort, Esq., by will, dated i6th May, 1723, directed his executors out of his personal estate to purchase lands and heredita- ments of a good fee simple estate of inheritance of the clear yearly value oi ^60 beyond reprizes, and when purchased, to convey the same to trustees and their heirs, on trust, out of the rents and profits thereof, to pay ^30 per annum to the six poor widows for the time being, inhabiting in the almshouse lately erected by him at Highgate, in the county of Middlesex, viz., to each of them ^5 per annum, and ^10 per annum to the minister or curate for the time being, who should be elected or appointed to read prayers at the chapel at Highgate aforesaid, such yearly sums to be paid by half-yearly payments ; and on trust, to apply the residue of the said rents and profits towards the maintenance of the charity girls at the charity school at Highgate aforesaid, lately built at his charge ; and his will was, that until such lands should be purchased and settled, his executors should out of his personal estate, and the interest and the produce thereof, raise and pay the yearly sum of ^60 to the respective persons, and in such proportions aforesaid. Some legal difficulties followed, but in pursuance of a decree of the Court the sum of ^1,500 was in July 1751 paid by Mr. Pauncetort's executor to the trustees in discharge of the legacy of £bo a year, together with ,^25 for the costs of the purchase of land directed to be made therewith ; and on the 2nd of August following, ^1,501 \'is. 6d. was invested, with the approbation of the Master, in the purchase of ^1,500 Three per Cent. THE PARISH OF HORNSEY, ETC. 127 Annuities of 1743, at the price of ^looj. The almshouses respectively founded by Sir John Wollaston and Mr. Pauncefort, and the girls' charity school, now form one uniform building, having the school house in the centre (now let as a habitation), and six almshouses, each consisting of one apartment, on each side, one set appropriated to Sir John Wollaston's almswomen, and the other to Mr. Pauncefort's. The whole of this building was erected by Mr. Pauncefort, the six old almshouses which had fallen into decay having been rebuilt by him on the same plan with the six new ones, which, together with the girls' charity-school, he had himself founded and built upon the adjoining land. ScJioppens Gift. In 1728 Mr. John Schoppens bequeathed ^150 to his brother-in-law, John Edwards, to be laid out in the purchase of freehold lands situate at Highgate, upon trust, in the first place, to keep his monument and the wall adjoining thereto in repair, and the surplus of the rents, if any were, to be to the use of the said John Edwards and his sister; and after the decease of the survivor of them, he gave the same to the Governors of the chapel at Highgate, in trust, in the first place, to keep his said monument and the said wall in repair, and to dispose of the surplus, if any, as they should think fit, amongst such objects of charity as should not receive alms, in such proportions and in such manner as should be judged proper by the Governors for the time being. This legacy was received by the Governors in i 770, upon the death of the testator's brother-in-law, Mr. John Edwards, and was laid out, together with Mr. Edwards's gift of ^300 to the almswomen, in the purchase of ^^518 Three per Cent. Reduced Annuities in the names of trustees. Mrs. Boise's Gift. Hannah Boise, by her will, dated 29th November, 1746, bequeathed to the Governors of the Free School, erected at Highgate, of the foundation of Sir Roger Cholmeley, Knight, deceased, and their successors, ^150 South Sea Stock, on trust, that they .should distribute the dividends twice a year, in equal proportions, amongst six poor women, who should be inhabitants of the six almshouses in Highgate, of the foundation of Sir John Wollaston, and have of liis gift only 50^. yearly each, in- tending that th<- said legacy should be for ever applied, only, to the better maintenance ot the said six poor women. It appears from the minute books of the Governors that m pursuance of a resolution passed 8th December, 181 i, this £\>,o South Sea Stock (together with some other funds therein mentioned) was sold to les 128 THE HISTORY OF HIGHGATE. out, and the produce applied towards the discharge of a balance due Mr. Price, the then treasurer, upon the general account of the charities under the management of the Governors ; but the almshouses have had the uninterrupted benefit of the dividends. Foster's Gift. Mr. Samuel Foster, by his will, dated 21st April, 1752, left to the Governors of the Free Grammar School at Highgate ^300, to be laid out at their discretion, for the increase of the pensions of the poor widows in the almshouses there. This money was first lent to the trustees of the turnpike road from Highgate to Barnet, at interest, which appears to have fluctuated from 4 to 5 per cent. The principal was paid off by the trustees of the road in 1805, ^rid invested in the purchase of ^510 Three per Cent. Reduced Annuities. Booties Gift. Robert Bootle, Esq., by his will, dated 19th June, 1757, left to the trustees of the chapel and almshouses at Highgate £100, for the use of that charity. This legacy, with an addition of £}, \s. made to it by the then Treasurer of the Grammar School and Chapel, was laid out, in August 1758, in the purchase of ^320 Three per Cent. Annuities of 1726, now standing in the said names in the Three per Cent. Reduced Annuities. Edwards s Gift. John Edwards, Esq., deceased, by his will, dated 3rd September, 1768, after directing that ^150 left by the will of his brother-in-law, John Schoppens, for the repair of his burial-place and monument at Highgate, and for other uses therein mentioned, should be paid to the Governors or Trustees of Highgate Chapel for that purpose, gave to the said Governors or Trustees ^300, to the end the interest thereof might be applied, either for the better support and maintenance of the six almswomen for the time being at Highgate, who then received fifty shillings per annum each, under the will of the said .Sir John Wollaston deceased, or in such other manner as the said Governors or Trustees for the time being should think most conducive for the benefit of that charity. In the year 1770 this legacy, together with that of ^150 given by Mr. John Schoppens, was invested in the purcha.se of ^518 Three per Cent. Reduced Annuities in the names of Thomas Cave and Thomas Rromwich. In 1773 this ^518 was sold out, and the produce, being ^449 i^s. lid., was applied towards the repairs of the chapel; and in rilE PARISH OF IIORXSEY, ETC. 129 Jiinuary 1822 the Governors re[)urchased the stock with /,'39iS j.f. ^d. out of the general account ot the charities under their managi-meni, which stock so repurchased now forms part of a fund of ^1,5 iS Three per Cent. Reduced Annuities. Kleineri's Gift. Tobias Kleinert, by will, dat(-tl June 27th, 1784, gave, after the deaths of his wife and his cousin, Sebastian Kleinert, certain leasehold premises at Highgate to the Governors of the Free Grammar .School at High- gate, and their successors on trust, to sell and assign the same for the most money they could get, and to invest the money arising from such sale in the public funds, and apply the dividends thereof, half- yearly, as follows, viz., one moiety unto and amongst the poor women in the almshouses in .Southwood Lane, in Highgate, in equal shares, for ever ; and the other moiety for and towards supporting the charity children under the care of the said Governors, in such manner as they should think fit ; provided that if the said Governors should think it most advantageous for the said charity to receive the rents ot the said leasehold premises, during the residue of the term, and to invest the .said rents, from time to time, as they should receive the same, in the public funds, and to apply the dividends annually to arise therefrom to and for the use of the said charity, in equal moieties, as aforesaid, instead of selling the said premises ; his will was, that it should be lawful for them so to do, and that at the expiration of the said term, such several yearly rents as should have been so invested .should be consolidated into one sum, and the dividends and interest to arise therefrom, for ever afterwards, should be paid the .said charity, in equal moieties as aforesaid. This legacy being void, under the statute of 9 Geo. II., c. 36, and the property devolving upon .Sebastian Kleinert, as residuary legatee under the will, who bequeathed the whole to his widow for life, she endeavoured after his death to give effect to the charitable intentions of Tobias Kleinert by conveying the premises in trust, to be sold for the purpo.ses of his will. The attempt to sell was ineffectual ; and after her death, her ne.xt-of-kin claimed, and got possession of one moiety of the premi.ses, the other escheating to the Crown, in consequence of Sebastian's having died intestate, as to the reversion of the premises ; and his next-of-kin being aliens, the Crown, upon petition of the Governors, waived its right. The sum granted was not paid over to the Governors, but was invested by the Solicitor to the Treasury, in December 1821, in a purchase of £^\% i^s. Three per Cent. Consols, in the names of the Wardens and Governors, who, by indentin-e dated loth December, 1821, declared themselves to stand pos.sessed thereol, upon the said trusts. 9 I30 THE /If STORY OF III Gil GATE. Cooke s Gift. Thomas Cooke, Escj., by will, dated 28th March, 1810, bequeathed to the Trustees, Governors, Managers, and Directors, for the time being, of the almshouses founded by Sir John Wollaston and Edward Pauncefort, Esq., situate at Highgate, in the county of Middlesex, the sum of _;^ 2, 100 Three per Cent. Consolidated Bank Annuities, upon trust, to stand possessed thereof, and apply the whole of the dividends weekly, for ever, to and for the benefit and relief of twelve almspeople for the time being, living and residing in the said almshouses at Highgate afore- said, by increasing their respective pensions and allowances in equal proportions. Thomas Coventry s Charity. The sum of ^10 in respect of this charity is now annually paid by the Merchant Taylors' Company to one of the eight trustees, who is specifically appointed by a written order from the rest to receive it. The payment was formerly made to the overseers of the respective parishes, agreeably to the directions of the deed : but in consequence, as it is stated, of the mi.sapplication of the money by some of those officers many years ago, the present course was adopted, and has since been observed. When received, the money is divided between twenty poor women of each parish, appointed by the eight directors according to a list, which they preserve, and which remains generally unaltered during the lives of the respective persons, if they continue so long to reside in the parishes. The recipients are to be residents ot that part of the parishes of .St. Pancras and Hornsey "situate nearest to Highgate." Lady Gould's Charity. From the Court Rolls of the Manor of Cantlowes, in the county of Middlesex, it appears that at a Court held for the said manor on the 11th April, 1 William and Mary (1689), Edward Botsworth and John Storer, Edward Gould and I^lizabeth his wife, and .\nn Gower, surren- dered three customary messuages or tenements in Highgate, held by copy of Court Roll of the .said manor, and a certain way and a brick wall there, and other appurtenances to the said premises belonging, to the use of the said Botsworth and .Storer, their heirs and assigns, during the life of the said Elizabeth Gould, upon the trusts therein mentioned, and after the decease of the said Elizabeth, t(j the use of such person and persons. THE PARISH or HORNSEY, ETC. 131 and for such estate and estates, as she, the said Elizabeth, l)y any writing; under her hands, signed in the presence of two or more witnesses, shoulcl nominate and appoint ; and that at the same Court there was enrolled a certain deed or instrument, in writing, whereby it appears that the said Elizabeth Gould had declared and appointed, that the surrender of the said premises so made as aforesaid, and the estate and interest in the same, should enure from and after her decease to the use of the heirs of her body ; and for want of such issue, to the use of the said Edward Gould, for life ; and after his death to such three discreet persons, their heirs and assigns, as by the parson or minister of the parish of St. Pancras, for the time being, at the time of the death of the said Elizabeth, without issue, should under his hand and seal be nominated, upon trust ; and to the intent that such trustees, their heirs and assigns, should receive and distribute the rents and profits of the premises among such poor inhabitants of the town and viHage of Highgate, whether lying in the parish of Hornsey, or in the parish of St. Pancras, as should not receive any public alms or collection from the respective parishes, and should, at the discretion of such trustees, appear to be most proper and fit objects of charity ; the necessary expen.ses of such trustees in the management of the trust being first deducted. The premises belonging to this charity consist of three house.s, with small gardens, situated in Highgate, on the west side of the High Street, at the top of the hill leading from Holloway. After deducting the insurance, etc, the residue of the rents (some £<^o per annum) is divided for distribution amongst the three trustees, and is given away by them to poor inhabitants of those parts of the hamlet which lie in Hornsey and Pancras, not receiving parochial relief. The persons selected are, in general, such as have been reduced from better circumstances, or such as are disabled by sickness from maintaining themselves. The sums given to each vary from £\ to ^5, but the.se amounts are occasionally made up to them by successive gifts of smaller sums. Lady Pritchard's Charity. 1 )anic .Sarah Prilcharcl left by her will the interest of a sum to be divided among.st poor witlows or maids ('(lually, being inhabitants of the hamlet of Highgate. Accordingly, £2 \~i. ^d. was paid to the morning ])reacher of the chapel at Highgate, who was accustomed to make up the sum to £^, and to distribute it at Christmas, in sums of ^s. each, among twelve poor women in the almshou.ses. 132 THE [//STORY OF /I/GHGATE. Bromwich Gift. Thomas Bromwich, Esq., who died in 17S7, left ^100 Four per Cent. Annuities to the ahnswomen. There are besides these sundry smaller benefactions. HIGHGATE CHAPEL. Extracts from Registers of Baptisms, Marriages, and Burials. " Honble. Dna Judith Piatt, u.xor Hugonis Piatt, militis sepult. Jan. 28th, 1635, relict of Sir Hugh Piatt, author of The Garden of Eden and The Jewel House of Art and Nature." " Nathanael f. Dni Nathanielis Hobart, ex. Anna, bap. 27th Sept., 1636." Sir Nathaniel was a younger son of Sir Henry Hobart, Lord Chief Justice of the Common Pleas. Sir Henry had a house at Highgate, which appears to have continued some time in the occupation of the family. "Charles Lord De la Warre and Ann Wild married Sept. 15th, 1642. Ann Wild was the daughter of John Wild, Esq., of Droitwich, Sergt. at Law." "William, sonne of Hester Lady Manneringe (Mainwaring) and Sir William Manneringe, Knt., baptized Sept. 21st, 1645, buried July 29th, 1646." .Sir W^illiam Mainwaring descended from an ancient family in Cheshire, and distinguished himself during the civil war. He was slain at the siege of Chester, about a month after the birth of his son. " Robert, Earl of W'arwick, and Ellenor, Countesse of -Sussex, married Mar. 30th, 1646." He was Admiral of the Long Parliament. " Charles, son of Sir Henry and Lady Blount, of Holloway, was baptized May 10th, 1654." "Sir Richard Sprignell, Bart., buried Jan. 19th, 1658, and Sir William Sprignell, Bart., Sept. 8th, 1691." "Sir John Wollaston, Knt., buried in the chancel, .April 29th, 1658. He was Alderman of London, one of the Treasurers of the Plate, and Treasurer at Warre, Treasurer for Loan Money, Say Master of the Mint, and Trustee for the .Sale of P>ishops' Lands, and hath the Bishop's land at Highgate." " Rebecca, his wife, was buried June ist, 1660." "The Lady Anne Peerpoint, daughter of the Honble the Marquis of Dorchester, and John Lord Ro.sse, son of the Right Honble. the Earl of Rutland, were married Jul) 15th, 1658." THE PARISH OF HORN SHY, ETC. 133 " Mr. Graham, a servant of the Vaw\ of Lauderdale, buried 1669." "Charlotte, daughter of Sir John I'ettis, buried May 28th, 1678." "Sir Francis Pemberton was buried ]unv 15th, 1699, and Dame Ann. his relict, April i sth, 1731" " Mr. fohn Shower of the parish of .Stoke Newinotdii, a dissenting minister, buried July 5th, 1715." (Mr. .Shower was an eminent Presby- terian divine, and brother of .Sir Ilartholomcnv .Shower, the celebrated law)er. ) "Sir Jttrem)' Top]), (jf liremore, Hants, buried in the churchyard, "The Rev. John Doughty, minister of St. James, Clerk("nvvell, buried July 1st, 1768." Prf..\(iii-:rs and Rk.xders ok tiik Old Cm.xpel. The list of "Preachers" or " R(-aiU:rs " of the old Chapel of .St. Michael is doubtless incomplete ; th(' appoinimeni being in the hands of the Governors of the .School, there is no record available as in th(> case of a parish church. Amonofst the cleruv who officiated as mornin"- or afternoon reader. .som(!times as both, also nominally holding the office of master of the Grammar School, as set forth in the: rules, are the following. There cer- tainly were other names, as the Bishop enlarged the school by the addition of a "chapel for l)i\'ine service" in 1565, but the\- are so far unknown. Simon of Highgate (appointed by .Sir R. Cholmeley, 156:;). Johnson Cuarlh (ap|)ointed by trustees, 1571). — Cartkk (1641). In the midst of the n.uional troubles and suspicions of 164 1, the Parliament ordered the following declaration to be taken by the residi'nts of "each parish," which was to be duly signed by them, but in many instances the ministers and churchwardens signed on their behalf. .Amongst the returns ajipear I lornsey and iligh- gate. 1641, 30th July : — " 1, A. B., do, in the ])r(sence of Almightx' God. promi.sc, vow, and protest to defend with life, body, ami estate the true reformed Protestant religion expressed in the doctrines ol the Church of J'Lngland against all Popery and Popish innovations within this realm * * * and neither for hope;, fear, nor other respect will relinquish this promi.se, vow, and protestation."' Mr. Carter .seems to have been an ardent royalist, and to have been unguarded in his public cxjires- sions ; for in 1641, October i8lh, "information was laid against Mr, ' /mil- nil/ (if House of Lords. 134 THE HISTORY OF HIGHGATE. Carter, of Highgate, clergyman, for speaking scandalous words against Parliament."' This entry will doubtless explain the reason for Walker's statement, viz., " Mr. Carter, Master of the School and Reader of the Chapel during the civil war, was ejected and treated with great cruelty by the Puritans." -' Humphrey Vernon (1642); was appointed by the Parliamentary Commissioners. After this date there is a long hiatus, two names only being casually mentioned, and those without any special date, but that there were preachers is further inferred from the fact that Sir John Wollaston, who died in 1658, left a bequest in aid of their stipend. Daniel Lathom (for some time blind). John Brown, M.A. (died 1728). Lewis Atterbi;rv, LL.D. (died October 1731). He was thirty- six years preacher of the Chapel, and eleven years rector of Hornsey (see biographical notice). Dr. Atterbury was one of the six preachers of Queen Anne at St. James's and Whitehall. — Felton, Oxford, late Principal of St. Edmund's Hall. Author of a learned dissertation on the classics. Archdeacon Yardlev, B.D. (died 1769). Archdeacon of Cardigan, preacher thirty-eight years ! Author of published discourses on the genealogy of Christ. Wadham Knatciujull, M.A. (1769). Died 1773, aged twenty- seven ; three years preacher. James Saunders, LL.D. Morning preacher. William Porter (1793). Mr. Porter printed a sermon on the death of Mrs. Lewis Juby, 1792. He died suddenly, whilst playing a game of cards at a friend's house in Quality Walk (Grove), aged seventy. Thomas Bennett, D.D., J. P., Canon of St. Paul's. Afternoon preacher. Died 18 16. Saahkl Menck, B.D. (preacher); appointed 1816. Master of the Grammar School immediately preceding Rev. Dr. Dyne. His family was connected with St. Pancras, where the Rev. B. Mence was vicar in 1750. Mr. Menci' was the first vicar of St. Michael'.s, which was con- .secrated in 1832. Charles Mavo, reader for man) years prior to the opening of St. Michael's Church. fournal of House of l.orJs. " Walker's F.jcled C/ergv. THE PARISH OF HORNS EY, ETC. 135 1^/^'d (^f-^^^"^' K L. THE CHOLMELEY SCHOOL. It has already been pointed out that after the occupancy of the Hermitage as a religious foundation had lapsed, —having been forfeited, temp. Henry VHI., as devoted "to superstitious uses," for the Act of '539 P"t an end to monastic life,— the property became vested in Sir Roger Cholmeley, who founded a Free School, and in a very short time afterwards the Bishop enlarged the School by the addition of a chapel ; the history of which has been as fully dealt with, as materials will allow. It is now necessary to consider the fortunes of the School. The inscription on the stone which was affixed to the western end ol the chapel ran thus : — "Anno Dni 1562, Sir Roger Cholmeley, knight, lord chief baron of y. Excheqvcr, and after that lord chiefe jvstice of the King's Bench, did institvte and erect, at liis owne charges, this pvbhqve and free graincr schoole, and procvrod the same to be established and conlirnied by tiie letters patent of Quecne Elizabeth, hee endowing the same witn yearelye mayntaynance, which schoole Edwyn Sandys, lord bishop of London, enlarged, ani dni 1565, by the atldition of this chappel for Divine Service, and by other endowments of pietie and clevotion, since which the said chappel hath been enlarged by the pietie and bovnty of divers honble and wortiiy personages." 136 THE HISTORY OF H/GHGATE. rhis inscription was renewed a.d. 1668 by the Governors of the said School. The " mayntaynance " there referred to, according to the records of the Rolls Chapel, consists of two messuages in the parish of St. Martin with Ludgate, and a messuage in Crooked Lane, of the value of ;{rio 13^-. ^d. A curious error occurs in this inscription. .Sandys was not Bishop of London till a.d. 1570, and in the deed founded on the charter of Queen Elizabeth dated 27th April, 1565, GrindalP was described as " Bishop of London, ordinary and Lord of the Manor of Haringey, and Lord and proprietor of the chapel at Highgate within the parish of Haringay — parcel of the said manor." The premises conveyed by the Bishop are the chapel, " and all the site and circuit thereof, and also the soil and ground of the same, and also all and singular the houses, edifices, barns, and structures of, in, or upon the premises, together with all the gardens, yards, and orchards to the chapel belonging or appertaining, and also two acres of land or pasture, in the common or waste land called Highgate Common, there to the chapel ne.xt adjoining or abutting, as therein mentioned." " An enlargement or reconstruction of the premises seems soon to have been needed, as the following minute records : — " M'' that the fyrst stone of the Chappell and Free Scoole at Higate was leyd the 3"' day of Julye, 1576, and the same Chappell and schoole was finished in Sept''. Now that the establishment ot the School which has grown to be of so much importance, is on record, it is desirable to digress a little to .state a few incidents in the life of its worshipful founder, the foremost of the " worthies " of Highgate. Sir Roger Cholmeley is placed by Fuller in his IVorihics, in the county of Yorkshire, as a descendant of a family of that county. His father lived in the county of Middlesex, though branched from Cheshire, but was much conversant with London, being Lieutenant of the Tower under King Henry \TI. By his will he bequeathed a legacy to .Sir Roger, his natural son, then " student of the Laws." Sir Henry .Spelman states^ that in the 37th of King Henry VHI. in Michaelmas term he was made Chief Baron of the Exchequer, and was one of the Commissioners appointed to enquire into the possessions of Wolsey in Middlesex after the Cardinal's disgrace,' and, in the si.xth year of Edward VI., he was appointed Chief Justice of the King's Bench. In the first of Oueen Mary, ' (Jrindall, aftcnvards Archbibhoi) of Canttrbui)-, died at Croydon, 1583; Sandys, after wards Archhishop of York, ish()])'s grant, and to authori.se the building of an enlarged place of worship for the regular service of lh(; Church of Lngland, the ancient Chapel having then become in a ' Commissioners' Report. ' Gciillciiian's Mai::aziiie. 1834. 10 146 THE HISTORY OF HIGIIGATE. dilapidated state, and also to effect the conversion of the hamlet into a Chapelry, and the application of the surplus revenues of that part of the charity estate which was originally granted by the Bishop of London, after setting apart a sufficient fund for the expenses of the School, towards the accomplishment of these objects, the patronage being in return, re- vested in the Bishop of London. At the time the Bill was introduced, informations exhibited by the Attorney-General, on the relation of the Rev. H. B. Owen, B.D., against the Earl of Mansfield and others, the then Wardens and Governors of the Free School, in their individual capacity, and the Master of the School, and also against the Wardens and Governors in their corporate capacity, were pending in the High Court of Chancery, whereby an administration of the charity funds in accordance with a decree of the Court was sought to be obtained. The Bill in Parliament was strongly opposed, statements and counter- statements were published and circulated by the friends and opponents of the measure, and a considerable degree of interest was publicly felt on the question. This Bill, for which Sir Charles Wetherell, then Mr. Wetherell, and Sir Launcelot Shad well, the Vice-Chancellor, then Mr. Shadwell, were counsel, was opposed in Parliament by Lord Brougham ; the Lord Chief Justice of England ; Mr. Abercrombie ; Mr. C. F. Palmer; Mr. J. B. Monck ; Sir Robert Wilson ; Mr. Calvert; Sir John Dashwood King ; .Sir S. B. Morland ; Lord Nugent ; Mr. Rickford ; Mr. Ricardo; Mr. Barrett; Mr. Baring; Mr. John Martin; Mr. John Smith ; Alderman Sir Matthew Wood ; Alderman Sir W. Heygate ; Mr. Crompton ; Mr. Lamb; Mr. Denison ; Mr. Hume, etc., etc., and the measure was ultimately defeated for the time. In the pending suits. Lord Eldon, then Lord High Chancellor, by his decree dated 30th April, 1827, dismissed .so much of those suits as sought the removal of the Wardens and Governors from the trust : and declared, that "the charity founded by Sir Roger Cholmeley was a charity for the sustentation and maintenance of a Free Grammar School for teacJiing the learned languages ;" that the Wardens and Governors were not bound further to enlarge the Chapel out of the revenues of the charity, or to enlarge the burial-grouncl, or to do any other acts with respect to the Chapel, for the benefit of the relators or other inhabitants of Highgate, and it was referred to the Master, the late Lord Henley, to approve a scheme for the purposes therein mentioned. By a further order of the Lord Chancellor on the i6th April, 1829, the Master was directed, in settling the scheme, to consider, whether it would not be beneficial to, or not inconsistent with the interests of the Free Grammar School, that the Chapel should be enlarged or taken down, and a new and more convenient Chapel erected on the then present or some other site, and out of what funds the repairs should be THE PARISH OF HORNS EV. ETC. 147 provided, and the Master was to enquire what sums the Commissioners for Building Churches, and the inhabitants, were willing to contribute, and whether application should be made to Parliament for effecting such enlargement or rebuikling, and the confirmation of Bishop Grindall's grant. In pursuance of which the Master, on the i8th December, 1829, reported, that the Chapel should be taken down, and a new one erected on some other site by the Commissioners, and that the burial- ground should be transferred to those Commissioners. That sittings should be secured in the j^roposed new Chapel for the Wardens and Governors Master and .Scholars, and for the families of the Wardens, and Governors, and Master, ;r;// free for ever, and that the charity estates should be exonerated from liability to repairs, which should be otherwise provided for. That the patronage should be vested in the Bishop of London, and that application should be made to Parliament for the required authority ; — which report was confirmed by an order of the 23rd December, 1829, whereby the Wardens and Governors were ordered to apply to Parliament accordingly. This application was made, and at the close of the reign of King George W . the enactment already referred to, pas.sed the legislature, whereby, after reciting the letters patent of Queen Elizabeth, the grant of the Bishop of London to Sir Roger Cholmeley, the ratification by the Dean and Chapter, and that it was apprehended that such grant nevertheless was ab.solutely void as against the successors of the Bishop, under the provisions of the I St Elizabeth, and reciting Sir Roger Cholmeley's conveyance to the Wardens and Governors, the .several proceedings in the Court of Chancery, and the scheme approved by the Master, and the orders of the Court ; the grant of the Chapel and ground was confirmed, the Governors authorized to raise by mortgage of the charity estates ^2,000, in aid of the funds to be contributed by the Church Commissioners, and were empowered to apply part of the 2^2, 000 in the purchase of a site and burying-ground for the new Chapel, to be vested in the Com- missioners, and the remainder as the Commissioners should direct, and to take down the old Chapel and .sell the materials, and to convey the site of their then present Chapel and burying-ground to the Commis- sioners, to be used as a place of interment belonging to the new Chapel. The Commissioners were authorized to appropriate pc'ws therein for the; Wardens and Governors, Master and .Scholars, and to the families ol the Wardens, Governors, and Master of the Free School, rent free for ever. The right of presentation was vested in the I'ishop of London, the endowment then payable to the lecturer and preacher, or reader of the old Chapel, e.xcept the salaries payable out of the general funds of the charity, was transferrc:d for tht; benefit of the new Church, and the; charity estat(;s were e.Koneraiod for ever from the repairs of the Chapel, 148 THE HISTORY OF HIGH GATE. This decision cleared the way for the further development of the School. In 1838 the Rev. John B. Dyne, D.D., was appointed Head Master, and with his name the progress of the School is indissolubly connected, for he raised it to a position of dignity and usefulness it had never before attained. When he entered upon his duties as successor to the Rev. Samuel Mence, Master of the Grammar School,' and Reader of the Chapel, he found the School to consist of but 18 scholars; in ten years he had increased it to 102, and in thirty years to 167 scholars. At the thirtieth anniversary of his appointment, on the annual speech day, the 1st July, 1868, his labours received a graceful and suitable recognition. Sir Roundell Palmer, M.P., on behalf of pupils, friends, and neighbours, stated that/'920 had been subscribed, in acknowledgment of Ur. Dyne's services ; of this sum ^600 had been placed in trust for the foundation of certain prizes to bear his name, and the balance expended in plate ; the following inscription (translated from the Latin) being placed in the library of the School : — TO JOHN BRADLEY DYNE, D.D., NOW FOR THIRTY YEARS HEAD MASTER OF THE CHOLMELEY SCHOOL, HIGHC.ATE, AND THE RESTORER OF THAT SCHOOL WHEN IN DECAY, AND FALLEN FROM ITS EARLIER POSITION, HIS PUPILS, FRIENDS, AND NEIGHBOURS, IN GRATEFUL RECOLLECTION OF BENEFITS CONFERRED ON THEMSELVES AND THOSE DEAR TO THEM, AND IN CORDIAL ACKNOWLEDGMENT OF HIS SINGULAR EARNESTNESS IN THE WORK OF EDUCATION, OF HIS EMINENT GENTLENESS OK CHARACTER, AND OF HIS HIGH TONE AND INTEGRITY, HAVE OFFERED THIS SLIGHT EXPRESSION OF THEIR GOOD WILL AND REGARD. THEV HAVE FOUNDED PRIZES IN THE SAME SCHOOL, TO RE ADJUDGED ANNUALLY TO THE MOST DESEKVING, AS A MEANS BOTH OF STIMULATING THE MINDS OF THE BOYS TO DILIGENCE IN THEIR STUDIES, AND OF HANDING DOWN TO FUTURE TIMES THE REPUTATION OF THE MASTER WHOSE NAME THEV I!E.\K. 1868. ' " Mr. Mence resided in ilie liouse adjoining the old Chapel," presiuiiahl) the school house. — Ckomwkll's Walks. The sub-master, Mr. George Martin (for the I'reacher ol' the Chapel was always e.x-officio THE PARISH OF I/ORNSEY, ETC. 149 The new school premises were erected by foundation lunds, after a design by Basevi, and were opened on 31st July, 1866, the tercentenary of the School. The Library was the gift of the old Cholmeleans, and was opened at the same time. The beautiful School Chapel (the Crawley Chapel) was erected in memory of Mr. G. A. Crawley, a late Governor, at the sole cost of his family.' The corner-stone was laid by Mrs. Crawley on 24th March, 1866, and it was consecrated for use on 29th March, 1867. It contains memorial windows, perpetuating the names of R. Isherwood, H. Lake, T. H. Causton, and W. Bloxam, late Governors of the School.' During the period Dr. Dyne was Head Master, not only was the school itself resuscitated, for the numbers increased from 18 to 160 boys, but the school building and the school chapel were erected, endowments for exhibitions and scholarships provided, — principally from the foundation funds, — and the cricket-held purchased ; ■' in fact, the school was placed in its present enviable position. Dr. Dyne retired, full of years and honour, in 1874, .md was then succeetled by the present Head Master, the Rev. Prebendary McDowall, D. D., who, in 1880, went into residence, in the spacious and well-adapted Master's House then newly erected on the cricket-field. The old School has turned out many boys who in different pursuits of life are doing good work, and this after all is the real test of success ; the honour lists give the names of those who have achieved some measure of scholarly distinction, and there is yet a further, but necessarily more limited, list of those who may be called " distinguished scholars." Doubtless many names might be added, and it is in the hope that it 7i.'?7/ be so in succeeding years that the list is now commenced ; but it should be remembered that before Dr. Dyne's headship the position of the School precluded the possibility of " scholarly," or indeed any other, distinction ; it was but a \ iUage school, the sub-master of which held the combined offices of schoolmaster and sexton, which provoked the famous joke of Lord Eldon, whc;n the School law- suit was before him. Alluding to the sexton and his scholars, he remarked sententious!)-, " 'fliat in that case lie proixd Itiuiself to be ijiii/e capable of zl'c/I o rounding t/ieni." Therefore any such list of master), hcUi the office for thirty- three years under IJr. Bennett and Mr. Mence. Me seems 10 have been a good teacher, and was famed for his beautiful liandwriting. His grandson, Mr. John Martin of High Street, a well known and resiiected neighbour, takes great interest in parish aflairs. ' I'he arcliilect was Mr. K P. Cockerell. ^ 'I'he Cniwley Chapel stands on the exact site of the old f'hapel of St. Michael, but is not quite so long, nor so wiilc. 3 The drinking fountain in the cricket field was lln; gilt of Mr. William I'ord, one of the Governors. ISO THE HISTORY OF lUCIIGATE. names can only date from the time of Dr. Dyne's appointment as Head Master. Distinguished Scholars. Philip Stanhope Worslkv, Fellow of Corpus Christi College, Oxford. Author of a translation of the Odyssey, and other ijoems. Obiit. Benjamin Bicklev Rogers, Fellow of Wadham College, Oxford. Translator of .Aristoj^hanes, a Member of the Chancery Bar. Robert El>.mund Chester Waters, of Wadham College, Oxford. Well known as a distinguished antiquarian and genealogist. Walter William .Skeat, Honorary Fellow of Christ's College, Cambridge. Professor of Anglo-Saxon in Cambridge University: author of the Etymological Dictionary of the English Language. Edward Bickersteth, Pembroke College, Cambridge, Bishop of Japan, son of the Bishop of Exeter. James Cutter Morison, Lincoln College, Oxford. Author of Life and Times of St. Bernard, The Service of Man, Gibbon and Macaulay in The English Hh'n of Letters series, etc. General Sir Hekpert Macpherson. Obiit. Edmund Yates, Journalist and Novelist. Colonel Edward Pemuerton Leach, R.E., \"ictoria Cross (for services in Afghanistan). The School now consists of 260 scholars, of whom the greater propor- tion are day boys This is in part due to the very rapid development of the neighbourhood during the last few years, a process likely to be continued, for besides its many natural iidvantages and its high reputation for salubrity, the recent acquirement of the Gravel Pit Wood as a public recreation ground on the one side, and the very welcome addition of the Parliament Hill Fields as an extension of Hampstead Heath on the other, is likely to render the neighbourhood of Highgate probalily the most popular residential suburb north of th(^ Metropolis ; and if so, the old -School, provided originally for " forty boys if there be so many," is likely to become second to no other public school in numbers, inlUience, and importance, for happily situated as it is, it will present to parents the inc-stimablc advantage of a healthy residence, combining the THE PAR/S/f OF //OR\SF.Y, ETC. 151 possibility of the supervision of home Hfe, in addition to the henelits of the training of a pubh'c school for their sons. The following is the last published prospectus of the School : — HIGHGATE SCHOOL. Founded by Sir Roger Cholmeley, Lord Chief Justice, 1565. Conjirmcd by Letters Patent of Queen Elizabeth. Co-01>TATIVE. EARL SEiJiOKN'E. VISCOUNT LEWISHAM COI.ONEI. l.EACH. R.E. J. RKADLEY DYNE, 1S(. \V. I-ORD, Esq. T. TATHAM. Esq. Nu.\iiNA'n;D. Kkv. R. CRAWLEY. HY Thk LORD LIEUTENANT OF .MIDDLESEX. Thk Vi;n. ARCHDE.^CON HESSEY. hv Thk LORD BISHOP OF LONDON B. G. L.\KE, Esy. BY Tin-. LORD ClUEF lU.STKI-: OV ENGLAND C. MARSHALL ORn-FFrH, Esq.. Q.C. by Thk UNlVF.RsriY OK OXFORD Rev. J. LLEWELLYN DAVll-.S. BV Thk UNI VERSFrY OF CAMBRIDGE T. S. OSLER. Esq. by The U.NIVERSITY OF LONDON. Rev. CHARLES McUOWALL, D.U., Oxon. Prebendary of St. Paul's Cathedral. FlKST Classman in Fi.NAL, 1 Public Classical First Class.man i.\ First, J Examination. Former Classical Scholar, 1 University M.\THEMATICAL EXHIBITIONEK, ) Coll., Oxoh. Assistant «)l:tstfrs : Rev. R. L. MORRIS, M.A., late Scholar Pemhroke College, Oxford, ^nd Class In First, yd Class Final Malliematics. Rev. R. F.-\YRER, M.A., late Scholar Trinity Collci^e, Oxford, tst Class Moderations. Septuai^int Prizeman. G. T. .VIKINSON, Esq., M..\., late Scholar Magdalen College, Oxford. TSt Class Moderations.' T. II. JUDSON. Mxi., B.A., talc Scholar .Vferton College, Oxford, ist Class Natural Science. v.. II. Kl'.LLY. Esq., B..A,, Kini^'s College, Cambridge. Junior Optime. Ri;v. S. B. SIMONS, M..\., tale Scholar St. Catharines College, Cambridge. 45^ Wrangler. W.J. B.XRTON, Esq., M..A„ late Sclwlar Exeter College, Oxford, ist Class in First and Final .Mathematical Honours. C. T. CAMPION, ICSQ., B.A., late Scholar Oriel College, O.xford. ist Class Moderations. 2nd Class IJt. Hum. G. W. DOU TON, Esq., M..-\., late FclUno King's Coll., Cambridge. \st Class Classical Tripos. Brmvnes .Medallist. C, .\. EVOkS. Esq., B..\., late Scholar Jesus College, Cim'ridge. 2nd Class Classical Tripos. V. G. LUSHIN(JTON, Esq.. B.A., Halliol ColUge, Oxford. 2nd Class .Moderations. Mdns. a. Dk BICAUMONT, M.A., Offtcier Legion d'Honneur. Late French Tutor to H.R.H. Prince .Ir/hur iVKKriCU). HERR M. N.\UDASCIIER, University of Heidelberg (German). H. B. H.\GREEN, Esq., Professor of Drawing, Covernment School of Art, Kensington \ inu\vvivr* C. H. SWINSTEAD, Esq., f l'-"*-^"'^^' W. G. WOOD, F.SQ., Professor of the Organ at the Royal Academy of .Music (MusiC AND Singing). The School liuildings, comprising a Large Hall and a full complement of Class Rooms, were lately rebuilt, anil, being on high ground, the site is very heilthy, and strongly recom- mended as such by the most eminent of the Medical Profession in London. The Boarding 1 louse accommodation is provided with all Modern appliances. There is a beautiful Chapel attached to the School, and one of tlie finest I'laying Fields in the Country; there is also a spacious Gymnasium with a dul> qualified Instnirtor. A new Sanatorium and a large Swimming Bath have lately been built. 1 52 THE HISTORY OF HIGHGATE. ScHuOL Fees. Tuition : X-4 P'^'' ^""- payable in advance, in three equal 'rLTiiiinal payments of ^8. Boarding : ^60 per annum (not including tuition). Entrance Fee to the School : ^"i is. Extra: Music (Piano) .. ... ... ... ... £,2 2s. per term. Gymnasium (Spring and .Aututnn Per, ns) ... ... ^^i os. per term. Swimming Bath (Summer 'Perm) ... los. per term. Day Pupils can dine at the Head Master's or other Boarding House for an extra charge of _;^4 per term for four days a week ; ^'5 for six days. Ad.mission. 1. All applications for admission must be made to the Head Master. 2. A certificate of good conduct is required, before admission, from every boy who has been at any other school, or with a private Tutor. 3. Age of .Admission from 8 years: but no boy can be admilted who cannot jji.'-s an examination of the minimum standard, viz., Reading easy narrative, small text hand- writing, first four simple Rules of Arithmetic, outlines of (Geography of England. 4. Boarders are received by the Head Master, and by the Rev. R. L. Morris and the Rev. R. Fayrer, Assistant Masters. .\11 Boarding .Arrangements are under the supervision and control of the Head Master. 5. No boy attending the School as a Day Pupil is allowed to Board with any other person than his parent or guardian without the special sanction of the Head Master. 6. A Full Term's Notice is required before the removal of a boy Irom the School. Any parent failing to give such notice is responsible for the Fee of the 'Perm following his son's removal. School Year, Vacations, Hours, Etc. The School Year is divided into Three Terms. Vacations: Spring 3 Weeks, commencing middle of .April. Summer 7 ,, „ end of July. Christmas 5 „ „ about 20th Deceuiber. School Hours; Monday, Tuesday, 1 , Thursday, Friday, J '^ '« •"•-^° '"^"^ -^'3° '" "^ 3°- Wednesday, 9 to i. Saturday, 9 to 12.30. Scholarships, Exhiuitions, and Prizes. There are Exhibitions of ^'60 and ;^40 per annum, open to compttiiion every year, tenable at Oxford and Cambridge for three years. No boy is eligible who has not attended the School three years. 'Phere .ire 24 Foundation Scholarships of ^.'24 per annum, open to all Candidates; but Day-Scholars have ]>reference for a fourth of the above number. 'Phree Cladstone Scholarships of ^,"24 per annum, open to bo)s under 15, tenable by them as boarders at the School for four years, or more. 'Pwelve Entrance Scholarships of ^'70, _^?6o, _^,"40, three of each, for ISoarders. In addition to the Form Prizes in different subjects, there are the following Special Prizes : 'Phe Farl of Dartmouth's for Cieneral Proficiency, French, and German : 'I'he Baroness Hurdett-Coutts' for Mathematics : 'Phe " P)yne " for Divinity (two), and for History (two) : The " Sir W. Jiodkin " for Physical Science : 'Phe " F'letcher" for English Literature : The Governors' Gold Medal for Latin Verse. THE PARISH OF HORNSEY, ETC. 153 System of Education. The School is divided into three branches, the Classical, the .M(Jdern, and the Junior. 1. The Cl.\ssical Branch preixires directly for the Universities, the Indian Civil Service, Woolwich, Sandhurst, and tiie other high competitive Examinations. Subjects of Study : Greek, Latin, Mathematics, Arithmetic, Divinity, French, (lerman, English History and Literature, Physical Science, Drawing. 2. The Modern Branch prepares for Mercantile Life, the Home Civil Service, and similar Examinations. Subjects : Latin, French, German, Divinity, English History, (Geography, Precis Writing and Dictation, Arithmetic, Mathematics, Physical Science, Drawing. 3. The Junior Branch includes the Two Lower Forms, and the course of instruction provides a sound elementary knowledge of Scripture, History, Latin, Arithmetic, French, and the rudiments of Greek, special attention being given to Writing, Dictation, Geography, and English Reading. Special arrangements are made by which boys reading for the Indian Civil Service, and the more difficult Examinations, can be as fully i)re[)ared as by any other privace tuition. Throughout the School Modern Language.s receive more than the usual amount of attention and time. Physical Science forms part of the regular work in all Forms e.xcept in the two highest (where it is optional) and the Junior School. THE NEW DISTRICT A\D CHAPELRY OF ST. MICHAEL. The ecclesiasliciil district assigned to St. Michael's is thus set forth in The London Gazette of October 3rd, 1834. being an Order in Council assigning a consolidated district to the church at Highgate of parts of the parishes of Hornsey and St. Fancras under the si.xth section 59 George III., c. 134. The order is dated from the Church Commissioners' Office, Septem- ber 29th, 1834, but was passed on ist August, 1832, at the Court of James's; [present the King's ?\Iost E.xcellent Majesty in Council. After a long preamble setting forth the powers of the Commissioners ai)pointed under the Act for " building and promoting the building of additional churches in po])ul()tis places," it goes on to say :- "And vvborcas the said Commissioni rs have made a rcprcsi-ntation to His Majesty in Council, stating that when the last census was taken the parish of Ilorn.sey, in the county of Middlesex and diocese of London, contained a population of 5856 persons, and that the parish of St. i'ancras in the same county, which is a peculiar under the jurisdiction of the Dean and Chapter of St. Paul's, and within the limits of the same diocese, contained a population of 103,000 jiersons ; that the said 154 '^'HE HISTORY OF HIGIIGATE. Commissioners have caused a new Ciia]iel to be erected at Highgate, at the exlretiiit}' of and situate in that part of the said parish of St. Pancras which is contiguous to the said parish of Hornsey, whicii afibrds accommodation to 1520 persons, including 520 free seats, appropriated to the use of the poor. That such Chapel has not yet been consecrated ; that the said Chapel is distant two miles from the parish Church of Hornsey, which is the only place in that parish appropriated to the celebration of Divine worship, according to the rites of the Church of England, and is distant one mile and a-half from the Kentish Town Chapel, which is the nearest place for celebra- tion of such Divine Service in the parish of St. Pancras ; that the extremities of the said parishes of Hornsey and St. Pancras, which lie contiguous to each other at Highgate, and are delineated on the accompanying plan, contain a population of 4,070 persons. "And whereas the said Commissioners have further represented to His Majesty, that having taken into consideration all the circumstances above mentioned, it appears to them to be expedient to unite and consolidate the said contiguous parts of the said parishes of Hornsey and St. Pancras into a separate and distinct district, to be assigned to the said Chapel for all ecclesiastical purposes, and to constitute such district a consolidated Chapelry under the 6th sec. of the Act 59th year of His Majesty King George the Third, for the purpose of affording accommodation for attending Divine service, and for enabling the spiritual person serving such Chapel to perform all ecclesiastical tlutics within the said district, attached to such Chajiel, and for the due ecclesiastical superintendence of such district, and the preservation and improve- ment of the moral habits of the persons residing therein ; and that such district should be named the Consolidated Chapelry of Highgate, and that the boundaries thereof should be as follows : " The boundary to commence half a furlong north-west of Ken-Wood House, at the point where the three parishes of St. Pancras, Hornsey, and Finchley meet ; from thence proceeding along the boundary line which divides the parishes of Hornsey and Finchley, crossing the Barnet Road until it arrives at a point in the said line one furlong distant towards the north from the said Barnet Road, thence turning to the east and continuing parallel to the said Barnet Road, and the road called the Highgate Archway Road, at one furlong distance therefrom until it arrives at Hornsey Lane ; to continue along the centre of Hornsey Lane : leaving Islington on the south-east, until it meets the Holloway Road where the parishes of Islington, Hornsey, and St. Pancras meet, continuing along the boundary line which divides the parishes of Islington and St. Pancras, down Maiden Lane one furlong : thence to proceed in a south-western direction to Swaine's Lane, until it meets the road from Kentish town to Highgate ; thence to proceed in a north-western direction up the said road towards Highgate one furlong beyond the entrance to Millfield Lane : then to diverge in a line nearly west across the field intu Millfield Lane, continuing along the said lane until it meets the boundary line which divides the parishes of Hornsey and St. Pancras, at the entrance into the Lord Southampton's ground called Fitzioy- fafm, and to proceed westward about one furlong and three-quarters to the point where it commences half a furlong north-west of Ken-Wood house aforesaid. "That the consent of tlic Lord liishop of London has been obtained thereto, as required by the above mentioned section of the said Act 59 George III., and in testimony of such approbation the said Bishop of London hath put his signature and seal at the foot of the said instrument, and humbly praying that His Majesty would be graciously pleased to take the premises into his royal consideration, and to make such order in respect thereto as to His Majesty's wisdom shall seem meet. THE PARISH OF J/ORNSHY, ETC. 155 "His Majcsl}- having taken the said representation into consideration, was pleased, by and with the advice of iiis Pri\y Council, to ajiprove thereof, and to order, as it is hereby ordered, that such proposed union and consoUdation be accordingly made and effected according to the provision of the said Acts. " C. C. Grkville." An excellent site for the church was found on that of the old mansionhou.se in the Grove, erected by Sir William Ashurst in 1694. The position is a very admirable one, retired yet commanding and appro- priately crowning the most beautiful height ot the northern suburbs. The ground was purchased advantageously ; the house, having a rejju- tation of being /launled, had stood empty for some years. The church was erected from a design by Louis V^uUiamy, by Cubitts the builders, and consecrated by the Bishop of London on 8th November, 1832. It contains upwards of fifteen hundred sittings, of which five hundred are free ; and cost about ;^ 10,000, of which sum ;^5,ooo was granted by the Church Commissioners, i^2,ooo from School funds, ^500 from church Building Society, the balance being raised by sub- scriptions. Some little delay in its opening was occasioneci by the claim of jurisdiction being raised by the \'icar of St. Pancras, on the ground that " it had been erected within the limits of his parish ; " which had to be met by an amendment of the Order in Council, freeing the said district from all over-riding parochial jurisdiction. A large stained-glass window, representing the entombment and ascension of the .Saviour, was presented by the Rev. Charles Mayo, assistant reader of the old chapel ; Mr. Gillman (the kind-hearted and judicious friend with whom Coleridge resided) stated, but with doubtful authority, that " the design was by Albert Diirer, and that the arms displayed in the top compartments were those of the Cromwell family, removed from their old mancjr house at Cheshunl." The clock and the bell (which weighs upwards of nin-eieen hundred- weight) were the gift of Mr. George Crawshay. Vicars of Si. Michael's. .S.-\mui;l MtNci; ; presided over his last vestry meeting April 1838. Thomas Hknrv C.au.ston, M.A. ; presided over his first \estry meeting August 183S. Mr. Caustoii, who was a man of a noi)le presence, was a member of a very old llighgate family, many members of which are buried in the Causton \ .uilt under the School chapel.' 1 .Some curious old coffin plates arc fixed round the \v.iils nf this v.uilt, of some o( which Mr. George Poller has rubbings. 156 THE HISTORY OF HIGIIGATE. CiiARLKS B. Dalton, M.A. ; presided over his first vestry meeting April 1855, and resigned in 1878, after an incumbency of twenty-three years. Mr. Dalton is a canon of St. Paul's. He was very popular with his congregation, and his resignation through failing health was much regretted, and received a suitable expression. During Mr. Dalton's incumbency the district was still further divided, the north-eastern portion being assigned to the Church of All .Saints, erected on the slopes of North Hill abutting on the Archway Road. Daniel Trinder, M.A. ; appointed 1878. Closely following on Mr. Trinder's appointment the church was enlarged and renovated, with excellent effect, at a cost of about >^5,ooo, and is attended by a large and influential congregation. In the new church some of the monuments which were formerly erected in the old chapel are preserved, together with others erected in more recent periods. That of Coleridge cannot fail to be viewed with considerable interest. The Coleridge vault is beneath the Crawley Chapel, in the precincts of the Grammar School. St. Michael's Parsonage was erected in 1856, the ground having been given by the Bishop of London and Mr. Crawley, the cost, about ii^3,ooo, being raised by subscription. ALL SAINTS' DISTRICT CHURCH Was erected as a Mission Church for the northern portion of the chapelry of St. Michael. The foundation stone was laid by Sir Roundell Palmer, M.P., Solicitor-General (afterwards Lord -Selborne), on 13th June, 1863, and consecrated by the Bishop of London on 30th January, 1864. Its original cost was .£'3,392 15^-. \od. ; it has since been twice enlarged, and an endowment fund provided. "All Saints" was created a separate ecclesiastical district on 20th October, 1874. The first stone of its Mission House and Hospital for Children, on North Hill, was laid by Earl Nelson on 17th February, 1880, and it was opened by a dedication service on 26th September, 1882. The zeal of the vicar and congregation of "All Saints" is not only marked by the successive enlargements of the church and the building of its Mission House and Hospital, but also by the projjosed erection of the Church of "St. .Augustine" in the Archway Road, for which the ground has been secured and a temporary building provided. Vicar. — Edgak Smith, B.A. ; appointed 1874, having been previously curate- in-charge. CHAPTER III. THE HAMLET OF HIGHGATE. " How \vc set out, for sages have derrced That fair and gently brings the greatest speed ; Now strai^gling IsHngton behind we leave, Where piety laments her learned Cave ; Now Can'bury's numerous turrets rise to view, — No costly structure, if the tale be true.' Here Humphreys breath'd his last, the Muses' friend ; Here Chambers found his mighty labours end ; Here City doctors bid the sick repair, — Only, too oft, to die in better air. Through Holloway, famed for cakes, we onward tend,- While much St. Michael's hrrmit we commend. Whose care a double charity bestow'd. Supplying water as he rais'd thi; road. To Highgatc hence, the long ascent we gain, Whose various prospects well re%vard oiu" pain." ' The old village of Highgate, its salubrity and picturesquencss — The great North Road — Madan and Swain's Lani'S — The Gate House and toll — llampstead Lane and the .Spaniards — Southwood Lane — Jackson's l.ane — -Holloway Hill — Bisho])'s Avenue — Archway Road — Proposals for re- moving Highgate Hill — Wood Lane — West Hill — Merton and Milliield Lanes — Green Street — liromwich Walk — The Hornsey Enclosure Act — Sites of Hornsey, liighgate, Fortis Green, and Miiswcll Hill Commons — Highgate Green — Its revels— .\ favourite .Sunday promenade — Hogarth at the Flask tavern — The Lazar House, afterwards a Spital — Its governors or "guy- ders " — .Small-po.\ Ilosjiital on its site — The old Presbyterian Church — -The Act of Uniformity f)f 1662 — The Five Mile Act — The Congregational Church, its buildings and succession of ministers — The Baptist Church and ministers — St. Joseph's Roman Catholic Church — The Highgate Theatre — " The good old times," being principally records of local crime and violence, I 571-1831 — The returns of the old watchmen — The first .\ct for lighting and watching the hamlet of HiL'h::nt.-, IGHGATE, from il.s altitude, 424 f(;et above high-water mark, and its sandy soil, has always enjoyed a great reputation for its salubrity. Norden, writing a.d. 1593,' says respecting it : — " Upon this hill is niost pleasant dwelling, yet not .so pleasant as hc^althful ; for the e.xpert inhabitants thereof report that divers who have long been visited by sickness not curable by physicke, have in a short time repaired their health by that sweet ' Reported to have been built for a penny a day. - Holloway cheese cakes had a great celebrity ; they were sold in different p.irts of London by men on horseback. " "A Journey to Nottingham,'' Gi-nf/eman's Magasine, September 174J. ' Speculum Jiritaiiniw. IS8 THE HISTORY OF HIGH GATE. salutarie aire." And it is only necessary to note the numerous hospitals and infirmaries erected on the slopes of the hill to see that old Xorden's opinion is still very generally held. From its heights — "... With pleased retrospect we view the cloud Which buries thousands in its sooty shroud, Immersed in toil, who live the slaves of care, And never taste the sweets of purer air ! " ' An anecdote is told of a lady who, in advanced age and declining health, went by the advice of her p''ysician to take lodgings in Islington. She agreed for the rooms, but on coming downstairs observed that the balusters were much out of repair. " These," she said, " must be mended before 1 move in." " Madam, ' said the landlady, "that will be u.seless, as the undertaker's men in bringing clown the coffins are continually breaking them." The old lady was so shocked at this funereal intelligence that she at once declined the apartments, and went to reside at Highgate ; the inference being that as the balusters there were not found broken, the undertaker's business was not so flourishing. The beautiful undulations of Highgate have been extolled as the most refreshing and charming scenery in Middlesex ; a range of gently swelling eminences giving variety, beauty, and extent to the landscape.- Malcolm," speaking of the picturesque views of North London, says : — " Let us now view our subject from the surrounding country, and this should be done on a summer's morning, before the industrious inhabitants begin their labours. The most perfect and delightful landscape is from Hampstead Heath ; when the wind blows strong from the east, then is that clear bright band of foreground broken into a thousand grote.sque shapes, gives lustre to the projecting front of Highgate, topped with verdure and serving as a first distance, from which in gradual undulations the fields retire till lost in a blue horizon." Thom.son thus describes the view : ' " Here let us sweep The boundless landscape : now the raptured e3e Exulting swift, to huge Augusta send, Now to the Sister Hills '' that skirt her plain. " Journey to Nottingham." - Pedestrians who may want to know more of the beauties of North London are recom- mended to ]iurchase Our Lanes aiiil Afeadmi' Paths, by H. J. Foley, to be had at the railway bookstalls, one shilUng. '■ Londiiiuiii Rcdirivuiii. * Tlie Seaso)n. ' Highgate and Hampstead. THE HAMLET OF HIGHGATE. 159 Heavens ! what a goodl) prospect spreads around, Of hills, and dales, and woods, and lawns, and sjiires, And glittering towns, and gilded streams, till all 'J'lic stretching landscape into smoke decays ! Hapiiy Britannia ! wiiere tlie Queen of Arts, Inspiring vigour, liberty abroad Walks unconfined, e'en to thy farthest cots, And scatters plenty with unsparing hand." Middleton states thai " Highgate affords one of the many proofs round London, that even a ver\' poor soil on a hill is more valuable than a rich soil in a low situation ; for the hill is naturally of this descri[Jtion, but owing to its elevation, and overlooking some more fruitful and pleasant vales, it has acquired a higher value than the most productive valleys." It will be at once observed that from the paucity of houses in the neighbourhood in the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries, the local traffic must have been but very trilling ; but as Highgate is situated on the great North Road, it will be of considerable interest to trace the old roads that led through or closely adjoined the village. The earliest road of which there is any record is the one referred to in the paviage grant of 1364, as the "high way between Highgate and Smethefield," which was the old line through Portijool Lane (Farringdon Valley), and RLulan Lane ' (now the line of Dartmouth Park Hill), crossing Highgate Hill into Hornsey Lane by the old Black Dog Inn, the site of which is now^ covered by St. Joseph's Retreat, the top of the hill being reached by Swain's Lane, branching off from Madan Lane nearly at the foot of the slope near the lower grounds of the cemetery ; the old road dividing the Finsbury and Holborn districts, antl being a direct line from Gray's Inn Road to Highgate. Swain's" Lane, from its narrowness and steep gradient, could only have been used for pedestrian or pack-horse traffic. The route of the old waggon and coach road is that described by Norden : — " The auncient Highwaie to High Bernet from I'ortepoole, now Gniy's Inn, as also from Clerkenwell, was through a lane on the east of Pancras Church, called Longwich Lane; from thence leaving Highgate on the west, it passed through Tallingdone Lane, and .so to Crouche Lnde, and thence through a Parke called Hornsey Great Parke to Muswell Hill, Coanie Hatch, Fryarne Harnet, and so to Whetstone, which is now the common high- w^aie to High Barnet." For the heavier traffic, which in days before the advent of " Macadam " had to avoid hills as much as possible, the line of the ancient Hag (ilaw)bush Lane would be taken. This old road .seems to have branched off from iMadan Lane, bearing across the gentle slopes of Pentonville in an oblique line towards Barnsbury, at the back of ' Madan (Maiden) l.ane, probably "Midden" nr Dunghill l.ane. " Swain's l.ane, ancienllv " Swinr's j.nnc.'' i6o THE HISTORY OF HIGHGATE. the Liverpool Road (the back road), crossing the present line of the Holloway Road, nearly if not exactly by the lane running at the back of St. James's Church, past " Ring Cross,"' a place of execution for high- waymen and other malefactors- taken in the neighbourhood (the spot is identified by the " Old Pied Bull Inn "). It then entered Tallington Lane, now Hornsey Road, and so on to Crux (Crouch) End, and Totten- ham Lane, through the Green Lanes via Colney Hatch to Friern Barnet, joining the great North Road at Totteridge. There seems to have been a cross road running from the north-west, rather below the line of the present Junction Road, and falling into Hagbush Lane before it reached Crouch End, which would be the best line for traffic from the western parts of London. When the great North Road was constructed on the line of the Islington and Holloway Roads over Highgate Hill to Totteridge direct, it was but natural that these zig-zag bye-paths, often but little better than tracks over the grass, should fall into disuse, excepting at points where they were of some"- local service, and become absorbed into the manors through which they passed, as waste lands. The popular notion is, that Highgate derived its name from the gate erected as a toll house at the entrance of the Bishop of London's park, when the new road was formed, under the following circumstances. " The old road was refused by way-fairing men and carriers, by reason of the deepness and dirtie passage in the winter season ; in regard whereof it was agreed between the Bishop of London and the countrie, that a new road should be layde forth through the said Bishop's park, beginning at High- gate, to lead to, as it now is accustomed, directly to W^hetstone, for which new waie all cartes, carriers, packmen, and such like travellers yielde a certaine tole" unto the Bishop of London, which is farmed (as it is said at this dale) at £i,o per annum, and for that purpose was the gate erected on the hill, that through the same all travellers should passe, and be the more aptlie staide for the same tole." * Prickett maintains that prior to the erection of the arch a gate was in existence for the collection of toll by the hermit William Philippe in 1364, and that it was to the gate that Highgate originally owed its name. If the reader will refer to the terms of the paviage grant to Philippe, it will be found that the toll was granted only for ''cue year next ensuing," and that in this very grant Higligate is named as a place already recog- nised. Therefore, the whole question of a continuous toll disappears, for ' Probably the site of a wayside cross (Nelson). 2 The new gallows for the execution of criminals is erected at the beginning of the cause- way leading to Holloway {f.oiidon Gazette; 28th July, 1759). ' The tenants and dwellers of Finchley, Colney, Hornsey, anil Friern Barnet were exempt from the payment of this toll, as holding under the Bishop. * Norden. THE HAMLET OF l/Ki/fGATH. \6\ with the very trilling traffic of five hundrL-d years since, over a sleep hill, on a road not the high road to the north, which then ran in quite another direction, it was most unlikely a toll gate would be either erected or maintained ; the etymology of Highgate suggested on page 5, on the one hand, and Norden's statement already ([uoted on the other, account far more satisfactorily for its origin. Norden alludes to the way across the park as a neiL' road, and he dedicates his work " To the high and most mighty Empress Elizabeth, etc., etc., etc., the most comfortable nursing mother of the Israel of God in the British Isles : " and, there- fore, the date of the making of the road and its consequent toll is pretty well fi.xed. The gate was originally only of sufficient width to allow one loaded pack-horse to pass through at a time,' and although it had doubtless been enlarged, yet up to the time of its removal many of the coaches and country waggons were unable to pass through it, and had to go round through the inn yard. When the gate was removed as an obstruction in 1 769, and the road widened, the rooms over the arch were occupied by a laundress ; th"ere being no longer any necessity to keep open the Gate House yard as a thoroughfare, the Assembly Room was built on it. As it will not be necessary again to allude to the old gates, it may be convenient here to mention the gate that stood at the other side of the Bishop's park. " On the spot now occupied by the .Spaniard's Tavern was formerly a gate of similar use with that which imparted a name to the adjacent village of Highgate (?): both were formed H in I'ritisli Museum. 170 THE HISTORY OF HTGHGATE. " Henry \'I. by the grace of God, eic, to the most worshipful Fader in God, John Archbishop of Canterbury, etc., our Chancellor, greeting. " Forasmuch as we understande by a supplication presented unto us by our wel beloved servant William Bruges, otherwise called Garter King- at-Arms, how he had builded a placeys at Kentisseton within the countie of Middlesex, the which placey had a close of the said William Bruges thereto belonging, lyeth and joineth to oiire high wcy belivix London and Haryngey Pare,' — the document then gives permission, "of oure //abun- dant grace," to enclose a portion of "our said highwey, that is to say XX foote in brede, etc.," and to make a " dyche " round his house, etc. " Geven undere oure privye sele at oure Castell of Wyndsesore ye XXVI I day of December, the yere of our raigne XXI 111."' This is very good evidence that an old line of road ran from Kentish Town to Hornsey Park, and Millfield Lane is exactly the line required, for even granting the West Hill Road existed, it is hardly likely that its severe slopes would be toiled up to reach Hornsey Park when the easy rise by the side of the ponds up Millfield Lane would lead directly to the Hunting Lodge and the Park, saving a very considerable distance in a journey northwards.^ Now that the new and important road called the Bishop's Avenue is cut, it is apparent what an immense public convenience it would be if Millfield Lane were again opened throughout, as it would give a direct access from the north-west to the north of the Metropolis, rid Kentish Town and Finchley, almost entirely avoiding the hills. ' Leigh Hunt says: — " It was in the beautiful lane running from the road between Hampstead and Highgale to the foot of Highgate Hill (Millfield Lane), that meeting me one day, he (Keats) first gave me the volume (his poems). If the admirer of Keats's poetry does not know the lane in question, he ought to become acquainted with it, both on his author's account and its own." " It has been also paced by Lamb and Hazlitt, and frequented, like the rest of the beautiful neighbourhood, by Coleridge, so that instead of Millfield Lane, which is the name it is known by on earth, it has sometimes been called Poets' Lane, which is an appellation it richly de.serves. It divides the grounds of Lords Mansfield and .Southampton, running through trees and sloping meadows, and being rich in the botany ' Roll of the family of Sir William Bruges, and papers relating to his house in the reigns of Henrys V. and VI., ex-originals in Turre Lond., Anstis, and MSS. in British Museum, copies of which are in possession of Mr. A. Heal. ■-' See Map. " A Colonel Stanhope, a connection of Lord Mansfield's family, committed suicide in Millfield Lane many years since ; before thai time the road was in coustant use by the family. THE HAMLET OF HIGHGATE. i/i lor winch this |)ari oi the neii^hljonrhoocl of Ltjiidon has al\va)'s been celebrated. ' ' The lower part of West Hill on the western side was anciently occupied by a row ol old houses called " Slater's Rents. " This again is a corroboration of an old line ol traffic. Mekton Lane was cut when .Mr. Meaburn Tatham built " Merton Lodge," now in the occupation of Mr. John Glover, J. P. It was an ancient footpath leading across the fields to Hampstead ; it was a field path in th(; lime of Coleridge, and was his favoin-ite and constant walk.' The other house in the lane, " Greenbank," was erected by Mr. W. V. Bodkin, J. P., who resitled in it until the decease of Sir W. H. Bodkin, when he removed to the family residence, " West Hill Place." It was afterwards occupied by Mr. Lovell, member of the School Board for London, and by Lord PoUington ; it is now occupied by Mr. J. H. Lloyd. The house at the entrance of the lane, " Highgate Lodge," was built by a Mr. Gordon, and was until lately in the occupation of Mr. Atkinson, who was the companion of Ccxxwell in several balloon ascents, of which he pulilished an account. Bkomwicii W.\lk was probably an old church path from the hamlet of Green Street^ to St. Michael's Chapel, and if so, is a far older right ol way than the West Hill, for had that road been made, there could have been no object for a footpath running so closely to it, and almost parallel with it, ])ut there w^ould have been an immense saving of time in ap])roach- ing Highgate through it, from Green -Street, rather than 1)\ .Swain's Lane or Millfield Lane, the one running as far to the right as the other did to the left. When Mr. Thomas Coutts was laying out and impro\ing the Holly Lodge grounds, he attempted to close the almost disusetl path ; but his in- t(-ntions were so strongly opposed that he abandoned the attempt, shutting- out the lane which divides the grounds by tin; erection of some high walls, which, as will be .seen, appear to have been resented by the neighbours. It would n^ally have been a very good thing if the path had been closed. It is but little u.sed, except by " 'Arry" and his friends on .Sundays and bank holidays, who do their very best to enliven the; solitudes bv howling out th(- last music hall song or " something worse. " A narrow path like this, partly enclosed by high walls, so near London, is really a great nuisance. The up[)er end of the walk originall)' came out nearer the church, but was altered b)- .Mr. ISromwich when he enlarged the house known ' Leigh 1 1 mil ami Some of His Contemppraries. - .\ right of way across Lord South.Tnipton'.s jiark to I lanipstoad. '' Highgate Rise. 172 THE HISTORY OF HIGHGATE. as Dr. Sacheverell's, in v\hich he resided ; and from this alteration his name is associated with it. The following; refers to Mr. Coutts's threatened appropriation : — THE DEAD TO THK LIVIN(;, 0\ HIGHGATE HILL. O Coii//.^, for/war, and he not led as/my To rod iJic Public of I heir ancient ]Vay ; Your lojly IValls front public view has driven The richest Landscape formed under Heaven ; The spot where ottcc the popish traitors stood, That spot's now hid by you and Isherwood, Whose o'ergnnvn hedges keep out sun and air, And hide the path, for thieves to harbour there. Not so in former times : the hedgerows neat Were cut, and near them placed a resting seat. That seat's jrmoii'd ; now feeble age in vain Attempts the summit of the hill to gain. Highgate nuiv mourns its ancient worthies dead. Its rights ami privileges, all now arc fed, And rich Oppressors have, by fraud and pillage. Destroy d the beauties of its nuitchless Village. nROMwrcn. There was an old footpath running from the direction of West Hill across the cemetery, into the upper part of Swain's Lane ; the probability is that this was the continuance of " Bromwich Walk, which now reaches the top of West Hill by a sharp angle, which is evidently not the course of the original path. And there was another path running from the church across the Grove (a portion of it still remains in the passage by the side of Grove House School) into Hampstead Lane, across the grounds of the pansonage, through the fields into the cross path from the upper part of Hampstead Lane to Finchley. This was an old church path for the cottagers of East Pinchley, their own parish church being at quite an equal distance on the other side, and its accommodation exceedingly limited. The Hornsey Enclosure Act of 1816 completely changed the appear- ance of the parish, and cut up the frontages into innumerable insignifi- cant holdings. Enclosure Acts seem to have been very desirable as a means of bringing a large quantity of unproductive land under cultivation at a time when food was very scarce and dear, but their action deprived the people of their public land, and destroyed the picturesque beauty of the country. Common lands in the vicinity of towns almost disappeared, and the rights of the people, although not altogether overlooked, were made entirely subservient to the interests of the landholders and the clergy. THE HAMLET OF HIGHGATE. 173 In 1 lornsey, as will be seen, the bishop (as landholder), the prebend, and the rector were together awarded 85 acres, whilst the claims of 256 copyholders, etc., were met by an award of 52 acres, and some 46 acres more were sold to pay the expenses of this delightful and neigh- bourly arrangement ! Of course this was all to scale : no one could throw a stone at its legal fairness, but the people had a far greater interest in keeping this land open than the landholders, — it was their oion park, where they had the rio^/it to walk on the green grass, without being growled at and ordered off as trespassers ; and such open lands would now mean life, joy, and health to thousands. The following is a brief outline of the scope and result of the Hornsey Act : — HoRNSEv Enclosure Act, 1816. Thomas Chapman, Middle Temple, Gentleman | John Llaridgc, Pall Mall, Gentleman ^Commissioners, Charles Kent, Cray's Court, Gentleman ) Who fixed the exact boundaries of the parish and awarded the public carriage roads and highways, of which they only set forth six, besides the main road through Highgate, viz., M us well Hill, Stroud Green Road, Southwood Lane, Fortis Green, and Maynard Street (the other roads being the parish boundaries), fifteen private or occupation roads, and nine footpaths. The Commissioners dealt with the common lands of the parish as follows. They sold about 19 acres on Hornsey Common i 7 ,, ,, Highgate Common \ r „ „ , ^ - I- .■ r (' ■o'' -67,248 ^s. \d., to pay 7 ,, ,, rortis Green Common ~' -r 1 ^ 10 ,, ,, Muswell 11 ill Common, 3 ,, ,, Stroutl Cireen I Appropriating the remaintler as follows : — 15 ,, to the poor, principally on Hornsey Common. 11 ,, to the Bishop of Lontlon, being about ^^\\\ part of the value ol the common lands. 2"] ,, to the prebendary of Brownswood. 1 42 ,, to the rector for tithes. Hornsey Common. 5 ,, ,, ,, ,, common rights. J 52 ,, between some 256 claimants, being owners in the parish, in extinction of their i^ommon rights. iOt.i! 19S acres; on which all common rights were extinguished on 25th March, 1815. 174 '^'11 1^- HISTORY OF HIGH GATE. The positions of the common lands thus dealt with were as follows : — • HoRNSEV Common commenced at the Fortis Green corner of Tatter- down Lane, and extended its whole length to the lane at right angles at its foot, which leads to Colney Hatch. The boundary being Coalfall Wood, this common was of very considerable extent, Tatterdown Lane — known then as Foxglove Lane— originally running across it, as an occupation road to the adjoining farm lands. HuaiGATE Common extended from about the line of the Holmesdale Road, Archway Road, along the frontage of the railway, round by the "Woodman Inn" and Muswell Hill Road, to the further side of Church- yard Bottom, including Wood Lane (an old bridlepath to foot of Muswell Hill , across the beautiful valley at the back of the railway station, returning over the rise of the approach to Shepherd's Hill, having an irregular depth of two to five furlongs, backing on to Churchyard Bottom Wood. Before the Archway Road was cut this common extended much further up the eastern slopes of Highgate, General Wade's house, in Southwood Lane, being originally described as built on " Highgate Common " (a.u. 1745) ; and the grant to the Grammar .School by Bishop Grindall was "two acres of Highgate Common" (a.i>. 1562), now the North Road and Southwood Lane. FoRTis Green Common extended from the Barnet Road the whole length of Fortis Green Road on the north side, backed by the woodland. Thus it will be seen that the waste lands of Fortis Green and Hornsey Commons ran round three sides of Coalfall Wood, which was open on the fourth side to Finchley Common. Muswell Hill Common extended from the line of St. James's Lane, commencing at the corner where the church now stands, and extended in a north-easterly direction, across to the main road over the hill, and below where the lane debouches on the hill ; it practically included the whole frontage on the south side of Muswell Hill in very unequal widths, to the entrance of Maynard Street, now Park Road. Stroud Green Common was the waste land lying on the sides of the lane of that name. HiciicATE Green. Highgate Green (the Grove) was a large open space between the top of the West Hill and the High Street, and .st;ems to have been the place for the recogni.sed revels of the villagi-.' ' In an old ballad called " The Tornament of Totenham, or the Wooeing, Winning, and Wedding of Tibbe, the Rcve's daughter," some of the guests are from Highgate : — ■ Tliitlier came all the men of that countray or Hisselton, of Higate, and of Hakenay." etc. THE HAMLET OF IIICIKIATE. 175 III an old comedy, called Jack Dniiiis Entertainment (410, 1601), on the introduction to the: Whitsun inorrice dunce, the follon-inLr sons? is given : — "Skip it and trip it iiinihly, nimbly; Tickle it, tickle it lustily ; Strike up the tabor, for the wenches favour : Tickle it, tickle ii lustily. " Let us be secne on Hygate Green, To (lance for liie honour of Holloway ; Since we are come hither, let's spare for no leather, To dance for the honour of Holloway." Poor Robin, in his Almanack, a.d. 1676, says: — "At Islington A fair they hold, Where cakes and ale Are to be sold. At Highgate, and At Holloway, The like is kei;t here cfc/y day ; At Totnani t^ourt And Kentish 'I'own, And all those ])laces Up and down," etc., etc. It was on the Green that the village fair was held. "Highgate Fair, July 2ncl, .\.ij. 1744. — This is to give notice, that Highgate Fair will be ke])t on Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday ne.\t, in a pleasant walk in the midtlle of the town. On Wednesday a pig will be turned loose, and he who takes it by the tail and throws it over his head shall have it, to pay twopence entrance. On Thursday a match will be run by two men a himilred yards in two sacks for a large sum, and, to encourage sport, the landlord of the ' Mitre' will give a pair of gloves to be run for by six men, the winner to have them. On Friday, a hat value I05-. will be run for by men twelve times round the Green, to pay one shilling entrance, no less than foiu" to start ; as many as will may enter, and the second man to have all the money above four ; no one to be entitled to take the hat that ever won that value. " ' Highgate Green was surrounded by elm trees of great size and beauty, some of which still remain in front of th(; old red brick houses in the Grove. These hou.ses were lirst calkMJ I'emlxTton Row, in honour of Sir Francis Femberton, who resided in the most northerly of them. .Afterwards, and indeetl till comparatively lately, it was called Quality W alk. When the pond was open, and before the Green was defaced by the mean terrace of houses in a line with the police station, it must lia\-e been ver)' [jiciuresciue. ' Daniel's Meirie E'i};/iiiiJ. 176 THE HISTORY OF IIICIIGATE. It was well known as a famous promenade on Sunday morning after service, and attracted numerous visitors. ■' Such as you find on yonder sportive yreen, The squire's tall gate and churcluvay walk between, Where loitering stray a little tribe o( friends On a fair Sunday, when the sermon ends," Hogarth's name is associated with the old public-house on the Green, " The Flask." " During his apprenticeship, he set out one Sunday, with two or three com])anions, on an excursion to Highgate. The weather being hot, they went into a public-house, w^here they had not been long before a quarrel arose between some persons in the same room. One of the disputants struck the other on the head with a quart pot, and cut him very much ; the blood running down the man's face, together with the agony of the wound, which had distorted his features into a most hideous grin, presented Hogarth with too laughable a subject to be overlooked. He drew out his pencil, and produced, on the spot, one of the most ludicrous figures that ever was seen, exhibiting an exact likeness of the man, with the portrait of his antagonist, and the figures, in caricature, of the principal persons gathered round him." - Letitia Hawkins, daughter of Sir John Hawkins, of Highgate, tells a characteristic anecdote of Hogarth, ' which is worth reproducing. She says in effect, that a penurious Scotch nobleman, having heard of the rising fame of Hogarth, thought it would be a good opportunity of getting some good work done cheaply, so, sending for the artist, he said he was thinking of having his staircase painted with a .scriptural subject, and to Hogarth's amusement suggested as the proposed outlay — "/f//, inon,from two to three gu ne-eas .'" Hogarth, seeing his way to a good joke, at once accepted the commission as a " very liberal one," on condition that he chose his own subject, and that the work should be done when his lord- ship was out of town. On the return of his lordship he was thunder- struck at finding the whole staircase painted a dirty red. "Why, why! what's this, what's this ? " " Oh ! please, my Lord," said the housekeeper, "the painter man says this is the Red Sea ; the Israelites have got safely over, but the Egyptians are drowned, which makes the water rather dirty ; and will you please send him the three guineas ? " THE i..\z.\R iiolsl;. Stow states that "one William Pole, yeoman of the crown to King Edward IV'\, being stricken with a leprosie, was also desirous to build an hospital with a chapel to the honour of Gotl and St. .\nthony, lor ' Crabbe's Village. ' Preface to liis Works. ■* Anecdotes, etc. THE HAMLET OF HIGHGATE. 177 the relief and harbour of such leprous persons as were destitute in the kingdom, to the end they should not be offensive to others in their passing to and fro; for the which cause Ed''. IV''\ did by his charter, dated the 12''' of his reign, give unto the said William Pole a certain parcel of his land, lying in his highway of Highgate and- Holloway, within the CoLinty of Middlesex, containing 60 feete in length, and 34 in breadth." ' The same work describes the situation to be " near Whittington Stone." Tanner states, " One William Pool, yeoman of the crown, founde.d the ho.spital below on the hill in the reign of King Edward the Fourth;" and, in a note, adds, that " !)eing stricken with leprosy, he built an ho.spital for persons afllicted with the same distemper." " Again, Lewis records, " An hospital for lepers was founded on the lower part of Highgate Hill by William Poole, yeoman of the crown, in the reign of Edward the Fourth, which continued untill the reign of Henry the Eighth, and is supposed to have occupied a scite now called Lazaret or Lazarcot Field, near Whittington-stone." ^ In the will of Richard Cloudysley, dated 13th January, 15 17, appears the following clau.sc : " I leave & bequeath to the poor lazars of Hyegate, to pray for me by name in their bede-role, 6^-. %d.'' This gift, with many others made by the devout Cloudysley for the repose of his soul, did not seem to be efficacious, for old Purlet says,* "And as to the same heavings, it is .sayde y' in a certaine fielde near to y" parish church of Lslingtoun, in like manner did take place a wondrous commotion in various partes, y" carthe swellinge and turninge uppe every side towards y*^^ midst of y" sayde fielde, and by tradycion of this it is observed y' one Richard De Clouesley lay buried in or near that place, and y' his bodie being restless on y" score of some sinne by him peradventure committed, did shewe or .seeme to signifie y' religious obseruance should there take place to quiet his departed spirit ; whereupon certaine exorcisers, if we may so term y'", did at dede of night, nothing lothe using divers diuine exercises at torche light, set at rest y'' unrulie spirit of y" saide Clouesley, and y'' earthe did returne aneare to its pristine; sha[)e, neuermore com- motion proceeding therefrom to this day, and this I know of a verie certaintie." These lazar houses upon the extinction of leprosy became gradually converted into houses for the reception of patients suffering under some presumedly infectious disease. Of those in the neighbourhood ol London seven remained in 1547, when the charter was granted to .St. Bartholomew's, and in 1550 the hospital accounts contain certain charges for the con- ' Siin'cy of London. ' Lewis's Topographical Dictionary. ' Notitia Monas/ica. ' Dc Mir Nalura. I 2 1 78 THE HISTORY OF HIGHGATE. veyance of patients to " Lazer Houses in Mile End, Hammersmith, Finchley, Southvvark, Knightsbridge, Highgate, and Kingsland. With each person was sent a mattress, a bolster, a coverlet, and a pair of sheets." ', This dreadful affliction has been termed the " lack-linen disease," and is popularly supposed to have been engendered by the want of that most necessary article of apparel, and the constant wearing of filthy sodden woollen clothing poisoning the skin." Some very severe laws were passed concerning lepers. In a.d. 1346, " all persons who have blemish are to quit London and the suburbs, and betake themselves to the country, and to seek their victuals through such sound persons as must be found to attend them. Any person harbouring a leper after this notice was to forfeit house and building."'' Leprosy was by no means confined to the poor. In the reign of Richard II., the youngest son of the Earl of Leicester, himself a leper, founded St. Leonard's hospital at Leicester. The Mayor of Exeter A.n. 1454 was a leper, and Henry I\'. was at a stone house in Bermondsey " to be cured o{ a leprosie." ' Gower in his will left ten shillings to the houses of the lepers in the suburbs, "so that they may pray for me." The disease must have extensively prevailed before a. i>. 