Part 10

ANTIQUARIAN SOCIETY. A society of Antiquaries was formed in this city about the year 1580, by some of the most learned men in the kingdom: but having been frequently interrupted and discontinued, very little can be said concerning the same till the year 1717, when it was again revived by a number of gentlemen studious of antiquity in general, but more particularly desirous to obtain all possible knowledge of the antiquities of their own country. With this view they agreed to meet one evening in every week under certain regulations; they encouraged correspondencies with all parts of the kingdom; they subscribed an annual sum to defray the expence of engraving on copper-plates, what should be thought deserving to be so preserved, and limited their number to 100. And in this manner they continued their weekly meeting with great reputation, till his Majesty King George II. was graciously pleased to grant them a royal charter of incorporation, dated Nov. 2, 1751; and to declare himself their founder and patron.

Under this charter they became a body corporate, by the name of the Society of Antiquaries of London, with a power to have and use a common seal, to sue and be sued, and to take, hold, and enjoy by purchase, gift, or otherwise, any lands, tenements or hereditaments, not exceeding in the whole 1000_l._ _per annum_. And it is therein directed, that the Council of the said Society shall at all times consist of 21 persons, the President for the time being always to be one; and the said charter appoints Martin Folkes, Esq; to be the first President, and also 20 other persons therein named to be the first Council, empowering them within two months from the date thereof, to nominate, chuse and admit, as Fellows of the said Society, such persons as shall excel in the knowledge of the antiquities and history of this and other nations, and be eminent for piety, virtue, integrity and loyalty. This first President and Council are to continue till the 23d day of April next ensuing, on which day, in every year thereafter, the Council and Fellows are to assemble to nominate and elect a President, and Council for the ensuing year; and it is particularly directed that eleven of the former Council shall be continued, and ten other persons chosen out of the members of the Society: ten and no more of the Council being to be changed annually. The President is empowered to nominate four persons of the Council to be his Deputies, and supply his place in case of sickness or absence, and the President, Council, Fellows, or any twenty-one or more, are empowered to make statutes, rules, orders and by-laws, for the government and direction of the said Society, their estates, goods, &c. and for the admission and amoval of all and every the members and officers thereof. And the President, Council and Fellows, may appoint treasurers, secretaries and clerks, may have and employ one serjeant at mace, and such other servants as they think necessary. And lastly, if any abuses or differences shall arise, the Archbishop of Canterbury, the Lord Chancellor or Keeper of the Great Seal, the Lord Privy Seal, and the two Secretaries of State for the time being, are appointed Visitors, with full power for any three of them to compose and redress such differences and abuses: provision is also made to fill up any vacancies that may happen by the death of the President or any of the Council.

On the receipt of this charter, the first President and Council nominated and admitted, by a writing dated the 14th of November 1751, all the former members, together with some others, in the whole 121, to be Fellows of the said Society of Antiquaries of London, and soon after drew up a body of statutes for the good government thereof, which, was unanimously agreed to and confirmed in the month of July 1752.

It was herein enacted, that the number of members should not exceed 150, but that number being very soon filled up, and several men of quality and fortune, as well as persons of great learning and eminence, being continually applying to become members, which they could not be till vacancies should happen by death, the Society thought proper in the year 1755, to enlarge their number to 180, (to which they are limited at present) exclusive of Peers, Privy Councillors and Judges, that should be chosen after that time. A little before this the Society gave up the management of their estate and revenues, the payment of monies, and the publication of their papers and drawings, (which before were in the body in general, and thereby attended with many inconveniences,) entirely to the care of their Council, which are now a standing committee for that purpose; and thereby the government of this Society is become nearly the same as that of the Royal Society, which was doubtless a proper pattern to copy after.

On the 23d of April, being St. George’s day, the Society annually elect their Council and officers, _viz._ a President, a Treasurer, two Secretaries, and a Director, who has the care of all their publications. Then the President appoints four of the Council to be his Deputies or Vice-presidents: and after the election is over, the Society dine together at their own expence. Martin Folkes, Esq; was annually elected President till his death in 1754, since which time the Rt. Hon. Lord Willoughby of Parham has been every year chosen.

Every person desirous to be elected a Fellow of this Society, except Peers, Privy Counsellors, or Judges of Great Britain or Ireland, must be recommended by three or more of the members, in a paper signed by themselves, specifying the name, addition, profession, and chief qualification of the candidate, and also the place of his abode. When this has been read at one of the Society’s meetings, and then hung up in their public room during the time of four other meetings, the election is determined by ballot. Peers, Privy Counsellors, and judges of Great Britain or Ireland, if proposed by any single member, must be balloted for immediately. Every new member must pay an admission fee of five guineas, and sign the obligation, whereby he promises, that he will to the utmost of his power promote the honour and interest of the Society, and observe the statutes and orders thereof. Which being done he is led up to the chair, when the President or Vice-President rising, takes him by the hand and says these words, _viz._ I do, by the authority and in the name of the Society of Antiquaries of London, admit you a Fellow thereof.

