Thes bene the Dettours off olde quarterages wych ware gyfyn to vs XXS x/s xijd ijs Sir William Gervyse William Baron xijd Thes bene the Quartyragys owyng by Dyuers personz thys yer xiijs iiijd xiijs iiijd John Ramsede xijd Thomas Stanus xijd John Dyer xijd Alysaundyr Chylde xijd Nycoles Barton xijd John Spenser xijd Thomas Pyke xijd John Woode xijd William Sybson xijd Thomas Browne xijd John Style xijd John Elwyche xijd Thomas Goodehynde xijd Richard Hersy xijd William Baron xijd xijd [total of page] xxvijs The Some off all the detts ys lvli xs iiijd All to John Ruddoke owyth ffor di' a yer rent xiijs iiijd xijd xijo xijd xijd xijd xijd xijd xijd xijd xijd xijd XIX NOTE ON GRANT OF THE SITE OF THE FIRST DRAPERS' HALL IN the reign of Edward I, Robert Ayguylon left a 'tenter ground', i. e. a plot where clothes are stretched after fulling or dyeing, which had apparently once belonged to Fitzalwyn, first Mayor of London, to the Chapel of Watton atte Stone in frankalmoigne. This Chapel granted the site in the same reign to Fulk St. Edmund at the rent of 5 marks to the Chapel and 6s. 8d. to the King, and his descendants held it till the reign of Richard II. It was then declared forfeited as having been devised in mortmain by Robert Ayguylon and first given by the King into the custody of John Hende, a Draper, and then granted to Sir John Beauchamp (1384) with a rent of 5 marks payable to the Chapel. It had then certain shops built on part of it. In 1385 Sir John granted it to Richard Forster, Thomas Charleton, and two others for 6 score marks. But Hende continued to occupy a piece of the ground 38 ft. by 8 ft. abutting on his own house.3 In 1408 Richard Forster and Thomas Charleton granted the plot to the following joint tenants: Elias Bockyng, John Botiller, Walter Gawtron, William Denardeston, William Weston, Richard Coroner, John Gedney, Robert Luton, and John Prentout, reserving a yearly rent of £5 for Forster's life and the Livery of the Company. I In 1426 (5 Henry VI) John Gedney, William Weston, and Walter Gawtron released their share to John Botiller and Richard Coroner.2 In the same year John Botiller and Richard Coroner granted it to William Crowmer, John Gedney, Robert Tattersall, Sir Thomas Cooke, and thirty-six others. In 1483 (2 Richard III) by the death of the other joint tenants the land was in the hands of Philip Cooke, son of Sir Thomas, and he granted it under the name of Drapers' Hall' to Sir William Stokker, Harry Eburton, and others. Cf. 403, fo. 33b, Great dede with letter of attorney of Philip Cook to Sir Wm. Stokker and other of the crafte'. In 1489 (5 Henry VII) the others released their share to Eburton, and in 1490 Eburton devised it to the Fraternity, as well as other tenements. This will is referred to in the Accounts of 1489-90, ' Item paid to Harry Wodecock scrivener for making a testament and other devises to put Drapers' Hall and other tenements into mortmayn and other expenses £2 10s. 4d.' Cf. Sharpe, Calendar of Wills, ii. 601. Now it is to be observed that, of the grantees in 1408, the names of all, with the exception of Elias Bockyng, Robert Luton, and William Denardeston, appear in the Accounts of 1413-14 and 1423-4, while of the grantees of 1425-6 all appear in the Accounts between 1413-26. As we have no Accounts between 1408-13, it is no wild supposition to make that the three, whose names do not appear in or after 1415, had died between 1408-15. And if so all the grantees in joint tenancy were Drapers. It is also noticeable that the terms on which Forster granted the land was that he should be granted the Livery of the Brotherhood, which shows that he was, or became, a member. Thus it appears that from 1385 the land belonged entirely to members of the Fraternity, and was no doubt held in trust for it. Further, the Accounts of the year 1426 mention a sum of £66 13s. 4d. paid to William Crowmer. We are not told why, yet as the land had been valued in 1385 at 6 score marks (£80), it seems most probable that the sum paid to Crowmer was for the land or for a balance yet unpaid. This is rendered all the more likely by the fact that in that year, as is proved by the Accounts, the Brotherhood begin to build their Hall, which is called Drapers' Hall in 1440. There is also notice of a quit-rent of 6s. 8d. paid to the Parsons of St. Swithin's for the Hall in 1433-4 and in the following years, which probably represents the 6s. 8d. originally owing to the Crown. Cf. the Documents quoted and abstracted in Catalogue, vol. ii, p. 385, Drapers' Hall. |
