On the east side of the , northward, stood the synagogue of the Jews in England, which was much damaged by the citizens of London, after they had slain Jews, and spoiled the residue of their goods, in the year , the of Henry III.

The synagogue being suppressed, the new order of friars, called , or , because they were apparelled in sackcloth, and who had their house in London, near unto Aldersgate, without the gate, had licence of Henry III. in the of his reign, to remove from thence to any other place; and in the , he gave unto them this Jews synagogue. After which time, Aeleanor the queen, wife to Edward I. took them under her protection, and warranted unto the prior and brethren , of London, the said land and building in Colechurch-street, in the parish of St. Olave in the Jewry, and St. Margaret in ; by her granted, with consent of Stephen de Fulborn, under warden of the bridge-house, and other brethren of that house, for threescore marks of silver, which they received of the said prior and brethren of Repentance, towards the building of the said bridge.

Queen Eleanor's charter is as follows, as it now remains among the records of the chamber of London :--

Aelianora, Dei Gra. &c. Alianor

, by the grace of God, queen of England, lady of Ireland, duchess of Aquitain, and by our lord king Henry; To al that shal se or hear this writing, greeting in the lord. Know yee that we are bound and held, for us and our heirs, to defend and warrant against al men for ever to the priors and friars of the Repentance of Jesus Christ, abiding in London, al their tenements, with al their appurtenances, which the prior and friars have in the street called Colcherchstrate in the parish of St. Olaves in the Jewry, and the parish of St. Margaret de

Lothbury

, in the city of London ; by the grant and confirmation which we have made to the said prior and brethren by this present writing; with the assent and wil of friar Steven de Fulburn, under custos of the bridge-house, and the rest of the friars of the said house, for

sixty marks

of silver, which we have received of the said prior and brethren of Repentance of Jesus Christ, towards the building of the said bridge, and for the finding of

one

chaplain, which the same prior and brethren perpetually find at their own costs, celebrating service for the soul of Richard le Ken. Which Richard bequeathed and assigned al the foresaid tenement, with al the appurtinences, to the brethren of the said house of the bridge, for the sustenance of

one

chaplain to celebrate

service for his soul for ever, at their charges. In witness whereof, &c.

This order of friars had many good scholars, and increased in number exceedingly, until the council of Lyons decreed, that(from that time forth) there should be no more orders of Begging Friars permitted, but only the orders; viz. the Dominicks, or preachers; the Minorites, or grey friars; the Carmelites, or white friars; and the Augustines: and so, from that time, the Begging Friars decreased, and fell to nothing.

In the year , Robert Fitzwalter requested and obtained of the said king Edward I. that the same friars of the sacke might assign to the said Robert their chapel, or church, of old time called The Synagogue of the Jews, near adjoining to the mansion-place of the same Robert, where now stands Grocers'-hall. Robert Large, mercer, mayor, in the year , kept his mayoralty in this house, and resided here until he died.

Hugh Clopton, mercer, mayor, , dwelt in this house, and kept his mayoralty here: it was afterwards a tavern, which had the sign of the Wind-mill.

The site of the priory, &c. after various alterations, is now partly covered with a good private dwelling-house in front, and backward with a handsome capacious meeting-house of the presbyterian denomination; and till lately with alms-houses in Windmill-court, for poor widows of armourers and braziers, founded by Mr. Tindal, and endowed with per quarter, and bushels of coals annually: and will per quarter to those widows who were incapable of doing any business.

From the parish-church of St. Olave to the north end of the

Old Jewry

, and from thence west to the north end of

Ironmonger lane

; and from the said corner into

Ironmonger lane

, almost to the parish church of St. Martin,

was (of old time)

one

large building of stone, very antient, made in the place of Jews houses; but of what antiquity, or by whom the same was built, or for what use, is uncertain ; more than that, king Henry VI. in the

16th

of his reign, gave the office of being porter or keeper thereof to John Stent, for term of his life, by the name of his principal palace in the

Old Jewry

.

This was in my youth,

called the Old Wardrobe: but, of latter time, the outward stone wall hath been by little and little taken down, and divers fair houses built thereupon, even round about.

King Richard III. committed the keeping of the prince's wardrobe, for so it was afterwards called, to his trusty servant John Kendall, his secretary, by his patent, dated , and left him to dwell in the same.

In Edward VI«s reign it was alienated from the crown, being sold to sir Anthony Cope, a privy counsellor, for And, in consideration of services, the yearly value being reckoned at

On the east side of the in the National Debt Redemption

Office, erected from the designs of J. Soane, esq. F. S. A. In the hall is a bronze statue of W. Pitt.

The eastern side of the contains several capacious houses, built by sir Christopher Wren. These were inhabited by sir Robert Clayton, and sir Nathaniel Hearne, sheriff, in . The family of the late Granville Sharpe also resided here a number of years.

At the west end of , in , was a handsome water conduit, built at the charge of the city, in the year , sir Martin Bowes being mayor: fifteenths were levied of the citizens towards the charges thereof. This water was conveyed in great abundance from divers springs lying between and .

At the south-west corner of , in ward, was anciently an old building of stone, belonging some time to a certain Jew, named Mansere, the son of Aaron, the son of Coke the Jew, in the of Edward I. afterwards to Rahere de Sopars lane; then to Simon Francis. Thomas Bradbury, mercer, kept his mayoralty there, who died .

In the front of the public house at the north-west corner of the , the sign of the Leatherseller's arms, is a bust, in stone, of a warrior in an antique helmet and cuirass, in a circular concavity, between pannels enriched with festoons of foliage, in alto relievo. The style of the sculpture shews a period anterior to the fire: they were probably saved from some large building in the neighbourhood, and affixed in their present situation, after that calamity.

The street called , Lathberry, or Loadberry, as it has been differently wrote, according to Stow,

took its name from its being chiefly possessed by founders, who cast candlesticks, chafing-dishes, spice-mortars, and such like copper or laten works, and do afterwards turn them with the foot, and not with the wheel, to make then smooth and bright; which turning and scratting making a loathsome noise to the by-passers, that have not been used to the like, the place was, therefore, by them disdainfully called

Lothbury

.

On the north side of is , so named from an old house, which was an office for the delivery of tradesmens' farthings or tokens.

In a court near , is Founder's hall, the principal part of which has been used as a meeting house for more than a century and a half. The company hold their meetings in an adjoining house.

At the south-east corner of and London-wall is