1200, for there were one hundred and eleven hospitals or leproseries in this country named in the Monasticon. " Lepers were mostly poor and in want, and one was appointed to sit at the gate of the hospital and beg for himself and his fellow-sufferers, and if he moved about, he had to use a clapper to warn people that a leper was at hand." ' At this moment, leprosy in India is a living death ; lepers, being excluded from the society of their fellows, have to reside in the villages devoted exclusively to their use.'' The real cause of leprosy seems to have been low degraded living, and this, like the plague and other diseases, has deserted our shores as the conditions of life have improved.' Pole's foundation seems soon to have been carried into effect, for on 26th October, 1477, 17th Edward IV., the king, in right as donor of the land, granted Robert Wilson, who, although described as a " saddler of London," aj^pears to have been a disabled soldier afflicted with leprosy, " the new Lazar house at Hygate which we lately caused to be con- structed by William Pole, now deceased, for the term of his life, without any matter or account to us to be yielded or paid."" ' Sir James Paget. '' Ediiilniixh Medical Journal, 1841. -' Moscr's Vestiges. '' Moiiitr Williams. ■^ Riley's Loud. ' Erasmus W ilsoii. * Lamliard. " Pat ry Ivlward IV. THE HAMLET OF HIGHGATE. 179 The next grant was to John Gymnar, and Katherine his wife, 9th Deceml)er, 1498, 15th Henry VII. "The keepership of a certain Hospital, with a certain chapel of St. Anthony, being between Highgate and Holvvey, during their lives and the longest liver of them.' No mention is made here of leprosy ; therefore we may inter that neither the grantees nor the inmates were lepers, and that le|)rosy was then declining. The next grant was of the " Spital," for such it had become, February 4th, .\.i). 1533, 24th Henry \TII., to Symon Guyer for life.- From the will of Cloudesley it is inferred it had become a religious foundation, and, conse- quently, the Reformation extinguished the Chapel of St. Anthony, and altered the character of the asylum, for in the next patent, dated 23rd March, .\.i). 1563, 7th I-llizth., "William Storye is appointed Guyder of our Hospital or Alms House at Highgate, commonly called the Poor House or Hospital of Highgate."'' This must have been an appointment of some emolument, as the condition runs, " Provided always that the said W. Storye, during his natural life, shall find and pro\-ide for all the poor persons in th(! house aforesaid, victuals, etc., etc., and further well repair, sustain, and maintain th(' said house." There is a bond in the Harley MSS. under which John Boate of Newbury, clothworker, is bound to our Lady the Oueen in ^^5, dated 22 April, 15-So, which was during the time of Storye's " guydership," setting forth that— (i) The condicion of this obligacion is such tliat if the above bound John Boate doe from tynie to tyme satisfie, content, and paye unto the guyder of the pore house or liospitall of iligligate in the County of Middlesex for the tyme being to the use of the pore of the said house, all such somnie or sommes of mone\', benefites, rewardes, and advantages as he the same John or anie other person or persons for him or in his name shall collect, gather, or receave by force of a licence under her Majesty's greatc scale of England, shortly to be procured in the name of the said John for the collecting of the goodwilles of the weldisposed persons inhabiting within the counties of Buckingham and Northampton, and the townes of Buckingiiani and Northampton, witiiout fraud or coven. That then this obligacion to be utterly void, or ells it to stand in full force and virtue. Sealed and delivered to tiie Queue's Majesty's use by tlie presentes of usse J. ^ Boat, Frances Ansleye. his mark. Edw. Griffith. On Storye's death in March \.\i. 1584, a grant was made in favour oi John Randall, and in .\,ii. 1589 he received a second grant of "all and singular orchards, gardens, lands, tenements, meadows, [)asturis, ami hi-rcditamcnts whatsoever to the same almshouse belonging," etc., etc' ' I'at. 5 Henry VII. 3 Pat. 7 Elizabeth. 2 Pal. 24 Henry VHI. ' Pat. 31 Kli/abcth. i8o THE HISrORY OF HIGHGATE. The succeeding governors were Thomas Watson, appointed 3rd June, A.I). 1590; William Stockwell, appointed 22nd January, a.d. 1605; '^^'^'^ John Harbert, "a Chirurgion," who died a.d. 1650. The last record of this old forgotten Lazar House is that on 21st January, a.d. 1650. There was .sold by the Parliament to Ralph Harrison, of London, Esq., for ^130 los. — "all that messuage or tenement com- monly called the Spittle House, situate and being near the roadway leading from London, between Highgate and Holloway, etc., etc., and ail houses, outhouses, etc., by estimation two roods more or less, of the possessions of Charles Stuart, late King of England, and of the yearly value of ^9."' From the number of deaths recorded in the Islington parish register the Spital House must have become, as Sir James Paget suggests, a hospital for infectious diseases. The following are a few :— " Francis Joanes, from the Spitle Howse, was buried ye 4th day of Feb'., 1574. "John Chandler, from tlie Spitle Howse at Higat, was buried ye loth May, 1576. "A Dome Child, from the Spitle Howse at Upp' Holloway, was buried 3"e 30th July, 1576. " Thomas Martyn was buried the 6th Sept., from the Spytle Howse at Upper Hollowaye, 1576. " Elizabeth Gates, widow, was buried the loth day of Sept., from the Spitle House at Hollowaye, 1576. " Susan Mytler, from the Spittle House at Upper Holloway, was buried the 6th Dec, 1579. "Elizabeth Griften was b" from the Spittle House at Hiegate the 20th day of March 1580. "Thomas Patton was buried from the Spittle howse the 24th Jan>', 1582. " Joane Bristowe from the pore howse at Hiegate was buried the 1st Ocf., 1583. " Ralph Bu.xton was buried from the Spitle howse the 30th October, 1583. "William Storye, Gwyder of the pore-howse at Upper Holloway, was buried tlie 30th day of March, a" 15S4. ,:." Jerome Tedder was buried from the same howse the 23rd March, 1584. "A pore man from Spitle howse at Upper Holloway was buried y'' 15 June, 1584. " A Crisom childe from the Spitle Howse was buried the 4th day of May, 1593. " P. (plague) Anne the daughter of Thomas Watson, guyde of the Spitle Howse at Hiegate, was b'' the 5th of Sept. 1593." The last regi.stry being that of "Dorothy Radyett from the Highgate Spittle, b'' 8th July, 1630." It is a singular circumstance that the Small Po.x Hospital, an equally beneficent foundation, should have been erected upon almost the identical spot two hundred years afterwards ; about 1 860 this ho.spital was removed from King's Cross, the ground being required for the Great Northern Railway, to its present .secluded site. ' Tom'ins" Pi'raiiil>i//afii»is. THE HAMLET OE IIIGIIGATE. iSi THE OLD PRICSBYTERIAN CHURCH, NOW REPRESENTED BY THE CONGREGAIIONAL CHURCH. The action which drove two thousand of the clergy out of the Church of England in a.i>. 1662 was so remarkable for its despotic tyranny, and has proved so disastrous in its reactionary- results on the very Church in whose supposed interest it was perpetrated, that in the history of a locality affected by it, a brief record could hardly be omitted, for amongst the large number of free churches it called into existence was that of Highgate, which was founded by Rev. William Rathband, late Vicar of South Weald in Essex. " In the springtime of the year 1662, Bishops Sheldon and Morley, prompted probably by Lord Clarendon, resolved to take such action as would free the Anglican Church from the last vestige of Puritanism. They would tolerate no difference of opinion in matters ecclesiastical, and every clergyman who had the least scruple of objection should be com- pelled to leave the Church. They urged Chief Justice Keeling to frame an .Act which should embody the jirinciple of the statute made in the reign of Queen Elizabeth, for one unilorm order of common service and prayer, to be used by authority of Parliament, and which should compel the adoption of the Prayer- Book recently amended by Convocation. The new measure, called the ' Act of Uniformity,' enjoined that all ministers should be bound to use and say the morning prayer, evening prayer, and all other common prayers, in such form and order as are mentioned in the book ; and that every clergyman, before the feast of St. Bartholomew, 1662, should openly and publicl)-, in the presence of the congregation assembled for religious worship, declare his unfeigned assent and consent to the use of all things contained and prescribed in the same book. The penalty for neglecting or refusing to make this declaration was to be deprivation, ipso facto, of all his spiritual promotions. Clergymen of all ranks, fellows, tutors, professors, everyone keeping a private or public school, and all persons teaching in private families, before the feast of St. Bartholomew, 1662, were required to state their abhorrence of taking up arms against the king, and that they should conform to the Liturgy of the Church of Hlngland. The clergy who refused to make such a declara- tion were to be ' immediately deprived ; ' schoolmasters and tutors who failed to do so were to be ' imprisoned for three months and to be fined five ])ounds.' It was further enacted that ' no person should hold any benefice, or atlminister Holy Communion, before he be episcopally ordained a priest, on pain of forfeiting one hundred pounds for each offence.' No one was to be permitted ' to lecture, preach, or read in any church or chapel, unless licensed by a bishop, under the ]m naltx of three months' imprisonment for each offence.' ' In every church or i82 THE HISTORY OF HJGHGATE. college-hall in which there was not in use a copy of the amended Prayer- Book, the person presiding over or otherwise responsible for the building should be liable to a fine of three pounds a month, as long as such church or college-hall was unprovided with it.' By this Act 'every Presbyterian in possession of a living was required to be ordained by a bishop,' and to make the prescribed declarations, or be ejected from it. When the Bill was brought into Parliament, many of the more moderate members e.xpressed great disapproval of its severity, and great resistance was made in the Houses to its passing, but it was carried in both of them by small majorities. Its provisions were cruel. ' It was to have effect,' says Bi.shop Burnet, 'on the twenty-fourth day of August, in order that the deprived clergy might lose the tithes for the year, which were commonly due at Michaelmas.' No provision whatever was made for the main- tenance of any who might be ejected. When, by the original .'\ct of Queen Elizabeth's reign, many clergymen were deprived of their livings, and when they who were Royalists were driven out by Cromwell, a fifth part of the proceeds of the benefices was reserved for their support." ' The number of the Puritan and Presbyterian clergy who were deprived of their cures, after the investigation of all trustworthy evidence, may be estimated at little less than two thousand. Many of those who were driven out, deserved well of the king, for they had actively pro- moted his restoration, and were among the most devout, loyal, and peaceful of his subjects. Some of them after rejection attended the parish churches, and received the sacraments according to the Anglican rite. The sudden withdrawal of so large a number of eminent public teachers produced for many years a disastrous diminution in the spiritual life and active power of the Church. Able successors to such men as Marston, Bates, Ba.xter, Owen, Clark.son, Calamy, Poole, Caryl, Philip Henry, Charnock, Howe, Flavell, and many more, could not easily be found. The author of the " Five Groans of the Church," a rigid Anglican, and hostile to the Puritans, complains of the impossibility of filling the pulpits vacated by men of such power and reputation. He laments that " above three thousand ministers were admitted into the Church, who were unfit to teach because of their youth ; of fifteen luindred debauched men ordained, and that of twelve thousand Church livings or thereabouts, three thousand or more being impropriate, and four thousand one hundred and sixty-five sinecures, there was but a poor remaiiuler left for a painful and honest ministry." The victories gained by the Parliamentarian armies had led to the expulsion and persecution of many of the Anglican clergy, and to the occupation of their parishes by persons who were nominated to them by the republican rulers. When those rulers fell, and the death ol 01i\er ' Life of Baxter, by Rev. J. H. Davics, Rtctor ul St. Nicholas, Worcester. THE HAMLET OF 11 1 G 1 1 C ATE. 183 led 10 the return of Charles II., the benefices would necessarily revert to the Church restored by the re-establishment of the monarchy. Nothing coukl justify the tyrannical deprivation of clerg\nien by the Protector simply on the ground that they were Royalists, and many of those whom he placed in their cures were not in a true sense ministers of the English Church. Upon their restoration to power, the bishops therefore were legally right in recovering the benefices of those survi\ing Anglican clergymen who had been unlawfully and violtMitly thrust out ; but they were morally wrong in doing it vindictively, and with a determination to have nothing to do with men who, in numerous instances, had done good service in the parishes to which they had been appointed, either by Parlia- ment or the Protector, and whose former incumbents in many cases were dead ; and especially were the prelates culpable in sanctioning their depriva- tion, and in bringing terril)le sufferings upon their wives and children. "It is unquestionable that the Anglican Church has been far more injured by the Act of Uniformity than were the Puritans or Pre.sby- terians against whom it was framed."' Many of the Presbyterian clergy conformed lor the sake of their families. Some of them applied themselves to the study of medicine, and became eminent as physicians ; and others were received into the houses of noblemen and gentlemen, who pitied their calamities, and abhorred the profligacy of the king and his Court, which every day became more public and more shameless. Some of them became chajjlains in country-houses, many of the great City Companies placed their great halls at their disposal, where they gathered large congrega- tions ; others went to the Continent, or found a welcome and a home among their e.xpatriated brethren in New England. Collections were made for them in various towns and districts of the country, and it is alleged as a singular fact in their sufferings after ejectment, that none of them in all their poverty were ever imprisoned for debt. Bishop Burnet .says of them : — " They cast themselves upon the Providence of God, and the charity of their friends. This begot esteem, and raised compassion."- But they were soon placed in circumstances of increasing misery. " They were attacked by .some of the younger Anglican clergy in their sermons. They were ridiculed in comedies. Profligate men, and still more abandoned women, who crowded the benches of the new theatres to see the king and the wanton ladies who wasted his money, degraded his dignity, and injured his reputation, laughed at the clever mimicry upon the stage of the tones in which it was said the Puritans prayed and preached ; were infinitely amused at their imagined tempta- tions to vice, and at the hypocrisy they were charged with assuming ; at the goblets they drained in the houses of citizens, and at the tair ' Life of Baxter. - History of His Own Times. 1 84 THE HISTORY OF HIGH GATE. cheeks they kissed in secret. The king was not ashamed to hear some of his most loyal and peaceful subjects ridiculed and dishonoured by false representations, amid the uproarious laughter and the frightful blas- phemies of the foulest and vilest of mankind. "' It was under these painful circumstances that William Rathband commenced his ministrations at Highgate, being just beyond the operations of the odious P'ive Mile Act. to which it is necessary to make a passing allusion. Bishop Burnet, alluding to the flight of some of the clergy in the time of peril, says : — " A great many of the ministers of London were driven away by the plague, though some few stayed. Many churches being .shut up, when the inhabitants were in more than ordinary disposition to profit by good sermons, some of the Nonconformists upon that, went into the empty pulpits and preached ; and, it was given out, with very good sijccess ; and in many other places they began to preach openly, not with- out reflecting on the sins of the Court, and on the ill-usage they themselves had met with. This was represented very odiously at Oxford."- Great anger was expressed by the Court at Oxford that the deprived Puritans had dared, during the ravages of the plague, to reflect upon the virtue of the king ; and Archbishop Sheldon, and Ward, lately appointed to be Bishop of Salisbury, were determined to provide some more stringent means of repressing them. On the 31st day of October, 1665, before the pestilence had ceased, an Act was passed, " To restrain Nonconformists from inhabiting corporations." It was enacted that all Nonconformist ministers should take the oath, that it was not lawful under any pretence to take up arms against the king, and that each of them .should depose that " I will not at any time endeavour to effect any alteration of government, either in Church or State." And "all such Nonconformist ministers shall not after the 24th March, 1666, unless in passing the road, come or be within five miles of any city, town, cor- poration, or borough that sends burgesses to Parliament ; nor within five miles of any city, town, or place, wherein they have since the Act of oblivion been parson, vicar, or lecturer; or where they have preached in any conventicle, on any pretence whatsoever, before they have taken and subscribed the aforesaid oath, upon forfeiture for every offence the sum of forty pounds, one-third to the king, one-third to the poor, and a third to him that shall sue for it ; and such as shall refuse the oath aforesaid shall be incapable of teaching in any public or private school, or of taking any boarders or tablers to be taught or instructed under pain of forty pounds, to be distributed as above. Any two justices of the peace, upon oath made before them of any offences against this Act, are empowered to connnit the offenders to prison for six months." ' Life oj Baxter. • Burnet's History of His Own Times. THE HAMLET OF HIGH GATE. 185 Many peers, and one or two of the wiser and more temperate bishops, opposed this Act, well knowing how injurious it must ultimately prove to the Church, which unhappily at that time had furious and indiscreet defenders ; but Clarendon urged on Archbishop Sheldon and others to carry the Bill, and it became law.' Burnet states that Sheldon and Ward were the bishops thai argued most tor the Act, which came to be called the " Five Mile Act. " " All that were .secret favourers of popery promoted it ; their constant maxim being, to bring all the sectaries into so desperate a state, that they should be at mercy, and forced to desire a toleration on such terms as the king should see tit to grant it on." The historian Hallam, with that philosophical discrimination which distinguishes him, says of this Act : " The Church of England had doubtk;ss her provocations, but she made the retaliation more than commensurate to the injury. No severity comparable to this cold- blooded persecution had been inflicted b) the late powers, even in the ferment and fury of the civil war."- It was therefore due to the operations of the Act of Uniformity and the provisions of the Five Mile Act that William Ralhliand, late vicar of South Weald, having been ejected from the Church of England lor conscience' sake, commenced his ministrations at Highgate. %,t, XMl^alrk "He was a son of W'illiam Rathband, who wrote 'A most grave and modest retulation of the errors ot the sect commonly called Brownists ; ' a brother of Nathaniel Rathband, sometime preacher at the Cathedral, York, and whom H(;ywood speaks of as preaching a sermon in John Angler's study, on the occasion of the betnjthal of that good man's daughter to a Yorkshire minister ; and a relative probably of Abel Rathband, o{ Writde. He was educated at Oxford, but where he had been previously settled, if anywhere, we have not been able to discover. The entry in the Visitation Book of the Archdeaconry in 1662 is, ' Will. Ralhbone {^sic) vacat. rat. slat.' "^ " After many removes, he settled at llighgale, where he continued to his death, in October 1695."* His funeral sermon was preached at Highgate, on the 13th of October, by his friend and fellow collegian, Samuel Slater.^ This .sermon, which is in existence, dated .\.o. 1695 (a good old- ' Davies' Life of Haxtcr. ' David's Essex. '■' Hallam's Cioislitiilional Uistoiy. ' Calamy. '' .Slater succeeded Samuel (jharnock us niiiuster t)f the congregation meeting at Crosby Hall ; he was ejected from St. Katherine's, Tower of London, and lounded the Congre- gational Church at VValthamstow. 1 86 THE HISTORY OF IlIGHGATE. fashioned one, consisting of niiuiccn heads and an apphcation), was "'printed by Thomas Cockcrill, senr. and juiw., at the Three Legs in the Pouitrey, over against the Stocks Mfarket." It says of the deceased, " He was a learned man, and, as I am persuaded, truly godly ; one that denied himself, and suffered much for conscience' sake. 1 care better to do you good, not to commend him, for that is needless — you having known his doctrine and manner of life." The Church so founded has seen great changes — drifting, as so many of the Presbyterian Churches did, from causes difficult to comprehend, into unitarianism, but in this instance ultimately merging into Congre- gationalism. The original meeting-house was on the site of the building now occupied by the Baptist Church in Southwood Lane. During the ministry of Abraham Gregson, or after his decease, for he died young, a secession took place of those members of the Church who were dissatisfied with unitarian doctrine. That this separation took place before the ministry of -Samuel Tice is plain from the following letter, which appeared in the Gentleman s Magazine (1798). "Mr. Urb.w, — I wish to correct a small inaccuracy in my last, where I have said the separation of the Presbyterian meeting at Highgatc was during the residence of Mr. Tice ; but the fact is, it was before that gentleman came to Highgate. "The Methodist meeting is nearly opposite, built on a fine site of ground, commanding a very rich and luxuriant view in front. It was opened in 1778, by Mr. Brewster, of Stepney. " In addition to what I have said of the ministers of the Presb3'terian meeting, I would add, that Mr. Rochmont Barbauld, who married the celebrated Miss Aiken, officiated also for some time at this meeting. Me has of late years been settled at Hampstead. " During Mr. David W 's ministry, the meeting was admirably attended ; and Highgate Chapel being shut up for repairs, the greatest part of the members of the Establishment attended, during the interim, at the dissenting meeting. " Philalethes." The following is the letter referred to as " my last," which also appeared in the Gentleman s Magazine for 1798 : — " Mr. Urb.\n, — Your account of Mr. Wilkes is, on the whole, very correct. His mother was a dissenter ; and I know it for an undoubted fact that his father also constantly attended, at the time of his death, the dissenting meeting in Southwood Lane, Highgate. That Presbyterian congregation, which was formerly very respect- able, has been of late years much on the decline, and is nov/ totally dissolved. I preached to that congregation nearly two years, and buried two of the oldest members of that society. P'rom them, and from the clerk of the place, who had been in that situation nearly forty years, I learned that old Mr. Wilkes' used to come to ' A curious anecdote is related of the father of John Wilkes. One of his daughters married asjainst his wish, and he declared she should " not have a penny of his money as THE HAMLET OF UIGHGATE. 187 that meeting in his coach and six ; his son, when a young man, has been occasionally there. " I will now, Sir, add tb.e names of some of the ministers who had the care of that Society. " Rev. Dr. Sleigh. " Mr. Hardy, who died at Mighgate. " Dr. Towers, so well known for his various writings. " Rev. David W , since dignified with the title of High Priest of Nature. " Re\-. Samuel Tice. " The most spirited exertions were made by this gentleman to restore the society to its former respectability, but without avail. Few persons have been more respected than Mr. Tice, both by the Episcopalians and Dissenters ; during his ministry at llighgate, a separation took place, and part of the congregation sub- scribed to build a place nearly opposite, which is now totall}' in the Methodists' connection. " Rev. J. Ikptist Pike, M.D. " Rev. Alexander Crombie, LL.D., author of ^i Defence of Philosophical Necessity. " Philalethes." The site of the second church alluded to was near the corner of Castle Yard, Southwood Lane, now occupied as a builder's yard ; the school house then adjoining is still standing, being No. 47, South- wood Lane. This chapel was taken down in 1834, after the third building had been erected, also in Southwood Lane, during the ministry of the Rev. John Thomas. This building is now known as the " Science Rooms, " adjoining, and occupied by the Cholmeley School. It is somewhat singular that both the second and the third churches were erected on the ground originally belonging to the Cholmeley .School, which for some reason had become alienated. In 1859, the accommodation having become too straitened for the congregation, the fourth and present existing church was erected in South Grove during the ministration of the Rev. Josiah Viney. The cost of this building, with schoolroom and ten other rooms used as class rooms for the .Sunday .School, and additions, was about ^^7,000. It has now become too small for the growing requirements of the con- gregation gathered by the popular ministration of the present pastor, the Rev. J. M. Gibbon, and considerable additions are contemplated. The Rev. Kdward Porter seems to have been the hrst stated minister of the second church. He was one of the travelling preachers of the Countess of Huntingdon, and settled in Highgate, where it is interesting to note that his daughters, Mrs. Challis, of North Hill House, and her sister, Mrs. Lynch, the widow of the Rev. Theoi^hilus T. Lynch (the minister fifteenth in succession), are still residents. long as he had a /udJ uii his shoulders." He was afterwards reconciled to her, and left her some [jropeity by his will, which cont lined a proviso that after denth his head should he renwced from his shoulders. So much for consistency ! iS8 r}lE HISTORY OF HIGH GATE. The following is the succession of ministers :- I'astDralc conimencet A. 1 1, A.l>. William Rathband . . About 1662, died 1695 Thomas Sleigh • I7OI, »» 1747 George Hardy • 1755. , , 1770 David Williams • ^m^ ,, 1774 Rochmont Barbauld, D.D. ■ '774' 1775 Joseph Towers, LL. D. ■ 1775. ,, 1778 Abraham Gregson • '778. — Samuel Tice — John B. Pike, M.D. — . — Alexander Crombie, LL.D. . • 1798- — Edward Porter • 1778, died 1812 John Thomas . 1816. , ^ 1830 Robert Blessley • 1831, to 1841 William Foster . 1S42, y t 1846 Theo. T. Lynch ■ i'M7. » t 1849 Henry Townley ' . 1849. ,, 1852 Edward Cornwall . • 1852. ,, '857 Josiah Viney- • 1857, ,, 1883 James Morgan Gibbon * ■ 1885 At the termination of Dr. Crombie's ministry the old building seems to have been closed, but it was re-opened September 28th, 1806, under the auspices of the Unitarian Fund ; the pulpit was supplied for some time by preachers in connection with that fund ; and, about 1809, the lease was disposed of, to the Baptists. THE BAPTIST CHURCH. There is a drawing of the building about 1809, in an illustrated copy of " Prickett " in the British Museum ; it represents a considerable elevation crowned by a pediment supported by Grecian columns having a projecting lobby on either side.' ' Rev. H. Townley was never elected i)astor of the Church, but, being a man of con- .siderable means, gave his services as " a supply " until a permanent minister was elected. - A sum of X720 was subscribed as a valedictory gift to Rev. J. Viney, the whole of which sum he recjuested might be appropriateil in founding scholarships at the Caterham College for Sons of Congregational .Ministers. " Author of a volume of sermons on T/ie Gosl>d of Fatlieilw.'d, which has attracted con- siderable attention. ' This was the old Presbyterian Church, then leased by the Baptists. THE HAMLET OF HIGH GATE. 189 Although the building was opened for worship by the Baptists in November 1809, the Church {i.e., the body of believers) was not fornieil till 1812. In 1836 the freehold was purchased, and the old building, having stood about a hundred and seventy years, was pulled down, and the present fabric erected. In 1867 the building was enlarged, galleries erected, and new pews constructed, at a cost of £~iOO. rh(> following are the ministers in succession :— A.I). A.l). J Mileham I8I4 to I8I9 E. Lewis I8I9 ,, 1840 — Orchard • 1843 , , 1848 Samuel S. Hatch 1848 ,, 1862 J. H. Barnard 1862 ST. JOSEPH'S ROMAN CATHOLIC CHURCH. The first Superior of this monastery was the Hon. and Rev. George Spencer, brother of the Lord Althorp of Reform celebrity, and himself formerly a beneficed clergyman of the Church of England, but who had thrown up his preferment on becoming convinced of the claims of the Roman Catholic Church. He had been educated at Eton and at Cambridge, and as the brother of a Cabinet Minister he enjoyed the fairest prospects of advancement in his profession ; but these he abandoned in order to assume the cowl and coarse gown and open sandals of a Passionist, and adopted instead of his hereditary title the name of "Father Ignatius." He died in 1864. The author of the Life of Fallicr Ignatius writes, shortly before his death : — " In 1858 we pro- cured a place in Highgate now known as St. Joseph's Retreat. Provi- dence guided us to a most suitable position. Our rule prescribes that our houses shall be outside the town, and yet near enough for us to be of service in it. Highgate is wonderfully adapted to all the requisitions of our rule and constitution. Situated on the brow of a hill, it is far enough from the din and noise of London to be comparatively free from its turmoil, and yet sufficiently near for its citizens to come to our church. The grounds are enclosed by trees ; an hos[)ital at one end, and two roads meeting at the other, promise a freedom from intrusion and a continuance of solitude which we now enjoy." The new monastery, designed by Mr. Francis W. Tasker, and erected in 1875-6, was solemnly blessed and opened, in the latter year, by Cardinal Manning. It forms thr(;e sides of a s<]uare, and is built in a I90 THE HISTORY OF HIGH GATE. broad Italian style, after the fashion of the monastic buildings of the Roniagna and of Central Italy. The walls are faced with white Suffolk bricks with stone dressings, and the roofs, which project in a remarkable manner, are covered with large Italian tiles. The building contains guests' rooms, a choir or private chapel tor the "religious," a community- room, library, refectory, kitchen and kitchen offices, and infirmary, with forty " cells " or rooms for the monks. The chapel is on the north side ol the monastery, and adjoining it is a room for the meeting of the members of religious brotherhoods or confraternities connected with the Passionist order.' The Retreat occupies the site of the " Black Dog " tavern ; and we may add here that the dog, in one of its varieties, has always been a common sign in England, and of all dogs the " Black Dog " would appear to have been a favourite, — possibly, it has been suggested, because it means the " English" terrier, a dog who once "had his day " among us, just as the "Scotch" terriers and the " pugs ' have now. The " Black Dog" here may have been chosen on account of his being the constant companion of the drovers who frequented this house. Be this as it may, the Passionist fathers now own not only the old " Black Dog " and its out-premises, but the adjoining property, a private house and grounds, and on the conjoined properties have constructed a monastery and chapel from which all traces of the " Black Dog " have been thoroughly " exorcised. ' Judging from the magnitude of the educational establishments sur- roundino- it, and the larg^e number of attendants at the numerous services, the position of the church and monastery seem to have been very happily selected. THE THEATRE. Highgate once boasted of its theatre — probably a barn fitted up for that purpose ; it went by the name of " Larne's Theatre," and stood nearly opposite " The Limes," on a portion of the old bowling-green of the Castle Tavern, Southwood Lane. It was patronized by Mrs. Coutts, who was always willing to assist "the players;" but this seems to have been something more than a company of strollers, as Marston acted there, and also at the "White Lion Tavern Assembly Rooms ' in Highgate, before the theatre was opened. Other well-known actors were of the same company, — W. H. Tilbury (who had an uncle residing at Highgate) and Mrs. Glover. The following song was sung there on loth September, 1810, by Mr. Thompson, — a wretched doggerel, worthy of the Poet of Seven Dials, but which in cons(;quence of its local allusions was immensely popular. ' Walford's OM and VVfe- London. THE HAMLET OE HIGHGATE. 191 Hl(;HCiATE SIGNS, OR NO ACCOMMOIWTION FOR BUONAPARTE. "All tlie world's in a fright, and thinks Boney is coming. But, bless you, good folks, I'm sure he is humming; If such are his thoughts let him come if he dare ; When he starts, why to drub him well quickly repair. Tol de rol, etc., ad lib. " If to Highgate should come, then, the poor simple soul, .At the Gale House, I'm sure, they'd make him pay toll ; ,\nd the folks at the Castle he'd find were no lubbers ; If he must play at bowls, he must even fake rubbers. Tol de rol, etc. " At the Ajigd, the Bull, the Bell or Green Dragon, He'll find that his quarters are nothing to brag on ; It won't do at the Nelson his liquor to sujj, For he'll find that the landlady's "Prime" and bang up. Tol de rol, etc. '• .\t the Lion I'm sure he'll find a "Goodman," .And the Cnncn, we all know, he'll grasp if he can ; The Coopers Arms and the Mitre would tease him, I fear, — For two English widows can match one Mounseer. Tol de rol, etc. " He'd be wrong at the Flask, the Fox or Rose and Croivn, And " Dutton's " stout Wrestlers would soon have him down ; If he gets in the Sun, it's all over, we know, And at the Duke's Head he'd be lost in the " Snow.' Tol de rol, etc. " The Coach and Horses have drawn me near the end of my song, With sledge hammer the landlord Boney 's pate would lay on ; He'd find in these fiuaners he made a wrong choice, For he'd meet with his match in fat, gouty " Dick Joyce." Tol de rol, etc. " But, my very good friends, away with your fears, You know we are guarded by brave volunteers : Should Boney once land, it would not be long Ere we stO[) his career, sirs, — and here stops my song. Tol de rol, etc. "THE Gf)OU OLD TIMES," Early mon/s of felony and viohinr connected with Higligair and its ncigltbonrliood, extracted from I lie Midt/lesex County Records — Sessions Roll.^ " lO/li Deceinher, \4 Elizabeth. -'Vrue h\\\ that at ... . co. Midd., on the said day of DectMnber, John Jarrctt, alias John Slaney, late of Highc liolboin-nc, yoman, stole a black woollen cloth cloak worth ten shillings, of the goods and chattels of John Tniipris, Putting himself 'Guilty,' the prisoner iileaded his clergy; where- Edited by I. C. Jeaffii'son. 192 THE HISTORY OF HIGHGATE. upon William Pyckering urged that the prayer should not be granted, as, by the name of John Jarard, late of London, j'oman, for a certain felony by him in former times committed at Harticsry, co. Midd., the said John Jarrett, alias Slaney, was convicted a clerk, and after being burnt on the left hand, was, as a convicted clerk, delivered to the custody of the Bishop of London, the Ordinary of that place ; to which the aforesaid John Jarrett pleaded that he was not the same person as the clerk so convicted under the name of John Jarard. At the ensuing Gaol Deliver}', held on 15th February next following, a jury chosen and sworn to discover the truth of the matter, having found the prisoner was the same person as the clerk in former times convicted under the name of John Jarard, it was decreed hy the Court that he should be hung. " 1st April, 14 Elizabeth. — Coroner's inquisition-post-mortem, taken at Hornesey, co. Midd., on view of the body of Hugh Moreland, late of Honirsey, yoman, there l3'ing dead ; with verdict that on 29th March last past, between three and four p.m., the said Hugh Moreland and a certain Henry Yonge of the same place, yoman, were together in the yard of the house of Thoman Aglyonby of Hornesey aforesaid, gentleman, when they quarrelled and fought, the said Hugh Moreland having in his hands a shovel, and the said Henr^' Yonge being armed with a ' shackfork ; ' when in the affray, had between them, Henry Yonge with the 'shackfork' gave Hugh Moreland in his left ej'e a blow of which he died on the present 1st da}' of April. " wtli January, 15 Elizabeth. — True bill that, at Haniesey, co. Midd., on the said day, Jane Jones, late of London, spinster, stole a 'kerchief worth fivepence, and a ' neckercher ' worth fourpence, of the goods and chattels of William Danyell. She confessed the indictment ; it was adjudged that she should confess her oflfence in Hornsey Church on the next Lord's Day, in the presence of the parishioners. " 5/A March, \6 Elisabeth. — True bill that, at the parish of St. Giles-without- Criplegate, co. Midd., on the said day, William Tyler, late of London, labourer, a lazy and cunning fellow, cosened Thomas Weare of the said parish out of two several sums cf money, by representing that he was in possession of certain acres of wood growing near Tottenham, which he had bought of Lord Compton, who, out of his goodwill to the deponent, had himself measured and marked out the wood for him ; that further, to get Thomas Weare's confidence, the same William Tyler represented himself as staj'ing and living in the house of Sir Hugh Cholmondeley, Knt., at Hanisey, alias Harrj-ngay, co. Midd. ;' that by these false representations, the said William Tyler induced Thomas Weare to give him an order for a hundred cartloads of the said wood, to give him fourpence ' nomine finis, viz., in earnest' on the bargain for the wood, and yet further to give him twenty shillings in partial pre- payment of the price agreed upon for the hundred loads of wood ; whereas it appeared on enquiry, that William Tyler had no wood to sell, and was not living at Harnesey, but was a cheat. Having put himself ' Guilty,' William Tyler was sentenced to the pillory at Fynnesbury. " 2glh July, 16 Elizabeth. — True bill tliat at Highgate, co. Midd., on the said day, Francis Jackson and Robert Gillingham, both late of London, yomen, stole a calf worth six shillings, of the goods and chattels of Rose Howson. Putting themselves ' Guilty,' both thieves were sentenced to be hung. ' Not to be mistaken for Sir Roger Cholmeley of Highgate. Tim If A.] [LET OF HIGH GATE. 193 " ^id February, 26 Elizabeth. — True bill that at Hariicscy, en. Midd., on the said day, William Jones, late of London, yoman, stole a pair of buft' hose valued at ten shillings, a silk doublet worth forty shillings, a pair of hose worth ijs, and a pair of taylors sheeres worth twelvepence, of the goods and chattels of Thomas Key. " 22ud April, 29 Elisabeth. — -True bill that, on the said day, in the highway at Hariiesey, co. Midd., Edward Pygott, late of London, gentleman, assaulted John Robertes, with the intention of robbing iiim, saj'ing to him, ' Godes woundes delj-ver thy purse,' and beating and maltreating him so that his life was despaired of. " 27//; April, 30 Elizabeth. — True bill that, at Hariiesey, co. Midd., during the night of the said 27th April, Rowland Bellyn, and George Bold, both late of London, yomen, broke burglariousl}' into the dwelling-house of Thomas Ardern, Esq. (Cecilia tlie wife of the same Thomas Ardern being then in the same house with her family then at rest), and stole therefrom 'a cheyne of golde of small linkes' worth twenty pounds, another gold ciiain worth twelve pounds, a pair of gold bracelettes worth nine pounds, thirty-two gold buttons worth si.x pounds, a pair of gold ' tablettes ' worth eight pounds, two gold rings set with ' diamondes ' worth seven pounds, another gold ring set with a 'turkys' worth four pounds, 'an emerald ' worth five pounds, twelve gold rings called ' hoope ringes ' worth six pounds, a jewel called ' a border of perle ' worth three pounds, a jewel of silver called ' a bodkyn of silver ' worth two shillings, twelve pieces of coined gold called ' angelles ' worth si.x pounds, one piece of coined gold called ' a piece of thirty shillings,' three pieces of coined gold called ' duble ducckettes ' worth forty shillings, two pieces of coined gold called ' Englisshe Crownes' worth ten shillings, one piece of coined gold called a ' Frenche Crowne ' worth six shillings, one piece of silk worth fort}' shillings, a silk purse worth twenty shillings, of the goods, chattels, and moneys of the said Thomas Ardern. Confessing the indictment, Rowland Bellyn was sentenced to be hung. Against George Bold's name appears the note ' extra prison.' "4/// February, 33 Elisabeth. — True bill that at Hyghegate, co. Midd., on the said day, John Halle, late of London, yoman, stole a black velvet coat ' faced with shagge silk' worth five pounds, 'a blake silke groyrane ' cloak ' lyned with Taffatye ' worth four pounds, a pair of satin breeches ' of seawater grene ' color worth thirty- shillings, a beaver hat worth twenty shillings, and a ' bridle of velvett ' worth ten shillings, and a ' velvet jerkyn ' worth fort}' shillings, of the goods and chattels of Evered Dygbye, Esq., found at Hyghegate. At the head of the bill a memorandum that John llallc put himself ' not guilt}-,' but was sentenced to be hung. "4/A May, 39 Elisal)eth. — Coroner's inquisition-post-mortem, taken at Islington, CO. Midd., on view of the body of William Thomas, late of London, yoman, then lying dead : with verdict that on the night of the 3rd inst., between eleven and twelve p.m., the said William Thomas, in a certain highway at Islington leading towards Highgatc, lay in wait for a certain John Cornelius, late of London, cowper, and with a sword drawn made an assault on him with the intention of murdering him, where- upon the said John Cornelius having in his hand a weapon called ' a birding piece ' charged with gunpowder and haleshott, in self-defence and for the preservation of his life discharged the said piece in the breast of the said William Tliomas, thereby giving the same William a mortal wound of which he died instantly. 13 194 THE HISTORY OF HIGH GATE. " \oth Dccciiihcr, 44 Elizabeth. —True bill that in the highway at Hygate, co. Midd., on the said day, Bartholomew Turpiu^ late of London, yoman, assaulted Simon Fielder, and robbed him of a leather purse worth two pence, and a piece of gold worth three pounds. " 13//;, 17 James I. — Recognizances, taken before Sir Richard Baker,- Knt., of Henry Ascue of Highgate, co. Midd., gentleman, and Robert Longe of St. Albone's, co. Hartford, gentleman, each in the sum of forty pounds, and William Rowe of Wreste, CO. Bedford, gentleman, in the sum of one hundred pounds ; for the said William Rowe's appearance at the ne.xt Session of the Peace for Middlesex, to answer for his part in an affray, recently fought with drawen swordes between him and a certain Raphell Neale of Woollestone, co. Northampton, gentleman. G.D.R., 12th May, 17 James I. " 17//; Jaiuiary, 22 James I. — True bill that, at Islington, co. Midd., on the said daj', Robert Atkins, late of Highgale, yoman, and at that time sub-bailiff to Thomas Bancrofte, gentleman bailiff of the Right Reverend George by God's permission Bishop of London, within the said Bishop's manor of Barnesbury, assaulted and arrested Richard Hylton, and by colour of his said office extorted from him two shillings and fourpence. Putting himself ' Not Guilty,' Robert Atkins was acquitted. G.D.R., 17th Jan., 22 James L " 22iii1 Jiitie, 6 James I. — True bill that, nt Hv/igate in Hornesey, co. Midd., on the said day Dorothy Androwes, Sisely Musgrave, and Margaret Cockeyne, all three late of London, spinsters, broke feloniously into the dwelling-house of Thomas Williams, and stole therefrom a red wollen pettycoate worth five shillings, a linen apron worth sixpence, a linen kercher worth sixpence, a linen shirt worth two shillings and sixpence, and five shillings of numbered moneys, of the good chattels and moneys of the said Thomas Williams at Hygate in the parish of Hornesey. Sisely Musgrave and Margaret Cockeyne put themselves 'not guilty' and were acquitted. Dorothy Androwes stood mute and was committed to the peine forte et dure ; tlie memorandum over her name being ' Stat mut' h'et judiciu' pene fort' et dur'.' ■' G.D.R., 6 James I. " ^ih January, j James I. — True hill that, at Ilaniesey, co. Midd., in the night of the said day, Thomas Sowthwell, late of London, yoman, broke burglariousl3' into the dwell- ing-house of Robert Symons, and stole therefrom a silver goblett worth thirty shillings, a dagger worth ten shillings, a woollen cloth apron worth sixpence, three linen handkerchiefs worth sixpence, three linen guoyfes worth threepence, ' unum par manicarum panni lanci vocat' a payre of cuffes' worth twopence, a green silk girdle Worth twclvepence, ' unum horologium vocat' a litle bower glasse of pearlc ' worth sixpence, a copper ringe worth a pennj-, ' vmum capitale panni linei vocatum a calle ' worth a penny, and a bone comb worth a penny, of the goods and chattels of the said Robert Symons. Found ' Not Guilty ' of burglar}^, but ' Guilty ' of breaking into the house, etc., Thomas Sowthwell was sentenced to be hung. G.D.R., 17th Jan., 7 James L" ' A suggestive name for a highwayman. -' Baker the historian. •' For not pleading the penalty was to be pressed to death, but as there was no conviction, it was not a lelon's death, and consequently was free of forfeiture of goods, etc. ; " peine forte et dure " (strong prison and hard) being the equivalent of that dreadful sentence. THE HAMLET OF IIIGHCATE. 195 Among the information furnished by these interesting records is an item that on i6th November, 5 Elizabeth, a coroner's inquisition was held at Hackney on the death of Henry Goslinge, a sen>ant of Sir Roger Choh)ieIey\ Knt., who was slain in his master's ser\i:e. The prisoner seems to have been discharged, having " produced " the Queen's pardon under the great seal. A further record may be quoted, although rather wide of Highgate, as a case in point of the law which exempted clerks in holy orders from criminal process before a secular judge, and to show that the ability to read in a clerkly manner was accepted as sufficient proof of the reader's clerical quality ; but this privilege was so greatly abused, punishment being thereby practically abolished, that to prevent the rogue getting off a second time it was enacted in 1540^ that the " braun of the thumb be branded," " M " for murderer, "T" for any other felony. This mark was popularly known as the Ty'^'J'"''' T (the gallows T). The statute further provided that the person who successfully pleaded " benefit of clergy " should be delivered up to the " Ordinary ; " which seems to have meant some detention in prison, for a longer or a shorter time, for the benefit of the Ordinary's advice, — a somewhat questionable advantage in De Foe's time, as in his description of the horrors of Newgate he mentions that the Ordinary was usually drunk by the middle of the day. " '^lli July, James I. — Coroner's inquisition-post-mortcni taken at Willesden, co. Midd., on view of the body of Robert Vincent there l}'ing dead, with verdict that on the 3rd inst., in a place called Willsden Marshe, the said Robert Vincent and a certain Edward Carrcll, late of Willsden aforesaid, quarelled and made an afiVay, fighting with their fists, wiien the said Edward struck the said Robert to the ground, and then kneeling on his stomach did punche him, and so bruise and crushed him, that he died at Willsden on the following day. On his arraignment Edward Carrell confessed the indictment, asked for the book, read like a clerk, was marked with the letter T, and delivered according to the form of the statute. G.D.R., 15th February, i James I." The Sessions Records of a later date art; in course of arrangement, and ther(;fore not available, but some of the lollowing e.xtracts from old newspapers, from 1697 to 1830, will vividly illustrate the "good old times" in Highgate and its neighbourhood. May 1679. — An advertisement appears relative to a horse that had strayed or been stolen from the grounds of Jeflry Thomas, Esq., s and rip(; scholarship many a goodly gathering of litc:rary and scientific celebrities was held thercnn. Mr. \',ites was an early advocate of ' Bailey's Annals of Notts. '■' F.pisoitcs of my Second Life. .'\. (i.allcnga. 214 THE HISTORY OF HIGH GATE. popular education, and was the first treasurer, if not the promoter, of the Hio-hoffite British Schools, now merp-ed into the Board Schools. In A.D. 1872 Lauderdale House was appropriated for a short term of years as a temporary convalescent home in connection with St. Bar- tholomew's Hospital, by Sir Sydney Waterlow, M.P., the then treasurer of the hospital, and was opened for that purpose by H.R. H. the Prince of Wales on 8th July in that year. At the present moment the house and adjoining property are for sale for building purposes, and this relic of old Highgate will probably soon disappear. In an old house which stood back from the road between Lauderdale and Marvell's house, which was originally a portion of the outbuildings of the former, lived Sir John Pennethorne, a well-known architect of his time. He was a pupil of Nash, and amongst other works he designed the Ordnance, Stationery, and Record Offices, the south front of Buckingham Palace, and the London University. Sir John was also an authority on landscape gardening; he altered St. James's Park, and laid out the designs of Battersea and Victoria Parks. The house was pulled down before the property came into the possession of Sir Sydney Waterlow. Andrew Marvell's House stood next to Lauderdale House, higher up the hill ; it was removed in consequence of dilapidation in September 1868. The exact .spot is marked by one of the stone steps by which the garden was entered being built into the wall in situ.. Andrew Marx-ell was the son of a clergyman of Hull, the master of the Grammar School, who was drowned in crossing the Humber in 1640. Andrew was Member of Parliament for Kingston-upon-Hull for some twenty years, and from the date of the Restoration, when Parliament was in session, he wrote a weekly news-letter to his constituents. The inscription on the engraved portrait by Basire states that " he was the last Commoner who received allowance from his constituents, and was the friend and protector of John Milton. " The uncertainty of the cause of his death is thus alluded to on the engraving : — " But whether fate or art untwined his thread Remains in doubt ; Faini's lasting register -Shall leave his name enrolled as great as those \\\\o at Philippi for their country fell.'" His life had been repeatedly attempted ; in one of his letters, dated from Highgate, he states "his foes are implacable, antl that he was frequently threatened with murder on his proceeding to and from Highgate." THE HOUSES AND THEIR RESIDENTS. 215 He was so stern in his rebukes ot the protligacy and extravagance of Charles II. that a ])roclamation was issued ofiering a reward for his apprehension; this caused him to retire to I lull, where he died in a.d, 1678, not without a suspicion of poison. The profligate king had often tried to win him o\'er by offers of wealth and promotion. Howitt thus relates a well-known incident : — " The king sent the Lord Treasurer Danby to wait upon Marvel! with a particular message. His lordship with .some difficulty found his elevated retreat, which was on a second floor in the Strand. Lord Danby, from the darkness and narrowness of the staircase, abruptly burst open the door where Mr. Marvell was writing. Astonished at the sight of so noble and une.xpcxted a visitor, he asked his lordship with a smile, ' if he had not mistaken his way ? ' ' No,' replied his lordship with a bow, ' not since I have found Mr. Marvell ; ' continuing, that he came with a mes.sage from the king, who wished to do him some signal service to testify his high opinion of his merits. He replied with his usual pleasantry that 'kings had not the power to serve him : he had no void left aching in his breast," but becoming more .serious he assured his lordship that he was highly sensible of His Majesty's affection, but he knew too well the nature of Court favours, which were expected to bind a man in the chains of their interest, which his spirit of freedom and independence would not suffer him to embrace. The.se royal offers proving vain, Lord Danby informed him 'the king had ordered him a thou.sand guineas, which he hoped he would receive till he could bring his mind to accept something more durable.' ' Surely,' said Marvell with a smile, ' you do not, my lord, mean to imply my poverty by these munificent offers; pray, my Lord Treasurer, do these apartments wear the air of need ? and as for my living, you shall hear that from my servant,' whom he called. ' Pray, Jack, what had I for dinner yesterday?' 'A .shoulder of mutton, sir.' ' And what do you allow me to-day ? ' ' The remainder hashed, sir.' ' And to-morrow, my Lord Danby, I shall have the sweet blade bone broiled ; and when your lordship makes honourable mention of my cook and my diet, I am sure His Majesty will be too tender in futLire to attempt to bribe a man with golden apples who lives so well on the viantls of his native country.' Upon the Lord Treasurer's withdrawal Marvell went to his bookseller for the loan of a guinea ! " Marv(;ll was a writer of satirical and religious poetry, and was a most uncomjiromising exposer of the corruptions of the Court. His works fill three large quarto volumes ; the chief work is ^/;/ Accoimt of the G7-owth of Popery and Arbilrary GovcruDient in linirlaiid : and Ilic Re/narsal Transposed, in which he very unsparingly castigates Dr. Parker, Pishop of Oxford, for his base time-.serving and his fierce persecution of the Nonconformists. P>isho|) IJurnet says that " Parker went on publishing 2i6 THE HISTORY OF HIGH GATE. his virulent abuse, till Marvell not only put hint down, but his whole party ; " and Dean Swift, in noticing the generally short existence of answers to books, excepts that of Marvell as a work of " great genius," and says : " It continued to i)e read though Parker's writings had sunk in oblivion long ago." In the same manner he disposed of Dr. Turner, master of St. John's College, Cambridge, in an essay called The Divine 3Jodc, and wrote a treatise on " General Councils," in which he ruthlessly handles the squabbles of bishops of all ages, saying that the very first Council, that of Nice, had, according to Eusebius, "nine creeds,' and "in fact it had a dozen." He adds a sarcasm which happily the intervening years have deprived of its sting, that " as bishops grew worse and worse, bishopricks grew better and better." If we are to accept the statement of Thompson, Marvell's biographer, the patriot had claims on poems universally admired, which have been attributed to other writers. Two of these are paraphrases of the Psalms generally attributed to Addison, probably because they first appeared in T/ie Spectator. They are the compositions beginning, — and- " The spacious firmament on high, With all the blue ethereal sky ; " ■ When all Thy mercies, O my God, My rising soul surveys." His biographer also claims the ballad of " William and Mary " (ascribed to Mallet) for Marvell, on the ground that " he finds these in the manu- script of his unpublished poems, with his own corrections of them." Marvell alludes to his little garden at Highgate in a few charming lines commencing — " I have a garden of my own. But so with roses overgrown. And lilies, that you would it guess To he a little wilderness." From the close friendship which existed between Marvell and Milton, with whom he was associated during the Commonwealth as co-Latin secretary to the Protector, there is but little doubt Milton was not an unfrequent visitor to Highgate. In 1650 Marvell became tutor to Mary, daughter of Sir Thomas Fairfax, the General of the Parliament, and it was probably through this engagement that he became personally known to Milton, who in 1659 recommended him to Hradshaw as Assistant Secretary to the council of State — speaking of him "as a man of good THE HOUSES AND THEIR RESIDENTS. 217 family, well versed in French and Italian, Spanish and Dutch, a good scholar in Greek and Latin, and .1 man of .so much capacity and so many accomplishments, that ii he had had any feeling of jealousy or rivalry, he might have been slow to introduce him as a coadjutor." It was not until Cromwell's Protectorate that Marvell received his appointment.' " 1 must find room," says Mary Russell Mitford,' "for a few stanzas of IMarvell's Horatian ode upon Cromwell's return from Ireland. Fine as the praise of Cromwell is, it yields in grandeur and beauty to the tribute p.iid by the Roundhead poet to the demeanour of the king ujion the scaffold, by far the noblest of the many panegyrics upon the martyred king :— " ' That thence the royal actor borne The tragic scaffold might adorn, \\'hile round the armed bands Did clasp their bloody hands. " ' He nothing common did, or mean, Upon that memorable scene, But with his keener eye The axe's edge did try : " ' Nor called the gods with vulgar spite To vindicate his helpless right, l!ut bowed his comely head Down, as upon a bed.' " /\nd //(■ who wrote this was Cromwell's Latin Secretary ! ami Cromwell's otiicr Latin Secretary was Milton ! "There have been many praises of the Lord Protector written latterly, but these two facts seem to me worth them all." There is no spot in Highgate of happier memory than the little plot of ground, the site of the modest cottage of the ))atriot Marvell. It is no wonder that Marvell made many enemies, as in his F/aqr//ii))i Parlianicntaruun, being sarcastic notices of nearly two himdred meml)ers of the First Parliament after the Restoration (1661-78), the following is a .specimen of the manner in which they are chronicled : — ".Sir J. Trelawney — a private foresworne cheat in the; Prize Ofhce, with the profit of which he bought the place of Comptroller to the 1 )uke of 'V'ork. " llis poems were collected and ijublished by his wife, as set forth by the following title-page to the original edition. Phis volimie al.so contains his portrait, which l)eing thus vouched for, may be considered authentic. ' The Merrie Monarch; or, Eiif^/and inidcr Charles //., by \\ . 11. D.uenport .\dams. • NolfS of a Literary /.i/c. THE HISTORY OF HIGH GATE. MISCELLANEOUS POEMS. ANDREW MARVELL, Esq^, LATE MEMBER OF THE HONOURABLE llnL'SE OF COMMONS. LONDON : PRINIED FOR ROBERT BOULTER, AT THE TrRKS-IIEAD, IN CORNHILL, M.DC.I.XXXI. TO THE READER. Tliefe are to Certifie every Ingenious Reader, that all thefe Poems, as alfo the other tilings in this Rook contained, are Printed according to the exact Copies of my late dear Hufljand, under his own Hand-Wriiing, being found since his Death among his other Papers. Witness my Hand this iSth day of October, 1680. Mary M.arvell. In the reading room of the Highgate Institution will be found the old hall table, which is stated to have been in the cottage some two hundred years. It was presented by Dr. Forsilm.i., who purchased it at th(; sal(! of the fittings before; tlic hoii.se was demolished in 1868. THE HOUSES AND THEfR RESIDENTS. 219 Fairsf.at House was originally (although not known by that name) a comfortable old family house in the occupation of Mr. Bloxam, a Governor of the Grammar School and a member of a very old resident family, still hapjjily represented amongst us, whose associations with Highgate cxtcntl over a century, and tf) whom the \illage is intlebted for many acts of considerate liberality. Amongst its tenants were Mr. Blunsden, the father of Lady Lyndhurst ; Mr. Chance, the well known plate glass manufacturer ; Mr. Thomas ; Mr. Malins, O.C., afterwards raised to the Bench; Colonel Irvine; and Mr. Leech, a solicitor in very extensive practice during the great " railway mania;" and lastly, Alderman Sir Sydney Waterlow, M.P., whose additions to the house were so considerable that all outward traces of the old(;r building have disappeared. In November 1872, during the repairs of the Mansion House, the Lady Mayoress, Lady Waterlow, held her recei)tions at this house. Ckomwki.l HmsK was erected by a family of the name of SruKiNRLL, several members of which lie buried in the old churchyard. .Sir Richard Sprignell was created a baronet in 1641,' but as the red hand did not appear in the armorial devices on the old ceiling, the inference is that the old house was built before that date ; other evidences warrant that it was erected between 1603 — 25." It is more than jjrobablc that an old boundary stone let into an adjoining wall, once th(; boundary of the garden, fixes the exact date. On th(! obverse — the side next to Cromwell House — the stone is defaced and almost illegible, and it is not unlikeK' it was altered on the change of ownership in Ireton's time ; it scons to bear a monogram, being the letters " I. C." sur- mounted by an " () " (J— QV which would doubtless mean " Ire-ton " and "Cromwell," with the initial of the Protector "Oliver," who is said to ha\(; ])resented the house to his daughter Bridget on her marriage. The records ol th(! .Sprignells in the Highgate registers are as follows ; — Baptisms. — " Maria I)"' Richardi Sprignell, ex Anna, sep. 7 Julii 163S" (before the titk- was conferred). "Hester, daughter of -Sir Richard .Sprignell," Dec. i, 1646 ; Judith, July 23, 1648. ' I.ysons. -' Parish Mii«aziiu\ Fehni-iry 1865. 220 THE HISTORY OF HIGHGATE. Burials. Daniel, June ii, 1602;' Sir Richard," Jan. 19, 1658 Sir William, Sept. 8, 1691 ; Mrs. Judirh .Sprignell. spin.ster, Feb. 8 I 72 1-2.' On the ceiling of the drawing-room (which was, with the upfjer lloor, almost entirely destroyed by a fire on 3rd January, 1865) the arms of General Ireton were displayed, and the whole of the internal ornamenta- tion of the house is evidently that of the taste of a military occupant, especially the staircase, which is of handsome proportions, decorated with carved figures of soldiers of the armv of the Commonwealth, and the balustrades filled in with devices emblematical of warfare. There is but little doubt that this beautiful old house was the residence of General Ireton, son-in-law of Cromwell, by whom it is not improbable it was decorated in accordance with his own martial taste ; Ireton certainly resided in Highgate, and his signature appears three times as one of the acting Governors of the Grammar .School. In the marble mantelpiece ot one of the smaller rooms is a monogram cypher, elaborately intertwined, of what looks like, and most probably is. I.e. (Ireton, Cromwell), and from one of the vaults is an entrance to a subterranean passage, which emerged on the lower ground at the back of the house, near to the present Archway Road. In this old passage, which was utterly destroyed during the trenching of the ground for building operations, some old-fashioned silver spoons were foimd some years ago. Such passages were by no means uncommon in old mansion houses as a means of escape under circumstances of sudden clanger, and are very suggestive of the conditions of life in the " good old times." Ireton was an able and determined man, and those who aimed at Cromwell's life aimed at Ireton's too, not thinking themselves safe while he lived, even were Cromwell killed. " The Protector himself related that in .\.d. 1647, at the time when they were endeavouring to accommodate matters with the king, Ireton and he were informed that a scheme was laid for their destruction, and that they might convince, themselves of it by intercepting a secret mes.senger of the king's who would sleep that night at the Blue Boar, in Holborn, and who carried his despatches sewn up in the skirt of his saddk'. Cromwell and Ireton, disguised as troopers, waited that evening, examined the saddle, and ' By these dales it seems probable that the fiiniily resided in Highgale Ixfore building Cromwell House, and lingered in it long after it was dis])osed of. '-' It appears by a collection of Middlesex ])edigrees in the l!ritish Museum (Harl. MSS , 1551), that he was descended from a Buckinghamshire family, and by the alphabet of arms at the Heralds' College, married Anne, daughter of Sir R. M. Livesey, of the Isle of Sheppey. " See Baptisms. THE HOUSES AND THEIR RESIDENTS. 221 found Idlers from the king confirming ail ihey iiad licard. From iliat hour, convinced of Charles's incurable treachery, they resolved on his death." ' In Lord Hathcrley's MSS. there is a cavalier parody on " the Belief," which shows how closely the popular imagination associated Cromwell with Ireton : — " I believe on Cromwell, the father of all schism, heresy, and rebellion ; and in his only son Ireton." There is a portrait of Ireton by Walker in the National Portrait Gallery, which was formerly in the Lenthall collection. Ireton, who was one of the most active agents in accomplishing the death of King Charles I., was born a.d. 1610, and was the son of German Ireton of Attenborough, in the county of Nottingham. He was entered at Trinity College, Oxford, in 1626, and took his degree of Bachelor of Arts on the 10th June, 1629. From Oxford, Ireton removed to the Middle Temple, where he entered as a student on the 24th November, 1629, but was never called to the Bar. In A.I). 1642, after the battle of Edge Hill, he was raised to the rank of a Major in tht! Parliament Army, and employed his pen in drawing up the celebrated proposals of the Army for the king's restoration and the settlement of a plan of future government. On the 15th January, A.I). 1647, he married Bridget, the eldest daughter of Cromwell, by whom he had one .son and four daughters. In A.I). 1648 Ireton was engaged in reducing Canterbury, which was in the hands of the Kentish insurgents. The city surrendered on the 8th June, when Ireton rejoined F'airfax in Essex. In a.d. 1649 he was made Major General of the Forces. In a.d. 1650 he succeeded Cromwell as Lieutenant-General and Governor-General of Ireland, with the title of Lord Deputy, where he remained till his death. Ireton died of the jjlague at Limerick on the 26th November, 16^7, and the records of Trinity College, Dublin, speak of his " humanity. His property was confiscated in 1660, and his body was disinterred, drawn on a hurdle to Tiburne, there hung in a coftin and buried under the gallows." ■ Major General 1 larrison afterwards resided in this house, where he was visited by Ludlow .ifter he had fallen into disgrace with the Protector. He was the son of a grazier at Newcastle-under-Lyme ; he came to London young, and was placed under an attorney in Clifford's Inn ; he served in the body-guard of E.s.sex, and obtained the office of a cornet, and by diligence and sobriety was promoted to a captaincy, ami served as a major at the battle of Marston Moor in 1644. In 1640 he was one of the commissioners to receive possession of the palace of ' ^luxncii'^ Life 0/ Lord Orrery. - Duke of Sutherland's MSS. 222 rilE Ills TORY OF HIGHGATE. Woodstock, which had been surrendered to the ParHamentary army. In 1647 he was a Colonel of the horse, when the king's person was seized at Holdenby House by Joyce. On December i6th, 1648, Harrison was despatched by the Council of War to conduct the king from Hurst Castle to London, for his trial. In 1649 the degree of Master of Arts was conferred upon him by the Vice-Chancellor of Oxford. In 1650 he was raised to the rank of Major General, and served with Cromwell and Ireton in Ireland. On the 22nd October, in the same year, he reviewed in Hyde Park 8,000 troops of the regiments of Middlesex and the city train bands. On the iith February he was one of the new members balloted into the executive of the State, and on the 1 8th March following he was sent with a force of horse and foot to repress the conspiracies in Lancashire and the northern counties, in aid of the Scots. He commanded a brigade of horse at the decisive battle of Worcester, and wrote to the Parliament a spirited account of the pursuit. In a.d. 1654, when Cromwell took the violent measure of excluding from the House all the members who refused to sign his " instrument of government," Harrison was considered an object of sus- picion, and was arrested. In 1655 he was concerned in the conspiracy of Colonel Overton (Milton's friend), and was confined at Pendennis Castle in Cornwall; upon his release he went to live at his house at Highgate, where Ludlow visited him, and the following singular conversation is recorded. " Divers conspiracies that had been formed against the government of the Usurper, being already defeated, and the authors of them for the most punished, he was prevailed with to permit Major General Harrison, and Mr. Carew, whom he had sent to remote confinements, to be prisoners at their own habitations, and accordingly he ordered Major Strange to go to Carisbrook Castle, and to bring the Major General from thence to his house at Highgate, where, when I was acquainted with his arrival, I went to make him a visit, and having told him I was very desirous to be informed by him of the reasons that moved him to join with Cromwell, in the interruption of the civil authority, he answered that he had done it, because he was fully persuaded they had not a heart to do any more good for the Lord and His people. Then said I, ' Are you not now convinced of your error, in entertaining such thoughts, especially since it has been seen what use has been made of the usurped power?' To which he replied, ' Upon their heads be the guilt who have made a wrong use of it ; for my own part, my heart was upright and sincere in the thing.' I answered, 1 conceived it not to be sufficient in matters of so great importance to mankind, to have only good intentions and designs, unless there be also probable means of attaining those ends by the methotls we enter upon ; and though it should be granted that THE HOUSES AND THEIR RESIDENTS. 223 the Parliament was not inclined to make as lull reU^rmation oi things amiss as might be desired, yet I could not doubt they would have done as much good for us as the nation was fitted to receive, and there- fore that extraordinary means ought not to have been used, till it had clearly been evident that the ordinary failed, especially as it could not but be manifest to every man who observed the state of our affairs, that upon the suppression of the civil authority, the power would immediately devolve upon that person who had the greatest interest with the Army. " His second reason for joining with Cromwell was, because he pre- tended to own and favour a sort of men who acted upon higher principles than those of civil liberty. 1 replied, that I thought him mistaken in that also, since it had not appeared that he approved of any persons or things farther than he might make them subservient to his own ambitious designs ; reminding him that the generality of the people that had engaged with us having acted on no higher principles than those of civil liberty, and that they might be governed by their own consent, it could not be just to treat them in another manner, from any pretences whatever. The Major General then cited a passage of the prophet Daniel, where he said that ' the saints shall take the kingdom and possess it.' To which he added another to the same effect, that ' the kingdom shall not be left to another people.' I answered that the same prophet says in another place that ' the kingdom shall be given to the people of the saints of the Most High,' and I conceived that if they presume to take it before it was given, they would at the best be guilty of doing evil, that good might come from it. To deprive those of their right in the government who had contended for it equally with ourselves, were to do as we would not that others should do to us. That such proceedings are not only unjust, but also impracticable at least for the pre.sent, because we cannot perceive that the saints ar(; clothed with such a spirit as those are required to be, to whom the kingdom is promised, and therefore we may easily be deceived in judging who are fit for government, for many have taken upon them the form of saintship, that they might be admitted to it, who yet have not acted suitably to their pretentions in the sight of God or men ; for proof of which we need go no further than to these very persons, who had drawn him to assist them, in their design of e.xalting themselves, under the specious pretext of advancing the kingdom of Christ. He confessed himself not able to answer thi; argunu:nts 1 had used, yet said he was not convincetl thai the texts of Scripture quoted by him were not to be interpreted in the sense he had taken them, aiul therefore desired other conference with me at another time, when each of us might be accompanied with some fi'iends to assist us in the clearing of this matter. 2 24 THE HISTORY OF HIGHGATE. " 1 consented to his proposal, and so we parted ; but from that time forward we had not an opportunity to discourse farther upon this subject." ' The following is the copy of the order from Cromwell to the Lieu tenant of the Tower to seize Major Harrison : — " Sir, — 1 desire you to seize Major General Harrison, Mr. Portman, Mr. Carew, etc. Do it speedily, and you shall have a warrant after you have done. " Oliver Cro.mwell." Major Harrison was afterwards pardoned by Cromwell, but as soon as the Restoration took place, he was again confined and brought to trial ; at which he was distinguished for staunchness to the cause in which he had taken so active a part, namely, in signing the warrant for the death of King Charles. Ludlow states that " when asked whether he was guilty, he not only pleaded not guilty, but justified the sentence passed upon the king, and the authority of those who had commissionated him to act as one of his judges. He plainly told them, when witnesses were produced against him, that he came not thither with an intention to deny anything he had done, but rather to bring it to light, owning his name subscribed to the warrant for executing the king, to be written by him.self; charging divers of those who sat on the bench as his judges, to have been formerly as active for the cause in which he had engaged, as himself, or any other person. 1 must not omit to state that during his trial the executioner, in an ugly dress, with a halter in his hand, was placed near the Major General, during the whole time of his trial ; which action I doubt was ever equalled by the most barbarous nation. After the sentence had been pronounced against him, he said aloud as he was withdrawn from the court, that he had no reason to be ashamed of the cause in which he had been engaged." - The sentence was so barbarously executed that he was cut down alive, and saw his bowels thrown into the fire. A Ralph Harrison of Highgate was a considerable purchaser of lands sold by order of the Parliament. In 1830 Cromwell House was occupied by a school conducted by the Rev. G. Van der Linde Monteuuis, whose successor was Rev. H. Stretton, during whose occupation the disastrous fire occurred. It is now a convalescent home in connection with the Great Ormond Street Hospital for sick children, lor whom it provides fifty-two beds. ' Ludlow's Memoirs. " Ibid. Tiir. irorsRs axd their residexts. 225 THE LAST REMAINING WING OF ARUNDEL HOUSE. This famous old house, which is very closely associaied with I li^hgaie, both by tradition and history, is said to have occupied the site of the two pairs of villas next below Channing House on the " Bank." Prickett makes this statement "upon the authority of his grandfather, who was born in Highgate, and who received the information from his father." He further states : " It was a building in the Elizabethan style, which even in later days afforded a tolerable idea of the disposition of the roomy apartments, and its former decorations ; the projecting walls of the west front, and the stone muUions of the spacious windows, were objects of pleasing interest." The Iiuilding seems originally to have been flanked by two wings fronting a courtyard ; the last wing of the old house was taken down in A.i). 1825, after having been in the occupation of Dr. Duncan, a school- master of some note, as its last tenant. Before- dealing with the inciilcnts connected with the house, it may be convenient to set iheni forth chronologically. Events coiineclcd i^'ifh Arundel House. 154S. Sir Thomas Cornwallis, (jf Arundel House, Comptroller ol the I lon.sehold of Queen Mary, is knightetl. 1554. The Princess Elizabeth lodges here on her way to Lourl. 1558. Queen Elizabeth receives the Lord Mayor, Sheriffs, anil Bishops on her accession. '5 2 26 THE II I STORY OF HIGHGATE. 1587. Letter from Sir Thomas Cornwallis, dated Highgate. 1589. Queen Elizabeth visits Sir Thomas at Highgate. 1593. Another visit. 1594. Another visit. 1596. Norden states that " Cornewalleys, Esq., hath a faire house at Highgate," etc. 1603-4. James I. visits Highgate. 1 6 10. Lady Arabella Stuart arrives here. 161 7. A dinner given to the Judges by Lady Arundel. 1624. James I. sleeps at Highgate, prior to a hunting excursion. 1626. Lord Bacon dies. 1614. Date of a stone in a party wall which seems to denote the division of the property from that of the Cromwell House estate. 1825. Remaining wing of the old house is pulled down. There are reasons for the belief that Queen Mary had some thoughts of putting to death the youthful Princess Elizabeth, her sister, for Fo.x' has given a description of " The myraculous preservation of Lady Elizabeth, now Queen of England, from extreme calamities and daunger of lyfe, in the tyme of Queene Marye hir Sister," which runs thus : — " The Lad}' Elizabeth and the Lord Courtney were charged with false suspition of Syr Thomas Wyatts rysing, whereupo Queene Marye, whether for that surmise or for what other cause I know not, being oftended with the saide Elizabeth hir Sister, at that time lying in hir house at Ashridge, the next day after the rising of Wyatt sent to hir three of her counsaylours, to wit Syr Richard Southwell, Syr Edward Hastings, then Maister of the Horse, and Syr Thomas Cornwallis, with their retinue and troup of horsemen to the number of two hundred and fifty, who at their sodaine and un- prouided commyng found her at the same tyme sore sicke in her bed and very feeble and weake of body, whitiier when they came ascendyng up to her graces priuie chamber they wylled one of her ladyes whom they met to declare wvXo her grace that there were certaine come from the court which had a message from the Queene. " Her grace hauyng knowledge thereof was right glad of their commyng : how- beit being then very sicke and the night farre spent (which was at 10 of the clock) she requested them by the messenger that they would resort thyther in the mornyng. To this they answered and by the said messenger sent worde againc, that they must needes see her and would so doo, in what case so ever shee were ; whereat the Lady being agast, went to shew hir grace their wordes, but they following hir, came rushyng as soon as she, into her graces chamber unbydden. At whose so sodaine commyng into her bed chamber her grace being not a little amased, said unto them, Is the haste such that it might not have pleased you to come to-morrow in the mornyng ? They made answere that they were right sorj' to see her in that case ; And I (quoth shee) am not glad to see you here, at this tyme of night. Where unto they answered, that they came from the Queene to doo their message and dutie, which was to this effect, that the Queenes pleasure was that shee should be in London the seuenth day ' Ads and Monuments, 1576. THE iiorsf.s A\n their residents. 227 of that present nioneth. Wlicre unto she saide : Certes no creature more glad than 1 to come to her Majestic, beyng right sorye that I am not in case at this tyme to wayte on her, as you yourselves doc see and can well testifie. Indeed we see it true (quoth they) that you do saye, for which we are very sorye. Albeit we let you to understand that our commission is such, and so strayneth us that we must needes bryng you with us, either quicke or dead. Whereat shee beyng amascd sorowfully saide, that their commission was very sore : but yet notwithstanding she hoped it to be otherwise and not so strayt. Yes veril}-, sa3'd they; whereupon the}' called for 2 Physitions, Doctour Owen and Doctour Wendye, demanded whether shee might be remoued fiom thence with life, or no, whose answer and judgment was, that there was no impediment to their judgement, to the contrary that she might trauaile without daunger of lyfe. " In conclusion they wylled her to prepare agaynst the mornyng at nyne of the ciocke to goe with them, declaring they had brought with them the Queenes Lytter for her. After much talke the Messengers declaring how there was no prolongyng of tymes and dayes, so departed to their chamber, beyng cnterteyned and cheared as apperteyned to their worships. On the next morowe at the time prescribed, they had her forthe as shee was very faynt and feeble, and in such case that she was ready to swound three or four tymes betweene them. What should I speake here that cannot well be e.xpressed, what an heavy house there was to beholde the unreuerend and doulefull dealyng of these men, but especially the carefull feare and captiuitie of their innocent Lady and Maistresse. " Now to proceedc in her journe}- from Asheridge al sicke m the Lytter, she came to Redbornc, where she was garded al night: from thence to St. Albones to Syre Rafe Rowlets House, where shee larged that night both feeble in body and comfortles in mynd. From that place they passed to Maister Doddes house at Mymmes, where also they remained that night: and fro hence came to Ilighgate, where shee beyng very sicke larged that night and the next day.^ Duryng whici. tyme of her abode there came many Purseuantes and messengers from the Court. " From that place she was conveyed to the Court, where by the way came to meet her man}' Gentlemen to accopany her highnes which were very sory to see her in that case. But especially a great multitude of people there were standing by the way, who then flocking about her lytter, lamented and bewayled greatly her estate. The ne.xt event of interest to us is the public entry of Queen Eliza- beth into London ujjon the decease of Mary ; her meeting with the citizens at Highgate, and the splendid pageants made; upon thai memorable occasion. Eachard,- speaking of Oueen I^lizabeth's entry into London, .states : " She wa.s at Ilaljleld when she recei\ed the news of her sister's death, and that she herself was proclaimed (_)ueen ; u[)on which 'tis said she fell down ujjon her knees and after a short silence broke OLit in the words of the Psalmist, ' // is llie Lord's doing, and loon- derfiil in our eyes,' which words in Latin she afterwards took for her motto on some of her gold coins : she soon removed from thence to ' As Sir Thomas Cornwallis was Comptroller of the Household to Queen Mary, and one of the messengers upon this occasion, there is little doubt but the Princess Elizabeth lodged at the mansion occupied by him, he being a resident in Highgate at that time. ' History of En^^land. 228 THE HISTORY OF HIGHGATE. London ; and on the 19th November she was met at Highgate by all the Bishops, whom she received with great sweetness excepting Bonner, who being polluted with so much blood, she thought that common civility to him would give some countenance to his crimes. She was received into the City with such numerous throngs as was almost incredible, and surrounded with the loudest acclamations of overllowing joy." Sir Richard Baker' (himself resident in Highgate) gives the following version : — "The Oueen Elizabeth was then at Hatfield, from whence on Wednesday, the 23rd November, 1558, she removed to the Lord North's house in the Charter House, where she stayed till Monday, the 2Sth November, and then rode in her chariot through London to the Tower ; where she continued till the 5th December, and then removed to Somerset House in the Strand, from whence she went to her Palace at Westminster, and from thence on the 12th January to the Tower, and on the 14th January to Westminster, to her coronation, where as she went she said this prayer : — ' O Almighty and Everlasting God, I give Thee most hearty thanks, that Thou hast spared me to this joyful day ; and acknow- ledge that Thou hast dealt as wonderfully and as mercifully with me as Thou didst with Thy faithful servant Daniel, whom Thou deliveredst out of the Denne, from the cruelty of the raging Lions ; even so was I overwhelmed and only by Thee delivered : to Thee only therefore be thanks, honour, and praise for ever.' And it is incredible what pageants and shewes were made in the City." Harrison- gives the following account : — " On the death of Queen Mary, her sister, the Princess Elizabeth, was on the 7th November proclaimed Oueen in London ; with the usual formalities, at which the citizens expressed such demonstrations of joy, as perhaps never before were seen on the like occasion. "At the time of her sister's death, the Princess Elizabeth was at Hatfield in Hertfortlshire, from whence she repaired the next day to London, and was met at Highgate by the Lord Mayor, Aldermen, and Sheriffs, who conducted her iNLijesty in great pomp to the City ; where she was received with equal acclamations both from Protestants and Papists, who seemed to vie with each other in their demonstrations of joy." It is an interesting historical fact that the meeting of the Bishops and citizens with their youthful Queen took place in our secluded little hamlet, especially as it was the period when the bright lustre of one of the most glorious epochs of English history was about to commence, and when the people with almost universal consent hailed with joy a queen of the Protestant faith ; for there is evidence that even the Papists were tired of the enormities of the bloodthirsty reign of Mary. It may be said that ' Chron. 0/ Kings 0/ England. ■ Hisloiy of London. THE HOUSES AND THEIR RESIDENTS. 229 the sun of the reign of Klizabeth commenced to shine- at Hiohgate ; that she was partial to the village or the villagers is certain, for the Queen visited Sir Thomas Cornwallis at Highgate on the iith June, 1589, as it is recorded that " the bell ringers of St. Margaret's, Westminster, were paid 6d. on the iith June, when the Queen's Majesty came from Higligate :"^ and again in 1593 and 1594, as appears by the following extracts from letters in the Frere MSS. June "til, 1593. Letter from Philip Gawdy of Clifford's Inn to his brother: — "The Oueene is now in her progresse; she hath been to Lambeth, at Wimbledon and at Osterley ; she dynes this day at Mr. Peynes, and comes to-night to Highgatc, from thence to Mr. Warrens and so to Tebolds to stay without any wemyne. " 1594. "The Queene is now at Hygatc ; many a drye eye for the Byshopp of London, who is deade and buried, and 1 fear me, not ascended into heaven." 