5 $ LON 
refitted their veflels, they wintered in the Thames, and 
made frequent attacks on the city of London, but were 
conftantly repulfed by the valour and military ikill of the 
citizens. 
But the tranquillity which their bravery had obtained 
for the city did not laft long. In the year 1015, Canute 
king of Denmark, . having invaded and plundered the 
counties of Dorfet, Somerlet, and Wilts, failed up the 
Thames with two hundred (hips, and laid fiege to the city. 
The citizens continued faithful, notwithftanding the de¬ 
fection of the greateft part of the kingdom ; and made 
fuch a brave refinance, that Canute thought fit to with¬ 
draw his army, leaving only his fleet to blockade the city 
by water, that, when he found a fair opportunity, he 
might renew the fiege with better fuccefs. At laft, how¬ 
ever, being defeated in feveral battles by Edmund Iron- 
fide, he was obliged to call off his (hips to cover his own 
army in cafe of necefiity. In the compromife, however, 
which was afterwards made between Edmund and Canute, 
the city of London was given to the latter, and owned 
him for its lawful fovereign. We have a ftrong proof of 
the opulence of London even at this time, from the tax 
laid upon it by Canute in order to pay his army ; this 
being no lefs than 10,500). while the reft of the nation 
was at the fame time taxed only at 72,000!. 
Under the reign of Canute, a cut or canal was caufed 
to be dug up on the fouth fide of the river, of a depth 
and breadth fufficient to admit his (hips to pafs to the weft 
fide of the bridge. Authors are not agreed as to the ex¬ 
tent of this canal. It is allowed on all hands that it be¬ 
gan at Rotherhithe, or Redriff; but fome fix its weftern 
«xtremityat the lower end of Chelfea Reach, while others 
dflert that it returned into the Thames at St. Saviour’s 
Dock. Mr. Pennant, whofe difcernment is well known, 
fays, “ Evidences of this great work were found in the 
place called the Dock-head at RedrifF, where it began. 
Fafcines of hazels, and other brufti-w'ood, fattened down 
with (fakes, were difcovered in digging that dock in 1694 ; 
and in other parts of its courfe have been met with, in 
ditching, large oaken planks, and numbers of piles.” 
If Maitland is correct in defcribing the other parts of its 
courfe, it muft have had a very circuitous and appa¬ 
rently unneceffary extenfion. He fays, “ Its outflux from 
the river Thames was where the great wet dock below 
Rotherhithe is fituate; whence, running due weft by the 
Seven Houles in Rotherhithe-fields, it continues its courfe 
by a gentle winding to the drain-windmill; and, with a 
weft-norih-weft courfe, patting St. Thomas of Watering’s, 
by an eafy turning it erodes the Deptford-road a little 
to the fouth ward of the Lock Hofpital, at the lower end 
of Kent-ftreet; and, proceeding to Newington Butts, in¬ 
tellects the road a little fouth of the turnpike ; whence 
continuing its courfe by the Black Prince, in Lambeth- 
road, on the north of Kennington, it runs weft and by 
fouth through the Spring-garden at Vauxhall, to its in¬ 
flux into the Thames, at the lower end of Chelfea Reach.” 
The firft inftance on record of the Londoners fending 
reprefentatives to a parliament, or meeting of the great 
men of the nation, (for the term parliament does not oc¬ 
cur, according to fir Robert Cotton’s opinion, before the 
fixth year of king John,) happened in the year 1036, in 
fettling the important and difficult fucceffion to the throne 
after Canute’s death. The Englifh, in general, declared 
for Edward, Jon of Ethelred ; or, if that could not be 
carried, for Hardicanute, fon of Canute by queen Emma, 
and then abfent in Denmark. The city of London ef- 
poufed the inhered of Harold Harefoot, alfo fon of Canute, 
by queen Elgiva of Northampton. Edward’s party foon 
declined ; and the Londoners agreed, for the peace of the 
realm, that the two brothers (hould divide the kingdom 
between them; but, as Hardicanute did not return in 
time to England, a vvittenagemote was held at Oxford, 
where earl Leofric, and mod of the thanes on the north 
fide of the Thames, with the lidromen of London, cliofe 
Harold for their king. Here, by lidromen x we mult un» 
a 
D 'O N. 
derftand the directors, magiftrates, or leader-men, of the 
city, and not the mariners, as it is rendered by the trans¬ 
lator of the Annals; and this manifeftly (hows, that Lon¬ 
don was then of fuch confequence, that no important na¬ 
tional bulinefs was tranfaCted without the confent of its 
inhabitants ; for in this cafe the Saxon Annals a flu re us, 
that “ none were admitted into the aflembly of election, 
but the nobility, and the lidromen of London.” 
