L O N 
rival St. Paul’s fchool; and, as an encouragement to this 
foundation, Henry VI. granted divers lands, in the county 
of Southampton, towards the maintenance of five of their 
(cholars at the univerfity of Oxford; each of whom was 
to he allowed ten pence per week. At tire general fup- 
-prefiion of the monafieries, by Henry VIII. the revenues 
of this hofpital were valued at 551. 6s. 8d. per annum, 
Edward VI. granted it to the dean and canons of Wind- 
for, and their fuccelfors, forever. In the beginning of 
Elizabeth’s reign, the foreign proteftants having but one 
place of worfhip in the city, viz. the church in Auftin 
Friars', the French, by the afiiltance of Grindal bilhop of 
London, obtained a leafc of the chapel, which they have 
occupied ever (ince. 
The South-Sea-houfe Hands at the north-eaft extremity 
of Threadneedle-flreet, (which, according to Stow, was 
originally called Three-needles-ltreet, on account, r.ioft 
likely of its being near Pinmakers’ Hall.) This lioufe 
was erefted upon a large extent of ground, running back¬ 
ward as far as Old Broad-ftreet, facing the church of St. 
Peter-le-Poor. The back front was originally the Excife- 
office, and then the South Sea company’s office ; and it is 
now diftinguifhed by the name of the Old South-Sea- 
houfe. It is a fubftantial and handfome building of brick, 
■ornamented with Portland Hone. The front, in Thread- 
needle-ftreet, is very beautiful. The entrance is a gate¬ 
way, leading into a court, with a piazza formed of Doric 
pillars. The walls are remarkably folid, and the interior 
is very commodious: one room, in particular, is peculiarly 
lofty, fpacious, and elegant. 
Cornhill, the top part of Gracechurch-ltreet, and Lom- 
bard-ftreet, form nearly an equilateral triangle, in which we 
find the church of St. Michael, which is a reftory. The 
patronage of it appears to have been anciently in the ab¬ 
bot and convent of F.vefham, erroneoufly called Covelham, 
who, in the year 1133, granted the fame to Sparling, a 
pried, with all the lands thereunto belonging, except thole 
held by Orgar le Proud, at the rent of two (hillings a-year ; 
in confideration of which grant, the faid Sparling cove¬ 
nanted and agreed, not only to pay annually to the ab¬ 
bot and canons the fum of thirteen (hillings and four 
pence, but likewife to fupply the houfe of the faid abbot 
(when in London) with fire, water, and fait. Sometime 
afterwards, the reftory reverted to the convent, and they 
continued patrons of it until the year 1503, when, by a 
deed, bearing date Dec. 3, they conveyed the advowfon 
to the Drapers’ Company, in confideration of a perpetual 
annuity of 5I. 6s. 8d. in addition to an ancient penlion of 
fix (hillings and eight pence annually paid to the abbot 
and canons out of the faid church ; (ince which time, the 
patronage has continued in the Drapers. The old church 
being dtftroyed by the fire of London, in 1666, the prc- 
fent Gothic ltructure arofe in its Head ; the body of which 
is feventy feet long, fixty broad, thirty-five in height, and 
one hundred and thirty feet to the top of the tower. The 
lower part of the tower occupies the centre of the church ; 
and, on each fide, there is a regular extent of building. 
The principal door opens in the lower ftage of the tower, 
which rifes with angulated corners from the ground, form¬ 
ing a kind of bafe, terminated at the height of the body 
of the church. The fecond ftage, which is plain and lofty, 
has two tall windows, one over the other, properly fliaped 
for the fiyle of the building ; this is terminated with a 
truly Gothic cornice. The third ftage is exaftly in the 
form of the two others ; only they are plain, and this is 
covered with ornaments; the angulated corners are fluted, 
and terminated by cherubs’ heads, under a cornice; the 
plain face, between, , has four windows, in two leries. 
Above the cornice, over the uppermolt of thefe win¬ 
dows, runs a battlement, on the plain faces of the tower, 
and from the corners are carried up four beautiful fluted 
turrets, cafed, a part of their height, with Doric turrets; 
thefe terminate in pinnacle-heads, from within which 
rifes a fpire at each corner, crowned with a vane. The 
tower contains an excellent ring of bells. Here is a 
DON, . mi 
lefture every Sunday morning, and on every holiday, 
founded by John Rayney, efq. who left houfes in Grace- 
chuich-ftreet to the company of Drapers, charged with the 
payment of forty pounds per annum, for the fupport thereof. 
