LITTLE BRITAIN.

The street thus denominated was once the residence (or at least on the site thereof) of divers of the nobility, and was then called Bretagne Street, from the mansion of the Duke of Bretagne (in France) being there situated.

LAMB'S CONDUIT STREET.

This term is derived from the Conduit erected there, by William Lambe, one of the gentlemen to the chapel of Henry the Eighth.

LEADENHALL STREET.

This street derives its name from Leadenall, which stood on the site of the skin market, and which was built in 1455. In former times more Lead was used than now, and this was the place where the Lead Merchants assembled. It was first called Lead-hall, and ultimately Leaden-hall; there was also a convent of White-friars here,

"The monks of Leadenhall were chanting vespers."
Ben Jonson's Silent Woman.

LUDGATE STREET.

"This street," says an ingenious writer, "derives its name from Lud, son of Bilenus, king of Britain." Maitland, however, says"this gate is denominated Fludgate, from a rivulet below it, where Fleet ditch now is. I am apt to think, however, it should rather be Fleet-gate, from the Saxon flod, vloet, Fleote, or Fleet, which imply a small navigable water course, such as the Fleet rivulet has probably been from the original London."

LONDON WALL.

London Wall explains its own etymology. Within these few years, there was a long tract of the old wall of London standing in the locality now so named.

LONG-ACRE.

This street was originally a piece of ground called Seven Acres, from whence came the present name.

LAWRENCE POULTNEY LANE.

This lane which runs from East Cheap to Thames Street, derives its name from the adjacent church, which is dedicated to St. Lawrence, and Sir John Pulteney, who founded a college here.

LOTHBURY.

This is a corruption from Cloth Bury, i. e. Cloth Hall, which was here before Sir Ralph Blackwell founded Blackwell-hall, which then became the market for woollen cloth.

LOMBARD STREET.

This street is so named from the Lombards, who inhabited that part of Italy, called Lombardy, being a class of people who first introduced the Banking System into England. This street was principally inhabited by goldsmiths, who, down to the reign of James the Second, were the only bankers in this country.

LIMEHOUSE.

This place, which is one of the Tower Hamlets, derives the appellation of Limehouse from Lime-hurst, which by its Saxon termination, implies a grove of Lime Trees, which, according to Stowe, abounded in this neighbourhood.

LAMBETH.

Lambeth is variously written-Lamb-hyde, Lam-hyte, &c. viz. a dirty station; from the circumstance of its being overflowed by the Thames.

MONMOUTH STREET.

This celebrated Wardrobe derives its appellation from the unfortunate Duke of Monmouth, who had a house in Monmouth, now Soho Square.

MINORIES.

Minories is derived from certain poor ladies of the order of St. Clair, or Minoresses, who were invited into England by Blanche, Queen of Navarre (wife to Edmund, Earl of Lancaster), who in 1293 founded here a convent for their reception.

MONKWELL STREET.

On the site of Barber's Hall, or thereabouts, formerly stood a monastery of the Carthusian order, dedicated to St Giles, the patron of cripples. Here was a Well, which was said to possess "sovereign virtue," and which, the gullibility of the faithful and afflicted, induced them to flock to daily. This Well being under the special protection of the monks, it was in time denominated the Monk's Well, which circumstance ultimately gave a name to the street, now called Monkwell Street.

MILK STREET.

We have now our Milk Companies, with their Lactometer, who "Can tell by signs and tangents straight

If cheese or butter wanted weight,

And by a geometric scale,

Can take the size of pots of ale."

We had formerly our milk, honey, egg, and bread market. The three former were one market, and gave a name and locality to what is now called Milk Street, Honey Lane Market, &c. Every necessary of life, in former times, was obliged to be sold in open market; Cheapside was the principal market in the city. Milk Street is famed as the birth-place of Sir Thomas More.

MOOR FIELDS.

So called, from a mere, muir, or lake, which formerly stood here, and on which, says Fitzstephens, "the citizens amused themselves, when it was frozen over, by tying bones to theyr feet and skaiting on the same, thys," he adds, was manly sporte."

* See Cripplegate.

MAZE, BOROUGH.

"Labyrinth is my name, some do call me maze,

I care not what I'm call'd, if I do you but please;

My ways they are perplex'd, they are both straight and round, By perseverance only, they are easy to be found."

This locality in the borough of Southwark, derives its name from the abbot of Battle having a very extensive labyrinth or maze in his garden here, and which gave to this particular spot its present appellation.

MARK LANE.

At the north-east corner of Mark Lane, was anciently situate the manour house, says Maitland, of Blanch Appleton, which, in the reign of Richard the Second, belonged to Sir Thomas Roos, of Hamelake, which manour had a privilege of holding a mart, or fair, whence the adjacent lane was denominated Mart Lane, but now corrupted to Mark Lane.

ST. MARY AXE.

This street was originally called St. Mary's Street. It took its present appellation from a sign opposite to St. Andrew Undershaft, (church) of St. Mary at the Axe, being a representation of this female saint at the scaffold.

MARY-LE-BONE.

The modern name of this locality is a perversion: it was originally written Mary-le-bourne, or Mary on the Brook, which still runs from Hampstead across the North Road, through Alsop's Buildings, although now, it is of course, arched over.

It may be stated, however, that in the time of Elizabeth, it was called Marybone, and is so designated by lady Mary Montague, (a century later) in the following line:

"And dukes at Marybone bowl time away.”

MINT, BOROUGH.

