SOUTHWARK. 



exifts, and has been reprefented as a filthy, noifome dun- 

 geon. The bifhop of Wincheftei's fteward tries pleas of 

 debt, damages, or trefpafs within the Clink liberty for any 

 fum. 



Palaces, Theatres, &c. — Contiguous to the priory of St. 

 Mary Overy, and nearly at the foot of London-bridge, was 

 fituated the bifhop of Wincheftcr's palace. The houfe was 

 built about 1 107, by William Gifford, at that time biftiop of 

 Winchefter, upon a piece of ground belonging to the prior 

 of Bermondfey. Bifhop Beaufort, uncle to Henry VI., on 

 being created a cardinal on his return from France, was met 

 by the mayor and aldermen of London, and condufted by 

 them in great pomp to this his palace in Southwark. During 

 the civil wars this place was for fome time a prifon for the 

 royalifts. Sir Francis Doddington and fir KeneJm Digby 

 were both confined here at once ; and here the latter wrote 

 his book on " Bodies, &c." Winchefter houfe was fold 

 by parliament, in 1649, to Thomas Walker of Cemberwell, 

 for 4380/. 8.f. 3</. with the park included. The buildings, 

 in the old plans of London, appear to have formed two 

 court-yards, with various offices, &c. The fouth fide was 

 bounded by beautiful gardens, ftatues, fountains, &c. ; 

 the north fide by the river ; the eafl by the monaitery of 

 St. Saviour ; and the weft by the Bear-gardens. The 

 greater part of the building, which is ftill remaining, is 

 occupied by corn-lofts, warehoufes, &c. 



What is now denominated Bankfide, was formerly a range 

 of dwellings, licenfed by the bifhops of Winchefter " for 

 the repair of incontinent men to the hke women," and de- 

 nominated the Bordello, or (Icw-houfes. Thefe brothels were 

 fubjeft to various laws and regulations enafted by parlia- 

 ment ; among which we find the following : " that they 

 were to be kept flint on Sundays and holidays ; that no 

 married women ihould be received into them ; that no man 

 Ihould be drawn or enticed thither ; and that no ftew- 

 holder fhould keep any woman who had on her the venereal 

 difeafe, then termed the ' perilous infirmity of burning,' or 

 fell bread, ale, fifh, or any viftuals." (See Burning.) In 

 4 Rich. II. thefe houfes, then belonging to fir William Wal- 

 worth, lord mayor of London, were rented ef him by froes, 

 or bawds, of Flanders, and were deltroyed by the Kentifh 

 rebels under Wat Tyler. It feems probable, that refent- 

 ment for the perfonal injury fuftained on this occafion may 

 have had its fhare, as well as loyalty, in producing the ac- 

 tion for which Walworth is particularly diftmguifhed. The 

 ordinances refpefting thefe houfes were, however, again 

 confirmed by Henry VI. ; but in 1J06 they were for fome 

 time uninhabited. It was not long, however, before they 

 were again opened, that is, fo many as were permitted ; 

 " for whereas," fays Fabian, " before were eighteen houfes, 

 from thenceforth were appointed to be ufed but twelve 

 only.'-' Thefe privileged flews had figns painted on the 

 fronts, which looked towards the Thames ; as the boar's 

 head, the crofs keys, the gun, the cardinal's hat, &c. 

 Stow relates, that the women who frequented them were 

 forbidden the rites of the church, and excluded from 

 Chriftian burial, unlefs they were reconciled to it before 

 they died. A plot of ground, called the Single Women's 

 church-yard, at fome dillance from tlic parifh church, was 

 therefore appointed for their interment. In 1 546, thefe 

 flews were fupprcfled by Henry VIII. ; and it was pro- 

 claimed by found of trumpet, that they fliould be no longer 

 privileged and ufed as a common brotlicl, but that the in- 

 habitants were to keep good and honcft rules, as in other 

 places of this realm. 



Not far from St. George's church flood the magnificent 

 palace of Charles Brandon, duke of Suffolk, the dcferviog 



favourite of Henry VIII. After his death, in ic+r, it 

 devolved to the king, who eftablifhed here a royal mint. 

