CHAPTER 1: EARLY HISTORY OF THE PROPERTY ON THE WEST SIDE OF WHITEHALL AND CHARING CROSS
The whole of the land on the west side of Whitehall from the site
of Downing Street to Charing Cross and thence along the south side of
the highway as far as and inclusive of the site of St. James's Palace was
acquired by Henry VIII before 1532. The greater part of this ground
was used in connection with the royal palaces of Whitehall and St. James's,
and in the formation of St. James's Park, but some part was subsequently
sold or let on lease. Materials for the early history of that part of the
property which comes within the scope of this volume are scanty. An
attempt has here been made to fix the relative positions of the various
holdings into which the ground was divided, and to give some account of
their history, but the evidence available is so fragmentary that no definite
conclusions can be based upon it.
(i) To the north of the inn called The Bell, which extended some
distance north and south of the Bars of Westminster, (fn. 1) were gardens
belonging to the office of the treasurer within the Abbey. This property
was on 15th July, 1500, leased to John Jamys, yeoman, under the description of seven cottages with one barn, lately built by John Millyng, deceased,
and one vacant piece of land, with a garden adjacent, situated by the White
Cross. It abutted on the croft of Henry "Marbull" on the north, on the
field leading to the Hospital of St. James on the west, and on the highway
leading from Westminster to Charing Cross on the east. (fn. 2) On 3rd June,
1528, a further lease of this property was granted to Dr. Richard Duck. (fn. 3)
In a list of "divers tenements" belonging to Westminster Abbey made
circa 1530, (fn. 4) two of the cottages were stated to be sublet to Thomas Rawlyns
and Thomas Swallowe at the annual rents of 40s. and 28s. respectively. The
property was included in that acquired by Henry VIII from the Abbey in
1531. (fn. 5)
(ii) In 1308–9 Thomas Chese and Egidia his wife bought (fn. 6) one
acre of land in Westminster from William le Clerke and Edith his wife.
Seventy years later Stephen Chese, son of Thomas, sold (fn. 7) this property to
John West, keeper of the Palace of Westminster. It was then described
as a parcel of meadow enclosed with hedges, ditches and walls, lying between
the meadow formerly of John "Botywyk" on the north and the meadow of
the Abbot and Convent of Westminster on the south. It abutted on the
highway on the east and on the common ditch of Westminster on the west.
John West retained possession of the property until 1405, when he sold it
to John Legburn. (fn. 8) In 1423 the latter transferred it to Roger Westwode
and others. In a deed of 1433, by which the meadow was sold to Robert
Forster, it was stated that a dovecot had been built there. In 1449
the property passed into the hands of Henry "Marbill" and Alice his
wife, and nine years later an agreement was made "betwene David Selly of
the towne of Westm' … of ye oone parte esquier and Herry Marbull of
ye same towne … gentyllman of ye other parte … for a dyke betwene ye
tenement of ye seid David at one tyme John Botirwyk of ye parte of ye
north, and ye tenement of ye said Herry late Robert forster of ye parte
of ye South." By 1478 five messuages had been erected on Marble's
ground. The property remained in the possession of his heirs until 1531,
when it was sold by Hugh Marble to Thomas Cromwell in trust for the
King, and a lease of it, which was then in the possession of Thomas Rawlyns,
was bought in at the same time. The property was then stated to lie "agenst
the white crosse and agenst the grene before the kings manor latelie called
Yorke Place."
(iii) It will be seen from (ii) that the land to the north of Marble's
tenement was in 1378 in the possession of John "Botywyk," and in 1458
in that of David Selly. This ground was charged with a rent of 2s. to the
keeper of the Lady Chapel of Westminster Abbey, and the successive
owners of the ground can therefore be traced in his accounts. In the account
for the year 1405–6 there is an entry of a payment of 2s. for the rent of a
meadow, late of Roger Belet and then of Alice "Boterwyke," lying opposite
the hermitage at "Charryng." The only record that has been found of
any transaction between Roger Belet and John Butterwick is a Final Concord
of 1372–3, by which Roger Belet of Laleham and Agnes his wife sold to
John Doget of "Botterwyk" and Alice his wife three messuages, forty-four
acres of land and eight acres of meadow in "Knyghtbrigge," Eye and
Westminster. The meadow in question was probably included in this
sale. In the account of the keeper of St. Mary's Chapel for 1388–9 there
is a note that the rent of 2s. for the parcel of ground opposite the hermitage
was unpaid, because the ground was in the hand of the abbot and "iacet
vacua," and this entry is repeated in the accounts for the years 1393–4,
1395–6 and 1398–9. John Butterwick died circa 1390, (fn. 9) and it was probably
because of his death that the ground was taken into the abbot's hand.
From 1400 till 1454 Alice Butterwick and her descendants, Elizabeth Roote
and Richard and Robert Scarburgh, were in possession of the property.
