MoEML

From John Stow, A Survey of London, 2nd ed. (London, 1603; STC #23343):

LAngborne warde, ſo called of a long borne of ſweete water, which of olde time breaking out into Fenchurch Streete, ranne downe the ſame ſtreete, and Lombard ſtreet, to the Weſt end of S. Mary Woolnothes Church, where turning ſouth, and breaking into ſmal ſhares, rils or ſtreams, it left the name of Share borne lane, or South borne lane (as I haue read) becauſe it ran ſouth to the Riuer of Thames, This Warde beginneth at the Weſt ende of Aldgate Warde, in Fenne church ſtreete, by the Ironmongers hall, which is on the North ſide of that ſtreete, at a place called Culuer alley, where ſometime was a lane, through the which men went into Limeſtreete, but that being long ſince ſtopped up for ſuſpition of theeues, that lurked there by night, as is ſhewed in Limeſtreete warde, there is now this ſaid alley a tennis court, &c.

Fenne-church ſtreete tooke that name of a Fennie or Mooriſh ground, ſo made by means of this borne which paſſed through it, and therfore untill this day in the Guildhall of this citie, that ward is called by the name of Langborne, and fennie about and not otherwiſe: yet others be of opinion that it tooke that name of Fænum, that is hey ſolde there, as Graſſe ſtreet tooke the name of Graſſe or hearbes there ſolde.

In the midſt of this ſtreete ſtandeth a ſmall pariſh church called S. Gabriel Fenchurch, corruptly Fan church.

Helming Legget Eſquire, by licenſe of Edward the third, in the 49. of his raigne, gaue one tenement, with a curtelarge thereto belonging, and a Garden with an entrie thereto leading unto ſir Iohn Hariot parſon of Fenchurch and to his ſucceſſors for euer, the houſe to be a Parſonage houſe, the garden to be a churchyard, or burying place for the pariſh.

Then haue ye Lombardſtreete, ſo called of the Longobards, and other Marchants, ſtrangers of diuerſe nations aſſembling there twiſe euery day, of what originall, or continuance, I haue not read of record, more then that Edward the ſecond, in the 12. of his raigne, confirmed a meſſuage, ſometime belonging to Robert Turke, abutting on Lombard ſtreete toward the South, and toward Cornehill, on the North for the Marchants of Florence, which proueth that ſtreet to haue had the name of Lombard ſtreet before the raigne of Edward the ſecond. The meeting of which Marchants and others, there continued untill the 22 of December, in the yeare, 1568. on the which day, the ſaid Marchants began to make their meetings at the Burſſe, a place then new builded for that purpoſe in the warde of Cornehill, and was ſince by her Maieſtie, Queene Elizabeth, named the Royall Exchange.

On the North ſide of this Warde, is Limeſtreete, one halfe whereof on both the ſides is of this Langborne Warde, and therein on the Weſt ſide, is the Pewterers Hall, which companie were admitted to be a brotherhoode, in the 13. of Edward the fourth.