Page:Notes and Queries - Series 10 - Volume 1.djvu/561

 io< s. i. JUNE ii, 1904.] NOTES AND QUERIES.

461

LONDON, SATURDAY, JUNE 11, 190Z,.

CONTENTS. -No. 24.

UOTES : Bow Bridge, 461 " Sanguis " : its Derivation, 462 Dibdin Bibliography, 463 Shakespeare's Books "Jong," Tibetan Word Herbert Spencer and Children, 465 Astwick : Austwick Portuguese Version of the Aphikia Story ' Plumpton Correspondence' Pedigree in 1640 "Fetish" Roperaakers' Alley Chapel, 466 Mevagissey Duck Westminster Abbey Changes, 467.

<3UERIES : Barnes : ' The Devil's Charter ' Immanuel Kant's Origin, 467 Margaret Biset Ray's Itineraries- Authors of Quotations Wanted Alake Procession Door, 468 Doge of Venice Magna Charta Bstrege Richard Pincerna Whitty Tree King John's Charters "In matters of commerce " Pemberton Family Late Intel- lectual Harvest Huquier, Engravers, 469 The ' Times, 1962, 470.

fiEPLIES -.The Premier Grenadier of France, 470 Tides- well and Tideslow, 471 The Lobishome Aristotle and Moral Philosophy Poems on Shakespeare Military Buttons : Sergeants' Chevrons Haggovele Chair of St. Augustine, 472 Fettiplace Tickling Trout " Luther's distich," 473" There was a man " Authors of Quotations Wanted Secret Documents, 474 " Hen-hussey" Mark Hildesley Step-brother, 475 The Sun and its Orbit Wolverhampton Pulpit Casting Lots Buripides : Date of his Birth "The glory of the Methodists," 476 ' ' Jenion's Intack." Paste " Purple patch " ' The Yong Souldier ' Martello Towers, 477" The run of his teeth " " Barrar "Shakespeare's Grave" Gringo "=Foreigner : "Griengro,"478.

NOTES ON BOOKS: The Variorum Beaumont and Fletcher' Great Masters ' Magazines and Reviews A New German Philological Publication.

Notices to Correspondents.

BOW BRIDGE.

"Bow BRIDGE" has for close upon eight centuries been famous as the principal means of communication between London or, to be more strictly correct, between the county of Middlesex and the county of Essex. From time immemorial, and long before there was any bridge over the river Lea, there was a ford across the river at a point not very far distant from where the bridge now stands ; and the name Old Ford, which still clings to the district a little to the north of the bridge, indicates the position. This ford was certainly in use in the time of the Romans, as is shown by the convergence from both sides of the river to this point of old roads which antiquaries tell us are of Roman origin.

The use of this ford continued for many years, and it is on record that in the seventh century, 300 years after the Romans left these islands, the body of St. Erkenwald was, owing to the floods, stopped on the Essex side of the river while being conveyed from the Abbey of Barking (where he died) to London for interment ; but the passage was

difficult and dangerous at all times, and in the early part of the twelfth century it was superseded by a bridge. This bridge was erected at the instance of Queen Matilda, consort of Henry I., who, having herself experienced the unpleasantness of crossing the ford in flood-time, not only caused the bridge with its approaches to be built, but also granted certain lands to the Abbess of Barking for maintaining the same. Stowe, the historian, says of the bridge that it was "arched like a bowe," which, he adds, "was a rare piece of worke, for before the time the like had never beene seene in England." Notwithstanding the provision made for its repair, disputes arose as to who was liable for this, as the lands granted by Queen Matilda had been sold, and Queen Eleanor found it in such a condition that she ordered it to be repaired. This did not, however, prevent litigation, and eventually the Court of King's Bench decided in the sixth and eighth years of Edward II. that the Abbot of Stratford, the Master of London Bridge, and the Master of St. Thomas of Acre were liable to keep the bridge in repair, as they held the lands originally granted by Matilda to the Abbess of Barking for its maintenance. These obligations appear to have been observed down to the dissolution of the monasteries in the time of Henry VIII. , as there is no record of any complaint being made until 1643, when it again became dilapidated. Attempts were made by the holders of the lands originally granted for the repairs of the bridge to deny their liability, upon the plea that, the lands having gone to the Crown at the dissolution of the monasteries, they were not liable. This was not, however, the view taken by the Courts, and further attempts in the same direction in 1663 and 1690 proved useless.

For nearly a century after this nothing further is heard of the bridge ; but shortly before 1741 it was found necessary to widen it on either side, so as to give a width between the parapets of some 20ft. instead of 16ft. But even then this famous old bridge had but a few more years to last, and in 1836 it was swept away for a bridge of more ample dimensions. The old bridge had, since it was built (somewhere between the years 1100 and 1118), been considerably altered, and bore evidence of having been almost rebuilt during the Tudor period ; but it is generally considered that it was of three spans, as it certainly was at the time of its destruction, and it was celebrated as one of the most ancient stone bridges (if not the oldest) in England.