PARISHES IN THE ANCIENT BOROUGH: All Saints'
All Saints' parish extends over the northern part
of the walled borough of Leicester and for a distance beyond. The boundary runs from High
Cross Street, along a line just south of Free School.
Lane to a point to the west of Churchgate. From
there it goes north through the houses behind
Churchgate to Sanvey Gate, along Sanvey Gate and
some distance up Northgate Street At a point just
south of Pingle Street it goes eastwards to the
end of Berkley Street and follows a winding course
roughly along the lines of Craven Street and Slater
Street to Frog Island. From there it goes south until
it reaches the canal and turns west to enclose a very
narrow strip of land along the canal on the north side.
It then runs through the buildings west of Northgate Street to reach the river at the west end of Soar
Lane. It turns east again along the south side of Soar
Lane and goes down Great Central Street to Friars
Causeway, and then through houses to rejoin High
Cross Street. (fn. 1)
The chief thoroughfare is High Cross Street, from
Sanvey Gate to Peacock Lane, formerly High Street,
which was part of the main road north and south
during the Middle Ages. (fn. 2) High Cross Street is
probably the magnus vicus which is mentioned in two
charters of the 12th century dealing with burgage
tenements, one probably early in Henry II's reign. (fn. 3)
Its more usual name, alta strata, occurs from the
beginning of the 14th century. (fn. 4) In this street were
some of the more important public buildings, and in
it the Wednesday market was held, at the junction
with the present High Street. (fn. 5) In the Middle Ages
these public buildings consisted of the two prisons
belonging to the borough and the county, and at a
later date the Free Grammar School. (fn. 6) St. John's
Hospital (fn. 7) and All Saints' Church also stood in the
street; many inns were there, and at least one large
house was built there in the later Middle Ages. (fn. 8)
Of the two prisons, that built by the borough was
probably the earlier, and it seems likely that it
existed in 1297. (fn. 9) Formal recognition of the right to
have a prison was not given until 1375. (fn. 10) About 1614
a new house of correction was established on the
site of the old St. John's Hospital at the corner of
High Cross Street and Causeway Lane. (fn. 11) This in
turn was rebuilt by John Johnson in 1793. (fn. 12) The
old gaol was demolished in 1792, and William
Firmadge was the mason in charge of operations. (fn. 13)
While this demolition was taking place the remains
of the hospital were uncovered. (fn. 14) Johnson's prison in
turn was taken down in 1837 and small houses were
built on the site. (fn. 15) These still exist (nos. 81–87). Now
very much decayed, they are of white stucco with
some pleasant moulded decoration. Between 1824
and 1828 the corporation were debating, against
violent opposition, the question of building another
gaol, and they actually accepted a plan from Firmadge, then an alderman, for a new prison and bought
land in Causeway Lane next door to the existing
prison. (fn. 16) Finally the problem was solved by the purchase of the county gaol (fn. 17) which stood a little farther
up the road, at the corner of High Cross Street and
Free School Lane. A county gaol was built between
1300 and 1309, near to the Shire Hall. (fn. 18) It was
probably not until the 16th century that a new
building was erected on the site occupied by the
county gaol until the 19th century. By the 18th
century the gaol was in such an appalling state as to
be roundly condemned by Howard the prison reformer, and in 1790–2 it was rebuilt. (fn. 19) The architect
of the new building was George Moneypenny of
Derby. (fn. 20) The surveyor was William Harrison, who
received a salary of £500 a year. (fn. 21) In 1803 the gaol
was altered by a Leicester architect, William Oldham. (fn. 22) When the new county gaol was built in Welford Road, this building was bought by the borough
authorities, who built a bridewell next to it. The cost
of purchase and alterations was very largely responsible for the borough debt in 1835, about £17,000
out of the total debt of £27,000. (fn. 23) Between 1858 and
1860 further alterations were made, when a new
wing for male prisoners was erected. (fn. 24) In 1867–8 a
new female wing was built. (fn. 25) After the prison had
been taken over by the Prison Commissioners in
1878, they decided to close it. The building was
bought back from them by the borough in 1879 for
£10,322 8s., (fn. 26) and subsequently demolished.
