The History and Antiquities of London, Westminster, Southwark, and Parts Adjacent, vol. 3
Allen, Thomas
1827
The Bishops Palace.
The origin of this edifice does not appear, but that it existed as early as , is evident from the foundation of a chantry in that year, for priest, within the chapel of the palace, by the bishop William de St, Maria; another priest was afterwards added, by sir Gerard Braybroke and others; and both of them were united by bishop Clifford, in . The palace was a building of great extent, and not unfrequently became the lodging-place of our kings and princes, as well as of foreign ambassadors. Here, we are informed by Froissart, Edward the , and his queen were entertained, after a great tournament in , and made on the same occasion. The young Edward the was also brought hither previous to his appointed coronation; Catharine of Arragon was likewise conducted to this palace to meet her spirited lover, prince Arthur, and after the nuptials at , the royal pair were splendidly entertained and lodged here during several days; and here in the reign of Edward the , Margaret, queen dowager of Scotland, the king's aunt, was lodged and banquetted with equal splendour. | |
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Among the Harleian manuscripts, is the copy of an indenture, executed by Edmund, bishop of London, , and of Philip and Mary, to Thomas Darbieshire, conveying the old palace for the term of years, at the This building suffered the general fate of the city in the great fire of ; it was situated near the site of the present Chapter House, which is a strong and regular fabric of brick, designed by sir Christopher Wren, and consisting of a large hall, and spacious apartments on the ground floor, with a commodious chapter-room, &c. above. The present town residence of the bishops of London is in . | |
Near the east end of the bishop's palace, was situated Pardon- Church-Haugh, in which was a chapel, originally founded by Gilbert Becket (father to the celebrated archbishop of that name) who was portreve of London in the reign of Stephen, and who was buried within it. This chapel was rebuilt by dean Moore in the reign of Henry the , and dedicated to St. Anne, and St. Thomas of Canterbury: agreeably to his intentions, a chantry was also founded here by his executors for priests; to whom a was added in the succeeding reign, by Walter Cakton. This chapel and plot of ground was says Stow, about which This was a favourite subject with religious communities, and appears to have been originally designed from a poem, written by Machabre, a German, in his own language, but afterwards translated into French, and painted with the corresponding delineations round the cloister of the church of the Holy Innocents, in Paris. This picture represented an extended train of all orders and degrees of men, from the Pope to the very lowest of the human race, each figure having Death for his partner; and the meagre spectre who leads the dance, being depicted shaking his waning hour-glass. Our own poet, Lydgate, who flourished about the year , translated the French verses into English, and his lines have been preserved by Dugdale, who has also given a print of the subject. Over the east side of the cloister was also founded in the reign of Henry the , by Walter Shiryngton, a canon-residentiary of , chancellor of the duchy of Lancaster. This library, with the whole cloister, the tombs, and the chapel, was demolished in the year | |
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, by order of the protector, Somerset, who wanted the materials for carrying on his extensive palace in the Strand. | |
On the north side of the church was also a spacious charnel house, with a chapel above; the latter of which was built about the year , ( of Edward the ) at which time Henry Wallies, mayor of London, with other citizens, agreed to assign a yearly rent of towards the new building, and for a chaplain, This foundation having fallen to decay, through a misapplication of the revenues, was re-endowed under licence from Henry the , by Jenkyn Carpenter, and brotherhoods were likewise established here. Several eminent citizens were interred in this chapel; of whom, Robert Barton, sir Henry Barton, mayor in , and sir Thomas Mirfine, mayor in , were These tombs were all demolished in the year , and the building was converted into warehouses and dwellings, with sheds At the same time, the bones of the dead, which had been and which, amounted were conveyed into Finsbury field,
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In the eastern quarter of the church-yard, near the north side of school, On the tower was a lofty spire of timber, covered with lead, erected about the year , and having an image of St. Paul on the top. This bell tower was won at dice from Henry the by sir Miles Partridge, knt. who the building to be taken down, and the materials sold. Stow says, that
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Footnotes: [] Froissart's Chron. vol ii. p. 104. [] No. 2296. [] Sur. of Lond. p. 264. Edit. 1592. [] Dug. Mon. Ang. vol. i. p. 367. Horace Walpole remarks, that Holbein, by borrowing the thought, ennobled the pictures; this alludes to the famous Dance of Death, painted by that eminent artist at Basil--Brayley, ii. 312. [] In Dug. Hist. St. Paul's, app. p. 61, is a catalogue of these books; one of the MS. is in the British Museum. [] Stow's Lond. p. 260. [] Ibid, p. 267. [] Ibid. [] Ibid |