1 60 1. Shroven Monday. "There were si.x gentlemen hanged this day for robbing Sir William Cornwalleys " (Highgate). In 1596 Norden states- that " Cornewalleys, Esquire, hath a verie faire house (in Highgate), from which he may with great delight beholde the stately Citie of London, Westminster, Greenwich, the famous river of Thamyse, and the country towards the south verie farre. " .Sir Thomas Cornwallis died at Hrome on 24th December, 1604, aged eighty-five ; and it is most probable that his son. Sir William, then removed from Highgate to the .Suffolk mansion, letting the former to Sir William Bond, and afterwards to Lord Arinidel, who seems to have purchased it, although there is a reference to Sir W^illiam Cornwallis in connection with Highgate at a later date. Sir Charles Cornwallis, Knt., second son of -Sir William Cornwallis, was a man of superior abilities, and was employed by James I. as his Ambassador to .Spain. He wrote the life of Henry, Prince of Wales, to whom he had been secretary ; and died about 1630. Sir William Bond was residing in Highgate in 16 10, of which the letter from the Lords of the Council to him respecting Lady Arabella .Stuart aftords ample evidence ; and indeed seems to have resided there for some time previously, as on the 23rd July, 1603, when he received the honour of knighthood, he is described as of " Highgate^ He was the eldest son of Sir George Bond, Lord Mayor of London in 1587, who was the third son of William Bond of Buckland, in the county of .Somerset, the first of this family who is mcntionctl in the [pedigree at the visitation of London, in i633.'' ' Nichols' J'ro^resses of Queen Elizabeth. '"' Sleciilinn Britannia-. ' lUirkc's Extinct Baronetcies. 2 30 THE HISTORY OF HIGHGATR. Sir Geomt; Boncl amassed a larofc fortune in trade. One ol his daughters (sister to Sir WilHam) married Sir Henry Winston of Standish, county Gloucester, whose daughter and co-heir married John Churchill of Minton. county Dorset, father of Winston Churchill, and grandfather of John Churchill the great Duke of Marlborough.' She was also the ancestress of the Duke of Leeds and the Duke of Berwick. Her sister married William Hall of London, grocer, from whom have descended Viscount Melbourne, Lady Palmerston, and Earl Cowper.^ The uncle of Sir William Bond was William Bond, alderman and sheriff, who died in 1576. His epitaph in St. Helen's, Bishopsgate, may be thus translated : — "Behold, under this tomb William Bond, 'the flower of the mer- chants ■ which the land of Britain has i)roduced, lies buried. He having suffered much amongst waves and rocks, enriched the shores of his country by means of foreign merchandize. Grecian poets admire the mighty Jason, for his having brought the golden fleece from the icy Phasis. O learned Greece, be silent ! O Grecian poets, yield the palm ! Here lies a merchant far greater than the Grecian Jason. He carried away many fleeces more golden than those of Phryxis, and passed over many seas more rough than the waves of Phasis. " Alas that Death cannot be bribed by gold ! The Flower of Merchants — William Bond — is biiried."'' This William Bond resided at Cro.sby Hall, to which he added a turret. His son was Captain Martin Bond, whose epitaph states, " He was Captaine at y*^ camp at Tilbury, and after remained Clicief Captaine of y" trained bandes of this cittiy until his death." He too was buried in St. Helen's, and his monument is very interesting, as displaying to perfection the costume of the times Returning to Sir William Bond of Highgate, there is a record (Sept. 8th, 161 1, — James L) of authorization to George Weymouth of London, Gentleman, by Sir William Bond of Highgate, in the county of Middlesex, Knight, to make the purchase, and other arrangements necessary for building, victualling, arming, and manning with a crew of twenty, a ship of forty tons, and for victualling it for a year.' Lady Akaiieli.a Stuart. There is but little doubt as to Arundel House being the residence of this unfortunate lady at Highgate : one authority states that she resided in "Mr. Conier's house," ° another "her own house,"" and a document sioned bv si.\ of H.M.'s Ministers, and the f5 Master of the Rolls, states " Sir William Bond's house.' ' ' CoUinson's History of Somerset. ■* Duke of Manchester's MSS. '^ Orridge's City of London. * Lodge. •' Annals of St. Htlens, by Dr. Cox. '• Wilson's Life and Times of James /. ' Harleian MSS., 7,003. THE HOUSES A AW THEIR RESIDENTS. 231 This (.locumcnt is sufficient to identify Sir William Bond as her host at Highgate. Mr. Conier's house, to which she was afterwards removed, in April 161 i, "and twenty shillings a week paid for her house rent," was at East Barnet, and from this house she seems to have made her escape.' The Lady Arabella Stuart was the daughter of Charles Stuart, younger brother of the father of King James I., her mother being Elizabeth Cavendish. She had been secretly married to Sir William Seymour, grandson to the Earl of Hertford, and therefore both husband and wife were allied to the Crown. It is stated that the Pope had some project, in the latter part of Oueen Elizabeth's reign, of raisincf Arabella to the throne of E norland and marrying her to the brother of the reigning Duke of Parma. Henry IV. of France was said to be in favour of the plan, because he was apprehensive that England would become too powerful if it were united to .Scotland under the same king. After the death of Elizabeth, .some English lords concerted a scheme to make Arabella queen, "as they were afraid lest King James, being a foreigner, .should prefer the Scots before them, and confer all the posts of honour and profit upon the former. They therefore conspired to kill the king and crown Arabella."^ This conspiracy being discovered and defeated, there was ample reason for keeping Lady Arabella under at least, gentle restraint. D'lsraeli states'' that when the .secret correspondence of Arabella and Seymour was discovered, it was followed by a sad scene, and the king resolved to consign the unhappy lady to the stricter care of the Bishop of Durham. The lady fell ill and could not travel but in a litter, ac- companied by her physician ; she only reached Hig/i^ale, a short stage on her wearisome journey, when she could proceed no farther. The physician returned to town to report her state, and declared " that she was assuredly very weak, her pulse dull, melancholy, and very irregular, and her countenance very heavy, pale, and wan, " and it was upon this occasion the followinsf letter was sent to .Sir W^illiam Bond at Hig/igafc.^ & " Sir Wii.i.iam Bond, — Forasmuch as there is some occason to make provision for one nygtc Lodgingc for llie La Arbella, in respect that she cannot •C(3nvcnientlie r( ach Barnclt, some things being wanting for hir iourney this aftcrnoonc contrarie to hir expectacon ; wee haue thouglit good to entreat yo" not to refuse for hir such a courtesie as the lending of a couple of chambers for hir La, because wee doubt the ' Thome's i?;/<7/ww. '' Curiosities of Literature. ' Thaunus. ' 7,003 of the Hailcian MSS. 2 32 THE in STORY OF HIG/lG.irE. Innes there arc full of Inconvinit-ncf. By doing whereof, yon shall give us cause to report well of you to his Matie. And so we commit you to God. " Att Whitehall the day of March 1610, " Voiu' loving friends, " R. Salisbury. H. Northampton. Nottingham. T. Suffolk. E. WoRCKSTER. G. M. Shrfwshl-ry. '•Jul. Cesar. " To our loving friend Sir William Bond, Knight, or in his absence, to the Ladye his wife att Highgate." Although the above request was for one night only, the king with un- usual indulgence appears to have consented to Lady Arabella remaining for a month at Highgate, in confinement, till she had sufficiently recovered to proceed to Durham, to which place the bishop had posted to await her reception. The following letters appear to have been written from Highgate, to Lady Jane Drummond, beseeching her to obtain their Majesties' favour and pardon. " Good Cousin, — I pray you to do me the kindnesse to present this letter of mine in all humiHty to hir Matie and w'' all my most humble and dutiful! thanckes for the gratious commisseration it pleased hir Ma'-' to have of me, as I hear to my great comfort. " 1 presume to make suite to his Ma'>' because it please hir Ma'> to intercede for me, and I cannot but hope to be restored to hir Mat>' service and his Mat>^ favour, whose just and gratious disposition I verily thincke would have binne moved to compassion er this, by the consideration of the cause in itself honest and lamentable, and of the honor I have to be so neare his Mat-' and his beloud, but that it is God's will hir Mat-'' should have a hand in so honorable and charitable a worke, as to reobtaine his Mat-'" favour to one that esteemeth it hir greatest worldly comfort. " So wishing you all honour and happiness, " I take my leave and remain, " Your very loueing cousin, "Arabella Sevmoure.' "To L.\»v J.vnp: Drummond." " Good Cousin, — I pray you present hir Mat>' my most humble thanckes for the continuance of hir Ma'-'* favour towards me ; that I received in 3'our letter, which hath so cheered me, as I hope I shall be better able to passe over my sorrow till it please God to move his Ma'-'* heart to compassion of me, whilst I may thearby assure myself, I remain in hir Ma'-'* fauour, though all other worldly comforts be w''drawn from me, and will not cease to pray to the Almighty to reward hir Ma'-' for hir gratious regard for me in this distresse, w'' all happen else to hir Royall selfe and hirs. I pra}' j'ou likewise present hir Ma'-'' this peece of my work, which Harleian MSS., No. 7,003. THE HOUSES AND THEIR RESIDENTS. • j:> 1 humbly beseeche hir Ma'-' to accept, in remembrance of the poore prisoner hir Ma'"' most humble Servant that wrought them, in hope those Royall handes will voutchsafe to weare them, which till I hauc the honor to kisse, 1 shall live in a great deal of sorrow. I must also render j'ou my kindest thankes for j'our so friendly and freelv imparting your opinion of my suite. But whereas my good frendes may doubte my said suite will be more long and difficult to obteine, then they wish by reason of the wisdom of the state in dealing with others of my quality in the like cause, I say that I never heard or read of any bodies case, that might be truely and justly compared to this of mine ; which being truely considered will be found so far diftering as theare can be no true resemblance made theareof w'' any others ; and so I am assured that both they'r Mat" (when it shall please them to examine it in they'r Princely wisdomes) will easily discerne. And I do earnestly intreate you to moue hir Ma'>' to vouchsafe the continuance of hir so gratious a beginning on my l^ehalfe, and to perswade his Ma'> to weigh my cause aright, and then I shall not doubt to receive that Royall Justice and fauour that vc\y owne soule witnessethe I have ever deserued at his Ma'* iiandes, and will euer eiideauor to deserue of him and his whilest I have breath, and so w'' manj' thanckes to your selfe for your kind offices I take leave and rest, " Your verj' louing Cousin, •'■Arabella Sevmoure. "To Lady Ja;Ck Dri'mmond." It appears that Lady Arabella, by the extension of the king's per- mi.ssion, remained at HigJigate .some thirteen months, from March 1610 to April 161 I. In [une 161 1 her friends contrived her escape in the following fashion, from Mr. Conier's house at East Barnc^t, to which she had been removed. " Having induced her keepers into securitie by the fayre show of conformity and willingness to goe on her journey towards Durham, whither she was to be conducted by .Sir James Crofts, and in the mean tyme disguising herselfe by drawing a great pair of PVench-fashioned hose over her petticotes, and putting on a man's doublet, a man-lyke perruque with long locks, over her hair, a black hat, black cloke, russet bootes, with red tops, and a rapier by her side, walked forth, between three and four of the clock, with Mr. Markham. After they had gone on foote a myle and a halfe to a sorry inn, where Crompton attended with their horses, she grew very sicke and fainte, so as the ostler thai helil the styrrop said that gentleman woukl hardly hold out to London. Vet being on a good gelding, astrytle in an unwonted fashion, the stirring of the horse brought blood into her face, and so she rid on towards Blackwall, where arrivinu; about si.x o'clock, and findin": there in readiness two men, a gentleman, and a chambermaid, with one boate, full of Mr. .Seimour's and her trunks, and another boat for th(;ir pt-rsons, they hasted from thence towards Grave.send, but the way, they were fain to liir still at Tilbury, whilst the oares went a land to rrfrc^sh themselves. They then preceeded to Lee, and by that tyme the day appeared, and 2 34 THE HISTORY Oh' INCH GATE. they discovered ;i shippe at anchor a myle beyond them, which was the French barque that waited for them. Then the ladye would have lyen at anchor, expecting Mr. Seimour, but through the importunity of her followers, they forthwithe hoisted saile to seawards. In the meanewhyle, Mr. .Seimour, with a perruque and beard of blacke hair, and in a tauny cloth suit, walked alone without suspition from his lodging, out of the oreat we.ste door of the Tower, followinaf a cart that brouQfht him billets. From thence he walked along by the Tower wharfe by the wardens of the south gate, and so to the iron gate, where Rodney was ready with oars to recei\-e him. \\'^hen they came to Lee, and found that the shippe was gone, the billows rising very high, they hired a fisherman for 20S. to set them aboard a certain shippe they saw under saile. That shippe they found not to be it they looked for, so they made forwards to the next under saile, which was a shippe of Newcastle. This, with much ado, they hired for ^40, to carry them to Calais ; but whether the collier did perform his bargain or no, is not as yet known. On Tuesday, in the afternoon, my Lord Treasurer being advertized that the Ladye Arabella had made an escape, sent forthwithe to the Lieutenant of the Tower to set straight guard over Mr. Seimour, which he, after his usual manner, would thoroughly do that he would ; but coming to the prisoner's lodgings, he found, to his great amaezment, that he was gonne from thence one whole day before. Now, the King and the Lords being nuich disturbed at this unexpected accident, my Lord Treasurer sent orders to a pinnace that lay in the Downes to put presently to sea, first to Calais Roade, and then to scour up the roade towards Dunkerke. This [jinnace spying the aforesaid bVench barke, which lay lingering for Wx. SeimoLH-, made to her, which thereupon offered to fly towards Calais, and endured thirteen .shot of the pinnace before she would stryke. In this barke is the layde taken prisoner, and her followers taken back towards the Tower, not so sorry for her own restraynt as she would be glad if Mr. .Seimour might escape, whose'* welfare she protesteth to affect much more than her owne." There is a record of a .search being made for her by Phineas Pette, a shipwright, who went out with the king's messengers and " twenty mu.squeteers to run out as far as the Noor head and search all shipps, barks and other vessels." The king's messenger, John Price, received £6 for making "haste post haste."' The following proclamation was i.ssued, which, together with the accompanying letter from the Lord Treasurer, was forwarded to the Hnglish resident at Brus.sels (Mr. Trumball), with instructions that it was to be presented immediately to the Archduke. ' Devon's Pell Keconh. THE /fOrSFS AXn THEIR RESIDEXTS. 235 " De proclanmliom taiigenfe Doniinam Arbellam et WiUklmmn Seymor. " Whereas we are given to understand that the Lady Arbella and William Seymore, second son to the Lord Beaiichamp, being for divers great and heynous oftences committed, the one to our Tower of Londun, and the other to a special guard, have found the means, by the wicked practises of divers lewd persons, as namely Markham, Crompton, Rodney and others, to break prison and make escape on Monday 3rd of June, with an intent to transplant themselves unto foreign parts. " We do hereby straightlie charge and command all persons whatsoever upon their allegiance and dutic, not only to forbear to receive, harbor, or assist them in their passage anie waj', as they will answer it at their perilles ; but upon the like charge and paine to use the best means they can for their apprehension and keeping them in safe custody, which we will take as an acceptable ser\'ice. "Given at Greenwich the fouerth dale of June 161 1, " Per ipsuni regem." From the Lord Treasurer Salisbury to Mr. Trumball. " Mr. Trumb.all, — The copy of the enclosed to the Archduke, will fully acquaint you with the strange occasion of this sudden dispatch; it only remains for me to let j'ou know, that bis Majesties pleasure is j-ou should presently demand audience of the Archduke, and having delivered him the letter, to represent unto him how sensible his Majestic shall be of the proceedings that shall be used towards them in a matter of this nature, wherein friendship ought not to be guided by that which is only visible, but by entering into judgment how far circumstances of persons and pretences ma}' make things dangerous in consequence, though in other examples wanting some such considerations, that may be refused which ought to be granted. Upon which ground j-ou shall do well to make this further instance ; that the Archduke will not suffer the world to conceive that their friendship with his Majestj' is so weakly grounded as not to demonstrate on such an occasion somewhat more of the ordinary rule of amity or treaty may directly tye them to. And therefore his Majesty doth now require of them that both the persons and their companys (if they come within their dominions) may be stayed untill upon advertisement of it, they ma}- further hear from his Majesty. Though you may conclude, that excepting the scorn and example of so great pride and animosity were his onl}' clemency hath bred his own offence, there is nothing in these persons relative to themselves to hold them other than contemptible creatures. " This being the effect which his Majesty doth desire, the time admitting no particular relation of the fact nor any long discourse, the rest must depend upon your own discretion to ajnplify and enforce the same as you shall see cause. "The}' had so good correspondency, and plotted their escape with such secresy, as though they were under several custodies, Mr. Seymour being in the Tower, but had the liberty of the prison, and the Lady Arabella committed to Sir James Crofts, who was to conduct her to Durham, yet they found means to escape much about the same time. The lady putting herself into man's apparell, and the other disguising himself witii false hair and beard, and mean apparell. They embarqued themselves at Lee yesterday, about nine o'clock in the morning, so tiiat if they make not the more haste than I think they can, and this messenger be not too slow, you shall have time enough to demand audience, and know the Archduke's answer before they come to Brussels. And so I commend you to God. Your loving friend, " R. Salisbury." 236 77//;' Jf/SfOKY OF IIIGHCATE. This adventurous and unfortunate lady ended her days in the Tower on 27th September, a. 11. 1615, after an imprisonment of four years. Mr. Seymour lived to become the Marquis of Hertford. Lodge observes ' that " had the life of Lad\- Arabella been marked by the same criminal e\travagance.s, as well as distinguished by similar misfor- tunes and persecutions, her character would have stood at least as forward on the page of history as that of her royal aunt, Queen Mary of Scotland, in whose vault in the Royal Chapel, Westminster Abbey, she is buried." That her escape caused her friends great trouble is plain from the fact that "the Countess of Shrewsbury was committed to the Tower about the La Arabellay's escape";- and two folio volumes were published, entitled " My Lady Shrewsbury's Cause, touching the Flight of the Lady Arabella;" ' there also e.xists in MS. an account of Lady Arabella's death.' The first mention of the Earl of Arundel at Hig/ioate is in a.d. 161 7 ; and curiously enough it is connected with the name of Bacon. At that time the king was in Scotland, and .Sir Francis, having recently been appointed Lord Keeper, was left at the head of the Privy Council in London, where, according to the satirical Weldon, " he occupied the king's lodgings at Whitehall, and assumed the state of royalty." Durino- the absence of the Court, the Lords were entertained in turn at each other's houses, and in Whitsun week, says Mr. Chamberlain in a letter to Sir Dudley Carleton, the Countess of Arundel (the Earl had accompanied the king to Scotland) " made a grand feast at Hio/ioafc to the Lord Keeper (Bacon), the two Lords Justices, the Master of the Rolls, and I know not whom else. It was after the Italian manner, with four courses and four table cloths, one under another ; and when the first course and table cloth were taken away, the Master of the Rolls (Sir Julius Caesar), thinking all had been done, said grace (as his manner is when no divines are present), and was afterwards well laughed at for his labour." In 1624 we find the king sleeping at this mansion. He " went on Sunday, June 2nd, toward evening to Highgatc, and lay at the Lord of Arundel's to hunt a stag early the next morning." There is also a letter from the Earl of Arundel to the Earl of Shrews- bury, from which the following is an extract, relating to the purchase of Arundel House.'' " My Lo Haddington's weddinge with my Lo of Sussex his daughter is at Shrole- tide, at the Court ; and it is sayde that a mach is concKided between .Sir jarvis Illiisti-othms pf British History. •■ Eshton Hall MSS. Duke of Northumberland's MSS. ° Nichol's Progresses of James I. Duke of Devonshire's library. '' Ta/bot Papers, vol. v. THE HOUSES AND THEfR RES /HEXES. 237 Clinton's daughter and my I.o Daboguy, and Clifton shal be a baron, but when I heare not. Old Southampton I am sure you heare is dead, and hath left the best of her stuffe to her Sonne, and the greatest part to her husband, the most of which I think will be solde, and dispersed into the handes of many men, of which number I would be one, if the admiral were not damaged for making me pay four thousand pounds for this House as well as Sir Thomas Heneage is for that stuff, and so liopinge that sickness shall plead yo'' daughter's pardon for not writinge, and her not writinge myne for troublinge yo' Lo with one so long a letter, instead of twoe, I rest " Yo'' Lop" affectionate Son to doc you all service, " Arunuell. " AuLiNDELi. House. " To my right honorable father the Earl 0/ Shrewsbury." Thomas Howard, Earl of Arundel, was the only .son of Earl Philip, whose mother, Mary Duchess of Norfolk, was sole heir of the Fitzalans. The eminent qualifications which ornamented this great man's character — • his wisdom, his magnificence, his unbounded liberality, his taste for the fine arts (for he was among the first Englishmen who understood and ctilti- vated the refinements, which have been since distinguished bv that name), and his patronage of the useful arts — are justly celebrated by all historians. He was the friend and patron of Francis Junius, who was his librarian ; of Oughtred the mathematician ; of Hollar the engraver, whom he brought to England: of \"andyck, of Inigo Jones, La Sccur, and Fanelli. For the collection of works of art he engaged both Evelyn and Sir William Petty. At his death his collection of sculpture alone, consisted of 2)7 statues, 128 busts, and 250 inscribed marbles, besides altars, sarcophagi, fragments, and gems! Part of this magnificent collection (the Arundel ^tarl)les) was presented by his grandson to the Universitv of O.xford. The precise date of his birth is not known, but Sir Edward Walker says' that the Earl was seventeen years old when Oueen Elizabeth died (which fixes it at 1586), and continues : — " He received his education at home, under the eye of his discreet and virtuous mother, with whom he lived the latter years of Elizabeth's reign, in a privacy better suited to the adverse circumstances of his family than to his rank, or, more properly, to his hopes, for he inherited no dignity ; of four succeeding descents, of his immediate predecessors two had suHered death on the scaffold, one was strongly suspected to have been poisoned in the recess of his pri.son, and all were attainted. He had however at that time by courtesy the title of Lord Maltravers, a Barony derived from his great ancestors the Fitzalans." In 1603, soon after James's accession, he was restored in blood by Act of Parliament to such honours as he had lost by his father's attainder as well as to the Earldom of .Surrey, and to most of the Baronies which had been forfeited by the attainder of his grandfather, Thomas fourth ' Historical Discourses. 2 38 THE HISTORY OF fUGHGATE. Duke of Norfolk. Soon after he came of age he married Alethea, third daughter and co-heir of Gilbert Talbot, Earl of Shrewsbury ; an advan- tageous marriage, for her two elder sisters, the Countesses of Pembroke and Kent, dying childless, the most part of her father's noble revenues in the end devolved on her. Lord Arundel was sworn a Privy Councillor in 1607, ^"^^ i'l \b\\ he was chosen a Knight of the Garter. The marriage of the Princess Elizabeth to the Elector Palatine happened soon after, and he was appointed to escort them to their dominions. Finding himself upon the Continent, he could not resist the temptation of visiting the great centres of Italian art, which resulted in the formation of his celebrated collection. When he returned to his country in 1614, he embraced the communion of the Church of England, although he had been bred a Roman Catholic, in the strictest austerities of that persuasion. He experienced little favour in this reign. The familiar coarseness of James's manners, the immoralities of that prince's favourites, and the general corruption of the Court, were equally abhorrent to his nature and his habits. We find him therefore for several years not otherwise employed publicly than in the reception of Ambassadors, and other dignified ceremonies which suited his disposition as well as his rank, for no man better understood the exactness of propriety in such matters. After the assassination of the Duke of Buckingham he came again to the Court. In 163 1 he was appointed a Commissioner to examine into the extravagant fees exacted in Courts of Justice, and in 1633 attended the king at his coronation in Scotland ; in the same year he was deputed Ambassador Extraordinary to the States General, and was made Chief Justice of the Forests of the North of Trent But his most important public service about that period was in an embassy in 1636 to the Emperor Ferdinand II., and the Imperial Diet, on the subject of the restoration of the Palatinate to the Elector, Charles's nephew, a measure which the king had so entirely at heart that he could not give a stronger proof of his confidence in the Earl's wi.sdom, as well as in his fidelity, than by entrusting it to his management. The mission, however, proved unsuccessful; and the Earl having passed nine months in Germany, during which he expended not less than ^40,000 from his own private fortune in augmenting his already splendid library and cabinet, returned to London and was received by the king with peculiar marks of grace and approbation. A journal of the occurrences which took place in this voyage was published in the succeeding year by William Crowne, Gent, a book now of extreme rarity. Lord Arundel held the high offices of Earl Marshal and Steward of the Household both in the reigns of James I. and Charles I. In June 1 64 1 he presented a petition, supported by another from several peers of THE HOUSES AND THEIR RESIDENTS. 239 great worth and power, petitioning the king to restore him to the Dukedom of Norfolk ; but Charles, for some unknown reasons, would favour him no further than by the grant of a patent creating him Earl of Norfolk. Disgusted by this half measure, he retired to Padua. There he died on the 4th October, 1646, and his remains were brought to England, and buried at Arundel. It is somewhat remarkable that Lord Arundel should have occupied the house in Ilighgatc with which Lady Arabella Stuart was associated, and for whose sakt- his wife's mother, the Countess of Shrewsbury, was imprisoned in the Tower. One of the most interesting incidents connected with Arundel House is the death within its walls of the great Lord Bacon, on 9th April, 1626, under the circumstances set forth in the following letters, which appeared in The Gentleman s Magazine : — "Lincoln's Ix.n', Jit/j' g(/i, 1827. " Mk. URii.\N,--I have for some years been collecting materials for the life of Lord Hacon. May I request you to lay before your readers the subjoined statement, whicii I wish jjarticularly to address to the inhabitants of Highgate ? Lord Bacon died at that village ; and the following account of his decease is contained in Aubrey's Aiiecdoles : — " ' His lordship was trying an experiment, as he was taking the aire with Doctor Witherborne, a Scotchman, physitian to the king, towards Highgate. Snow lay upon the ground ; and it came into my Lord's thoughts why flesh might not be preserved in Snow as in salt. They were resolved they would try the experiment presently ; they alighted out of the Coach, and went into a poor woman's House, at the bottom of Highgate Hill, and bought a hen, and made the woman exenterate it, and tiien stufied the bodie with snow ; and my lord did help to do it himself. The snow so chilled him, he immediately fell so ill that he could not return to his lodging (I suppose then at Gray's Inn), but went to the Earl of Arundel's house at Highgate, where they put him into a good bed warmed with a panne ; but it was a damp bed, that had not been layn about a yeare before, which gave him such a cold, that in two or three days he died of a suffocation.' " The following is a copy of Lord Bacon's last letter to the Earl of Arundel and Surrey : — " ' My vkrv goou Loud, — 1 was likely to have had the fortune of Caius Plinius the elder, who lost his life by trying an experiment about the burning of Mount Vesuvius ; for I was also desirous to try an experiment or two touching the conserva- tion and induration of bodies. As for the experiment itself, it succeeded excellently well ; but in the journey between London and Highgate, I was taken with such a fit of casting as I know not whether it were the Stone, or some surfeit or cold, or indeed a touch of them all three. But when I came to your Lordship's House, I was not able to go back, and therefore was forced to take up my lodging here, where your housekeeper is very careful and diligent about me, which I assure myself your Lordship will not only pardon towards him, but think the better of him for it. For indeed your Lordship's House was happy to me, and 1 kiss your noble hands for the welcome which I am sure you give me to it, etc. .?40 THE HISTORY OF HIGHGATE. " ' I know how unfit it is for me to write with any other hand than mine own, but by my troth my fingers are so disjointed with sickness that I cannot steadily hold a pen.' " I have endeavoured, but in vain, to discover the site of Lord Arundel's House. If any resident at Highgate can communicate any information upon this subject it will be gratefully received by " Basil Montague." ' In June of the next year the following letter appeared in the same magazine : — ■■June 20///, 1828. "Mr. Urban, — I much regret that Mr. Basil Montague's letter in your magazine for last August respecting the House of the Earl of Arundel at Highgate, in which the illustrious Bacon breathed his last, has received no satisfactory reply. Nor caii I assist in determining that point to which your Correspondent's inquiry was particularly directed, namely, the site of the Mansion in question, but perhaps the following memoranda of events which took place within its precincts may prove of some interest, as well to your correspondent as to your readers generally. " It is not until the middle of the reign of James I. that we hear of the Earl of Arundel having a House at Highgak. When Norden wrote his Survey of Middlesex, in 1596, the principal mansion was the one thus mentioned. " Mr. Lysons has remarked that there is in the Harleian MSS., 6,994, fo'- 43- «i letter of Sir Thomas Cornwallis, dated ' Hyghgat, 16 July 1587.' Sir Thomas, who was Lord Treasurer of Calais and Comptroller of the Household to Queen Mary, had been knighted as earl}' as 1548, so that the ' Cornwalleyes, Esq.,' mentioned by Norden in 1596, was diaibtless his son William, who had taken up his residence there, whilst Sir Thomas had retired to his Mansion at Brome in Suffolk. It is presumed that this House at Highgate was visited by Queen Elizabeth in June 1589; and on the ist May, [604, it was the scene of a splendid Royal festival. For this latter occasion Ben Jonson was employed to compose his dramatic interlude of The Penates; a private entertainment of the King and Queen" on May day in the morning, by Sir William Cornwallis, at his House at Highgate;'^ and Sir Basil Brooke, of Madeley in Shropshire, was knighted there on the same day." In confirmation of the preceding statement, the following account appears in Rawley's Life of Bacon (1671), and is confirmed by the Aubury MSS. in the Ashmolean Museum. " He died on the 9th day of April in the year 1626, in the early morning of the day then celebrated for our Saviour's Resnrrcclioii, in the 66th year of his age, at the Earl of Arundel's house in Highgate, near London, to which place he casually repaired about a week before ; God so ordaining that he should die there of a gentle fever, accidentally ' Genthmaiis Magauiie, 1827. ^ James I. seems to have been at Arundel House again on 2nd June, 1624, for a hunting excursion. ' This seems to intimate that the Cornwallis family had resumed possession of the house. THIi HOUSES AXn THEIR RESIPEXTS. 241 accompanied by a great cold, whereby the deHuction of R/icu)?ic fell so plentifully upon his breast that he died by snflocafion, and was buried in St. Michael's church at St. Albans." Lord Bacon succeeded .Sir Henry Hobart' as Attorney-General, and afterwards became Lord High Chancellor. He was subsequently accused of taking bribes in causes which depended before him. The following singular letter, addressed to the king about five years preceding his death, alludes to his expected disgrace :^ " To THE King. " It may please your INIajestie, " It hath pleased God for these three dales past to visit me with such e.xtremitie of headacli upon the hinder part of my head, fixed in one place ; that 1 thought verily it had been some impostumalion ; and then the little physick that I have, told me that either it must grow to a congelation, and so to a lethargic ; or to break, and so to a mortal fever, or sudden deatli ; wliicii apprehension (and chief!}' the anguish of the paine) made me unable to think of any business. But now that the paine itself is asswaged to he tolerable, 1 resume the care of my business, and therein prostrate myself again by my letter to your Majestie's feet. "Your Majestie can bear me witness, that at my last so comfortable access I did not so much as move your Majestie by your absolute power of pardon, or otherwise to take my cause into your hands and to interpose between the sentence of the House; and according to my desire, your Majestie left it to the sentence of the House by Lord Treasurer's report. " Hut now, if not per omnipotcutiain, as the divines say, but per potexlatetii siiaviter disponenleiii, your Majestie will graciously save me from a sentence with the good liking of the House, and that cup may pass from me, it is the utmost of my desires. " This I move with the more belief, because 1 assure myself that if it be refor- mation that is sought, the very taking away of the scale, upon my general submission will be as much in example for these four hundred years, as any further severity. " The meanes of this I most humbly leave unto your Majestie ; but surely I should conceive that your Majestie, opening yourself in this kind to the Lords Counsellors, and a motion of the prince after my submission, and my Lord Marquis using his interest with his friends in the House, may effect the spareing of the sentence ; I makeing my humble suite to the House fir that purpose, joined with the deliverie up of the scale into your Majestie's hands. " This is my last suite that 1 shall make to your Majestie in this business, prostrating myself at your mercy seate, after fifteen yeares service, wherein I have served your Majestie in my poor endeavours, with an intyre heart ; and, as I presume to say unto your Majestie, am still a virgin for matters that concerne your person or crowne, and now only craveing that, after eight stejis of li(inour, I be not precipitated altogether. " Hut because he that hath taken brybes, is apt to give brybes, I will goe further, and present your Majestie with brybc ; for if your Majestic gi\'e mc peace and leisure, A rcsiikiit at I lichgate. 242 THE HISTORY OF lUGHGATE. and God give me life, I will present )'ou witli a good History of Etiglaiiti, and a better Digest of your Laivcs ; and so concluding with my prayers, I rest clay in your Majesties liamh. " Fr. St. Alban.^ " 2nd May, 1631." This appeal to the king did not at the time succeed, for it appears the Chancellor was impeached by the peers, and charged upon four-and- twenty articles of bribery. An ample confession, with some trifling e.Ktenuations, was signed by him, and a humble petition for a favourable sentence. He resigned the Great Seal on the 2nd May, 1621, and the Lords the ne.xt day, by the mouth of the Lord Chief Justice, their .Speaker, />ro tempore, pronounced the following sentence in his Lordship's ab.sence, on account of sickness : " That the V^iscount St. Alban, Lord Chancellor of England, shall undergo a fine or ran.some of ^40,000 ; that he shall be imprisoned in the Toiver during the king's pleasure ; that he shall for ever be incapable of any office, place, or employment in the state or commonwealth ; that he shall ne\er sit in Parliament, or come within the verge of the Court." The full sentence, however, was not carried into effect ; the fine was abandoned, and through the intercession of the king, a pension of £\,%oo a-year was promised him. This appears to have been soon dis- continued ; for, in a letter to his Majesty, he complained that the pension was in arrear. He ultimately became so reduced as to ask the Provost- ship of Eton School, which he was refused. York House and the Manor of Gorhambury having been .sold to pay his debts, he was obliged to resume the .same lodgings in Gray's Inn which he had inhabited whilst a practical lawyer, and which was his only home, at the period of his decease at Arundel House. Buckle" thus sums up the character of Bacon :— " The truth is, that while his speculations were full of wisdom, his acts were full of folly. He was anxious to build up a fortune, and he did what many persons have done both before and since ; he availed himself of his judicial position to take bribes from suitors in his court. But here again, his operations were so clumsy, that he committed the enormous oversight of accepting bribes from men against whom he afterwards decided. He, therefore, deliberately put himself in the power of those whom he deliberately injured. This was not only because he was greedy after wealth, but also because he was injudiciously greedy. The error was in the head as much as in the heart. Besides being a corrupt judge, he was likewise a bad calculator. The consequence was he was detected, and being detected was ruined. When his fame was at its height, when enjoyments of every kind were thickening and clustering around him, ' Life of B (icon. '^ See p. 271, THE HOUSES AXD THE/K RESIDEXTS. 243 the cup of pleasure was dashed from his lips because he quaffed it too eagc;rly. To say that he fell merely because he was unprincipled is preposterous, for many men are unprincipled all their lives and never fall at all. Why it is that bad men sometimes flourish, and how such apparent injustice is remedied, is a mysterious question which this is not the place for discussing; hut the fact is indubitable. In practical life men fail, jiartly becau.se they aim at unwise objects, but chiclly because they have not accjuired the art of adapting their means to their end. This was the case with Bacon. In ordinary matters he was triumphed over and defeated by nearly everyone with whom he came; into contact. His dependents cheated him with impimity ; and notwith- standing the large sums he received, he was constantly in debt, .so that e\en whiU' his peculations were going on he derived little benefit from them. Though, as a judge, he stole the property of others, he did not know how to steal so as to escape detection, and he did not know how to keep what he had stolen. The mighty thinker was in practice an arrant triller. He always neglected the immediate and the pressing. This was curiously e.xemplified in the last .scene of his life. In .some of his generalisations respecting putrefaction, it occurred to him that the process might be stopped by snow. He arrived at con- clusions like a cautious and large-minded philosojjher : he tried them with the rashness and precipitancy of a child. W'ith an ab.sence of common sense which would be incredible if it were not well atte.sted, he rushed out of his coach on a very cold day, and, neglecting every precaution, stood shivering in the air while he stuffed a fowl with snow, risking a life invaluable to mankind for the sake of doing what any serving-man could have done just as well. It did not need the intellect of a Bacon to foresee the result. Before he had finished what he was about he felt suddenly chilled : he became .so ill as to be unable to return to his own house, and his worn-out frame giving way, he gradually sank, and died a week after his first .seizure." ' Dr. Draper's estimate of Lord Bacon is still more unfavourable. He says: "Few scientific pretenders have made more mistakes than Lord Bacon. He rejected the Copernican system, and spoke insolentb' of its great author ; he undertook to criticise adversely Gilbert's treatise Dc Magncte ; he was occujiied in the condemnation of any investigation of final causes while Harvey was deducing the circulation of blood from Acpiapendente's discovery of the valves in the veins ; he was doubtful whether instruments were of any advantage, whiU? Galileo was investi- gating the heavens with the telescope Ignorant himself of every branch of mathematics, he presumed that th(;y were useless in science but a few years before Newton achieved by their aid his immortal discoveries. ' H. T. Uuckle's Miscel/aneoiis Works. 2 44 THE HISTORY OF HIGH GATE. It is time that the sacred name of philosophy should be severed from its long connection with that of one, who was a pretender in science, a time- serving politician, an insidious lawyer, a corrupt judge, a treacherous friend, a bad man." ' We have no further record of any importance of the old house, excepting that Mr. Schoppins, a benefactor to the parish, resided there ; the probability is it was ultimately subdivided, as there is a drawing in an illustrated copy of Prickett in the British Museum, which is suggestive of several tenements. As already stated, the last wing was pulled down in 1825. On the lower side of the site of Arundel House stands Betciiwortii House, now occupied by Mr. Pearson. This house is pointed out as the one de.scribed by Dickens in David Coppcrjield as Mrs. .Steerforth's house, although the description does not altogether tally. On the upper side is an old house which has recently been named Ch.^nning House, in which is conducted a large " High School for Girls." The house was purchased, enlarged, and fitted up, and indeed the whole responsibility of the enterprise accepted, by the Mis.ses Sharpe of High- bury (the daughters of the well-known banker, scholar, and Egyptologist, the late Mr. Samuel Sharpe, nephew of the poet Rogers), in their most commendable desire to .see their property bearing the best possible interest — that of helping others to help themselves — during their own lifetime. On the site of Cholmeley Park formerly stood a mansion for some time in the occupation of Sir John Wollaston, best known locally as the founder of the almshouses in Southwood Lane, but " who in his time played many parts." John Wollaston, afterwards a Knight, the second son of Edward of Perton, was a citizen and goldsmith of London, of great wealth and consideration. He married before 161 6 Rebecca, the youngest of the four daughters and co-heirs of Edward Greene, goldsmith of London, but had no issue. Wollaston was well known at Court, and in August 161 8 the wife of .Sir Walter Raleigh was committed to his custody by the king's command. This onerous charge compelled him to reside in Sir Walter's house in Broad Street from 20th August to loth September, 1618, when, on his representing to the Privy Council the "hindrance which it cau.sed to his many great occasions and affairs," her safe keeping was transferred to another merchant, Richard Champion. The good- will of the Government towards Wollaston was further shown si.x years afterwards by an order of the Privy Council on 27th October, 1624, that he should be the sole Refiner of thc' Mint. Wollaston lived and carried on his business in Foster-lane in the parish of St. John Zachary in London, but like most of th(^ wealthier merchants he had a country ' Drapci's Tnlcllcrtiuil Development of Europe. THE HOUSES AXD THEH^ RESIDEXTS. 245 house in the suburbs. His home for more than thirty years was at High- gate, where he was elected one of the six Governors of the Free School and Chapel on 28th May, 1630; and amongst his colleagues were Dr. W'estfield, Bishop of Bristol, and Sir Thomas Gardiner, the well-known Recorder of London and Solicitor-General ot Charles I. WoUaston took an active interest in the School and Chapel, and by his will gave ^10 a year to improve the salary of the preacher. He also devised to the Governors si.x almshouses, which he had built near the Chapel in his lifetime, and which he endowed by his will. He entered his pedigree at the Visitation of London in 1634, when the arms were allowed to him which had been granted to his uncle Henry in 1616. Wollaston was one of the Sherifis of London and Middlesex in 1638, and was elected in the same year an Alderman of London. His civic orders are recorded in the parish register of Womburne, " in grateful re- membrance of his having presented in the preceding year services of com- munion-plate in silver to \\'omburne Church and Trysull Chapel," of which he was the patron. He had purchased these advowsons in 1631, and they are still held on the trusts of his will. He was knighted at Hamjiton Court by Charles I., on 3rd December, 1641, but when the civil war broke out he took an active part on the side of the Parliament, and at the review of the City train-bands, on 26th September, 1643, Sir John was the Colonel of the 3rd or Yellow Regiment, of which John X'enn, M.P., was the Lieut.-Colonel. Sir John was Lord Mayor of London in 1644, and held afterwards several official employments under the Common- wealth. He was for some time Treasurer ior W ar, and acted as one ot the Commissioners for the sale of the lands which had belonged to the Crown and the Bishops. He became himself the purchaser ot the estates of the See of London at Hornsey and Finchley, which were valued in 1647 at ^^224 i6.y. Tyd. per annum, with improvements in re- version estimated at ^884 i ks\ i,d. per annum, and timber worth /^ 1,0 10. His purcha.ses were made at different times. The manors of Hornsey and Finchley were conveyed to him on 24th September, 1647, for the sum of .^^4,391 5,^. 45^!'. llaringey Park, with "the little park" at Hornsey, was purchased on 18th September, 1648, for /^ 1,030 ^s. lod. The Gate House at Highgate cost him ^261 13,?. ^d., and was conveyed to him on 26th September, 1649, together with the Bishop's woods at Hornsey, for which he paiil / 1,1122 i8.v. His last purchase was the tolls at [liglis;alc, for which he gave ^449, on 27th February, 1649-50. All thi-se est.ites were restored to the bishopric of London at the Restora- tion, and the purchase-money was lost to W'ollaston's heirs and legatees. . Sir John was eminently charitable and religious, and a member ot the Church of Fnghuul : Init he was puritanicallv inclined, and was intimately 246 THE HISTORY OF HICHGATE. associated with Joseph Caryll and other Presbyterian divines ot the Xew Covenant. His zeal for the godly party (as they styled themselves) betrayed him into some acts of oppression to the orthodox clergy. He was a consenting party to the deprivation of Thomas Carter, the Master of Highgate School, who was ejected from the .Schoolhouse in 1644 under circumstances which have been set forth. He also concurred in the sequestration of Thomas Lant, the Rector of Hornsey, whose sole offence was his loyalty to the king ; and by Sir John Wollaston's presentation John Dalton was intruded into the Rectory of Hornsey in 1654. Sir John was elected in 1649 President of Christ's Hospital, to which he subscribed £\2 per annum during the rest of his life. He directed by his will that this subscription should be continued by his e.\ecutors until his wife's death, when he gave an annuity of ^100 per annum for ever to the hospital, charged upon the Gate House at Highgate, and the tolls taken there, and "the little park" at Hornsey. The £\2 per annum was duly paid during Lady Wollaston's life, but the rent-charge of ^100 per annum was lost to the charity on the resumption of the Bishop of London's estates. His foundation of six almshouses at Highgate, which he built in his lifetime and endowed by his will, is still in existence. They were devised by his will to the Governors of Highgate School, and the endowment was charged on the meadows at the back of his mansion, parts of which were taken by the Archway Company in 1831 to make their new road. The almshouses were rebuilt in the reign of George I., by Edward Pauncefort, Esq., Treasurer of the Excise, and one of the Governors of Highgate School, and now form one uniform building with the charity school for girls and six new alms- houses of Mr. Pauncefort's foundation. " Sir John was at first one of the Treasurers tor the Plate, and a Treasurer at W'arre, Treasurer for Loan Money, Say Master of the Mint, and Trustee for Sale of Bishops' Lands, and hath the Bishop of London's land at Highgate; and he was one of the City Militia, and shared with my Lord Say in Guildhall, Plate, whereby they much enriched themselves."' Sir John W'ollaston died without issue on 26th April, 1658, and was buried in Highgate Chapel on 29th April following. Dame Rebecca Wollaston survived her husband two years; but the only incident of her widowhood which is recorded is that in 1659 she presented Samuel Bendy to the rectory of Hornse\. .Soon after his induction, Bend) made petition to the Committee of Ecclesiastical Affairs that the rectory was only worth^92 per annum, out of which he had to pay / [6 per annum to the wife and chiklren of the late incumbent; whereupon they ordered that the pension should be made up to him out of other rectories. Bendy was ejected in the next year from his living as "an ' Mysttry of the Good Old Cause. /■///■ HOrS/iS .l.\7) III F.I R KI-.SinRXTS. 247 intrudins^ ininisier," and the old rector, Thomas Lant, was rcinstaicil. Lady Wolhiston did not Hve to see his ejectment, tor she was buried at Highgate on 1st June, 1660.' The house was afterwards inhabited by Sir Thomas Abney, who was descended from the Aljni-ys of Wilsley, in the county of Derby. Sir Thomas was born in January 1639. In 1693 he was elected Sheriff of London and Middlesex, and, before the expiration of his year, Alder- man of \'intr)' W'artl. He also received the honour ot knighthood from King William. In 1700 he was chosen Lord ^hlyor, some years before his turn : and the same year procured an address to the king against the Pretender, which gained him considerable popularity. In 1701 he was chosen a Member of Parliament for the City of London. He died February 6th, 1722, in the eighty-third year of his age. The following advertisement appeared in the Lonc/oii Journal, i6th June, 1722 : — THIS DAY WAS PUBLLSHEl). "The Magistrate, and the Christian ; or the Virtues of I'ublick and Private Life ; exeniiUified in some memoirs of the Hfe and character of Sir Thomas Ahney, Knight and .\ldeiman of London, who died February 6th, 1722. Introduced in a Funeral Sermon, preach'd on that occasion by the Reverend Mr. Jerenuah SMrrH, and attended with an Elegiac Poem by the Reverend .Mr. I.saac W.vns." Printed for John Clark, at the Bible and Crown in the Poultry, near Cheapside. Price is. "Sir Thomas Abney, in early life, cast in his lot with the Noncon- formists, and joined the Church in Silver-street, under the care of Dr. Jacomb, and afterwards of the learned Mr. John Howe. It was his custom to keep up the duty of prayer in his family, during the whole of his mayoralty. On the evening of the day he entered upon that office, he withdrew, without any notice, from the public assembly at Guildhall, went to his house, there performed family \vorshi|j, and then returned to the company." "^ .Sir Thomas was one of the founders of the Bank of England. The following extract from Wilson's Life and Times of Defoe is a confirmation that Dr. Isaac Watts was a resident at .Sir T. Abney's at Highgate : — " But a lady now sits on the throne, who, though sprung from that blood which ye and your forefathers spilt before the palace gates, puts on a temper of forgiveness, and, in compassion to your consciences, ' Gfiiea/ogkal Memoirs 0/ tin- Elder and Kxlinct Line oj the IVcilaslons 0/ Slieiiloii and Fenlwroii^li, llieir Aiucslors and Cenneetions, by Robert Edmond (jhester Waters. Privately printed : London, 1877. ■-' Jeremiah Smith's Jumeral Sermon for Sir T. Ahney, and CJibboii's Lije 0/ Halts. 248 THE HISTORY OF HIGlIGATIi. is not willing that you should lose the hopes of heaven by purchasing here on earth. She would have no more Sir Humphreys' tempt the justice of God, by falling from his tnic tuor s hip, .iwdi. giving ear to the cat calls and back pipes at Paul's ; would have your Sir Thomases '"' keep to their primitive text, and not venture damnation to play at loiiffspooti and custard for a transitory twelvemonth ; and would have your Sir Tom sing psalms at Highgatc Hill, and split texts of scripture with his diminutive figure of a chaplain,'* without running the hazard of qualifying himself to be called a handsome man for riding on horseback before the City train-bands." Dr. Watts was an inmate of Sir Thomas Abney's house, where for thirty-six years he was an honoured guest, removing with the family to Abney Park, now the site of the cemetery at Stoke Newington. It is pleasant to think that some of his well-known hymns, which have ministered to the spiritual life of nearly all sections of the Christian Church, may have been written at Highgate. The site of Wollaston's house is now occupied by the residences of Mr. Beauchamp, Mrs. Crossley, and Mr. T. B. Reed. Ivv House, at the northern side of the entrance to Cholmeley Park, was the residence of Mr. George Crawshay, the ironmaster who gave the clock and bell to St. Michael's Church ; and afterwards of Charles Knight, the well-known author and publisher. He was the founder of the Piiiny Magazine, the pioneer of cheap serials. He was publisher and editor of The Penny Cyclopedia, Library of Entertaining Knoivlcdgc, The British Almanac and Companion, Cyclopccdia of the Industry of All Nations, etc., etc. Mr. Knight was the author of the Life of Caxton, The Popular History of England, which is in some respects one of the best histories we possess, — ''the history," according to the Times, " for English youth," — and many other works ; and the whole of his honourable career was devoted to the extension of popular literature, of which he was one of the earliest and most accomplished advocates. Nearly opposite, on the site of " Bisham Gardens, ' stood an old mansion called Bisham House, the grounds of which were very finely timbered and extended through to .Swain's Lane ; it was the residence of Mr. Richard Gower, J P., whose daughter married .Sir Edmund Gould ; and amongst the later tenants were Captain Hayward (who was a midshipman on the Bounty when the mutiny occurred), Mr. I'ardoe, and iMr. Gardiner; the last resident was Mr. Scott. ' Sir flumphrt;)- Edwm. - Sir Thomas Abney, Mayor in 1701. ^ Dr. Isaac Watts. THE IIOrSES AXD THEIR RESIDENTS. 249 Proceeding up the High Street, and turning round to the left by the "Angel Inn," — the sign of which, tradition says, was in pre-reformation times " The Salutation " (an angel appearing to the Virgin), a common sign in those days, of which but a part of the old sign, "The Angel," alone is retained, — there is seen a large red-brick house, almost at the corner of Swain's Lane, in which Sir John Hawkins resided. Sir John, who claimed to be a descendant of the famous fighting admiral of Oueen Elizabeth's time, one of her "sea dogs," as she called them, was a man of considerable note, being the author of The Science and Practice of Music, an editor of Isaac Walton, and one of the executors of Dr. Johnson. He was the chairman of the INIiddlesex magistrates, and drove to the sessions house in a carriage and four horses, which was, in those times, not so much a matter of dignity as of necessity — the heavy coach, the state of the roads, and the gradient of the hill being taken into consideration ; ' the premises now so happily adapted for the use ol the Literary and Scientific Institution being originally the coach house and stables belonrical Sketches, 1839. ^ Dictionary of National Biography. •■^ Of the Bodlei.Tn Library. 1 :^^^^^'' . . / -^^ ^v^; „^-vV Or avel/1f'ju%l »Churc1;^;ird ec^Ltorn,-*-' v-\S:-, A l^ \ 2J \ ^^ ; jt ^ \ ivsf*-'^^' >IAP OF SHEWING THE SITE OF SOME OF THE OLD HOUSES - THE BISHOPS LODGE- HORNSEY PARK - THE TUMULUS ETC REFERENCE. ' IJWINCHESTER HAU.' d' Sl R JOHN HAWHI NS '» JUDGE PEMBERTONS, [2ICR0MWELL HO 9 0» COrSCMs'HO '^GROVEHO 'aJLAUDERDALE MO 10 SlR £ GOULDS MO "fiTZBOTMO I*, A MARVELS HO " TMEOLDMALL '^ MARSHAL WA016 '5JarUNDLE MO IJ «.«.I0» MOUSE '> r«E TUMULUS 6'SIRJ-WOOLASTONS "i 0- SACM £ VERELLE ;'D HUNTING LilOGE 'lOLOWHITE LtON |l* OORCMESTEH MO *'. SCHOOL-FIEl-O \.,^ mm 1/ . ■^- O m c THE HOUSES AND THEIR RESIDENTS. 257 for three weeks ' took up all men's thoiights, ' so that ' all other business was at a stand.' The great wave of feeling soon wholly passed, but in passing it deluged our libraries with a Hood of the worst-printed books that English literature has known. The matter and .sentiments of these volumes do not indeed wholly belie their outward garb, yet the questions involved were gn;at ; and if the central figure is unworthy of its place, the bystanders none the less saw in .Sacheverell the champion of a great religious and a great political cause."' A brief account of the circumstances leading up to and attending th(i trial will be necessary to explain the position. " Henry Sacheverell was born in 1672 at Marlborough, where he was educated at the grammar school, and whence he was .sent in i6Sg to Magdalen College, O.xford. At the university he does not seem to have distinguished himself but for general merit was elected Fellow of his College in 1701, a position which he retained until 1713. There is not wanting, even thus early, evidence of that stubborn grain in the young Sacheverell's nature of which he gave more abundant proof in later years. In 1693 he was brought up before the President and admonished ' propter contumaciam et contemptum erga Decanum Arcuum.' While holding the vicarage of Cannock he was appointed by popular election preacher at St. .Saviour's, .Southwark, in 1705, but attracted no general attention imtil 1709. " In that year, in an assize sermon at Derby on August 14th, and with still stronger language at .St. Paul's Cathedral on Nov. 5th, he delivered opinions of an extreme kind. In three ways he challenged notice : as a High Churchman he declared the Church of England to be in dangcT from ' false brethren,' and declaimed against religious tolerance ; as a Tory he upheld the principle of Non-resistance without acknowledging any possible exception to it ; and as a strong partisan he attacked the Lord Treasurer, Godolphin. ll requires but a small knowledge of the politics of the time to see how each of the.se positions involved peculiar difficulty, and placed its defender in thorny ways. In the first he challenged the op[)Osition of Hoadly, as well as of the whole body of Di.ssenters ; by the .second he raised tho.se delicate questions, whether Non-resistance was compatible with ' Revolution principles,' on what basis the; Queen's right to rule was resting, and whether Jacobitism in any form could be entertainetl by loyal subjects; while th(; third could only be successfully carried through on the- assum|)tion of a Tory reaction — which had indexed set in, but of which the signs had hithctrto been f(-w and (-(luiNocal. Round the.se and similar points the .speeches, debates, and p;un|)hlets circled ; and it is no wonder that the; Queen herself hesitated in her line of action. The House of Commons, however, showed no such vacillation : tin y boldly did everything th.it was lalculatcid ' Madan, Bihliography of SachnYnU. 17 2 58 THE HISTORY OF HIGHGATE. to defeat their own ends. An impeachment of Dr. Sacheverell before the House of Lords was voted ; and after much delay, during which the Church and the Tories were gathering round their champion, the trial began in Westminster Hall, on Feb. 27th, 1710. The Managers for the House of Commons opened the impeachment, Sacheverell's counsel followed, and he himself delivered a speech so different from his usual style, and so skilful and refined, that it was generally attributed at the time to Atterbury. When the Managers had replied, the debate was transferred to the House of Lords ; and in the end, on March 23rd, 17 10, Sacheverell was declared guilty by the Upper House by sixty-nine votes to fifty-two. The sentence suspended him from preaching for three years, and ordered the St. Paul's sermon to be burnt ; but its lenity was only too evident, and it was accepted throughout the country as a victory instead of a defeat. Not only was .Sacheverell feted wherever he moved, but addresses poured in from all parts of the country to the Queen in support of his principles. In point of fact it was the affair of Dr. Sacheverell which turned out the Whig Ministry and brought in the Tories under Harley in November 1710. In 171 3, when the term of three years had expired, the valuable living of St. Andrew's, Holborn, was given to the Doctor, who thenceforward disappears from public notice, He died in 1724 at Highgate. ' He stands alone,' says Burton, ' among the objects of great popular contests, as one who has had no historical vindicator': on the other hand, the merciless scrutiny to which his personal affairs were subjected during the agitation, even by his relatives, disclosed nothing that deserved public condemnation, much less the unmeasured abuse which he received. The fact is that he ' had greatness thrust upon him ' by the force of circumstances which he could do little himself to control." ' The number of editions and issues quoted in Mr. W2id^?iX\?> Bibliography of the Sacheverell controversy is three hundred and sixty-three ! Dr. Henry Sacheverell is one of the many instances of the import- ance conferred upon an obscure individual by persecuting him. When the assailant is the national government, that at once elevates the a.ssailed into the prominent character of a political martyr. Sacheverell, Wilkes, and Burdett are sufficient examples. " His prosecution is detailed at length in the .State Trials, and though condemned, his was the triumph, and to his prosecutors it was, in effect, a defeat. He travelled in state through many parts of England ; whenever he approached a town thousands of persons came forth to meet him, and he reached his Welsh living after a progress more suitable to a conqueror than a degraded priest. After his three years' suspension expired, his prosecutors, " the House of Commons," the Tories being ' Madan, liil'tiocntptiy of Sache-rerell. THE HOUSES AXD THEIR RESIDEXTS. 259 then in power, ordered him to preach before them, and thanked him tor his sermon. He was given the rectory of St. Andrew's, Holborn, and if his friends had remained at the head of affairs he probably would have been rai.sed to the bishops' bench. The closing years of his life he devoted strictly to the duties of his profession, making no effort to obtain pn^ferment. nor embroiling himsell at all with ])oliiirs. In pri\-ate life he was eminently amiable. "' He left a legacy ot ^100 to Bishop ;\tterbury, who it is said prepared the able defenct; he read at his trial, and it may be, that it was in con.sequence of the brother of the; Bishop being the preacher at the old chapel that Dr. .Sacheverell fixed his residence at Highgate. The following is Bishop Burnet's opinion of his character, which evidently Mr. Madan considers should be taken cum grano sails. " Dr. -Sacheverell was a bold, insolent man, with a very small measure of religion, virtue, learning, or good sense, but he resolved to force himself into popularity and preferment by the most petulant railings at Dis- senters and Low Churchmen in several sermons and libels, written without either chasteness of style or liveliness of expression : all was one unprac- tised strain of indecent and scurrilous language.'"" Mr. Chester, who afterwards resided in the house formerly occupied by the Doctor, found th(! following recitals in his title-deeds : — "That .It a court licid for the Manor of Cantlows alias Cantlers, on 15th September, 1720, Henry Sacheverel, S.T.P., was admitted customary tenant, on the surrender out of court of William Campion of all his customary messuages or tenements at Highgate within this manor, with tiie garden belonging to the same, with one piece or parcel of waste land lying before the messuage formerly in the possession of George Evett." And further — "On the Xth July, 1724, at a court held for the same manor, the widow of Dr. Sacheverel was admitted by her attorney Thomas Bayley, and a clause of Dr. Sachevercl's will is recited, by which he devises the before mentioned premises to his dear wife Mary, her heirs and assigns for ever." Then follows this recital : " And whereas the said Henry Sacheverel soon after making the said will departed this life." The will is tlatcd loth b'eliruary, 1724. This house has further associations with several of the older Highgate famili(.-s since the time of Dr. Sacheverell, viz., those ol I'romwich, Isherwood, Chester, and Careening ' Wood's Atliciiir Ox(»i. Sec also Gcii. />i<>g. Diiiiomiry. - llii/iny of Choii Times. 2 6o THE HISTORY OI' HIGH GATE. It was originally the principal residence on the West Hill, its grounds extending over the jjresent site of both Holly Terrace and Holly Lodge. Mr. Thomas Bromwich — whose name is perpetuated by that of the path, Bromwich Walk, which, as previously stated, seems to have been an old church path from Green Street, and which he diverted from the east to the west side of the house, it having originally gained the summit of the hill more to the east — was a Governor of the Grammar School, and was buried in the old chapel in 1787. Mr. Harry Chester (whose first wife was Miss Isherwood) was the third son of .Sir Robert Chester of the Old Hall, and was Secretary to the Privy Council on Education. Mr. Chester was largely influential in the erection of the Highgate National Schools, one of the promoters, if not the originator, of the "allotment gardens," and was founder and first President of the Literary and .Scientific Institution. He is said to have been the means of almost stopping Sunday trading, then very pre- valent in Hiofho-ate, and of much mitlgatinQ; the cattle-driving; nui.sance which, from the vast droves passing through Highgate for the Monday's market, was an annoyance and scandal on the Sabbath, of which present residents can form but a faint conception. Mr. Chester lived in Highgate from 1838 to 1856, and in whatever direction work was to be done, he felt it hjs duty to do his part. Few residents of Highgate have left a happier remembrance. He was Governor and Treasurer of the Grammar .School, succeedinsr Mr. W. C. Cooper in the latter office in 1854. He died at Rutland Gate on 6th October, 1868. It is interesting to note that Mr. Chester had a family connection with a historical Highgate fact which possibly he himself was not aware of, viz., that he was a descendant of Sir fulius Cesar, in who.se arms the great Lord Bacon died in Highgate. The life of Sir Julius Ccesar was a very interesting one, and is worth recording. His family name was Adelmere (an Italian family of some dis- tinction), but this name Sir Julius dropped, keeping his Christian names only. He was the .son of Dr. Adelmere, Physician to the Queen, who, repre.sented by Lady Montacute, together with the Marquis of Winchester and the Earl of Arundel, stood sponsor for the young Julius. He was educated, in due time, for the Bar. His epitaph states : " He was Doctor of Law, and Judge of Supreme Court of Admiralty of Oueen Elizabeth. One of the Masters of Requests to King James, of his Privy Council, Chancellor of the E.xchequer and Master of Rolls."' Sir Julius was married ' Therj." is a collection of MSS. made by Sir Julius in the British Museum, wiih Horace U'alpole's book-plate. A memorandum states they were bought at the sale of Sir J. C;v:sar's MSS., December i 757, and |)urrliased for the Museum at the Strawberry Hill sale, April 1842. THE HOUSES AXn IIIEIR RESIDENTS. 261 three times, and one of his children, Richard, was born at Hornsey in 1 595. His third wife was a niece of Lord IJacon, who at the time of the marriage was Attorney-General, and there seems to have been a strong attachment between the two learned judges, for, after Lord Bacon's disgrace, he retired to the house of Sir Julius, became almost dependent on his bounty, and when he was on his death-bed at Highgate, Sir Julius attended him with tender solicitude : in fact, Bacon "died in his arms." Sir Julius died April iSth, 1636, and is buried in .St. Helen's, Bishopsgate, the inscription on his monument being drawn up in legal form, sealed, signed, and delivered. His character is delineated as a "picture of integrity, sweetened and adorned by great mildness of temper and constant benevolence," Isaac Walton, in his Life of Sir Henry Wotton, states that "Sir Julius Ca'sar was said to be kept alive beyond natures course by the prayers of tho.se many poor whom he daily relieved." It is therefore interesting to trace a connection of the amiable judge with a resident Highgate family of much later date. The second daughter of Charles Caesar, great-grandson of Sir Julius, married Robert Chester, Esq., of the Middle Tem]:)le, afterwards Sir Robert, and their third son was Harry Chester, the subject of the above memoir. At the lower corner of Bromwich Walk stands a house, now divided and considerably altered, once the residence of James Henry Leigh Hunt generally known as Leigh Hunt, poet and essayist, the " Harold Skimpole " of Dickens. He was born in London, 19th October, 1784, educated at Christ's Hospital, and first attracted notice as a writer of theatrical and literary articles for the ExiDuiner newspaper, which was started in 1805 by his elder brother, John Hunt. At the age of twenty-four he became joint editor and proprietor. He was a Liberal in politics, before Liberalism had become fashionable ; and for one of his articles, reflecting on the obesity of the Prince Regent — "a fat Adonis of fifty," Himt had called him — he was sentenced " to pay a fine of ^500 and to undergo two years' imprisonment." He was happy enough in his confmement ; he hid the prison bars with Bowers, and received visits from Byron, Shelley, and Keats. On his release he published The Story of Rimini, which he had written in prison, and which gave him a place among the poets of the day. Foliage appeared in 1818 ; and about the same time he started the Indicator, a serial suggested by the Spectator and Tatter. In 1828 he published Lord Byron and His Coiitcniporaries, the record of a briel and not very pleasant companionship in Italy with his lordship, which gave great offence to Byron's friends. In the .same year he started the Companion, a secjiiel to the Indicator, both of which were published as one book in 1834. In 1833 he published a collected edition of his poetical works. His works include, besides tho.se already itientioned : Captain Sword and Captain Pen (1835); Legend of Floroicc (1840); the 2 62 THE HISTORY OF IIICI IGATE. Seer, a publication similar to the Indicator ; The Palfrey ( 1 842) ; Sir Ralph Esher, a novel { 1 844) ; 1 )iiagination and Fancy ( 1 844) ; Wit and Humour (1846); Stories of the Italian Poets, with lives (1846); Men, Women, and Books (1847) ; A Jar of Honey from Mount Hybla (1848) ; his Autobiography (1850) ; and The Old Court Suburb (1855). In 1847 he received from the Crown a pension of ^200. A selection from his Letters and Correspondence was published by his son, Mr. Thornton Hunt, in 1862. " Hunt's reputation rests upon his poems and essays. The Story of Rimini is, on the whole, perhaps one of the finest narrative poems which have appeared since Dryden, and his Palfrey is delightlul from its good spirits and bright sunny glimpses of landscape and character. " As an essayist he is always cheerful and fanciful, and he looks determinedly at the bright side of things. The sky may be gloomy, but if there is a bit of blue in it, he with an admirable practical philosophy constantly turns his eye to that. He delights to wreathe the porch of the human dwelling with roses and honeysuckles. Among his poems are to be found several translations, which are the best things of the kind we possess. He transports the wine of Greece and Italy to England, and its colour and llavour are rather improved than otherwise by the voyage." ' Leigh Hunt died at Highgate, 28th August, 1859. Holly Terr.vce. A row of houses erected on a slip of land on a sharp curve of the West Hill. The appearance of the terrace is anything but ornamental, the backs of the houses facing the main road, and the fronts overlooking the beautiful greenery of the upper part of the grounds of Holly Lodge. Among the past inhabitants of Holly Terrace were Mr. J. .\. Rue HUCK, M.P., and Mr. Thomas Princjle, the first editor of Blackwood's Magazine. Mr. Pringle wrote A Narrative of a Residence in South Africa. It is recorded of him that, with a fully-developed and strong body, but, owing to an accident in childhood, with scarcely any legs, he used to hunt lions and elephants on horseback with enthusiasm ! Below Holly Terrace, on the east side of the West Hill, in most beautifully timbered and extensive grounds, e.xtending to the foot of the hill, stands Holi.v Loimm-:, the residence of the Baroness Buruett- CoUTTS. The house is b)' no means conspicuous either for its size or its architectural beauty, but no house is better known in the northern suljurbs, for it is associatetl with the name of a lady whose deeds of active Christian benevolence live in the hearts (jf the people. ' Cliauibcrs's Encyclopicdin. THE HOUSES AXD THEIR RESIDENTS. 263 Mrs. Corinvcll Baron Wilson, in her Memoirs of the Duchess of St. .lidaiis, published in 1840, speaking of Miss Mellon, slates that "she became acquainted with Sir Henry Vane and Lady Tempest, with whom she was soon a great favourite, from her sprightly, artless manners. Sir Henry Tempest had just then built the villa called Holly Lodge; and as they frequently had the merry actress . staying there, it may be supposed what delight she experienced, in leaving close dark little Russell Street for the pure, dry, bracing air of Highgate." The wealth which has enabled Lady Burdett-Coutts to abound in beneficent works formed the fortune of her maternal grandfather, Mr. Thomas Coutts, the well-known banker of the .Strand. Mr. Coutts was twice married. By his first wife he had three daugh- ters, the youngest of whom became in 1793 the wife of Sir Francis Burdett, Bart. The second wife of Mr. Coutts was the Miss Mellon before alluded to, to whom he bequeathed the bulk of his fortune. Mrs. Coutts afterwards married the Duke of -St. Albans ; but judging it right that the property thus left to her should return to the family of her first husband, she constituted the youngest daughter of Sir Francis Burdett her heir, on condition that she should assume the name and arms of Coutts. The Duchess of St. Albans, whose ;r any kindly acts are still traditions of Highgate, died in 1837, and on the decease of the Duke in 1849 Lady Burdett-Coutts came into full possession of the property, and very nobly has she made use of it. "Baroness Angela Georgina Burdett-Coutts, 1871, daughter of Sir Francis Burdett, M.P., 5th Bart., born 21st April, 1814. Assumed the additional name of Coutts by royal license in 1837. Has the Turkish orders of the ' Chafakat ' and the Medjidie (ist class), and has received the freedom of the cities of London and Edinburgh. Ahirried, in 1881, William Lehman Ashmead Burdett-Coutts, M.B."' " Amongst her ladyship's munificent acts are the endowment of the Bishoprics of Cape Town, of Adelaide, and of British Columbia ; the erection of the splendid model lodging-houses for a thousand persons in Columbia .Square (which replaced the dens then standing on the same site, known as Nova Scotia Gardens), with wholesome residences, baths, washing-houses, and an ample supply of water. On the plan of Columbia .Scpiare all the model lodging-houses from the fuiul of the late Mr. Pcabody have been built. l'"rom the lime that severe distress began in Bethnal (ireen some years ago, her kulyshi|) may be .said to have adoptctd that necessitous neighbourhood. .She has done her utmost to relieve sufi'ering and provide employment. For instance, she kept tor many years a large number of poor needlewomen in almost ' Burke's Peerage. 2 64 l^^^E HISTORY OF HIGH GATE. constant wurk by taking contracts fur needlework, etc., and giving it out at prices which would have ruined any ordinary contractor. The ' Brown's Lane Charity,' where the poor needlewomen get their meals as well as their work, is, however, only one outcome of her many forms of benevolence. From the establishment nurses are daily sent out among the sick with wine and other comforts, while outfits are provided for poor servants, and winter clothing for deserving women. " The magnificent Columbia Market, opened in the presence of royalty on the 28th April, 1869, is a noble gift for the advantage and con- venience of the Bethnal Green poor. It was erected at a cost of about _^ 200,000, and has the picturesqueness of a richly-finished Gothic cathe- dral. For beauty of design and lavish ornamentation it may safely be said that no other market in the world equals it. One object of the seeming excess of elaborate decoration was, we understand, to give employment to skilled stone-cutters and carvers then out of work, as well as to pre.sent an object of artistic beauty to the constant observation of the frequenters of the market, with the view of improving their taste and habits. The address of the workmen presented to the then Miss Burdett-Coutts at the opening ceremony contains these words : ' We earnestly hope and pray that this edifice may realise the object of its design ; that it may confer lasting benefit on this locality ; that its utility may be established, and the lesson of its beauty appreciated ; and that it may remain a monument to posterity of a loving spirit, a fostering care, and a bounteous benevolence.' The Archbishop of Canterbury, amid other duties which devolved on him on the auspicious occasion, addressed the large crowd assembled in the quadrangle, and in a few simple words alluded to the many benefits which Miss Coutts had conferred upon the whole neighbourhood, not only by the present of her market, but by her model lodging-houses, by her sewing schools, and by the efforts she had made from year to year, and intended slill to make, to better the condition of the poor of Bethnal Green.' ' This grand conception has not yet proved a financial success, for markets are not the growth of a day ; but it has helped to break up rings and comijinations which kept up the price of food, and as a monument of human sympathy is worth every penny of its great cost. As long as it stands, it disarms the professional grievance-monger ol his principal argument, that " the rich are destitute of s\-mpaihy towards the jjijor." The help of Lady Burdett-Coutts has been given in a very practical way to tht; sister island by the establishment of the " Baltimore Indus- trial Fishing .School, County Cork.' This school was the outcome of assistance rendered to the distressed fishermen of that neighijourhood in respon.se to an application from the parish priest in 1879, when ' Leisure Hour. THE HOUSES AXD THEIR RESIDENTS. 265 through the munificence of her ladyship, every trustworthy applicant, under certain conditions, received an advance of ^250 towards the purchase of a good fishing-boat, such advance to be repaid by annual instalments, — a condition which has been honourably fulfilled, and the once starving fisher-village is fast becoming a thriving community. The hapjj)' example thus set has been partially acted upon by the Government, and it is not unlikely it may in time change the entire aspect of the fishing population. On the one hand capital is wanted, and on the other .seemingly security, but so far the experiment has been entirely successful. " In memory of her father, the late .Sir Francis Burdett, L.ady Coutts erected the beautiful Gothic Church of Stephen the Martyr, Westminster, which was opened in 1S50 Sir Francis, a fine specimen of the old- English gentleman, was the representative of an ancient Derbyshire family, which had received a patent of baronetage in the year 1618. Dis- tinguished by his benevolent disposition, he acquired in his time great notoriety as a politician, especially for his zeal in the cause of reform. Educated as he was at Westminster School, and for thirty years the representative of the City of Westminster in Parliament, his liberal- minded daughter was infiuenced by these considerations in thus choosing Westminster as the field of one of her earliest public acts of beneficence. " Though in no way connected with Carlisle, Lady Coutts built, at her .sole cost anil charge, the Church of St. Stephen's in the citadel station district of the town. This good work she volunteered to perform in con- sequence of the representations made by the late Bishop Waldegrave as to the spiritual destitution of his dioce.se. The foundation-stone was laid in March 1864, and the building opened in May 1865. " For the topographical survey of Jerusalem, conducted by .Sir Henry James, her ladyship supplied the funds ; and among other useful works we may add that the beautiful drinking-fountain in V'ictoria Park was the gift of her benevolence. Not far from 1 lolly Lodge is a group of Gothic cottages, erected by Lady Coutts on her estate, and which are, in their way, models of convenience and elegance. Holly Lodge has been honoured by visits of several members of the Royal Family ; and there, it will be remembered, her ladyshifj hospitablyentertained the Belgian volunteers on the occasion of their visit to this country in July 1867."' Lady Coutts takes the deepest interest in the eflorts of the Royal Society for the Pre\ention of Cruelly to Animals, and in many other wa)"s helps on the national progress by large liberalities, and b)" a wise and discriminating kindness, whilst her interest in the poor takes the form of [jersonal, tender, and sympathetic service. Lady Coutts was raised to the Peerage in 1871, uiuler the title ol the ' Leisure Hour. 266 THE /n STORY OF IIIOIIGATE. Baroness liurdett-Coutts of Highgate and Brookfield, in ihu county of Middlesex, the honour so bestowed giving universal satisfaction. TiiK Hkk.mitace, on West Hill. This was an old cottage residence on the lower part of the West Hill, upon the site of which St. Alban's Villas are now erected. William and Mary Howitt resided there before they removed higher up the hill. William Howitt thus describes it' : — '• Enclosed in tall trees stood a small house called the Hermitage. All joining it was a still smaller tenement, which was said to be the original Hermitage. It consisted only of one small, low room, with a chamber over it, reached by an outside rustic gallery. The whole of this Hermitage was covered with ivy, evidently of very ancient growth, as shown by the largeness of its stems and boughs, and the prodigality ot its loliage ; in fact, it looked like one mass of ivy. " What was the origin of the place does not appear, but being its last tenant, I found that its succession of inhabitants had been a numerous one, and that it was connected with some curious histories. " One of its tenants was Sir Wallis Portkr, an associate of the Prince Regent. Here the Prince of Wales came to gamble, and, hidden by tall trees and by the huge ' ivy-tod,' it seemed a place well concealed for the orgies carried on there. The ceiling of the room they used, was painted with naked figures in the P"rench style. But the end of Sir Wallis was that of many another gamester * * * for he is said to have put an end to his e.xistence there by shooting himself. " There is a pleasanter legend of Lord Nelson, when a boy, once being there and climbing a tall ash-tree by the road-side, which therefore went by the name of ' Nelson's tree,' till it went the way of all trees— to the timber-yard. It was reported that Fauntleroy, the forger, concealed himself in the Hermitage for a time. He was the managing partner of the banking house of Marsh & Co., of Berners Street, and to keep up the failing credit of the firm disposed of Bank of England stock, to the amount of _;^ 1 70,000, by means of forged powers of attorney. He was tried and foimd guilty, and was executed 30th November, 1824." Mrs. Howitt- thus describes the old house and its surroundings; her husband having just left her to visit their .son in .Australia, who is well known for his pioneering services in that vast continent ' : - " Our first occupation was moving from the Avenue Road to High- gate, where I had once hoped Andrew Marvell's half-timbered, very picturesque cottage might have been our home. It proved, however, at the time too dilapidated to be rented with economy or prudence. "In the meanwhile Edward Bateman had taken on lease The Her- ' \\ij\s\\.\.\ Northern Ileighti. " Rditiniscences of my Later Life. ^ He is now a police magistrate in ( lipiisland. Victoria. THE HOrSES AXD THEIR RESIDENTS. 267 milage, situated at Highgate on the West Hill, a little above Millfield Lane. The premises consisted of a small three-storeyed house and a lesser tenement, ' The Hermitage proper,' containing a room on the ground lloor, and an upper chamber reached by an outside rustic staircase and gallery, the whole covered with a thick roof of thatch and buried in an exuberant growth of ancient ivy. It and the dwelling-house stood in the midst of a long .sloping garden, and were hidden from the road by palings, fine umbrageous elms, and a lofty ash, which retained the name of Nelson's Tree, from the famous admiral having climbed it as a boy. When to let, the landlord, in order to beautify the place, had painted the interior woodwork of the house dark green, and introduced bad stained glass and grotto-work into the cottage. Notwithstanding these gimcrack attempts at rusticity, Mr. Bateman, perceiving the capabilities, had immediately secured the place, and then under his skilful hand and eye translormed it into a most unique, quaint, and pleasant abode, the fit home for a painter. He had temporarily located Dante Rossetti in The Hermitage, when, determining to go to V'^ictoria, where his cousin, Mr. La Trobe, was governor, he transferred the lease to us. Woolner and Burnhard Smith were his fellow-travellers, and it was agreed that on the following I 2th of April the P. R.B.'s ' in England were to meet together to make sketches and write |joems for the P. R.B.'s in Australia, who were simultaneously to meet and forward a ' Mercury ' of their proceedings home. "Whilst The Hermitage was being transformed, and the voyage of the pre-Raphaelites still in embryo, 1 remember walking one March evening at si.