LR2 - National Archive - Chancery and Supreme Court of Judicature: Close Rolls - C 54/1245, unnumbered

A lease (dated 10 Oct. 1586 ) granted to William Penfold containing a reference to Robert Brett ( Jonson 's stepfather) living in Hartshorn Lane   , from the Close Rolls of the Chancery , 1585-6. Also mentioned are Charing Cross   and Temple Bar   . Charing Cross and Temple Bar are connected by the Strand , the 'high street' referred to in the document. This lease is found within a series of documents that are sewn together to form one roll.
Eugene Giddens



Indentureinter
[Trans.: between] Russett & penfolde & al

This Indenture made the tenth daye of October in the eight and twentieth yere of the raigne of our soueraigne Ladye Elizabeth by the grace of god Quene of Englande Fraunce and Irelande defendor of the faith &c Betwene Iohn Russett of the parryshe of saincte marten in the feildes in the countye of middlesex gentleman of the one partye And William Penfolde of the parryshe of saincte peter by powles wharffe wythin the cyttie of london yeoman and Alice his wyffe of the other partye wytnesseth that the saide Iohn Russett aswell inconsideracion of the somme of fyve and fortye poundes of laufull money of Englande to hym in hande contented and payde at the sealinge of theis Indentures by the saide William Penfolde whereof the saide Iohn Russett doth knowledge hym selfe fullye satisfyed contented and payde and the saide William penfolde and Alice his wyffe their executors and admynystrators thereof to be cleerelye acquited and discharged by theis presentes ... and by theis presentes doth demyse graunte and to ferme lett vnto the saide William Penfolde and Alice his wyffe all those twoe mesuages ... nowe standinge and beinge ppon the wharffe called Penfoldes wharffe otherwyse called Russettes wharffe and sometymes called Stowes wharffe in the parryshe of Saincte marten in the feildes aforesaide ... also all the saide wharffe wyth thappurtenances and all the barnes stables edifices buyldinges yardes gardens voyde groundes diches and Sewers wyth the appurtenaunces sett lyinge and beinge in the parryshe of saincte marten in the feildes aforesaide betwene the waye or passage leadinge from the mesuage or tenan te nowe in the occupacion of Oswell wowyn Sadler to the Thamys on the one syde and the garden nowe in the occupacion of master Cooke and the waye parcell of the saide wharffe latelye demysed to master Colshull deceassed and nowe in the occupacion of the saide master Cooke on the other syde And the lyttle garden latelye made over the Sewer or ditche by Roberte Brett and the yarde or waie leadinge to certaine newe stables latelye buylt by Iohn Trott deceassed nowe in the occupacion of Oswell wowyn abuttinge on the vpper ende towarde the streate there And the Thamys adioyninge to the otherende of the premysses towardes the southeste parte And also the Cartewaye footewaye and passage leadinge from the saide wharffe to the highe streate leadinge from Charinge Crosse to Temple Barre ...

Bibliography
Gater and Godfrey (1939), 22
Bamborough (1960), 225

Hartshorn Lane was in Westminster , near Charing Cross.

Charing Cross was the last of twelve monuments or crosses erected by Edward I to mark the resting places of the funeral cortege of his queen, Eleanor of Castile, on the way to her funeral at Westminster in 1291. Charing was the name of the village; by the early modern period, the area was long urbanized.

Temple Bar was the gate marking the western limits of the City 's jurisdiction. In Jonson 's time it was a Tudor wooden structure. Temple Bar was the site of one of Jonson 's pageants in the King's Ent . (1604).