82 
INNS of 
thew Hale before mentioned ; with many others equally 
celebrated ; were members of this inn. For particu¬ 
lars of the lives of thefe eminent perfons, fee their names, 
in the order of the alphabet, in this Encyclopaedia. 
Inns of Chancery belonging to Lincoln's Inn. 
Thaive’s Inn, burnt down fome few years fince,and now 
converted into a private court, adjoined the parifh-church 
of St. Andrew, Hoi born, and is at leaft as old as the time 
of king Edward III. It took its name from one John 
Thaive, or Tavie, whofe houfe it then was, and who di¬ 
rected that, after the deceafe of his wife Alice, his eftates, 
and the hofpictum in quo apprenticii ad legem habitare folebant, 
fhould be fold in order to maintain a chaplain, who was 
to pray for his foul and that of his fpoufe. This John 
Taive in 134S left a very confiderable eltate to the flip- 
port of St. Andrew’s church in Holborn ; the value of 
which has fo much accumulated, that, from the profits of 
it, the prefent church is reported to have been principally 
rebuilt in 1670. 
In the reign of Edward VI. one Gregory Nicholls, citi¬ 
zen and mercer of London, being poflefied by inheritance 
of the property of this'manfion, granted it in the fourth 
year of the lame prince to the benchers of Lincoln’s Inn 
for the ufe of ftudents of the law ; which fociety foon af¬ 
terwards conftituted it one of their inns of chancery, and 
vefted the government in a principal and fellows, who 
were to pay, as an acknowledgment to the mother-houfe, 
the annual rent of 3I. 6s. 4d. By the ancient orders of 
this fociety, the members of Thaive’s Inn were to be ten 
-days in commons in ifl'uable terms, and in the reft of the 
terms a week ; and were allowed the fame privileges for 
the admiftion of ftudents into Lincoln’s Inn as were en¬ 
joyed by the members of Furnival’s Inn. 
Furnjval’s Inn is firft noticed as a law-feminary in 
its Reward's account-book, written about the ninth of 
king Henry IV. and derives its name, like moft of the 
other inns, from its original occupants, who were the lords 
Furnival. This noble family was extir.ftin the male line 
in 6 Rich. II. fome time before which period this inn 
was derailed to the ftudents of the law, as is evident from 
the above circumftance ; but .the precife date of its efta- 
lilifhment as a fchool of legal education, is, like that of 
all the other inns, involved in obfeurity. By Joan, the 
daughter and heir to William lord Furnival, in the time 
of the former monarch, (Henry IV.) the inheritance of 
Furnival’s Inn came to Thomas Nevill, younger brother 
to Ralph earl of Weftmoreland ; and by Maude, foie 
daughter and heir to the faid Thomas and Joan, it after¬ 
wards defeended to John Talbot earl of Shrewlbury. In 
this line it continued till Francis earl of Shrewlbury, in 
conlideration of 120I. by his deed, bearing date the 16th 
day of December, 1 Edw. VI. fold it to Edward Griffin, 
efq. then folicitor-general to the king, William Ropere, 
and Richard Heydone, efqs. and their heirs, to the ufe of 
the fociety of Lincoln’s Inn; which fum of 120I. (the 
purchafe-money) was paid out of the treafury of that fo¬ 
ciety, and is entered in their regifter. 
The principal and fellows of Furnival’s Inn, to whom 
aleafe was granted by the fociety of Lincoln’s Inn, were 
to pay yearly 3I. 6s. 4d. as appears by the accounts of that 
houfe, and by fpecial orders there made, they were allow¬ 
ed feveral privileges as follows: Firft, in the xo Eliz. it 
was ordered, that the utter barrilters of Furnival’s Inn, 
of a year’s continuance, and fo certified and allowed by 
the benchers of Lincoln’s Inn, lliould pay no more than 
four marks apiece for their admittance into that fociety. 
