FOOTNOTES:[180]MS Rew. Hartley Row is on the South-Western road past Bagshot. The stretch of flat land there was the galloping place for coaches that had to make up time.[181]in.
[180]MS Rew. Hartley Row is on the South-Western road past Bagshot. The stretch of flat land there was the galloping place for coaches that had to make up time.
[180]MS Rew. Hartley Row is on the South-Western road past Bagshot. The stretch of flat land there was the galloping place for coaches that had to make up time.
[181]in.
[181]in.
[The parts added toHARMAN'S CAUEATto make]
the manner of their Pedlers-French, and the meanesto vnderstand the same, with the cunning slightsof the Counterfeit Cranke.
Therein are handled the practises of theVisiter,the Fetchesof theShifterandRufflar,the deceits of theirDoxes,the deuisesof Priggers,the names of the base loytering Hosels, andthe meanes of every Blacke-Art-mans shifts, withthe reproofe of all their diuellishpractises.
Done by a Justice of Peace of great authoritie, who hathhad the examining of divers of them.
the groundworke of conny-catching, cover
Printed at London byIohn DanterforWilliam Barley,and are tobe sold at his shop at the upper end of Gratious streete,ouer against Leaden-hall, 1592.
THE GROUNDWORKE OF CONNY-CATCHING.
[leaf 2]
To the gentle Readers health.
Gentle reader, as there hath beene diuers bookes set forth, as warnings for all men to shun the craftie coossening sleights of these both men and women that haue tearmed themselues Conny-catchers; so amongst the rest, bestow the reading ouer of this booke, wherin thou shalt find the ground-worke of Conny-catching, with the manner of their canting speech, how they call all things in their language, the horrible coossening of all these loose varlots, and the names of them in their seuerall degrees,
All these playing their coossenings in their kinde are here set downe, which neuer yet were disclosed in anie booke of Conny-catching.
[leaf 2, back]
SHIFTERS AT INNS. THE VISITER.
A new kind of shifting sleight, practised at this day bysome of this Cony-catching crue, in Innes or vituallinghouses, but especially in Faires or Markets,which came to my hands since the imprintingof the rest.
Whereas of late diuers coossening deuises and deuilish deceites haue beene discouered, wherby great inconueniences haue beene eschewed, which otherwise might haue beene the vtter ouerthrowe of diuers honest men of all degrees, I thought this, amongst the rest, not the least worthie of noting, especially of those that trade to Faires and Markets, that therby being warned, they may likewise be armed, both to see the deceit, and shun the daunger. These shifters will come vnto an Inne or vittailing house, that is most vsed in the towne, and walke vp and downe; and if there come any gentleman or other, to lay vp either cloke, sword, or any other thing woorth the hauing, then one of this crue taketh the marks of the thing, or at least the token the partie giueth them: anone, after he is gone, he likewise goeth forth, and with a great countenance commeth in againe to the mayde or seruant, calling for what another left: if they doubt to deliuer it, then hee frets, and calles them at his pleasure, and tels them the markes and tokens: hauing thus done, hee blames their forgetfulnes, and giues them a couple of pence to buy them pinnes, bidding them fetch it straight, and know him better the next time, wherewith they are pleasd, and he possest of his pray. Thus one gotte a bagge of Cheese the last Sturbridge Faire; for in such places (as a reclaimd fellow of that crue confessed) they make an ordinary practise of the same.
[The Pedler's Frenchfollows, taken word for word from Harman's book, p.82-7above.]
