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Bridge Within Ward

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Introduction

Bridge Within Ward is west of Billingsgate Ward. The ward is named after London Bridge.
1720: Blome’s Map of Bridge Within Ward and Billingsgate Ward. Image courtesy of British Library Crace Collection. © British Library Board; Maps Crace Port. 8.6
1720: Blome’s Map of Bridge Within Ward and Billingsgate Ward. Image courtesy of British Library Crace Collection. © British Library Board; Maps Crace Port. 8.6

Links to Chapters in the Survey of London

Watercolour painting of the alderman and deputy in charge of Bridge Within Ward by Hugh Alley. Image courtesy of the Folger Digital Image Collection.
Watercolour painting of the alderman and deputy in charge of Bridge Within Ward by Hugh Alley. Image courtesy of the Folger Digital Image Collection.

1603 Description of Ward Boundaries

The following diplomatic transcription of the opening paragraph(s) of the 1603 chapter on this ward will eventually be subsumed into the MoEML edition of the 1603 Survey.1 Each ward chapter opens with a narrative circumnavigation of the ward—a verbal beating of the bounds that MoEML first transcribed in 2004 and later used to facilitate the drawing of approximate ward boundaries on our edition of the Agas map. Source: John Stow, A Survey of London (London, 1603; STC #23343).
BRidgeward within, ſo called of London Bridge, which Bridge is a principall part of that Ward, and beginneth at the ſtulpes on the South end by Southwarke, runneth along the Bridge, and North up Bridgeſtreete, commonly called (of the Fiſhmarket) New Fiſhſtreete, from Fiſhſtreete hil, up Graſſe ſtreete, to the North corner of Graſſe church, all the Bridge is repleniſhed on both the ſides with large, fayre and beautifull buildinges inhabitants for the moſt part rich marchantes, and other wealthy Cittizens, Mercers and Haberdaſhers.Gap in transcription. Reason: […]
On that ſouth ſide of Thames ſtreete, haue ye Drinkwater warfe, and Fiſh Wharfe in the pariſh of ſaint Magnus. On the North ſide of Thames ſtreete is Saint Martins lane, a part of which lane is alſo of this ward, to wit, on the one ſide to a well of water, and on the other ſide as farre up as againſt the ſaid well. Then is Saint Michaels lane, part whereof is alſo of this warde up to a Well there, &c. Then at the upper end of new fiſhſtréete, is a lane turning towards S, Michaels lane, and is called Crooked lane, of the croked windings thereof. Aboue this lanes end, upon Fiſhſtreet hill is one great houſe, for the moſt part builded of ſtone which pertained ſometime to Ed.the black prince, ſon to Ed. the 3. who was in his life time lodged there. It is now altered to a common hoſterie, hauing the blacke bell for a ſigne: Aboue this houſe at the top of Fiſhſtréet hil is a turning into great Eaſtcheape, and ſo to the corner of Lombardſtreet, ouer againſt the northweſt corner of Graſſe church, & theſe be the whole bounds of this Bridgeward within[.]

Note on Ward boundaries on Agas Map

Ward boundaries drawn on the Agas map are approximate. The Agas map does not lend itself well to georeferencing or georectification, which means that we have not been able to import the raster-based or vector-based shapes that have been generously offered to us by other projects. We have therefore used our drawing tools to draw polygons on the map surface that follow the lines traced verbally in the opening paragraph(s) of each ward chapter in the Survey. Read more about the cartographic genres of the Agas map.

Notes

  1. The 1603 Survey is widely available in reprints of C.L. Kingsford’s two-volume 1908 edition (Kingsford) and also in the British History Online transcription of the Kingsford edition (BHO). MoEML is completing its editions of all four texts in the following order: 1598, 1633, 1618, and 1603. (JJ)↑

References