The Black Friars of Ancient London

New Zealand Tablet, Volume LII, Issue 46, 2 December 1925, Page 21

The Black Friars of Ancient London

INTERESTING v CITY DISCOVERY. The recent discovery of the remains of the .thirteenth century London Priory of the Dominicans or Black Friars' by workmen who are excavating in the rectangle of ground surrounded by Church-entry, Carter Lane Friar Street and Ireland Yard, between Queen Victoria Street and Ludgate Hill, E.G., has excited the keenest interest among archaeologists in the Metropolis. It is believed that /the find is one of the most remarkable discoveries for some time. Owing to the fact that the remains were found deep below the foundations, they are in a. remarkable state of preservation. The site of the ancient Priory has been visited among others by several of the Dominican Fathers from St. Dominic's Priory, Haverstock Hill, London, N.W., the successors of the Black Friars who ministered to the Catholics of London seven hundred years ago. The remains are being translated to the Haverstock Hill Priory, where they will be re-assembled under expert direction in the gardens attached to this fine church. It is interesting to note that in the Priory Church itself there is already a relic of the ancient city priory. In conversation with a press representative Father Dunstan Sargent, 0.P., of Haverstock Hill, pointed to portions' of pillars deeply embedded in rubble and flanked by large dark-colored stones which archaeologists . state originally belonged to the old Wall of London. In addition to these remains, the excavators have also found a considerable number of Roman red tiles and Tudor bricks', the blood-red color of which is almost as bright as when the bricks were made. "There is no doubt," said Father Sargent, "that, having found the Roman tiles when they were making the foundations of their Priory in 1279, the Black Friars decided to use them. There is plain evidence, too, that they used for their foundations rubble which the Romans brought to this country as ballast in their ships. "A good deal of it has been unearthed on the site hero, and it is so hard that even the pickaxes make very little impression on it. "It is very different rubble from that used in the piers of St. Paul's. If Wren had used material like it there would have been nothing wrong with St. Paul's' to-day." Th» Dominican Father added that the Tudor bricks were apparently the remains of build* ingsj erected on the ruins of the old priory. On some of the stones which have been recovered there 'are clearly to be seen th# marks made by the chisels of the Friars' of old. . <X> Since, 0 my Jesus! You willed not to taste repose on earth I wish to follow your example.—St. Teresa of the Child Jesus (the Little Flower).