access cannot be obtained without the presence of the Master, the Registrar, and the Receiver, neither of whom can enter it without the keys of the others.

On the suppression of this Monastery, in the year 1538, it's revenues were valued at £642..0..4. In 1542, it was granted by the Crown to JOHN BRYDGES and THOMAS HALES, for their joint lives: and, in 1545, to Sir EDWARD afterwards Lord NORTH. This Nobleman sold it to JOHN Duke of NORTHUMBERLAND, who being afterwards attainted of Treason, it reverted again to the Crown.

In the first year of the reign of Queen MARY, it was again granted to Sir EDWARD NORTH; by whom, it is highly probable, that many alterations were made, in order to render the same suitable for a Nobleman's residence.

On the 31st of May, 1565, " The Chartreux" was purchased of ROGER Lord NORTH, and his Father's executors, by THOMAS HOWARD, Duke of NORFOLK, for £2500. He made this place his usual residence, and greatly improved it at a large expense. And, it became at last his Prison, for having been committed to the Tower, in 1569, he was allowed to return to his own house under the custody of Sir HENRY NEVIL, the plague at that time raging within the Tower Liberties: but soon relapsing into his romantic design of a marriage with the unhappy MARY Queen of Scots, he was here seized, and conveyed to his former place of confinement, when he lost his head upon the scaffold.

The estates of this Nobleman having thus fallen to the Crown, Queen ELIZABETH very magnanimously restored them to the Family: who were gratefully caressed by JAMES the First, for the sufferings which they had endured for his mother Queen MARY. And, on entering his new capital, on the 7th of May, 1604, His Majesty made his first visit to Lord THOMAS HOWARD at The Chartreux; where the Monarch and his Train were most splendidly

entertained for four days. His Lordship was here created Earl of SUFFOLK.

We now come to the period of the munificent and benevolent Founder, THOMAS SUTTON, Esq., Citizen and Girdler, to whom The Earl of SUFFOLK sold this estate for £13,000. by conveyance, dated the 9th of May, 1611, in which the premises are thus described;-" Howard House, commonly called The Charter House, consisting of divers courts, a wilderness, orchards, walks, and gardens, with Pardon Church-yard, and two adjoining messuages, called Willbeck, with all the buildings, ways, &c."

An HOSPITAL was first designed to have been erected by Mr. SUTTON upon his estate at Hallingbury Bouchers, in the County of Essex, according to an Act of Parliament obtained for that purpose, on the 10th of March, 1609. But, having completed this new purchase, he applied to King JAMES the First for leave to change his original intention, and for a Charter of Incorporation to found THE HOSPITAL at Howard House in it's stead, and which he should endow with Fifteen Manors, and other lands, and Revenues, then of the annual value of £4493..19..10.

The application to the King being successful, Letters Patents were granted by His Majesty on the 22d of June, 1611. These were afterwards confirmed by an Act of Parliament, in the Fourth year of the reign of King CHARLES the First. And a further exemplification was obtained in the Eighth year of GEORGE the First.

The Abstract of these Letters Patents is :

1. The purchase is mentioned, as bought of THOMAS Earl of SUFFOLK.

2. THE CHARTER HOUSE conceived to be a fitter place than

Hallingbury.

3. The Governors are incorporated, and have full authority to purchase, take, receive, &c., lands and other possessions, 4. Sixteen Governors are appointed by name.

5. The Master to be one.

6. The Governors to have a Common Seal.

7. Not to transfer the lands to any other use, nor to let longer leases than for 21 years.

8. If any Governor dies, or is removed, the residue surviving are to remain incorporate; and the major part have power to elect, nominate, choose, and appoint a Suc

cessor.

9. Election of a new Governor to be made within two months after a vacancy.

10. The Governors have full power to assign and appoint such number of poor men and officers as they shall think fit. 11. The number of old Gentlemen and Children to increase, and be maintained, according to the increase of the

revenues.

12. Mr. SUTTON during his life, with the Governors to execute. 13. The King to nominate a Governor, after default made by the Governors for two months.

14. The Governors are empowered to make Statutes under the Common Seal.

15. They may visit, punish, or displace the Master, Preacher, or other officers of the Hospital.

16. The Hospital, Master, Preacher, and other Officers, are exempted and freed from all Visitations, Punishment, and Correction, to be had, used, or exercised, in or upon them, or any of them, by The Ordinary of the Diocese, for the time being, or by any other person whatsoever, but the Founder and Governors.