\ o'clock with Woolner along Millfield Lane. After we passed the house once occupied by Charles Mathews, the comedian, but later much enlarged, we witnessed a splendid sunset effect. The western sky was filled with a pale, golden light, fiding into violet, then blue, and just in the violet hung a thin crescent moon, with one large star above her. Woolner could not sufficiently admire this exquisite poem of nature;, and I perceivctcl that he was not only a sculjjtor but a poet. " l'"or upwards of two years my daughters and I dwell alone at The Hermitage, busily occupied writing, painting, and studying, our an.xious hearts filled with the deepest .solicitude for our dear absent ones, who were braxely encountering depri\ alion and toil ; we could only remember that God was with them, as much in the i)nsh as in a civili.sed land. " The old Hermitage was pulled down about i860. Turning into Millfield Lane, on the- left, is 1*"i;rn Louci;, the residence of Mk. Li.LioT Stock, the well-known publisher, and author of some ' Pre-Raphaelite liroilicrliood. j68 the history OF IIIGIIGAIE. fugitive poems, of which a happy example will be found in Good Words for 1 886, pp. 472-3, entitled " An Unconventional Sermon." just beyond, in the angle of old Millheld Lane, is the house, now much altered and enlarged, once the residence of Charles Mathews, the comedian. This well-known humori.st was the son ol a theological bookseller in the Strand, and was born in 1776. He first appeared on the stage in 1803, in Cumberland's yt^zc, and his fame was at once established. In 18 18 he resolved on giving an " entertainment" by himself, and announced his At Home at the English Opera House. His success was so signal as to induce the Managers of Old Drury and Covent Garden to attempt to interdict the performances. Crabb Robinson says* that his At Home was very popular in 1822, when he represented Curran, Wilkes, and other statesmen of the reign of George HI. His imitation of Lord Ellenborough was so remarkable that he was rebuked for the perfection with which he practised his art. These entertainments were given in almost every theatre in the United Kingdom. He died at Devonport in 1835. Charles Mathews has been called the Hogarth of the English stage. In his cottage, which he termed his " Tusculum," was a large collection of dramatic curiosities, many of which are now in the possession of the Garrick Club.- His sense of humour was so strong that he was unable to restrain himself at any time from comic speeches. One night the wind blew .so strongly as to awake Mrs. Mathews, who, much frightened, awoke her husband, saying, " Don't you hear the wind, Charley ? Oh dear ! what shall we do ? " " Do," said the half-awake humorist, — " open the window and give it a peppermint lozenge, that's the best thing for the wind."^ When on his deathbed, a legend says that his attendant by mistake gave him some ink from a phial instead of his medicine ; on discovering his error he said, " Good heavens ! I have given you some ink, sir." " Ne-ver mind, my boy, ne-ver mind," said Mathews, — "I'll — I'll swallow a bit — bit of blotting-paper." Fun was simply his nature. The house was afterwards occupied by Mk. jA.\n;s .SuouLiiRED, of Tottenham House. It is now in the possession of Mr. \\'u,L[am Furu, a very old and respected resident of Highgate, a governor of the Granmiar .School, and v.- P. of the Literary Institution ; to whose munificence the Church of -St. Ann, Brookfield, to a large extent owes its erection.' The next house on the samt: side is a plain but comfortable cottage, called " Millfield Cottage," that is said to have been for a short time ' Diary. " Old and A^ac London. ' Palmer's History of St. Pancras. ' .Mr. Ford was the donur of the drinking fountain in the Cholmeley School field. THE HOUSES AND THEIR RESIDENTS. 269 the residence of Mr. John Rtskin. Mr. Ruskin himself .says he recollects nothing further than that as a child he lived with his father and mother in a cottage at Highgate or Hampstead ; tradition may therefore take the liberty of saying Highgate.' Returning to the West Hill, immediately before reachins; it there is a narrow lane to the left, leading to .Soitilvmiton Villa, which was long the residence of the late Mk. J. J. Miles, of the well-known bookselling firm of Hamilton, Adams, & Co. Mr. Miles was\'.-F. of the Institution, and for many years its Treasurer. The houses on the West Hill, now respectively occupied by Mr. W. P. Bodkin, J. P., and Mrs. Gcstlett, were built in the year 1S33, from the designs of Mr. Henry Bassett. That occupied by Mr. Bodkin was built for Mr. G. Bassett, who at the time was agent to Lord .Southampton, to whom the freehold then belonged. Mr. Bassett .sold it to Mr. Ridgway (of King William .Street, tea merchant), who subse- quently disposed of it to Sir William Bodkin, at whose decease it became the property of the present occupier. It is named West Hill Place. Sir William H. Bodkin was M.P. for Rochester, Recorder of Dover, and A.ssistant Judge for Middlese.x. Knighted 1867, died 26th March, 1874, aged eighty-three. His son, Mr. W. P. Bodkin, is the senior magistrate on the Highgate bench. The lower lodge in Mr. Bodkin's ground was once the residence of the genial Joskpii P.wne, whose fancy it was, to conduct his bach(;lor e.stablishment in the modest little cottage belonging to his friend Sir W. H. Bodkin, with whom he actc-d at the Middlesex sessions, as 1 )eputy Assistant Judge. " Counsellor Payne," as he was called by his lifelong friend the late E.\RL oi' .SiiAFTEsiJURN', was from his wonderful freshness, fun, and wi.sdom, the centre of interest of any public meeting he attended ; many people would walk miles to hear him. He invariably ended his speeches with what he called " a tailpiece " — ten to twenty verses of fun and pathos, with happy allusions to thi; charity — or its managers — the cause; of which he was pleading. Judge Payne was a great friend to the Ragged School cause, at the time it wanted friends, and h(; never seemed so happy as when, side, by side with Lord Sh.iftesbury, he was pressing their claims on the public attention. He dietl on 2Qth March, 1870, aged seventy-three. The number of gentlemen who attended his funeral, as dei)ut,aions, personal friends, etc., was .so great thai tlu; head of the i)rocession had practically reached the Highgate cemetery before the end hatl left the liiile ' llowiit. 2-jo THE HISTORY OF IIIGHGATE. cottage home. A handsome monument was erected over his grave by a imhlic subscription limited to five shillings from each donor. The house occupied by Mrs. Gostlett was built for Mr. Thomas Clarke, solicitor, who resided there till his decease in 1854; it was then occupied successively by Mr. Charles Trueman, Mr. Robert ISarclay, Mr. Goodall, and Mr. Gostlett, whose widow is now in possession ; the free- hold is vested in Mr. R. G. Clarke. The house below Mrs. Gostlett's was erected in 1H37 by Mr. J. L. Tatii.\m, who resided there till his decea.se in 1886, and it is still occupied by his family. Mr. Tatham was a Governor of the Grammar .School, and a Benchc-r of Gray's Inn. Merton L.\ne is cut almost on the line of the old foot-path to Hampstead, and was made at the time Mr. Meaburn Tatham erected the house called " Merton Lodge," now^ in the occupation of Mr. John Glover, J. P. Prior to the erection of the houses on the west side of the hill, the ground formed the lower corner of Lord Southampton's park, and was used for grazing purposes. Some of the old timber is still standing, and is of very fine proportions ; of which the oak in Merton Lane may be mentioned, which once had a plate upon it, commemorating some now unknown event ; it was probably stolen for the sake of the metal, when the park was cut up. West Hill Lodge was the second residence of \\'illl\m and M.\kv HowiTT in Highgate, and is thus referred to by Mary Tiowitt ' : — " Tiighgate, however, became our settled place of residence, and in 1857 we quitted the ' Hermitage,' which by a change of proprietors was doomed to demolition, for 'West Hill Lodge,' pleasantly situated higher up on the same ascent, and possessing from its flat accessible roof a magnificent survey of London and its environs. It stood back facing an old-fashioned sloping garden, which, hidden"from the road by a screen of cli|)i)cd lime-trees, afforded F"lorence Nightingale a pleasant open-air retreat ; when spent in the service of her country, she occupied it in great retirement during the spring and early summer of 1859." The Howitts naturally had a large circle of literary and artistic friends, and amongst other of these visitors at Highgate were Hans Christian Andersen, William Allingham, Holman Hunt, Dante Rossetti, Thomas Woolner, Robert liuchanan, Charles Reade, F"rederika BnMiier, etc., etc. William Howitt died in Rome on 3rd M.irch, 1879, and, strange to ' Rcmiiiistciiccs 0/ my Later l.ij\\ THE HOUSES AXD THEIR RESIDENTS. 271 say, on the savic <\a)' and the .rawc hour his last surviving l)roth(r, Francis Hovvitt, died in Derbyshire. Mrs. Caroline Chishohn, an early [ironiotcr of emigration, resided on West Hill for som(; yc^ars. liefore dealing with the old houses in the Grove and the Fitzrov and CaenwooI) estates, which must be relegated to a special chapter, it will be convenient to mention the few remaining houses scattered over the parish which claim attention. The old house four doors from the police station, now numbered 47, South Grove, and used for the purposes of the Highgate Dispensary, was temporarily occupied by Henrv Tiiom.\s Buckle, the author of The History of Ch'ilisatiou in EHgland, which brought him into prominent notice in 1857. Mr. Buckle was a man of easy fortune, and after he had brought out a second volume of his work in i(S6i, he undertook a journey to the East, to restore his strength and extend his knowledge, and died of typhus fever at Damascus in May 1862. Mr. Buckle had the reputation of being one of the best chess-players in the world : ' several of his letters are dated from Highgate. Just op]josite, in the old red-i)rick house adjoining the (iate Hou.se, resided M k. .\. T. W'etiierkli., representing an old line of Highgate medical men, for he was the third, if not the fourth, successive " Dr. \\'<-therell of Highgate." Mr. Wetherell was an accomplished geologist and a Fellow of the Geological Society ; his researches were principally in the Londcjn clay, for which the Archway excavation gave him pi-culiar facilities, and from which he formed a very imi)ortant collection (a portion of which he presented to the Literary and Scientific Institution), a |)aper on which will be found in the (Geological Society's Transactions tor 1S32." Mr. Wetherell, who was much respected, dietl in December 1875. Ihe house is now occupied by Dr. Crowdy. No. 7, .Xorih Road, is the residence of Professor Tomlinson, 1*".R..S., V.-F. of the Literary Institution, its Honorary .Secretary for ten years, and its President in the year 1876-7. Profes.sor Tomlinson has been a distinguished and successful teacher in both science and literature, and nothing .seems to give him more pleasure than interesting and instructing others by imparting some of his accumulated store of knowledge. There is no resident in Highgate who stands higher in the esteem of his neighbours. Charles Tomlinson was born in 1808 (27th Nov(;mber). In 1864 he was elected Life Member of the British As.sociation for the Advancement of Science, and ' ("liambers's Cyclopiedia. '■' Sec p. 5ns. 2;2 THE HISTORY OF IflGHGATE. a Member of the Council. In the same year he was elected Fellow of the Chemical Society; in 1867 he was elected Fellow of the Royal Society; in 1S72 he became one of the original founders of the Physical Society : and in 1S78-80 he was appointed by the Council of University College to the Dante Lectureship, founded by Dr. Barlow, and held for three years on condition of delivering twelve lectures each year on the Divine Comedy. Mr. Tomlinson was also during many years Lecturer on Experimental Science in King's College School, London, and still is Honorary E.xaminer in Physics to the Hirkbeck Institution. He is also a member of the Royal Society of Tasmania. The following is a list of his works : — I . Science. 15138. — "The Student's Manual of Natural Philosophy." 8vo, pp. ix and 624. Five vols, on Meteorological Phenomena, entitled : " The Tempest ; " "The Thunderstorm;" "The Dewdrop and the Mist;" "The Rain- cloud and the Snowstorm ; " " The Frozen .Stream." Various editions between 1845 and 1877. " Winter in the Arctic and .Summer in the Antarctic Regions " Various editions between 1846 and 1872. " Le.ssons from the Animal World" (written in conjunction with Mrs. Tomlinson). First .Series, Second Series. \'arious editions bc^tween 1845 and 1870. " The Useful Arts and Manufactures of Great Britain." " Textile Fabrics," pp. 656. " Metals," pp. 704. Various editions between 1845 and 1868. " Introduction to the Study of Natural Philosophy;" "Treatise on Mechanics;" "Treati.se on Pneumatics;" "Treatise on Warming and X'entilation." Weale's Series. Various editions from 1850. " Cyclopaedia of Useful Arts, Mechanical and Chemical, Mining and Enofineerinof." First edition, i 8^ i, 2 vols, crown 8vo. .Second edition, 1864, 3 vols, crown 8vo. Numerous Papers on the results of Original Scientific Research con- tained in the Transactions and Proceedings of the Royal Society ; in the Tran-sactions of the Chemical Society ; in the Journal of the Society of Arts ; in the Philosophical Magazine ; in the Edinburgh New Philo- .sophical Journal ; in the Chemical News, Nature, Knowledge, some foreign journals, etc. 1 1 . J^iograpliy. " Smeaton and Lighthouses," 1844; " Cuvier," 1844; "Linnaeus," 1844. "Notices of Scientific Men in the 1-lnglish Cyclo|ja'dia of Biography,'' 1870 — 1872. THE HOUSES AND THEHi RESIDENTS. 273 111. Literature. "The Sonnet, its Orij^in, Structure, and Place in Poetry." '''^74. "A Vision of Hell; the Inferno of Dante, translated into English Tierce Rhyme, with an Introduction on Dante and his Translators." "Sonnets: — i. Original; 2. Petrarch; 3. Spanish." 1881. " Introductory Lecture to a Course of Lectures on the Divine Comedy." 1878. " The Leading Idea ol the Divine Comedy." Article in the Modern Review. 1882. " Herman and Dorothea, translated from the German Hexameters of Goethe into English Hexameters, with an Introductory Essay, Historical and Critical." 1849. New edition, 1887. " Essays Old and New." 1887. Numerous contributions to the Saturday Magazine, from 1836 to 1846, in conjunction with the late Mrs. Tomlinson. Many of these articles were reprinted in four volumes, entitled, " Chronicles of the Seasons." 1844. " Amusements in Chess." 1846. " The Chess Player's Annual." 1856. Various articles on Chess in Chess Magazines, etc. Of the houses west of the North Hill, viz. North GuoyE, Bisiior- wooi> and Bruadl.ands Roau.s. there is but little at present to record ; the moss which years bring has yet to gather upon them. History is but a record of change, to which at present they have been but little subject ; long may they be happily exempt. " NoKTHHOLMt;," at the corner of Bishopwood and Broadlands Roads, was the residence of the late Dk. Walter Moxon, whose sudden death in July 1886 was the subject of deep and widespread concern. The remembrance of his almost intuitive professional skill, tlu- halo of his cheerful presence, his bright looks and brighter words, so full of com- fort to the suffering and hope to the depressed, time alone can efface. The following extracts are from a sympathetic paper which appeared soon after his death in The Lancet. " Walter Moxon entered as a student at Guy's Hospital in 1854, and soon attracted the attention of his teachers by the accuracy of his work and his exactness in points of dc;tail. Among his fellow-students was Mr. Arthur Durham, with whom there existed a friendly rivalry for a position on the staff, to which each eventually attained. At the first M.B. examination of the University of London, which he passed in 1857, he 18 2 74 THE HISTORY OF HIGHGATE. was placed first in honours, with an exhibition and a gold medal in materia medica, and second in honours with a gold medal in chemistry. In the following year, before graduation, he was appointed Demonstrator ot" Anatomy in the Medical School. This appointment, he always main- tained, lowered his position at the second M.B., which he passed in 1859. Although he gained no exhibition at this examination, he took honours in every subject. He graduated M.D. in 1864, and was elected a Fellow of the Royal College of Physicians in 1868. * * * " On the retirement of Dr. Owen Rees, Dr. Moxon succeeded as physician to Guy's Hospital ; he then began to devote himself still more to clinical instruction. He became Lecturer on Medicine, and this chair he continued to hold until the time of his death. On the preparation of these lectures he bestowed much labour, but he never hampered him- self with a note, so that the delivery always appeared to be spontaneous. Given entirely without theatrical effect, they compelled attention, and charmed at the same time by the brilliancy of thought, the epigrammatic sayings, and the pointed illustrations distributed through them. * * * " In 1878 Dr. Moxon purchased a house at Highgate. and, securing a large piece of ground adjoining, laid it out as a beautiful garden. In this he took the greatest interest, and amused himself in making frequent alterations and improvements. At one time he added a mountain-top covered with every Alpine plant ; at another his fancy led him in the direction of little lakes and pools for the accommodation of aquatic plants and ferns. Every flower, wild or cultivated, found a home in his garden ; and many had histories that brought back the thoughts of friends. Here, too, the wild birds from the Highgate woods flocked for food and certain protection. In the winter, lumps of suet and cocoanut sawn in rings were hung on the arches and boughs for the benefit of the tits, and loaves of bread were broken up for the blackbirds and thrushes, finches and sparrows. Always, before taking his own breakfast on a winter's morning, Moxon first saw to the feeding of his feathered friends. He was, indeed, an ardent lover of nature, to whom every flower in the hedgerows was familiar, and who in his studies had not even neglected to distinguish the various English grasses. * * * Generous, warm-hearted, and benevolent, he was ever ready to lend a helping hand to those in distress. Many a poor student has been assisted through his difficulties, and many an orphan has been temporarily supi)orted, by his open purse. The amount he thus gave away in private charity would be scarcely credited." Th(; Royal College of Physicians has lately determined to found a medal in his honour, and also to place some memorial of him in Guy's Hospital. Thb; Sycamores, No. 19, North Road, was once in the occupation THE HOUSES AND THEIR RESIDENTS. 275 of Mr. Frickctt, the father of Frederick Prickett the author of the History of Hi^hgate (1842), who afterwards died in the colonies. His grand- father had a carpenter's shop by the side of the " White Lion," High Street, and a timber-yard belonging to the family occupied the site of the house in which Mr. Casella resides. The Fricketts were very old residents in Highgate. Gloucester House, No. 51, North Road, was once the grocery store of a Mr. Groves, who had a very large and prosperous business, and, by means of the coaches constantly passing, supplied a widely-spread country connection.' The Cedars, No. 85, North Road, was erected by Mr. Thomas T. Tatham, who held the office of Vestry Clerk of Hornsey (now held by his son) for fifty years! On his resignation in December 1863 he was presented with a service of plate, as a mark of esteem, by his friends and neighbours. .A. stained -glass window placed in St. Michael's, in December 1868, is dedicated to his memory. The Tatham family have been asso- ciated with Highgate for nearly a century. In the cottage ne.xt to the Baptist Church in .Southwood Lane, called " Avalon," resided Dr. Kingslev, brother of Rev. Charles Kingsley. He was a traveller and author ; his best known book is The Earl and the Doctor. The house called' Southwood was the residence of Mr. Mark Beauciiamt Peacock, Solicitor to the Post Office, and owner of consider- able landed property in Highgate. It is famed for its unrivalled view, extending from east to west almost as far as the eye can command ; under favourable circumstances Erith-reach on the River Thames is seen. On the occasion of a fire at Gravesend at night, some twenty years since, the metal figures on the church clock were easily distinguished through a good telescope from the top of this house. It was after- wards the residence of Colonel Croll, and of Mr. Ritchie, of the firm of Domecq & Co., the sherry shippers, of which firm the father of Mr. John Ruskin was at one time the principal partner; it is at present occupied by Mr. Kent. Colonel Alexander Angus Croll, who died at Dunblane, N.B., on 7th June, 1887, at the age of seventy-six, h., clear water. THE HOUSES AND THEIR RESIDENTS. 285 fore, no information can be obtained.' On this farm, which seems to have been a dairy farm in charge of the nuns, was a well to which was attributed some miraculous cures, out of which the priests made considerable capital, and which drew a large concourse of pilgrims to the adjoining shrine of " Our Lady," in whose honour a chapel was erected," until the common sense of the nation asserted itself and swept these miserable superstitions away at one fell swoop. The dissolution of the so-called " religious houses " was a bold, and hazardous step, the effecting of which with so little opposition proves most forcibly how generally the affections of the people at large were, by this time, alienated from them. But whatever may have been the benefits ultimately derived from this proceeding, it is impossible to contemplate it without lamenting the wreck of literature, of science, of hospitality, and of splendour which it involved. It has been well remarked that " many of the abuses in civil society are attended with some advantages, and that in the beginnings of reformation the loss of these advantages is always felt very sensibly ; while the benefit resulting from the change is the slow effect of time, and not immediately perceived or enjoyed." " Thus was it with regard to the suppression of the religious houses : as they stood, they operated as an obstruction to the circulation of wealth, to the diffusion of industry, to the introduction of an enlightened morality, and to the dis.semination of a pure religion ; — but as they fell they had well-nigh buried civilization itself in their fall. On the suppression of the monastery, the church was probably left standing, as Stow' mentions a church at Muswell Hill. He says: "So much of the church which remaineth, for one great isle thereof fell down, -serveth as a parish church of St. John, not only for the tenements and near inhabitants, but also as is aforsayde for all up to Highgate, Holwell, etc." "St. John""' here mentioned is evidently meant for the name of the mother parish of Clerkenwell. The site of the church is said to have been adjoining the house called Wellfield, now in the occupation of Mr. F. W. Manson. A curious circumstance is, th.ii this property, now some sixty-four acres, originally bestowed by the " Lord of the Manor of Hornsey ' on the " Knights of John of Jerusalem," whose great house was in Clerken- well, to which this property was a mere appendage, is still claimed, and successfully, as a portion of the parish of Clerkenwell! The same frattrniiy ' (libson's Essay. ^ There was an image kept in Islington Church, called "Our Lady of Islington,'' held in great veneration. It was burnt at the Reformation. ^ Warton's Life of Sir Thomas Pope. ^ Siiney Note. — Colney Hatch Lane was in mc\\ bad repair that the inhabitants were indicted in the eighteenth year of (leorge IIL ' This is an error. The parish is that of "St. J.mies." 2 86 THE HISTORY OF HIGHGATE. held large tracts of land in Islington, including the Manor of Highbury, and these lands are very properly re-absorbed in the parishes in which they are situate ; why the exception in Hornsey ? The present arrange- ment is a most unfortunate one for the tenants, and it is surely desirable that Parliament should again give Hornsey repossession of its ancient lands. Bishop Beauvais. — i io8. 2 Hen. I. Richard de Beaumes, sur- named the Red, was elected at Whitsuntide in i 108 at iMortlake, and consecrated at Pageham 26th July, 1108.^ He died i6th January, 1127-28," and was buried at St. Osyth's in Essex. He seems to have endeavoured to get the archiepiscopal dignity restored to the see of London." A.D. I 108. — The same year Richard de Beaumeis, elect of London, was consecrated at Pageham by Anselm, in the presence of many of his suftragans.* .\.ii. 1108. — Archbishop Anselm, at the king's request, consecrated Richard, the Bishop of London elect, in his chapel at Paggaham, being assisted in the performance of this duty by William Bishop of Winchester, Roger Bishop of Salisbury, Ralph Bishop of Chichester, and William Bishop of Exeter, having first received from him the usual profession of obedience and subjection. After this, coming to Canterbury on the third day before the ides of August, he consecrated Ralph, Abbot of Seez, a religious man. Bishop of Rochester, in succession to Gundulph, William Bishop of Winchester, Ralph Bishop of Chichester, and Richard Bishop of London, assisting him in the performance of that duty ; which same Richard, after the custom of his predecessors, on the same day presented a handsome gift to his mother-church of Canterbury. -" Norden'' says : — "At Muswell Hill, called also Pinsenall Hill, there was a Chapel sometime bearing the name of 'Our Lady of Muswell,' where now Alderman Roe hath erected a proper house. The place taketh name of the well and of the hill, Mousewell Hill, for there is on the hil a spring of faire water, which is now within the compas of the house. There was sometime an image of the ladie ol Muswell, whereunto was a continual resort in the way of pylgrimage, growing, as is (though as I take it) fabulouslie reported, in regard of a great cure which was performed by this water vpon a King of Scots, who being strangely diseased, was by some deuine intelligence aduiscd to take the water of a well in England ' Roger Wendover. - Matt. Westm., IVea'cr, p. 608. ^ So it would seem from one of Archbishop Ansehn's letters to Pope Paschal in 1108. ■* Roger of Wendover's Flowers of History. '" The Annals of Roger de Hoveden. Bohn's Antiquarian Library. '' Speinluiii Britannia:. THE HOUSES AND THEIR RESIDENTS. 287 called Muswell, which after long scrutation and inquisition, this well was found, and performed the cure. Absolutely to denie the cure I dare not, for that the high God hath giuen vertue vnto waters to heale infirmities, as may appeere by the cure of Naaman the leper, by washing himselfe seauen times in Jordan, and by the poole Bethesda, which healed the next that stepped thereinto, after the water was movued by the angell.'' The well still remains, but, alas for its virtues, they are drained dry ! The water, diverted by building and road-making, has disappeared, which is probably a very good thing, as of late years it was certainly only polluted surface drainage. There is a very quaint passage in Bedwell referring to the Moselle as it flowed through Tottenham: — "The Mose, which from the parsonage lane hath runnc for the space of half a mile directly south, as it were repenting itself of //uii course, suddenly against the middest of the garden of Mr. W'ilcoxe turneth short, and conveying itself untlcr ye bridge, walketh leisurly eastward in a straight line to meet ye Leigh." In 1546 the property was in possession of William Cowi'Er, who disposed of it to Thomas Goluvncie. In 1577 it passed into the hands of Willl\m Rowe and his heirs.' It is curious to note that Sik Julius C.ksar, Lord Bacon's old and trusted friend, was born on this property, at a house called " Mattysons," described as "in the parish of Clerkenwell at Muswell Hill." Pink^ says, " This house stood on the site of the present farmhouse ; '' if so it was the site of Alderman Rowe's, and probably the same house. In 16S0 there is a record of Sir Saul Painter (? Pindar) residing at Muswell Hill, and paying 4^-. 6d. per month as an assessment to the poor at Clerkenwell.'' The " Alderman Rowe " alluded to was afterwards Sir Thomas Rowe, who married the sister of Sir Thomas Gresham. He is buried in Hackney Church, and in the same vault lies his son, Sir Henry Rowe, with the following (juaint epitaph : — " Here (under tine of Adam's first defection) Rests, in the hope of happie resurrection, Sir Henry Rowe (sonne of Sir Thomas Rowe .\nd of Uamc Mary his deer yoakfellow), late Lord Maior of London, with his virtuous mate, Dame Susanna (his, twice fifteen years and seven). Their issue five (surviving of eleaven). Power named hcer, in their fower names forepast, 'I'he fifth is found, if Eclio sound the last. Sad orphans all, hut most theire heire (most debtor), Who built them this, but in his heart a better." Lysons. » History of Clerkenwell. ^ Parish R.tte Book. 2 88 THE HISTORY OF JIIGHGATE. This vault is now claimed by the Marquis ot Downshire, whose ancestor, Trevor Hill, married Mary, the eldest daughter and co-heiress of Anthony Rowe of Muswell Hill, widow of Sir Edward Denton.' Owen Rowe, the father of Sir Thomas Rowe, who is buried in the same vault, sat in judgment on Charles I., and at the Restoration was sentenced to perpetual imprisonment. He died in the Tower, 1661.- NiCHOLAs Rowe, Poet Laureate to George I., was a member of this family, and educated at Highgate.'* His father was Mr. Serjeant Rowe. From Highgate he went to Westminster, as king's scholar, under Ur. Busby. He entered as a student at the Middle Temple, and was called to the Bar : but on the death of his father he seems to have abandoned the law, and ha\ing written a successful play, f'ke Ajiibitioiis Stepmother, the Duke of Oueensberry made him his secretary, and he also held the offices of Land Surveyor of the Customs and Clerk of the Council of the Prince of Wales. Lord Chancellor Parker made him Secretary for the Presentations. His principal works are : Tainerlane, The Fair Penitent, Ulysses, The Royal Cofivert, Jane Shore, and Lady Jane Grey. His poems went through several editions. He died in 1718, and is buried in Westminster Abbey. The Rowe property was afterwards in the possession of the family of Pulteney, and under Sir William Pultenev's will it devolved on the Eakl of Darlington. W^hen Lysons wrote, in 1 745, it was the property of Lady Bath. Besides an old house — which was ultimately separated into three tenements — called Bath House, there was another fine old house just below it, called The Grove. Nicholson says,' " The estate belonged, according to tradition, to the Thvnne ' family, the head of which was created Marquis of Bath in 1734. It is uncertain whether they occupied "Grove House" or "Bath House," most likely the latter. Both these old houses were demolished when the railway was constructed. Toi'iiAM Beauclerk's name is associated with The Grove." During his occupation it was visited by Dr. Johnson, whose name is given to a fine terrace in the grounds. Boswell says, " Topham Beauclerk told me that at his house in the country two large ferocious dogs were fighting. ' Simpson's Hackney. 2 Ibid. ^ Life of Rnve, 1720. •• Scraps pf History. ^ The original name of this family was Boteville, till a meiiiber ol it, learned in the law, resided at one of the Inns of Court, and thence assumed the surname John Thynne — John o' Th' Inn." — Sharp's Peerage. " There are letters written from Beauclerk to Lord Charlemont dated " Muswell Hill, summer quarters, July i8th, 1774," and other occasions, in Hardy's Life of Charlemont. THE HOUSES AND THEIR RESIDENTS. 281^ Dr. Johnson looked steadily at them for a little while, and then, as one would separate two little boys who are foolishly hurting each other, he ran up to them and cuffed their heads till he drov-e them asunder." But the name of the great le.xicographer seems, according to Mr. Croker, to have been made use of on very slight grounds. In 1844, a resident of the suburban parish of Hornsey wrote to Croker to complain that two railroads were about to be made through the village, and that one of them proposed to run a tunnel through "a very beautiful place called The Grove," originally laid out by Topham Beauclerk, and which Dr. Johnson used " frequently to visit. " The correspondent hoped that i\Ir. Croker would be able to "do something" about these intruding railroads, etc., etc. Mr. Croker's reply shows that he took far more liberal views on this and kindred questions than have generally been attributed to him. The answer was as follows : — " West Moulsey, December 28/A, 1844. " Sir,' — 1 liavc read of Mr. T. Beauclerk's having laid out the ground oi" a villa at Muswell Hill, but whether for himself or some friend I know not; but we know so much of the details of Dr. Johnson's life that I think that we may venture to say that he did not visit Hornsey so frequently as to justif>' the appropriation to him of one of the walks as ' Dr. Johnson's Walk.' As to the railroads, 1 confess I do not at all participate in the reluctance which you and Mr. Wordsworth feel at what you consider their intrusion into picturesque scenery. I say nothing, because nothing need be said, of tiie preponderance of considerations of public utility ; but even in the mere landscape view of the matter, I do not .see why the million who travel by railways are not as much entitled to enjoy picturesque scenery as the half-dozen idlers and sketchers who now once or twice a week wind through your valley or wander through your wood. " 1 myself have been near half a century a resident of London, and have never yet seen your rural beauties ; but when the railroad shall be completed I daresay I shall be as familiar with them as with Wandsworth or Wimbledon. 1 know persons who were adverse to railroads, and who would now give ;£^500 a mile to have them nearer their residences. 1 add one further consideration, that the railroad is the most innoxious to the neighbour's land, tlu-ough which it only passes, of all possii)le communications ; it not only brings no vagabonds, tramps, or beggars, but forcibly excludes them ; and except for the moment that one of these wonderful jiroductions of art, ' a train,' enlivens en passant the uniform features of nature, it can in no serious degree alter tiie prospect of a house even overlooking it. "A railroad runs through the beautiful valley of the Derwent, and I think that triumph of art sets off, as well as renders more accessible, the natural lieauties of the scene. " 1 have the honour to be, Sir, " Your most obedient humble servant, "J. W. Croker." Croker fMters. 19 i290 THE HISTORY OF IIIGHGATE. The Grove was, and indeed still is, celebrated for its sylvan beauties. The avenue of elms is supposed to be the finest in the county ; there is besides grand specimens of the "fern-leaved beech," "copper beech," and " deciduous cypress," a " sweet chestnut " of such remarkable dimen- sions that Loudon' speaks of it as " being without a parallel in England." It measures in width between the tips of the branches 120 feet; and the bole of the tree at the base is 18 feet in circumference ! The last resident of the mansion was the late Mr. W. Block. It is now pulled down, the frontage on Muswell Hill being covered with houses, the style ot which is singularly out of keeping with their surroundings, and has largely destroyed the picturesqueness of the hill. There are still, however, some charming old houses left, one, just below The Grove, embosomed in fine trees, called Grove Lodge, in the occupation of Mk. Attendorough ; and, on the opposite side of the road, standing far back from the road, fronting what was not long ago a portion of Muswell Hill Common, the comfortable old houses of Lii:utex.\nt Colonel Clav- and Mr. Collixson (Rookfield) ;'^ and just round the corner, in the angle formed by the entrance to Park Road, lies an old cottage called " Lalla Rookii," which in 1817 was in the occupation of Thomas Moore, the poet. His daughter, Jane Barbara, died here, and was buried in Hornsey Churchyard (September i8th, 18 17). Moore's Diary has the following entry: — " Jamiary \^th, 1823. — To the foot of Muswell Hill, to look at the cottage I inhabited there, the only one I do not again see with pleasure." From the name of the cottage it might be imagined that " Lalla Rookh " was written there. This was not the case, but it was published during Moore's residence there. The same cottage was said to have been the occasional residence of Abraham Newland, the cashier of the Bank of England, whose signature to the bank-notes made his name once so universally familiar. Mr. New- land's services to the Bank were of a confidential nature, and on every important question he was consulted by the Directors. He discharged his official duties in the Bank for nearly sixty years ; and when increasing infirmities compelled him to resign, he declined an annuity offered him, but consented to accept a service of plate valued at one thousand guineas. He resigned on the i 7th September, 1807, and died on the 2 ist November following. His property amounted to ^200,000, besides ^ i ,000 a year from landed estates. His residence at Muswell Hill must have been but occasional, for he boasted that for twenty-five years he never slept a single night out of ' Encydopudia of Gardening. Formerly occupied by Mr. Atlwood, the hanker. ' The three previous tenants were Mr. F. l.loyd, Mr. Cubitt, and Mr. Price. rini HorsEs axd theik khsidexts. 291 the Bank ; and after that he had an equal repugnance to sleeping away from his residence, 38, Highbury Place, where he died. He was so well known that Dibdin composed the following song, which was sung at Sadlers Wells Theatre : — " There ne'er was a name so bandied by fame Thro' air, thro' ocean, and thro' land, As one that is wrote upon every banknote, — You all must know Abraham Newland. Oh ! Abraham Newland, Noti'ntd. Abraham Newland ! I've heard people say, ' Sham Abraham ' you may. But you mustn't sham Abraham Newland. " For fashion or arts should you seek foreign parts, It matters not wherever you land, Jew, Christian, or (ireek, the same language they speak, 'that's the language of Abraham Newland. Oh ! Abraham Newland, Wonderful .Abraham Newland ! Tho' with compliments cramm'd, Vou may die and be hang'd. If you haven't an Abraham Newland. "The world is inclin'd to think Justice is blind. But lawyers know well she can view land ; But, lord ! what of that — she'll blink like a bat, At the sight of an Abraham Newland ! Oh ! Abraham Newland, Magical Abraham Newland ! Tho' Justice, 'tis known, can see through a millstone. She can't see through .Vbraham Newland. " You patriots who bawl for the gootl of us all, Kind souls ! here like mushrooms they strew land ; Tho' loud as they drum, each proves Orator Mum, If attacked by stout .\braham Newland. Oh ! Abraham Newland, Invincible Abraham Newland ! No argument's found in the world half so sound As the logic of Abraham Newland. " If a maid of threescore, or a dozen years more, For a husband should chance to sigh thro' land, I'm vastly afraid she would not die a maid If accjuainted with .\braham Newland. Oh ! Abraham Newland, Deluding .Abraham Newland ! Tho' crooked and cross, she'd not be at a loss, Thro' the friendship of Abraham Newland. " The French say they're coming, — oh ! sure they're a-huniining ; We know what they want, if they tlo land ; 2ij2 THE HISTORY OF HIGH GATE. But we'll make their ears ring in defence of our king, Our country, and Abraham Newland. Oh ! Abraham Newland, Useful Abraham Newland ! Notified, wonderful, magical, logical, Friendly old Abraham Newland." ' At the foot of Muswell Hill, a suicide (a poor girl who had drowned herself in the New River in a fit of remorse, for allowing visitors in her master's house in his absence, who robbed the premises) was buried at the cross-roads with a stake driven through her body ; the superstitious notion being that the spirit could not wander if the body was fastened to the earth. THE PRIORY. Below the slopes of Alexandra Park, on the main road to Hornsey, stands an imposing-looking house, and a group of buildings called " The Priory." It was erected by the late Mr. Henry Warner for his own occupation some sixty years since. Many of the fittings of this house were removed from " Wanstead House " when it was demolished. Wanstead House was built for Sir Richard Child, the banker, after- wards Earl Tylney, in i/fs, and is said to have cost _^ 100,000 ; and Walpole states that " he was told an equal sum was expended on the ' The last two lines were unfortunately absent from the copy without leave, and have been " written to order." — Ed. THE HOUSES AND THEUi RESIDENTS. 293 gardens." In liis letters to Bentley, 1755, he praises the great apartment "as of oak finely carved, unpainted, and has a charming effect." The heiress of the property married one of the Wellesleys, whose reckless profligacy dissipated the great estate, and the whole contents of the house were sold by George Robins in 1822. The sale lasted thirty-two days, and realized ^41,000! Afterwards the house was sold for building n^vaterials. Some of this " oak panelling," window frames, bevelled plate glass in metal sashes, balustrades, architraves of doors, mouldings, etc., were purchased by Mr. Warner for the house he was then erecting, and this gives " The Priory " as a residence some little interest. The mansion is surrounded by some fine timber, and stands in very considerable grounds. It is at present occupied by Mr. H. R. WiLLi.v.Ms, the Chairman of the Hornsey Local Board, and was lately the scene of the Hornsey Jubilee rejoicings, when some ten thousand persons were present. (See p. 421.) At the eastern corner of Nightingale Lane is an old brick house, for some time inhabited by the Mitchell family, who owned the property now covered by the Alexandra Palace, and later by a demented Russian princess. It is now in the occupation of Mr. \V. H. Collixgridce, the well-known proprietor of T/ic Rock and City Press newspapers. Sir John Musters, who died in 1690, was possessed of a house in Hornsey, called the " Tower," or " Brick Place ;" it is uncertain where it stood. It was so damaged by the dreadful storm of 1703 that it was pulled down.' H.ARiNCKV House, which stands on the eastern side of the railway behind Hornsey .Station, is built on the site of a fine old Tudor mansion, which was pulled down about 1750, and which was the seat of the family of Co/KXs for some two hundred years. This family is still represented in the parish by Mr. Charles Smith of Miiswell Hill. Mr. Ide Cozens sold the property to a Mr. Grey, w^ho in his turn disposed of it to Mr. Chapman, at one time a partner in the unfor- tunate firm of Overend, Gurney, & Co. The property has recently been sold for building i)urposes, and is now cut up by no less than nineteen roads ! Th(;re are some good houses both in Middle Lane and in Tottenham Lane, but none calling for special remark. At the corner of Ferme Park Road stood until recently an old house called Haringey Farm (see p. 294), probably the old manor hou.se of Feme or I-'ernefields, a small manor granted by King James to the Earl of Mar in 1603;" it I.ysons. -' Ibid. 294 THE HISTORY OI' IlKillGATE. must have been of inconsiderable extent, as it was only valued at £\o per annum. There was another small manor closely contiguous, that of " Topsfield " already mentioned. We suppo.se it was a matter of convenience, perhaps " dignity," to style the possession of a few contiguous fields a " manor," but inasmuch as the manor of Horn.sey comprised the whole parish, these so-called subsidiary manors could have been but merely names. Ckorcn End derives its name from Cru.x — The Cross — which was very commonly found at cross roads, especially on properties owned by ecclesiastics. ' The old cross stood a litth- below old Crouch Hall,' >?Hfvrancis Pemberton — Samuel Taylor Coleridge at Mr. Ciillman's — Ksliinate of his Contemporaries — Bibliography — Lord Justice Fry — Grove House — Kitzroy House, Fitzroy Park — Southampton Lodge — Hillside and Dr. Southwood Smith — Honey- moon V'illa — F.lm Lodge — Beechwood — Dufl'eriu Lodge — George Crau-ley — Cacnwood Towers — Cacnwood — Monks of Waltham — Sir James Harrington — John Bill — Duke of Argyle — Karl of Bute — Earl of Mansfield — The Gordon riots — Lord Erskine. I'L mo.st characteristic part of Highgate is " The Grove," both from the charming air of seclusion given to the old red-brick houses by the plantation of fine elm trees from which it derives its name, as well as the beauty of the surrounding landscape scenery. The houses crown the slope of the lovely " Nightin- gale Valley" of Coleridge, now Fitzroy Park, looking on the wooded heights of Caenwood and llampstead Heath, with glimpses of far-away scenery stretching on the one side to Ascot and Windsor, and on the other (the woodlands being the 304 THE HISTORY OF HIGHGATE. limitation to some of the. houses) of a view extending to Harrow and Brockley Hill, with glimpses of the distant range of the Chilterns. The associations of The Grove, and the records of the adjoining estates of Fitzroy House and Caenwood, are of exceptional interest, and the properties being not only contiguous, but almost interlacing, it is convenient, as a matter of arrangement, to deal with them thus as a distinct chapter. That Dorchester House stood upon the site now occupied by the houses in The Grove is proved by a record of admission to the manor, dated 1685, of "all that piece or parcel of waste of the manor of Cantlers before the walls of divers messuages there lately erected, where before stood a certain capital messuage of the late Henry Marquis of Dor- chester * * *. All those eight messuages where formerly stood a capital messuage or Mansion House of Henry late Lord Marquis of Dorchester, together with all edifices, barns, stables, gardens, orchards, courtyards, commodities and appurtenances to the same belonging, situate and lying in Highgate aforesaid," and at the same admission one piece or parcel of the waste of the Lord of the Manor lying upon Highgate Green. This is an interesting record, as it fixes the date of the erection of the six oldest houses in the Grove, and the two at the side, on West Hill, now occupied respectively by Rev. R. Fayrer and Mr. Alan Block. Henry Pierrepoint, Marquis of Dorchester, was the eldest son of the first and, as he was usually called, " the good Earl of Kingston ; " he was born in 1606, had his education at Emmanuel College, Cambridge, and afterwards, says Ward, " was a hard student, and esteemed a learned man, as being well read in the fathers, schoolmen, casuists, the civil and common law," etc. On the breaking out of the civil war he adhered to Charles I., attended him in his garrison at Oxford and other places as one of his Privy Council, and for his services was created Marquis of Dorchester in 1645. He survived the Commonwealth, and died in his house at Charterhouse Yard, London, December 8th, 1680. Collins' speaks of his lordship as a person of great learning, and generally esteemed. He also cites a remarkable dedication to Lord Dorchester before a small treatise printed in 1662, and entitled /m^^ Ramsey's Instructions to cleanse the StoDiac/i, etc. " As Apollo among the Planets, so we may say your lordship is above the Peers ; in the vast firmament of learning you outshine them all, and understanding that among other scientifical speculations, your lordship hath been addicted to the study of physic, wherein you have made such an admirable progress, that you have attained not only the theory but the practice thereof I am bold to dedicate this small piece to your lordship, wherein there are divers new physical experiments ' Collins's Peerage. THE GROVE. THE FITZROV AND CAENWOOD ESTATES. 305 for ihc universal health of mankind ; therefore I presume no discerninij; reader will judge this address to be improper." Walpole' states, " The Marquis of Dorchester appeared little in the character of an author, though he seems to have had as great foundation for being so, as any on the list. He studied ten or twelve hours a day for many years ; was admitted a Bencher of Gray's Inn for his knowledge of the law, and Fellow of the College of Physicians for his proficiency in medicine and anatomy."" He published " A Speech spoken in the House of Lords concerning the right of Bishops to sit in Parliament" (May 21st, 1641) ; "Another concerning the Lawfulness and Conveniency of their intermeddling in Temporal Affairs" (May 24th, 1641); "Speech to the Train-bands of Nottingham at Newark" (July 13th, 1641) ; "Letter to John Lord Roos " (P"eb. 25th, 1659). This Lord Roos was son-in-law of the Marquis, having, by a record in the register of the old chapel at High- gate, married on r5th July, 1658, "the Lady Anne Peerpoint, daughter of the Hon''"'' the Marquis of Dorchester.'" Lord de Ros was the son of the Earl of Rutland ; the marriage here recorded seems to have been an unhappy one, for it was annulled by an Act of Parliament in 1666. This divorce occasioned a bitter controversy in print between Lord Dorchester and Lord de Ros. There is a water-colour drawing of the elevation of Dorchester House in the reading-room of the Literary Institution, copied from one in the possession of Air. Ambrose Heal, from the original in the Stow collection, on which was inscribed, " Dorchester House, erected for the Earl of Kingston by Sir Roger Cholmeley." As .Sir Roger died in 1565 this statement can hardly be correct, the house having doubtless had earlier tenants, and there is but little doubt that one of the previous tenants was " .Sir Roger ' himself Machyn's diary, which has already been cjuoted (see page 139) states Sir Roger lived in Highgate, and from the description given of a feast held there, the house must have been of very considerable size. In the Middlesex County Records is the following entry : — "5th December, 6 Elizabeth. True bill that at Highgate, within the parish of .SV. Paiicras, co. Midd., on the said day, John Croflon, lalt; of London, tailor, stole a linen shirt worth four shillings, of the goods and chattels of Roger Chohiiclcy in the custody of William Robinson, one of the Oueen's servants, and two linen shirts worth four shillings, of the goods and chattels of William Robinson aforesaid. Putting himself Guilty and pleading his clergy, John Crofton was delivered to the Ordinary." ' Jioyitl and Noble Authors. * There is a bust of Lord Dorchester in tiio College of Physicians. 20 3o6 77//:' ///STORY O/' HIG/IGArii. This record states Higlis^atc in the parish of St. Pancras, which limits the position of the house to a comparatively small area, of which the Grove is the most important ; and as Sir Roger's name is associated with Dorchester House as its builder, there is every probability that Dorchester House was the Highgate residence of Sir Roger Cholmeley. Lysons' says, referring to Dorchester House : — " About the year 1685 " (which must be a mistake, as the house was pulled down and the houses in the (irove erected and admitted into the manor, according to the Court Rolls, in 1685, and therefore it must have been prior to this date, — from other evidence, soon after 1650),' "one William Blake, a woollen draper in Maiden Lane, Covent Garden, set on foot a scheme for establishing an hospital at Highgate, for the education and maintenance of about forty fatherless boys and girls, to be supported by the voluntary subscriptions of ladies, and to be called the Ladies' Hospital, or Charity School. The boys to be taught the art of painting, gardening, casting accounts, and navigation, or put forth to some good handicraft trade, and to wear the uniform of blue lined with yellow. The girls to be taught to read, write, sew, starch, raise paste, and dress, that they be fit for any good service. The projector, according to his own account, had himself expended the greater part of his fortune, namely ^5,000, upon the undertaking, by purchasing Dorchester House and other premises. He published a book called Silver Drops, or Serious Tilings, being a kind of exhortation to the ladies to encourage the under- taking. "Prefixed to this work are several letters of application to individuals, whose names do not appear, written on behalf of the hospital. As a frontispiece to the book is a print of Dorchester House and his own house at Highgate ; the margins of the print are full of notes, in which he complains of the want of encouragement which threatens to defeat his plan, and laments that he is treated as a madman. He observes, that if Sir Francis Pemberton, Mr. William Ashhurst, and his own brother, F. Blake, would yet comply, all might be immediately forwarded, to the great advantage of the town of Highgate. Dr. Combe (who lent Lysons the book) has also a very scarce print, upon a large scale, of the Ladies' Charity School, an important building, which seems to have been altered from Dorchester House, as represented in the smaller print. A note to the great print informs the public, that a subscriber of ^^50 may .send any boy or girl, F'rench or English, into the hospital ; and it is recommended as a proper charity to send some of the children of the distressed French Protestants, which, it is observed, ' would be ' Environs 0/ London. 2 At thi.s date it is certain the enterprise was not carried on at Dorchester House, as the marriage in the Earl's family at Highgate was in 165S. THE GROVE. THE EITZROY AND CAEAni'OOD ESTATES. 307 advantageous in matter of language.' It may be collected from passages in Silver Drops, that some boys had been received into the hospital, and that subscriptions had been collected, but the undertaking soon dropped." The curious work called Silver Drops, here alluded to, contains copies of letters from William Blake, addressed to twenty-six noble and other ladies, but it gives no names ; it is full of enthusiastic saying.s, under the head of " .Short Hints but Sound Truths in Great Humility ;" with " Short Sayings of the Wise, or Queen Mary's Martyrs ; " and a general exhortation is closed by Blake describing himself as "house- keeper " to the Ladies' Charity School. The allowance to the "housekeeper" per day was "one bottle of wine, three of ale, six rolls, and two dishes of meat." This little book seems to have been widely circulated, many copies being in existence, — Mr. Robert Watson of Highgate having several, and a co|)y is in the library of the Literary histitution. In some of the copies, in an old contemporary handwriting, are inscribed the names of certain ladies, to whom the several epistles were dedicated. This writing may have been Blake's, or, if not his, was most likely written under his immediate supervision. The names are those of the Ladies Winchester, Pierpont, Northumberland, .Salisbury, Ranelagh, Falkland, Clayton, Player, Pemberton, Warwick, \^ere, and Mesdames Love, Pilkington, Newland, Ashhurst, and others. All these letters end in such phrases as "So pray all of us," ".So pray one and all we poor hospital boys," "So pray all we poor boys." In 1667 there a[)])ear to have been thirty- six boys in the school ; their clothing, blue and yellow, was probably a similar dress to Christ's Hospital, the pauper dress of the day. In 1675 the books belonging to the school consisted of "two English volumes, eighteen Latin, and three Greek." The following letter signed " H. Lemoine," from the Gentleviaii s Magazine 1 796, is interesting : — " Mr. Urb.an, — It is said upon the inscription stone lately put upon the front of Aklgatc charity school, that that was the first institution of a Protestant charity school by voluntary subscriptions ; but by the testimony of a scarce old book, whicli some of your numerous readers may have somewhere seen, I can declare tliis to be an erroneous assertion. " The i)ook I allude to is called Silver Drops, or Serious Tliiiii^s, i)ut when and where printed is iHiknown,as it has no title, therefore no imprint, but bj' the style and manner is evidently before the beginning of this century ; by the last page, it appears to be written by ijne Blake, housekeeper and schoolmaster to a charity, which totally maintained and educated forty boys and girls, and was situated at Ilampstead.' The subscribers to the foundation were all ladies, who, among other good acts, ' This is an evident error, and should have been "Highgate.' 308 THE HISTORY OF IIIGHGATE. maintained an evening lecturer in the house, a portrait of which is appended to the book. There are three other prints subjoined, one an emblem of Charity, another a figure of Time, and last a page of butterflies — 1 suppose meant as characteristic of vanity. Bj' these books being usually bound in turkey, 1 am led to suspect that they were only meant as presentation copies to the subscribers to the charity, which accounts for their scarcity." Prickett quotes the following as from the pen of "an eminent antiquarian and book collector," under the initials D.B. ' ' Remarks on ' Silver Drops. ' " A scarce little printed book, without date, called Silver Drops, or Serious Tilings, 1 doubt not was written in the year i666, during the Mayoralty of Sir Thomas Bludworth, see page 67, (vide also the History of London, in the months of February or March, in that year, page 253,) by William Blake, woollen draper, living at the sign of the Golden Boy, corner of Maiden Lane, at the end of Bedford Street, Covcnt Garden. The author was a pious and quaint philanthropist in support of the Protestant cause, by his earnest appeal to the noble and wealthy ladies of the City of London and elsewhere to contribute, at their .sole expense, for maintaining and educating forty poor boys born in the parishes of Highgate, Hornsey, and Hampstead, in training them up in the religious principles of the Church of England, fie, therefore, as founder to that design, was in the capacity of hou.sekeeper at the Ladies' Charity Schoolhouse, at Highgate. The treasurer, for that institution, chosen by himself and others, I doubt not, was the unfortunate Alderman Henry Cornish, who served the office of Sheriff in 1680, and who was, in the reign of James H., tried and convicted for high treason by the Papists, and was by them, on the 23rd October, 16S5, most barbarously hung, drawn, and quartered, facing his own house, at the end of King .Street, Cheapside. The schoolmaster was not, as H. Lemoine imagines, William Blake, the woollen draper, but a Minister, as thirty-si.\ poor boys declare, on referring to their memorial or petition to a lady, in page 69 " On referring to that page, the concluding words certainly are "praies thirt) -si.\ of us and our minister also," and as Mr. Lemoine speaks of the ladies having maintained an evening lecturer in the house, the probability therefore is, that he was the minister alluded to by the boys, and not William Blake. The suggestion of Mr. Lemoine seems fully borne out that the school at Highgate was of prior date to that at Aldgate, and probably the first of the kind established after the reformation. Blake published a rudely drawn elevation of the " Ladies' Hospital," THE GROVE. THE FITZROY AXP CAENWOOD ESTATES. 309 and a plan of the other buildings, which will be found in the Literary Institution, and his incoherent description of them in the following extracts from Silver Drops are suggestive of his intentions, and his difficulties, but pretty plainly show that his friends did not sanction his scheme — seemingly for very sufficient reasons ! ' ' A Delineation of the Ladyes HospiUd at Higligate. "The Title (the Ladyes, etc.) no Diminution, but Honour'd it witness Two Sacred Monuments in their Honour, The Praise of the Vertuous Lady by Solomon, Jediah or the Lords Beloved ; the Epistle to the Elect Lady by John the Beloved Disciple. "This Delineation of a Modell, though in the Dust, as the most moving Petition to Revive the work, and Rescue the Petitioner is humbly Dedicated to those Hono"'''' Persons, of what Degree soever, who have by their Contributions at the very time ; By their Promises ; By their Approbation under their Hands ; By their Acceptation of Small Presents ; oblig'd themselves, I humbly say to God, and not to Man in so Pious a work, or who may bv their Piet}^, and Charity, become favourers of it. ByW.B. " Who at, lirst, and ever since Own'd himself only the most Humbly Petitioner for so Great a Work, and yet when he first Designd it, was worth £600, in a full Trade and free from any Incumbring Debt ; But by Provision for his Family ; By Purchases and Buildings for this Work, By an Essay of the Design, in the Mainten- ance of Children at this School, above two years. By Presents to persons of Honour, and Piety hath E.xpended ^^5,000 & was for Debts contracted, only for this Hospitall, and well enough Secured ; Seiz'd, Imprison'd, above Two Years, Just at the Height of his Expence, before his Receipt of the Promised Assistances, to have Repay'd Him and Enabled the Work." "Dorchester House, Morgag'd 1220 — cost 1700 worth 2000 to Buj-ing and four sold for this design. " (H) — This Dorchester House. Intended for Mayden Children (U,) where may be Contrived, in a long Appartment, a Hall under, and two Storyes of Lodgings over of 130 foot long (KK) walks, and Grounds, ten Acres; where Tenements for Cityzens Summers Reception, might have rais'd a good Revenue to the Hospitall : For the sake of courting this and the Mansion House from it, the whole Design was Ravag'd, and my Family set against me to Obstruct all Charity, keeping me in Prison to force the Sale of all for the Advantage of 2 or 3 Mortgagees. "There are 6 Tenements now built, besides theres inviting ground for 10. or 12. more with Gardens, if any of the 6, Parishis would buy, or build an house, as a Rent for thier Poor, it might probably cause ten times more, to be built, or given to thier Poor, it being so much in the eye of the Charitable Gentry and so as all debts and mortgages might be paid of, 23 or 24,00 would do, the buildings, Land and houses being still worth three times the money, for this design an ei[uitable Title in me, to dispose of all, as firm as the Earth, on which it stands and hope it will be so Judg'd. so that these Parishes will likely never have a better Opjiortunity to do their Children good whilst the Hills remain, and let this be as a Memoriall to hang in your houses against such as have or would betray it. "And a further observation of Providence etc. But yet cannotl but ho]X', the Rever^ Doct'''' will perswad the Morgagees to take y' just dues or equitj- enforce it. 310 THE HISTORY OF TIIGHGATE. "This, long building, Morgagd 150. appris'd moderately at 940. to bring this design double (EE) this house and ground, Morgg : 560 cost 900 worth for this much more. " (CC) The Buildings Erected for the School House with its two halls Its Lodgings about (DD) Its well form'd School Its Green for Recreation, (EE). The Mansion House of the Petitioner first only a Sumer's Recess from London, which having that great, and noble City, with its numerous Childhood, under view gave the first thought, to him of so great a Design : Intended now for Lodgings of Retj-rement for Such as by His Mat"^' Favour might be Governers of the Hospitall. " (FF) Its Gardens to train up some Youth to that Service : (GG) Its grounds being 8 Acres : all adjoyning to the house. "All these Dedicated by a Solemn Devotion to God, and cannot be Andniaz'd, and Sapphiraed, being so uncontrouertible a Good purpose without their Sin. " 'Tis humbl}' pray'd, that such as may be willing, to Subscribear yet any thing Subscribed, towards Retriveing or raising y" Charitable work, would send to y*^ Reverend Docf Lecturer, Churchwarden, or Vestry of St. Gylses St. Clements St. Pauls, or the Savo}'. " If S'' Francis Pemberton, Fran Blake my Bro : M' Will"' Ashurst, Draper, who are the Mortgagees would yet comply all might go Immediately forward, with some 100"' annual advantage to the town of Highgate. " O Lord, who hast taught us, that all our doings without Charity, are nothing worth, send thy Holy Ghost, and pour into our hearts that most excellent gift of Charit}', the very bond of Peace, and of all vertues, without which whosoever Liveth, is accounted dead before thee, grant this for thy only Son, lesus Christ iiis sake Amen." " But truer Charitj' was never Indeavoured towards your Children, since the Parishes were in being. " Pray Gentlemen of the Vestrj'es peruse your Paper in a Frame given you in the year 82. 1 " If the Reverend docters with y' Vestrys would HIGH GATE HOUSE. be so Semaritanly kind as to apoint one to Solicite for this in each Parish it mig*' be a Soul Mercy, to their poor Children, and even raise this to the perpetual Praise of our Most excellent Religion." Howitt ' remarks, "Blake's style is frequently unintelligible, almost insane, but there is true nobility of soul struggling through," and suggests that " from his desire to have the boys taught the art of painting, he might have been the ancestor of the eccentric but inspired writer and artist of the same name." In a printed Almanack entitled " Merlimis Anonymus — An Almanack and no Almanack — A Kalendar and no Kalendar," published in 1650, appears the following item, 22nd April, '• The glorious invention of Wind Guns by W. Blake, the Governor of the new Hospital at fiighgate," — clearly showing the school was founded, but not necessarily in Dorchester House, before 1650, being thirty-five years prior to the time stated by Lysons. ' Nortlurn Heights. THE GROVE. THE FITZROY AND CAENWOOD ESTATES. 311 There is a scarce pamphlet, presented to the Literary Institution by Mr. Harry Chester, its first President, entitled, CHARITY MARTYR'D OR THE COMPLAINT OF W. B. Showing how his unkind Brother and a citizen would throw down and share the Ladies intended Hospital at Highgate, which is hoped the Nobility, Gentry, reverend Ministers, vestries and others will prevent, for the good of many poor children, nigh and in the suburbs of Westminster, and County of Middlesex. Especially these 6 Parishes, St. Martin's, St. Ciies, St. Clement, St. Paul's Covent Garden, St. Mary Savoy, and part of St. Andrews Holborn, all in the County aforesaid. The first paragraph in this singular little work is as follows : — " Your complainant being much persuaded if some little thing was begun towards a hospital for the suburbs, the Nobility and Gentry might soon be persuaded by petitions to make it great, whereupon he erects a convenient building on the finest spot in HigJigatc, where the Gentry much resort for prospect and air, who might have opportunity of sending what objects of charity they shall think fit from time to time, defraying of the charges. Your petitioner put some children in the said building ' The Ladies Hos[jital,' and then 'The Ladies Hospital Boys and Girls' being cloathed with blew lined with yellow, But an unkind brother living on the place made no small opposition, which is believed he never would, had it had his own name, but being called ' The Ladies ' he cryed, ' they were all vain and airy,' throwing most reproachful terms for that honorable, and right honorable se.\ in general, not fitting to be named, as if a little vanity in a few must be charged upon all, or that the very title had degraded them when the bottom was pride passion or covetousness. lieing unwilling to do anything himself, he endeavours to hinder all others, setting your petitioner's wife and children to run it down, as an ill design full of pride vainglory and hypocrisy." He further states that " he had contracted for twenty children out of each parish at ^6 a [jiece per annum, which with an adtlitional help from the Nobility and Gentries charity might keep them, to the Gentries and Parishes praise. " 312 THE HISTORY OF HIGHGATE. And this statement is corroborated by the following entry : — „ o p . 1 At a Vestry lield by the Churchwardens and Ancients ■ T^ ' of the parish of St. Clements Danes, the 24th day of January Danes. . m 1 -r j ^ j \ 1682. " Then ordered and agreed, that upon Mr. WiUiam Blakes proposalls of com- pleating the buildings at Highgate for an Hospital, and also finding and providing Masters and Mistresses, to teach and instruct children that shall be put to the Hospital, and servants convenient to attend them: The said children so to be sent to the said Hospital, to be maintained with meat, drink, washing, lodging, clothes, and all other necessaries fit and convenient for children, to be kept in a Hospital (as well in sickness as in health) by the said William Blake, his Executors or Assigns. We the Churchwardens and Ancients of the said Parish do promise to send to the said Hospital, Twenty Parish Children, more or less, within one month after notice is given to this Vestry that the said Hospital so intended shall be fit for the recep- tion of children, and to allow and pay for each of the said children after the Rate of £6 Per Annum, and after the children have been there one month, to have one months pay, and also to advance two months pay for every Child at the same time. "Tho. Proudlow, Clerk of the Vestrj'." It is evident from the above account that poor Blake was obliged entirely to alter his original plan after the publication of Silver Drops, or Serious Things, for it shows that his application to the noble ladies (from whom it was designed that the hospital should take its name) had been a complete failure, and now, as a desperate remedy, he resorts to this plan, in order to obtain the sympathy of the ladies who resided in the parishes from which the children were sent ; for the above work states that " three score suits and thirty beds are provided, a master got and contracted with, but the want of a little money stopt much this whole design, and his Brother running your petitioner down as mad, and ' fit for Bedlam, must be put there, and would dye a fool, a knave, and a beggar,' and that ' he should never bring the Parish bratts and ba.stards there which he had contracted for,' having caused the former children to be put away once or twice (to the very great damage ot this undertaking), hindering these from coming also, saying, ' Will no place serve the Parish bratts and bastards, but the finest spot in England?' calling them so almost twenty times, and ' he would make somebody lay the \ estrymen by the heels, if they brought bratts and bastards there.' In the mean- time, the citizen that bought your petitioner's house, bargains with his wife, brother, or son, for all his goods in his house, unknown to him, bed- hangings, yea his own bed, and all manner of other goods ; his horse in the fields, without the least syllable of his knowledge or imagination, which was a great hindrance to the furnishing of the great .school, against the parish children should be sent thither, done purposely to discourage the Vestries sending them." Mention is also made that, to gain assist- THE GROVE. THE EITZROY AXD CAE.WVOOD ESTATES. 313 ance, help, and money, "Your petitioner gets the draught of the Mar- quesses House engraved upon a plate, and puts it to the other buildings which he has engraved before, making one handsome large map, presenting them to persons of honour, rank, and quality, many giving leave to engrave their Arms on it, so that your petitioner did conclude two or three hundred of them to noblemen, gentlemen, and other houses, with proposals and arguments of charity, would have brought in three or four hundred pound per annum, may be, much more in a little time, besides noble spirits giving like themselves, the reverend clergy being much for it. But your petitioner's brother, when he saw one of these maps said, ' Ah ! ah ! what fine thing have we gotten here ? ' To which your petitioner replied, ' It was a map of the buildings at Highgate, with noblemens Arms in it.' ' Ah, ah,' says he, ' it will serve for a house of office, to hang there, over and over,' and so went in much passion away. (Hut the honoured and Right Worshipful Sir JViliiain Turner, who hath built an hospital in the North, done great things in the City, and is President of Bridewell, said it was a very ingenious thing, worthy of encouragement.) Much more of uiikindnesses might be mustered up with great truth, as the God of all truth well knows ; but it is not aimed in the least to reproach friends, or scratch his own face, God is his witness, further than necessity compels, but is ready to forgive all men as far as Reason and Religion binds him, and loves his relations, wife and children as his own eyes, he ever did ; and will wrong nobody under heaven willingly, much less ruine them if he can help it ; yea, he would do good to all, if it lay in his power, and hath been liberal from his youth according to his might, and in his lifetime a painstaker, that he might not want a mite to cast into the Treasury for any good work ! " That soon after this petition was circulated the undertaking failed, may be readily imagined ; for the date of the parish undertaking is 1682, and in 1685 the property had passed into other hands and the buildings were pulled down. What we gather from these records, is, that Blake's scheme was not only " ill advised," but was not needed ; it threatened to ruin the neigh- bourhood as a place of residence, was opposed by the neighbours, and may actually have driven Lord Dorchester away by fitting u[) buildings opposite his mansion in which the pauper children of the Metropolis were to be " farmed out " ; — and in carrying out this needless scheme — to which, it is little wonder, people did not subscribe — Blake ruined himself and his family. Gough .says,' "Blake purchased Dorchester I louse, fooled away his estate, and was thrown into prison, from whence he issued Silver Drops as an appeal for help." ' British Topography . 314 THE HISTORY OF IIIGHGATE. Having expended his own fortune on this undertaking, Blake was forced to contract debts to carry it on, wliich involved him in difficulties, and ultimately lodged him in prison. Even under these discouragements he was nothing daunted, but issued another appeal under the title of TJie State and Cause of a Design for the Better Education of Thousands of Parish Children successively in the vast Northern Suburbs of London vindicated, etc. From whence it plainly appears that his original scheme having failed, he wished to divert it into a sort of district pauper school. Parton, in his History of the Parish of St. Giles-in-the-Fields, gives the following extracts from the vestry minutes : — " 1682. Whereas Mr. Blake hath made his request to this vestry to give encouragement to an hospital at Highgate, it is therefore thought fit, and ordered that R. Bucknall, Esq., Mr. James Parthervicke, etc., and the two jjresent churchwardens be a committee appointed, or any four of them, to enquire into the proposals of the said Mr. Blake, and to make report thereof. "And it is further ordered. That if upon the report of the said committee the vestry shall be satisfied with the said proposals, that the twenty parish children shall be placed in the said hospital at six pounds per annum each, at the parish charge. " 1687. Ordered by the Vestry for that whereas Mr. Blake, now a prisoner in the Fleet, did some time before his imprisonment give several suits of apparel to be by the churchwardens and overseers given to several poor children of this parish ; and the said Mr. Blake having now made his application to Vestry for something towards his enlargement, .so that Mr. Merrydale the churchwarden do give from the parish monies in his hand, /,'io unto the said Mr. Blake." "The unkind Brother" alluded to, as living in Highgate, seems to have been a prosperous man. Let us hope that although he threw difficulties in the way of a very questionable scheme, and even "spoke disrespectfully of the ladies," he did not forget the need of his broken- down brother. Sir Henry Chauncey ' states that "the demesnes of the Manor of Nusells were purchased by William Newland, E.sq. He married Mary, daughter of Thomas Blake of Essington, in county Southampton, elder brother to Francis Blake of Highgate, in the county of Middlesex, Esq., father of Sir Francis Blake of Ford Casde in county Northumberland, Knight, as also to Sir Richard Blake in Clerkenwell in county Middlesex, Knight, and nephew of Sir William Blake of Kensington, in the same county, Knight, but has since conveyed it to Thomas his son and heir, who is the present owner of them," — 1700. ' History of Htrls. THE GROVE. THE. E/TZROY A.VD CAEMVOOD ESTATES. 315 Sir Francis Pemberton was an early, if not the earliest resident of one of the row of old red-brick houses in The Grove, which he erected for himself. The house is now in the occupation of Mr. Walter Scrimgeour. "Sir Francis Pemberton, whose Ancestors," says Sir Henry Chauncey, ' " were originally of the Ancient family of Pemberton, in the County Palatine of Lancaster, from whom Sir Goddard Pemberton, Knight, descended ; who purchased a fair estate, settled in the Borough of St. Albans, and was constituted .Sheriff for the County in 1615, but dying within the year, Lewis Pemberton, Esq., was his heir and succeeded in his Shrievalty ; afterwards Roger Pemberton of St. Albans, Esq., inherited his estate, was likewise elected .Sheriff ol the County in 1620, from whom issued Ralph Pemberton, twice Mayor of St. Albans, anno 1627, 3rd Car. I., and 163S, the 14th of the same king. He was the father of this eminent lawyer, who received his first breath in 1625, and was educated at the school in this Town," where he gave early testimonies of his future perfection in learning ; from thence he was transplanted to the University of Cambridge, where he was admitted in Emanuel College, on the 12th August, 1640, under the tuition of the late Pious and learned Dr. Benjamin Whichcote, where he continued until the 22nd February, 1644, after which he was entered in the Inner Temple on the 14th October, 1645, where he performed his exercises with great applause, and was called to the Bar in 1654. He was made one of the Council of the Court of the Marshalsea, and drew the Patent granted by King Charles II., for the enlargement and confirmation of the privileges of that Court. He studied the old records at Westminster, the Rolls, and the Tower, and made collections from them, from whence he learned the original Reasons and Grounds of the common law, and became thereby master of his profession. He read learnedly in the Inner Temple, in the Ouadragesmes in the year 1674, and kept a noble table there. He received a writ to be Serjeant-at-law returnable 29th January following, was made King's Serjeant iith August, 1675, knighted at Whitehall on the 6th October next ensuing, created one of the Justices of the Court of King's Bench on the 30th April, 1679, advanced to be Chief Justice of the same Court in Easter term, 1681, removed thence to be Chief Justice of the Common Pleas, in Hillary term 1682, and about the same sworn of his Majesty's Privy Council. He would not suffer any lawyers upon Tryals before him to iriUrrupL or Ixmter Witnesses in their evidence, a practise too frequently used by some Council in bad Causes to stifle truth and oljstruct Justice, but allowed every person to recollect his thoughts, and to speak without fear, that the truth might be the better discovered ; neither would he permit Council to ask impertinent questions, nor make ' History oj Hots. • St. Albaus. 3i6 THE HISTORY OF HIGH GATE. long speeches; nor harrangues in Court to mislead juries, but heard all persons with great deliberation, patience, indift'erency and impartiality, distinguishing clearly between truth and falsehood in his directions to the jury, that they might not err ; and delivered his judgment in all causes depending before him, with great justice and solemnity, which much awed the Spectators, and advanced the reputation of the Court, during all which time no temptations of Profit or Preferment, no threats, no menaces of deprivation or loss of place nor Honour, could move him to act any thing against law, and when he was dismissed from the bench, he dis- dained not the attendance at the Bar again, when his practise made ample satisfaction for his removal from the Bench to the Bar, notwith- standing his great generosity to his friends and his charity to the distressed. He was endowed with a ready wit and a quick apprehension, which were attended with a rare memory and excellent parts, by the help of which and his own indefatigable industry, he attained to a great perfection of judgement in the laws of the land. His notions were curious, his distinctions nice, and his reason weighty, which rendered him very skilful in the form of good pleading, the foundation and basis of the Common law, and very learned in the laws of conveyancing, wherein he was choice in his method, abandoned all tautologies and impertinent expressions, and confined himself to the most apt, neat, significant and pertinent words for his purpose. He married Ann the eldest daughter of Sir Jeremy Whichcote of Hendon, in the county of Middlesex, Bart., by whom he had issue three sons, Francis, Jeremy, and Ralph, and four daughters, Ann married to George .Scot of Scot's Hall, in the county of Kent, Esq.. Mary to William Stanley, U.D., etc., Elizabeth to Nathaniel Stephens, High Sheriff of the county of Glocester, and Jane unmarried. He built a large house at Highgate in the county of INIiddlesex, where he resided, and died the loth day of June, in the year of our Lord 1697, aged seventy-two years, and was buried in the Parish Church of Highgate, where his executors erected a fair monument." " Sir Francis Pemberton was one of many examples that a superior advocate is not necessarily an able judge. His judicial deficiency was not perceived by himself ; and when he boasted that ' he made rather than declared the laws,' he unwittingly confessed that he outstepped the duties of his office. So notoriously did he follow the dictates of his own mind, rather than the clauses of the statute book, that Lord Keeper Guildford remarked that ' in making law, he had outdone kings, lords, and commons.' " ' North, in the same work, observes : — " This man's morals were very indifferent ; for his beginnings were debauched, and his study and first practice was in gaol ; for having been one of the fiercest town rakes, and spent more than he had of his own, his case forced him upon * Life of Lord Keeper Guildford. THE GROVE. THE I'lTZROY AND CAEXWOOD ESTATES. 317 that expedient for a lodging ; and there he made so good use of his leisure, and busied himself with the cases of his fellow-collegiates, inform- ing and advising them so skilfully, that he was reputed the most notable fellow within those walls, and, at length, he came out a sharper at the law ; after that he proceeded to study and practise, till he was eminent, and made a sergeant. He sat in the King's Bench till the near time that the great cause of the ' quo warranto ' against the city of London was to be brought to judgment in that court ; and then he was removed. The truth is, it was not thought reasonable to trust that cause, on which the peace of the government so much cUqoended, in a court where the chief never showed so much regard to the law as to his own will ; notorious as he was for little honesty, boldness, cunning, and incontrollable opinion of himself After this removal he returned to his practice, and by that (as it seems the rule is) he lost his style of 'lordship' and became bare 'Mr. .Sergeant' again. His business lay chiefly in the common pleas."' This severe stricture on the character of Pemberton arose from the " high prerogative " prejudices of the writer ; for Pemberton, as Burnet observes, " was not wholly for the court." " It is perhaps certain that he was not a deep lawyer, but he was a conscientious man ; and instead of his being removed Ijecause he was unlikely to do justice in lh(] case of the ' quo warranto,' or, as others hint, because he was guilty ot taking bribes, it seems more than probable that the cause of his disgrace was his lenient treatment of the unfortunate Lord William Russell." '^ Sir Francis lived to be one of the counsel for the s(;ven bishops, and thus the irony of fate gave him a complete although probably an unsought- for revenge ! Dame Ann Pemberton survived him some thirty-four years, dying in April 1731, and was laid by the side of her husband in a vault under the old chapel. The Grove was first styled " P(;mberton Row " in honour ol the judge, and afterwards " Quality Walk." The late Mr. Francis Smith, a resident in The Grove for some thirty years, a great lover of trees — all the younger trees in The Grove and its approaches he stated " were planted by him personally " — writes under date 3rd I*"ebruary, 1880 (four days before his death), " You ar3 probably aware that The Grove is a modern name, the proper name being ' Pemberton Row,' and .so described in leases, etc., always familiarly called in my early times as ' Pemberton Row, Oualit)- Walk." This address 1 used until about three years since, and have st:nt letters so directed through the post to my family aiul neighbours, which have always been delivered. " North's Li/c 0/ Lani Ka-po- Cuildford. - Bishop Biintct uiui /its Tiiiifs. 3i8 THE HISTORY OF HIGH GATE. The houses in The Grove have always been what the auctioneers would style " well let," and there is not one but has been, or is now, occupied by families who have exercised considerable influence on High- gate life, and in some instances on a very much wider circle. The Bishop of London, on a recent visit, asked the \'icar of St. Michael's, "What makes Highgate so important?" It really is a very suggestive question. Many influences have helped to make it so, — its picturesque situation on the hill, the Grammar School, the Petty Sessions, the Literary Institution, etc., etc. ; but its r^fl:/ importance is the influence of its inhabitants. It is most in.structive to note the long line of Highgate residents (for the last three hundred years) of political, intellectual, or social weight ; and, comparing the list with that of almost any other suburban village, the difference will be found to be really very striking. The Americans style Boston the "hub"' of the universe. The Grove (by which is practically understood the west side of the hill) may be called the "hub" of Highgate. Indeed, until very lately, when the erection of the houses in Bishopwood and Broadlands Roads has formed a new and influential neighbourhood. The Grove was the only important group of houses in the village lying closely together, and naturally at that time formed its centre. The house best known in The Grove is No. 3, now in the occupation of Rev. H. R. Cooper-Smith, once the residence of the kind-hearted Mr. Gillman the surgeon, with whom Samuel Taylor Coleridge happily found a refuge in the time of his greatest need, and with whom he remainctl till his death. When Coleridge became first an inmate of the family, they did not reside in The Grove, but at the old house next to the Congregational Church, on the western side, from which, however, Mr. Gillman soon after removed. - The accident which determined Coleridge to take up his residence with Mr. Gillman was a very happy one for Highgate, the rich memory of his genius linking its associations with the wide and ever-growing world of thouofht both in England and America. Coleridge found in Highgate a refuge in his life and a resting-place m his death, so that his memory and that of the old villa<^e are thus inseparably connected. It is only necessary here brieily to allude to one or two of the leading incidents of his life ; such information can easily be amplified by consulting the pages of his numerous biographers. What seems the more desirable is to collect some of the records of the visits paid to Highgate by his great literary contemporaries, gathering from their statements the ' Hub, the central block from which the spokes of a wheel radiate. '■^ The house is now in the occupation of Mr. Austin. THE (,RO\'E. THE FITZROV AXD CAEXWOOD ESTATES. 