and marshes, in the farm, and in the osier land, beneath the town and above, beneath the city and above; beneath the village and above; and in all other places and things belonging to the dean, and the well-beloved church of the Holy Martin, and that all lands, tenements, and all persons belonging to the church of Saint Martin, be freed from shires, hundreds, and from divisions of shires and hundreds, and wapentakes, and from paying money for deeds committed without the walls, and from murder and robbery, from geld and danegeld, from fines, for hides, assizes, and from works of castles, works of ditches, of parks, bridges, and footways; and from guard or watch guard, and from all forest laws and ordinances; and from fordwyte and hengwyte, and from flemensferthe, from hainsaken, and blodwyte, and forthwyte, and laierwyte; and from hundred-penny and ward-penny, and haver-penny, and from keeping watches, and from gate dues, passage dues; all tollage, paying for stalls at fairs, or any other fine; and from all secular impositions, from tax, servitude and vassalage, and from all exactions, laws of local custom, under any and all circumstances, &c. &c., as fully as was ever granted to any ecclesiastical establishment, &c. &c." Soc.-The power of exercising justice towards vassals & dependants. Sac. The power of interference in the disputes of vassals. Tol.-Is the duty payable by homagers to their superiors. Theum.-Is the power of tax over your vassal wherever he in England.

may be

Infangtheof.-Is the power of punishment over any person offending

Hengwyte. Is a fine paid for the hanging a thief without judgment being first passed.

Outfangtheof.—Is the power of seizing an offender belonging to your estate, wherever he may be found.

Hamsoken or Hainsoken.-The fine payable to the master of a house which has been forcibly or unjustly entered.

Danegeld.-A similar fine, enacted first by the Danes.

Hidage. Is a fine which the King claims of each hide of land.
Ferdwite. A fine levied on account of quarrels.

Hemenefir the.-The fine paid by the fugitives to the sanctuary.
Blodwite.-The fine for bloodshed,

Firthwite. A fine compelling parties to keep peace.

Litherwyte or Lairwyte.-The fine levied on adulterers and

fornicators.

Hundred penny.The fine of a penny levied on a hundred.
Ward-penny. Is the fine of a penny levied on a ward.
Haver-penny.-A penny paid to the king.

The east side of St. Martin's-le-Grand having been pulled down, together with a portion of the west side of Foster Lane, an extensive and magnificent building has been commenced under the direction of Mr. Smirke, jun. R. A. for the

The basement story is of granite, and the upper part of brick,

entirely faced with Portland Stone. The front, 380 feet long, is ornamented in the centre by a hexasty le portico of the Ionic order, surmounted by a pediment containing the royal arms, and at each extremity by a pavilion of four columns, supporting a balustrade, the spaces between the centre and the wings being filled by a plain front with two rows of windows, intended for the offices of this extensive establishment, which will be removed hither from Lombard Street on the completion of the building. There is a plain and elegant back front in Foster Lane, for the better accommodation of persons there on business, and to prevent interruption on the departure of the Mails, which will assemble in the front of the building, where each will receive the letter bag, and start on its journey; thus ridding the metropolis of the nuisance of the Mail

Carts, which about eight o'clock in the evening are driven through the heart of the town at a rate at once dangerous and unnecessary.

The original establishment of the Post Office in England is buried in obscurity, and the first record we have, is of a species of letter delivery existing as early as the time of Edward III. Camden mentions a chief postmaster as an office in 1581, but we know not the extent of his management or control, and in all probability it was not very extensive, as correspondence in those days was very limited, the knowledge of writing and reading being confined to the clergy, on the principle that "knowledge is power," which they were anxious to confine to themselves. The first Post

Office was established by King James 1. for the conveyance of all letters, whether inland or foreign; and in the year 1632, all interference by the carriage of letters to and from foreign parts by private hand, (which appears to have been the custom heretofore) was forbidden, and in 1635 all inland private carriage was restricted, and limited to the medium of the postmaster. The outline of a more regular and convenient system was arranged by Mr. Prideaux, attorney-general during the Commonwealth, who was made postmaster, and established a weekly conveyance of letters to all parts of the kingdom. The common council of London endeavoured, in 1653, to establish a Post Office, but were checked by the resolution of the House of Commons, declaring the office of postmaster to be solely at the gift and disposal of Parliament. Various improve ments were made from time to time, until the mode of conveying the Mails was proposed by Mr. John Palmer, of Bath, in 1782; and adopted and carried into execution in 1784. The first Mail Coach was that to Bristol. Of the internal arrangements of the Post Office, we shall give a full account in Candlewick Ward, in which Lombard Street, the situation of the present Post Office, is placed.

