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REVIEW OF NEW PUBLICATIONS.

The History and Antiquities of the Parish of Hackney, Middlesex. By W. Robinson, LL.D. F.S.A. 2 vols. Svo.

Nor

THE basis of a general history of the metropolitan county has been laid by the Rev. Daniel Lysons in his Environs of London, and his supplementary account of those Parishes in Middlesex not included in the Environs. can we, probably, from the arduous nature of the work, expect any fuller history of the whole county. It is therefore extremely desirable to have distinct histories of the more extensive parishes.

We have at present Histories of Stoke Newington by James Brown; of Twickenham, by E. Ironside; of Shoreditch, by Sir H. Ellis; of Chelsea, Fulham, Hammersmith, and Kensington, by Thomas Faulkner; of Hampstead, by T. Park; of Uxbridge, by Geo. Redford and Tho. Harry Riches; of St. Giles's in the Fields, by J. Parton; of Clerkenwell, by the Rev. T. Cromwell, with prints by Messrs. Storer; of Islington, by J. Nelson; Account of A. Pugin's Views at Islington, by E. W. Brayley; and since, another History of Islington, by S. Lewis, jun.; of Isleworth, part of Brentford, and Hounslow, by G. J. Aungier; and of Tottenham, Edmonton, Enfield, and Stoke Newington, by Dr. W. Robinson.

By the above list it will be seen how important a portion of the eastern part of the county had been before described by Dr. Robinson, to which he has now added the respectable parish of Hackney.

Dr. Robinson has collected a large body of valuable materials and official documents relative to the district he has undertaken to describe, with which he has liberally supplied the public in the volumes before us. We hope he will not consider us ungrateful if we express our opinion that the work would have been improved by a considerable condensation, for sometimes we have discovered passages from various sources not a little contradictory to GENT. MAG. VOL. XXI.

each other, without the value of each having been sufficiently considered. We think, too, that much of the first volume might have been omitted, particularly in the description of the old houses, where the author has been led away by his subject into much general history, equally applicable to any other place as Hackney; for instance, under the description of an old house (p. 77) called "The Templars' House" (built, probably, in the fifteenth century, and we do not see how it can be connected with the Knights Templars,) Dr. Robinson has entered very fully into the history of that military order. The same observation is applicable to the account of their rivals and successors, the Knights of St. John of Jerusalem, (p. 83.) In the case of "The Black and White House," (p. 95,) built by a city merchant about 1578, there surely is no proof that it was the residence of royalty in its having had the royal arms in the windows,-but merely a token of the loyalty of its owners. The reputation of its having been the residence of the King of Bohemia introduces an account of his unfortunate alliance with his queen, Elizabeth. The tradition of Lord Vaux having had a house at Hackney (the exact spot not ascertained) gives rise to a very long history of the Gunpowder Plot. The account of the old mansion of Baumes, the residence of Sir G. Whitmore, is much confused and contradictory; but we want time and space to set it to rights. See pp. 154 and 158, &c.

The accounts of the ancient gardens at Hackney, though not new, are amusing. What we now call plants were, a century and a half ago, generally termed greens. We think Dr. Lindley would consider "a warren of two acres, very full of coneys," no valuable addition to the Horticultural Gardens.

The very popular measure of the Victoria Park, in the eastern suburbs of London, is properly noticed with deserved commendation.

The manufactories at Hackney are little known to the inhabitants of the

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EFFIGY OF LADY LATIMER.

metropolis generally. Mr. Rivieres's manufactory for perforating metallic plates is well worthy of a visit. The silk mills, which employed between 600 and 700 persons, have been discontinued.

The accounts of extraordinary persons are spread out to too much length, particularly as one of these remarkables is the toocelebrated Turpin.

Among the eminent persons, Milton the poet had little connexion with the place, having merely married, to his 2nd wife, the daughter of Capt. Woodcock, of Hackney. Katharine Philips was only at school there, as was also Augustus Henry Fitzroy (afterwards third Duke of Grafton, though Dr. Robinson does not give his title.) He was born in 1735,-not 1785, as printed in p. 281. The year of his death, 1811, is also omitted. Sir T. Heathcote only married a young lady from Hackney. The omission of these biographical notices might have been desirable, as out of place in a history of Hackney.

The second volume commences with the account of the old Church of St. Augustine, since called St. John, erroneously, as Newcourt, in his Repertorium, observes.

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body of this church was destroyed when the new church was erected in 1797. Dr. Robinson says (p. 6,) it was founded by John Herou, esq.; but it appears in p. 8, "one Heron was only a great benefactor when the church was repaired." In p. 9 Sir Thomas Heron, master of the Jewel Office to Henry VIII. is spoken The of as a great benefactor. church was clearly founded long before the time of Henry VIII. The Rowe chapel was not taken down, but the fine old monuments have fallen to decay. Representations of them, engraved nearly 100 years, at the expense of E. Rowe Mores, are preserved in Dr. Robinson's book.

