THERE is reason to believe that the manor of Canonbury formed one of the lay possessions described in Domesday Book at the time of the Norman Conquest. It came afterwards into the family of Berners, and forming part of their fee, it was as such included in the grant made to the Priory of St. Bartholomew, Smithfield, by Ralph de Berners, of lands and rents, with their appurtenances in Iseldon, held of the said fee, and enumerated among several other possessions of that monastery in a confirmation grant of King Henry III., by letters patent bearing date at Winchester, June 15th, 1253, in the 37th year of his reign. It is most probable that this site being pitched upon for a mansion for the Prior of the Canons of St. Bartholomew, received the name of Canonbury, as Canons, in Little Stanmore, had its name from belonging to the Canons of Bentley adjoining, which was a foundation previous to St. Bartholomew. Bury is synonymous with Bown or Burgh, and signifies generally a mansion or dwelling-place. The original mansion of Canonbury appears to have been built in 1362, ten years after the Priory of St. Bartholomew had been exempted from the payment of tenths and fifteenths, and every other subsidy, on account of the disproportion of their income to their great expenditure in works of charity.

Stowe informs us that Bolton, Prior from 1509 till his death, April 15th, 1532, “builded of new the Manor of Canonbury, which belonged to the Canons of that house.”

Canonbury was most pleasantly and conveniently situated. We can imagine the beautiful view they had from thence, standing, as it did, in the midst of the country, and surrounded by trees and orchards; in the far distance, in one direction, the silver Thames might be traced for miles; on the other, the old city lying quietly in its picturesque antiquity, and the tower of the Priory Church seen in advance of St. Paul’s, the intervening space not covered as now by buildings, and the atmosphere darkened by dense clouds of smoke.

At the general dissolution of Abbeys and religious houses under Henry VIII., the Priory of St. Bartholomew, with the Manor of Canonbury, was surrendered to the King, Oct. 25, 1539.

The Manor was, in 1539, bestowed on Thomas, Lord Cromwell, Lord Great Chamberlain of England, the chief instrument in dissolving the Monasteries and depressing the Clergy, Jan. 6th, 1539-40. Cromwell was created Earl of Essex, April 17th, 1540; committed to the Tower, July 9th; accused of high treason and heresy, July 19th; and beheaded, July 28th, when Canonbury reverted to the Crown. It was granted by Edward VI., 1547, in exchange for the site of the Priory of Tamworth, and in consideration of the sum of £1252 6s. 3d., to John Dudley of Warwick. This nobleman mortgaged it in 1549 to John Yorke, Esq., Citizen and Merchant Tailor of London, for £1660, but redeemed it in a very short time, and by deed of conveyance, dated July 18th, 4th of Edward VI., conveyed it back to the King, who after keeping it two years, restored it by a fresh grant to John Dudley, Duke of Northumberland; who in a few months was attainted and beheaded, August 22nd, 1553, under Queen Mary, who then granted it in 1557 to Thomas Lord Wentworth; who alienated it in 1570 to John, afterwards John Spenser, Knight and Baronet of Walsingfield, Suffolk, from his great wealth called rich Spenser; of whom is related the following anecdote:—In Queen Elizabeth’s time a pirate of Dunkirk laid a plot with twelve of his mates to carry off Sir John Spenser, which, if he had done, £50,000 had not redeemed him. He came over the seas in a shallop, with twelve musketeers, and in the night arrived at Barking Creek, leaving the shallop in custody of six of his men; with the other six he came as far as Islington, and there hid themselves in ditches near the path along which Sir John always came to his house; but by the providence of God, Sir John, upon some extraordinary occasion, was forced to stay in London that night, otherwise they had taken him away; and they, fearing they should be discovered, in the night-time returned to their shallop, and so came safe to Dunkirk again. He died at an advanced age, March 30th, 1609, and was buried at St. Helen’s, Bishopgate.

