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Throughout its history, Cannon Row has been known as Channel Row, Canon Row, Chanen Row, and Chanon Row, and in its earliest incarnation, the street was merely part of St. Stephen’s Alley. On the Agas map, this lane is labelled Chanon Row, and it runs south to north alongside the Thames River from Westminster Hall to a little south of the Privy Stairs.

The street takes its name from St. Stephen’s Collegiate Chapel, which was a chapel in the Palace of Westminster. The Dean and Canons from St. Stephen’s were housed on Cannon Row. John Selden, in (1696) writes ’Twas the old way when the King of England had his House, there were Canons to sing Service in his Chappel. The King also had canons sung at Westminster in St. Stephen’s Chappel from which Canons the Street call’d Canon-row has its Name, because they liv’d there (Selden sig. G2r). In 1657, James Howell, in , notes that the name Canon Row was being corrupted to Channel Row (Howell sig. 2G1v).

When King Henry VIII dissolved the college of St. Stephen’s, the site was occupied by several of the nobility and gentry (Cooke 312). John Stow, in (1598), merely mentions the street while describing Westminster and the St. Stephen’s chapel area: On the North side, is the South end of S. Stephens Alley, or Canon Rowe; and also, a way into the olde wooll staple (Stow 1598, sig. 2C5r). However, in later versions of , Stow catalogs all of the houses and estates situated on Chanon Row. He lists houses belonging to Edward Hobby; John Thin, Esquire; Anne Seymour, Duchess of Somerset and mother of the Earl of Hartford;I.e., Edward Seymour. and William, Earl of Darby, in addition to a faire House, builded by Henry Clinton, Earle of Lincolne (Stow 1633, sig. 2V2v). In an updated version of Stow’s (1735), Robert Seymour (pseudonym of John Mottley) writes about the same estates on Cannon Row, but adds details about Manchester-court, Dorset-court, and a large house belonging to the Montagues.I.e., Montague House. He carefully describes the beautiful gardens on the Thames side of the row, as well as all the Freestone pavements in place, running from the homes to the Thames River (Seymour 2.643).

Cannon Row rarely appears in literature from the early modern period, only appearing in , a play by Ben Jonson performed in 1626. In the play, a character named Tattle (or Tat) describes the route he takes to gather gossip, traveling round Wool-staple! with Kings-street, and Chanon-row to boot! (Jonson 3.3). In his , Samuel Pepys wrote of meeting his mistress on Chanel Row on Saturday, July 23, 1664 (Pepys), and Samuel Harsnett mentions the Earle of Lincolne’s house on Channon Row (Harsnet sig. 2H4r). The street is reference in other early modern English texts, often letters, diareies, and legal records, and these references generally note the lodgings of prominent people on the street. In (1682), Sir Simonds d’Ewes writes that several committers were Ordered to meet at the Earl of Lincolns House in Cannon Row on Thursday next (d’Ewes sig. 3Y3r). Meanwhile, in , John Vicars records that a group of parliamentary worthies where on a commissionary board, and their place of meeting was Derby-house in Chanel-row in Westminster, working on a piece of State-policie which Vicars hoped would produce much good to the whole three Kingdomes (Vicars sig. V3r). In (1649), John Lilburne reports on a meeting among several other Parliament men, at a private Table, at the George in Channel-Row (Lilburne sig. A4r). Other dubious meetings and acts occurred on Cannon Row. William Prynne, in (1659), records that by Torch and Candle light late in the night upon the said 26th. of December, the Speaker, with about forty Members more went from Whitehall the back way thorough Channel-Row to the House, where they sate a good while, and setled the temporary conduct of the Embrio Army (Prynne sig. A3r). Harsnett mentions Cannon Row several times in (1603). First, in 1598, one Anne Smith was declared by a priest to be possessed. After a failed exorcism, she grew ill and was sent to a Mistress Mainy in the house of the Earle of Lincoln in Channon Row, with whom shee was to dwell about the beginning of Lent (Harsnet sig. 2H4r). Mistress Mainy apparently took in other possessed girls: the book goes on to remember an Eliza Calthrope who likewise lived with Mistress Mainy before being removed to Ma: Mainyes owne house in Greenes Alley, there she was exorcised, until she died there (Harsnet sig. 2H4r). Another possessed person, Mr. Richard Mainy, who also received care in the home of the Earl of Lincoln on Cannon Row (Harsnet sig. 2H4v). Cannon Row is noted in other state documents with more benign intent. William Pryseley wrote to Lord LisleI.e., Arthur Plantagenet. on March 21, 1536, to assure him that his letters had been delivered to Mr. Treasure of the King’s household in his place in Chanon Row, at Westminster, where all the other Commissioners that were at Calais were also residing (Gairdner). William, Earl of Derby, wrote to his uncle, Sir Robert Cecil, on July 26 of 1600 from Chanon Row, reporting court gossip and proceedings (Roberts). On August 25, 1599, Sir Cecil received a missive from Sir Edward Hobby, staying there as well, again receiving news of friends and rents.

Though there is no record of Cannon Row and the Great Fire of 1666, the street itself certainly survived and became the home to a Freemason’s lodge by 1716. In 1898, ground was broken on Cannon Row Police Station, situated across the street from the New Scotland Yard designed by Norman Shaw (Roberts; 168). The Cannon Row Police station would become quite famous over the century until it was closed and the force merged into the Bow Street Police Station in 1992 (Alpha). Cannon Row is now home to the Westminster Tube Station, Jubilee Hall Clubs, and St. Stephen’s Tavern and Pub.