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Tower Street Ward. St. Dunstan's in the East. | 42 |
Tower Street Ward. St. Dunstan's in the East.
but (how long I know not, they took a long Lease and rebuilt it,
but pay a Ground Rent to William Russel of Stubbers in Essex, Esq;
Son of Sir William Russel, Knt. sometime Alderman of London,
deceased. This House hath been lately burnt down again; but is
now by the said Brotherhood built up fairly a second time.
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This Corporation, one of the considerablest in the Kingdom, is
governed by a Master, four Wardens, eight Assistants, and the
eldest Brothers of the Company, as they are called, one and thirty
in all. The rest of their Company are called Younger Brothers,
without any fixed Number: For any Seafaring Men that will, are
admitted into the Society under that Name: But they are not in the
Government.
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The Government of it.
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They meet to chuse their Master commonly at Deptford Strond,
but are not obliged to to do it, there; but the House there being
their ancient House, they meet there by old Custom.
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Their Meetings are commonly on Wednesdays and Saturdays here
at their House in Water Lane, but their Courts are not fixed
constantly to a set time, but as Occasion and Business requires.
Their Coat of Arms is, Between a Cross Gules, four ships under Sail.
The Crest, a Demy Lion crowned, Or, with a Sword in his right Paw.
The Motto is, Trinitas in Unitate.
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Their Courts.
Their Arms.
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They are established by many Charters of the Princes of this Land.
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Their Service and Use is, that they appoint all Pilots: They set and
place the Buoys and Sea-Marks for the safe Direction of Ships in
their Sailing. For which they have certain Duties payable by
Merchant-Men. They can Licence poor Seamen, ancient and past
going to Sea, to exercise the Calling of a Waterman upon the
Thames, and take in Fares, tho' they have not been bound to any
one Free of the Watermans Company. They do maintain in
Pensions at this time two thousand poor Seamen, or their Widows;
every one of which have at least Half a Crown paid them every
first Monday in the Month, and some more, besides accidental
distressed Seamen.
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Their Use and Service.
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They have three fair Hospitals, built by themselves,; two at
Deptford, and one at Mile End, near London. That at Mile End is a
very handsome Structure with a fair Chapel, and is peculiar for
decayed Sea-Commanders, Masters of Vessels, or such as have
been Pilots, and their Widows.
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Their Hospitals.
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And thus as they do a great deal of good, so they have large
Revenues to do it with. Which arise partly, from Sums of Money
given and bequeathed unto them from charitable Uses, partly
from Houses and Lands also given them, and particularly and
chiefly from Ballast. For they only have, by Act of Parliament, the
benefit of providing Ballast for Ships in the Thames; and all Ships
that take in Ballast pay them 12d. a Tun: For which it is brought to
their Ship's side, which the Seamen find a good Convenience in,
and are very well contented to pay it. They have also certain
Light Houses as at Scilly and Dungeness in the West. To which
Houses all Ships pay one Half Penny a Tun.
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Their Revenues.
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In their Hall there is an old Flag hanging up, which they say was
taken from the Spaniards by Sir Fancis Drake, whose Picture
hangeth up there. There is also the exact Model of a Ship of a
great size rigged, enclosed in a Frame glazed round; the Gift of Sir
Jeremy Smith: Likewise two large Globes enclosed, as was the
Model of the Ship; the Gift of Sir Thomas Allen: Both Admirals of
the Navy under K. Charles II. Divers Tables also hang up round
this Hall, containing the Names of their Benefactors with the
mention of their respective Gifts; and in their Parlour five large
Plats drawn curiously and exactly by a Pen, describing certain Sea
Fights in King Charles II's Time. Much more is shewn of them in
the Fifth Book. Chap. xvi.]
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In their Hall.
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Then is there Hart Lane, or Harp Lane, which likewise runneth
down into Thames Street.
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Harp Lane.
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In this Hart Lane is the Bakers Hall, sometime the dwelling House
of John Chichley, Chamberlain of London, who * was Son to
William Chichley, Alderman of London, Brother to William
Chichley, Arch Deacon of Canterbury, Nephew to Robert Chichley,
Maior of London, and to Henry Chichley Archbishop of Canterbury.
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The Chichley's.
Bakers Hall.
*Who was Brother to Chichley the Archbishop.
First Edit.
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This John Chichley (saith our Leyland) had four and twenty
Children. Sir Tho. Kirrial of Kent, after he had been long Prisoner
in France, married Elizabeth, one of the Daughters of this Chichley,
by whom he had this Chichley's House.
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Chichley House.
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This Elizabeth was secondly married to Sir Ralph Ashton, Knight
Marshal: And thirdly, to Sir John Bourchier, Uncle to the late
Bourchier, Earl of Essex, but she never had Child. Edward
Poynings made part with Bourchier, and Elizabeth, to have
Offenhanger in Kent, after their death, and entred into it, they
living.
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In Tower Street, between Hart Lane, and Church Lane, was a
Quadrant, called Galley Row, because Gally Men dwelled there.
Then have ye two Lanes out of Tower Street, both called Church
Lanes, because one runneth down by the East End of St. Dunstan's
Church, and the other by the West End of the same: Out of the
West Lane, turneth another Lane, West toward Saint Mary Hill,
and is called Fowl Lane, which is for the most part of Tower Street
Ward.
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Gally Row.
Church Lane by East.
Church Lane in the West.
Fowle Lane.
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The Church of St. DUNSTAN in the EAST.
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This Church of St. Dunstan is called in the East, for difference from
one other of the same Name in the West: It is a fair and large
Church of an ancient Building, and within a large Church Yard: It
hath a great Parish of many rich Merchants, and other Occupiers
of divers Trades; namely Salters and Ironmongers.
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Parish Church of St. Dunstan in the East.
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This Church began to be repaired in the Year of our Lord God
1631. And was fully repaired, richly and very worthily beautified
in the Year of our Lord 1633.
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Repaired.
R.
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Church Wardens.
Christopher Vincent,
John Dines,
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I might here dilate and enlarge my self, by spreading this General
into its Particulars: But for that, this shall suffice. The Decays of it
were many and great, and consequently the Repairs. The many
and great parts of it almost making up the whole, which may
easily be believed by the Sum of this sumptuous Repair; the
Charge of it amounting to 2400l. and upwards.
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To the making up of which, many of the worthy Parishioners have
lent to the Lord, in giving to this poor decayed Church very large
Sums. And of such Givers thus the Lord saith, He that giveth to
the Poor, lendeth to the Lord.
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Concerning this Church of St. Dunstan's in the East, there is this
remakable Passage recorded, that the Lord L'Estrange and his
Wife, did publick Penance, after the manner of Penitents, from St.
Paul's to this Church; because they gave a Cause of Murder in the
same Church, and polluted it.]
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Lord L'Estrange does Penance in this Church.
Archbishop Chichley's Regist.
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The MONUMENTS in this Church be these:
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In the Choir, John Kennington, Parson, there buried, 1374.
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J. S.
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