WESTMINSTER. 



' and abfolute divinity, to the fimple Unitarian, who'aflerts the 

 pure humanity of the great founder of theChriftian religion. 

 French, Svvifs, Dutch, and German Proteftants, have pro- 

 per places where the fervice is performed in their own lan- 

 guages. The Society of Friends or Quakers have a re- 

 fpeftable place of affembly in St. Martin's-lane ; and various 

 chapels are open for the members of the church of Rome. 

 In Denmark-court, in the Strand, is a well-frequented Jewiih 

 I fynagogue. 



Civil and Political State of IVeftminJler. — The firft dwell- 

 ings conftrufted around the monaftery in Thorney, ftood on 

 the lands of the eftabUfhment, v/hich confequently had full 

 authority to govern the inhabitants. Thefe were rapidly 

 increafed in numbers by the privilege of fanftuary granted 

 to the abbey for offenders ; but the great caufes of the 

 growth, population, and importance of Weilminfter, were 

 the refidence there of the kings, and the tranfaftion of all 

 public bufmefs within its precinfts. Although the Strand, 

 i Whitehall, and a few other parts were inhabited, at the 

 elevation of the abbacy into an epifcopal fee in 1540, yet 

 the quarter only immediately inclofing the cathedral church 

 was honoured with the title of city. The whole of this 

 quarter was included in the original and ancient parifli of 

 •St. Margaret; but in order to accommodate th« increafed 

 'body of inhabitants, efpecially in the fouthern parts, a 

 new parifh was formed out of the old in 1728, and named 

 ,after St. John the evangelift. All the other quarters of 

 I the prefent Weftminfter, erefted on the liberties of the 

 abbey, are contained within the following eight pariflies, 

 arranged in the order of their eftablirtiment. St. Clement's 

 Danes, St. Martin's in the Fields, and St. Mary's in the 

 Strand, all of uncertain antiquity. St. John the Baptift's, 

 :ia the Savoy, alfo ancient, St. Paul's, Covent-garden, St. 

 James's, St. Anne's, Soho, and St. George's, Hanover- 

 ifquare ; the laft four all formed within the lad 200 years. 

 In defignating Weftminfter in the aggregate, the city and 

 the liberties are neceflarily mentioned ; but in no refpeft 

 'does any diftinftive rank, right, or privilege exiil between 

 the inhabitants of thofe different quarters, who are all 

 'equally citizens and members of the fame community. On 

 ithe public change of religion, and the converiion of the 

 labbey of St. Peter into a collegiate eftablifhment of a 

 'dean and chapter in 1560, the latter were placed, as to all 

 ;their civil rights and authority, in the fituation poflefled by 

 their predeceffors ; but the fanftuary was, with all other 

 fimilar privileges, fuppreffed in the 21ft year of James I. 

 'The dean and chapter of St. Peter's have, therefore, con- 

 Jtinued ever flnce to be the fupreme magiftrates and adminif- 

 trators of the inhabitants of the city and liberties of Weft. 

 Iminfter. Since the Reformation, however, the exercife of all 

 icivil powers has always been vefted in lay perfons, elefted 

 'or confirmed by the dean and chapter. Of this lingular and 

 janomalous fyftem of government, which, how applicable 

 :foever to the original, feems wholly unfuitable to the mo- 

 ■dern Weftminfter, the following are the principal members, 

 as fettled by an aft of the year 1585 : — The firft is the 

 Ihigh-fteward, ufually a refident nobleman of diftinftion 

 I (the prefent is the duke of Northumberland), who is elefted 

 iby the chapter of St. Peter's ; the dean afting as high- 

 jileward during and previoufly to the eleftion. By this 

 Iprincipal officer a deputy fteward is nominated ; but his 

 jappointment muft be confirmed by the dean and chapter. 

