agony in the garden, &c. It was bought and set up at the charge of certain parishioners; and, in 1735, at the rebuilding of the church, this, with the other windows, was cased in wood, pitched, and buried under ground*.

On one side of this painting is another (which was in the east window of the third aisle of the old church); the subject of one compartment is the reconciliation of Jacob and Esau f. Under the three compartments is written in one line:

Ex dono Thomæ Austin, Civis & Clothworker, Londini, Anno Domini 1634.

This part of the window is said by the late earl of Orford, in his "Anecdotes of Painting," to have been painted by Baptista Sutton.

The second light of this latter compartment is the Vision of Jacob; the third represents Jacob on his knees, with this scroll from this mouth:

Genesis xxxii. 10.

Minor sum cunctis miserationibus tuis, et Veritate tuâ quam expluristi servo tuo. Over these, in smaller lights, are the Evangelists, with their proper symbols. On one side are the arms of the Company of Clothworkers, and on the other those of Mr. Austin §.

The pictures of Moses and Aaron, on each side of the altar, were given by Mr. Thomas Page, in 1740.

In Dr. Walker's Sufferings of the Clergy, it seems that the tenth article exhibited against Mr. Squire, the vicar, in 1642, was, " allowing the picture of the Virgin Mary, and Our Saviour and his twelve Apostles at his last Supper, in glass." "In return to which," saith Dr. Walker, it must be known that there was no picture of the Virgin Mary in his church; of Our Saviour and his Apostles, there was indeed. The parishioners (which is owned by the article itself) would have had these taken down, and a crucifix erected in the room of them; but this Mr. Squire opposed." The figure taken for that of the Virgin was no other than that of St. John, who has a very effeminate face, and sits before Our Saviour.

In Strype's Stow, it is said to be the parable of The Prodigal Son. "I am not worthy of the least of all the mercies, and of all the truth which thou hast shewed unto thy servant."

Ellis's Hist. of Shoreditch.

The

The present church was repaired in 1766, and again thoroughly repaired and beautified in 1792.

Its length from east to west is one hundred and thirty feet; breadth seventy-two feet; height from the pavement of the portico one hundred and ninety-two feet; from the ground in the vault under the spire two hundred feet; from the pavement of the communion table to the upper part of the ceiling of the attic story, fifty feet. There are no monuments of peculiar notice.

VICARS OF EMINENCE. JOHN SQUIER, M. A. a sufferer during the grand rebellion. JOHN DENNE, D. D. JOHN HOTHAM, D. D. afterwards bishop of Cloghen, in Ireland; he died at Bath the 4th of November, 1795.

Stow informs us, that "from Holywell, in the high street, is a continual building of tenements to Shoreditch, leaving one small side of a field, already made a garden plot. Over against the north corner of this field, between it and the church of St. Leonard, Shoreditch, sometime stood a Cross, now a smith's forge, dividing three ways.”* There are no traces remaining.

* Sordig, Sordich, Soresditch, and Shordych; for by these names it is called in antient records, are of imperfect origin; but with respect to the idle story of Jane Shore dying for want, in the reign of Richard III. and this parish being named from that circumstance, the following testimonial of Sir Thomas More, is a sufficient objection: "Proper she was and fair; nothing in her body that you would have changed, but you would have wished her somewhat higher. Thus say thei who knew hir in hir youthe. Albeit some that now see her (for she yet liveth) deem her never to have been well-visaged; for, now she is old, leue, withered, and dried up, nothing left but ryvilde skin and hard bone."

The manor of Shoreditch gave name to a very eminent family, of whom Sir John de Sordig was ambassador from Edward III. to the fo pope, to remonstrate to his holiness on account of his claim to present reigners to English livings, and were non-residents. He was buried in Hackney church. We are not informed by what means the turbulent John de Northampton, lord mayor of London, in 1381 and 1382, obtained possession; but we find that the next year, when his goods were confiscated to the crown for sedition, that this manor was granted to Ed

mund

In Holywell Lane, in this parish, antiently stood the priory, dedicated to the honour of Christ, the Blessed Virgin Mary, and St. John Baptist, for Benedictine nuns, founded by Robert Fitz Gelran, prebendary of Haliwell, and confirmed by a charter of Richard I. in the year 1189. This priory, after many reparations, was re-edified by Sir Thomas Lovell, knight of the Garter, in the reign of Henry VII. who, after having given considerable benefactions to the same, was interred here in a chapel erected at his own expence: and in commemoration of so great a benefactor, the following lines were painted on most of the windows:

"All the nunnes in Holy-well,

"Pray for the soul of Sir Thomas Lovell."

