49(3 LON 
in breadth, and thirty-four in height, and the altitude of 
the tower is feventy-four feet; and, as the building efcaped 
the fire in 1666, it is very ancient; but has been lately 
repaired. 
Nearly adjoining to this hofpital we find another eda- 
blifliment, which does great honour to its founder, the 
young king Edward VI. and is of the greated utility in 
diffuling knowledge and bellowing other benefits upon 
fucceflive generations ; we mean what is vulgarly called 
The Blue-Coat Hofpital , a royal foundation for the main¬ 
tenance and education of poor and fatherlefs children, to 
be virtuoufly brought up, and fitted for trades. It was 
originally granted to the city by Henry VIII. in the year 
1537 ; and confirmed in 1552. by charter of Edward VI. 
who alfo endowed the hofpital with certain lands and tene¬ 
ments, belonging to the Savoy, of the yearly value of fix 
hundred pounds; which fo animated the citizens, that, 
on the 26th of July, 1552, they began to fit up the late 
Grey-Friars’monaftery, for the reception of poor orphans; 
?nd profecuted the work with fuch zeal and alacrity, that, 
on the -23d of November in the fame year, three hundred 
and forty boys were admitted; which number was in- 
creafed, by the end of the year, to three hundred and 
eighty. Alniod the lad aftion of this young king’s life, 
was granting permifficn to the governors of this hofpital 
to purchafe lands in mortmain to the value of four thou- 
fand marks per annum. This laudable foundation of Ed¬ 
ward VI. was greatly increafed by the benefactions of his 
fubjedts. Sir William Cheder, knt. and alderman, and 
John Calthrop, citizen and draper, built the brick walls 
on the fide next to Bartholomew’s Hofpital, and arched 
over tlie town-ditch, from Alderfgate to Newgate, as 
being offenfive to the hofpital. 
The principal buildings of this hofpital form the four 
fides of a large area, which have porticoes continued 
round them. Thefe have Gothic arches, and the walls 
are fupported by abutments, being the remaining cloider 
of the old priory. This part was repaired by the direc¬ 
tion of fir Chriftopher Wren, and ferves for a thorough¬ 
fare, as well as a place of recreation for the boys, efpeci- 
ally in rainy weather. The exterior view of the hofpital 
Is very irregular ; the feveral parts having been ereCted 
at different times, and being therefore a mixture of the 
gothic and modern ftyles of building. The great hall 
was built at the expenfe of fir John Frederic, alderman of 
London ; and here the boys occafionally dine and fup. 
On the weftern fide of this room is a large pifture, by 
Verrio, (who has introduced his own portrait, in a long 
wig,) reprefenting James II. fitting with his nobles, the 
governors, &c. with the half-figures of Edward VI. and 
Charles II. hanging as pictures in the fame piece. Be¬ 
yond this is a very handfome picture of Charles II. at full 
length, drefl'ed in his royal robes, painted by Lely in 1662. 
At the other end of the hall is a large piece reprefenting 
Edward VI. delivering the charter to the lord-mayor, who 
with the aldermen behind him are kneeling ; the young 
king is accompanied by biffiop Ridley and feveral others. 
In this hall is a good organ that is played when the boys 
fing their pfalins or anthems on Sundays and other fpecial 
days. In tlie court-room are portraits cf Edward VI. and 
the chief benefactors to the hofpital: that of the king is 
a capital pifture, and indifputably one of Holbein’s bed 
productions. The records and other papers belonging to 
this hofpital are kept in a room, all the walls of which are 
ftone : among them is a curious piece of antiquity, being 
the earlielt record of the charity, and containing the 
anthem fung by the firlt children, very beautifully illu¬ 
minated. 
There are twelve wards in the hofpital, each of which 
contains upwards of fifty beds for the children. There is 
alfo another convenient ward fet apart for the fick ; which 
is accommodated with a kitchen, a conlultation-chamber, 
and other convenient offices. 
