In 1302, Hugh Pourt, one of the sheriffs, and Margaret, his wife, founded here a perpetual chantry. In 1623, 24, and 25, the church underwent repairs to the amount of 500l. and upwards; and, in 1629, it was again beautifully repaired and ornamented, at the charge of the parish; but, in 1633, a dreadful fire destroyed a third part of the parish, which so decreased the tythes, that three years afterwards, from 1097. they were reduced to 837. The general conflagration of the city, reduced the church to ashes.

In 1676, the present handsome structure was erected, though the steeple was not finished till 1705.

The fabric is substantially built with stone; the corners have rustic quoins, and the body was ornamented with tall arched windows, which have lately been filled up on the north side, so as to appear circles. The roof is hid by a kind of attic course, from which the tower rises square and plain, whence a dial projects over the street; the course above this is adorned at the corners with coupled pilasters of the Ionic order, supporting an open work in place of a balustrade, with large urns at the corners. Hence rises the beautiful lantern, ornamented with Ionic pilasters, and arched windows in the intercolumniations: on these pi-lasters rests the dome, the crown of which is surmounted by another elegant piece of open work, as a balustrade; from the dome rises a spiral turret, which supports the fane. This steeple has a ring of ten good bells.

Within, the church is very highly though chastely decorated; being enriched with arched work, and handsomely pewed and wainscoted. Here is a good organ. By means of some recent repairs, the roof of this church has been much improved; the whole structure is elegant, without appearing gaudy; and has all the requisites proper for a place of serious worship.

This church was built on the present footway, and abruptly projected into the street: It continued in this state till the fire in 1759, the church being damaged, and great part of the neighbourhood consumed. When the

confusion

confusion had subsided, and the inhabitants began to rebuild, an improvement was suggested to form a foot path; to this the projecting steeple seemed an insurmountable obstacle, and the parish, if possible, did not wish to destroy such a beautiful specimen of architecture. A surveyor, however, was employed, and he had the ingenuity to discover that Sir Christopher Wren, conceiving that such a convenience must at a future period be rendered necessary, had contrived the arch, on which the steeple stood, of such strength, that it required only to clear away the intermediate part of the building to render the improvement effectual. This being done, St. Magnus's steeple and its porch exhibit another instance of the vast abilities of the great restorer of London.

In the old church were buried

John Blund, mayor, 1307.

Henry Yeuell, freemason to Edward III. Richard II. and Henry IV. 1400.

Henry, his son, who founded a chantry here in 1400.

Richard Winter, stockfishmonger, who, in 1407, gave a shop in this parish to the rector and churchwardens for his anniversary, and to lay out 20s.-The remainder to be given to poor housekeepers.

John Mitchel, mayor, 1436.

John French, baker, yeoman of the crown to Henry VII. 1510.

Richard Turke, one of the sheriffs, 1549.

Sir Richard Morgan, knt. chief justice of the Common Pleas, 1556.

Dr. Maurice Griffith, bishop of Rochester, 1559.

John Couper, fishmonger, alderman, nominated for mayor,

1584.

Sir William Garrard, mayor, 1555.

Robert Harding, salter, sheriff, 1658.

Sir John Gerrard, and dame Jane his wife; he had been lord mayor in 1601.

The modern monuments are of no peculiar consideration. There was a famous guild, dedicated to Our Lady de VOL. II. No. 40.

Rr

Salve

Salve Regina, in the church of St. Magnus; an account of which was brought in to the king upon an act of parliament, in the reign of Edward III. when some particular inquisition was taken concerning the guilds of fraternities throughout England. The following is a translation of the certificate, extracted from the Tower records:" 17 Edward. Be it remembered, that Rauf Chapelyn, du Bailliff, William Double, fishmonger; Roger Lower, chancellor; Henry Boseworth, vintener; Stephen Lucas, stock fishmonger; and other of the better of the parish of St. Magnus, near the bridge of London, of their great devotion, and to the honour of God, and his glorious Mother Our Lady Mary, the Virgin, began and caused to be made a chantry, to sing an anthem of Our Lady, called Salve Regina, every evening: and thereupon ordained five burning wax lights at the time of the said anthem, in the honour and reverence of the five principal joys of Our Lady aforesaid; and for exciting the people to devotion at such an hour, the more to merit to their souls. And thereupon many other good people of the same parish, seeing the great honesty of the said service and devotion, proffered to be aiders and partners to support the said lights and the said anthem to be continually sung; paying to every person every week an halfpenny. And so that hereafter, with the gift that the people shall give to the sustentation of the said light and anthem, there shall be to find a chaplain singing in the said church for all the benefactors of the said light and anthem. And after the said Rauf Chapelyn, by his testament, devised 3s. by quit rent, issuing out of one tenement in the parish of St. Leonard, Eastcheap."

