This port or harbour, anciently known by the name of Edred's hithe, in , with passages to it out of the city, down , the other down Huggen-lane, is a large receptacle for ships, lighters, barges, and such other vessels. This hithe formerly belonged to named Edred, and was then called Edred's-hithe, which subsequently falling into the hands of king Stephen, it was by his charter confirmed to Will. de Ypre. The farm thereof in fee and in heritage, Will. de Ypre gave to the prior and convent of the Holy Trinity within , as appears by the following charter:

To Theobald, by the grace of God archbishop of Canterbury, primate of England, and legate apostolike; to the bishop of London, and to all faithfull people, clerkes and laymen, William de Ypre sendeth greeting. Know ye me to have given and granted unto God, and to the church of the Holy Trinity of London, to the prior and canons there serving God, in perpetual alms, Edred's Hithe, with the appurtenances, with such devotion, that they shall send every yeere

twenty pounds

unto the maintenance of the hospitall of Katharine's, which hospital they have in their hands; and

one hundred shillings

to the monkes of

Bermondsey

, and

sixty shillings

to the brethren of the hospitall of saint Giles. And that which remaineth, the said prior and canons shall enjoy to themselves. Witnesses, Richard de Lucia, Raphe Bigot, or Picot, &c.

This Edred's Hithe, after the aforesaid grants, came again into the king's hands, by what means is not known.

In the year of Henry III. being then called Ripa Reginae, he granted it to Richard de Ripary, i. e. Rivers. And in the of his reign he granted it to Thomae Cirencestriae,

But it still belonged to the queen, and therefore was called Ripa Regina, the Queen's Bank, or Queen's-hithe.

Henry III. in the of his reign, commanded the constable of the to arrest the ships of the Cinque Ports, on the river of Thames, and to compel them to bring their corn to no other place, but to Queen's-hithe. The same year the constable was required to arrest the said ships in the Thames, to carry their corn only to the ports of the realm. The words are,

In the year of his reign, he charged the said constable to distrain any fish offered to be sold in any place of this city, but at the Queen's-hithe.

In the of the same king's reign, an inquisition was made before William of York, provost of Beverley, Henry of Bath, and Hierome of Caxton, justices itinerants, sitting in the , touching the customs of , observed in the year last before the wars between the king his father, and the barons of England; and of old customs of other times.

And what customs had been changed, at what time the tax and payment of all things coming thither; and between Woorepath, and Anedehethe, were found and seized, according to the old order; as well corn and fish as of other things. All which customs were as well to be observed in the part of Dowgate, as in Queen-hithe, for the king's use. When also it was found, that the corn arriving between the gate of the

Guildhall

of the merchants of Coleyne, and the soke of the archbishop of Canterbury, (for he had a house near unto the Black-friars) was not to be measured by any other quarter, than by that of the Queen's Soke.

After this, the bailiffs of the said Hithe complained, that, since the said recognition, foreign ships, laden with fish, arrived at , which ships should have arrived at the said Hithe. And therefore it was ordered, that if any foreign ship, laden with fish, should in form aforesaid arrive elsewhere than at this Hithe, it should be at the king's pleasure to amerce them at Notwithstanding, the ships of the citizens of London were at liberty to arrive where the owners would appoint them.

In the year of the reign of Henry III. he confirmed the grant of Richard earl of Cornwall, of the farm of the , unto John Gisors, then mayor, and to the commonalty of London, and their successors for ever, as appears by the following charter:

Henry, by the grace of God king of England, lord of Ireland, duke of Guien, and earl of Anjou, to all archbishops, &c. Be it knowne, that wee have seene the covenant betweene our brother Richard, earl of Cornwall, of the

one

party, and the maior and commonalty of London, on the other party; which was in this sort. In the thirtieth yeere of Henry, the sonne of king John, upon the feast of the translation of St. Edward at

Westminster

, this covenant was made betweene the honourable lord Richard earle of Cornwall, and John Gisors, then maior of London, and the commons thereof; concerning certaine exactions and demands pertaining to the

Queenhithe

of London. To wit, That the said earle granted for himself and his heyres, that the said maior, and all maiors ensuing, and all the commons of the city, should have and hold the Queenehithe, with all the liberties and customes, and other appurtenances in fee ferme; rendering thence yeerely to the said earle, his heires and assignes,

fifty pounds

, at Clarkenwell at

two

several termes; to wit, at the close of Easter

twenty-five pounds

, and in the octaves of Michaelmas

twenty-five pounds

. And for more surety hereof, the said earle hath set thereunto his seale, and left it with the maior; and the maior and commonalty have set their seale, and left it with the earle. Where we confirme and establish the said covenant, for us and for our heires. Witnesses, Raphe Fitz-Nichol, Richard Gray, John and Will. Brithem, Paulin Paynter, Raphe Wancia, John Cumband, and others. At Windsor, the

twenty-sixth of February

, the

thirty-first

of our reign.

