WOOLWICH
IS the next parish to Charlton eastward. It lies
on the bank of the river Thames, and was called, in
the time of the Saxons, Hulviz, which, in the language of that nation, signified the dwelling on the
creek of the river. By this name it is called in the
survey of Domesday, in the Textus Roffensis, it is
written Wlewic.
It seems in former times to have been a small fishing place, but very thinly inhabited, owing probably
to the lowness of its situation, and the overflowings of
the river, before it was imbanked.
A small part of this parish lies on the opposite side
of the river Thames, adjoining Essex, but yet within
the county of Kent. Probably haimo, vicecomes or sheriff, of this county, in the time of the Conqueror,
being possessed of Woolwich on this side the river,
as well as the lands adjoining to it on the other side,
procured them, either by composition or grant from
the king, to be annexed to his jurisdiction, as part of
his county, and then incorporated them with it; and
an old manuscript mentions, that the parish of Woolwich had, on the Essex side of the Thames, five hundred acres of land, some few houses, and a chapel of
ease. (fn. 1) There are several instances of different counties in this kingdom being at this time separated from
small districts belonging to them, by parts of adjoining ones intervening. (fn. 2)
THE TOWN OF WOOLWICH is situated on the
bank of the river, is very populous, and has been
much improved of late years; it is wholly taken up
by, and in a manner raised from the yards and works
erected here, for the naval service and the ordnance.
At high water, the Thames is about a mile over, and
the water salt upon the flood, and as the channel lies
direct east and west for about three miles, the tide runs
very strong, and the river is entirely free from shoals
and sands, and has seven or eight fathoms water; so
that the largest ships may ride with safety, even at
low water. In the year 1236, anno 21 Henry III.
the marshes near Woolwich were overflowed by the
sudden rise of the Thames, in such a manner, that
many of the inhabitants perished, together with a great
number of cattle; and in the reigns of James I. another inundation happened, by which many acres were
laid under water, some of which have never been recovered. Among the patent rolls in the Tower, are
many commissions, which issued in the reign of king
Henry III. and in the succeeding ones, for overseeing
and repairing the breaches, walls, ditches, &c. in different places and marshes between Greenwich and
Woolwich, which are now under that commission of
sewers, which extends from Lombarde's-wall to Gravesend-bridge.
Woolwich has a market weekly on Friday, but no
annual fair. The parish extends southward as far as
the high London road, near Shooter's-hill, adjoining
to which is Woolwich-common.
The dock at Woolwich claims some preserence before all others in the kingdom, as well in seniority, as
its importance to government, having had most of
the largest ships built at it for several reigns past; one
of which, in the first year of queen Mary, called the
Great Harry, of 1000 tons, was burnt here by accident; in the reign of queen Elizabeth, when the business
of the royal navy increased, and larger ships of war
were built than were usually employed before, new
docks and launches were erected here, and places prepared for the building and repairing ships of the largest
size, because here was a greater depth of water and
freer channel than at Deptford.
On July 3, 1559, queen Elizabeth honoured this
place with her presence at the launching of a fine ship,
newly built, and called by her own name, Elizabeth. (fn. 3)
In the year 1637, the Royal Sovereign was built in
this dock; a ship which was the glory of this nation,
and the wonder of the world. She was 1637 tons
burthen, besides tonnage; 128 feet long, 48 broad;
from the fore-end of the beak-head to the after-end
of the stern, 152 feet; from the bottom of the keel
to the top of the lanthern, 76 feet. She had five
lantherns, the largest of which would hold ten persons,
upright; three flush-decks, a fore-castle, half-deck,
quarter-deck, and round-house. The lower tier had
60 ports, the middle one 30, the third 26; the forecastle 12, half-deck 14, and as many more within,
besides ten pieces of chace ordnance forward, and ten
right off, and many loop-holes in the cabin for musquets; eleven anchors, one of which weighed four
thousand four hundred pounds. This royal ship was
curiously carved and gilt with gold, and the Dutch,
from the daughter and havoc her cannon made among
them, gave her the name of the Golden Devil. A
description of this ship was published by authority,
at London, in quarto, in 1637, by T. Haywood, the
celebrated actor, who was employed in contriving the
emblematical devices about it.
