and other hithes were appointed for the landing of different merchandize, in order that traffic might be carried on with regularity.

. In process of time it came to the crown, and king Stephen confirmed it by a grant to William de Ipres, who has been before mentioned. William gave the farm and heritage to the prior and convent of the Holy Trinity within Aldgate, upon the condition that they should send every year 20l. towards the maintenance of the Hospital of St. Catharine; one hundred shillings to the monks of Bermondsey, and sixty shillings to the brethren of the Hospital of St. Giles; the remainder to be enjoyed by the prior and canons of the Holy Trinity.

Queenhithe afterwards reverted to the crown, and king John gave it, as part of his royal demesne to his queen Alianore. From this circumstance it took its present name.

In the 6th year of the reign of Henry III. the young king granted Ripa Regine to Richard de Ripariis, or de Rivers; and in the 10th year of his reign it was re-granted to Thomas de Cirencester, during the king's pleasure. The same monarch had the preceding year commanded the constable of the Tower of London to arrest the ships of the Cinque Ports on the river Thames, and compel them to bring their corn only to Queenhithe. The king, or rather his governors, took upon them, in the 11th year of his reign, to distrain all fish offered to be sold in any part of the city, except at Queenhithe. During the 28th year, an inquisition was made before William of York, provost of Beverley, Henry of Bath, and Jerome of Caxton, justices itinerant, sitting at the Tower of London, as follows:

"Our Lord the king Henry the Third commanded lord William of York, provost of Beverley, Henry of Bath, and Jeremiah of Caxton, his fellow justices itinerants at the Tower of London, in the 28th year of the reign of the said Henry, son of king John, that with all diligence, and by all the ways they could, they cause inquiry to be made, what custon's belonged to the Queen's Heth, London; the year next before the war moved between the lord John, his father, and the barons of England. And when it shall appear to

them concerning those customs, and others, which belonged to the aforesaid Heth, and which were afterwards changed and alienated, they labour with all solicitude and carefulness they can, to reform the said Heth to its due state. And that the customs in the same be held in the time aforesaid.

"Before which provost and justices it was convicted by the mayor and aldermen of the city, that in the time aforesaid were three customs belonging to the foresaid Heth, to wit:

"Of every sieve, that is a measure containing five quarters of salt, that shall belong to a man that is a foreigner, or to any one of the Five Ports, and shall land and come, wheresoever it be within Worepath and Anedehethe,* or beyond, 2d. at the farm of the said Heth.

"Also, if any citizen of London have part in the same sieve of salt, he shall have nothing of his portion. But the residue that belongs to strangers, shall give custom according to the quantity of

his ware.

"Also, if any bring from abroad, herring, corn, or such like, together with salt, in one ship, it hath been lawful for the queen's bailiff to take a [blank] part of the foresaid catals.

"Also, if any from abroad, and also from the Five Ports, come with salmon, if he shall bring an hundred or more, he shall give two salmons to the queen's farm.

"And, if he shall land them at the Queen's Soke, (or court) he shall give one of the best, and one of the middling sort.

"And, if he shall bring less than an hundred, he shall give ac cording to the quantity of the thing, to the fourth part.

"And if he shall bring less than the fourth part, he shall give nothing but standage.

"Also, of salt milvel (a sort of fish) the same custom is to be taken at the Queen's farm in the same Soke, which the sheriff takes for the king's use at Billingsgate.

"Also, if a stranger, and also any for the Five Ports, shall bring in his ship white herring salted, in the Queen's Soke, one hundred is to be taken out of the ship. And, if any of the citizens have a part with him, nothing to be taken from his portion.

"Also, whatsoever stranger brings the first red herring, not frailed, he shall give an hundred herring.. And others who shall

Werepath or Worepath was in the east part of the flete of Barking in Essex, and Ânedeheth, was near Westminster. Stow.

VOL. III. No. 57.

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come

come with the same kind of herrings, whether they are trailed or not, shall give nothing through the whole year, beside the standage of the ship.

"Also, if any foreigner shall buy salmon or mulvel, salted in the ship, and shall put it into another ship; for every thousand he shall give an halfpenny.

"Also, concerning salmon and mulvel bought in shops, situate in the same soke, of every hundred is to be taken 2d, as was before said concerning the ships.

"Also, of herrings bought in shops, of every thousand is to be taken an halfpenny.

"Also, of every kind of fresh fish, coming in the Queen's Soke, the same custom is to be taken, which is taken of the same kind of fish, at the Queen's Farm at London Bridge.

"Also, of every ship that saileth within Orlokes, is to be taken 2d. at the Queen's Farm, unless it be of London, or of the Five Ports.

"Also, of a ship which saileth with Tholl (or sufferance) is to be taken an halfpenny.

