The Fleet: Its Rivers, Prison, and MarriagesAshton, John
History
The Fleet: Its Rivers, Prison, and Marriages
Ashton, John
Fleet Prison (London, England); Fleet, River (England)
The next bishop--William de Luda (who must have been a person of some
distinction, for he had previously held the Deanery of St. Martin's
le Grand, and the Archdeaconry of Durham, besides being Chamberlain,
Treasurer, and Keeper of the Wardrobe to the King) bequeathed more
property to the See, and in all likelihood, built the Chapel of St.
Etheldreda, which, however, was most probably considerably modified
by a later Bishop, Thomas de Arundel, who held the See from 1374 to
1388--as the windows, mouldings, &c., now existing show, being about
as good an example, as possible, of _Decorated_, or _Second Pointed_
architecture.
"Old _Iohn of Gaunt_, time-honoured Lancaster" lived at Ely Place for
a time--in all likelihood after his palace in the Savoy, had been
destroyed by rioters. This fact is noted by Shakespeare in "The life
and death of King Richard the Second," act i. sc. 4:
"_Busby._ Old Iohn of Gaunt is verie sick, my Lord,
Sodainly taken, and hath sent post haste
To entreat your Majesty to visit him.
_Richard._ Where lyes he?
_Busby._ At Ely house."
Hollinshed, also, under date 1399, says: "In the meane time, the Duke
of Lancaster departed out of this life at the Bishop of Elie's place,
in Holborne, and lieth buried in the Cathedrall Church of St. Paule, in
London, on the north side of the high altar, by the Ladie Blanche, his
first wife."
The premises were of very great extent, as appears by plans taken
before its almost total demolition in 1772. Under the Chapel was a
cellar, or under croft--divided into two--and this seems to have
caused some inconvenience in the seventeenth century, for Malcolm, in
his "Londinium Redivivum" (vol. ii. p. 236) says: "One half of the
crypt under the chapel, which had been used for interments, was then
frequented as a drinking-place, where liquor was retailed; and the
intoxication of the people assembled, often interrupted the offices of
religion above them." And this statement seems to be borne out by a
reference to Harl. MSS. 3789, _et seq._, where it says: "Even half of
the vault or burying place under the Chapel is made use of as a public
cellar (or was so very lately) to sell drink in, there having been
frequently revellings heard there during Divine Service."
More curious things than this happened to Ely Place, for the Journals
of the House of Commons inform us how, on January 3, 1642-3, "The
palace was this day ordered to be converted into a prison, and John
Hunt, Sergeant-at-arms, appointed keeper during the pleasure of
the House." He was, at the same time, commanded to take care that
the gardens, trees, chapel, and its windows, received no injury. A
sufficient sum for repairs was granted from the revenues of the see.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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