CHAPTER XI.

History and Topography of Castle Baynard Ward.

This ward obtained its name from an ancient castle, which stood here on the banks of the river. It is divided into ten precincts, and is under the government of an alderman, sending ten inhabitants to the court of common council. It is bounded on the east by Queenhithe and Bread-street wards; on the south by the river Thames, and on the west and north by the ward of Farringdon within. Before the great fire in 1666, there were four churches in this ward, viz. St. Andrew, by the wardrobe; St. Benet, Paul's wharf; St. Mary Magdalene, Old Fish-street, and St. Gregory; the first three remain.

Before describing the churches that remain, it will be proper to notice the metropolitan church, the principal part of which is in this ward. Stow and all the authors that have written on the history and antiquities of London, have uniformly placed St. Paul's cathedral under the head of Farringdon within, but upon minutely examining the plans of each of the wards, and consulting the parish and ward officers, the author is induced to place the church in the ward of Castle Baynard. The exact line of demarcation between the wards in the cathedral church is not known, but it is probable that if a line was drawn from the chapter house, which is in Farringdon within, to the south-east corner of St. Paul's church yard, it would be near the truth.

St. Paul's Cathedral.

It has been judiciously remarked, that among the modern works of architecture which adorn and dignify the British empire,' this stupendous fabric holds the most distinguished rank; that even with foreigners it has obtained great celebrity, and in any enumeration or comparison of the religious edifices of Europe, is always mentioned immediately after the church of St. Peter, at Rome.'

The popular tradition, that a temple, dedicated to Diana, once occupied the site of St. Paul's cathedral, has already been mentioned, as well as the small degree of credit which sir Christopher Wren, the architect of the present structure, was inclined to give to the common report.

It may not be improper to mention what Stow, the most accurate of all the historians of London, states on the subject of a Roman temple having once stood on the site of St. Paul's. 'Some have noted,' says this author, that on digging the foundation of this newe worke (namely, the Lady Chapel, built by bishop Baldock, about 1313), there were found more than a hundred scalpes of oxen, or kine, which thing (say they) confirmeth greatly the opinion of those which have reported, that of olde time there had beene a • See vol. 1, page 22.

temple of Jupiter, and that there was daily sacrifice of beasts. Other some, both wise and learned, have thought the buck's head, borne before the procession of Paule's, on St. Paule's day, to signifie the like: but true it is, that I have read an auncient deed to this effect.'

'Sir William Baude, knt. the third of Edward the First, in the year 1274, on Candlemas day,graunted to Harry de Borham, dean of Powles, and to the chapter there, that in consideration of two acres of ground or land, granted by them within their manor of West-ley, in Essex, to be inclosed into his park of Curingham he would for ever, upon the Feast-day of the Conversion of St. Paul, in winter, give unto them a good doe, seasonable and sweete; and upon the feast of the commemoration of St. Paul, in summer, a good bucke, and offer the same at the high altar, the same to be spent amongst the canons residents. The doe to be brought up by one man at the houre of procession, and through the procession to the high altar; and the bringer to have nothing: the bucke to be brought by all his meyney in like manner; and they to have payd unto them by the chamberlaine of the church 12 pence onely, and no more to be required.' This graunt he made, and for performance bound the lands of him and his heirs to be distrained on; and if the landes shoulde be evicted, that yet hee and his heires shoulde accomplishe the gift. Witnesses, Robert Tilbery,' &c. His son, sir William Baude, knt. confirmed his father's gift in the thirtieth of the same reign.

Thus much for the grant. Now what I have heard by report, and have partly seene, it followeth. On the feast-day of the commemoration of St. Paul, the bucke being brought up to the steps to the high altar in Powles church, at the houre of procession, the deane and chapter, being apparelled in copes and vestments, with garlands of roses on their heads, they sent the body of the bucke to baking, and had the head, fixed on a pole, borne before the crosse in their procession, untill they issued out of the west doore, where the keeper that brought it blowed the death of the bucke, and then the horners that were about the cittie presentlie answered him in like manner; for the which paines they had each one, of the dean and chapter, fourpence in money, and their dinner; and the keeper that brought it was allowed during his abode there, for that service, meat, drink, and lodging, and five shillings in money at his going away, together with a loafe of bread, having the picture of St. Paule uppon it, &c. There was belonging to the church of St. Paul for both the days two special sutes of vestments, the one imbrodered with buckes, the other with does; both given by the said Baudes, as I have heard.'*

Though sir Christopher controverted the idea of Diana's temple, he was of opinion that a Christian church had stood upon this spot at a very early period, agreeably to the statements of different ecclesiastical writers; yet as venerable Bede, in his account of the establishment of Christianity in London, under bishop Mellitus, gives Sur. of Lon. §. 270–273.

no intimation of such a fact, its accuracy is liable to be questioned. Bede, who lived nearest to the time, ascribes the foundation of the original St. Paul's to Ethelbert king of Kent, to whom all the country, south of the Humber, was feudatory. This munificent prince, after his conversion by St. Augustine, besides greatly contributing to the establishment of the cathedral at Canterbury, founded the abbey of St. Augustine in that city, and afterwards, in the year 610, began the building of St. Paul's; to which church he granted the manor of Tillingham, with other lands.* Erkenwald, the fourth bishop, expended large sums upon the new fabric, but whether for additions, or to Ethelbert's plan, cannot be ascertained. 'He also augmented its revenues, and procured for it considerable privileges from the Pope, and the Anglo-Saxon princes, who then reigned in England.' During the successive centuries, from that time to the conquest, the immunities and possession of the cathedral were greatly increased by different sovereigns; among whom were Kenred, king of Mercia,, Athelstan, Edgar and his queen, Ethelred, Canute, and Edward the confes-or. William, the Norman, following the example of his Saxon predecessors, confirmed to St Paul's all its estates and privileges by a charter, which concludes with the words, "for I will that the church, in all things,

Besides the gift of Tillingham, in Essex, granted by the first charter of king Ethelbert, he also gave to this church twenty-four hides of land near London, (dedit viginti quatuor Hidas terra juxta Londonium) all of which, with the exception of Norton Folgate, reserved for the dean and chapter, were divided into the prebends of More, Finsbury, Old-street, Wenlock's-barn, Hoxton, Newington, Islington, St. Pancras, Kentish-town, Tottenham, Ragener, Holbourn, and Portpool.

