My father, shee said, is soone to be seene, He is the good father of pretty Bessee. His markes and his tokens are knowen very well; He alwayes is led with a dogg and a bell. A seely olde man, God knoweth, is hee, Yet hee is the father of pretty Bessee. PERCY'S Reliques, vol. ii., The Beggar's Daughter of Bednall Green.1 The story of the Blind Beggar seems to have gained much credit in the village, where it decorates not only the sign-posts of the publicans, but the staff of the parish beadle.-Lysons, vol. ii. p. 18. The house at Bethnal Green was inhabited in 1663 by Sir William Rider; was built in the previous century for John Kirby. It was distinguished as "Kirby's Castle," and associated in rhyme, as Stow records, with other memorable follies of the time in brick and mortar :— Kirkebyes Castell and Fishers Follie, Spinilas pleasure and Megses glorie. It was known in Strype's time as the "Blind Beggar's House," 2 but Strype knew nothing of the ballad, for he adds, "perhaps Kirby beggared himself by it." For many years it was a private lunatic asylum. Bishop's Hall, about a quarter of a mile to the east of Bethnal Green (taken down about the middle of the present century), is said to have been the palace of Bishop Bonner. Hence Bonner's Fields adjoining. There is a view of the house, dated 1794, in the Guildhall Collection. In 1649 the versatile Sir Balthazar Gerbier opened an Academy at Bethnal Green, in which he professed to teach, in addition to the more common branches of education, "astronomy, navigation, architecture, perspective, drawing, limning, engraving, fortification, fireworks, military discipline, the art of well speaking and civil conversation, history, constitutions and maxims of state, and particular dispositions of nations, riding the great horse, scenes, exercises, and magnificent shows." For teaching all these arts he charged £6 a month, of which £3 was for riding the great horse. Robert Ainsworth, author of the Latin dictionary which bears his name, kept an Academy at Bethnal Green. William Caslon, the celebrated type-founder, died at his residence there, January 23, 1766. Bethnal Green Museum, CAMBRIDGE ROAD, BETHNAL GREEN, a branch of the SOUTH KENSINGTON MUSEUM, opened in 1872. When it was decided, in 1865, to erect permanent buildings for the South Kensington Museum, the Education Department offered the temporary iron structure (known as the Brompton Boilers), to the authorities of any London district who might be disposed to establish a district museum. The only response was from the east end, where a com 1 The beggar in the ballad is said to have been the son of Simon de Montfort, Earl of Leicester, in the reign of Henry III. Wounded at Evesham fighting by his father's side, he was found among the dead by a baron's daughter, who sold her jewels to marry him, and assumed with him a beggar's attire to preserve his life. Their only child, a daughter, was the "pretty Bessee" of the ballad in Percy. 2 Strype, B. iv. p. 48. 3 Lysons, vol. ii. p. 1. mittee was formed, and the chairman, Sir Antonio Brady, was able to inform the Lord President of the Council, March 1866, that they were in a position to purchase the fee-simple of a site of 4 acres singularly adapted for the object in view, and to offer it to the Government "for the purpose of erecting thereon a museum for the east end of London." The offer was accepted, and after some legal difficulties had been overcome, the building, a much more substantial one than was at first proposed, was erected from the designs of Major-General Scott, C.B., and opened in state by the Prince of Wales, on behalf of the Queen, June 24, 1872. The walls are of red brick, with a broad frieze, and the "boiler" roofs; internally there are basement and ground floors with galleries carried round the four sides. In front of the building is Minton's great St. George fountain, in majolica, which formed a conspicuous feature at the Exhibition of 1862. The Food Collection and the Collection of Animal Products from South Kensington were deposited in the new museum, and they have remained there ever since; but the distinctive feature of the Museum is the succession of collections lent for exhibitions by public bodies or private individuals. At the opening was exhibited the magnificent collection of paintings and works of decorative art belonging to Sir Richard Wallace, which remained there till Hertford House was completed. [See Manchester Square.] Among the collections which have followed this have been the Indian Collection of the Prince of Wales; the paintings from the Dulwich Galleries; and General Pitt Rivers's ethnological collection; Mr. J. Evans's remarkable series of stone implements; Mr. A. W. Franks's choice selection of pottery and porcelain; Mr. Doubleday's entomological collection; and several others more or less complete in character. The National Portrait Gallery is now temporarily located there. The Museum is open free on Monday, Tuesday, and Saturday, from 10 A.M. to 10 P.M.; on Thursday and Friday from 10 A.M. to 4, 5, or 6. P.M., according to the season; and