The CHURCH of Mortlake was first built in the fourteenth century, and rebuilt in the sixteenth century; it has since had many repairs. The font, with its rich tracery, was given by archbishop Bourchier. In the churchyard are the tombs of the famous alderman Barber, and Partridge, the astrologer. Among the eminent residents of Mortlake were Sir John Temple; the famous conjuror, Dr. John Dee; and John Anstis, Esq. Garter king at arms.

In 1616, a manufactory for tapestry was formed here, but ruined by the Civil War; at present a small manufactory of earthen ware is carried on.

EAST SHEEN, in this parish, has many beautiful villas. BARNES is a village on the Thames. On Barnes Terrace lady Archer had a villa, noted for its fine greenhouses; it is now the residence of William Lushington, Esq. The CHURCH is a very antient structure. On the outside of the south wall is fixed a small stone tablet, inclosed with pales; and some rose trees are planted on each side of the tablet. This is to the memory of Edward Rose, citizen of London, who died in 1653, and who left 201. to the poor of Barnes, for the purchase of an acre of land, on condition that the pales should be kept up, and the rose trees preserved. The late bishops Hare, and Wilson, were rectors of Barnes. About a quarter of a mile from the church is

BARN ELMS, from its majestic trees, the theme of many a pastoral poet, which consists of two houses only. The first an antient mansion, called "Queen Elizabeth's Dairy." In this house lived and died Jacob Tonson, the bookseller, who built a gallery near it, for the purpose of occasionally accommodating a meeting of the nobility, gentry, and most celebrated wits of the time, known by the appellation of the Kit Kat Club; so denominated from Christopher Kat, the landlord at whose house the meetings were originally held. Garth wrote the verses for the toasting glasses of the club, which, as they are preserved in his works, have immortalized four of the principal beauties at the commencement of this century; lady Carlisle, lady Essex, lady Hyde, and lady Wharton. In this gallery Tonson placed the por

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traits of all the members of the club. These have been all removed, but the gallery remains; and the house is now the residence of Mr. Ackland. The other house is the manor house. Queen Elizabeth, who had a lease of it, granted her interest in it to Sir Francis Walsingham and his heirs. Here, in 1589, that great man entertained the queen and - her whole court. The unfortunate earl of Essex, who married his daughter (the widow of Sir Philip Sydney), resided frequently at Barn Elms. Mr. Heydegger, master of the Revels to George II. was, for some time, the tenant of this house*.

This house is seated in a small paddock, at some distance from the Thames. It was purchased by the late Sir Richard Hoare, bart. who, in 1771, considerably enlarged and modernized it, adding the two wings. In the dining parlour and drawing room are some good pictures, particularly two landscapes by G. Poussin, which are much admired. The pleasure grounds are laid out with great taste. This house is now the jointure and residence of lady Hoare, relict of Sir Richard, and sister of Mr. Ackland. At Barn Elms, Cowley the poet resided, before he went to Chertsey.

PUTNEY is four miles from Hyde Park Corner, pleasantly situated on the Thames, opposite Fulham. The church is an old Gothic structure, with a square tower, six bells, and

* Of this gentleman the following story is told: His majesty gave him notice that he would sup with him one evening, and that he should come from Richmond by water. It was Heydegger's profession to invent novel amusements, and he was resolved to surprise his majesty with a specimen of his art. The king's attendants, who were in the secret, contrived that he should not arrive at Barn Elms before night, and it was with some difficulty that he found his way up the avenue which led to the house. When he came to the door, all was dark; and he began to be very angry, that Heydegger, to whom he had given notice of his intended visit, should be so ill-prepared for his reception. Heydegger suffered his majesty to vent his anger, and affected to make some aukward apologies, when, in an instant, the house and the avenues were in a blaze of light, a great number of lamps having been so disposed, as to communicate with each other, and to be lit at the same instant. The king laughed heartily at the device, and went away much pleased with his entertainment.

an organ. It is a perpetual curacy, and has a chapel at the east end of the south aisle, built by bishop West, the roof of which is adorned with rich Gothic tracery.

Within the church are memorials for Mary Knivet; the families of Palmer and Welbeck; Sir William Becher, privy councillor to king James I. and Charles I.; Sir Gerard Dutton Fleetwood; Brackley Kennet, Esq. lord mayor of London, 1780. In the churchyard, John Toland, the celebrated deistical writer; and Robert Wood, Esq. M. P. a scientific traveller and classical writer, buried 1771. This gentleman, in 1751, travelled through Greece, Egypt, and Palestine; and gratified the world with two splendid works on "The Ruins of Palmyra, and Balbec." He was also author of an "Essay on the Genius of Homer." The house in which he lived in Putney is situated between the roads which lead to Wandsworth and Wimbledon. Mr. Wood purchased it of the executors of Edward Gibbon, Esq. whose son, EDWARD GIBBON, the celebrated author of "The Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire," was born here.

