Chelsea

Philip Reinagle, Esq., R.A., celebrated for his beautiful specimens of landscape paintings, and whose family were eminent for their proficiency in the fine arts, resided also here about the same period.

W. H. Davis, Esq., at a much later period, resided also for many years in Upper Church Street, near the King's Road; he was considered to be one of the best animal portrait painters, and was constantly employed every Smithfield Cattle Show, his works being very highly prized.

Crossing the King's Road, we enter into that portion of Church Street which leads direct to the Old Church. This ancient thoroughfare was built upon at a very early period, and many eminent persons have resided here at various times; but principally since the Rectory was removed hither, in 1569, from Milman's Row.

William Tebbs, Esq., Proctor, resided nearly opposite the Rectory House, in Church Street, for many years; he was highly respected professionally, and much esteemed for his kindness and liberality to the poor. Mr. Tebbs, sen., dwelt here in 1819, and his name appears subsequently and previously for a long time as a contributor to most of the local charities.

Henry Virtue Tebbs, Esq., son of the preceding, and who was in partnership with his father, resided in a commodious detached house, with large enclosed garden, in Cooks' Ground, for a long time. Like the rest of his family he was greatly respected by the inhabitants, and ever ready to promote every good work in the parish. Of him it may truly be said that he was the constant friend of the needy and helpless. He was a zealous supporter of the Chelsea Auxiliary Bible Society, and he devoted most of his leisure hours in promoting the various societies connected with Park Chapel, especially the Day and Sunday Schools. Some few years since he removed from the parish to the deep regret of a numerous circle of friends, whose sincere hope is that his benevolent heart may still beat for many a year to come.

One of the most ancient mansions (pulled down some few years ago) was called Church Place. It was said to have been the residence of various eminent persons; and some have confidently asserted that it was the palace of the Earl of Essex. It was also said to have been used by Queen Anne as a laundry. In the back front there was a date, cut in brick, "1641." This old house is first mentioned in the parish books in 1696; it is also mentioned repeatedly in the Inquests of Court Leet, and Court Baron, before and after that period.

Dr. Atterbury resided facing the river, near the Old Church, in 1695, as appears by the parish books, and afterwards in Church Street, for several years; one of his letters is dated from hence in 1698. There he became acquainted with Swift, in 1711, to whom he was before unknown.

Francis Atterbury, Bishop of Rochester, was born in 1662, and was educated in Westminster School, and afterwards was elected a Student of Christ Church, Oxford, where he soon distinguished himself by his wit and learning, and gave early proofs of his poetical talents. In 1687, he made his first essay in controversial writing, and shewed himself an able and strenuous advocate for the Protestant religion. In 1691 he took holy orders, and was elected in the same year Lecturer of St. Bride's, London, and Preacher of Bridewell Chapel.

Upon the accession of Queen Anne, in 1702, Dr. Atterbury was appointed one of her Majesty's Chaplains in Ordinary; and in 1704 was advanced to the Deanery of Carlisle. In 1713, at the recommendation of Lord Chancellor Harcourt, the Queen promoted him to the Bishopric of Rochester.

In 1722, Dr. Atterbury, on suspicion of being concerned in a plot in favour of the Pretender, was apprehended and committed to the Tower. Shortly afterwards he was condemned to perpetual exile. Just before this, a large fine dropped to him as Dean of Westminster, but he could have no right to receive it without the seal being set to it in full chapter. Sir Robert Walpole earnestly enquired whether a Chapter could not be held in the Tower, that he might receive the benefit of the fine. A chapter was accordingly there held, and the Bishop received a ￡1000 for his share. This anecdote, which is well authenticated, does great credit to the liberality of Walpole.

Dr. Atterbury, in his private character, was most amiable and exemplary; as a preacher he was eloquent, and as a writer, his sermons, letters and other tracts, proved most decidedly that he possessed piety, genius, and erudition. On the 18th of June, 1723, having the day before taken leave of his friends, this eminent prelate embarked on board the Aldborough man-of-war, and landed on the Friday following at Calais.

A prelate for wit, and for eloquence fam'd,

Apollo soon miss'd, and he need not be nam'd;

Since amidst a whole bench, of which some are so bright,

No one of them shines so learn'd and polite.-Sheffield, 1719.

The celebrated Dean Swift came to Chelsea in the year 1711, and took up his residence facing Dr. Atterbury's house in Church Street.

Dr. Jonathan Swift, Dean of St. Patrick, in Dublin, an illustrious poet, and political and satirical writer, was born in Dublin in 1667, and died in 1745. Of a life so various and so full of business as Swift's, we know not what part we could select consistent with the limits of this work that would not excite rather than gratify curiosity.

The company of Swift was courted by persons of the first rank in life and literature; the following peculiarities may be related:-He made to himself a rule never to speak more than a minute at a time, and to wait for others to take up the conversation. He was singularly happy in punning; and used to say, that none despised that talent but those who were without it. He also greatly excelled in telling a story; but, in the latter part of his life, used to tell the same rather to often. Though to strangers he appeared churlish, and austere to his servants, it is said he was a kind and generous master; he was also very charitable to the poor.

