and there are those who say, that it derives its name from the great number of elder trees which grew in that neighbourhood. All however, is but surmise, the reader must therefore make his election.

FARRINGDON WARDS.

These aldermanries, i. e. Farringdon Within, and Farringdon Without, were formerly but one; and which was conveyed by John le Fenere, for an equivalent, to William Farringdon, citizen and goldsmith, in whose possession, and that of his son, it continued about eighty years; and whose enjoyment thereof by name, (although now divided into two) is like to be coeval with time.

BREAD STREET WARD.

Bread Street, which gives denomination to the ward, was so called from a Bread Market, anciently held there, during which time the city bakers were not permitted to sell bread at home, but were obliged to dispose thereof in this market.

LANGBOURNE WARD.

So denominated from a brook, or bourne, which ran through this locality, and which, being of some length, was called Long-bourne, Dow corruptly Lang-bourne.

DOWGATE WARD.

Formerly Dwr-gate, which is Saxon for Flood-gate, one of which anciently stood here.

PORTSOKEN WARD.

Maitland says, the Ward of Portsoken, about the year 967, was given by king Edgar, to certain military knights, for their gallant deportment in the service of their country; and Edgar having constituted the said knights a body politick and corporate, their lands or district was thereby converted into a jurisdiction, soke, or liberty; which, from its vicinity to Aldgate, received the appellation of Portsoke, or the Gate Liberty; which liberty, ward, or parish, together with the church thereof, was, in the year 1115, by the proprietors, the descendants of the said knights, given to the priors and canons of the Trinity Convent within Aldgate.

CASTLE-BAYNARD WARD.

This ward derives its name from Baynard Castle, (formerly the residence of William Baynard, a soldier of fortune); the site of which is now partly occupied by a wharf. In the reign of king John, it was the residence of Sir Reginald of Bayeux, and was famed for the justs and tournaments that were held there.

CANDLEWICK WARD.

So called from the number of candle-makers that at one period resided in it.

CORDWAINER'S WARD.

This ancient ward receives its name from that part of its locality, called Bow Lane, being principally inhabited by shoemakers, who were originally called Cordwainers.

EROAD STREET WARD.

So denominated, because Broad Street originally was the broadest street in the city.

LIME STREET WARD.

On this spot formerly, were several Lime Yards, and it was here that the lime was prepared for the rebuilding of the city, after the great fire of 1666.

BASSISHAW WARD.

This is a corruption from Basing Hall Ward, a property that formerly belonged to the family of the Basings.

COLEMAN STREET WARD.

This ward was thus denominated, because of a large hawyard, or garden, called Coleman-Haw, belonging to one Coleman.

BRIDGE AND TOWER WARDS.

So called, from their contiguity to the Bridge and Tower.

INNS OF COURT.

Though the antiquity of the Inns of Court be not ascertained, yet it may be presumed, that they owe their origin to Henry 3d, who having, in the year 1225, confirmed the charters granted by John, his father, removed the Courts of Justice from his palace into Westminster Hall. About this time, the lawyers, or practitioners in those courts, began to form themselves into a society, (supposed at Thaivie's Inn, in Holborn), in a collegiate manner; hence their place of residence was denominated an Inn, or House of Court. But according to others, (though with less probability), from their being inns, or nurseries for the education of the young nobility and gentry. Be that as it will, such places seem in some measure to have been appropriated for students of the law, seeing Henry 3d, by his mandate, directed to the Mayor and Sheriffs of London, about the year 1244, strictly enjoined them to make proclamation throughout the city, that no person whatsoever should presume to set up a school, or schools therein, for teaching of law.

CLEMENT'S INN.

This Inn of Court derives its name from Clement, the Dane, whose place of interment is said to be on the site of St. Clement Dane's Church, and which circumstance gave a name to that place of worship.

LINCOLN'S INN.

This Inn of Court derives its name from Henry Lacy, Earl of Lincoln, who erected a stately mansion here, in 1229, and which still retains his name. It is also said, that some time before his death, (anno 1310), he introduced here the study of the law.

GRAY'S INN.

This house, which is situate on the north side of Holborn, and is one of the four Inns of Court, is thus denominated, from its being the residence of the ancient and noble family of Gray, of Wilton, who,

in the reign of Edward 3d, demised the same to divers students of the law. A writer says, it was rebuilt in 1687; prior to which, it was so incommodious, that according to the old records, the ancients of this house were obliged to lodge double; for at a pension held there on the 9th July, in the 21st year of Henry 8th, John Hales, then one of the Barons of the Exchequer, produced a letter directed to him, from Sir Thomas Neville, which was to request him to acquaint the Society, that he would accept of Mr. Attorney General to be his bed fellow in his chamber in the Inn, and that entry might be made thereof in the book of their rules.

STAPLE'S INN.

This Inn is said to have been anciently a Hall for the accommodation of Wool-Staplers, from whom it is denominated. Be that as it will, it appears to have been an Inn of Chancery, in the year 1415, but how long before is unknown.

THAIVE'S INN.

This Inn appears to have been of great antiquity, by its having belonged to John Thaive, (from whom it is denominated), in the reign of Edward 3d, by whose will it appears to have been then an Inn for Students at Law; some of whom, about the year 1347, had the New Temple demised to them, by the Knight's Hospitallers, of St. John of Jerusalem, for a yearly rent of ten pounds; and removing thither, they and their successors have continued there ever since.

CLIFFORD'S INN.

This Inn is thus denominated from Robert de Clifford, to whom it was granted by Edward 2d, in 1309. It is an Inn of Chancery, situated on the north side of St. Dunstan's Church, in Fleet Street, and is an appendage to the Inner Temple. The Society is governed by twelve ancients, and a principal, who are chiefly attornies and officers of the Marshal's Court, who, with the rest of the members, are in commons a fortnight every term, otherwise to pay four shillings per week.