The dock-yard, and the buildings belonging to it
are encompassed with a high wall, and are spacious
and convenient, and abundantly filled with all sorts
of stores and naval provisions. Here is no commissioner resident, but the whole is under the immediate inspection of the navy-board, which appoints officers for the management of this yard, who have
handsome houses to reside in, and a number of inferior clerks and servants under them, which are much
the same as those of Deptford, excepting, that their
salaries are not so large.
Here is a large rope-walk, where the biggest cables
are made for the men of war, and on the eastern, or
lower part of the town, is the Gun-yard, commonly
called the Park, or the Gun park, where there is a
great quantity of cannon, of all sorts, for the ships of
war, every ship's guns lying in tiers, or rows apart,
heavy cannon for batteries, and mortars of all sorts
and sizes, insomuch, thar there has been sometimes
laid up here, at once, between seven and eight thousand pieces of ordnance, besides mortars and shells
almost beyond number.
There is both a CIVIL and MILITARY BRANCH
of the OFFICE OF ORDNANCE established at Woolwich.
The civil branch is under the management of a
Storekeeper, Clerk of the Survey, Clerk of the Cheque,
Clerk of the Foundery, and other officers, who have
many inferior servants and workmen under them.
The military branch of the office of ordnance is under the direction of a chief engineer, who ranks as
colonel; two directors, who rank as lieutenant-colonels; four sub-directors, as majors. The engineers
in ordinary rank as captains; the engineers extraordinary as captain-lieutenants, and the sub-engineers
as lieutenants; besides which there are several practitioner engineers.
Under this office, in a place, called the Warren, artillery of all kinds and dimensions are cast; and the
same, before the building of the powder magazine at
Purfleet, used to be frequently proved here, before
the principal engineers and officers of the board of
ordnance, to which many of the nobility and gentry
are often invited, who are afterwards sumptuously
entertained by them. Gunpowder likewise, contrac-
ted for by the office of ordnance, is proved here, as
to its strength and goodness, and whether it is sit for
the public service. Belonging to this office there is
a laboratory, under the direction of a controller, a
chief fire-master, a fire-master's mate, a clerk, and
other workmen and labourers. Under these the companies of matrosses are employed in the compositions
and making up of fireworks and cartridges, and in
charging bombs, carcases, granadoes, and such like
matters, for the public service.
A royal academy is established here, under the board
of ordnance, for the instructing and editying young
gentlemen, intended for the office of engineers in the
military branch of that office; these are called cadets,
and are appointed by that board. They are taught
in it the principles and art of fortification, and every
branch of military science relating to it, besides the
French and Latin tongues, Writing, fencing, and
drawing. There are belonging to this academy, a
governor, lieutenant governor, and masters in each
respective branch of science and literature.
Most of the officers, under both branches of the
ordnance, have handsome houses and apartments and
other accomodations allotted to them here, according
to their respective ranks and stations.
The GRAVEL-PITS, at Woolwich, have been for
many years the common place for simpling amongst
the apothecaries and druggists of London. Our herbalist, Gerarde, takes notice, that the thalietrum five
thalictrum majus et minus, great and small bastard
rhubarb, grows at Woolwich and its neighbourhood
on the banks of the river. (fn. 4)
In king Edward the Confessor's confirmation of the
gift of Ethruda, king Alfred's niece, of the manor of
Lewisham, and its appendages, to the abbey of St.
Peter of Ghent, in Flanders, made in 1044, Wulewic
is mentioned as one of them, belonging to that manor, (fn. 5)
but the succeeding grants, relating to Lewisham
manor, make no mention of this place; and in the
7th year of king Edward I. the king was lord of Eltham and Woolwiche. (fn. 6)
The MANOR OF WOOLWICH, which is coextenfive with the parish, has for many years been esteemed
a member of the manor of Eltham, though it holds
a separate court, and has a separate jury and homage.