Swift has been very minute and circumstantial in describing the particulars relative to his residence here, and his acquaintance with Dr. Atterbury. I will select one instance of it:-"I got here," says he, "with Patrick and my portmanteau for sixpence, and pay six shillings a week for one silly room, with confounded coarse sheets. I lodge just over against Dr. Atterbury's house; and yet, perhaps, I shall not like the place the better for that."

Thomas Shadwell, Esq., Poet Laureat, another resident of Church Street, was born at Stanton Hall, Norfolk, and received his education at Bury School, and Caius College, Cambridge. His father, who held a place of profit and distinction in the law in Ireland, bestowed the learning and exercises of a gentleman upon him. Notwithstanding that, Lord Rochester has said,

"None seem to touch true Comedy

But hasty Shadwell and slow Wycherlye,"

yet that lord had a better opinion of his conversation than his writings when he said "that if Shadwell had burned all he wrote, and printed all he spoke, he would have shewn more wit and humour than any other poet." In the reign of William III. he succeeded Dryden, as Poet Laureat, under whose lash he had previously fallen. His works, consisting of seventeen plays, were published in three volumes 12mo. in 1720, with a short account of his life written by his son, Sir John Shadwell, Knight, who was physician to Queen Anne, and resided in a house at Chelsea, which had been previously occupied by Dr. Arbuthnot. Shadwell died at Chelsea in 1692, aged 52, and was buried in the Church, November 24, when a funeral sermon was preached by his friend Dr. Nicholas Brady, in which he assures us that "his natural and acquired abilities made him sufficiently remarkable to all that he conversed with, very few being equal to him in all the becoming qualities and accomplishments of a gentleman." His widow, who had been an actress, survived him, and resided at Chelsea some years.

Dr. John Arbuthnot, a native of Scotland, had his education in the University of Aberdeen, where he took the degree of Doctor of Physic. He came to London about the year 1695, and at first taught the mathematics for his support. His facetious and agreeable conversation introduced him by degrees into practice; and he became eminent in his profession. Being at Epsom when Prince George of Denmark was suddenly taken ill, he was called in to his assistance; his advice was successful, and his Highness recovering, employed him ever afterwards as his physician.

The Queen's death, and the disasters which fell upon his friends on that occasion, deeply affected his health and spirits; and, to divert his melancholy, he paid a visit to his brother, a banker, at Paris. He returned to London, and continued his medical profession with great reputation, employing his leisure hours in writing papers of wit and humour.

About this time Dr. Arbuthnot took a house in Church Street, where he at times entertained a select number of his friends. He died in 1735 in Cork Street, Burlington Gardens. In his writings he has shewn himself equal to any of his cotemporaries in humour, wit, and learning. Sir John Shadwell, son of the Laureat, afterwards occupied the house.

Dr. Edward Chamberlayne, it appears from the land tax book of this parish, anno 1704, resided next door to Dr. King, the rector, in a house that is still standing, and which is a few doors north of the White Horse public house, in Church Street. He was descended from an ancient family, and born at Odington, in Gloucestershire, in 1616. During the civil war he made the tour of Europe. After the Restoration he was chosen F.R.S.; and, in 1669, attended Charles, Earl of Carlisle, as secretary to the embassy to Stockholm, with the order of the Garter for the King of Sweden. Shortly afterwards the degree of LL.D. was conferred on him at Cambridge, and also the same at Oxford at a later period. About the year 1679, he received the appointment of tutor to the Duke of Grafton, one of the natural sons of Charles II.; and subsequently he instructed Prince George of Denmark, consort to Queen Anne, in the English language. He died at his house in Church Street in 1703, having been an active magistrate in this parish for many years.

John Chamberlayne, (son of Dr. Chamberlayne,) who resided in the house formerly occupied by his father, was a learned and worthy man. He was admitted into Trinity College, Oxford, in 1685, and was gentleman usher to George Prince of Denmark. He translated, from the French and Spanish: 1. The Manner of making Tea, Coffee, and Chocolate. 2. From Italian into English, A Treasure of Health, written by Castor Durant de Gualdo, physician of Rome. 3. The Arguments of the Books and Chapters of the Old and New Testaments, with Practical Observations, written originally in French by the Rev. Mr. Ostervald, Professor of Divinity, and one of the members of the church at Neufchatel, in Switzerland, and by him presented to the Society for Promoting Christian Knowledge, of which society he was a member. 4. The Lives of the Members of the Royal Academy of Sciences; translated from the French of M. de Fontenelle; republished since, in 1721, under the title of "Memoirs of the Royal Academy of Sciences of Paris, Epitomized, with the Lives of the late Members of that Society." 5. The Religious or Christian Philosopher; or, The right Use of Contemplating the Work of the Creator; translated from the Dutch of Dr. Nieuwentyt, with cuts. 6. History of the Reformation in and about the Low Countries; translated from the Low Dutch of Gerard Brandt. 7. The Lord's Prayer, in 100 Languages. 8. Dissertations, Historical, Theological, and Critical, on the most memorable events of the Old and New Testaments, wherein the Spirit of the Sacred Writings is shewn, their authority confirmed, &c. Mr. Chamberlayne was Fellow of the Royal Society, to whom he communicated several papers on important subjects. He augmented and improved his father's book of "The Present State of Great Britain," to the latter editions of which his name is prefixed. He was not only learned but pious, earnest at all times in promoting and disseminating religious principles. In the old churchyard, facing the river, are inscriptions to the memory of this distinguished family. [82]