319 impression he made upon them ; and even these are so numercnis that a very brief selection must suffice.' Samuel Taylor Coleridge was born at Ottery St. Mary, Devonshire, on the 2 1st October, 1772. His father, the Rev. John Coleridge, was vicar of Ottery, and Head Master of Henry X'HI.'s Free Grammar School, and was the author of some Desertations on the Seventeenth and Eigh- teenth Chapters of the Book of Judges, and a Latin Grammar for the use of the Sclioo/ at Ottery. Samuel Taylor was the youngest of ten children, and, much against his will, was chosen by his father as one of the pupils destined for the University, to which he went from Christ's Hospital. In his sixteenth year he composed the " Allegory of Real and Imaginary Time," first published in the Sibylline Leaves, and on the 5th February, 1791, at the age of nineteen, it appears by the College books he was entered at Jesus College, Cambridge. In 1792, out of sixteen competitors, a selection of four were to contend for the prize of the Craven Scholarship : these were Dr. Butler, late head master of Shrewsbury; Dr. Keats, a late head master of Eton; Mr. Belhcll, one of the members for Yorkshire, and Coleridge. Dr. Butler was the .successful candidate. " In one of the dejected moods to which Coleridge in early life was much subjected, he suddenly left Cambridge for London, and strolled about the streets till night came on, and then rested himself on the steps of a house in Chancery Lane, where walking along in the morning, he noticed a hill posted on the wall : ' Wanted a few smart lads for the 15th Elliot's Light Dragoons' He paused a moment anil said to himself, ' Well, 1 have had all my life a violent antipathy to soldiers and horses ; the .sooner I can rid myself of these absurd prejudices the better, and I will enlist in this regiment.' "On proceeding to the address named, he was accosted by an old sergeant with a remarkably benevolent countenance, to whom he stated his wish, who tried hard to dissuade him from his purpose, seeing he was depressed, but without success, and he was subsecjuently marched to Reading. It was not long, however, before he attracted the attention of Captain Ogle, which is said to have been drawn to Coleridge in consequence of noticing the following sentence in the stabl(\s written under his .saddle in pencil, ' Eheu quam infortunii miserimum est fui.sse felicem.'- But his discovery arose from a young man who had left Cambridge for the army, and on his road through Reading to join his ' For fiitther \n(inmaUon''^ee' Memoir^ hf Sdra CoVeriW^^e, yoi/riwt of Caroline Fox, Memoir of Cliarles l.amb, Cral>l> fiol>inso>i's Diary. .Aiiiic SeKum/'s Letters, Life oj Soutliey, Memoirs of IVordsicort/i, U'or/ts of De Qiii/ieey, Hall Caiiie, H. D. Traill : and, perhaps best of all, the recent Life of Coleridge, by Professor .A. Hrandl, translated from the Cernian by Lady Kastlake, etc., etc. -' "It is the most wretched part of misfortune to have been happy." 120 THE HISTORY OF HIGHGATE. regiment met Coleridge in the street in his dragoon dress, who was about to pass him, but, said he, ' No, Coleridge, this will not do ; we have been seeking you this six months ; I must and will converse with you, and have no hesitation in declaring that I shall immediately inform your friends that I have found you.' This led to his return to Cambridge. "' As a complete bibliography is added to the end of this sketch there is no occasion to allude to his specific writings ; and as glimpses of his life will appear in the following notice of his contemporaries, all that seems necessary here is to state that he died July 25th, 1834, at the residence of Mr. Gillman, Pemberton Row, Highgate, and was buried at Highgate Old Chapel,- a monument being erected to his memory in the new Church of St. Michael, COLRRinfiF, VALI.T. ' Gilhnan's Life of Coleridge. 2 The vault contains the bodies of S. T. Coleridge, Sara his wife, his daughter .Sara, his nephew and son-in-law, H. N. Coleridge, and his grandson, H. Coleridge (buried in 1861). THE GKOlTi. /HE I'lTZKOY AXD CAEN WOOD ESTATES. 321 Tht; following is a copy of the epitaph to his memory, which was composed by Mr. Gillman, who, after a close association of nineteen years, spoke with authority. Sncvri) to tfic jjjfmoni SAMUEL TAYLOR COLERIDGE, HOET, PHILOSOPHER. IHEOLOGIAN. THIS TRULY GRE.Vl AND GOOD MA.N RESIDED, FOR IHE LAST NINETEEN YEARS OK HIS LIFE, IN THIS HAMLET. HE QriTTED "THE BODY OF THIS DEATH" JULY 25TH, 1834, IN THE SIXTY-SECOND YEAR OF HIS AGE. OF HIS PROFOUND LEARNING AND DISCURSIVE GENIUS HIS LITERARY WORKS ARE AN IMPERISHABLE RECORD; TO HIS PRIVATE WORTH, HIS SOCIAL AND CHRISTIAN VIRTUES, JAMES AND ANN GILLMAN, THE FRIENDS WITH WHOM HE RESIDED DURING THE ABOVE PERIOD, DEDICATE THIS TABLET. UNDER THE PRESSURE OF A LONG AND MOST PAINFUL DISEASE HI> DISPOSITION WAS UNALTERABLY SWEET AND ANGELIC ; HE WAS AN EVER-DURING, EVER-LOVING FRIEND, THE GENTLEST AND KINDEST TEACHER, THE MOST ENGAGING HOME COMPANION. O FRAMED FOR CALMER TIMES AND NOBLER HEARTS ! O STUDIOUS POET, ELOQUENT FOR TRUTH ! PHILOSOPHER CONTEMNING WEALTH AND DEATH, YET DOCILE, CHILDLIKE, FULL OF LIFE AND LOVE, HERE ON THIS MONUMENTAL STONE THY FRIENDS INSCRIBE THY WORTH. READER ! FOR THE WORLD MOURN. A LIGHT HAS PASSED AWAY FROM THE EARTH ; BUT FOR THIS PIOUS AND EXALTED CHRISTIAN REJOK E, AND AGAIN I SAY UNTO YOU, REJOICE. UBI THESAURUS, IBI COR S. T. C. 21 322 THE }J J STORY OF HI Gil GATE. Coleridge's gratitude to Mr. and Mrs. Gillman was thus expressed in a paragraph of his will : — " I bequeath my pictures and engravings to James and Ann Gillman, my more than friends, the guardians of my health, happiness, and interests during the fourteen' years of my life that 1 have enjoyed the proofs of their constant zealous and disinterested affection as an inmate and member of their family." A few days before Coleridge settled at Highgate in iSi6 he wrote a letter to Mr. Gillman, in which he detailed with frankness the tempt- ation to which his besetting weakness exposed him of acting a deception, of which prior habits of rigid truthfulness made it impossible for him not to speak. " 1 have full belief," he wrote, "that your anxiety need not be extended beyond the first week, and for the first week I shall not, I )mist not, be permitted to leaye the house, except with you. Delicately or indelicately this must be done, and both your servants and the assistants must receive absolute commands from you." A more resolute determin- ation could not have been made by a man whose will had never been sapped by disease. There is no reason to doubt its sincerity, and only the idlest gossip to question its faithful observance. It is true that De Ouincey said that " Coleridge never conquered his evil habit ; " true, too, that irresponsible persons have alleged that down to his death Coleridge continued to obtain supplies of laudanum surreptitiously from a chemist in the Tottenham Court Road ; but the burden of proof is in favour of Mr. Gillman's clear assurance that the habit was eventually overcome, and this assurance has just received unexpected confirmation. The report was that the doctor's boy procured Coleridge the drug when he went to town weekly for other medicines. This boy— a boy no longer, but now one of the oldest inhabitants of Highgate ; a quiet, truthful, much-respected man, Mr. Thomas Taylor, until lately a shoe- maker in the North Road — states that he lived a long while with Mr. Gillman, "that he wt'z'^r procured any opium for Mr. Coleridge, nor did he ever hear of his alleged habit of taking it ; " but he added, " He was a great consumer of snuff, and I used to bring him a pound of h'isli blackguard (his favourite snuff) at a time, with which he smothered himself." In that first letter to Mr. Gillman, Coleridge stated, in these terms, the condition on which he proposed to become an inmate of his house. " With respect to pecuniary remuneration, allow^ me to say, I must not at least be suffered to make any addition to your family expenses, though I cannot offer anything that would be in any way adequate to my sense of the service ; for that indeed there could not be a compensation, as it must be returned in kind, by esteem and grateful affection." We have no good reason to suppose that Coleridge ever ceased, during the eighteen ' This will was made a few years before his decease. THE GROVE. THE FITZROV AXD CAEXU'OOD ESTATES. 333 years in which he remained under Mr. (iilhnan'.s roof, but to rcsjard his domesticity in the same hght of pecuniary independence.' In 1S20 Coleridge had his sons with hini at Highgate. and two years later his daughter visited him. In the year 1S25 he received a pension of one hundred guineas from the private purse of the king, George I\'. In 1S30 the king died, and the pension stopped. Cole- ridge, thinking he had a claim, appealed to Lord Grey, who offered him a sum equal to two years' pension ; but these temporizing terms the poet declined. He then wrote to Brougham, who in the old days had professed to admire him as a journalist, but Brougham appears to have done nothing. Thus on the verge of sixty Coleridge was once again entirely without calculable resources. He wrote a little for Rlack- laood, and continued to earn small sums by various labours. "From 1820 onwards the house of Mr. Gillman had gradually acquired a unique distinction, as a rallying-point for intellectual activity. The residence of Coleridge with the Gillmans drew to Highgate many men and women who were celebrated in their several walks. One day a week or oftener there gathered about Coleridge a select band of young men, who looked up to him as to a ' master.' Among them were Edward Irving, Frederick Denison Maurice, Arthur H. Hallam, Joseph Henry Green, Julius Hare, and Coleridge's nephew, H. N. Coleridge. Men of an older generation often joined this weekly gathering, and of these there was Basil Montague, whose estrangement from Coleridge in 18 ri did not forbid a genial social intercourse. Charles Lamb was often of the circle, and, on rare occasions of their visits to London, Wordsworth and John Wilson were at Highgate. It does not appear that Shelley ever met Coleridge at Mr. Gilhnan's or elsewhere, and this was probably due, not to any lack of appreciation on Shelley's part, for he described him as ' a hooded eagle among blinking owls,' but to the circumstance that Shelley's circle among poets was thai of Leigh Hunt ; and after 18 1 7 the editor of T/ie Examiner could hardly be a welcome guest or sincere disciple where Coleridge was practically in the position of the honoured host and prophet. It is conceivable that the same cause operated to keep Keats from the weekly gatherings ; but walking one day, towards 18 18, in a lane near Highgate, Coleridge md 'a loose, slack, not well-dressed youth.' It was Keats. ' Let me carry away the memory, Coleridge, of having pressed your hand,' he said. ' It was Keats indeed ; I can think of no other man who could have said just that,' said Coleridge." " Charles Lamb, his schoolfellow aiul lifelong friend, thus speaks of Coleridge at Christ's Hospital (1782) — " Come back into memory, like as thou we^rt in the days[)ring of thy ' Hall C.nine. -' ]l'uL 5 24 THE HISTORY OF HIGH GATE. fancies, with hope like a fiery column before thee — the dark jjillar not yet turned -Samuel Taylor Coleridge — Logician, Metaphysician, Bard ! How have I seen the casual passer through the cloisters stand still entranced with admiration (while he weighed the disproportion between the speech and the garb of the young Mirandula) to hear thee unfold in thy deep and sweet intonations the mysteries of lamblichus, or Plotinus (for even in those years thou waxedst not pale at such philosophic draughts), or reciting Homer in his Greek, or Pindar — while the walls of the old Grey Friars re-echoed to the accents of the ' inspired charity boy.' " Hazlitt has left a vivid portrait of the poet as he appeared in 1798 : — "His complexion," he says, "was at that time clear and even bright. * * * His forehead was broad and high, light as if built of ivory, with large projecting eyebrows, and his eyes rolled beneath them like a sea with darkening lustre. * * * His mouth was gross, voluptuous, open, eloquent ; his chin good-humoured and round ; but his nose, the rudder of the face, the index of the will, was small, feeble, nothing — like what he has done. * * * Coleridge in his person was rather above the common size, inclining to be corpulent. * * * His hair (now, alas! grey) was then black and glossy as the raven's, and fell in smooth masses over his forehead." "Coleridge's attractions as a talker were great, but in the days at Highgate they were probably at their best. The only satisfying record of Coleridge's powers in conversation is the volume of Table Talk collected by H. N. Coleridge, from the end of 1822 to the middle of July 1834 This book carries the sure proof, of education that is almost without parallel, and of reading, thought, and ob.servation, that prob- ably out-strides the intellectual equipment of every Englishman since Bacon. Here we have the essence of what Coleridtre said, but to other records we must turn for accounts of how he said it. We shall take two witnesses only, and they shall be sufficiently unlike.' First, T. N. Talfourd : — ' He has yet completed no adequate memorials of his genius, yet it is most unjust to assert that he has done little or nothing. To refute this assertion, there are his Wallensleiji, his love poems of intense beauty ; his Ajicient Mariner, with its touches of profoundest tenderness amidst the wildest and most bewildering terrors ; his holy and sweet tale of Christabel, with rich enchantments and richer humanities ; the depths and sublimities and the pensive sweetness of his Tragedy : the heart- dilating sentiments scattered through his Friend, and the stately imagery which breaks upon us at every turn of the golden paths of his meta- physical labyrinths. And if he had a power within him mightier than that which even these glorious creatures indicate, shall he be censured because he has deviated from the ordinary course of the age, in its ' Hall C.iine. THE GROVE. THE EITZKOY AND CAEXWOOD ESTATES. 325 development, and instead ol committing his imaginative wisdom to the press lias deUvered it from his living lips? He has gone about in the true spirit of an old Greek bard, with a noble carelessness of self, giving fit utterance to the Divine Spirit within him. Who, that has ever heard, can forget him.'' — his mild benignity, the unbounded variety of his know- ledge, the fast-succeeding products of his imagination, the childlike simplicity with which he rises from the driest and commonest theme into the wildest magnificence of thought, pouring on the soul a stream of beauty and of wisdom to mellow and enrich it for ever ? The seeds of poetry, the materials tor thinking, which he has scattered, will not perish. The records of his fame are not in books only, but on the fleshy tablets of young hearts, who will not suffer it to die even in the general ear, however base and unfeeling criticism may deride their gratitude.' "The .second witness shall be Carlyle. This is the famous description in The Life oj Sterling: — 'The good man — he was now getting old, towards si.\t\' perhaps, and gave you the idea of a life that had been full oi sullerings ; a life hea\y-laden, half vancjuished, still swimming pain- fully in seas of manifold physical and other bewilderment. Brow and head were round, and of massive weight, but the face was flabb)' and irresolute. The deep eyes, ot a light hazel, were as full of sorrow as ot inspiration : contused pain looked mildly from them, as in a kind of mild astonishment. The whole tigun; and air, good and amiable otherwise, might be called flabby and irresolute ; expressive of weakness under possibility of strength. He hung loosely on his limbs, with knees bent, and stooping attitude ; in walking he rather shuffled than decisively stept; and a lady once remarked she could never fi.x which side of the garden- walk would suit him best, but continually shifted, corkscrew-fashion, and kept trying both : a heavy-laden, high-aspiring, and surely much-suffering man. His voice, naturalK- .soft and good, contracted ilselt into a plaintive snuffle anil sing.song ; he spoke as if preaching — you could have said, preaching earnestly and almost hopelessly, the weightiest things. I still recollect his 'object' and his 'subject,' terms of continual recurrence in the Kantean province ; and how he sang and snuffled them into 'om-m-ject' and ' sum-m-mjcci ' with a kind of .solemn shake or (|uaver as he rolled along. No talk in his century or in any other could be more surprising.' " ' Lord Hatherley has given us some interesting notes of the conversation of Coleridge. " During the last year anil a hall of m\ sUuK for ihc liar 1 had al.so recc:ived much kindness from the late Basil INlontague, Esq., and his admirable wife. 1 had been allowed free access to th(;ir home in Bedford Square on an\ evening 1 thought fit to go, when it was their custom to ' Lije (ij John S/er/i/if;, Ijy Tiioiiias Carlyle, ch.ip. \iii. 326 THE HISTORY OF H/GHGATE. receive those who had this privilege from eight to ten. There I some- times met Irving and Carlyle and Proctor, then better known as Barry Cornwall, and others of an older literary school, but less widely known, also John Kemble and his gifted sister. Thursday was the only day on which these receptions did not take place, for every Thursday evening was spent by Mr. and Mrs. Montague at Highgate. in the company of Coleridge. I had the privilege through Mr. Montague's kindness of frequently accompanying on these pilgrimages, and I entertain most lively recollections of many an evening pas.sed there of the highest enjoyment and interest. ' It is well known that Coleridge poured out all the riches of his prodigious memory and all the poetry of his brilliant imagination to every listener. I was not only so addressed myself, but I heard the whole of the poet-philosophers favourite system of Polarites — the Prothesis, the Thesis, the Mesothesis, and Antithesis — showered down on a young lady of seventeen, with as much unction as he afterwards e.xpounded it to Edward Irving. I was also present at some discussions between Edward Irving and Coleridge, on subjects of higher and holier import, in which the poetical temperament of Irving shone forth, but not with the genial all-embracing fervour that distinguished Coleridge. "December wt/i, 1828. — Went to Coleridge's with Mr. and Mrs. Montague and Irving in the evening. I was pleased with a reply of the latter to a lady who complained that Blomfield, Bishop of London, had preached a sermon for a female orphan school, in which he had enlarged on the old topic of the influence of woman in society, — ' My dear Madam, these old truths are old because they are funda- mental, and they are the truths which must be impressed on our minds, they cannot be urged too often.' * * * We found a large party at High- gate, and Coleridge was very entertaining. He read us a fine passage from a manuscript on the foolish objection to theory and demand for facts. ' Such men,' he observed, ' are preparing their souls for the office of turnspit at the ne.\t metampsychosis.' But I cannot go along with him in rejecting Bacon's theory* of induction as the groundwork of an insight into general laws. Coleridge has indicated this in the Friend, and quoted a ludicrous passage from Hooke, who requires ten times more irom the philosopher than Cicero did from the orator. Bacon may have gone too far in his zeal against hasty generalization. If, indeed, a man love his own fame better than the truth, he will, when he has once generalized, twist every fact to his own theory ; but we must have data to guide our imagination, we must assume theories, and deduce results from our assumptions, which we compare with those deduced from e.xperience, and thus attain the correct result. * * * Coleridge appears to attribute invention to a species of inspiration, which I suspect will be THE GROVE. THE FITZROY AXD CAEXWOOD ESTATES. 327 found to be vouchsafed only to those whose minds are well stored with facts. It is a species of gipsy prophecy in some cases, and we are astonished, because we do not know the individual's habits of observation. This, too, would account for the same theories being invented in different parts of the globe. Could any but a first-rate mathematician have hit upon the general laws of fluxion .'' ''December \^//i, 1828. — Went in the evening with the Montagues and Irving to Highgate. Coleridge was in full vigour of intellect, and his conversation, which took a theological turn, as is generally the case when Irving is there, was brilliant and at the same time of great depth and interest. * * * Coleridge's sentiments are formed on the Lutheran exposi- tion of the Gospel scheme, which he considers to be derived from the exposition given by St. Paul and St. John, the two most gifted apostles. He conceives a genuine faith is the gradual substitution of Christ's reviving influence, which causes the natural man to throw off as it were by successive sloughs the moral vices. He conceives that an internal Church, which ' cometh not by observation,' is preparing in the minds of men, whilst an external Church must at the same time, by its salutary influence on the mind, keep u\) the internal action, which would otherwise gradually wear out ; that this was the scheme ordained from the begin- ning of our earth, and the very object of its existence, at least after the fall ; that the Jewish prophets looked forward to an eternal life by redemption, as the expressions of Ezekiel for instance, ' that the wicked man turning away from his wickedness shall save his soul alive,' have no other meaning, being certainly physically incorrect : that evil is merely subjective, not objective ; that it is falsehood, the devil, who is a liar from the beginning, wishing to reconcile the impossibilities of being at the same time a creature, and yet equal to the Creator. He finely illustrated the subjecliveness of e\il pnxlucing objective good by supposing the parts of the machine in a manufactory to be animated, and anxious to tear and bruise each other, and the manufactured article, which at last, however, arrives at perfection by this very means. This, it is true, leaves untouched the origin of evil, and perhaps favours too niLich the doctrine of necessity. Irving is, I think, a fine-spirited enthusiast, but enthusiasm is very dangerous ; its least fatal effect is vanity, which may overcome us in a very humility and self-abasement. But let me not criticise others ; God knows I have enough to condemn in myself. "January 29///, 1829. -In the evening with B. Montague to Coleridge's. He had been seized with a fit of enthusiasm for Donne's poetry, which 1 think somewhat unaccountal)le. There was great strength, however, in some passages which he read. One stanza, or rather division of his poem, on the Progress of the Soul, struck me very much ; it was, I think, the fourth, in which he atldrc sses Destiny as the 328 THE HISTORY OF HIGH GATE. ' Knot of Causes.' The rest of the poem seemed the eftusion ot a man very drunk or very mad. Coleridge launched forth at some length upon Bacon's inductive method, at the request of Montague. I think he clearly failed in his attempt to depreciate experiment. The instances he selected, namely, the continued observation of the heavenly bodies, which led to nothing more than the Ptolemaic system till Kepler's time, and his still more favourite one of the isolated nature of the facts attending magnetism and electricity till the present day, may tend to show that the ' experientia literata ' is nothing without a master mind, which Bacon himself asserts ; but if Coleridge means anything he must mean that Kepler could have equally demonstrated his laws by one single observation as from the result of the observations of ages, — a proposition which cannot be maintained. * * * To use Coleridge's favourite simile, ' the human mind may be the kaleidoscope, but it is a dull instrument if there be no extrinsic object to work upon.' He was happy in one image, not .so much an illustration, as a pleasing touch of fancy. He said that ' Nature had for ages appeared to wish to communicate her stores of higher knowledge by the phenomenon of the compass, but that she was too distant from us, and we could only watch the trembling ot her lips without catching the sound." '' March ^th, 1829. — Went to Coleridge's in the evening with Mon- tague and young Edgeworth, a brother of Miss Edgeworth, who appears to be a young man of some talent. Coleridge wandered in metaphysical depths and mazes, talking of the characteristic of reason, or the pure idea, and the impossibility of defining it, its definition involving contra- dictions, etc., etc. If he means simply to say that, that which understands cannot itself as a whole be understood, 1 can agree with him ; otherwise I should feel no difficulty, when no proposition is offered, to assent. His illustrations were occasionally very beautiful. 1 like also his idea of truth, of its being an eternity as it were in itself, which we cannot feel ere we arrive at perfect conviction." ' The testimony of another, a more partial perhaps, but even better informed judge, must not be omitted. The l^ible Talk, edited by Mr. Nelson Coleridge,- shows how pregnant, how pithy, how full of subde observation, and also of playful humour, could be the talk of the great discourser in its lighter and more colloquial forms. The book, indeed, is a most delightful one. And thus speaks its editor of his uncle's conver- sation in his more serious moods : — "To pass an entire da\ with Coleridge was a marvellous change indeed (from the talk of daily life). It was a Sabbath p.isi exi^rcssion, deep, and tranquil, and serene. You came to a man who had travelled in many countries, and in critical times ; who had seen and felt the world in most Meiiuir oj Lord Hntherley. ■ Referred to on p. 324. THE GROVE. THE F/TZKOY AXD CAEXWOOD ESTATES. 329 of its ranks, and in many of its vicissitudes and weaknesses ; one to wliom all literature and art were absolutely subject ; and to whom, with a reason- able allowance as to technical details, all science was, in a most extraor- dinary degree, familiar. Throughout a long-drawn summer's day would this man talk to you in low, equable, but clear and musical tones, concern- ing things human and divine ; marshalling all history, harmonising all ex- periment, probing the depths ot your consciousness, and revealing visions of glory and terror to the imagination, but pouring withal such Hoods of light upon the mind, that you might for a season, like Paul, become blind in the very act of conversion. And this he would do without so much as one allusion to himself, without a word of reflection upon others, save when any given art fell naturally in the way of his discourse ; without one anecdote that was not proof and illustration of a previous position ; gratifying no passion, indulging no caprice, but, with a calm mastery over your soul, leading you onward and onward for ever, through a thousand windings, yet with no pause, to some magnificent point in which, as in a focus, all the parti-coloured rays of his discourse should converge in light. In all these he was in truth your teacher and guide ; but in a little while you might forget that he was other than a fellow-student, and the com- panion of your way — so playful was his manner, so simple his language, so affectionate the glance of his eye ! " Emerson's experience was not so happy, but he finds a kindly excuse for Coleridge, " the old and preoccupied man." His visit was in 1833 ; Coleridge died the next year. "From London, on the 5th August, I went to Highgate, and wrote a note to Mr. Coleridge, requesting leave to pay my respects to him. It was near noon. Mr. Coleridge sent a verbal message that he was in bed, but if I would call after one o'clock he would see me. I returned at one, and he appeared, a short, thick old man, with bright blue eyes and fine clear complexion, leaning on his cane. He took snuff freely, which presently soiled his cravat and neat black suit. He asked whether 1 knew Allston, and spoke warmly of his merits and doings when he knew him in Rome ; what a master of the Titianesque he was, etc., etc. He spoke of Dr. Channing. It was an unspeakable misfortune that he should have turned out a Initarian after all. On this he burst into a declamation on the foll5' and ignorance of Unitarianism,- — its high un- reasonableness ; and taking up Bishop Waterland's book, which lay on the table, he read with vehemence two or three pages written by himself in the fly leaves, — passages, too, which I believe are printed in the Aids to Reflection. When he stopped to take breath I interposed that, 'whilst 1 highly valued all his explanations, 1 was bound to tell him that I was born and bretl a Unitarian.' 'Yes,' he said, ' I supposed so,' and ('oniinLied as before It was a wontlcr that, after so man)" ages ol 330 THE II I STORY OF HIGIIGATE. unquestioning acquiescence in the doctrine of St. Paul, — the doctrine of the Trinity, which was also, according to Philo Jud^eus, the doctrine of the Jews before Christ, — this handful of Priestleians should take on them- selves to deny it, etc., etc. He was very sorry that Dr. Channing — a man to whom he looked up, — no, to say that he looked up to him would be to speak falsely ; but a man whom he looked at with so much interest — should embrace such views. When he saw Dr. Channing he had hinted to him that he was afraid he loved Christianity for what was lovely and excellent, — he loved the good in it, and not the true ; ' And I tell you, sir, that I have known ten persons who loved the good, for one person who loved the true ; but it is a far greater virtue to love the true for itself alone than to love the good for itself alone.' He (Coleridge) knew all about Unitarianism perfectly well, because he had once been a Unitarian, and knew what quackery it was. He had been called 'the rising star of Unitarianism.' He went on defininy, or rather refinino- : ' The Trinitarian doctrine was realism ; the idea of God was not essential, but super-essential ; ' talked of trinis))i and IctrakisDi and much more, of which 1 only caught this : ' That the will was that by which a person is a person ; because if one should jjush me in the street, and so I should force the man next me into the kennel, I should at once exclaim, " I did not do it, sir," meaning it was not my will.' And this also : ' That if you should insist on your faith here in England, and I on mine, mine would be the hotter side of the faggot.' I took advantage of a pause to say, that he had many readers of all religious opinions in America ; and I proceeded to inquire if the ' e.xtract ' trom the Independent's pamphlet, in the third volume of the Friend, were a veritable quotation. He replied that it was really taken from a pamphlet in his possession, entitled A Protest of One of tlie Independents, or something to that effect. I told him how excellent I thought it, and how much I wished to see the entire work. ' Yes,' he said, ' the man was a chaos of truths, but lacked the knowledge that God was a God of order. Yet the passage would no doubt strike you more in the quotation than in the original, for I have filtered it.' " When I rose to go he said, ' I do not know whether you care about poetr)', but I will repeat some verses 1 lately made on my baptismal anniversary,' and he recited with strong emphasis, standing, ten or twelve lines, beginning, — "'Born unto God in Christ.' " He incjuired where I had been travelling ; and on learning that I had been in Malta and Sicily, he compared one island with the other, repeating what he had said to the Bishop of London when he returned from the country, that Sicily was an excellent school of political economy ; THE GROVE. THE FITZKOY AXD CAENWOOD ESTATES. J J' for in any town there it only needed to ask what the Government enacted, and reverse that, to know what ought to be done ; it was the most felicitously o[)[Josite legislation to anything good and wise. There were only three things which the Government had brought into that garden of delights, namely, itch, pox, and famine ; whereas in Malta the force of law and mind was seen in making that barren rock of semi-Saracen inhabitants the seat of population and plenty ! Going out he showed me, in the next apartment, a picture of Allston's, and told me that Montague, a picture dealer, once came to see him, and glancing towards this said, ' Well, you have got a picture ! ' thinking it the work of an old master ; afterwards Montague, still talking with his back to the canvas, put up his hand and touched it, and exclaimed, ' By Heaven ! this picture is not ten years old I ' so delicate and skilful was that man's touch. " 1 was in his company for about an hour, but find it impossible to recall the largest part of his discourse, which was often like so many printed paragraphs in his book — perhaps the same, so readily did he fall into certain commonplaces. As I might have foreseen, the visit was rather a spectacle than a conversation, of no use beyond the satisfaction of my curiosity ; he was old and preoccupied, and could not bend to a new companion and think with him."' Shelley thus wrote of him ; — " You will see Coleridge : him who siis obscure In the exceeding lustre, and the pure Intense irradiation of a mind Which, with its own internal lustre blind, Flags wearily through darkness and despair, A cloud-encircled meteor of the air, A hooded eagle among blinking owls." Uean Milman said "he used to divide Coleridge's talk into three parts — one third was admirable, beautiful in language, and exalted in thought ; another third was sheer absolute nonsense ; and of the remaining third, 1 know not whether it were sense or nonsense. It was very much the same day after day, and there was a total absence of wit, but still very remarkable." Towards the end of 1833 Coleridge wrote his own epitaph : — " Stop, Christian passer-by ! stop, cliild of God ! And read, with gentle breast. Beneath this sod A Poet lies, or that which once seemed he — Oh, lift one thought in prayer for S. T. C. Emerson's Finl Visit to Eii'lanJ. 332 THE HISTORY OF HIGHGATE. That he who many a year with toil of breath Found death in life, may here find life in death ! Mercy for praise, — to be forgiven for fame, — He asked, and hoped, through Christ. Do thou tlie same." Towards the end he grew anxious as to not having seen much of Charles Lamb latterly, and he wrote a touching letter hinting at his faults as a friend. But Lamb had never ceased to love him. " Not an unkind thought has passed in my brain about you," Lamb writes; "if ever you thought an offence, much less wrote it against me, it must have been in the times of Noah, and the great waters swept it away. Mary's most kind love ; * * * here she is crying lor mere love over your letter." The beautiful friendship was to end as it had began. Early in 1834 Coleridge, in memory of the days of that visit of the "gentle Charles" to Stowey in 1797, wrote these words under the poem beginning "This Lime-tree Bower my Prison " : " Charles and Mary Lamb, dear to my heart ; yea, as it were my heart." In a copy of Beaumont and Fletcher he wrote : — "Midnight. God bless you, dear Charles Lamb ; I am dying : I feel I have not many weeks left. — Mr. Giilman's, Higligate." Death came suddenly to Coleridge as to every man. No matter how long it may have been waited for, when it comes, it comes as a surprise. Coleridge's son-in-law sent the tidings to Wordsworth in Westmore- land, and when the old poet read the news aloud to his family his voice faltered and broke. " He has long been dead tome," said Southey ; " but his decease has naturally wakened up old recollections." " Coleridge is dead," Lamb muttered to himself continually. "Coleridge is dead, Coleridge is dead ! " To the woman who had nursed his friend, Lamb gave five guineas when he went to Highgate for the first time after the funeral. " His great and dear spirit haunts me," Lamb wrote a little later. " He was my 'fifty-year old ' friend without a dissension. Never saw I his likeness, nor probably the world can see it again." Lamb himself died before the end of the year. The grave had hardly closed on him when the world echoed with his praise. "Coleridge," said Black'tcood (1834), "alone, perhaps, of all men that have ever lived, was always a poet — in all his moods, and they were many, inspired." " I am grieved," said Southey, " that you never met Coleridge. All other men whom I have e\er known are mere children to him, and yet all is palsied by a total want of moral strength." " He is like a lump of coal, rich with gas," said .Scott, " which lies e.xpending itself in puffs and gleams, unless som(; shrewd body will clap it into a cast-iron bo.\. and compel the compressed element to do itself justice." " He is the only person 1 ever knew who answered to the idea of a man of genius," said Hazlitt. " He is the only person trom whom THE GROVE. THE EITZROY ,1X/) CAEXWOOD ESTATES. 333 1 ever learnt anything. His genius had * * * angelic wings, and fed on manna. He talked on for ever, and you wished him to talk on for ever." " He is," said De Ouincey, " the largest and most spacious intellect, the subtlest and most comprehensive, that has yet existed among men." "Impiety to Shakespeare!" cried Landor, speaking of De Ouincey's utterance, " treason to Milton ! 1 give up all the rest, even Bacon. Certainly since their day we have had nothing at all comparable with him. Byron and Scott were but as gun Bints to a granite mountain ; Wordsworth has one angle of resemblance." " Metaphysician, bard, and magician in one," says Lamb. The great subject of regret is, that with powers of mind so great, Ccjleridge accomplished practically .so little ; but to prove that his influ- ence does not wane, it is only necessary to quote one of the latest public utterances in connection with his name. On the occasion of the ceremony of unveiling his bust in Westminster Abbey the year before last, the gift of the late Dr. Mercer of Xewport, Rhode Island, U.S., Mr. Lowell, the American minister, said : — " It is to comtnenn irate another friend lliat 1 come here to-daj', for who so worthy of the name as one who was our companion and teacher in the happiest hours of our youth, made doubly happy bj' the charm of his genius, and whn to our old age brings back, if not the presence, at least the radiant image of the youth we have lost? Surely there are no friends so constant as the jioets, and among them, I think, none more faithful tiian Coleridge. 1 am glad to jiave a share in tliis repa- ration of a long injustice, for as we looked about us hitherto in Poet's Corner we were tempted to ask, as Cavalcante dei Cavalcanti did of Dante, if these are here through loftiness of genius, where is he ? It is just fifty-one years ago that I became the possessor of an American reprint of Galignani's edition of Coleridge, Shelley, and Keats in one volume. It was a pirated book, and I trust 1 may be pardoned for the delight I had in it. I take comfort from the thought tiiat there must be many a Scottisii minister and laird now in heaven who liked their claret none the less that it had paid no tribute to the House of Hanover. I have heard this trinity of poets taxed with incongruity. As for me, I was grateful for such infinite riciies in a little room, and never thought of looking a Pegasus in the mouth whose triple burden proved a stronger back than that even of the Templars' traditional steed. Much later, but still long ago, I read the Friend, the Bioi^rnplu'a Lilrmria, and other prose works of Coleridge. In what may be given me to say I shall be obliged to trust chiefiy to a memory wiiich at my time of life is gradually becoming one of her own reminiscences, and is forced to compound as best she may with iier inexorable creditor — Oblivion. But perhaps she will serve me all the better for the matter in hand, for what is proper iiere, is at most a rapid generalisation ratlier than a demonstiation in detail of his claims to grateful remembrance. I shall naturally trust myself to judge iiim by liis literary rather than by his metaphysical achievement. In the latter region I cannot help being reminded of the partiality he so often betrays for clouds, and see him, to use his own woi'ds, ' making the shifting clouds seem what you please,' or 'a traveller go, from mount to mount through cloudland gorgeous land.' Or sometimes I think of him as an alchemist in search of the 334 THE HISTORY OF HIGHGATE. philosopher's stone and stripping the lead, not only from his own root", but from that of the parish church itself, to quench the fiery thirst of alembic. He seems never to have given up the hope of finding in the imagination some universal solvent, some magtsteriiiiH iiiajits, by which the lead of scepticism should be transmuted into the pure gold of faith, or, at least, persuaded to believe itself so. But we should not forget that many earnest and superior minds found his cloud castles solid habitations, nor that his alchemy was the nursing mother of chemistry. He certainly was a main influence in showing the English mind how it could emancipate itself from the vulgarising tyranny of common sense, and teaching it to recognise in the imagination an important factor, not only in the happiness, but in the destiny of man. In criticism he was, indeed, a teacher and interpreter whose service was incalculable. He owed much to Lessing, something to Schiller, and more to the 3'ounger Schlegel, but he owed most to his own sympathetic and penetrative imagination. This was the lifted torch (to borrow his own words again) that bade the starry walls of passages, dark before to the apprehension of even the most intelligent reader, sparkle with a lustre, latent in them to be sure, but not all their own. As Johnson said of Burke, ' he wound into his subject like a serpent.' His analysis was elucidative mainly, if you will, but could not have been so, except in virtue of the processes of constructive and philosophical criticism that had gone on so long in his mind as to make ics subtle apprehension seem an instinct. As he was the first to observe some of the sky's appearances and revelations of outward nature, so he was also first in noting some of the more occult phenomena of thought and emotion. It is a criticism of parts and passages, and was scattered carelessly in obiter dicta, but it was not a bringing of the brick as a specimen of the whole house. It was comparative anatomy, far rather, which from a single bone reconstructs the entire living organism. Many of his hints and suggestions are more pregnant than whole treatises, as where he says that the wit of Hudibras is 'the wit of thought.' But what I think constitutes his great power, as it certainly is his greatest charm, is the perpetual presence of imagination, as constant a quality with him as fancy with Calderon. She was his lifelong housemate, if not always hanging over his shoulders and whispering in his ear, j'et within easy call, like the Abra of Collins's Oriental Eclogue — " ' .-Vbra was with him ere he spoke her name, And if he called another, Abra came.' It was she, that gave him that power of sympathy which made his lVallci!stci)i what I maj' call the most original translation in our language, unless some of the late Mr. Fitzgerald's be reckoned such. He was not e.xact any more than Chapman. The molten material of his mind, too abundant for the capacity of the mould, overflowed it in gushes of fiery excess. But the main object of translation he accomplishes. Poetry is reproduced as poetrj', and genius shows itself as genius, patent even in the march of the verse. As a poet, the impression he made upon his greater con- temporaries will, I believe, be the ultimate verdict of criticism. They all thought of him what Scott said of him, ' No man has all the resources of poetry in such profu- sion. * * * His fancy and diction would long ago have placed him above all his contemporaries had the}' been under the direction of a sound judgment and a steady will.' No doubt we have in Coleridge the most striking example in literature of a great genius given in trust to a nerveless will and a fitful purpose. But I think the secret of his doing no more in poetry is to betiumd in the fact that the judgment, so far THE GROVR. THE FITZROY AXD CAEN WOOD ESTATES. 335 from being absent, grew to be therein excess. I lis critical sense rose like a forbidding apparition in the path of his poetic prodiution. I have heard of a military engineer who knew so well how a bridge should be built that he could never build one. It certainly was not wholly indolence that was to blame in Coleridge's case, for though he used to say early in life that he had no 'finger industry,' yet he left behind him a mass of correspondence, and his letters are generally long. But I do not care to discuss a question the answer to which must be left mainly to conjecture or to the instinct of individual temperament. It is enough for us here, that he has written some of the most poetical poetry in the language, and one poem, the Ancient Mariner, not only unparalleled, but unapproached in its kind, and that kind of the rarest. It is marvellous in its mastery over delightfullj' fortuitous inconsequence, that is the adamantine logic of dreamland. Coleridge has taken the old ballad measure and given to it, bj- an indefinable charm wholly his own, all the sweetness, all the melody and compass of a symphony. And how picturesque it is, in the proper sense of the word. I know nothing like it. There is not a description in it. It is all picture. Descriptive poets generally confuse us with multiplicity of detail. We cannot see their forests for the trees. Coleridge never errs in this wa}'. With instinctive tact he touches the right chord of association, and is satisfied, as we also are. I should find it hard to explain the singular charm of his diction, there is so much nicet}' of art and purpose in it, whether for music or meaning. Nor does it need any explanation, for we all feel it. The words seem common words enough, but in the order of them, in the choice, variety, and position of the vowel sounds they become magical. The most decrepit vocable in the language throws away its crutches to dance and sing at his piping. 1 cannot think it a personal peculiarity, but a matter of universal experience, that more bits of Coleridge have imbedded themselves in my memory than of any other poet who delighted my youth — unless I should except the sonnets of Shakespeare. This argues perfectness of expression. Let me cite an example or two : — " ' The sun's rim dips, the stars rush out, .•\t one stride comes the dark ; With far-heard wliisper o'er the sea Oft' shot the spectre-bark.' Or take this as a bit of landscape : — " ' Beneath you birch with silver bark And boughs so pendulous and fair, The brook fail.s scattered down the rock. And all is mossy there.' It is a perfect little picture, and so easily done. But try to do something like it. Coleridge's words have the unashamed nakedness of Scripture, of the Eden of diction ere the voluble serpent had entered it. This felicity of speech in Coleridge's best verse is the more remarkable because it was an acquisition. His earlier poems are apt to be turgid, and in his prose there is too often a languor of profuseness, and there are pages where he seems to be talking to himself and not to us, as I have heard a guide do in the tortuous caverns of the Catacombs when he was doubtful if he had not lost his way. But when his genius runs freely and full in his prose, the style, as he said of Pascal, ' is a garment of light.' He knew all mn- best 3 36 THE HISTORY OF IIICIIGATE. prose, and knew the secret of its compositiun. Wlien lie is well inspired, as in his best poetrjf he commonly is, he gives us the very quintessence of perception, the clearly crystallised precipitation of all that is most precious in the ferment of impres- sion after all the impertinent and obtrusive particulars have evaporated from the inemorv. It is the pure visual ecstasy disengaged from the confused and confusing material that gave it birth. It seems the very beatitude of artless simplicity, and is the most finished product of art. I know nothing so perfect in its kind since Dante. * * * Whatever maj' have been his faults and weaknesses, he was the man of all his generation to whom we should most unhesitatingly allow the distinction of genius, that is, of one authentically possessed from time to time b\' some influence that made him better and greater than himself. If he lost himself too much in what Mr. Pater has admirably called ' impassioned contemplation,' he has at least left such a legacy as only genius, and genius not always, can leave. It is for this, that we pay him this homage of memor\'. He himself has said that — " ' It seems like stories from the land of spirits If any man obtain that which lie merits, Or any merit, that which he attains.' Both conditions are fulfilled to-day.'" Lord Houghton said that " he remembered when a student at Cambridge going with Arthur Hallam to call on Coleridge, who received them, as Goethe or as Socrates might have received them. In the course of conversation the poet asked them if they either of them intended to go to America. He said, ' Go to America if you have the opportunity. I am known there ; you will hear of me there. I am a poor poet in England, but I am a great philosopher in America.' That was fifty years ago, when circumstances had brought about a community of what he might call identity between English and American literature and thought. He thought that that remark indicated even at that comparatively early period the metaphysical spirit which grew up and became dominant in the most practical of all nations, lifting their thoughts above material interests and enabling them, at once to become the most practical and most thoughtful nation of the world." Lord Coleridge said " he did not pretend to represent the family of Samuel Taylor Coleridge, but being by the accident of birth the nominal head of it, it became his duty to do that which some one must do, and which he did without in the smallest degree pretending to represent them, namely, to thank them, all of them who had come there to do honour to the memory of the dead. He wished very much that the munificent donor of the bust which they were about to unveil, could have been present there that day, because he was a member of that great Transatlantic public whose goodness and generosity to England and Englishmen, an Englishman had only to go over there to experience, and which would be remembered by one member of the family of Coleridge at least, to his dying day, with the pleasant recollection that American hearts and American homes were open to him all the more, because he belonged to the family of Samuel Taylor Coleridge. He had so slight a recollection of the poet that he could not pretend to speak authoritatively, but those who knew him thought that by far the best portrait of him was painted by an American artist, and by far the best edition of his best known philosophical work, The Aids of Reflection, was by an American gentleman, and it seemed therefore peculiarly appropriate that the chief part of the ceremony of that day should be taken by the Minister of the great Republic, a man eminent in himself and equallv eminent as a public man and THE GROVE. THE FITZROV AND CAEXWOOD ESTATES, in as a man of letters. The only sad thought connected with his career in this country was that it was about to come to an end so soon. * * * It was a great pleasure to him tliat this act of recognition of the right of Coleridge to be enshrined in that great cathedral was to be performed by the American Minister. It was not for him to attempt to cast the sum of his merits or to estimate the genius which he did not pretend to measure ; for his part he was content humbly and at a distance to worship and to wonder. From Wordsworth, from Charles Lamb, from Hazlitt, from Lord Byron, from Sir Walter Scott, from Frederick Maurice, and from John Stuart Mill he had received no stinted eulogy, and from the eminent men to whom they had listened that day, and for his part into such a chorus he would deem it presumptuous to intrude his voice." The l)ust was unveiled by Mr. Lowell. It stancLs in close pro.ximity to the monuments to Campbell and Southey, and within a few feet of those to Shakespeare and Burns. A letter dated 31st August, 1816, from "J. Gillman, Esq., Highgate," to a Mr. Boosey, bookseller, Broad Street, is e.xtant, in which Coleridge says, in reference to a proposal that he should write an article for the Quarlcrly. " I have an exceeding reluctance to write in any review, entirely from motives of conscience, conducted as reviews are, at present."' When composing, and the weather would allow, Coleridge's favourite locality was the garden. His amanuensis would sit at a small table on the lawn, and the poet would slowly walk round him, generally hatless, with his head bent low, and his hands behind him, wearing a beaten circle on the grass. His favourite walk was across the field path now Merton Lane, into Millfield Lane, where he escorted so many of his friends that it was called " Poet's Lane," and so into the Parliament Lields towards Hampstead. He often left the house hatless. and was frequently to be met surrounded by wondering children, to whom he was talking and distributing gingerbread. There is still an old resident in Highgate who states she frequently sat on his knee when a little child, and "repeated her poetry to him."- "Old Know," Mr. Gillman's coachman, who lived in the cottage at the rear of the Literary Institution, in after life used to boast of the proud distinction of " having driven Mr. Colleridge about." Coleridge is represented as destitute of humour, but Mr. Caine^ tells a story which shows that when in health and vigour the quickness of his repartee and ready wit must have been remarkable. "He was staying a few days with two friends at a farmhouse, when it was agreed to go to a horse-race in the neighbourhood. The farmer provided horses for the party, good ones for the poet's two friends, and for Coleridge, whose shortcomings as a horseman were known, a small, ' Morrison MSS. ^ Mrs. Dutton, wiio lives in the okl cottage by the side ol ihe Congregational Church. ' Life of CoUridge. 22 338 THE HISTORY OF HJGHGATE. bony, angular, slow, spiritless creature, in a dirty bridle and with rusty stirrups. The three mounted and set off. Coleridge was soon left far behind. He was dressed that day in a black coat, with black breeches, black silk stockings, and shoes. In this suit of woe, he and his cuddy, nicknamed a horse, went jogging along until they were met by a long- nosed gentleman in a sporting costume. The sportsman's nose quivered, and he stopped. ' Pray, sir,' he said, with a mighty knowing twinkle, ' did you meet a tailor along the road ? ' 'A tailor ? ' ' Yes, a tailor ; do you see, sir, he rode just such a horse as you ride, and for all the world was just like you!' 'Oh, oh!' said Coleridge, 'I did meet a person answering such a description, who told me he had dropped his goose, that if I rode a little further I should find it ; and I guess by the arch fellow's looks he must have meant you ! ' ' Caught a Tartar ! ' said the long-nosed sportsman, and he rode off smartly. So Coleridge jogged on again, like Parson Adams on a donkey, until he came to the racecourse, and there he drew up by a barouche and four, containing a baronet (a Member of Parliament), several smart ladies, and sundry gorgeous tlunkeys. ' A pretty piece of blood, sir, you have there,' said the baronet, with a curl of the upper lip. ' Yes,' said Coleridge. ' Rare paces, I have no doubt ? ' ' Yes, he brought me here a matter of four miles an hour.' 'Will you sell him .'^ ' 'Yes.' 'Name your price, rider and all.' The ladies began to titter. ' My price for the horse, sir, is one hundred guineas. As to the rider, never having been in Parliament his price is not yet fixed.' The shot told, the baronet had had enough ! " Before taking leave of Coleridge, there is an incident connected with a visit paid to him by Charles Lamb which so essentially belongs to Highgate that, although the joke is somewhat "time-honoured," it ought to find a place here. Lamb had been to supper w ith Coleridge, and on reaching the stage coach, which ran from the Po.\ and Crown to Holborn (fares, \s 6d. outside, 2s. in), one very wet night, fortunately lountl one vacant seat inside, and whilst congratulating himself on his good fortune a lady opened the door and an.xiously asked, "Any room inside.''" "No, madam, " said Lamb, "quite full ; ' adding with a kind of blissful remem- brance, "it was the last bit of pudde-w at Mr. Gillman's that did it, but I can't speak for the other passengers. " We are glad to know that there is an original portrait m oils of Coleridge in the parish of Hornsey. It was painted by a local artist, and was for many years in the possession of the late Dr. Moger of Highgate, from who.se repre.sentatives it was purcha.sed by the present owner, Mr. Ambrose Heal, of Crouch End. The testimony of the ncnv very few residents of Highgate who THE GROVE. THE FITZROV AXD C A EX WOOD ESTATES. 339 remember Coleridge is, that the enhirged sketch after D. Maclise, hung in the reading-room of the Literary Institution, is a very happy remembrance of him in his later years. The portrait facing the title-page of this work is etched by Lowen- stam, by kind permission of the Lord Chief Justice Coleridge, from a photograph of a drawing made by G. Dawe, R.A., 18 12. It has never been before published, and Lord Coleridge, referring to it, remarks, "It is said to be very like." The following bibliography, extracted from the Catalogue of the British Museum, is supposed to include all the editions of the works of Coleridge, besides which there are upwards of sixty books in the National Library which contain MSS. notes by him. WORKS. The Complete Works of S. T. C. With an introductory 'essay upon his philosophical and theological opinions. Edited by Professor Shedd. In seven volumes. Vol. i. Aids to Reflection. Statesman's Manual. {Nem York, 1858. 8vo.) The Complete Works of S. T. C. Witli an introductory essay upon his . . . opinions. Edited by . . . W. G. T. Shedd. 7 vols. (Harper and Brothers: New York, 1884 Svo.) The Works of S. T. Coleridge. Prose and Verse. Complete, etc. pp. xvi, 546. (Porter & Coates: Philadelphia, [1884?] 8vo.) COLLECTIONS OF WORKS. The Poetical and Dramatic Works of S. T. C. With a life of the author. (London, 1836. i2mo.) [Another edition.] With a memoir. (Edited by Mrs. S. and D. Coleridge.] 3 vols. (Boston, Cambridge [Mass. printed], 1854. Svo.) [Another edition.] Founded on the author's latest edition of 1834, with many addi- tional pieces now first included and with a collection of various readings. [Edited by R. H. Shepherd. Supplement to vol. 2.] 4 vols. (London, Boston [printed], i877-[8i]. Svo.) The Literary Remains of S. T. C, collected and edited by H. N. Coleridge. 4 vols. (iMndoH, 1836-39. Svo.) I. On the Constitution of the Church and State, according to the Idea of Each. (Third edition.) 11. Lay Sermons. (Second edition.) Edited from the author's corrected copies, with notes by H. N. Coleridge. (London, 1839. Svo.) Aids to Reflection and the Confessions of an Inquiring .Spirit. By S. 1". C. To which are added his Essays on Faith and the Book of Common Praj-er. New edition, revised. [With the " preliminary essay " by J. Marsh.] pp. l.xxvi, 381. 1884. Str Bohn (h. G.) Bohn's Standard Library. (1846, «/f. Svo.) Table Talk [edited by II. N. C, i.e. Henry Nelson Coleridge.] . . . and the Rime of the Ancient Mariner, Christabel, etc. pp. xxvii, 29S. 1S84. See Morlf.v (n.) Professor, etc. Morley's Universal Library. (1S83, etc. Svo.) Miscellanies, ^Esthetic and Literary : to which is added the Theory of Life . . . Collected and arranged by T. Ashe. pp. ix, 442. 1885. See Boiin (11. c.) Bohn's Standard Library. (1846, i/c Svo.) 340 THE HISTORY OF HIGH GATE. POEMS. The Poetical Works of S. T. C, including the Dramas of Wailenstein, Remorse, and Zapolya. 3 vols. [London, 1829. 8vo.) The Poetical Works of Coleridge, Shelley, and Keats. Complete in one volume. 3 pts. (Paris, 1829. 8vo.) The Poetical Works of S. T. C. 3 vols. (Zo«rfo;/, 1834. i2mo.) The Poems of S. T. C. (London, 1844. 8vo.) Poetical Works. See Campbell (t.) The Poetical Works of T. Campbell and S. T. C. [1859.] 8vo. The Poems of S. T. C. Edited by D. and S. Coleridge, with a biographical memoir by F. Freiligrath. pp. xlv, 344. i860. See British Authors. Collection of British Authors. Vol.512. (iS^i, etc. i6mo.) The Poems of S. T. C. (London, 1862. j6mo.) [One of " Bell and Daldy's Pocket Volumes."] The Poems of S. T. C. - Edited by Dtrwent and Sara Coleridge. With an appendix. A new edition. (London, 1863. 8vo.) The Poetical Works of S. T. C. Edited, with a critical memoir, by W. M. Rossctti. Illustrated by T. Seccombe. (London, Edinbiiri{h \\)v\ntey Gifford was the authoress of several ballads and songs, the best known of which is, probably, "I'm sitting on the stile, Mary." She died at Dufferin Lodge on the 13th June, 1867. Frederick Temple-Hamilton-Temple Blackwood, first Earl and 5th Baron Uufferin, was born, the heir to an Irish barony, at Florence on the 26th June, 1S26, and claims descent from the Scottish family of Blackwood, notices of which can be traced in the records of Scotland from an early pt riod. His father was a captain in the Royal Navy, who married Helen Selina, eldest daughter of Thomas Sheridan, Esquire (and granddaughter of the celebrated Richard Brinsley Sheridan). On his death in 1841 his only son, the subject of this notice, then a youth of fifteen at Eton, succeeded to the title and estates of his family. .Succeed- ing at so early an age, it is a remarkable circumstance that at his birth in 1826 the present Lord Uufferin stood three removes from his in- heritance. In the space of five years no fewer than three barons died ; and for many years there were living at the same time three widowed ladies bearing the title of " Baroness Dufferin." Lord John Russell being then Prime Minister, and Lord Dufferin belonging to the ministerial side in politics, he was, in 1850, at the age oi twenty-four, created a baron of the United Kingdom. This gave him a seat in the House of Lords. Four years later his introduction to official life was made by his appointment to the post of Lord-in-\Vaiting to the Oueen. In 1855, during the Crimean war, Lord Dufferin, in the character of .special attache, accompanied Lord lohn Russell, the British representative, to a Con- ference of the great Powers held at Vienna. The failure of Lord John's proposals led to his retirement from the Aberdeen Ministry ; but though the Conference proved abortive, it at least afforded to Lord Dufferin some e.xperience in the business of diplomacy, invaluable to him as a young man destined for public service. In the following year, 1856, Lord Dufferin's activities were turned run GKOVIi. THE FITZROY AXD CAEXWOOD ESTATES. 355 in a direction quite different from the concerns of European politics. In his schooner-yacht Foaiii he visited Iceland, Jan Mayen, Spitzbergen. and the coasts of Norway, and on his return home published Letters from Higli Latitudes, R'^'i'ig ^" account of his voyage, which speedily ran through several editions, and has maintained its character as a popular book ever since. In 1S64-66 Lord Dufferin held the office of Under-Secretary for India, and afterwards for a time that of Under-Secretary of State for War. In December 1868, under the Government of Mr. Gladstone, he was appointed Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster, and this latter post he held until April 187 J, when he was appointed Governor-General of th(' Dominion of Canada. Meantime, several other honours had been conferred upon him. He was made a Knight of St. Patrick in 1863, was appointed Lord Li(;utenant of his own county, Down, in 1864, and created a Privy Councillor in 1S68. Finally, he was raised to the dignity of Earl in the peerage of the United Kingdom in November 1871 It is not necessary to touch on the difficulties encountered by Lord Dufferin during his term of office in Canada. It is sufficient to say that he won golden opinions from all sorts of men, and did much by personal influence and example to stimulate the loyalty of the Canadians and to consolidate the relations between the L)ominion and the mother-country. Earl Dufferin was Ambassador Extraordinary to St. Petersburg in 1879-81, Ambassador Extraordinary to Constantinople 188 1-4, and sub- sequently appointed to his present high position as Viceroy of India. Mr. Euwaro Bruok, J. P., on acquiring Dufferin Lodge and the adjoining house, erected by Mr. George Crawley, removed them, and in 1870 erected the beautiful residence called Cakn Wood Towers. The finely-proportioned tower of the house, with its characteristic finials, is one of the most striking objects of the surrounding landscape. The house is now in the occupation of Mr. Francis Reckitt, J. P. Some photographs of the sylvan scenery of the grounds of Caen Wood Towers, presented by Mr. Reckitt, will be found at the Literary Institution. It is difficult to imagine the existence of spots suggestive of such "silent glades" within five miles of the Royal Exchange. The western portion of the Southampton estate was laid out on the surveyor's plans accompanying the sale conditions, as a proposed road, a little to the east of the present continuation of Millfield Lane, divicled into tnaiiy useful plots of building land! Accordingly, this portion was purchased by Lord Mansfield as a matter of protection, as no doubt it was intended it should be. The frontage of his lordship's magnificent property consequendy now extends from Hampstead Heath. l(; the wall on the western side of Caen Wood Towers. THE GROVE. THE FITZKOV .iXP C.IEXWOOD ESTATES. 357 CAEN WOOD. The earliest record of this estate is, that at the suppression of the monasteries the monies of Waltham held property in St. Pancras called " Cane Lond," with woods, etc., valued at /"i 3 per annum,' and it is to them probably we owe the ponds formed by damming up the Fleet almost at its source for the storage of fish — an important item in the numerous fasts of the early Church. Lysons finds a probable derivation of the name from a Reginald de Kentewode, a Dean of St. Paul's, and certainly " Ken Wood " is not far removed from " Kentewode ; " but the family name is more likely to be derived from the locality than that of the locidity from the name of the family. The suggestion we would make is that, like the name of the chapelry — St. Michael, the tutelary saint of Normandy — the name Caen is another evidence of the residence of the Xorman bishops in Highgate. At Caen the Conqueror built the castle, and in the Abbey Church of St. Stephen his body rests. What therefore would be more natural than that the woods surrounding the hunting-lodge of the Norman bishops should be called by a familiar name reminding them of their Norman home ? MSS. exist giving an Account of Ken Wood, from some papers of Sir Harry Vane and liis family, and bearing the respective dates of 1658, 1661, 1674, etc.- In the first .Sir Harry Vane says: — "The estate of Ken Wood appeared to him to require handling well, the home domain being peculiarly good, and capable of much improvement, but that he felt the price asked too great by /, 100, and so persuaded his h^iend John P)ilP not to purchase, as that little castle of ruinous brick and stone' could only be used for materials to build another house, near thirty acres in waste, as ponds and the moate, a deal of great trees to be cut down, and many serious expences he had not yet consideretl. ' Another paper- that of June 1661 — states, Mr. Bill purchased this estate of Sir James Ilarrington, who had fled the country fearing the effects of the Restoration. It then consisted "of 280 acres of land well covered with large timber, and also is stated a capital messuage of brick, wood, and plaster, eight cottages, a farm-house and loindmill, fishponds, etc." He then appears to have demolished the old house, as he states " he had Harrison's MSS., 701. '■' Copies of these jiapers from the originals are in the possession of Mr. .Xmbrose Heal. "■ "John Hill founded the London Gazitle in 1666. His father was binied in St. Ann's, liiackfriars, in 1630.'' ' This was probably the remains of the eld monastic buildings ; it stood at the end of the Lime Tree Walk. Some old brick walls, etc., are shown in the earlier representations of the house. 358 THE HISTORY OF HIGHGATE. formed a place that he could live in with comfort, and surrounded twenty- five acres with a brick wall." This John Bill afterwards married the widow of Sir Thomas Pelham, and daughter of Sir Harry Vane ; and these papers also show that Sir Harry Vane was hidden here in the disguise of a carman some weeks before his capture and trial. In the month of January 1661 Thomas Venner, a wine- cooper, and one of the fifth-monarchy men, with about fifty of his fanatical followers, sought a retreat in Ken Wood until the following Wednesday, when Mr. Bill states he was glad to be rid of their company, he having in the meantime lost four sheep and two cows.' " The madness of these men went so far as to expect the personal reign of Christ upon earth ; they believed that they and the rest of their sect were called by God to reform the world, and make all the earthly powers (which they termed Babylon) subservient to the kingdom of King Jesus ; and in order thereto they declared they would never sheathe the sword till the carnal powers of the world became a ' hissing and a curse ; ' and in the warmth of their zeal they taught and believed that one of them was alone sufficient to subdue ten thousand of their adversaries. They also declared that, when they had ' led captivity captive' in England, they would go to France, Spain, Germany, etc., and rather die than take the wicked oath of supremacy and allegiance ; that they would not make any league with monarchists, but would rise up against the carnal to possess the gate of the world, to bind their kings in chains, and their nobles with fetters of iron. "On the 6th of January, 1661, about sixty of these deluded men sallied forth from their meeting-house in Swan Alley, Coleman Street, completely armed, and resolutely determined to proceed in the execution of their imaginary designs. "They first marched into St. Paul's Churchyard, where questioning one unhappy man who he was for, and he answering, ' For God and King Charles,' they instantly murdered him. .Sir Richard Brown, the Lord Mayor, being informed of this insurrection, immediately hastened with a party of the trained-bands to suppress it, but was soon routed by these mi.sguided rioters. They then marched up and down the streets of the city, proclaiming ' King Jesus,' Who they said was their invisible Leader ; but being informed that a party of horse was coming to oppose them, they thought proper to retreat. In Beech Lane they killed a head-borough who ventured to obstruct them, and then retired to Caen Wood near Hampstead, where they passed the night. On the following morning they were routed from the wood by a party of horse, and several of them were taken prisoners, but the remainder assembled and returned to London, where they divided into two parties. One of these ' Pretty good evidence of the class of men concerned in this so-called " religious rising." THE GROVE. THE FITZKOY AXD CAEXWOOD ESTATES. 359 parties advanced towards Leadenhall, and from thence to Eastcheap, where being pursued by a party of the trained-bands, a smart skirmish ensued, and the rioters were obliged to disperse. The other party, with Venner at their head, attempted to surprise the Lord Mayor's house, intending to have taken his lordship prisoner, but he not being at home, they marched to Wood Street, where they were encountered by a party of the trained-bands, whom they resisted with great intrepidity. Hut a body of horse arriving, Yenner was at length wounded and taken, and two others killed ; on which the rest retreated towards Cripplegate, where they took possession of an alehouse, and obstinately defended themselves for a considerable time, till the house being surrounded by the horse and trained-bands, who kept incessantly firing, seven of the insurgents were killed, and the rest not being able any longer to withstand their adversaries were all taken prisoners. In subduing these misled people twenty of the king's troops were killed, besides several of the trained-bands and others. " A few days after the insurrection was suppressed, X'enner with eleven of the most notorious were tried at Justice Hall in the Old Bailey, and, being found guilty, were executed in different parts of London." ' Little appears to be known of Sir James Harrington, e.xcept that he was a regicide. The Loyall Martyrology and Dregs of Treachery, with the Calalogue and Characters of those Regicides tvho sat as Judges on our late Dread Soveraign of ever Blessed Memory, witli others of that Gang, most Eminent for Villany. by ]Villiaiii 11 'instanley {166^), gives the following: " Sir James Harrington was to have suffered the like punish- ment (to go with halters about their necks to Tyburn, where having threaded that triple tree, they returned to the Tower to suffer perpetual imprisonment, their estates confiscated, and they degraded from all titles and amies of gentility), but he having his liberty upon bail from the Sergeant-at-Armes, gave them the slip, and most unworthily left his bail in the lurch.'' He died at the age of forty-nine. On 25th July, 1661, the following petition was presented to the House of Lords. " Petition of K.vtiikkink L.-vdv H..\rrinc;ton, the distres.sed wife of Sir James Harrington. She is the daughter of Sir Edmund Wright," who was a loyal subject and great sufferer for His late Majesty, and the wife of a miserable gentleman of ancient family, who has justly fallen under the displeasure of His Majesty and of Parliament, and is reserved to pains and penalties, which will fall not on him only, but on the innocent also, on her and her twelve poor undisposed children. She prays at least ' History of Li»idoii. Harrison. - .Sir Edmund Wright (Lord Mayor) was burietl 111 St. Lawrence Jewry in 161S ; there is a window to his nicmory. 36o THE HISTORY OF HIGHGATE. the small proportion of her own father's inheritance, in which her husband never had any interest, except in her right, may be preserved her, that so the punishment of her husband may not extend to take away the bread of his innocent relations. Award : Proviso saving the lands settled on Dame Katherine Harrington in jointure." ' The gardens during Sir James Harrington's occupation seem to have attracted notice, from the following advertisement : — " Austen (Ra.) Treatise of Fruit Trees, zoith the Spirit nail Use of an Orchard, engraved title, 4to, with autograph of John Aubrey, and a manuscript notice of the house and garden of Sir James Harrington at Highgate, 6s. Oxford, 1653." Mr. Bill directed by his will that this estate should be sold after the decease of his lady, which was accordingly done, and the Duke of Argvle became the purchaser ; but the Duke does not appear to have retained it long, as in the year 1720 it was the property of Mr. T. Dale. Mackay (otherwise Defoe) says: "This fine seat, late the Duke of Argyle's, now belongs to one Dale, an upholsterer, who bought it out of the bubbles of the South Sea affair." " From another account," Lysons says, " I find that the Duke of Argyle only leased the property of Ken Wood to Dale, as on his prosecution by government respecting the said South .Sea robbery, that he regained possession, and at his death devised it to the Marcjuis of Bute, who now resides here many months in the year. It is very elegant in appearance, and although commodious is very unfit for a nobleman of his distinction. Its attractions to him were its privacy yet close neighbourhood to the metrojiolis and the court ; indeed there is not to be found in such close vicinage of London such scenery as the thirty- five acres that compose the grounds. They are most rich in natural beauty ; the undulations are gentle yet sheltering, and the deep mass of woodland, which imparts a name to the domain, is an adjunct to the picturesque."' Howitt'' says: "The property was devised by the Duke of Argyle to his nephew John, third Earl of Bute, who is only too well remem- bered in the opening of the reign of George III. for his unpopularity. Bute was the favourite of the widow of Frederick Prince of Wales, mother of George HI., a connection of public scandal. I5y this influence he was made minister of the young king. He soon showed himself so incapable that he was compelled by universal opinion to resign. Bute married the only daughter of the celebrated Lady Mary Wortley Montague, who, of course, resided much here as Countess of Bute. It is curious that in Lady Mary's letters to her daughter she always spells the name of the place 'Caen.' The earlier possessors spelt it 'Ken'; and it is singular, that though in the patent of the earldom to Lord Mansfield it is spelt ' Caen,' Lord Mansfield himself, in his letters, to the end ^Journal House 0/ Lords. " Lysons' Environs. " Northern Heights. THE GROMi. THE EETZROV AND CAEN WOOD ESTATES. 361 of his life spelt it ' Ken.' The word would seem to have originated in ' ken,' a view ; but there was a very early Dean of St. Paul's, named Reginald de Kentewode, from whom it and Kentish Town may have derived their appellation." It is quite evident that Howitt had no suspicion of the probability of the Norman origin of the name. " Lord Bute, though so very unpopular as a minister, and as the close friend of the Princess of Wales, must have had some very good (jualities as a man. He appears to have been very amiable in his family, and to have lived on the best of terms with his wife. Lady Mary Wordey Montagu, in her letters to her sister the Countess of Mar and her daughter Lady Bute, always spoke of him with great respect and esteem. A good trait of Lord Bute is mentioned by Mrs. Piozzi. Dr. Johnson having said that ' knowledge was divided amongst the Scots like bread in a besieged town, to every man a mouthful and to no man a bellyful,' and some officious fellow having carried this to Lord Bute when he was minister, he only replied, ' Well, well, never mind ivhat he says ; he will have the pension lor all that.' " ' Lady Mary Wortley Montagu, in her Letters, says : — "I well remember Caen Wood House, and cannot wish you a more agreeable place. It would be a great pleasure to me to see my grandchildren run about the gardens. I do not question Lord Bute's good taste in the improvements round it, or yours in the choice of furniture. I have heard the fame of the paper-hangings, and had some thoughts of sending for a suite, but was informed that they were as dear as damask is here, which put an end to my curiosity.' In another letter she congratulates her daughter on the comparative leisure that she enjoys at " Caen Wood." " The Earl of Bute sold Caen Wood in 1755 to Luru Mansi-ield, who, on his death, devised it to go with the title to his nephew Loun Stormont, whose descendants now possess it. Lady Mary Wortley Montague's daughter brought Lord Bute seven sons and si.\ daughters, .so at that time the house and grounds of Caen Wood resounded with life enough. It is now very little occupied, its proprietor being much more partial to Scone Palace, his Scotch residence. In fact, this is one of the worst features of the exclusive system by which enormous properties in land arc; man.iged in luiglaiul. In this little populous island thou- sands ol acres of the most beautiful parts of it, created for the general Ijenefit, are shut up for the greater part of the year, and are seen only by a few bailiffs and labourers. It is a condition of exclusiveness that exists in no other country of the; world besides England. " Before the Earl of Bute, however, inherited Caen Wood, there was Howitt. 362 THE HISTORY OF HIGHGATE. a little boy already riding up from Scotland on his pony, with a little meal-sack hung from its neck, in order to take possession of it. " This was William Murray, the eleventh child and fourth son of Viscount Stormont of the Castle of Scone, which, says Lord Campbell, ' in a dilapidated condition frowned over the Tay, in the midst of scenery which for the combination of richness and picturesqueness of beauty is unsurpassed.' Lord Stormont had married a lady of the ominous name of ' Scott of Scotstarvet,' who brought him so many children that they were in danger of being, in Scotch phrase, ' starvet,' for, ' To add to the difficulties of the poverty-stricken viscount,' says Lord Chancellor Campbell, ' his wife although of small fortune was of wonderful fecundity, and she brought him no fewer than fourteen children. For these high- born imps oatmeal porridge was the principal food which he could provide, except during the season for catching salmon, of which a fishery near his house, belonging to his estate, brought them a plentiful supply.'' "Willie, the fourth son, showed symptoms of great talent, and therefore much care was taken of his education — that is, so far as the scanty means of his father would allow. "He was sent to the Grammar School at Perth till he was fourteen ; and there is a tradition that he was so short of money that he and two other boys used to join at one candle in preparing their lessons over night for the next day. As the family was out-and-out Jacobite, and his second brother James had actually joined the Pretender, there was little hope of assistance from the nobles who supported the reigning family, and law seemed the only profession for the lad to succeed in. It was resolved to send him up to Westminster School, where, by the inllucnce of Bishop Atterbury (a thorough Jacobite), it was hoped he would be admitted and well looked after. But how was he to get there } A coach ran once a week from the Black Bull, in Canongate, Edinburgh, to the Bull and Mouth, St. Martin's-le-Grand, London, performing the journey in ten days! But the fares were excessive, and beyond reach of the Stormont purse ; it was therefore resolved that the boy should travel up on his pony. On this most formidable journey for a boy of fourteen, to run the gauntlet of highwaymen and cheats and expenses at wayside inns, William Murray set off from Scone on March 17th, 1 7 18. Making some stay with relatives in Edinburgh, he jogged along southwards. "He could draw on the contents of his meal-sack at noon by some brookside, and extemporise ' crowdy ' whilst his pony grazed, and thus in two months, short of one week, that is, on May 8th, he arrived in London ! Here he was consigned to the care of one John Wemyss, who had been born on his lather's estate, and now practised as an apothecar) Lives oj the Chief Justices. THE CKOVE. THE EITZROY AND CAESW'OOD ESTATES. 363 in the metropolis. Being entered of Westminster School, he made good use of his time and aptitude for learning, and acquired a wonderful passion for the higher practice of law by listening to the pleadings in Westminster Hall. Like other aspirants for legal fame, Murray had his early difficulties ; but he had a Scotch indomitable perseverance, and a mild and pliant manner, that worked his way. " Moreover, all his contemporaries attribute to him a silvery toned voice, e.xquisitely modulated, which influenced almost irresistibly his hearers. We need not say more than that in 1742 he became Solicitor- General, had distinguished himself both at the Bar and in Parliament in the highest degree, and in 1 745 found himself called upon to appear as Government prosecutor against the Scotch rebel lords Kilmarnock, Cromarty, Balmerino, and Lovat. This must have been an awful busi- ness for him. They were martyrs to the cause which had been the enthusiasm of his youth, the cause in which his parents and all his family were engaged heart and soul. His second brother James had early and openly gone over to the Pretender, and had been created Earl of Dunbar by him in anticipation of success. Yet Murray went through the trial and condemnation of the rebel lords with great self-command. Only once was he seen to flinch, when old Lord Lovat complimented him on his speech against him, adding, ' But I do not know what the good lady your mother will say to it, for she was very kind to my clan as we marched through Perth to join the Prince.'"' In I 754 he succeeded Sir Dudley Rider as Attorney-General, and was appointed Chief Justice of the King's Bench in 1756, and created Baron Murray of Mansfield, and Earl Mansfield in 1776. It is outside the scope of our plan to follow Lord Mansfield in his great career as a lawyer and legal reformer. It will suffice for our pur- pose to quote the dictum of Chief Justice Buller, i/iat Lord Mansfield was the foimder of the coiiniicnia/ laiu of this couitiry. He died at Caen Wood 20th March, 1793. As the riots of 1780 affected Ilighgate happily only to ;i. limiteil extent, but were e.xceedingly disastrous to Lord Mansfield, it is fitting they should be alluded to here. We who live in these peaceful times can form but an inadequate con- ception of the horrors either oi warfare abroad or of the confusion /«/ lime-trees, Pope's favourite composition icalk." — Coleriih;e. '^ History of St. Pancras, Palmer. ^ In a map in Camden's Britaiiniii, published in 1772, Park Gate is niarkcil. 368 THE HISTORY OF HIGHGATE. " Spaniard's " along the hollow between the trees now standing within the grounds, ran within a few feet of the front of the mansion. As will be seen by the map, a new road was made by Lord Mansfield a few hundred yards to the north, which commands a magnificent panorama. This alteration, which was greatly to the advantage of the property, was presumably made in 1786, when Lord Southampton altered the other end of the lane (the parish boundary-stone, enclosed in the grounds, bears date 1 738). By this alteration Lord Mansfield enclosed some of the property of the Ecclesiastical Commissioners, which has recently been arranged, by the surrender of the lease of the woodlands opposite, thus facilitating the formation of the new road called " Bishop's Avenue. " But this alteration of the road blocked up what was doubtless an old highway — " Millfield Lane" — which had fallen into disuse when the West Hill Road was made (see page 169). Lord Southampton altered the other end of the Lane about the same time, diverting the road, which before ran within twenty-seven feet of Fitzroy House, at the cost of ;^500. The present possessor of Caen Wood is William David Murray, 4th Earl of Mansfield, born 21st February, 1S06 ; succeeded his father in 1840; sat as M.P. for Woodstock 1829, Aldborough 1830, Norwich 1832-7, Perthshire 1837-40 ; was a Lord of the Treasury 1834-5, and Lord High Commissioner of Scotch General Assembly 1852 and 1859, Lord Lieutenant of Clackmannan, and D.L. for Perthshire. His son William David, Viscount Stormont, was born in 1835, and served in the Crimean campaign, three ot liis sons being in the army. The titles of the family- are Baron Scone 1605, X'iscount Stormont 162 1, Earl of Mansfield 1776. The family seats are Scone Palace, Perthshire ; Cumlongan Castle, Dumfriesshire ; .Schaw Park, Clackmannanshire ; Balvaird, Fifeshire ; and Caen Wood, Highgate. Opposite the end of the Caen Wood grounds, adjoining the " Spaniard's," is Erskine House, once the residence of the witty Lord Erskine, a protdge of Lord Mansfield, and who afterwards became Lord Chancellor under the Grenville Ministry. Lord Erskine was far in advance of the political views of the day, and was a staunch advocate for reform, especially in the army, to touch the privileges of which, was considered e.xtremely revolutionary. Edmund Burke visited him at his house overlooking Caen Wood, and, greatly admiring the extensive prospect, said : " Ah ! this is just the place for a refoniK-'r, for all its beauties are beyond reach — you cannot destroy them ! " " Lord Erskine was probably the greatest forensic orator that Britain has produced. He was the third and youngest son of Henry David, tenth Earl of Buchan, and was born in Edinburgh on the 10th January, THE GROVE. THE FITZROY AND CAENWOOD ESTATES. 