 |This deputy afts as a fherifF, holding the court-leet with 

 ■ the other magiftrates : he is always chairman of the quarter- 

 ifeffions of Weftminfter, which are independent of thofe of 

 jMiddlefex. Next in rank is the high-bailiff, nominated 

 jon the other hand by the dean and chapter, but confirmed 



by the high-fteward. He is the returning officer in the 

 eleftion of the reprefentatives in parliament for the eity 

 and liberties ; and to him all the other baihfFs are fubordi- 

 nate. He fummons juries, and has a right to all fines, for- 

 feitures, and ftrays, within his jurifdiftion : he alfo, on due re- 

 quifition, calls together and is prefent in affemblies of the 

 eleftors, for the purpofe of petitioning parhament or the 

 crown, or of tranfafting any other public bufmefs in which 

 they are all concerned. The high-conftable, chofen at a 

 court-leet of the magiftrates, has all the other conftables under 

 his fuperintendance. In addition to thefe officers, fixteen 

 houfeholders, ftyled burgefles, are chofen, with their afliftants 

 out of the different parifhes. Thefe refemble the aldermen 

 and common-council of London, each having a particular 

 ward or diftrift under his infpeftion ; and of their number 

 two head burgeffes are chofen, who, at the court-leet, fit next 

 to the high-baihff. The inhabitants of Weftminfter form 

 no corporation, nor do they pofTefs as fuch any exclufive 

 privileges ; neither do any companies of trade or profeffion 

 exift within the jurifdiftion. The various courts of juftice 

 belonging peculiarly to Weftminfter are, i . The court of 

 the duchy of Lancafter, a fupreme court of record, held in 

 Somerfet-place, for deciding by the chancellor of the duchy 

 all matters of law or equity concerning the eftates belong- 

 ing to the county -palatine of Lancafter. 2. The quarter- 

 feffions of the peace, a court of record, held by the juftices 

 of the peace at the Guild-hall, near the abbey -church, for 

 all trefpafles, &c. committed within the city and liberties. 

 3. The court-leet, held by the dean, or his fteward, for 

 choofing parochial officers, preventing and removing nuU 

 fances, &c. 4. Courts of requefts, or of confcience, as 

 they are called, for deciding without appeal by commiflion- 

 ers, all pleas for debt under forty fhiUings. 5. Courts of 

 petty-feflions, held every lawful day at the offices in Bow- 

 ftreet, Marlborough-ftrcct, and Queen-fquare, for matters 

 of police, mifdemeanor, or offence. 6. To thefe muft be 

 added the court of St, Martin-le-grand, in London, but 

 belonging to Weftminfter. The jurifdiftion of the dean and 

 chapter of St. Peter's, widely extended as the liberties are, 

 is not confined to their bounds. In the very heart of Lon- 

 don, under the walls as it were of St. Paul's, is the precinft, 

 as it is termed, of St. Martin-le-grand, an integral part of 

 Weftminfter, and wholly independent of London. This 

 precinft took its name from a collegiate church founded in 

 1056, dedicated to St. Martin and qualified le-grand, on ac- 

 count of the great privilege of fanftuary conferred on it. 

 By Henry VII. it was beftowed on the abbey of St. Peter ; 

 but on the furrender to Edward VI. it was pulled down, 

 and houfes were built on the ground. Being let out to 

 ftrangers not freemen of London, they claimed the privileges 

 before enjoyed by the canons of the fuppreffed inftitution. 

 Thofe claims produced many contefts which were never de- 

 finitively fettled ; and the exemption of St. Martin's pre- 

 cinft from the jurifdiftion of London feems now to be efta- 

 blifhed, rather by long-continued ufage than by any regular 

 or authoritative declaration of right. This fmall precinft 

 (a term in London fignifying fpecifically a fubdivifion of a 

 ward) confifts of one fhort ftreet of its own name, leading 

 north from the eaft end of Newgate-ftreet to the beginning 

 of Alderfgate-ftreet, and a few lanes and courts on each fide. 

 In this precinft perfons not freemen of London, exercife 

 their feveral trades or profelfions without controul ; the in- 

 habitants alfo concur in the eleftion of reprefentatives for 

 Weftminfter, in the fame way with thofe who aftually dwell 

 within that city. A very material change is now ( l8l8)inpro- 

 grefs in St. Martin-le-grand. The chief office of the general 

 poft, domeftic and foreign, fituated in Lombard-ftreet, in Lon- 

 don, 



