bequeathed the whole of her property to the said sisters, and towards building and endowing a church, which, in gratitude to their benefactress, they called St. Mary Over River, but which ultimately was corrupted or abbreviated to St. Mary Overie."

ST. DIONIS BACK-CHURCH.

This church owes its name to St. Dionis, Dionysius, or Dennis, who, upon St. Paul's preaching at Athens, was converted, and became the first bishop of that city, and afterwards patron of the French nation. The epithet Back-church, was conferred upon this church from its situation behind a row of houses, to distinguish it from the church of St. Gabriel, which stood in the middle of Fenchurch Street; therefore these churches were anciently known by no other appellation than those of Fore and Back Church. It was destroyed by the great fire, and rebuilt by Sir Christopher Wren.

ST. KATHERINE CREE.

This church, which is situate on the north side of Leadenhall street, owes its name to its dedication to St. Katherine, the Egyptian virgin; and the epithet of Christ (corruptly Cree), from its vicinity to the conventual church of the Holy Trinity, originally denominated Christ Church.*

ST. MARGARET PATTENS.

This church, situate at the corner of Little Tower Street, owes its name to St. Margaret, and the circumstance that this parish anciently was principally inhabited by Patten-makers.

ST. MARTIN'S OUTWICH.

This church, which is situate in Threadneedle Street, derives its name from St. Martin: "On the south part of Threeneedle street, beginning at the East by the well with two Buckets, now turned to a pump, is the Parish Church of Saint Martin, called Oteswich, from Martin de Oteswich, Nicholas de Oteswich, William Oteswich, and John Oteswich, founders thereof."-Stow, p. 68. The Old Church escaped the great fire of 1666, but was seriously injured in the Bishopsgate Street fire of Nov. 7, 1765. It was temporarily patched up, but was taken down in 1796, and rebuilt as we now see it by Sir S. P. Cockerell.

ST. MARY, ALDERMARY.

This church, which is situate in Bow Lane, owes its name to its dedication to the Virgin Mary, and the additional epithet of

*The old Church was taken down in 1628; and the present one was consecrated by Dr. Laud (then Bishop of London), Jan. 16, 1630-1.

Aldermary, or Eldermary, from its being the oldest church in the city dedicated to the Virgin. Stow says, " A very fair new church was laid there by Henry Keble, Grocer, Mayor, who deceased 1518, and was there buried." This was destroyed in the great fire, and rebuilt by Wren in 1681.

ST. MARY BOTHAW.

This church, situate in Turnwheel Lane, receives the former part of its name from being dedicated to the Virgin Mary, and the latter to its vicinity to a Boat Haw, or a Boatbuilder's yard.

ST. MARY-AT-HILL.

This church, which is situate in the Ward of Billingsgate, owes its name, like the above mentioned, to the Virgin, and its situation upon a pleasant eminence.

ST. MARY COLECHURCH.

This church, says Maitland, derives its name from Peter Colechurch, who first began the building of London Bridge* with stone; he was buried in a chapel on the bridge, from whence his body was removed, on the taking down of the houses, to the church which now bears his name. It stood at the south-west corner of the Old Jewry, in the Poultry.

ST. MARY SOMERSET.

This church, which is opposite Broken Wharf, in Thames Street, owes its former name to Mary the Virgin; and the additional epithet of Somerset, to its vicinity to Summer's Het, or Hithe, a small port or haven, resembling that of Queenhithe.

ST. MICHAEL BASSISHAW."

This church, situate on the west side of Basinghall street, in the Ward of Bassishaw, is thus denominated from its dedication to St. Michael, the archangel, and the place of its situation, near Basing's Haw, or Hall.

ST. MARY MOUNTHAUNT.

This church, on the west side of Old Fish-street hill, derives its name from its dedication to the Virgin, and its having been first built as a chapel to a House inhabited by the family of Mounthaunts, in the county of Norfolk.

* See London Bridge.

ST. MICHAEL'S QUERNE,

This church derives its name from St. Michael, and being near the Corn Market-Querne being a corruption of Corn.

ST. ANDREW UNDERSHAFT.

This church, situate at the corner of St. Mary Axe, and so well known to antiquaries as containing within its walls Stow's monument, takes the name of Undershaft from a May-Pole, or Shaft, which on May-Day was put up adjacent to it. Chaucer, writing of a vain boaster, hath these words, meaning of the said shaft:

"Right well aloft, and high you beare your head,

As you would beare the great shaft of Cornhill.”

