Paternoster Row was a street in the
City of London
The City of London is a city, ceremonial county and local government district that contains the historic centre and constitutes, alongside Canary Wharf, the primary central business district (CBD) of London. It constituted most of London f ...
that was a centre of the London publishing trade,
with
booksellers operating from the street.
/ref> Paternoster Row was described as "almost synonymous" with the book trade. It was part of an area called St Paul's Churchyard.
The street was devastated by aerial bombardment during the World War II
World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the World War II by country, vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great power ...
. In 2003 the street was replaced with Paternoster Square, the modern home of the London Stock Exchange
London Stock Exchange (LSE) is a stock exchange in the City of London, England, United Kingdom. , the total market value of all companies trading on LSE was £3.9 trillion. Its current premises are situated in Paternoster Square close to St Pa ...
, although a City of London Corporation
The City of London Corporation, officially and legally the Mayor and Commonalty and Citizens of the City of London, is the municipal governing body of the City of London, the historic centre of London and the location of much of the United King ...
road sign remains in the square near where Paternoster Row once stood.
As far back as the 12th century, the road was known as Paternoster Row, as it was the main place in London where Paternoster beads
The Pater Noster cord (also spelled Paternoster Cord and called Paternoster beads) is a set of prayer beads used in Christianity to recite the 150 Psalms, as well as the Lord's Prayer. As such, Paternoster cords traditionally consist of 150 bead ...
were made by skilled craftsmen. The beads were popular with illiterate monks and friars at the time, who prayed 30 Paternoster prayers (Latin for "Our Father") three times a day as a substitute for the 150 psalms recited a day by literate monks.
Name
The street is supposed to have received its name from the fact that, when the monks and clergy of St Paul's Cathedral
St Paul's Cathedral is an Anglicanism, Anglican cathedral in London and is the seat of the Bishop of London. The cathedral serves as the mother church of the Diocese of London. It is on Ludgate Hill at the highest point of the City of London ...
would go in procession
A procession is an organized body of people walking in a formal or ceremonial manner.
History
Processions have in all peoples and at all times been a natural form of public celebration, as forming an orderly and impressive ceremony. Religious ...
chanting the great litany
Litany, in Christian worship and some forms of Judaic worship, is a form of prayer used in services and processions, and consisting of a number of petitions. The word comes through Latin '' litania'' from Ancient Greek λιτανεία (''lita ...
, they would recite the Lord's Prayer
The Lord's Prayer, also called the Our Father or Pater Noster, is a central Christian prayer which Jesus taught as the way to pray. Two versions of this prayer are recorded in the gospels: a longer form within the Sermon on the Mount in the Gosp ...
(''Pater Noster'' being its opening line in Latin
Latin (, or , ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally a dialect spoken in the lower Tiber area (then known as Latium) around present-day Rome, but through the power ...
) in the litany along this part of the route. The prayers said at these processions may have also given the names to nearby Ave Maria Lane
Ave Maria Lane is a street in the City of London, to the west of St. Paul's Cathedral. It is the southern extension of Warwick Lane, between Amen Corner and Ludgate Hill.
On the feastday of Corpus Christi, monks would say prayers in a proces ...
and Amen Corner.
An alternative etymology is the early traders, who sold a type of prayer bead known as a "pater noster".
History
The name of the street dates back at least to the 16th century.
Houses in St. Paul's Churchyard were damaged in the Great Fire of London
The Great Fire of London was a major conflagration that swept through central London from Sunday 2 September to Thursday 6 September 1666, gutting the medieval City of London inside the old Roman city wall, while also extending past th ...
in 1666, burning down the old St. Paul's Cathedral. When the new St. Paul's Cathedral
St Paul's Cathedral is an Anglican cathedral in London and is the seat of the Bishop of London. The cathedral serves as the mother church of the Diocese of London. It is on Ludgate Hill at the highest point of the City of London and is a Gr ...
was erected, booksellers returned after a number of years.
