503 
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of Ludgate-hill and Fleet-ftreet ; the fourth oppofiteto 
Bridewell, uniting the blackfriars with the white ones. 
In clearing this rivulet front the rubbifh of the fire four 
years after that dreadful cataftrophe, many Roman uten- 
fils were found at a depth of fifteen feet; and, (till lower, 
a great quantity of Roman coins, in filver, copper, brafs, 
and other metals, which were conjectured to have been 
thrown in by the terrified inhabitants at the approach of 
Boadicea with her army of Britons. The filver coins 
were the ring-money of feveral fixes, from that of a crown 
to a filver two-pence, each having a fnip in the edge. Be- 
fides thefe antiquities, a number of others were found, 
marked with Saxon characters 5 fucli as arrow-heads, fpur- 
rowe's of a hand’s breadth, daggers, Tea’s, and keys, and 
a confiderable number of modern medals with erodes, 
crucifixes, &c. But the expenfe of keening this canal 
navigable, proving extremely burthenfome to the citizens, 
it was at laft negleCted, and became a great and dangerous 
nuifance, which occafioned the city to apply to parlia¬ 
ment for power to arch it over, and make it level with 
the llreet; and, having obtained an aCt for that purpofe, 
the work was begun in the year 1734 ; and, a market-houfe 
with other conveniences being eredted on the place, it 
was opened on the 30th of September, 1737, by the name 
of Fleet Market. This market confifis of two rows of 
fhops, almoft the whole length of it, with a paffage be¬ 
tween, paved with rag-ftone. In the centre is a turret, 
with a clock. The north end is for dealers in vegetables. 
By the adi of parliament to enable the citizens to eredt 
this market, the fee-fimple of the ground on which it 
Rands is vefted in the mayor, commonalty, and citizens, 
of London, for ever; with a provifo that fufficient drains 
fnall be kept through the channel; and that no houfes, 
or {beds, exceeding fifteen feet in height, ftiall be erected 
thereon. 
On the eaft fide of this market, between Ludgate-hill 
and Fleet-lane, is the Fleet Prifon, which was a place of 
confinement for debtors as early as the reign of Richard I. 
It is a brick building of confiderable length, with galleries 
in each (lory, that reach from one end to the other, in 
which are the rooms for the prifoners. There are about 
one hundred and twenty-five of thefe rooms, befides a 
common kitchen, coffee-room, and tap-room ; and be¬ 
hind the prifon is a fpacious area, in which the prifoners 
walk, and exercife themfelves at different diverfions. It 
is properly the prifon belonging to the court of Common 
Pleas; but perl'ons in contempt of the court of Chancery 
are alfo committed to it. The keeper is called Warden 
of the Fleet; and his place is of very great profit, as well 
»3 truft. Prifoners for debt, in any part of England, may 
be removed to the Fleet by habeas corpus, and enjoy the 
rules, or keep a houfe within the liberties, provided they 
give fufficient fecurity to the warden, to indemnify him in 
cafe they fnould exceed them. The rules, or liicrtits, of 
the Fleet, are, the north fide of Ludgate-hill, as far as the 
London coffee-houfe, a part of which only vras within 
the rules, but the whole of- which has been lately de¬ 
clared to be in them, fince the door-way is in the rules ; 
the Old Bailey, up to Fleet-lane, down that lane into the 
market, and then, turning-the corner on the left, all the 
call fide, along by the Fieet-prifon to the bottom of Lud¬ 
gate-hill. 
Directly oppofite to Fleet-market is an elegant fpacious 
opening, called Bridge-ftreer, leading to Blackfriars- 
bridge. On the weft fide of this ftreet is Bridewell Hof- 
pital. This building is fituated on the fpot where once 
Rood a royal palace, even before the conqueft ; and which 
continued, with foine little intenniffion, in that (late, till 
the reign of king Edward VI. In 1087, William the 
Conqueror gave many of the beft materials of it towards 
rebuilding St. Paul’s cathedral, which had then been de- 
Irroycd by fire; and Henry I. gave alfo as many Rories 
from the walls of the caftle-yard as ferved to inclofe and 
to form the gates and precinCts of the church. Not- 
wit hitending this, the dwelling remained, and became 
O N. 
