Chapter 4

Date of Year.Population.Number of Houses.18315540**Of whom 3021 were females.18394,764801Main Body18416,616Entire Parish18416,887Main Body186119,6003,125Of Entire Parish186124,6153,793Ditto187167,218Ditto188015,208Including 13,202in Penge Hamlet.Main Body, notincluding Penge187779,00011,500

In 1840 the rateable value was about £28,000.In 1856 the rateable value was about £79,100.In 1876 the rateable value was about £331,846.In 1880 the rateable value was about 416,000.

Anno Domini 1658, the Hamlet of Penge, seven miles from the Parish Church, contained twelve families. The Commissioners who were vested with power to unite or separate parishes did nothing in this case, they could not find a convenient place in the Hundred or County to unite it to. The nearest place of public worship was Beckingham in Kent, about a mile distant.

[1]An alteration has been made in the Diocesan arrangement. Since 1877, Battersea together with other parishes in East and Mid-Surrey has been added to the See of Rochester, and therefore is under the jurisdiction of the Bishop of that Diocese. The See of Rochester was founded A.D. 604. St. Augustin or Austin (the first Bishop of Canterbury A.D. 598). Consecrated Justus, the first Bishop of Rochester. The See of West Saxons (afterwards Winchester, A.D. 705) was founded A.D. 635. The first (arch) Bishop of London was Theanus, A.D. 176 (?). Battersea is now considered to be of sufficient importance to be made a Rural Deanery, and Canon Clarke, the Rural Dean. Southwark Archdeaconry. "Diocese (Fr. from Gr. dioikesis, administration and dioikeo, to govern) the territory over which a bishop exercises ecclesiastical jurisdiction. At first, a diocese meant the collection of churches or congregations under the charge of an archbishop. The name came afterwards to be applied to the charge of a bishop, which had previously been called a parish. England and Wales are divided ecclesiastically into two Provinces, viz., Canterbury and York, the former being presided over by the Primate of all England, and the latter by the Primate of England, each of which is sub-divided into dioceses, and these again into Archdeaconries and Rural Deaneries and Parishes. A Diocese is synonymous with the See of a Suffragan bishop." (Chamber's Encyclopedia). In England, the Archbishop of Canterbury has the right of crowning the King, and the Archbishop of York the right of crowning the Queen.Twelve years ago, the County of Surrey was divided for Electoral purposes into three Divisions named respectively East, West, and Mid-Surrey. At the time the Division was made in 1868 the Constituency of Mid-Surrey numbered only 10,500. Now (March 1880) we have on the Register 20,400 electors distributed in the following manner:—Battersea Polling District7,092Coulsdon " "152Horley " "465Kingston " "2,649Reigate & Red Hill " "1,271Richmond " "2,727Sutton " "1,975Wandsworth " "2,596Wimbledon " "1,606

Twelve years ago, the County of Surrey was divided for Electoral purposes into three Divisions named respectively East, West, and Mid-Surrey. At the time the Division was made in 1868 the Constituency of Mid-Surrey numbered only 10,500. Now (March 1880) we have on the Register 20,400 electors distributed in the following manner:—

Battersea Polling District7,092Coulsdon " "152Horley " "465Kingston " "2,649Reigate & Red Hill " "1,271Richmond " "2,727Sutton " "1,975Wandsworth " "2,596Wimbledon " "1,606

[2]The Village of Penge stands adjacent to the boundary with Kent, to the London and Brighton Railway, and to the London, Chatham and Dover Railway near the Crystal Palace, four miles N.N.E. of Croydon; includes new streets on what was formerly a common with picturesque oaks; and has a post office of the name of Penge Bridge and Penge Lane. The Chapelry contains also the Crystal Palace with its Railway Station; and it ranks politically as a Hamlet of Battersea. Acres, 840; population in 1851, 1,169; in 1861, 5,015; houses, 668; population 1868, nearly 10,000. Villas are very numerous, and King William 4th Naval Asylum, the Watermen's Alms Houses, and the North Surrey Industrial Schools are here. The Naval Asylum is for decayed widows of naval officers, and was founded by Queen Adelaide. The Watermen's Alms Houses were built in 1850, at a cost of £5000, and comprises 41 residences. The Industrial Schools is for the parishes northward of the Thames, occupies a plot of seven acres, with farm and kitchen garden; and at the census of 1801 had 748 inmates. The Chapelry is threefold, consisting of Penge proper, and one formed in 1868. The livings are P. Curacies in the diocese of Winchester. Value of Penge, £750; of Upper Penge, £800. Patrons of both Trustees.—Wilson's Gazetteer of England and Wales.Penge, for ecclesiastical purposes, is a separate parish, and has its own Overseers and supports its own poor. The Church of St. John the Evangelist is a modern gothic stone structure with tower and spire. The population of St. John's E. Parish in 1871 was 8,345, and the area is 500 acres. The Church of Holy Trinity, South Penge, to which a district was assigned in 1873, is built of brick with stone dressings consisting of chancel, nave and side aisles. The foundation stone was laid by the Right Hon. the Earl of Shaftesbury, R.G., April 17, 1872. The Church cost £7,500, and is capable of seating 1,000. The Register dates from 1874. The living is a vicarage. There are Chapels for Independents, Baptists, and Wesleyans, and National Schools.