Leicester Borough boundaries
Map of Leicester showing the principal streets referred to in the text, and the sites of important buildings.
The map does not represent the town as it existed at any one date.
At the beginning of the 19th century High Cross
Street preserved a largely medieval appearance. In
Flower's print of about 1830, (fn. 27) Moneypenny's gaol
stands out in contrast against the other rather
dilapidated timber-framed buildings, which predominated on that side of the road. One house,
dated 1717, still stands. On the opposite side,
Flower's print shows 18th- or 19th-century fronts,
with bow-fronted shop windows. One notable house
of this type still survives (no. 18). The front dates
from about 1760 and is of red brick with stucco
bands. The 'Tower of the Winds'-type pilasters are
superimposed over the bands. The central window
on the first floor has a pediment and a panel of
balusters below. There is a good wooden doorcase
with an open pediment and traceried fanlight. Down
a side passage it is possible to obtain a view of the
rear elevation, which is of two stories, as opposed to
three at the front, and probably dates from the very
early years of the 16th century. It is timber-framed
and the upper story oversails the lower. The ground
floor windows, extending the whole way along the
building, have timber mullions. (fn. 28) No. 59 is a late18th-century brick house with a very large semicircular fanlight. No. 90 dates from the early 19th
century and is a stucco house with a rusticated lower
story, moulded cornice, and small parapet.
Free School Lane leads off High Cross Street to
the east. It is probably to be identified with the
medieval Dead Lane (mortua venella), which was a
blind alley. The name occurs first at the beginning of
the 14th century, (fn. 29) and was replaced by that of Free
School Lane when the school was built in 1573. (fn. 30)
St. Peter's Lane runs roughly parallel with it,
farther north. It also appears for the first time at the
beginning of the 14th century. (fn. 31) Miss Watts stated
that it was known at the beginning of the last century
as Womans Lane, but she is the only authority for
this. (fn. 32) Farther south ran Causeway Lane, known in
the Middle Ages as St. John's Lane or Gaol Lane. (fn. 33)
St. John's Hospital stood on its north side, at the
corner with High Cross Street. The present St.
John's Hospital (fn. 34) only occupies part of the original
site, as the old borough gaol was built on the corner,
and there are now also houses on the site. A little
farther down the main street is Cumberland Street,
which was the beginning of the lane described in
1303 as 'venella qui se extendit ab alta strata versus
ecclesiam sancti Petri et versus Torchmere', and of
which East Bond Street forms a part. (fn. 35) Torchmere
is impossible to place on a modern map. It was
probably an open piece of ground with a pond in
the north-eastern part of the walled town, most of
which was up to the 19th century open ground with
orchards and gardens. (fn. 36) In the last century the area
between High Cross Street and Churchgate was
filled with a tangle of lanes and streets. At the end of
the 18th century a bowling green and gardens were
opened near what is now Vauxhall Street, and was
a popular resort for some years. It was known as the
New Vauxhall and was designed to take the place
of the old Vauxhall Gardens near the West Bridge
which were put up for sale in 1797. (fn. 37) Dr. Arnold's
asylum also stood in this area. (fn. 38)
The road called Northgate Street originally included the whole of the road to the North Bridge,
but during the last century the part between the
canal and the bridge became known as Frog Island,
from the strip of land of that name. (fn. 39) During the
Middle Ages it was chiefly inhabited by dyers and
fullers. Outside the North Gate to the west ran Soar
Lane, which was known as Walkers or Fullers Lane
(vicus fullonum). (fn. 40) The name Soar Lane appears in
the 15th century, but the road was still sometimes
known as Walkers Lane at the end of the 16th century. (fn. 41) North of Soar Lane was a close called the
Pingle. The name survives in Pingle Street, and the
land was laid out for streets at the very beginning
of the 19th century, as a result of the building of the
canal. (fn. 42) The same kind of development took place
on the other side of Northgate Street. There were
a tannery and a bleach yard by the canal by 1828. (fn. 43)
One of the first factories to be built in Leicester was
one for spinning cotton in Northgate Street, probably built in 1792. (fn. 44)
The industrialization of the northern part of the
parish increased the population, and new streets
were built wherever it was possible, on the Pingle
and between High Cross Street and Churchgate, for
instance. In 1563 there were only 66 families living
in the parish. (fn. 45) At the beginning of the 18th century
the population was 1,020. (fn. 46) The first census gives
2,838, and the population rose steadily throughout
the last century until its highest figure was reached,
6,867 in 1891. (fn. 47) During this century it has declined
and was 4,306 in 1931. (fn. 48)
Guilds.