That it has been esteemed a member of that manor
for some time is plain from the survey taken in 1649,
by the trustees appointed by parliament for the sale
of the crown lands, of the manor of Eltham and its
members, in which there is an account of quit-rents
due to the lord of that manor, from the several freeholders within the township of Woolwich. (fn. 7)
Sir John Shaw having purchased a subsisting term
of the manors of Eltham and Woolwich, Charles II.
in consideration of the eminent services performed by
him, and promises made before, granted him, in 1663,
a new and longer term of those premises, which about
thirty-five years ago was renewed, and this manor,
together with that of Eltham, is now in the possession
of his great-great-grandson, Sir John Gregory Shaw,
bart. as lessee under the crown, to whom the inheritance belongs.
There is a court leet and court baron held yearly
for the manor of Woolwich, separate from that of
Eltham, and a jury and homage sworn and charged
out of the residents and tenants of it, to enquire
within the manor. At this leet the jury appoints two
constables and ale-tasters for the town and parish of
Woolwich. In the court baron the tenants are all
free tenants.
There is an estate here, formerly called the MANOR,
OF SOUTHALL, alias WOOLWICH, for it once bore
the reputation of a manor, and was stiled, in the Fœdary Books of this county, the Manor of Wulwiche.
In the survey of Domesday, taken in 1080, it is
thus described, under the general title of the possessions
of Haimo Vicecomes:
In the half of the lath of Sudtone in Grenviz hundred, there Haimo has 63 acres of arable land, which
belong to him in Woolwich. William Accipitrarius held
them of K. Edward the Confessor. There are 11 borderers paying 41 pence. The whole is worth 3 pounds.
Gilbert de Marisco held it about the beginning of
king Edward I. and assumed the name of De Marisco,
from the estate which he enjoyed in the marshes. He
held this manor of Warren de Munchensi, Baron of
Swanscampe: after him Sabina de Windlesore possessed it, about the 17th of king Edward II. being held
of the Barony of Munchensi; which was again held of
the king. (fn. 8)
The next in succession to her was John de Pulteney,
who held it in the 20th year of that reign, in like manner as she had held it before. (fn. 9)
This Sir John de Pulteney, son of Adam de Pulteney and Maud his wife, was a person of great account;
having been four times Lord Mayor of London. He
was much in savor with king Edward III. and is noticed
by our historians for his piety, wisdom, large possessions, and magnificent manner of living.
Humphry de Bohun, earl of Hereford, in the 21st
year of that reign, conveyed to Sir John Pulteney,
among other premises, his interest in the manor of
Southall in Woolwich. (fn. 10)
By the inquisition taken after his death, it appears
that he died in the 23d of king Edward III. possessed
of this manor; and that William de Pulteney was his
son and heir. Margaret, his widow, survived him,
and afterwards married Sir Nicholas Lovain.
Sir William de Pulteney, the son before-mentioned,
by his deed, dated at Penshurst, in the 36th year of
the same reign, granted to John, bishop of Worcester,
and others, in trust, this manor of Southall. Sir William de Pulteney died, without issue, in the 40th year
of that reign, and left Robert de Pulteney, his kinsman,
his heir; who was ancestor to the late earl of Bath.