FURNIVAL'S INN.

This Inn owes its name to Sir John Furnival, who, in the year 1388, was proprietor of two messuages and thirteen shops, where now this Inn is situate, on the north side of Holborn, within the bars of the city, but without the liberty thereof; and is an Inn of Chancery, and appendage to Lincoln's Inn. This Society is governed by a principal and twelve ancients, who, with the other members, are to be in commons a fortnight every term, or pay five shillings a week if absent.

ST. PAUL'S CATHEDRAL, &c.

"The daring flames peep'd in, and saw from far
The awful beauties of the sacred quire;

But since it was profan'd by civil war,

Heav'n thought it fit, to have it purg'd by fire.~Dryden.

Our readers need scarcely be informed, that the old cathedral of St. Paul's, was burnt down in the great fire of London, in 1666. During the time of the Commonwealth, the body of the church was converted into saw-pits, and stables for soldiery, and to which Dryden alludes in the above lines. The first stone of the present mag.

nificent edifice, was laid on the 21st of June, 1675, by Sir Christopher Wren, who lived to see his son, then but a few months old, thirtyfive years afterwards, deposit the highest stone of the lantern on the cupola. It is further remarkable, that the architect, the builder, and the dean, who saw its commencement, all lived to see it completed. During the early progress of the work, an incident occurred, which, even in a less superstitious age, might have been considered a favourable omen, without any charge of extraordinary credulity. Sir Christopher was marking out the dimensions of the great cupola, when he ordered one of the workmen to bring him a flat stone, to use as a station. A piece was brought: it was the fragment of a tomb-stone, on which but one word of the inscription was left-that word was RESURGAM. Some authors suppose this circumstance to have been the origin of the emblem sculptured over the South Portico, by Cibber, namely, a phoenix rising out of its fiery nest, with this word as an inscription.

WHISPERING GALLERY.

You ascend by a spacious circular staircase to a gallery, which encircles the lower part of the interior of the dome, and is called the Whispering Gallery, from the circumstance, that the lowest whisper breathed against the wall in any part of this vast circle, may be accurately distinguished by an attentive ear on the opposite side.

COLLEGIATE CHURCH OF ST. KATHERINE'S.

The church that was thus denominated, but which is now pulled down, to make way for the New Docks, had the following origin. "The collegiate body to whom the church and precinct pertain, and who have not always been so insensible to the nobler principles they now abandon, owe their origin to Maud, queen of king Stephentheir present constitution to Eleanor, wife of Henry 3d-and their exemption from the general dissolution in the time of Henry 8th, to the attractions, it is said, of Anne Boleyn. The queen's consort have from the first been patronesses, and on a vacancy of the crown matrimonial, the kings of England.†

SAINT MARY WOOLNOTH.

The church of St. Mary Woolnoth, at the west end of Lombard Street, was built by Richard Hawksmoor, the eccentric pupil of Sir Christopher Wren, in the year 1719. It derived its name from being at that time contiguous to the wool market.

SAINT NICOLAS COLE ABBY.

This church, which is a rectory, situate on the south side of Old Fish Street, in the ward of Queenhithe, is thus denominated from its dedication to the above named saint, and the additional epithet of Cole Abby, by some from Golden Abbey, Cold Abbey, or Cold-bey, from its cold or bleak situation.

SAINT MARY LE BOW.

So called from being built on arches, which were then called Bows. This was the first church built of stone.

Sir Christopher Wren, Mr. Strong, and Dr. Henry Compton.

+ A new college and church have since been built in the Regent's Park.-Ed.

ALL HALLOWS BARKING.

The patronage of this church was in the abbess and nuns of Barking, in Essex, till 1546, when Henry the Eighth exchanged the same with Thomas, archbishop of Canterbury, in whose successors it still continues.

ALLHALLOWS STAINING.

This church is of Saxon origin. Staining, is a corruption of Stane, which our antiquaries are justly of opinion was conferred on it, on account of its being built with stones, to distinguish it from other churches of the same name in this city, that were built with wood.

SAINT ANDREW HUBBARD.

The first mention of this church is some time before the year 1389, when Walter Palmer was rector thereof. It received the epithet of Hubbard, from one of its rebuilders or repairers.

*

SAINT ANDREW WARDROBE.

This church was originally denominated St. Andrew Juxta Baynard's Castle, from its vicinity to that palace; but the magnificent structure afterwards erected, called the Wardrobe, supplied the place of Baynard's Castle; and the church has ever since been called St. Andrew Wardrobe.

SAINT PETER AD VINCULA.

This church, or chapel, which is situate in the Tower of London, is thus denominated, from its being dedicated to St. Peter in bonds, or chains; and which, ad vincula signifies. In this church, or chapel, are interred the bodies of two queens, viz. Anna Bullen, and Catherine Howard, consorts of Henry 8th, who were beheaded in the Tower; likewise, are buried here divers other persons of quality.

SAINT PETER LE POOR.

This church, situate on the west side of Broad Street, derives its name from St. Peter, and the additional epithet of Le Poor, from the mean condition of the parish in ancient times; if so, they may now justly change it to that of Rich, because of the great number of merchants and other persons of distinction inhabiting there.

SAINT SEPULCHRE.

This church receives its name from being dedicated to Christ's sepulchre, at Jerusalem. The bell of this church always tolls on the morning of executing criminals at Newgate.

SAINT ALPHAGE.

This church, says Maitland, which stands at the north-west corner of Aldermanbury, owes its name to its dedication to St. Alphage, or Elphage, a noble English Saxon, and archbishop of Canterbury, who was murdered by the Pagan Danes, at Greenwich, anno 1013.

* See Baynard's Castle.

M