Suburbs without the Walls. 32

Suburbs without the Walls.
CHAP. II.

The SUBURBS without the Walls, briefly touched: As also without the Liberties more at large described. Consideration of the Inhabitants; and Buildings. The Suburb without the Postern by the Tower. Wappin: The Chapel there made a Parish. The Allom House in Wappin: Wappin Marsh. Ratcliff. Whitechapel: How it came to be called, St. Mary MATFELON. St. Dunstans Stepney. Divers Remarks of that Parish. Stebunhithe Marsh. Suburb without Bishopsgate. Soersditch. St. Leonard Shoreditch. New Artillery. Bunhil Fields. A Burying Place. Suburb without the Postern of Moregate. Morefields. Suburb without Criples Gate.

HAVING spoken of this City, the Original, and Increase by degrees; the Walls, Gates, Ditch, Castles, Towers, Bridges, the Schools, and Houses of Learning; and other Publick Charitable Foundations. And after that, how the same City is divided into Parts and Wards; and how the same are bounded: And what Monuments of Antiquity, or Ornaments of Building be in every of them: As also in the Borough of Southwark: I am lastly (to conclude this Fourth Book) to speak briefly of the Suburbs, as well without the Gates and Walls, as without the Liberties, and of the Monuments in them.

Concerning the Estate of the Suburbs of this City, in the Reign of Henry the Second, Fitz Stephen hath these Words: Upwards on the West (saith he) is the King's Palace, which is an incomparable Building, rising with a Vawmure and Bulwark, aloft upon the River, two Miles from the Wall of the City, but yet conjoyned with a continual Suburb. On all sides, without the Houses of the Suburbs, are the Citizens Gardens and Orchards, planted with Trees, both large, sightly, and adjoining together. On the North side are Pastures and plain Medows, with Brooks running thorow them, turning Water- mills, with a pleasant noise. Not far off is a great Forest, a well wooded Chase, having good Covert for Harts, Bucks, Does, Boars, and wild Bulls. The Corn Fields are not of a hungry sandy Mould; but as the fruitful Fields of Asia, yielding plentiful Increase, and filling the Barns with Corn. There are near London, on the North side, especial Wells in the Suburbs, sweet, wholesome and clear. Amongst which, Holywell, Clarkenwell, and St. Clements well, are most famous, and most frequented by Scholars and Youths of the City in Summer Evenings, when they walk forth to take the Air.

The Estate of the Suburbs anciently, An. 1180.

Fitz Stephen.

Thus far out of Fitz-Stephen, for the Suburbs at that time.

And here, before we enter in these Suburbs, and pass along through at the particular Places and Streets therein, it may be worth our while to stay a little, and take some Notice in general, both of the Inhabitants, and the multiplyed Buildings.

Some Consideration of the Inhabitants, of the Suburbs, and the Buildings.

J. S.

In the Days of Queen Elizabeth, in that Part of her Reign that is upwards of 120 or 130 Years ago, when London began to be very populous, there was a Confluence hither out of the Countries, of such Persons as were of the poorer Sort of Trades and Occupations. Who because they could not exercise them within the Jurisdiction of the City, followed them here, and within the Compass of three or four Miles of the City. By reason of these Tradesmen, bad Commodities were made and vended, to the wronging of the People. They made counterfeit Indigo, Musk, Saffron, Cochinele, Nutmegs, Wax, Steel, and other Commodities. But they were but Bunglers at their Business. They took Abundance of Apprentices, and kept them not their full Time, according to Law: but suffered them in a few Years to be out of their Times. Whereby few became sufficient Workmen. And they that were sufficient had so many Servants, that Numbers of Families were encreased in the Suburbs and elsewhere. Whence, (besides that the Sickness was often encreased) the Suburbs were abused by false and insufficent Wares; and Deceits were practised by them; having none appointed to oversee them and their Works. For they belonged to none of the Companies of London: and so were under no Comptrol or Restraint.

These Suburbians make Counterfeit Commodities.

This at length caused a Petition to be put up to King James the First in the Year 1609. by the Tradesmen and Artificers of London, who set forth, "That there were special Laws and Statutes for Strangers inhabiting near the City, being no Freemen; yet those Laws had not been put in Execution; by reason, that no special Man had been appointed to take the over sight of it. And by reason no good Government had been used, or Restraint made, there had repaired, and daily did repair from all Parts, Men of divers Trades and Sciences, which had not served any Apprenticeship, nor had Skill in their Trades; and shrouded themselves near the City, keeping Shops and using Trades openly, as well as privately. Thereby hurting the antient Inhabitants which dwelt near the City, and had duely served Apprenticeships, and the Companies of the said City, and abused the Subjects by bad Wares and Works, encreasing Multitudes of Poor and causing great Scarcity. "

The Freemen Petition against them.

" They prayed therefore, that the King would grant unto Sir Thomas Chaloner, Sir William Wade, Sir Walter Cope, and Sir Nicholas Lusher, (whom they judged very fit Men for this Employment,) and to their sufficient Deputies and Assigns, to erect and appoint one, or more general Halls for all the said Tradesmen and Artificers; that should inhabit the Suburbs, or within Ten Miles of it: and to authorize them, or any two or more of them to call before them all such as took upon them to use any Art, Mystery or Science, and were not Freemen of the City and of some Company. And for the better ordering them, to establish Yearly certain Men as Officers over every Trade, Science and Mystery, to have care and Oversight of the Residue of that Trade, with such and like Orders, as those of the like Companies within the City of London were subject to: and the Obstinate to be made subject to Imprisonment. And that it might be lawful for the said Four Governours and their Assigns, to impose upon them the Penalties of such Laws and Ordinances, as in such like Cases were provided "

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