Mr. Bowack, to whom we are so much indebted for his valuable information, resided near Dr. Chamberlayne's house in Church Street. In 1705 he began to publish, in folio numbers, "The Antiquities of Middlesex; being a Collection of the several Church Monuments in that County; also an Historical Account of each Church and Parish, with the Seats, Villages, and names of the most eminent Inhabitants." The work extended through the parishes of Chelsea, Fulham, Kensington, Chiswick, and Acton, and was then discontinued. It is much to be regretted that he could not complete his design. He has preserved many monumental inscriptions, since destroyed. Mr. Bowack was writing master to Westminster School. "I have," says Mr. Faulkner, in reference to his own work, "carefully embodied the greater part of the information contained in his (Bowack's) folio volume, now become extremely scarce."

John Martyn, Esq., who resided in Church Street, next door to Dr. Chamberlayne, was the son of a merchant of London. He was born in 1699. With him it was a subject of frequent exultation, in after-life, that Providence had thrown him into a country, and produced him at a period so fertile in genius and literary accomplishments. "It was truly the golden age of learning," says Mr. Faulkner, "and to converse with those heroes who adorn it was deemed no mean privilege, or glory, by one who well knew how to value mental wealth." He was sent by his father to a private school (his mother died when he was scarcely a twelvemonth old), and here by his own industry rather than by any advantage of instruction, he made a tolerable proficiency in school learning, but was taken away from his beloved books to engage in the business of a counting house. Most youths of his age, in such an occupation, would have found their minds sufficiently employed, but he, insatiate of knowledge, after the labours of the day, dedicated most of those hours which are usually given to bodily rest to the improvement of his understanding.

Mr. Martyn's propensity to the science of botany was first excited by an acquaintance with Mr. Wilmer, an apothecary, who afterwards became the reader in the Botanic Garden at Chelsea, and by an intimacy contracted with Dr. Blair and Dr. Sherard. In the year 1732, he published a translation of "Tournefort's History of Plants about Paris," and in the same year a "Catalogue of the Plants about London," but he did not complete it. From a strong conviction that observations made upon plants in their natural places of growth were the least liable to error, he about the same time began his botanical excursions, which were mostly performed on foot, and were continued for a long period with unwearied diligence. His "Hortus Siccus," containing 1,400 specimens, is a sufficient testimony of his industry. Nor did he confine himself wholly to the contemplation of vegetables, and their hidden virtues; the numerous insect tribe began to attract no small share of his attention. In 1721, he principally instituted the Botanical Society, in London. Dr. Dillenius was president, and Mr. Martyn was secretary. This society kept together till 1726. About this time he became a member of the Royal Society, and now began to apply himself most seduously to the practice of physic. For this purpose he was admitted of Emmanuel College, Cambridge, and kept five terms, with an intention to have proceeded regularly with his degrees, but from peculiar circumstances he was prevented from finishing his design. He had now lived and practised physic in Great St. Helen's, Bishopsgate Street, during three years; but, finding the air of London disagree with his constitution, he embraced a favourable opportunity which offered of removing to Chelsea, where he practised physic with success and great reputation for above twenty years.

In 1733, he was chosen Professor of Botany in the University of Cambridge, where he had given several courses of lectures, and had greatly restored the study of that science.

Mr. Martyn, in 1723 (as is stated in a preceding page), married Eulalia, youngest daughter of the Rev. Dr. John King, Rector of Chelsea, by whom he had three sons and five daughters, all of whom were born in Church Street, Chelsea, in the same house wherein their mother was born and died, and in which her father, Dr. King, lived and died. Mrs. Martyn died in 1749, from a cancer in her breast, occasioned by a violent blow given her as she was walking in London.

In 1750, Mr. Martyn married, secondly, a daughter of Claude Fonnereau, Esq., merchant of London, who bore him one son and survived him. Soon after this he retired to Streatham, Surrey. In 1761 he resigned his professorship of botany; and some time after presented to the University his library of botanical books, amounting to above 200 volumes.

Chelsea, notwithstanding the happiness he enjoyed at Streatham, seems after all to have been his favourite place of abode, as he removed back again to his former residence in Church Street, and at last, by the most gradual and gentle decay, died there in 1768.