By two indentures, in the 48th year of that reign,
John, son of William Revel, in pursuance of a trust,
as it seems, created by the above-mentioned Sir William de Pulteney, confirmed this manor to Sir Nicholas
Lovain, Aubrey de Vere, and others. (fn. 11)
This family of Pulteney, who bore for their arms,
argent, a fess dancete gules, in chief were three leopards
faces, sable; was succeeded in its possessions in this place,
about the latter end of king Richard II. by William
Chichele, (fn. 12) citizen and grocer, of London, (third son of
Thomas Chichele, by Agnes, daughter of William
Pyncheon), and youngest brother of Henry Chichele,
archbishop of Canterbury. He was sheriff of London
in 1409, and afterwards an alderman; and dying in
the 4th year of king Henry VI. was buried, in the parish of Higham Ferrers. (fn. 13) He married Beatrice, daughter of William Barret, esq. by whom he had two sons,
William and John, and two daughters. The second
son, John, who had this manor, was a citizen and
chamberlain of London, and married Margery, daughter of Sir Thomas Knollys, by whom he had twentyfour children; one of whom, Agnes, the eldest daughter, married John Tattershall, esq. and brought her
husband this manor, among other good estates in this
neighbourhood; as appears by an inquisition taken in
the 25th year of king Henry VI. in which it was found
that John Tattershall, jointly with Agnes his wife,
possessed the manor of Woolwiche; consisting of two
messuages, three tosts, three hundred and forty-two
acres of arable, meadow, marsh, and wood, and thirty
shillings rent in Woolwiche; and that John Tattershall was his son and heir. (fn. 14) He alienated it in the latter
end of the reign of king Edward IV. to Boughton, of
Burwash-court in the adjoining parish of Plumsted;
in which family it remained, till it was sold to Heydon, (fn. 15) and his descendant, Sir Christopher Heydon, of
Baconsthorp in Norfolk, possessed it in the 15th year
of queen Elizabeth. (fn. 16) He alienated it to Sir Nicholas
Gilbourne, of Charing, who was sheriff of Kent in the
9th year of king James I. and his descendant, Henry
Gilbourne, esq. possessed it at his death, about the year
1681. His heirs passed away this estate, about the
year 1701, to Richard Bowater, descended from those
of Warwick, when it at least pretended to the reputation of a manor, and to be exempt from the royal
manor of Woolwich; but on a hearing of this claim
in 1702, before the lord chief baron Ward, and the
barons of the exchequer, they decreed, that the royal
manor of Eltham extended over all and every part of
the parish of Woolwich. Upon which the abovementioned Richard Bowater agreed for himself and his
heirs, to pay a yearly rent to that manor for this estate,
of which his descendant, John Bowater, esq. son of
Edward, who died in 1777, is the present owner and
resides here. They bear for their arms, Argent, an
escutcheon sable, within an orle of martlets gules.
The manor of Jeffrys in this parish, in the beginning
of queen Elizabeth's reign, was in possession of Henry
Cheney, and was then held in capite. (fn. 17)
King Henry VIII. in his 31st year, granted to
Martin Bowes a large messuage in Wolwyche, to hold
in capite,
Sir Edward Boughton, anno 37 king Henry VIII.
conveyed to that king two parcels of land, called Bowton's Docks, and two parcels, called Our Lady-hill,
and Sand-hill, in this parish. (fn. 18)
The monastery of Stratford Langthorne, in the parish of Ham in Essex, was possessed of lands in this
parish, (lying, most probably, contiguous to their mansion in that part of this parish and county of Kent,
which lies on the Essex side of the Thames,) called
Wiklonds, the tenths of which were given, in 1155,
by William, son of Henry de Eltham, to the monastery
of Bermondsey, in Southwark. (fn. 19)
After the dissolution of the monastery of Stratford
Langthorne, king Henry VIII. in his thirty-second
year, granted these pastures, called Wykelond, containing fifty acres, in Wolwych, to Roger Chomley, to
hold in capite. (fn. 20)
It appears by the rolls of the 25th of queen Elizabeth, that Francis Bacon possessed much of this part
of Woolwich, which joins to Essex; lying in Woolwich in Kent, and in East and West Ham in Essex.
