Chapter VI: Introduction (6)

Sir Christopher Hatton (born 1540, died 1591) was styled =The Dancing Chancellor= because he first attracted the notice of Queen Elizabeth by his graceful dancing at one of the Court masques. In recognition of this accomplishment he was created a Knight of the Garter and subsequently made Chancellor of England. =Praise-God Barebones=, or, rather, Barebon, who died in 1680, was a leather-seller and the leader of the celebrated “Barebones Parliament.” It was a common custom among the Puritans to nickname people in accordance with their habits and peculiarities; consequently this individual must have been addicted to praising God in the hearing of his neighbours. William Huntingdon, the preacher and theologian (born 1744, died 1813), called himself =Sinner-saved Huntingdon= for reasons doubtless best known to himself. =Orator Henley=, otherwise John Henley (born 1692, died 1756), was an English divine who in 1726 delivered a course of lectures on theological subjects on Sundays, and on secular subjects on Wednesdays, in a kind of “oratory” or chapel in Newport Market, which attracted large congregations.

=Memory Woodfall= was the sobriquet of William Woodfall (born 1745, died 1803), brother to the reputed author of the famous “Letters of Junius.” This person’s memory was so perfect that he was able, after listening to a Parliamentary debate, to report it the next morning word for word without the assistance of any notes whatever. Of another kind was the memory possessed by John Thompson, the son of a greengrocer in the parish of St. Giles, popularly known as =Memory-corner Thompson= (born 1757, died 1843) on account of his astounding local knowledge. Within twenty-four hours, and at two sittings, he drew entirely from memory a correct plan of the parish of St. James’s. This plan contained all the squares, streets, lanes, courts, passages, markets, churches, chapels, houses, stables, and angles of houses, in addition to a number of minor objects, such as walls, trees, &c., and including an exact plan of Carlton House and St. James’s Palace. He also, on another occasion, made a correct plan of St. Andrew’s parish, and offered to do the same with the parishes of St. Giles, St. Paul’s, Covent Garden, and St. Clement-Danes. If a particular house in any given street were named, he would tell at once what trade was carried on in it, the appearance and position of the shop, and its contents. In going through a large hotel completely furnished, he was able to retain a recollection of everything he saw, and afterwards make an inventory of the whole. But, perhaps more wonderful than all, he could, after having read a newspaper overnight, repeat any desired portion of its contents _verbatim_ the next morning. Nowadays such a one would be exhibited at the Royal Aquarium as a natural curiosity.

Another well-known London character was =Dirty Dick=, otherwise Nathaniel Bentley, the miser, who never washed himself. This extraordinary individual died in the odour of dirt in the year 1809, leaving an ample fortune to console his heirs for his loss (?). The house which he inhabited in Bishopsgate Street Without has now been converted into a modern wine and spirit establishment, under the style of THE D.D. CELLARS. Laurence Brown, the English landscape gardener (born 1715, died 1783) was nicknamed =Capability Brown= owing to his habitual use of the word _capability_. At the present day the Duke of Cambridge (born 1819) is usually denominated =George Ranger= in allusion to his appointment as Ranger of the Royal Parks. Ernest Benzon, author of “How I Lost £250,000 in Two Years,” rejoiced in the title of =The Jubilee Plunger= because he entered upon his gambling career in 1887, the Jubilee year of Queen Victoria [_see_ PLUNGER].

A few of the more celebrated painters may now detain us. Peter Aartsen, the Flemish painter (born 1507, died 1573), bore the name of =Long Peter= on account of his extraordinary height; while Gaspar Smitz, the Dutch portrait painter (died 1689), was styled =Magdalen Smith= because his pictures comprised mostly “Magdalens.” The real name of the French landscape painter, =Claude Lorraine= (born 1600, died 1682), was Claude Gelée _of_ Lorraine; that of Paolo Veronese, or =Paul Veronese= (born 1528, died 1588), was Paolo Cagliari, his birth having taken place in Verona; and that of Jacopa da Bassano, called =Il Bassano= (born 1510, died 1592), was Jacopa da Ponte, whose native place was Bassano, in the Venetian State. Pietro Vanucci (born 1446, died 1524), though recognizing Città della Pieve as his birthplace, was all his life established in the neighbouring city of Perugia, where he claimed the right of citizenship; hence the origin of his more common name =Il Perugino=. Francesco Rossi (born 1510, died 1563), adopted the name of =Del Salviati=, in honour of his patron, Cardinal Salviati, who was his own age exactly, and, strangely enough, died in the same year as himself. Giuseppe Ribera (born 1588, died 1656), was popularly surnamed =Lo Spagnoletto= (“the Little Spaniard”), from the shortness of his stature and his birth at Xativa, in Spain; while Tommaso Guidi (born 1402, died 1428), merited his better-known name of =Masaccio=, owing to the slovenliness of his habits, the direct consequence of an all-absorbing attention to his studies. Jacopo Robusti (born 1512, died 1594) received his now far more popular name of =Tintoretto= because his father followed the occupation of a _tintore_, or dyer. During his lifetime, this celebrated Italian painter merited the additional sobriquet of =Il Furioso= owing to the rapidity with which he produced his work. Quintin Matsys (born 1466, died 1530), whose masterpiece, “The Taking Down from the Cross,” has achieved a world-wide reputation, is equally known to fame by the name of =The Smith of Antwerp=, owing to the circumstance of having followed for a time, and with great distinction, his father’s occupation of a blacksmith. His attachment to the pretty daughter of a painter, however, caused him eventually to forsake the anvil for the palette. Nearer home the historical portrait painter, David Allan (born 1744, died 1796) was surnamed =The Scottish Hogarth= in compliment to his excellence; and William Huggins (born 1821, died 1884), =The Liverpool Landseer=, in favourable comparison with the celebrated English animal painter of that name.

Simon Bolivar, the South American hero (born 1783, died 1830), justly merited the dignified title of =The Liberator=; while General John Charles Fremont (born 1813, died 1890) won the surname of =The Pathfinder= after his fourth successful exploring expedition across the Rocky Mountains in 1842. Lastly, Jonathan Hastings, a farmer of Cambridge, Massachusetts, U.S., was styled =Yankee Jonathan= in consequence of his addiction to the word _Yankee_ in the place of “excellent.” Thus he would say, “A Yankee good horse,” “A Yankee good cider,” &c. This individual, however, must not be confounded with “Brother Jonathan,” the nickname of the typical American, to which reference is made in another portion of this work.