369 1750. From an early age he showed a strong desire to enter one of the learned professions ; but his father, whose means had barely per- mitted him to afford the expense of a liberal education for his two elder sons — one of whom, afterwards the well-known Harry Erskine, was studying for the Scotch bar — was unable to do more than give him a good school education at the High School of Edinburgh and the Grammar School of St. Andrew's. He attended the University of St. Andrew's for one session, after which it was decided that he should join the navy ; and in the spring of 1 764 he left Scotland to serve as a midshipman on board the Tartar. His buoyancy of spirit and the opportunity for study which he had on board a man-of-war (?) recon- ciled him to his new mode of life ; but on finding when he returned to this country, after four years' absence in North America and the West Indies, that there was little immediate chance of his rank of acting lieutenant being confirmed, he resolved to quit the service. He entered the army, purchasing a commission in the ist Royals with the meagre patrimony which had been left to him. But promotion here was as slow as in the navy; while in 1770 he had added greatly to his difficulties by marrying the daughter of Mr. Daniel INIoore, M.P. for Marlow, an excellent wife, but as poor as himself In the.se depressing circumstances he happened to be quartered where the assizes were being held, and lounging into court one day was invited on the bench by his father's old friend Lord Mansfield. He was told that the barristers who were pleading were at the top of their profession ; yet he felt that he could do as well, if not better, himself He confided his plan to Lord Mansfield, who did not discourage him ; and to his mother, a woman of remarkable determination of character, who strongly advised him to cjuit the army for the law. "Accordingly, on the 26th April, 1775, he was admitted a student of Lincoln's Inn. He also on the 13th January following, entered himself as a gentleman commoner on the books of Trinity College, Cambridge, but merely that by graduating he might be called two years earlier, lie placed him.self as a pupil under Mr. Buller, and, when that eminent lawyer was elevated to the bench, he studied under Mr. Wood, and was called to the bar on the 3rd July, 1778. His success was immediate and liriilianl. An accident was the means of giving him his first case, Re.x :■. Baillie, in which he appeared for Ca[)tain liaillic;, the lieutenant-governor of Greenwich 1 Ios[)ital, who had published ,1 pamphlet animadverting in severe terms upon the abuses which Lord Sandwich, the First Lord of the Admiralty, liad introduced into the management of the ho.spital, and against whom a rule; had been obtained from the Court of King's Bench to .show cause why a criminal information for libel should not be filed. I'^rskine was the junior of '^wit 24 370 THE HISTORY OF fHGf/GATE. counsel, and it was his good fortune that the proHxity of his leaders consumed the whole of the- first day, thereby giving the advantage of starting afresh next morning. V\v. made use of this opportunity to deli\'er a speech of wonderful elociuence and courage, which captivated both the audience and the court. The rule was discharged, and Erskine's fortune was made. He received, it is said, thirty retainers before he left the court! In 1781 he delivered another remarkable speech, in defence of Lord George Gordon — a speech which gave the death-blow to the doctrine of 'constructive treason.' In 1783, when the Coalition Ministry came into power, he was returned to Parliament as member for Portsmouth. His first speech in the House of Commons was a failure ; and he never in parliamentary debate possessed anything like the influence he had at the bar. He lost his seat at the dissolution in the following year, and remained out of Parliament until i 790, when he was again returned for Portsmouth. But his success at the bar con- tinued unimpaired. In 1783 he received a patent of precedence. His first special retainer was in defence of Dr. Shipley, Dean of St. Asaph, who was tried in 1784 before Mr. Justice Duller at Shrewsbury for seditious libel — a case memorable for Erskine's bold yet dignified vindication of the independence of the bar, and for the speech which he subsequently made before the court at Westminster against a motion for a new trial. In 1789 he was counsel for Stockdale, a bookseller, who was charged with seditious libel in publishing a pamphlet in favour of Warren Hastings, whose trial was then proceeding ; and his .speech on this occasion, probably his greatest efibrt, is a consummate specimen of the art of addressing a jury. Three years afterwards he brought down the opposition alike of friends and foes by defending Thomas Paine, author of T/ie Rig/its of Man — holding that an advocate has no right, by refusing a brief, to convert himself into a judge. As a con- sequence he lost the office of Attorney-General to the Prince of Wales, to which he had been appointed in 1786; the Prince, however, .subse- quently made amends by making him his Chancellor. Among Erskine's later speeches may be mentioned those for Home Tooke and the other advocates of parliamentary reform, and that for Hadfield, who was accused of shooting at the king. On the accession of the Grenville Ministry in 1806 he was made Lord Chancellor, an office for which his training had in no way prepared him, but which he fortunately held only during the short period his party was in power. Of the remainder of his life it would be well if nothing could be said. Occasionally speaking in parliament, and hoping that he might return to office should the Prince become Regent, he gradually degenerated into a state of useless idleness. " As a lawyer he was well read, but by no means profound. His THE C.ROVE. Tf/li l-ITZROY AND CAENWOOD ESTATES. 371 stnmgth lay in the keenness of his reasoning faculty, in his dexterity and the ability with which he disentanglecl complicated masses of evidence, and above all in his unrivalled power of fixing and commanding the attention of juries, while the singular grace and attractiveness of his manner endeared him to all with whom he came in contact. "In 1772 Erskine [)ublished Observations on the Prevailing Abuses in the British Army, a pamjjhlct which had a large circulation ; and in later life, Armata, an imitation of Gulliver's Travels. His most noted speeches have repeatedly appeared in a collected form. There is a good account of his life in Lord Campbell's Chancellors, and an interesting estimate of his character in Lord Abinger's recently published Afemoir." ' Lord Erskine died on 17th November, 1823. ' Encyclopedia Britannica. CHAPTER VI. TRADITIONS— CUSTOMS— G OSS I P. Prophecies — The Highgatc oath — The taverns — Tlic Highgatc ordinary — Di7o-) Barnaby Harrington's Itinerariuiii gives the following quaint lines published in 1623, for he has journalised his sottish jollities in the time of James L, and left a memorial of his arrival at this place, where it appears he drank from the crumpled horn. " Thence to Highgate, where I viewed City I so dearly lo'ed. And i" th' horn of matriculation Drank to the Freshmen of our nation. To his memory saluted. Whose branched head was last cornuted." Daniel" alludes to the doings of the brethren of Bull P'eather Hall, and quotes a scarce tract entitled Bull Feather Hall (see opposite page). This club, as the tract informs us, used to meet in Chequer Yard in Whitechapel, their president being arrayed in a crimson satin gown, and furred cap surmounted with a pair of antlers (a skit upon the right worshipful magistrate of London), and on a cushion lay a cornuted sceptre and crown ; " the bretheren of this solemne and grete fraternite drank out of horn cups, and were sworn on admission upon a blank horn book ; " but let the chronicler of this fraternity speak for himself. "As yet the revenues of Bull Feather Hall are but small, and what doth appertain to it, is dispersed, as Horn Fair, the toll of all the Gravel up Highgate Hill. They have some propiety (property) in Hornsey, and Cow Lane, and a considerable quantity of plate, the horners owe them." The manner of their going from Busby's Folly'* to Highgate : — " On Monday the second of May, some of the Fraternity met at Busby's Folly in Islington, where, after they had set all things in order, they thus marched out, ordine quisque suo ; First, a set of Trumpets, then the Controller, or Captain of the Pioneers, with thirty or fourty following ' Perambulations of Islington. ■ Alerrie England. •* Busby's Folly was on Pentonviile Hill, at the corner of Penton Street, now the Belvedere Tavern. OLD CCSTO.VS. GOSS/r, ETC. m him with pickaxes and spades to level the hill and baskets withall to carry gravel. After them another set of Trumpeters, and also four that did wind the horn, after them followed the Standard, alias an exceeding large pair of Horns fixed on a pole, which three men carried with penants BULL FEATHER HALL; OR, THE ANTIQUITY AND DIGNITY Of HORNS Amply sheivn ; AS ALSO A DESCRIPTION OF THE MANJSERS, RIGHTS, CUSTOMS, AND REVENUES BELONGING TO THE INGENIOUS ANO NUMEROUS SOCIETY OF BULL FEATHER HALL. An exact relation of their manner of going to Higligate with Trumpets and Horn musick, and their pioneers intended for the levelling of the Hill. LONDON : PRINTED FOR THE SOCIETY OF BULL FEATHER HALL, 1664. on each tip ; the Master of the Ceremonies attending it with other officers. Then followed the Hag with the Arms of the Society, with horned beasts drawn thereon. ■'In this equipage they marched, and in \ery good order, attended by 37S THE HISTORY OF HIGHGATE. multitudes of people " (who, by our chronicler's account, seem to have been highly excited by this procession). " Approaching near the Gate the Viceroy of the Gravel Pits came out to meet him with his Mace and Cap. After they had gone through the Gate they came back, and so round the pond, and then came up to the Gate again, where one made a speech." The oath administered on adopting a brother seems not to have materially differed from that later in use, and the Horns evidently have reference to an ancient passage toll levied at Highgate upon horned cattle and gathered by some park-keeper, or manor bailiff, who showed his authority by a staff surmounted with a sign not to be misunderstood. In Hone's Every-day Book is the following letter : — " Sir, — In illustration of the custom of swearing on the Horns at Highgate, described at page 79 of the Evcry-day Book of the present year, I enclose you a Song which was introduced into the pantomime of Harlequin Teague, performed at the Ha3'market Theatre in 1742; if you think it worth}' the columns of your invaluable work it is at 3'our service. " I am, etc., " P.\SCHE." SONG BY THE LANDLORD OF THE HORNS. " Silence ! take notice, you are my Son, Full on your father look, Sir ; This is an oaih you may take as you run. So lay your hand on the horn book. Sir. Horn-a-by, Horn-a-by, Highgate and horns. .\nd money by hook or by crook. Sir. Hornaby, etc. " Spend not with cheaters, nor cozeners, your life, Nor waste it on profligate beauty ; And when you are married be kind to your wife, And true to all petticoat duty. Dutiful, beautiful, kind to your wife, .And true from the cap to the shoe tie. Dutiful, etc. " To drink to a man, when a woman is near, You never should hold to be right, Sir ; Nor unless 'tis your task to drink small for strong beer, Or eat bnnvii bread when you can get white. Sir. Manikin, Canikin, good meat and drink Are pleasant at morn, noon, and night, Sir. M.nnikin, etc. OLD CUSTOMS, GOSSIP, ETC. 379 " To kiss with the maid when tlie mistress is kind A Gentleman ought to be loth, Sir ! But if the maid's fairest, your oath does not bind. Or you may, if you like, kiss them both, Sir, Kiss away both you may, sweetly smack night and day, It you like it, you are bound by your oath. Sir. Kiss away, etc. " When you travel to Highgate, take the oath again And again, like a sound man and true, Sir; And if you have with you some more merry men. Be sure you make thcin take it too. Sir. Bless you. Son, get you gone, frolic and fun. Old England and honest true blue. Sir ! Bless you, etc." The custom has been alludcid to by Byron in his Childe HarohV s Pilg7-i)iiage : — " Some o'er thy 'I'hamis row the ribbon'd fair, Others along tlie safer turnpike fly ; Some Richmond Hill ascend, some scud to Ware, And many to the steep of Highgale hie. Ask ye, Bueotian shades ! the reason why ? 'Tis to the worship of the solemn horn, Grasp'd in the holy hand of mystery, In whose dread name both men and maids are sworn. And consecrate the oath with draught, and dance till morn.'' Canto 1st, LXX. An old hmdiord told Hone that " no one came to I lighgate in anything of a carriage without being sworn, and so much was doing in this way that at one time I was obliged to hire a ' swearer-in.' I have sworn one hundred to one hundred and twenty persons a day ! Parties of tailors used to come up on Mondays to initiate new shopmates ; officers of the (iuards ; ladies and gentlemen arranged dinner-parties for the fun of the initiation ; and for admission to sundry convivial societies, the freedom of Highgate was indispensable." In 1826 Hone states the particular horns in use at nineteen ol the taverns ' : — I, The Gate House — stag's horns ; 2, the Mitre — stag's horns ; 3, the Green Dragon — stag's horns ; 4, the Red Lion and Sun — bullock's horns ; 5, the Bell — stag's horns ; 6, the Coach and Horses-— ram's horns ; 7, the Castle — ^ram's horns ; 8, the Red Lion — rain's horns ; 9, the Wrestler— stag's horns ; 10, the Bull — stag's horns ; 1 i, the Lord Nelson — stag's horns; 12, the Duke of Wellington — stag's horns; 13, the ' One of the oldest heads of horns, once belonging to a well-known Highgale tavern, h.is recently been presented to the Literary Institution by Dr. Forshall. ^ Stood on the site of the National Schools. ;8o THE HISTORY OF lUGIIGATli. Crown — stag's horns; 14, the Duke's Head — stag's horns; 15, the Cooper's Arms— ram's horns; 16, the RoSe and Crown — stag's horns; 17, the Angel — stag's horns; 18, the Flask — ram's horns; 19, the Fox and Crown — ram's horns In addition to these taverns, there were the Black Dog,' on the site of St. Joseph's Retreat ; the Brown Bear, opposite the Green Dragon ; the White Lion, a litde above the Angel on the other side, a very noted house for assemblies, balls, and public meetings, and very popular with the citizens. It was a very old house, with two projecting wings, and was taken down about 1830. In front of this inn were a row of trees, and the road was so narrow as scarcely to admit of two carriages Gt-'xiLleineii. caim ot bi* aduii tted-tviili SJiop Stt'Jiitff . ] passing.^ At the corner of Swain's Lane was another old house called the Cow and Hare, in front of which the long lines of pack-horses, after toiling up Swain's Lane, would enjoy a grateful rest and quench their thirst in the waters of the pond. The Castle Inn was famed for its beautiful bowling green,* which was supported by subscription clubs. The lease of this inn was purchased by the managers of the Working Men's Club some fifteen years since, and in the interest of the neighbourhood the licence was abandoned. According to the " county records," the following were the number of ' The [jroprietor of the Black Dog advertises for a stray dog in 1739. - In a jiassage by the side of the White l.ion lived " old Martin," who hired out sedan chairs, then much in request by ladies going tt) and returning from evening parties. ' Extending from Castle Yard, towards the offices of the Local Board. OLD CUSTOMS, GOSSIP, ETC. 3S1 ale-houses in Highgate and surrounding places in the time of Edward V^I. : " Highgate, 5 ; Isseldon, 13 ; Grenestret, in the parish of Kyntyshtowne, I ; Muswell Hill-juxta-Harnyngsey, i : Hampsted, 3 ; Hollowaye, 3 ; Fynchley, 3 ; Harnsey, 3. " Professor Tomlinson, in his interesting papers on the Chronicles of the Four Seasons, has some remarks on the antiquity of the use of the horn, both as a drinking vessel and also as a badge of office. He says : — " The Danes used the horn as well as the Saxons, and after them the English. Thus Chaucer says : — " ' Janus sits by the fire with double berde, And drinketh of his bugle horn the wine.' H(;nce the common (expression ' the horn,' applied to a drinking cup to this day. The cattle doctor gives medicines to sick beasts by means of a horn, a custom which .seems to have been derived from the ancients. Horns for blowing were used for collecting cattle and driving them out to pasture; in the morning, also for summoning the people on various occasions ; thus the horn is now used (or was till lately) at Canterbury for asseml^ling the Burgmote Court. The horn seems also to have been a badge of office for those whose duty it was to summon the people. It was also used in the c:arliest limes as an instrument of war. The horn, for what(;ver use employed, was often made of rich material, and adorned in a most elegant manner. "Thus lands were granted by the gift of a hunting horn, as well as of a drinking horn, when they were well known to have belonged to the donor. In some cases the two descriptions of horn were united in one. Thus the Pusey horn served for blowing or drinking ; the dog"s head at the orifice turned upon a joint, by which means the horn could either be opened for blowing, or shut for the holding of liquor. The; college of Corpus Christi at Cambridge was also founded by the gift of a horn which belonged to the guild of Corpus Christi, the original founders of that college. This horn was presented to the guild by their alderman, John Goldcorne, about the year 1347. Masters, in his history of Corpus Christi College, speaking of guilds generally, and of that of Corpus Christi in particular, says that on the day of election of tht; officers ' th(!y usually feasted together, when they drank their ale, of which lhc;y kept good store in their cellars, out of a great horn, finely ornament(;d with silver gilt, and which is still remaining in the college treasury. ' * * There are further chronicles of the conveyance of land by the horn in the manor of I'orstal, or lioarstall, Ikicks.' " For the exhibition of the Homers' Company at the Mansion House in October i8cS2, Mr. George Potter published the following leaflet entitled 3 82 Till'. IIISIOKY Of IllGIIGATIi. Illustrations of Customs in toljicf) tljc lr)ornr, liorc a prominent part. No. I. '' Szuearing on ihc Horns at Iligligate!' " It's a custom at Highgate, that all who go through, Must be sworn on the horns, sir ! — and so, sir, must you ! Bring the horns ! — shut the door ! — now, sir, take ofif your hat ! — When you come here again, don't forget to mind f/iaf ! " A Woodcut by " G. C." Followed by a description of the ceremony, from Hone's Everyday Book, 1825-7. No. 2. '' Szvearing at Highgate!' ' Woodward, del. Cruickshank, sculp. London: Published by Allen d-- West, 15, Paternoster Row, Aug. 27th, 1796. Woodcut coloured by Hand, From IVoodivnrd' s Eccentric Excursions. No. 2a. A Woodcut representing the Ceremony R. Cruikshank, del. H. White, sc. " Johnny the maid for the mistress refused, Because he'd been sworn at Highgate, By the monstrous horns at Highgate." Followed by a Song, "The Monstrous Horns at Highgate." r. Dihdin. OLD CUSTOMS, GOSSIP, ETC. 383 No. 3. '* Sii'can'jio- at Higkgafe." " Pray, Sir, lay your Right Hand on this Book, and attend to the Oath :— You swear by the Rules of Sound Judgment that you will not eat Brown Bread when you can have White except you like the Brown better, that you will not Drink Small Beer when you can get Strong, except you like the Small beer better — But you will Kiss the Maid in preference to the Mistress, if you like the Maid better — So help you Billy Bodkin — Turn round !> fulfill your Oath." Published 12th Sepr., 1796, By Laurie c,-^ Whittle, 53, Fleet Street, London. Copper(?)plate Engraving. No. 4. ''Swearing on the Horns at Highgate!' A Photograph from a Painting (?) Published as the Act directs, November 21st, 1878, By Z. Laly. Query — Where is the original from which this was taken ? TS^ D — I also possess "'Ihe Highgate Horn Boke," which commences : "The sun shone cheerily on the 20th of October, 1846, as we left our Villa in Mortimer Street, Cavendish Square, to join certain lovers of Antiquity and old customs, in Clarendon Street, Euston Square, to proceed from thence to the Old Gate House at Highgate, with the intent of being sworn upon the Horns." Being a manuscript account of the pilgrimage, By T. Purland, otherwise " Master Zigzag." Illustrated with pen and ink sketches By " Madrigalus " and others. ''jliiDiinisUring Ike Oath at IlioJioatey Printed for and sold by Bmoles and Carver, No. 69, in St. Paul's Churchyard, London. "Since printing this list I have obtained a copy of the- above, which completes the series of illustrations of this subject with which I am familiar. References to otlicrs would be much esteemed. G. I^orriiu, April, 1887." 384 THE HISTORY OF HIGHGATE. Before leaving the old liighgate inns, the well-known Sunday ordinary at the Gate House should be mentioned. At one lime it was very popular, and considered a fitting t<;rmination to a Sunday morning's stroll over the fields. The charge, which was one shilling per head, could hardly be called high, and the dinner seemed sufficiently attractive to fill the room. A curious print published in 1 784 represents some of the characters who frequented it. A second print, after the style of Rowlandson, was drawn and engraved by Robert Cruikshank, entitled "The Highgate Ordinary ; or, Every Hog to his own Apple." This print may be seen at the Literary Institution. The ordinary is still continued ; but as railways have opened up wider fields to the .Sunday excursionist, its glories have departed. " A singular circumstance connected with this ordinary is worth pre- serving. A constant visitor at this table d'hote was accustomed to take considerable notice of a very attractive young girl who waited at table, and from passing observations drew her at length to become the partner of his .Sunday evening rambles. After some time he made known his passion to the object of his affections and was accepted. He informed her that his occupation would detain him from her all the week, but that he should dine at home on Sunday and leave regularly on the Monday morning. He would invest in her own name and for her exclusive use /|'2,ooo in the Three-and-a-Half per Cent. Consols on their marriage, but she was not to seek to discover who he was, or what he did, for should she once discover it, he would never return to her again. Strange as were the terms, she acquiesced, was married, and everything went on for a time amicabl)- and comfortably. At length woman's nature could hold out no longer ; she must at all hazards discover her husband's secret. She tried to suppress the desire, for she really loved him, but, Eve-like, she could resist no longer, and therefore on his leaving her as usual one Monday morning, she disguised herself as well as she could, and followed him from Highgate to London, when he entered a low coffee- shop, from whence after a while he i.ssued — yes, her husband — in the meanest possible dress, and with a broom began to sweep the crossing near Charing Cross. This was more than she could bear, she made herself known, and reviled him for his deceit. After an angry discussion, she saw her husband return to the coffee-shop, again dress himself in his gentlemanly attire, and bidding her farewell, depart no more to return. Grieved and annoyed, she returned to Highgate. His marriage bestow- ment maintained her in comfort, but it left her solitary." ' " It may be inferred that the Gate House Tavern, possessing as it did interesting historical associations, a delightful rural situation, and affording ' History of St. Pancras, Palmer. OLD CUSTOMS, GOSSIP, ETC. 385 good accommodation, attracted man)- visitors from the metropolis, who became Jiabitucs of the hostelry. Among them was William Hone, the antiquary and topographist. Another visitor was George Cruikshank, the artist, who, before his total abstinence days, had been Bohemian enough for his face to be well known at urban and suburban taverns, and to take part in the proceedings of a Vauxhall masquerade attired as a dustman. A more frequent visitor at the tavern was his brother Robert, in the early part of his life a seaman, but who became a pupil of his father, Isaac Cruikshank, and for the remainder of his days followed art as a profession. His illustrations to Pierce Egan's Life in London gave him celebrity, and he was associated with Thomas Wageman and R. W. Buss in the illustration of Cumberland's British and Minor Drama, a voluminous collection of plays edited by George Daniel. Among his confreres at the Gate House Tavern were George Daniel and W'illiam Upcott, the sub-librarian for many years of the London Institution, who had a store of personal anecdotes concerning its principal librarian, Richard Porson, the celebrated Cireek scholar. Daniel and Upcott both resided for many years in Islington, and had tastes in common as biblio- poles and print collectors. One of their Highgate cronies was John Grant, who in 1S02 succeeded Nathaniel Norton as the Principal of the Old Crouch End School, Hornsey, a position which he held for more than forty years. Grant was a Scotch graduate, a capable schoolmaster, and the author of .7 Grammar of the English Language and of the Institutes of the Latin Language. He died in June 1846, and was buried in Hornsey Churchyard. Grant seldom missed spending his evening at the (iate House Tavern, and, as he grew old, used to ride on a donkey to and from his favourite resort. There are traditions that, when a very old man, the services of the animal were superseded on more than one occasion by the shoulders of a faithful friend who, finding that the donkey was disabled for the errand, volunteered to flo duty for it, rather than that the infirm schoolmaster should be deprived of his nocturnal glass and gossip. "There were old-fashioned clubs, the 'Ash .Sticks,' the; 'Aged Pilgrims,' and the ' Ben |()ns(jn,' who.se summer dinners used to be held here. Among their members were V . \V. N. Bayley, Pierce Egan, Leman Rede, Bell of The Dispatch, Pearman the \'ocalist, Warren the water-colour artist, Thistleton the architect, Charles Whitehead, author of the novel Richard Savage, and Ale.xander Lee the musical com- poser. In later times the coffee room was often the resort oi Archibald Henning (who drew th(- first cartoon for Punch), and of Kenny Meadows, closely associated with the pictorial staff of our most popular comic paper in the early days of its history, George Hodder, Thackeray's amanuensis, Henry Mayhew, John Ogden the .Shakespearian scholar, Cornelius Webbe, 25 386 THE HISTORY OF HIGHGATR. author of The Man about Tozuii, and Henry Bayliy. Another social coterie, the ' Universal Club,' whose roll has included the names of Balfe, Wallace, and Loder, the composers, and William Sawyer, Frank Talfourd, and R. B. Brough, the authors, has often held its summer meetings here. Its president for many years was Dr. J. E. Carpenter, the well-known song-writer, who on his death two years since was succeeded in the office by our neighbour, Mr. Plomer. Other local names, too, have been associated with this society : the late Donald W. King, the vocalist, the late Mr. Milner, and a gentleman who is con- nected with public work in Hornsey, Colonel Bird. " This historic tavern is the headquarters of the Highgate Lodge of Freemasons, which was consecrated, in September 1871, by Brother Richard Henry Marsh (P.M. i 196), who was professionally known on the stage as Henry Marston. It was the only lodge ever consecrated by that esteemed and highly skilled Brother of the Craft. Since that period it has been presided over by sixteen Masters, and has on its roll about sixty members. During the time of its existence the Highgate Lodge of Freemasons has subscribed more than £ 1 800 to the different Masonic institutions. In 1S81 a Chapter of Royal Arch Masons was formed in connection with it."' " The quiet little hostelry at West Hill, the Fox and Crown, has also its memories of interesting convives, and is said to be the last tavern where the Highgate oath lingered. On summer days professional men about town, like Tom Prest, who wrote the romance of Ada the Betrayed, Denvil the tragedian, and Bruton the comic song writer, glad to be free of the heat and crowd of the Strand, would journey up to Highgate, ramble about its adjacent fields, and then turn into the quiet parlour of the Fox and Crown for a crust of bread and cheese and a cup of honest ale. Among the frequenters of the tavern in the early part of Her Majesty's reign were Matthew Pitman the racquet-player, Edney the vocalist and schoolmaster, Flexmore the dancer, and a posse of actors from Sadler's \\' ells : Billy Williams, Villiers, Campbell, Richard- son, and Dry. Worrell, a well-known comedian at the Haymarket and Adelphi, was occasionally a visitor. He was born in Highgate, and educated by Dr. Duncan, who kept an academy in the hamlet. His pupil was fond of recalling the fact that his taste for acting was engendered by witnessing the efforts of some strolling players whose arena for declamation was a little barn-stage fitted up by the benevolent aid of Mrs. Coutts, afterwards Duchess of St. Albans, erected somewhere in the vicinity of the Fox and Crown. ^ Jeremiah Crooks, who carried on a private business in second-hand books, and Dixon the water-colour . ' Hampstead and Highi;ate Gazette, Ma)- 1887. ' Soutlnvood I.aiie. OLD crsro.vs, gossip, etc. 387 artist, also frequented the tavern. Crooks had been an astrologer, hut in his latter days relinquished thai unlawful calling, feeling that it was incompatible with the religious views to which he was converted by the Rev. William Dodsworth, a minister of Christ Church. Albany Street, Regent's Park. Crooks, who was an earnest man, with a wooden leg, used to mortify the flesh during Advent and Lent by abandoning the use of the artificial limb and uncomfortably hobbling about by the help of a couple of walking-sticks. Dixon taught drawing in several schools about suburban London, and painted water-colour pictures of its most striking scenes and historic buildings. He made a rather clever picture of the Fox and Crown, which at one time hung at the back of the bar."' " Dick ' Wiiittincton and "The Stone." "About the year 1360, it is recorded that Richard Whittington was travelling to Highgate, for near the foot of the hill stands an upright stone, inscribed 'Whittington Stone,' which marks the spot where at least two others originally stood, the first of which is traditionally .said ' to have been that on which Dick of the nursery rhyme sat down to ruminate on his hard fortune, on his way back into the country, after running away from his master's house, on account of the ill-usage he had experienced from the cook-maid.' " The tradition relates, that while sitting pensively on this spot his ears were on a sudden assailed by a peal from Bow Bells, which seemed to urge him to retrace his steps by the suggestive jingle of: — "'Turn again, \Vhitting/c«, Thrice Lord Mayor of 'London.' " And that in remembrance of this incident a stone was placed on the above spot at Highgate Hill by the desire of Whittington, after he had risen to wealth and eminence in the city, for the convenience of mounting or dismounting his horse at the foot of the hill in his rides which he was accustomed to take in the neighbourhood. " The original stone, which lay flat on the ground, was broken into two pieces ; these fragments were removed many years ago by the surveyor of the roads, and placed as kerbstones against the posts at the corner of Oueen's Head Lane, Islington. "- The following was the inscription on ihc last stone, which, for want of proper protection, was so defaced as to be scarcely discernible, and is now replaced by another with the same legend : — ' Uainpstead and Highs:;ate Gazette. ^ lieaiities of England and li'a/es. 388 THE HISTORY OF HIGIIGATE. " VVhiti'ington Stone. Sir Richard Whittington, thrice Lord Mayor of London, 1397 . . . Richard 2nd. 1409 . . . Henry 4th. 1419 . . . Henry 5th. Sheriff in 1393." Sir Richard Whittington built the original prison of Newgate, part of St. Bartholomew's Hospital, the east end of Guildhall, and virtually he was the founder of the Whittington Almshouses.' In the year 1745 a print was published from a drawing by Chatelain described as A Vieio of Ht^hgate from Upper Hollo%K.il, whereby his head and feet remained uncovered and exposed, to the hurt, etc., and the contempt, etc." ' The following curious records, relative to driving more than six horses in a waggon, contrary to proclamation, do not set forth where the offences occurred, but it iinist have been in Middlesex, and as most of the waggoners lived north oi llighgate, and so would pass through it going into London, as the road over the hill was then made, they would probably refer to the Highgatc district, where six horses were "all too few" to pull the heavy waggons up the Hill. "7//; February, 18 James I. — Recognizances taken before William Duckett, Esq., J. P., of Roger Griffin of Oxford, carier, in the sum of ten pounds, and William Warden, also of O.xford, carier, in the sum of twenty pounds ; for the appearance of the said William Warden at the next Session of the Peace for Middlesex, to answer, etc., ' for driving above fwe horses in his waggon.' Also on the same file five other similar sets of recognizances taken before the same Justice of the Peace, for the appearance at the Session of the Peace next ensuing the date of tiie Recog- nizances, of certain carriers: — viz., Lambert Searle, John Wells, and Richard Sparks, all three of Odium, co. Southampton, John Pooley of Edgworth, co. Midd., and Richard Mathcwe of Wattfeild, co. Hertford — each of them being so bound to answere ' for drivinge above five horses in his carte.' Also the recognizances, taken before the same Justice of the Peace, of Thomas Franckum of Sadberie, co. Gloucester, carier, in the sum of forty ]wunds ; for the said Thomas Franckuni's appearance at the next Session of the Peace for Middlesex, to answer ' for driving six oxen and three horses in his wayne." — G.U.R., loth Feb., 18 James 1. " 2^lh May, 20 James I. — Recognizances taken before Richard Lowther, Esq., J. P., of Robert Newman of Wades Mill, co. Hartford, yeoman, and Edward Sybly of the same place, yeoman, in the sum of twenty pounds each ; for the said Robert Newman's ai:)pearance at the next session of the Peace for Middlesex, ' to aunswcare for going with seaven horses in his cart contrary to His Majesties late proclamation.' Also, on the same iile, recognizance, taken on the 1 8th May, 20 James 1., before Sir John Weld, Kt., George Huxley, Esq., and Arthur Robinson, Esq., Justices of the Peace, of John Blany of Cambridge, co. Cambridge, carrier, in the sum of forty pounds ; ' for the said John Blany's ajipearance at the next Session of . . . for Middlesex, to answer ' for travelling in the high way with a waggon with I'oure whcelcs and six horses therein contrary to His Majesty's Proclamation." — G.D.R., 5th June, 20 James I. ^ Green Street Races, 1733. Green Street was the name of the village lying between the foot of West Hill and Kentish Town, and therefore closely as.sociated with Highgate. ' Middlesex County Records. ' Ibid. 4IO THE HISTORY OF IIIGHGATE. "To be run for on the New Course at Kentish Town on the 24th instant, a Purse of Ten Guineas, by any horse, mare, or gelding that never won above the value of 1 5 guineas in money or plate at any one time; 14 hands, to carry 10 stone ; all above or under to allow weight for inches. To run four times round the mile course for a heat, no less than three to start ; to pay one Guinea entrance or two at the post. " On the 25th a Purse of Five Guineas will be run for by any horse, mare, or gelding that never won above that value in plate or money at any one time; those of 14 hands to carry 10 stone; all under to be allowed weight for inches as usual ; to run four times round the mile course for a heat ; no less than three to start ; to pay half a Guinea entrance or a Guinea at the post. " On the 26th a Silver Cup, of three Guineas value, will be run for by ponies not exceeding 1 2 hands ; to carry 7 stone, all under to be allowed weight for inches as usual ; to run four times round the course for a heat ; no less than three, to start ; to pay '/S. 6d. entrance, or 15.?. at the post. " On the 27th a neat Hunting Saddle and Bridle (and a Whip for the second horse) will be run for by hunters carrying 10 stone ; no less than three to start ; to pay "js. 6d. entrance at the post. " On Monday, the ist of October, a Silver Punch Bowl of Ten Guineas value (given by John Wiblin, at the White Horse, to whom the said course belongs) will be run for by Galloways not exceeding 14 hands high, that never won above fifteen guineas in money or plate at any one time ; to carry 9 stone ; all under to be allowed weight for inches as usual ; to run four times round the course for a heat ; no less than three to start ; to pay one Guinea entrance, or two at the post. " On the 2nd day of October a Purse of Five Guineas will be run for by any horse, mare, or gelding that never won above the value of ten Guineas in money or plate at any one time ; those of 1 3 hands 3 inches to carry 9 stone ; all above or under to be allowed weight for inches as usual ; to run four times round the course for a heat ; no less than three to start ; to pay half a Guinea entrance, or a Guinea at the post. " On the 3rd of October a Cup of Three Guineas' value will be run for by hunters ; those of 14 hands to carry 10 stone ; all under to give and take weight for inches ; to run four times round the mile course for a heat ; no less than three to start ; to pay "js. 6d. entrance, or 1 5.^. at the post. " And on the 4th day of October a neat Hunting Saddle and Bridle (and a Whip for the second horse) will be run for by hunters of 14 hands high, that never won any prize before; to carry 10 stone; all under to be allowed weight for inches as usual, four times round the mile course for a heat ; no less than three to start : to pay 7.?. 6d. entrance at the post. OLD CUSTOMS, GOSSIP, ETC. 411 " All horses, mares, or geldings that start for either of the above- mentioned Purses or Plate, except the Three (iuinea Cups and Saddles, are to be brought to the Subscribers' houses eight days before the days of running, and to be entered four days before that time, or to pay double entrance, and then to be entered by twelve o'clock, to prevent disputes. Every horse, etc., that is fairly entered for a day's sport shall be brought into the field by two o'clock, and start at three precisely, and to run according to articles, which will be shown the day of entrance. All the horses, etc., to be entered at the White Horse, by John Wiblin, Clerk of the Course. ■' Any person may have ground to build on, or have a booth ready built of any sort ; no one to be allowed to bring their liquors out of carts through the hedges into the said course to prejudice the booths ; nor any people with barrows or baskets, to sell fruit or drams, without a ticket from the Clerk of the Course. There are men provided to take care of the fences and gates, which will be open for all foot people, but no carts or horses to be there at the time of running, except the racehorses. " N.B. — There having been some objections made heretofore to the course, for the greater safety of the horses and their riders a small field is taken in, that they may with more ease ascend the hill. " Note. — The mare commonly known by the name of the Ratcatcher's Mare is excepted against."' "Yesterday, July 5th, 1733, at the horseraces at Kentish Town, four horses started for a purse of 30 guineas, which was won by Gordon's black horse, which he was taken upon for highway robbery near Knights- bridge about three months ago. There was very good sport, the odds of the field being six to four against the said horse." — Daily Postlwy. Just below Green Street was the " Horn's Tavern," to which the following refers. TUK PaNCRAS Sl'A. The following rare handbill refers to the waters at Pancras. Only one copy is known : — " At Edward Martin's, at the Homes at Pancras, is that most excellent water highly approved of by the most eminent physitians, and found by long ex]jerience to be a powerful antidote against rising of the vapours, also against the stone and gravel. It likewise cleanses the body, purifies and sweetens the blood, and is a general and sovereign help to nature. I shall open on W'hitson-Monday, the 24th of May, 1697, 'i'""-' there will b(; likevvi.se dancing every Tuesday and Thursday all the summer season at the iilace aforesaid. The poor may drink the waters gratis." Then Palmer's History of St. Fainras. 4i: THE HISTORY OF HIGHGATE. follow sixteen lines of rhyme in praise of " this noble water," and inviting ladies and gentlemen to drink of it.' " Pancras Wash. — A few days since the water was so deep that it almost came up to the windows of the stage coaches. One horse was drowned, and others narrowly escaped the same fate."- " Judge Jeffreys, of infamous memory, resided in Kentish Town. His house stood on the site of the old workhouse." '^ " Highway robberies were so frequent up to 1820, that patrols crossed the fields from Highgatc to Kentish Town, etc., to escort pedes- trians at stated interv^als." ' THE PONDS ON THE TOP OF THE HILL. (The Site now known as South Grove.) TlIK POiNDS. In 1 8 19 there was a formal complaint made at the " Court Leet " that drainage found its way into the ponds, which was the only source of water supply for the poor and those who did not possess wells of their own, and from which they had drawn their supplies for two hundred years I ' Palmer's St. Pancras. ■ Newspaper cutting, April 1786. 3 MSS., Heal. * From an old Highgate resident. OLD CUSTOMS, GOSSIl\ ETC. 413 W'c-U water was carted up the Hill, and was retailed at twopenci: per pailful, but the price by competition eventually fell to a halfpenny. Old Jack I-'oster, who resided in a picturescjue old cottage at the bottom of Townsend's Yard, was the popular purveyor. He died in June 1865, aged eighty-four. JACK FOSTERS COTTAGE AND VVATKH-CART. The water from the wells in Southwood Lane was of some celebrity for the purpose of bathing weak eyes, being strongly impregnated with iron ; persons not only came from very great distances to fetch it, but it was sold in London as " Highgatc eyewater." In 1816, during the severe drought, the ponds dried up, and one of them was so hardened by the sun's rays that Gillman and Atkins's menagerie was e.xhibited on the site, the novelty of the position considerably assisting the attraction. in 1845 l^he two ponds were thrown into one, at a cost of ^438 'is. 2d., of which sum the Parish of St. Pancras contributed ^60, and the remainder was raised by subscription. In 1864, the water of the New River supplying the houses, the pond was no longer a necessity, and, being neglected, became a source of very considerable nuisance, and in fact danger to the health of the surrounding- residents. Accordingly the pond was filled up, and the sum of /640 raised by subscription to ])lant and lay out the enclosures. Towards this sum the parish made no contribution whatev('r. This arrangement answered its purpose for some twenty years, when, the fences getting out of repair, and as the trees, which had made con- 414 THE HISTORY OF HIGH GATE. sidcrable growth, were being gradually destroyed, an appeal was made to the parish to take over the ground as an open space, which eventually it did, filling in the hollow of the old pond with many hundred loads of rubbish, covering it with asphalt, and placing on it some convenient seats. The site of the pond made by the old hermit some fi\-e hundred years since is now a pleasant resting-place for the pedestrian after the ascent of the Hill, and a much appreciated playground for the children ; and from the formation of the ground, rising gently to the centre in order to provide a good fall for the rain, it is now about the last place in Highgate which would be suggestive of a standing sheet of water. HIGHGATE MODEL YACHT CLUB. The Highgate Ponds (Millfield Lane) have been much appreciated by the Highgate boys of succeeding generations as being specially adapted for the manoeuvres of their mimic vessels, and this appreciation has doubtless existed as long as " the boys" and the " Ponds " have been on paddling acquaintance. In 1850 there was a very successful club, the rules having a very nautical smack indeed. The following are e.xtracts from its Laws and Regulations about 1850. Rule I. — The Club sliall consist of a Coniniodore, Vice-Commodore, Treasurer, Secretarj', Recorder, and Ordinary Members. Rule VIII. — That four feet be the maximum size of any Yacht to be entitled to sail for prizes given by the Club ; the measurement to be made from the stern-post to the toot of the cutwater, along the keel ; and no vessel to exceed five feet of deck. Rule IX. — That the Club Flag be the British White Ensign, with Yellow Lion in the centre of the Red Cross. The Boiirgec to consist of a White Ground, with Red Cross, and Yellow Lion in the centre of the Red Cross. Rule X. — That Yachts sailing in a match be managed by Members only. That Cutters be restricted to Mainsail, Foresail, Jib, and Gaff-Topsail ; Yawls to Trysail, Foresail, Jib, Gaff-topsail, Mizen, and Mizen-Topsail. Schooners — Canvas unlimited. Square-sail excepted. This rule to be modified by any alterations which may be laid down in the sailing regulations for any given Regattas. Rule XI. — That any Yacht having carried the prize in two successive Club Matches be unqualified for sailing at the next Regatta. Rule XII. — That any Yacht fouling another by the negligence or wilfulness of the Owner or other Members sailing the same shall pay the full amount of damage done, and in addition the fine of 55. for the Funds of the Club. Rule XIII. — That any Member having a boat, and wishing to sail her in any Regatta, must pay 2-s-. 6ti. for tonnage dues, irrespective of size. Rule XIV. — That any Member being unavoidably absent from a Meeting, may send his vote by proxy, a printed paper having been submitted to him for that purpose, to which he must affix his signature. Rule XV. — That all protests be lodged with the Secretary. A. Riv!.\GTo.\, Sccrcta>y. OLD CUSTiUfS, G'OSS/P, ETC. 41S Cl)e i^igftgatt a^oDel gacl)t Club. MATCH I. FOR A SILVER CUP, On TUESDAY, the 2nd August, 1S53, .// T/in-e d Clock, precisely, For Yachts not exceeding 4 ft. keel, and 5 ft. deck, as described in Rule 8 of the Club. The Course to be twice \i\i and down the Lake, but no interval to be allowed between the Heats. Entrance Fee, 2s. 6d. YACHTS. OWNERS. SAILING COLOURS. LADY OF THE LAKE ... L. VULLIA.MY White and Blue. FORTUNES FAVOfRllE R. Clay Red and White Diagonal. VICTORIA AND AI.l KF.D A. RiVINGTON Blue Ground with White Cross. FLYING CLOUD A. (iARUlNER Red and White Cross with Biui- Ground. ARIEI C. P. WlLlHFR White. Mo.sQurro I- Smith Black and White. RED ROVER I- Parkinson Red. SURPRISE H Vui.l.IAMY Blue, White and Red. KING DEATH R. R. Holmes Skull and Marrow Hones. CORSAIR C. P. WiLMER Red-and Black. DOLPIILN L. L. VULLIAMV Blue and Red, with White Cross. MATCH 2. FOR A GOLD SEAL, At Four (i Clock. For Yachts not exceeding 2 ft. 6 ins. keel, and 3 ft. deck, measured as in Rule The Course to be once up and down the Lake. Entrance Fee, 2s. 6cl. YACHTS. owners. sailing colours. TITANIA MOSQUITO ROVER THETIS MOSQUITO KING DEATH E. Atkinson J. Smith C. P. WlLMER A. Fletcher J. Parkinson R. R. Holmes White Ground with Blue Cross. Black and White. Blue and White Diagonal. Blue. White and Red. Skull and Marrow Bones. CA.IVT'Vja.S XTPJLIlVtITEX>. Every Yacht to carry her Sailing Colour at her Main Mast Head. All disputes to be settled by the Umpires. ALEXANDER RIVINGTON, ROBERT LODGE, \Secr etanes. 416 THE HISTORY O/- H /(HI GATE. HIGHGATE TOKENS. Boyne, in his interesting work on Token?, issued in the seventeenth century, mentions four as having been issued by innkeepers at Highgate, as follows : — 1. O. Thomas Childe = (A Sugar Loaf). R.. In Highgate, 1670. His Half Peny T.S.C. 2. O. Edward Cutler at y'' Gate = (A Gateway). R., House at High- gate, 1668. His Half Peny. 3. O. William Fisher at the = (An Angel). R., Angell, in Highgate, 1669. His Half Penny, W.S.F. 4. O. William Prockter at y*^ (A Lion rampant). R. Red Lyon, at Highgate, his Halfe Penny, i66piest and not the least successful cele- brations of the Queen's juhik;e." TllK lloKNSEN jUlilLliK CkLK1!KATIUN Was not held till the following Saturday, 25th June;. " Although the Jubilee had been celebrated with more or less pomp and show in nearly every metropolitan district during the week, it was left for this little rural borough to put the cap on them all, and to finish the week's rejoicings by a festival equal, if not superior, to any of the kind yet given in London. The arrangements for the holding of the ptc had been in progress for some time, and, with a strong and earnest committee, and the co-operation of the villagers, only Queen's weather was wanting to make it a success. Anxiety was visible in the faces of the children, and 42 2 THE HISTORY OF HIGH GATE. not a few of the elder ones, us they arose on the eventful morning to see a clouded sky, and to feel a dull, close atmosphere. But the day turned out fine, and people, following its example, turned out also in fine style, until the afternoon, when the sun shone in all its summer splendour, driving the rain clouds to a considerable distance. The beautiful grounds of the Priory appeared suddenly to change into a fairy pleasure-ground, where happy men and women and lightsome children had nothing to do but romp and play in the sunshine all day long. " During the Jubilee week Hornsey came out well in decorations and illuminations, the iormer being composed chiefly of flags and red bunting, and the latter of innumerable V.R.'s placed in conspicuous positions. Across the road in the High Street hung two large strips of bunting, on which were inscribed the words, ' God bless our Queen.' On Saturday these decorations remained, if indeed they were not added to, and as the day advanced it was soon seen that what was destined to be a red-letter day had dawned. The first tokens of the day's enjoyment were given by the arrival of nine gaily-coloured coaches, containing the girls from the King Edward Schools. The latter, to the number of a hundred and fifty, accompanied by a band, rode through the village and into the grounds, where they awaited the entry of the others. At noon a general muster of all the school children in the district took place. As these numbered about 2,500, it will be seen that the undertaking of getting them into anything like order was one of considerable difficulty. Willingness, however, goes a long way, and with a little experience added to it, the greatest difficulties may be surmounted. It was so in this case. Each school mustered in its own vicinity, and when all was ready the various contingents met at one point in the High Street, and the whole procession wended its way in perfect order to the Priory. The whole arrangement was organised by Colonel Bird, and its successful carrying out is sufficient praise to his skill and tact. " P'irst came the scholars from Hornsey Day and Sunday Schools, who had formed up at St. Peter's Church, Harringay. These, to the number of 1,400, were marshalled by Colonel Bird, and accompanied by the Millfield band to the general rendezvous in High Street. Here they were received by the Hornsey Fire Brigade, with their engine, and the working men of the Local Board, who had, with the band of the Y division, marched from the fire station in Tottenham Lane. While all the schools were assembling, selections of music were played by this band. " The children of Crouch P^nd Board Schools, numbering 1,100, formed up in their own playground, and, headed by the boys' military band from the Strand Schools, Edmonton, marched to Ribblesdale Road, where they halted, afterwards forming up in the rear of Colonel Bird's detachment. " The Muswell Hill and P'ortis Green children, numbering 200, OLD CUSTOMS, GOSSIP, ETC. 423 assembled at St. James's Church, under the superintendence of Mr. Noble, who marched them in admirable order to join the other schools. " At one o'clock the whole of the above were in readiness for the grand march through the village. The procession was over a mile in length, and formed one of the most impressive spectacles ever seen in Hornsey. In the van was carried a large banner, on which were the words 'llorn.sey Jubilee Festival,' on one side being 1837, and on the other 1887. Behind the school children followed a large number of young and old people who did not belong to any of the public schools of Hornsey, but who had been invited as living in the district. Each child on starting was given a bun, and on its arrival at the grounds, a medal, on the obverse side being the head of Her Majesty, and on the reverse, the occasion for which it was struck, viz., the Hornsey Celebration of the Jubilee. With bands playing and banners and Hags flying, the pro- cession marched along the street. " At two o'clock the athletic sports commenced, about which it will be sufficient to .say that the races were run with zest, and the various events much enjoyed, both by racers and lookers-on. A quarter of an hour later a dinner was given to the aged poor in one of the marquees. These included sixty-three old women from Edmonton Union, who had been brought in vans to the spot. It was a happy sight, and yet a solemn one, to .see these old dames eating a Jubilee dinner, that by them would never be repeated. This was the second Jubilee one of them had seen, we were informed. At any rate, she would not see another. A little further off sat one who could not .see at all ; poor thing, she was blind. Her benefactors were unseen, but doubtless her heart was none the less thankful towards them. Others were in various stages of decay, but all looked happy, and one, when grasping the Colonel's outstretched hand, answered sprightly, to his query whether she was 'only thirty,' with the rejoinder that she was three times that age. The dinner to the aged, which had been enlivened with music by the Hornsey Police String Band, in due time came to an cml, and Mr. H. R. Williams, mounting the platform, welcomed them all with a few sympathetic words. ' He was t^lad to see them,' he said, and their cheers told him the feeling was mutual. ' Some of tho.se present,' continued the speaker, ' hardly expected to .see the Jubilee, but there they were, and all rejoicing with the nation on the; arrival of such a happy period. He would not ask them to drink the health of the Oueen, because they had nothing to drink it with, but perhaps they would give her three cheers instead.' These were given with great heartiness, and of course a similar com- pliment was paid to Mr. Williams. The band then played ' God Save the Queen,' and the dinner came to an end. " One feature concerning the festival was thai it was not political or 424 THE HISTORY OF IIIGHGATE. religious in a party sense. For once in their lives partisans were united, showing that, after all, petty prejudices and paltry opinions are but skin deep, and that the divine attributes of love and humanity are ever flowing in a gentle stream beneath. " At four o'clock the bugle sounded for the assembly of all the children to tea, and an hour later the aged poor were treated with a like refresh- ment, during which a vocal and instrumental concert was given. Vocal performances of an attractive character were also given at the rear of the house. Other entertainments were not wanting. There was a grand cricket match between the Police Y Division and the Alert Cricket Club, in which some remarkably funny playing was shown. The bowling of the latter club was very effective. The ' World-renowned De Factos ' were present, with ' their wonderful illusions and magical entertainments, juggling, conjuring, etc. ; Professor Percival amused many with a mar- vellous exhibition of ventriloquism ; while a Punch and Judy Show was an endless source of fun. " But all happy days have an end, and by-and-bye, " ' Evening came, The setting sun stretched his celestial rods of light Across the level landscape,' and a general movement towards the gates indicated that the fete was at an end. The King Edward School children went off first, preceded by their band playing a lively march, and the other schools filed out after their respective banners. The whole party were, however, not to separate without a few words from the owner of the beautiful grounds, . by whose kindness and liberality such a happy day had been spent. On rising to speak, Mr. Williams was greeted with an ovation. ' He said he was glad to see so many present. It was one of those auspicious occasions that they would remember to the last day of their lives. He was thankful that the weather had been .so fine, and hoped that they all had thoroughly enjoyed themselves. It had been a great pleasure for him to throw open his grounds for their use, but all the praise must not be given to him. They were gready indebted to the committee of gentlemen who under- took the matter and carried it out so successfully. They deserved thanks more than himself. It had been a source of the greatest gratification to him and his wife and family, but the success of the whole affair had depended to a large e.xtent upon the gentlemen around him. They had \-ery frequently gone into the small hours of the morning when he had been asleep, and contributed so much towards the success of the enter- tainment that they deserved the best thanks of them all. He trusted they would all get safely home, and, having enjoyed a good day, long remember it as a worthy celebration of Her \Iajesty's Jubilee.' OLD CUSTOMS, GOSSIP, ETC. 425 " The bands having played ' God Bless the Prince of Wales,' ' Rule Britannia,' and ' God Save the Queen,' in the words of which the people joined, three hearty cheers were given for Mr. Williams, and another three for Mrs. Williams and the family. "This brought ihafete to a conclusion, but it was some time before the grounds were cleared of the eight or nine thousand persons that, during the day, passed through the gates.' "The promoters of the grand Jubilee /iVt' at Hornsey on .Saturday last must have had their hearts gladdened by the sight of the thousands of happy faces around them, and the proprietor of the beautiful grounds must have felt fully recompensed for the trouble he had taken in the affair, and the possible damage to his property by the frolicsome people that thronged his garden and lawn. The children in future years will retain grateful thoughts of the benefactors who were the means of carrying the idea into effect. Certainly the Hornsey children, nor the old people from the Union, ever spent such a day before in their lives. The annals of this district will at any rate contain one bright page." ^ The surplus funds, about ^59, were presented to the Great Northern Hospital. SCHOOLS IN HIGHGATE. The salubrious air of Highgate, and its convenient contiguity to the metropolis, rendered it a very favourite locality for schools, in which it rivalled Hackney ; indeed, before the railways gave access to the seaside Highgate may be said to have been "principally schools and public houses." In 1830 there were no less than nineteen boarding-schools in High- gate, — ten for girls and nine for boys,— and they practically absorbed all the larger houses. Dr. Duncan's school at Arundel House for boys, and Mesdames Grignion-' and Hall's for girls, in The Grove, ne.xt door to the old Hall, were both schools of some note. In Queen Anne's time Mrs. Elizabeth Tuchin ' advertises that " she still keeps her School at Highgate, notwithstanding Reports to the contrary. Where young Gentlewomen may be soberly Educated, and taught all sorts of Learning fit for young Gentlewomen." '"' Mrs. Gilchrist's biugra[jher says: "Anne Burrows (afterwards Anne Gilchrist) though only eleven is already a schoolgirl of five years' standing at the Mi.sses Cahusacs, an evangelical school at Highgate, ' Norlh Middleux Chronicle, July 2nd, 1S87. ■^ Ibid. •' Daughter of Charles Grignion the engraver. ■* Sister of Tuchin of the Observer. ° Abhton's Social Life in llie Reign of Queen Anne. 426 THE HISTORY OF HIGIIGATE. which gave some advantages in education ; not that the scholars thereof would now, any of them, take honours at Girton." In 1839 her father died, and her mother removed into a small house in Highgate. " A few months after her release from school ( 1 844) we find the diligent student deep in Rousseau's Confessions. When, upon one occasion, Anne was studying Jean Jacques walking upon the terrace at Highgate cemetery, the vicar put in an unexpected appearance. After the usual salutations clericus asked, 'What is your book. Miss Burrows? Realizing the situation, Anne replied, almost inaudibly, ' Rousseau's Confessions^ of which the last word only caught the parson's ear. ' St. Augustine's Confessions ? Ah ! good reading — very good book, my dear ! ' " ' NOTE ON FINCHLEY TOLLS. A charter of King John, confirmed by Elizabeth and Charles I., e.xempted residents of Finchley as tenants of the Bishop. " Both they and their men are to be free of custom, toll, pontage, passage, payage, lestage, stallage, carriage, tollage, package, and every other custom throughout our whole land.'"'^ " In 1774 the City disputed these rights, and in August 1779 a cause was tried in the Queen's Bench respecting a claim set up by the Corpora- tion for a duty of 60?'. per load on hay sold at Smithfield by an inhabitant of Finchley, who, represented by the parish authorities, pleaded the old charter ; but as it was not proved that the manor of F"inchley belonged to the Bishops at that time, the verdict was given for the City."^ The case was badly got up, the feeling evidently being that the sixpenny toll was not worth incurring heavy law charges about, for the parish expenses were but ^9 ()s. In this way, Finchley as well as Hornsey (which had similar privileges) has allowed the rights which its inhabitants posses.sed as tenants of the Bishop to fall into abeyance. The White Lion, just below North Hill, Highgate, by the East End Station, was originally called " the dirt house," from the fact that the coaches were cleansed here from "the dirt" gathered in passing the stream in the valley. In Ogilby's map, 1674, this stream is shown as a considerable sheet of water. THE HUNDREDS OF MIDDLESEX. The following is a record of the rating made by the Middlesex magistrates in 161 5 on the respective divisions of the Hundreds of the County of Middlesex, for the purpo.se of erecting the House of Correction at Clerkenwell. It is very intere.sting, as showing the comparative rating values of the different localities. ' Life and Writings oj Anne Gilchrist. - Lambert's History of London. ' Sketch of Fiiicidiy. OLD CUSTOMS, GOSSIP, ETC. 427 21st October, 12 James I. — Ordered at S. P. held on the said day at Hickes Hall, "That a Rate and Taxacion for the levyinge and raysinge of the somme of 2,000 li. should be ymposed and rated and taxed upon the whole Counlye of Middlesex (for the buyinge, buildinge, and finishinge of a House of Correccion for the say'd countye) in manner and forme followinge, viz. : - (1) The Hundred of Osulslon. £ £. St. Margaret's in Westminster . 60 Hoxton 12 St. Saviour's and St. Clementes Danes 36 Hollowellstreete . I 2 St. Martyns-in-the Fieldes 48 Norton folgate 6 The Duchy of Lancaster 48 Stepney 70 Chancery Lane and Highe Holborne ) 48 Stratfordbowe 36 Saflron Hill and Eelya Rentes 1 Bromley 12 St Giles-in-the-Fieldes . 36 Finnsburye-etWenlaxbarne 36 Paddington . 8 Hammersmithe . 20 Marybone . 6 Eelinge 25 Chelsey 6 Cheswicke . 16 Kentishtowne 20 Acton .... i6 Kensington . 20 Willesdon . 30 Fulham 20 Fryarne Barnett . 20 Hampstcade 12 St. Johnstreete 25 St. Kathcrins 48 Clerkenwell . 25 Estsmitlifeild 40 Islington 25 Whitechappell 40 Finchley 25 Hackney 60 Hornsey 20 Shorditche . 12 Stoke Newington . 20 (2) The Hand re d , of Edvionton. c £ Edmonton ..... 40 Hadley 6 Tottenham 30 Knfielde ...... 40 Southmyms 20 (3) T) u Hun dred of Gore. L C Harrowe ami I'ynnor . 80 Stannior Parva . . . . .10 Edgware 8 Kingsburye . . . . . .12 Stanmur Magna .... 10 Hendon ...... 50 (+) Tlu Hundi ((/ of Elthorne. C £ Newl)rainforde .... 20 W'oxbridge ...... 20 Hanwell 12 Hillingdon . 45 Greeneforde and I'erryvall 24 Rislippe 50 Northall 24 Harfeld IS Southall alias Norwoode 24 Ichenham 12 Heyes .... 40 Harniondesworthe 28 C ran ford 6 Cowley 10 Harlington . 36 W'est Drayton 30 428 THE HISTORY OF HIGHGATE. (S) The Hundnd of Sptllhonu. £ L Stanes . ■ 40 Sonburye .... 22 Stanwcll • 30 Hampton .... 22 I .aliham • 15- Tuddington .... 12 Slicpiierton . . 18 Hanworthe .... . 10 Litleton . 18 Feltham .... . 18 Ashforde . 18 East Bedfonte . 18 (b) Tlu Hundnd of Isllavorih. £ £ Istlcworlh . 18 Heston . •. . 40 Twickenluun . 18 In all . . •• ^2,043. Followed by the appointment of Sir George Coppyn, William .Smythe, Baptiste Hicks/ Knts., and Edmund Dobleday and Francis Michell, Esqs., Justices of the Peace, to act as collectors cf the several sums of money promised by divers well-affected persons, by way of voluntary contribution towards the charges of building the said House of Correction.' MISCELLANEOUS ITEMS. September 1828. — Henry Holmes, phrenologist, of High Street, Highgate, was fined _^20 at Bow Street for breaking open his mother's coffin to take a cast of her head ! A Mr. Wright, of Crouch End, bought a second-hand stone coffin a bargain, and after keeping it for many years, was by the provisions of his will buried in it, in Hornsey Churchyard, — a nut to crack for some future antiquarian. Morning Herald, July ist, 1802. — "Cricket. Tuesday was played a grand match of Cricket on Hampstead Heath, between eleven Gendemen of Mary-le-bone Club and nine Gentlemen of Hampstead and Highgate, with two men given in, for 500 guineas, which was won by the latter by I 12 runs." In the Court Rolls of the Manor of Haringey, in 1688, mention is made of a small piece of ground at Highgate, lying within certain fortifications, called " the Bulwarks. " In a letter from George Berkeley to Lord Percival, dated August 9th, 1715, he says: "The Highgate cobbler was whipped on Tuesday, ' Who built Hicks's Hall for the meeting of the Justices. - Middlese.\ County Records. OLD RESIDENTS. 429 and a mob ot several thousands threatened to pull the executioner to pieces if he did not perform his office gently. " ' In connection with " The Black Dog Tavern " the following stupid hoax was perpetrated in January 1763. " Last night, between the hours of ten and twelve, a man went to seven or eight of the principal undertakers of the city, pretending he was under-gardener to Squire Johnson of Highgate, and that his master died that afternoon ; and told each of them to come to the Black Dog at Highgate this morning by nine o'clock, where a gentleman would be to give directions about his master's funeral. Accordingly early this morning they all set out, some in coaches, some on horseback, and some on foot, and got to the place appointed within a little time of one another. Their astonishment was great to see so many of one profession at one house ; but however great their surprise, they did not disclose the business which brought them there till the time was elap.sed that the pretended gentleman was to meet them at, and he not coming the affair was opened, by which they found that they were all imposed upon by the same man, for upon the strictest inquiry they could make there was no such a gentle- man to be found at Highgate as Mr. Johnson. The fellow got himself well paid for his invention, having begged some money from every one of them." - Mary and Catherine Milton, nieces of the poet, daughters o{ his brother .Sir Christopher, lived in Holloway as lately as 1735. "These ladies possessed a degree of health and strength that enabled them to walk a mile up the steep hill on Sunday to Highgate Chap('l. One of them was ninety-two when she died, ami they had allowed their name to be corrupted to Melton."* Alilton's granddaughter, Mrs. Foster, wife of a weaver, was also a resident of Upper Holloway about the same time, where she kept a small shop probably removing there to be near her well-to-do cousins. Covins was represented at Drury Lane in 1750 for her benefit, which produced her .^130. She died in 1754, aged sixty-six.' NOTKS REFKr^RING TO OLD RESIDENTS OF IIKIIIGATE OR ITS IMMEDIyVTE NEIGHBOURHOOD WHOSE NAMES CANNOT BE IDENTIFIED VVHH ANY PARTICULAR HOUSE. Lkwis Atterijukv, LL.D., the elder brother of the celebrated Bisho]) of Rochester, was born in 1656, educated at Westminster, and elected a student to Christ Church, Oxon. He early took orders, and became preacher of Highgate Chapel, and Rector of .Shepperton and Hornsey ' Kgmont M.SS. Hazlilt's edition oi Johnson'' s Lives of tlic Poets. 2 Newspaper paragraph. ' Newton's Life of .Milton. 430 THE HISTORY OF HIGH GATE. in Middlesex, which Hvings formed the extent of his rise in the Church. He was a plain, practical, and benevolent divine, and much attached to his brother, although thinking he had some occasion to complain of neglect from him. He founded a school for girls at Newport Pagnell. In 169 1 Dr. Atterbury settled at Highgate, where he supplied the pulpit of the Rev. Daniel Lathom, who was very old, and laboured under the misfortune of the loss of his sight. Upon the death of this gentleman our Doctor was in June 1695, ^y the unanimous votes of the six Governors or Trustees of Highgate Chapel, elected to be their preacher, and this office he held to the time of his death. When he first resided at Highgate he observed what difficulties the poor in the neighbourhood there underwent for the want of a good physician or apothecary, and therefore he set himself in good earnest to the study of physic, and having attained a good skill therein, practised it (gratis) occasionally amongst his poor neighbours. It is certain Doctor Atterbury applied for the Archdeaconry of Rochester, in the gift of his brother the Bishop, and had some encourage- ment to hope for it, though he did not succeed in obtaining it. The following letters which passed between the brothers relate to this matter ; the decision of the Bishop seems to have caused the Doctor considerable disappointment. To Ihc Right Rcvd. the Lord Bishop of Rochester. " De.ar Brother, — It is reported that the Archdeacon (of Rochester) is dead, and I have sent my servant to inform me whether it is so or not. I have since considered all that you said to me yesterday, and both from reason and matter of fact still am of opinion that there can be no just matter of exception taken. I shall only lay down two or three instances which be uppermost in my thouglits. Your Lordship well knows that Lanfranc, y\rchbishop of Canterbury, had a brother for his Archdeacon ; and that Sir Thomas Morc's father was a puisny judge when he was Lord Chancellor ; and thus in the sacred history did God Himself appoint that the safety and advancement of the patriarchs should be procured by their younger brother, and that they and their fathers should live under the government and protection of Joseph. I instance in these obvious examples only to let your lordship see that I have canvassed these matters in my own thoughts ; and see no reason but to depend on your kind intentions, intimated in 3'our former letter to " Your most affectionate brother, " And humble servant, " Lewis Atterbury." The Bishop's reply was as follows : — To the Rev. Dr. Alterbiirv at Highgate. " Bromley. " Dear Brother, — Your k-tter directed to Westminster found me here this morning ; I hope to be at Westminster to-morrow. In the meantime you may assure OLD RESIDENTS. 431 yourself of anything thai is witiiin my disposal. At present the gentleman j'ou mention is well, and likely to continue so. His distemper is the same as mine, though he has it in a worse degree. However, he is sixteen or seventeen years younger than I am, and may probably therefore outlive me. When he was in danger of late, the first person I thought of was you. But there are objections against tiiat in point of decency, which 1 own stick with me, and which often 1 have laid them before you ; you shall allow or overrule as you think fit. It had been a much propcrer post for my nephew, if God had pleased to spare his life. " You need not mention anything of this kind to me, for \'ou may depend upon it you are never out of the thoughts of " Your ever affectionate brother, " Fr. Roffen." The Bishop of Rochester to Dr. Lcms Allerbiiry. ■■ Deanery, Tuesday night. " De.'\r Brother, — I hope 3'ou have considered the matter of the Archdeaconry, and do at least see it in the same light as 1 do. I protest to you 1 cannot help thinking it the most unseemly, indecent thing in the world, and I am very sure the generality of those whose opinions I regard will be of that opinion. I was so far from apprehending that such a station under me would be in the least welcome to you that I discoursed of it, and proposed it to another person some time ago, and am entered very far into engagements upon that head ; and, had you not written to me, I do frankly own that I should never have spoken a word to you about it. Believe me when I tell j'ou that this is a plain state of the fact ; and should you at last come to be of my opinion, I daresay you will not at long run think yourself mistaken. I am sure I shall not be at ease till you are in some good dignity in the Church ; such as you and I and all the world shall agree is every way proper to you. " 1 am, dear brother, " Yours most affectionately, " Fr. Roffen." The Bishop 0/ Rochester to /lis tirothcr. " .Uiiy 20t/i, 1720. " Dear Brother, — The person to whom I told you I had gone very far towards engaging myself for the Archdeaccjnry was Dr. Brydges,' tiie Duke of Chandos's brother; and him this day I am going to collate to it. I hope you are convinced by what 1 have said and written that nothing could have been more improper than the placing 3'ou in that post immediately under myself. Could 1 have tseen easy under that thought, you may be sure no man living should have had the preference to you. " I am, dear brother, " Yours most aflcctionately, " Fr. Roffen." ' Dr. Brydges was an old :ind intimate acquaintance of the Bishop. He died May 9th, 1728. 432 THE HISTORY OF HIGH GATE. Dr. Lnuis yltlcrbuiy to the Bishop of Rochester. " HlGllGATE. " Dear Brother, — I am obliged to you for the favour of j'our last, and particu- larly for your giving me a reason for your disposal of the Archdeaconry and Prebend annexed when you was not obliged to give any reason at all. 1 cannot yet imagine what 'indecency' there can be to have raised your elder brother in place under you, which doth not bear more hard supposing that the person to be a brother of duke. There is more show of reason for the non-acceptance, but none for the giving it, and since your lordship was pleased to signify to me that I should overrule you in this matter, I confess it was some disappointment to me, though since you did not think well to bestow it upon me, 1 think you have given it to one of the most deserving persons I know of, who will add more to the honour of the place tlian I could have received from it. I hope I shall be content with that meaner post in which I am ; my time, at longest, being but short in this world, and my health not suffering me to make those necessary applications others do; nor do I understand the language of the present time, for I find I begin to grow an old-fashioned gentleman, and am ignorant of the weight and value of words, which in our time rise and fall like stock. I did not think that Dr. Brydges would ha\e took with an Archdeaconry, when his brother can make him a Bishop when he pleases : though had your lordship have put me in that post, I should not have endeavoured to have overruled you a second time. " I am your aifectionate brother, " And humble servant, "Lewis Atterbury." Dr. Atterbury was the author of "A Good Siibject on tlic Right Test of Religion;' "A Vindication of ArchbtsJiop Ti/lotson's Sermons, h&mg an an.swer to a popish book entitled A True and Jlfodest Account of the Chief Points in Controversy between the Roman Catholics and the Protestants ;" " Tridentuvi : Letters relating to the Plistory of Trent" (4to ; London, 1705): and he ordered his e.xecutor to publish all his manuscript sermons " that he shall think may serve to the honour of God, and bring no discredit to his memory." The infirmities of old age and a stroke (though a gentle one) of the palsy made him less constant in the pulpit, and occasioned his going to Bath, where he died, after a short illness, on October 20th, 1731. T^r. .Atterbury had three sons, of whom the first and second died in their infancy ; the third, named Bedingfield Atterbury, was born Sth January, 1693, and after a school education at Westminster was admitted at Christ Church, Oxford, and matriculated April 9th, 1712. There he studied till he took his degree in June 1718, and soon after deacon's orders. Those who knew him give him the character of a sober, modest, and ingenious young gentleman ; but the hopes that his parents and friends conceived of him were soon disappointed, for he died of the smallpox December 27th, 171S. The mother grieved for the loss of an only son, and did not many years survive him, for she died on the I St May, 1723. This was the "nephew" the Bishop refers to. OLD RESIDEXTS. 433 In the year 1712-3 Dr. Atterbury puhlished a sernioti ciuitlcd The Perfect and Upright Man's Character, a sermon occasioned by the death of Lady Gould, and preached in the Chapel at Highgate, March 22nd, 1712-3, and a similar one on the death of Sir William Ashurst in 1716; also a sermon preached upon the re-opening of the old Chapel after repairs, etc., in 1719. Sir Ru hard Bakkr, an English historian of the seventeenth century, was born of a good family in Kent in 1568, and became a Gentleman Commoner at Oxford, whence he removed to one of the Inns of Court, and afterwards travelled on the Continent. Returning home in 1603, he was knighted by James I., and in 1620 he served the office of High Sheriff of O.xfordshire, having estates in that county. An un- fortunate marriage with the daughter of Sir George Mainwaring, of Ightfield, in Shropshire, occasioned his ruin ; for giving security for the debts contracted by that family he became insolvent, and was obliged to take refuge in the Fleet Prison, where after remaining some years he died in 1645. In his latter days he amused himself by turning author. .Some religious pieces which he published have long since been consigned to oblixion, but his Chronicles of the Kings of England, first published in 1641. and afterwards continued by Edward Phillips, the nephew of Milton, and others, went through a great number of editions. Baker's Chronicle was a very popular book with county gentlemen. Addison, in the Spectator. Nos. 269 and 329, represents Sir Roger de Coverley as frequently both read'ng and quoting it, stating that the Chronicle " always lay in his hall window. " Fielding, in Joseph ylndrezcs, states that Baker's Chronicle wa? part of the furniture! of Sir Fhomas Booby's country house. Rkv. Roc hkmont Bakhauld, one of the ministers of the old Presby- terian Chapel in Highgate, was of Huguenot descent. He was a scholar and a gentleman, but his abilities were clouded by fits of mental aberra- tion, which unfortunately terminated in suicide. A happier remembrance of him is as ihv. husband of the gifted Anna Letitia Aikin (Mrs. Bakhauld), sister of the well-known Dr. Aikin, whose names are jointly associated in the once dc-servedly popular Evenings at Home. Mrs. Barbauld's name is distinctly connected with a school at Palgra\-e in Suffolk, where her husband was sometime minister ; and amongst her pupils, who always spoke of her with great affection, were Thomas Denman, afterwards Lord Chief Justice; William Gell (Sir), well known by his work on Pompeii ; Lord Selkirk ; the sons of Lord Templeton, etc., etc., .and it was for the purpose of in- 434 THE IffSrORY OF HIGH GATE. fluencing the minds of these pupils she wrote her Hymns in Prose for children. Mrs. Barbauld included amongst her friends — Charles Lamb and his sister. Crabbe, Montgomery, Mrs. Inchbald (Lamb called Mrs. Bar/;rt:«/rtf and Mrs. \x\Qk\bald "the two bald ladies"), Maria Edgeworth, Dr. Priestley, John Howard, Josiah Wedgwood, Samuel Rogers, Crabb Robinson, etc. One of the chief characteristics of Mrs. Barbauld's style is the sprightliness of its fancy : her essays carry the weight and wisdom of the best English writings, whilst the imaginative strength of her language secures the attention of all thoughtful readers. Some of the verses by which Mrs. Barbauld is best known, did not appear until after her death, and amongst these is what may be spoken of as the celebrated stanza from her poem on "Life." It is frequently quoted, as it may very well be, as if it were the piece complete in it.self. " LiFR. "Life! I know not what thou art, But know that thou and I must part : And when, or how, or where we met, I own to me's a secret yet. But this I know, when thou art fled, Where'er they lay these limbs, tliis head, No clod so valueless shall be As all that then remains of me. O whither, whither dost thou fly, Where bend unseen thy trackless course, And in this strange divorce, Ah, tell where to seek this compound I ? To the vast ocean of empyreal flame. From whence thy essence came, Dost thou thy flight pursue, when freed From matter's base encumb'ring weed ? Or dost thou, hid from sight, Wait, like some spell-bound knight. Through blank oblivion's years th' appointed hour, To break thy trance and reassume thy power ? Or canst thou without thought or feeling be ? Oh, say what art thou, w^hen no more thou'rt thee ? " But it is the last verse which has been so repeatedly quoted. Indeed, there is a delightful freshness in its expression, full of the brightest and most animating hope. They are probably among the very last lines which fell from her pen. " Life ! we've been long together, Through pleasant and through cloudy weather ; 'Tis hard to ])art when friends are dear. Perhaps 'twill cost a sigh, a tear : OLD RliSIDEXTS. 435 Then steal ;nvay, give little warning, Choose thine own time ; Say not Good-night, but in some brighter clime Bid me (jood-morning ! " Crabb Robinson gave the volumes in which these verses were published to Miss Wordsworth, the sister of the poet. When Words- worth next met Robinson he said to him, " Repeat me that stanza by Mrs. Barbauld." Robinson did so. Then he requested him to repeat it again until he learnt it by heart. Then he walked up and down the sitting-room at Rydal repeating it himself, and ended by muttering, " I am not in the habit of grudging people their good things, but I wish I had written those lines ! " Mrs. Barbauld died in 1825, in her eighty-second year. Her last letter was written to Maria Edgeworth. Referring to her approaching end, she had said to Crabb Robin.son, " 1 do not wish to be better ; but don't mistake me, I am not at all impatient, but quite ready." To Miss Edgeworth she wrote, " I believe you will allow, that there is not much new, or animating, or inviting to be met with at my age. For my part, I only find that many things I knew I have forgotten ; many things I thought 1 knew, 1 know nothing about. Some things I know I have found not worth knowing- ; and some thins^s 1 would m\tt — oh ! what would one not give, to know."* They are beyond human ken. " It was her brother who had written that beautiful couplet, which might have happily expressed her own state as a pious wish : " From the Bamiuet of Life rise a satisfied guest, Thank the Lord of the Feast, and in peace go to rest." She passed away peacefully and calmly, realizing the last verse of one of her sweetest and best known hymns : " So fades a summer cloud away, So sinks the gale when storms are o'er, So gently shuts the eye of day, So dies a wave along the shore. Life's duty done — as sinks the clay. Light from its load the spirit flies, While heaven and earth combine to say, How blest the righteous when he dies ! " Mrs. Barbauld resided but a short time in Highgate, but she has left a memory behind her which will help to encourage and elevate many human lives, and Highgate cannot afford to lose its share of it. There is an inscription to her mcMiiory in the old Presbyterian 436 THE HISTORY OF HIGHGATE. Chapel, Stoke Newington, from the pen of her nephew Arthur Aikin, late Secretary of the Society of Arts ; it terminates thus : — " Endowed by the Giver of all good With wit, genius, poetic talent, and a vigorous understanding, She employed those high gifts In promoting the cause of humanity, peace, and justice, Of civil and religious liberty. Of pure, ardent, and affectionate devotion. Let the young, matured by her writings in the pure spirit Of Christian morality ; Let those of mature years capable of appreciating The acuteness, the brilliant fancy, and sound reasoning Of her literary compositions ; Let the surviving few who shared Her delightful and instructive conversation. Bear witness that this monument records No exaggerated praise.'' " .Shortly after her husband's death, Mrs. Barbauld undertook an edition in fifty volumes of the best English novelists ! Prefixed to the edition is an essay, written at some length, on the ' Origin and Progress of Novel Writing." In 1811 she prepared for the use of young ladies a selection of the best passages from English poets and prose writers, called The Fai/ale Speaker. In the same year she wrote the most considerable of her poems, entitled Eighteen Hundred and Eleven, a work which at a time of the deepest national gloom was written in eloquent but too despondent strains. This was the last of her published works." ' Sir Hknkv Blount, who resided in the family house at Upper Holloway, on the slope of Highgate Hill, was born December 15th, 1602. He received his education at Trinity College, O.xford, and afterwards became a member of the Society of Gray's Inij. In 1634 he set out on his travels through Turkey in Europe, .Syria, and Egypt, of which journey he published an entertaining memoir, on his return in 1 636, under the title of A J^oyage to (he Levant, luith Observa- tions concerning the Modern Condition of the Turks. The work went through several editions. In 1638 the death of his father put him in possession of the family estate of Blount's Hall, Staffordshire ; the year follow'ing he was knighted, and on the breaking out of the civil wars, being one of the band of Gentlemen Pensioners, attached himself to the royal cause, and fought under the banner of Charles at the Battle of Edge Hill. On the ruin of the king's party, however, he contrived so far to ' Dictiouaiy Natii^ital lUography. OLD RESIDENTS. 43; ingratiate himself with those in power as to procure not onl)- a pardon but employment. In 1651 he was appointed a Commissioner for the reformation of the criminal code, and in 1654 sat as a Commissioner on the trial of the " Portuguese Ambassador's brother " for murder, and voted for his execution. His brother dying in the same year, he succeeded to the family estate of Tittenhanger, in Hertfordshire, and in 1661 became High Sheriff of that county on the return of Charles H., who receiv^ed him into favour. Six comedies, printed in 8vo, under the name of John Lilly, and entitled Court Comedies, have been ascribed to him. His other works are ^lii Epislle in Praise of Tobacco and Coffee, 8vo, and the Exchange Walk, a satire, 8vo. His opinions, as expressed in these works, are of considerable latitude, and accounted sceptical. His death took place 9th October, 1682. Sir Thomas Poi'E Blount, eldest son of Sir Henry Blount, was born 1 2th September, 1649, at the family mansion at Upper Holloway. While yet a young man his literary attainments had brought him into con- sideraljle notice, so that through the favour of Charles H. he was raised to the Baronetage in 1679. During the lifetime of his father he was Member for St. Albans, in the 30th and 31st Parliaments of Charles H., and sat as Member tor Herts in the three successive Parliaments after the Revolution. His works are Censura Celebriorum Aiutoriim, 1690, London, reprinted in 4to at Geneva in 1694 and 17 10; De Re Poetica : or. Remarks on Poetry, 1694; a compilation entitled Natural History, i2mo, 1693 ' 'iri*^ Essays on Several Subjects, 8vo, 1697. He died in his forty-eighth year, 30th June, 1697, at the familv seat of Tittenhanger in Hertfordshire. Cii.