There was a family of good account settled in this
parish, about the latter end of queen Elizabeth's reign,
of the name of Barnes, or Barne, for I have seen it
written both ways; one of which, Sir William Barnes,
was a justice of the peace in the year 1596, (a time,
Mr. Lambarde says, when only persons of the highest
reputation, and the best gentry, being in the commission, it was an honour to every one who was named in
it.) He married Dorothy, daughter of Sir Peter
Manwood, of St. Stephen's, near Canterbury, knight
of the Bath, and bore for his arms, Azure, three leopards
faces argent.
There is a neat alms-house, with a brick turret, in
Woolwich, built for the habitation of poor widows.
CHARITIES.
Sir MARTIN BOWES, a resident of this parish in king Henry
the VIIIth's time, gave a sum of money from an estate for the
lodging and support of five poor widows, of which no information can be got from the company of Goldsmiths, in which it is
supposed to be vested, but there is paid to the churchwarden for
the poor in money, as of Sir M. Bowes's gift, by that company,
7s. 11d. annually.
Mr. RICHARD SIMMS, and ANN his wife, in 1621, gave by
will, for an habitation for poor people for ever, four tenements,
since fallen down, the scite now of the annual produce of 3l.
Rev. ABRAHAM COLFE, in 1657, gave by will, a sum to be
annually distributed to the poor in bread, vested in the Leatherseller's company, of the annual produce of 8s. 8d.
WILLIAM HAWKES, in 1662, gave by will, for the like purpose, an acre of marsh land, let on lease for 999 years, now in
the occupation of William Bugden, at Plumsted, at the yearly
rent of 1l. and the sum of 27l. the interest to be annually distributed for the like purpose, in the hands of the churchwardens,
of the annual produce of 1l. 7s.
Mr. PHILIP ROBERTS, in 1639, gave by will, for the like
purpose, a house recovered by a law suit, of the annual produce
of 1l.
Sir RICHARD PRITCHARD, in 1687, gave by will, for an habitation for poor people for ever, a house, called the Old-Market
House, which being a nuisance, was, by the surveyors of the
highways taken down, and a watch-house erected on the ground
in 1774.
Mrs. ANN WITHERS, in 1753, gave by will, for a schoolhouse, 100l. in money, and for a salary for a mistress to teach
thirty poor girls of this parish reading and needle-work, in money
1100l. Old S. S. Annuities, vested in the executors of the late
Mr. Healey, of Deptford, of the annual produce of 33l. and likewise 300l. the interest to be annually distributed to the poor
in bread.
Mrs. MARY WISEMAN, in 1758, by will gave, to educate,
cloath, and 10l. to apprentice six orphan boys (children of shipwrights) of this parish, to shipwrights in his Majesty's yard at
Woolwich, in money 1000l. vested in the minister and principal
officers of his Majesty's dock-yard at Woolwich, increased to the
sum of 1550l. and two boys added to the original number, of
the annual produce of 46l. 10s.
In 1731 trustees were, by order of the vestry applied to tak
down three tenements belonging to the parish, situated at the east
end of the town, and in the room thereof to erect a workhouse,
for lodging, maintaining and employing the poor of this parish
therein.
THIS PARISH is entitled for ever to place one widow in queen
Elizabeth's college in Greenwich, who does not receive any assistance from this parish.
This parish is within the ECCLESIASTICAL JURISDICTION of the diocese of Rochester, and deanry of Dartford.
The church which is dedicated to St. Mary, was given,
with the whole tithe, to St. Andrew Gundulph, bishop of
Rochester, and the monks there, by king Henry I. and
he afterwards by another charter confirmed it to them.
Bishop Gundulph, when he had separated his own
maintenance from that of the monks, assigned them this
church, among others, for their support, &c. (fn. 21) and he
afterwards granted them the free disposition of the vicarage of it. (fn. 22) The church was confirmed to the priory
of Rochester by archbishop Anselm, and several of his
successors, and by king Henry II. Bishop Gilbert de
Glanville, about the beginning of king Richard I's
reign, on pretence that his predecessor, bishop Gundulph, had impoverished his see by his too large donations to the priory, divested them of all right and title
to it. However, he reserved and confirmed to them
their antient and accustomed pension of seven shillings
yearly, to be received out of the profits of it, which was
confirmed by several of the succeeding bishops of Rochester.
