Mary (St.) Mounthaunt Lane - Mary (St.) within Cripplegate, Hospital of)

A Dictionary of London. Originally published by H Jenkins LTD, London, 1918.

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'Mary (St.) Mounthaunt Lane - Mary (St.) within Cripplegate, Hospital of)', in A Dictionary of London, (London, 1918) pp. . British History Online https://www.british-history.ac.uk/no-series/dictionary-of-london/mary-mounthaunt-lane-mary-within-cripplegate [accessed 19 March 2024]

In this section

Mary (St.) Mounthaunt Lane

See Mountenhautlane.

Mary (St.) Mounthaw

On the west side of Old Fish Street Hill, in Queenhithe Ward (Leake, 1666).

Earliest mention found in records : "St. Mary de Muntenhaut," 1275 (Ct. H.W. I. 25).

Other forms : "St. Mary de Monte alto," 1298 (ib. 137). "St. Mary de Mounthaut," 1299 (ib. 142). "St. Mary Montenhaut," 1327 (ib. 329). "St. Mary de Mountenhaut," 1361 (ib. ii. 64). "St. Mary de Monte Alto" or "Mounthaunt" (S. 357).

First built as a chapel for the Mounthaunts, hence the name.

New built, enlarged, and beautified 1609. Burnt in the Fire and not rebuilt. Parish united to St. Mary Somerset (Strype, ed. 1720, I. iii. 218).

A Rectory. Patron : Bishop of Hereford. Site enclosed for a burial place ; now occupied by Queen Victoria Street.

Mary (St.) Mounthaw Churcbyard

Shown in Rocque, 1746, and in Strype's maps on the east side of Labour in Vain Hill.

Mary (St.) of Graces (Abbey)

East of Tower Hill, in the new graveyard of the Prior and Convent of the Holy Trinity by the Tower of London, 1350 (Cal. P.R. Ed. III. 1348-50, p. 484).

Founded 1349, of the Cistercian Order (Dugdale, V. 717). (Cal. P.R. Ed. III. 1348-50, p. 484, and Ct. H.W. II. 195, under date 1377).

It is described in the Patent Roll above mentioned as "the house of the Cistercian order to be called the royal free chapel of St. Mary Graces, which the king decided to found and endow in the new graveyard of the Holy Trinity by the Tower of London" (Cal. P.R. Ed. III. 1348-50, p. 484).

Called also "The abbey upon Tower Hill," 1375 (Ct. H.W. II. 182).

Called the Abbey of Graces (ib.), "Eastminster" (S. 126) and Agas. "Seynt Anne at the Tourhil" (Arnold's Chronicle, pp. 75 and 248, and also Fabyan's Chronicle, p. 297).

Suppressed 1539, and the site granted to Sir Arthur Darcy, 34 H. VIII.1542 (L. and P. H. VIII. Dom. S. XVII. p. 399).

The Abbey was pulled down by Sir Arthur Darcie and a store-house for victuals erected on the site (Strype, ed. 1720, I. ii. 13).

This Victualling House is shown on Rocque's map 1746, covering part of the site now occupied by the Royal Mint.

Called St. Mary of Graces because it was founded by the King in fulfilment of a vow made to God and the Blessed Virgin Mary of Grace.

The Abbey Church appears to have been dedicated to St. Anne (Cal. Papal Letters quoted in Victoria Co. Hist. London, p. 462).

The name Eastminster is supposed to have been given in contradistinction to the Abbey of St. Peter's Westminster. But it does not appear to have been so called in early days.

There is a reproduction of an old Survey giving a view of the Abbey in the Trans. Lond. and Midd. Arch. Soc. I. p. 26. The Survey is said to be of the 17th century, copied from one more ancient. It shows the buildings in the Decorated style of the date of the foundation.

"Hogg Lane" is shown as the northern boundary.

Mary (St.) of the Carmelite Friars

Church of St. Mary of the Carmelite Friars, 1349 (Ct H.W. I. 620).

See Whitefriars.

Mary (St.) of the Piu

See Mary (St.) Magdalen of the Guildhall.

Mary (St.) Olaf

See Olave (St.) Silver Street.

Mary (St.) Oldechurche

Tenement in parish of St. Mary Oldechurche in Cornehill, formerly belonging to the Charterhouse, 31 H. VIII. 1539 (L. and P. H. VIII. XIV. (ii.), p. 101).

