Chapter II: Preface

In sending forth this book on 'SOUTH LONDON,' the successor to my two preceding books on 'LONDON' and 'WESTMINSTER,' I have to explain in this case, as before, that it is not a history, or a chronicle, or a consecutive account of the Borough and her suburbs that I offer, but, as in the other two books, chapters taken here and there from the mass of material which lies ready to hand, and especially chapters which illustrate the most important part of History, namely, the condition, the manners, the customs of the people dwelling in this place, now, like Westminster, a part of London: yet, until two or three hundred years ago, an ancient marsh kept from the overflowing tide by an Embankment, joined to the Dover road by a Causeway, settled and inhabited by two or three Houses of Religious: by half a dozen Palaces of Bishops, Abbots, and great Lords: by a colony of fishermen living on the Embankment from time immemorial, since the Embankment itself was built: and by a street of Inns and shops.

I hope that 'SOUTH LONDON' will be received with favour equal to that bestowed upon its predecessors. The chief difficulty in writing it has been that of selection from the great treasures which have accumulated about this strange spot. The contents of this volume do not form a tenth part of what might be written on the same plan, and still without including the History Proper of the Borough. I am like the showman in the 'Cries of London'--I pull the strings, and the children peep. Lo! Allectus goes forth to fight and die on Clapham Common: William's men burn the fishermen's cottages: little King Richard, that lovely boy, rides out, all in white and gold, from his Palace at Kennington--saw one ever so gallant a lad? The Bastard of Falconbridge bombards the city: Sir John Fastolfe's man is pressed into Jack Cade's army: the Minters make their last Sanctuary opposite St. George's: the Debtors languish in the King's Bench. There are many pictures in the box--but how many more there are for which no room could be found!

I must acknowledge my obligations, first, to the Editor of the _Pall Mall Magazine_, where half of these chapters first had the honour of appearing, for the wealth of illustration of which he thought them worthy: and next to the artist, Mr. Percy Wadham, who has so faithfully and so cunningly carried out the task committed to him.

WALTER BESANT.

UNITED UNIVERSITY CLUB:
_September 1898_.