_THE INNS OF COURT._

As by reference to our article on TAVERN SIGNS it will be seen how the word _Inn_ originally denoted a private mansion, it will suffice to state here that the various colleges of the law students in London are styled =Inns= because the chief of them were at one time the residences of the nobility whose family names they still bear. Thus, =Lincoln’s Inn= was the town mansion of the Earls of Lincoln, =Gray’s Inn=, of the Earls Gray, =Furnival’s Inn=, of the Lords Furnival, and =Clifford’s Inn=, of the Lords Clifford. The two first-named, together with the Inner and Middle Temple, are the principal =Inns of Court=, so called because the earliest seminaries for the study of the law were established in one of the courts of the King’s palace. The Inns of lesser import are:--=Serjeants’ Inn=, originally the establishment of the “Frères Serjens,” or Serving Brothers to the Knights Templars who occupied =The Temple= close by; =Barnard’s Inn=--sold and abolished in 1881--named after its ancient owner; =Staple Inn=, formerly the Hall of the Merchants of the Staple, _i.e._, wool; =Clement’s Inn= and =Dane’s Inn=, so designated from their proximity to the Church of St. Clement-Danes; and =New Inn=, the latest of all the Inns erected in the early part of the last century. =Thavie’s Inn= no longer exists, but the title still adheres to a range of modern buildings erected upon its site. No person of the name of Thavie ever owned or occupied the original premises; nevertheless, when the Inn was established as an appendage to Lincoln’s Inn, about the middle of the fourteenth century, the Benchers unanimously agreed to perpetuate the memory of one John Thavie, an armourer who, dying in the year 1348, bequeathed a number of houses in Holborn, representing considerable rentals, to the neighbouring church of St. Andrew, and named it “Thavie’s Inn” accordingly.

The senior members of the Inns of Court are styled =Benchers= by reason of the benches on which they formerly sat.

_RACES._

=Goodwood Races= are held once a year in Goodwood Park, the property of the Duke of Richmond; =Ascot Races=, on Ascot Heath, in Berkshire, and =Epsom Races=, on Epsom Downs, near London. The =Derby Stakes=, at Epsom, were named after Edward Smith Stanley, twelfth Earl of Derby, who founded them in 1780, the year after he established the =Oaks Stakes=; so called from an inn known as “Lamberts’ Oaks,” originally erected by the Hunters’ Club and rented by a family named Lambert upon land which subsequently passed into the possession of the Derby family. The =St. Leger Stakes=, otherwise the =Doncaster St. Leger=, annually run for at Doncaster, were established by Colonel Anthony St. Leger in 1776.

A =Hurdle Race= is one in which hurdles are placed at different points along the course. A =Steeplechase= is confined to thoroughbred hunters whose riders are bound to make for the winning-post straight across the country, guided by flags displayed on the highest points along the line, and to clear whatever ditches, fences, walls, or other obstacles that may lie in their course. The term originated from the incident of an unsuccessful hunting-party agreeing to race to the village church, of which the steeple was just in sight; and he who touched the building first with his whip was to be declared the winner. A =Scratched Horse= is one whose name has been struck out of the final list of runners in a particular race. A =Sweepstake= is a term used to denote the whole amount staked by different persons upon one race, and cleared literally “at one sweep” by the fortunate individual who has backed the winner.

_LONDON CHURCHES AND BUILDINGS._

In all probability the name of =Westminster Abbey= would never have come into existence had it not been necessary to distinguish the Abbey Church lying to the west of St. Paul’s (founded by Ethelbert in 610) from another Abbey Church that stood upon the rising ground now known as Tower Hill. Consequently, the one was described as the _West Minster_, the other the _East Minster_; and when, in course of time, the latter was swept away, the western edifice not only retained the description of “The West Minster,” but gave its name also to the district around. The earliest mention of West Minster occurs in a Saxon charter dated 785.

The =Temple= comprised the chief seat in this country of the Knights Templars after their return from the Holy Land. The =Savoy Chapel= is a modern edifice built by the Queen to replace the original, destroyed by fire July, 7, 1864, which formed the only remaining portion of the old =Savoy Palace= erected by Peter of Savoy, the uncle of Eleanor, queen of Henry III., in 1249, on land granted to him by that monarch.

The Church of =St. Clement-Danes= owes its compound title to the fact of being dedicated to St. Clement, and of Harold, a Danish king, together with several other Danes lying buried within its walls. The Church of =St. Mary-le-Bow=, Cheapside, otherwise =Bow Church=, was so denominated because it was the first church ever built upon bows or arches. The Church of =St. Mary Woolnoth=, at the corner of Lombard Street and King William Street, is supposed to be a corruption of St. Mary Woolnough, so called by way of distinction from a neighbouring church of “St. Mary of the Wool,” that stood beside the beam or wool-staple. The Church of =St. Mary-Axe=, now vanished, received this name from its situation opposite to a shop that displayed an axe for its sign. The Church of =St. Catherine Cree=, Leadenhall Street, is properly St. Catherine and Trinity, being originally a chapel dedicated to St. Catherine in the churchyard of the priory church of Holy Trinity, afterwards merged into the parishes of Christ Church, St. Mary Magdalen, and St. Michael. The Church of =St. Catherine Coleman=, Fenchurch Street, dedicated to St. Catherine, is so designated because it was built in a large garden belonging to a person named Coleman. The Church of =St. Margaret Pattens=, Rood Lane, did not receive its denomination from the patten-makers who congregated in this neighbourhood, but because its roof was formerly decorated with gilt spots or _patines_; a patine being the name of a small circular dish of gold used to cover the chalice at the altar. Lovers of Shakespeare may recollect the passage in the _Merchant of Venice_ where Lorenzo, referring to the stars, says:--

“Sit, Jessica: Look how the floor of heaven
Is thick inlaid with patines of bright gold;
There’s not the smallest orb which thou behold’st,
But in his motion like an angel sings,
Still quiring to the young-ey’d cherubins;
Such harmony is in immortal souls,
But whilst this muddy vesture of decay
Doth grossly close it in, we cannot hear it.”

