Doctors' Commons
Preserved but no longer current.
A locality near St. Paul's, where the ecclesiastical courts were formerly held, wills preserved, and marriage licences granted, and where was held the com- mon table of the Association of Doctors of Civil Law in London (dissolved 1858). To "common" (<?.v.) means to dine together; and the doctors had to dine there four days in each term. The actual building was demolished m 1867.
Era: ca. 1898 (Victorian)
Sources & notes
Reproduced from Brewer’s Dictionary of Phrase and Fable (1898 edition, public domain; archive.org, retrieved 2026-07-31; OCR text, minor errors possible). Reflects the scholarship and attitudes of its era.
Common questions
What does “Doctors' Commons” mean?
A locality near St. Paul's, where the ecclesiastical courts were formerly held, wills preserved, and marriage licences granted, and where was held the com- mon table of the Association of Doctors of Civil Law in London (dissolved 1858). To "common" (<?.v.) means to dine together; and the doctors had to dine there four days in each term. The actual building was demolished m 1867.
Is “Doctors' Commons” formal or informal?
No register label has been reviewed yet — treat it as neutral and check the usage notes above.