Portsoken Ward.

THE name PORTSOKEN signifies the Franchise at the Gate. It is bounded on the east side by the parishes of Spitalfields, Stepney, and St. George's in the East, on the south by Tower-hill; on the north by Bishopsgate Ward; and on the west by the ward of Aldgate.

The extent of this ward will be best described by following the order of the annual parochial perambulation; which is, - up Houndsditch northward, and crossing the way eastward into Still and Hand alley; passing on by the garden wall, proceed to Pet ticoat-lane, in the middle of which is the partition between the two parishes of Whitechapel and St. Botolph. Then go on to the bars in the street, cross the way southward, go through a tavern once known by the name of the Castle, and then, turning westward, pass on to the Minories until you come to the bars, where ends the ward and the parish within the freedom. There, at the farther end, turn down into Brown's-alley, proceeding as far as Goodman's-fields, then turn up the street again, and go down Red-lion-alley, passing directly into Rosemary-lane, thence down Nightingale-lane on the west side to the Hermitage-bridge, and so round St. Catharine's, then passing over Tower-hill you, come again into the freedom, and proceed directly up the Minories northward, until you come to Aldgate.

The principal streets in this ward are Whitechapel, the Minories, and Houndsditch, and also the west side of Petticoat-lane, from which diverge various alleys, courts, &c. Whitechapel is a wide street leading into the city from the east, and being the road to

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Essex, is a very great thoroughfare. It is well inhabited, and has everal good inns for the accommodation of travellers and others. A market for sale of hay is here held three times in the week, and on the south side is exhibited every lawful day by the Butchers of Whitechapel, a plentiful supply of meats of all sorts, of a quality not inferior to that of any metropolitan market, both for the wholesale dealer and the consumer. The inus are chiefly on the north side; the chief of which are, the Three Nuns, the Crown, the Black Bull, and the Blue Boar. The various other taverns have many dealings with the country people from Essex, and other parts.

The chief alleys eastward, beginning at St. Botolph's church, are Hatchett-alley, having a narrow entrance; White Bear-alley, entered by a long, narrow, and dark passage; Sun-and-Trumpetalley, near to which is the Bell Brewhouse; Red-cross-court, (well-built modern houses,) hath a convenient passage into Petticoat-lane; Anchor-and-Harp-alley narrow; Harrow-alley, containing two large courts, and a long alley leading into Goodman'sfields; at the upper end of this alley is a place called the Bluegate, all indifferently built and inhabited. Chequer-yard, but ordinary. A modern street, called Somerset-street, leads into Goodman's-fields. According to Stow, "from Aldgate north-west to Bishopsgate, lyeth the ditch of the city, in that part called Houndsditch, because that in old time, when the same lay open, much filth (conveyed forth of the city, especially dead dogs,) was therein laid or cast."

Into this filthy ditch, king Canutus commanded Erick, a noble Saxon, who had basely slain his king and lord, Edmund Ironsides, to be drawn by the heels from Baynard's Castle, through the city, and cast in there, after he had first been tormented to death by lighed torches. Afterwards a well of mud was erected, in order to prevent the deposition of such nuisances, and over against this wall, on the other side of the street, was a fair field, sometime belonging to the priory of the Trinity, and afterwards given by sir Thomas Audley to Magdalen College, Cambridge, of which he was the founder. This contained a messuage, a dove-house, and a garden

of about seven acres; adjoining to this garden was a great gate and a building over, and a street, or lane, leading thither from Houndsditch. For this, the said sir Thomas Audley obtained the letters patent of king Henry, dated March 23rd, in the 25th year of his reign, as belonging to the priory before its dissolution. This field, like all others about the city, was enclosed, yet reserving an open passage for those inclined to enter. Toward the street were some small cottages of two stories, with little gardens behind, for poor bed-rid persons, (for there dwelt none other in this street,) built by a prior of the Holy Trinity, to whom the ground belonged. Stow says, "that in his youth, he remembers devout people, men and women, often-times, especially on Fridays, to walk that way on purpose to bestow their alms." Every poor person lay just within their low window on their bed, so that every passer might see them. In the window was laid a clean linen cloth and a pair of beads, shewing that within lay a bed-rid body, able only to pray. In the year 1503, this street was first paved.