In 1041, prince Edward, afterwards furnamed the Con- 
feffor, was recalled from Normandy, to fucceed Hardica- 
r.ute, whofe cruelty and inhumanity towards the remains 
of his brother Harold had entirely difgulted the citizens 
of London 5 and he was chofen king of England, in this 
metropolis, by the general and univerfal voice of the na¬ 
tion. Thus the Saxon line was reftored to the Britilh 
throne. It will be feen in the courfe of this article that 
the rebuilding of YVeftminfter-abbey was among the laft 
aCts of his reign. 
Floating upon the ftream of time, that runs from us at 
every inftant, ancient events recede from our fight, and, 
becoming lefs diftinCl, are confequently lefs eafy to be as¬ 
certained ; but, when we get hold of written records, then 
we (top the flight of time in a certain degree, and feel 
more fteady on the ground we have to walk upon. The 
conqueft of Great Britain by the Normans under the direc¬ 
tion and command of their duke William, is one of thofe 
epochas, which in the hiftory of our nation feem to take 
the lead ; it is a fort of point d’appuy, or fulcrum , upon 
which the reft of our national events feem to lean, and 
a kind of new era, which throws light on the way of- 
hiltoriographers and antiquaries. 
The Conqueror’s pretenfions to the crown of England* 
and his fuccefs in fupporting them, are fully detailed in 
another part of this work. (See the article England, 
vol. vi. p. 557.) It is therefore fufficient in this place to 
obferve, that, on the death of Edward the Confeflor, which 
happened in January 1066, Harold, fon of earl Godwin, 
took poflefiion of the throne; but loft it and his life in 
the battle that gave William the crown. 
At this period, Edward and Morcar, who had efcaped 
from the field of battle, propofed to the Londoners to 
place the crown upon the head of Edgar Atheling, as the 
moll effe£tual method of faving the kingdom from falling 
a prey to the Norman conqueror. This propolal wa? 
adopted by the majority, and it was determined to defend 
the city againft the duke of Normandy. William had, 
however, marched to prevent them from putting their de- 
fign in execution ; and was actually arrived in South¬ 
wark, when the Londoners Tallied out upon him, and 
fought fo refolutely, that, though they were repulfed by 
five hundred of the Norman horl’e, yet William was con¬ 
vinced that they would not be eaiily frightened into a 
fubmiffion. Thinking, therefore, that the winter feafon, 
which was now advanced, was an improper time to be- 
fiege a place of fo much importance, he laid Southwark 
in allies, and marched to reduce the weftern counties, 
having firft prevailed on the clergy to efpoufe his caufe, 
and to endeavour to engage the people in his intereft. 
This fcheme of William is a proof of his adroitnefs in ma¬ 
naging his affairs; for indeed the influence of the clergy 
was fo great, fo powerful on the mind of the people, that 
they foon prevailed on the citizens to fubmit to the con¬ 
queror. 
As foon as this defection was known to Edwin and 
Morcar, thofe noblemen confulted their own fafety by re¬ 
tiring into the north of England ; while the fuccefsful 
William began his march towards this city, into which 
he was received by the magiftrates and principal citizens, 
who delivered to him the keys of the city-gates, acknow¬ 
ledged him their fovereign, and, in conjunction with the 
nobility and gentry, entreated his acceptance of the crown. 
The example of the capital was followed by the reft of 
the kingdom, fo that in a (hort time William was in peace¬ 
able poffeffion of the- throne. Preparations were now 
made for the coronation of the new king, which was fo- 
leainized 
