doing was ever brought against the
unhappy men who perished with it. The monks were faithful to their vows,
the house was well ordered. No record is to be found of any fault
proved against the London Charterhouse: "Nunquam reformata quia nunquam
deformata."

Though the old buildings have been largely swept away, or altered and
added to, yet enough remains to enable us, with the help of a
fifteenth-century plan, to constitute with some degree of exactness the
arrangement of the old monastery. This plan, which is still preserved
amongst the archives of the Charterhouse, is a vellum roll ten feet
long, of four skins, showing the construction of a conduit by which the
monastery was supplied with water from Islington. The waterpipe
discharged into a conduit in the centre of the great cloister; from the
conduit it was conveyed through the gardens into the cells of the monks.
The playground of the Merchant Taylors' School occupies nearly the site
of the great cloister, and on the east and the west side of it may be
found traces of two of the cells. The lower part of the gatehouse served
as entrance to the monastery, though the doors were probably renewed
after the Carthusians had gone. The south and part of the east walls of
the present chapel are those of the monks' church, and the lower part of
the Tower was built by them probably in 1510-20. The charming little
quadrangle, known as Wash House Court, was the habitation of the
"conversi" or lay brothers, the servants of the convent. On the west
external wall of this court are the letters J. H., which may possibly be
the initials of the last Prior, John Houghton, and the wall itself of
his building. Besides these remains there may also be seen a bit of the
monastic refectory, now used as the brothers' library, though it has
been thought by some that this is the site of the prior's cell.

II.--THE PALACE, 1545-1611

During the period from 1545-1611 the Charterhouse became a nobleman's
palace, and passed through several changes of ownership. After the
suppression of the monastery the buildings were used as a storehouse for
the King's hales (that is, nets) and tents. John Brydges, yeoman, and
Thomas Hales were placed in charge of the King's property. This
arrangement, however, was of short duration, for in 1545 the King
presented the site to Sir Edward North, Brydges and Hales receiving L10
per annum by way of compensation. According to Bearcroft[67] the gift
was likely to