Barnard's Inn is a former

Inn of Chancery The Inns of Chancery or ''Hospida Cancellarie'' were a group of buildings and legal institutions in London initially attached to the Inns of Court and used as offices for the clerks of chancery, from which they drew their name. Existing from a ...

Holborn Holborn ( or ) is a district in central London, which covers the south-eastern part of the London Borough of Camden and a part ( St Andrew Holborn Below the Bars) of the Ward of Farringdon Without in the City of London. The area has its roots ...

, London. It is now the home of

Gresham College Gresham College is an institution of higher learning located at Barnard's Inn Hall off Holborn in Central London, England. It does not enroll students or award degrees. It was founded in 1596 under the will of Sir Thomas Gresham, and hosts ove ...

, an institution of higher learning established in 1597 that hosts public lectures.

History

Barnard's Inn dates back at least to the mid-thirteenth century – it was recorded as part of the estate of Sir

Adam de Basing Adam de Basing (died 1266) was a 13th-century English politician and Mayor of London. The scion of a London political family, he was the son of alderman Peter Basing and grandson of an earlier mayor, Salomon de Basing.Fox, Christine M. (2014)"A Hi ...

(Adam de Baysing), one time

Lord Mayor of London The Lord Mayor of London is the mayor of the City of London and the leader of the City of London Corporation. Within the City, the Lord Mayor is accorded precedence over all individuals except the sovereign and retains various traditional powe ...

. It passed on to John Mackworth, the

Dean of Lincoln The Dean of Lincoln is the head of the Chapter of Lincoln Cathedral in the city of Lincoln, England in the Church of England Diocese of Lincoln. Christine Wilson was installed as Dean on 22 October 2016.

, who in turn passed it on to the Dean and Chapter of Lincoln on his death in 1451. Three years later, it was established as an

– these were schools for law students before they passed on to an

Inn of Court The Inns of Court in London are the professional associations for barristers in England and Wales. There are four Inns of Court – Gray's Inn, Lincoln's Inn, Inner Temple and Middle Temple. All barristers must belong to one of them. They ha ...

. Barnard's Inn was one of two Inns of Chancery linked to

Gray's Inn The Honourable Society of Gray's Inn, commonly known as Gray's Inn, is one of the four Inns of Court (professional associations for barristers and judges) in London. To be called to the bar in order to practise as a barrister in England and Wale ...

, the other being

Staple Inn Staple Inn is a part- Tudor building on the south side of High Holborn street in the City of London, London, England. Located near Chancery Lane tube station, it is used as the London venue for meetings of the Institute and Faculty of Actuaries ...

. Members of Gray's Inn were appointed readers to the Barnard or Staple Inn. For example, in the meeting of the Pension of Gray's Inn, 19 November 1617, it was stated: "Mr. William Denny chosen Reader of Barnard's Inn." Members of Barnard or Staple's Inn had to pay four pounds for being admitted to Gray's Inn. Hence, at the meeting of the Pension 15 May 1626 it was said that gentlemen coming from Barnard or Staple's Inn "and crave the benefit of the fine of 43 pounds and 4 shillings upon their admittance shall be admitted of the third table and paye but 43 pounds and 4 shillings in that respect, otherwise to paye foure poundes as others do notwithstanding they be of Barnards Inne or Staple Inne."Pension Book of Gray's Inn, p. 271. Barnard's Inn was badly damaged during the

Gordon Riots The Gordon Riots of 1780 were several days of rioting in London motivated by anti-Catholic sentiment. They began with a large and orderly protest against the Papists Act 1778, which was intended to reduce official discrimination against British ...

in 1780. An adjacent distillery, owned by a

Roman Catholic Roman or Romans most often refers to: *Rome, the capital city of Italy *Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD *Roman people, the people of ancient Rome *'' Epistle to the Romans'', shortened to ''Romans'', a lette ...