Gentleman Henry (Robert) Gunnell, Esq. (1724–1794) of Millbank, a senior officer in the House of Commons and House of Lords who worked the Tax Acts for the American Colonies with Prime Minister George Grenville and also Lord North, bought No.8 Paternoster Row in 1778 as one of his portfolio of properties and soon after gave it to his eldest son John Gunnell (1750–1796), a Westminster gentleman. John though seldom stayed at the house, as he lived mainly at Margate, Kent, and it was instead used as a literary venue by his father Henry (Robert) and his friends, where among other notable members, Jane Timbury
Jane Timbury (date of birth unknown, died c. 1792), was an English novelist and poet whose books were published between 1770 and 1791.
Work
Timbury’s novel ''The Male-coquette'' (1770) appeared anonymously, but was republished in 1788 as ''The M ...
would attend. Her stance as a novelist and poet later inspired Jane Austen in her career. Henry (Robert) Gunnell's fashion icon wife, Anne Rozea (1727–1795) of Duke's Court, St. Martin's Lane (situated where now the National Gallery cafe is located) was known for her attendance, reciting moving French poetry dressed in an exquisite mantua with ornate jubilee hat. Johann Christian Bach
Johann Christian Bach (September 5, 1735 – January 1, 1782) was a German composer of the Classical era, the eighteenth child of Johann Sebastian Bach, and the youngest of his eleven sons. After living in Italy for several years, Bach mov ...
(1735–1782) and Sir Joshua Reynolds (1723-1792) were also known to have attended on occasion. Henry (Robert) had bought No.8 Paternoster Row from Philanthropist Sylvanus Hall, a successful London currier and leather goods craftsman (Guildhall Library) and also governor of both St. Thomas and Bridewell Hospitals, who owned two other houses on Paternoster Row and had earlier worked with the beautiful Anne Rozea at "Gunnell's Hat Warehouse" a fashion store at No.54 Chandois Street (next door to the Mercers Coventry Cross), Covent Garden, from the mid-1760s. There he oversaw the manufacture of fashionable hats, cloaks and silk garments and later married Henry (Robert) Gunnell and Anne Rozea's daughter, Ann Gunnell (1746–1804), at the church of St.Augustine, Watling Street, (02.Feb.1769) just east of St. Paul's cathedral. They lived at No.8 Paternoster Row for nine years, until her father bought it for his son John as part of his inheritance as mentioned in 1778. Ann and Sylvanus Hall then moved to a house on Golden Square
Golden Square, in Soho, the City of Westminster, London, is a mainly hardscaped garden square planted with a few mature trees and raised borders in Central London flanked by classical office buildings. Its four approach ways are north and so ...
, Soho. On 21 February 1776, at the Old Bailey, Jeremiah Pope was indicted for stealing 'six hundred pounds weight of lead piping' from the three properties (Nos. 8, 9, and 10) of Sylvanus Hall on Paternoster Row. Another well-known visitor to No.8 was Thomas Vanhagen, whose famous pastry shop was located beside Pauls Alley, St. Paul's Churchyard, facing the North Entrance and where many Londoners took their refreshment. Various caricatures of Vanhagen (British Museum) were published over the years. His daughter Charlotte married Henry (Robert) and Anne's son Henry Gunnell (1754–1823), also of the House of Commons, (10.Jul.1779) at the parish of St. Gregory by St. Paul's. The Gunnells eventually sold No.8 Paternoster Row in 1794.
A bust of Aldus Manutius
Aldus Pius Manutius (; it, Aldo Pio Manuzio; 6 February 1515) was an Italian printer and humanist who founded the Aldine Press. Manutius devoted the later part of his life to publishing and disseminating rare texts. His interest in and prese ...
, writer and publisher, can be seen above the fascia of number 13 Number 13 can refer to:
* 13 (number)
* Number 13 (comics) a comic strip in ''The Beano''
* ''Number 13'' (1922 film), a film by Alfred Hitchcock and starring Ernest Thesiger which was shot but never completed and is believed to be lost
* "Number ...
. The bust was placed there in 1820 by Bible publisher Samuel Bagster.
It was reported that Charlotte Brontë
Charlotte Brontë (, commonly ; 21 April 1816 – 31 March 1855) was an English novelist and poet, the eldest of the three Brontë sisters who survived into adulthood and whose novels became classics of English literature.
