THE PRECINCTS.
_The Cathedral Wall, its Course and Gates_--_Characteristic
Names_--_The North Cloister_--_The Library_--_Pardon Churchyard_
--_Minor Canons' College_--_Paul's Cross_--_Bishop's House_
--Lollards' Tower_--_Doctors Commons_--_The Cloister and Chapter
House_--_The West Front._
A wall was built round the churchyard in 1109, but was greatly
strengthened in 1285. The churchyard had got such a bad character
for robberies, fornications, even murders, that the Dean and Chapter
requested King Edward I. to allow them to heighten this wall, with
fitting gates and posterns, to be opened every morning and closed at
night. From the north-east corner of Ave Maria Lane, it went east
along Paternoster Row, to the end of Old Change, then south to Carter
Lane, thence northwards to Creed Lane, with Ave Maria Lane on the
other side. It will of course be remembered that the Fleet River ran
along at the bottom of the hill, not bearing the best character in
the world for savouriness even then, but crowded with boats as far as
Holborn. It will be remembered that there was also a gate in the City
Wall, on Ludgate Hill, a little to the west of St. Martin's Church.
The gate had a little chapel within it, but the greater part of the
building was used for a prison. Passing under it, and up Ludgate Hill,
you came to the western gate of the Cathedral Close--a wide and strong
one--spanning the street.[1] There were six of these gates; the second
was at Paul's Alley, leading to the Postern Gate, or "Little
North Door"; third, Canon's Alley; fourth, Little Gate (corner of
Cheapside); fifth, St. Augustine's Gate (west end of Watling Street);
and sixth, Paul's Chain. The ecclesiastical names bear their own
explanation: "Ave Maria" and "Paternoster" indicated that rosaries and
copies of the Lord's Prayer were sold in this street. "Creed" was a
somewhat later name. In olden days, it was Spurrier's Lane, _i.e._,
where spurs were sold. But when an impetus was given to instruction
under the Tudors, copies of the alphabet and the Creed were added to
such articles of sale, and this was the place to get them. Paul's
Chain got its name from the chain which was drawn across the gateway
when service was going on, to prevent noise. The other names explain
themselves.
Inside this area ran a cloister along the north side, turning a short
distance southwards at the east end. This cloister was rebuilt by Dean
More (1407-1421) round an enclosure which was a burial ground for
clerics and men of mark in the City. The cloister was decorated by the
series of paintings commonly known as the Dance of Death, such as may
still be seen in the Cathedral of Basel, and in other places. Verses
were appended to each picture, which were translated by Lydgate, the
monk of Bury, and writer of poems on classical and religious subjects.
Over the eastern side of the cloister was the library, a very fine
one, but it perished in the Great Fire. The name "Pardon" applied to
burial grounds, was not uncommon, apparently. The victims of the Black
Death, in 1348, were buried in a piece of ground on the site of the
Charter House, and this ground was known as Pardon Churchyard; and in
the register books of St. Helen's, Bishopsgate, there are two entries
of City magnates buried at different times by "the Pardon Door." Does
it indicate that these particular burial grounds were bought with
money paid for indulgences or expiations?
In the middle of the Pardon Churchyard of St. Paul's was a chapel
of rich ornament, built by "Gilbert Becket, portgrave and principal
magistrate in this City in the reign of King Stephen." He was the
great Archbishop's father. The monuments in it and the surrounding
churchyard are said to have rivalled in beauty those inside the
cathedral. How this cloister and chapel fared, we shall see presently.
[Illustration: A FUNERAL PROCESSION.
_From a MS. of the Hours of the Virgin. Fifteenth Century. British
Museum_, 27697.]
North of the Pardon Churchyard was the College of the Minor Canons,
bordering on Paternoster Row; and between it and the cathedral, in an
open space, which in older times was the authorised meeting-place
of the folkmote, was Paul's Cross. There is no doubt of its exact
situation, for during his valuable explorations into the history of
the cathedral, Mr. Penrose discovered its foundations, six feet below
the pavement, and this site is now marked by an inscription. It is all
now laid out as a pleasant garden, and a goodly number of people may
be seen there daily feeding the tame pigeons.
I have shown already (see _Mediæval London_, p. 8) that the Folkmote
was held on a large green, east of the cathedral. There were three
such meetings yearly, to which the citizens were summoned by the
ringing of the great cathedral bell. When the first Cross was erected
on the ground there is no record to show. We may take for granted that
there was first a pulpit of wood. Not only were sermons preached, but
proclamations and State announcements were delivered from it, also
Papal bulls, excommunications, and the public penance of notorious
offenders. In the quaint language of Carlyle, Paul's Cross was "a kind
of _Times_ newspaper of the day." On important occasions, the Lord
Mayor and Aldermen came in state. Sometimes even the King came with
his retinue, and a covered seat was placed for them against the
cathedral wall, which may be noticed in our engraving. If there was an
important meeting, and the weather was unfavourable, the meeting was
adjourned to the "Shrowdes," that is, to the crypt, which, as we have
already seen, was now converted into the Church of St. Faith.
The Cross was damaged by lightning in 1382, and was rebuilt by Bishop
Kempe (1448-1489). It had stone steps, the pulpit was of strong oak,
and it was roofed in with lead. This was the building which was
standing as we closed our account of the cathedral at the beginning of
the Tudor dynasty. We shall see more of it hereafter in our historical
memorials.
On the north side of the Cathedral Nave was the Bishop's residence,
with a private door leading into the cathedral. Of the appearance of
the west front of the cathedral we cannot speak with certainty, as it
disappeared to make way for Inigo Jones's porch, to which we shall
come hereafter. But there were, as usual, three entries, of which the
middle had a fine brazen door-post, and there are two towers to be
noted. That on the north was part of the Bishop's Palace; that on the
south was commonly known as Lollards' Tower. It was the place for
imprisoning heretics, and there are ugly stories about it. For
example, a man named Hunne, who had been found in possession of some
Wycliffite tracts, was confined here by Bonner, and was presently
found hanged. It was said that he had committed suicide. But it was
declared that the appearances rendered this theory impossible, and
Bonner was generally believed to have incited murder; so much was this
believed, in fact, that he was hated by the citizens from that time.
On the south side of the church were St. Paul's Brewhouse and
Bakehouse, and also a house which, in 1570, was handed over to the
Doctors of Civil Law as a "Commons House." These civilians and
canonists had previously been lodged at "a mean house in Paternoster
Row." South of the nave was the Church of St. Gregory-by-Paul's
adjoining the wall up to the West Front. Between that and the South
Transept was a curious cloister of two stories, running round three
sides of a square, and in the middle of this square was the Chapter
House. It was built in 1332, and was very small--only thirty-two feet
six inches in internal diameter. The remains of it have been carefully
preserved on the ground, and are visible to the passers-by. The
Deanery I have mentioned, but we shall have more about it hereafter.
The open space before the West Front was claimed by the citizens,
as well as the east side; not, like that, for a folkmote, but for
military parade. The arms were kept in the adjoining Baynard's Castle.
[Footnote 1: In old times the name Ludgate Hill was given to that part
which ran up from the Fleet to the City Gate. Inside the Gate the
street was called "Bowyer Row," from the trade carried on in it. But
it was also frequently called "Paul's." Ludgate was pulled down in
1760, and then Ludgate Hill became the name of the whole street.]
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