The feast of the dedication of this parish church
having been for a long time held on the vigil or eve
of St. Laurence, which frequently happened, in the
time of autumn, to be a day of fasting and abstinence,
on which account it could not be celebrated with the
solemnity and reverence with which it ought. Therefore John Langdon, bishop of Rochester, by his letters, in 1429, transferred the feast to the 5th of Octo-
ber, to be held on that day yearly. (fn. 23) Since which, the
patronage of this church has continued part of the possessions of the bishopric of Rochester, and remains so
at present.
At the dissolution of the priory, anno 32 Henry VIII.
the pension of seven shillings from the church of Woolwich came with the rest of the revenues of the priory
of St. Andrew into the king's hands, who, the next
year, settled it, by his letters patent, among other premises, on his new-erected dean and chapter of Rochester, who are now entitled to it. The church was antiently valued at ten marcs. It is now valued in the
king's books at 7l. 12s. 6d. and the yearly tenths at
15s. 3d. (fn. 24)
By virtue of the commission of enquiry into the value
of church livings, in 1650, out of chancery, it was returned, that Woolwich was a parsonage, with a house
and some glebe land, worth fifty-five pounds per annum, one master William Hawks enjoying it. William Prene, rector, who died in 1464, caused the chapel and bell-tower of this church to be made, and was
otherwise a good benefactor to it.
This church falling to decay, and from the great increase of inhabitants of late years, becoming much too
small to contain those who usually attended divine service, they obtained of queen Anne her letters patent,
by virtue of which the sum of 1141l. 11s. 3d. was gathered by charitable contribution to repair it, and Dr.
Lindsey, lord-primate of Ireland, and other well disposed persons, gave 380l. 14s. 8d. for the like purpose. But the building being found, upon a survey,
incapable of being repaired and enlarged, sufficiently
to answer the purpose, it was determined to rebuild it;
and accordingly, in 1726, a piece of ground was purchased for the scite of a new church, and a new foundation was made of it; but the inhabitants still finding
themselves unable to raise a sufficient sum of money towards the finishing of it, petitioned the parliament for
their aid towards completing it; and an act accordingly
passed, anno 5 George II. for rebuilding this parish
church, as one of the fifty new ones, directed to be
built by the two acts of queen Anne, and directing that
the sum of three thousand pounds should be paid towards it, out of the funds arising by the powers given
by those acts; and in the 12th year of that reign another
act passed for applying a sum of money given by the
will of Daniel Wiseman, esq. deceased, for finishing
this new church at Woolwich. Accordingly a new
church has been built, which stands on an eminence
above the town; it is a handsome brick building, ornamented with stone, and has a square tower or steeple
at the west end, with a good ring of bells in it.
In this church, on the south side of the chancel, is a
handsome monument for Daniel Wiseman, esq. mentioned before as a good benefactor to the rebuilding of
it, who lies buried in this church yard, obt. 1739, ætat,
65; there are no other worth mentioning in it.
WOOLWICH CHURCH.
PATRON, or by whom presented.—The BISHOP of ROCHESTER.
RECTORS.
John Capellanus, before 1214. (fn. 25)
William Prene, ob. Sep. 1, 1464. (fn. 26)
William Harney or Hawkes, in
1650, eject. Aug. 1662. (fn. 27)
Thomas Lindesay, A. B. 1692. (fn. 28)
Philip Stubbs, A. M. 1695, resig.
Sep. 1699. (fn. 29)
Tho. Gregory, ob. Mar. 29, 1706,
Harrington Bagshaw, inst. April
16, obt. May 29, 1739. (fn. 30)
Robert Simms, induct. 1739.
Kingsman, 1740.
Sir Peter Rivers Gay, bart. 1752,
obt. July 20, 1790. (fn. 31)
G. A. Thomas, 1791. Present
rector.