Mr. Martyn's benevolence was that of a Christian, diffusive and unconfined; he was considered as the father of the poor in the parish, and gave constant attention to the sick, both in and out of the workhouse. He was the author of many works, two of which we shall notice:-

"An Account of an Aurora Australis, seen at Chelsea, March 18, 1738–9." This was the first account which had ever been given of that phenomenon.

"An Account of an Earthquake felt in London, February 8, 1749–50."

The following extract from the latter account will no doubt interest the reader: "At 40 minutes after noon, all the houses were violently shaken, especially those nearest the river. A maid servant, passing from one under office to another, felt the ground, which was six feet below the surface, shake. Of those who were in the street, or on the river, some felt, others not. It was felt at Fulham, but not at Hounslow, Brentford, nor Richmond, nor farther westward than Kensington Turnpike; it seemed to terminate in the west, about two miles beyond Chelsea."

Mr. Martyn was also engaged in a weekly paper, called "The Grub Street Journal," which had a large sale, about the year 1736. It was one of the most curious of the periodical papers of that period. In a fine vein of irony it attacked the heroes of the Dunciad, and tells some secrets of their obscure quarrels. [85] The papers he contributed are distinguished by the signature "B."

William Petyt, Esq., to whom we have already slightly referred, in the account of his gift to the parish of the School Room at the Old Church, resided in Church Street, and died there in 1707, aged 71 years. Of his progress through life there is no information, except that he enjoyed considerable reputation as a writer on the laws and constitution of England, which are preserved in the Inner Temple Library. There is a long Latin epitaph to his memory in the Temple Church. It was the year before his death that he built the schoolrooms and vestry.

The White Horse Inn in Church Street, which was burnt down some years since, and a new one substituted for it, was a very ancient house, built in the style which prevailed in the reigns of Henry VIII. and Queen Elizabeth. The disposition of the rooms, the ancient panelling, and the various grotesque ornaments and carving, especially of human figures in the form of brackets, were well worthy of inspection, and excited the attention of most strangers who visited the house.

The old Parochial Guardian Society mostly held their meetings at the old White Horse Inn. The principal room was large and consequently well-adapted for such purposes; and when the parishioners met in open vestry, the house being opposite to the Vestry Room where they assembled, it was particularly convenient on such occasions for the accommodation of the ratepayers generally. The above society comprised a great many members, and acted in conjunction with a large number of the resident gentry of the parish.

Justice Walk, which extends from Church Street to Lawrence Street, took its name from a magistrate who lived in it. An avenue of lime trees formerly adorned it, and, being kept in good order, it was a very agreeable footway for passengers. There is now in it a commodious Wesleyan Chapel, built in 1841. The exterior is plain and unpretending. The interior is neat, comfortable, and well ventilated. Beneath the chapel is a spacious school room, in which the Sunday School is held. This school is very well attended. Through the exertions of the members, and other friends, the interior of the chapel has recently been painted, and rendered more comfortable in many respects.

The Chelsea China Manufactory was situate at the corner of Justice Walk, and occupied the houses to the upper end of Lawrence Street. Several of the large old houses were used as shew-rooms. It has been discontinued for nearly 90 years.

The manufactory of Chelsea porcelain was set on foot and carried on by a Mr. Spremont, a foreigner. The establishment employed a great number of hands; but the original proprietor having acquired a large fortune retired from the concern, and his successors, wanting his enterprise and spirit, did not so well succeed, and in a few years finally abandoned it. Previous to the dissolution, the proprietors presented a memorial respecting it to the Government, requesting protection and assistance, in which they stated that "the manufacture in England has been carried on by great labour and a large expense; it is in many respects to the full as good as the Dresden; and the late Duke of Orleans told Colonel York that the metal or earth had been tried in his furnace, and was found to be the best made in Europe. It is now daily improving, and already employs, at least, 100 hands, of which is a nursery of thirty lads taken from the parishes and charity schools, and bred to designing and painting: arts very much wanted here, and which are of the greatest use in our silk and printed linen manufactories."

Specimens of this porcelain have always been much esteemed, and still retain a great value. At the sale of the effects of Queen Charlotte, the articles in Chelsea china, of which her Majesty had a large collection, brought very high prices. Mr. Watkins, in his Life of Queen Charlotte, says, "I beheld with admiration a complete service of Chelsea china, porcelain, rich and beautiful in fancy beyond expression. I really never saw any Dresden porcelain near so fine."

