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Cordwainer Street Ward

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Introduction

Cordwainer Street Ward is east of Bread Street Ward. The ward takes its name from its main street, Cordwainer Street, so named of the Cordwainers, Curriers, and other leather workers who, according to Stow, at one time dwelled there (Stow 1603).

Links to Chapters in the Survey of London

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 Survey.1 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, A Survey of London (London, 1603; STC #23343).
THe next is Cordwainer ſtreet warde, taking that name of Cordwainers, or Shoemakers, Curriars, and workers of Leather dwelling there: for it appeareth in the records of H. the 6. the ninth of his raigne, that an order was taken then for Cordwainers and Curriars in Corney ſtreete, and Sopars lane.
This warde beginneth in the Eaſt, on the weſt ſide of Walbrooke, and runneth weſt through Budge Row (a ſtreet ſo called of Budge, Furre, and of Skinners dwelling there), then vp by S. Anthonies Church through Aetheling (or Noble ſtreet) as Leyland termeth it, commonly called Wathling ſtreete, to the red Lion, a place ſo called of a great Lion of Timber placed there at a Gate: entring a large Court, wherein are diuerſe fayre and large ſhoppes well furniſhed with broade cloathes, and other draperies of all ſorts to be ſolde, and this is the fartheſt Weſt part of this ward.
On the South ſide of this ſtreete from Budge Row, lieth a lane turning downe by the weſt gate of the Tower Royall, and to the ſouth ende of the ſtone Wall beyond the ſaid gate, is of this ward, and is accounted a part of the Royall ſtreete, agaynſt this weſt gate of the Tower Royall, is one other lane, that runneth weſt to Cordwainer ſtreete, and this is called Turnebaſe lane: on the ſouthſide whereof is a péece of Wringwren lane, to the Northweſt corner of Saint Thomas Church the Apoſtle. Then againe out of the high ſtreete called Wathling, is one other ſtreete which runneth thwart the ſame, and this is Cordwainer ſtreete, whereof the woole warde taketh name: this ſtreete beginneth by Weſt Cheape, and Saint Marie Bow church is the head thereof on the weſt ſide, and it runneth downe ſouth through that part which of later time was called Hoſier lane, now Bow lane, and then by the weſt end of Aldmary Church, to the new builded houſes, in place of Ormond houſe, and ſo to Garlicke hill, or hith, to Saint Iames Church. The upper part of this ſtreete towards Cheape was called Hoſiar lane of hoſiars2 dwelling there in place of Shoomakers: but now thoſe hoſiers being worne out by men of other trades (as the Hoſiars had worne out the Shoomakers) the ſame is called Bow lane of Bow Church. On the weſt ſide of Cornewainers ſtreet is Baſing lane, right ouer againſt Turne baſſe lane. This Baſing lane weſt to the backe gate of the red Lion, in Wathling ſtreete, is of this Cordwainers ſtreete warde.
Now againe on the north ſide of the high ſtreet in Budge row, by the Eaſt end of S. Anthonies church, haue ye S. Sithes lane, ſo called of S. Sithes Church, (which ſtandeth againſt the North end of that lane) and this is wholy of Cordwainers ſtreete ward: alſo the ſouth ſide of Néedlers lane, which reacheth from the north end of Saint Sithes lane, weſt to Sopers lane, then weſt from ſaint Anthonies Church is the ſouth ende of Sopars lane, which lane tooke that name, not of Sope-making, as ſome haue ſuppoſed, but of Alen le Sopar, in the ninth of Edward the ſecond. I haue not read or heard of Sope making in this Cittie till within this foureſcore yeares, that Iohn Lame dwelling in Graſſeſtreete, ſet up a boyling houſe for this Citie, of former time, was ſerued of white Sope in hard Cakes (called Caſtell ſope, and other) from beyond the ſeas, and of gray ſope, ſpeckeled with white, verie ſwéete and good, from Briſtow, ſolde here for a pennie the pound, and neuer aboue pennie farthing, and blacke ſope for a halfe pennie the pounde. Then in Bowe Lane (as they now call it) is Gooſe lane, by Bow Church, VVilliam Eſſex Mercer had Tenements there in the 26. of Edward the thirde.
Then from the ſouth end of Bow lane, vp Wathling ſtreete, till ouer againſt the red Lion: And theſe bee the bounds of Cordwainer ſtreet warde.

Note on Ward boundaries on Agas Map

The boundaries of Cordwainer Street Ward, as drawn on the Agas map, are approximate. See MoEML’s page on ward boundaries.

Notes

  1. The 1603 Survey 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. (JJ)↑
  2. According to the Merchant Taylors’ Company’s website, the Hosiers merged with the Merchant Taylors’ Company in 1551 (Company History). (JZ)↑

References

Cite this page

MLA citation

Zabel, Jamie. Cordwainer Street Ward. The Map of Early Modern London, Edition 6.6, edited by Janelle Jenstad, U of Victoria, 30 Jun. 2021, mapoflondon.uvic.ca/edition/6.6/CORD1.htm.

Chicago citation

Zabel, Jamie. Cordwainer Street Ward. The Map of Early Modern London, Edition 6.6. Ed. Janelle Jenstad. Victoria: University of Victoria. Accessed June 30, 2021. mapoflondon.uvic.ca/edition/6.6/CORD1.htm.

APA citation

Zabel, J. 2021. Cordwainer Street Ward. In J. Jenstad (Ed), The Map of Early Modern London (Edition 6.6). Victoria: University of Victoria. Retrieved from https://mapoflondon.uvic.ca/editions/6.6/CORD1.htm.

RIS file (for RefMan, RefWorks, EndNote etc.)

Provider: University of Victoria
Database: The Map of Early Modern London
Content: text/plain; charset="utf-8"

TY  - ELEC
A1  - Zabel, Jamie
ED  - Jenstad, Janelle
T1  - Cordwainer Street Ward
T2  - The Map of Early Modern London
ET  - 6.6
PY  - 2021
DA  - 2021/06/30
CY  - Victoria
PB  - University of Victoria
LA  - English
UR  - https://mapoflondon.uvic.ca/edition/6.6/CORD1.htm
UR  - https://mapoflondon.uvic.ca/edition/6.6/xml/standalone/CORD1.xml
ER  -

TEI citation

<bibl type="mla"><author><name ref="#ZABE1"><surname>Zabel</surname>, <forename>Jamie</forename></name></author>. <title level="a">Cordwainer Street Ward</title>. <title level="m">The Map of Early Modern London</title>, Edition <edition>6.6</edition>, edited by <editor><name ref="#JENS1"><forename>Janelle</forename> <surname>Jenstad</surname></name></editor>, <publisher>U of Victoria</publisher>, <date when="2021-06-30">30 Jun. 2021</date>, <ref target="https://mapoflondon.uvic.ca/edition/6.6/CORD1.htm">mapoflondon.uvic.ca/edition/6.6/CORD1.htm</ref>.</bibl>

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