\i. " On Wednesday last the Corps of .Sir William Pritchard, Knt., late Alderman, and sometime Lord Mayor of the City of London (who died February i8th), having lain some days in State at his house in Highgate, was convey'd from thence in a Hearse, accompanied by several Mourning Coaches, with si.x Horses each, through Barnet and St. Albans to Dunstable, and the next day through Hockley (where it was met by about twenty Persons on Horseback) to Woburn and Newport Pagnel, and to his seat at Great Lynford (a Mile farther), in the county of Buckingham. Where, after the Body had been set out, with all ceremony befitting his Degree, for near two hours, 'twas carried to the Church adjacent in this order, viz. : two Conductors with long staves, six Men in long cloakes two and two, the Standard, eighteen Men in Cloakes as before. Servants to the Deceas'd two and two, Divines Minister of the Parish and the Preacher, the Helm and Crest, Sword and Target, Gauntlets and Spurs, born by an Officer of Arms, the .Surcoat of Arms, born by another Officer of Arms, both in their rich Coats of her Majesty's Arms embroider'd, the Body between six persons of the Arms of Christ's Hospital, .St. Bartholomew's, and Merchant Taylors' Company, City of London, implated Coat and single Coat, the Chief Mourner and his four Assistants, followed by the Relations of the Defunct, etc. : After Divine .Service was performed and an ex- cellent vSermon .suitable to the Occasion preached by the Reverend Lewis Atterbury, LL.D., Minister of Highgate aforsaid, the Corps was interred in a handsome large Vault in the He on the North side of the Church betwixt seven and eight of the clock that Evening." - Sir William Pritchard, Knt., Alderman, Sheriff 1672, Lord Mayor 1682, Remembrancer and M.P. for the City. In the Court Records of the Merchant Taylors' Company there is an entry that on 7th July, 1687, it was ordered : " That the pictures of the Right Worshi]jful Sir William Turner and Sir William Pritchard, worthy members of the Society, be drawne, and hung up in the Hall." Sir G. Kneller seems to have been employed to paint the same. Sir William purchased the manor of Linford, Bucks, in 1679 from the Napier family for ^19,500, w^hich is still in the possession of his descendants, the Uth watts. ' Visions of the Times of Old, by Robert Bigsby. - Daily Courant, Marrh 5tli. 1705. OLD RESIDENTS. 443 The burial register states: " 1704, March 1st, the Right Worshipful Sir William IVitchard, Knt., Alderman of London, set. 74." On a marble slab in the church it is recorded that — " In a vault underneath lies interred the body of Sir William Pritchard, Knt. and Aldeniian, and some time since Lord Mayor of London, a most excellent Magistrate, and of exemplary virtue and goodness. He was one of that City's representatives in several Parliaments, and President of St. Bartholomew's Hospital, where he erectetl a suitable apartment for cutting of the stone, and built anl endowed a school house and six alms- houses in this parish. " Hee departed this life the i8th February, 1704, in the 74 yeare of his age." Sir William was a liberal benefactor to the parish of Linford, and did much to restore the parish church.' Dame Sarah Pritchard, by will, dated 26th April, 1 707, bequeathed the sum of ^800 to divers charities, which yielded the sum of £\2. a proportion of which is appropriated to Highgate, amounting to about £2 \os. od., and is paid yearly to ten poor old maids of the hamlet of Highgate, or widows when no old maids can be found. Joshua Spki{;ge, son of William Sprigge, sometime servant to Lord Say, born at Banbury in Oxfordshire in 1618. In 1634 he became a Commoner of New Inn ; he was some time a retainer to Sir Thomas Fairfax, General of the Parliament Army. In 1648 the Committee and visitors appointed by Parliament to reform the University constituted him M.A., as he had stood at Edinburgh. " While he continued in All Souls' College he was of civil conversa- tion, but far gone in enthusiasm ; and blamed much by some of the fellows then there for his zeal in causing the History of our Saviour's Ascension curiously carved in stone over that College gate to be defaced, after it had remained there since the foundation of that house. About that time he was esteemed also a noted Independent, and afterwards very well known to be a great favourer of factious and blasphemous persons, particularly that grand impostor James Naylor, Ouaker, in whose behalf he did, at the head of an hundred men, deliver a petition in favour of him to Oliver, Lord Protector. After the king's return he retired to an estate which he had purchased at Crayford in Kent, lived privately there, and frequented conventicles. At length upon the death of James Lord Say, which was in the latter end of 1673, he married his widow, named Frances, daughter of Edward Viscount Wimbledon. Hut she, being a 'holy sister,' kept or caused to be kept conventicles in her house, upon ' Histoiy of Burks, 444 rHE HISTORY OF HIGHGATE. which trouble ensuing, they removed to Highgate near London, where Sprigge died in 1684. He was the author of several sermons, published in 1648: Anglia Rediviva, England's recovery; being the History of the Actions and Successes of the Army under the Conduct of Sir TJiomas Fairfax {io\. \ London, 1648); Certain Weighty Consideratio7is, humbly tendered to the High Court of Justice, for the Trial of the King ( London, 1 648) ; Solace for Saints in the Saddest Times, and iVetus of a Ahio World from the Word and Works of God, compai-ed together ; evidencing that the Times of the Man of Sin are legally determined." ^ John Tavlor, author of Monsieur Tonson, whose life, published by Bull, Holies Street, 1832, abounds with anecdotes of theatrical notabilities, was born in Highgate. "Joseph Towers was born, in 1737, at Sherborne in Dorsetshire, but according to some accounts in Southwark, where his father dealt in second-hand books. He received no regular education, and is said to have acquired his first taste for literature by listening to the conversa- tion of Hawkesworth and others, who used to meet at the shop of Goadby the bookseller of the Royal Exchange. In 1754 he was apprenticed to a printer at Sherborne, and on coming again to London he some time supported himself as a journeyman in that trade. In I 763 he published his first work, entitled A Revieiv of the Genuine Doc- trines of Christ, and subsequently contracting a profitable marriage, he opened a bookseller's shop in Fore Street; but in 1774 he resigned his business and became a dissenting minister. He was in the same year chosen pastor of a congregation of dissenters at Highgate, and in 1778 was elected one of the ministers at Newington Green. In 1779 the University of Edinburgh conferred upon him the degree of LL. D., from which time he began to publish at intervals a variety of pamphlets up to the period of his d^ath in 1799, exclusive of the share he had in the Jhographia Britannica, and the British Biography, of which he composed the greater part. Most of his works will be found in three volumes of pamphlets, printed by subscription. He also wrote Memoirs of the Life and Reign of Frederick III. of Prussia, in two volumes. Dr. Towers, who is said to have been a modified Arian, was an industrious and forcible writer." ^ " Daviu Williams, founder of the Royal Literary Fund. He was born at a village near Cardigan in 1738, and received the chief portion of his education at a college at Carmarthen. In later years he attributed the revulsion which took place in his opinions and feelings concerning religious institutions to the harsh, cold, and oppressive manner in which ' Pricketl MSS. * Biographical Dictionary. OLD RBSFDENTS. 445 the doctrines and duties of Christian faith were disguised in the stern and rigid habits of a Puritanical master. On leaving this seminary, he became the minister of a small congregation at Frome in Somerset- shire, but soon removed to a more important charge at Exeter, and from thence to Highgalc. "In 1770 he appeared as the defender of Mossop against David Garrick, in a letter to Garrick, which contained a masterly critique on the great actor, and at the same time an unsparing attack on his pro- ceedings. The letter produced the intended effect ; Mossop was liberated, and the letter withdrawn from further publication. " Soon after followed hi.s Pliilosopher, in Three Conversations, and this was soon followed by Essays on Public Worship, Patriotism, and Projects of Reformation. The appendix to these essays gave a strong indication of his detestation of intolerance, bigotry, and hypocrisy, the seed of which had been sowm in the ascetic Welsh school of Carmarthen, and which became the leading character of his subsequent life. His sermons, chiefly upon religious hypocrisy, marked the close of his connection with the Nonconformists of Highgate. " He now settled at Chelsea, and published in 1773 A Treatise on Education, recommending a method founded on the plans of Commenius and Rousseau, a system which he proposed to carry into effect. " During his residence at Chelsea, he for a time gave an a.sylum to Dr. Franklin in his house at a period when there was a popular e.xcitement against him in connection with American affairs. Franklin was a member of a club of literary men and politicians, of which club David Williams was also a member. In this club a .scheme for universal uni- formity of worship was drawn up, on principles supposed to be capable of uniting all parties ; and Mr. Williams composed and published ./ Liturgy on the Universal Principles of Religion and Morality. With this was combined a set of lectures illustrating these principles, delivered in the chapel in Margaret Street, Cavendish Square, forming two volumes, 1776. This service lasted about four years, but drew little attention, and involved the lecturers in serious difficulties. As"the acknowledgment of the being of a God was the only tenet demanded of its memliers, the Theistic Church had nothing sufficiently binding in its composition to hold any great number of men together who haci no other bond of union. " During the alarm in 1780, from the outburst of French revolutionary principles, he published a tract entitled A Plan of . Issociation on Con- stitutional Principles, and in 17CS2 Letters on Political Liberty, a work extensively read in both England and France. It was translated by Hrissot, and procured Mr. Williams an invitation to Paris to assist in drawing up a constitution for I'rance, one of the earliest of thr numerous constitutions which appeared and perished in succession during the violent 446 THE HISTORY OF HIGH GATE. effervescence of the Revolution. He continued only about six months in Paris. He gave temperate and most excellent advice to the party of the Gironde, with which he was in communication, which, had it been taken, might have prevented the shedding of torrents of blood. But the tornado of excited human passion swept all reason before it, and Mr. Williams took his leave, prognosticating the awful .scenes which followed. He brought home with him a letter from the French Minister of War to Lord Grenville, intended to enable Mr. Williams to make known to the British Ministry the real sentiments and wishes of the French Adminis- tration, but Mr. Williams never was admitted to an audience of Lord Grenville. He left the letter in the hands of Mr. Aust, Undersecretary of State, and nothing more was heard of it. A mention of this circum- stance is made in VAs?,g.\!?, History of Gcoroe III. In fact, his going to France had ruined him with the Ministry here, and he found himself denounced in England as a 'democrat' and in France as a 'royalist.' Such was the jealousy of French revolutionary ideas by the British Government, that Mr. Williams might have foreseen that his intercourse with political leaders in Paris would evoke the deepest suspicions of him here. Still, undaunted by this rebuff, he published his Letters to a Young Prince, and engaged in and completed in one volume quarto a History of Monmouthshire, with plates by his friend the Reverend John Gardiner. The work, however, on which he laboured with the most benevolent enthusiasm, and for which he will always be held in grateful remem- brance by thousands who have derived from it comfort and support in the seasons of deepest distress, was that of the establishment of the Royal Literary Fund. On this philanthropic achievement he built the dearest hopes of his fame, and not in vain. In connection with this noble institution the name of David Williams will always be held in honour. An excellent bust of him, executed by Richard Westmacott, and presented by him to the Institution, stands in the house of the Fund. During his residence at Chelsea, Mr. \\'illiams had conceived the plan of this .society for the assistance of deserving authors, and in 1788 and 1789 he succeeded in establishing it, and devoted all his talents and energies and much of his time to the advancement of its interests. He had the satis- faction of seeing it continually rise in public estimation. The Prince of Wales honoured it with his patronage, and conferred on it an annual donation for the purpo.se of purchasing a house for the use of the Society, and expressly desired that Mr. Williams should reside in it. Thus launched, this benevolent Institution has gone on from year to year for eighty years, diffusing substantial blessings amongst those for whom it was designed. " During the Peace of Amiens Mr. Williams again visited Paris, but this tim(% it is believed, on a private commission from our Government OLD RESmr.XTS. 447 to the First Consul, as he was seen repeatedly entering the Government Offices before his departure. "He still continued to write for the promotion of his views of political progress, and produced Egcria ; or, Eleuientary Studies on tlie Pt'o^^ress of Nations in Political Economy, Education, and Government, and Prepara- tory Studies for Political Reformers. He died on June 29th, 1816. The whole of Mr. Williams's proceedings evince an enthusiastic love of liberty, and a generous regard for the good of his tellow-men. His weakness was the abandonment of faith in the Christian religion, the result of the unlovable form in which he had seen in his youth the doctrines of what was called Christianity presented in the practices of those who mistook harshness and .severity for lh(; lite of that religion, which on the contrary is gentleness and love."" Tin: Lord Cii.\N( kllor Yokkk was a Governor of the Grammar School, and therefore must have been a resident in Highgate, as the deed of the school provides that a Governor should be a "resident person." Warburton says- : — " Last Thursday I dined with Mr. and Airs. Yorke, at Hig/igate : it was not a good day, but we walked on his terrace and round his domain." Lord Campbell says': — "The ex-Attorney-General had now a charming villa at Higligate, where his family resided, and to which he eagerly retired as often as the Court of Chancery and Parliament would permit." It is a matter for regret that this house has not so far been traced. Charles Yorke was the second son of Lord Hardwicke, and was born in 1723. He was called to the Bar by the Honourable Society of Lincoln's Inn in 1743. Was M.P. for Reigate 1747, Solicitor-General 1756, Attorney-General 1762, went out of office with the Ministry, was returned again under the Rockingham administration in 1765, but finally resigned in i 766. At the opening of the session of 1770, Lord Chatham having again thundered against "ministerial corruption and imbecility," Lord Camden, who held the great seal, stated that "on subjects of colonial and domestic policy he utterly condemned the coarse his colleagues were pursuing." This declaration naturally cau.sed his resignation, and the total surrender of the Cjovernment depended upon whether any lawyer of decent character and ability could be found to succeed him. Lord Shelburne declared in the House of Lords that " the seals would go a-begging ; but he hoped there would not be found in the kingdom a wretch so base and mean- spirited as to accept them on the terms on which they must be offered." This was on the 9th January. Howiti. '-' Warbiirton's Ixtleis. •' Lives of flic Cluiiicellors: 448 THE HISTORY OF H/GHGATE. Pressure was brought to bear on Charles Yorke by the Duke of Grafton, but he had gi\en 360 320 n 200 300 ti 225 1,924 1.556 HIGHGATE OF TO-DAY. 461 The public day schools in operation in Hii^hgate and its immediate neighbourhood are as follows, the figures showing their capability and average attendance for 18S6. Higligate (Hornsey School Board) built for Whittington (London Schof.l Board) St. Michael's National „ St. Ann's ,, ,, St. Joseph's R. C. „ The National Schools. These schools are situated on the west side of the North Road, Highgate, standing on a beautiful site some considerable distance back from the main road. The buiUlings are well planned, and remembering that they were erected some thirty five years since, if the very moderate requirements of the then existing village is taken into consideration, it will be seen that the scope of the intention was exceedingly liberal, and lar in ad\'ance of the educational ideas of the day. The old school houses in Southwood Lane seem to have been exceedingly inadecjuate. The report of 1S50 stated that " the existing school-buildings are universally admitted to recjuire much extension and improvement. The boys' and girls' schools are without the essential requisite of a class room ; the drainage, warming, antl ventilation are e.xtremel)" defective ; the boys have scarcely an\' play- ground, the girls have none. The children therefore play in the streets. Neither school has a residence for the teacher ; the master lives in a hired house, and the mistress in a very poor tenement, belonging to the trustees of the Pauncefort Charity. There are no means of training the boys in out-door industry, or indeed in any industrial occupation, or the girls in cooking, washing, house-work, or any industry but needle- work. To lay out a large sum of money in effecting some of the desired additions on the existing site would be injudicious, because the site is l(!asehold, and subject to a rent ; and it is also too confined to admit of all or e\en the principal part of the necessary improvements. The infants' school-room is not, as it should be, in immediate contiguity to the schools for the elder children, neither has it the advantage of an airy playground, but only a close and confined court. The present site will not allow the existing defc-cts to be remedied, and it is moreover lease- hold, as well as the other schools, and subject to an annual rc;nt. " .\t a meeting held in the National .School House, on Thursday, Jul)- 25th, 1850, — the Re\ . T. II. Causton in the chair; prt:s(;nt, Mr. 4^2 77//:" n /STORY OF llfCIIGATE. Hasevi, Mr. Block, Mr. Beaumont, Mr. Chester, Mr. Clarke, Rev. J. 1'. Dyne, Mr. Fisher, Mr. Ford, Mr. Gardiner, Mr. Gladstone, Mr. Godfrey, Mr. Hunter, Mr. Kilburn, Mr. Owen, Mr. Phelps, Mr. Parkinson, Mr. Palmer, Mr. Prickett, Mr. Richardson, Rev. W. Shaw, Mr. Tatham, Mr. J. L. Tatham, Mr. Wilkinson, — it was proposed by Mr. Chester, seconded by Mr. Gladstone, and resolved unanimously, " That this meeting is of opinion, that for better training the children of the poor of Highgate, in religion and industry, the existing school-buildings for boys, girls, and infants should be abandoned, and the leases should be disposed of; and that a freehold site should be procured, where new buildings for the three schools may be erected, with proper class rooms, and other appurtenances, houses, and play-grounds, and where school gardens for the boys, and a school kitchen, washhouse, and other domestic offices for the girls, may afford the means of training the children in those habits of hardy and skilful industry, which, by God's blessing, may promote their bodily and moral health, and prepare them for the discharge of their duties in after life." It was proposed by Mr. Clarke, seconded by Mr. Wilkinson, and resolved unanimously, " That the undermentioned be a Committee to carry the foregoing resolutions into eflect, and that they have power to add to their number : the Rev. T. H. Causton, Mr. Atkinson, Mr. Bain, Mr. Basevi, Mr. Beaumont, Mr. Bodkin, Mr. Block, Mr. Brendon, Mr. Chester, Mr. Crawley, Rev. J. B. Dyne, Rev. L. Evans, Mr. J. Fisher, Mr. Fleming, Mr. Furnee, Mr. Gardiner, Mr. Gladstone, Mr. Godfrey, Mr. Hunter, Mr. Kilburn, Mr. Lake, Mr. Lea, Mr. Lloyd, Mr. Moger, Mr. Oldfield, Mr. Owen, Mr. Palmer, Mr. Parkinson, Mr. Parry, Mr. Prickett, Mr. Phelps, Mr. Redmayne, Mr. Richardson, Mr. F. Rivington, Mr. G. K. Smith, Mr. Sadler, Rev. W. Shaw, Mr. Tatham, Mr. J. L. Tatham, Mr. H. Tatham, Mr. Tebbs, Rev. Mr. Wardale, Mr. Wetherell, Mr. Wilkinson."' It was proposed by Mr. Beaumont, seconded by the Rev. J. B. Dyne, and resolved unanimously, " That Thomas Clarke, Esq., and William Gladstone, Esq., be appointed treasurers ; and William Ford, Esq., and W. D. Owen, Esq., Secretaries of the said Committc^e ; and that those gentlemen, with INlr. Prickett, Mr. Palmer, and Josiah Wilkinson, Esq., be a Sub-Committee of Management to accomplish the proposed undertaking, under the general control of the Committee already appointed." The plans as suggested in the foregoing resolutions were boldly carried into effect, although for a time the proposed work was beset with difficulties. The title of the site proved to be a questionable one, and it was almost determined at one time to abandon it in favour of an ' These names are printed as a remembrance of old and respected neighbours, nearly the whole of whom have now passed away. niGHGATE OF TO-DAY. 463 alternative one on North Hill adjoining the pound, called the "Cardinal's Hat I'ield," but ultimately it was decided to adhere to the original plan, setting the buildings well back on that portion of the ground respecting which no question could arise, devoting the frontage for gardening purposes. Having disposed of this difficulty, a second one arose, from the fact that the owner of a property of which but a small portion was required, refused to treat except for the whole ; this decision compelled the managers to purchase some ten acres of land at a cost of ^3, 500, six acres of which they sold to Mr. Tatham for ^1,460, and ultimately, by sales and exchanges, the site, which is an admirable one, and covers four acres two roods thirty-five perches, cost but /^ 1,691 \^s. "jd., — of course exclusive of the one acre of land for which an Act was obtained to enable the Bishop of London to convey it gratuitously for the use of the schools. Plans were prepared by IVIr. Salvin for schools to accommodate 150 boys, 120 girls, and 150 infants, which were erected at a cost, including fittings and furnishing, of ^'5,043 14.S-. \d., or, including the cost of site, _;^6, 735 \2s. 8d. Towards this sum the Privy Council on Education granted /^ 1,800, stated to ha\-e been the larf;esl grant made up to that date for school buildings ; the National Society, ^'200 ; sale of leases of the old premises, etc., about/" 300, — the balance being raised by subscriptions. An admirable feature in these schools was the industrial occujiations in which th(t children, or at least a portion of them, were employed, but which has been much crippled by the articles of the Code providing " pay- ment by results." The boys are taught gardening and the cultivation of the groLind for farming purposes, and the girls to bake, cook, cut out and make clothing, knit, wash, and general household work. The number of children in average attendance, as stated in thr Rc^port for 18S5, was: boys, i i6 ; girls, 109; infants, 109. The grant awarded on the Inspector's Report was ^"337 \s- 9;/., divided in the earnings as follows : — Boys' school, ^127 \os. ^d. ; average 20.f. \d. per head, with 40.<-. for [jupil teacher. Cirls', £\o8 14.S". 4(/. ; \~s. lod. per head, with 70-v. for pupil teachers. Infants', /lOO ijs. od. ; ijs. per head, with 45.s-. for pupil teacher. The p(!rc(Mitag(- of passes was : bo\s, c)-i ; girls, S2. .\s the e'ccle- siastical district of St. Michael is partl\- in the parish of St. Pancras, a portion of the accommodation of the schools is reserved, it necessary, for children residing in that parish. Till Latk British .Siiiool. This school can hardly be called an item of" Highgate of to-day," .seeing it ncj longer exists, but it m:\y be considered here as a record of the past. 464 THE HISTORY OF HIGH GATE. On the 13th August, 1852, soon after the completion of the National Schools, a public meeting of the inhabitants of Highgate was held to con- sider the desirability of establishing a British School, Mr. Joseph Leech in the chair. The following Resolutions were passed unanimously : — Resolved, — I. That this meeting, while viewing with .satisfaction the ex- tended means of education in Highgate afforded by the new National and Industrial Schools, is of opinion that it is desirable that a British School should also be established ; in order that parents in the humbler ranks may have the same free choice which those in more affluent circumstances enjoy, of sending their children either to a school where the religious instruction is combined with the doctrines peculiar to the Church of England, or to a school in which the religious instruction is not combined with the doctrines peculiar to any Christian Church or Sect ; so that the fundamental principle of Protestantism, the right of private judgment, may be recognised and practically carried out. II. That, for the present, temporary rooms shall be hired for a Boys' School and a Girls' School. That a subscription be opened to provide the money required for the rent of the rooms, the school furniture, and materials for teaching, the salaries of a master and mistress, and incidental expenses. III. That the following ladies and gentlemen be members of the Pro- visional Committee : Mrs. Yates, Mrs. Horner, Miss Horner, Miss Leech, Mrs. Wetherall, Miss Hatch, Mrs. Nettlefold, Mrs. Birch, Mr. J. Nettlefold, Mr. L. Horner, Mr. J. Yates, F.R.S., Mr. J. Leech, Mr. T. Bousfield, Mr. S. Hickson, Mr. J. Clarke, Mr. G. Lowe, Rev. S. Hatch, Rev. G. R. Birch, Secretary. IV. That the Committee have authority' (if requisite) to apply for assistance to the Committee of Privy Council on Education, and to the Committee of the British and Foreign School Society, in such manner as to the Committee shall seem advisable, and that the school be placed under Government inspection. \'. That so soon as the Committee shall have matured their plans, and fourteen days before the opening of the schools, they shall print a report of their proceedings, send a copy thereof to every contributor, and give it such further circulation as to the Committee shall seem advisable. In pursuance of the above resolutions the schools were commenced, and in 1 860 were transferred to the old Congregational Church buildings in Southwood Lane (now the science rooms of the Grammar School), at which time 21 i children were on the register. The schools were carried on in these premises, which were but ill- adapted for the purpose, some fifteen years, until the date of the formation of the Hornsey .School Board, when they were closed, and the building was disposed of by its owner to the Trustees of the Grammar School. The Magistrates and Police. The Highgate Cage, or lock-up, was on the west side of High Street, looking down Southwood Lane, now occupied as a hairdresser's shop. There is a record that in July 1720 an alehouse-keeper at Whetstone attacked a gentleman on Finchley Common, but was captured and lodged IIIGHGATE or rO-DAY. 465 in Ilighgate Cage, " and lay in the cage all night to public view; " and in the 1 lornsey Churchwardens' accounts for 1822 there are the items, " Repairs to Highgate Cage, £1 2s. lod.," and " Cash paid for destroying vermin, 12s. 8^/.," — which is suggestive. The old watchmen were superseded by the Metropolitan police in 1842, and the police station was built in 1850. The police force consists of one superintendent, two inspectors, and about eighty sergeants and constables. Provision was made in the building for the accommodation of a Court of Petty Sessions, but on so limitecl a scale that arrangements have recently been made to hold it on the Northfield Mall premises. The Justices attending these sessions are : — Appointed on the Commission of the Peace. W. P. Bodkin. Es(] July 31st, 1854. J. II. Lermitte, E-Sc]. ... ... January iSth, 1869. Colonel Stedall ... ... March 22nd, 18S0. Ebenezer Homan, Esq. ... ... September 5th, 1881. John Glover, Esq. ... ... August loth, 1885. Francis Reckitt, Esq. ... ... August 10th, 1885. Francis Orton, Esq., M.D. ... March 16th, 1886. Thomas P, Baptie, Esq. ... January 7th, 1887. Clerk to the Justices. — Mr. E. \V. Beale. The Ei'iscor.vL .wn Nonconm'or.mist Cuurcuks of Hokn.m;\ .wd THE Lm.mediate Vicinitv. Episcopal Churches. Hornsey Pansh Church. — Rector, Rev. J. Jeakes, M.A., lion. P'ellow of King's Coll. Curates, Rev. J. S. Clement.son, M.A. ; R(\-. W'. J. Mocking, A.K.C.L. Holy Innocent's, Hornsey. — Vicar, Rev. R. W. Powell, M.A. Curate, Rev. T. Smith, M.A. Christ Church, Crouch lind. — \'icar. Rev. C. \V. Edmonstone, M.A. Curate, Rev. W. L. Christie, M.A. St. fames' s, MuszoellHill.—WcAV, E. P. Cachemaille, M.A. St. /ohn's, Broiuns-a'ood Park. — Vicar, Rev. G. B. Latreille, A.K.C. Curate, Rev. E. C. Jarvis, M.A. Holy Trinity, Stroud Green.— \i\cM. Rev. R. Linklaler, M..\. Curate, Rev. VV. Cator, B.A. .SV. Jl/ichacl's, HiohQate.—V'Kwv. Rew 1 ). Trintler, M..\. Curates, Rev. M. Laurcncti ; Rev. l'~. C. Mackenzie, B.A. 466 THE HISTORY OF H /CMC ATE. All Saints, Hi<^hs;ate. — Vicar, Rev. Edgar Smith, B.A. Curates, Rev. W. H.^I\i. Church, M.A. ; Rev. H. R. Cooper Smith, M.A. St. Augustine, At'chway Road, Higlis;atc. — In course of erection. St. Anns, Highgatc 7?/.?^.'— Vicar, Rev. T. C. Ackland, M.A. Curates Rev. J. D. K. Mahomed, B.A. ; Rev. A. C. Wheeler, B.A. St. Marys, HicrJigate A'/Vd-.— Vicar, Rev. D. J. T. Cooke, M.A. Curate Rev. F. C. Skey, M.A. .SV. Peters, Hi^h^ate //ill.— Vicar, Rev. J. F. Osborne, M.A. Curate Rev. H. S. Field, B.A. Con<^rcmtional C/mrc/ies. The Park, Croueli End. — Pastor, Rev. Alfred Rowland, LL. B. JHotint Viczv, Stroud Green. — In course of erection. South Grove, //ighgate. — Pastor, Rev. J. Morgan Gibbon. Neio Court, Tollington Park. — Pastor, Re\'. J. Ossian Davies. East Finchley. — Pastor, Rev. J. T. B. Tinling, B.A. Jttnction Road. — Pastor, Rev. W. J. Craig, F.R.G.S. Baptist Churches. //ornsey, Catnpsbourne Road. — Pastor, Rev. J. S. Bruce. //ornsey Rise, Sunnyside /ioad. — Pastor, Rev. Dr. Duncan. /-/ighgate, Southioood Lane. — Pastor, Rev. J. H. Barnard. //ighgate, Archivay Road. — In course of erection. Crouch End, Broadivay. — Pastor, Rev. J. Batey. Crouch //ill, Stapleton //all Road. — Pastorate vacant. Wesleyan Churches. //ornsey, Willoughhy Road ; jl/iddle Lane. Crouch //ill, //oily Park. Upper //olloioay, corner of Archiuay Road. Presbyterian Churches. //ornsey. Crouch //ill. — Pastor, Rev. Dr. Murphy. //ighgate, corner of //ornsey /^ane. — Pastorate vacant. /Ionian Catholic Church. St. Joseph's, //ighgate //ill. — Provincial, The Very Rev. Vincent Grogan. Unitarian Church, //ighgate //ill. — Pastor, Rev. R. Spears. ' Erected at the cost of Miss Barnett, in memory of her brother. HIGH GATE OF TO-DAY. 467 rilE VOLUNTEERS. W'hen England was threatened with invasion in 1S03, preparations for its defence were carried into execution on a gigantic scale, and the Government, in addition to other means, appealed to the people for their vokmtary services. On this occasion the inhabitants of llighgate imme- diately raised, and supported during the war, a battalion of three liuudred Dieu,^ commanded by a field officer, with the regulation number of officers. The Government provided the adjutant, the arms, and the ammunition, but the clothing and all other e.xpenses were defrayed by the voluntary subscriptions of the inhabitants. The colours were presented by the Countess of Mansfield, who delivered the following address : — " Gentlfmen Volunteers, — I am informed tliat it will give pleasure to my neigh- bours if they receive their colours through my hands. This wish of theirs is considered by me as a great distinction, and a valuable mark of their kindness. I ac- cordingly accept their offer with a due sense of their friendly partiality, and am very thankful. The only efforts which I can make in supporting the public interest are by my prayers and good wishes. These I can promise, and I feel confident that they will not be misplaced ; for I am well assured that you will hold the colours now entrusted to your care, as the most sacred pledge of your affection for your king and love for jour country ; and that should you be called out to the support of a Britisii man's duty, you will offer an honourable and effectual service, and meet on your return an animated expression of joy and satisfaction in the eyes of your family." The Corps was reviewed, in 1S05, by His Majesty George III., at Harrow Weald, and at different periods subsequently bv His Royal Highness the Duke of Cambridge, (ieneral Fo.x, and other officers, on Finchley Common and elsewhere ; on all which occasions the commanding generals expressed their thanks for the zeal displayed, and their appro- bation of the efficient state of discipline the Corps had attained. The place of muster was frecjuently The Grove, and of exercise llighgate Common, which thus became an object of considerable attraction, and was frequently thronged with visitors to witness the military evolutions. A very creditable band was also maintained, which enlivened the neighbourhood with its inspiriting airs. The following are the rules and regulations of the first llighgate Volunteers. Resolutions and Regulations or hie Loyal Highgate Volunteeks. We whose names are here inscribed as members of a Military Association for the defence of our Sovereign, our Omslitution, and our Country, against foreign and domestic enemies, do by (jur signature declare our mcst Ijearty assent to the following Resolutions and Regulations, and do hereby engage to conform to these and every ' Prickelt MS. 468 rilE HISTORY OF lIlGHGArE. other rule of conduit, the observance of which may be deemed necessary for pro- moting the prosperity and the honour of the Association. I. That the Corps be distinguished by the name of " The Loyal Highgate Volunteers." II. That for regulating the procedure and superintending the concerns of this Association, a Committee be appointed, consisting of the following noblemen, clergymen, and gentlemen : — Right Hon. the Earl of Mansfield ; Sir Allan Chambre, Knt. ; Abel Moysey, Esq. ; the Rev. Dr. Bennett ; the Rev. Dr. Crombie ; Charles Causton, Esq. ; Robert Mendham, Esq. ; David Davelaz, Esq. ; Stephen Dowell, Esq. ; T. R. Swane, Esq. ; James Poulain, Esq. ; Edward Dew, Esq. ; Thomas Rodwell, Esq. ; Henry Isherwood, Esq.; T. Hayne, Esq.; H.J. Brooke, Esq.; Jacob Osorio, Esq.; Benjamin Price, Esq. ; W. Belcher, Esq. ; James Boliand, Esq. ; Abel Langford, Esq. ; Nathaniel Harden, Esq. ; G. Ranking, Esq. ; Walter Miller, Esq. ; George Idle, Esq. ; J. Addison, Esq. ; J. Prickett, Esq. ; Thomas Shackleton, Esq. ; William Blo.xam, Esq. ; Thomas Cross, Esq. III. That this Committee be invested with authority to increase, if necessary, the number of its members. IV. That no person be admitted a member of the Corps unless unanimously approved by the Committee. V. That no one be allowed to join the ranks until he has produced to the commanding officer a ticket of admission, signed by one or more members of the Committee. VI. That no member shall receive uniform from the Committee unless two approved householders become responsible that, on his quitting the Corps, it shall be returned to the Quartermaster in proper condition. VII. That no member shall wear his uniform, unless on days of duty, under the penalty of half-a-crown for the first offence, five shillings for the second, and for the third, expulsion from the Corps. VIII. That if any member of the Corps shall appear on duty with uniform and accoutrements not regular and clean, he shall, if a private or non-commissioned officer, be subject to the penalty of one shilling for each offence ; if a commissioned officer, to the penalty of one guinea. IX. That any member using, without permission, the arms or accoutrements not allotted to him, shall be fined one shilling. X. That any member who shall talk in the ranks, or conduct himself there in a dis- orderly manner, or shall not wait to be regularly dismissed, shall be fined one shilling. XI. That a commissioned officer, if absent on a field day, without leave from the commanding officer, be fined half a-guinea ; a non-commissioned officer five shillings ; and a private half-a-crown ; if absent two successive field days, these several penalties shall be doubled for each offence ; and if absent three successive field days, a commissioned officer shall be reported to the Secretary at War, a non-commissioned officer shall be degraded from his rank, and a private shall be expelled from the Corps. XII. That any commissioned officer who shall without leave absent himself three successive drill days shall be fined five shillings ; and if absent five successive drill days, he shall be subject to a fine of half-a-guinea ; and if absent on seven drill days successively, his conduct shall be reported by the commanding officer to the Secretary at War. XIII. That if any non-commissioned officer or private be absent without permission four successive drill days, he shall be liable to a penalty of one shilling for each day's absence ; and if absent six drill days successively, he shall be expelled from the Corps, and IIIGHGATli OF TO-DAY. 469 his name reported to the Lord Lieutenant of the county, as no longer cntitlcil to the rights or privileges of a volunteer. XIV. That these penalties for absence be strictly exacted, unless a satisfactory excuse shall be given to the commanding officer. X\'. That a book be prepared by the sergeant of each company, to ascertain the absentees on every general drill and field day ; and that he be provided with a list of those on duty, ready to be delivered to the adjutant previously to the line being formed. XVL That the Quartermaster attend duly to the collection of fines ; and that on the first day of every month he shall pay the same into the hands of the Treasurer, for the benefit of the common fund. XVn. That the Treasurer be empowered to enforce payment from defaulters. XVI I L That the election of a Commandant be vested in the Committee. XIX. 'I'hat the election of other commissioned officers, the Adjutant excepted, shall in like manner belong to the Committee — subject, however, to the approbation of the Corps. XX. That the appointment of non-commissioned oflicers shall originate in the Corps at large ; and that they shall have the right of proposing not less than double the necessary number, from which the commissioned officers shall make an election. XXI. That any member refusing to conform to the preceding rules and regulations, or betraying a spirit of contumacy or insubordination, shall be expelled from the Corps. From the account of the firing for a .silver cup, given by Lieutenant Prickett, September 25th, 1805, it appears that four companies competed. The first consisted of twenty-one men, the second fifteen, the third twelve, and the fourth nineteen ; making a total of sixty-seven. But it should be borne in mind the As.sociation of the " Loyal Highgate Volunteers" was then but newly formed; therefore their numbers were small in comparison to what they afterwards became. The ist Compan)- had seventeen shots, 2nd eleven, 3rd eleven, 4th ten ; total forty-nine. The ]irize was won by Short in the 3rd Company ; and a second one by Bent in the 2nd Company. The officf;rs of the Corps were :— Appointed. Major Coiiiiitaiulaiil ... Nathaniel Harden ... August 1803. Captain ... ... John Addison ... „ ,, Walter Miller ... „ „ George Idle „ „ ... ... James Ensor ... ... March 1S04. Liciileuaut ... ... Thomas Cross ... August 1803. ,, ... ... lohn Prickett ... ,, William Tell Rcw ... ,, ... ... James Groves ... January 1805. Eiisigu Joseph Palmer ... January 1805. ,," Joseph Godfrey ... April 1805. Ohapliiin Thomas Bennett, D.D. -December 1803. Adjiitaul ... ... James Knsor ... ... „ Surgeon ... ... Charles Scudamore ... ,, 470 THE H/STORV OF HIGIIGATE. The Corps was probably disbanded in 1813, at the same time as the Loyal Hampstead X'oluntecr Infantry, the Government considering that any immediate danger of invasion had passed away. In 1S42 there were nine memliers of the Highgate Loyal Volunteers still residing in Highgate.' In 1859 the present Volunteer force of the kingdom was called into existence by the unsettled state of European politics. The War Office circular, signed by General Peel, was issued to the Lord Lieutenants of counties on the 4th May, 1859, and a second one on the 2Sth May; but Highgate — as usual, "to the front" — had forestalled the second circular, for a meeting was held at the house of W. H. Bodkin, Esq., one of the Deputy Lieutenants of the county of Middlesex, after- wards Sir W. H. Bodkin, on the evening of the 24th, to consider the propriety of forming a Volunteer Rifle Corps for Highgate and its vicinity. At this meeting there were present : — Mr. W. H. Bodkin (in the chair), Dr. Blatherwick, Mr. Barclay, Mr. W. P. Bodkin, Mr. Brendon, Mr. Blodi, Mr. Crawley, Mr. Harris, Mr. R. R. Holmes, Mr. B. Lake, Mr. Langdale, Mr. Lodge, Mr. Moger, Mr. F. Smith, Mr. H. Tatham. Mr. L'nderdown. Resolutions were passed favourable to the forma- tion of a Corps, and a strong committee appointed to carry them into effect. The first meeting of the Corps was held in the cricket field, Swain's Lane, on 21st June, 1859, when* there were present twenty-three enrolled members. This number had increased to forty-one at the date of the first drill on ist July. The first officers of the Ccrps were — Captain Wilkinson, Lieutenant Langdale, Ensign Barclay. The first circular issued to the 14th Middlesex (Highgate) Volunteer Rifle Corps under that designation, was dated 5th November, 1S59, and signed by Captain Wilkinson, and after announcing the formal "accept-' ance by Her Majesty of the services of the Corps," it announced the appointment of Mr. B. G. Lake as company sergeant, of Messrs. Donald- son, Greening, and Underdown as sergeants, and Mr. R. K. Holmes as bugler, etc. In P'ebruary i860 the Corps had increased so considerably as to warrant the formation of two companies ; in August it consisted of one hundred and thirty-nine rank and file, and seven officers ! In 187 1-2 there was a considerable decrease in the number of enrolled members, and at one time the Corps seemed likely to collapse ; but measures were taken to secure the services of some popular Highgate residents as officers, and their vigorous appeal to the patriotism of their neighbours once more ' Prickett MS. HIGHGATF. OF TO- DAY. 471 placed it on a satisfactory footing. In Ma)- 1S79 it numbered one hundred and eighty members. The old head-quarters had long been found most inconveniently small and deficient in accommodation, but in November 1878 a building known as Northfield Hall was erected through the energy of Captain Lake, and is made use of principally for Volunteer purposes. The Hall (also used as a gymnasium) is eighty feet long by forty wide, with an open timber roof, thus affording the most ample ventilation ; there is also accommodation for the officers and a room for band-practice, besides canteen and reading-room ; probal:)ly the accommodation thus provided is second to that of no other drill hall in the suburbs. Upon the completion of the consolidation of the 2nd Administrative Battalion, the 14th Middlesex (Highgate) Rifle Volunteers ceased to bear its old title and number, and is now known as the Highgate Detachment, of the F and G Companies of the 3rd Middlesex Rifle Volunteers. The officers at the present time are: Battalion officer residing in Highgate, Major \V. T. Walker ; Company officers. Major B. G. Lake, Captain Bentley, and Lieutenants Dorman, E. Faux, and J. W. F"aux. Number of enrolled members, 140. The Highgate Corps is not the only one in the parish of Hornsey. The example set by Highgate in 1859 was speedily followed by the sister village of the vale, and at a meeting called by Mr. William Bird, of Crouch Hall, on the loth of June, the same vigorous action was taken to found a volunteer corps as at Highgate. The Committee consisted of Mr. William Bird, J. P., Mr. James Bird, Mr. E. W. Crosse, Mr. Thomas Dakin, Mr. Thomas William Ead\-, Mr. H. H. Elder, Mr. George Gibbons, Mr. W. H. Norton, Mr. Henry Oakley, Mr. H. Richmond, AL James R. .Scott, Mr. L. Walton. On 24th September the first drill took place, thirty effective members having been enrolled. The officers in i860 were Captain J. II. W^arner, Lieutenant James Bird, Ensign J. AL Fletcher. In 1863 forty-eight rank and file were present at the annual inspec- tion. In 1868 the number of efficient members was eighty-four. In 1871-2, similarly to the experience of the Highgate Corps, its numbers decreased considerably; in 1875 there were only forty-three efficient members, but in 1876 it had increased to an enrolled strength of ninety, of a maximum establishment ot one hundred. On the consolidation of the 2nd Administrative Battalion, the Hornsey Corps became the D and E Companies of the 3rd Middlesex Rille V^olunteers. The officers at the present time are : — Battalion officer residing in 1 lornsc)', Lieut. -Colonel R. Clay; Company officers, Captain A. G. 472 /■///; U/STOKV OF If/C/IGAT/l. Hickes, Lieutenants Frank Collinson, Stanley Williams, and Cecil Clay, Sub-Lieutenant George Collinson. Enrolled members, 159.^ Long may our V^olunteers maintain the high standard of efficiency for which they have worked so long and so well ; and as their motto is "Defence, not defiance" may their serv-ices never be required! In 1868, in consequence of the expected Fenian rising, two hundred special constables were enrolled in Hornsey, including many of the \ Olunteers. THE LITERARY AND SCIENTIFIC INSTITUTION. This useful and popular Institution was founded in 1839, a public meeting having been convened for that purpose on the i6th January, at the Ciate House Tavern, which was presided ov(-r by Mr. Harry Chester.- At that meeting seventv-six names were handed in of residents who were willing to become subscribers, which number was increased before the end of the year to one hundred and eighty-nine ! Temporary premises were occupied at No. i, Southwood Terrace, but on 1 2th May, 1840, the occupancy of the present building was entered upon, after having been adapted for its jDurpose by an outlay of ^382. The premises, which had been occupied as a school for Jewish lads, consisted of a spacious room in the front, which was appropriated as a Library, Mu.seum, and Reading-room (now used as a reading-room only), an equally good and very lofty room in the rear (now the Library), which was appropriated as a Lecture Theatre, in which seats were arranged rising in tiers to within a few feet of the ceiling, a committee or class- room, and apartments for the resident Librarian. This arrangement lasted some forty years, when in consequence of the increased number of subscribers, it was determined to enlarofe the accommodation by the erection of a Lecture Theatre over the courtyard, and to renovate the entire premises. This was carried out at a cost of about ^^1,900, which was raised by subscription, and the premises re-opened free of debt by the Baroness Burdett-Coutts on the 9th March, 18S0, and the Institution then started on a fresh career of usefulness. It now consists of a comfortable reading-room, a commodious lecture theatre, and a library of some six thousand volumes, to which additions are constantly being made ; and numbers about six hundred subscribers. From the first it has enlisted the sympathy of the leading residents of Highgate, and has received the hearty support of all classes of its ' For further [larticulars of the local \'olunteer movement sec Records of the Third Middlesex Rifle Volunteers, by Captain Evans. 2 Mr. William Potter, the last survivor of the attendants at that meeting, died in 1S86. HIGHGATR OF TO-DAY. 473 inhribitants. On the i6th January, 1S88, the date of the issue of this comnicMnorative volume, it enters upon the Juhilee Year of its existence. The Institution appeals for a generous support, as, not only by the speaking voices of its lectures, but by the silent voices of its books, it helps to give a healthy mental stimulus to Highgate, and its walls enclose a " neutral space " where neighbours meet on an equality, independent of social, religious, or political differences ; it welcomes a/l, its terms of membership being arranged to meet the requirements of all. During an active existence of fifty years, upwards of One Tiiousand lectures on literary, scientific, or art subjects have been delivered, besides concerts, soirees, and conversazioni. Among its many distinguished lecturers have been Lord Justice Fry, .Sir John Lubbock, Sir John Bowring, Lord Dufferin, Dean Trench. Dr. Spottiswoode (President of the Royal Society), Dr. Miller (V.T^, Royal Society), Dr. Buckland, Colonel Wilkinson, W. H. Michael, O.C, Joseph Brown, O.C, Professors Tomlinson,' Pennant, Symonds, Huggins, Carpenter, Creasy, Field, Morris, Guy, Gardner, Bernays, Griffiths, I larley, I {enslow, Morley, Seeley, Robertson, S. R. Gardiner, Mattieu Williams, Leone Levi, G. R. Romanes, Samuel Birch, Carruthers, Fdmund Gosse, R. K. Douglas, [I. C. Banister; — Reverends Dervvent Coleridge, William Harness, R. Gleig, J. T. Rowsell, A. Blomfi(;ld, J. Viney, PI. Dupuis, Dr. James Plamilton, Thomas Jackson, J. Wardlavv, G. P. Pownall, W^ W. Skeat, A. Jukes, Paxton Hood, I). Trinder, A. Ainger, J. M. Gibbon, J. G. Wood, Dr. L. Bevan, etc. ;— Mrs. M. G. P'awcett, the Misses Fanny Kemble, Lucy Toulmin Smith, and Glyn ; — Doctors Russell, Lankester, Latham, Letheby, Warrick, Hastings, Pike, 'Pidy, Robert Brown, H. Noad, Garnett ; — Messieurs Waterhouse Hawkins, Henry Woodward, Cowden Clarke, R. R. Holmes, A. Poland, I). Allport, R. D. Grainger, T. Rymer Jones, Carter Smith, Charles Kemble, Toulmin .Smith, J. S. Buckingham, Le Gros Clark, G. Scharff, George Dawson, George; Grossmith, James Yates, John Hullah, P. II. Gos.se, P'red Blomfield, John B. Dyne, George Offer, W. Pengelly, W. 1 I. Monk, R. J. Lodge, J. P. Taylor,^ J. Sime, A. S. Harvey, R. A. Proctor, C. E. Mudie, Chatfield Clarke, F. W. Rudler, R. Hammond, Walter Besant, Robert Ciiffen, II. Cireenwood, Inglis Palgrave, V. Scudamore, W. 'P. Walker, \\'. Rowlon, Cotter Morison, W. "R. S. Ralston, J. 'P. Maude, R. F. Plorton, p:. Radford, J. S. Keltie, J. Glover, C. I'. Chapman, L. Pagan, W. L. Carpent(;r, and very many othc:rs. ' Professor Tomlinson's honoured name has rarely been absent from the annuil syllabus for the past twenty-five years. -' Mr. J. T. 'I'aylor's course of lectures on T/ic Hig/igdtc UW/Zitrs is happily not yet completed. 474 THE HISTORY OF HIGH GATE. The; walls of the reading-room, etc., are covered with prints and drawings illustrating many of the older houses of Highgate, and of portraits of some of the men notable in their time who have been residents, as well as memorials of neighbours of a later date, helping to keep their memory green among us. The collection has been made by the Honorary Secretary, who will be glad to receive any additions, the object being to make the Institution an interesting local centre. Names of gentlemen who have filled its various offices of honour and responsibility : — Harry Chester, Esq. ... William Gladstone, Esq. Dr. I. B. Dyne Sir W. H. Bodkin ... Colonel Wilkinson Sir S. H. Waterlow, Aid. W. H. Michael, Esq., O.C. jas. Brotherton, Esq. ... Edward Fry, Esq., O.C. Colonel Leach ... 1 8 years. I year. I „ I year. I year. I „ I ., I ,. I B. G. Lake, Esq. ... ... 2 years. Professor Tomlinson, F.R.S. . .. i year. William Green, Esq. ... ... i „ Rev. A. Jukes ... ... ... 2 years. Sir Edward Frj', K.B. ... 2 „ Lord Justice Fr}-, K.B., P.C. ... I year. W. P. Bodkin, Esq.. J. P. ... 2 j'ears. John Glover, Esq., J. P. ... i j^ear. Colonel Wilkinson ... Jubilee year. Honorary Treasurers in succession. Messrs. G. Rcdmayne (2 years), J. H. Keith (15), W. P. Bodkin, T.P. ( i ), Colonel Wilkinson (6), J. J. Miles (19), R. J. Lodge (6). Honorary Solicitors in succession. Messrs. B. G. Lake, Francis Smith, Charles Evans, A. Rankcn Ford. Trustees. Messrs. J. H. Lloyd, Walter Reynolds, H. R. Williams. Honorary Secretaries. Rev. R. Carter Smith (10 years), Messrs. James Beaumont (l), J. S. Godfrey (6), W. P. Bodkin (10), Professor Tomlinson, F.R.S. (10), J. H. 'Lloyd (12). Present Comunttce of Management. Bartlet, Rev. G. D., M.A.j Greenwood, H.,M.A.,LL.M. Chapman, C. E. Clothier, II., M.D. Crowdv, F. H., M.D. Empson, C. W., M.A. Fayrer, Rev. R., M.A. Gibbon, Rev. J. M. Hammond, Robert Harvey, A. S., B.A. McDowall, Rev. C, D.D. Potter, Geo. Reed, Talbot B. Resident Librarian. Mr. James Drummond. Reynolds, W. Sime, John Soper, F. L. Trinder, Rev. D. Williams, H. R. Wood, Wm. M.A. IJIGHGATR OF TO-DAY. 475 1 lit^hyjate is eminently a sociable suburb, seeking its amusements at home rather than at a distance, and residents disposed to be neighbourly will find great facilities in its various social arrangements ; subscribing to the Literary Institution is certainly the Iwsf means of a new resident becoming known to his neighbours. Amongst the numerous societies meeting in Highgate are : — The Book Societv, which has been in existence over one hundred years, and of which Coleridge is said to have been a frequent attendant. Treasurer — Mr. John 15. 13yne, The Grove. TiiK Friknulv Discussion Societv, generally known as the " I'M).S.," which meets monthly during the winter and spring month.s, for the di-scussion of .some agreed subject, upon which a paper is read. Hon. Sec- — Mr. John Sime, Hampstead Lane. The Reaiuxc .Society, at which the works of some author arc read and discussed, l^rcsidcnt — Professor Tomlinson, F.R.S., North Road. The Bo(.»kworms, a literary society, meeting at Mr. H. Greenwood's, The Limes, .Southwood Lane. Till' CiiOK.VL Societv, meeting at the Institution during the winter months. Hon. Sec. — Mr. \V. Hayes, Mendip House. The Chess Clui;, meeting frequently during the winter months. Hon. 5Vr.— Mr. William Schafer, Woodside Park, N. The Lawn Tennis Cluis, which possesses si.K excellent courts in a field west of North Hill. Hon. Scc-^Vlx. Leonard C. Tatham, North Hill. The Skatinc Ceui;. Hon. Sec. — Mr. H. Conway, Tatham, North Hill. There have been several Working Men's Clubs during the last few years, but there is so little cohesion amongst the members of such clubs that when one or two of the leading spirits remove from the neighbourhood, which the exigencies of labour constantly compel them to do, the club generally fails, — a curious circumstance in their history being the difficulty of getting members to join such clubs when once they have been started. Almost any number of men can be readily induced to join a club at starting, but from that time it general!)- fills steadily away. The most successful of the Hio'ho'ate Working Men's Clubs was that started under the auspices of the late Mr. Alexander Scrimgeour, Professor Tomlinson, Mr. J. 11. Lloyd, and Mr. John James. This club interested a large number of working men for many years ; parties were organised to visit Woolwich Arsenal, Westminster Abbey, British 476 THE HISTORY OF HICHGATE. Museum, etc., and the larger gardens round Highgate, which were cheerfully thrown open to them. By arrangement, the late Dean Stanley conducted more than one hundred men over the Abbey, and then invited them to tea, in the name of Lady Augusta Stanley, for whose absence he apologized, pleading her indisposition. As it proved, this estimable lady never rose again from her bed, and when the men heard of her serious illness, they prepared a basket of the finest roses that could be procured, and sent it to the Dean through Mr. Lloyd, asking him to give it to Lady Stanley in token of their gratitude. Dean Stanley afterwards wrote : " It gave his dear wife great delight, and was almost the last thing she spoke about." Through the liberality of the late Mr. Ale.xander Scrimgeour, — who was always doing liberal things, — the lease of the " Castle Inn," at the corner of Castle Yard, was purchased, and the license, in the interest of the neighbourhood, was cancelled ; here the club was vigorously sustained for some years until the lease expired, when the Governors of the Grammar School, having some scheme of dealing with the property, would only consent to re-let it on a quarter's notice, and this necessarily broke up the club, the best members joining the Literary Institution imder the Working Man's Associateship subscription of five s/iillinqs per annum. There is a club of this character meeting at the Mission Room on North Hill during the winter months, which would be glad of assistance, especially to be helped to more commodious premises. The Hon. Sec. is Mr. Alassingham, of The Woodlands, North Hill. HIGHGATE YOUTHS' INSTITUTE. Tntskcs. W. L. A. Burdett-Coutts, Esq., M.P., Pirsidcnt. Mr. Charles B. Dallon. Mr. j. G. Johnson. RTajor B. G. Lake. Mr. F. Reckitt, J. P. The Rev. D. Trinder. Mr. Alfred J. Reynolds. The Rev. Edarar Smith. Hon. Sec. to Trtistees aiic/ Treasurer. Mr. J. G. Johnson, South wood Court, Highgate. Hon. Soh'ci/or. Mr. A. Ranken Ford, Broadlands, Highgate. Managers. Mr. Charles B. Dalton, Torquaj'. Mr. Arthur D. Sharp, South Grove, Highgate. Rev. II. R. Cooper .Smith, 3, Tiie Grove, Highgate. Hon. Assistant Secretaries. Ml-. James Hamp and Mr. W. Hunt. HIGIIGATE OF TO-DAY. 477 In the month of February of the year 1881, the Rev. EcWar Smith, Vicar of All Saints', started a club for young men under the title of The All Saints' Hiq^hfjate Youths' Institute. The object of the club was to provide reasonable amusement and opportunities for self-improvement for the youth of the parish. During the first session eighteen members joined. The meetings were held in the old iron schoolroom, which stood on the site of the present All Saints' Mission House. The first notice respecting it appears in the Parish Magazine for October 1881. Here we have a list of the officers, the Rev. Edcfar Smith being President, and a programme of the work for the ensuing winter. The rooms were open on Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday evenings ; they were well supplied with papers and magazines, and with games ; a lending library was started, as were classes in such useful subjects as Shorthand, Geography, Arithmetic, and Dictation, and a Bible Class. During the winter of 188 1-2 between thirty and forty members joined. In the summer of 1882 the old iron school building was supplanted by a permanent brick schoolroom with class rooms attached. Those responsible for the management seized the opportunity to give the Institute a new start on a somewhat different footing. Its doors were thrown open to all, the name being changed to the " Highgate Youths' Institute;" Mr. \\'. L. A. Burdett-Coutts, of Holly Lodge, became President, and Mr. C. B. Dalton Honorary Secretary and Treasurer, with Mr. James Hamp as his assistant. During the winter of 1882-3 the progress was very marked. In January 1883 the Rev. D. Trinder, Vicar of St. Michael's, writing to his parishioners, refers to the Institute in the following terms : — " While old charities and institutions have been very fairly supported, we have to rejoice in the growth of the Youths' Institute, which now holds classes in the All .Saints' Mission House and in the National Schools. By the help of many friends, directed by the e.xcellent Honorary Secretary Mr. C. B. Dalton, the youths of Highgate are provided with the means of a ' continuous education ' which may prove of good service to them in after life, in addition to the safeguards and enjoyment which are offered them now." From this time onward the Institute has grown so rapidly in efficiency, and in the number of its members, that the "All Saints'" rooms were found too small for its requirements. Several schemes were suggested for supplying an increased accommodation. That which found most favour, and was eventually carried into effect, was the purchase of the " Northfield Hall,' u[) to this time rented by the Highgate Volunteers, 478 THE HISTORY OF HIGIIGATR. and used as a drill hall, and adding thereto whatever additional rooms were needed for the purposes of the Institute. The liberality of the President and Lady Burdett-Coutts, to whom the Institute is indebted for constant support and sympathy, rendered the purchase of the hall possible, and additional rooms were provided at a cost of ^2,000, of which sum an anonymous donor subscribed ^1,000! The Institute is now in possession of premises in every way suited for its work, as complete as any in or near London. There are separate reading and game rooms for its younger and older members, a fine gymnasium, and other rooms in which are held classes calculated to be of great benefit to those attending them. The number of members who joined in the year 1886-7 was nearly one hundred and fifty. The Gymnastic Club meets at Northfield Hall during the winter months, on Tuesday and Friday evenings. Hon. Sec. — Mr. Herbert Lloyd, Merton Lane. The Football Clui; meets weekly during the season. Hon. Sec. — Mr. A. H. Marshall, North Grove. THE HIGHGATE DISPENSARY. Extract from the first Minute Book, 1787: — At a meeting of the inhabitants of Highgate, Muswcli Hill, Crouch End, Hornsey, and Holloway, holden at the Gate House, at Highgate, on Saturday, loth of November, 1787, pursuant to public notice, to take into consideration the ex- pedience and propriety of establishing a Dispensary at Highgate, for the relief of tlie poor of the several places above mentioned, the following persons were present, viz.: — Mr. Mendham, the Rev. Mr. Andrews, Mr. Boetefcur, Mr. Bolland, Mr. Banks, Mr. Ishervvood, Mr. Wetherell, Mr. Hodges, Mr. Sandys, Mr. Jones, Mr. T. W. Smith, Mr. Ware, Mr. Swain, Mr. Heme, Mr. Day, and Mr. Robert Smith. The meeting proceeded to elect a chairman. Robert Mendham, Esq., being called to the chair, he opened and explained the business of the meeting, and thereupon the Resolutions following were severally proposed, debated, and agreed to : — Resolved, That the establishing of a Dispensar}- at Highgate for the relief of the poor of Highgate, Muswell Hill, Croucli End, Hornsey, and Hollowa}-, and of all places witJiin those districts, is expedient and proper ; and that such Dispensary be therefore established, under the denomination of the Highgate Dispensar}'. Resolved, That the charity consist of a president, treasurer and subscribers, and of a secretary, who is to officiate gratis ; also of a medical gentleman, an inhabitant and constant resident of the hamlet of Highgate, who is to act in the joint capacity of surgeon and apothecarj'. Resolved, That all poor necessitous persons residing within any of the districts mentioned in the first resolution, who shall stand in need of medical or surgical assistance, be deemed proper objects of this charity. Resolved, That the surgeon and apothecary give his advice and assistance in all medical and surgical cases ; that he supply and administer all drugs, medicines. HIGHGATE OF TO-DAY. 479 medicaments, and everything appertaining to each branch of the profession, and tliat he attend the patients, when necessary, at their own habitations. Resolved, That as a reasonable compensation for all such supplies, and for his time, trouble, and attendances, the surgeon and apothecary be allowed by the charity three-fourths of all the annual subscriptions ; and that the remaining fourth part be reserved to defray the charges of printing and other contingent expenses. Resolved, That all persons subscribing one guinea annuall}', or more, be Gover- nors of this charity during the continuance of their subscriptions, and tiiat tliey be severally entitled to have one patient, at a time, under cure, for each guinea subscribed. Resolved, That no person be admitted a patient of this charity but by a ticket or written order under the hand of a subscriber. Resolved, That the surgeon and apothecary keep in a book for that purpose a regular account of the patients admitted, cured, and under cure, and of the nature of their diseases or accidents, after the manner observed in other Dispensaries ; that he make a report thereof montlily to the subscribers ; and that he then lay such book before them, for their perusal. Resolved, That a meeting of the subscribers (of whom three shall constitute a quorum) be holden on the last Saturday in every month, at five o'clock in the afternoon, to receive the report of the surgeon and apothecary, and to regulate the ordinary business of the charity. Resolved, Tliat the secretar3' attend all meetings of the subscribers ; that he enter the proceedings of the charity in a methodical manner in a book ; and that he transact all otiier usual and necessary business. Resolved, That the next meeting of the subscribers be holden at this place on Saturday the first day of December next, at five o'clock in the afternoon, to proceed farther in the business of this charity, and particularly to nominate a treasurer and secretary and to elect a surgeon and apothecary. Resolved, That such election be by ballot, to commence at six o'clock and close at eight, and that the subscribers have liberty to vote either in person or by proxy. Resolved, That the thanks of this meeting be presented to Mr. Robert Smith, for his trouble in convening this meeting. Resolved, That the thanks of this meeting be presented to Robert Meiidham, Esq., for his polite acceptance of and obliging conduct in the chair. The Dispensary was accordingly started, Robert Meiidhain, I'"sq. being appointed Treasurer, Mr. Robert .Smith Hon. Secretary, and Messrs. I lodges and Sandys surgeons and apothecaries; the following rules being agreed on : — Rules to bk observed. !. No persons are deemed objects of this charity but such as are really necessitous. II. The Dispensary is open for the reception of recommendatory letters and the admission of patients every day (Sunday excepted) from 7 to 9 o'clock in the forenoon ; but the patients may apply or send for their medicines at any other hour in the daytime. III. All persons bringing recommendatory letters are to be admitted as |)atients and to receive advice and medicines ; but none are to be visited at their own haiiilations, except such as are absolutely incapable of attending at the Dispensary. I\'. The i)atients are to provide all necessary phials, etc., they are to behave 4So THE HISTORY OF HIGHCATE. themselves decentlj' and soberly, and are to conform strictly to such rules as are given them by the surgeon and apothecar}-, or they will be immediately dismissed. \ . They are to keep their letters of recommendation clean under cover ; thej' are to deliver the same when cured, at the Dispensary, and are immediately there- upon to return a letter of thanks to the Governor who recommended them, on pain of not being admitted to any future benefit from this charity. Patients having a reasonable cause of complaint, on any account whatsoever, are to make known their complaint to the Governor who recommended them, that the same may be laid before the subscribers at their monthly meeting and proper measures taken for prevention of the like complaints in future. At the first annual meeting, held at the Gate House on 13th December, 1788 — a hundred years ago — it was reported that during the year 159 cases had been attended, more than one-third of which were at their own habitations. Discharged cured, 132 ; relieved, 10; incurable, 2 ; dis- missed not conforming to rules, i ; removed, 2 ; died, 8; under treatment, 4. The Treasurer's account for the same time showed the receipts to be £t() 165. 6d., of which one-fourth was retained for expenses of manage- ment, and the remaining three-fourths handed to the medical officers. In J 81 7 the patients were 406. It is interesting to note that Mr. James Gillman, the friend of Coleridge, was medical officer of the Dispensary for twenty-five years (181 2 — 1837), and Mr. Benjamin Price Treasurer. In 1840 it was resolved "That the Dispensary should be remodelled, and governed henceforth on the self-supporting principle, aided by voluntary contributions," and rules were drawn in accordance. Mr. Robert Moger and Mr. N. T. Wetherell were appointed surgeons under the new arrangement. The last Report shows the successful working of the Dispensary under its present arrangement. Report, 1887. The Conmiittee of Governors have much pleasure in submitting the following Keport for the year ending the 3 1st March, 1887, to the subscribers to the Institution. It appears from the Report of the Medical Officers that there are, at the present time, more than one thousand three hundred persons who derive benefits from the Dispensary, and that during the past year more than five thousand cases have been attended to and prescribed for. These facts show that an immense amount of good is being rendered by the Institution to the poor of the neighbourhood. The Committee of Governors of the Institution are pleased to notice from the Report of the Medical Officers that during the past year the neiglibourhood has maintained its high reputation for the general health of the population, and that there have been no serious epidemics calling for any extraordinary relief ; but the large and ever-increasing number of poor persons who avail themselves of the benefits of the Institutinn shows how highly it is valued by those who are unable, unassisted, to provide medical relief for themselves, and if the Institution is to be maintained in its present state of efficiency it is necessary that it should receive the support of all_ residents, both in the Parish of St. Michael's and also in that of All Saints', to all of whom the Committee of Governors appeal for their support of so good an object. HIGHGATE OF TO-DAY. 481 It is with great satisfaction that tiie Committee of Governors are able to bear witness to the continued zeal of the Medical Officers in the discharge of their arduous duties, and tiiey desire to take this opportunity of thanking Miss Church for the practical interest she has shown in the welfare of the Institution by collecting the subscriptions from the Members. The present managers are : — Treasurer. Charles Church, Esq., Hampstead Lane. Coniuiiltcc. Messrs. J. B. Dyne, J. Glover. J. G. Johnson, J. H. Lloyd, A. Marshall, I. G. Randall, W. A. Sharpe, J. Simmonds, Rev. E. Smith, Rev. D. Trinder. Medical Officers. Dr. Clothier ; Dr. Forshall. . The old Highgate Dispensary being a form of charity which helps our poorer neighbours to Iiclp thcnisclves, it is very heartily commended to the benevolent notice of new residents. HIGHGATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. On 15th December, 1859, a circular, signed by Mr. James Cutbush, was issued, convening a meeting for the purpose of establishing a Society to be called the " Highgate Horticultural and F"loricultural Society," to encourage horticultural pursuits, particularly among the labouring classes ; and a meeting was held on the 23rd of the same month at the National schools, the then \'icar (Rev. C. B. Dalton) in the chair; at which meeting a code of rules was drawn up, and officers, etc., appointed, and the Society started which has grown into the present " I lighgate Horticultural Society." The Rev. C. B. Dalton was the first President, Mr. James Cutbush Treasurer, and Mr J. Ward Secretary. Colonel (then Captain) Wilkinson's name appears as a \'ice- President, and his connection with the Society has remained Luibroken until the present time. The first exhibition was held on 27th June, i860, in Lady Dufferin's grounds. The number of entries tit the first exhibition was .seventy-one, and prizes amounting to ^23 7.s-. were awarded. The receipts at the gates were ^30. The growth of the Society will be seen by the fact that last year the number of entries was five hundred and thirteen, and prizes amounting to /!^io8 \-]s. 6d. were competed for. For the first lew years the Society held two exhibitions, but in 1866 it was thought ex])edicnt not to attem[>t more than one. An autumn show has been occasionall) held, but its succe.ss has not proved encouraging. ^1 4i>2 THE HISTORY OF HIGHGATE. In 1870 it was determined, if possible, to elect an annual president, which has been done, with occasional exceptions, till the present time. In 1867 Mr. W. ]M. Biirck was elected to the office of Secretary, which he has held ever since, with great advantage to the Society. In August 1872 an additional schedule was issued, offering special prizes to those who pledged themselves to prevent the destruction of wild birds, etc., and the Baroness Burdett-Coutts inaugurated some special prizes to cottagers and allotment-holders. In 1874, during the presidency of Professor Tomlinson, the title of the Society was altered to its present form. The committee and general meetings are held at the Literary and Scientific Institution. The following are the particulars of the exhibitions since the com- mencement of the Society. No. of Shows. Year. D.lte. Where held. By permission of. President. I 1S60 Juni- 27tli Dufierin Lodgu L.iclv DulTrriti Rev. C. B. Dalton. 2 ,, Sept. iSth „ . • ■ • T' PI 3 1861 May 30th Cholmelcy Cricket Field Dr. Dyne >> t» 4 ,, July 31st . ,, " ,, - ,. . . . M M 5 1862 .April iith National Schools . The Managers M .I 6 ,, July 4th . HoUj- Lodge . .Miss Burdett-Coutts M M 7 1863 June 30th ,. .. S Sept. 15th Dufl'erin Lodge Lady GitTord . M If 9 1864 June 28th Holly Lodge . Miss Burdett-Coutts 10 1865 June 29lh M ,t . ■ ■ ,* I, ,, ,, II ,, Sept. 21st National Schools . The Managers tl If 12 1866 July 5tli . Holly Lodge . Miss Burdett-Coutts 11 M >3 1867 July iith. Southampton Lodge Col. \\'ilkiiison 1- tt 14 1868 June 231-11 tt >i It 1. ■ . It it •5 1S69 une 22nd Winchester Hall . Col. Jeakes, [.P. . M .. 16 1870 une 30th Fitzroy Park . S. Pope, Ksq., O.C. Sir W. H. Bodkin. 17 1871 June 29th Fairscat Hou.se Sir S. H. Watcrlow Col. Wilkinson. 18 1872 July 4th . Holly Lodge . Baroness Burdett-Coutts Col. Jeakes, J.P. 19 '873 uly 3rd . Winchester Hall Col. Jeakes, J. P. . If n 20 ,, "Nov. 25 th Old Drill Hall Col. Wilkinson n 11 21 1874 June 30th Caen Wood Towers E. Brooke, Esq., [.P. . C. Tomlinson, Est]., F.R.S. 22 1875 ! uly 7th . Fairseat House Sir S. H. Waterlow Sir S. H. Watcrlow, Aid 23 \'ov. 6th . National .Schools . The Managers .. 24 1876 uly 1 3th . Caen Wood Towers E. Brooke, Esq., f.P. . E. Brooke, Esq., J.P. 25 1877 ^ uly 1 2th. ,, 1. .t It .. 26 ,, '. v'ov. 2 1 St . Old Drill Hall . '. Col. Wilkinson !• 11 27 1878 uly 4th . Holly Lodge . Baroness Burdett-Coutts Col. Wilkinson. 28 ,, \ 'Jov. . . Northlield Hall Capt. Walker M M 29 1879 July 15th. Fairseat House SirS.H. Waterlow, M. P. Sir S. H. Waterlow, M.P 30 1880 July 1st . Caen Wood Towers E. Brooke, Esq., j.P. . E. Brooke, Esq., J.P. 31 1881 July 5th . .. ,, I. X ' ,, ,, 32 1882 June 29th Southampton Lodge Col. Wilkinson Col. Wilkinson. 33 1883 July 5th . Holly Lodge . Baroness Burdett-Coutts W. L. A. Burdett-Coutts, M.P. Esq , 34 1884 July loth. Caen Wood Towers F. Reckitt, Esq., J.P. . F. Reckitt, Esq., J.P. 3| 1885 July 9th . Northfield .'\. J. Reynolds, Escj. Col. Wilkinson. 36 1886 Iuly8th . Parkfield A. W. Block, Esq. . W. Reynolds, Esq. 37 1887 July 2isl . Holly Lodge . Baroness Burdett-Coutts W. L. A. Burdett-Coutts, Esq., ' . 1 M.P. inc. HG ATP. OF TO-DAY. 483 The popularity of these pleasant annual gatherings is very great ; the afternoon is ])ractically " a Highgate holiday," the shops closing early, and the residents gathering in great force to admire the (lowers and enjoy the music. In 1883 the attendance was the largest known ; no less than ,^280 was taken at the gates, the greater part in sixi)cnces after 5 o'clock. There were probably not less than ten thousand persons present, the great attraction doubtless being to see the beautiful grounds of Holly Lodge. Since the formation of the Society no less a sum than /.S^S^Q (exclu- sive of 1887) has been distributed as prizes for the successful cultivation of (lowers and vegetables. That the .Society has helped to foster a love of (lowers is evident ; the little plots of front gardens and many of the cottage windows, notably those of the model lodging-houses, Coleridge Buildings, being during the summer months a blaze of beauty ; nothing like it is seen in any of the surrounding villages. So pure a taste, besides the infinite sense of plea.sure it imiiarts. must be conducive in no small degree to health, peace of mind, and good will. ■• Wondrous truths, and manit'old as wondrous, God has written in the stars above ; Yet not less in the bright flowerets under us Stands the revelation of His love." Long/ellotc. THE CIIRYSANTIIKMUM SOCIETY. The Chrysanthemum, or "Gold Flower," was introduced into I^ngland in 1 7S9. It made but slow growth in the public estimation for many years ; the attention of the London public being first directed to its wonderful capabilities by the late .Mr. Broom, of the Temple Gardens, whose annual exhibition became and remains exceedingly popular, and incidentally led to the formation of many local societies for the cultivation of the (lower. Besides its cjuaint antl weird beauty, — which z^uis more highly appre- ciated by the Eastern imagination than by the barbarians of the West, for the Jajjanese have the: knightly order of "The Chrysanthemum," surely a more appropriate symbol of distinction than a " Bath " or a " Garter " ! — it is practically the last free-blooming flower of the season, and beautifies our rooms and greenhouses during many of the dull da\s of early winter. Surely there is room for the poet to celebrate the seasonableness of the chrysanthemum as well as " the last rose of summer," and a prize might be offered for such a poem, — only quite three syllables must be docked off its name, for no one can possibly be jjoetical in words of " four " syllables. 484 THE Iff STORY OF HIGH GATE. The Highgate Society was founded in 1885, largely through the influence of Mr. Walter Reynolds, its first President. The results of the two exhibitions have been as follows: — 1885: Exhibitors 35, entries 193, prizes aw-arded 134, cash prizes ^,47 4^1". bd. 1886 : Exhibitors 43, entries 302, prizes awarded 195, cash prizes The Committee report with regard to the exhibition of 18S6 : — " The result of the work of the Society during the past year has been marked with such progress that its success has exceeded our most sanguine expectations. There was a marked increase in the number of the exhibits, and a great improvement in quality, especially in the classes for specimen plants. The Committee were also pleased to note a great increase in the number, and a vast improvement in the quality, of the exhibits of the amateurs and cottagers, which reflects great credit upon those enthusiastic and enterprising growers. " The entries were so numerous that the large hall (Northfield) and room attached were found inadequate to accommodate them. A large tent had to be provided, and this was well filled with specimen plants and groups, which were tastefully arranged, and presented a very pleasing effect. " Upwards of one hundred specimen and trained plants, one thousand five hundred cut blooms, several beautiful groups, as well as foliage plants, fruits, and vegetables, were exhibited, and very much admired by all who visited the show." The present officers are — President: Mr. Robert J. Lodge. Hon. Treastn-er : Mr. A. R. Rundell, 26, Northwood Road. Secretary and Collector: Mr. Henry Barnaby, 49, Southwood Lane, Highgate, N. THE HIGHGATE COTTAGE GARDENS, Bi.siior.swooD Road, Hamp.stead Lank. This excellent scheme was carried into effect in 1850, being the result of a conference held at the Literary Institution, the promoters being Mr. Harry Chester, Mr. James Beaumont, and Mr. Henry Lake, all since deceased. The present landlords hold the land (over five acres in extent) under the Governors of the Chulmeley School ; it is divided into eighty-four plots, averaging nine poles each, all fully occupied and carefully cultivated, and it is most satisfactory to record that during the thirty-seven years this scheme has been in existence, not a single plot has been unoccupied, and the rents have invariably been promptly ancl cheerfully paid. An important feature in this undertaking is the entire absence of the charitable element ; all occupiers of the allotments have the satisfaction of IIIGHGATR OF TO-DAY. 485 feeling that tin? privileges cnjoyc'd are fairly and honestlv paid for, a fact to which the success of the undertaking is mainly due. The lease of the land expires at Michaelmas 1899, but it is most desirable in the best interests of the neighbourhood that the scheme should be continued, and if possible enlarged, for these gardens form a bank in which the "odds and ends of time," as well as " the leisure hour," may b(? properly invested, and there can be no stronger inducement to habits of industry, tidiness, and thrift. Laridlords. Charles Church, Esq. ; Jolm Bradley Dyne, Esq. ; Robert John Lodge, Esq. Wardens. C. Crane, C. Dean, R. Lmvcn, T. Shears, C. Shepherd, W. Sherlock. Superintendent. Mr. John James. The following are the; conditions of occupancy : — I. — REXT. — For the present the runt to be after the rate of one shilling and sixpence per ])()le per annum; to be paid on Michaelmas Day and Lady Day, or on any other days to be fixed by the landlords. If the tenancy shall be determined by notice under the 4lh Rule, a proportionate ])art of the rent to be paid up to the expiration thereof. All rates and taxes will be paid by the landlords. 2._Xo garden to be underlet or assigned, but any tenant desiring to give up his garden shall be at liberty to propose to the landlords a new tenant in his place, who (if jireviously accepted l)y the landlords) shall take over the crops at a valuation to be arranged between the incoming and outgoing tenant. 3._No building to be erected, nor tree planted, without leave from the landlords. 4. Either ])arty may put an end to the agreement by giving three months' notice to the other, to exjiire on any day of the year. If given by the landlords the tenant to be allowed the value of his growing crops, unless he shall have incurred a forfeiture under the 7th Rule. 5,_Every tenant to keep in good repair the fences and paths adjoining or belonging to his own garden. The divisional paths to be of the uniform width of two feet. 6.— Every tenant to use his best endeavours to protect the gardens and crops of the other tenants and to discover and bring to justice all pilferers and trespassers theroon ; and, in case of any dispute between two or more of the tenants respecting the gardens, or any matter connected with them, the matter in dispute to be referred to the landlords, whose decision shall be final. 7.— If any tenant shall work in his garden, or follow his worldly rilling ( ontrary to law, on the Lord's Day; shall commit any act punishable by law; shall alter the boundaries of his garden ; shall trespass or encroach upon another tenant's garden ; shall assign or underlet any part of his garden, except as mentioned in Rule 2 ; shall fail to pay hiS rent at the proiier time ; shall bring any horse or cart into the gardens, or in any way injure the paths locks gates or fences ; shall allow any manure or refuse of any kind to remain on the paths 486 THE HISTORY OF HIGHGATE. either inside or outside of the gardens longer than the space of twenty-four hours ; shall sufter any dog to be at large in the gardens ; shall suffer his garden to be so foul with weeds as to injure any other garden ; shall reside at a distance of two miles or more from the gardens ; shall have a lease or be tenant of a house for which he shall pay more than jQ:io a-year rent ; shall fail to perform any of the foregoing conditions ; or shall, in the opinion of the landlords, be an undesirable tenant ; he shall immediately forfeit his garden, with the crop thereon ; and the landlords or their agent may forthwith re-enter and take possession of his garden without any notice or proceedings at law, and may enforce payment of any rent then due, or in course of becoming due. The Model Lodgixg-Houses. The residential accommodation for the " wage-earning " classes in Highgate was for many years of the meanest and most questionable character. The pioneer in its improvement wa.s — to his credit be it recorded — the Rev. Josiah Viney, the minister of the Congregational Church, who erected " Verandah Cottage " model lodging-house, on North Hill, about 1862. This desirable action suggested the formation of the " Highgate Dwellings Improvement Company, Limited," which was founded in 1865, for the purpose of providing clean and healthy homes for the working classes of the neighbourhood. The Company owns two blocks of dwellings, viz., " Coleridge Build- ings" in the Archway Road, and "Springfield Cottages" on the North Hill. The occupation of both blocks has been satisfactory throughout, and the return on the capital invested slightly over 4 per cent, per annum. The Directors may fairly congratulate the shareholders that, whilst much good has been accomplished, a safe and reasonably profitable investment has been secured. The cultivation of garden plots in connection with both blocks of buildings is encouraged. The following is the last Report of the Directors. THE HIGHGATE DWELLINGS' IMPROVEMENT COMPANY, Ld. Directors. Sir S. H. Waterlow, Bart., Chairman, Great Winchester-street, E.C. B. G. Lake, Esq. - - - - I he Priory, Orpington, Kent. Walter Scrimgeour, Esc|. - - - The Grove, Highgate. Martin R. Sbai-p, Esq. - _ - Clovelly, Eastbourne. Colonel Wilkinson - - . - Fitzroy Park, Highgate. Houurary Solicitor. ■ B. G. Lake, Esq., IQ, New Square, Lincoln's Inn.' Secretary. Mr. |.>hn James. Office. — 21, Springfield Cottages, North Hill, Highgate. HfGHGAT/i OF TO-DAY. 487 Report. Owing to tlie general depression, as evidenced by local want of employment, the occupation of the Company's properties has not been quite so satisfactory^ as in past 3 ears. The receipts month bj' month show a gross total ^^842 95. 6(L for 52 weeks, against £^SZ 'S*- Ofl'. during the year 1885, being a decrease o{ £\ i 5s. 6(i. The two retiring Directors are W. Scrimgeour, Esq., and M. R. Sharp, Esq., who, being eligible, offer themselves for re-election. Both the Company's buildings are in a satisfactory state of repair. The exterior of Coleridge Buildings has been restored and painted during the year at a cost of ;^50. Annexed are the accounts for the year ending 31st December, 1886, showing a balance of ^^295 i3,s-. 8^/. to the credit of revenue account after charging thereto ^80 IO.S-. Wfl., the amount of capital repaid to the Public Works Loan Commissioners during the year. Out of this sum the Directors recommend a dividend of eight shillings per share fire of income tax, being at the rate of 4 per cent, per annum, whieh will absorb ^^260, and leave a balance of ^(^35 13s. Sn'. to be carried forward to the 3'ear 1S87. £'^0 now stands on deposit to credit of the Reserve Fund, which during the present j'ear will be increased to £6^. By order of the Board, JNO. JAIVIES, Secretary. 