The original =Church of St. Sepulchre=, founded during the time of the Crusades, was so denominated in honour of the Holy Sepulchre at Jerusalem. The name of =St. Bride’s Church=, Fleet Street, is a contraction of St. Bridget’s Church. The Church of =St. Andrew Undershaft=, Leadenhall Street, dedicated to St. Andrew, was originally so called because its steeple was of lesser altitude than the tall shaft or maypole which stood opposite the south door. Hence, the church was literally “under the shaft.” The parish of St. Mary-Axe is now united to that of St. Andrew Undershaft. The Church of =St. Helen’s=, Bishopsgate, was built and dedicated to St. Helena, the mother of Constantine, in 1180, just thirty years before William Fitzwilliam, a rich goldsmith, founded in connection therewith a priory of Benedictine nuns, dedicated to the Holy Cross and St. Helena. The neighbouring Church of =St. Ethelburga= was so named in honour of the daughter of King Ethelbert. The Church of =Allhallowes Barking=, at the bottom of Mark Lane, derived the second portion of its title from the fact that it belonged to the ancient abbey and convent at Barking, in Essex. =St. Olave’s Church=, Tooley Street, is properly described as =St. Olaf’s Church=, being dedicated to Olaf, a Norwegian prince of great renown, who came over to this country at the invitation of the King Ethelred, and rendered good service in expelling the Danes.

The central portion of the Tower of London, supposed to have been built by Julius Cæsar, is known as the =White Tower= on account of the white stone employed in its construction. In the =Bloody Tower= the Infant Princes were murdered by order of their uncle, Richard III.; and in the =Beauchamp Tower=, Thomas de Beauchamp, Earl of Warwick, was imprisoned by Richard II. for leading the conspiracy of the Barons for the removal of Sir Simon de Burley, the young King’s favourite. At the accession of Henry IV. the Earl obtained his liberty. =Traitors’ Gate= denotes the river gate by which all State prisoners convicted of high treason were admitted into the Tower. =Newgate Prison= derived its name from its original situation next to the newest of the five principal gates of the City. The prison is first mentioned in history under date 1207. The present gloomy edifice was built in 1782. The open space between the prison and the Old Bailey was formerly known as the =Press Yard=, because here it was that prisoners who refused to plead upon trial were barbarously pressed to death. The =Old Bailey= Sessions House received its name from the street in which it stands [_see_ OLD BAILEY in the article “LONDON STREETS AND SQUARES.”] The old =Marshalsea Prison=, Southwark, abolished and pulled down in 1842, was so called because it contained the Court of the Knight-Marshal, whose duty it was to settle disputes occurring between the members of the Royal Household. This office now belongs to the Steward of the Royal Household. =Bridewell= was a corruption of “St. Bridget’s Well,” discovered in the grounds attached to an ancient hospital, afterwards converted into a house of correction for females. An iron pump let into the wall of the churchyard at the upper end of Bride Lane indicates the exact spot where the dames of old were wont to drink the virtuous waters. The =Fleet Prison= took its name from the river, now a common sewer, near which it stood. The northern boundary of the prison is now defined by =Fleet Lane=, which runs from Farringdon Street to the Old Bailey.

=St. John’s Gate=, Clerkenwell, is the sole remaining portion of the priory of St. John of Jerusalem, the seat in this country of the Knights Hospitallers, instituted by Godfrey de Boulogne. The Gate now forms the headquarters of the St. John’s Ambulance Association. =Temple Bar= was not one of the City fortifications, but the ordinary gateway of the Temple. It was popularly known as =The City Golgotha=, owing to the spiked heads of traitors exposed thereon--_Golgotha_ being Hebrew for “the place of skulls.” The Bar was taken down in 1878. =London Bridge=--that is to say, the original structure--was the first bridge over the Thames. The present structure was thrown open August 1, 1831. =Billingsgate= traces its origin to Belin, one of the early kings of Britain, who built a gate on the site of the present market and gave it his name. =St. Katherine’s Docks= received their title from an ancient hospital dedicated to St. Katherine, swept away by their construction in the year 1828. =The Mint= is so called in accordance with the Anglo-Saxon _mynet_, coin [_see_ MONEY]. The =Trinity House=, the seat of the Trinity Corporation, which controls the pilotage of the Thames and the various lighthouses, buoys, harbour-dues, &c., around our coast, owed its foundation to Sir Thomas Spert, Comptroller of the Navy of Henry VIII., and commander of the _Harry Grace de Dieu_, originally situated at Deptford; it was incorporated in 1529 under the style of “The Master-Wardens and Assistants of the Guild, or Fraternity, or Brotherhood, of the most glorious and undivisible Trinity, and St. Clement, in the parish of Deptford, Stroud, in the County of Kent.” The present edifice was built in 1795. =Crosby Hall=, Bishopsgate, at one time a palace, but now converted into a restaurant, was built by Sir John Crosby about the middle of the fifteenth century. The =Congregational Memorial Hall=, Farringdon Road, which occupies part of the site of the old Fleet Prison, was built in 1872 to memorate the ejection of more than two thousand Church of England ministers from their charges, August 24, 1662, consequent upon their refusal to subscribe to the “Act of Uniformity” [_see_ NONCONFORMISTS]. The =Guildhall= is the hall of the City guilds; the word GUILD being derived from the Anglo-Saxon _gildan_, to pay, alluding to the fee paid for membership. =Doctors’ Commons=, originally established as a college for the Professors of Canon and Civil Law, received its name from the rule which required the Doctors to dine at a common table. That sombre-looking structure, the =College of Arms=, otherwise =Heralds’ College=, is the office where the records of the genealogical descent of all our noble families are preserved, and where searches for coats-of-arms may be instituted. The Corporation of the College dates back to the year 1484. The General Post Office is officially denominated =St. Martin’s-le-Grand= because it occupies the site of a collegiate church and sanctuary of that name founded by Within, King of Kent in 750, and chartered by William the Conqueror in 1068.

