Memorials of Old London. Volume 1 (of 2) — John Shaqi
Memorials of Old London. Volume 1 (of 2)
History
Memorials of Old London. Volume 1 (of 2)
London (England) -- Antiquities; London (England) -- History
water, which of old time breaking out into Fenchurch streete, ran down
the same streete and Lombard streete to the West end of St. Mary
Woolnothe's Church, where turning south, and breaking it selfe into many
small shares, rilles or streames, it left the name of Shareborne, or
south borne lane (as I have read) because it ranne south to the river of
Thames."
* * * * *
Stow's interpretations of names often read like bad jokes, not to say
bad puns. We remember his Matfelon, his Sherehog, his Cripplegate and
other curiosities of the kind. Sherborn Lane has now disappeared, but
there can be little doubt the "burn" or "bourne" was a relic of the
fosse of the first Roman London. It divides two wards, so was as ancient
as those wards--namely, Cornhill and Langborne; and if there was any
stream through it fell into Walbrook, between the parish church of St.
Mary on the Woollen Hithe and St. Mary of the Woolchurch Haw. This
corner, then near the modern Mansion House, was the north-western corner
of the little fort, Dowgate was at the south-western, and Billingsgate
at the south-eastern corner, while Mincing Lane, perhaps at Fenchurch
Street, completed the rectangle. What formed the defence on this, the
eastern side, we have no evidence, but it was probably one of the
"shares, rilles, or streames" which so puzzled Stow. The Walbrook was
248 feet wide.
[Illustration: ROMAN SANDALS (FOUND IN LONDON).]
It is evident, then, that the Roman London Bridge was well protected,
but the town which grew round it lay open to any attack. Such a
contingency was the rebellion of Boadicea, when Suetonius abandoned the
bridge fort and open town and held to Verulam and Camalodunum, which had
walls. We do not hear anything about the repairs of the bridge when the
rebellion was over. It probably, as in so many other places, consisted
of a few piers of massive masonry, and great beams, probably wide apart,
formed the roadway. The line of coins found in the Thames may have been
dropped as offerings to the river-god, or merely by careless passengers.
They dated back to republican times, and ended only with the last years
of the Roman occupation, long after the introduction of Christianity. It
may be mentioned here that in the catalogue of Roach Smith (1854), from
which we have borrowed some illustrations, is an account of a box which
had perished, but which had contained tiers of iron coins, plated with
silver, oxydised together in masses, being obviously base money coined
to pass current in Britain in the reign of Claudius, A.D. 41. It was
discovered in King William Street, almost the centre of the old fort.
Forged _denarii_ of lead or brass formed the larger part of those found
in the Thames. The bridge was probably in a line with Botolph Lane, the
old London Bridge of Peter of Colechurch being higher up, and the
present London Bridge higher again. The Roman Bridge, frequently
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