"This plague," says Dr. Sydenham, "discovered its first malignity among the poorer sort of people in St. Giles in the Fields, towards the latter end of the year 1664." (See Practical Method for the Cure of the Plague, 1665.) Dr. Hodges and Sir Richard Manningham corroborated this idea in their works on the plague.

The following are a few of the entries of that period:

"1665. (August) Ordered, that an additional rate be levied

for the use of the visited poor, to the amount of £600; and that the inhabitants of the parish be valued accordingly."

Independent of this contribution by assessment, various sums were subscribed :—

£. s. d.

"Received of Mr. Williams, from the Earl of Clare,

Received of Mr. Justice Godfrey, (Sir Edmondbury)

from the Lord Treasurer

50 0 0

Received of Earle Craven and the rest of the jus

tices, towards the visited poore (at various times) 449 16 10 Earle Craven, towards the visited poore

40 3 0

The appointment of searchers, shutting-up of infected houses, &c. are thus noticed:

"1665. (August.) Paid the searchers for viewing the corpse of good-wife Phillips, who dyed of the plague

....

Laid out for good-man Phillips, and his children being shut-up and visited

£. s. d.

006

0 5 0

Laid out for Lylla Lewis in 3, Crane Court, being shut-upp of the plague, and laid out for her, and

.......

for the nurse and burial 0 18 0 1666. (July.) Ordered, that the constables, &c, do take an especiall account of all inmates coming from other parishes, and to take security that they be not burdensome. And also to take care to prevent the spreading of the infection. for the future, by a timely provision for them that are, or hereafter may happen to be visited."

I will conclude the subject by quoting two eminent writers on the plague at this period. "London might well be said to be all in tears, the mourners did not go about the streets indeed, for nobody put on black, or made a formal dress of mourning; it was, however, truly heard in the streets. The shrieks of women and children at the doors and windows of their houses, where their dearest relations were dying, or perhaps dead, were enough to pierce the stoutest hearts. At the west-end of the town, it was a surprising thing to see those streets which were usually thronged, now grown desolate, so that I have sometimes gone the length of a whole street, (I mean bye streets) and have seen nobody to direct me but watchmen, set at the doors of such houses as were shut-up: and one day, I particularly observed, that even in Holborn the people walked in the middle of the street, and not at the sides, not to mingle, as I supposed, with

anybody that came out of infected houses, or meet with smells and scents from them."

"In the streets might be seen persons seized with the sickness, staggering like drunken men: here lay some dozing, and almost dead; there, others were met fatigued with excessive vomiting, as if they had drank poison: in the midst of the market, persons in full health fell suddenly down as if the contagion was there exposed to sale.

It was not uncommon to see

an inheritance pass to three heirs within the space of four days. The bearers were not sufficient to inter the dead," &c. Hodgson's Journal of the Plague, Hodges on the Plague.)

(See Dr.

and Dr.

CHAPTER IV.

Bloomsbury-Its Manor and Derivation-Progressive Extension-Abstract Statement of Buildings-Mr. Burton's vast EnterpriseBedford and Foundling Estates noticed, &c.

THE new and opulent parish of St. George, Bloomsbury, which now claims our attention, is well-known to have been abstracted from that of St. Giles in the Fields, and it still remains connected with it, being only distinct in respect to its ecclesiastical government, which we shall have occasion to notice as we proceed.

Maitland and others describe the district of this parish as anciently bearing the name of Lomesbury, and he speaks of the King's Mews being destroyed by fire in the reign of Henry VIII.

But the more probable derivation of its name was from a lord of this manor in the reign of Henry III. William de Blemund, or Blemot. In 1216 and subsequently, he witnessed several hospital deeds, now extant, at which time it was called "Blemund's Land,"

and "Blemund's Fee;" since then, by an easy transition, it has acquired the modern names of Blemundsbury or Bloomsbury. This is somewhat confirmed by the circumstance of the Manors of St. Giles and Bloomsbury being originally divided by a great fosse or ditch, (as before mentioned), called Blemund's Ditch, which ran east and west at the back of the north side of Holborn. This William de Blemund had a yearly obit or anniversary service for his soul performed at the hospital of St. Giles, in consequence of a grant made for that

purpose.

The Manor of Bloomsbury is bounded on the south, by the Manor of St. Giles; on the north, by the Prebend of Tottenhall; on the east by the Manor of Portpool, or Gray's Inn; and on the west by that of Mary-la-bonne.*

*The ancient natural division of the two, north and south, districts, which now form the joint parishes, was a road or highway running east and west on the site of Holborn and Broad Street, St. Giles, which was a great and principal thoroughfare.

This was built on and chiefly inhabited first on the north side, along which gradually arose a few scattered dwellings from its eastern extremity to the Pittaunce Croft, which was opposite the Hospital. These had gardens behind them reaching to the ditch which bounded the south side of Blemundsbury or Bloomsbury. In the midst of this principal street or highway was the common spring or conduit, which supplied the inhabitants with water; and near it, and exactly facing the north end of Aldewych, was a stone cross called Aldewyck Cross, with a cottage and gardens adjoining. Ex