It seems Queen-hithe was in the hands of the earl of Cornwall at the death of Henry III. and the citizens supposed it was wrongfully detained from them; for upon an inquisition appointed by the justices the of Edward I. they make this presentment:

That the Queen-hithe was sometime belonging to the city of London; and how it came to the earl of Cornwall, and his heirs, they knew not, nor by what warrant. And that it was worth per ann.

521

. And moreover they say, that king John, father of lord king Henry, gave Queen-hithe to Aelinor then queen of England; and was had of the king's demesne all his time. But from that time, till

now, the earl of Cornwall and his heirs held it; and still did hold it against the crown, and disenherisen of the king, as it seemed to them. But by what warrant they knew not.

The charge of was subsequently delivered to the sheriffs, but the profits were worth nothing. Fabian says, that in his time it was not worth above a year.

Against Queen-hithe, on the river Thames, of late years, says Mr. Maitland, was placed a corn-mill, upon or betwixt barges or lighters; and there ground corn, as water-mills in other places; to the wonder of many that had not seen the like. But this lasted not long without decoy: such as caused the same barges to be removed and taken asunder, are soon forgotten. I read of the like to have been in former time, as thus:

In the year

1225

, the

16th

of Henry VIII. sir William Bayly being mayor, John Cooke of Glocester, mercer, gave to the mayor and commonalty of London, and theirs for ever,

one

great barge, in the which

two

great corn-mills were made and placed. Which barge and mills were set in and upon the stream of the river of Thames, within the jurisdiction and liberty of the city of London. And also he gave to the said city, all such timber, boards, stones, iron, &c. provided for making, mending, and repairing of the said barge and mills. In reward whereof, the mayor gave him

50l.

presently, and

50l.

yearly, during his life. And if the said Cooke deceased before Joan his wife, then she to have

forty marks

the year during her life.

Here are several considerable wharfs; as, Brookes's-wharf, and Broken-wharf, a water-gate or quay so called of being broken and fallen down into the Thames.

Brookes's-wharf leads to the river Thames, having a large wharf, with quays therein, for the landing of corn, malt, and other goods, &c.

By Broken-wharf was formerly a large old building of stone, with arched gates; which in the d year of the reign of Henry III. belonged to Hugh de Bygot; and in the of Edward II. to Thomas Brotherton, the king's brother, earl of Norfolk, marshal of England. John Mowbray, the last duke of Norfolk of that family, had this house, which descended to his daughter Anne, wife of Richard Plantagenet duke of York, and was settled, with other lands, upon the said Richard by act of parliament, . On the division of the Mowbray property between Howard and Berkeley, John duke of Norfolk had this place. In , an act was passed to enable the duke of Norfolk to sell his house at Brokenwharf to Richard Gresham, and the said Richard to sell it to the lord mayor of London.

Within the gate of this house,

is lately, to wit, in the year

1594

, and

1595

, builded

one

large house of great height, called an engine, made by Bevis Bulmar, gentleman, for the conveying and forcing of Thames water, to serve the middle and west parts of the city.

On the west side of Labour-in-vain hill, is the churchyard and some remains of the church of St. Mary, Mounthaw; it derives its name from its founder Mountauts, or Montalto, belonging to a family in Norfolk of that name, and was an ancient church.

Against the south wall is a shield of arms within a quaterfoil, which probably belonged to the ancient church. The arms are a chevron, in chief lions faces, and in base a fish haurient.

On the west side of is

[] Printed at length in Maitland's History of London, vol. ii p 1027.

[] Maitland, ii. p. 1029.

[] Parliament Rolls, vol. vi. pp. 168. 529.

[] Lords' Journals, vol. i, p. 149.