Home > Primary Sources > Stow’s Survey of London > Sections of Stow’s Survey of London

The Survey of London (1633): The City Divided into Parts

This document is currently in draft. When it has been reviewed and proofed, it will be published on the site.

View the draft document.

Please note that it is not of publishable quality yet.

The Survey of London (1633): Honour of Citizens
The Survey of London (1633): Portsoken Ward
Having
Click here to view the page in facsimile.
The Citie divided into parts.
Having thus in a generality handled the Original, the Wals,
Gates, Ditches, and fresh Waters; the Bridges, Towers and Castles; the
Schooles of Learning, and Houses of Law; the Orders and Customes, Sports
and Pastimes, Watchings and Martiall Exercises; and lastly, the honour
and worthinesse of the Citizens: I am now to set downe the distribution of
this Citie into Parts; and more especially, to declare the Antiquities (note
worthy) in every of the same: and how both the whole and parts have bin
(from time to time) ruled and governed.
THe ancient division
of this Citie,
The Citie of London divided from East to west, in-
to a South halfe and a North halfe.
was in-
to Wards or Alder-
manries: and there-
fore I will beginne
at the East, and so
proceed thorow the
high and most principall street of the
Citie to the West, after this manner:
First, through Aldgate street, to the
West corner of Saint Andrews Church,
called Vndershaft, on the right hand, and
Limestreet corner on the left; all which is
of Aldgate Ward. From thence through
Cornehill street, to the West corner of
Leaden-hall; all which is of Limestreet
Ward. From thence, leaving the street
that leadeth to Bishopsgate on the right
hand, and the way that leadeth into
Grasse-street on the left, still through
Cornehill street, by the Conduit, to the
West corner against the Stockes; all
which is in Cornehill Ward.
The Stocks market the midst of the Ci-
tie.
Then by
the said Stockes (a Market-place both
of Fish and Flesh, standing in the midst
of the Citie) through the Poultry, (a
street so called, to the great Conduit in
West Cheape, and so through Cheape to
the Standard, which is of Cheape Ward,
except on the South side from Bow-lane
to the said Standard, which is of Cord-
wayner-street Ward. Then by the Stan-
dard to the great Crosse, which is in
Creplegate Ward on the North side, and
in Breadstreet Ward on the South side:
and to the little Conduit by Pauls gate,
from whence (of old time) the said high
street stretched straight on to Ludgate,
all in the Ward of Farringdon within,
then divided truely from East to West:
but since,
S. Pauls Church burned in the Con-
querour time.
by meanes of the burning of
Pauls Church, which was in the reigne
of William the first, Mauricius, then Bi-
shop of London, laid the foundation of a
new Church, so farre in largenesse ex-
ceeding the old, that the way towards
Ludgate was thereby greatly straight-
ned, as before I have discoursed.
Now, from the North to the South,
The Citie divided frō north to south, into an east halfe & a west halfe.

this Citie was (of old time) divided,
not by a large highway or street, as from
East to West, but by a faire Brooke of
sweet water, which came from out the
North Fields, through the Wall and
midst of the Citie, into the River of
Thames, and which division is (till this
day) constantly and without change
maintained. This water was called (as
I have said) Walbrooke;
The course of Wal-
brooke, and reason of the name.
not Gallus brook,
of a Romane Captaine, slaine by Ascle-
piodatus, and throwne therein, as some
have fabuled; but of running through
and from the Wall of this Citie. The
course whereof, (to prosecute it parti-
cularly) was and is from the said Wall,
to Saint Margarets Church in Lothbu-
ry; from thence, beneath the lower part
of the Grocers Hall, about the East part
of their Kitchen, under Saint Mildreds
Church, somewhat West from the said
Stockes Market: from thence, through
Buckles berry, by one great house buil-
ded of stone and Timber, called the old
Barge; because Barges out of the River
of Thames were then rowed up so farre
into this Brooke, on the backe-side of
the houses in Walbrooke street, (which
street taketh name of the said Brooke)
By the West end of S. Iohns Church
upon Walbrooke, under Horshooe Bridge,
L3
by
Click here to view the page in facsimile.
The Citie divided into parts.

by the West side of Tallow-Chandlers
Hall, and of the Skinners Hall, and so
behind the other houses to Elbow lane,
and by a part thereof, downe Greene-
witch lane, into the River of Thames.
This is the course of Walbrooke,
The course of VVal-
brooke ar-
ched over.
which
was (of old time) bridged over in divers
places, for passage of horses and men, as
need required: but since, by meanes of
encrochment on the banks thereof, the
channel being greatly straightned, and
other annoyances done thereunto, at
length the same (by common consent)
was arched over with bricke, and paved
with stone, equall with the ground,
where-through it passed, and is now in
most places builded upon, that no man
may by the eye discerne it; and there-
fore the trace thereof is hardly knowne
to the common people.
This Citie being thus divided from
East to West,
This City divided intowards
and from North to
South; I am now further to shew, how
the same was (of old time) broken into
divers parts, called Wards, whereof
Fitzstephen,
Fitzstephen.
more than foure hundred
yeeres since, writeth thus: This Citie
(saith he) even as Rome, is divided into
Wards: it hath yeerely Sheriffes, in stead
of Consuls: It hath the dignity of Senators
in Aldermen, &c.
The number of these Wards in Lon-
don,
Wards in London 24. Patent Record.
were both before and in the reigne
of Henry the third, 24. in all: whereof
13. lay on the East side of the said Wal-
brooke, and 11. on the West. Notwith-
standing, these 11. grew much more
large than those on the East: and ther-
fore in the yeere of Christ, 1393. the
seventeenth of Richard the second, Fa-
ringdon Ward, which was then one en-
tire Ward, but mightily increased of
buildings without the gates; was by
Parliament appointed to be divided in-
to twaine, and to have two Aldermen,
to wit, Faringdon within, and Faringdon
without, which made up the number
of twelve Wards on the West side of
Walbrooke, and so came the whole num-
ber of 25. on both sides.
Wards in London 25.
Moreover, in the yeere 1550. the Mai-
or, Communalty, and Citizens of Lon-
don, purchasing the liberties of the Bur-
rough of Southwarke, appointed the
same to be a Ward of London; and so
became the number of thirteene wards
on the East, twelve on the West, and
one South the River Thames, in the said
Borough of Southwarke, in the County
of Surrey;
VVards in London and the Borough of South-
warke, 26.
which in all arise to the num-
ber of 26. Wards, and 26. Aldermen
of London to governe them.