Opposite to the west end of St. George's Church, in the Borough, anciently stood a magnificent structure, belonging to the duke of Suffolk, which coming to Henry 8th, he converted it into a Mint, and which gave the present locality its name.

MILLBANK.

Simply from a Mill that stood on the Thames bank here.

THE MEWS,

As at Charing Cross, is a name derived by Du Freane, in his Glossary, from the Latin muta, and French La Meue, the disease to which hawks are subject, of yearly muting or changing their feathers, this being the place where the king's hawks were kept before it was converted into stables. Muta, he says, is also the building, in which falcons are shut up when they mute or change their feathers. Edward 2d, in his 13th year, granted to John de la Beche, the custody of the king's houses, "de mutis" at Charrying, near Westminster. Ralph de Manners, the king's falconer, had, in the like manner, granted to him the custody of the King's Mews at Charinge, the 23d of Edward 3d; as also, Sir Simon de Burley, 1st

Richard 2d. Henry 8th is said to have kept his horses there, for which purpose he partly rebuilt the old structure; and the same was, by Edward 6th, and Mary, afterwards enlarged and converted into stabling. From this place, its first use, and subsequent application, it has of late years been customary, to give to any range of buildings erected for stabling, the name of Mews.

The little of the original Mews which remained, and which was erected as above, was that lately occupied as a barrack, and which is now about to give way to the fine new opening to St. Martin's Church. It was composed of red "Tudor Brick," with stone windows and dressings, supported by buttresses, and crenellated at top.

NEWINGTON BUTTS.

So called, from the citizens of London practising archery in that locality-the Butts being set up as targets.

NEWGATE STREET.

"Not far from that most celebrated place
Where awful justice shews her angry face,
There little villains must submit to fate,

That great ones may enjoy the world in state!"

Here stood a gate of the city, originally called Chamberlain's Gate. It was used as a prison, so long back as 1218, for persons of rank, before the Tower was used for that purpose. In 1412, this gate was rebuilt by the executors of the famous Sir Richard Whittington, out of the effects he had allotted for works of charity; his statue with the cat, remained in a niche to its final demolition on the rebuilding of the present prison. The gate was destroyed in the fire of 1666, and rebuilt in its late form, whence it obtained the name of Newgate, and which gave a name to the street so named.

OLD BAILEY.

Our antiquaries are of opinion, says Maitland, that the Old Bailey is a corruption of Balehill, (several such appellations still remaining in diverse cities and towns of this kingdom;)* an eminence, whereon was situate the Bale, or Bailiff's House, wherein he held a court for the trying of malefactors.

OLD JEWRY.

In the reign of Henry 2d, this quarter of the city was occupied principally by the Jews, hence it took the name of the Old Jewry. The church of St. Olave, Old Jewry, was one of their synagogues, until they were forcibly dispossessed of it, A.D. 1291.

PICKETT STREET.

The principal houses in this street were built by alderman Pickett, from whom the street derives its name; he was lord mayor in 1790.

PETTY FRANCE.

So denominated from its being principally (in former times) inhabited by people of that nation.

PEDLAR'S ACRE.

Pedlar's Acre, which runs parallel with the Thames, from West

There is a Balehill at York, and another at Chester.-Ed.

minster Bridge towards Broad-wall, derives its name from a portion of it being left by a Pedlar to the parish of Lambeth, now a very valuable property. A painting on glass, representing the Pedlar and his Dog, may be seen in Lambeth Church.

POULTRY.

This street was so denominated, from being the Poultry Market. In the reign of William and Mary, however, the poulterers removed to Leadenhall, and were succeeded by haberdashers, glovers, &c.

PYE CORNER.

Pye Corner was so called, says Dr. James Howel, from such a sign, sometimes a fair Inne, for receipt of travellers, but now divided into tenements.

It was at Pye Corner that the fire of London ended: the houses that escaped were taken down in 1809, and upon their site, other dwelling houses have been erected, together with an engine house. There is a figure of a bloated boy, stuck up at the corner, on which is an inscription, ascribing the fire as a punishment on the citizens for their gluttony!

PHILPOT LANE.

This lane was called after John Philpot, an alderman of London, who resided here, and who, in the reign of Richard 2d, fitted out a fleet at his own charge, and took abundance of prizes. On being called to account by the duke of Lancaster, for annoying the nation's enemies without authority, he was honourably acquitted, and the administration censured for not protecting the trade of the kingdom.

PORTPOOL LANE.

This lane was so denominated, from being the manor of Portpool, (a prebend of St. Paul's cathedral), and received its name originally from a neighbouring Pool.

PALL MALL.

"The sweet shady side of a grove in Pall Mall.”

Pall Mall, and the Mall in St. James's Park, take their names from being used as a walk, or place for the exercise of the Mall, a game long since disused.

PICCADILLY.

Piccadilly, from Piccadilla Hall, built by one Higgins, a tailor, and so called, because he got his estate by making stiff collars in the fashion of a hand, then called piccadillas, or turnovers, formerly much in fashion.

POPLAR.

The hamlet of Poplar, derives its name from the great number of Poplar trees which anciently grew there.

RATHBONE PLACE.

Rathbone Place, Oxford Street, derives its name from colonel Rathbone, who, with seven others, were convicted of high treason, at the Old Bailey, for conspiring to take the Tower, murder the general, and surprise the guards. They were detected on this spot, at Rathbone's house, and were executed on the 30th April, 1666.