Mr. A. Stephens, whom we have already noticed, was told by the foreman of the Chelsea China Manufactory (then in the workhouse of St. Luke's, Middlesex), that Dr. Johnson had conceived a notion that he was capable of improving on the manufacture of china. He even applied to the directors of the Chelsea China Works, and was allowed to bake his compositions in their ovens in Lawrence Street, Chelsea. He was accordingly accustomed to go down with his housekeeper, about twice a week, and stop the whole day, she carrying a basket of provisions with her. The Doctor, who was not allowed to enter the mixing room, had access to every other part of the premises, and formed his composition in a particular apartment, without being overlooked by any one. He had also free access to the oven, and superintended the whole of the process; but completely failed, both as to composition and baking, for his materials always yielded to the intensity of the heat, while those of the Company came out of the furnace perfect and complete. Dr. Johnson retired in disgust, but not in despair, for he afterwards gave a dissertation on this very subject in his works; but the overseer assured Mr. Stephens, in 1814, that he was still ignorant of the nature of the operation. He seemed to think that the Doctor imagined one single substance was sufficient, while he, on the other hand, asserted that he always used sixteen, and he must have had some practice, as he had nearly lost his eye-sight by firing batches of china, both at Chelsea and Derby, to which the manufacture was afterwards carried.

Chelsea china, originally patronised by the Duke of Cumberland, and afterwards by Sir R. Faulkner, was a long time in such repute as to be sold by auction, and as a set was purchased as soon as baked, dealers were surrounding the doors for that purpose. [87]

LAWRENCE STREET, &c.

Lawrence Street derives its name, as previously intimated, from its having been the site of the residence of the Lawrence family for many years. On this spot stood the first old Manor House, until Lord Sandys alienated the manor to Henry VIII., when that king sold it to Sir Thomas Lawrence, and erected another in Cheyne Walk.

The ancient family of Lawrence first came into England with William the Conqueror, and settled at Ashton Hall, in the county of Lancaster, where they resided for 300 years, and possessed an immense property, which, in the year 1591, included 34 manors, the rental of which amounted to ￡6000 per annum. It is uncertain when this family first came to Chelsea, but as the Lawrence chapel in the Old Church is built in the style of architecture which prevailed at the beginning of the fourteenth century, they were probably settled here about that period, and some time before they purchased the manor house. Some of the family who were buried in the chapel have already been mentioned.

The chief branches of this eminent family resided in Chelsea, in London, and at Iver, Bucks. Sir John Lawrence, knight, was Lord Mayor of London in 1665.

Some "Pious Contemplations," on the arms of the Lawrence family, are written in the margin of their pedigree. They are supposed to have been affixed to it in 1664, but the author is not known. The following are the concluding lines:-

"The way to Heaven is not with roses spread,

But throng'd with thorns, as was Thy sacred head;

Our peace is hack'd and hew'd, our life's a war,

We, for our Cross, must many crosses bear-

Or, a red sea our passage doth withstand,

Or, fiery serpents, or, a barren sand,

Ere we can reach the truly Holy Land."

"Christ's Cross the ladder is that leads to bliss,

Blest Jacob's vision was a type of this;

Who climbs by other steps is at a loss-

To Heaven the only ladder is the Cross."

Ann, Duchess of Monmouth and Buccleugh, relict of James, Duke of Monmouth, resided in the "great house" in Lawrence Street about 1714, and from that time it was called Monmouth House. The following item appears in the Churchwardens' accounts for the year 1716: "Paid the ringers, when the Princess (afterwards Queen Caroline) visited the Duchess of Monmouth, six shillings." The Duchess was, it is said, for her agreeable person, good sense, and irreproachable character, one of the most amiable ladies about the Court. During the first years of her marriage she seems to have been as happy, and as much envied as any woman in the kingdom; but this happiness was of short duration; she was unfortunately supplanted in the Duke's affections by Lady Harriet Wentworth, daughter of the Earl of Cleveland, whose personal charms were superior to her own. Her Grace died in 1732, aged 90 years.

Mr. Gay was for some time secretary to the Duchess, as stated in Johnson's Life of Gay.

Dr. Smollett afterwards resided in the same house in Lawrence Street. He came to Chelsea on account of the bad state of health of his beloved daughter, who was at that time in a consumption, under which she finally sank in the year 1763. The house and premises were extensive, and well suited for the residence of a person of rank. There are few men of real genius who have written more voluminously than Dr. Smollett. His entertaining novels are so well known that it seems almost unnecessary to mention Roderick Random, the Adventures of Peregrine Pickle, Ferdinand Count Fathom, and Sir Launcelot Greaves, the Expedition of Humphry Clinker, &c.

He was bred to the medical profession, and in the early part of his life served as a surgeon in the navy. It is said that before he took a house at Chelsea he attempted to settle as a practitioner, at Bath, but was unsuccessful, chiefly because he could not render himself agreeable to the ladies. This, however, was a little extraordinary, for Smollett was as graceful and handsome a man as any of the age; besides, there was a certain dignity in his manner which could not fail to inspire respect whenever he appeared. Abandoning physic altogether as a profession, he fixed his residence at Chelsea, and turned his thoughts entirely to writing.

