Bassings Hall warde
Bassings hall warde.
The next adioyning to Colemanstreete ward on the west
side thereof is Bassings hall warde, a small thing, and consisteth of one streete called Bassings hall streete, of Bassings hall,
the most principall house, wherof the ward taketh name. It
beginneth in the South by the late spoken Market house
called the Bay hall, which is the last of Colemanstreete warde.
This streete runneth from thence north downe to London
wall, and some little distance both East and West, against the
said hall, and this is the bounds of Bassings hall warde.
Masons Hall.; Weuars Hall.; Patent of H 2.; Henry the 1.; Patent.
Monuments on the East side thereof, amongst diuerse fayre
houses for Marchants, haue ye three halles of Companies,
namely, the Masons hall for the first, but of what antiquitie
that company is I haue not read. The next is the weauers
hal, which companie hath beene of great antiquitie in this
Citie, as appeareth by a Charter of Henrie the second, in
these wordes. Rex omnibus ad quos, &c. to be Englished thus.
Henrie king of England, Duke of Normandie, and of Guian,
Earle of Aniow, to the Bishop, Iustices, Shiriffes, Barons,
Ministers, and all his true Lieges (fn. 1) of London, sendeth greeting: Know ye that we haue granted to the Weauers in
London, their Guild, with all the freedomes and customes
that they had in the time of king Henrie my Grandfather, so
that none but they intermit within the Citie of their craft but
he be of their Guild, neither in Southwarke, or other places
pertaining to London, otherwise then it was done in the time
of king Henrie my Grandfather: wherefore I will and straightly
commaund that ouer all lawfully, they may treate, and haue
all aforesaid, as well in peace, free, worshipfull, and wholy, as
they had it, freer, better, worshipfullier, and wholier, then in
the time of king Henrie my Grandfather, so that they yeeld
yearely to mee two markes of gold at the feast of S. Michaell,
and I forbid that any man to them do any vnright, or disease,
vpon paine of ten pound, witnes Thomas of Canterburie,
Warino filio Gerardi, Camerario. Also I read that the same
Henrie the second in the 31. of his raigne, made a confirmation
to the Weauers that had a Guild of fraternitie in London,
wherein it appeareth that the said Weauers made wollen cloth,
and that they had the correction thereof: but amongst other
Articles in that patent, it was decreed, that if any man made
cloth of Spanish wooll mixed with English wooll, the Portgraue,
or principall Magistrate of London ought to burne it, &c.
Mathew Paris.
Moreouer in the yeare 1197. king Richard the first at the
instance of Hubert Archbishop of Canterburie and Iusticier
of England, ordained that the woollen clothes in euery part of
this realme should be in bredth two yards within the listes
and as good in the middest as in the sides, &c. King Henrie
the third granted to the Citizens of London that they should
not be vexed for the burels, or clothlisted, according to the
constitution made for bredth of cloth the ninth of his raigne,
&c. Richard the second, in the third of his raigne, granted
an order of agreement betweene the Weauers of London,
English men and Aliens or straungers borne, brought in by
Edward the third.
Girdlers hall.
Lower downe is the Girdlers hall, and this is all touching
the East side of this ward.
Bakewell hall.; Bassings hall.; Armes of the Bassings.; How Bassings hall warde tooke that name.
On the west side almost at the south end thereof is Bakewell hall, corruptly called Blackewell hall: concerning the
originall whereof I haue heard diuerse opinions, which I ouerpasse as fables, without colour of truth, for though the same
seemed a building of great antiquitie, yet in mine opinion the
foundation thereof was first laide since the Conquest of
William Duke of Normandie: for the same was builded vpon
vaultes of stone, which stone was brought from Cane in Normandie, the like of that of Paules Church, builded by Mauritius and his successors Bishops of London: but that this
house hath beene a Temple or Iewish Sinagogue (as some
haue fantasied) I allow not, seeing that it had no such forme
of roundnes, or other likenesse, neither had it the forme of a
Church for the assembly of Christians, which are builded East
and West, but contrariwise the same was builded north and
south, and in forme of a noble mans house, and therefore the
best opinion in my iudgement is that it was of olde time
belonging to the family of the Bassings, which was in this
realme a name of great antiquitie and renowne, and that it
bare also the name of that familie, & was called therefore
Bassings Haugh, or Hall: whereunto I am the rather induced,
for that the Armes of that family were of olde time so
abundantly placed in sundry parts of that house, euen in the
stone worke, but more especially on the wals of the hall,
which carried a continuall painting of them on euerie side so
close togither, as one escutcheon could be placed by another,
which I my selfe haue often seene and noted before the olde
building was taken downe: these armes were a Gerond of
twelue poynts, Gold, and Azure. Of the Bassings therefore,
builders of this house, and owners of the ground neare adioyning, that warde taketh the name, as Coleman streete warde
of Coleman, and Faringden ward of William and Nicholas
Faringden, men that were principall owners of those places.
Salomon Bassing and other of that name.