[leaf 3]
An honest youth, not many yeares since, seruant in this City, had leaue of his master at whitsontide to see his friends, who dwelt some fifty miles from London. It hapned at a Country wake, his mother and hee came acquainted with a precise scholler, that, vnder colour of strickt life, hath bin reputed for that hee is not: hee is wellknowen in Paules Churchyard, and hath beene lately a visiting in Essex; for so he presumes to tearme his cosening walks: and therefore wee will call him here a Visiter. This honest seeming man must needes (sith his iourney lay to London) stay at the yong mans mothers all the holy daies: where as on his desert hee was kindly vsed; at length, the young man, hauing receiued his mother's blessing, with other his friendes giftes, amounting to some ten poundes, was to this hypocrite as to a faithful guide committed, and toward London they ride: by the way this Visiter discourses how excellent insight he had in Magick, to recouer by Art anything lost or stolne. Well, to sant Albons they reach; there they sup together, and, after the carowsing of some quarts of wine, they go to bed, where they kindly sleepe,—the Visiter slily, but the young man soundly. Short tale to make—out of his bed-fellow's sleeue this Visiter conuaid his twenty Angels, besides some other od siluer, hid it closely, and so fell to his rest. Morning comes—vp gets this couple—immediately the money was mist, much adoo was made; the Chamberlaine with sundry other seruants examined; and so hot the contention, that the good man, for the discharge of his house, was sending for a Constable to haue them both first searcht, his seruants Chests after. In the meane time the Visiter cals the yong man aside, and bids him neuer grieue, but take horse; and he warrants him, ere they be three miles out of towne, to helpe him to his money by Art, saying:—"In these Innes ye see how we shall be out-faced, and, beeing vnknowne, how euer we be wrongd, get little remedy." The yong man, in good hope, desired him to pay the reckoning, which done, together they ride. Being some two miles from the towne, they ride out of the ordinary way: there he tels this youth how vnwilling hee was to enter into the action, but that it was lost in his company, and so forth. Well, a Circle was made, wondrous words were vsed, many muttrings made: at length hee cries out,—"vnder a greene turfe, by the East side of an Oake; goe thither, goe thither." This thrice he cryed so ragingly, as the yuong man gest him mad, and was with feare almost beside himself. At length, pausing, quoth this Visiter, "heard ye nothing cry?" "Cry!" said the yong man, "yes;[leaf 5, back]you cride so as, for twise ten pound, I would not heare yeagain." "Then,"A SHIFTER DESCRIBED.quoth he, "'tis all well, if ye remember the words." The yong man repeated them. With that this shifter said, "Go to the furthest Oke in the high-way towards S. Albons, and vnder a greene turfe, on the hither side, lyes your mony, and a note of his name that stole it. Hence I cannot stirre till you returne; neyther may either of our horses be vntide for that time: runne yee must not, but keepe an ordinary pace." Away goes the yong man gingerly; and, being out of sight, this copesmate takes his cloke-bag, wherein was a faire sute of apparel, and, setting spurres to his horse, was, ere the Nouice returned, ridde cleane out of his view. The yong man, seeing himselfe so coossened, made patience his best remedie, tooke his horse, and came to London, where yet it was neuer his lucke to meet this visiter.
A Shifter, not long since, going ordinarily booted, got leaue of a Carrier to ride on his owne hackney a little way from London, who, comming to the Inne where the Carier that night should lodge, honestly set vp the horse, and entred the hal, where were at one table some three and thirty clothiers, all returning to their seuerall countries. Vsing, as he could, his curtesie, and being Gentleman-like attirde, he was at all their instance placed at the vpper end by the hostesse. After hee had a while eaten, he fel to discourse with such pleasance, that all the table were greatly delighted therewith. In the midst of supper enters a noise of musitions, who with their instruments added a double delight. For them hee requested his hostesse to laye a shoulder of mutton and a couple of capons to the fire, for which he would pay,andthen mooued in their behalfe to gather. Among them a noble was made, which he fingring, was well blest; for before he had not a crosse, yet he promist to make it vp an angel. To be short, in comes the reckoning, which (by reason of the fine fareandexcesse of wine) amounted to each mans halfe crown. Then hee requested his hostesse to prouide so many possets of sacke, as would furnish the table, which he would bestow on the Gentlemen to requite their extraordinary costs:andiestingly askt if she wouldmake him her deputie to gather the reckoning; she graunted, and he did so: and on a sodaine, (faining to hasten his hostesse with the possets) he tooke his cloke, and, finding fit time, hee slipt out of doores, leauing the guestes and their hostesse to a new reckoning,andthe musitians to a good supper, but they paid for the sauce. This iest some vntruly attribute to a man of excellent parts about London, but he is slandered: the party that performed it hath scarce any good qualitie to liue. Of these sort I could set downe a great number, but I leaue you now vnto those which by Maister Harman are discouered.
[Then follows Harman's book, commencing with a Ruffelar, p.29. The woodcut of Nicolas Blunt and Nicolas Geninges (p.50, above) is given, and another one representing the Cranke after he was stripped and washed. The volume ends with the chapter "Their vsage in the night," p.76-8above,—the woodcuts and verses at the end of Harman's book being omitted in the presentGroundworke of Conny-catching. The last words in the latter are, "And this must the poore Farmer suffer, or els they threaten to burne him, and all that he hath."]
[Then follows Harman's book, commencing with a Ruffelar, p.29. The woodcut of Nicolas Blunt and Nicolas Geninges (p.50, above) is given, and another one representing the Cranke after he was stripped and washed. The volume ends with the chapter "Their vsage in the night," p.76-8above,—the woodcuts and verses at the end of Harman's book being omitted in the presentGroundworke of Conny-catching. The last words in the latter are, "And this must the poore Farmer suffer, or els they threaten to burne him, and all that he hath."]
p.vii.ix, p.19,20.Elizabeth, Countess of Shrewsbury, and her parish.The manor of Erith was granted to Elizabeth, Countess of Shrewsbury, by Henry VIII. in the 36th year of his reign,A.D.1544-5. The Countess died in 1567, and was buried in the parish church of Erith. "The manor of Eryth becoming part of the royal revenue, continued in the crown till K. Henry VIII. in his 36th year, granted it in fee to Elizabeth, relict of George, Earl of Shrewsbury, by the description of themanor, of Eryth, alias Lysnes, with all its members and appurts., and also all that wood, called Somersden, lying in Eryth, containing 30 acres; and a wood, called Ludwood, there, containing 50 acres; and a wood, called Fridayes-hole, by estimation, 20 acres, to hold of the Kingin capiteby knight's service.[182]She was the second wife of George, Earl of Shrewsbury,Knight ofNOTES TO HARMAN, ETC.the Garter,[183]who died July 26, anno 33 K. Henry VIII.,[184]by whom she had issue one son, John, who died young; and Anne, married to Peter Compton, son and heir of Sir Wm. Compton, Knt., who died in the 35th year of K. Henry VIII., under age, as will be mentioned hereafter. Elizabeth, Countess of Shrewsbury, in Easter Term, in the 4th year of Q. Elizabeth, levied a fine of this manor, with the passage over the Thames; and dying in the tenth year of that reign, anno 1567,[185]lies buried under a sumptuous tomb, in this church. Before her death this manor, &c., seem to have been settled on her only daughter Anne, then wife of Wm. Herbert, Earl of Pembroke, and widow of Peter Compton, as before related, who was in possession of it, with the passage over the Thames, anno 9 Q. Elizabeth."—Hasted'sHistory of Kent, vol. i. p. 196.p.ix. In Lambarde'sPerambulation of Kent(edit. 1826), p. 66, he mentions "Thomas Herman" as being one of the "Kentish writers."Lambarde, in the same volume, p. 60, also mentions "Abacuk Harman" as being the name of one "of suche of the nobilitie and gentrie, as the Heralds recorded in their visitation in 1574."There is nothing about Harman in Mr Sandys's book on Gavelkind, &c.,Consuetudines Cantiæ. To future inquirers perhaps the following book may be of use:"Bibliotheca Cantiana: A Bibliographical Account of what has been published on the History, Topography, Antiquities, Customs, and Family History of the County of Kent." By John Russell Smith.p.1,12.The .xxv. Orders of Knaues.—Mr Collier gives an entry in the Stationers' Registers in 1585-6: "Edward White. Rd. of him, for printinge xxijtlballades at iiijda peece—vijsiiijd, and xiiij. more at ijda peece ijsiiijd... ixsviijd" And No. 23 is "The xxvtieorders of knaves."—Stat. Reg.ii. 207.p.22.The last Duke of Buckingham was beheaded.—Edward Stafford, third Duke of Buckingham, one of Henry VIII.'s and Wolsey's victims, was beheaded on Tower Hill, May 17, 1521, for 'imagining' the king's death. ('The murnynge of Edward Duke of Buckyngham' was one of certain 'ballettes' licensed to Mr John Wallye and Mrs Toye in 1557-8, says Mr J. P. Collier,Stat. Reg.i. 4.) His father (Henry Stafford) before him suffered the same fate in 1483, having been betrayed by his servant Bannister after his unsuccessful rising in Brecon.—Percy Folio Ballads, ii. 253.p.23.Egiptians.The Statute 22 Hen. VIII. c. 10 isAn ActeconcernynyEgypsyans. After enumerating the frauds committed by the "outlandysshe people callynge themselfes Egyptians," the first section provides that they shall be punished by Imprisonment and loss of goods, and be deprived of the benefit of 8 Hen. VI. c. 29. "de medietate linguæ." The second section is a proclamation for the departure from the realm of all such Egyptians. The third provides that stolen goods shall be restored to their owners; and the fourth, that one moiety of the goods seized from the Egyptians shall be given to the seizer.p.48, l. 5.The Lord Sturtons man; and when he was executed.Charles Stourton, 7th Baron, 1548-1557:—"Which Charles, with the help of four of his own servants in his own house, committed a shameful murther upon one Hargill, and his son, with whom he had been long at variance, and buried their Carcasses 50 foot deep in the earth, thinking thereby to prevent the discovery; but it coming afterwards to light, he had sentence of death passed upon him, which he suffer'd at Salisbury, the 6th of March, Anno 1557, 4 Phil. & Mary, by an Halter of Silk, in respect of his quality."—The Peerage of England, vol. ii. p. 24 (Lond., 1710).p.77.Saint Quinten's.Saint Quinten was invoked against coughs, says Brand, ed. Ellis, 1841, i. 196.p.77.The Three Cranes in the Vintry."Then the Three Cranes' lane, so called, not only ofa sign of three cranes at a tavern door, but rather of three strong cranes of timber placed on the Vintry wharf by the Thames side, to crane up wines there, as is afore showed. This lane was of old time, to wit, the 9th of Richard II., called The Painted Tavern lane, of the tavern being painted."—Stow'sSurvey of London, ed. by Thoms, p. 90."The Three Cranes was formerly a favourite London sign. With the usual jocularity of our forefathers, an opportunity for punning could not be passed; so, instead of the three cranes, which in the vintry used to lift the barrels of wine, three birds were represented. The Three Cranes in Thames Street, or in the vicinity, was a famous tavern as early as the reign of James I. It was one of the taverns frequented by the wits in Ben Jonson's time. In one of his plays he says:—'A pox o' these pretenders! to wit, yourThree Cranes, Mitre and Mermaid men! not a corn of true salt, not a grain of right mustard among them all!'—Bartholomew Fair, act i. sc. 1."On the 23rd of January, 1661/2 Pepys suffered a strong mortification of the flesh in having to dine at this tavern with some poor relations. The sufferings of the snobbish secretary must have been intense:—'By invitation to my uncle Fenner's, and where I found his new wife, apitiful, old, ugly, ill-bredwoman in a hatt, a mid-wife. Here were many of his, and as many of her, relations,sorry, mean people; and after choosing our gloves, we all went over to the Three Cranes Taverne;and though the best room of the house, in such a narrow dogghole we were crammed, and I believe we were near 40, that it made me loath my company and victuals, and a very poor dinner it was too.'"Opposite this tavern people generally left their boats to shoot the bridge, walking round to Billingsgate, where they would reenter them."—Hotten'sHistory of Signboards, p. 204.p.77.Saynt Iulyans in Thystellworth parish.'Thistleworth, see Isleworth,' says Walker's Gazetteer, ed. 1801. That there might well have been a St Julyan's Inn there we learn from the following extract:"St. Julian, the patron of travellers, wandering minstrels, boatmen,[186]&c., was a very common inn sign, because he was supposed to provide good lodgings for such persons. Hence two St. Julian's crosses, in saltier, are in chief of the innholders' arms, and the old motto was:—'When I was harbourless, ye lodged me.' This benevolent attention to travellers procured him the epithet of 'the good herbergeor,' and in France 'bon herbet.' His legend in a MS., Bodleian, 1596, fol. 4, alludes to this:—'Therefore yet to this day, thei that over lond wende,They biddeth Seint Julian, anon, that gode herborw he hem sende;And Seint Julianes Pater Noster ofte seggeth alsoFor his faders soule, and his moderes, that he hem bring therto.'And in 'Le dit des Heureux,' an old French fabliau:—'Tu as dit la patenotreSaint Julian à cest matin,Soit en Roumans, soit en Latin;Or tu seras bien ostilé.'In mediæval French,L'hotel Saint Julienwas synonymous with good cheer.'—— Sommes tuit vostre.Par Saint Pierre le bon Apostre,L'ostel aurez Saint Julien,'says Mabile to her feigned uncle in the fabliau of 'Boivin de Provins;' and a similar idea appears in 'Cocke Lorell's bote,' where the crew, after the entertainment with the 'relygyous women' from the Stews' Bank, at Colman's Hatch,'Blessyd theyr shyppe when they had done,And dranke about aSaint Julyan'stonne.'Hotten'sHistory of Signboards," p. 283."Isleworth in Queen Elizabeth's time was commonly in conversation,and sometimes in records, called Thistleworth."—Lysons'Environs of London, vol. iii. p. 79.p.77.Rothered: ? Rotherhithe.p.77.The Kynges Barne, betwene Detforde and Rothered, can hardly be the great hall of Eltham palace. Lysons (Environs of London, iv. p. 399) in 1796, says the hall was then used as a barn; and in vol. vi. of theArchæologia, p. 367, it is called "King John's Barn."p.77.Ketbroke.Kidbrooke is marked in large letters on the east of Blackheath on themordernOrdnance-map; and on the road from Blackheath to Eltham are the villages or hamlets of Upper Kidbrooke and Lower Kidbrooke."Kedbrooke lies adjoining to Charlton, on the south side of the London Road, a small distance from Blackheath. It was antiently written Cicebroc, and was once a parish of itself, though now (1778A.D.) it is esteemed as an appendage to that of Charlton."—Hasted'sHistory of Kent, vol. i. p. 40.p.100.Sturbridge Fair.Stourbridge, or Sturbich, the name of a common field, extending between Chesterton and Cambridge, near the little brook Sture, for about half a mile square, is noted for its fair, which is kept annually on September 19th, and continues a fortnight. It is surpassed by few fairs in Great Britain, or even in Europe, for traffic, though of late it is much lessened. The booths are placed in rows like streets, by the name[s] of which they are called, as Cheapside, &c., and are filled with all sorts of trades. The Duddery, an area of 80 or 100 yards square, resembles Blackwell Hall. Large commissions are negotiated here for all parts of England incheese, woolen goods, wool, leather, hops, upholsterers' and ironmongers' ware, &c. &c. Sometimes 50 hackney coaches from London, ply morning and night, to and from Cambridge, as well as all the towns round, and the very barns and stables are turned into inns for the accommodation of the poorer people. After the wholesale business is over, the country gentry generally flock in, laying out their money in stage-plays, taverns, music-houses, toys, puppet-shows, &c., and the whole concludes with a day for the sale of horses. This fair is under the jurisdiction of the University of Cambridge.—Walker's Gazetteer, ed. 1801. See Index to Brand'sAntiquities.
p.vii.ix, p.19,20.Elizabeth, Countess of Shrewsbury, and her parish.The manor of Erith was granted to Elizabeth, Countess of Shrewsbury, by Henry VIII. in the 36th year of his reign,A.D.1544-5. The Countess died in 1567, and was buried in the parish church of Erith. "The manor of Eryth becoming part of the royal revenue, continued in the crown till K. Henry VIII. in his 36th year, granted it in fee to Elizabeth, relict of George, Earl of Shrewsbury, by the description of themanor, of Eryth, alias Lysnes, with all its members and appurts., and also all that wood, called Somersden, lying in Eryth, containing 30 acres; and a wood, called Ludwood, there, containing 50 acres; and a wood, called Fridayes-hole, by estimation, 20 acres, to hold of the Kingin capiteby knight's service.[182]She was the second wife of George, Earl of Shrewsbury,Knight ofNOTES TO HARMAN, ETC.the Garter,[183]who died July 26, anno 33 K. Henry VIII.,[184]by whom she had issue one son, John, who died young; and Anne, married to Peter Compton, son and heir of Sir Wm. Compton, Knt., who died in the 35th year of K. Henry VIII., under age, as will be mentioned hereafter. Elizabeth, Countess of Shrewsbury, in Easter Term, in the 4th year of Q. Elizabeth, levied a fine of this manor, with the passage over the Thames; and dying in the tenth year of that reign, anno 1567,[185]lies buried under a sumptuous tomb, in this church. Before her death this manor, &c., seem to have been settled on her only daughter Anne, then wife of Wm. Herbert, Earl of Pembroke, and widow of Peter Compton, as before related, who was in possession of it, with the passage over the Thames, anno 9 Q. Elizabeth."—Hasted'sHistory of Kent, vol. i. p. 196.
p.ix. In Lambarde'sPerambulation of Kent(edit. 1826), p. 66, he mentions "Thomas Herman" as being one of the "Kentish writers."
Lambarde, in the same volume, p. 60, also mentions "Abacuk Harman" as being the name of one "of suche of the nobilitie and gentrie, as the Heralds recorded in their visitation in 1574."
There is nothing about Harman in Mr Sandys's book on Gavelkind, &c.,Consuetudines Cantiæ. To future inquirers perhaps the following book may be of use:
"Bibliotheca Cantiana: A Bibliographical Account of what has been published on the History, Topography, Antiquities, Customs, and Family History of the County of Kent." By John Russell Smith.
p.1,12.The .xxv. Orders of Knaues.—Mr Collier gives an entry in the Stationers' Registers in 1585-6: "Edward White. Rd. of him, for printinge xxijtlballades at iiijda peece—vijsiiijd, and xiiij. more at ijda peece ijsiiijd... ixsviijd" And No. 23 is "The xxvtieorders of knaves."—Stat. Reg.ii. 207.
p.22.The last Duke of Buckingham was beheaded.—Edward Stafford, third Duke of Buckingham, one of Henry VIII.'s and Wolsey's victims, was beheaded on Tower Hill, May 17, 1521, for 'imagining' the king's death. ('The murnynge of Edward Duke of Buckyngham' was one of certain 'ballettes' licensed to Mr John Wallye and Mrs Toye in 1557-8, says Mr J. P. Collier,Stat. Reg.i. 4.) His father (Henry Stafford) before him suffered the same fate in 1483, having been betrayed by his servant Bannister after his unsuccessful rising in Brecon.—Percy Folio Ballads, ii. 253.
p.23.Egiptians.The Statute 22 Hen. VIII. c. 10 isAn ActeconcernynyEgypsyans. After enumerating the frauds committed by the "outlandysshe people callynge themselfes Egyptians," the first section provides that they shall be punished by Imprisonment and loss of goods, and be deprived of the benefit of 8 Hen. VI. c. 29. "de medietate linguæ." The second section is a proclamation for the departure from the realm of all such Egyptians. The third provides that stolen goods shall be restored to their owners; and the fourth, that one moiety of the goods seized from the Egyptians shall be given to the seizer.
p.48, l. 5.The Lord Sturtons man; and when he was executed.Charles Stourton, 7th Baron, 1548-1557:—"Which Charles, with the help of four of his own servants in his own house, committed a shameful murther upon one Hargill, and his son, with whom he had been long at variance, and buried their Carcasses 50 foot deep in the earth, thinking thereby to prevent the discovery; but it coming afterwards to light, he had sentence of death passed upon him, which he suffer'd at Salisbury, the 6th of March, Anno 1557, 4 Phil. & Mary, by an Halter of Silk, in respect of his quality."—The Peerage of England, vol. ii. p. 24 (Lond., 1710).
p.77.Saint Quinten's.Saint Quinten was invoked against coughs, says Brand, ed. Ellis, 1841, i. 196.
p.77.The Three Cranes in the Vintry."Then the Three Cranes' lane, so called, not only ofa sign of three cranes at a tavern door, but rather of three strong cranes of timber placed on the Vintry wharf by the Thames side, to crane up wines there, as is afore showed. This lane was of old time, to wit, the 9th of Richard II., called The Painted Tavern lane, of the tavern being painted."—Stow'sSurvey of London, ed. by Thoms, p. 90.
"The Three Cranes was formerly a favourite London sign. With the usual jocularity of our forefathers, an opportunity for punning could not be passed; so, instead of the three cranes, which in the vintry used to lift the barrels of wine, three birds were represented. The Three Cranes in Thames Street, or in the vicinity, was a famous tavern as early as the reign of James I. It was one of the taverns frequented by the wits in Ben Jonson's time. In one of his plays he says:—
'A pox o' these pretenders! to wit, yourThree Cranes, Mitre and Mermaid men! not a corn of true salt, not a grain of right mustard among them all!'—Bartholomew Fair, act i. sc. 1.
"On the 23rd of January, 1661/2 Pepys suffered a strong mortification of the flesh in having to dine at this tavern with some poor relations. The sufferings of the snobbish secretary must have been intense:—
'By invitation to my uncle Fenner's, and where I found his new wife, apitiful, old, ugly, ill-bredwoman in a hatt, a mid-wife. Here were many of his, and as many of her, relations,sorry, mean people; and after choosing our gloves, we all went over to the Three Cranes Taverne;and though the best room of the house, in such a narrow dogghole we were crammed, and I believe we were near 40, that it made me loath my company and victuals, and a very poor dinner it was too.'
"Opposite this tavern people generally left their boats to shoot the bridge, walking round to Billingsgate, where they would reenter them."—Hotten'sHistory of Signboards, p. 204.
p.77.Saynt Iulyans in Thystellworth parish.'Thistleworth, see Isleworth,' says Walker's Gazetteer, ed. 1801. That there might well have been a St Julyan's Inn there we learn from the following extract:
"St. Julian, the patron of travellers, wandering minstrels, boatmen,[186]&c., was a very common inn sign, because he was supposed to provide good lodgings for such persons. Hence two St. Julian's crosses, in saltier, are in chief of the innholders' arms, and the old motto was:—'When I was harbourless, ye lodged me.' This benevolent attention to travellers procured him the epithet of 'the good herbergeor,' and in France 'bon herbet.' His legend in a MS., Bodleian, 1596, fol. 4, alludes to this:—
'Therefore yet to this day, thei that over lond wende,They biddeth Seint Julian, anon, that gode herborw he hem sende;And Seint Julianes Pater Noster ofte seggeth alsoFor his faders soule, and his moderes, that he hem bring therto.'
'Therefore yet to this day, thei that over lond wende,They biddeth Seint Julian, anon, that gode herborw he hem sende;And Seint Julianes Pater Noster ofte seggeth alsoFor his faders soule, and his moderes, that he hem bring therto.'
And in 'Le dit des Heureux,' an old French fabliau:—
'Tu as dit la patenotreSaint Julian à cest matin,Soit en Roumans, soit en Latin;Or tu seras bien ostilé.'
'Tu as dit la patenotreSaint Julian à cest matin,Soit en Roumans, soit en Latin;Or tu seras bien ostilé.'
In mediæval French,L'hotel Saint Julienwas synonymous with good cheer.
'—— Sommes tuit vostre.Par Saint Pierre le bon Apostre,L'ostel aurez Saint Julien,'
'—— Sommes tuit vostre.Par Saint Pierre le bon Apostre,L'ostel aurez Saint Julien,'
says Mabile to her feigned uncle in the fabliau of 'Boivin de Provins;' and a similar idea appears in 'Cocke Lorell's bote,' where the crew, after the entertainment with the 'relygyous women' from the Stews' Bank, at Colman's Hatch,
'Blessyd theyr shyppe when they had done,And dranke about aSaint Julyan'stonne.'
'Blessyd theyr shyppe when they had done,And dranke about aSaint Julyan'stonne.'
Hotten'sHistory of Signboards," p. 283.
"Isleworth in Queen Elizabeth's time was commonly in conversation,and sometimes in records, called Thistleworth."—Lysons'Environs of London, vol. iii. p. 79.
p.77.Rothered: ? Rotherhithe.
p.77.The Kynges Barne, betwene Detforde and Rothered, can hardly be the great hall of Eltham palace. Lysons (Environs of London, iv. p. 399) in 1796, says the hall was then used as a barn; and in vol. vi. of theArchæologia, p. 367, it is called "King John's Barn."
p.77.Ketbroke.Kidbrooke is marked in large letters on the east of Blackheath on themordernOrdnance-map; and on the road from Blackheath to Eltham are the villages or hamlets of Upper Kidbrooke and Lower Kidbrooke.
"Kedbrooke lies adjoining to Charlton, on the south side of the London Road, a small distance from Blackheath. It was antiently written Cicebroc, and was once a parish of itself, though now (1778A.D.) it is esteemed as an appendage to that of Charlton."—Hasted'sHistory of Kent, vol. i. p. 40.
p.100.Sturbridge Fair.Stourbridge, or Sturbich, the name of a common field, extending between Chesterton and Cambridge, near the little brook Sture, for about half a mile square, is noted for its fair, which is kept annually on September 19th, and continues a fortnight. It is surpassed by few fairs in Great Britain, or even in Europe, for traffic, though of late it is much lessened. The booths are placed in rows like streets, by the name[s] of which they are called, as Cheapside, &c., and are filled with all sorts of trades. The Duddery, an area of 80 or 100 yards square, resembles Blackwell Hall. Large commissions are negotiated here for all parts of England incheese, woolen goods, wool, leather, hops, upholsterers' and ironmongers' ware, &c. &c. Sometimes 50 hackney coaches from London, ply morning and night, to and from Cambridge, as well as all the towns round, and the very barns and stables are turned into inns for the accommodation of the poorer people. After the wholesale business is over, the country gentry generally flock in, laying out their money in stage-plays, taverns, music-houses, toys, puppet-shows, &c., and the whole concludes with a day for the sale of horses. This fair is under the jurisdiction of the University of Cambridge.—Walker's Gazetteer, ed. 1801. See Index to Brand'sAntiquities.