The will of Sir T. Rowe, lord mayor in 1568, is very curious; he invites the lord mayor, aldermen, and company of Merchant Taylors to attend his funeral, at eight in the morning, and his body to be buried before eleven; that there be a communion; and after, wards a dinner at his house at Shackle well, for the lord mayor, aldermen, company, friends, mourners, priests, ministers, clerks, poor men, and parishioners, bequeathing 661. 13s. 4d. for that purpose, and 10%. for spiced bread to be given to the company, poor as well as rich.

The fine old church ought not to have been taken down, nor would it probably at the present time, a better feeling having now happily arisen. Dr. Robinson properly observes,

"This church, before its demolition, was extremely rich in monuments, some [few] of which, being considered worth preserving, were taken down and put up in the porches or vestibules of the new church. In most Christian countries the inscriptions or epitaphs on the monuments erected to perpetuate the memory of the dead are carefully preserved and registered in the church books; but in England they are (to the shame of our time be it said) broken down and almost utterly destroyed, and their brass inscriptions erased, torn away, and pilfered; by which the memory of many virtuous and noble persons deceased is extinguished, and the true understanding of families is darkened, as the course of their inheritance is thereby in a great measure interrupted. The ancient monuments, brasses, and inscriptions, which were formerly the pride and ornament of the old church, have suffered by the taste for modern improvements; and most of them are scattered abroad, and not to be found but in the private collections of individuals, and placed against the walls of passages leading to conservatories and other places of recreation and amusement." p. 18.

Among other monuments destroyed was a fine one to Lady Latimer, with an effigy, exquisitely sculptured, in stone, which is still concealed beneath dirt and rubbish, under the old tower. It would be highly creditable to the present rector and churchwardens to cause it to be cleaned and preserved in the new church, as it is evidently a portraiture of a noble lady, the daughter of Henry Earl of Worcester, and wife of John Neville, Lord Lati

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worthy preservation on its own account, as being an interesting and fine specimen of English sculpture. By the kind permission of Dr. Robinson we are enabled to lay his representation of this statue before our readers.

Dr. Robinson has printed all the existing epitaphs in the mother church, as also all he could collect from Weever and other sources.

The chapters of the work describing the new churches of West Hackney, the district chapel at Upper Clapton, St. Philip's Church at Dalston, St. Peter's Church at De Beauvoir Town, and St. James's Church at Clapton, are very satisfactory. The site and glebe of West Hackney were the gift of the late W. G. Daniel Tyssen, esq.; that at Dalston, of Mr. W. Rhodes; that at De Beauvoir Town, of R. Benyon de Beauvoir, esq.; and that at Clapton, of the Rev. T. B. Powell. This noble conduct of the wealthy proprietors is as it should be, and is highly commendable. Copies of the original grants and conveyances are preserved in Dr. Robinson's work. Accounts of the public schools, charities, &c. are also given at a very ample length; in short, nothing seems omitted that could in any way, however remote, be brought to bear in illustration of the history of Hackney.

After noticing the little attention paid (we suppose by the printer) to the names of authors referred to, such as Lyson for Lysons, Pepy for Pepys, Grainger for Granger, &c. &c. we take our leave, lamenting the want of lucid arrangement sometimes manifest in the work, but grateful for the materials amassed by Dr. Robinson's persevering research.

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presentations of two English cathedrals ever given to the public."

The plan is an excellent one, and the execution of it must necessarily involve great labour and expence. We trust the author will receive sufficient encouragement to enable him not alone to illustrate the cathedrals left undone by Mr. Britton, but also to illustrate every cathedral in England upon the same ample and scientific scale.

Durham Cathedral, the most magnificent Norman structure in England, affords a fine scope for architectural illustrations; all its works, whether of the original design or subsequent additions, are among the best examples of their kind; every thing in it that is ancient is upon a scale of grandeur and magnificence not surpassed, even if they are equalled by any other structure. The church of a palatine bishop, who ranked with the princes of the land, who raised his armies and dispensed justice in his own courts, would be expected to exhibit in its architecture a degree of splendour commensurate with the rank of the prelate who had his seat within the walls; we see such a structure in the cathedral of Durham, injured as it has been by Puritanic violence, and defaced by the modern additions of a conceited architect, who indulged in the vain hope that he could improve the design. This church, belonging to a see until the recent changes the richest perhaps in Europe, has in modern times received but little attention; vain and trumpery additions have been tacked upon the old design, and the ancient detail destroyed to make room for them. The Chapter House has been sacrificed to make a parlour; and the Galilee, the resting place of saints, threatened with destruction, to afford room for a carriage road to the residences of modern prebendaries.

Scarcely will it be credited in these days, when preservation of the ancient features of our churches are so much insisted upon, that at the last extensive repair the cathedral received (between the years 1775 and 1791,) four inches of masonry were chiseled from the whole surface of the north side and east end of the church. This laborious process was exceedingly expensive, amounting to nearly 30,000l. and it was conducted by the never to-be-forgotten Wyatt. Let us hope that it will

be a beacon to warn future deans and chapters to save their cathedrals from the mercenary hands of professional jobbers. It is painful to read the enumeration of the alterations and wanton destruction effected through the vanity and ignorance of this man, which is given at pp. 13 and 14 of Mr. Billings's descriptive account.

