Guilds -- England -- London; London (England) -- Description and travel; London (England) -- History
In 1320 one of the supervisors of shoes was Richard le Cordewaner of
“Gras cherche”; in 1347 a jury of “Graschirche,” consisting of a butcher
and eleven others, accused John de Burstalle of selling corn at more
than the legal price, and he was sent to prison for forty days; in 1372
it was ordained that the blacksmiths should send their work either to
“Graschirche” or to the “Pavement” by St. Nicholas Fleshambles, or by
the Tun on Cornhill, and should stand by their work openly. Therefore
the market here was not confined to hay and corn. In 1386 one Thomas
Stokes was in trouble for pretending to be an officer and taker of ale
for the household of the King, under which pretence he marked with an
arrowhead several barrels in the brewery of William Roke of Graschirche.
There was therefore a brewery in the market. One finds so many breweries
scattered about the City that one asks how they got the water; it must
certainly have been drawn up from a local well. Another case of
personating an officer of the King was that of William Redhede in 1417,
who tried to carry off certain bushels of wheat at Graschirche
pretending that they were for the King. He was clapped into prison and
then put in pillory. “Upon the three market days ensuing he was to be
taken each day from the Prison of Newgate to the Market called ‘le
Cornmarket’ opposite to the Friars Minors and there the cause of the
judgment aforesaid was to be proclaimed: and after that he was to be
taken through the middle of the high street of Chepe to the Pillory on
Cornhille; and upon that he was to be placed on each of those three days
there to stand for one hour each day, the reason of his sentence being
then and there proclaimed, and after that he was to be taken from thence
through the middle of the high street of Cornhill to the Market of
Graschirche aforesaid, where like proclamation was to be made: and from
thence back to prison.”
Roman remains, such as vases, bronzes, coffins, have been found in this
street.
In 1654 Brethmer, citizen of London, gave to the Church at Canterbury
his messuage at “Gerscherche” as also the Church of Allhallows, Lombard
Street.
The street is continually mentioned in connection with tenements,
messuages, houses, and rents.
In more modern times Richard Tarleton the actor lived in Gracechurch
Street, at the sign of the Saber. Probably he acted in the courtyard of
the Cross Keys in the same street, licensed in 1570, but only for that
year. Many pageants and processions were conducted through Gracechurch
Street.
In Gracechurch Street at the corner of Fenchurch Street was St. Benet’s
Church.
=St. Benet, Grasschurch=, was so called after St. Benedict. The date
of its foundation is unknown. It was burnt down in the Great Fire,
rebuilt and finished in 1685. In 1868 the building was pulled down,
and in 1869 and 1870 the site was occupied by offices. The earliest
date of an incumbent is 1170.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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