Every member must further pay one guinea annually for the use of the Society, or ten guineas at once in lieu of all contributions.

The meetings of this Society are on Thursday evenings weekly, from about six till nine o’clock, at their house in Chancery lane: their business is to receive, read and consider all informations from their own members, or others, concerning the Antiquities of all nations, (for which purpose they admit eminent foreigners to be correspondent members) but they more particularly attend to the study of the ancient history, customs, manners, grants, charters, coins, medals, camps, churches, cities, and all monuments whatever, ecclesiastical, military, or civil, which are found in or relate to Great Britain and Ireland. And the communications they have received concerning these matters must be very valuable, as may be judged by the many curious remains of antiquity they have caused to be engraven on copper-plates, and permitted lately to be sold; tho’ as yet they have not thought fit to publish any of their dissertations. They have a small but choice library, which is increasing daily, also a fine collection of prints and drawings.

_A_ TABLE _of the_ ANTIQUITIES _engraved and published by the_ SOCIETY _of_ ANTIQUARIES _of_ LONDON.

Num. VOLUME _the_ FIRST. │ Price. │ _l. s. │ d._

The general title and catalogue in │ 0 1 0 Latin. │

1. A brass lamp, found at St. │ 0 1 0 Leonard’s hill near Windsor, │ presented by Sir Hans Sloane, │ Bart. │

2. Ulphus’s horn, a piece of great │ 0 1 0 antiquity, preserved in the │ cathedral at York. │

3. The font in St. James’s church at │ 0 1 0 Westminster. │

4. The portrait of King Richard II. │ 0 2 0 from an ancient picture in the │ choir of Westminster abbey. │

5. Three ancient seals, with their │ 0 1 0 reverses; the first of Cottingham│ abbey in Yorkshire, the second │ of Clare-hall in Cambridge, and │ the third the chapter seal of │ the church of St. Etheldred at │ Ely. │

6. The ruins of Walsingham priory in │ 0 0 9 Norfolk. │

7. Waltham cross in Middlesex. │ 0 1 0

8. A plan of the remaining walls and │ 0 1 0 city of Verulam. │

9–12. Four views of the ruins of Fountain│ 0 3 0 abbey in Yorkshire. │

13, 14. Three views of the gate of St. │ 0 2 6 Bennet’s abbey in Norfolk. │

15. The tomb of Robart Colles and │ 0 0 6 Cecili his wife at Foulsham in │ Norfolk. │

16. The shrine of King Edward the │ 0 2 0 Confessor in Westminster abbey. │

17. The north front of the gate at │ 0 1 0 Whitehall. │

18. The north front of King’s street │ 0 1 0 gate in Westminster. │

19. Plans of the two preceding gates. │ 0 0 6

20. Coins of King Henry VIII, Edward │ 0 1 0 VI, Q. Elizabeth, and K. James │ I. Also a portrait of Q. Eliz. │ from a painting in enamel. │

21–26. The tournament of K. Henry VIII, │ 0 6 0 Feb. 12, 1510; from an ancient │ roll in the Heralds office. │

27. The ruins of Furness abbey in │ 0 1 6 Lancashire. │

28–33. The Barons letter in the reign of │ 0 6 0 King Edward I, Feb. 12, 1300, to│ Pope Boniface VIII; with the │ seals appendent thereto. │

34. An antique brass head, dug up at │ 0 1 0 Bath in 1727. │

35, 36. Three views of Colchester castle in│ 0 2 0 Essex, with a ground plot │ thereof. │

37, 38. Tables of English gold and silver │ 0 3 0 coins, shewing the several │ species coined in each reign. │

39. Tutbury castle in Staffordshire. │ 0 1 0

40. Melbourn castle in Derbyshire. │ 0 1 0

41. Lancaster castle. │ 0 1 0

42. Pontefract castle in Yorkshire. │ 0 1 0

43. A gold seal of Pope Alexander IV; │ 0 1 0 with gold and silver coins, │ struck in France and Flanders, │ relating to the history of │ England. │

44. Knaresborough castle in Yorkshire. │ 0 1 0

45. A portrait of Dr. Tanner, Bishop │ 0 1 0 of St. Asaph. │

46. Tickhill castle in Yorkshire. │ 0 1 0

47. A plan of the Roman roads in │ 0 1 0 Yorkshire. │

48. A Roman tessellated pavement, found│ 0 1 6 near Cotterstock in │ Northamptonshire in 1736. │

49. A ancient chapel, adjoining to the │ 0 1 0 Bishop’s palace at Hereford. │

50–52. Three Roman tessellated pavements, │ 0 5 0 found at Wellow near Bath in │ 1737. │

