Aldgate Ward Aldgate Ward

Introduction

Aldgate Ward is located within the London Wall and east of Lime Street Ward. Both the ward and its main street, Aldgate Street, are named after Aldgate, the eastern gate into the walled city (Stow 1633, sig. N6v).

1720: Blome’s Map of Aldgate Ward. Image courtesy of British Library Crace Collection. © British Library Board; Maps Crace Port. 8.4

Links to Chapters in the 1598 1603 (see below for excerpt) 1618 (forthcoming) 1633

1603 Description of Ward Boundaries

The following diplomatic transcription of the opening paragraph(s) of the 1603 chapter on this ward will eventually be subsumed into the MoEML edition of the 1603 .The 1603 is widely available in reprints of C.L. Kingsford’s two-volume 1908 edition (Kingsford) and also in the British History Online transcription of the Kingsford edition (BHO). MoEML is completing its editions of all four texts in the following order: 1598, 1633, 1618, and 1603. Each ward chapter opens with a narrative circumnavigation of the ward—a verbal beating of the bounds that MoEML first transcribed in 2004 and later used to facilitate the drawing of approximate ward boundaries on our edition of the Agas map. Source: John Stow, (London, 1603; STC #23343).

The ſecond ward within the wall on the eaſt part is called Aldgate ward, as taking name of the ſame Gate: the principall ſtreet of this warde beginneth at Aldgate, ſtretching west to ſometime a fayre Well, where now a pumpe is placed: from thence the way being diuided into twain, the firſt & principall ſtreet, caled Aldgate ſtreet, runneth on the ſouthſide to Limeſtreet corner and halfe that ſtreete downe on the left hand, is alſo of that warde. In the mid way on that South ſide, betwixt Aldgate and Limeſtreet, is Hart horne Alley, a way that goeth through into Fenchurch ſtreete ouer againſt Northumberland houſe. Then haue ye the Bricklayers hall and an other Alley called Sprinckle Alley, now named Sugar-loafe Alley, of the like ſigne. Then is there a faire houſe, with diuerſe tenements neare adioyning, ſometime belonging to a late diſſolued Priorie ſince poſſeſſed by Miſtreſſe Cornewallies, widow, and her heyres, by the gift of king Henry the eight, in reward of fine puddings (as it was commonly ſayd) by hir made, wherewith ſhe had preſented him. Such was the princely liberalyty of thoſe times. Of later time, Sir Nicholas Throgmorton knight, was lodged there. Then ſomewhat more Weſt is Belzettars lane, ſo called of the firſt builder and owner thereof, now corruptly called Billitar lane, betwixt this Belzettars lane and Limeſtreete, was of later time a frame of three fayre houſes, ſet vp in the yeare 1590. in place where before was a large Garden plot incloſed from the highſtreete with a Bricke wall, which wall being taken downe, and the ground digged deepe for Cellerage, there was found right vnder the ſayd Bricke wall an other wall of ſtone, with a gate arched of ſtone, and Gates of Timber, to be cloſed in the midſt towards the ſtreete, the tymber of the Gates was conſumed, but the Hinges of yron ſtill remayned on their ſtaples on both the ſides. Moreouer in that wall were ſquare windowes with bars of yron on either ſide the gate, this wall was vnder ground about two fathomes deepe, as I then eſteemed it, and ſeemeth to bee the ruines of ſome houſe burned in the raigne of king Stephen, when the fire began in the houſe of one Alewarde neare London ſtone, and conſumed Eaſt to Aldgate, whereby it appeareth how greatly the ground of this Citie hath beene in that place rayſed.

On the North ſide, this principall ſtreet ſtretcheth to the weſt corner of Saint Andrewes Church, and then the ward turneth towards the North by S. Marie ſtreete, on the Eaſt ſide to Saint Auguſtines Church in the wall, and ſo by Buries markes again, or about by the wall to Aldgate.

The ſecond way from Aldgate more towards the South from the pumpe aforesaid is called Fenchurch ſtreete, and is of Aldgate warde till ye come to Culuer Alley, on the weſt ſide of Ironmongers hall, where ſometime was a lane which went out of Fenchurch ſtreete to the middeſt of Limeſtreete, but this lane was ſtopped vp, for ſuſpition of theeues that lurked there by night. Againe to Aldgate out of the principall ſtreete, euen by the gate and wall of the Citie, runneth a lane South to Crowched Friers, and then Woodroffe lane to the Tower hill, and out of this lane weſt, a ſtreete called Hartſtreete, which of that warde ſtretcheth to Sydon lane by Saint Olaues Church. One other lane more weſt from Aldgate goeth by Northumberland houſe toward the Croſſed Friers: then haue ye on the ſame ſide the North end of Martlane, and Blanch Apleton, where that ward endeth.

Note on Ward boundaries on Agas Map

Ward boundaries drawn on the Agas map are approximate. The Agas map does not lend itself well to georeferencing or georectification, which means that we have not been able to import the raster-based or vector-based shapes that have been generously offered to us by other projects. We have therefore used our drawing tools to draw polygons on the map surface that follow the lines traced verbally in the opening paragraph(s) of each ward chapter in the . Read more about the cartographic genres of the Agas map.