ts who inhabited the ancient site,"
says a writer in the _Illustrated London News_ not long since (I have the
cutting, but neglected to note the date of the paper), "was Charles I.,
when Prince of Wales: his lodging, a house built upon a part of the site of
the old palace, is the only existing vestige, as represented in the
accompanying engraving (in the _Illus. Lond. News_), unless earlier remains
are to be found in the lower parts of the interior." But I believe that the
identity of the site of this ancient mansion (which is situated on the
western side of Lower Kennington Lane), with part of the site of the old
palace, is not quite so certain as the writer appears to intimate. In 1720,
however, the manor gave the title of Earl to William Augustus, Duke of
Cumberland, second son to George II.

Kennington Common acquired an unenviable notoriety from being the place of
execution for malefactors tried in this part of the county. "After the
suppression of the rebellion in Scotland in 1745, many of the insurgents
having been convicted of treason at Southwark, here suffered the sentence
of the law" (Dugdale's _England and Wales_, p. 1015.). "Seventeen officers
of the rebel army were hanged, drawn, and quartered" on this spot.
(Goldsmith's _History_, continued by Morell, 4to., 1807, vol. ii. p. 165.)

"One of the last executions which took place on Kennington Common was
that of seven men; three of whom belonged to a notorious gang of
housebreakers, eighteen in number. These men kept shops, and lived in
credit: of the three who were executed, one made over a sum of 2000l.
to a friend, previous to his trial. They confessed that the profits of
their practices, for the five years past, had been upwards of 1500l. a
year to each. This was in the year 1765."--From a cutting, sent me by a
friend, from the _Sunday Times'_ "Answers to Correspondents," March 13,
1853.

Here too occurred the Chartist meeting, on the memorable 10th of April,
1848.

Now comes my Query. Was there ever a theatre on Kennington Common? In the
_Biographia Dramatica_ of David Erskine Baker (edit. 1782, vol. ii. p.
239.), we are told, that the "satyrical comical allegorical farce," _The
Mock Preacher,_ published in 8vo. in 1739, was "Acted to a crowded audience
at Kennington Common, and many other theatres, with the humours of the
mob." Was it acted in a booth, or in a permanent theatre? The words, "many
other theatres," al