The London Wards - Coleman street in 1756

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Index of London wards in 1756 by William Maitland

CHAP. XVII.
COLEMAN STREET WARD.

With a Plan, neatly engraved from a New Survey.

Its Name. Bounds. Extent. Modern State. Aldermen and Common Council, &c. Remarkable Things. Parishes and Churches. Armourers and Braziers Hall. Founders Hall and Scotch Kirk. ¦ Excise Office. Commissioners and Officers. Antiquities. First Jews Synagogue. Friars de Paenitentia. Princes Wardrobe.

This Ward takes its Name from the principal Street therein, built by one Coleman; or probably it derived its Distincion from the many Dealers in Coal which inhabited the same ; for that was the common Method our Forefathers observed in giving Names to the several Streets of this City, either on account of the Trades carried on therein, or from some remarkable Building, &c. on that Site.

It is bounded on the East by Bishopsgate Ward, Broad street Ward, and Cheap Ward ; on the North by Cripplegate Ward, Upper Moorfilds, and Bishopsgate Ward ; on the South by Cheap Ward; and on the West by Basinghall street Ward.

The Extent of this Ward, from East to West, Extent:
is from the Grate near Lothbury Church to the End of Ironmonger lane on the South Side, but no farther than the South West corner of Basinghall street on the North Side ; and North and South it extends from Great Moorgate to the Garden belonging to Grocers Hall in the Poultry : Which will more distinctly appear as follows :

The principal Streets and Places in this Ward are, the Old Jewry, which is all in this Ward, except one hundred and thirty six Feet at the South End thereof. Lothbury, from Coleman street, Eastward, as far as St. Margaret's Lothbury Church on the North Side, and unto about twenty seven Feet beyond Princes street on the South Side. Cateaton street, from Bassishaw street to Coleman street on the North Side, and from Ironmonger lane on the South Side; all Coleman
street wholly; in which Street there are Courts and Alleys, which shall be mentioned in Order.

The Old Jewry is a very good open Street, well inhabited by Merchants and Persons of Repute. On the West Side of this Street, about the Middle, is the Parish Church of St. Olave Jewry with a Church yard adjoining; where there is a Passage, with a Free stone Pavement, leading to Ironmonger lane.
Lothbury, a Street well built and inhabited ; in which stands St. Margaret's Church.
On the South Side of this Street is Princes street, which, with two turning Angles, rises into Threadneedle street : It is well built, and inhabited by Merchants, &c. On the West Side is Drapers court, a handsome, large Place, with good houses, well inhabited, having a Freestone Pavement. Out of this Court is a narrow Passage into Lothbury.

Cateaton street has no more in this Ward than from Bassinghall street, the rest is in Cheap Ward, a Street well inhabited by Tradesmen. In this Part of the Street is Golden Cross court, small, but well built, and inhabited by Wholesale Dealers.

Coleman street. This Street is large and long, and runs Northward to London wall, very well inhabited by divers noted Merchants and Shopkeepers. In this Street are divers Courts and Alleys. The first is Windmill court, which is but ordinary. Packers court is a pretty open Place, with indifferent good Buildings.
Other Places in this Street. Kings arms yard, or rather Street, tor the Largeness and Goodness, being graced with good large houses, inhabited by Merchants.
George alley, long, and indifferently well built.
White rose court, but indifferent, falls into Masons alley, which is also but mean, and so into Basinghall street.
Great Bell alley, very long, goes out of Coleman street, and runs Eastward to Little Bell alley, which turns Northward, as far as Thompsons Rents. The Part of this Alley from Coleman street to Mulberry court is broad ; but the Part running Northward is more narrow. The whole is well built, and inhabited. The houses on the East Side of Little Bell alley look into Drapers Garden. In this Alley are several small Courts, viz. Mulberry court, which is a handsome Court. On the West Side it has a Passage into Whites alley. Whalebone court, handsome, with a Free stone Pavement. Pitchers court, a large square Place, with good Buildings, has a Passage into White's alley. Swan's ness court, a new Passage, up Steps, into Great Swan alley ; all well built, and inhabited. Blue hart court, an ordinary built Place, with a Free stone Pavement, has a Passage down Steps into Little Swan alley.
Whites alley, very long, but narrow, comes out of Coleman street, and falls into Pitchers court, and thence into Little Bell alley. On the North Side, and about the Middle of the Alley, is a Place called Alms house yard, containing six Houses, for so many poor Men and their Wives, or the Survivors of them, belonging to the Company of Leathersellers. Pump court, but small and
ordinary. Carpenters yard, being only a large Timber Yard. White hind court, a handsome Place, but narrow.

Great Swan alley also goes out of Coleman street, and with a turning Passage runs into Little Bell alley, and, with another turning Passage, falls in to Little Swan alley, whose houses are but few, but very pleasant, with Gardens to each. More Northward this Alley runs through a very narrow Entry, called Little Hell, into Cross Keys court, which is also ready to fall. Out of this Court is a Passage to London wall. That Part of Swan alley next to Coleman street is wide enough for Carts; and has been greatly enlarged with new and handsome Buildings at the East End.

London wall, being a Street so called, which in the whole is very long, beginning at Cripplegate, and running to Winchester street, but is in several Wards. The Part in this Ward begins a little Eastward of Basinghall street, and runs to the Gully hole at Bethlehem Back gate, almost facing Thompson's Rents. The houses are on the South Side, which commonly are but old Timber Houses. Its greatest Ornament is Sion College, and Hew Bethlehem, seated on London wall in Moorfields.

In this Part of the Street are these Courts and Places : Star court, a small Place. White lion court, indifferent good. Red lion court, likewife good, with a Free stone Pavement. Black swan alley, very ordinary.