The Two-penny Post Office is for the conveyance of letters not exceeding 4 ounces in weight, within and ten miles round the metropolis-Letters out of town being charged three-pence.

In 1685 they were computed at £65,000

The revenues of the Post Office have greatly increased from its

first establishment.

This useful method of circulating letters was planned by David Murray, an upholsterer in Paternoster Row, in 1683, who communicated his plan to Mr. William Dockra, by whom it was commenced, and carried on with great success, till it was claimed by the Govern❤ ment, as connected with the General Post Office, and was therefore annexed to the General Post Office; and Dockra received a pension for life.

For England, the East and West Indies, and America, Scotland, and Ireland, the gross produce, was,

A list of Aldermen of Aldersgate Ward, from 1683 to the

present time.

Sir Peter Rich, elected in 1683; served the office of sheriff the

same year.

Sir James Houblon, elected in 1692.

Sir Peter Floyer elected in 1700; in the year 1701 he was chosen sheriff, but died in the office.

Sir Samuel Garrard, elected in 1702; served the office of sheriff in 1703, that of lord-mayor in 1710; and was removed to the ward of Bridge-without.

Richard Levett, Esq. elected in 1721; served the office of sheriff in 1729.

William Benn, Esq. elected in 1740; served the office of sheriff in 1743, and that of lord-mayor in 1747.

George Nelson, Esq. elected in 1755; served the office of sheriff in 1758, and that of lord-mayor in 1766.

Thomas Hallifax, Esq. elected in 1766; served the office of sheriff in 1769.

John William Anderson, Esq. elected in 1790; served the office of sheriff in 1791, and that of lord-mayor in 1797.

Robert Albion Cox, Esq. elected in 1813; served the office of sheriff in 1801.

Sir Peter Laurie, Knt. elected in 1826; served the office of sheriff in 1824.

END OF ALDERSGATE WARD.

Aldgate Ward,

DERIVES its name from the Ald or Old Gate which was the eastern entrance to the City. It is bounded on the north and west by the wards of Bishopsgate, Lime Street, and Langbourn; on the east by Portsoken Ward; and on the south by Tower Street Ward. This Ward extends from Aldgate to the eastern sides of Lime-street and St. Mary Axe, which it includes, together with all the streets, &c. from Bevis Marks northerly, to Tower Hill on the south, and thence to Ironmonger's Hall in Fenchurch-street; all places within these limits being of course comprised. The principal streets diverge from the site of the Gate, commencing with Aldgate High-street, which divides at the pump into Leadenhall and Fenchurch streets, the former as far as Lime-street, and the latter as far as Fishmongers'-alley, inclusive, in this Ward. Jewrystreet and Crutched Friars, as far as Seething-lane; Shoemakerrow; Bevis Marks; St. Mary Axe; and Lime-street, as far as Cullum-street. It is divided into four parishes, St. James's Duke's Place, St. Catherine Cree Church, St. Catherine Coleman, and St. Andrew Undershaft; and contains seven precincts, mostly included in these parishes.

It is under the government of an alderman, six common councilmen, six constables, twenty wardmote inquest men, and a ward-beadle; together with the officers belonging to St. James's Duke's Place, consisting of a minister, two constables, two headboroughs, and fifteen jurymen. This parish, which is a precinct of itself, formerly enjoyed great privileges, in which the inhabitants were protected by the influence of the Norfolk family; and although the lord mayor has the power of holding a court leet and baron, and the city officers can arrest for debt, and execute warrants, yet non-freemen open shops and carry on trades here.

The church of St. James is a curacy, in the gift of the

E