Not identified.

Perhaps = St. Mary Woolnoth.

Mary (St.) Pattens

Occurs in one or two records.

An error for Margaret (St.) Pattens.

Mary (St.) Pellipar

= St. Mary Axe.

Mary (St.) Salutacion

See Charterhouse (The).

Mary (St.) Somerset

On the north side of Upper Thames Street, opposite Broken Wharf. Remains and tower shown (O.S. 1880). In Queenhithe Ward.

Earliest mention found in records : "St. Mary of Sumersetecherch," temp. Rich. I. (Anc. Deeds, A. 2624). "Sce marie de Sum sat" (? temp. Rich. I. Harl. Ch. 85, D. 30), "St. Mary de Sumersate" (Anc. Deeds, A. 1803). "St. Mary de Somersete," 56 H. III. (Ch. I. p.m.).

New chapel erected 15th century (Trans. L. and M. Arch. Soc. III. 255).

Repaired and beautified 1624.

Burnt in the Fire, rebuilt and finished 1695.

Described by Strype as a good building, having a very graceful Steeple, with eight pinnacles on the battlements (Strype, ed. 1720, I. iii. 218).

A Rectory. Patron : Wm. de Staundon, 1273 (Ct. H.W. I. 15), Dean and Chapter of St. Paul's (Arnold's Chron. 76).

In private hands and afterwards of the Bishop of London (Trans. L. and M. Arch. Soc. III. 254).

Church pulled down 1871 and parish united to St. Nicholas Cole Abbey, under the Bishop of London's Union of Benefices Act, 1859.

Churchyard shown in Rocque, 1746, south of the church.

Stow suggests that is was called Summers Hith of some man's name that was owner of the ground near adjoining (S. 359), and perhaps a benefactor to the church.

A good account of the church to be found in Trans. L. and M. Arch. Soc. III. 253.

Mary (St.) Spital

In the parish of St. Botolph without Bishopsgate in the Ward of Bishopsgate Without, extending from Berwards Lane (? Artillery Lane) south to the parish of St. Leonard Shoreditch on the north and from the King's street west (? Bishopsgate Street) to the Bishop of London's field called Lollesworth east (S. 168).

Founded by W. Brune and Rosia his wife 1197 (S. 106, Dugdale, VI. 623), by name of "Domus Dei and Beatae Mariae extra Bishopsgate" (ib.).

In early records it is frequently referred to as the Hospital or the New Hospital without Bishopsgate.

Grant of soc of men in the city to the brethren of the new hospital without the gate of Bissopisgate, 26 H. III. 1242 (Cal. P.R. H. III. 1232-47, p. 283).

A priory of Augustinian Canons and hospital for poor brothers of the order of St. Augustine (Tanner, viii. 40) with lay brothers and sisters to tend the sick.

The prior of the New Hospital without Bishopsgate was witness to a deed, 17 H. III. (Anc. Deeds, A. 2073).

Grant by the bishop of London to the new hospital of St. Mary without Bishopsgate of a fountain called "Snekockeswelle" in field called "Lollesworthe" to be enclosed with a stone wall and the water led underground to the south corner of the garden of the Hospital, 1279 (Hist. MSS. Com. 9th Rep. p. 29).

There was a pulpit cross in the churchyard (S. 168) (now Spital Square) and a house where the Mayor and Aldermen went to hear the Spital sermon (Liber Albus, I. 28).

When the priory was dissolved and the Hospital surrendered, temp. H. VIII. 1540, the hospital had 180 beds (S. 168).

Mentioned as the parish of the Blessed Mary the Virgin commonly called St. Mary Spyttell within the liberty of the City of London, 1 Eliz. 1559 (Lend. I. p.m. I. p. 168).

The priory buildings occupied the site of the present Spital Square. Spital Yard, etc. (q.v.), but the precincts of the Priory and Hospital seem to have included the Old Artillery Ground and the Liberty of Norton Folgate, the former having been granted on lease to the use of the Gunners of the Tower by the last Prior, but it cannot have included the modern parish of Christ Church Spittlefields, which was taken out of Stepney in 1728 (See Spitalfields, Spital Bar).

Mary (St.) Staining

At the north end of Staining Lane, in Aldersgate Ward Within (O. and M. 1677).

The parish extends into Cripplegate and Farringdon Wards Within.

First mention : "Ecclesia de Staningehage," 1189 (Cott. MS. Faust. B. II. f. 9).

Other forms : "Church of Staningelane," 1275 (Ct. H.W. I. 25). "St. Mary de Stanigeslane," 1278 (Cal. L. Bk. B. p. 274). "St. Mary Stanyngelane," 1320 (Cal. P.R Ed. II. 1317-21, p. 556). "St. Mary Stanynges," 38 H. VI. (Anc. Deeds, B. 2082).

Repaired and beautified 1630 (Strype, ed. 1720, I. iii. 96). Burnt in the Fire and not rebuilt.

Parish united to St. Michael, Wood Street.

A Rectory. Patrons : Nuns of Clerkenwell, afterwards the Crown.

Stow says it was called Staining "because it standeth at the north end of Stayninglane." But it seems more likely that the lane took its designation from the Church, or that they were both derived from a common source. Professor Maitland suggests that the name was due to the fact that the neighbourhood once contained the haws of the men of Staines-the "Staeningehaga"-within London appertaining to the manor of Staines, included in the grant of that manor by Edward the Confessor to St. Peter's, Westminster (Kemble, Cod. Dip. dccclv.). Could there have been a stone yard in the neighbourhood?

The churchyard is still enclosed as an open space, and an inscription on the wall records the fact that the church stood on that site before the Fire.

Mary (St.) Street

See Mary (St.) Axe (Street).

Mary (St.) towards the Tower

Walter le Stockere left rents to the churches of St Mary towards the Tower and St. Leonard in Estchep., 1259 (Ct. H.W. I. 6).

Qy.= St. Mary at Hill, or St. Mary Axe.

Mary (St.) Upehulle

See Mary (St.) at Hill.

Mary (St.) Wenlock

See Mary (St.) Woolnoth.

Mary (St.) Whitechapel

On the south side of Whitechapel Road at No. 1 (P.O Directory). Not within the City boundary.

Mentioned in records as early as 1280 (See below). New church erected on the old site 1675. Rebuilt 1875 and 1882. Modern edifice.

Formerly called "St. Mary Matfellon," the various forms of the name being as follows : "St. Mary Mantefelune," 1280 (Ct. H.W. I. 48). "St. Mary de Mattefelon," 1282 (ib. p. 59). "St. Mary Matrefelun" (ib.). "St. Mary Matfelun," 1285-6 (ib. 76), and 4 Ed. II. (Anc. Deeds, A. 2610). "St. Mary Matefeloun," 27 Ed. III. (1353) (Cal. L. Bk. G. p. 11).

It does not appear to be referred to by the name of "Whitechapel" until the reign. of Edward III., when the following forms occur : "Blessed Mary de Whitchapelle," 32 Ed. III. (Cal. L. and M. F. of Fines, I. 136). "St. Mary of Brambeley and Whitechapel," 43 Ed. III. (Anc. Deeds, A. 1758). "le Whitchapell," 49 Ed. III. (ib. 2559).

It is referred to in later records by both names as : "Parish of St. Mary Matfellon called 'Whyte Chapell parysshe.' " 34 H. VIII. (Cal. L. and M. Ft. of Fines, II. 57).

A Rectory. Patron : the Bishop of London.

Various suggestions as to the derivation of the name "Matfellon" have been made, but none of them seem to be entirely satisfactory.

The story related by Stow (p. 426) as to its derivation having reference to a murder committed in the neighbourhood in 1428 is obviously too late in date to be regarded seriously.

Strype puts forward the view of Mr. Wells, a former vicar of Hornchurch, in Essex, that the word was derived from the Hebrew expression signifying "She that hath lately brought forth a Son," as an epithet of the Blessed Virgin, and that the church might well have been built by some one who had been in the Holy Land on a crusade or pilgrimage and had become acquainted with the Hebrew word in this way. (Strype, ed. 1755, II. p. 44).

Povah, in his Annals of St. Olave Hart Street, p. 303, suggests that fullers resided in the neighbourhood and that the name was derived from the fullers' teasel, "Matfellon," growing in the neighbouring fields.

Skeat says that "matfellon" is the old French word for the weed called "centaury" in English. In Haliwell "matfelon"= the herb "knap-weed."

Mary (St.) within Cripplegate, Hospital of)

See Elsing Spital.