"On the north side, the Strand presented but few houses of note. _Wimbledon House_, on the spot lately occupied by D'Oyley's Warehouse, which had been erected by Sir Edward Cecil, was burnt down in 1628. At a little distance, westward, was _Burghley House_, afterwards _Exeter House_, and now partly occupied by Exeter 'Change; on the other part, and its attached ground, were erected the several streets and alleys receiving names from the Cecil family." [1] That street was so called in compliment to the celebrated Lady Rachel, daughter of Thomas Wriothesley, Earl of _Southampton_, and consort of William Lord Russell. Several other places in this parish were also denominated from either the names or titles of the Russell family--as _Russell_ Street, _Bedford_ Street and Bury, _Tavistock_ Street, _Chandos_ Street, &c. _King_ and _Henrietta_ Streets were so named in honour of Charles I. and his Queen; and _James_ and _York_ Streets, of the Duke of York, afterwards James II. [2] Stow's "Survey," p. 829, edit. 1618. [3] Ibid. p. 130. [4] Ibid. [5] The church of St. Mary le Strand was first termed St. Mary le Strand Cross; but, as the Protector Somerset, in the reign of Edward VI. deprived the inhabitants of it, in order to afford a site for his intended palace (Somerset House), our historians have barely mentioned it, some of whom suppose it to have been alluded to in the decretal sentence of Stephen, Archbishop of Canterbury, 1222, already mentioned under the name of the _Innocents_. The parishioners, thus deprived of their place of worship, were compelled to find admittance at the neighbouring churches, till the commissioners for erecting fifty new ones determined this parish should contain one of the number.--_Malcolm_. [6] Stow's "Survey," p. 130, edit. 1618. [7] The old May-pole often mentioned as in a state of decay in various publications, which stood almost on the site of the present church, was removed in 1713, and a new one erected July 4, opposite Somerset House, which had two gilt balls and a vane on the summit, decorated on rejoicing days with flags and garlands.--When the second May-pole was taken down, in May, 1718, Sir Isaac Newton procured it from the inhabitants, and afterwards sent it to the Rev. Mr. Pound, rector of Wanstead, Essex, who obtained permission from Lord Castlemain to erect it in Wanstead Park, for the support of the then largest telescope in Europe, made by Monsieur Hugon, and presented by him to the Royal Society, of which he was a member. This enormous instrument, 125 feet in length, had not long remained in the park, when the following limping verses were affixed to the May-pole: