At the south-east corner of stood a house of Crouched (or Crossed) Friars, founded by Ralph Hosier and William Sabernes, about the year . Stephen, the prior of the Holy Trinity in London, granted tenements for by the year, unto the said Ralph Hosier and William Sabernes, who afterwards became friars of St. Crosse. Adam was the prior of that house. These friars founded their house in the place of certain tenements purchased of Richard Wimbush, the prior of the Holy Trinity, in the year , which was confirmed by Edward III. in the of his reign, valued at , surrendered , Henry VIII.

Andrew de Bures gave to this house, Edward III. messuage and acres of land, and acre of meadow, in Aketon; and messuage and acres of land in Walding-field, in the county of Suffolk.

There was a licence granted ( Edward III.) to the prior of the Holy Cross, to get lands in Oxon; and likewise the prior obtained a grant for a tenement in Synedene-lane, now called .

At a court of common-council, in the latter end of the reign of Henry VIII., an act was passed for granting to the prior and convent of the Crossed Friars, beside the (to the intent that they should pray for the good estate of the city) some

At another court holden on Tuesday, ( Henry VIII.), the said prior and convent petitioned for succour towards the edifying and maintenance of their new church, and to take upon them and the whole city to be their founders. Whereupon it was agreed that several exhortations should be made in writing to every fellowship or company in London, to see what they would do for their devotions towards the same; and such sums to be certified to the mayor and aldermen, to the intent it may be known to what it will amount.

A prior of this house in Henry VIII.«s time, not so observant as he ought to have been of the rules of continence prescribed by the order, was caught on a Friday (a day of more than ordinary mortification and devotion), about o'clock, in bed with a lewd woman, by some of the visitors appointed by the vicar-general Cromwell. The scandalized visitors pocketed a bribe of given them by the detected prior, and reported the transaction to their employer. This hastened the dissolution of the house, which was granted by Henry VIII. to sir Thomas Wyatt, who built a handsome mansion on the site, which was afterwards the residence of lord Lumley, who distinguished himself greatly at the battle of Flodden field, in the reign of Henry VIII. The friars' hall was converted into a glass-house, the manufactory of that article in England, which, with billets of wood, was destroyed by fire on the .

In the church of this house were several handsome monuments. Among the principal persons buried there were

Sir John Milbourn was a benefactor to this house of the Crutched-friars. He set up his tomb in their church in his life-time, and appointed a solemn obit to be kept there, during the life of himself, and his wife Dame Johan; and, after his decease, to be also kept in the said church by the said friars, for their souls. He was buried here, but afterwards removed to St. Edmund's the King.

And his beadsmen, dwelling in his alms-house, (which will be mentioned hereafter) hard by, were to come daily unto this church, where they should in some convenient place near unto the said tomb, abide and continue while the service of God, or, at least, until such time the whole mass, which daily should be begun in the said church by the hour of o'clock in the morning, or thereabouts, should be sung or said, for evermore, at the altar called Our Lady's Altar, in the middle aisle of the said church, founded by the said sir John Milbourn; to the intent that the said poor beadsmen, afore the beginning of the said mass, of them standing right over against the other, about, and encompassing the same tomb or burial-place of sir John Milbourn, shall severally, and of them together, say the , and a , , and , with a collect thereunto belonging; and such of them as could not say the psalm of , were to say a , and : which prayers, as the will directs, they should especially say for the good and prosperous estate of the said sir John, and Dame Johan their children and friends now living; and, after their decease, for the souls of the said sir John and Dame Johan, and Margaret his wife, their fathers and mothers, children, and friends souls, and all christian souls.

In the church of those friars was founded fraternities of Dutchmen, which nation seem to have resided hereabouts. Their foundations and ordinances are printed at length, in Maitland's history of London.

The very ruins of this religious house,

are not now to be seen,

and nothing of it remains, only it gives name to the street, being more commonly called

Crutched Friars

than

Hart-street

.

On the site of this religious house, now stands a most extensive and magnificent warehouse for teas belonging to the East India Company. It is a regular oblong square, of feet, by an , inclosing a court of a feet, by , entered by an arched gateway, above which are the Company's arms.

[] Vol. ii. p. 783.