THe next adioyning to Colemanſtreete ward on the weſt ſide thereof is Baſſinges hall warde,Baſſinges hall warde. a ſmall thing & conſiſteth of one ſtreet called Baſſinges hal ſtreete, of Baſſinges hall, the moſt principall houſe of that ſtreete whereof the warde taketh name. It beginneth in the ſouth by the late ſpoken market houſe called the Bay hall, which is the laſt houſe of Colemanſtreete warde, Q this 226 Baſſingeshall warde. this ſtreete runneth from thence north down to London wall, and ſome little diſtance both eaſt and weſt, againſt the ſaide wall, and this is the boundes of Baſſinges hall warde. Monumentes of building on the eaſt ſide thereof, amongſt diuers fayre houſes for marchants, haueMaſons hall. ye 3. halles of Companies, namely, the Maſons hall for yͤ firſt, but of what antiquitie that Company I haue not read. The next is the Weauers hal,Weuars hall. which Companie hath been of great antiquitie in this Citie, as appeareth by a Charter of Henry the ſecond,Patent of H. 2. in theſe wordes, Rex omnibus ad quos &c. to be engliſhed thus, Henry king of England, Duke of Normandy, and of Gwian, Earle of Andiow, to the Biſhop, Iuſtices, Sheriffes, Barons, Miniſters, and al his trew Leagues of London, ſendeth greeting, know ye that we haue granted to the Weauers in London, their Guilde to be had in London, with all the Freedomes, and Cuſtomes, that they had in time of king Henry Henry the 1. my Grandfather,I.e., Thomas Stow. ſo that none but they intermit within the citie of their craft but hee bee of their Guilde, neither in Southwarke or other places pertayning to London, otherwiſe then it was done in the time of king Henry my Grandfather: wherfore I will and ſtraightly command that ouer all lawfully, they may treat, and haue all aforeſaide, as well in peace, free, worſhipfull, and wholy, as they had it, freer, better, worſhipfullier, and wholier, then in the time of king Henry my Grandfather, ſo that they yeeld yearelie to mee two markes of gold, at the feaſt of S. Michaell,Celebrated on 29 September. and I forbid that any man to them do any vnright, or diſeaſe, vpon pain of ten pound witnes Thomas of Canterbury, Warwicke fili Gar. Chamberlaine at Wincheſter. Patent Alſo I read that the ſame Henry the ſecond in the 31: of his raigne, made a confirmation to the Weauers that had a Guilde or Fraternitie in London, wherein it appeareth that the ſaide Weauers made wolen cloth, and that they had the correction thereof, but amongſt other Articles in that patent, it was decreede, that if any man made cloth of Spaniſh wooll, mixed with Engliſh Wooll, the Port graue, or principall magiſtrate of London ought to burne it, &c.

Moreouer in the yeare 1197. king Richarde the firſt atMathew Paris. the inſtance of Hubert Archbiſhop of Canterbury and Iuſticiar of England ordeyned that the wollen clothes in euery part of this realme ſhould be in bredth two yards within the liſtes and as good in Baſſinges hall warde. 227 in the middeſt as in the ſides &c. King Henry the thirde granted to the citizens of London that they ſhould not be vexed, for the burels, or clothliſted, according to the conſtitution made for bredth of cloth, the ninth of his raigne, &c.

Lower downe is the Girdlars hall, and this is all touching the eaſt ſide of this ward.Girdlars hall.

On the weſt ſide almoſt at the ſouth end thereof is Bakewel hall, corruptlie called Blackewell hall,Bakewell hall. concerning the originall whereof I haue heard diuers opinions, which I ouerpaſſe as fables, without colour of truth, for though the ſame ſeemed a building of great antiquitie, yet in mine opinion the foundation thereof was firſt laide ſince the Conqueſt of VVilliam Duke of Normandy:I.e., 1066. for the ſame was builded vpon vaultes of ſtone, which ſtone was brought from Cane in Normandy, the like of that of Paules Church, builded by Mauritious and his ſucceſſors Biſhops of London: but that this houſe hath beene a Temple or Iewiſh Sinagogue (as ſome haue fantaſied) I allow not,Baſſinges hall. ſeeing that it hath no ſuch forme of roundnes, or other likeneſſe, neither had it the forme of a Church, for the aſſembly of Chriſtians which are builded Eaſt and Weſt, but contrariwiſe the ſame was builded North and South, and in forme of a noble mans houſe, and therefore the beſt opinion in my iudgement is that, it was of olde time belongiug to the family of the Baſſinges, which was in this Realme, a name of great antiquitie and renowne, and that it bare alſo the name of that family, and was calledArmes of the Baſſinges therefore Baſſinges Haugh, or Hall: whereunto I am the rather induced, for that the Armes of that family were of olde time ſo abundantlie placed in ſundry partes of that houſe, euen in the ſtone worke, but more eſpecially on the walles of the hall, which carried a continuall painting of them, on euery ſide ſo cloſe together,How Baſſings hall warde tooke that name: as one eſcutcheō could be placed by another, which I my ſelfe haue often ſeene and noted before the old building was taken downe: theſe Armes were a Gerond of twelue pointes, golde and azure. Of the Basſinges therefore builders of this houſe, and owners of the ground, neare adioyning, that warde taketh the name, as Coleman ſtreet warde of Coleman, and Faringden warde of VVilliam and Nicholas Faringden, men that were principall owners of thoſe places.