The =Charterhouse=, originally a monastery of the Carthusians, is a corruption of _La Chartreuse_, the name of the district in France where this religious Order first came into existence. =Christ’s Hospital=, also known as the =Blue Coat School=, from the colour of the coats worn by the boys, retains the ancient designation of a church and school belonging to the Grey Friars. It is only in modern times, by the way, that the term =Hospital= has come to be exclusively applied in this country to a refuge for the sick. Properly understood, a hospital denotes a house intended for the reception and accommodation of travellers; the source of the word being the Latin _hospitalis_, pertaining to a guest, based upon _hospes_, a stranger, a guest, and from which we derive the word HOSPITALITY. The great Bernardine monastery on the summit of the Alps, devoted to the good work of rescuing snow-bound travellers, is appropriately denominated a =Hospice=, which answers to our Hospital. =St. Bartholomew’s Hospital= was founded by Rahare, a monk attached to the neighbouring Priory of St. Bartholomew in 1123; whereas =Guy’s Hospital= arose out of the bequest of £238,292, by the will of Thomas Guy, a benevolent bookseller of Lombard Street, who died in 1722. =Bedlam= is a contraction of =Bethlehem Hospital=, a lazar-house named after the Hospital of St. Mary at Bethlehem, and converted into a lunatic asylum in 1815. This was the common designation in ancient times for a refuge for the poor, the word =Bethlehem= expressing the Hebrew for “a house of bread”; but in more modern times the synonym =Lazar-house= was substituted in allusion to Lazarus, who picked up the crumbs under the table of Dives. A refuge for fallen women has always borne the name of a =Magdalen Hospital= in honour of Mary Magdalen.

=St. James’s Palace= marks the site of an ancient leper hospital dedicated to St. James the Less, Bishop of Jerusalem. The present edifice was built by Henry VIII. in 1530. =Buckingham Palace= displaced old Buckingham House, the town mansion of John Sheffield, Duke of Buckingham, in the year 1825. The total cost to the nation of this “desirable residence” was £1,000,000. =Marlborough House= was originally the town residence of John, Duke of Marlborough, erected by Sir Christopher Wren in 1709. =Somerset House= reverted to the Crown by the attainder of its owner, Edward Seymour, Duke of Somerset, the Lord Protector of Edward VI., executed January 22, 1552. =Whitehall= received its name from the fresh appearance of its exterior as contrasted with the ancient buildings on the opposite side of the way. The present fabric, viz., =The Banquetting Hall=, is merely a vestige of the palace originally set apart by Cardinal Wolsey for the London See of York: whence he gave it the name of “York House.” The =Horse Guards= is so called because a troop of Horse Guards are regularly quartered here. =Dover House= was named after its owner, the Hon. George Agar Ellis, afterwards created Lord Dover; and =York House=, after the Duke of York and Albany who bought it in 1789. =Devonshire House=, Piccadilly, is the town residence of the Duke of Devonshire. =Apsley House=, Hyde Park Corner, well known as the residence of the Duke of Wellington, received its name from Henry Apsley, Lord Chancellor, afterwards created Lord Bathurst, who built it in 1784. =Chandos House=, Cavendish Square, was the residence of James Brydges, “the Princely Duke of Chandos.” The =Albany=, Piccadilly, perpetuates the memory of the Duke of York and Albany, who acquired it from Lord Melbourne in exchange for his older residence, York House, in Whitehall. =Burlington House=, the home of the Royal Academy of Arts and quite a number of learned societies, was built by Sir John Denham, the poet and judge, in 1718, and refronted by the celebrated amateur architect, Richard Boyle, Earl of Burlington and Cork, in 1731. This palatial edifice was purchased by the State in 1854. The =Soane Museum=, Lincoln’s Inn Fields, was the private collection of Sir John Soane, the architect and antiquary, who died in 1837. =The Rolls Chapel=, Chancery Lane, bears this name because it was annexed by patent to the office of the Master of the Rolls of Chancery after the banishment of the Jews from England in the year 1290. The history of the chapel dates from 1283, when Henry III. founded it for the reception of the Jewish rabbis converted to Christianity.

The =Painted Hall=, Greenwich Hospital, owes its name to its magnificently decorated ceiling. =Vanburgh Castle=, Blackheath, was built in the castellated style by Sir John Vanburgh, in 1717. =Rye House=, famous for being the scene of the conspiracy to assassinate Charles II., which was discovered June 12, 1683, is so called from the rye on which it stands; RYE being an Old English term for a common, derived from _ree_, a watercourse: hence PECKHAM RYE.

=Bruce Castle=, Tottenham, has a history all its own. The present structure dates back to the latter part of the seventeenth century; but the original building was erected by Earl Waltheof, whose marriage with Judith, the niece of William the Conqueror, brought him portions of the earldoms of Northumberland and Huntingdon. Their only daughter, Maud, on becoming the wife of David I., King of Scotland, placed him in possession of the Huntingdon estates, and, as appended to that property, the manor of Tottenham, in Middlesex. Ultimately these possessions descended to Robert Bruce, the brother of William III., King of Scotland. The contention between Robert Bruce and John Baliol for the Scottish throne being decided in favour of the latter, the former retired to England, and settling on his grandfather’s estate at Tottenham, repaired the castle to which he gave the name of “The Castle Bruce.” =Lincoln House=, Enfield, was the residence of the second and third Earls of Lincoln in the seventeenth century. =Sandford House=, Stoke Newington, is interesting as having been the residence of Thomas Day, the author of “Sandford and Merton” (born 1748, died 1789). =Cromwell House=, Highgate, now a Convalescent Hospital for sick children, was occupied for some time by Oliver Cromwell, who built =Ireton House=, close by, for Henry Ireton, his son-in-law, in 1630; while =Lauderdale House=, lately a Convalescent Home in connection with St. Bartholomew’s Hospital, was the residence of the Earls of Lauderdale during the seventeenth century. WATERLOW PARK, in this neighbourhood--in fact, comprising among other valuable property the grounds appertaining to Lauderdale House--was generously presented to the London public by Sir Sydney Waterlow, in November, 1890. The =Clock House=, Hampstead, originally displayed a clock in place of the present sun-dial. =Rosslyn House=, Hampstead, which gives the name to ROSSLYN HILL PARK, was erected by Alexander Wedderburn, first Earl of Rosslyn and Lord Chancellor of England, in 1795. =Erskine House=, Hampstead, adjoining “The Spaniards,” was the residence of Lord Erskine, Lord Chancellor of England, who died here in 1823.