21, Spri.vcfield Cottages, North Hill, Highgate, 2,1st January, 1887. THE CABLE TRAMWAY. "This tramway was formally opened yesterday by the Lord Mayor, and the day was a sort of gala day in the neighbourhood, flags being freely di.splayed. The Lord Mayor, with whom were Sir R. Garden, M.P., and Sir Sydney Waterlow, ALP., attended with Lieutenant-Colonel Sheriff Cowan, and they were met at the Archway terminus by the directors of the constructing and proprietary companies. Mr. J. C. Robinson, general manager of the Patent Cable Tramways Corporation (Limited), read an address to the Lord Mayor, thanking him for under- taking to perform the inaugural ceremony, and giving .some particulars with regard to the work. It appeared that this was the first cable tram- way constructed in the United Kingdom, and that though the system is by no means new — having been tested by ten years' experience in the United State.s — there were some peculiar difficulties which had had to be overcome in this short line. Among other peculiarities, the cables had to change from a double to a single line, with loops for passing, and the gradients, though not so severe as in San Francisco, rose from the llai to one in eleven. Mr. Eppclsheimer, one of the original inventors, had given his personal supervision to the work throughout. The Lord Mayor and his party, with a number of visitors, amongst whom were ]\Ir. Puleston, M.P., Sir Saul Samuel, Mr. Drunker (Livefpool), Mr. Butler 488 THE HISTORY i)F IIIGIIGATE. (Bristol), Mr. C. B. King, C.E., etc.. then entered the cars, which were decorated with Hags and evergreens, and, preceded b\' the band of the City of London Artillery Brigade, traversed the line — which runs from the Archway Tavern to the south end of Southwood Lane — a stoppage being made from time to time to show the ease with which the ' grip ' could lay hold of the travelling cable or let it go. As the cars passed bf'tween the spectators massed on each side, they were regarded with much interest by the adults, and were loudly cheered by the youthful portion of the assemblage. They certainly presented a novel appearance, with their 'cow-catcher' ends and with no apparent mode of propulsion. The narrow open space between the rails, along which the endless cable passes, and from which a low humming sound was heard, was curiously inspected after the cars had passed. The visitors returned to the engine- house, where the ingenious machinery for driving the bands and leading them to the engines at right angles to the road was examined and highly praised. * * * As two companies are concerned in the production of this tramway, it may be well to state that the Patent Cable Tramways Corporation — of which Mr. H. M. Smith is secretary, and Mr. J. Kincaid consulting engineer — have constructed and equipped the line, which, after having been worked by them for a time, will be handed over as a going concern to the proprietors, the Steep Grade Tramways and \\ orks Company, of which Mr. G. D. Mertens is the secretary. The cable, by Scott, of Southport, is made from crucible steel wire, and consists of six strands of nineteen wires each, wound around a Manilla rope. The engines are in duplicate, by Jessop, of Leicester, from designs by Graftons, of London, and consist of two twenty-five-horse power (nominal) horizontal reversible engines. The two fifty-horse-power tubular boilers are by Babcock and Wilcox, of Glasgow and New York. The rails are laid on a gauge of three feet six inches." — Daily N'etus, 30th May, 1SS4. This cable tram, which was at first regarded with very considerable disapproval by the older residents of Highgate, has proved itself to be a very great public convenience, practically abolishing the steep gradient, and bringing the top of Highgate Hill into direct communication with the Metropolis. The difficulty now would be to do tvithout it. Nevertheless, for many reasons it is not desirable to extend it through the village of Highgate, even if the promoters were inclined to do so, — which financial considerations would probably prevent. Where a tram line really is required, is along the Archway Road, which possesses no facilities of public communication whatever. 'I'he practical difficulties are (a) the steep gradients of the road, which in some parts are one in twenty-seven, and (b) the arch carrying Hornsey Lane across the Archway Road. The road under the arch is only sixteen feet six inches wide, consequently the whole roadway would be absorbed HICHGATE OF TO-DAY. 489 bv the tram line, which would thus become a source ot very considerable danger to the public ; and besidc's these considerations, immediately con- tiguous to the top of the arch is one of the great reservoirs of the New River Company ; consequently the work of removal of, or interference, with the foundations of the present archway, which keeps two huge banks of clay in position, and from which their natural supports have been removed, would involve very considerable risk, and the Local Board are perfectly justified, in the interest of the ratepayers, in asking for a material guarantee from any company which for its own purposes is desirous of dealing with it; at the same time it should be borne in mind that the arch will be, and indeed already practically is, a serious block to the greatly increasing traffic of the great North Road, and as it nuid ultimately be reconstructed, it seems desirable that some mutual arrangement should be arrixed at, by the several parties interested, that the necessary works for the public convenience should be carried out with as little delay as possible. THE PARISH MAGAZINE. This useful form of disseminating local information was established in 1 863, and has therefore attained a somewhat mature age. Such publications as a general rule are mere chronicles of the doings of the Parish Church, and should more appropriately be called "The Parish Church Magazine" ; but this periodical, in the hands of its late Editor, Mr. C. \V. Empson, rose above this tradition, and became an interesting record of all the important events — or at least many ot them- — occurring in the neighbourhood, and became distinguished for a wide and generous liberality, of which it is hoped in the general interest of llighgate, future editors will not fall short. The Magazine is printed in a very convenient form for binding and for reference, and will thus become very valuable material for future local history. A complete set is to be found in the library of the Literary Institution. The following is a list of the successive Editors of the Magazine, to whom llighgate is indebted for much useful and good work : — Rev. P. P. P ogg ; Mr. J. P). Dyne ; Mr. Herbert Lake ; Mr. H. R. Cooper Smith ; Mr. C. W. Emp.son ; Mr. L. C. 'Patham ; and Rev. II. 1\. Cooper .Smith. THE DIOCESAN PENITENTIARY, PARK HOUSE. •• This forms i)art of a large scheme which was projected under Bishop Blomtiekl for the erection of four Diocesan Penitentiaries, to be managed by Sisters, with refuges attached to them. "The first Warden of the Penitentiary at Highgate was the Rev. George Nugee. The .second was the Rev. John Oliver, who has, with the unfailing 490 THE JIISTORV OF IIIGHGATE. assistance; of the Treasurer, Mr. Richard Twining, made the Institution what it is. Of great singleness of purpose and devotion to his work, fatherly in his tender sympathy with \\\v. fallen, yet firm and unfaltering in his dealings with them, he is reported in a Parliamentary Blue Book 'to have been more successful in the difficult work of reformation than any other person similarly engaged.' Indeed, so striking was his influence on cases coming under his care, and so impressive the tone and character of the house, that Mary Howitt wrote an account of a visit which she paid to the Institution, that others might be induced to visit and support it. This effect was in part, of course, due to the Sisters and other ladies who worked with and under the late Warden, foremost amongst whom was the late Lady Principal, ' .Sister Je.ssie,' a sister of Lord Chancellor Selborne. "The financial resources of the Institution, not less than its internal management, owe much to Mr. Oliver's cool judgment, and it was at his suggestion that the Council, with Bishop Tait's approval (who remained a subscriber and firm friend to his death), ventured on the bold outlay of /^ 1 2,000 in order to obtain the freehold of the Park House Estate, when offered for .sale by the family of the late Mr. Cooper Cooper. The W^arden having raised between ^2,000 and ^3,000 by general subscrip- tion, the remainder was obtained on mortgage. By skilful management the ground rents accruing from building leases on that portion of the estate which is now called ' The Park ' at the present time more than cover the interest on the mortgage, so that the Penitentiar)- will in the future be well endowed, if only it can be maintained during the interval. " Mr. Oliver also paid great attention to the resources which are created by the industry of the inmates, so that during the year 1882, /"i,ooo was received on the laundry account, and ^,"82 for needlework. " The Chapel was the gift of the Treasurer, Mr. Twining. It was designed by Mr. Arthur Blomfield, but erected entirely under the superintendence of the late Warden, without clerk of the works or builder. In addition to his duties here, Mr. Oliver had during his latter years the superintendence of the Refuge at \\'estminster." ' He died loth July, 1883. The present Warden is the Rev. J. Amps. IHK ALEXANDRA PALACK. "Shortly after the close of the second International E.xhibition (that of 1862) at South Kensington, it was resolved to erect on the slope of .Muswcll Hill a place of popular entertainment for the working classes of northern London, which should rival the Crystal Palace at Sydenham. To the great mass of people in the north of London the Crystal Palace, ' Parish Magazine. HIGHGATE OF TO-DAY. 491 except on great occasions and great attractions, is so distant as to be almost inaccessible ; and it is reported, as was proved by railway returns, it is mainly the south London population which keeps up the great building 'over the water.' There seemed no valid reason, therefore, why the north of London, with at least three times the number of inhabitants, should not be able to support a ' Crystal Palace ' of its own. It was considered, moreover, that the Alexandra Palace — for such the building was to be named, in honour of the Princess Alexandra — would not be dependent on support from local influences. The rare beauty of its site, which probably has not its equal round London, together with the special attractions in the building, would be likely to make it a universal favourite. " With regard to the palace it.self it was decided to purchase some portion of the materials of the International Exhibition, and with them to erect the building, in the same manner as the originators of its prototype at Sydenham had purchased for that purpose the materials of the Great Exhibition of 1S51. The new palace, therefore, was almost entirely Iniilt out of the materials of the Great Exhibition of 1862, but totally altered and improved in their reconstruction. It had only one of the noble domes in the centre transept, with two less lofty octagon towers at either end. It had one main nave, exclusive of the entrances, about 900 feet long, and three cross transepts of about 400 feet each. The; building w;is beautifully decorated in the Renaissance style ; and round the eight columns which supported the great central dome were ranged groups of statuary surrounded by ilowers. Behind this ornamental walk were placed the cases for the exhibitors, mixed, as in the nave itself with flowers and statuary. Then there were a variety of courts — such as the glass court, china court, furniture court, courts for French goods, courts for .American, Indian, Italian, — in short, the usual courts which we are accustomed to find in such an exhibition. At the north end of the centre transept was built a splendid organ by Willis, decorated in a style; to be in harmony with its surroundings, and in front of this was the orchestra. A large concert room was in another part of the building. There was also a theatre, capable of holding two thousand spectators, and haxing a stage as large as that of Drury Lane. " During the progress of the building, sundry stoppages and hindrances arose from \arious causes ; and in the grounds great difficulty was at times experienced through the subsidence of the soil ; indeed, to use the words of one of the contractor's foremen, the hills rountl Muswell had, during one; winter, ' been slipping about like anything.' "Strange as such statements may seem, it is literally true. Pile hill.s, as as.serted, had been moving in several directions. They are mostly re.sting, at about twenty feet deep, on a two-feet seam of soapy clay. 492 THE HISTORY OF HTGHGATE. which, when the superincumbent mass was thoroughly penetrated by the constant rain, allowed it to slip. l'"ortunately the Alexandra Palace was so deeply moored in its foundations that it never shifted, or showed the slightest signs of any subsidence or yielding in any direction ; yet a very formidable landslip took place close by it, and in one night between three and four acres slipped quietly down a few feet. But beyond this landslip none of the hills immediately round the palace have moved to any material extent, except where the viaduct for the railway crosses over a small valley just before arriving at the palace. "After a delay of some six or seven years beyond the first appointed time, the palace and grounds being all but completed, it was opened to the public on the 24th May, 1873. "The proceedings, though not graced by the presence of royalty, were as successful an inauguration of a national institution as could possibly have been expected. The opening was inaugurated by a grand concert, presided over by Sir Michael Costa, in which some of the leading singers of the day took part. " But, alas! about midday on the 9th of June the whole building fell a prey to the flames, and all that was left in a few hours was a melan- cholv and sfutted ruin. The fire originated at the base of the srreat rf o o o dome, where some workmen had been employed in ' repairing the roof and had possibly let some lighted tobacco fall into a crevice. During the brief period the palace was open (fourteen days only), it was visited by as many as 124,124 persons, and its success seemed no longer doubt- ful. Thus encouraged, the directors resolved at once to rebuild it, and in its reconstruction they availed themselves of the experience so dearly purchased, particularly with reference to arrangements for protection from fire. " The new building, which was opened on the ist May, 1875, occupies an area of about seven acres,' and is constructed in a most substantial manner. It contains the grand hall, capable of seating 12,000 visitors, and an orchestra of 2,000; the Italian garden, a spacious court in which are asphalt paths, flower-beds, and a fine fountain ; also the concert room, which has been erected on the; best known acoustic principles, and will seat 3,500 visitors. The conservatory is surmounted by a glass dome, and in close proximity are two spacious halls for the exhibition of works of art, also a corridor for the display of ornamental works. The reading-room is a very comfortable apartment, and near thereto are the modern Moorish house and Egyptian villa. The theatre is of the most perfect kind, and will seat more than 3,000 persons. The exhibition deiiartment is divided into two parts, the space occupied being two hundred and four feet by one hundred and si.x feet. The bazaar department is two hundred and thirteen feet by one hundred and forty HIGI-IGA TE OF TO- DA V. 493 feet. The frontage of the stalls is upwards of 3,000 feet, and they are so arranged as to give the greatest facility of access to visitors and purchasers. The picture galleries are on the northern side of the building, and comprise six fine large well-lighted rooms. The refresh- ment department is complete, and extensive in character ; including spacious grill and coffee rooms, two banqueting rooms, drawing, billiard, and smoke rooms, and private rooms for large or small parties, and the grand dining saloon, which will accommodate as many as 1,000 persons at table. For the efficient supply of this vast establishment the plan of the basement is considered to be the most perfect as well as the most extensive of its kind ever yet seen, and within the building are numerous private offices for managers and clerks, and a spacious board room." ' But we regret to add that in spite of these ample provisions as a place of public recreation, up to the present time the palace has not been a success. There has been no lack of enterprise shown by at least one of its successive " managements," but it simply does not take, and the problem is what to do with it, lying as it does wide of the great centres of population, and somewhat difficult of access both by road and rail. The last suggestion is to secure it for the use of the people as a public recreation ground ; it would make excellent head-quarters for the volun- teers of the north of London ; or its buildings could be utilized as a national museum of plaster casts, — a great artistic desideratum. The park is richly timbered, and of a pleasingly undulated surlace, intersected by broad carriage drives, and there are several ornamental lakes of great beauty, rustic buildings and horticultural gardens, with extensive ranges of glass houses. At the foot of the hill on which the palace stands there is a racecourse, upwards of a mile in length, and the grand stand is one of the handsomest and most substantial buildings of its kind in this country. There is also a trotting ring on the American principle, and in connection therewith a range of stabling for several hundred horses, thus rendering the property well adapted for horse and agricultural shows. The cricket ground is ten acres in extent, with two pavilions, and every convenience for cricketers. MISCELLANEOUS I TEMS. The Railway .Station at Ilighgate was opened Icj the public on the 22nd yXugust, I 867. The first stone of the Infirmary in Maiden Lane was laid by W. II. W^yatt, Esq., on the loth December, 1868. It contains five hundred and twenty-four beds, and has cost for building, furniture, etc.. /, 70 per bed, or/ 3 6, 680! ' W'al ford's Old and New London. 494 'I'^^P' HISTORY OF HIGH GATE. THE CEMETERY. The approach to Highgate cemetery from the Metropolis is through Swain's Lane, which, rising gradually for half a mile overshadowed by trees of considerable growth, is a fitting approach to what is certainly the most picturesque cemetery of the north of London. The road divides the upper from the lower grounds, which together cover some fifty acres. On the left, as the visitor enters the upper cemetery from Swain's Lane, stands the chapel, built in a style which might be termed " Undertaker's Gothic," but it is fitted with simple good taste, the light from the stained-glass windows harmonizing with the continuous solemn service of sorrow to which the buildinaj is devoted. On entering the grounds, the eye is struck by the taste with which nature is combined with art, all the beauties of situation being improved by cultivation and taken the fullest advantage of Broad gravel paths wind up either side of the steep slope to the Church of St. Michael, which is seen to great advantage from every part of the grounds, and seems to appertain to the cemetery itself Parterres of flowers, picturesque trees and evergreens, add a charm to the scene, and life and beauty to the very dominion of death. On ascending the hill, the entrance to the Catacombs is through an archway of the stern and appropriate architecture of Egypt, and seems to lead into the very bosom of the hill ; but the circular path conducts again to the entrance. On the top of the central compartment stands a magnifi- cent cypress tree, which spreads its dark shadow over the whole of what is known as the " Lebanon Circle." Above the Catacombs the path con- tinues to ascend till it reaches a broad level terrace, with a handsome balustrade, a point from which the view over the Metropolis is remarkably fine. The newer portion of the cemetery is on a much lower level, and consequently less picturesque. The ground (a large portion of which once belonged to the Old Mansion House, built by Sir William Ashurst) was laid out for its present purposes by Mr. J. B. Bunning, the City architect, and was opened in 1839. Many familiar names present themselves on the tombstones ; some of considerable distinction. Amongst them are the tombs of Lord Lyndhurst (who married his wife from Highgate), Baron Gurney, Sir Herbert Edwardes, Michael Earaday, Alaric A. Watts (poet and journalist), Gilbert a Becket, Joseph Haydn (the man of dates). Dr. James Hamilton, Dr. John Wordsworth (.son of the poet), C. J. Hull- mandel (artist), W. H. Hunt (artist). Sir William Ross (painter), Mrs. Bartholomew (flower painter). Sir William Bodkin (Assistant judge). HIGIIGATR OF TO-DAY. 495 Judge Payne (the Ragged School Rhymester), Lillywhite (cricketer), Dr. Letheby (analyst), Mrs. Mary Ann Cross (George Eliot), Mrs. W. 11. Wood, Joseph Guy (geographer). Sir Thomas Lawrence, Abraham Cooper, R.A., George Jones, R.A., Rev. F. Maurice (Working Man's College), Pierce Egan. Sowerby (naturalist), Parepa Rosa (singer), V^andenhoff (actor), Crabb Robinson, the father, mother, and daughter of Charles Dickens, Critchett the oculist, John Francis (editor), the mother of Lord Tennyson, Lord Radstock, Josiah Wilson, Sir Peter Laurie, Alderman Hale (City of London School), etc., etc. Probably no tomb in England of late years has attracted so many thousands of visitors as that of Tom Saycrs (prize fighter), which bears his own portrait and also that of his dog. The tombs of Wombwell the lion tamer and Atcherley the horse slaughterer are surmounted by figures of animals symbolical of their craft ; the latter by a monstrosity which surpasses the usual level of cemetery art. There are now upwards of twenty-five thousand graves in this cemetery, on an average certainly containing four bodies each, — one hundred thousand bodies ! The drainage naturally finds its way to the lower level, now being rapidly covered with houses. Happily the soil is a stiff clay, and no portion of the " Fleet river" or its aflluents is now used for domestic purposes, as it flows silently through the sewers. But the future of this cemetery is a matter of serious consideration for the neighbourhood, the earth becoming yearly more densely charged with the most poisonous matter. Churchyards, bad as they were, were but of limited e.xtent, but our great metropolitan cemeteries may yet possibly bring us face to face with some very serious problems. Nature is kindly if left to work out ht^r own great l.uvs. l)ut iiicxurablc in demanding the penalty if ihey are broken. rilK GRAVEL PIT WOOD, PUBLIC P.\RK. The initiation of the movement which ultimately secured these beauti- ful woods for the use of the public is due to Mr. H. R. Williams, the chairman of the Hornsey Local Board, to whose constant and watchtul care over the growing district of Hornsey, the resident public is greatly indebted. ( )n the Sth September, 1884, Mr. Williams wrote to The limes news- paper as follows : — To the Editor of " //;<■ linns." "Sir, — ^Thf destruction of tlic llighgalt- Wouils is now imniinLiit. So I'ai- a.s sanitary and recreative purposes are concerned tiieir late is, I fear, sealed. The 496 THE HISTORY OF HIGH GATE. Ecclesiastical Commissioners have just acquired the whole of Lord Mansfield's lease- hold interests in them, and they are again in full possession of their freehold rights, and are now free to deal with their immense estate, which extends from Crouch End to the Spaniard's at Hampstead, covering roughly from Soo to i,000 acres. " As I have before pointed out in TJic Times that the appropriation of these charming and in many respects unique woods for sanitary and recreative purposes would add immensely to the value of the remaining portion of the enormous estate administered by the Ecclesiastical Commissioners, the free use to the public of only a portion of these magnificent woods would lend an additional charm to our northern heights, and add much to their natural attractions as a residential neighbourhood. But I am not sanguine that any such considerations would weigh with the Ecclesiasti- cal Commissioners, who appear to have a very matter-of-fact way in dealing with such property. Woodland, like any other of the land owned by them near London, is estimated solely for its building capabilities, and the 3'early value fixed accordingly. Is there no one who can authoritativel}' stay the axe of the woodman and avert a catastrophe which would be felt for all time ? "The impression is firmly fixed in the minds of multitudes that the public have the free use and enjoyment of these woods, which are regarded as thp great recreation ground of Highgate ; but this notion is soon dispelled if visitors venture into their sacred precincts ; they are speedily warned off, and that without much ceremony, while full and impartial notice calculated to damp the ardour of the most courageous pleasure-seeker stares them everywhere in the face that ' trespassers will be prosecuted.' It is only on Bank Holidays that the people break through the restraints imposed upon them. ' Keep to the path ' has no meaning for them on these occasions ; thousands spread themselves over their charming retreats in true picnic fashion, and no warnings will induce them to leave the wooded dells or the favourite clumps and points of vantage which they have selected for their enjoyment ; men, women, and children alike participate in the health-giving delights afforded by the exquisite woodland. " ' I have tried,' said the late rector of Hornsey, Canon Harvey, to me one daj-, ' to keep Hornsey a village, but circumstances have beaten me.' So nmch did he try that no inducement would allow him to sell a single acre of his glebe ; but such consideration is no longer possible, some acres have been disposed of for building since he left. Those who have travelled by the Great Nortiiern Railway will remember the green fields and the fine country scenery which opened upon them on ncaring Hornsey ; but, alas ! the scene is changed. The large tract of land known as the ' Hog's Back ' is everywhere intersected by newly-made roads ; a vast brickfield, in full operation, supplies bricks for the building of the houses, which are rising up in every direction ; while the well-wooded estate on the other side of the line, formerly the residence of Mr. David Chapman, and known as Haringey, having its extensive frontage along the Green Lanes, has become the property of the British Land Company, and is being rapidly covered with small houses. Two iron churches have been erected and a site secured for a Nonconformist chapel. The Hornsey School Board are also in possession of an eligible site of an acre or more to provide in part for the educational necessities which will soon arise in what is destined to be an immense neighbourhood. The Great Northern Railway Company, too, have just commenced the building of a new station for the accommodation of the masses soon to congregate there, while, in addition, the course of the New River is to be diverted and tunnelled for the general convenience and greater compactness of the locality. Thus our open spaces, interspersed with glimpses of bright and attractive scenery. IIIGHGA TE OF TO-DA Y. 497 are being taken one by one, and soon they will all disappear. At present what remains of the Alexandra Park is safe, hut how long ii will remain so no one can tell. Bills have been presented to Parliament in two successive sessions for the disposal of this fine open space, to be used like all others for building purposes, but hitherto without success ; no doubt other trials will be made in this direction to deprive the public of such rights as the Act of i866 gave them. " 1 may, however, ask in all earnestness whether the public have not some claim upon a great body of landowners like the Ecclesiastical Commissioners, to whom belongs nearly one-third of the Parish of Hornsey. Private landowners not infre- quently do much to benefit and beautify the neighbourhoods in which their wealth was made, or in which their estates are situated, and why not a great corporation whose wealth will be increased to a fabulous extent by the building operations which must soon be pushed forward' on a gigantic scale? " Are all sanitarj' considerations to be set aside for the building of churches and the payment of their ministers, both good things in themselves? Surely the people of Hornsey, in wlnjse midst this great estate is situated, have some claim upon it. The local authorities will no doubt be referred to as the parties to deal with the woods, but they are powerless in matters of this kind. " 1 am. Sir, your obedient servant, "H. R. Williams. ■' 0.\K LoDGt. HuMlGATIi, .SW/A 8///.'* The Times admirably seconded the appeal Mr. William.s had made by the following leading article : — "When a committee was formed this summer for the purpose of trying to .secure Highgate Woods as perpetual recreation grounds for North London, it was generally hoped that an object sD desirable would not be frustrated ; but a desjjonding letter from Mr. H. R. Williams, which we published yesterday, informs us that the destruction of Highgate Woods is now imminent. The Ecclesiastical Commissioners have acquired Lord Mansfield's leasehold interest in the wooils, and having thus recoveretl their own freehold rights the) are at liberty to deal as they please with the large and beautiful estate which covers nearly a thousand acres between Crouch End and Ilampstead. To infer from this however, as our correspondent does, that the Ecclesias- tical Commissioners will not perceive what interests they themselves as well as the public have in the preservation of Highgate Woods, is, perhaps, going too far. .^t the same time it is well that Londoners should understand e.\actl\ how the case as to these woods stands, for there is a mi.staken impression in the minds of thousands that the pulilic have free access to this popular re.sort. This is so on Bank Holidays, for it is almost impossible to resist the inroads of excursionists on such days ; but on ordinary occasions trespassers are liable to be warned out ol the woods, and apparently there is nothing to prevent the owners irom felling the fine masses of trees for timber and handing over the denuded ground ' Times, Si'iJl. lolli. 1S84. 32 498 THE HISTORY OF HIGHGATE. to speculative builders. The Commissioners would certainly be bad men of business if they did this, for, as Mr. Williams points out, the appropriation of the woods for sanitary and recreative purposes would add immensely to the value of the remaining portion of the vast estate which the Commissioners administer. Most of the charm of Highgate would be gone if the woods disappeared. Rich residents would not renew their leases when these expired ; rents would fall, and the Com- missioners would be the losers — to say nothing of the regret which each of them individually would no doubt feel, when it was too late, at having deprived London for ever of an almost unique piece of woodland. But, on the other hand, the Commissioners may reflect that a spot which Londoners think worth possessing must be worth paying for, and here arises the difficulty which confronts us whenever a favourite haunt has to be rescued from bricks and mortar. The huge agglomeration of townships and parishes comprised within London having no central municipality, there is no public body that can be called upon to provide open spaces for the growing requirements of the metropolis. The expansion of London at the rate of about 30,000 houses and 70,000 inhabitants in a year fills us all with a kind of bewilderment, and the cry for open spaces is regarded as a iorm of mendicancy with which everybody sympathizes, but which nobody can see his way to relieving. Ratepayers separately would be willing to pay for woods, parks, squares, and playgrounds, but their willingness must be vapoured off in mere platonic expressions, so long as there is no authority to condense it into hard money. Last year it was the Paddington Park scheme that failed, because there was a dispute as to whether the park was a local or a metropolitan want. After that came an agitation for inducing the City Corporation to purchase Alexandra Park, and this year we have had projects for buying Highbury Fields and a park at Fulham. Meanwhile the indefatigalale association of which Lord Brabazon is chairman, struggles, now with a partial success, now against disheartening rebuffs, to convert disused burialgrounds into public gardens, to unlock the gates of deserted squares, and to secure occasional admittance for children into secluded grounds, which their proprietors — chiefly Companies — seldom tread. In all these isolated attempts much money and energy are expended, which under some central directing system might compass far greater ends than they actually do. But it is only on occasions that public opinion can be thoroughly roused, as it was about the preservation of Popping Poorest ; and the rescue of Highgate Woods from the builder — should it happily be effected — will be due no doubt to a similar awakening of public spirit. " Londoners, in whatever part of the Metropolis they may tlwell, will interest themselves more readily in the (|uestion of open spaces lor the IIIGHCATIi OF TO-DAY. 499 northern parishes if they consider the serious sanitary and social dangers that are accumulated by the overcrowded and unventilated condition of these great suburbs. The south of London, with its girdle of commons and parks, is comparatively well provided for, but a glance at the map over the huge parishes of Clerkenwell and Islington shows one black mass of houses in narrow streets hardly relieved by a spot of green. The inhabitants of the shabby streets and alleys branching out of the City, Goswell, and Pentonville Roads, must walk miles before they can reach a park. Passing out of the Essex Road into old Canonbury, we come upon houses which by their rural appearance denote that they marked the extreme northern limits of London not so very long ago, but they are now choked up amid endless coils of new streets. Only last year, going through ilighbury, which, thanks to its enclosed fields, still looks like a rus in tii-be, we could enjo)- a breath of country air and get a fine view of 1 lighgate and Muswell Hill from the road overlooking the Vale, i^ut the Vale has just been built over. The Blackstock Lane beyond, which, skirting Highbury Barn, led to Hornsey Wood, and where blackberries could be gathered from the hedges within the memory of people not yet middle aged, is now the Blackstock Road — a densely populated thorough- fare, among scores of such, s])reading to the east of b'insbury Park. This park, which stood well out in the country when purchased by the Metropolitan Board of Works, is now the centre of a big straggling city, and has become inadequate to the needs of the neighbourhood. On week days it offers a fair recreation ground to nursemaids and children, but on Sundays and holidays it is black with crowds as with swarms of ants. The Green Lanes bounding it on one side were till lately available for country walks, but these, too, are fast becoming a mere main road, through the new city which is opening up over the Haringey Park Estate as far as Hornsey. Nor is there any breathing s])ace to be got by pushing past the old Manor House in the Green Lanes along the Seven Sisters Road, for another forest of houses — Woodberry Town — then comes into view, and, in fact, we may wander among villas and new-built streets, clustering round lately erected railway stations, as far as Stamford Hill and thence to Edmonton. The country is hardly attained in this direction till we alight where the Northern Tramway Line stops at Ponder's End, within two miles of Waltham Cross. Stoke Newington is still kept fre.sh and pretty owing to the lovely grounds of Clissold Park, which the proprietor throws open on two days a week during a couple of months, but how long these precious acres of wood and lawn may remain as they are is doubtful. W'hen they in their turn have been built over, the miles of ground between Clerkenwell Green — now long since grcenless — and Abney Park Cemetery will be represented on the ma|) b\' one large Mdl ol lil.uk. l!)- lli.il lime, loo, liornse) will Soo THE HISTORY OF HIGHGATE. have nothing of a village about it except its main street and lean strip of common. " To the people of Clerkenwell, Islington, Canonbury, and South Hornsey these excesses of building mean almost total deprivation of pure air and pleasant exercise. Finsbury Park and Green Lanes on one side, and Highgate on the other, may still be reached from the City by tram- car, omnibus, or train for threepence ; but this is of little advantage to the children of poor people. These little unfortunates must use the streets as playgrounds, at the risk of constant collisions with the police if they carry their sports beyond prudent limits. Even on holidays it is a serious matter for a working man to have to pay threepenny fares going and returning for himself and his whole family ; and if this be done once in a way it is considered a treat that cannot often be repeated. But, as we have said, the inducements to incur this expense are diminishing yearly so far as Finsbury Park is concerned, and if Highgate Woods be obliterated under brickfields and villas the favourite jaunt past Whittington's Stone will also become a thing of the past. It will be useless to expect working men and their families to pay for frequent trips to whatever undesecrated rural regions may yet remain on the further side of High- gate. They will therefore spend their .Sundays and most of their holidays in their squalid streets and slums. Already the sight of the.se thoroughfares in the outlying districts of the City on Saturday and Sunday afternoons is enough to fill one with uneasiness and pity. The crowds sauntering through St. Luke's, the Goswell Road, and the purlieus round the famous Eagle, opposite which the Old Green Gate and its gardens were still to be seen but a very little while ago, would assuredly rather be rambling over grass and under trees, but they have no places of recrea- tion to go to. Houses have been allowed to grow up around them luxuriantly as weeds, without any authority having the power or fore- thought to provide open spaces amid this rapid never-ceasing overgrowth. It may not be too late yet to urge that precautions should be taken to check destruction of all woodlands and parks in the furthermost suburbs, where new streets are starting up week after week ; and any efforts made to save Highgate Woods will assuredly help to confer such a boon on the Metropolis as can hardly be over-estimated." ^ On the 8th and 20th October in the same year, Mr. Williams returned to the charge, in two energetic letters to The Times, in which he reviewed the open spaces and pleasure-grounds surrounding the Metropolis, again earnestly pleading that this piece of woodland should be saved. In his letter of the 8th October Mr. Williams says : — " In his history of London, Mr. Loftie, in describing the northern suburbs, says that ' the enormous extent of the ecclesiastical estates in ' The Tiiiiis. \\\\\ .Sepleniber, 1884. HIGHGATE OF TO-DAY. 501 the suburbs, and their seizure by the Crown, ha\e proved circumstances of the happiest kind for us of the time of Queen Victoria. All these ' lungs of London ' were at one time church or abbey lands ; ' but he adds significantly, ' In those parts of London iclierc the church lands remained to the church no parks zoere made.' The opportunity occurs by which this want of generosity can be remedied by the surrender at a nominal price of the well-known but much neglected llighgate Woods to the local or some other authorities as a place of recreation for the iJcoplc. The woods, which appear best fitted for sanitary and recreative purposes, are but a short distance from the Islington ;uid F'inchley l)oundaries, and within sight of an immense and ever-growing population. They skirt the Archway Road, the great outlet to the north from London, and are easily accessible by the Great Northern, the Metropolitan, and the Xorth London Railways. The Highgate station of the former may be said to be in the heart of them. They are, moreover, beautifully undulating and picturesque ; their situation and beauty are unique and almost without parallel, at all events near London, and they would, as a well-kept recreation ground, add greatly to the charm of the northern suburbs. " The abolition of the toll formerly le\ied by the Archway company for the privilege of passing over their road, has led to an enormous increase both in the pedestrian and vehicular traffic of Highgate. Large building operations have since that time been in progress, and some hundreds of houses have been erected on the Hornsey side of the well- known arch. Everywhere throughout the parish of Hornsey great changes have taken place. From its boimdary at Tottenham, miles of new roads have been formed. Even the famous grove at Muswell Hill, with its magnificent trees, is about to be invaded by the ever-encroaching builder, a [jortion having just been sold, and the plans for covering the estate with houses already passcxl by the Local Board. i lornsey, like Islington, will in the course of the next few years be a denseK-populated portion <.'<{ the Metropolis, no longer a suburb, and practically without an open space in these parts, should the opportunity be allowed to pass of obtaining some of the Hornsey Woods as places of recreatioji." Once more Tlie Tinies followed up the attack by the following vigorous leading article : — " Mr. II. R. Williams supports this morning his plea for the preserva- tion of the llighgate Woods as an open space in North London by an enumeration of the recreation grounds enjoyed l)y the other dixisions of the Metropolis. Northern London is threatened with a permanent inferiority to its neighbours in the ownership of public gardens and playing fields, in consequence partly of the surpassing advantages it long possessed. On the north, London continuetl till the present generation comparatively exempt from the inxasion of bricks and mortar. Trade 502 THE HISTORY OF IIJGHGATE. and labour and wealthy leisure pushed east and west and south. Middle-aged men can remember when a short stroll in their boyhood took them, anywhere northwards, into pleasant meadows and beside flowering hedgerows. Immediately north of Regent's Park or Penton- ville it was possible to walk across grass into Hertfordshire. A pro- vision of parks for a land of woods and farms seemed a superfluity. Gradually the tide of metropolitan building has turned northwards. It is London as far as Hampstead and Highgate and Hornsey and Finchley. Terraces and shops cover the fields. Streets and alleys alone mark the ancient footpaths. Scattered groups of houses of old did not break the rural charm. They showed a consciousness of elbow-room in their builders. Their gardens returned to the air more sweetness than they robbed it of. Kentish Town and Camden Town, Holloway, Highbury, and Hornsey have been subjected to a process of evisceration and cheap embalming. Their gardens and paddocks have been packed with double and treble rows of mean habitations. Hampstead and Highgate are fast undergoing the same treatment. In a litde while the entire northern quarter to its extreme borders will, it is to be feared, be a dense and compact mass of dwellings. Until lately the Londoner could gaze from the heights of Hampstead or Highgate and see no more London. London has crept round the hills, and is before him as well as behind. To a great extent it is London in the most hopeless and monotonous shape. The noisiest and most crowded business districts are less depressing than miles upon miles of two-storied stuccoed tenements aping suburban rusticity. Unless a stand be made, and islands be embanked while the face of the land is still green and leafy, North London will shortly retain of its sylvan solitudes nothing but a name. That will be the dustiest and dreariest side of the metropolis which has survived to the last quarter of the century the most delightful {ox rural beauty and pure air. " A way yet remains to rescue an exquisite northern oasis before the advancing sands of the town desolate the whole. Mr. Williams appeals for sympathy in the attempt to secure it to his fellow citizens who have obtained their breathing spaces. His list of the pleasure grounds dedi- cated to the use of other parts is imposing ; and he was fully justified in emphasizing, for the benefit of his argument, the privileges London has granted them. Yet, as he himself remarks, a glance at the map betrays the enormous area the parks and open spaces in his list have to serve. Magnificent as his roll appears, it dwindles into insignificance beside the huge unrelieved deserts remote from trees and turf London parks and commons are a scanty substitute for the open spaces it ought to have, and, if better advised in time, might have had. Searchers for a rural refuge near the town toil in vain after the destructive march ahead of growing London. The most distant corner of the incur, ATE OF TO-DAY. 503 kingdom cannot (.-xlend its trade without spreading tlie metropolitan l)oimdaries. With every milHon added to the national capital, London takers a step forward. During commercial stagnation it may [progress less rapidly ; it never recedes. Suburhan loveliness courts encroachments which obliterate the graces they were attracted by. A shudder is experi- enced as some especial trait enchants the eye. The thrill of admira- tion is premonitory of ruin to the site. According to the e.xisting habit of suburban building nobody |)articularly profits. The speculative builder is doomed sooner or later to a bankrupt's niche in the Gazette. His tenants bemoan them.selves in wildernesses of blank streets ill-drained, unventilat(xl, and planted upon rubbish heaps. But the wave sweeps on ; and it is futile to deprecate its course. Within the town as it is, wherever an old-fashioned garden exists, a township is sure to spring. Garden plots in the rear of streets are coveted by the landlord when they strc-tch beyond a score of feet. Space for a fresh thoroughfare is economised out of them before a new lease is granted. Outside, every field in private possession for miles away is manifestly predestined to the mason and bricklayer. A wise man may wish that the immoderate dilation of the Metropolis could at least be tempered by the interposition of a zone of verdure and foliage, beyond which another circle of houses might begin if it chose. He knows the absurdity of setting a limit to the craving for more dwellings, or of hoping that heirs of suburban gardens and meadows will abstain from realizing the unearned increment. The single remedy is for the town to buy the oxygen it has hitherto breathed free of cost. To make itself a present of the whole of the grass and foliage within easy access is too much for its munificence, if not for its means. To shrink from the cost of acquiring liberal slices and samples for its perpetual delectation, whatever is fated to happen in front, is to be shamefully penny-wise and pound-foolish. "The first condition of success in the endeavour to procure for London an enjoyment to which it has an indefeasible right, is to make it see that it is its absolute duty to insist upon a reasonable reservation of open spaces. Londoners as a body should be resoh'cd to keep at any price a fair proportion of the open ground which has virtually been their own. As we have often had occasion to say before, we must repeat that the amount of the price is a secondary consideration. London is bound not to give more than the market terms for the property it requires for public purposes. Whate\er private adventin-ers can afford to offer on behalf of a private enterprise it can afford for the sake of its health, life, and happiness. London is literally paved with gold in respect of the bound- lessness of its ability to purchase a sufficiency of pleasure grounds for the comfort of its citizens. Its inhabitants walk on gold in vain if they be stilled for want of fresh air. Anybody who doubts the expediency 504 THE HISTORY OF HIGH GATE. of the indispensable outla\-, has but to rt^llect on the jjast expenditure for the purchase of public spaces, and on the neglect of opportunities for the purchase of more. London has squandered immense treasures on objects it no longer values, or deems mischievous. Xo Londoner would wish the money unpaid which went to ransom Hampstead Heath, Epping Forest, Hackney Downs, <^r twenty other playgrounds from bricks. Few Londoners fail to mourn that the money was not spent which might have redeemed the F"inchley Road fields and Paddington Park from Queen Anne avenues or worse. Syndicates are formed in an afternoon to enable London, if it will, to gratify an educated taste for pieces of pottery. The more honour such generosity merits, the more e.xtraordinary it seems that no syndicate has ever been constituted to assure to four millions of townsmen a place of repentance for the omission to acquire one of the primary necessaries of healthy urban existence. .Should the occasion be let slip for saving the Highgate Woods, and Ken Wood, and Parliament Hill, nothing is more certain than that the present generation itself will deplore its ill-timed parsimony, and be execrated for it by countless generations to come. The result concerns all London, and all London ought to contribute. A locality which gains the most by vicinity, might be equitably called upon to let itself be taxed at a higher rate. Hut the best quota it can furnish is a determination not to allow the subject to be forgotten, and to render it impossible for London to say too late that it was never told. There have been times when a suburban neighbourhood menaced with con- version into a brickfield was too apathetic to resist, and resented interference on its behalf by strangers. Residents happily are more public-spirited or apprehensive now. Highgate and Hornsey are be- stirring themselves in defence of their woods, and Hampstead has a committee agitating for the eventual purchase of Lord Mansfield's beautiful demesne. That all these efforts will be victorious to their utmost scope is perhaps too much to expect ; that they .should be altogether fruitless it would be a calumny on the good sense of London to fear. London, at any rate, must be in no doubt of the nature of the issue presented to it. Anything it desires to do or have done has to be done forthwith. All delay is costly, and therefore extravagant, though not fatal. Long delay is irreparable. When the stroke of the axe is first heard in Highgate Woods, or the first scaflolding pole is seen in Ken Park, the option is gone from London for ever. A speculative builder in situ it is impo.ssible to expel as dry rot, with which, indeed, he may be supposed by his unfortunate customers to have some afiinity." ' ?'arly in the year 1885 the following gratifying intimation was con- ' The Times, 2otli October, 1884. HIGIUJATE or TO-DAY. 505 veyed to the Chairman of the Hornscy Local Board from Sir George Pringle. " Ecclesiastical Commission, " 10, Whitehall Place, London, S.W., ■' 12/// February, 1885. "Sir, — I am directed by the Ecclesiastical Commissioners to forward to you, for the information of j-our Board, the accompanying copy of a letter which was addressed by the Earl Stanhope, on tht- 6th inst., to the Lord Maj-or of London. " I am, Sir, " Your very obedient servant, Gkorge Pringlk. 'Tin: CiiAiKMAN OK THE Hornsey Local Board, " HORNSEV, N. " " Ecclesiastical Commission, " 10, Whitehall Place, London, S.W., "6/// Ft'hniarv. 1S85. " My Lord Mayor, — 1 have the honour to address to your Lorclsiiip the follow- ing communication on behalf of the Ecclesiastical Commissioners. " It is one which, ha\ing regard to the great interest always evinced l)y the Corporation of London in securing open spaces tor the health and recreation of the population of London, will, I feel sure, receive your most tavourable con.';ideration. " The Commissioners have recently had to determine what course they should adopt in dealing with certain estates in the north and north-west of London. Part of this property has recently fallen out of lease, and much of it has now become, or shortly will be, available for building purposes. The districts within which these estates are situate are outside the jurisdiction of the Metropolitan Board of Works. " Under the circumstances the Commissioners iiave decided to make to the Cor- poration of London, through your Lordshi]), the following offer, viz., to appro]irinte for the perpetual use and enjoyment of the inhabitants of the Metropolis — "(i) A wood at Highgate, known as 'Gravel Pit Wood,' comprising 69 a. I r. 13 p., which is bounded on the east by the road leading from Highgate to Muswell Hill, and on the west by the Alexandra Palace Railway ; and "(2) Thirty acres (30a. Or. Op.) of land at Kilburn, situate between the Kensal Green Station on the North London Railway and the Queen's Park Station on the London and North-Western Railway, and forming a portion of the site occupied in 1879 by the Royal Agricultural Show. "The ofier is made by the Commissioners on condition that the Corporation shall obtain Parliamentary sanction for the Ecclesiastical Commissioners to make the pro- posed appro]iriation, and shall undertake to lay out and maintain these two spaces as Parks in perpetuity. " Your l,ordship is doubtless aware that an application to Parliament is necessary in this case, since the Ecclesiastical Commissioners being Trustees of Church Property have not the same unfettered liberty which private owners possess of appropriating land for public uses, but are limited to such only as are within their trust. " On behalf of tlie C tlie (.drpcjration. In the review of the Chairman of the Horn.sey Local Board (Mr. H. R. \\'illiam.s), of the work of the Board during the year 1886-7, dated 4th April, 1887, he says : — " The Gravel Pit Wood, conveyed to the Corporation of London by the Ecclesiastical Commissioners as a tree gift for the use and recreation of the public, was publicly dedicated as an open space for ever by the Right Honourable the Lord Mayor (Sir John Staples) on the 30th October last. His Lordship was accompanied by the Lady Mayoress, Mr. Alderman and Sheriff Isaacs, Sir John B. Monckton, the Town Clerk, and a large gathering of the members of the Corporation, includ- ing Mr. E. |. Stoneham, the Chairman of the Coal and Corn and Finance Committee, who had charge of the civic arrangements. While this fine piece of woodland of seventy acres will remain the property of the Corporation, it will be of immense benefit to the future of Highgate and the whole of the surrounding district, nor should the fact be forgotten that it has been acquired as an open .space without the expenditure of a single shilling from the rates of Hornsey, and is maintained by the Corporation at the expense of the citizens of London. It is to be regretted that the efforts of the Board to acquire the sister wood were not successful ; I venture to hope, however, that means may yet be found for its preservation. The opening up and dedication of this lower wood for the use of the public, with approaches thereto from Park Road and .Shepherd's Hill, would be of incalculable service to the Crouch End and Hornsey Districts, and give ready and convenient access to an ever- increasing population to a stretch of woodland of surpassing beauty : all London would benefit by the acquisition ot the Churchyard Bottom Wood as an open space." The accjuirement of seventy acres of x\\v. old woodlands for public purposes is an event in the history of Highgate of the yf ;-.<■/ importance, only likely to be equalled by the proposed purchase of the Parliament Fields as an extension of Hampstead Heath ; and should this great scheme be carried to as successful a termination, under the leadership of the Baroness and Mr. Burdett-Coutts, M.P., Miss Octavia Hill, Mr. Charles Lee Lewes, Mr. John Glover and Mr. F. S. Osmond (repre- senting Highgate), as the Gravel Pit Wood movement was by Mr. H. R. Williams (of which there seems no reasonable doubt), Highgate will indeed be fortunate in the possession of two magnificent spaces for I in; IK, ATE OF TO-DAY. 507 recreative purposes lor all ccjiiiiiiLj time ; and the names of those who have worked so unselfishly, so wisely, and so persistently for the accom- plishment of these great ends, will rank high amongst the goodly company of The Worthies oi- Hkihgate. And now, our willing task is finished. We have endeavoured to people the dear old village with the memories of the past, and so to " Make ihe men that have been, reappear ; " and have tried to set forth some of the many aspects of the vigorous life which employs the powers of its men of to-day. W'e ncnv take our fare- well in the graceful numbers of the historian of 'J /ic Soniicl, whose familiar voice has found a fitting " moral to adorn our tale," which thus happily closes to the music of his happy rhythm. My task is done. Dear Reader, shouldst tliou be A Ilighgate man, or Highgate lady fair, Whuse cheeks grow roses in our nimble air, Thy praise will be rich recompense to me. And with my book before thee, wandering free Among the hills, woods, fields depicted there. The mighty men of old will reappear, 'Mid grave debate, or sounds of minstrelsie. Thou'lt look with pride on Highgate's mightj' dead, And strive tn make tin- present like the past. That so our children may record our fame ; i\nd in some future History it be said, If the old worthies' fame was made to last, Our modern worthies like renown mav claim. APPENDIX. LIST OF MINERALS AND FOSSILS FOUND IN THE HIGHGATE ARCHWAY CUTTING. Classified by the late N. T. Wetherell, F.G.S., M.R.C.S., V.-P. Highgate Literary and Scientific Institution, and paper read at the meeting of the Geological Society, London, 13th June, 1832. ABBREVIATIONS. r. Signifies that the fossil was rare. <. Common. :'. ;•. Very rare. Very connnon. Phil., I'hillips's " Elementary Introduction to Mineralogy." Brand., Brander's " Fossilia Hantoniensia." Mag. Nat. His!., Charlesworth's "Magazine of Natural History." Mi7i. Con., Sowerby's "Mineral Conchology of Great Britain." G(ol. Tr., "Transactions of the Geological Society of London."' Bmoeih., Bowerbank's " Mistoiy of the Fossil Fruits and Seed<; of the London Clay." IVIINERALS. Sulphate of Barytes, 7'. ;•. Sulphuret of Iron, r. <■ Selenite, or Sulphate of Lime, r. c. Highgate Resin, r References to Descriptions or l''igures. Phil., p. 183. . ; Phil., ]). 217. . ' Phil., p. 174: Praihl., pi. ix., fig^ T23. . Phil., p. 375 ; .'l/(7_!,'-. AW. Hist., vol. ii., p. 675. FOSSILS. Class. Genus. Annulata Conchifera Serpula ... Teredo . . . Sokn Corhtila ... Tcllina ... Lucina ... Astarte . . . Venus Cardium ... Area I'ectuncuUis Nucula ... Modiola . . . Species. References. crassa, ?'. ;•. . . antenautae, v. c. affinis, ;•.... globosa, c. splendens, c. niitis. 7'. /■. Goodlialli, 1: rugala, ;•. tenuistriata, ;: nitens, c. ... iiiipolita, r. decussatus, c. similis, ;■. minima, ;■. compres-ia, ?: subcarinata, 7 depressa, r. Mill. Con., vol. i., tab. 30. 102, fi;.;s. I, 2, 4 — 8 . 3. — in , tab. 209, fig. 3. Geol. Tr., 2nd ser., vol. v., pi. viii., fig. 6. Min. Coti., vol. vi., tab. 557, fig. i. Geol. Tr., 2nd ser., vol. v., pi. viii., fig. 7. Min. Con.,\o\. iv., tab. 316. Geol. Tr., 2nd ser., vol. v., p1 viii., fig. 8. Min. Con., vol. i., tab. 14. Geol Tr., 2nd ser., vol. v., pi. viii., fig. 10. Min. Con., vol. i, tab. 27, tig. i. ii., tab. 192, figs. 3, 4, 10. figs. 8, 9. Geol. Tr., 2nd ser , vol. v., pi. viii., fig. 14. Miti. Con., vol. iii., tab. 210, fig. i. i., lab. 8. APPENDIX. FOSSILS (continued). S09 Class. Conchifera — • (continued). Mollusca Genus Modiola . Pinna Avicula . . . Pecten . . . Anomia ... Lingula ... Bulla ... Neretina... Natica . . . Vernietus Dentalium Scalaria ... Solarium... Trochus ... Turritella Pleurotoma Fusus Pyrula Triton Murex Typhis . . . Rostellaria Cassidaria Species. elegans, c. affinis, r. arcuata, r. media, j. papyracea, r. r. corneus, v. r. ... lineata, v. r. ... tenuis, ?■. r. ... constricta, ;-. ... attenuata, r. ... concava, f. >: ... glaucinoides, v.c. similis, r. Bognoriensis, v.c. nitens, c. incra.ssatuni, <•. reticulata, f. /•. patuhim, c. e.xtensus, r. ... conoidea, r. r. prisca, r. ... laevigata, r. fusiformis, ?■. r. acuminata, r. ... bifasciatus, v. r. tuberosus, v. r . curtus, V. r. ... interruptus, r.... trilineatus, t". ... regularis, c. complantus, c. coniferus, r. ... nexilis, /-. Greenwoodii, c. argutus, c. frondosus, r. ... cristatus, r. coronatus, c. ... minax, ?•. r. ... niuticus, r. lucida, V. c. ... macroptera, r. Sowerbyi, r. striata, /'. References. A/in. Con., vol. i., tab. 9. iv., tab. 313, fig. 2. 3- i., tab. 2. Geol. Tr., 2nd ser., vol. v., pi. viii., Afi/t. Con., vol. iii., tab. 204. v., tab. 425. i., tab. 19, fig. 3. v., tab. 464, fig. 2. 3- fig. 16. — tab. 385, fig. 5. — i., tab. 5. — v., tab. 479, fig. 4. — 1., tab. 5. — yi., tab. 596, figs. 1—3. — i., tab. 70, figs. I, 2. 79> figs- 3. 4- — VI., tab. 577, fig. 5. — i., tab. 1 1. — iii., tab. 278, figs. 2, 3. — i., tab. 51, figs. I, 4, 5. — iv., tab. 386. 387. fig- 3- I. ii., tab. 146, fig. 4. iii., tab. 228. 229, fig. I. ii., tab. 199, fig. 5. iii.. tab. 304. i., tab. 35, figs. 4, 5. ii., tab. 187, fig. 2. v., tab. 423, fig. I. figs. 2, 3. ii., tab. 187, fig. I. iv., tab. 331. v., tab. 498. iv., tab. 344. v., tab. 416, fig. 3. iii., tab. 230, figs. 1, 2. fig- 3- 229, fig. 2. ii., tab. 189, figs. 6, 7. i., tab. 91, figs. 1—3. iii., tab. 298. 299. 300. iv., tab. 349, fig. 4. i., 1.1b. 6. 5IO APPENDIX. FOSSILS {continued^. Class. Genus. MoUusca — Cassidaria (iontiniicd). \ Buccinum Cancellaria Auricula . Crustacea Pisces Acteon . Voluta . CyprKa . . Conus Beloptera Nautilus .. Cancer Squalus, c. Species. carinata, c. junceum, r. laeviuscula, c. turgida, r. simulata, c. elongatus, r. nodosa, c. oviformis, v. i concinnus, r. anomala, r. r. imperialis, c. ziczac, r. r. Leachii, /-. References. Min. Con., vol. i., tab. 6. iv., tab. 375, fig. i. tab. 361, fig. I. — ii., tab. 163, fig. 4. figs, s, 6, 7, 8. Konifi v., tab. 460, fig. 3. iv., tab. 399, fig. 2. i., tab. 4. iii., tab. 302. vi., tab. 591, fig. 2. i., tab. I. PLANTS. Nipadites unibonatus, v. r. clavatus, v. r. Wctherellia variabilis, r. Boioerb., pi. iii., figs. 4. 5, 6. xii. Some of the above list of fossils will be found at the Literary and Scientific Institution, presented by the late Mr. Wetherell. I ND EX. A 15 C Book, 1^3. Abnev, Sir '!"., 247. Ackland, Rev. T. C, 466. Addison's Brewery, 2/9. Albans, St., The Abbot of, 15. Ale-houses temp. Edward \T., 380. Ale.xandra Palace, 490. • opcneii, 492. burnt, 492. reopened, 492. Alfred, King. 18. Alvanlcy, Lord, 277. Aniedee Villa, 295. Amps, Rev. J., 490. Angel Inn, 'I'he, 249. Anglo-Saxon Chronicle, 16, 18. Archery, 196. Archway e.xcavations, 2. Archway Road, 164. Ardern, T., 193. Argyle, Duke of, 360. Arundel, Countess of, 236. House, 225. The Earl of, 236, 237, 238, 239- Ascue, H., 194. Ashurst, Sir W., 123, 254. Atkins, R., 194. Atkinson, E., 121. Atterbury, Bishop, letter from, 43'- Rev. Dr., 94, 118, 120, 134.429.432,433- Audley, Lord, 202. Augustine, St., Church of, 1 56. Aylmer, Bisho]), 74. B.vcoN, l.ORP, 239 — 243. Bacuicue Wash. 1 1. Baguigge Wash, Bagshot Sand, The, 2, 3. Bailey, J., 121. Baker, Sir R., 194, 433. Baptie, T. P., 465. Baptist Church, 188. Crouch End, 295. Churches 466. Barbauld, Mrs , 433, 435. Rev. R., 188, 433. Barnaby, H., 4S4. Barnard, Rev. |. H., 189, 466. Barnes, A. H.. 456. Barnet, 30. Bartholomew, St., Hospital of, 177, 214. Prior of, 18. Bartlett. Rev. (i. D., 474. Basevi, G., 353. N., 353. Basset, Lady, 97. Batey, Rev. J., 466. Bath, Lady, 288. .Manjuis of, 288. Battle liriilge, 8. Baxter, R., 254. Bayeux Tajiestry, The, 32. Beaconsfield, Lord, 353. Bealing, M., 196. Beauclerk, T., 288. Beaumont, A., 403. J., 462, 474, 484. Beauvois, Bishop, 37, 286. Bedells, C. R., 454. Becchwood, 348, 353. Bell ringing on the (Queen's marriage, 417. Bennett, E. B., 456. Rev. Dr., 134, 468, 469. Bentley, Captain, 471. Berkhampstead, 29. liesley, Alderman, 278. Betchworth House, 244. j Bethell, R., Q.C., 213. Betts, E. G., 277. Bickersteth, E., 150. Bill, J., 357- Bird, Colonel, 422, 386. -7— \V., 295,471. Bisham House, 248. Bishop, The murderer, 202. Bishop's Avenue, The, 38, 164, 170. Bishop's, The, hunting lodge, ,36. I Bishops, leases of, 42. right of hanging, 64. Bl ick Dog, The, 159, 190, j 429- I Blake, F., 314. I W., 306. Invention of, 310. in debtors' prison, 314. Blessley, Rev. R., 188. Block, A. W., 345, 353, 462, 470, 482. W., 290. Blomfield, A., 490. Blount, C, 132, 437, 438. Sir H., 436. Sir T. P., 437. Bloxani, \V., 149, 219. Blue Boar, Episode at the, 220. Blunsdcn, 219. Boadicea, 7. Boake, \., 277. Bodkin, Sir \V. H., 269, 470, 474. 4«2. W. P., 124, 169, 269. 465, 470, 474. Boise, 11., 127. si: INDEX. Bolingbrooke, R., 46, 47. Bond, Sir \V., 229. Bonfoy, E., 197. Book Society, The, 475. Bookworms, The, 475. Booth, Sir F., 294. Bootle, R., i2!!i. Borough, English, 49, 50. Reeve, 20. Bowling Green, 380. Bowring, Sir J., 473. Bretile, Col., 283. Brettle's Hill, 283. Brewlioiise Wood, 'I'he, 282. Bridges, W., 1 23. Bristol, The Bishop of, 245. British Schools, The, 463. The promoters of, 464. Brockley Hill (Sulloniaca), 14. Bromwich Walk, 171. T., 132, 260. Brooke, E., 355, 482. Brotherton, J., 474. Brown, Rev. J., 134. Brownswood, Manor of, 77. Prebends of, 78. Bruce, Rev. J. S., 466. Robert, The, 42, 43. Bruges, Sir W., 169. Buckinghamshire. Earl of, 348. Buckland, Dr., 47 3. Buckle, H. T., 242, 271. l!ull Feather Hall, 376. " Bull," The, 279. Bulwarks, The, 428. Bunyan,J.,403. Burdett, Sir F., 265. BurdettCoutts, The Baroness, 168, 262 — 266, 482. W. L. A., 476, 482, 506. Burford, Earl of, 200, 210. Burials at Hornsey, 89. Burleigh, Lord, 18. Burwell, N., 122. Bute, Earl of, 360, 361. Cable Tra.mway, 487. Cachemaille, Rev. E. P., 465. Caen Wood, 31, 357—367- House, contents of, 366. visited by William IV., 367. Csesar, Sir J., 236, 260, 287. Cage, The, 465. Carew, R., 140. Carlton, Sir D., 405. Carpenter, W., i 22. W. L.,473- Carter, Rev. J., 133. Caselia, L., 253. Cassevellan, 7. Causton, Rev. i'. H., 149, 155, 253- Cemetery, The, 494, 495. Challis, T., 282. Chamberlayne, J., 405. Chambre, Sir A., 255, 468. Champneys, Rev. ^V, W., 143 Chance, — , 2 1 9. Channing House, 244. Chapman, C. E., 473, 474. p., 293. Charities of Highgate, 124 — 132. Charities of Hornsey, 100, 104— III. Charity Martyr' d, 311. Charle, J., 133, 142. Charnocke, J., 408. Chester, H., 254, 260,474, 484. SirR., 253. Chess Club, The, 475. Chestnut, The sweet, 72. Child, Lady, 124. Childe Harold, 379. Children's Convalescent Hos- pital, 224. Cholmeley, Sir R., 116, 136 — 139, 195- residence ot, 305. Jasper, 139, 140, 143. Park, 244. School, 135—153. Cholmondeley, Sir H., 139. Choral Society, '{"he, 475. Chrysanthemum Society, The, 483- Church, C., 481. Miss, 481. Church lands, alienation of, 82. '• Church Yard Bottom " a plague pit, 168, 396. Church Yard Bottom Wood, 84. Churches, new district, 89. City Road, 163. Cliirk l,e Gros, 473. Clarke, J., 282. Clay, Lieut. -Col., 290, 471. Lieut., 472. Claypon, J., 124. Clergy, Benefit of, 195. Clerkenwell out of Town, 285. Clothier, Dr., 455, 474, 481. Cloudesley, R., 177. Cobham, E., 47. Cold Bath Fields, n. Cole, Rev. Wm ,94 — 96, 118 — 120. Coleridge, S. T., 170, 319. enlists, 319. at Mr. Gillman's, 322. and Charles Lamb, 323, 332- and Hazhtt, 324, m. and Talfourd, 324. and Carlyle, 325. and Lord Hatherley, 325. and his nephew, 328. and Emerson, 329. and Shelley, 331. ■ and Dean Milman, 331. death of, 332. vault, 320. epitaph, 321. — — Southey's opinion of, 332- Scott's opinion of, 332. De Quincey's opinion of, Landor's opinion ol, T,'i,T,. bust at Westminster Abbey, 333. Speech of Mr. Lowell, 12,1- Speech ot Lord Hough- ton, 336. Speech of Lord Cole- ridge. 336. favourite walk of, 337. coachman, 337. humour of, 338. portraits of, 339. bibliography, 339, 340, 34i> 342, 343. 344- monument, 156, 321. Rev. 1)., 473. CoUingridge, W. H., 293. Collinson, Lieut. F., 47-'- P., 162. Sub-Lieut. G., 472. INDEX. 513 Coltsfoot, 167. Congregational Cliurch, 181. Churrhes, 466. Coniers, Mr., 231, 233. . Conqueror, The policy of the, 29. 2,1^ 34- Constables, Special, 472.' Cooke, T., 130. Cooper, Squire, 278, 490. Cooper-Smiih, Rev. H. R.. 318, 476, 489. Copenhagen House, 162. Cope's, Johnnv, plaister, 251. Cornwall, E., 188. Cornwallis, Sir C., 229. Sir T., 226, ^9. Sir W., 229. ' Coronation rejoicings, 417. Cosmo, The Clrand Duke. 407. Cottage gardens, 484. Cotton, Alderman, 253. County Court, The, 23. Court i'.aron. The, 65. Rolls. The, 58—62. Coutances, Hishop of, 36. Coutts, T., I 7 I, 210. Coventry,'T., 130. Coysch, Dr., 252. Cozens family, 293. Crabbe at Hornsey Wood, 298. Craig, Rev. \V. J., 466. Crawley, C , 354- G. \., 149, 354. Chapel, The, 149, 354. Crawshay, (1., 155, 248. Cricket, Marylebone 7'. High- gate, 428. Crofts, Sir J., 233, 235. Croker, 1. W'., 289. Croll, Col., 275. Crombie, Rev. A., 188, 468. Cromwell House, 219 — 224. Cromwell, Oliver, 219, 403. Cross roads. Burial at, 292. The old, 294. Crosse, K. VV., 459, 471. Crouch, (Crux) End. iCo, 294. Hall, 294. Hail, Old, 294. The Ueadle, 99. Crowdy, Dr., 474. Cutbush, (., 481. D.AKIN, T., 471. I )ale, '1'., 360. Dalton, C, 476. .f- 94- Rev. C. B., 156, 481, 482. Danebottpni, 18. Dancgeld, 52. Danish raids, 17, 18. Darlington, The Earl of, 288. Davies, Rev. O., 466. Davis, Sir T , 97. Day .Schools, 461. Dean, D. W'., 282. Death rate of Hornsey, 455. Diocesan Penitentiary, 278, 489. Dispensary, The, 479. Dobbins, Mrs., iMurder of, 201. Dodd's water scheme, 168. Dominicus, Miss, 200. J')om\ille, Sir W., 253, 254. Doomsday, 51. records of, 53, 54, 296, 347- Dorchester, House, 304. Marquis of, 304. Speeches of, 305. Dorman, Lieut., 471. Doughty, Rev. J., 133. Downshire, Marquis of, 288. Draper, Sergeant, 197. Druminond, J., 474. Lndy J., 232. Duckets, Manor of, 79. Dudley, J., 143. Dufferin, Lad), 482. Lodge, 354. Earl, 354, 473. Duncan. Dr., 225, 425. Rev. Dr., 466. Dutton's Alley, 162. Duval's Lane, 299. Dwellings Improvement Co., 486. Dygbye, T., 193. Dyne, J. B., 473, 475, 481, 485, 489. I Dyne, Rev. Dr., 462, 474, 482. I appointment of, J 48. , presentation to, 148. retirement of, 149. Earthcjuakk.s, 400. Ecclesiastical Commissioners, 31, 84, 505, 506. Ecclesiastical documents, de- struction of, 55—57. Edmonstone, Rev. C. W., 465. Edmonton Union, The, 457. Edward L, 43. v., 48. Edward.s, J., 128. Elder, H. H, 471. Eldon, Lord, 146, 149. Eldorman, The, 20, 22, 23. Elephant, Skeleton of, 8. Elizabeth, Princess, Peril of, 226. Queen, at Highgate, 227, 228, 229. Empson, C. W., 474, 489. Enclosure Act, Hornsey, The, 172. Episcopal Ciiurches in Horn- sey and vicinity, 465. Ermyn Street, 15. Erskine, House, 368. Lord, 368—371. Essex, The Earl of, 406. Ethelred, iS. Ethelwulf, 18. Evans, C, 474. Ewer, J., 197. Exchequer robbery, 296. F.\GAN, L, 473. Fairseat House, 219. Faraday, AL, 301. Fame, ISLinor of, 80, 293. Farneham, J., 117. Far(iuhar House, 301. Fauntleroy, 266. Faux, J. W., 471. Lieut. E., 471. Fayrer, Rev. R., 474. F. D. Society, 475. Felony and violence, Records of, 191. Felton, Rev. — , iiS, 134. Ferruginous cl.ay, 2. Finchley, 30. tolls. Note on, 426. Finsbury I'ark, 297, 299. Fire of London, 397, 398, 399- fugitives at Highgate 399, 400. 514 IXDliX. Fitzaylwin, lo. Fitz Osborne, 34. Fitzroy House. 348. Park, 349. Fitzroy Park Estate, 346. Five Mile Act, The. 184. Flask," "The, 176. Fleet River, The. 11, 12, 13. Flies, Killing, 97. Fosg, Rev. P. P., 489. Foley, H. ]., 158, 420. Folk Mote", The, 21. Football Club, The, 478. Ford, A. R., 474, 476. W., 149, 254, 268, 462. Forest Charters, 67, 68. 69, 70, 71. — ■ — of Middlesex, 66. Forshall, Dr., 218, 379, 481. Forte, W., 114. Fortis Green Common, 173, 174. Fossils found in Archway cut- ting, 508—510. Foster, Jack, 413. Rev. W., 188. S., 1 21, 128. Fox and Crown," "The, 386, 416. Free Cranimar School, 1 16. Fritheric, Abbot, 29, 30. Frithgylds, 22. Fry, Lord Justice, 344. 473, 474. Gardixer, Sir T., 245. Gate House, The, 161, 385, 472, 478, 480. Ordinary. The, 384. Gault, The, 3. Gemote, The. 21, 24. Gentleman's Magazine, The, 145, 239, 240, 307. Geological formation, 2. George III., 200. Gibbon, Rev. J. M., 188, 466, 474- Clifford, Lady, 354, 482. Gilbert, Farl of Gloucester, 43> 44- C;ilchrist, A., 425. Gilles, M., 350, 352. (iillman.J., 155, 318, 321,323, 480. i Gineva., The lake of, 295. ' Gittins School, 213. Glacial, epoch. The, 3. j — — moraine at Finchiey, 3. Gladstone, W., 462, 474. t Gloucester, Duke of, 45. \ Glover, J., 171, 270,349, 465, j 473' 474. 481, 506. Godfrey, J. S., 462, 469, 474, I Godrich, Viscount, 278. i Gondomar, 161. I Gordon Riots, The, 363, 364. ; ■ 365. ' Goslett, Mrs., 169, 269. Gossel, O., 353. ; Gould, Lady, 130, 253. ' Sir E., 121, 123, 253. (iower, R., 121, 248, 253. I Grainger, Dr. R. (r., 30T, 473. Gravelkind, 49. Gravel Pit Wood, 84, 495. Letter of H. R. Williams on, 496, SCO. Leader in the Times on, 497, 501- Letter from Sir Geo. Pringle on, 505. Letter from Earl of Stan- hope on, 505. Remarks by Chairman of Local Board on, 506. Green, the Aeronaut, 28 1. W., 474. Green Street, 171. Races, 409. Greensand, 3. Greenwood, H., 474, 475. Gregson, Rev. A., 188. Grignion and Hall's school, 425- Grogan, Rev. \., 466. Grove House, 345. Grove, The, 303, 317. The, Muswell Hill, 289. — Its sylvan beauties, 290. Lodge, 290. Guardians, The Board of, 458. Gun]Dowder Plot, 393. Gwynne, Nell, 209. Gyllelt, The widow, 409. Gymnastic Club, The, 478. Hagbush Lank, 159, 163. Hale, T., 201. Hammond, R., 473, 474. Hampstead. Charter of manor of, 13. Heath, Gallows on, 392. Hampstead Lane, Alteration of, 169, 368 (see Map). Hanging, Bishop's right of, 64. Harcourt, General, 252. Hardy, Rev. G., 188. Harold, 30. Haringey, Farm, 293. House, 293. Park, 170 (see Hornsey (Ircat Park). Harrington, B., 376 Lady, 359. -Sir J.. 357, 359. Harrison, Major-General, 221, 222, 223. Order for arrest of, 224. R., 180, 224. Harrisson, R., 123. Harrow. Tradition of, 394. Hart, Robbery of. 198. Hastings, Battle of, 32. Sir E., 226. Hatch, Rev. S. S., 189. Hatfield, 5. Harvey, A. S., 473, 474. Rev. Canon, 295, 453. Hawkins, H., 366. — - L. M., 176, 250. S. J., 250. Sir J., 249, 251. Hawthorn, The, 5. Hayes, W., 475. Hayward, Captain, 248. Hazell, J., 295. Heal, .-V, 295. Hedgehog killing, 97. Hendon, 14. Henry VL, 41. — vn., 49. VHL, proclamation of, 73- Heriot, G., 169. Hermitage, The, 1 r 1 of St. Michael, 114- West Hill, 266. Hermits. The, 112, 113. Hertford, suburb of, 54. /Nn/:.\: 5'5 Hewit, F., 122. Hickes, Captain, 471. Hide, 'llie, 19. Highgate, Altitude of, 157. and Edgeware Railway opened, 493. Cage, 465. Chapelry of, 153. Cobbler, The, 428. Common, 136, 173, 174, 276. Dispensary. 478. Dwellings Improvement Co., 486. Etymology of, 5. Fair, 175. Cireen, 174. Hill, from Holloway, 162 Hill, propos.il for remov- ing, [67. Lodge, 171. Resin, 3. School, 151. Social importance of, 318. Theatre, 190, 386. Tokens, 416. Highway Board, meeting-place of, 295. Highway robberies, etc., 193, 194, '95' '96, i97> 198. 199, 200, 201, 202, 412. Highwayman, a domestic. 2S4. Hill, 0.,so6. Hoax, A, 429. Hobart, I.ady D., letter to, 211. Lady F., zi i. N., 132. Sir H., 122, 132, 211, 241. Hodges, R., 140- Hodgson, M., 200, Hogarth, 176. Holly, Lodge, 168, 262, 483. Terrace, 262. Holmes, H., 428. R. R., 470, 473, Homan, E., 465. Home, Countess of, 212. Hone's Every Day Book, ^^^. Hornsey, A member of the barony of Stepney, 64. | Hornsey, Assessments, 454. Church, 36, 42, 87, 89, 90. 91. Common, 173, 174. Cost of schools, 460. — — Dampness of, 95. Death-rate of, 455. Enclosure Act, 173. Etymology of, 5. Great Park, 38, 40. 41, 45' 46, 48, 49 (see Map). Local Board, 453. officers of, 455. rates, 455. not in Doomsday, reasons for, 54, 64. Rectors of, 88, 93, 94, 95- School Board, 459. rates, 460. Wood House, 297, 299. Vestry, Minutes of, 97. Horns, The, 373. used at different taverns, 379- Horses, ]jenal to drive more than five, 163, 409. Horticultural Society, The, 481. Houses, number of, 452. Howitt, W. and iNL, 266, 270, 271. Hundred, The, 19, 21. Hundreds of Middlesex, The, 426. Hungerford, Sir J., 119. Hunt, Leigh, 170, 261. W., 476. Hunt, The City, 74. Hunters, The mighty, 34, 38, 39.. 40- Hunting Lodge, The, 31 — 38. Huntingdon, Countess of, 97. Idiot A.svlum, 279. Ignatius, I'ather, 189. Imperial Property Invest- ment Co., 208, 302. Infirmary, first stone laid, 493- Ireton, .Mderman Sir ]., 212. Lieut. -Ccneral, 220, 221. Irvine, Col., 219. Isherwood, R.. 149, 172, 468, , 478. Islington, Etymologyof, etc., 5. Ivy House, 248. I Jackson, R., 198. ' Squire, 277. I Jackson's Lane, 162. Jacque.'!, E., 122. James I. hunting, 74, 406. James, J., 475, 485, 486. Jeakes, Col., 208, 454, 455, 482. Rev. J., 465. Jeffreys, Judge, 412. Jerome, 17. I [erusalem, Manor of St. lolin of, 81, 284. Jessie," " Sister, 490. Johnson, Dr., 288, 366. I J. C., 44, 476, 481. Johnstones, The gentle, 44. j Jones, J., 408. Jubilee fete at HighgiUe. 41 8. beacon fires at ll.imp- stead, 419. beacons. The, 420. trees planted, 419. fete at Hornsey, 421. Jukes, Rev. A., 474. Junction Road, 163. Ki;.\Ts, 170. Keith, J. H., 474. Ken, Bishop, 210. Kent, Duke of, 200. Earl of, 97. Kentish Town boring, 3. Kentwode, R, de, 357. Key, r., 193. King Edward Industrial School, The, 278, 422, 424. King's Head," "The Old, 294. Kingsley, Dr. II., 275. Kleinerts, T.. 1 29. Knatchbull, Rev. \\'., 12 r, 134. Knight, C, 248. Knights of the Shire, 23. Kytchin, .\., 408. J., 140- Lackjmuu.w J., 201. Lack-linen. Disease, 17S. 5i6 INDEX. Ladies' Hospital or Charity School, 306 — 314. Lake, B. G., 471, 474, 476, 486. H., 149, 484. H., 489- Lalla Rookh Cottage, 290. Lamb, C, 170, 332, 33S. Lands of Hornsey, seized by the Conqueror, 29, 30. Lands ot the Abbey of St. Albans, 30. Lanfranc, Archbishop, 36. Langley, Alderman, 140. Lant, Rev. Tho., D.D., 94. Lason, I'., 197. Laterelle, Rev. G. B., 465. Lathora, Rev. D., 134. Lauderdale, Earl of, 133, 209, 212. House, 208. Law suit, The Cholmeley, 146. Lawdham, Mr., 455. Lawn Tennis Club, 475. Lazar House, 'i'he, 176. Deaths at, 180. Lazarcot Field, 177. Lea River, The, i. Leach, Col., 474. Leach, Col. E. P., 150. Leathern Bottle," "The, 294. Leech, J., 219. Leo, Pope, 18. Leper Hospitals, The, 178. Lepers, 178. Lermitte, J. H., 465. Lewes, C. L., 351, 506. Lewis, Rev. E., 189. Lightfoot, Rev. J., 97. Lighting and watching, Act for, 204. Linden House, 301. Linklater, Rev. R., 465. Lisle, E., 122. Litchfield, W., 1 14. Literary and Scientific Institu- tion, 472. Lecturers, 473. Officers, 474. Llewellyn, 44. Lloyd, H., 478. J. H., 171, 277, 474, 47S' 481. Local patriotism, 450. Lodge, Hill, 37. I-!-- J . 345. 470, 473. 474, 484, 485. London, Bishopric of, 31. Clay, The, 3. — — Corporation, The, 84. Etymology of, 4. Stone, John de, 10. Stone, The, 9, 10, 30. • The wall of, 11. Lovat, Lord, 250.. l.ovell, C. H., 171. Lady, 40S. Lowe, J., 121. Loyal Highgate Volunteers, 467. Lubbock, Sir [., 473. Lynch, Rev." T. T., 187, i88. M.\CDOWELL, P., 283. Mackworth, G., 408, Macpherson, Sir H., 150. Madan Lane, 159. Magistrates and Police, The, 464. Magna Carta, 23. Makepeace, M., 121. Manneringe, Sir \\'., 132,438. Manning, Cardinal, 189. Manor of Hornsey, 37, 49, 50, 51. 55. 83- Mansfield, The first Earl of, 361. Childhootl of, 362. Wonderful ride of, 362. Enters Westminster School, 363. — — Legal honours, 363. ■ Decease, 363. Character, by H. Haw- kins, 365. Dr. Johnson, 366. Mansfield, Earl of, 368, 468. Mansion House, The, 254. Manson, F. W., 285. March, Earl of, 48. of troops to Scotland, 1745. ^5°- Margaret, Queen, 48. Marshall, A., 481. A. H. 47t Marshes, extent ol, 1. Martin, family. The, 451. Martin, G., 148. J-. 143- Sir R., 140. Marvell, A., 214, 215, 217, 218. Massinghara, W. A., 476. Mathews, C, 268. " Matt) sons," 287. Maude, J. T., 473. Mayo, Rev. C, 134, 155. Mayor, The Lord, 506. McDowall, Rev. Prebendary, 149. 474- Meade, T. de C, 455. Mence, Rev. .S., T34, 155. Mendham, R., 479. Merchant Taylors' Co., The, 130, 442. Merton, Lane, 171. Lodge, 270. Michael, St., 115, 116. Chapel of, 117 — 124. Church of, 153. Vicars of, 155, 156. Michael, W. H., 454, 455, 473. 474- Mileham, Rev. J., 1S9. Miles, J. J., 269, 474. Miller, Dr., 473. Millfield Lane, 169. Milliarium Aureum, 9. Milton, granddaughter of, 429. nieces of, 429. ■ on hermits, 1 1 Minerals found cutting, 508. Mitchell, family, The, 293. M., 45?-' Motiel Lodging Houses, 486. Yacht Club, 414. Moger, R., 470, 480. Monk, General, 402. Montagu, B., 240. Lady M. W., 360, 361. Monteuuis, G. Van de Linde, 224. Montgomery, Lord, 43. Moore, T., 290. .Morison, J. C., 150. Morland, G., 279 — 281. Moxon, Dr., 273. Moyer, Laily, 123. Mudie, C. K., 459, 473- Mur[)hey, Rev. Dr., 466. 3- in .Archway INDEX. S17 Musters, Sir ]., 97, 293. Muswcll, Common, 173, — — Hill, 3, 284—290. Our Lady of, 285. National Schools, The, 461. The promoters of, 462. (Government grants to, 463. Nelson, I'.arl, 15O. Lord, 266. Nendick, 198. Ncttlefold, K. J., 345. Neumegen, L., 202. New River, at Hornsey. 95. New road, [jroposai for, 163. Newenton Barwe, 18. Newland, A., 290. Nicholas, taxation of I'o[)e, 59. NicoUs, B., I 22. Nii;htingjle Valley, 303. Ninth Roman Legion, The, 7. Noakes, H., 282. Noble, J., 423. Noel, lion, and Rev. I!., 295. Noneonformist Churches, 465. Nonjurors, 407. Norden, 145, 157, 159, 206. Norman, game laws, 67. Highgate, 29. Prelates, 36. North Road, Formation of, 160. Nugee. Rev. (J., 4S9. Oak L()I)c;i;, 277. Oakley, H., 47 1. Oath, The Highgate, 373. Origin of, 375. Obstruction, records of, 40 r. Odo, Bishop, 30-36. Old, Hall, The, 253. Pied Bull, 160. Oliver, Rev. J., 489, 490. Orchard, Rev., 189. Ord, \V., 12 2. Orion, P\, 465. Osborne, Rev. J. F., 460. Our Lady of .\Iuswell, 285. Oussulton hundred, 20, 53, Owen, Sir H., 300. Paintek, Sir P., 2S7. Palmer, Sir Roundell, 148, 156. Pancras, St., Claim of the Vicar of, 155. Spa, 411. • Wash, II, 412. Pancratium, St., 53. Panic in Highgate, 250. Parish Magazine, The, 489. Parishes, Origin of, 85. Park, l'>state, 501. House, 278. Gate, 161. Parliament Hill, 21, 25, 391, 506. Parsonage of St. Michael, 156. Patent Rolls, 59, 81, \ 13, 115, 178, 179. Paul's, St., 53, 58, 59, 62, 346. Pauncefort, E., 123, 126, 14^ R., 122. Paviage grants, 6, 113, 114. Payment by Nchool to be made to the church, 147. Payne, J., 269. J. O., 407. Peacock, M. B., 275. Peel, .Sir R., 353. Peerpoint, Lady .\., 132. Pelham, Sir T., 358. Pemberton, Dame A , 317. Row, 175. — — Sir F., 120, 133, 315. Penitentiary, The I )iocesan, 500 Pennethorne, Sir J., 214. Pettus, Sir J., 133, 439. Petty Sessions, Court of, 465. Pews for school rent free, 147. Phelippe, W., 1 13. Pike, J. B., 188. Piper, W., 348, 353. Plague, The, 394. Deaths at Islington, 396. Hornsey, 396. Pit, at Highgate, 168, 396- Piatt, Fellowship, The, 459. ---J., 13-^ Sir H., 132, 440. VV., 119, 439, 440. Poetical charters, 33, 3.). Poland, A., 473. P., 30.. Poland, Sir W., 208. Pond, The (South Grove), 412, 413. Poole, W., 177. Poor Rates, The, 458. Pope, A., 367. S., 353, 482. Population, notes on, 451. Port Reeve, The, 20. Porter, E., 188. Rev. \V., 134. Sir VV., 266. Post-mortem Inquisitions, 59, 139, 192, 193, 195. Potter, F. J., 458. G., 155, 474. G., leaflet on Horns, 382. W., 455. Potts, P., 196. Powell, Rev. R. W., 465. Preachers in old Chapel, 133. Presbyterian, (Church. iSi. Churches, 466. Pretty, P., 121. Prickett, F., 275. See Preface. Pringle, T., 262. Priory, The (Hornsey), 292, 422. Price, B., 468, 480. I'ritchard, Lady, 123, 151,443. Sir W., 442. Proi)hecies, 373. Prynnc, Bastwick, and liuriun, 401. Pultney, 196. Sir W., 288. Quality Walk, 175, 317. Queen Victoria, Accident to, 416. ■' Quo Warranto," 63. Railwav Station ui>K\fc;i), 504- Randall, J . G., 48 1. Rathband, Rev. W., 185, 188. Reading Society, The, 475. Reckitt, F., 355, 465, 476, 48 2. Recusants, 407. Redmayne, G., 208,474. Reed, Lady, 300. r. B., 300, 474. Regent, I'he Prince, 266. 5 IS INDEX. Reynolds, A., 476, 482. W., 345' 459. 474> 4S2, 484. Richard II., 46. Richmond, H., 471. Ring Cross, 160. River of Wells, 11. Roads, Decay of, 15. Robarts, Mr., 348. Roberts, Miss, 197. Roden, Countess of, 278. Roebuck, J. A., 262. Rogers, B. B., 150. — — Samuel, 92, 93, 244. Roman, antiquities, 8. earthworks, 7. interments, 14. roads, 6. Roman Catholic Church of S. Joseph, 189, 466. Rookfield, 290. Rosse, Lord J., 132. Rossetti, D., 267. Rowe, Alderman, 2S6. H., 287. N., 288. Sir T., 65. Rowland, Rev. A., 466. Rundell, A. R., 484. Ruskin, J., 269, 275. Sacheverei.l, Dr., 172, 256. Sailors and pony, T99. Saints, All, Church of, 150. Salisbury, The 1 -ord Treasurer, 235- Sand removed, 9. Sandys, Bishop, 117. Lord, 198. Savage, J., 124. Scales, Lord, 48. Schiifer, W., 475. Scholars, Distinguished, 150. Schools at Highgate, 425. Schoppens, J., 121, 122, 124, 127. Scott, D., 200. Scrimgeour, A.. 277. 475, 476. W., 315, 486. Sell, E., Murder of, 201. Seven Sisters Road, 163. Seymour, Sir W., 231, 235. Shaftesbury, The Earl of, 278. Sharp, Archbishop, 209. I Sharpe, h. D., 476. M. R., 486. S., 92. The Misses, 244. W. A., 481. Sheeoy, 198. Shenley, 30. Shipton, Mother. 373. Shire, The, 19, 21. Mote, The, 20, 23. Reeve, The, 20, 23. Shoolbred, J., 268. Shower, Rev. J., 133. Shrewsbury, Countscs of, 236. Earl of, 236. Silver Drops, 306, 307, Sime, J., 473, 474, 475. Simmonds, J., 481. Simon of Highgate, 133. " Sister Jessie,"' 501. Skating Club, The, 475. Skeat, W. W., 150. Sleigh, Rev. T., 188. Sluice House, The, 299. Smith, C., 293. Dr.Southwood, 349, 35 I. F., 317, 470, 474- J., 122. Rev. E., 156, 466, 476, 481. Rev. R. C, 473, 474- Toulmin, 2S3, 455, 473. Toulmin, Miss L., 473. Song, by the landlord of the "Horns," 378. Sung at Highgate Thea- tre, 191. Soper, F. L., 474. South Hornsey Local Board, 455- Assessments of, 456. Chairman of, 456. Officers of, 456. Rates of, 456. Southwell, Sir R., 226. Thos., 41, 47. Southwood Lane, 162. Spaniards," "The, 161. Spears, Rev. R., 466. Spencer, Sir R., 97. Spoltiswoode, Dr., 473. Spriggc, Rev. J., 443. Sprignell, Family, 219, 220. R., 121. 219, 132. Sprignell, Sir W., 132. Stage-coaches from Hornsey, 99. Stanley, Dean, 476. Stanton, E., 124. Stapleton Hall, 296. Sir T., 296. Stedall, Col., 278, 455, 465. Stock, E., 267. Stone coffin in Hornsey Churchyard, 42S. Slormont, Viscount, 368. Strays, The, 7. Stretton, Re\-. H., 224. Stroud Green, 173, 174, 297. St. Albans, Duchess of, 210, 263. Duke of, 2 1 o. St. Clements Danes, Resolu- tion of Vestry of, 312. St. Giles-in-the-Fields, Resolu- tion of \'estry of. 314. Stuart, Lady Arabella, 229, 230, 231. Subterranean passage, 220. Sullonacia, 14. Sussex, Countess of, 132. Swain's Lane, 159. Swine, 20. Symons, R., 194. Iallington Lank, 160. Tatham, A. C. (Vestry Clerk), 275- H. C, 475- L. C, 475> 489- M., 171. Mrs., 169. T. T., 275. Taylor, J., 444. J. T., 473- Tenants, Bishops', exempt from toll, 160. Ten-man-tale, 22. Thames, Etymology of, 4. Thatcher, W., 123. 'I'heatreat Highgate, 190, 386. 'I'homas, Rev. J., 188, 195. Thorpe, Baron, 48. Thurnotho, 16. Thwaites, 200. rice, S., 188. Tinling, Rev. T. B., 466. Tithe, l.aw-suit respecting, 90. LXD/IX. 5 "9 Tithe, The Saxon. 24. Titliint;, The. 19. Tokens, lligligate, 416. Tomlinson, C, 271, 473, 474, 475. 4S2. works of, 272, 273. X'oUinteers, 14th Middlesex R. V. Corps, 470. 3rd Middlesex R. V. Corps, 471. on the Horn, 380. Topp. .Sir J., 133. Toiisfield Manor, 80, 294. Tothell, 53. Towers, Rev. Dr., 188, 444. Townley, Rev. H., 18S. Townshend, The Bow Street Runner, 203. Traitors' Hill, 392. Tram Line proposed in Arch- way Road, 499. Tramway. The Cable, 498. Trays Hill Lodge, 300. 'I'rees in Grove, 317. Trench, Dean, 473. Trespass, Records of, 401. Trinder, Rev. D., 156, 465, 473. 474. 476, 481- Tuchin, Mrs., 425. Tumulus, The, 25. Turner, C, 199, 297. J-. 295- -Sir \V., 313. Twining, R., 490. Uniiormitv, Act of, 181. Union Chapel, Islington, 295- Unitarian Church, The, 466. Vane, Sir H., 357. Venner, T., 358. Vere, Robert de, 45. Vernon, Rev. H., 134. Verulamiuni, S. Vestry, Minnies, 97. \'ia Strata, The, 14. Viney, Rev. J., 187, 188, 282, 459. 473. 486. Violent storm, 400. Volunteers, The Loyal High- gate, 467. Wadk, Fin. I) NLvusnAi.i., 276. Wales, ILR.Il. The Prince of. 214. Walker, Major, 471, 483. T., 255- Wallace, Sir W., 42. Waltham, .Monks of, 357. Walton, L.. 471. Wanstcad House, 292. Wardlaw, Rev. Dr., 301. Wark, Mrs., 254. Warner, H., 292. J.H., 471- Warr, Lord de la, 132. Warton, 'I'., 277. Warwick, Earl of, 132. Watchmen, Returns of, 203. Water-cart, The old, 413. Waterlow, .Alderman Sir S., 214, 219, 474, 482, 486. Waters, R. E. C, 150. Watkinson, C, 121. Watling Street, The, 9, 11, 13, 14, 16. Watson, R., 165, 307. Watts, Dr., 247. Way, Attempted stopi>age of right of, 99. Well Walk, 13. Wells Alley, 162. Wesley, C, 300 John, 301. Wesleyan (Churches, 466. West Hill, The, 169. Place, 171. Lodge, 270. Westfield, Dr., 245. 'I'-. 93- Wetherell, N. T., 2, 271, 478, - Whittington, .Almshouses, 389, 390- Cat, 389. Stone. The. 387, 388. Wild,]., .32. Wilkes, J., 186. Wilkinson, Col., 349, 462, 470, 473- 474. 48'- 482, 486. Wilkinson, J., 122. William the Conqueror, 29, 3'. 33—36- William I\". at Highgate, 367. Williams, H. R..S4. 278, 293, 423,424,455,459,474, 495.496, 5°o. 501, 506. Lieut. .S., 472. Rev. D., 188, 444, 445, 446. T., 194. Wilmer, Dr., 278. Wilson, S., 197. Winchester Hall, 20S. Witena-gemot, 21. \V(i|laston, R., 132. Sir J., 83, 125, 132,244. .Almshouses, 246. Price paid for lands. 245. Wjod Lane, 16S. Wood, W., 474. Woodlands of Horpsey, 83. \\'oodmen of Hornsey, The, 99. Woolnor, T., 267. Workhouse, The Hornsey, 99. Working Men's Club, 475. Worsley, P. S., 150. Wren, Sir Christopher, 10. 480. White, R. C. C, Whittington, Sir 39°- 455. 459- K., 387, 388. N'.-VRDl.F.V, Rf.V. R., 118, 123, 134- \'arrow, ].,2\i. Wales, E., 150. J-. 213.473- Vatles, p., 408. Yew-tree, The, 7 i . at Totteridge, 21. York, Mrs. K., 122, 449. N'orke, The Lord ("hanccllor, 447. 448- Youths' Institute, 476. IMMS UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA LIBRARY Los Angeles This book is DUE on the last date stamped below. Form L9-50m.4, '61 (8899434)444 £20- Lloyd H7L77 History, topo- graphy, and antiquities of Highgate *DA 690 H7L77 <™THf BN REGoiwi t«i«; f;»£« D 000 457 080