. The history and antiquities of London, Westminster, Southwark and parts adjacent. ntly de-nominated Chamberlain gate: but if this be true, it is very extra-ordinary that this gate is not once mentioned before the conquest. It appears, however, from ancient records, that it was calledNewgate, and was a common jail for felons taken in the city of Lon-don, or the county of Middlesex, as early as the year 1218 ; andthat so lately as the year 1457, Newgate, and not the Tower, wasthe prison for the nobility and great officers of state. Newgate, being much damaged by the fire of London in 1666was r
. The history and antiquities of London, Westminster, Southwark and parts adjacent. ntly de-nominated Chamberlain gate: but if this be true, it is very extra-ordinary that this gate is not once mentioned before the conquest. It appears, however, from ancient records, that it was calledNewgate, and was a common jail for felons taken in the city of Lon-don, or the county of Middlesex, as early as the year 1218 ; andthat so lately as the year 1457, Newgate, and not the Tower, wasthe prison for the nobility and great officers of state. Newgate, being much damaged by the fire of London in 1666was repaired in the year 1672. The west side of this gate was adorned with three ranges of Tus-can pilasters with their [entablatures, and in the intercolumniationswere four niches, in one of which was a figure representing Liberty,having the word Libertas inscribed on her cap ; and at her feet acat, in allusion to the story of sir Richard Whittington. The east side of the gate was likewise adorned with a range ofpilasters, and in three niches the figures of Justice, Mercy, the distance of 797 feet south of Newgate, was situated Lud-gate, which, according to Geoffrey of Monmouth, derived its namefrom king Lud, a Briton, who, according to that author, built itabout sixty years before the birth of Christ. But as Geoffreys pretended history is now universally acknow-ledged to be the mere production of an inventive brain, his asser- 2Q 2 590 HISTORY OF LONDON. tion has no weight with the judicious ; for it is certain that the an-cient Britons had no walled towns. This name, therefore, is withmuch greater appearance of probability, derived from the rivuletFlood, Flud, Vloat, Fleote, or Fleet, which ran into Fleet-ditch,and it was very probably called Ludgate, instead of its originalname, Fludgate. In the year 1373, this gate was constituted a prison for poordebtors, who were free of the city; and it was afterwards greatlyenlarged by sir Stephen Forster. This gentlem
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