THE PALACE OF WESTMINSTER.

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where Cotton Garden stood, and which was occupied by the Speaker’s house and garden, and the houseand garden of J. H. Ley, Esq., Table Clerk of the House of Commons .

In the course of some alterations, previous to the fire of 1834, it was discovered, whilst digging inthe Speaker’s garden, which was situated between the east end of the House of Commons and the river,that the whole of this garden was a modern embankment; that the east end of the wall of that rangeof building, which had been formerly the Vicars’ houses, was the extreme boundary wall towards theriver; and that the water at one time came up closely to it. The wall ranged with the east endof St. Stephen’s Chapel, and the east end of the Painted Chamber, and a foundation wall of connexion wasdiscovered in Cotton Garden. It was also in a line with the stone wall enclosing New Palace Yardon the east, which stands on what was at one time the edge of the river, and extended up to thepresent Privy Gardens, or that spot of ground covered by Whitehall, as it was afterwards called. Asimilar continuation of it, situated also on the water’s edge, may he traced southward, from the eastextremity of the Painted Chamber to the spot where the King’s slaughter-house stood, opposite theend of College Street.

On the 22nd of July, 1550, a charter was granted by Edward VI. to Sir Ralph Eane, Knight,bestowing on him the site and buildings of the dissolved College of St. Stephen, for his servicesat Musselburgh, in the expedition against the Scots , and for the ransom of the Earl of Huntley, whom hehad taken prisoner, and presented to the King; reserving only the upper part of the Church, or Chapel,of the said College (above the vault, or Lower Chapel,) which the King had already given and assignedfor the House of Parliament , and in which Parliaments were to he held. The premises were to be heldby Sir Ralph in free soccage, as of the royal manor of East Greenwich.

It appears from a deed in the Augmentation Office, with a memorandum annexed, that theproperty thus granted was valued at £13. 6s. 8d. per annum, on the 10th April, 1552. It had then beenre-granted to Sir John Gate (or Gates), K.G. , and his heirs. In the reign of Elizabeth it reverted to theCrown, and the Queen appropriated the premises for the residence of the Auditor and Tellers of theExchequer.

Near this Chapel, and probably on the south side, was the small Chapel of St. Mary de la Petoe ,—

‘ Our Lady of the Pew;’ of which frequent mention is made in records relating to the Old Palace. Ina record, dated 1443, it is styled “ the oratory, called Le Pewe, belonging to the College or Chapelof St. Stephen.” At what time it was finally destroyed does not appear.

The House of Commons was formed within St. Stephen’s Chapel, principally raised by a floor abovethe pavement, and having a roof considerably lower than the ancient one; but in what manner the Chapelwas originally fitted up as the Commons’ House of Parliament, at its first appropriation to the uses ofthe legislative assembly, does not appear; but at that period, and long afterwards, the business ofthe Commons was of a very limited nature, compared to its extent and complexity of late years.

On the great seal of the Commonwealth, in 1691, the walls are represented as hung withtapestry; but previous seals show them to have been plainly wainscoted. They remained tapestried