Penge, for ecclesiastical purposes, is a separate parish, and has its own Overseers and supports its own poor. The Church of St. John the Evangelist is a modern gothic stone structure with tower and spire. The population of St. John's E. Parish in 1871 was 8,345, and the area is 500 acres. The Church of Holy Trinity, South Penge, to which a district was assigned in 1873, is built of brick with stone dressings consisting of chancel, nave and side aisles. The foundation stone was laid by the Right Hon. the Earl of Shaftesbury, R.G., April 17, 1872. The Church cost £7,500, and is capable of seating 1,000. The Register dates from 1874. The living is a vicarage. There are Chapels for Independents, Baptists, and Wesleyans, and National Schools.

[3]According to the Post Office Directory of the Six Home Counties, edited by E. R. Kelly, M.A., F.R.S., 1874, Battersea comprises 2,203 acres of land and 159 water.

With respect to the true etymology of the name Battersea,[1]itwas anciently written Battries-ey, and in Doom's-day Book Patries-ey, probably a mistake for Patrice-ey and signifying St. Peter's Isle, the termination ey, from the Saxon eze or ize, often occurring in the name of places adjacent to great rivers; as Putney, Molesey, Chertsey, etc. Battersea has a history dating from the time of Harold. At the Norman Conquest it passed into the hands of William the Conqueror, who exchanged it with the Abbey of St. Peter's, at Westminster, for lands at Windsor.

[1]Some of the old inhabitants of Battersea have a notion that Battersea took its name originally from a great battle that was fought in shallow water knee-deep when the river was fordable, hence Battersea, Battelsea or Battlesea—as the name itself appears to be somewhat shrouded in obscurity there may be some partial truth in this oral statement though we are not acquainted with any authentic records which warrant us to affirm that Battersea derived its name from this circumstance.

The earliest record we have of Battersea appears in Doomsday Book, where it is written Pattricesy. Some authors have supposed that because Petersham, which belonged to St. Peter's Abbey, Chertsey, is there spelt Patricesham, that the earliest form of Battersea originated its connexion with St. Peter's Abbey, thecthey say in both these words was sibilant and therefore did not differ very much in pronunciation from that it is now, though they admit that it is a "curious anomaly that while P inPatricesyhas been changed into B the P inPatriceshamremains unchanged." What the final syllable represents is less clear as there are now no traces of Battersea having been an island although there may have been once. Chelsea, it is remarked, "was originallyCeale-hytheor Chelc-hythe, and a haven on the Thames, not an island, just as Lambeth was 'Lambe-hithe' or haven, but there is no recorded form of Battersea that would allow us to say thateyorearepresentedhithe. There was, however, until about thirty years ago, a Creek, up which tradition reports that Queen Elizabeth rowed. A bright little stream rising in Tooting, and passing by Wandsworth Common, flowed into the Thames at this Creek, which is now a mere sewer, and its better character is only kept in remembrance by the name of Creek Street." The Rev. Daniel Lysons, in a book entitled "The Environs of London," published in 1792, which, through the kindness of Mr. R. J. S. Kentish, Librarian of the Beaufoy Library, we have had the privilege of consulting, says, "the name has undergone several changes. In the Conqueror's Survey, it is called Patricesy, and has since been written Battrichsey, Battersey and Battersea, each variation carrying it still further from its original signification. Of the original signification of the word, I think there can be little doubt. Patricesy in the Saxon is Peter's water or river; and as the same record which calls it Patricesy mentions that it was given to St. Peter, it might then first assume that appellation, but this I own is conjecture. Petersham, which is precisely the same in Doomsday—Patriceham, belonged to St. Peter's Abbey, Chertsey, and retains its original name a little modernised. Aubrey, Vol. I. p. 135, derives the name from St. Patrick; but Aubrey was mistaken by seeing it written Patricesy, instead of Petricesy, in Doomsday; but the Normans were not very accurate spellers. Petersham was written in the same manner with an a."[1]"The Parish of Battersea is bounded on the East by Lambeth, on the South by Camberwell, Streatham and Clapham; on the West by Wandsworth, and on theNorth by the River Thames. The greater part of Wandsworth Common, which extends nearly two miles in length towards Streatham, and a considerable part of Clapham Common are in the Parish of Battersea." The boundaries of Clapham Parish, according to the oldest documents of that Parish and Manor, when taken, have usually commenced at the corner of Wix's Lane, formerly called Browmell's corner. The limits of Clapham Parish where it adjoins Battersea in the early part of last century was the subject of a legal contest, that part of Clapham Common extending to Battersea Rise being claimed by both parishes. In 1716 the inhabitants of Battersea inclosed with a ditch and bank the tract of land in question, and the people of Clapham levelled the bank and filled up the ditch; in consequence of which Henry Lord Viscount St. John, the Lord of the Manor of Battersea, brought an action for trespass against those who were engaged in this work, or their employers, which was tried at the Lent Assizes at Kingston, in 1718, when the plaintiff was non-suited. The men of Battersea however were not discouraged but persevered with greater determination than ever in supporting their claim by including when they beat the boundaries of their Parish the disputed ground in their perambulations; and says Mr. Brayley "it would seem to have been eventually successful, a certain portion of the Common being now held on lease of Earl Spencer as Lord of the Manor of Battersea."—Brayley, Surrey Mantel,Vol. III. p. 281.