The writing-fchool is a neat edifice, fupported on pil¬ 
lars, and built with brick and Hone, in the year 1694., at 
the end of the great hall. It was founded by fir John 
D O No 
Moore, one of the aldermen of the city, and prefident of 
the houfe, whom it is faid to have cod five thoufand 
pounds, and contains long writing-boards fufficient for 
the ufe of five hundred boys. At the upper end of the 
room \$ a niche, in which was formerly the llatue that is 
now placed on the outfide of the fchool, under which is 
the following infeription : 1 “ Anno Dom. 1694. This 
Writing-School, and ftately building, was begun, and 
completely finiffied, at the foie charge of Sir John Moore, 
Knt. and Lord Mayor of the city, in the year MDCLXXXI. 
now Prefident of this houfe, he having been otherwife a 
liberal benefaffor of the fame.” The grammar-fchool is 
fituated on the north fide of the hofpital, near the paffage 
into Little Britain. It was erefted in the year 1793; and 
is wholly of brick, except the ornamental parts, which 
are done. 
Over the fouth gate that leads into the cloiders, is a 
ftatue of Edward VI. now much mutilated, beneath 
which is written, in letters of gold, the following inlcrip- 
tion : “ Edward the Sixth of famous memory, King of 
England, was the founder of Chrid’s Hofpital ; and Sir 
Robert Clayton, Knt. and Aderman, fometime Lord- « 
mayor of this city of London, eredled this datue of King 
Edward, and built mod part of this fabrick. Anno Dom. 
1682.” It is only from the paffage leading fo this gate, 
and the backs of the houfes in Nevvgate-ltreet, that the 
principal or fouth front of the hofpital can be feen. It is 
a handfome piece of brick-work ornamented with piladers 
of the Ionic order, and having a circular pediment in the 
centre. On the ead fide of the building, oppofite to the 
counting-houfe, is a much more periecl datue of Ed¬ 
ward VI. danding on a flab of black marble, in the atti¬ 
tude of delivering the charter. And in the niche, over 
the wedern- entrance from the Grey Friars, is a ltatue of 
Charles II. in the royal robes. 
In the year 1673, king Charles II. added a mathema¬ 
tical tchool, for the indruftion of forty boys in naviga¬ 
tion, and endowed it, for feven years, with one thoufand 
pounds per annum, to be paid out of the Exchequer. 
Ten of thefe boys are put apprentice, every year, to maf- 
ters of ffiips ; and ten others, of the bed genius, are elect¬ 
ed to fupply their places. But, led this mathematical fchool 
fliould fail, for want of hoys properly qualified to fupply 
it, one Mr. Stone, a governor, left a legacy to maintain 
a fubordinate mathematical fchool, of twelve boys ; « hich 
is called Stone’s School, where they were prepared for re¬ 
ception into the King’s Ward. Another mathematical 
fchool, for thirty-feven boys, was founded by Mr. Tra¬ 
vers. But the mathematical fchools are now united ; 
where practical mathematics, efpeciaily navigation, are 
taught.—The boys not intended for the lea are in general 
bound out apprentices at fourteen or fifteen years of age ; 
and fome, properly qualified, are fent to Oxford or Cam¬ 
bridge, where they are maintained for a like term : one 
fcholar is fent every year, except on the return of every 
feventh year when two fcholars are lent; the fcholars 
have their choice of the college to which they are to go, 
but Pembroke-hall in Cambridge is generally preferred as 
molt advantageous to them ; and one fcholar is alfo fent 
to Oxford in eight years. The allowance paid to each of 
them during the firlt feven years is 60I. per annum. 
On St. Matthew’s day, the 21ft of September, year¬ 
ly, the lord-mayor in date, with the prefident, aldermen, 
fheriffs, treafurer, and governors, and other company, af- 
fembla in the great hall after divine fervice at Chrid- 
church, to hear orations from the elder fcholars ; one of 
them fpeaks in Latin, and the other in Engliffi ; the latter 
of thefe, having lpoken in Latin on the preceding year, 
is now elected off to college, and leaves the Ichool in 
about a month afterwards; on this occalion a glove is 
handed about among the audience for their contribution. 
The diefs of the children in this hofpital conlilts of a 
long coat of blue cloth hanging loofe to their heels, girt 
about their waid with a red leather girdle, buckled; a 
loofe petticoat underneath, of yellow cloth, (of late years 
the boys are allowed breeches,) a round utelefs thrum 
cap. 