the refidence of feveral fubfequent monarchs. After this 
it was negledfed, until Henry VIII. repaired it for the 
reception of the emperor Charles V. who vilited England 
in 152s, at a confiderable expenfe : but the emperor lodged 
in the Blackfriars, and his fuite in the palace ; and a gal¬ 
lery of communication was flung over the ditch, and z 
paffage cut through the city-wall into the emperor’s apart¬ 
ments. Cardinal Wolfey afterwards redded there during 
his profperity; and to this palace it was that he convene i 
all the abbots and other heads of religious houfes, Eng¬ 
lish and foreign, and fquee’/.ed out of them ioo,oool. ari 
enormous fum in thofe days ; and from the Ciftercinns, 
who rejected his fupremacy, he extracted 3j,oool. After 
Wolfey’s fall, Henry VIII. refided there, particularly in 
1529, and during the agitation at Blackfriars of the grand 
queftion concerning his marriage with queen Catharine; 
after which it was fuffered to decay, and the pious bifhop 
Ridley begged it of Edward VI. to be converted to fome 
charitable ufe. See the article Bridewell, vol. iii. p. 392. 
The hofpital was nearly deftrsyed by the general confla¬ 
gration in 1666, and many of the houfes belonging to it. 
Immediately after this calamity, places were provided by 
the governors for the reception of the arts-mailers, appren¬ 
tices, &c. and every poffible effort- made to reltore the 
buildings, which colt upwards of 6000I. At prefent there 
is but one vaft quadrangle, as the remnants of the old 
ftruCture which crofted it north aud fouth have latqly been 
taken down; and the perfcCtly-piain chape! which has 
rifen upon the ruins has nothing to recommend it. The 
whole front has alfo been taken down, and rebuilt: it is 
now faced with (lone, and prefents a noble, though Am¬ 
ple, appearance. Cn the pediment, we find the arms of 
the city mod properly feuiptured there. 
The prifon’s gloomy front occupies the fouth-we 11 cor¬ 
ner; 3nd the hall thegreaterpartof the fouth fide. This vaft 
room is thirty-nine 1 paces in length and fifteen in breadth, 
with a handfome chimney-piece at each end, and arcades at 
the fides. The ceiling is horizontal, and without other 
ornament than two flowers wherefrom the luftres depend. 
Facing each other on the north and fouth fides are bowl 
windows, ornamented with femi-domes, brackets, feftoons, 
&c. &c. The other windows are arched, and rows of 
oval apertures are extended above them. At the well end 
and over the chimney, is a large picture, ne H rlv fquare, by 
Holbein, reprefenting Edward VI. in the aft of delivering 
the charter for the hofpital to the mayor and citizens of 
London : the king holds it in his left hand, and rells the 
bale of the feeptre gently upon it. He is feated on the 
throne, and clothed in robes of crimfon lined with ermin- 
and is crowned. The doublet is of white cloth embroidered 
with gold, and the legs are covered by filk ftockings The 
lord-mayor,in fcarlet robes, kneels at the king’s right hand 
and receives the charter with the right hand eroding- the 
left on his breaft: the head, very much thrown back, is co 
vered by a dole black cap, and he wears a fmall ruff- his 
knees reft on the two fteps of the throne, covered by crim- 
fen ve.vet; but the only two of his brethren thovvn kneel 
on the floor. Seven of the great officers of (late are placed 
near the king, under the crimfon canopy of the throne 
wmch is drawn in an awkward manner acrofs the upper 
part of the picture. On the left fide of this painting is a 
ano- 
feated whole-length of Charles If. and on the riVnt’a 
ther q. his brother : both tolerably painted. On the north 
wall is a whole length of fir Richard Carr Glynn bart 
prefident in 1755, full dreffed with the civR robes- the 
city regalra ate fpread near him. Diredly facing him is 
another whole-length, and a very good picture, of fir Ri 
chard Carr Glyn, bart. and alderman, prefident in I7 o 8a 
fc 0f t! >e (ormer.) On the eaft wall is a large picture of 
William Withers, efq. lord-mayor, on horfebnek, preced¬ 
ing queen Anne to St. Paul’s cathedral, in 1708= the mayor 
is Rated on a dark bay liorfe, richly caparifoned. The 
benefactions are painted on the intermediate paiiriels. 
This foundation is of a mixed nature, partaking of the 
hofpital, the fchool of induftry. the work-ho ufe, and the 
3 prilop 