THE ECCLESIASTICAL PREFERMENTS in the disposal of The Governors are,

RECTORIES.

In CAMBRIDGESHIRE, Balsham, Horseheath, and Castle
Camps.

In ESSEX, Little Hallingbury, Great Stambridge, Cold
Norton, and Little Wigborough.

In LINCOLNSHIRE, Dunsby, and Buslingthorpe.

VICARAGE.

In ESSEX, South-Minster.

PERPETUAL CURACY.

IN DEVONSHIRE, Hartland.

And the Chapel at The Charter House.

The Governors are charged to bestow these Ecclesiastical Preferments upon those Scholars only, who have been

brought up on this Foundation, and to avoid the giving of more Benefices than one to any Incumbent.

It appears that Mr. SUTTON had intended to preside as Master of The Hospital; but his health being seriously injured by a slow fever, he nominated The Revd. JOHN HUTTON, M. A., Vicar of Littlebury, first Master, on the 30th of October, 1611.

On the 1st of November following, he signed a Deed of gift of the Estates mentioned in the Letters Patent to The Governors, in Trust for The Hospital; and, on the subsequent day, made his Will, which was signed and sealed on the 28th of November. He died at Hackney, on the 12th of December, 1611, aged 79 years, EDMUND PHILlips, Apothecary, received £40..4..8. for embalming his body, which was inclosed in a Coffin of lead, and kept in his House, until the 28th of May, 1612; when it was conveyed in solemn pomp, attended by the Governors and many persons of the highest Rank and Respectability, to Christ Church, in Newgate Street, for temporary interment.

And, on the 12th of December, 1614, the Anniversary of his death, it was removed on the shoulders of The Poor and finally deposited in a Vault on the North side of the Chapel at The Charter House, under a magnificent Tomb erected to his memory, the work of NICHOLAS STONE.

But this glorious Fabric of Piety, soon after tottered to it's base. SIMON BAXTER, the nephew and next heir of Mr. SUTTON, not possessing the benevolence of his Uncle, and instigated by Sir FRANCIS BACON, instituted a proceeding at common law to regain possession of the property thus vested to Charitable uses. He therefore brought an action against the executors of the Will, to try their right to the lands, and, on the 29th of July, 1612, they filed their Bill in the Court of Chancery against him, which was heard on the 1st of February following, before the Lord Chancellor ELLESMERE, and other great Law Officers; who agreed in direct

ing an issue at law, in the King's Bench, and a special verdict to be procured, by which every doubt was to be considered and decided: When Sir EDWARD COKE, Chief Justice of the Common Pleas, certified, that the Founder's incorporation was sufficient, good, and effectual in Law.

The Governors held their first Meeting on the 30th of June, 1613; when they proceeded to assign apartments within The Charter House for the different Officers, and to make various Orders.

But the Statutes for the good government of The Hospital were not finally concluded upon until the year 1627; When, at an Assembly holden on the 21st of June, certain Orders were made, and were signed by King CHARLES the First's own hand.

These Statutes indeed have at different times been altered and modified in some particulars, but they are still laid upon the Table at every Assembly of the Governors, and are strictly observed in all cases wherein no special order to the contrary has been made.

And it may perhaps be sufficient for the present purpose, to give the words of the Orders as far as they relate to

"THE SCHOOL.

"The Scholars of the Foundation shall not exceed the number of FORTY; nor shall any be admitted but such as the Schoolmaster shall find and approve to be wall entered in Learning, answerable to his age at the time of his admittance.

"The School-master shall be of Twenty-seven years of age at the least, a Master of Arts, of good reputation, both for his life and learning in the Latin and Greek tongues. The Usher shall likewise be well qualified for his place, having taken degree of Bachelor of Arts two years at least before his election, aged Twenty-four years. And if there be such in either University (no discontinuers), and that have formerly been Members of this Hospital, they shall, cæteris paribus, be chosen before any others.

"The School-master shall have charge to admit no Poor Scholar without one new suit of apparel, besides that he wears, two new shirts, three new pair of stockings, three new pair of