[1]The Manor of Peckham in the Confessor's reign belonged to this Parish, which has since been thrown into Camberwell; Penge being still continued as part of the Manor though separated from the rest by Streatham and Lambeth.—Manning and Bray's History and Antiquities of Surrey, Vol. I., p. 327.

Last century Clapham Common was little better than a morass; it covers 202 acres. The number and variety of trees both English and exotic with which it is ornamented give it very much the appearance of a park. The Metropolitan Board of Works have purchased the manorial rights over the Common which is now under their supervision. "In the year 1874 (says Mr Walford) the Enclosure Commissioners for England and Wales under the Metropolitan Common Act, 1866, and Metropolitan Commons' Amendment Act, 1869, certified a scheme for placing the Common under the control of the Local Board, the Common was purchased for the sum of £17,000 and it was proposed that it should be dedicated to the use and recreation of the public for ever. By the above mentioned scheme the Board were to drain, plant, and ornament the Common as necessary, no houses were to be built thereon, but eight lodges necessary for its maintenance."

The writer of a work entitled "Clapham with its Common and Environs," says, "The Mount-Pond was originally a gravel pit, excavated principally to form the turnpike road from Tooting to London. The Mount was raised, and a Pagoda Summer House planted on the top, by Henton Brown, Esq., of the firm of Brown and Tritton, Bankers, Lombard Street, member of the Society of Friends. Mr. Brown lived in the house, late in the occupation of J. Thornton, Esq., and was at great expense in forming the Mount and Pond. The Mount was larger than it now is, and planted with choice shrubs as well as trees. A bridge was thrown over the east side to connect it with the Common, and a pleasure boat was kept under it, but which after the failure of Mr. Brown, went rapidly to decay. He fenced it round with posts and rails, and in 1748 theParish gave him leave to put down a close fence, which a subsequent Vestry refused to ratify. He was also at the expense of making a conduit from the pond to supply a reservoir in his own grounds." Lavender Hill seems to have been long noted for its nursery gardens. Situated on the Hill was Lavender Villa—at the foot of Lavender Hill was a brook. Now Lavender Hill has the appearance of a busy town. Splendid shops, handsomely decorated and well stocked line both sides of the main thoroughfare, and rows of respectable houses and semi-detached villas forming roads and streets have sprung up in all directions. The same may be said of a great portion of Battersea Rise extending to Bolingbroke Grove. Stately trees have been felled and green slopes that were are now covered with houses, with here and there a place of worship, and all this transformation has taken place within the last twelve years. Clapham Common and its immediate vicinity was in the early years of the present century the seat of the knot of zealous men who, labouring together for what they believed to be the interest of pure religion, the reformation of manners and the suppression of slavery, came to be known as the Clapham sect. One of the most distinguished of them, William Wilberforce, lived at the house known as "Broomfield," (Broomwood) on the south-west side of Clapham Common, and there his no less distinguished son, the late Bishop of Winchester, was born September 7th, 1805. "Conterminous with his fair demesne was that of Henry Thornton, the author and prime mover of the conclave, whose meetings were held, for the most part, in the oval saloon which William Pitt, dismissing for a moment his budgets and his subsidies, planned to be added to Henry Thornton's newly-purchased residence.... It arose at his bidding, and yet remains, perhaps a solitary monument of the architectural skill of that imperial mind. Lofty and symmetrical, it was curiously wainscoted with books on every side except where it opened on a far-extended lawn reposing beneath the giant arms of aged elms and massive tulip trees."—Stephen's Essays, Vol. II. p. 290. "In this saloon, and on the far-extended lawn, after their long years of effort, assembled in joy and thanksgiving and mutual congratulation over the abolition of the slave trade, Wilberforce, Clarkson, Granville, Sharp, Stephen, Zachary Macaulay and their younger associates and disciples. But the Villa-cinctured-Common was also the birthplace or cradle of another and hardly less remarkable and far-reaching religious movement or institution. Just as it was the dwelling place, the home or haunt of every one of the most eminent supporters of the anti-slavery movement, so was it the home or haunt of the founders of the Bible Society, its earliest ministers or secretaries, and above all the first and greatest of its presidents, John Lord Teignmouth."—Handbook to the Environs of London, by James Thorne, F.S.A., Part I. pp. 111, 112. Broomwood was the seat of the late Sir Charles Forbes, contiguous to which and facing the tall poplar tree is situated a spacious villa once the residence of the late Frances Elizabeth Leveson Gower, an estimable Christian maiden-lady who was a subscriber to several benevolent institutions. She used to conduct bible readings not only for the female servants of the gentry of Clapham Common but also for navvies and others of the labouring classes in her owndining room, where they partook of her generous hospitality after their daily toil in the shape of a hearty meal.

A Good Example of liberality was given by one Mr. Thornton, of Clapham, a noble-hearted Christian merchant. One morning, when he had received news of a failure that involved him in the loss of no less than a hundred thousand pounds, a minister from the country called at his counting-house to ask a subscription for an important object. Hearing that Mr. Thornton had suffered that loss, he apologized for having called. But Mr. Thornton took him kindly by the hand and said: "My dear sir, the wealth I have is not mine, but the Lord's. It may be that He is going to take it out of my hands, and give it to another; and if so, this is a good reason why I should make a good use of what is left." He then doubled the subscription he intended to give.