She enlisted i ...
and Anne Brontë
Anne Brontë (, commonly ; 17 January 1820 – 28 May 1849) was an English novelist and poet, and the youngest member of the Brontë literary family.
Anne Brontë was the daughter of Maria (born Branwell) and Patrick Brontë, a poor Irish c ...
stayed at the Chapter Coffeehouse on the street when visiting London in 1847. They were in the city to meet their publisher regarding ''Jane Eyre
''Jane Eyre'' ( ; originally published as ''Jane Eyre: An Autobiography'') is a novel by the English writer Charlotte Brontë. It was published under her pen name "Currer Bell" on 19 October 1847 by Smith, Elder & Co. of London. The firs ...
''.
A fire broke out at number 20 Paternoster Row on 6 February 1890. Occupied by music publisher Fredrick Pitman, the first floor was found to be on fire by a police officer at 21:30. The fire alarm was sounded at St. Martin's-le-Grand
St. Martin's Le Grand is a former liberty within the City of London, and is the name of a street north of Newgate Street and Cheapside and south of Aldersgate Street. It forms the southernmost section of the A1 road.
College of canons and coll ...
and fire crews extinguished the flames in half an hour. The floor was badly damaged, with smoke, heat and water impacting the rest of the building.
This blaze was followed later the same year on 5 October by 'an alarming fire'. At 00:30 a fire was discovered at W. Hawtin and Sons, based in numbers 24 and 25. The wholesale stationers' warehouse was badly damaged by the blaze.
On 21 November 1894, police raided an alleged gambling club which was based on the first floor of 59 Paternoster Row. The club known both as the 'City Billiard Club' and the 'Junior Gresham Club' had been there barely three weeks at the time of the raid. Forty-five arrests were made, including club owner Albert Cohen.
On 4 November 1939, a large-scale civil defence exercise was held in the City of London
The City of London is a city, ceremonial county and local government district that contains the historic centre and constitutes, alongside Canary Wharf, the primary central business district (CBD) of London. It constituted most of London f ...
. One of the simulated seats of fire was in Paternoster Row.
Trübner & Co. was one of the publishing companies on Paternoster Row.
Destruction during World War II
The street was devastated by aerial bombardment during the Blitz
The Blitz was a German bombing campaign against the United Kingdom in 1940 and 1941, during the Second World War. The term was first used by the British press and originated from the term , the German word meaning 'lightning war'.
The Germa ...
of World War II
World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the World War II by country, vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great power ...
, suffering particularly heavy damage in the night raid of 29–30 December 1940, later characterised as the Second Great Fire of London
The Second Great Fire of London in December 1940 was caused by one of the most destructive air raids of the Blitz during World War II. The Luftwaffe raid caused fires over an area greater than that of the Great Fire of London in 1666, leading ...
, during which an estimated 5 million books were lost in the fires caused by tens of thousands of incendiary bombs.
After the raid a letter was written to ''The Times
''The Times'' is a British daily national newspaper based in London. It began in 1785 under the title ''The Daily Universal Register'', adopting its current name on 1 January 1788. ''The Times'' and its sister paper '' The Sunday Times'' ...
'' describing:
Another correspondent with the newspaper, Ernest W. Larby, described his experience of 25 years working on Paternoster Row:
The ruins of Paternoster Row were visited by Wendell Willkie
Wendell Lewis Willkie (born Lewis Wendell Willkie; February 18, 1892 – October 8, 1944) was an American lawyer, corporate executive and the 1940 Republican nominee for President. Willkie appealed to many convention delegates as the Republican ...
in January 1941. He said, "I thought that the burning of Paternoster Row, the street where the books are published, was rather symbolic. They he Germans
He or HE may refer to:
Language
* He (pronoun), an English pronoun
* He (kana), the romanization of the Japanese kana へ
* He (letter), the fifth letter of many Semitic alphabets
* He (Cyrillic), a letter of the Cyrillic script called ''He'' in ...
have destroyed the place where the truth is told".
