smithfield in the sixteenth century.
no part of london is richer in historical recollections of various kinds than smithfield. in this enclosure, which in old times was a broad and pleasant field, lying without the city walls on the north-west, were held jousts and tournaments on the most splendid scale, and attended by kings, foreign potentates and ambassadors, nobles, knights, and dames of the highest rank and peerless beauty. barriers were frequently set up in smithfield by edward iii., and here a grand tournament, which lasted for a week, was given by the same monarch, in the latter part of his reign, in honour of the beautiful alice perrars, by whose charms he was bewitched. another grand tournament was held here by richard ii., on which occasion sixty knights on richly-caparisoned coursers, and each attended by a lady of honour mounted upon a palfrey, rode from the tower to smithfield, where, in the presence of the king and queen and chief nobles, many commendable courses were run. in the same reign, the earl of mar came from scotland to challenge the earl of nottingham, and the trial of skill took place at smithfield, resulting in the overthrow of mar, who was so severely hurt by his opponent that he died on the way back. in the time of henry iv., the earl of somerset, sir john cornwall, sir richard arundel, and others, tilted with certain frenchmen; and in the same reign a duel took place between gloucester and arthur, which would have terminated fatally but for the king’s interference. in the succeeding reign, sir robert 269carey fought an aragonese knight at smithfield, and slew him. several desperate combats occurred here in the reign of henry vi., but we cannot dwell upon them, and must conclude our brief summary by allusion to the famous encounter between lord scales and the bastard of burgundy, held before edward iv., at which the english noble had the advantage, both mounted and on foot, with poleaxe as well as with spear.
many judicial combats were likewise fought at smithfield, and here it was that the armourer was slain by his false servant—a picturesque incident introduced with admirable effect by shakespeare in the second part of “henry vi.” other occurrences of a yet more tragical character are not wanting to deepen the interest of the spot. at the north of the field, and between a large pool and a track of marshy land, grew some gigantic elms, and amidst these stately trees stood a permanent gallows, at which the great scottish hero, william wallace, was barbarously hanged, and, while yet breathing, disembowelled and quartered. in the centre of the field the lollards were burnt, and on the same spot, at a later date, numberless victims of the tyrant henry’s rage perished in the same fearful manner.
the darkest page, however, in the annals of smithfield, belongs to the period under consideration.
but smithfield has lively as well as sombre traditions. here the famous bartholomew fair was held, the humours of which have been painted by ben jonson. though the amusements of this annual city carnival might scandalise the present decorous generation, they suited our forefathers, who had no objection to a little riotous excess. in the last century, when bartholomew fair was at its zenith, excellent theatrical representations were given there, and fielding himself had a booth at smithfield.[a] however, tastes changed. bartholomew fair lost its attraction, was voted a nuisance, and finally abolished, though it lingered on till within the last few years.
a. see mr. morley’s “memoirs of bartholomew fair”—a work full of curious research and delightfully written.
at the period of our history, smithfield retained most of its original features. it was still an open field without the 270walls, resorted to by the citizens for purposes of recreation, and was constantly used, as at an earlier date, for grand military displays and for public executions. the grove of giant elms, with the gallows in the midst, was still standing near the pool, and no part of the broad enclosure had as yet been encroached upon.
on the east side of the area, partially screened by a large mansion, stood the priory of saint bartholomew, a noble religious institution, founded in the time of henry i., by rahere, the king’s minstrel, and which flourished until the dissolution of the monasteries, when it was granted by henry viii. to his attorney-general, sir richard rich. the size and importance of the priory will be understood, when it is stated that in addition to the abode and dormitories of the prior and monks, the establishment comprised a large conventual church, refectory, hall, cloisters, courts, and numerous offices, together with extensive gardens—among which was a mulberry-garden. the splendid church was partially pulled down, and the materials sold, but, on the accession of queen mary, the remnant of the sacred pile, together with other portions of the monastery, were restored to the brotherhood of black canons, from whom they had been wrested, and continued in their hands till the time of elizabeth, when the fraternity was ejected.
in front of the priory, as above stated, was a large and picturesque mansion, which delighted the eye with its high pointed roof, carved gables, richly-sculptured portals, and mullioned windows. adjacent to this habitation was an ancient gateway, leading to the conventual church, over the pointed arch of which was a tabernacle containing a statue of saint bartholomew holding a knife. on the north of the priory ran a long narrow lane, with detached houses and gardens on either side of it, communicating with aldersgate street.
on the south side of smithfield stood the old hospital belonging to the priory, at the rear of which was the church of saint bartholomew the less. on the west of the area were a few scattered habitations, amongst which were three renowned hostels, the saint catherine’s wheel, the king’s head, and the rose. here another narrow lane, skirted by small tenements, ran down to holborn.
271the best view of smithfield was from the ground near the old elm-trees. standing there, and looking towards the city, the prospect was exceedingly striking. on the left was the priory, surmounted by the square tower of the conventual church, and contiguous to it the ancient hospital—a highly picturesque structure. further on was saint sepulchre’s. the north-western angle of the ancient city walls, with its ramparts and battlements, was seen to great advantage from this point. hundreds of lofty and slender spires, graceful steeples, crocketed pinnacles, and embattled towers, long since destroyed, met the gaze. but the grand object of all was the venerable gothic cathedral, with its spire, upwards of five hundred feet in height, which could here be surveyed in all its majesty and beauty.
