The Sun. — 1851-10-29 (London, England)

BOW CHURCH. The history of this church is a strange one. As the ttriter has elsewhere remarked—if not originally a Roman temple, as was generally believed, it was one of the earliest churches built by our Norman conquerors: it has been destroyed by storm and fire; was at one time garrisoned and besieged; and was afterwards the scene of an assassination. We first find mention of it as a Christian church, in the reign of William the Conqueror. Stow says, it was the first in the City built on arches of atone, and that it was therefore called St. Mary de Arcubus, or the BJW; although he elsewhere says, that it took its name from certain stone arches, supporting a lantern on the top of the tower. In the twelfth century, a tumult of a serious nature occurred in the City, which led to an assault upon the church. The ringleader was William Fitz-Osbert, surnamed Long•beard, an individual of loose morals, who apparently possessed great talents, and was almost worshipped by the lower orders, on account of his exertions as a professed advocate for the poor, against the oppressions of the rich. An attempt being made to seize him, he took refuge in Bow steeple, together with various followers, and being well provided with ammunition and provisions, was able, for a long time, to defy the authorities. In order to drive him out the steeple was fired. This had the desired effect; the rioters were made prisoners, and after a hasty trialwere hanged. In 1271 part of the steeple, which had probably been much injured during the attack on Fitz -Q_ bert, fell down, and caused the death of several persas; It seems, however, to have been repaired soon afterwards; for in 1284 we find that one Ducket a dgoldsmith, who (huanddesre rwiohuastlyeirwcuomunsdtaendeeas ipse notrsonmsnet namtiolenedß)a,tlpohokererefuPgine in this church, and slept in the certain friends of Crepin entered deuermeg. theW nhiiglehtt,h placedviolating h the e bo d ysaanscttuoarinyd,uficerstthesleandere, beliefw him,ba t anned htande nun o. mhwoii ttwht returnedee vd Co urs however, at being customary emi itd nhae ger. y inAicinuvdieisgri verdict to s. this effect was accordingly and the body was interred The real circumstances, yannnonytinwenihonnitt, appears was with packet in his of _ , afterwards discovered through the evidencevoluntar the murderers, amongst whom was.,. a Woman, were apprehended and executed. On this occurrence the church was interdicted for a time, and the doors and windows were stopped up with brambles. After the fire the present edifice was commenced by Wren. The whole of the works appear to have been completed in the year 1680. The crypt of Bow Chinch, which belongs apparently to the end of the eleventh century, is now filled with coffins of all ages and sizes piled one upon the other, which have doubtless contributed in silence their share of disease and premature death to the inhabitants of the neighbourhood. In 1849 we gave a view of part of this crypt with its fearful furniture, which we have reason to effect in rousing the pubsfleitochretaotseya:stense of theirknow ghuaidltyitfsolly in permitting intramural interments. How much longer such madness is to be p • d that theembo'claineds permitted we knowwouid riot. urge, with h repeatres p oe cu ;Idoo nuuonwc i at toi Church,oenono bveedstrictly .prohibited. The ground, ashnodualdnybfereismh mdeedpioastietslytrheemreo crypt is ventilated, the coffins are c,putin fair order, and vwieduwaolsulcdoncanreeeftueldlywaitvhoidthaistteabehairne, charnel -house, which is far blame to any individuals being as bad as many othenr(;-. It is against the system which we protest—a system foul and murderous  CO