Printers, publishers and booksellers based in Paternoster Row
Note: Before about 1762, premises in London had sign
A sign is an Physical object, object, quality (philosophy), quality, event, or Non-physical entity, entity whose presence or occurrence indicates the probable presence or occurrence of something else. A natural sign bears a causal relation to ...
s rather than number
A number is a mathematical object used to count, measure, and label. The original examples are the natural numbers 1, 2, 3, 4, and so forth. Numbers can be represented in language with number words. More universally, individual numbers ...
s.
* '' The Tyger's Head'' – Christopher Barker (????), his son Robert Barker Robert Barker may refer to:
Politicians
* Robert Barker (MP for Ipswich) (died 1571), English MP for Ipswich
* Robert Barker (MP for Thetford), English MP for Thetford
* Robert Barker (MP for Colchester) (1563–1618), English MP for Colchester
...
(1545–1629)[A Dictionary of Printers and Printing.]
* '' The Star'' – Henry Denham (1564)
* '' The Brazen Serpent'' (1627–1650) – Robert Dawlman (1627–1635, 1635–1638, died 1659), Luke Fawne (1635–1638, 1639–1641), Samuel Gellibrand
Samuel Gellibrand (1614–1675) was a London bookseller active in the seventeenth century.
He was the son of the physician Henry Gellibrand (1568–1615)Henry Plomer (1907) A Dictionary of the Booksellers and Printers who Were at Work in Engl ...
(1639–1641, 1641–1650)
* '' The Golden Ball/Ball'' (1650–1675) – Samuel Gellibrand (1654, 1655, 1656, 1661, 1667, 1669, 1673) (died 1675), two of his sons Edward Gellibrand (1676, 1678, 1679, 1680, 1681, 1685), John Gellibrand (1679–1685), F.? Gellibrand (1683)
* '' The Gun'' – F.? Brome (1683)
* '' The Bell'' – B. Crayle (1683)
* '' The Sun'' – G. Wells (1683)
* '' The Angel'' – Moses Pitt (1683)
* '' The Bear'' – O. Blagrave (1683)
* '' The Rose and Crown'' – R. Chiswell (1683)
* '' The Crane'' – E. Brewster (1683)
* '' The Peacock'' – Robert Clavel/Clavell (1683)
* '' The Three Pigeons'' – F.? Baker (1683)
* '' The Golden Lyon/Golden Lion'' – F.? Robinson (1683)
* '' The Red Lyon/Red Lion'' – H. Bonwick (1683)
* '' The Phoenix/Phœnix'' – H. Mortlock (1683), Ed. Giles (1683)
* '' The Three Flower-de-luces/Three Flower-de-Luces'' – H. Hatley (1683)
* '' The Bishopshead/Bishops Head/Bishops head'' – W. Kettilby (1683)
* '' The Princes Arms/Prince's Arms (Arms of the Prince of Wales)'' – Samuel Smith Samuel Smith may refer to:
In politics
*Samuel Smith (Connecticut politician) (1646–1735), early settler of Norwalk, Connecticut and deputy of the General Assembly of the Colony of Connecticut in 1691
*Samuel Smith (1754–1834), British Member ...
(1683, 1692, 1694, 1695, 1704, 1705), Benjamin Walford (1694, 1695, 1705), printers to the Royal Society
The Royal Society, formally The Royal Society of London for Improving Natural Knowledge, is a learned society and the United Kingdom's national academy of sciences. The society fulfils a number of roles: promoting science and its benefits, r ...
* '' The Globe'' – F.? Taylor (1683), T. Cooper (1740)
* '' The Ship'' (later No. 38–41) – B. Tooke (1683), John Taylor John Taylor, Johnny Taylor or similar may refer to:
Academics
*John Taylor (Oxford), Vice-Chancellor of Oxford University, 1486–1487
*John Taylor (classical scholar) (1704–1766), English classical scholar
*John Taylor (English publisher) (178 ...
(1710–1719), his son William Taylor (1708,[ at the Sun and Moon (near the Royal Exchange), Cornhill; William Taylor at the ]Ship
A ship is a large watercraft that travels the world's oceans and other sufficiently deep waterways, carrying cargo or passengers, or in support of specialized missions, such as defense, research, and fishing. Ships are generally distinguishe ...
