The history and antiquities of London, Westminster, Southwark, and other parts adjacent ... Continued to the present time / by Thomas Wright.
- Thomas Allen
- Date:
- 1839
Licence: Public Domain Mark
Credit: The history and antiquities of London, Westminster, Southwark, and other parts adjacent ... Continued to the present time / by Thomas Wright. Source: Wellcome Collection.
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![they founde any man stirring in the citie within the night, they would presently murther him: in so much, that when night was come, no man durst adventure to walke in the streetes. When this had continued long, it fortuned that a crew of yong and weal- thy citizens assembling together in the night, assaulted a stone house of a certain rich man, and breaking through the wall, the goode man of that house having prepared himself, with others, in a corner, when hee perceived one of the theeves, named Andrew Burquinte, to lead the way, with a burning brand in the one hande, and a potte of coales in the other, which he assayed to kindle with the brande, he flewe upon him, and smote off his right hande, and then with a loud voyce cryed Theeves, at the hering whereof the theeves took their flight, all saving hee that had lost liis hande, whome the good man in the next morning delivered to Richard do Lucy, the king’s Justice. This theefe upon warrant of his life, appeached his confederates, of whome manie were taken, and many were fledde; but among the rest that were apprehended, a cortayne citizen of great countenance, credite, and wealth, surnamed John the Olde, when hee coulde not acquite himselfe by the water-dome [water-ordeal]j offered the king for his life five hundred markos ; but the king commanded that he shoulde be hanged, which was done: and the citie be- came more quiet.’ In 1170, the building of a new bridge of stone was commenced at London, at a short distance westward from the wooden bridge ; yet it was not completed till the year 1209, tenth of King John. In a curious Tract written about 1174, by Fitz-Stephen, a monk of Canterbury, intituled, ‘ Descinptio nobilissinKB civitatis LondonicB,’ * is an interesting picture of the metropolis, and its customs, in Henry the Second’s time. According to this author, the city was then bounded on the land-side by a high and spa cious wall, furnished with turrets, and seven double gates ;t and had in the east part ‘ a tower palatine,’ and in the west two castles well fortified.J Further westward, about two miles, on the banks of the river, was the Royal Palace, (at Westminster,) an incomparable structure, guarded by a wall and bulwarks.’ Between this and the city was a continued suburb, mingled with large and beautiful gardens and orchards belonging to the citi- zens, who were themselves every where known, and respected above ah others, for their ‘ civil demeanour, their goodly appa- rel, their table, and their discourse.’ The number of conventual churches in the city, and its suburbs, was thirteen, besides 126 ‘ lesser parochial ones.’ On the north side were open meadow ♦ First printed in Stow’s Survey, 1508. Supposed to have been Aldgate, liishopsgate^ Cripplegate, Aldergate, Newgate, Ludgale, and aPostern near the Tower. J These were tlie Castles of Bay nard and Monttichet.](https://iiif.wellcomecollection.org/image/b29310775_0074.jp2/full/800%2C/0/default.jpg)