53, 54. Ancient seals and their reverses, │ 0 2 6 from the Dutchy office of │ Lancaster. │

55. Gold and silver medals of Mary │ 0 1 3 Queen of Scots, and Lord Darnley;│ with others of Queen Anne, Prince│ Henry, and K. Charles I. │

56. Gold and silver coins of several │ 0 1 3 English Kings, Prince Edward, and│ Q. Elizabeth. │

57. A Roman sudatory, lately found at │ 0 1 0 Lincoln. │

58–60. Ancient seals, from the Dutchy │ 0 4 6 office at Lancaster. │

61. Winchester cross. │ 0 1 0

62. The decree of the university of │ 0 2 6 Oxford in 1534, against the │ jurisdiction of the Pope in │ England. │

63. A plan of the Tower liberties, from│ 0 2 0 a survey in 1597. │

64. Chichester cross. │ 0 1 0

65. Three views of the Roman │ 0 1 0 _Retiarii_. │

66–68. The portrait of Sir Robert Cotton, │ 0 5 0 Bart. with two plates of │ fragments of an ancient copy of │ the book of Genesis, illuminated│ with elegant figures; and an │ historical dissertation on the │ said book. │

69. The standard of ancient weights and│ 0 2 6 measures, from a table in the│ Exchequer. │

70. A view of the court of wards and │ 0 5 0 liveries, as fitting; with a │ brief historical account of that │ court. │

│ ——

Total│ 4 7 9

N. B. This FIRST VOLUME may be had together for _four pounds_.

Num. VOLUME _the_ SECOND. │ Price. │ _l. s. │ d._

1, 2. Plans for rebuilding the city of │ 0 2 0 London after the great fire. │

3. A portrait of Mr. Holmes, keeper of│ 0 1 0 the records in the Tower. │

4. Ancient deeds and seals. │ 0 1 0

5. A view of the Savoy from the river │ 0 1 0 Thames. │

6. The warrant for beheading K. │ 0 1 6 Charles. │

7. An ancient wooden church at │ 0 1 0 Greensted in Essex, the shrine of│ St. Edmund the King and Martyr, │ and the seal of the abbot of St. │ Edmund’s Bury in Suffolk. │

8. Gloucester cross. │ 0 1 0

9. Three tessellated Roman pavements, │ 0 2 0 found at Winterton in │ Lincolnshire, in 1747; with one │ at Roxby, a town in that │ neighbourhood. │

10. Doncaster cross. │ 0 1 0

11. Sandal castle in Yorkshire. │ 0 1 0

12. The Savoy hospital in the Strand, │ 0 1 0 with the chapel. │

13. Clithero castle in Lancashire. │ 0 1 0

14. A plan of the ground and buildings │ 0 1 0 of the Savoy. │

15, 16. A view of the cathedral church and │ 0 3 0 priory of Benedictines at │ Canterbury, with the effigies of │ Eadwin a monk of that convent, │ between the years 1130 and 1174, │ both drawn by himself; with a │ printed account of the said │ drawings. │

17. An ancient lamp in two views, a │ 0 1 0 vase, and two bells, all of │ brass. │

│ ———

Total│ 0 19 6

N. B. All these numbers of the SECOND VOLUME may be had together for _seventeen shillings_.

Complete sets, or any single numbers, of these prints may be had at Mr. _Tovey’s_ in _Westminster-hall_, and Mr. _Boydell’s_ the corner of _Queen street, Cheapside_; and at the Society’s house in _Chancery lane_.

APOLLO _court_, Fleet street.

APOTHECARIES COMPANY. This company was incorporated with that of the Grocers by King James I. in the year 1606; but they were soon separated, and in 1617 incorporated by the name of the Master, Wardens and Society of the art and mystery of Apothecaries of the city of London, at which time there were only 104 Apothecaries shops within the city and suburbs.

This company is governed by a Master, two Wardens, and twenty-one Assistants, to whom belong a livery of 144 members, whose fine is 16_l._ The Apothecaries have the privilege of being exempt from parish and ward offices.

APOTHECARIES HALL. This edifice is situated in Blackfriars, and has a pair of gates leading into an open court handsomely paved with broad stones, at the upper end of which is the hall built with brick and stone, and adorned with columns of the Tuscan order. The ceiling of the court room and hall is ornamented with fret work, and the latter wainscotted fourteen feet high. In the hall room is the portraiture of King James I. and also the bust of Dr. Gideon Delaun, that King’s apothecary, who was a considerable benefactor to the company. In this building are two large laboratories, one chemical, and the other for galenical preparations, where vast quantities of the best medicines are prepared, for the use of apothecaries and others, and particularly of the Surgeons of the royal navy, who here make up their chests.

