Sentinel of the valley. [volume] (Woodstock, Va) 1841-1848, 1848-02-10
WOODSTOCK , VIRGINIA:
THE CITY OF LONDON IN
r ~ OLDEN TIME

hi ne. G ne intl OuufdlOn OF O1lffStlaNlty
r however, had been gradually working
! beneficial change both in The ein,ell,c
e lual and physical condition ofthe PEG
: pie Of England. and London, the me
tI1sropois, was not behint. lie rest 0
e the natien. During the, dominion Q
= Saxon and the Danish monalchs ,som'
Il faint gieams o. Improvement were dim
Ily visible in the Aorizon,and the names
ri Of Canute, Alfred and Edward the Con
lfessor, with respect. We have, how
leves, imperfect notions of the so
jtial conditions of the inhabitants o.
the town during that period; but altes
3the Norman invasion oar information
1beeomes more extended, and we can
trace with more distinctneSs the pro-
gfess of society," The Eruption Of The
Nornaas, hhoughil inflicted much par
ual evil, was the source ofgreat gener-
ial good. A hardy, ambitious, bust.
ding and enterprising race, the Nor
mans gave new stnnu'ous to the ma
Etional mind, am. haStened,he march Of
civilization at least two centuries. =
New tastes, new habits, and new law s
We're gradually introduced; and thena-
tmn. as a whole continued to advance,
Feven amid the incessant civil wars,
caused by the Jealousy and ambition
+of the restless monarchs of tkat race
Before the Norman invasion the art
of The smith was one Of the most pros
porous in London arA He was useful
both in peace and war; making alike
the plough share TO-: the peasant, and
the sword Of the soldier. This hanGi-
craft was carried TO still greater perfec
ton and Importance during the civil
wars OF Stephen and Matilda, and some
of the artisans of this fraternity were
among the richest and most influential
burgesscs of the city.
London also carried OF, some traffic
in wool which was exported in large
quantities to Flanders; but the. people
had no great skill in manufactures, un-
til Edward the Third sent over to
Client and Aniwefpior work,nen 10 in
s':ucti;s subjects. From that Sine
The wooden manufactures Of England
began to acquire importance; but we
infer from his, that the early Normans,
and even Saxons, were altogether m
acquainted with the art. The cloth
they wove was of very inferior kind,
but nevertheless, the Merchants carried
on very extensive trade in it. The
eSta blishment of periodical fairs was a
great benefit to this branch of com
merce. Bartholomew Fair, still SO ia
nous, although so much changed from
its origina! purpose, was much resor-
ted to BY dealers in English CLOTH
Long before The Flemish werkmen
were invited over, Henry the Second
granted the privilege of holding this
fair to The priory o: ST. Bartholomew,
to be KEEP, yearly at Bartholomew-tide,
for three days. The cIo,hlers and
drapers Immediately resorted ,hliher IN
great ulnbers, and established booths
for the sale of their merchandise in the
churchyard of,he priory. The trades
of the tanner and the arnourer were
also in nourlsh!ng state at this 2eli-
riod: for like the smith, they were use
ful in peace, and not affected by war:
the real conbats of the enc, and the
sham combats of the other, providing
them with constant employment. sa9
Domestic architecture was at low
ebb. In the tine Of William the Con-
queror, there was not one stone or
brick house in London The streets
We're inarnow, dirty, and crooked, and
the houses bull, entirely of wood. In
the reign of Henry The Second two Of
the principal citizens had their houses
partially built of stone; but this was
luxury which did not spread rapidly,
as evensa, the time of the great fire in
1866, nearly FIVE hundred years after
the epoch Of Henry the Second, we
find that fully nine tenths ofthe houses
in London continued to be constructed
out e the primitive material "a
build London Bridge. of stone was a
great undertaking for the age in which
it was commenced: and howsthe great
increase in wealth and Importance Of
London since the overthrow of the
Saxon monarchs, during whose time
a crazy wooden bridgewas looked up:
On as a master piece of architecture.
Chimneys were hardly known II
London before the reign OF Richard the
First, and then they only existed ii
the religious houses, and inihe halls o
The nobility. The citizens lighted ;
J FIRE in the middle Of their apartments
) and let the smoke escape as it could, by
!, the door or the window. Their com.
! fort and utility were however. SO obvi
Gus, that they soon beganto be gener
aliv adOnted. and towards the !Inidtll,