At the general suppression of religious houses, this monastery was surrendered to Henry VIII. in the year 1539, at which time its revenues amounted to 347l. 1s. 3d. per аппит. The ruins of this priory, which are still to be seen in king John's court, have been conceived by some to be the remains of a royal palace, though it does not appear that such a mansion was ever situated in this neighbourhood.

A little to the west of Holywell Lane, is a spot of ground called HOLYWELL MOUNT, near which was antiently the spring, or well, whence the whole liberty was named. This spot became elevated to a mount, from the great number of people who died of the plague, and were interred in the calamitous year 1665. About the year 1787 it was levelled, and several streets of houses built upon the site.

In Stow's time the east side of Bishopsgate Street, to Shoreditch, exhibited a very different aspect to what it does at present; he says, "On the other side of the highway, from Bishopsgate and Houndsditch, the first building is a large inn, called the Dolphin, for receipt of travellers;

mund duke of York, and earl of Cambridge; Isabel, his wife, and Edward earl of Rutland, their son. The family of Shoreditch afterwards removed to Ickenham, in Middlesex, where it devolved to Elizabeth Shoreditch, of Ickenham Hall, born 1784.

then

then a fair house, built by the lord JOHN PoWLET. Next to that is a large house, with gardens of pleasure, built by JASPER FISHER: from this up to the west end of BERWARD'S LANE (probably Artillery Lane) is a continual building of small cottages. Then was the hospital called ST. MARY SPITTLE, just within the bars, whereof I have spoken in Bishopsgate ward.

"From which bars, towards Shoreditch (on that side) is all along a continual building of small and base tenements, for the most part lately erected.

"Amongst which I mean of the ancientest building, was one row of proper small houses, with gardens for poor decayed people, there placed by the prior of the said hospital; every one tenant whereof paid one penny rent per year at Christmas, and dined with the prior on Christmas day. But after the suppression of the hospital these houses, for want of reparations, in a few years were so decayed, that it was called Rotten Row, and the poor worn out; for there came no new in their place. portion of money were sold from draper, who new built them, and let them out for rent enough; taking also large prices of the tenants, near as much as the houses cost him in purchase and building; for he made his bargains so hardily with all men, that both carpenter, bricklayer, and plasterer, were by that work undone. And yet in honour of his name it is now called RUSSELL'S Row."

The houses for a small
Goddar to Russell, a

NORTON FALGATE, probably derives its name from being the gate of the Northern Fold, without Bishopsgate; as THE NORTHERN FOLD GATE, might easily be corrupted to its present denomination.

Domesday Book informs us, that "The canons of St. Paul possessed near Bishopsgate, ten cottages, upon nine acres of land, which rented per annum eighteen shillings and sixpence in the time of king Edward."

Part of this liberty is extra-parochial; the other in the parish of Shoreditch. The inhabitants maintain their own poor, and marry and bury where they please; but ge

nerally

herally make use of a tabernacle, built originally for them near Spital Yard, by Sir George Wheeler, prebendary of Durbam. In 1756, the tabernacle having fallen to decay, was rebuilt with brick, at the expence of the neighbouring Inhabitants.

SPITALFIELDS, of which mention has already been made in the preceding parts of this work, was originally a hamlet belonging to the parish of St. Dunstan, Stepney; but from the great increase of inhabitants, was made a distinct parish in the year 1723; the church is one of the fifty ordered to be built by act of parliament.

The building, situated on the south side of Church Street, was begun in 1723, and finished in 1729; when it was called

THE edifice is very stately, being built of stone, with a lofty steeple, in which is a good ring of twelve bells and chimes. The body is solid and well proportioned. The fabric is one hundred and eleven feet in length, and eightyseven in breadth; the height of the roof forty-one feet, and * Vol. I. 278. II. 395. 3 K

VOL. IV. No. 95.

of