, Mr Langdale (who escaped), was set alight by rioters. The Hall and other buildings were damaged and one of the officers of the Inn witnessed a "sturdy fellow" pumping up gin from the cellar which he proceeded to sell at a

penny A penny is a coin ( pennies) or a unit of currency (pl. pence) in various countries. Borrowed from the Carolingian denarius (hence its former abbreviation d.), it is usually the smallest denomination within a currency system. Presently, it is t ...

a mug to the thirsty onlookers of the fire. The Inn received £3,200 in compensation for the damage. By the 17th century, qualified attorneys were allowed to practise from Inns of Chancery as well as Inns of Court. By 1830, it had effectively become a set of residential chambers. In 1888, the link to the Dean and Chapter of Lincoln was broken and soon it was purchased by the

Mercers' Company The Worshipful Company of Mercers is the premier Livery Company of the City of London and ranks first in the order of precedence of the Companies. It is the first of the Great Twelve City Livery Companies. Although of even older origin, the c ...

, serving as premises for the

Mercers' School The Mercers' School was an independent school in the City of London, England, with a history going back at least to 1542, and perhaps much further. It was operated by the Worshipful Company of Mercers and was closed in 1959. History After the diss ...

until 1959. It has been used as a venue for lectures by

since 1991.

Buildings

The buildings consist of a Hall, with 18th-century chambers and reception room. The Hall has three wooden bays, and dates from the 15th Century with 16th-century

linen fold Linenfold (or linen fold) is a simple style of relief carving used to decorate wood panelling with a design "imitating window tracery", "imitating folded linen" or "stiffly imitating folded material". Originally from Flanders, the style became ...

wood panelling. The roof timbers include the only surviving

crown post A crown post is a term in traditional timber framing for a post in roof framing which stands on a '' tie beam'' or ''collar beam'' and supports a ''collar plate''.Alcock, N. W.. Recording timber-framed buildings: an illustrated glossary. London ...

s in Greater London. Some chalk-and-tile walling in the seminar room below dates back to

Roman London Londinium, also known as Roman London, was the capital of Roman Britain during most of the period of Roman rule. It was originally a settlement established on the current site of the City of London around AD 47–50. It sat at a key cross ...

. The Hall suffered from poor repair and two inadequate restorations in the 19th century. The

organised substantial repairs in 1932. The roof was removed, renovated and replaced and two fireplaces of Tudor design were installed. The windows were reglazed, releaded and reframed. The windows contain the armorial bearings of Principals of Barnard's Inn: * William Harvey (1545) * Gilbert Hide (1558) * Thomas Wilcox (1574) * George Copuldike (1594) * John Wicksteed (1594) * Pieter van de Putte (1666) * Silvester Petyt (1701) * William Betts (1704) * William Manlove (1710) * Matthew Lancaster (1716) *

Dingley Askham Dingley Askham (died 12 July 1728) was an English attorney, latterly Principal of Barnard's Inn in London.Christopher Brooks: "The Admissions Registers of Barnard's Inn 1620-1869" (1995; Selden Society Supp. Series 12) Biography Askham was a nativ ...

(1722) * Wiseman Claycett (1728) The hall was renovated again in 1990, adding facilities for meetings and functions, ready to become the home of

Literary reference

The hero of

Charles Dickens Charles John Huffam Dickens (; 7 February 1812 – 9 June 1870) was an English writer and social critic. He created some of the world's best-known fictional characters and is regarded by many as the greatest novelist of the Victorian e ...

's novel ''

Great Expectations ''Great Expectations'' is the thirteenth novel by Charles Dickens and his penultimate completed novel. It depicts the education of an orphan nicknamed Pip (Great Expectations), Pip (the book is a ''bildungsroman''; a coming-of-age story). It ...

'', Pip, lodged in Barnard's Inn with Herbert Pocket for a number of years following his arrival in

London London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...

, which would have been circa 1820.

References

External links

Description of Barnard's Inn Hall
from

{{Use dmy dates, date=March 2017 Legal buildings in London Cultural and educational buildings in London Inns of Chancery Buildings and structures in the City of London Gresham College Buildings and structures in Holborn

History

Buildings

Literary reference

See also

References

External links