The Washington bee., 1899-07-08
SOUTH LONDON.
SIR Walter Besant Gives Some Interest,"
Ing Sketches of That Ancient Po~
ton of the City.

Besant is a historian, particularly the
historian par excellence of London
For the last few years he has written
articles on historic London for The
Pail Mall Magazine. The last series
to appear were on South London;
these, like the others, are now present
ed in book form under their original
title and with the elaborate and artistic
illustrations which so enhanced their
value when they were printed in the
magazine. The publishers of South
London" in this country are Frederick
A. Stokes Company.
"The chief difficulty in writing South
London" said Sir Walter in his pre-
face, has been that of selection from
the great treasures which have accum-
ulated about this strange spot. The
contents of this volume do not form a
tenth part of what might be written on
the same plan, and still without includ-
ing the history proper of the borough"
The author courteously acknowledges
his obligations TO the artist MIR. Perry
Wadham, who has so faithfully and so
cunningly carried out the task commit
ted to him."
MY South London" says Sir Walter,
extends from Battersea in the west to
Greenwich in the east, and from the
river on the north to the first rising
ground on he south. This rising
ground gentle ascent, the beginning
of the Surrey hills, can still be observ-
ed on the high roads of the south
Clapham, Brixton, Camberwell."
At first London had no communica-
tion with the rest Of the world, except
by water. Then causeway was built
across the Southwark marshes The
second road connected with the high
road to Dover: it is now called High
Street Borough 1t formed an entirely
open and broad communication; il be-
gan not far to the west of ST. Saviour's s
Church, opposite the Roman Trajectus.
the medieval ferry, now ST. Mary
Overies Dock. Ferries were soon es-
tablished across the Thames, and at
length the marshes were drained. Pre-
historic remains prove that all this
was done during the stone age and
the bronze age.
Centuries passed by. High Street
of Southwark is now crowded thor
oughfare, because it is the main artery
of a town containing a population of
many hundreds of thousands. In the
last century it was quite as animated,
because it was one of the main arteries
by which London was in communica-
tion with the country An immense
humber of coaches. carts, wagons,
and caravans passed every day up
and down the High Street, some
stopping or starting in Southwark it
self; some going over London Bridge
to their destination in the city"
Among the relics of the bygone ages
stands to-day the remains of the palace
of the Bishop of Winchester. AS one
Of the Bishops of Winchester would
have made very good modern Police
Court Judge and District Attorney
combined, it may rot be inappropriate
at this place to tell something about
the punishments of the time that were
ordered by the church. There was
whipping, but not the terrible, muir
derous f1ogging of the eighteenth CEN
tury; there were hangings. but not for
everything. Mostly to the credit of
the church, punishment was designed
not to crush man, but to shame him
into repentance and to give him a
chance of retrieving his character. A
man might be set in the stocks or put
in pillory, and so made to feel the helm
BUSINESS of his offense. This punish
ment was like that which was inflicted
ON schoolboy; the thing done, the boy
is taken back to favor. The eighteenth
century branded him, imprisoned him,
transported him, made a brute of him.
and then hanged him. Did a woman
Full ~G
sumptuous quean-set her up in the
cage beside the stoulpes of London
Bridge, that every one should see her
there and should ask what she had
done. After an hour or two take her
down; bid her go home and keep hence
forth a quiet tongue in her head. This
len1ency was only for offenses moral
and against the law. For freedom Of
thought or doctrine there was Bishop
Bonner's better way. And it was
way inhuman, infiexible, unable to for
give"
Sir Walter Besant, in showing how
the palace either contains or has at
some time contained the work of nearly
every archbishop in succession. Incl
dentally remarks, in speaking of some
or the improvements executed by the
various prelates, that the ChicheIey
Tower, commonly known as the "Lol-
lards' Tower, never had any connec-
tion with Lollards, and that all the talk
about the unhappy Lollard prisoners is
without foundation"
And, in a word. which will explain
why have given an apparently dispro-
portionate space to Lambeth Palace.
the author thus ends his chapter on the
royal houses of South London; Lam
beth Palace. the only palace in the
whole of South London, is a monument
OF English history from the twelfth
century downward. Remington ap-
pears at intervals; Ethan is a holiday
house; Greenwich practically begins
with the Tudors. Lambeth, like West
minister or st. Paul's belongs to the
long history of the English people"
From the fragmentary elves" of
We have learned consider
able about the Globe Theatre. but in
South London" We find a great deal
more, and also much about the Bear
Garden, Blackfriars, and Paris Garden |
the Hope Theatre, the Swan Theatre
and the Rose. 1t is all very interest |
ing.
And Of the South London of to-dav
mere is much that is of interest, much |
mat is fascinating, albeit the tourist
N Il nv n -.