FOOTNOTES:[182]Rot Esch. ejus an, pt. 6.[183]This lady was one of the daughters and co-heirs of Sir Richard Walden, of this parish, Knt., and the Lady Margaret his wife, who both lie buried in this church [of Erith]. He was, as I take it, made Knight of the Bath in the 17th year of K. Henry VII., his estate being then certified to be 40l.per annum, being the son of Richard Walden, esq. Sir Richard and Elizabeth his wife both lie buried here.MSS. Dering.[184]Dugd. Bar. vol. i. p. 332.[185]Harman's dedication of his book to her was no doubt written in 1566, and his 2nd edition, in both states, published before the Countess's death.[186]Of pilgrims, and of whoremongers, say Brand and Sir H. Ellis (referring to theHist. des Troubadours, tom. i. p. 11,) inBrand's Antiquities, ed. 1841, i. 202. Chaucer makes him the patron of hospitality, saying of the Frankeleyn, in the Prologue to theCanterbury Tales, "Seynt Iulian he was in his contre." Mr Hazlitt, in his new edition of Brand, i. 303, notes that as early as theAncren Riwle, ab. 1220A.D., we have 'Surely they (the pilgrims) find St. Julian's inn, which wayfaring men diligently seek.'
[182]Rot Esch. ejus an, pt. 6.
[182]Rot Esch. ejus an, pt. 6.
[183]This lady was one of the daughters and co-heirs of Sir Richard Walden, of this parish, Knt., and the Lady Margaret his wife, who both lie buried in this church [of Erith]. He was, as I take it, made Knight of the Bath in the 17th year of K. Henry VII., his estate being then certified to be 40l.per annum, being the son of Richard Walden, esq. Sir Richard and Elizabeth his wife both lie buried here.MSS. Dering.
[183]This lady was one of the daughters and co-heirs of Sir Richard Walden, of this parish, Knt., and the Lady Margaret his wife, who both lie buried in this church [of Erith]. He was, as I take it, made Knight of the Bath in the 17th year of K. Henry VII., his estate being then certified to be 40l.per annum, being the son of Richard Walden, esq. Sir Richard and Elizabeth his wife both lie buried here.MSS. Dering.
[184]Dugd. Bar. vol. i. p. 332.
[184]Dugd. Bar. vol. i. p. 332.
[185]Harman's dedication of his book to her was no doubt written in 1566, and his 2nd edition, in both states, published before the Countess's death.
[185]Harman's dedication of his book to her was no doubt written in 1566, and his 2nd edition, in both states, published before the Countess's death.
[186]Of pilgrims, and of whoremongers, say Brand and Sir H. Ellis (referring to theHist. des Troubadours, tom. i. p. 11,) inBrand's Antiquities, ed. 1841, i. 202. Chaucer makes him the patron of hospitality, saying of the Frankeleyn, in the Prologue to theCanterbury Tales, "Seynt Iulian he was in his contre." Mr Hazlitt, in his new edition of Brand, i. 303, notes that as early as theAncren Riwle, ab. 1220A.D., we have 'Surely they (the pilgrims) find St. Julian's inn, which wayfaring men diligently seek.'
[186]Of pilgrims, and of whoremongers, say Brand and Sir H. Ellis (referring to theHist. des Troubadours, tom. i. p. 11,) inBrand's Antiquities, ed. 1841, i. 202. Chaucer makes him the patron of hospitality, saying of the Frankeleyn, in the Prologue to theCanterbury Tales, "Seynt Iulian he was in his contre." Mr Hazlitt, in his new edition of Brand, i. 303, notes that as early as theAncren Riwle, ab. 1220A.D., we have 'Surely they (the pilgrims) find St. Julian's inn, which wayfaring men diligently seek.'