To this parish is united that of St. Margaret, New Fish Strect, which was destroyed by the fire in 1666.

Among the rectors of St. Magnus were the following eminent persons; Maurice Griffith, bishop of Rochester, 1554. John Young, bishop of Rochester, 1557. Among those of St. Margaret, occurs Samuel Harsnett, afterwards archbishop of York.

LONDON

LONDON BRIDGE.

Our limits forbidding us to enter into the remote history of this bridge, we content ourselves by stating from William of Malmsbury, that A. D. 994, Sweyn, king of Denmark, in his attack upon London, was so valiantly opposed by Ethelred II. and the citizens, that many of the Danish army were drowned in the river, because in their rage they took no heed of the bridge.

In 1122, Thomas Arden gave to the monks of Bermondsey, and the church of St. George, Southwark, 5s. rent, out of the lands pertaining to London Bridge.

We have before mentioned that the bridge of stone was first begun by Peter of Colechurch, in 1176, westwardly of the timber bridge, which had stood opposite to Botolph's Wharf in the reign of Wiiliam I. and was thirty-three years before it was finished.

In the night of the 10th of July, 1213, a great fire broke out in Southwark, and the flames catching St. Mary Overy's church, were spread, by a strong southerly wind, to the north end of the bridge, which taking fire, prevented the return of the multitude, who had run from London to extinguish the fire in Southwark; and while the crowd were endeavouring to force a passage back to the city through the flames, at the north end of the bridge, the fire broke out at the south end also; by means of which the people were so enclosed between the two fires, that, notwithstanding all assistance that could be given, upwards of three thousand people perished, either by being burnt to death, or drowned in the river.

King John gave several void pieces of ground in the city for building, the profits and rents of which were appropriated towards the reparation of this bridge; and during the same reign, the master mason, built the large chapel on the centre at his own expence; which chapel was then endowed for two priests, four clerks, &c. besides chantries, since founded for John Hatfield, and others. In the reign of Henry VI. it maintained four chaplains. This was the first structure erected on the bridge; and after it was finished,

other buildings were added, and ultimately a street with posterns was formed, which continued till the latter end of the reign of George I. Towards the maintenance of these structures several well disposed persons contributed; and their donations were registered in the chapel, and remained there till it was converted to a dwelling house.

Henry III. in 1269, granted the custody of the bridge, with its liberties, to his queen, for the term of six years. This was the lady whom we have mentioned before, for depriving the prior of the Holy Trinity of St. Catharine's hospital.

The bridge, after its first construction, became ruinous in less than seventy years; the consequence was the licence of Edward I. to collect the godly aids of devout people throughout the kingdom; and the laying customs and duties on goods either carried over the bridge, or brought by water carriage.

The city not approving of the custody of their bridge to continue in the queen, the ward jurats in an inquisition taken by the judges itinerant at the Tower, presented, "That the custody of the bridge, and the soke thereof, was in the queen's hands; they knew not by what warrant, when the soke thereof antiently was in the hands of the king's mother, from the time of the battle of Evesham, to that time."

It was several times presented, the rents and revenues being very considerable; but the queen monopolized the whole, and she substituted keepers under her, as had been formerly done by the city. These keepers proved complete engines of oppression; they exacted considerable personal gains, at the same time that they suffered the repairs to be neglected, and the bridge to be decayed. The citizens often complained; but no attention was paid to their remon

strances.

This was the fortunate battle in which Henry III. overthew Simon de Montfort, Earl of Leicester, and his adherents. The city had unfortunately sided with the insurgents; and, therefore, among other punishments, was deprived of the privileges of its bridge.