=Strawberry Hill=, the celebrated palace of curiosities built by Horace Walpole in 1750, received its name from the rising ground upon which it stood. The building was sold by public auction, and purchased by Baron H. de Stein, in July, 1883. =Orleans House=, Twickenham, now a club, was named after Louis Philippe of France, who resided in it when he was simply Duc d’Orleans. =Essex House=, Putney, was one of the many residences of Robert Devereaux, Earl of Essex, the favourite of Queen Elizabeth. =Bristol House=, Putney, was, until recently, the property of the Bristol family. =Craven Cottage=, Fulham, was built by the Countess of Craven, afterwards created Margravine of Anspach. =Munster House=, Fulham, derived its title from its one-time resident, Melesina Schulenberg, created Duchess of Munster in 1716. =Peterborough House=, Parson’s Green, was formerly the mansion of the Mordaunts, Earls of Peterborough. =Sussex House=, Hammersmith, was the favourite residence of the late Duke of Sussex. =Holland House=, Kensington, owes its name to Henry Rich, Earl of Holland, by whose father-in-law, Sir William Cope, it was built in 1607. Here Charles James Fox, the eminent orator and statesman (born 1749, died 1806), passed many of his earlier years; here also Joseph Addison, the poet and essayist, died in the year 1719.

The =Albert Hall=, =Albert Memorial=, =Albert Bridge=, and =Albert Palace=, each preserve the memory of the Prince Consort, whose death took place in 1861. The =Crystal Palace=, opened by the Queen, June 10, 1854, derived its title from its glass structure, which, when the sun shines upon it, glistens like crystal. The =Alexandra Palace= was named after the Princess of Wales, who was to have opened the original building, May 24, 1873; but, for some unexplained reason, she did not perform that ceremony. =Olympia=, opened December, 1886, is an appropriate designation for a huge edifice eminently adapted for every variety of popular amusement. The allusion is to Olympia, in Greece, where the celebrated “Olympian Games” were anciently held every fourth year. The =Polytechnic Institution=, Regent Street (now the Y. M. C. A.), was designated in strict conformity with its set purpose as an educational establishment, viz., from the two Greek words _polus_, many, and _techne_, an art. =St. George’s Hall= was originally, when opened in 1867, St. George’s Opera House, so styled because situated in the fashionable parish of St. George’s, Hanover Square. The =Egyptian Hall=, built in 1812, is a particularly well-chosen title; at least, it appears so at the present day, since the regular performances of those modern magicians, Messrs. Maskelyne and Cooke, have long ago become one of the institutions, if not actually one of the sights, of the Metropolis. =St. James’s Hall= was named after the parish church just opposite. =Willis’s Rooms=, so called after their late proprietor, were originally opened by a Scotsman named Almack, under the style of =Almack’s Assembly Rooms=, February 12, 1765. =Exeter Hall= was built in the year 1830 in the grounds of Exeter House, which also gave the name to =Exeter ’Change=, erected in 1680 and pulled down in 1829 [_see_ EXETER STREET]. The world-famous waxworks exhibition known as =Madame Tussaud’s= retains the name of its foundress (born 1760, died 1850) who first set up her figures at the old Lyceum Theatre in 1802, and after undergoing a variety of misfortunes settled down permanently in Baker Street in the year 1833.

=Scotland Yard=, the headquarters of the Metropolitan Police, received its name from an ancient palace erected on this spot for the accommodation of the Scottish kings in the days when they were annually required to pay homage to the Crown of England at Westminster. The first monarch so accommodated was Kenneth II. (died 854); the last was Margaret, Queen of Scots, the sister of Henry VIII. =Lord’s Cricket Ground=, familiarly styled =Lord’s=, owes its existence to Thomas Lord, who established, upon land of his own, first on the site of Dorset Square in 1780, and subsequently on its present site, the only cricketing ground where genteel players could meet to enjoy this game without fear of rubbing shoulders with the City apprentices. Previous to his enterprise the formation of a private Cricket Club had never been thought of. =Tattersall’s=, the well-known rendezvous for the sale of horses, was opened by Richard Tattersall near Hyde Park Corner in 1766, and removed to Knightsbridge April 10, 1865.

=Lloyd’s Rooms=, better known as =Lloyd’s=, derived this title from Edward Lloyd, a coffee-house keeper in Abchurch Lane, whose premises became the regular resort of merchants and others interested in shipping. The original location of a special office for the transaction of mercantile business over the Royal Exchange took place in 1775; but the name of the genial coffee-house keeper was by common consent transferred with it. On the destruction by fire of the first Royal Exchange, in 1838, “Lloyd’s” was temporarily removed until the completion of the present building in 1844.

The entrance to the privileged precincts of the Stock Exchange is called =Capel Court=, because it marks the residence of Sir William Capel, Lord Mayor of London in the year 1504. The term =Exchange= owes its origin to the French _echanger_, to trade, to barter. The object of the original =Royal Exchange=, founded by Sir Thomas Gresham in 1506 and opened by Queen Elizabeth amid sundry public rejoicings over the event (which accounts for the prenomen “Royal”), January 31, 1571, was to provide a convenient place where the merchants, bankers, and brokers of the City could meet throughout the day for the transaction of business. The =Stock Exchange= is the great money mart of the world [_see_ STOCK in the article “MONEY”].

The =Bankers’ Clearing House=, in Lombard Street, is the establishment where all cheques, drafts, and bills drawn upon the various bankers are sorted, distributed, and balanced up. The =Railway Clearing House=, adjoining Euston Railway Station, is a similar establishment devoted to the adjustment of the value represented by the tickets issued by the different Railway Companies. In conclusion, the title of =Mansion House=, though somewhat suggestive of tautology, may be accepted as denoting _the_ house of all other houses, since it is the official residence of the Lord Mayor.