The Apothecaries company have a spacious and beautiful physic garden at Chelsea, which contains almost four acres, and is enriched with a vast variety of plants both domestic and exotic. This was given by Sir Hans Sloane, Bart. on condition of their paying a quit rent of 5_l._ _per annum_, and annually delivering to the President and Fellows of the Royal Society, at one of their public meetings, fifty specimens of different sorts of plants, well cured, and of the growth of this garden, till the number of specimens amounts to 2000.

APPLEBY’S _court_, Barnaby street.†

APPLEBEE’S SCHOOL is kept in St. Saviour’s churchyard in Southwark, and was founded in 1681 by Mrs. Dorothy Applebee, who endowed it with 20_l._ _per annum_, for instructing thirty poor boys in reading, writing and arithmetic.

APPLETREE _yard_, York street, St. James’s square.‡

ARCH _row_, the west side of Lincoln’s inn fields.

ARCHBISHOP’S _wall_, near Lambeth.

ARCH _yard_, Harrison’s court, near Brook street.

ARCHDEACON. As the bishopric of London includes the ancient kingdom of the East Saxons, which contained the counties of Middlesex, Essex, and part of Hertfordshire, it has five archdeaconries, _viz._ those of London, Essex, Middlesex, Colchester, and St. Alban’s. It is the office of these Archdeacons to visit annually the several cures in their respective archdeaconries, in order to enquire into the deportment of the several incumbents, as well as parish officers; to advise them gravely to reform what is amiss, and in case of contumacy to inflict pains and penalties, for which they receive procuration from every parish priest within their jurisdiction.

ARCHES, an ecclesiastical court in Doctors Commons, formerly kept in Bow church Cheapside, where the church and tower being arched, the court was from thence called _The Arches_, and still retains the name. As this is the highest court belonging to the Archbishop of Canterbury, hither all appeals in ecclesiastical matters within that province are directed. The judge of this court is stiled the _Dean of the Arches_, from his having a jurisdiction over a Deanry in London, consisting of 13 parishes or peculiars exempt from the Bishop of London’s jurisdiction. The other officers are a register, or examiner, an actuary, a beadle or crier, and an apparitor; besides advocates, procurators, or proctors. See DOCTORS COMMONS.

ARCHER’S _alley_, Peter street, near Bishopsgate street.†

ARCHER _street_, Great Windmill street.†

ARGYLE _buildings_, a new and very handsome street, regularly built, between Oxford road and Marlborough street; near the center is the Duke of Argyle’s house, a very plain edifice, with a small area, and a wall before it.

ARGYLE _street_, great Marlborough street.†

ARLINGTON _street_, runs parallel to the upper end of St. James’s street, it having Park Place on the south, and Portugal street on the north. It is magnificently built.

ARMOURERS, a company incorporated by King Henry VI. about the year 1423, by the title of _The Master and Wardens, Brothers and Sisters of the fraternity of or guild of St. George, of the men of the mysteries of the Armourers of the city of London_. The same Prince also honour’d the company by becoming one of their members. To this company, which formerly made coats of mail, is united that of the brasiers, who are jointly governed by a Master, two Wardens, and 21 Assistants. Their livery consists of eighty members, whose fine is 25_l._

The armourers and brasiers hall is an old plain brick building near the north east corner of Coleman street.

ARNOLD’S _court_. 1. Barbican. 2. New lane, Shad Thames.†

ARNOLD’S _yard_, Barbican, Aldersgate street.†

ARTICHOKE _alley_. 1. Barnaby street.* 2. Holiwell street, Shoreditch.*

ARTICHOKE _court_. 1. Cannon street, Walbrook.* 2. Whitecross street.*

ARTICHOKE _hill_, Ratcliff Highway.*

ARTICHOKE _lane_. 1. Virginia street.* 2. Near the Hermitage, Wapping.* 3. Newington Causeway, Southwark.*

ARTICHOKE HEAD _lane_, near the Hermitage.*

ARTICHOKE _yard_. 1. Shoreditch.* 2. Newington Causeway, Southwark.*

ARTILLERY GROUND. The Old Artillery Ground was a little north east of what is now Devonshire square in Bishopsgate street. This was originally a spacious field called Tassel Close, from its being planted with tassels for the use of the clothworkers. It was afterwards let to the cross-bow makers, who used to shoot there; but being at length inclosed with a brick wall, served as an artillery ground, to which the gunners of the Tower repaired every Thursday, when they levelled brass pieces of large artillery against a butt of earth raised for that purpose. The last Prior of St. Mary Spital granted to the gunners of the Tower this artillery ground for thrice ninety nine years, for the use and practice of great and small artillery; and King Henry VIII. gave the company a charter. Hence this artillery ground became subject to the Tower; the streets, &c. compose one of the Tower hamlets, and the inhabitants are still summoned on juries belonging to the courts held on Tower hill.