The gifts made by king Athelstan consisted of 106 farms, messuages, &c., at various places, chiefly in Essex; king Edgar gave three-score marks, and twenty five mansions at Nasingstoke, king Canute granted the church of Lambourne, in Berks, pro riclu Decani qui pro tempore fuerit; Edward the confessor gave eight messuages, &c. at Berling, and five at Chingford, in Essex; and also confirmed the gift of West Lee, in the same county, made by a religious woman, named Ediva. Divers other manors were also granted to St. Paul's before the conquest, as Kensworth, Caddington, &c. The co queror, besides the castle of Stortford, in Herts, gave the land of William, the Deacon, and Ralph; his brother, held of the king; William Rufus confirmed all his father's donations and privileges, and freed the canons of

St. Paul's from all works in respect to the Tower; two hundred acres of wood in Hadley and Thundersey, in Essex, with fourscore acres of arable land and a brewhouse, were afterwards given by Peter Newport; Draton was given by sir Philip Basset, knt. and Hayrstead by his executors; the executors of John of Gaunt gave the manors of Bowes and Peeleshouse, in Middlesex; the churches of Willesdon, Sunbury, Brickesley, Rickling, and Aveley, were impropriated to the dean and chapter by divers bishops; and numerous houses within the city were granted to the cathedral establishment under different forms. Weever states, that among many deeds relating to the latter which he had seen, was one dated in the year 1141, and fastened by a label to the end of a stick, "of what wood I know not; howsoever it remains to this day free from worm-holes, or any the least corruption, not so much as in the bark," upon which the following words were fairly written: Per hoc lignum oblata est terra Roberti filij Gousberti super altare Sancti Pauli in festo omnium Sanctorum. Fun. Mon. p. 356. Edit. 1631. A great variety of particulars relating to numerous other grants that have been made to this church, may be seen in Mal. Lond. Red. vol. iii. p. 35

44.

be as free as I would my soul should be at the day of judgment."* He afterwards granted to Maurice, the bishop, and his successors for ever, the castle of Stortford, in Hertfordshire, with all its appurtenances.

In the year 1086, the old cathedral was destroyed by a destructive fire. which enveloped the greater part of the city in similar ruin. After this event, bishop Maurice, who had been chaplain and chancellor to the conqueror, conceived the 'vast design of erecting the magnificent structure which immediately preceded the present cathedral ;' a work, says Stow, that men of that time judged would never have bin finished, it was to them so wonderfull for length and breadth.' Much of the stone used in that edifice was brought from Caen, in Normandy; and 'king William gave toward the building of the east end, the choyce stones of his castle, standing neere to the bank of the river Thames.'

The magnitude of the new edifice was so great, that neither Maurice, nor de Belmeis, his successor, were able to complete the undertaking; though each of them presided twenty years, and expended great sums in furthering it. The latter appropriated the whole revenue of his bishopric for carrying on the work, supporting himself and his family by other means. ‡ Bishop Belmeis II. following the example of his uncle, proceeded with the work, and his successors in process of time,' completed the undertaking; though not in all parts in accordance with the original plan.§

In the conflagration of the city in the year 1135 or 1136, the eastern part, or choir of the new church, appears to have been burnt: when it was restored is uncertain, though Dugdale conjec

See Strype's Stow, Vol. ii. p. 638. This charter must have been given either in or after 1070, as Lanfranc, archbishop of Canterbury, and Thomas, archbishop of York, are among the attesting witnesses, and both those prelates were not appointed to their respective sees till that year.

Sur. of Lond. p. 262; first Edit. ↑ Malmesbury.

§ Previously to this, however, the cathedral again suffered by fire, though to what extent is questionable; for Stow, in his annals, has given two accounts, which are contradictory to each other. Under the date, 1132, he records that a fire, beginning at Gilbertus house, in West Cheap,' burnt, eastward, a great part of the city to Aldgate, with the priory of the Holy Trinity, and westward, to Ludgate, 'consuming the great church of St. Paul.' Yet, in the next place, he mentions another fire, 'which kindled at the house of one Ailward, neare London Stone,' and consumed east

ward, to Aldgate, and westward, to St. 'Erkenwald's Shrine in Paules church.' This second fire he has also mentioned in his Survey of London (First Edit. p. 117.) with the additional sentence, in the which fire the Priorie of the Holy Trinitie was brent.' Now, had the former fire actually consumed the church, the shrine of St. Erkenwald would, most probably, have been destroyed with it; and if it had not, there is the greatest incongruity in supposing, that the vast fabric of St. Paul's could have been restored within the short space that had elapsed between the above dates, when we have seen, that nearly fifty years had been passed since its foundation by Maurice, and that it was still incomplete. The priory of the Holy Trinity, also, is said, to have been burnt in each conflagration; yet, it is almost equally incredible if that edifice was really destroyed by the first fire, that it could have been rebuilt so early as the occurrence of the second.-Brayley, ii. p. 208.