_CLASS NAMES AND NICKNAMES._

An unmarried female originally received the designation of =Spinster= from her employment at the distaff or spindle. According to the practical notions of our Anglo-Saxon forefathers, a female was not considered fit to enter the married state until she had made for herself a complete set of body, bed, and table-linen. Hence the significance of the term =Wife=, derived from the Anglo-Saxon _wif_, by virtue of the verb _wyfan_, to weave. The designation =Widow= is an Indo-European importation, derived from the Sanskrit _vid-hava_, without husband. =Grass Widow=, denoting a woman temporarily separated from her husband, is a corruption of “Grace Widow”--in other words, a widow by grace, or courtesy. The word =Chaperon= is French, derived from the chapeau, or cap, worn by the duennas of Spain. =Duenna=, signifying a guardian, is Spanish, founded upon the Latin _domina_, a mistress. The title of =Dowager=, which distinguishes a widow left with a jointure from the wife of her late husband’s heir, comes from the French _douairière_, built upon the verb _douaire_, to dower. The name of =Blue Stocking= arose from the colour of the stockings worn by the members of the lady clubs in England during the days of Boswell. Gentlemen were not excluded from these assemblies, but the wearing of blue stockings was a _sine quâ non_ of admittance. The last surviving member of the original BLUE STOCKING CLUB, founded by Mrs. Montague in 1780, died in 1840. The earliest Blue Stocking assembly came into existence at Venice, under the title of _Della Calza_ in the year 1400. A lady’s-maid is familiarly styled an =Abigail=, in allusion to the handmaid who introduced herself to David (1 _Samuel_ xxv. 23). This class-name came into particular prominence during the early part of the eighteenth century, in compliment to Abigail Hill, the maiden name of Mrs. Mashem, the waiting-woman of Queen Anne. A Parisian shop or work-girl is known as a =Grisette= on account of the grey cloth of which her dress is made. In olden times all inferior classes in France were expected to be clad in _gris_, _i.e._, grey. =Colleen= is the native Irish for girl; and =Colleen Bawn= for a blonde girl. How little the latter expression is understood by actresses is shown by the way in which some of them essay to impersonate (?) the heroine of Dion Boucicault’s well-known drama whilst wearing their own dark hair or a dark wig. Truly, a little knowledge is a useful thing!

As nowadays comprehended, a =Milliner= is one who retails hats, feathers, bonnets, ribbons, and similar appurtenances to female costume. The name is really a corruption of _Milaner_, alluding to the city of Milan, which at one time set the fashion to the north of Europe in all matters of taste and elegance. =Haberdasher= is a modern form of the Old English word _Hapertaser_, or a retailer of hapertas cloth, the width of which was settled by Magna Charta. =Grocer= is a contraction and modified spelling of =Engrosser=, the denomination of a tradesman who, in the Middle Ages, claimed a monopoly for the supply of provisions. A vendor of vegetables is appropriately called a =Greengrocer=. An innkeeper is facetiously styled a =Boniface= in honour of a devout and hospitable man whom St. Augustine caused to be canonized, and who subsequently became the patron saint of Germany. Shakespeare, Dante, Bacon, and Lamb never tired of referring to Boniface. =Ostler= is a corruption of the French _hostelier_, an innkeeper; hence we sometimes speak of an inn as a HOSTELRY. The term =Carpenter=, from the Latin _carpentum_, a waggon, originally denoted a mechanic who constructed the wooden body of a vehicle of any kind, as distinguished from the =Wheelwright=; but in process of time the same term came to be applied to artificers in timber generally. The provincial name for such a one is a =Joiner=, literally a joiner of wooden building materials. In some districts of England a shoemaker still bears the name of =Cordwainer=. Formerly all shoemakers were styled Cordwainers, because they were workers in CORDWAIN, a corruption of CORDOVAN, which was the name of a particular kind of leather brought from Cordova. The designation =Tailor= is an Anglicized form of the French _Tailleur_, derived from the verb _tailler_, to cut. [For =Tallyman= _see_ TALLY, in the article “MONEY.”] A Pawnbroker is familiarly called =Uncle=, in perpetuation of an ancient pun on the Latin word _uncus_, a hook. For, whereas in modern times the spout is employed as a means of communication between the pawnshop and the store-rooms overhead, the Roman pawnbrokers used a large hook; and accordingly, the expression “Gone to the _uncus_,” was equivalent to our slang phrase “Up the spout.” A =Barber= derives his class-title from the Latin _barba_, a beard. Rude and semi-civilized tribes were anciently called =Barbarians=, because they belonged to no order of society. Between the fourteenth and sixteenth centuries the hairdressers of this country combined the practice of surgery, and were accordingly styled =Barber-Surgeons=. The surviving “Barber’s Pole” attests this fact. The separation of the two professions took place in 1540.

A shepherd or an ideal farmer bears the poetical description of an =Arcadian=, in allusion to the Arcadians, who were a pastoral people. A friendly adviser is designated a =Mentor=, in memory of the wise and faithful counsellor of Telemachus so named. The word =Usher= signifies a doorkeeper, agreeably to the Old French _huisher_, a door. =Bachelor= comes from the Welsh _bach_, small, young. This name originally meant one inexperienced in anything. The title of =Bachelor of Arts= denotes a degree next below that of =Master of Arts=.

