492 LON 
of the ftreets from Cold-bath-fquare down to Holborn- 
bri'dge on the ealt of Saffron-hill; and at the bottom 
of Chick-lane, clofe to Saffron-hill, it is lfill vifible to the 
eye. At this end of Saffron-hill we come to that nar¬ 
row and dangerous pafi'age called Field-lane, the com¬ 
mon repair of pickpockets, to fell their booty there, or 
acquire new fpoils from the late or unwary paffenger. It 
is allonifliing, that, while we witnefs fo many molt ufeful 
improvements, this fcandalous lane has been allowed to 
remain as it is, and that a proper opening from Holborn 
to Saffron-hill has not been yet contrived for the fecurity 
of the public, and to facilitate the trade of the inhabitants 
of the adjoining ftreets. The name of Saffron-hill evinces 
the ancienty of this neighbourhood, not as an inhabited 
place, but as the flope of a hill covered with a plant ufe¬ 
ful to dye the garments of our anceftors, who, like the 
Pifts their neighbours, were, by cuftom or religion, very 
fond of colouring their lkins with various dyes extradited 
from vegetables. 
After thefe tranfitory obfervations, we (hall return once 
more to St. joh n-ftreet, near the fpot where we left that neigh¬ 
bourhood.—Pardon-palfage, on the fouth-eaft fide of that 
ftreet, is the ancient entrance into Pardon church-yard, 
the ground purchafed by Ralph Stratford, bilhop of Lon¬ 
don, for a cemetery during the peftilence which raged in 
the year 1348. It was fituated to the eaft of St.-John- 
ftreet, between the north wall of the Charter-houfe gar¬ 
den and Sutton-llreet; where now is Wildernefs-row, 
leading from St.-John-ftreet to Gofwell-ftreet. At the 
foundation of the Carthufian monaftery adjoining, now 
the Charter-house, this piece of ground became their 
property: but, lays Stow, (edit. 1603.) “remained till 
our time, by the name of Pardon church-yard, and ferved 
forburying fuch as defperately ended their lives, or were 
executed for felonies, who were fetched thither, ufually, 
in a dole cart, bayled over, and covered with blacke, 
having a plaine white croffe thwarting, and, at the fore 
end, a Saint-John’s croffe without, and within a bell 
ringing by (baking of the cart, whereby the fame might 
he heard when it paffed : and this was called the Fraerie 
cart, which belonged to St. John’s, and had the privilege 
of fariftuarie.”—Hence it appears, that in thofe times 
there were here, as in Italy down to our days, fraternities 
or fellowlhips of religious men attending the funerals of 
thofe who had died by the hands of juftice, or had fallen 
in duels; for fuicide was then not only very rare, but, 
when committed, the horror it excited prevented even 
the moll humane from giving a public funeral to the 
body. Here fuperftition, as it is called, produced fome 
good ; for the unfortunate man who was tired of his life, 
being afraid left he Ihould be deprived of fepulture in 
confecrated ground, and puniflied in another world by tor¬ 
menting demons, if he were to leave his poft in this life 
without the will or order of his Creator, would fuffer the 
ytmoft preffure of rnifery before he would attempt his 
own life ; and therefore contrive to become ufeful to fo- 
ciety, in Ipite of all the frowns and reverfes of fortune. 
The Spittle-croft, adjoining to Pardon church-yard, 
was, in the following year, purchafed, and converted to 
the fame ufe, by fir Walter Manny, who, in the year 1370, 
founded a Carthufian monaftery upon the fite of both. 
Sir Walter’s charter of donation is dated on the a8th of 
March, in the forty-fifth year of Edward III. and is lfill 
preferved, and perfectly legible, in the Evidence-houfe of 
the Charter-houfe. In this charter, after the ufual falu- 
tation, fir Walter Manny recites his original donation of 
thirteen acres and a rod for a burial-ground, and gives 
them, and the buildings thereon, for a convent of Car¬ 
thufian Friars, to be called the Houfe of the Salutation of 
the Mother of God ; and appoints John Luftote, with the 
confent of the chief prior of the order, to be the firft prior 
of this convent; he likewife gives three acres adjoining, 
confecrated for a burial-ground by bilhop Stratford, and 
of which he appears to have a grant; and concludes with 
ordering the rncnks to pray for the good eftate of the 
DON. 
king, of himfelf, of lady Margaret his wife^and of the 
bilhop of London, for the time being; as likewife for the 
foul of Alice de Henault, and for the fouls of all thofe that 
had died by his hands, (he having been a great warrior;) 
and for the fouls of all his benefactors, efpecially for the 
foul of Michael de Northburgh, late bilhop of London ; 
and for the fouls of all that lay buried in that ground. 