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In still later years, the repairs have been done in Roman cement; and it will scarce be credited, that it was contemplated to plaster the entire tower with this rubbish, and that the design was abandoned only because it was cheaper to chisel the surface. At this repair thirty-two statues were removed from their niches, and only one or two replaced by modern ones done in cement." These wretched alterations, the author tells us, were effected by the architect of Abbotsford : what else could be expected from the designer of a mere toy? It is satisfactory to add, that, within the last few years, some judicious restorations have taken place under the direction of Ignatius Bonomi, architect, which appear to be still going on.

We are sorry to see the author apply the injurious epithet of "furious clamour" to the opposition, which John Carter raised to Wyatt's destructive propensities, when he designed to modernize the interior. Mr. Billings, we are sure, means not to censure the antiquary's exertions; but he might have clothed his ideas in better language; for, when it is heard that Wyatt intended to destroy the matchless bishop's throne, and the resplendent altar-screen, we cannot see the propriety of the language which styles the enthusiastic opposition of Carter and his friends, a furious clamour.'

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From the descriptive account, we make a few extracts of some of the peculiarities of the cathedral.

The buildings are very regular.

"There is not the slightest variation in the lines of the nave and choir, as is the case with many other large churches; the latter part being sometimes inclined more to the eastward than the nave, and said by leaning his head on the cross. This reguthe symbolists to be typical of our Saviour larity, for the different parts are all pa rallel or at right angles, extends even to the conventual buildings, which are all exactly at the same angles as the cathedral." P. 9.

Evidence of the continuation of the original architecture in after times

"One of the most remarkable features in the cathedral, and perfectly unique in the history of ancient architecture, was the construction of the vaulting of the nave and south transept by Prior Thomas Melsonby in the Norman style, between 1233 and 1244, at a period when that known as Early-English had completely superseded it." P. 16.

The extraordinary exclusion of females from the church is remarkable. In the nave

"Is a cross of blue marble, placed as a boundary for females, for, until the Reformation, none were allowed to pass it eastward."

This is attributed to the extraordinary sanctity of the body of St. Cuthbert, which was enshrined behind the altar.

The Chapter-house was not destroyed by Wyatt, but a minor barbarian, one Morpeth, effected the work; the mode of his doing it is remarkable, and shews how perfectly judicious was the choice of the agent to carry out the destructive propensities of the Chapter.

"A man was suspended by tackle above the groining, and knocked out the keystones, when the whole fell, and crushed the paved floor, rich with gravestones and brasses of the bishops and priors." P. 48.

We have only space to notice briefly the seventy-five engravings which illustrate the work. Of these the greater number consist of plans, elevations, and measured sections exhibiting the entire building and its parts at large; a few perspective views are necessarily introduced, but the value of the work lies in the scientific subjects. plates are executed in a clear and bold style of etching, and the detail is effectively shewn, even in the views.

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The engravings of the altar-screen are exceedingly valuable, as well as of several beautiful Early-English capitals. The effect of the altar-screen is finely shewn in a perspective view of the choir, and, when seen in connection with the massive architecture of the columns, the lighter architecture of the screen has a striking effect, the massiveness of the one acting as a set-off to the fairy lightness of the other. The present altar is very plain; on the table, in addition to the two lights prescribed

by the Rubric, stand one large and two smaller tankards.

Mr. Billings is deserving of great credit for the persevering industry with which he has completed his work, as the list of plates shews that not only has he made the drawings for the work, but has executed several of the engravings with his own hands.

We hope to see him shortly commence the remaining cathedrals which he has promised to illustrate, and we wish him success and patronage in his other undertakings, and that he will reap honour and profit from his newly announced works, The Architectural Illustrations of KETTERING CHURCH, NORTHAMPTONSHIRE, and Illustrations of the Architectural Antiquities of the COUNTY of DURHAM.

Parochial Sermons. By the Rev. J. Garbett.

We

THESE sermons approach as nearly as any we have lately met with to the true standard of what may be called parochial discourses, enforcing the great and leading doctrines of the Christian religion with earnestness, truth, and eloquence. The most serious cannot read them without improvement, and even the careless could not listen to them without attention: the doctrines of scripture are applied directly to the conscience; and the results of disobedience are painted in colours at once strong and true. have often lamented that so much good sense, so much correct reasoning, so much religious feeling, such a warm desire for the moral improvement of mankind, as is seen in very many of the productions of our present divines and preachers, was not warmed and animated by a bolder and more energetic pronouncement of the message of the Gospel. Bossuet and Bourdaloue, the twin pillars of the Gallic church, are unrivalled in the simple grandeur of their noble orations; we have nothing in our language to compare with them; nothing so apostolic in character, so nearly approaching the very spirit of the scriptures themselves; nothing so resembling those words of power which the messengers of God are privileged to deliver to the children of men. Now we think that these discourses partake as much of

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