The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1883-04-07
LAMBETH PALACE.
The Seat of the Primates of England. with
Seven Centuries of History.
New York World.

river, and surrounded by gardens. The dis
trlct, once swamp is said, but not with Ger
tainty, to draw its name from Lambhithe-a
lauding-place for sheep. 1t was the scene, in
HOO, of grand church council presided over
by Archbishop Anselm, to consider the le-
gality OF the marriage of Henry 1 to Matilda,
daughter of Malcolm of Scotland The
church OF Lambeth was begun in the last
days of Archbishop Baldwin (11S4-9O)-so at
least the official historian of the archiepisco-
pal diocese alleges, though the later date of
1l97 is commonly gwen.
Hubert Walter it was who actually entered
upon the work of completing the church at
Lambeth, despite the protests of the Canter-
bury monks, who foresaw in its creation the
almost extinction of their exclusive posses
sion of the primates According to Matthew
Paris, the Pope commanded Archbishop
Boniface TO build agssplendid mansion at
Lambeth for the occupant OF the see, in the
room OF the humber manor-house previous
ly existing-this by way of expiation for the
riot which he caused by falling upon the
canons of st. Bartholomew, in Smfthfield
and maaling them so that only four of them
We're able to carry their complaints to the
King. Boniface, though notably unpopular
as the most conspicuous of the foreigners who
had preyed for so long time on the richest
benefices OF England, was at least a munifi-
cent benefactor to the see in his contribu-
tions to its buildings, but Lambeth was so
unlmportant an estate that SO late as the
time of Walter Reynolds Q313-27) it figures
on the roll of the Archbishop's manors at a
rental of G15, the whole sum on which he
was taxed being 60, 047 The tower of the
church was erected about 1875. Wickliffe
was cited before synod at Lambeth in 1873
but the London populace went with him
and proved as powerful protectors as John
of Gaunt and Percy had been when he was
summoned to ST. Paul's. Sudbury, the then
Archbishop was connected with the
having sent the famous John Bale
to prison for heterodoxy, and Wat Tyler
Bale and Jack Straw captured him in the
palace and, after sacking it. beheaded him,
sending his head round London streets on a
pike. A memorial of the persecution thus
begun exists at Lambeth in the Lollards
Tower, built by the munifcent Chiceley in
1870 1t is a large stone building, and ac-
cess is had to the prison which it contains
by narrow newel-stone stairway and double
doors of strong oak studded and fastened with
iron, and only admitting one person at a
time. Every part of the prison is lined
with oak two very small windows, narrowing
outward, admit the light, and there is a small
chimney on one SIDE and the walls are COW
cred with initials, Names halfsentences
and crosses scratched or cut out by the pris-
oners. The dungeon is about twelve feet
square and eight feet high and has eight
massive rings let into the wall for claiming
prisoners. second chamber designed for
the overflow OF ecclesiastical offenders ad-
joins the porter's lodge. 1t has double doors
and walls of prodigous thickness, lined with
stone instead of oak; the windows are high
and narrow and three iron rings are fastened
to the wall, which prisoners have scratched
and carved with names and devices like those
in the main prison. Under the Tudors Lam
beth was the scene of many stately festivi-
ties Archbishop Bourchier entertained there
Henry VII. and a great train of his followers
fresh from Bosworth field before the former
kings formal coronation, and Cranmer ex-
ercised a profuse hospitality during that long
primacy which was to end at the stake
Catharine of Arragon made Lambeth her
residence for few days upon her first arrival
from Spain. Queen Mary completely refitted
the palace for the occupation of her kinsman.
Cardinal Pole, and Elizabeth was a frequent
visitor at the archiepiscopal palace no less
than fifteen state visits being recorded some
of them of considerable length. Archbishop
Parker notes that at one of his grand dinners
he had nine earls and seven barons at his own
table, not to speak of the great officers of
state who dined at another board. The
Queen, it may be said insulted the Arch
bishops wife after dining with her, but the
position of bishops wives was not regular in
those days, nor were their children held to
be legitimate till the reign OF James I. Eliz-
abeth made the archbishop her gaoler on sew
eral occasions, RENTING to his care Essex,
ere he was sent to the Tower, the two Popish
prelates, Tunstall and Thirdly, and other
persons of rank. In May, 1641, Laud was
mobbed in his palace, but though he COM
planned that he had ''only" six swords six
carbines three halberts and two half-pikes
with which to defend himself he beat off
ha hat ha
scene of riot in $780, at the time of the
mo Popery" riots, when the Protestant
Association paid it so much attention
that for weeks it was occupied
by militia garrison. Archbishop Howley
greatly enlarged the domestic part of the
palace about forty years ago, and DR.. TAFT
made extensive restorations in 1872. 1t had,
it may be remembered been the seat of the
famous Pan-Anglican Synod, which assem-
bled on September "a, 1867 Lambeth has a
notable library, which contains, besides many
literary treasures, the registers of the See
since 1878.
1t is its gardens however, which are the
pride of the palace According to a recent
survey by the metropolitan board of works
the park and gardens have an area of TWENTY
one acres, though this is considerably in ex-
cess of previous estimates which made their
extent thirteen acres, nine of which are walled
in. The kitchen garden was renowned for
the abundance and excellence of it's fruit
and vegetables, and contained two great fig
trees planted by Cardinal Pole, which had to
be removed during the rebuilding of the
palace, though smaller tree of his planting
still stands. Some of the finest trees were
uprooted during the great storm of 1870,
which unroofed part of the building, and in
the process of embanking the Thames part
of the garden was ruthlessly shorn
away, including the famous "Bish-
ops Walk" beneath whose tall
elms princes and priests had walked and
talked from the days of the Crusades The
palace stands in the midst of a densely-
crowded and poor population, and the late
archbishop allowed the residents occasional
and restricted use of the meadow lands at
its back. Agitation has been begun to secure
to the public fuller use of the lands in
Al. l.a..t