The Part of this Ward without the City Walls, takes in all the lower Walks, or four Quarters of Moorfields; but none of the houses on the East and North Side, except those which stand between Little Moorgate and the Meeting house at the West End of New Broad street. On the South Side is Bethlehem, or Bedlam, for the Lunaticks, which is in this Ward ; as likewise the Row of good houses on the Pavement near the Road Westward, with Part of the Street called Fore street, which runs to Cripplegate.

There are to watch near Moorgate, and at the several Stands in this Ward, every Night, a Constable, a Beadle, and 32 Watchmen.

The Jurymen returned by the Wardmote Inquest for this Ward are to serve in the several Courts in Guildhall in the Month of August.

This Ward has an Alderman, his Deputy, six Common Council Men, four Constables, four Scavengers, 13 Wardmote Inquest Men, and a Beadle, it is taxed to the Fifteenth at 15 l. 16s. 9d.

The Alderman of this Ward is Robert Alsop, Esq; The Common Council are Mr. Henry Pointer, Deputy, Mr. Richard Stratton, Mr. Roger Staples, Mr. Henry Whitridge, Mr. John Safery, and Mr. Thomas Chaddocke.

The most remarkable Things in this Ward are,
First, Three Parish Churches : (1.) St. Stephen's Coleman street. (2.) St. Margaret's Lothbury. (3.) St. Olave's Jewry.

Secondly, The Halls of different Companies.
(1.) Armorers and Brasiers Hall, situated near the North East Corner of Coleman street, a handsome Brick Building, and neatly adorned within.
(2.) Founders Hall, situate at the upper End of Founders court, near to the West End of St. Margaret's Church ; and remarkable for having a Scotch Kirk Meeting in it ; there being but one more of the Kind in England.

Thirdly, Near to the paved Court on the South of St. Olave Jewry's Church, and in the Old Jewry, is a very large Capacious Brick Building, formerly inhabited by Sir John Frederick ; but now serving for the General Excise Office ; erected in the Year 1643.

The Street called Lothbury, Lathbery or Loadbery, as it has been differently wrote, according to Stow, " took its Name from its being chiefly possessed by Founders, who cast Candlesticks, Chasing dishes, Spice mortars, and such like to Copper or Laten Works, and do afterwards turn them with the Foot, and not with the Wheel, to make them smooth and bright; which Turning and Scratting making a loathsome Noise to the By Passers, that have not been used to the like, the Place was therefore by them disdainfully called Lothbury" But it is more probable that its original Name was Latentbery, alluding to the Dealers or Workers in Tin or Laten dwelling there.

On the South Side of this Street, Westward, at the End of the Old Jewry, stood the first Synagogue of the Jews in England, which was defaced by the Citizens of London, after they had slain 700 Jews, and spoiled the Residue of their Goods, in the Year 1262, the 47th of Henry III.
The said Synagogue being so suppressed, the new Order of Friars, called, De Poenitentia Jesu, or Fratres de Sacca, because they were apparelled in Sackcloth, and who had their house in London, near unto Aldersgate, without the Gate, had Licence of Henry III. in the 54th of his Reign, to remove from thence to any other Place ; and in the 56th, he gave unto them this Jews Synagogue. After which Time, Eleanor the Queen, Wife to Edward I. took into her Protection, and warranted unto the Prior and Brethren De Poenitentia Jesu Christi, of London, the said Land and Building in Colechurch street, in the Parish of St. Olave in the Jewry, and St. Margaret in Lothbury by her granted, with Consent of Stephen de Fulborn, Under Warden of the Bridge house, and other Brethren of that house, for threescore Marks of Silver, which they received of the said Prior and Brethren of Repentance, towards the Building of the said Bridge.

This Order of Friars gathered many good Scholars, and multiplied in Number exceedingly, until the Council of lyons ; by which it was decreed, that (from that Time forth) there should be no more Orders of Begging Friars permitted, but only the four Orders ; to wit, the Dominicks, or Preachers ; the Minorites, or Grey Friars, the Carmelites, or White Friars ; and the Augustines : And so, from that Time, the Begging Friars decreased, and fell to nothing.

In the Year 1305, Robert Fitzwalter requested and obtained of the said King Edward I. that the same Friars of the Sacke might assign to the said Robert their Chapel, or Church, of old Time called "The Synagogue of the Jews, near adjoining to the Mansion Place of the same Robert, where now stands Grocers hall. Robert Large, Mercer, May or, in the Year 1439, kept his Mayoralty in this house, and dwelled there until his dying Day.

Hugh Clopton, Mercer, Mayor, An. Dom. 1492, dwelt in this house, and kept his Mayoralty there : It was afterwards a Tavern, which had the Sign of the Windmill; but now is inhabited by a wealthy Merchant.

From the Parish Church of St. Olave to the North End of the Old Jewry, and from thence Well to the North End of Ironmonger lane; and from the said Corner into Ironmonger lane, almost to the Parish Church of St. Martin, was (of old Time,) one large Building of Stone, very ancient, made in the Place of Jews houses ; but of what Antiquity, or by whom the same was built, or for what Use, is uncertain more than that, King Henry VI. in the 16th of his Reign, gave the Office of being Porter or Keeper thereof to John Stent, for Term of his Life, by the Name of his Principal Palace in the Old Jewry.
" This was" (in my Youth, saith Stow), "called the Old Wardrobe : But, of latter Time, the outward Stone Wall hath been by little and little taken down, and divers fair houses built thereupon, even round about."

King Richard III. committed the keeping of the Prince's Wardrobe, for so it was afterwards called, to his trusty Servant John Kendall, his Secretary, by his Patent, dated December 12, 1483, and left him to dwell in the same.

And Last updated on: Friday, 15-Sep-2023 12:27:39 BST