CHAP. V.
Aldgate ward.
Boundaries.
This ward is denominated from the eastern gate of the city, and is defined
on the east by the city wall which parts it from Portsoken ward; it is
bounded on the south by Tower-street ward; and on the west and north by
Langbourn, Limestreet, and Bishopsgate wards.
Figure 6:
Plan of Aldgate ward
Principal streets.
Its principal streets all branch from the spot where the gate stood, which was
one of the four original gates of the city. These are, Aldgate High street from
the gate to the stone pump, where it parts into two streets; Leadenhall street to
the right, and Fenchurch street to the left: from the gate along the city wall
northward, Shoe-maker-row leads to Bevis Marks, and so to Camomile-street;
and from the gate southward along the wall, Poor-Jury lane leads into
Crutched-friars. This street derives its name from a religious house of crouched
or crossed friars which stood there; the prior of which being caught in bed with
a whore at noon day on a Friday by the visitors under Cromwell, in the reign of
Henry VIII. the foundation was dissolved. The eastern sides of St. Mary Axe,
and of the north corners of Lime-street, and Mark-lane, limit the extent of the
ward westward; southward it reaches to Tower-hill.
Navy-office.
In Crutched-friars stands the navy-office, a plain building the appearance of
which gives the spectator no idea of its importance; though it has the merit of
being extreamly convenient. Here all affairs relating to the royal navy are
managed by seven commissioners under the lords of the Admiralty.
Ironmonger's hall.
On the north side of Fenchurch-street stands Ironmonger's-hall, a handsome
modern building fronted with stone, and erected in the year 1748. The lower
story is wrought in rustic; the center part of the building projects a little, and in
this part is a large arched entrance and two windows, with two others on each
side. The superstructure over this rustic story has a light rustic at the corners,
to keep up a correspondence with the rest of the building; but the part which
projects in this story is ornamented with four Ionic pilasters coupled, but with
a large inter-columniation; and with a very noble Venetian window in the
center, and a circular window over it. In each space between the pilasters is a
smaller window with an angular pediment, over each of which are circular
windows: but the side parts have arched windows, with square ones over
them. The central part is crowned with a pediment supported by these pilasters; and in its plane are carved the arms of the company with handsome decorations, in relievo. The rest of the front is terminated by a balustrade crowned
with vases.
Fletcher's ball.
At the north east corner of St. Mary Axe, stands Fletcher's-hall, a small, neat,
convenient building, belonging to the company of Fletchers or Arrow makers,
from the French word fléche, an arrow. Though arrows have been near three
centuries out of use in England, and notwithstanding this is a company only by
prescription and not by charter, it still subsists consisting almost entirely of other
professions.
Bricklayer's hall.
Behind the houses at the upper end of Fenchurch buildings and nearly
opposite to St. Catharine Cree church, stood a hall belonging to the company
of Bricklayers; but this hall has lately been converted into a Jewish synagogue.
Duke's place.
On the north side from Aldgate formerly stood the priory of Holy Trinity,
founded by queen Maud, wife to king Henry I. in the year 1108, for canons
regular of the order of St. Augustin, with great endowments: amongst which
the said king granted the port of Aldgate, and the soke thereunto belonging,
&c. In order to establish this foundation, the four parishes of St. Mary Magdalen, St. Michael, St. Catharine, and the Blessed Trinity, were united in the
one parish of the priory of the Holy Trinity called Christ-church. The priory
was built on a piece of ground upward of three hundred feet long, in the parish
of St. Catharine, toward Aldgate, near the parochial chapel of St. Michael,
whose remains are still to be seen under a house at the S. E. corner of Leadenhallstreet. This priory, in process of time, became a very large church, rich in
lands and ornaments, and surpassed all the priories in the city of London, or
shire of Middlesex; the prior whereof was an alderman of London, of Portsoken
ward.
This priory was dissolved in 1531; for king Henry VIII. desirous of rewarding Sir Thomas Audley, speaker of the parliament against cardinal Wolsey,
sent for the prior, and persuaded him to surrender the priory into his hands.
The canons were sent to other houses of the same order; and king Henry gave
the priory, with the appurtenances, to Sir Thomas Audley, afterward lord
Chancellor. Audley built a noble mansion of this priory, and his only daughter
being married to Thomas Duke of Norfolk, this estate descended to the duke,
and was called the Duke's-Place. The name has continued to this day; though
there is nothing to be found on that great track of ground to give us any idea of
its former grandeur, except the arch of the gateway at the S. W. end of the
premises, almost facing the N. end of Creed-lane. But that duke of Norfolk
losing his head on Tower-hill, this mansion descended to Thomas Howard, earl of
Suffolk, eldest son to the duke, by Audley's daughter; who by indenture of
bargain and sale, dated 21 July, 34 Elizabeth, sold it to the mayor, commonalty, and citizens of London, to have and to hold to them and their
successors.
St. James Duke's place.