Dr. Smollett's History of England has had a most extensive sale. He is said to have received ￡2000 for writing it and the continuation. During the last years of his life he was employed in abridging the Modern Universal History, great part of which he had originally written himself. In the year 1755 he set on foot the Critical Review, and continued the principal manager of it till he went abroad for the first time, in the year 1763. He had made some very severe remarks on a pamphlet published by Admiral Knowles, who commenced a prosecution against the printer; and, just as sentence was going to be pronounced, he came into Court, and avowed himself the author; upon which he was fined ￡100, and condemned to three months' imprisonment in the King's Bench. It is there he is said to have written the Adventures of Sir Launcelot Greaves, in which he has described some remarkable characters, then his fellow-prisoners. When Lord Bute was called to the chief administration of affairs, he was prevailed upon to write in defence of that nobleman's measures, in a weekly paper called the Briton. This gave rise to the well-known North Briton, wherein he was rather baffled.

Smollett's constitution being at last greatly impaired by a sedentary life, and assiduous application to study, he went abroad for his health in 1769. He wrote accounts of his travels, in a series of letters to his friends, which were afterwards published.

During that time he appears to have been occasionally in a distressed state of mind. In his first letter he writes:-"In gratifying your curiosity, I shall find some amusement to beguile the tedious hours; which, without some such employment, would be rendered insupportable by distemper and disquiet. You knew and pitied my situation: traduced by malice, persecuted by faction, abandoned by false patrons, and overwhelmed by domestic affliction." He here alludes to the loss of his only daughter. In another letter, addressed to Mr. Reid, of this parish, he desires to be remembered to his Chelsea friends, wishing them that health and happiness to which he himself was a stranger, and adds, "I am very glad to know your concert was so brilliant, and I hope all your Chelsea societies will continue to flourish."

Dr. Smollett returned to England, but afterwards went back to Italy, where he died in 1771.

The old Chelsea Stage Coaches started from Lawrence Street and Church Street, between which places there were extensive stabling, and a residence for the proprietor in the centre of the yard. The fare for inside passengers was 1s. 6d., outside 1s., and no intermediate fare at a lower sum was taken. Thanks to the General Omnibus Company, to the Steamboat, and the Railway Companies, we can now go to almost the extremity of London for 6d. and a shorter distance for 3d.

Lordship Place takes its name from having been the site of the barns, &c., of the Lord of the Manor. It is a short street, near the river, connecting Lawrence Street with Cheyne Row. In the early Parish Registers occur many lamentable details of poor people being found dead in these barns, where they had taken refuge from the inclemency of the weather.

Cheyne Row was built in 1708, and was named after the Lord of the Manor.

John Denver, Esq., resided in Cheyne Row for the last twenty years of his life. He devoted his time to study, and the forming of a collection of early printed Bibles, manuscripts, and missals, which was at last one of the most valuable in England. His daughter, Miss Denyer, was very clever in painting and illuminating on vellum, &c. Her drawings and miniatures were equal to the finest specimens of the middle ages. Mr. Denyer died at the age of 71, and was buried in the Old Church, and his affectionate daughter was also interred near her father and mother. This family was distinguished for their benevolence to the poor.

In Cheyne Row, within my recollection, many old and influential families have resided there, who were greatly respected. Amongst them may be mentioned Edmund Chalmers, Esq., Thomas Chalmers, Esq., John Hulme, Esq., Edward Holl, Esq., the benevolent Mrs. Hebert, Richard Draper, Esq., George Blyth, Esq., and Isaac Wrentmore, Esq.

Thomas Carlyle, Esq., who is so well-known in literary and other distinguished circles, and who is certainly one of the most profound writers of the present age, has resided in Cheyne Row for a great many years. The University of Edinburgh, last year, conferred on him the highest honour it could bestow. His habits of life at Chelsea are naturally secluded, but he is nevertheless greatly respected by those who have an opportunity of acquiring a knowledge of his social worth. Mr. Carlyle begins now to bend with age, although apparently in tolerable health, and, notwithstanding his recent severe bereavement, not a cloud seems to dim the vigour of his intellectual faculties.

In Upper Cheyne Row there was formerly a manufactory for melting gold and silver in crucibles, which was said to produce the best articles of the kind in England.

Cook's Grounds was formerly a back way to Alston House, Cheyne Walk.

Cook's Ground Chapel was originally built for the use of the French Protestants, who had taken refuge in this country after the revocation of the edict of Nantes, in the year 1685. Several French gardeners settled upon this spot, and the Rev. Dr. King, the rector, mentions them in terms of great kindness, and strongly recommends them to the protection of his successors. The chapel was for many years in the Independent Connexion. The Rev. Benjamin Fielder, in 1773, succeeded the Rev. Mr. Trail, and died in 1803. His death was very affecting; he had seated himself in the pulpit, and, after a hymn had been sung, he was observed with his head reclining, and without any signs of life. He was immediately removed, but never spoke afterwards. The Rev. John Bunce, who was well known and respected in Chelsea, was minister at this chapel for many years, and subsequently Dr. Tracey, Mr. Webb, and at the present time Mr. Hayward.

Alston House, Cheyne Walk.