The guild attached to the hospital of St.
John the Evangelist and St. John the Baptist seems
to have started with a gift in 1355 when the feoffees
of Peter of Grendon the saddler assigned property
to the hospital for the souls of Peter and his family
and all the benefactors of the hospital. The chaplain
was to be chosen from among the brethren of the
hospital but he took his oath in the borough court. (fn. 49)
The date of the establishment of the guild itself is
not known. The will of a chaplain of the guild was
proved in 1442. (fn. 50) In 1477 the chaplain's duties were
set out in an agreement between the hospital and
Richard Wigston, steward of the guild, in which
Peter of Grendon and his wife are specifically mentioned. Richard Wigston and his successors with the
advice of the master of the hospital were to choose
the guild priests, whose duties were to include the
saying of mass in the guild chapel and also twice
weekly in the chapel of St. John in Belgrave Gate.
The priest would be supported between them, the
master finding meat and drink or 40s. yearly, the
steward paying the balance of his salary and finding
him a chamber in the hospital. (fn. 51) Nothing further is
known of this guild, which probably decayed with
the hospital after 1548.
The guild of the Assumption which was attached
to All Saints' Church was founded in the 14th century by twenty brethren. (fn. 52) Apparently before this
there were no chaplains except the vicar. A chaplain
was employed to say mass for the guild and as its
popularity increased a second chaplain was appointed in 1389. (fn. 53) The guild was still in existence
in 1528, but nothing further is known of it. (fn. 54)
Church.
The church of All Saints was probably
one of those which formed the endowment of the
college of St. Mary de Castro, and which were
granted to Leicester Abbey in 1143. (fn. 55) By 1220 it was
appropriated to the abbey. (fn. 56) At the Dissolution it
passed to the Crown, which transferred it in 1867 to
the Bishop of Peterborough, (fn. 57) from whom it passed
to the Bishop of Leicester who now holds it. (fn. 58) The
priest's stipend in 1222 was 20s. with the equivalent
of a canon's daily corrody, (fn. 59) and the living was said
to be worth 10 marks in 1217 and 6 marks in 1254. (fn. 60)
It was valued at £8 3s. 8d. in 1535. (fn. 61) In 1591 the
parish of the decayed church of St. Peter was absorbed by All Saints', although only after protests
by St. Martin's. (fn. 62) The assizes were held in the
church in 1593 owing to the plague in the centre of
the town. (fn. 63) With the additional £5 which he received
from St. Peter's, the vicar's stipend was unchanged
until the living was augmented in 1762 and 1802 by
grants from Queen Anne's Bounty. The living was
worth £148 yearly in 1831. (fn. 64) After the death of the
vicar in 1947 no successor was appointed and the
church was served by the Archdeacon of Leicester
as priest in charge. (fn. 65) He was appointed vicar in
1954. (fn. 66)
Nothing definite is known of the structure of the
church until the end of the 16th century, when a
complaint was made that the roof needed attention,
and it seems to have been repaired. (fn. 67) The tall pews
were cut down in 1637 after the archdeacon's visitation. (fn. 68) For the next hundred years the church seems
to have been kept in good condition, but in 1797 the
archdeacon discovered weeds growing out of the
walls, a leaking roof, and a dangerously decayed
chancel. (fn. 69) In 1829 the chancel was rebuilt. (fn. 70) The
roofs were renewed throughout by Henry Goddard
in 1855. (fn. 71) The nave was restored by Goddard and
Paget in 1875, (fn. 72) and the tower in 1894 by W. Bassett
Smith of London. (fn. 73) Part of the roof collapsed into the
chancel in 1940. (fn. 74)
The church of ALL SAINTS stands in High
Cross Street, with its west end immediately on the
street, and the churchyard to the south and east.