About the latter end of the reign of Henry VIII., three brothers, named Owens, gun-makers, obtained ground here for building an enclosure, for casting of brass ordnance. Others began also to build on this the field side of the street, which becoming occupied by brokers, sellers of old apparel, &c., the poor people were gradually ousted from their homely cottages.

On the ditch side of the strreet the mud wall was gradually reduced, the bank of the ditch raised, and made level, and made into gardens, and yards for carpenters. Many large houses were there built, the earth, &c. from the foundations of these being thrown into the ditch, gradually filled it up. It is now filled with houses, many of which are occupied by brokers, braziers, salesınen, and dealers in old clothes, &c. There are numerous alleys in this street: we shall notice only those belonging to the Ward.

Church-lane is large and open, the north side fronting St. Botolph's church; Gravel-lane is large, and branches into several parts, such as Seven-step-alley, Black-a-moor-court, which fall into Petticoat-lane. Petticoat-lane, formerly called Hog-lane, is near to Whitechapel bars, running northwards towards St. Mary

Spital. On both sides of this lane, in ancient times, were hedge rows and elm trees with pleasure fields, so that gentlemen had houses there for the benefit of the air, and Mr. Strype informs us, that when he was a boy, there was here a house known by the name of the Spanish ambassador's house, who dwelt here in the reign of James I.

A little way off, on the east side of the way, down a paved alley, now called Strype's-court, from his father living there, was a large house with a good garden before it, built and inhabited by Hans Jacobson, jeweller to James I. In this house Mr. Strype was born. Many French Protestants, who in this king's reign had left their country on account of persecution, planted themselves here, in that part near Spitalfields to carry on their trade, being mostly broad weavers of silk, so that it soon became a regular line of buildings on both sides.

The Minories, the Great and the Little: the Great is a broad and spacious street, entering out of Aldgate-street, over against St. Botolph's church, and running southward into Little Tower-hill, having on the west side London-wall, where anciently the cityditch went, as in Houndsditch, and was used to east filth in, and so lay open, which being found noisome and dangerous, was filled up, and the ground converted to other uses; there being now a row of buildings next the wall, and another at the back of the Minories, it is become a street, and bears the name of the Vineyard, having a wide passage into it from the Minories, which became well inhabited by various tradesmen, chiefly gunsmiths, who carried on a considerable trade.

The Little Minories are the buildings erected upon the scite of the abbey of Nuns, called Minorites, containing two or three courts. Here is the Trinity Minories church; from hence is a passage into Heydon-yard. Near to this nunnery, or little Minories, was a large . field and farm, at which Mr. Stow saith, he, when a lad, fetch'd many a half-penny-worth of milk, and had never less than three pints in the summer, nor less than a quart in the winter, for that This was kept by one named Goodman, whose son afterwards let it out, and lived like a gentleman upon the rent of it. It

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still retains the name of Goodman's-fields, though now entirely covered with houses, the residences of merchants, manufacturers, and others. Numerous alleys and courts lead to and from the Minories.

About half a century ago, there was a theatre in Goodman'sFields.

This ward is represented by an alderman and five common Councilmen, including the deputy. It is assessed at £4. 10s. od. to the fifteenth. The jurymen returned by the wardmote inquest for the ward, are to serve as jurors in the several courts of Guildhall, in the month of January.

The church of St. Botolph's Aldgate, is a curacy, and stands on the north side of Aldgate High-street, and east side of Houndsditch, in the ward of Portsoken. It is so named, being dedicated to the saint, and in the vicinity of the gate. The advowson of this church was, in former times, in the proprietors of the ward of Portsoken, who, in 1115, gave it, together with the whole ward, to the prior and canons of the Trinity within Aldgate; this grant was soon afterwards confirmed by Henry I., and also by the pope, and the bishop of London. The canons of Trinity now determined on serving the cure themselves, alternately, which they continued to do until the dissolution of their monastery; when it falling to the crown, queen Elizabeth, in 1577, granted this church and curacy to Robert Halywell, for a certain term of years; and in 1588, to George Puttenham, for another term of years; since which term the impropriation has been held in fee of the crown.

Before the suppression of Trinity priory, this church had been rebuilt by the prior and canons, and fortunately escaped the fire of 1666. It is a donative, paying neither first fruits nor tenths to the king. The profits returned in 1636, were—