CONTENTS

CHAPTER PAGE

I. THE FIRST SETTLEMENTS 1

II. EARLY HISTORY 25

III. A FORGOTTEN MONASTERY 47

IV. THE ROYAL HOUSES OF SOUTH LONDON 69

V. PAGEANTS AND RIDINGS 124

VI. A FORGOTTEN WORTHY 134

VII. THE BOMBARDMENT OF LONDON 153

VIII. THE PILGRIMS 157

IX. THE LADY FAIR 179

X. ST. MARY OVERIES 191

XI. THE SHOW FOLK 206

XII. BELOW BRIDGE 229

XIII. THE LATER SANCTUARY 241

XIV. IN THE EIGHTEENTH CENTURY 248

XV. THE DEBTORS' PRISON 272

XVI. THE PLEASURE GARDENS 282

XVII. SOUTH LONDON OF TO-DAY 301

LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS

ST. SAVIOUR'S, SOUTHWARK _Frontispiece_ _Etched by F. S. Walker, R.E._

PAGE

VIEW FROM SOUTHWARK MARSH IN PREHISTORIC TIMES 3

CAUSEWAY ACROSS SOUTHWARK MARSH 7

FISHERS' HUTS AT THE MOUTH OF THE FLEET 9

BARKING CREEK 11

RELICS OF THE STONE AGE 15

A RELIC OF THE STONE AGE 17

RELICS OF THE BRONZE AGE 19

MERCHANTS CROSSING SOUTHWARK MARSH 27

LONDON BRIDGE, A.D. 1000 29

A DANISH HOUSE 31

SHIPS, BAYEUX TAPESTRY 33

A VIKING SHIP 34

SKETCH MAP 37

DIAGRAM 40

THE GOKSTAD SHIP 41

SHIPS OF WILLIAM THE CONQUEROR 43

BAYEUX TAPESTRY 45

THE MONASTERY OF BERMONDSEY 51

BERMONDSEY ABBEY 52

GATEWAY OF BERMONDSEY ABBEY 53

ST. OLAVE, SOUTHWARK 61

'LE LOKE' 63

REMAINS OF THE PALACE OF THE BISHOP OF WINCHESTER, FROM THE SOUTH 67

THE LONG BARN 70

SKETCH MAP 71

GATEWAY IN THE HALL, ELTHAM PALACE 75

THE ANCIENT ROYAL PALACE AT GREENWICH 77

SEAL OF THE BLACK PRINCE 83 _From Allen's History of Lambeth_

THE HIGH STREET, SOUTHWARK, AS IT APPEARED MDXLIII 85

REMAINS OF ELTHAM PALACE, 1796 91

KING JOHN'S PALACE, KENT 93 _From a Drawing by J. Hassell, 1804_

REMAINS OF ELTHAM PALACE 95

THE MOAT BRIDGE, ELTHAM PALACE 97

GREENWICH, 1662 99 _From a Drawing by Jonas Moore_

GREENWICH HOSPITAL 101 _From a Drawing by Schnebbelie_

LAMBETH PALACE 109

BONNER HALL, LAMBETH 111

RESIDENCE OF GUY FAWKES, LAMBETH 113 _From 'La Belle Assemblée,' November 1822_

BISHOP'S WALK, LAMBETH 114

INTERIOR OF THE HALL, LAMBETH PALACE 115 _From an Engraving dated 1804_

LAMBETH PALACE, FROM THE RIVER 116

LOLLARDS' TOWER, LAMBETH PALACE 117

DOORWAY IN THE LOLLARDS' TOWER 119

LOLLARDS' PRISON 121

WHITE HART INN, SOUTHWARK 137

SURREY END OF LONDON BRIDGE, FROM HIGH STREET, SOUTHWARK 139

THE SITE OF SIR JOHN FASTOLF'S HOUSE IN TOOLEY STREET 143

HOUSES IN HIGH STREET, SOUTHWARK, 1550 149

OLD HALL, KING'S HEAD, AYLESBURY 158

OLD HALL, AYLESBURY 159

CANTERBURY PILGRIMS 160

15TH CENTURY GOLDSMITH 165

RICH MERCHANT AND HIS WIFE, 14TH CENTURY 165

14TH CENTURY CRAFTSMAN 168

14TH CENTURY MERCHANT 168

14TH CENTURY CRAFTSMAN 168

PEDLAR 175 _From the Stained Window in Lambeth Church_

MINSTRELS, A.D. 1480 177

BOOTH, SOUTHWARK FAIR 181

GREENWICH PARK ON WHITSUN MONDAY 187 _From an Engraving by Rawle, 1802_

A SEAL OF ST. MARY OVERIES 192

SEALS OF ST. MARY OVERIES 193

NORTH-EAST VIEW OF ST. SAVIOUR'S, SOUTHWARK, 1800 194

CRYPT OF ST. MARY OVERIES 195

GATEWAY OF ST. MARY'S PRIORY, SOUTHWARK, 1811 197 _From a Drawing by Whichelo_

REMAINS OF THE OLD PRIORY, ST. MARY OVERIES 199

TOMB OF BISHOP ANDREWS, ST. MARY OVERIES 201

A CORNER IN ST. SAVIOUR'S, SOUTHWARK 203

ST. SAVIOUR'S, SOUTHWARK, 1790 204

WINCHESTER PALACE 207

THE GLOBE THEATRE 209 _From the Crace Collection_

BEAR GARDEN 213

THE BEAR GARDEN AND HOPE THEATRE, 1616 221

INTERIOR OF THE OLD SWAN THEATRE 223

A FÊTE AT HORSELYDOWN IN 1590 231 _From the Painting by G. Hoffnagel, at Hatfield_

THE OLD ELEPHANT AND CASTLE, 1814 233

VIEW NEAR THE STORE-HOUSE, DEPTFORD 235 _From an Engraving by John Boydell, 1750_

GEORGE HOTEL, BOROUGH 239

MINT STREET, BOROUGH 245

OLD HOUSE, STONEY STREET, SOUTHWARK 249

ST. THOMAS'S HOSPITAL 250 _From an old Print_

SOME ANCIENT HOUSES IN THE LONG WALK, BERMONDSEY 251

JAMAICA HOUSE, BERMONDSEY 252

QUEEN ELIZABETH'S FREE GRAMMAR SCHOOL 253

ANCIENT BUILDINGS, HIGH STREET, BOROUGH 254 _From a Drawing by T. Higham, 1820_

THE FALCON TAVERN, BANKSIDE 255

AN OLD MILL, BANKSIDE 256

JOHN BUNYAN'S MEETING HOUSE, BANKSIDE 257

THE OLD TOWN HALL, SOUTHWARK 258

OLD HOUSES IN EWER STREET 259

COURTYARD OF THE DOG AND BEAR INN 261

THE WHITE BEAR TAVERN, SOUTHWARK 263

ALLEN ROPEWALK, SOUTHWARK 265

A SOUTH LONDON SLUM 267

THE OLD TABARD INN, SOUTHWARK 268

ST. GEORGE, SOUTHWARK: NORTH-WEST VIEW 269 _From an Engraving by B. Cole_

REMAINS OF THE MARSHALSEA: N.E. VIEW. A, CHAPEL; B, PALACE COURT 273 _From 'The Gentleman's Magazine,' September 1803_

KING'S BENCH PRISON 275

ANOTHER VIEW OF THE KING'S BENCH PRISON 277

VAUXHALL GARDENS 283 _From the Engraving by J. S. Müller_

VAUXHALL JUBILEE ADMISSION TICKET 285

THE DOG AND DUCK, BETHLEM 289

A DOORWAY, CURLEW STREET, BERMONDSEY 301

IN SNOW'S FIELDS, BERMONDSEY 302

THE TEMPLE FROM THE SURREY BANK 303

HOLY TRINITY, ROTHERHITHE 305

CZAR PETER'S HOUSE, DEPTFORD 307

ALLEYN'S ALMSHOUSES, 1840 309

DULWICH COLLEGE, 1780 311

FROM THE TOWER OF ST. SAVIOUR'S 313

RED CROSS GARDENS, SOUTHWARK 315

ST. SAVIOUR'S DOCK 317

BELOW CHERRY GARDEN PIER 319

THE GEORGE INN 321

LITTLE DORRIT'S WINDOW IN THE MARSHALSEA 321

ALCOVE FROM OLD LONDON BRIDGE, NOW AT GUY'S 323

THE ENTRANCE GATES TO GUY'S 325

A FORMER ENTRANCE TO ST. THOMAS'S HOSPITAL 327

SOUTH LONDON