Notes On St Botolph And Little Britain.*

stitutions , in his " History of London , " 1773 , states that Little Britain is so called from the Duke of Brittany ' s Palace , ancl describes the Duke as being Arthur , nephew of King John . Alderman Staples says this statement is questionable ; and it appears that in 1315 , ninth Edward II . William cle Langewerme ancl Isabella his wife granted to John of Brittany , ninth Earl of Richmond , certain houses in the parish

of St . Martin ' s , Ludgate . In 1611 the town mansion of the earl y Dukes of Brittany and Earls of Pembroke was required for the purpose of erecting Stationers' Hall . In none of the " Inqnisitiones post mortem , " Alderman Staples says , does it appear that any one of the Dukes of Bretane or Brittany possessed property in this locality at the time of his death . In the inventory of the property of the fraternity of St . Fabian ancl St . Sebastian a tenement is described as

being situated m " Peti Bretane , which would no doubt be " Norman French for " Little Britain ; " and as we hear of Petit Wales , ancl Little London , in all probability we have here the real origin , not that it really matters one way or the other . Little Britain in the reign of Charles I ., Charles II ., James II ., William ancl Mary , as Alderman Staples reminds us , ancl even much later , was as remarkable for its booksellers as Paternoster Row is at the present clay .

John Day , the most eminent typographer of his time , 1546—1584 , and the first in England who printed in Saxon characters , dwelt over Aldersgate , ancl sold his books in a shop under the gate . Richard Cheswick , of Little Britain , buried in St . Botolp h ' s Church in 1711 , is described as the " Metropolitan Bookseller of England . " Many of us who like old books are aware that a large number of curious

ancl hermetic works always "hail" from Little Britain . As we before remarked , St . Botolp h ' s Church had three guilds or fraternities attached to it , ancl one seems somehow or other connected with the Masons , as "laborariis " or " operariis , " namely , that of the Hol y Trinity . We give a ' summary of their history and rules .

It seems that there were three guilds , or fraternities , or brotherhoods in the church of St . Botolph , first , that of the Holy Trinity ; secondly , that of St . Katharine ; and , thirdly , that of Fabian , and St . Sebastian . The Guild of the Hol y Trinity was founded in 1374 , and five years afterwards , it being enlarged , a chaplain was ap 23 ointed " ] ii-o operaiis et laborariis , " we may fairly understand " Masons " under such terms , who went to the church for the reli gious services of the day . That chaplainthe worthy alderman tells us"still

, , officiates , " if in altered form . This brotherhood was suppressed , with all other guilds , in 1547 , the first year of Edward VI . The hall ancl old chapter of the guild , if still really existing , now belong to the parish . The fraternity had a master and wardens ancl male and female members . They met annually on

Trinity Sunday . It seems that by a supplementary charter of 1446 Henry VI . gave license to Joan Astley , his nurse , and Richard . Caswode and Thomas Smith , to establish a perpetual guild , consisting of one master , two custodes , or wardens , and " brethren and sisters " of the parishioners of the same ] 3 arish and " others who would be of the same fraternity , in honour of his consort and himself . " This seems to be a sort of " revival " of the old guild . The date of the origin of the Fraternity of St . Katharine is not known , " but in 1389 " the

wardens of this fraternity appeared before the Council of the Lord the King at Westminster , on the 30 th January , and jJi-esented a return of the authority , foundation , inception , continuation , ancl regulations of the said fraternit y , as are more fully set out in the schedule hereunto annexed . " Let our readers note what follows . " The first ' poynt' in the said schedule is , ' that when a brother or sister shall be received that they shall be sworn upon a book to the brotherhood for to hold up and maintain the poynts ancl articles that be writ after following , each man to his power , saving his estate ; and that every brother and