The recently deceased and much lamented Philip Cazenove was for thirty years a parishioner, residing on Battersea Rise, whose name was a Synonym for kindness and Christian charity concerning whom we feel that we cannot pass a better eulogium than that recorded inSt. Mary's, Battersea, Parish Magazinefor February, 1880. "He has been a benefactor such as a parish rarely numbers amongst its church folk. The magnificent Girls' School in Green Lane was added to Miss Champion's benefaction, almost at Mr. Cazenove's sole cost. To every church building scheme, to Battersea College, to new schools, to the proposed Hospital, to every good work he was a munificent contributor. And what he did in Battersea, he did in all parts of East and South London, indeed in all parts of the metropolis and in the country. And he sought no thanks for his donations, but with a rare self-forgetfulness he seemed to avoid the acknowledgments of gratitude. His liberality, great as it was, by no means represented all that he did for good works. In our parish he took a personal interest in our Schools of all grades. He always had words of kind encouragement for the teachers. He was always ready to preside at any meeting, or to act on any committee. And as his alms deeds went far beyond his own parish so did his personal service. There was no more familiar face than his in the Board-rooms of the great Church Societies, for some of the chief of which, as the Gospel Propagation Society, he acted as Treasurer. He was an active member of the governing bodies of Guy's Hospital, and other like institutions, and everywhere he freely gave his sunny sympathy and the ripe counsels of his long experience. He was indeed a notable instance of an open-handed, simple-hearted Churchman, some would add 'of the old school,' and we would say, may God of His mercy put it into the hearts of others to perpetuate such a 'school' for truly they are a blessing and a stay to all around them. Our venerated friend was stricken with illness in the beginning of last year, and it seemed as if he would then have succumbed to the physical weakness of the action of that great loving heart. But he rallied somewhat, and during the summer and autumn he was able to sit in his garden or to drive out in his carriage. He was able to be at S. Mark's on S. Michael's Day, 1879, and to receive the Holy Communion there for the last time in the Sanctuary. With the return of winter, his weakness increased, and after a year ofweariness and languor and the depression incident to his illness, he entered into the Rest, for which he had yearned, in the early morning of January 20. Philip Cazenove, born Nov. 23, 1798; died January 20, 1880, aged 81."

Hear what the voice from heaven proclaimsFor all the pious dead,Sweet is the savour of their names,And soft their sleeping bed.They die in Jesus, and are bless'd;How kind their slumbers are!From sufferings and from sins released,And freed from every snare.Far from this world of toil and strife,They're present with the Lord:The labours of their mortal lifeEnd in a large reward.—Isaac Watts, 1709.

At a semi-detached villa situated in this part of the Common, resided the late Charles Curling, Esq., whose memory many of the poor inhabitants of Old Battersea cherish with feelings of grateful respect. He relieved the temporal wants of the needy; opened day and night schools in order that the poorest might be educated; under his excellent wife's superintendence maternal meetings were conducted; at his own expense he supported an Evangelist and a Bible Woman to work in the district.

The Villa adjoining that of Mr. Curling's was occupied by the late Misses Sarah Hibbert and Mary Ann Hibbert, who erected Alms Houses in Wandsworth Road, Clapham, for eight aged women, in grateful remembrance of their father, William Hibbert, who was for many years an inhabitant of Clapham. Not least among the benefactresses of the poor might be mentioned the names of Lady George Pollock, Lady Lawrence, Mrs. Sillem, and Mrs. Robert Jones, of this part, (all deceased). The memory of the just is blessed!

When Lysons wrote, Battersea Rise being a salubrious locality was ornamented with several villas, also it was much admired for its pleasant situation and fine prospect. Referring to the Market Gardens, etc., he says, "About 300 acres of land in the Parish of Battersea are occupied by the market gardeners, of whom there are about twenty who rent from five or six to nearly sixty acres each." Fuller, who wrote in the year 1660, speaking of the gardens in Surrey, states, "Gardening was first brought into England for profit, about 70 years ago; before which we fetched most of our cherries from Holland, apples from France, and hardly a mess of rath ripe peas but from Holland; which were dainties for ladies, they come so far and cost so dear. Since gardening hath crept out of Holland to Sandwich, Kent, and thence to Surrey; where, though they have given £6 an acre and upwards, they have made their rent, lived comfortably, and set many people at work. Oh the incredible profit by digging of ground! for though it be confessed, that the plough beats the spade out of distance for speed, (almost as much as the press beats the pen), yet, what the spade wants in the quantity of the ground it manureth, it recompensethwith the plenty of the good it yieldeth, that which is multiplying an hundred fold more than that which is sown. 'Tis incredible how many poor people in London live thereon, so that in some seasons the gardens feed more people than the field."—Fuller's Worthies, Pt. 3, p. 77. "These gardeners," continues Lysons, "employ in the summer season a considerable number of labourers, though perhaps not so many as is generally supposed—on an average I am informed, not one to an acre. The wages of the men are from ten to twelve, of the women from five to seven shillings by the week. Most of the women travel on foot from Shropshire and North Wales in the spring, and as they live at a very cheap rate, many of them return to their own country richer than they left it. The soil of the ground occupied by the gardeners is sandy and requires a great deal of rain. The vegetables which they raise are in general very fine; their cabbages and asparagus particularly have acquired celebrity." The asparagus first grown in or near London was raised by the Battersea gardeners. Owing to its rich and alluvial soil, Battersea has always been noted for its fine asparagus—110 heads of extraordinary size and fit for the kitchen have been known to weigh 32 lbs.[1]There was no market at Battersea, its vegetable produce was sent to the London market. InBibliotheca Topographica Britannica Antiquities(British Museum) Vol. II. p. 227, is a brief note on Battersea by Mr. Theobald. This old writer says, "The lands are fruitful beyond most others and this Parish is famous in the London market for its asparagus, hence calledBattersea Bundles. It also in the time of a noted man there, one Mr. Cuff, was famous for producing the finest melons. The common field called Battersea Field, is constantly cropped with peas, beans, wheat, etc.... Lands are here let from 50s. down to 16s. an acre.... There are three windmills on the river's brink, one for corn, one grinds colours for the potters, and another serves to grind whitelead. Being in the neighbourhood of London so commodiouslywithin about four miles of the City and on the banks of the river Thames, where so many conveniences of carriage are constantly to be met, and the merchant can in an hour return to his country house. Several citizens and merchants have both built handsome houses here."