 At that time it was called Southwark Place, and in great 

 meafure preferved its dignity. Edward VI. once dined in 

 It. His filler and fucceffor prefented it to Heath, arch- 

 bifhop of York, as an inn or refidence for him and his fac- 

 cefiors whenever they repaired to London. As to the mint. 

 It became a fanftuary for infolvcnt debtors ; and at length, 

 becoming the pefl of the neighbourhood, by giving fhelter 

 to villains of all forts, it aroufed the attention of parliament; 

 which, by the ilatutes 8 & 9 Will. III. and 9 & 1 1 Geo. I. 

 entirely took away its abufed privileges. 



In the parifh of Chriftchurch, near the water on the 

 Bankfide, flood Paris Garden, one of the ancient play, 

 houfes of our metropolis. Ben Jonfon is reproached by 

 Dekker, an envious critic, with his ill fuccefs on the ftage ; 

 and, in particular, with having performed the part of Zuh- 

 man at Paris Garden. It feems to have been much fre- 

 quented on Sundays. This profanation, however, was at 

 length fully punilhed by a dire accident which befel the 

 fpedtators in 1582 ; when the fcaffolding fuddenly fell, and 

 multitudes of people were killed or mifcrably maimed. The 

 omen feems to have been accepted ; for in the next century 

 the manor of Pans Garden was ereded into a parifh, and a 

 church founded under the name of Chrill's church. 



Near this fcene of amiifement were the Bear-garden, 

 and a place for baiting of bulls. " Herein (Stow tells us) 

 were kept bears, bulb, and other beafh to be baited, as alfo 

 maftives in feveral kennels nourifhed to bait them. Thefe 

 bears and other bcafls are there kept in plots of ground 

 fcaffolded about for the beholders to fland fafe." This was 

 at that time an amufement for perfons of the firil rank : our 

 great Ehzabeth caufed the French ambafladors to be car- 

 ried to this theatre, to divert them with thefe bloody 

 fpeftacles. 



Not far from the fpot in which the Bear-garden was, near 

 Banlcfide, is Globe-alley ; fo called from that theatre which 

 flourifhed in 1603, with a licence under the privy feal, 

 granted by James I. to Shakfpeare, Fletcher, Burbage, 

 Heming, &c. and where the plays of our inimitable Shak- 

 fpeare were firfl reprefented. See Pi..\viiousE. 



About ten years after it had been licenfed, " by the ne- 

 gligent difcharging of a peal of ordnance, clofe to the fouth 

 fide thereof (fays Stow), the thatch took fire, and in a 

 very fliort fpace the whole building was quite confumed, 

 and no man hurt, the houfe being Idled with people to be- 

 hold the play of Henry VIII." In the following fpring it 

 was rebuilt ; but in the next reign it fell int.j difrcpute. 

 See an interefting account of and difquifition on the Globe 

 theatre and the old playhoulcs in the Gentleman's iVlaga- 

 zine for 18 16, and in Malone's and Chalmer's accounts of 

 the Englifh flage, in the third volume of the edition of 

 Shakfpeare's Plays, 1813. 



St. George's Field.s, which have borne their fhare of 

 celebrity in ancient times, having frequently been the fcene 

 of grandeur and cavalcade, and foiiietimes the rendezvous 

 of rebellion and tumult, and which, lefs than half a century 

 ago, were mere marfhes, and only pallable to foot-palTenctcrs, 

 are now ahnolt covered with newly-creited buildings, from 

 the ditch at the end of Great Surroy-dreet, or Burrow's 

 buildings, to the Fifhiiionger's alma-iioufes, in one direc- 

 tion ; and from the Marlhallea prilon to the lato Dog and 

 Duck, ill the other direction ; with feveral irregular inden- 

 tions ill its circumference. Where the principal road- meet, 

 an Obelifk was ereftod in 1 771, in honour of Brafs Cri;fby, 

 cfq. the patriotic lord mayor of London, wlio had been con- 

 fined in the Tower, with alderman Oliver, for the coufcien- 



tious 