And of olde time the most noble persons that inhabited
this Citie, were appointed to be principall magistrates there,
as was Godfrey de Magun (or Magnauile), Portgraue or Shiriffe
in the raign of William Conqueror, and of William Rufus,
Hugh de Buch, in the raigne of Henry the first. Auberie de
Vere Earle of Oxford: after him Gilbert Becket, in the raign of
king Stephen, after that Godfrey de Magnauile the sonne of
William the sonne of Godfrey de Magnauile Earles of Essex,
were Portgraues or Shiriffes of London and Middlesex. In
the raigne of Henrie the second, Peter Fitzwalter: after him
Iohn Fitznigel, &c. so likewise in the raigne of king Iohn, the
16. of his raigne, a time of great troubles, in the yeare 1214,
Salomon Bassing, and Hugh Bassing, Barons of this realme
as may bee supposed, were Shiriffes: and the said Salomon
Bassing was Maior in the yere 1216. which was the first of
Henrie the thirde. Also Adam Bassing sonne to Salomon
(as it seemeth) was one of the Shiriffes, in the yeare 1243, the
28. of Henrie the third.
Vnto this Adam de Bassing, king Henrie the third in the
31. of his raigne, gaue and confirmed certaine messuages in
Aldermanbury, and in Milke streete (places not far from
Bassings Hall) and the aduouson of the Church at Bassinges
hall, with sundrie liberties and priuiledges.
Bassing borne.
This man was afterwards Maior in the yeare 1251. the 36.
of Henrie the thirde. Moreouer Thomas Bassing was one of
the Shiriffes, 1269. Robert Bassing Shiriffe, 1279. and William
Bassing was Shiriffe 1308, &c. for more of the Bassings in this
Citie I need not note, onely I read of this family of Bassinges
in Cambridgeshire, called Bassing at the bourne, and more
shortly Bassing bourn, and gaue Armes as is afore shewed,
and was painted about this old hall. But this familie is worne
out, and hath left the name to the place where they dwelt.
Thus much for this Bassings hall.
Bakewell hall giuen to the City.; Bakewell hall a market place for wollen clothes.
Now how Bakewell hall tooke that name is another question:
for which I read that Thomas Bakewell dwelled in this house
in the six and thirtieth of Edwarde the third, and that in the
20. of Richarde the second, the saide king for the summe of
fiftie poundes which the Maior and Comminaltie had paide
into the Hanapar graunted licence, so much as was in him, to
Iohn Frosh, William Parker, and Stephen Spilman (Citizens
and Mercers) that they, the said Messuage called Bakewell
hall, and one Garden with the appurtenances in the parish of
Saint Michael of Bassings Haugh, and of Saint Laurence in
the Iurie of London, and one messuage, two shops, and one
Garden, in the sayde parish of Saint Michaell, which they
held of the king in burgage, might giue and assigne to the
Maior and Comminaltie for euer. This Bakewell hall thus
established, hath beene long since imployed as a weekely
market place for all sorts of Wollen clothes broade and
narrow, brought from all partes of this Realme, there to be
solde. In the 21. of Richard the second, R. Whittington
maior, & in the 22. Dreugh (fn. 2) Barringtine being maior, it was
decreed that no forrein or stranger should sell any wollen
cloth but in the Bakewell hall, vpon paine of forfeyture
thereof.
Bakewell hall new builded.
This house of late yeares growing ruinous and in daunger
of falling, Richard May marchant Tayler at his discease gaue
towards the new building of the outward part thereof 300.
pounds, vpon condition that the same should bee performed
within three yeares after his discease, whervpon the old
Bakewel hall was taken downe, and in the moneth of Februarie next Following, the foundation of a new strong and
beautiful storehouse being laid, the worke therof was so
diligently applied, that within the space of ten moneths after
to the charges of 2500. poundes, the same was finished in the
yeare 1588.
Coopers hall.; Parish church of S. Michaell.
Next beyond this house be placed diuerse faire houses for
marchants and others, till yee came to the backe Gate of Guild
hall, which gate and part of the building within the same, is
of this warde. Some small distance beyond this gate, the
Coopers haue their common hall. Then is the Parish Church
of S. Michaell, called S. Michaell at Bassings hall, a proper
Church lately reedifyed, or new builded, whereto Iohn Barton
mercer, and Agnes (fn. 3) his wife were great benefactors, as appeareth by his marke placed throughout the whole roofe of the
Quier and middle Ile of the Church, he deceased in the yeare
1460. and was buried in the Quire with this Epitaph.
Iohn Barton lyeth under here,
Sometimes of London Citizen and Mercer,
And Ienet (fn. 3) his wife, with their progenie,
Beene turned to earth as ye may see,
Friends free what so ye bee,
Pray for vs we you pray,
As you see vs in this degree,
So shall you be another day.
Frances Cooke, Iohn Martin, Edward Bromflit Esquier, of
Warwickeshire, 1460. Richard Barnes, Sir Roger Roe, Roger
Velden, 1479. Sir Iames Yarford mercer, Maior, deceased
1527. buried vnder a fayre Tombe with his Ladie in a speciall
Chappell by him builded, on the North side of the Quire.
Sir Iohn Gresham mercer, Maior, deceased 1554. Sir Iohn
Ailife Chirurgion, then a Grocer, one of the Shiriffes, 1548.
Nicholas Bakhurst one of the Shiriffes 1577. Wolston Dixi,
Skinner, Maior 1585. &c. Thus haue you noted one Parish
Church of S. Michaell, Bakewell hall, a Market place for
wollen clothes, the Masons hall, Weauers hall, Girdlers (fn. 4) hall,
and Coopers hall. And thus I ende this Ward, which hath
an Alderman, his Deputie, for common Counsaile foure,
Constables two, Scauengers two, for the Wardmot inquest
seuenteene, and a Beedle, it is taxed to the fifteene in London
seuen pound, and likewise in the Exchequer at seuen pound.