or whatsouer pertaining to the buil∣ding
or repairing of London bridge.
This house seemeth to have taken
beginning, with the first founding of
the Bridge; either of stone or timber:
it is a large plot of ground on the banke
of the river Thames, containing divers
large buildings, for stowage of things
necessary, towards reparation of the
said Bridge.
There are also divers Garners, for
laying up of Wheate, and other Gray∣ners
for service of the City, as need re∣quireth.
Moreover, there bee certaine
Ovens builded, in number ten: of which
sixe bee very large, the other foure be∣ing
but halfe so bigge. These were
purposely made to bake out the bread∣corne
of the said Grayners, to the best
advantage, for reliefe of the poore Citi∣zens,
when neede should require. Sir I.
Throstone, Knight, sometime an Im∣broderer,
then Goldsmith, one of the
Sheriffes, 1516. gave (by his Testa∣ment)
towards the making of these
Ovens two hundred pounds, which
thing was performed by his Executors:
Sir Iohn Munday, Goldsmith, then be∣ing
Maior. There was of late, for the
enlarging of the said Bridge-house, taken
in an old Brew-house, called Goldings,
which was given to the Citie by George
Monox, sometime Maior, and in place
thereof, is now a faire brew-house
builded, for service of the Citie with
Beere.
Next, was the Abbot of Battailes
Inne, betwixt the Bridge-house and Bat∣taile
bridge, likewise on the banke of the
river of Thames; the walkes and gar∣dens
thereunto appertaining, on the o∣ther
side of the way, before the gate of
the said house, was called the Maze:
there is now an Inne, called the Flower
de luce, for that the signe is three Flower
de luces. Much other buildings of smal
tenements are thereon builded reple∣nished
with strangers and other, for the
most part poore people.
Then is Battaile bridge, so called of
Battaile Abbey, for that it standeth on
the ground, and over a water-course
(flowing out of Thames) pertaining to
that Abbey, & was therfore both buil∣ded
and repaired by the Abbots of that
house as being hard adjoyning to the
Abbots lodging.
Beyond this Bridge is Bermondsey
streete, turning South, in the South end
whereof was sometime a Priory or Ab∣bey,
of S. Sauioyr, called Bermonds eye
in Southwarke, founded by Ailewin
Childe, a Citizen of London, in the yeere
1081.
Peter, Richard, Obstert, and Vmbalde,
Monkes de Charitate, came to Bermond∣sey,
the yeere 1089. and Peter was
made first Prior there, by appointment
of the Prior of the house, called Charitie
in France: by which meanes this Priory
of Bermondsey (being a Cell to that
in France) was accounted a Priory of A∣liens.
In the yeere 1094. deceased Ailewin
Childe, founder of this house. Then Wil∣liam
Rufus gave to the Monks, his Man∣nor
of Bermondsey, with the appurtenan∣ces,
and builded for them there a new
great Church.
Robert Blewit, Bishop of Lincolne
(King Williams Chancelor) gave them
the Mannor of Charleton, with the ap∣purtenances.
Also Geffrey Martell, by
the grant of Geffrey Magnaville, gave
them the Land of Halingbury, and the
tithe of Alferton, &c.
More in the yeere Thomas of Arderne
1122. and Thomas his Son, gave to the
Monkes of Bermonds Eye, the Church
of Saint George in Southwarke.
In the yeere 1165. King Henry the
second confirmed to them the Hide or
territorie of Southwarke, and Laygham,
Waddam, with the land of Coleman, &c.
In the yeere one thousand, three hun∣dred,
seventy one, the Priories of A∣liens
(throughout England) being seized
into the Kings hands, Richard Denten
an Englishman, was made Prior of
Bermondsey: to whom was committed
the custody of the said Priory, by the
letters patents of King Edward the
third, saving to the King the advow∣sons
of Churches.
In the yeare 1380. the fourth of Ri∣chard
the second, this Priory was made
a Denizen (or free English) for the fine
of 200. Markes, payd to the Kings Ha∣naper
in the Chancery. In the yeare
1399. Attelborough, Prior of Bermond∣sey,
was made the first Abbot of that
house, by Pope Boniface the ninth, at the
suit of King Richard the second.