Sapwort. _Saponaria officinalis._
Dedicated to _St. Rosalia_.
~September 5.~
_St. Laurence Justinian_, first Patriarch of Venice, A. D. 1455. _St.
Bertin_, Abbot, A. D. 709. _St. Alto_, Abbot, 8th Cent.
_Bartholomew Fair._
1825. On this day, Monday the 5th, the Fair was resumed, when the editor
of the _Every-Day Book_ accurately surveyed it throughout. From his
notes made on the spot he reports the following particulars of what he
there observed.
VISIT TO
~Bartholomew Fair.~
At ten o’clock this morning I entered Smithfield from Giltspur-street.
[_Mem._ This way towards Smithfield was anciently called _Gilt Spurre_,
or _Knight-Riders Street_, because of the knights, who in quality of
their honour wore gilt spurs, and who, with others, rode that way to the
tournaments, justings, and other feats of arms used in Smithfield.[273]]
On this day there were small _uncovered stalls_, from the Skinner-street
corner of Giltspur-street, beginning with the beginning of the
churchyard, along the whole length of the churchyard. On the opposite
side of Giltspur-street there were like stalls, uncovered, from
Newgate-street corner, in front of the Compter-prison, in
Giltspur-street. At these stalls were sold oysters, fruit, inferior
kinds of cheap toys, common gingerbread, small wicker-baskets, and other
articles of trifling value. They seemed to be mere casual standings,
taken up by petty dealers, and chapmen in small ware, who lacked means
to purchase room, and furnish out a tempting display. Their stalls were
set out from the channel into the roadway. One man occupied upwards of
twenty feet of the road lengthwise, with discontinued wood-cut
pamphlets, formerly published weekly at twopence, which he spread out on
the ground, and sold at a halfpenny each in great quantities; he also
had large folio bible prints, at a halfpenny each, and prints from
magazines at four a penny. The fronts of these standings were towards
the passengers in the carriage-way. They terminated, as before observed,
with the northern ends of St. Sepulchre’s churchyard on one side, and
the Compter on the other. Then, with occasional distances of three or
four feet for footways, from the road to the pavement, began lines of
_covered_ stalls, with their open fronts opposite the fronts of the
house, and close to the curb stone, and their enclosed backs in the
road. On the St. Sepulchre’s side, they extended to Cock-lane, from
Cock-lane to the house of Mr. Blacket, clothier and mercer, at the
Smithfield corner of Giltspur-street; then, turning the corner of his
house into Smithfield, they continued to Hosier-lane, and from thence
all along the west side of Smithfield to the Cow-lane corner, where, on
that side, they terminated at that corner, in a line with the opposite
corner leading to St. John-street, where the line was resumed, and ran
thitherward to Smithfield-bars, and there on the west side ended.
Crossing over to the east side, and returning south, these covered
stalls commenced opposite to their termination on the west, and ran
towards Smithfield, turning into which they ran westerly towards the
pig-market, and from thence to Long-lane; from Long-lane, they ran along
the east side of Smithfield to the great gate of Cloth-fair, and so from
Duke-street, went on the south side, to the great front gate of
Bartholomew-hospital, and from thence to the carriage entrance of the
hospital, from whence they were continued along Giltspur-street to the
Compter, where they joined the _uncovered_ stalls before described.
These _covered_ stalls, thus surrounding Smithfield, belonged to
dealers in gingerbread, toys, hardware, garters, pocket-books,
trinkets, and articles of all prices, from a halfpenny to a half
sovereign. The gingerbread stalls varied in size, and were conspicuously
fine, from the dutch gold on their different shaped ware. The largest
stalls were the toy-sellers’; some of these had a frontage of five and
twenty feet, and many of eighteen. The usual frontage of the stalls was
eight, ten, and twelve feet; they were six feet six inches, or seven
feet, high in front, and from four feet six inches, to five feet, in
height at the back, and all formed of canvass, tightly stretched across
light poles and railing; the canvass roofings declined pent-house-ways
to the backs, which were enclosed by canvass to the ground. The fronts,
as before mentioned, were entirely open to the thronging passengers, for
whom a clear way was preserved on the pavements between the fronts of
the stalls and the fronts of the houses, all of which necessarily had
their shutters up and their doors closed.
