46S LON 
tinuance I have not read, more than that Edward the 
Second, in the twelfth of his reigne, confirmed a meiluage 
fometinie belonging to Robert Turke, abutting On Lom¬ 
bard -ftreet towards the fouth, and towards Cornhill on the 
north, for the merchants of Florence, which proveth that 
ftreet to have had the name of Lombard-ftreet before the 
reigne of Edward the Second. The meeting of which 
merchants and others there, continued until the sad of 
December in the year 1568, on which day the faid mer¬ 
chants began to make their meetings at the Burfe, a place 
then new builded for that purpofe, in the ward of Corne- 
hill, and was fince by her majeftie queen Elizabeth named 
the Royall Exchange.”—As to the etymology of Lombards, 
or Longobards as they were called formerly, we may fairly 
fuppoie that it was a fort of nickname given to the traders 
from the Levant, who made their appearance early in the 
Adriatic Sea, and probably at a time when beards hap¬ 
pened to be out of faffiion in Italy ; for it is well known 
that in Europe this natural ornament of the chin has been 
fubjeft to the whims of the bearers, and appeared or dif- 
appeared, changed its fhape, its colour, its length, accord¬ 
ing to the dictates of fafhion, (fee the article Beard, vol. 
ii. p. 827.) whilft in Alia it has been conftantly worn 
as a badge of virility, theabfence of which ftigrtiatifes the 
illbjeft with the opprobrium of natural or accidental effe¬ 
minacy. Therefore we take Longobards, contracted into 
Lombards, to have been a corruption of longo barbali, “long- 
bearded merchants.” See p. 4.1 & 112 of this volume. 
In Lombard-ftreet we find the parifh-church of Allhal- 
lovvs. It is a reftory, and one of the archbifhop of Can¬ 
terbury’s peculiars. The advowfon appears to have been 
anciently in lay hands; for Brithmer, a citizen of Lon¬ 
don, with the approbation of Stigand the archbifhop, and 
Godric the dean, gave it, with a mefi'uage adjoining, to the 
church of Canterbury in the year 1053 ; by virtue of which 
donation, the right of patronage ftill remains in the dean 
and chapter of the metropolitan church. This was the 
laft rebuilt of the churches deftroyed by the fire in 1666, 
not being finifhed until 1694.. It is a neat well-propor¬ 
tioned building. The body is enlightened by a fingle fe- 
ries of large windows; and the tower, which is fquare, is 
terminated by a plain battlement. The length of the 
church is eighty-four feet, its breadth fifty-two, its height 
thirty, and that of the tower eighty-five. 
A little to the welt of this church, between George- 
yard and Birchin-lane, hands that of St. Edmund the king. 
This church received its name from being dedicated to 
Edmund, the Saxon king, who was murdered by the 
Danes in the year 870 ; and, though the origin of its foun¬ 
dation cannot be fixed with any degree of certainty, yet, 
from feveral circumltances, it is realonable to fuppoie, that 
it was originally built during the time of the Saxon hep¬ 
tarchy. The old church was deffroyed by the fire of Lon¬ 
don, "after which the prefent ftrufture was eredied on its 
ruins. The fituation of this building differs from molt- 
other churches in London ; for, inltead of eaft and w'eft, 
it ftands full north and fouth ; by which the altar is placed 
at the north end of the church. It is fixty-nine feet 
long, thirty-nine broad, and thirty-two high to the roof, 
which is flat. At the fouth end is a fquare tower, from 
which projetts a dial over the ftreet; and upon the tower 
is a fhort fpire, with its bafe fixed on a broad lantern. 
This church is a redfory, the patronage of which is now 
in the archbifhop of Canterbury. In the year 1175, 
there was a difpute between the dean and chapter of St. 
Paul’s, and the prior and canons of the Trinity convent, 
within Aldgate, concerning the patronage; which was 
determined, by Gilbert bifhop of London, in favour of 
the latter. The parifli is united with that of St. Nicholas 
Aeons, the church of which, before the fire of London, 
Itood on the weft fide of Nicholas-lane, and was a redtory 
in the gift of the crown. 
Farther weft, on oppofite Tides of the ftreet, are the 
Phoenix Fire-office, and the Pelican Life-Infurance-office; 
both handfome modem buildings, particularly the laft.— 
DON. 