The following year a like order was made, that every 
fellow of this inn, who had been allowed an utter barrif- 
ter here, and that had mooted here two vacations at the 
utter bar, fhould pay no more.for their admiftions into the 
fociety of Lincoln’s Inn than 135.4x1. though all utter 
barrifters of any other inn of chancery, excepting Thai ve’s 
Inn, lliould pay 20s. and that every inner barrifter of this 
houfe, who had mooted here one vacation at- the inner 
COURT. 
bar, lliould pay for his admilliofi into this houfe but zcs. 
thofe of other lioufes (excepting Thaive’s Inn) paying 
26s. 8d. Alfo, wdien by an order made at Lincoln’s Inn, 
in 27 Eliz. the admiftion of the gentlemen of this houfe 
and Thaive’s Inn into that fociety was railed to 40s. thofe 
of other inns of chancery were {trained to five marks ; 
and in 36 Eliz, thofe of this houfe had fo much farther 
favour, that they might, after their admittance into Lin¬ 
coln’s Inn, ftay two years in this inn of chancery, paying 
their penfions during thofe two years; and that they 
lliould be difeharged of calling into commons, and of all 
vacations and charges of Chriftmas, during the time of 
their ftay here for thofe firft two years. 
This inn of chancery is fituated in Holborn, between 
Brook-ftreet and Leather-lane ; it occupies a very confi¬ 
derable plot of ground, and is divided into two fquares or 
courts. The firft towards Holborn is, of a good width, 
but fliallow, and built round on the four tides. The fe- 
cond or inner court extends the depth of great part of 
Brook-ftreet, and has chambers on one fide only ; the 
buildings of both are in a fad ftate of decay, and appear 
to be very much neglected. The date of this inn, that 
is to fay, of the buildings, is not very ancient, though it 
has greater claims in point of age than moft of the other 
inns of chancery; but whatever it may gain in this re- 
fpedt, it moft certainly lofes in neatnefs-and convenience; 
for it is, without exception, the moft dirty and defolate 
in its appearance of the whole. The ftreet front is an un- 
cornmonly-fine fpecimen of brick-work, being adorned 
with pilafters, mouldings, and various other ornaments, 
and extends a confiderable length. It contains a range 
of very good chambers, and beneath a handfome a rein d 
gateway leading to the interior parts of the inn. It ap¬ 
pears to have been erefted about the time of Charles II. 
The ball is feen on entering the gateway; but its afpedt 
is by no means calculated to make a favourable impref- 
fion on the fpedtator. It is a low plain brick building, 
with a fmall turret, and two large projecting bow-win¬ 
dows at the weft end ; and is, like the reft of the inn, in a 
moft negledted ftate. The north fide of it, on pafling 
through the paflage or entrance to the inner court, with 
a fmall range of old chambers that adjoins, and whofe 
fronts are plaftered in the cottage flyle, have a Angularly 
ruftic appearance, and bear a much greater refemblance 
to, a country village than a London inn of chancery. 
The interior of.this hall is the beft; and, if not handfome, 
has at leaft fome pretenfions to antiquity. Its dimenfions 
are 40 feet by 24. The roof is of timber, arched, and 
divided into pannels by ribs fpringing from the fides; 
but it is very plain and poor, compared with others of a 
fimilar kind. The floor at the upper end of the hall is 
railed a ftep for the principals, as at the Middle Temple, 
See. It has in like manner a fire-place in the midft, and 
the fame difpolition of tables and benches ; but they have 
no appearance, nor the hall itfelf, of being often ufed. 
In the windows of this room are a few armorial bearings; 
it likewife contains portraits of lords Raymond and Pen- 
gelly. Their arms are, Argent a bend between fix mart¬ 
lets, gules, within a border of the fecond. The whole of 
thiq inn, it is reported, is foon to be pulled down. 
IV. GRAY’s INN. 
Gray’s Inn, the fourth and laft. inn of court, Hands on 
the north Tide of Holborn, nearly oppofite the end of 
Chancery-lane, from which it extends, but enveloped by 
lioufes, to Gray’s-Inn Lane, a very confiderable dillance 
eaftward. 
It derives its name from the lords Gray of Wilton, 
whofe refidence it originally was, and one of whom, John, 
the foil of Reginald tie Gray, in the year 1315, obtained 
a licence from the king, “to grant xxx acres of land, two 
acres of meadow, and ten {hillings rent, with the appur¬ 
tenances, lying in Kentifli Town near London, and in the 
parifh of St. Andrew’s in Holborn, without the barr of 
the old Temple, unto the prior and convent of St. Bar¬ 
tholomew’s 