The _shows_ of all kinds had their fronts towards the area of
Smithfield, and their backs close against the backs of the stalls,
without any passage between them in any part. There not being any shows
or booths, save as thus described, the area of Smithfield was entirely
open. Thus, any one standing in the carriage-way might see all the shows
at one view. They surrounded and bounded Smithfield entirely, except on
the north side, which small part alone was without shows, for they were
limited to the other three sides; namely, Cloth-fair side,
Bartholomew-hospital side, and Hosier-lane side. Against the pens in the
centre, there were not any shows, but the space between the pens and the
shows quite free for spectators, and persons making their way to the
exhibitions. Yet, although no coach, cart, or vehicle of any kind, was
permitted to pass, this immense unobstructed carriage-way was so
thronged, as to be wholly impassable. Officers were stationed at the
entrance of Giltspur-street, Hosier-lane, and Duke-street, to prevent
carriages and horsemen from entering. The only ways by which they were
allowed ingress to Smithfield at all, were through Cow-lane, Chick-lane,
Smithfield-bars, and Long-lane; and then they were to go on, and pass
without stopping, through one or other of these entrances, and without
turning into the body of the Fair, wherein were the shows. Thus the
extent of carriage-way was bounded from Cow-lane to Long-lane, in a
right line, nor were carriages or horses suffered to stand or linger,
but the riders or drivers were compelled to go about their business, if
business they had, or to alight for their pleasure, and enter the Fair,
if they came thither in search of pleasure. So was order so far
preserved; and the city officers, to whom was committed the power of
enforcing it, exercised their duty rigorously, and properly; because, to
their credit, they swerved not from their instructions, and did not give
just cause of offence to any whom the regulations displeased.
The _sheep-pens_ occupying the area of Smithfield, heretofore the great
public cookery at Fair times, was this day resorted to by boys and
others in expectation of steaming abundance; nor were they disappointed.
The pens immediately contiguous to the passage through them from
Bartholomew-hospital-gate towards Smithfield-bars, were not, as of old,
decked out and denominated, as they were within recollection, with
boughs and inscriptions tempting hungry errand boys, sweeps, scavengers,
dustmen, drovers, and bullock-hankers to the “princely pleasures” within
the “Brighton Pavilion,” the “Royal Eating Room,” “Fair Rosamond’s
Bower,” the “New London Tavern,” and the “Imperial Hotel:” these names
were not:--nor were there any denominations; but there was sound, and
smell, and sight, from sausages almost as large as thumbs, fried in
miniature dripping-pans by old women, over fires in saucepans; and there
were oysters, which were called “fine and fat,” because their shells
were as large as tea saucers. Cloths were spread on tables or planks,
with plates, knives and forks, pepper and salt, and, above all, those
alluring condiments to persons of the rank described, mustard and
vinegar. Here they came in crowds; each selecting his _table-d’-hote_,
dined handsomely for threepence, and sumptuously for fourpence. The
purveyors seemed aware of the growing demand for cleanliness of
appearance, and whatever might be the quality of the viands, they were
served up in a more decent way than many of the consumers were evidently
accustomed to. Some of them seemed appalled by being in “good company,”
and handled their knives and forks in a manner which bespoke the
embarrassment of “dining in public” with such implements.
My object in going to Bartholomew Fair was to observe its present state,
and record it as I witnessed it in the _Every-Day Book_. I therefore
first took a perambulatory view of the exterior, from Giltspur-street,
and keeping to the left, went completely round Smithfield, on the
pavement, till I returned to the same spot; from thence I ventured “to
take the road” in the same direction, examined the promising show-cloths
and inscriptions on each show, and shall now describe or mention every
show in the Fair. It may be more interesting to read some years hence
than now. Feeling that our ancestors have slenderly acquainted us with
what was done here in their time, and presuming that our posterity may
cultivate the “wisdom of looking backward” in some degree, as we do with
the higher wisdom of “looking forward,” I write as regards Bartholomew
Fair, rather to amuse the future, than to inform the present,
generation.