Almoft oppofite to this church, in Cornhill, flood, anci¬ 
ently, the king’s weigh-houfe, or beam, for weighing fo¬ 
reign merchandife; to which belonged a number of por¬ 
ters, and alfo a cart and four horfes for conveying goods 
to and from the weigh-houfe. 
Near the fouth-eaft corner of Cornhill, (lands the church 
of St. Peter, Cornhill, which, if the following inlcription, 
engraved on a tablet of brafs, and hanging in the church, 
near the baptifmal font, can be relied on, is by far the 
molt ancient of the Chriftian churches in Britain. It mult, 
however, he obferved, that, independently of the general 
difbelief of the exiltence of a king named Lucius, the only 
authorities for which are Geffrey of Monmouth and Joce- 
line of Furnes, the (tyle appears to be much too modern, 
and is probably a fabrication about the time of Henry VI, 
“Be hit known to all men, that the yeerys of owr Lord 
God, an. CLX-XIX. Lucius, the fyrft Chriften king of 
this loud, then cally’d Brytayne, fowndyd the fyrft chyrch 
in London; that is to fey, the chyrch of Sent Peter apont 
Cornhyl ; and he foundyd tlier an archbilhop’s fee, and 
made that chireh the metropolitan and cheef chirch of 
this kingdom, and foendury’d the fpace of CCCC yeerys., 
and more, unto the commyingof Sent Auften, an apoftyl of 
Englond ; the which was lent into the lond by Sent Gregory, 
the doftor of the chirch, in the tytne of king Ethelbert; 
and then was the archbrlhopys fee and pol removed from 
the aforefaid chirch of St. Peters upon Cornhyll, unto 
Derebernaum, that now ys calyd Canterbury, and ther yC 
remenyth to this dey. And Millet Monk, whych came 
into this lond wyth Sent Auften, was made the fyrft bi¬ 
lhop of London, and hys fee was made in Powll’s chirch. 
And this Lucius, kyng, was the lyrlt foundyr of Peter’s 
chyrch apou Cornhyl; and he regnyed king, in tliys ilond, 
after Brut. MCCXLV. yeerys. And the yeerys of owr 
Lord God a CXXIV. Lucius was crownyd kyng; and the 
yeers of hys reygne, LXXVII yeerys; an 3 he was beryd, 
aftyr fum cronekil (chronicle) at London, and after fum 
cronekil he was beryd at Gloucelter, at that plafe wher the 
order of Sent Francys ftandyth.” 
Whatever credit may be given to the antiquity of this 
church, from the above inlcription, it is certain that the 
church, known in ancient records by the name of St. Pe¬ 
ter Juper Cornhill, that is, upon, or at the top of, Corn- 
hill, is of very ancient foundation. The earlielt authentic 
account, however, we find of this church, is, that Wil¬ 
liam Kingfton, before the year 1298, gave to it his tenement 
in Grafs-ltreet called the Horfe-mill; and that there an¬ 
ciently belonged to the church a public library, well fur- 
ni(lied with books; which being privately difpofed of, the 
building was converted into a fchool for the education of 
youth. This church is a reftory, the patronage of which 
appears to have been in a family of the Nevils; for the 
lady Alice, relict of fir Hugh Nevil, in the year 1 362, made 
a feoffment thereof to Richard earl of Arundel and Sur¬ 
rey ; and, palling afterwards through various hands, it was, 
in the year 1411, conveyed, by Richard Whittington and 
others, to the lord-mayor and commonalty of London ; in 
whom the right of advowfon Hill remains. The old edi¬ 
fice was totally deltroyed by the fire in 1666 ; foon after 
which the prefent ltrutlure was erected. It is a very fub¬ 
ftantial building, eighty feet long, forty-feven broad, forty 
high to the roof, and one hundred and forty to the top of 
the fteeple. The body is plain, with a lingle feries of 
windows. The tower is alfo plain, with one v.-indow in 
each ltage; and the dome, which lupports the fpire, is of 
the lantern kind. The fpire is crowned with a ball, on 
which is a vane, in the form of a key, alluding to the key 
of St. Peter. 
Lombard-ftreet was fo called, fays Stow, “ of the Lornra. 
bards and other merchants, Arrangers of divers nations, af- 
feusbling there twice every day, of what originall or con- 
* tin stance 
