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Database: The Map of Early Modern London
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TY - ELEC
A1 - Bourgon, Jennifer
A1 - Szymankiewicz, Thomas
ED - Jenstad, Janelle
T1 - London Bridge
T2 - The Map of Early Modern London
ET - 7.0
PY - 2022
DA - 2022/05/05
CY - Victoria
PB - University of Victoria
LA - English
UR - https://mapoflondon.uvic.ca/edition/7.0/LOND1.htm
UR - https://mapoflondon.uvic.ca/edition/7.0/xml/standalone/LOND1.xml
ER -
As the only bridge in London crossing the Thames until
Research Assistant, 2018-2021. Lucas Simpson was a student at the University of Victoria.
Research Assistant, 2018-2020. Chris Horne was an honours student in the Department of English at the University of Victoria. His primary research interests included American modernism, affect studies, cultural studies, and digital humanities.
Project Manager, 2020-2021. Assistant Project Manager, 2019-2020. Research Assistant, 2018-2020. Kate LeBere completed her BA (Hons.) in History and English at the University of Victoria in 2020. She published papers in
Programmer, 2018-present. Junior Programmer, 2015-2017. Research Assistant, 2014-2017. Joey Takeda was a graduate student at the University of British Columbia in the Department of English (Science and Technology research stream). He completed his BA honours in English (with a minor in Women’s Studies) at the University of Victoria in 2016. His primary research interests included diasporic and indigenous Canadian and American literature, critical theory, cultural studies, and the digital humanities.
Research Assistant, 2017-2019. Chase Templet was a graduate student at the University
of Victoria in the Medieval and Early Modern Studies (MEMS) stream. He was specifically
focused on early modern repertory studies and non-Shakespearean early modern drama,
particularly the works of
Data Manager, 2015-2016. Research Assistant, 2013-2015. Tye completed his undergraduate honours degree in English at the University of Victoria in 2015.
Director of Pedagogy and Outreach, 2015–2020. Associate Project Director, 2015. Assistant Project Director, 2013-2014. MoEML Research Fellow, 2013. Kim McLean-Fiander comes to
Janelle Jenstad is Associate Professor of English at the University of Victoria, Director of
Programmer at the University of Victoria Humanities Computing and Media Centre (HCMC). Martin ported the MOL project from its original PHP incarnation to a pure eXist database implementation in the fall of 2011. Since then, he has been lead programmer on the project and has also been responsible for maintaining the project schemas. He was a co-applicant on MoEML’s 2012 SSHRC Insight Grant.
Amy Tigner is a MoEML Pedagogical Partner. She is Associate Professor of English at the
University of Texas, Arlington, and the
Editor-in-Chief of Early
Modern Studies Journal. She is the author of
Student contributor enrolled in
Student contributor enrolled in
Rebel leader.
Earl of Essex. Royal minister of
Queen of England and Ireland
King of England
King of England
King of England, Lord of Ireland, and Duke of Aquitaine
King of England
Lord Chancellor of England. Husband of
Cartographer.
King of England
Playwright and poet.
Historian and author of
Cartographer. Drew a map of London in
Queen consort of England
Archbishop of Canterbury
Priest of the Parish of St. Mary (Colechurch). Helped organize the rebuilding of London Bridge.
Second Duke of Norfolk. Soldier and nobleman under
Scotish knight and patriot. Key figure in the Wars of Scotish Independance. Brother of
Catholic executed for conspiracy against
Son-in-law of
The
The city of London, not to be confused with the allegorical character (
Located on London Bridge, the Chapel of St. Thomas on the Bridge was a chapel dedicated to
St. Saviour (Southwark) dates back at least
to S. Mary Owber
.
The Swan was the second of the Bankside theatres. It was located at Paris Garden. It was in use from
The Globe was the open-air, public theatre in which
Built in
Our editorial and encoding practices are documented in detail in the Praxis section of our website.
Location:
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From the time the Romans built Londonʼs first wooden bridge in
Since London Bridge was the only way to cross the Thames without a boat and wooden bridges of the past were often unsafe,
the construction of the stone bridge was important to the city of London. Commissioned by 20 feet wide and 300 yards long and was
supported by 20 arches curving to a point in Gothic Style
(Peter De Colechurch Bridge).
Beginning in
Many structures were built upon London Bridge in an attempt to help repay the cost of its construction (Stow 1:23).
The first was a stone chapel, located on the east side of the bridge and south side of the river (Stow 1:24). In addition to this chapel, the bridge had gatehouses, a drawbridge and
(Peter De Colechurch Bridge). By
Despite its stone reconstruction, London Bridge was still subject to fire. On
every man
on foot, with merchandise, to pay one farthing; every horseman, one penny; every pack carried on horseback, one halfpenny
(Thornbury 1: 9).
These tolls, while a reasonable rate, were doubtless an important component in the recuperation of the money spent on the bridge’s construction.
In addition to fire, London Bridge saw other destructive forces. Since the bridge was the only way for infantry-based armies to cross the Thames,
London Bridge was the site of many battles. In
London Bridge was also the site of celebration and ceremony. Thornbury writes of the return of
InThornbury 1: 121392 , whenRichard II returned to London, reconciled to the citizens, who had resented his reckless extravagance, London Bridge was the centre of splendidpageants . At the bridge-gate the citizens presented the handsome young scapegrace with a milk-white charger, caparisoned in cloth of gold and hung with silver bells, and gave the queenI.e., a white palfrey, caparisoned in white and red; while from every window hung cloths of gold and silver. The citizens ended by redeeming their forfeited charter by the outrageous payment of £10,000.Anne of Bohemia .
Upon the Kingʼs arrival, the people adorned the bridge with extravagant decoration, a gesture which signifies London Bridge’s status as an important landmark of early modern London.
London Bridge had some deficiencies, the largest of which was that it obstructed the navigability of the Thames. Since
the Thames is a tidal river, the current changes direction with the tides. The arches across the river were not equidistant, causing the river to develop
spots that were dangerous to navigate when passing under the bridge. Because of this, bargemen who worked the river had their favourite spots to cross depending on the tidal level. They
called it
The dangers associated with barge of the
(Thornbury 1: 13). Fortunately, the duke and a few other gentlemen were able to leap on the piles and were saved by ropes cast down from the
parapet above. The rest, however, perished.
Upon close inspection of
Crossing London Bridge during the early modern period was unlike crossing any bridge that we have today. The majority of the twenty-foot-wide bridge was covered with
structures on either side. Because London Bridge was the only way to cross the Thames that did not involve a boat, it was the primary way carriages, wagons, and horses crossed the river, so traffic was both thick and dangerous. Since there were no sidewalks on the bridge, pedestrians had to be as aware of other traffic as they were
in the narrow, winding roads of London. The structures on either side were so large that they were buttressed from the river below and needed to be connected across the bridge
with wood for support; otherwise, they would either fall into the river or crash down upon the bridge. According to Cushman, the structures above the shops
(Cushman 128).
In mounted on stakes atop London Bridge
as punishment for their involvement in a Catholic
conspiracy against
During the Great Fire of London in
Over the years, citizen traffic increased on the bridge, and as traffic increased, the bridge became considerably more dangerous. In