[1]"Among other branches of industry introduced by the Flemings at Sandwich, that of gardening is worthy of notice. The people of Flanders had long been famous for their horticulture, and one of the first things which the foreign settlers did on arriving in the place was to turn to account the excellent qualities of the soil in the neighbourhood, so well suited for gardening purposes. Though long before practised by the Monks, gardening had become a lost art in England. It is said that Katherine, Queen of Henry 8th, unable to obtain a salad for her dinner in England, had her table supplied from the low countries. The first Flemish gardens proved highly successful. The cabbage, carrots, and celery produced by the foreigners met with so ready a sale, and were so much in demand in London itself, that a body of gardeners shortly removed from Sandwich and settled at Wandsworth, Battersea, and Bermondsey, where many of the rich garden grounds first planted by the Flemings continue to be the most productive in the neighbourhood of the Metropolis.""Some of the Flemish refugees settled at Wandsworth and began several branches of industry, as the manufacture of felts, the making of brass plates for culinary utensils.""In addition to the Flemish Churches in the City, at the West-end, and in Spitalfields, there were several thriving congregations in the suburban districts of London; one of the oldest of these was at Wandsworth, where a colony of protestant Wallons settled about the year 1570. Having formed themselves as a congregation, they erected a chapel for worship, which is that standing nearly opposite the Parish Church, the building bearing this inscription on its front: Erected, 1573; Enlarged, 1685; Repaired, 1809, 1831."—Samuel Smile's Huguenots in England and Ireland, p.p. 85, 86, 88, 267, 4th Edition.

"Some of the Flemish refugees settled at Wandsworth and began several branches of industry, as the manufacture of felts, the making of brass plates for culinary utensils."

"In addition to the Flemish Churches in the City, at the West-end, and in Spitalfields, there were several thriving congregations in the suburban districts of London; one of the oldest of these was at Wandsworth, where a colony of protestant Wallons settled about the year 1570. Having formed themselves as a congregation, they erected a chapel for worship, which is that standing nearly opposite the Parish Church, the building bearing this inscription on its front: Erected, 1573; Enlarged, 1685; Repaired, 1809, 1831."—Samuel Smile's Huguenots in England and Ireland, p.p. 85, 86, 88, 267, 4th Edition.

In 1816, Stages set out for Battersea from the following places:—A coach from Pewter Platter, Gracechurch Street, and Black Dog and Camel, Leadenhall Street, daily at 11 a.m., 3 and 7 p.m., Sunday morning at 11. Red Lion, Strand, daily 11 a.m., 3 and 7 p.m. A cart, Kings and Key, Fleet Street; Bell, Bell Yard, and George and Gate, and Pewter Platter, Gracechurch Street; King's Arms, Bishopgate Within; Ship and Hope, Charing Cross, and Angel and Sun, White Hart, and Spotted Dog, Strand, daily at 2 p.m. Boats, Queenhithe, and Globe, Hungerford Stairs daily. Waterman's rates from London Bridge to Chelsea (Battersea) Bridge—oars, whole fare 2/6, sculls 1/3, with company each person oars or sculls 4d. Not more than eight persons in any passage-boat between Windsor and Greenwich. Over the water directly every person 1d. and sculler's fare 2d. No waterman could be compelled to go below the Pageants, and Ratcliff Cross Stairs, or above Vauxhall and Feathers Stairs after five, from Michaelmas to Lady Day, nor after nine in the evening from Lady Day to Michaelmas.

The annual fair held here in Battersea Square, at Easter, was afterwards suppressed. The houses in Old Battersea were irregularly built; the inhabitants were supplied with water from springs. The County Magistrates held a meeting at Wandsworth, an adjoining village, where also a Court of Request for the recovery of debts under £5 was held, under an Act obtained in the 31st of George II., the power of which was extended by an Act in the 46th of George III. The Court of Requests, which is called a court of conscience, was first instituted in the reign of Henry 7th, 1493, and was remodelled by a statute of Henry 8th, in 1517.—Stowe.Established for the summary recovery of small debts under forty shillings, but in the City of London the jurisdiction extends to debts of £5.—Ashe.There were Courts of Request in the principal corporate towns throughout the kingdom, until 1847, when they were superseded (those of the City of London excepted) by the County Debts Court, whose jurisdiction, extending at first to £20, was enlarged in 1850 to £50. The Lord of the Manor held a Court Leet at Wandsworth, at which the Headborough and constables for Battersea were appointed.