"Also of every shout (shoot) coming down in the Queen's Soke with corn, to be taken 1d. ob. But if with wood, without corn, I'd.

"All customs before written are to be kept and held as well in the port of Douegate, as Queenhithe, for the lord the king's use.

"Also, corn which landeth between the gutter of the Guildhall of the men of Colen, (the Stilyard) and the archbishop of Canterbury's Soke, i. e. near Blackfriars, is not wont to be measured by another quartern, than by the quartern of the Queen's Soke.

Also, it belongeth to the queen's bailiff to take Scawynge, in Selda Wynton, for the queen's use, under the same form as the sheriff of London takes Scawynge elsewhere in London for the king's use. “Also, if any withdraw his custom, and depart from the city with the same custom, he falls into the mercy of the bailiff.

"Also, if any offer to pay his custom to the bailiff, or his servant, and they will not take it, although he depart from the city, he is not to be amerced.

"Also, all assizes of the city, in the hustings, provided and ordained for the amendment of the city, are to be ordained and observed in the Queen's Soke. And therefore it is a custom, that the lord the king have his seizin of all the foresaid customs, according as it is acknowledged by the same mayor and citizens. "Afterwards

Afterwards came the bailiffs of the same Heth and complained that, after the foresaid acknowledgment, fourteen foreign ships landed with fish at Billingsgate, which ought to have landed at the foresaid Heth. And therefore the custom is, that, if any foreign ship land elsewhere in the form aforesaid, than at the foresaid Heth, it is in the king's mercy, to wit, at 40s.

FORFEITURE.

"Let this punishment have place, until one month after the feast of St. Michael, this year. And in the mean time, according to the transgression, provision is made for inflicting an heavier fine, if they will not observe the foresaid form.

"Afterwards came the maior and citizens, and say that six ships of strangers, with all salt-fish, in foreign spindler boats, landed at the Heth, in the foresaid time. But ships which were the citizens of London, landed elsewhere, where they would. And therefore let the king have his seizin."

Thus did this weak, profligate, and arbitrary monarch and his inquitous judges cramp the citizens and harrass their trade.

Queenhithe was afterwards in the hands of Richard earl of Cornwall, brother to Henry III. and appears to have been, agreeably to the oppressive system of the times, wrongfully detained from the citizens; for upon an inquisition appointed by the justices, the third of Edward I. they made the following presentment: "That the Queenhithe was some time 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 annum 521." They presented also," That king John, father of lord king Henry, gave Queenhithe to Alianore, 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 disinherisen of the king, as it seemed to them. But by what warrant they knew not." This earl of Cornwall, though so nearly related to the king, often joined with the discontents, and therefore, though Queenhithe might probably, by right, have been the queen's inheritance, the earl, by threats and violence, obtained the property and perquisites. The citizens had not long before purchased the rent of the Hithe of the earl, and upon some affront

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affront given by the citizens, had violently resumed the property. However, the consequence of the above presentment and remonstrance was, that the charge of Queenhithe was committed to the care of the sheriffs of London.

In the year 1302, it was found on the oath of divers men, "that bakers, brewers, and others buying their corn at Queenhithe, should pay for measuring, porterage and carriage, for every quarter of corn whatsoever; from thence to West Cheap, to St. Antholin's church, to Horseshoe-Bridge,' and to Wolfes-gate Street, in the parish of Alhallows the Less, one halfpenny farthing. And from the said Hithe to Fleet Bridge, to Newgate, to Crepelgate, and as far as Berchevers (Birchin) Lane upon Cornhull, and as far as Eastcheap, and Billingsgate, one penny. And from this Hithe of the queen, through all streets and lanes beyond the foresaid places, even to the bars of the suburbs, one penny farthing." The measurer or méter was to have under him eight chief master meters, every master to have under him three porters, each of whom was to find one horse and seven sacks, &c. or to abjure his office.

Queenhithe was at this time a place of such resort for vessels with corn, besides fish, salt, fuel and all other merchandize, that all these men maintained themselves and their cattle in a very comfortable manner by their labour. "But,"

says Stow, "now that case is altered; the bakers of London, and other citizens, travel into the countries, and buy their corn of the farmers, at the farmers price."

Edward II. gave in the first year of his reign, £43 12 93 to Margaret, wife of Peter de Gaveston, out of the rents of Queenhithe.

Here was a place called Romeland, which being choaked with dung, filth, &c. so that the corn dealers and other merchants could not stand to dispose of their traffic, it was ordained by an order of common council, in the forty-first of Edward III. that it should be cleansed and paved; and from that period, a duty of one farthing should be imposed upon every quarter of corn whatsoever, sold there; for every quarter of salt, one farthing; for every vessel cailed a battel,

bringing