Shrewsbury, or Alston House, a capital mansion, built about the latter end of the reign of Henry VIII., was situated in Cheyne Walk, to the west of the present "Pier Hotel." This house was considered for a long time to have been the residence of Sir Thomas More; but Dr. King has proved, from the most authentic documents, that it never had any just pretensions to that honour.

It was an irregular brick building, forming three sides of a quadrangle. The principal room was one hundred and twenty feet in length, and was originally wainscotted with carved oak. One of the rooms was painted in imitation of marble, and appeared to have been originally an oratory. Certain curious portraits on panel, which had ornamented the large rooms, were destroyed some few years since; this is to be regretted, as, in all probability, they represented its former owners, or, at least, some persons of note.

Leading from the premises, towards the King's Road, there is a subterranean passage, which has been explored for a short distance. It is said, traditionally, to have communicated with a cave or dungeon, situated at a considerable distance from the house; but for what purpose made, no one now in its vicinity confidently presumes to guess.

The following information concerning this subterranean passage, is obtained from a letter of Miss Gulston to Miss Tate, who was the proprietor of the estate:-

"I have found an old man, now living at Chelsea, who worked at the paper manufactory when a lad, and who has established the facts. I have always been laughed at when I have mentioned the story. I have gotten two drawings of the room and passage.

"The entrance to this passage was from the room used by the paper stainers as a drying place. It had no fire-place in it; the dimensions were nearly as follows: 25 feet high, 50 long, 36 wide; the ceiling was strong with beams, to sustain the upper floors, but without any plastered ceiling. You descended into it by a wide winding staircase, through a circular-top door, strongly fortified with rivets and four large hinges: this door was so contrived, that it opened far enough back to hide the approach to the hole, and could there be fastened so as to have the appearance of belonging to the large room, and the circular steps leading to it caused the more deception.

"The side walls are all brick. This man never could proceed with his light more than a distance of thirty yards, when the light invariably went out. The passage is free from any incumbrance of earth, or from any part of the side walls having given way; as far as could be ascertained, its direction was towards the river.

"It is regularly paved with two flag stones, leaving a border of six inches of earth; width 3 feet, length 5? feet.

"This passage was discovered, owing to the proprietor having been robbed of a quantity of paper for years. The man now alive volunteered to detect the thief; the paper was found on the staircase descending to the passage.

"E. Gulston."

Alston House was for many years the residence of the Shrewsbury family.

George, Earl of Shrewsbury, succeeded his father in the title, June 28th, the 13th Edward IV., while a minor. In the reign of Henry VIII. he was in high favour with that monarch, was steward of the household, and a privy counsellor, and accompanied the King at his interview with Francis I. at Guisnes.

In 28 Henry VIII., on the rebellion in the North, called "the pilgrimage of grace," occasioned by the dissolution of the lesser monasteries, he was constituted the King's Lieutenant, to march thither with a powerful army, he himself having raised a number of men at his own expense, when the Earl, and the Duke of Norfolk, succeeded in bringing the rebels to submission, and obtained for them the King's pardon. This nobleman resided occasionally at Chelsea; and here his sixth son, by his first wife, was born. The Earl died 1538; he is characterised by Polydore Virgil, "as a person noble, prudent, and moderate through the whole course of his life."

Francis, his son and heir, is mentioned among the freeholders in the court rolls of the Manor of Chelsea, 35 Henry VIII. This nobleman also enjoyed the favour of his sovereign during three succeeding reigns. In 1545 he was appointed the King's Lieutenant in the North; and in the following year was installed one of the Knights Companions of the most noble order of the Garter. In 2 Edward VI. he had the command of a large army that was sent into Scotland, and in 1st of Queen Mary was made President of the Council of the North. He died September 21, 1560.

George, Earl of Shrewsbury, son of the preceding, was installed a Knight of the Garter, May 17, 1562. In 1568 the custody of the Queen of Scots was committed to his charge. In 1573, he presided as Lord High Steward at the trial of the Duke of Norfolk; and on the death of his Grace, which happened soon after, he was constituted Earl Marshal of England. He died 1590, and was buried at Sheffield, in the county of York. "An inquisition, taken at Derby, 3rd April, 33 Elizabeth, on the death of George, Earl of Shrewsbury; after reciting lands, &c., in many counties, adds Middlesex, one capital messuage, &c., in Chelsea. The value is lumped in many manors, into a gross sum of ￡800 a year." The inscription on his monument, among other things, sets forth, "That, as he excelled in mind, so was he skilled in the affairs of war." On the arrival of Mary, Queen of Scots, in England, she was again put under his care, and so continued till 1584. His behaviour to her was ever generous and honourable, sparing no cost for her entertainment. Words cannot fully express the care and concern he had for her, nor can envy itself say otherwise than he was a faithful and prudent person; in a word, his integrity in his high office was not to be suspected, although evil disposed persons secretly and vaguely gave out that he had used too much familiarity with his royal prisoner. Thus, noble by descent, he was more noble and illustrious in his actions; famous at home and abroad; loyal to his prince and true to his country; and he resigned his soul in "a good old age." The Earl married to his second wife, Elizabeth, widow of Sir William St. Loo, Captain of the Guards to Queen Elizabeth, who survived him, and to whom he probably bequeathed his house at Chelsea, as it appears to have descended to her son William, first Earl of Devonshire. In "Lodge's Illustrations of English History," is a letter of this nobleman, dated from Chelsea, in 1585.