by payment of sixpence on Wednesday from 10 A.M. to 4, 5, or 6 P.M. Betterton Street, DRURY LANE (formerly Brownlow Street). The name was changed in 1877. [See Brownlow Street.] Betty's Coffee-House, STRAND. So late as 1828 (February 15), Miss Mitford addresses her father, "Dr. Mitford, Old Betty's CoffeeHouse, behind the New Church, Strand." Bevis Marks, in the parish of Allhallows, London Wall, extends from DUKE STREET, ALDGATE, to ST. MARY AXE. Then next is one great house, large of rooms, fair courts and garden plots, some time pertaining to the Bassets, since that to the Abbots of Bury, in Suffolk, and therefore called Burie's Markes, corruptly Bevis Markes, and since the dissolution of the abbey of Bury, to Thomas Heneage the father, and to Sir Thomas his son.Stow, p. 55. On part of the site of this great house stands the Spanish and Portuguese Jews' Synagogue, founded 1679, the oldest in use in England. The remembrance of the abbots survives in Bury Street on the south side of Bevis Marks, and Bury Court, St. Mary Axe; as does that of their successors in Heneage Lane, the next turning to Bury Street. The entry of the birth of Benjamin D'Israeli, Earl of Beaconsfield, is in the register of the old Synagogue. Dickens places the office of Sampson Brass, "Old Curiosity Shop," in Bevis Marks. Bible Society (British and Foreign), 146 QUEEN VICTORIA STREET, founded 1804, with "the sole object of encouraging the wider circulation of the Holy Scriptures." This it does by aiding missionaries and other qualified persons to translate the Scriptures into languages or dialects in which no such version already exists, or to revise and improve existing versions; by printing versions of the Scriptures in many tongues; by circulating copies of such editions. as widely as possible by grants to missionary and other religious societies; by the operations of auxiliary societies or by its own agents; and by a widely extended system of colportage. The Society has printed the Bible either as a whole or in separate Testaments or Books in about 285 languages and dialects, and circulates above 4,000,000 copies yearly. The number of copies distributed by the Society since its foundation is over 116,000,000. The annual income of the Society is about £110,000; a similar sum is received as part payment for the Scriptures circulated. At the Bible Housea large and stately building, erected in 1866-1868 from the designs. of the late Edward I'Anson, architect-may be seen a collection quite unrivalled in extent of Bibles, Testaments, or portions of the Bible of varied dates and in many languages. Billingsgate, a river, gate, wharf, and fish-market, on the Thames, a little below London Bridge, the great fish-market of London. In very early times Queenhithe and Billingsgate were the chief City wharfs for the mooring of fishing vessels and landing their cargoes. The fish were sold in and about Thames Street, special stations being assigned to the several kinds of fish. Queenhithe was at first the more important wharf, but Billingsgate appears to have gradually overtaken it and eventually to have left it hopelessly in the rear, the troublesome passage of London Bridge leading ship-masters to prefer the below bridge wharf. Corn, malt, and salt, as well as fish, were landed and sold at both wharfs, and very strict regulations were laid down by the City authorities as to the tolls to be levied on the several articles, and the conditions under which they were to be sold.1 As early as 1282 a message was sent from the King, Edward I., to the serjeants of Billingsgate and Queenhithe, commanding them "to see that all boats are moored on the City side at night, and to have the names of all boats;" and in 1297 the order was repeated, but 1 Liber Albus, p. 603, etc. this time it was the warden of the dock [portus] at Billingsgate and the warden of Queenhithe who were "to see that this order is strictly observed." In a letter of Edward II., 1312, regarding the safe keeping of the City, Billingsgate is enumerated among the quays facing the Thames, which shall "be well and strictly bretached" [embattled, or defended by wooden turrets], and the lanes on either side be "well and stoutly chained." In 1370, when "the Mayor, Aldermen, and commonalty were given to understand that certain galleys, with a multitude of armed men therein, were lying off the Foreland of Tenet," [Thanet], it was ordered that "every night watch shall be kept between the Tower of London and Billingsgate with 40 men-at-arms, and 60 archers;" which watch the men of the trades underwritten "agreed to keep in succession each night, in form as follows: On Tuesday, the Drapers and the Tailors; on Wednesday, the Mercers and the Apothecaries; on Thursday, the Fishmongers and the Butchers; on Friday, the Pewterers and the Vintners; on Saturday, the Goldsmiths and the Saddlers; on Sunday, the Ironmongers, the Armourers, and the Cutlers; on Monday, the Tawers [Curriers], the Spurriers, the Bowyers, and the Girdlers." 