And of olde time the moſt noble perſons that inhabited this Q2 Citie 228 Baſſinges hall warde. Citie, were appointed to be principall magiſtrates there, as was Godfrey de Magun (or Magnauile) Portgraue or Sheriffe, in the raign of William Conqueror, and of William Rufus, Hugh de Buch, in the raigne of Henry the firſt, Aubery de vere Earle of Oxforde, after him Gilbert Becket, in the raigne of king Stephen, after that Godfrey de Magnauile the ſonne of William the ſonne of Godfrey de Magnauile Earles of Eſſex, were Portgraues or Sheriffes of London, and Middleſex. In the raigne of Henry the ſecond, Peter Fitzwalter: after him Iohn Fitznigel &c. ſo likewiſe in the raigne of king Iohn, the 16. of his raigne, a time of great trobles in the yeare 1214. Salomon Basſing, and Hugh Basſing, Barons of this Realme, as may be ſuppoſed were Sheriffes:Sallomon Baſſing and other of that name. and the ſaide Salomon Basſing was Maior in the yere 1216. which was the firſt of Henry the thirde, alſo Adam Basſing ſonne to Salomon (as it ſeemeth) was one of the Sheriffes in the yeare 1243. the 28. of Henry the thirde.

Unto this Adam de Basſing, king Henry the thirde in the 31 of his raigne gaue and confirmed certaine meſſuages in Alderman bury, and in Milke ſtreete (places not far from Baſſinges hall) with the aduowſon of the Church at Baſſinges hal, with ſundrie liberties and priuiledges.

This man was afterwardes Maior in the yeare 1251. the 36. of Henry the thirde, moreouer Thomas Baſſing was one of the Sheriffes, 1269. Robert Basſing Sheriffe, 1279. and William Basſing was Sheriffe 1308. &c. for more of the Baſſinges in this Citie I need not note, onely I read of a branch of this family of Basſinges, to haue ſpread it ſelf into Cambridgeſhire, near vnto a water or bourne, and was therefore for a difference from other of that name, called BaſſingBaſſing borne at the bourn, and more ſhortly Baſſing borne. But this family is alſo worne out, and hath left the name to the place, where they dwelt. Thus much for this Baſſinges hall.

Now how Blakewell hallBakewel hall giuen to the Citie. tooke that name is an other queſtion: for which I reade that Thomas Bakewell dwelled in this houſe, in the ſix and thirteth of Edwarde the thirde,I.e., 1331-1332 and 1338-1339. and that in the 20. of Richarde the ſecond, the ſaide king for the ſumme of fifty poundes which the Maior and Comminaltie had paide into the Hanapar granted, licence ſo much as was in him to Baſſinges hall warde. 229 to Iohn Froſh, William Parker, and Stephen Spilman (Citizens and Mercers) that they, the ſaide meſſuage, called Bakewell hal, and one garden with the appurtenances in the pariſh of S. Michaell of Baſſings haugh, and of S. Lawrence in the Iury of London, and one meſſuage, two ſhops, and one Garden, in the ſaide pariſh of S. Michaell, which they held of the king in burgage, might giue and aſſigne to the Maior and Comminaltie for euer.Bakewell hall a market place for wollen clothes.

This Bakewell hall thus eſtabliſhed, hath beene long ſince imployed as a weekelie market place, for all ſortes of Wollen clothes broade and narrow, brought from all parts of this Realme, there to be ſolde. The which houſe of late yeares growing ruinous and in danger of falling, Richarde May Marchant Taylor at his deceaſe gaue towardes the new buildingBakewell hall new builded. of the outward part thereof 300. poundes vpon condition that the ſame ſhould be performed within three yeres after his deceaſe, whereupon the olde Bakewell hal, was taken downe, and in the moneth of February next following, the foundation of a new ſtrong & beutifull Store houſe being laide, the worke thereof was ſo diligently applied that within the ſpace of ten monethes after, to the charges of fiue and twentie hundred poundes, the ſame was finiſhed in the yeare 1588.

Next beyond this houſe be placed diuers fayre houſes for marchantes and others, till yee come to the backe gate of Guild hall, which gate and parte of the building within the ſame, is of this warde. Some ſmall diſtance beyond this gate, the Coopers haue their common hall. Then is the pariſh church of S. Michaell. Coopers hall, Pariſh church of S. Michael. called S. Michaell at Baſſinges hall, a proper church lately reedified, or new builded, whereto Iohn Barton Mercer and Agnes his wife were great benefactors, as appeareth by his marke placed throughout the whole roofe of the Quier, and middle Ile of the church, hee deceaſed in the yeare 1460. and was buried in the Quire with this Epitaph.