"The Manor of Battersea, which, before the conquest, belonged to Earl Harold, was given by the Conqueror to Westminster Abbey in exchange for Windsor. The Manor was valued in the Confessor's time at £80, it afterwards sunk in value to £30, and at the time of the Survey was estimated at £75. In the taxation of 1291, the possessions of the Abbey of Westminster in Battersea were rated at £15. Thomas Astle, Esq., (says Lysons) has an original deed of Archbishop Theobald, confirming a charter of King Stephen by which he exempts the greater part of the Manor from all taxes and secular payments. Dart mentions several charters relating to Battersea, viz., William the Conqueror's original grant; a charter of privilege; a grant to the Abbot of Westminster of liberty tohunt in this Manor; a charter of confirmation in Henry the First, and another of King Stephen, besides that of privilege before mentioned."

"After the dissolution of monasteries, the Manor was reserved in the hands of the Crown; a lease of it was granted to Henry Roydon, Esq., by Queen Elizabeth, for twenty-one years, in the eighth year of her reign; it was afterwards granted for the same term to his daughter, then Joan Holcroft; and was assigned amongst others for the maintenance of Prince Henry, A.D. 1610. In the year 1627, it was granted in reversion to Oliver St. John Viscount Grandison. Sir Oliver St. John was the first of the family who settled at Battersea, he marriedJoan, daughter and heir of Henry Roydon, Esq., of this place, widow of Sir William Holcroft. Lord Grandison died in 1630, and was succeeded in that title and in the Battersea Estate by William Villiers, his great-nephew, who died of a wound received at the siege of Bristol, A.D. 1644. Sir John St. John, Bart., nephew of the first Lord Grandison, inherited Battersea; from him it passed in a regular descent to Sir Walter St. John, Bart., his nephew, to Sir Walter's son, Henry Viscount St. John, and to his grandson, Henry Viscount Bolingbroke, who, by an Act of Parliament passed before his father's death, was enabled to inherit his estate, notwithstanding his attainder. The estate and manor continued in the St. John family till 1763, when it was bought in trust for John Viscount Spencer, and is now property of the present Earl Spencer."[1]—Lysons' Environs.

[1]Customs of the Manor.—In this Manor, lands descended to the youngest sons; but in default of sons, they do not go to the youngest daughter, but are divided among the daughters equally.—Lysons.

Battersea has many memorials; its historic interest culminates in its association with the St. Johns. One is stated to have been "eminent for his piety and moral virtues." Henry in 1684 pleaded guilty of the murder of Sir William Estcourt, Bart., in a sudden quarrel arising at a supper party. His case, if Bishop Burnet be correct, could be regarded only as manslaughter, but he was induced to plead guilty by a promise of pardon if he followed that advice or of his being subjected to the utmost rigour of the law on his refusal. No pardon is enrolled but it is stated that the King granted him a reprieve for a long term of years; and in the Rolls Chapel is a restitution of the Estate (Pat 36 Charles II.) for which it would seem and the reprieve conjoined he had to pay £16,000, one half of which Burnet says the King converted to his own use and bestowed the remainder on two ladies then in high favour.—Burnet's History of his own times; fol;1724.Vol. I. p.600.

Bolingbroke or Bullingbroke, a town of great antiquity in Lincolnshire, gave the title of Viscount to the St. Johns of Battersea. In 1700, Sir Walter St. John founded and endowed a free school for twenty boys, and both he and his lady afterwards left further sums for apprenticing some of the number. It was re-built in 1859. Over the gateway in the High Street, are carved the Arms of St. John, and underneath them is inscribed the motto, "Rather Deathe than false of Faythe." As we gazed upon the above motto we were reminded of other lines which we have seen and read elsewhere. Sir Walter St. John died 3rd July, 1808, aged 87; hisportrait is in the school. He built a gallery at the west end of the Old Church.

"Dare to be right, dare to be true;Other men's failures can never save you;Stand by your conscience, your honour, your faith;Stand like a hero, and battle till death.Dare to be right, dare to be true;Keep the great judgment day always in view,Look at your work, as you'll look at it then,Scanned by Jehovah, and Angels and men.Dare to be right, dare to be true;God who created you, cares for you too,Wipe off the tears that His striving ones shed,Counts and protects every hair of your head.Dare to be right, dare to be true;Cannot Omnipotence carry you through?City, and Mansion, and throne all in view,Cannot you dare to be right and be true?Dare to be right, dare to be true;Prayerfully, lovingly, firmly pursueThe pathway by Saints, and by Seraphim trodThe pathway which leads to the City of God."