It seems possible that an earlier building was cruciform, of 12th-century date, and that in the 14th
century or late in the 13th the church was rebuilt on
a different plan. Of the original church the only remains are the west door and the base of the tower,
which, it is suggested, may originally have been centrally placed, although this is by no means certain.
The 14th-century rebuilding evidently took place
gradually, as the various parts of the work differ in
detail. In the 15th century the clerestory was added
and the church reroofed.
The church now consists of nave and chancel,
north-east tower, and north and south aisles. The
length of the north side is about 5 feet greater than
that of the south, as the west front slopes along the
line of High Cross Street outside. The west doorway
is Norman, with detached shafts and two rows of
chevron ornament. (fn. 75) The door itself is a good
example of 15th-century woodwork. Just to the
right of the door is an aperture through the wall,
which gives a view of the altar. Its purpose is doubtful. (fn. 76) The north aisle has two lead rainwater heads,
dated 1709 and 1855 respectively. The chancel is
brick.
The distinctive feature of All Saints' is the tower
which rises from the north-east end of the church.
The base is probably Norman, with very thick walls
and pairs of half-round pilasters at the corners, visible
both inside and out. It rises in three stages, finishing
in a battlemented parapet. There are beam-holes for
a first-floor chamber with a small round-backed
fireplace in the west wall. The slender tower arch
and lancet cut across the floor level of this chamber.
The chancel is partly paved with 14th-century
tiles. (fn. 77) In it are monuments to Matthew Simons, High
Sheriff (d. 1714), to Alderman Gabriel Newton (d.
1762), the founder of the Greencoat School, and to
several members of the Forrester family, of the early
19th century. (fn. 78) The pulpit dates from the 15th century, and fragments of a screen of the same date have
been re-erected near the font. The mayor's seat,
dated 1680, is in the north aisle, and is the only one
of its kind to survive in Leicester. The font at the
west end of the nave dates from the 13th century and
has a round bowl, decorated with trefoils and foliage,
very similar indeed to the one in St. Mary de Castro.
The base is modern. Above the south door is a clock
surmounted by two compartments, each containing
a small figure which strikes a bell at the hour. Below
the figures is a painting of Father Time placed there
when the clock was restored in 1899; the clock
probably dates from about 1620, (fn. 79) and was formerly
fixed above the west door. There are six bells: (1)
1595; (2) undated, pre-Reformation; (3) 1611, cast
by Edward Newcombe; (4) 1586, cast by Robert
Newcombe; (5) undated, cast by John de Stafford
towards the end of the 14th century, recast by John
Taylor of Loughborough 1894; (6) 1945, cast by
Taylor of Loughborough. The whole ring was rehung in 1946. (fn. 80)
The registers date from 1575. There is no ancient
plate. The churchyard contains some fine Swithland
slate headstones of the 18th and 19th centuries. (fn. 81)
Charities.
In 1612 William Norrice granted a
yearly sum of 15s. from a garden in Soar Lane to be
distributed to 41 poor people on St. Bartholomew's
day after evensong. (fn. 82) The donor's conditions were so
troublesome, 'impracticable and absurd', (fn. 83) that in
1837 the charity had been in abeyance for some years.
Before 1785 Joseph Wright left 25s. a year for the
purchase of 10 pairs of women's shoes. The money
was charged on land called 'Coltmans' and a garden
in Elbow Lane. In 1837 the money was paid (the
ground now having been built over) partly to the
poor widows of St. John's Hospital and partly to
the parish. (fn. 84)
John Saunders left at an unknown date two annuities for the parish. The first, of 6s. 8d., was to be
given in bread yearly on Good Friday and was payable out of land in the parish. The second, of 3s. 4d.
yearly, was to be paid towards the repair of the
church. (fn. 85) It is mentioned in 1832 as the church's
only endowment. (fn. 86)
Payments are made to the parish by Leicester
Corporation under the Ive and Courteen charities,
and by the Trustees of Leicester General Charities
for the Heyrick bread charity. (fn. 87)