This convent was furrendered to Henry VIII. in the 
year 1538 ; and, on the 12th of June, 1542, was granted to 
John Bridges and Thomas Hale, for their joint lives, in 
confideration of the fafe-keeping of the king’s tents and 
pavilions, See. which had been fome time there; and on 
the 14th of April, 1545, it was given in perpetuity to 
fir Edward North, chancellor of the court of augmen¬ 
tations, and valued in the grant at fifty pounds per an¬ 
num. The annual revenues, at the diffolution, amounted 
to 6421.4s. 6d. Sir Edward North fold it to Thomas duke 
Norfolk, for two thoufand five hundred pounds; and in 
1611 it was purchafed of his Ion, the earl of Suffolk, by 
Mr. Thomas Sutton, for thirteen thoufand pounds, in or¬ 
der to eftablifh it as a charitable foundation for penfion¬ 
ers and fcholars; for which he obtained letters patent 
from the king, that were afterwards confirmed by parlia¬ 
ment. The expenfe of fitting up this houfe, amounted 
to feven thoufand pounds; and he endowed the hofpital 
and fchool with fifteen manors and other lands, to the an¬ 
nual value of 4493I. but the eftates have been lince con* 
fiderably improved. 
This charitable foundation was inftituted for the main¬ 
tenance of a mailer, a preacher, a head fchool-mafter, a fe- 
cond mailer, and eighty penfioners, confiding of decayed 
gentlemen, merchants, or others, reduced by misfortunes, 
who are provided with handfome apartments, and all the 
neceffaries of life except clothes; in Head of which, each of 
them is allowed a cloak and fourteen pounds per annum. 
There are alfo forty-four boys fupported in the houfe, 
where they have good lodgings, and are inftrufted in claf- 
fical learning. From among thefe, are chofen twenty-nine 
ltudents at the univerfities, who are each allowed twenty 
pounds per annum for eight years ; others, who are judged 
more fit for trades, are put out apprentices, and the fum 
of forty pounds is given with each of them. As a farther 
encouragement to the fcholars brought up in this foun¬ 
dation, there are nine ecclefialtical preferments in the pa¬ 
tronage of the governors, who, according to the conftitu- 
tion of the charity, are to confer them upon thofe who 
receive their education in that fchool. The penfioners 
and fcholars are taken in at the recommendation of the 
governors, who appoint in rotation. 
The Charter-houfe is fituated between St.-John’s-ftreet 
on the weft, Gofwell-ftreet on the eall. Long-lane on the 
fouth, and Wildernefs row on the north. There is fcarcely 
any veftige of the conventual building, which is laid to 
have Hood where the garden now is. The prelent build¬ 
ings were erefted by Thomas duke of Norfolk; they are 
very irregular, and have little to recommend them but 
their convenience and fituation. The rooms are well dif- 
pofed; and the court within, though fmall, is very neat. 
In one corner of this court is a handfome chapel, in which, 
among others, is a very fuperb monument erefted to the 
memory of Mr. Thomas Sutton, the founder; on which 
is his effigy, habited in a gown, and in a recumbent pof- 
ture. On each fide is a man in armour, Handing up¬ 
right; and above a preacher in the aft of addrefiing a 
full congregation. In the front ot thele buildings is a 
very handfome Square; and behind a large garden; which 
at once contribute tcT the health and to the pleafure of 
thofe who receive the benefit of fo valuable a foundation. 
Thefe gardens are opened generally on a fummer evening 
to decent people who wilh to enjoy a walk under the 
lofty trees arching moll elegantly over the heads of the 
vifitors, or in the kitchen-department of the fame fpot, 
where all forts of ufeful vegetables feem to grow' plenti¬ 
fully and molt luxuriantly for the ufe of the fchool. 
VVe now arrive at Smitliiield Bars, fo called from the bars 
dividing 