Elizabeth, Countess of Shrewsbury. This lady, who was much celebrated for her beauty and accomplishments, and still more for her extraordinary fortune in the world, was daughter of John Hardwick, Esq., of the county of Derby. At the age of fourteen she was married to Robert Barley, Esq., who, in about two years, left her a very rich widow. The next husband was Sir William Cavendish, ancestor of the Duke of Devonshire. Her third was Sir William St. Loo. In this third widowhood she had not survived her charms of wit and beauty, by which she captivated the then greatest subject of the land, George, Earl of Shrewsbury, whom she brought to terms of considerable honour and advantage to herself and children; for he not only yielded to a very large jointure, but to a union of families, by marrying Mary, her youngest daughter, to Gilbert, his son and afterwards his heir, and giving the Lady Grace, his youngest daughter, to Henry, her eldest son. In 1590 she was a fourth time left, and continued a widow till her death. Her's was a change of conditions that, perhaps, never fell to any one woman before or since: to be four times a creditable and happy wife, and to rise by every husband to greater wealth and higher honours; and, after all, to live seventeen years a widow in absolute power and plenty. She built three of the most elegant seats that were ever raised by one person in the same county-Chatsworth, Hardwick, and Oldcoates; all transmitted entire to the first Duke of Devonshire. The Countess died in 1607, aged 87. She bequeathed all her estates to her son William, Earl of Devonshire; and we find this nobleman to have been in possession of this mansion at Chelsea soon after her death.

William, Earl of Devonshire, received his education with the sons of the Earl of Shrewsbury, his father in-law; and, being distinguished for eminent abilities, was advanced to the dignity of Baron Cavendish, by James I. in the third year of his reign; at which time of his creation his Majesty stood under a cloth of state in the hall at Greenwich, accompanied by the princes and the greatest part of the nobility, both of England and Scotland. In 1618 he was created Earl of Devonshire. He died at Hardwick in 1625. The Earl married, to his second wife, Elizabeth, daughter of Edward Boughton, Esq., of the county of Warwick, and widow of Sir Richard Wortley. This lady survived him, and continued to reside at Chelsea till her death, which happened in 1643, as appears by the parish book, in which are also entries of the burials of some of her domestics.

After the death of the Countess of Devonshire, this ancient house became the property of Sir Joseph Alston, who was created a baronet by Charles II. in 1682. Mrs. Mary Alston, the wife of this gentleman, died here in 1671, and her funeral sermon was preached by Dr. Littleton, who published it shortly after, in quarto. Sir Joseph was in possession of this house in 1664; it afterwards came into the possession of Mr. Tate, and was occupied as a stained paper manufactory.

In 1813 it was pulled down, and the materials sold by a builder, who had obtained possession; and now not a stone remains to show where it once stood.

The family of Tate were originally of Chelsea, and had at one time large property here, which they parted with by degrees. They attained property also in Leicestershire, through a marriage with the daughter of Lord Zouch.

Bishop of Winchester's Palace.

The Bishop of Winchester's Palace, which was pulled down some years since, adjoined the gardens of Alston House, on the east, and on the site of which is now Oakley Street, and a terrace of well-built houses, fronting the river. The houses erected in Oakley Street are throughout of a superior class, and as the road is of considerable width, with a good pavement, it now forms the most respectable and important direct thoroughfare from the King's Road to the centre of Cheyne Walk. The contemplated embankment and Albert Bridge will be noticed at the conclusion of this work, so as to get correct information.

The ancient palace of the Bishops of Winchester, in Southwark, having been dilapidated and laid waste, an Act of Parliament was passed in the year 1663 empowering George Morley, Bishop of Winchester, to lease out the houses in Southwark, and for other purposes. In the ensuing year the Bishop, in pursuance of this Act of Parliament, purchased a new brick house at Chelsea, then lately built by James Duke of Hamilton, and adjoining to the Manor House, Cheyne Walk, on the east, and Alston House, on the west, for ￡4250, to be the future residence of the bishops of this see, and to be called Winchester House. By the Act it was held to be within the diocese of Winchester.

The Bishopric of Winchester is of good antiquity, and has never changed the see since its foundation. The Bishops are Chancellors of the see of Canterbury, and Prelates of the most noble Order of St. George, called the Garter, which office was vested in them by King Edward III. at the establishment of that noble Order, and has continued with them ever since. Anciently, they were reputed Earls of Southampton, and are so styled in the Statutes of the Garter, made by Henry VIII.

BISHOPS SINCE THE RESTORATION OF KING CHARLES II.