  • Wards on the East part of Walbrook are these:

    • 1. Portsoken ward,
      Names of wards in London.
      without the
      wals.
    • 2. Towerstreet ward.
    • 3. Ealdgate ward.
    • 4. Limestreet ward.
    • 5. Bishopsgate ward, within the
      wals, and without.
    • 6. Broadstreet ward.
    • 7. Cornehill ward.
    • 8. Langbourne ward.
    • 9. Billingsgate ward.
    • 10. Bridge ward within.
    • 11. Candlewike-street ward.
    • 12. Walbrooke ward.
    • 13. Downgate ward.

Wards on the West side of Walbrook are these:

  • 14. Vintry ward.
  • 15. Cordwainer-street ward.
  • 16. Cheape ward.
  • 17. Colman-street ward.
  • 18. Bassings-Hall ward.
  • 19. Creplegate ward, within and
    without.
  • 20. Aldersgate ward, within and
    without.
  • 21. Faringdon ward within.
  • 22. Breadstreet ward.
  • 23. Queene Hith ward.
  • 24. Castle Baynard ward.
  • 25. Faringdon ward without the
    wals.
One ward is south the River of Thames
in the Burrough of Southwarke, by the
name of,
  • 26. Bridge ward without.
The Survey of London (1633): Honour of Citizens
The Survey of London (1633): Portsoken Ward

Cite this page

MLA citation

Stow, John, Anthony Munday, Anthony Munday, and Humphrey Dyson. The Survey of London (1633): The City Divided into Parts. The Map of Early Modern London, edited by Janelle Jenstad, U of Victoria, 26 Jun. 2020, mapoflondon.uvic.ca/stow_1633_division.htm.

Chicago citation

Stow, John, Anthony Munday, Anthony Munday, and Humphrey Dyson. The Survey of London (1633): The City Divided into Parts. The Map of Early Modern London. Ed. Janelle Jenstad. Victoria: University of Victoria. Accessed June 26, 2020. https://mapoflondon.uvic.ca/stow_1633_division.htm.

APA citation

Stow, J., Munday, A., Munday, A., & Dyson, H. 2020. The Survey of London (1633): The City Divided into Parts. In J. Jenstad (Ed), The Map of Early Modern London. Victoria: University of Victoria. Retrieved from https://mapoflondon.uvic.ca/stow_1633_division.htm.

RIS file (for RefMan, EndNote etc.)

Provider: University of Victoria
Database: The Map of Early Modern London
Content: text/plain; charset="utf-8"

TY  - ELEC
A1  - Stow, John
A1  - Munday, Anthony
A1  - Munday, Anthony
A1  - Dyson, Humphrey
ED  - Jenstad, Janelle
T1  - The Survey of London (1633): The City Divided into Parts
T2  - The Map of Early Modern London
PY  - 2020
DA  - 2020/06/26
CY  - Victoria
PB  - University of Victoria
LA  - English
UR  - https://mapoflondon.uvic.ca/stow_1633_division.htm
UR  - https://mapoflondon.uvic.ca/xml/standalone/stow_1633_division.xml
ER  -

RefWorks

RT Web Page
SR Electronic(1)
A1 Stow, John
A1 Munday, Anthony
A1 Munday, Anthony
A1 Dyson, Humphrey
A6 Jenstad, Janelle
T1 The Survey of London (1633): The City Divided into Parts
T2 The Map of Early Modern London
WP 2020
FD 2020/06/26
RD 2020/06/26
PP Victoria
PB University of Victoria
LA English
OL English
LK https://mapoflondon.uvic.ca/stow_1633_division.htm

TEI citation

<bibl type="mla"><author><name ref="#STOW6"><surname>Stow</surname>, <forename>John</forename></name></author>, <author><name ref="#MUND1"><forename>Anthony</forename> <surname>Munday</surname></name></author>, <author><name ref="#MUND1"><forename>Anthony</forename> <surname>Munday</surname></name></author>, and <author><name ref="#DYSO1"><forename>Humphrey</forename> <surname>Dyson</surname></name></author>. <title level="a">The Survey of London (1633): The City Divided into Parts</title>. <title level="m">The Map of Early Modern London</title>, edited by <editor><name ref="#JENS1"><forename>Janelle</forename> <surname>Jenstad</surname></name></editor>, <publisher>U of Victoria</publisher>, <date when="2020-06-26">26 Jun. 2020</date>, <ref target="https://mapoflondon.uvic.ca/stow_1633_division.htm">mapoflondon.uvic.ca/stow_1633_division.htm</ref>.</bibl>

Personography

Locations

Organizations