Some time before the priory of Holy Trinity was dissolved, the inhabitants
within its boundaries, who had been deprived of their parish churches, to
make way for that religious foundation, finding it very inconvenient to be confined to the conventual church, obtained leave, under certain conditions, to
build a chapel in the church-yard of the priory, for their own conveniency;
which escaping the fate of the religious houses became the only place, after the
conventual church was pulled down, for the inhabitants within that district to
repair to for divine service. This, however creating some dislike, the inhabitants of Duke's-place applied to the archbishop of Canterbury for his
assistance; who having obtained the king's warrant, under the broad seal, for
proceeding in their pious intention, prevailed with the lord-mayor, court of
aldermen, and common-council, to build them a church of the stones of the
conventual church, which still remained on the premises. This was compleated, consecrated, and dedicated to St. James, on the second of January
1622, and the parish is a precinct from the ward of Aldgate. It begins south at
Aldgate, and extends northward to Bevis-marks, taking in all the streets, alleys,
and courts, within that compass; the parish of St. Catharine Cree church and
St. Mary Axe bounding it on the West. The church having escaped the dreadful
fire in 1666, still remains in its original form; the body is well enlightened, and
the tower, which is composed of four stages, is terminated by a very singular
kind of turret in the form of a canopy. This church is a curacy, the patronage
of which being in the lord-mayor and commonalty of London, the parish claims
a right of exemption from the bishop of London's jurisdiction, in matters
ecclesiastical.
There are three other parishes in this ward.
St. Andrew Undershaft.
At the south east corner of St. Mary-axe, and at the west extremity of this
ward, on the north side of Leadenhall-street, is the parochial church of St.
Andrew Undershaft. This church obtained the name of Undershaft from a
maypole, which was annually raised in the street near it on May-day, and which
was called a shaft (fn. 1) . The present church was begun to be built about the year
1520, principally at the charge of Stephen Jennings, merchant taylor, who was
lord-mayor of London in 1508; as appears by his arms carved over the pillars
on the north side. But he dying in 1524, it was finished by William Fitz
Williams, who was sheriff in 1506 in the year 1532 (fn. 2) . This building which
escaped the great fire is a plain gothic structure, with a well enlightened body,
and a square tower terminated by battlements, with pinnacles at the corners;
within which rises a turret that contains the bell. It is a rectory in the patronage
of the bishop of London.
St. Catharine Cree church.
At the S. E. angle of Cree-church lane in Leadenhall-street, stands the
church of St. Catharine Cree; so called from its being dedicated to St. Catharine, an Egyptian virgin, and distinguished from other churches of the name,
by the addition of Cree or Christ, from its vicinity to the conventual church of
the Holy Trinity, which was originally called Christ's church.
King Henry VIII. in his grant of the priory of Holy Trinity to Sir Thomas
Audley, (afterward lord Audley) gave this church also to Sir Thomas; the prior
and canons of Christ-church having been originally and always patrons thereof.
By the will of lord Audley, this church fell to the master and fellows of Magdalen college, in Cambridge, and their successors, whom he enjoined to serve the
cure for ever: they leased out the impropriation to the parishioners for ninety
years; but a dispute arising between the college and the parish, at the expiration
of the lease, in 1725, about a renewal; a lease was granted to Jerome Knapp,
haberdasher of London. In order to settle the difference, it was agreed, that
150l. per ann. should be raised by the parishioners in lieu of tythes, &c. out of
which the officiating curate should be paid 50l. per ann. for the first ten years,
beside surplice fees, &c. and after that term 70l. beside the fees; which agreement was confirmed by act of parliament (fn. 3) .
The present edifice was erected in the year 1629; and is built with stone, in a mixed gothic style. It has rounded battlements on the top, and a square tower with the
same kind of battlements; this tower is crowned with a square turret, over which
is a dome, and from its summit rises the weather cock. It was consecrated by Dr.
Laud then bishop of London, January 16th, 1630, with many superstitious rites (fn. 4) ,
which afterward became one of the articles of his impeachment. This church
escaped the great fire in 1666.
St. Catharine Coleman church.
In Magpie alley Fenchurch-street, stands the parish church of St. Catharine
Coleman; so denominated from its dedication to St. Catharine, a virgin of Alexandria, and celebrated for her great knowledge in philosophy, and as being a
martyr for the christian faith. It received the addition of Coleman from a great
yard or garden, called at that time Coleman-haw, in the parish of the Trinity,
afterward Christ church. It is a rectory of ancient foundation, as far back as the
year 1346, and the church escaped the fire of London: but the raising of the
streets having sunk the old church, it was taken down in the year 1734. The
present church was erected at the expence of the parish, under the sanction of
parliament (fn. 5) ; and has a lofty body, well enlightened with two rows of windows:
the steeple is a plain tower, crowned with battlements; and care has been taken
to raise the floor so much above the level of the street, as to leave no room to
apprehend this edifice will ever again fall under the disadvantage of being buried by
the adjacent ground.
This church was antiently in the patronage of the dean of St. Martin le grand,
London, and so continued till that religious house, with its appurtenances, was
annexed to the abbey of Westminster: at whose dissolution it fell to the crown,
and the advowson was given by Queen Mary to the bishop of London and his
successors in that see for ever.
Diffenting meetings.
There are two independent meeting houses in this ward; one at the
south end of Bury-street, and the other near the north end of PoorJury lane.
Jewish synagogues.
Great numbers of Jews inhabiting in and about Duke's place, and other parts
of this ward; there are four synagogues in it. One at the north end of Burystreet by London wall; another in Magpie-alley close by the church of St. Catharine Coleman; the third in Duke's place; and the fourth in Bricklayer's
hall, as mentioned above.