, St. Paul's Church-Yard 1719–1724), subsequently Longmans
Longman, also known as Pearson Longman, is a publishing company founded in London, England, in 1724 and is owned by Pearson PLC.
Since 1968, Longman has been used primarily as an imprint by Pearson's Schools business. The Longman brand is also ...
(see No. 39)
* '' The Black Swan'' – John and Awnsham Churchill – possibly John Taylor John Taylor, Johnny Taylor or similar may refer to:
Academics
*John Taylor (Oxford), Vice-Chancellor of Oxford University, 1486–1487
*John Taylor (classical scholar) (1704–1766), English classical scholar
*John Taylor (English publisher) (178 ...
(????), later his son William Taylor (????), subsequently Longmans
Longman, also known as Pearson Longman, is a publishing company founded in London, England, in 1724 and is owned by Pearson PLC.
Since 1968, Longman has been used primarily as an imprint by Pearson's Schools business. The Longman brand is also ...
(????) (see No. 39)
* ''The Crown
The Crown is the state in all its aspects within the jurisprudence of the Commonwealth realms and their subdivisions (such as the Crown Dependencies, overseas territories, provinces, or states). Legally ill-defined, the term has differen ...
'' – T. Rickerton (1721)
* '' The Dove'' – J. Batley (1723)
* No. 1 – J. Souter (1817), Jan Van Voorst (1851) (see No. 3)
* No. 2 – Orr and Co. (1851), J. W. Myers (~1800)
* No. 3 – Jan Van Voorst (1838) (see No. 1)
* No. 5 – Groombridge and Sons (c. 1845 to c. 1875)[Various editions published during this period, including ]
* No. 6 Panyer Alley – R. Groombridge (prior to c. 1845)
* No. 10 – W. W. Gardner (1870/1)
* No. 9 – S. W. Partridge and Co. (1876)[Church of England Temperance Tracts, no. 19, 1876]
* No. 11 – W. Brittain (1840)
* No. 12 – Trubner and Co. (1856)
* No. 15 – Samuel Bagster and Sons (1817, 1825, 1851,[The British Metropolis in 1851] 1870)
* No. 16 – Alex Hogg (1780)
* No. 17 – Thomas Kelly (1840)
* No. 20 & 21 – F. Pitman, later F. Pitman Hart and Co. Ltd. (1904)[The World's Paper Trade Review, 1904-05-13, p. 38]
* No. 21 – J. Parsons (1792)
* No. 22 - The Electrical Review (1876–1897)
* No. 23 – Piper, Stephenson, and Spence (1857)
* No. 24 – George Wightman (1831)[ (See also: Sunday School Society)]
* No. 25 – George Robinson, from 1763 to 1801, with John Roberts, 1763 to 1776
* No. 27 Ivy Lane – Walton and Maberly (also at No. 28) (1837-1857), Hodder & Stoughton
Hodder & Stoughton is a British publishing house, now an imprint of Hachette.
History
Early history
The firm has its origins in the 1840s, with Matthew Hodder's employment, aged 14, with Messrs Jackson and Walford, the official publishe ...
(from 1868-06-16)
* No. 28 Upper Gower Street
Gower Street is a two-way street in Bloomsbury, central London, running from Euston Road at the north to Montague Place in the south. The street is continued from North Gower Street north of Euston Road. To the south, it becomes Bloomsbury St ...
– Walton and Maberly (also at No. 27)
* No. 31 – Sheed & Ward
Sheed and Ward was a publishing house founded in London in 1926 by Catholic activists Frank Sheed and Maisie Ward. The head office was moved to New York in 1933.
The United States assets of Sheed and Ward have been owned by Rowman & Littlefield ...
(1926)
* No. 33 – Hamilton and Co. (1851)
* No. 37 – James Duncan (1825–1838), Blackwood and Sons (1851)
* No. 39 (see '' The Ship'') – Longman, Hust, Rees, Orme, Brown and Green (1825), later Longman and Co. (1851), later Longmans, Green, and Co.
Longman, also known as Pearson Longman, is a publishing company founded in London, England, in 1724 and is owned by Pearson PLC.