It may be observed, that Cornhill originally extended thus far.

ADDLE STREET.

In the vicinity of this street, King Athelstan had a palace, and it received its appellation of Addle street from its vicinity to the said palace-Addle signifying Noble.

ALDERSGATE STREET.

The name of this street is by some derived from Aldrick, a Saxon, by others from Seniors or Old Men who were the builders of the gate. See Gates.

ALDERMANBURY.

This street or locality is thus denominated from the Court Hall or Bury being here, where the aldermen met previous to the erection of Guildhall. Stow states, that the original site of Guildhall he remembered as a carpenter's yard. Abutting on the west end of the present hall is a square court, which is probably the site of the old Guildhall.

ABCHURCH LANE.

This Lane derives its name from the church therein standing on an eminence: i. e., ab or up Church, dedicated to Saint Mary.

ADELPHI.

This is the Greek word for Brothers, and was given to the locality thus denominated, because it was built by the Messrs. Adam, the architects-Robert, James, and John.

AMEN CORNER.

So called as terminating Pater-Noster-applied to "the Row," or emporium of the Publishers and Booksellers.--See Paternoster Row.

BLACKMAN STREET, BOROUGH.

The name of the street, and the sign of the public-house of the same, both derive their appellation from a person of the name of Blackman, who had considerable property in the neighbourhood, and who made considerable improvements in it.

BARTLETT'S BUILDINGS.

Edward VI. made a grant, in 1548, of some houses, stables, &c., that stood at that time on this site, to one Bartlett, and which gave the present buildings thereon erected the appellation of Bartlett's Buildings.

BARBICAN.

Barbican, or Watch Tower, belonging to any fortified place.— One of the Barbicans of old London stood upon the site of the present street thus denominated.

BOND STREET.

This once fashionable lounge derives its name from the original proprietor-Sir Thomas Bond of Peckham, in the county of Surrey, Baronet.

BUCKLERSBURY.

Bucklersbury derives its origin from one Buckle having a large manor-house of stone in this place. It was originally called Buckle's Bury. Sir Thomas More lived in this street, and here his daughter (Margaret Roper) was born.

BOW LANE.

Thus called from its contiguity to the church of St. Mary le Bow, which is built on Arches, formerly called Bows.

BROAD WALL.

Broad Wall and Narrow Wall, in the vicinity of Pedlar's Acre (now, Belvedere Road, Lambeth), derive their names from the circumstance, that before the regular embankment of the Thames took place, two walls stood here, to prevent, as far as possible, the river from floating the marsh of Lambeth and the surrounding neighbourhood.

BLOOMSBURY.

Bloomsbury, which is situate in the county of Middlesex, and hundred of Ossulston, was anciently a village denominated Loomsbury, wherein the king's stables were till anno 1534, when the same were destroyed by fire, together with a number of horses, and great quantities of hay and corn. This catastrophe occasioned the Royal Mews, at Charing Cross, to be converted into stables for the reception of the king's horses.

BLACKFRIARS.

So denominated, because there formerly stood on the north side of the bridge a convent of Black friars, founded by Hubert de Burgh, Earl of Kent A.D. 1221, and on the west side a convent of White friars, founded by Sir Richard Gray in 1241, which also gave a name to an adjacent locality. Richard is made to exclaim in the play, when he stops the funeral of Henry—

"No, to Whitefriars, and there await my coming."

BATTLE STAIRS.

Battle Stairs, Tooley street, derive their name from the Abbot of Battle, in Sussex, who had a house here, and whose grounds and garden came down to the Thames' side.

BRIDEWELL, CLERKENWELL, &c.

These, with others, were the Holy Wells of London, but which have declined in reputation. The fame of St. Bride's well gave the name of Bridewell to an adjoining hospital and prison, and at last attached the name to almost every house of correction throughout the kingdom. Clerkenwell takes its name from the company of Parish Clerks, who formerly had their meetings here. Fitzstephen says, "In the suburbs of London are excellent springs, the water of which is clear, sweet, and salubrious; amongst which Holywell, Clerkenwell, and St. Clement's wells, are of most note."

BEVIS MARKS.

Formerly the Abbot of Bury had his city residence here, from whence it received the appellation of Bury's Marks; and the place of its situation, by corruption, is now denominated Bevis Marks.

BROOK MARKET.

This market, as well as Brook street, Holborn, derive their name from Lord Brook's mansion being formerly here.