1720 - Strype, John - Survey of London and Westminster (12)

By Henrik Thiil Nielsen, 2018-06-29. Revised by Henrik Thiil Nielsen, 2018-07-04.

Allusion

BLACKMANS STREET runs from St. Georges Church almost unto Newington, the Street is broad, but the Buildings and Inhabitants not much to be boasted of; the End next to Newington hath the West side open to St. Georges Fields; being rather a Road than a Street. Here are these Places beginning at the East side next to St. Georges Church.

The SWAN BREWHOUSE. ARROW ALLEY, a little narrow Place, very meanly Built and Inhabited. BLACK SPREAD EAGLE COURT, a pretty open Place and indifferent good. GIRFFINS ALLEY, very long and narrow, with old Timber Houses, ordinary Inhabited. DOLPHIN YARD, a pretty open Place, but very indifferent. LAMB ALLEY an open Place, also well Built and Inhabited. CROSS SHOVEL ALLEY, small narrow, and ordinary. WHITE HORSE ALLEY, very mean, with a narrow Passage. TWO BREWERS YARD also of mean Account, with a narrow Passage. REDCROSS ALLEY, now pulled down, in order to Rebuild. UNICORN INN, very neat and fine, being adorned with carved Figures, and sundry sorts of Birds stuft, and set about, as if they were alive, with a small Ship, such as are hung in great Halls. ROCK YARD small and very mean. DRAPERS ALMS HOUSES, being erected for four Men, and twelve Women, their Allowance being 5s. per Month; at the end of the House is a Chappel where one of the four Men reads Prayers every day, for which he hath 12d. per Month more. The West side of Blackman's street beginning next to St. George's Fields are these Places. BROAD YARD, a dirty but open Place containing about five or six Houses; hath a Passage into CROWN INN which is but small, with a Passage likewise into St. George's Fields. DIRTY LANE, only a Passage, or Road along by the Mint, and St. George's Fields into Gravel Lane. BEARS FOOT ALLEY, hath a narrow Entrance, and contains ten small Houses, all built in a Row like unto Alms Houses. PEACHES WOOD YARD, pretty large. AXE YARD hath a narrow Entrance. but is very clenn and airy within, with pretty good Buildings. ROSE ALLEY, narrow, small, and ordinary. ROBIN HOOD COURT, containing three small Houses, reasonably Inhabited, hath a narrow Passage.

Source notes

Uppercase as in web source. Marginal note to first paragraph: "Blackmans street". Marginal notes to second paragraph (IRHB's "|" indicate line shift in the source text): "Swan Brewhouse. | Arrow Alley. | Black Spread Eagle Court. | Dolphin Yard. | Lamb Alley. | Cross Shovel Alley. | White Horse Alley. | Two Brewers Yard. | Redcross Alley. | Unicorn Inn. | Rock Yard. | Drapers Alms Houses. | Broad Yard. | Crown Inn. | Dirty Lane. | Bearsfoot Alley. | Peaches Wood Yard. | Axe Yard. | Rose Alley. | Robin Hood Court."

Lists

• Not included in Dobson, R. B., ed.; Taylor, J., ed. Rymes of Robyn Hood: an Introduction to the English Outlaw (London, 1976), pp. 315-19.
• Outside scope of Sussex, Lucy, compil. 'References to Robin Hood up to 1600', in: Knight, Stephen. Robin Hood: A Complete Study of the English Outlaw (Oxford, UK; Cambridge, Massachusetts: Blackwell, 1994), pp. 262-88.

Editions

• John Strype's A Survey of the Cities of London and Westminster, Book 4, Ch. 1, p. 31 (hriOnline).

Notes