Sir John had by his Lady, Alice Broomhall, one sole daughter and heiress, Elizabeth; according to tradition, carried off from Canonbury House in a baker’s basket, by contrivance of William second Lord Compton, Lord President of Wales, to whom, in 1594, she was married.

Lord Compton met with a very singular death; after he had waited on the King at supper, and had also supped, he took a boat to wash himself in the Thames; as soon as he was up to his knees in the water, he was attacked with the colic, and cried out, “Have me into the boat again, or I am a dead man,” and died a few hours afterwards, June 24, 1630. He was created Earl of Northampton twelve years before his death.

Canonbury Tower has still a very quaint appearance; its walls are in some parts covered with ivy, and in the garden at the back may still be seen some mulberry trees, probably planted by Bolton, or, at all events, produced from the trees he planted. Undoubtedly he passed many pleasant hours in these grounds. From a fish-pond, formerly in these premises, well stocked with the finny tribe, was the supply drawn to furnish the good Prior’s table on Fridays, when he fasted, or on other days when forbidden to eat meat. The edifice, with its domestic offices, spacious garden grounds and park, covered nearly the whole site of what is now called Canonbury Place.

One large house, having a tower of brick 17 feet square and 60 feet high, which still retains much of its original character, is the most striking remains; Prior Bolton is supposed to have erected this portion.

The two principal rooms are situate on the first and second storeys, facing Canonbury Lane; are each 20 feet square and 12 feet high, handsomely fitted with a wainscot of oak from floor to ceiling in a complete state of preservation, which appears to have been done by Sir John Spenser during his residence at Canonbury.

We now give a view of the room occupied by Oliver Goldsmith, and in which he is supposed to have written his “Vicar of Wakefield;” it is situated on the first floor.

A view of the interior of the room on the second floor is given on the next page.

The previous engraving represents a portion of the original staircase of oak, at the upper part of the Tower.

Since the Reformation many illustrious persons have resided at Canonbury.

In 1582, Sir Arthur Atye, Public Orator of Oxford University.

Thomas Egerton, Baron of Ellesmere, signed the Charter of Incorporation to the Butchers’ Company when Lord Chancellor, and while on a visit to Sir John Spenser in 1605.

The Compton family resided here. A daughter of Lord Compton was born here in 1605.

Lord Keeper Coventry rented the place from 1627 to 1635.

The Earl of Derby dated a letter from Canonbury Park, January 29, 1635, “where he was staid from St. James’ by the greatest snow he ever saw in England.”

William Fielding, Earl of Denbigh, died here in 1685.

Several literary characters have lodged here.

Samuel Humphries died here, January 11, 1737.

Ephraim Chambers, Author of “CyclopÆdia,” died here while engaged on that work in 1740.

John Newbury, author of several books for children; and here, Dr. Oliver Goldsmith, under pressing pecuniary circumstances, is said to have written the “Vicar of Wakefield;” the good-natured bookseller, Newbury, then renting the house, and employing Goldsmith to write for him and giving him shelter. Before residing in the Tower, Goldsmith lived near here, in the house of Mrs. Elizabeth Fleming, 1762. The sum stipulated to be paid was £50 a year; Newbury, being cash-bearer to the Poet, paid his rent quarterly, taking credit for such payment in the settlement of their account.

Goldsmith was particularly fond of Islington, it was his custom to enjoy what he termed his shoemakers’ holiday, which was a day of great festivity with the Poet. Three or four of his intimate friends met at his lodgings in the Tower to breakfast; about ten or eleven o’clock they proceeded by the City Road and through the fields to Highbury Barn to dinner; about six o’clock they adjourned to White Conduit House to tea; and concluded by supping at the “Grecian” or “Temple” Coffee Houses, or at the “Globe” in Fleet Street.

By the marriage of Lord Compton (afterwards Earl of Northampton) the Canonbury estate was carried into his family, and the Earl of Northampton is its present proprietor.

BEMROSE AND SONS, PRINTERS, LONDON AND DERBY.