Sentence:  &lsquo;I understand that the district was <WSD>considered</WSD> a sort of sanctuary,&rsquo; the Chief was saying. &lsquo;An Alsatia like the ancient one behind the Strand, or the Saffron Hill before the First World War. [...]&rsquo; 
Meaning of the word marked with <WSD> tags:  To assign some quality to.