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Survey of London: Bassinghall Ward

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Bassinges hall warde.
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,
this
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226
Bassinges hall 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, haue ye 3. halles of Companies, namely, the Masons hall
Masons hall.
for ye 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 eng
lished 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 Lon
don, 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 Grand
father1, so that none but they intermit within the citie of their craft but hee bee of their Guilde, neither in Southwarke or other pla
ces 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 a
foresaide, 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. Michæll2, 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. Cham
berlaine at Winchester.
Patent
Also I read that the same Henry the second in the 31: of his raigne, made a confirmation to the Wea
uers that had a Guilde or Fraternitie in London, wherein it ap
peareth 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 at
Mathew 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
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227
Bassinges hall warde.
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 bu
rels, 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 fa
bles, without colour of truth, for though the same seemed a buil
ding of great antiquitie, yet in mine opinion the foundation there
of was first laide since the Conquest of VVilliam Duke of Nor
mandy: 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 Bi
shops of London: but that this house hath beene a Temple or Iewish SinagogueMoEML is still seeking information regarding this entry. If you have information to contribute, please email the MoEML team.

Send information (as some haue fantasied) I allow not, 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 indgement is that, it was of olde time belongiug to the family of the Bassinges,
Bassinges hall.
which was in this Realme, a name of great antiquitie and renowne, and that it bare also the name of that family, and was called therefore Bassinges
Armes of the 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 es
pecially on the walles of the hall, which carried a continuall pain
ting of them on euery side so close together, 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
How Bassings hall warde tooke that name:
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
Citie
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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 Ste
phen, after that Godfrey de Magnauile the sonne of William the sonne of Godfrey de Magnauile Earles of Essex, were Port
graues 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,
Sallomon Bassing and other of that name.
and Hugh Bassing, Barons of this Realme, as may be supposed were Sheriffes: and the saide Salomon Bassing was Maior in the yere 1216. which was the first of Henry the thirde, also Adam Bas
sing 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 Willi
am 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 Bassing
Bassing 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 hall
Bakewel 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, 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
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229
Bassinges hall warde.
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. Mi
chæll 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. Michæll, which they held of the king in bur
gage, might giue and assigne to the Maior and Comminaltie for e
uer.
This Bakewell hall
Bakewell hal a market place for wollen clothes.
thus established, hath beene long since im
ployed 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 building
Bakewell hall new builded.
of the outward part thereof 300. pounde3s vpon condition that the same should be per
formed 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 mar
chantes 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. Michæll.
Coopers hall, Parish church of S. Michæl.
called S. Michæll at Bassinges hall, a proper church lately ree
dified, or new builded, whereto Iohn Barton Mercer and Agnes his wife were great benefactors, as appeareth by his marke pla
ced 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.
Iohn Barton lyeth vnder here,
Sometimes of London Citizen and Mercer,
And Ienet his wife, with their progeny,
Beene turned to earth as yee may see,
Frendes
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230
Bassinges hall warde.
Frendes free what so yee bee,
Pray for vs wee you pray,
As you see vs in this degree,
So shall you bee another day.
Frances Cooke, Iohn Martin, Edward Bromflit, Esqui
er of Warwickshire, 1460. Richard Barnes, Sir Roger Roe, Roger Velden, 1479. Sir Iames Yarforde, Mercer Maior, deceased 1527. and buried vnder a fayre Tombe with his Lady in a speciall Chappell by him builded, on the North side the Quier, Sir Iohn Gresham Mercer Maior, who deceased 1554. Sir Iohn Ailife Chirurgeon, then a Grocer, one of the Sheriffes, 1548. Nicholas Bakhurst one of the Sheriffes 1577. VVolstō Dixie Skinner Maior, 1585. &c. And thus I ende this warde, which hath an Alderman his Deputie, for common Counsaile 4. Constables two, Scauengers two, for the Wardmote inquest seauenteene, and a Beadle, it is taxed to the fiteene in London seauen pound, and likewise in the Exchequer at

Notes

  1. i.e., Thomas Stow. (CD)↑
  2. Feast of St. Michael was celebrated on September 29. (CD)↑
  3. Underinking; context obvious. (SM)↑

Cite this page

MLA citation

Stow, John, and William fitz Stephen. Survey of London: Bassinghall Ward. The Map of Early Modern London, edited by Janelle Jenstad, U of Victoria, 20 Jun. 2018, mapoflondon.uvic.ca/stow_1598_BASI1.htm.

Chicago citation

Stow, John, and William fitz Stephen. Survey of London: Bassinghall Ward. The Map of Early Modern London. Ed. Janelle Jenstad. Victoria: University of Victoria. Accessed June 20, 2018. http://mapoflondon.uvic.ca/stow_1598_BASI1.htm.

APA citation

Stow, J., & fitz Stephen, W. 2018. Survey of London: Bassinghall Ward. In J. Jenstad (Ed), The Map of Early Modern London. Victoria: University of Victoria. Retrieved from http://mapoflondon.uvic.ca/stow_1598_BASI1.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  - fitz Stephen, William
ED  - Jenstad, Janelle
T1  - Survey of London: Bassinghall Ward
T2  - The Map of Early Modern London
PY  - 2018
DA  - 2018/06/20
CY  - Victoria
PB  - University of Victoria
LA  - English
UR  - http://mapoflondon.uvic.ca/stow_1598_BASI1.htm
UR  - http://mapoflondon.uvic.ca/xml/standalone/stow_1598_BASI1.xml
ER  -

RefWorks

RT Web Page
SR Electronic(1)
A1 Stow, John
A1 fitz Stephen, William
A6 Jenstad, Janelle
T1 Survey of London: Bassinghall Ward
T2 The Map of Early Modern London
WP 2018
FD 2018/06/20
RD 2018/06/20
PP Victoria
PB University of Victoria
LA English
OL English
LK http://mapoflondon.uvic.ca/stow_1598_BASI1.htm

TEI citation

<bibl type="mla"><author><name ref="#STOW6"><surname>Stow</surname>, <forename>John</forename></name></author>, and <author><name ref="#FITZ1"><forename>William</forename> <surname><nameLink>fitz</nameLink> Stephen</surname></name></author>. <title level="a">Survey of London: Bassinghall Ward</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="2018-06-20">20 Jun. 2018</date>, <ref target="http://mapoflondon.uvic.ca/stow_1598_BASI1.htm">mapoflondon.uvic.ca/stow_1598_BASI1.htm</ref>.</bibl>

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