Bolingbroke (Henry St. John) Lord Viscount, descended from an ancient and noble family as we have already seen. His Mother was Mary, daughter of Robert Rich, Earl of Warwick. He received a liberal education at Eton and at Christ Church, Oxford, and when he left the University was considered to possess uncommon qualifications, but with great parts he had strong passions, which as usually happens, hurried him into many follies and indiscretions. Contrary to the inclinations of his family he cultivated Tory connections, and gained such influence in the House of Commons, that in 1704 he was appointed Secretary of War and of the Marines. He was closely united in all political measures with Mr. Harley; when therefore that gentleman was removed from the seals in 1707, Mr. St. John resigned his office; and in 1710, when Mr. Harley was made Chancellor of the Exchequer, the post of Secretary of State was given to Mr. St. John. In 1712, he was created Baron St. John of Lediard Tregose in Wiltshire, and Viscount Bolingbroke. But being overlooked in the bestowal of vacant ribands of the Order of the Garter, it is said he resented the affront and renounced the friendship of Harley, then Earl of Oxford, and made his court to the Whigs; nevertheless, on the accession of George 1st, the seals were taken from him. Having been informed that a resolution was taken to pursue him to the scaffold for his conduct regarding the treaty of Utrecht, Signed 11th of April, 1713, he withdrew into France and joined the Pretender's[1]service and accepted the seals as his Secretary.But he was as unfortunate in his new connection as those he had renounced, for the year 1715 was scarcely expired, while being attainted of high treason at home, he was accused by the Pretender of neglect, incapacity and treachery, and had the papers and seals of Foreign Secretary's Office taken away. Such a complication of distressful events threw him into a state of reflection that produced by way of relief "a consolatio philosophica," which he wrote the same year under the title of "Reflection upon Exile." The next year he drew up a vindication of his conduct with respect to the Tories in the form of a letter to Sir William Wyndham. In 1718 his first wife died; in 1720 he married a niece of the famous Madam Maintenon and widow of the Marquis de Villette,[2]with whom he had a very large fortune. In 1723, after being in exile seven years, the King was prevailed upon to grant him a free pardon, and he returned in consequence to England. But his spirit was not satisfied within while he remained a mere titular Lord, and excluded from the House of Peers. His recall had been assented to by Sir Robert Walpole, but he cherished a secret dislike to Walpole and regarded him as the cause of his not receiving the full extent of the King's clemency. Walpole invited Bolingbroke to dine with him at Chelsea, but it appeared to Bolingbroke rather to shew his power and prosperity than for any other reason. Horace Walpole, the celebrated son of the Minister, says in his "Reminiscences" "Whether tortured at witnessing Sir Robert's serene frankness and felicity, or suffocated with indignation and confusion at being forced to be obliged to one whom he hated and envied, the first morsel he put into his mouth was near choking him, and he was reduced to rise from the table and leave the room for some minutes. I never heard of their meeting more." He distinguished himself by a multitude of political writings till the year 1735, when being thoroughly convinced that the door was shut against him, he returned once more to France. In this foreign retreat he began his course of letters on the Study and Use of History for Lord Combury, to whom they are addressed. Lord Bolingbroke was born and died in the family Mansion at Battersea.The house was very large, with forty rooms on a floor; but with the exception of a wing,[3]it has long since been taken down and otherwise appropriated.[4]Dives' Flour Mills cover a portion of the site where once stood this venerable mansion. Upon the death of his father, who lived to be extremely old, Lord Bolingbroke settled at Battersea, where he passed the remaining nine years of his life in philosophical dignity. Pope and Swift, one a great poet, the other a great wit of that time, almost adored him. Arbuthnot, Thompson, Mallet, and other contemporary men of genius were his frequent visitors. Mr. Timbs says "here took place the memorable destruction of one of Bolingbroke's most celebrated works, his 'Essay on a Patriotic King,' of which the noble author had printed only six copies, which he gave to Lord Chesterfield, Sir William Wyndham, Lyttelton, Pope, Lord Marchmont, and Lord Combury, at whose instance Bolingbroke wrote the essay. Pope lent his copy to Mr. Allen, of Bath, who was so delighted with it that he had five hundred copies printed, but locked them up in a warehouse, not to see light until Lord Bolingbroke's permission could be obtained. On the discovery, Lord Marchmont (then living at Lord Bolingbroke's house at Battersea), sent Mr. Gravenkop for the whole cargo, and he had the books carried out on a waggon and burnt on a lawn in the presence of Lord Bolingbroke." Pope, when visiting his friend Lord Bolingbroke, usually selected as his study a parlour (the grate and ornaments were of the age of George 1st) wainscoted with cedar, and overlooking the Thames, in which he is said to have composed some of his celebrated works. It is well known that he received from him the materials for his famous poem the "Essay on Man."

[1]Pretenders, a name given to the son and grandsons of James II. of England. The Old Pretender, James Francis Edward Stuart, Chevalier de St. George, born 10th June, 1688, was acknowledged by Louis XIV. as James III. of England, in 1701 proclaimed and his standard set up, at Braemar and Castletown, in Scotland, landed at Peterhead in Aberdeenshire from France to encourage the rebellion that the Earl of Mar and his adherents had promoted, 25th December, 1715. This rebellion having been soon suppressed, the Pretender escaped to Montrose (from whence he proceeded to Gravelines) 4th February 1716. Died at Rome, 30th December, 1765. The Young Pretender, Charles Edward, was born in 1720, landed in Scotland and proclaimed his father King 25th July, 1745; gained the battle of Preston-Pans, 21st September, 1745, and of Falkirk, 27th January, 1746; defeated at Culloden, and sought safety by flight 16th April, 1746. He continued wandering among the wilds of Scotland for nearly six months, and as £30,000 were offered for taking him, he was constantly pursued by the British troops, often hemmed round by his enemies, but still rescued by some lucky incident, and at length escaped from the Ulst Morilaix in September. He died 31st January, 1788. His natural daughter assumed the title of Duchess of Albany; died in 1789. His brother, the Cardinal York, calling himself Henry IX. of England, born March, 1725, died at Rome in August, 1807.