1 Billingsgate was declared, 1 Eliz., c. ii. (1559), "an open space for the landing and bringing in of any fish, corn, salt stores, victuals, and fruit (grocery wares excepted), and to be a place of carrying forth of the same, or the like, and for no other merchandises.” By 10 and 11 William III., c. 24, it was made, on and after May 10, 1699, "a free and open market for all sorts of fish." How this gate took that name, or of what antiquity the same is, I must leave uncertain, as not having read any ancient record thereof, more than that Geffrey Monmouth writeth, that Belin, a king of the Britons, about four hundred years before Christ's Nativity, built this gate and named it Belin's gate, after his own calling; and that when he was dead, his body being burnt, the ashes in a vessel of brass were set upon a high pinnacle of stone over the same gate. It seemeth to me not to be so ancient, but rather to have taken that name of some later owner of the place, happily named Beling or Biling, as Somer's key, Smart's key, Frost wharf, and others thereby, took their names of their owners.-Stow, p. 17. Billingsgate is at this present (1598) a large water-gate, port, or harborough, for ships and boats commonly arriving there with fish both fresh and salt, shell-fishes, salt, oranges, onions, and other fruits and roots, wheat, rye, and grain of divers sorts for the service of the city and the parts of this realm adjoining. This gate is now more frequented than of old time, when the Queene's-hithe [Queenhithe] was used, and the drawbridge of timber at London Bridge was then to be raised or drawn up for passage of ships with tops thither.-Stow, p. 78. Until 1850 Billingsgate, according to the description of the City architect, "consisted only of shed buildings. . . . The open space on the north of the well-remembered Billingsgate Dock was dotted with low booths and sheds, with a range of wooden houses with a piazza in front on the west, which served the salesmen and fishmongers as shelter, and for the purposes of carrying on their trade."2 In that year the market was rebuilt from the designs of Mr. J. B. Bunning, the 2 Report of Mr. Horace Jones, 1874. 1 Riley, Memorials, p. 345. City architect. If less picturesque, in neatness of appearance it was a great improvement on its predecessor, but it was soon found to be insufficient for the increased trade, and in 1872 the Corporation obtained an Act to rebuild and enlarge the market. By the plans of the late Sir Horace Jones, the then City architect, the neighbouring Billingsgate Stairs and Wharf and Darkhouse Lane were included, and the area of the market was nearly doubled. The works were commenced in 1874, and the new market was opened by the Lord Mayor on July 20, 1877. The building is of Portland stone on a granite plinth, Italian in character, and comprises, in the Thames Street and river fronts, a pedimented centre and continuous arcade, flanked at each extremity by a pavilion tavern. The general market, on a level with Thames Street, has an area of about 30,000 feet, and is covered with louvre glass roofs 43 feet high at the ridge. A gallery 30 feet wide is appropriated to the sale of dried fish. Beneath the whole is a well-lighted and airy basement 24 feet high, which serves for the shell-fish market. The market is said to be well adapted to its purpose, but already complaints are made of insufficient space, and the approaches greatly need widening and improving. The opening of the railways has altogether changed the character of the wholesale fish trade. By far the larger part of the fish, some 100,000 tons annually, is brought to Billingsgate by land, the Great Eastern Railway having the lion's share of the traffic. But all the fish that arrives by railway is not sold at Billingsgate, though disposed of by Billingsgate salesmen. The salesman is informed by telegram of the quantity and kind of fish consigned to him; he ascertains the state of the market, and if the supply is redundant telegraphs to the persons sending the fish not to send any more. Billingsgate Market opens at 5 o'clock every morning throughout the year, but it is not a place that it would. be prudent for a stranger to visit then. "One "Here The coarse language of the place has long been notorious. may term this the Esculine Gate of London," says old Fuller. one may hear linguas jurgatrices," and he places "Billingsgate language" among his proverbs. At this rate there is not a scold at Billingsgate but may defend herself by the pattern of King James and Archbishop Whitgift.-Andrew Marvell, The Rehearsal Transprosed, 1672. The style of Billingsgate would not make a very agreeable figure at St. James's. -E. Smith, On John Philips, the poet. Hard by a sty, beneath a roof of thatch, Dwelt obloquy, who in her early days Baskets of fish at Billingsgate did watch, Cod, whiting, oyster, mackrel, sprat or plaice: There learned she speech from tongues that never cease. POPE, Imitation of Spenser. Addison, some three years before (Freeholder, April, 30, 1716), had spoken of the delicacy of certain modern critics who are offended with Homer's "Billingsgate Warriors”— 1 Fuller's Worthies (London) ed. 1662, p. 197.. |