In the road from Wandsworth to Richmond, is a new cemetery, the ground for which was given to the parish, in 1768, by the Rev. Roger Pettiward, D. D.

Putney was the birth-place of the unfortunate THOMAS CROMWELL, earl of Essex, whose father, Walter Cromwell, was a blacksmith here*. It gave birth to NICHOLAS WEST,

* This family was not one of the greatest in descent, the father of the earl being Walter Cromwell, a blacksmith of Putney, near London. There were of this name barons heretofore, but I cannot find any consanguinity to them. However his posterity became greater. This Walter, besides the earl, had issue a daughter, who became the wife to Morgan Williams, (son to William ap Morgan, of New Church, in the county of Glamorgan, and one of the privy council to Henry VIII. which Morgan had issue by her Sir Richard Williams, who being preferred by his uncle the earl of Essex, assumed the sirname of Cromwell, and left it, with lands in the county of Huntingdon, to his posterity; among whom I find that noted incendiary Oliver, miscalled the Protector, who VOL. V. No. 118. was

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WEST, bishop of Ely, an eminent statesman of the same reign, whose father was a baker. In 1647, the headquarters of the parliament army were at Putney. General Fairfax was then quartered at the antient house, now the property of Mrs. D'Aranda, and which was built in 1596. The commissary-general Ireton was quartered in a house erected in 1533, now a school. The house in which Oliver Cromwell (then lieutenant-general) was quartered, cannot now be ascertained. The house belonging to Mrs. Pettiward was also occupied by one of the officers of the army. Putney also gave the title of baron to Edward Cecil, viscount Wimbledon.

Putney Common commands a fine view of the Thames. An obelisk was erected, in 1776, on this common, on the side of which towards the road, is an inscription, importing, that it was erected one hundred and ten years after the fire of London, on the anniversary of that dreadful event, in memory of an invention for securing buildings against fire; an inscription toward Putney records a resolution of the House of Commons, in 1774, granting 2500l. to David Hartley, Esq. for this invention; on the side toward London, is a resolution of the court of common council, granting the freedom of the city to Mr. Hartley, in consideration of the advantages likely to accrue to the public from this invention; and, on the side toward Kingston, is their resolution, ordering this obelisk to be erected. Near the obelisk is a house three stories high, with two rooms on a floor, built by Mr. Hartley, with fire-plates between the cielings and floors, in order to try his experiments, of which no less than six were made in this house, in 1776; one, in particular, when their majesties, and some of the royal family, several of the nobility, and the lord mayor and corporation of London, were in a room under the

was son of Robert, younger brother to Sir Oliver, knight of the Bath, in the time of James I. sons to Henry Cromwell, of Hitchingbrook, knight, son and heir to this Sir Richard Williams, alias Cromwell."-Collins's Peerage, ed. 1714. Vol. II. p. 119.

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ground floor, while the rooms under them were furiously burning. Mr. Hartley was allowed 1500l. a year from government for his invention.

On Putney Common, in the road to Roehampton, are many agreeable villas; but it is infamous for scenes of duelling, as well as, formerly, for highway robberies.

ROEHAMPTON, a hamlet of Putney, at the extremity of the heath, has many elegant mansions belonging to the nobility and gentry, particularly the elegant mansion Roɛ. HAMPTON GROVE, the seat of William Gosling, Esq.; it is situated on part of the antient royal park of Putney, which no longer exists. The fee simple of this park was granted by Charles I. to Sir Richard Weston, afterwards earl of Portland, whose son alienated both the house and park. They were afterwards the residence of Christian, countess of Devonshire*; whose son William, earl of Devonshire, resided in it, and made it an asylum for the famous Mr. Hobbes, of Malmsbury, who had been his lordship's tutor: the house was sold by that family in 1689; after which it came into the hands of different proprietors, till it was purchased by Sir Joshua Vanneck, who pulled down the old mansion, and built the present elegant villa, after a design of James Wyatt, Esq.; a fine piece of water, is supplied by pipes from a conduit on Putney Common. Sir Joshua, on the acquisition of his brother's estate, sold Roehampton Grove to Mr. Fitzherbert, who likewise expended great sums in improvements. The prin

* She was a woman of celebrity, and of singular character, but extolled for her devotion; she, however, retained Hobbes, the freethinker, in her house, as tutor to her son. She kept up the dignity of her rank, and was celebrated for her hospitality: yet so judicious in her economy, that her jointure of 5,000l. a year was nearly doubled. She extricated her son's estate from a vast debt, and thirty law-suits; so that Charles II. once jestingly said to her, "Madam, you have all my judges at your disposal." She was the patroness of the wits of that age; and here Waller often read his verses. She was active in the restoration of Charles II. who had such a sense of her services, that he frequently -visited her at Roehampton, in company with the queen dowager, and the royal family, with whom she enjoyed an intimacy till her death in 1675.