[2]When he was about twenty-six years of age he was married to the daughter and co-heiress of Sir Henry Winchescomb, of Bucklebury, in Berkshire, Bart., and the same year, 1700, he entered the House of Commons, being elected for the Borough of Wotton-Basset in Wiltshire, by a family interest, his father having served several times for the same place.

[3]The ceilings of three of the chambers upstairs are ornamented with stucco-work, and have in their centres oval-shaped oil paintings on allegorical subjects.

[4]Bolingbroke House was pulled down about the year 1775. The pictures were sold by auction.

Lord Bolingbroke was born about the year 1672, or as some think, in 1678; he was baptized October 10, 1678; died December 12, 1751, and left the care and benefit of his M.S.S. to Mr. Mallet, who published them together with his former printed works in five vols. 4to.; they are also printed in 8vo.

Lord Bolingbroke sank under a dreadful malady beneath which he had long lingered—a cancer in the face—which he bore with exemplary fortitude. "A fortitude," says Lord Brougham "drawn from the natural resources of his mind, and unhappily not aided by the consolation of any religion; for having cast off the belief in revelation, he had substituted in its stead a dark and gloomy naturalism, which even rejected those glimmerings of hope as to futurity not untasted by the wiser of the heathen." He used to ride out in his chariot every day, and had a black patch on his cheek, with a large wart over one of his eyebrows. He was thought to be essentially selfish; he spent little in the place and gave little away, so that he was not regarded much by the people of Battersea.

A popular writer states that "Bolingbroke's talents were brilliant and versatile; his style of writing was polished and eloquent; but the fatal lack of sincerity and honest purpose which characterised him, and the low and unscrupulous ambition which made himscramble for power with a selfish indifference to national security hindered him from looking wisely and deeply into any question. His philosophical theories are not profound, nor his conclusions solid, while his criticism of passing history is worthless in the extreme. He was one of those clever unscrupulous men, unhappily too common, who forget that God has something to do with the government of this world as well as themselves, and who in spite of their ability, can never see that swift destruction treads like Nemesis on the heels of those who dare to trifle with the interests and destinies of a great people."

His opposition to revealed religion drew from Johnson this severe remark: "Having loaded a blunderbuss and pointed it against Christianity he had not the courage to discharge it himself, but left a half-crown to a hungry Scotchman to pull the trigger after his death."

Oliver Goldsmith in his life of Lord Bolingbroke says: "In whatever light we view his character, we shall find him an object rather more proper for our wonder than our imitation; more to be feared than esteemed, and gaining our admiration without our love. His ambition ever aimed at the summit of power, and nothing seemed capable of satisfying his immoderate desires but the liberty of governing all things without a rival."

On the site of the demolished part of Bolingbroke House,[1]a horizontal Air Mill was erected in 1790, of a conical form, 140 feet in height, and having a mean diameter of 50 feet; it was 54 feet at the base and 45 at the top. It was originally applied to the grinding of linseed for oil, and subsequently by Messrs. Hodgson, Weller and Allaway, of malt for the Distilleries, which were at that time in extensive operation here. Mr. Thomas Fowler erected this mill, the design was taken from that of another on a smaller scale, constructed at Margate by Capt. Hooper. It consisted of a circular wheel, with large boards or vanes fixed parallel to its axis; and upon the vanes the wind acted as to blow the wheel round, one side of it being sheltered from the action of the wind by its being enclosed in frame work, with doors or shutters to open and admit the wind, or to shut and stop it. If all the shutters on one side were open, whilst all those on the opposite were closed, the wind acting with diminished force on the vanes of one side, whilst the opposite vanes were under shelter, turned the mill round; but whenever the wind changed, the disposition of the blinds had to be altered, to admit the wind to strike upon the vanes of the wheels in the direction of a tangent to the circle in which they moved.—Dr. Paris's Philosophy in Sport."The Mill," says Mr. Timbs, "resembled a gigantic packing case, which gave rise to an odd story, that when the Emperor of Russia was in England in 1814, he took a fancy to Battersea Church and determined to carry it off to Russia, and had this large packing case made for it; but as the inhabitants refused to let the Church be carried away, so the case remained on the spot where it was deposited." The Mill served as a landmark for miles around, being more conspicuous an object at that time than the lofty square tower of Watney's Distillery a little further westward is now. At length the upper part of the Millwas taken down; the lower part is still used for grinding corn. Capper, referring to this Mill, says, "it had 96 shutters, which though only 9 inches broad, reached to the height of 80 feet; these by means of a rope, opened and shut in the manner of Venetian blinds. In the inside, the main shaft of the Mill was the centre of a large circle formed by the sails, which consisted of 96 double planks placed perpendicularly, and the same height as the shutters; through these shutters the wind passing turned the Mill with great rapidity, which was increased or diminished by opening or shutting the apertures. In it were six pairs of stones, in which two pair more might be added. Adjacent were Bullock Houses capable of holding 650 bullocks, which were fed with the grains and meal from the Distilleries."

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