St. Pancras Soper Lane 145/29

Introduction

29 and 28 were originally one shop, on the E. side of Soper Lane, divided in the 14th century and reunited in one ownership in the 16th. 29 lay between 28 to the S., 30 to the N., and 36 to the E. In 1537 it measured 8 ft. 2 in. (2.49 m.) in width N.-S. and c. 13 ft. (3.96 m.) in depth E.-W. (fn. 1) The early history of 29, and the descent of the 6s. quit-rent charged on 28-9, are given under 28.

In 1858 the site of the property lay largely within that of no. 91 Queen Street.

Mid-fourteenth to sixteenth century

In 1349 William Griffyn and John Gros granted the N. moiety of the shop, 28-9, to Roger Vyne, citizen and mercer, and his wife Agnes. This moiety is described below as 29. By his will dated and proved later in 1349 Roger left 29 to his wife Agnes for life, with remainder to his children John and Joan. In 1396 John Vyne, citizen and mercer, son of Roger, and his wife Joan, granted 29, described as the N. moiety of a shop, to William de Thame citizen and fishmonger, and his wife Juliana, and William's heirs and assigns. By his will of 1396, proved in 1398, William de Thame left all his rents and tenements in London to Juliana for life, with remainder to his son Thomas in tail, and then to his kinsman Robert Louthe. William de Thame and Juliana also held 37 in Juliana's right as daughter of Thomas de Betoigne, and this too was evidently included in William de Thame's general devise. Later in 1398, when Juliana was dead, Robert Louthe granted his reversionary interest in 145/29, 37, and 105/9B, 16-17, to Hugh Herlond, John Cornwaleys, and Thomas Colred. This reversion never occurred, as Robert Betoigne, citizen and goldsmith, succeeded in recovering the properties once of Richard de Betoigne, which he claimed by virtue of an earlier entail (see 37). (fn. 2) He evidently also acquired 29, though whether this was by the same legal action or some other transaction is not known; it was referred to as 'late of Robert Betoigne' in 1433. By his will of 1410, he left his tenements in St. Pancras parish and elsewhere to his wife Agnes for life, with remainder to his son Richard in tail, and then to his daughters Margaret and Agnes equally in tail with cross remainders. (fn. 3) Margaret, daughter of Robert Betoyne, was probably eventually his sole heir. She married Robert fitzRobert, and he held 29 in 1433. It then descended with 36A and 37 (see under 36A), and was left with them in 1505 by Nicholas Alwyn, citizen and mercer, to the house of St. Thomas of Acre. (fn. 4)

With such a large block of property in one ownership, where seems to have been some rearrangement of boundaries. A rent-account of St. Thomas of Acre for 1517-19 lists four properties in St. Pancras parish, of which two are identifiable as 37A and 37B and a third, described as a tenement held by John Baxster, as 36A or part of it. The fourth tenement was referred to as the warehouse formerly let at £4 p.a., on the left side of Baxster's tenement, now built as a tenement, the door of which opened towards 'le Erbewywes'. It was held by Morgan Williams at £4 p.a. for a 70-year term. (fn. 5) It seems probable that this fourth property was made up of 29 and the S. part of 36A (hereafter referred to as 36A2). 28, 29, and 36A2 certainly formed one property at the time of the Great Fire. The 'herb wives' could have been trading in or in front of 8 (q.v.), or perhaps occupying the vacant plot (30) to the N. of 29 where herbs were said to be sold in 1489-90. (fn. 6) The £4 rent from this fourth property was paid by John Judde to the house of St. Thomas of Acre from 1519 or earlier until 1529, when it was reduced to £3, which Judde paid until 1531. John Syrcocke paid the rent until 1537. (fn. 7) In 1537 there was a dispute between the house of St. Thomas of Acre and William Wakefield, waxchandler, over a certain ground on which old and ruinous houses now stood, in Soper Lane. The viewers said that the land of the house of St. Thomas of Acre (29) lay to the S., measuring 8 ft. 2 1/2 in. (2.5 m.) N.-S. at the front, from the N.W. corner post of their house to the S. to Wakefield's ground and old house (30) to the N. 29 is referred to as land or ground, rather than a house or shop, and may have been completely derelict. (fn. 8) The hospital of St. Thomas of Acre was dissolved in 1538, and a rental of about that time lists a tenement with a pariel of land called 'yard plot' with shops, cellars, solar(s), etc., leased to John Syrcoke for 30 years from 1538 at £3 rent. This seems to refer to 29 and 36A2 together. The tenant was to repair and pave and the landlord to pay all quit-rents. The rent was paid to the Crown until 1544, when the tenement and curtilage in Soper Lane held by John Sircocke, citizen and leatherseller, on lease as above, was granted to Roger Higham and William Grene of London. (fn. 9)

Later in 1544, Higham and Grene sold the property to John Circock (=Sircock) and his wife Elizabeth. By his will of 1349 John left it to Elizabeth, her heirs and assigns for ever. She then married William Brellont of London, broderer, and in 1552 they granted it to Anthony Stapleton and Henry Jones, gentlemen, to hold to the use of William Brellont, his heirs and assigns. In 1561 Brellont granted the property, described as a messuage and curtilage and all the warehouses in Soper Lane, with all buildings, shops, cellars, solars, chambers, entries, and lands belonging to them, to Wilfred Lewtie, citizen and court hand writer, who already occupied all or part of the premises. In 1583 Lewtre, who had also acquired 28, granted both to Hubert Reynolds of London, tailor; the later history of the property is given under 28. (fn. 10)

Quit-rents

29 and 28 together were charged with a quit-rent of 6s., held in the mid 13th century by Lawrence of St. Michael, son of William son of Benedict, who also had rents from 25-27 and 30. This history of this quit-rent is given under 28. (fn. 11)