Monument Street - Moorgate Street

Monument Street

North-west out of Lower Thames Street to Nos. 47 and 48 King William Street (P.O. Directory). In Billingsgate Ward, and Bridge Ward Within.

Occupies the site of Monument Square and Arthur Street East, Salutation Court, etc.

First formed : 1883-92.

Extended May, 1901, and October, 1911, to occupy the whole site of the streets above mentioned.

Monument Yard

See Monument Square.

Moon Alley

Two gardens in Moone Alye in parish of St. Botolph without Bishops-gate, 30 H. VIII. 1539 (Lond. I. p.m. I. p.53).

Qy. =Half Moon Alley, Bishopsgate.

There was a Moon Alley at No.103 Bishopsgate Without by Norton Folgate, about 10 doors north of Primrose Street (Lockie, 1810-Elmes, 1831).

Moor Court

In Miles' Lane, near Crooked Lane (Strype, Ed. 1755~Boyle, 1799).

Not named in the maps.

Moor Court

North out of London Wall to Fore Street. In Coleman Street Ward (Boyle, 1799).

First mention : Rocque, 1746.

Former name: "Moor's Court" (O. and M. 1677).

So called from its vicinity to Moorfields.

Site now covered by the northern end of Coleman Street.

Moor Lane.

-North out of Fore Street, at No.87, to Chiswell Street (P.O. Directory). In Cripplegate Ward Without, except the northern end, which is in the borough of Finsbury.

First mention : " More Street," 1309-10 (Cal. L. Bk. B. p.230). " le Morstrate," 1310 (Ct. H.W. I. 212). " Le Morestrate," 1324-5 (ib. 311). " le Morelane," 1331-2 (ib. 373). "la Morlane," 1332 (ib. 376). " lamorestrete," 1379-80 (ib. II. 213). "Moorstrete," 1388-9 (ib. II. 273). " Morelane " or " Morestrete," 1510 (ib. 615). In O.S. 1875-80 it only extended to Ropemaker Street, to the City boundary.

So called as erected on the site of Moorfields, the old " More "or" Moor" outside the walls.

Moor Square

West out of Moor Lane, in Cripplegate Ward Without (Horwood, 1799 - O.S. 1848-51).

Former names: " Star Yard" (Rocque, 1746-Lond. G. 1758). " Star Court" (Hatton, 1708-P.C. 1732).

Removed for the formation of the Metropolitan Railway, which now occupies the site.

Moor Yard

South out of Old Fish Street, in Queenhithe Ward (O. and M. 1677 Boyle, 1799).

"Moor's Yard" in O. and M. "Moore's Court" in Lockie, 1810-Elmes, 1831, at No.3 nearly opposite Old Change.

Site now occupied by business houses.

Moorcroft's Court, Fleet Street

See Morecroft's Court.

Moore Ditch

Moore Ditch to be cleansed, 1603 (L. and P. Ed. VI. , etc., VI. 290-1).

In 1635 a sewer was constructed along the bottom of Mooreditch down to the Mynories to carry the sewage into the Thames (Tomlinson's Hist. of the Minories, p.342).

Part of the Town Ditch, fronting Finsbury and Moorfields.

Moore Street

See Fore Street.

Moore's Court

See Moor Yard.

Moore's Yard

See Moor's Court.

Moorfields

North out of Fore Street, at No. 61, to Ropemaker Street (P.O. Directory). In Cripplegate Ward Without.

So named first, 1879.

Former names: "Little Moorfields" (O. and M. 1677, to O.S. 1875-80). " Back Street, Little Moorfields," in Strype's map of Cripplegate Ward, and called" Fore Street" in map of Coleman Street Ward.

In O. and M. 1677, only the houses on the west side had been erected, the eastern side still lying open to and forming part of the Walks of Moorfields, as they were called at that time. " Houses in Little Morefield," mentioned in 1560-1 (Ct. H.W. II. 676).

Named after the extensive district of Moorfields lying to the north of the city wall, much of which had originally been marsh land, and the site of which is now covered by Fiasbury Circus, Finsbury Square, etc. It was not until about 1511 that any effort was made to drain and utilise this district, but in that year in the southern portion of this moor or field, dikes were cut and bridges made, and subsequently the ground was raised and levelled, and in 1605 the place was converted into pleasant walks, set with trees (Strype, Ed. 1720, I. iii. 70) for shade and ornament, the northern portion still remaining marshy and undeveloped.

These walks were called the Upper and Lower Walks of Moorfields in O. and M. 1677, and are shown also in Leake's map, 1666. They were finally built over in the 18th and early part of the 19th centuries.

Called " le Morefelde" south of " le More " or " le Moore mede," 31 H. VIII. 1539 (L. and P. H. VIII. XIV. Pt. I, p.591).

See More (la), Moorgate Station Buildings.

Moorfields' Tavern

Mentioned in bounds of parish of St. Katherine Christ Church

(Strype, Ed. 1720, I. ii. 64).

Not further identified.

Moorgate

In London Wall, adjoining Old Bethlehem Hospital on the west, and leading into Finsbury (Rocque, 1746).

This gate was originally only a postern in the City Wall and not one of the larger and more important of the City Gates.

It is described in 13 H. IV. 1411-12 as a postern in the north wall, between the gate of Bisshopesgate and Crepylgate leading across the ditch to "le More" (Cal. L. Bk. I. p. 101).

In 3 H. V. 1415 it was enacted by ordinance that the little postern built of old in the City Wall and leading to the Moor should be pulled down, and a new and larger one built to the westward of it, with a gate to be shut at night and at other fitting times (Cal. L. Bk. I. p.137).

Stow says it was rebuilt in 1472 and improved in 1511 (S.33).

It was pulled down in 1672 and a new gate of stone erected (Strype, 1720, I. I. 17).

It was condemned with the other gates in 1761 and the materials sold for £166. It was finally demolished in 1762 and the stones repurchased by the Corporation to be used, with the stones of the other gates, to support the starlings of the newly widened centre arch of London Bridge.

So named as being the gate leading out to the Moor, which encompassed the City Wall on that side.

Moorgate Court

In Moorgate Place, Moorgate Street (P.O. Directory).

First mention : L.C.C. List, 1912.

Moorgate Place

East out of Moorgate Street at No.40 (P.O. Directory).

First mention : 1893.

Moorgate Station Buildings

(L.C.C. List, 1901).

Now part of Moorfields (q.v.).

Moorgate Street

North out of Lothbury, at No.4, to London Wall (P.O. Directory). In Coleman Street Ward.

Constructed about 1846 under the Act 1824-46 for the formation of the new approaches to London Bridge.

At the corner of Moorgate Street and King's Arms Yard, in the course of the excavations for the erection of a new building, the gravel was reached at a depth of 17-18 ft.

A Phallus discovered in 1837 (Arch. XXVIII. 43), pottery, coins, etc.