Since 1968, Longman has been used primarily as an imprint by Pearson's Schools business. The Longman brand is also ...
(1866, 1899, 1902)
* No. 40 – West and Hughes (~1800)
* No. 47 – Baldwin, Cradock, and Joy (1817), Baldwin and Craddock, later Chambers (1891)
* No. 56 – The Religious Tract Society
The Religious Tract Society was a British evangelical Christian organization founded in 1799 and known for publishing a variety of popular religious and quasi-religious texts in the 19th century. The society engaged in charity as well as commerci ...
(1851)
* No. 60 – The Sunday School Union (1851) later Trübner & Co (1872)
* No. 62 – Eliot Stock (1893, 1910)
* No. 65 – Houlston and Stoneman
* C. Davis (1740)
* Hawes, Clarke and Collins (1771)
* Oxford University Press
Oxford University Press (OUP) is the university press of the University of Oxford. It is the largest university press in the world, and its printing history dates back to the 1480s. Having been officially granted the legal right to print book ...
– Bible warehouse destroyed by fire in 1822, rebuilt c. 1880
* Sampson Low (after 1887)
* H. Woodfall & Co.
* Marshall Brothers Ltd., Keswick House, Paternoster Row, London
* Thomas Nelson[ (See also: Thomas Bonnar, the Younger)]
* Sherwood, Neely, and Jones (1817)
* R. Fenner (1817)
* Kent and Co. (1859)
* Hurst & Blackett
* Jackson & Walford
* Hutchinson & Co.
* Ralph Smith Kirby (1802)
Others based in Paternoster Row
* No. 34 – Boys Brigade London HQ
* No. 60 – Friendly Female Society, "for indigent widows and single women of good character, entirely under the management of ladies."
In popular culture
* ''The Siege of Paternoster Row'' was an anonymous 1826 booklet in verse, attacking the reliability of bankers.
* The Paternoster Gang are a trio of Victorian detectives aligned with the Doctor in the television series '' Doctor Who'', so named because they are based in Paternoster Row.
* In the episode "Young England" of the 2016 television series '' Victoria'', a stalker of Queen Victoria
Victoria (Alexandrina Victoria; 24 May 1819 – 22 January 1901) was Queen of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland from 20 June 1837 until her death in 1901. Her reign of 63 years and 216 days was longer than that of any previ ...
indicates that he lives on Paternoster Row. (Coincidentally, the actress playing Victoria in the series, Jenna Coleman
Jenna-Louise Coleman (born 27 April 1986), known professionally as Jenna Coleman, is an English actress. She is known for her roles as Jasmine Thomas in the soap opera ''Emmerdale'', Clara Oswald in the science-fiction series '' Doctor Who'', ...
, had appeared in several episodes of ''Doctor Who'' that featured the aforementioned Paternoster Gang.)
* The novel, ''The Last Bookshop in London'', makes numerous references to Paternoster Row, and it mentions the destruction of the street during World War II.
See also
* History of London
* Doctors' Commons
Doctors' Commons, also called the College of Civilians, was a society of lawyers practising civil (as opposed to common) law in London, namely ecclesiastical and admiralty law. Like the Inns of Court of the common lawyers, the society had buil ...
* Fleet Street
Fleet Street is a major street mostly in the City of London. It runs west to east from Temple Bar at the boundary with the City of Westminster to Ludgate Circus at the site of the London Wall and the River Fleet from which the street was n ...
* Longmans
Longman, also known as Pearson Longman, is a publishing company founded in London, England, in 1724 and is owned by Pearson PLC.
Since 1968, Longman has been used primarily as an imprint by Pearson's Schools business. The Longman brand is also ...
* Paul's walk
* St. Paul's Cross
* Religious Tract Society
The Religious Tract Society was a British evangelical Christian organization founded in 1799 and known for publishing a variety of popular religious and quasi-religious texts in the 19th century. The society engaged in charity as well as commerci ...
References
Further reading
*
*
Dawlman (Robert)
*
*
*
External links
*{{Commons category-inline
History of the City of London
Streets in the City of London
Bookshops in London