buildings now, but I think of poor Browne, the husband of Alleyn's mother, the actor and haberdasher, "the cause of the existence of Dulwich College!!" Mr. Hovenden further informs us that in the year 1613 Alleyn entered into a contract with one "Ben Johnson" for the erection of a "chappell, a schoole house, and twelve almshowses," a fact which is doubtless known to Mr. Hovenden exclusively. It is, however, more than probable that Mr. Hovenden here alludes to the contract with John Benson, which is so like "Ben Johnson" that it really seems hypercritical to call attention to the discrepancy; but then Mr. Hovenden is an elective Governor of Dulwich College for the Parish of St. Luke-the author of a "History" of the College -a great discoverer of mares' nests, and an accepted authority on Dulwich College north of the Thames.

It is difficult to persuade oneself that the author of this pamphlet ever read the documents upon which he founds his claim for the parish of St. Luke. Let me state a few facts derived from those documents.

In 1613 Alleyn commenced the erection of his college at Dulwich, in the parish of Camberwell.

In 1616 his chapel was consecrated, and the rest of the buildings at least partially occupied.

In 1619 he obtained letters patent perpetuating his endowment.

Now it is not till September, 1619, in the deed of foundation, that the first allusion is made by Alleyn to the three outlying parishes. In that deed he does at length give a special interest to the four parishes (i.e., Camberwell, as well as the others) in the eleemosynary benefits of the charity. But the meaning which he attached to this privilege is made quite evident by the fact that he proceeded himself to admit "foreigners," i.e., boys other than his twelve poor scholars, to his new school.

Moreover, his statutes-to which Mr. Hovenden is glad enough to appeal on behalf of the "assistants "-while they limit the poor scholars to three from each parish, give a free education to all Dulwich boys, and establish a perfectly open school in Dulwich for eighty boys without any restriction of birth or residence, except so far as the Dulwich boys and the free scholars are concerned.

Then again as to the "assistants," whom Mr. Hovenden supposes to have formed a sort of Governing Board, with almost absolute power, they are not even mentioned till 1626, seven or eight years after Alleyn's College had been in full working order.

The object of their appointment was obviously to provide that security which is now obtained by the publicity of trust accounts against malversation of the funds by the actual recipients. Accordingly they were to be summoned only to the half-yearly audits, to the election of a new warden, and to act as assessors in certain possible, though not very probable, cases of appeal. But they were secured (as Alleyn thought) against all opportunity of undue interference in the administration by the addition, under these same statutes, of six "Junior Fellows" to the resident members, " every one of them to have

his voice as the fower senior fellowes have," so that they had only six votes as against twelve or (in case of the vacancy of the wardenship) eleven votes of the resident members. Such at any rate was Alleyn's intention.

But one more choice extract, and I must leave Mr. Hovenden. "Need more be added to show that it was Alleyn's intention to benefit these three parishes, and that the small benefits he threw into Camberwell Parish were from the accident of his building the College there, the property being about that time in the market, and that it was his expressed condition that the vested interest should solely lie in these three parishes for ever."

Now I am quite at a loss to understand how Alleyn could have purchased the property unless it had been in the market for sale; and with respect to the "accident" of building his College at Dulwich, it may be remarked that but for the "accident" of his owning a theatre in St. Giles, Cripplegate, the modern parish of St. Luke's would have known nothing of Dulwich College.

On the other hand, Alleyn had been purchasing land at Dulwich for several years before he commenced the College, and nothing was more natural than that he should erect his building on his own land, and in the vicinity of his fine old manor house, and should devote his wealth primarily and specially to the benefit of his own tenants and neighbours.

It is an exceedingly painful duty thus to call attention to inaccurate and unfair statements made by a gentleman occupying a prominent public position; but as representing the parish of Camberwell in this matter, I am compelled to notice them. When a Governor of Dulwich College, who ought to be better informed than the ordinary run of folk, puts his name to a document, common courtesy at once enlists our attention, and demands criticism.

There are many omissions to be regretted in the present volume, amongst which may be mentioned the "health statistics" of the district, which, under the able supervision of Dr. Bristowe, the Medical Officer of Health, are now presented to us with so much completeness. This chapter would also have enabled me to do justice to the time and labour given to sanitary reform in this parish by Mr. Andrew Middlemass, the late Chairman of the Sanitary Committee; but I trust that an opportunity will be afforded me at no distant day to supply the information now unavoidably omitted.

The

One word respecting the illustrations. For the purpose of giving facsimiles of old documents and prints, I have availed myself largely of the services of Mr. Griggs, Hanover Street, Peckham, and it is mainly through his intelligent co-operation that I have been enabled to place before my readers so many interesting relics of old Camberwell. photographs by Mr. Garrett Cocking, Queen's Road, Peckham, and the London Stereoscopic Company, speak for themselves; whilst the woodengravings of Mr. Dorrington, of Fleet Street, have been executed with great care. Some of the illustrations originally announced do not appear in the present volume, but in their place are others of perhaps greater interest.

I desire also to bear testimony to the courtesy which I have experienced from Messrs. Bradbury, Agnew, and Co., printers, whose work has been executed in their usual first-class manner.

In conclusion, I must thank my numerous subscribers for the confidence so generously accorded me, without which I could not have progressed very far with my self-imposed labours; and I should be wanting in common. gratitude were I to omit mention of the untiring zeal and devotion of one "nearer yet and dearer than all other," who has, notwithstanding the many and manifold claims of a domestic character, found time to undertake a great part of the correspondence, and to make hundreds of calls for the purpose of collecting information for this volume.

WILLIAM HARNETT BLANCH.

ΜΑΥ, 1875.