City Ditch

The city ditch was part of London’s medieval defence system that ran along the outside of the wall from the Tower to Fleet River. According to Stow, the ditch was referred to as Houndsditch because much filth (conveyed forth of the Citie) especially dead dogs, were there laid or cast (Stow sig. L7v). The ditch was filled in and covered with garden plots by the time of Stow’s 1598 Survey.

References

  • Stow, John, Anthony Munday, Anthony Munday, and Humphrey Dyson. The Survey of London (1633): Portsoken Ward. The Map of Early Modern London, edited by Janelle Jenstad, U of Victoria, 26 Jun. 2020, mapoflondon.uvic.ca/stow_1633_PORT1.htm.