The figures over the entrance of the Pelican merit corn- 
mendation, being of no common caft: the defign and exe¬ 
cution do honour to Mr. Devaere, the fculptor. The 
middle figure, holding a kind of vexillum with the Pelican 
in one hand, and wreaths of rofes and laurels in the other, 
alludes, with the two female figures on the right of the 
middle ftatue, to the improving of marriage-fettlements; 
and the three other figures point out the advantages of lifc- 
infurance. The whole has an excellent effedt. 
Nearly oppofite to this is the Poft-office, afpacious brick 
building which is more remarkable for its extent ami uti¬ 
lity than for its elegance. It Hands behind the houfes, in 
Lombard-ftreet, from which there is a paflage, under an 
arched gateway, leading into a final! paved court; there 
are alfo paflages into Abchurch-lane and Sherbourne-lane. 
It was originally the refidence of fir Robert Vyner, lord 
mayor in 1675, w ^° built it on th^ fite of a much-fre¬ 
quented tavern which was burnt in the great fire; a great 
part of it was rebuilt, with confiderable improvements, 
in 1804.; but at prefent there is an intention to eredt a- 
now one, upon a very grand fcale, on the north-eaft fide 
of Newgate-ftreet. 
The original eftablifliment of the poft-office in England 
is buried in obfeurity. It is certain, that a fpecies of poft, 
though of what nature cannot be afeertained, was in ex- 
iltc'ce as early as the reign of Edward III. The earlieft 
mention of a chief poft-tnafter for England is in Camden’s 
Annals, under the date of 1581 ; but what his office was, 
or how it was managed, does not appear clearly ; and, 
probably, from the limited ftate of the correfpondence of 
the country, it was of trifling confequence. James J. 
eredled the firft poft-office for the conveyance of letters 
to and from foreign parts, which he placed under the 
controul of one Matthew de Quefter, or de l’Equefter. 
This office was afterwards claimed by lord Stanhope; but, 
in 1632; was confirmed and continued to William Frizel 
and Thomas Witherings by king Charles I. It would 
appear, that, previous to this time, private perfons were 
accuftomed to convey letters to and from foreign parts ; 
but now all fuch interference with the pol'tmalter’s office 
was exprefsly prohibited; and, in 1635, all private inland 
pofts were forbidden. But the importance of this branch 
of the public revenue does not feem to have been much 
attended to by the government before the time of Crom¬ 
well ; the polts being confined to a few of the principal 
roads. The outline of the more regular and extenfive 
plan, which was afterwards adopted, originated with Mr. 
Edmund Prideaux, attorney-general to the commonwealth, 
who was appointed poftmatter by an ordinance of both 
houfes of parliament; in the execution of which office, 
he firft eftablifhed a zvcckly conveyance of letters into all 
parts of the nation. In 1653, this revenue was farmed 
for ten thoufand pounds; and, after ded ucting the charges 
of poftmalters, &c. produced a benefit of feven thoufand 
pounds per annum to the public. At this period, the 
common council of London endeavoured to fet up a poft- 
office, in oppofition to Prideaux’s; but they weroeebecked 
by a refolution of the houfe of commons, declaring the 
office of poftmaller to be in tiie foie power and difpofal 
of the parliament. In 1656, a new and regular general 
poft-office was erefted by the authority of the protedlor 
and his parliament, upon nearly the fame plan as has been 
continued ever fince; and by an ait of parliament, paffed 
loon after the reftoration in 1660, the wife regulations ; of 
1656 were re-ellabliffied, with fome improvements, which 
continued, with very little alteration, until the year 1784, 
when a mode of conveying the mails, upon a plan l'ug- 
gelted by Mr. John Palmer, or Bath, was carried into exe¬ 
cution. Before the adoption of this plan, letters were 
conveyed in carts, or by boys on horfeback, without pro¬ 
tection from robbers, and liable to delays. Mr. Palmer’s 
propofal was, to contra6T with the owners of the diligences 
and ftage-coaches, which were eflab 1 filled to every town 
of note in.the kingdom, to carry the mails, with guards 
for their protection. This they were induced to do at a 
very 
