Limestreet Ward. 83

Limestreet Ward.
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A MAPP OF LIME STREET WARD
  A MAPP OF LIME STREET WARD ]

being so built apart to prevent the danger of firing their Books, &c. This Office hath another Gate for Entrance out of Seething Lane; and another back Passage into Tower Hill, through Muscovy Court.

Bunt's Yard seated not far from the Navy Offce Eastward, a pretty large Place, but only for Stablings. Allam Yard taken up for Warehouses. River Street, a good large open Place, with Brick Buildings, well inhabited, leads into great Tower Hill. Out of this Street on the East side is Colchester Street, hath good Brick Buildings; falls into Woodroff Lane, which begins at Crouched Fryers, and so falls into Tower Hill, in which Lane is a mixture of Brick and Timber Houses pretty well built, and inhabited. In this Lane is Chain Alley, which at the upper End hath a good House with a Garden unto it. At the upper End of this Lane, and fronting Crouched Fryers, are new Brick Buildings called Gold Square, well inhabited. Gunpowder Alley hath at the upper End 10 Almshouses for Men and their Wives, being the Gift of the Lord Banning, and now called Oxford's Almshouses, the Earl marrying an Heiress of the Banning's; but these have but small Allowances. Northumberland Alley comes out here into Poor Jury Lane, where is a large Brewhouse belonging to Captain Starkey, Black Horse Yard for Stablings, with some dwelling Houses in it. Flower de lis Court but small, Three Crown Court, a pretty handsome open Place, with a Free Stone Pavement. Holsey's Rents, very small and ordinary. Carpenters Yard, a good handsome Court, pretty well inhabited. George Alley, long and narrow, with a Passage to Aldgate.]

Bunt's Yard.

Allam Yard.

Colchester Street.

Chain Alley.

Gold Square.

Gunpowder Alley.

Oxford's Almshouses.

Black Horse Yard.

Flower de lis Court.

Three Crown Court.

Holsey's Rents.

Carpenter's Yard.

George Alley.

This Ward hath and Alderman, his Deputy, Common Counsellors, six; Constables, six; Scavengers, nine; Wardmote-men for Inquest, 18; and a Beadle. It is taxed to the Fifteen in London at 5l. [In the first Edition it was at 46l. and accounted in the Exchequer to 45l. 10s.

There are to watch at the several Stands in this Ward, every Night, besides the Constable and Beadle, 34 Watchmen; and for the Liberty of Dukes Place 10. In all 44.

R. B.

The Jury-men returned by the Wardmote Inquest, are to serve as Jurors in the several Courts in Guild-Hall, in the Month of January.]

The Alderman of this Ward is Sir Samuel Stanier, Knt.



83

CHAP. V.


LIMESTREET WARD.

 
The Bounds of it . The Manor of Leadenhall . Simon Eyre a famous Citizen . The Bread Carts of Bow , St. Mary at Axe Parish . The Parish of St. Augustine at the Wall . The present State of this Ward .

THE next is Limestreet Ward, and taketh the Name Limestreet, of making or selling of Lime there, (as is supposed.) The East Side of this Limestreet, from the North Corner thereof, to the midst is of Ealdgate Ward, as is aforesaid: The West Side, for the most part, from the North Corner, Southward, is of this Limestreet Ward: The South End on both Sides is of Langbourn Ward: The Body of this Limestreet Ward, is of the high Street called Cornhill Street, which stretcheth from Limestreet on the South Side, to the West Corner of Leadenhall: And on the North Side, from the South West Corner of St. Mary Street, to another Corner over against Leadenhall.

Limestreet Ward.

Limestreet, whence so called.

High Street of Cornhill.

Now for St. Mary Street, the West Side thereof is of this Limestreet Ward, and also the Street which runneth by the North End of this St. Mary Street, on both Sides; from thence West to an House called the Wrestlers, a Sign so called, almost to Bishopsgate. And these are the Bounds of this small Ward.

St. Mary Street.

Monuments, or Places notable in this Ward, be these: In Limestreet are divers fair Houses for Merchants and others: There was sometime a Mansion House of the King's, called the King's Artirce, whereof find Record in the 14th of Edward I. but now grown out of Knowledge. I read also of another great House in the West Side of Limestreet, having a Chapel on the South, and a Garden on the West, then belonging to the Lord Nevill; which Garden is now called the Greenyard of the Leadenhall.

Places of Note in this Ward.

An House in Limestreet, called the King's Artirce.

Greenyard.

This House, in the Ninth of Richard II. pertained to Sir Simon Burley, and Sir John Burley his Brother: And of late the said House was taken down, add the fore Front thereof new builded of Timber, by Hugh Offley, Alderman.

At the North West Corner of Limestreet, was (of old time) one great Messuage, called Benbridge's Inn: Raphe Holland, Draper, about the Year 1452. gave it to John Gill, Master, and to the Wardens and Fraternity of Taylors, and Linen Armorers of St. John Baptist in London, and to their Successors for ever. They did set up in place thereof a fair large Frame of Timber, containing in the high Street one great House, and before it, to the Corner of Limestreet, three other Tenements, the Corner House being the largest: And then down Limestreet divers proper Tenements. All which the Merchant Taylors in the Reign of Edward VI. sold to Stephen Kirton, Merchant Taylor and Alderman. He gave with his Daughter Grisild, to Nicholas Woodroffe, the said great House, with two Tenements before it, in lieu of an hundred Pounds, and made it up in Money, three hundred sixty six Pounds, thirteen Shillings, four Pence. This worshipful Man, and the Gentlewoman his Widow after him, kept those Houses down Limestreet in good Reparations, never put out but one Tenant, took no Fines, nor raised Rents of them, which was ten Shillings the piece yearly: But whether that Favour did over-live her Funeral, the Tenants now can best declare the contrary.

Benbridges Inn.

Next unto this on the high Street was the Lord Souches Messuage or Tenement, and other. In place whereof, Richard Wethel, Merchant Taylor, builded a fair House, with an high Tower, the second in number, and first of Tim-

Messuage of the L. Sowch.

An House with an high Tower.

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