=Beefeaters= is a vulgar perversion of _Buffetiers_, as the Yeoman of the Guard were styled during the reign of Henry VIII., on account of their attendance upon the King’s _Buffet_, or side-table. The word BUFFET is French, derived from the Spanish _búfia_, a wineskin. The civic guardians of law and order are denominated =Police= in accordance with the Greek _polis_, the city. For many years after the establishment of the Police through the measures of Sir Robert Peel (in Ireland, as the national constabulary in 1814; in London as a regular force in 1829), all =Policemen= were nicknamed =Bobbies= and =Peelers=, in allusion to their founder. =Bow Street Runners= were the original London detective force; so called because their headquarters was Bow Street, whence they were despatched to any part of the country in quest of the perpetrator of a particular crime. The predecessors of the Police were a set of decrepit old watchmen whose regular habit was to fall asleep in their boxes with their lanthorns beside them. These were derisively nicknamed =Old Charlies=; while their natural enemies, who loved nothing so much as to turn their boxes upon them, to molest defenceless females, mutilate males, and in many other ways to terrorize the peaceable inhabitants of the Metropolis, styled themselves first of all =Scourers=, and at a later date =Mohocks=, after the North American Indian tribe of that name. During the years 1859 and 1860 an even more grievous terror haunted the streets of London in the persons of =The Garrotters=, so called from the _Garrotte_, the instrument with which condemned malefactors are strangled in Spain. The punishment of the “cat o’ nine tails” for “Garrotting,” which came into operation July 13, 1861, gradually put an end to the practice. The latest terror of the streets which, unhappily, abounds in American cities, are the =Sandbaggers=, so called because they stun their victims with an ordinary sand-bag, such as is used to keep the draught from penetrating between a pair of window-sashes; after which robbery becomes an easy matter.

Pleasanter it is to turn from the birds of night to the fops and dandies by day. The word =Fop= comes from the German _foppen_, to make a fool of; and =Dandy= from the French _dandin_, a ninny. Between these two poor specimens of humanity there is no perceptible difference. The =Macaronies= of the last century derived their designation from the fashionable “Macaroni Clubs” to which they belonged. The modern class-title of =Masher= finds its origin in the Romany or gipsy word _mâsha_, signifying “to fascinate the eye.” _En passant_, the term =Gipsy= is a corruption of _Egyptian_, so called because the original family or tribe of low caste Hindoos expelled by Timour about the year 1399 eventually travelled into Europe by way of Egypt. The =Gipsies= were also in former times known as =Bohemians=, from the district in which they first attracted popular attention before they scattered themselves over Western Europe. Hence, any individual whose habits are unconventual, and to a certain extent nomadic, is styled a =Bohemian=. The name of =The Upper Ten= applied to the aristocracy, is short for “The Upper Ten Thousand,” a term originally applied by N. P. Willis, the American poet (born 1807, died 1867), to the fashionables of New York who, at the time he introduced it, numbered about ten thousand. A distinctly latter-day expression conveying much the same signification is =The Four Hundred=, by which we are left to conclude that the “select” society of New York must have undergone a considerable weeding-out during the last twenty years.

The temperance terms =Teetotal= and =Teetotaler= originated in the stuttering exhortation of one Richard Turner, an artizan of Preston, who, while addressing a meeting of abstainers in September, 1833, observed that “Nothing but t-t-t-total abstinence will do!” Several bodies of total abstainers from alcoholic beverages in England and America style themselves =Rechabites=, after the descendants of Jonadab, the son of Rechab, who lived in tents and foreswore wine. Others rejoice in the name of =Good Templars=, after the Templars of old. The =Good Templar Movement= cannot be accurately described as a _crusade_ against drink; but the =League of the Cross=, established by the Roman Catholics for the total suppression of drunkenness, is, in title and in fact, one of the most powerful crusades ever distinguished in modern times.

A sailor is called a =Jack Tar= because he puts on _tarpaulin_ “overalls” in “dirty weather.” =Longshoreman= is a corruption of _alongshoreman_, _i.e._, a wharfinger, &c. =Navvy= is a contraction of _Navigator_, which name was first given to the labourers employed in the construction of canals for inland navigation. A cabman is popularly styled a =Jehu= in allusion to one of the kings of Israel noted for his furious driving. A =Jerry Builder= is so called after one Jeremiah, a London builder who amassed a fortune by putting up houses with inferior materials in order to sell them at a large profit. A =Journeyman= is properly one who hires himself out to work by the day, agreeably to the first portion of the word _Jour_, the French for day. A debt-collector is known as a =Dun=, and his persistence is styled “Dunning,” in memory of Joe Dun, a famous bailiff of Lincoln, who was so successful in the discharge of his duties that it became quite customary when an individual refused to pay his debts to exclaim, “Why don’t you _Dun_ him for it?” which was tantamount to saying, “Why don’t you send _Dun_ to arrest him?” Whilst on the subject of law, we may here add that the expression =A Man of Straw=, employed to denote a person without capital or means, originated in the days when a certain class of men, chiefly ruined tradesmen, found it a profitable occupation to hire themselves out as witnesses in the law courts. The recognized mark of these persons was a wisp of straw protruding from their shoes; and as often as a lawyer stood in need of a convenient witness to prove his case, he knew by the presence of “a pair of straw shoes” in court that the owner of the said shoes would recollect and swear to any incident in consideration of a fee.

=Costermonger= is a corruption of _Costardmonger_, a seller of the famous costard apple introduced into this country by the Dutch in 1736. Both these terms are used by Shakespeare; nevertheless, they bore a totally different signification in his time. The word =Monger= comes from the Anglo-Saxon _mongere_, one who trades. An itinerant salesman in the olden time was styled a =Pedlar=, in accordance with the Latin _pedes_, the feet, because he travelled on foot; whereas =Hawker= comes from the German _hoken_, to carry on the back, to retail. Hawkers and Pedlars were first licensed in England in 1698. An itinerant salesman of another kind is known as a =Cheap Jack= on account of the word “cheap” which is Saxon for market, derived from _ceapan_, to buy. A travelling medicine-vendor originally received the nickname of =Quack-doctor=, or =Quack=, from _Quacksalber_, the German term for quicksilver, because, differing from the regular practitioners, he resorted to mercury and other dangerous ingredients. At times a Quack, or any other individual gifted with humorous colloquial powers, is dubbed a =Merry Andrew=, in allusion to Andrew Borde, a physician of the time of Henry VIII., noted for his facetious manners and sayings. =Juggler= is a corruption of _jongleur_, the French designation of one of the companions of the troubadours, whose business it was to supplement the lyrical accomplishments of the latter with feats of sleight-of-hand and other tricks for the amusement of the company. A =Stump Orator= is properly one who delivers a speech from the stump of a tree; the literal meaning of a STUMP SPEECH being thus explained.