In the St. Mary's Chapel Account for 1454–5 Thomas Bradshawe appears
as responsible for the rent of 2s. and in 1458–9 he is succeeded by David
Selly. In 1468 David Selly sold (fn. 10) the property to William Dixon, brewer.
It was then described as a certain tenement with a parcel of meadow adjoining,
formerly belonging to John "Boterwyk," and lying near Charing Cross,
between the tenement and meadow of Henry "Marbill" on the south and
the garden which formerly belonged to Lord Bardolf and afterwards to
Lord Beaumont on the north. It abutted on the highway on the east and
on a meadow belonging to the Abbey of Westminster on the west. The
measurements are given as being in length 126 yards 1 foot 2 inches on the
south side and 122 yards 1 foot on the north side, and in width 54 yards
2 feet 3 inches at the east end and 31 yards 1 foot 3 inches at the west end.
The property remained in the possession of Dixon and his descendants
until its acquisition by Henry VIII. In 1530–1 Katherine Dixon, widow,
paid the 2s. rent to St. Mary's Chapel. In the next account which has been
preserved, that for 1533–4, the 2s. due from "Katrina Dixon" is placed
among the allowances "pro diversis tenementis que dominus Rex prostravit
causa ampleandi locum suum." The actual sale of this property to
Henry VIII has not been found.
(iv) In 1468 the tenement of David Selly was said to abut north
on the garden formerly of Lord Bardolf and later of Lord Beaumont.
Thomas, 5th Baron Bardolf, held a considerable amount of landed property
in different parts of England. He died in 1407 of wounds received at the
Battle of Bramham Moor, and was afterwards attainted for his rebellion.
Part of his estates were granted to his daughter Joan, wife of Sir William Philip,
and at her death in 1461 they passed to her grandson, William, 2nd Viscount
Beaumont, who also succeeded to the title of Lord Bardolf. If the statement
in the deed of 1468 is correct, the garden at Charing must have belonged to
the 5th Lord Bardolf and have descended by inheritance to William, Viscount
Beaumont. The latter died in 1507 without issue. In the inquisition taken
after his death (fn. 11) the jurors stated that he died seized of, inter alia, lands and
tenements in the town and fields of Westminster and St. Giles's called "le
Beaumontes londes," which were worth 40s. a year. The whole of "Beaumonts Lands" afterwards came into the hands of the Crown. From later
deeds it is obvious that they were divided into several scattered parcels,
but no information has been found concerning the exact position or size of
the "garden" at Charing Cross.
(v) On 25th February, 1481–2, the Abbot of Westminster leased (fn. 12) to
John Kendall a piece of ground "iuxta Charingcrosse," abutting on the
highway leading to Charing Cross on the north and on the highway leading
to Westminster on the east, upon the close demised to William Underhill
on the south and upon a vacant piece of ground on the west. It contained
520 feet in length (i.e. westward from Charing Cross along the south side
of the highway) and in width 63 feet at the west end, 68 feet at the east end and
100 feet in the middle. At the same time Kendall obtained a lease of another
piece of ground containing 100 feet in length and 66 feet in width at "le
north west" end and 63 feet in width at "le Southest" end, and abutting
on a road leading to the close of William Underhill on the north, on the
said close on the west, on "le Cawcy" going towards Westminster on the
east and on a certain old wall on the south. Four years later a further
lease of these pieces of land was granted to Basilide Smyth, widow. (fn. 13) In
1524 William Salcote, carpenter, obtained from the Abbey (fn. 14) a lease of divers
cottages at Charing Cross, which he sold to Thomas Cromwell in trust for the
King in 1531. (fn. 15) In the Account of the keeper of St. Mary's Chapel for 1530–1 (fn. 16)
there is an entry of a payment of 3s. 4d. by William Salcote for cottages "nuper
dimissis Basilide Smyth vidue" lying near Charing Cross, opposite the
chapel of St. Katherine and adjoining to the tenement of John Pomfret. From
the measurements given of Salcote's property it is obvious that it did not
include the whole of the ground granted to Basilide Smyth, and it is probable
that the remainder of it was comprised in the lease of 1512 (fn. 17) from the Abbey
to John Pomfret, "bruer," and Joan his wife of a close of land, with a barn
adjoining, near Charing Cross on the west side of the way. John Pomfret
died in 1531 leaving (fn. 18) "unto Elizabethe my wyfe duryng hyr lyffetyme
my convent seale of the White lyon besyde charyng cross … and after
the decease of my sayd wyffe to Remayne unto my son in law John Bennett."
In the following month Bennett sold his rights in this property to the King. (fn. 19)
In the absence of more precise information it is impossible to be
sure that the properties described above included the whole of the ground
on the west side of the road, the later history of which is dealt with in this
volume, but they certainly account for the greater part of it, and no record
has been found of the acquisition by Henry VIII of any other property which
can be definitely assigned to this area.