The Fleet. Its Rivers, Prison, and Marriages 2

The Fleet. Its Rivers, Prison, and Marriages 2

Fleet Marriages.

 

 

CHAPTER XXVI.

 

Illegal Marriages--Cost of Marriages--_Peculiars_--Suppression

of Irregular Marriages--A Fleet Parson's Reflections--Fleet

Parsons--An Heiress Married 327

 

CHAPTER XXVII.

 

John Gaynam--The Bishop of Hell--Edward Ashwell--John

Floud--Walter Wyatt 339

 

CHAPTER XXVIII.

 

The Lilleys--Fleet Parsons--Parson Keith 351

 

CHAPTER XXIX.

 

"The Bunter's Wedding"--Fleet Parsons--Exchange of

Wives--Singular Marriage--Irregular Marriage 363

 

CHAPTER XXX.

 

A Runaway Marriage--Fortune's Married--Illegal Marriage--Fleet

Marriage Registers--Extracts from Registers--End

of Marriages 375

 

INDEX 386

 

 

 

 

[Illustration]

 

 

 

 

LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS.

 

 

PAGE

 

SHEPHERD'S WELL, HAMPSTEAD 22

 

THE FLEET, KENTISH TOWN 28

 

VIEW OF THE VALLEY OF THE FLEET AND HIGHGATE CHURCH,

FROM FORTESS TERRACE, KENTISH TOWN, SEPT. 28, 1845 29

 

THE FLEET AT KENTISH TOWN 30, 31

 

OLD HOUSE, KENTISH TOWN, SUPPOSED TO HAVE BEEN NELL

GWYNNE'S 33

 

THE FLEET AT KENTISH TOWN--BROWNE'S DAIRY FARM, SEPT.

21, 1833 34

 

CASTLE, KENTISH TOWN ROAD, 1848 35

 

THE BRILL 37

 

BATTLE BRIDGE 40, 41, 42

 

DUST HEAP AT BATTLE BRIDGE 45

 

ST. CHAD'S WELL 49

 

THE WHITE CONDUIT 54, 62

 

STONE IN THE WHITE CONDUIT 57

 

WHITE CONDUIT GARDENS (INTERIOR) 64

 

" " " (EXTERIOR) 65

 

THE PINDAR OF WAKEFIELD 75

 

BAGNIGGE HOUSE 82

 

BAGNIGGE WELLS, NEAR BATTLE BRIDGE, ISLINGTON 85

 

A VIEW TAKEN FROM THE CENTER BRIDGE IN THE GARDENS OF

BAGNIGGE WELLS 88

 

WAITER FROM THE BREAD AND BUTTER MANUFACTORY; OR, THE

HUMOURS OF BAGNIGGE WELLS 89

 

THE BREAD AND BUTTER MANUFACTORY; OR, THE HUMOURS OF

BAGNIGGE WELLS 89

 

A BAGNIGGE WELLS SCENE; OR, NO RESISTING TEMPTATION 90

 

THE BAGNIGGE ORGANIST 91

 

THE ANCIENT RIVER FLEET, AT CLERKENWELL, 1825 100

 

SOUTH VIEW OF THE COLD BATHS 113

 

THE SMALLPOX HOSPITAL IN COLD BATH FIELDS 118

 

VIEW OF NORTHAMPTON OR SPA FIELDS CHAPEL, WITH THE

COUNTESS OF HUNTINGDON'S HOUSE ADJOINING 124

 

FAGIN, THE JEW 159

 

FIELD LANE NEGOTIATIONS; OR, A SPECIMEN OF "FINE DRAWING" 160

 

ELY HOUSE 1784 169

 

END OF HOLBORN BRIDGE, TAKEN FROM THE SOUTH, AND PART OF

HOLBORN HILL, JUNE 2, 1840 175

 

HOLBORN BRIDGE 177

 

LAMB'S CONDUIT, SNOW HILL 181

 

FLEET MARKET, FROM HOLBORN BRIDGE 187

 

BRIDEWELL BRIDGE 207

 

WOMEN BEATING HEMP 213

 

PASS ROOM, BRIDEWELL, 1808 215

 

THE ARREST 228

 

BAMBRIDGE 273

 

A PRISONER IN IRONS 274

 

THE COMMON SIDE OF THE FLEET PRISON 278

 

THE FLEET PRISON 296

 

RACKETS IN THE FLEET PRISON, 1760 303

 

A WHISTLING SHOP IN THE FLEET, 1821 306

 

AUTOGRAPH DONE AT THE PARLOUR NO. 1, PALAIS DE LA FLETE,

THIS 24 DAY JUNE 311

 

FARRINGDON STREET AND THE FLEET PRISON 322

 

GROUND PLAN OF FLEET PRISON 323

 

SECTION OF THE PRISON 323

 

EXTERIOR OF THE GRATE 324

 

A FLEET WEDDING 362

 

THE SAILOR'S FLEET WEDDING ENTERTAINMENT 364

 

ILLUSTRATIONS WILL ALSO BE FOUND AT PAGES 171, 172, 184,

280, 294, 304, 307, 308, 319, 335.

 

 

 

 

[Illustration]

 

 

 

 

_The Fleet:_

 

Its River, Prison, and Marriages.

 

 

 

 

CHAPTER I.

 

 

Only a little tributary to the Thames, the River Fleet, generally,

and ignominiously, called the Fleet _Ditch_, yet it is historically

interesting, not only on account of the different places through

which its murmuring stream meandered, almost all of which have some

story of their own to tell, but the reminiscences of its Prison stand

by themselves--pages of history, not to be blotted out, but to be

recorded as valuable in illustration of the habits, and customs, of our

forefathers.

 

The City of London, in its early days, was well supplied with water,

not only by the wells dug near houses, or by the public springs, some

of which still exist, as Aldgate Pump, &c., and the River Thames; but,

when its borders increased, the Walbrook was utilized, as well as

the Fleet, and, later on, the Tye-bourne, or twin brook, which fell

into the Thames at Westminster. In the course of time these rivulets

became polluted, land was valuable; they were covered over, and are

now sewers. The course of the Fleet being clearly traceable in the

depression of Farringdon Street, and the windings of the Tye-bourne in

the somewhat tortuous Marylebone Lane (so called from the Chapel of

St. Mary, which was on the banks of "le bourne," or the brook[1]). Its

further course is kept in our memory by Brook Street, Hanover Square.