The now approbrious name of =Blackguard= was formerly given to the scullions or dirty dependants of the English Court who washed out the saucepans, carried coals up to the kitchens, and performed other menial duties. As the “Guards of Honour” in the Royal Household were distinguished by their fine appearance, so these kitchen-men were equally distinguished by their grimy appearance; consequently the latter were styled “Black Guards.” The origin of the word =Scullion= was the Norman-French _esculle_, a porringer or dish. The place where the dishes are cleansed is still called a SCULLERY, while the domestic who performs such work bears the name of =Scullery Maid=. A rascal or sharper is designated a =Blackleg=, because such a one was generally to be found among the lower orders of turf and sporting men at the time these were especially characterized by the wearing of black top-boots. A =Plunger= is one who bets heavily either on the turf or at the gaming-table, without consideration for the risks he incurs. A =Bookmaker= is so called because he arranges his book, _i.e._, his bets, in such a manner that his losses and gains upon each day’s racing must balance themselves. The Bookmaker who absconds after a race in order to avoid paying those who have entered bets with him and won is styled a =Welsher=, in allusion to the thieving propensities of a certain race of people, as set forth in the old song, which begins, “Taffy was a Welshman, Taffy was a thief,” &c. The word =Burglar= is made up of the Old English _burgh_, a borough, derived from the German _burg_, a fortified place, and the French _lair_, a thief; the allusion being that such a one breaks into a private dwelling for purposes of theft. Down to a comparatively recent date the common hangman in this country bore the nickname of =Jack Ketch=, really a corruption of Richard Jacquett, to whom the manor of Tyburn, where our malefactors were executed prior to the year 1783, belonged.

A native of London is popularly styled a =Cockney=, pursuant to the Old English _cockeney_, an effeminate person, or rather one who has been rendered effeminate by the luxuries of the table; this term tracing its origin directly from the Latin verb _coquere_, to cook, whence we have the Italian _cuchina_, the French _cuisine_, the German _küche_, and the English _kitchen_. A popular satiric poem of the thirteenth century, entitled “The Land of Cockaygne,”--_i.e._, Kitchen Land, draws a picture of an imaginary Fool’s Paradise, where there is nothing but eating and drinking, where care, trouble, and toil find no place--a desirable country for those monks of the Church who delight in the pleasures of the table rather than the observance of their spiritual exercises. After this performance the term =Cockaigne= or =Cockaygne= gradually came to be applied to our capital city, where _cockenies_, or kitchen-servants, abounded, and where the luxury of good living was supposed to attain its highest development.

A raw youth, or a countryman new to the ways of the world, is dubbed a =Greenhorn=, in reference to the undeveloped horns of a young ox; the word “Green” being derived from the Anglo-Saxon _grêne_, that which is in process of growing. =Nincompoop= is a corruption of the Latin phrase _non compos [mentis]_, not in sound mind. A person of defective mind is called a =Lunatic=, from the Latin _luna_, the moon, in accordance with the Roman idea that the mind was affected by the changes of the moon. A person addicted to making foolish mistakes is styled a =Dutchman=, in allusion to the dull comprehensions supposed to be possessed by the inhabitants of the Low Countries. The term first came into use as an epithet of derision during the wars with Holland. A =Humbug= is one whose representations, though sounding plausible enough, are not to be relied upon. The origin of this word is as follows: In olden times there resided in the neighbourhood of the Mearns, in Scotland, a gentleman of landed property whose name was Hume, and whose estate was known as “The Bogue.” Owing to the great falsehoods which this “Hume of the Bogue” was in the habit of relating about himself, his family, and everything connected with his affairs, it became customary, as often as the people of that district heard anything at all remarkable or absurd to exclaim, “That is a Hume of the Bogue.” The word spelt in its present form first appeared on the title-page of “The Universal Jester: a choice collection of _bonmots_ and _humbugs_,” published by Fernando Killigrew about the year 1736. The assurance that Humbug is of such old date can scarcely tend to our satisfaction.

_MALT LIQUORS._

At the present day the terms =Ale= and =Beer= are used somewhat confusedly. The former, derived from the Gaelic and Irish _ól_, drink, is the real name of our national beverage, which, to judge from its intoxicating effects, must, in the days of our forefathers, have been a very strong drink indeed. The latter, on the other hand, is essentially a Saxon word, from the same root as _barm_, signifying “fermented drink,” and used to denominate the lighter kinds of fermented liquors generally, as well as other drinks obtained from the roots or leaves of plants, such as GINGER-BEER, SPRUCE-BEER, &c. We still speak of =Old Ales=; whereas =Small Beer= indicates a liquor of very poor quality.

In former times the only varieties of malt liquor in this country were =Ale= and =Beer=, the one strong, the other comparatively weak. To these a third, popularly described as =Twopenny=, was eventually added. However, it was rare that any one of these three was demanded singly; it being the custom, particularly in London, for the working-classes to call either for =Half-and-Half= or =Three Thirds=, meaning a tankard filled with equal portions of ale and beer, or of ale, beer, and twopenny. This custom remained in vogue until the year 1730, when it occurred to Mr. Harwood, a brewer of East London, to prepare a liquor analogous to the mixture of ale, beer, and twopenny; and thus save the time of the tavern-keepers, who were compelled to serve each customer from three different casks. Almost immediately, therefore, he introduced the malt liquor known as =Entire=, because it was drawn _entire_ from one cask. It was first retailed at the sign of “The Blue Last,” in Curtain Road, Shoreditch, where it soon came to be in active demand by the City porters, who made this house their regular resort, whereupon the enterprising publican adroitly called it =Porter=. The word “Entire” still appears upon the facia-boards of numerous taverns throughout the Metropolis; but who thinks of calling for _Entire_ at the present day? By the term =Stout= is implied a malt liquor of the stoutest quality, _i.e._, having the most body in it.

=Stingo= expresses an old beer of particular sharpness, in allusion to its _stinging_ properties; while =Yorkshire Stingo= is, of course, peculiar to the county of York. Originally the single X displayed on beer-barrels denoted that the liquor had paid a ten shillings’ duty. The additional X’s are merely brewers’ trade-marks, indicating various degrees of strength over and above that of the single X ale.