St. Pancras Soper Lane 145/6

Introduction

The property was a shop, probably with a solar or solars above, between 5B on the S., 7 on the N., and 8 on the W.

The shop is recorded first in abutments from 5B. Towards the end of the reign of Henry III (d. 1272) it was held by Robert the beadle (bedellus) and in 1279-80 it belonged to Walter le Hodere. In 1291-2 it belonged to John le Botoner, a mercer known in 1299 as John le Botoner, senior. This was probably the shop in Soper Lane of which in 1288-9 John son of Walter de Douegate, also known as Walter le Weyder de Douegate, attempted to recover possession from John le Botoner; a jury found that John le Botoner had the greater right to the shop. Le Botoner died in or shortly before 1316, when a will purporting to be his was presented in Husting and was found to have been forged with the intent of defrauding his son John. The son was presumably the John le Botoner, junior, who owned the shop in February 1316, when Richard of St. Albans, clerk, granted a rent of 5s. 4d. due from it to William de Leyre, citizen. This rent does not appear among those listed by de Leyre in his will, dated 1322 and enrolled in 1323, but probably descended to his heirs. In 1363 William Swanland granted this and other rents to Joan, widow of Andrew Aubrey, citizen and pepperer, who in 1364 granted the rent to her son John Aubrey, citizen and pepperer. (fn. 1)

The shop descended from John le Botoner, junior, to Juliana daughter of John le Botoner, who married Henry Chaucer of London, vintner. She was probably the daughter of John le Botoner, junior, and was probably also the Juliana Chaucer from whose shop the 5s. 4d. rent was due in 1363. In 1373 Henry Chaucer and Juliana granted and quitclaimed to Hugh de Causton, citizen and pepperer, and John atte Welle, chaplain, all their lands, tenements and rents in Soper Lane and in the parishes of St. Margaret Lothbury and St. Stephen Coleman Street which had once belonged to Juliana's father. In the same year these grantees conveyed the same properties, which presumably included 6, to John Watlyngton, Richard Cros, and John Molkhous of Irthlingborough (Northants.), who immediately granted them to John Piel, citizen and merchant (mercator), his wife Joan, and Piel's heirs and assigns. In 1374 Amicia widow of Richard Mallyng, citizen and vintner, quitclaimed to Piel and his wife in the properties. By his will, dated June 1377, Piel left his lands, tenements, and rents in London to his wife Joan for life with remainder to the dean and college of the church of St. Peter, Irthlingborough (Northants), for the foundation of which he had obtained a licence in 1375. The will was not enrolled until 1382. The property probably eventually came into the possession of Irthlingborough College, which was formally established by Joan Piel in 1388, but in the 16th century the college did not include holdings in St. Pancras parish among its London possessions. (fn. 2)

In November 1377 Nicholas Marchaunt came into Husting and sought 2 messuages and a garden in St. Margaret Lothbury parish and a shop (6) in St. Pancras parish against John Pyel and his wife Joan. Marchaunt claimed that the elder John le Botoner had left the property in tail to his son John, who had died without heirs, and that under the terms of the will the property had remained to the elder John's daughter Margery and her heirs; it had then descended, he alleged, to Margery's daughter Lettice, and then to himself as heir of Margery and son of Lettice. Pyel and his wife claimed that Marchaunt was heir of Amicia, widow of Richard Mallyng, who was the daughter of John le Botoner the younger and who had quitclaimed to Pyel and his wife. Marchaunt claimed, wrongly, that at the time of this quitclaim Hugh de Causton and John atte Welle, not Pyel and his wife, were seised of the property. He failed to appear for subsequent summonses. Marchaunt sought the property again in 1378, when he again based his claim on the entail established by the elder John le Botoner's will, now said to have been enrolled in Husting in the 30th year of Edward I (1301-2; the roll for this year no longer survives); he now alleged that the property had descended to Amicia, who had only a life interest in it. Marchaunt again failed to appear for subsequent summonses. It appears that Amicia had been in dispute with John Pyel and his wife, who in 1374 successfully complained that she had disseised them of a messuage in St. Margaret Lothbury parish; this case and Amicia's quitclaim which immediatey followed it were presumably intended to eliminate the entail. In 1380 Marchaunt yet again sought the property, protesting this time that he did not recognise Amicia as his ancestor, and that at the time of the quitclaim de Causton and atte Welle were seised of the property. He claimed to be able to verify this, but failed to appear after subsequent summonses, and in 1381 judgement was given against him. In 1383, Marchaunt sought the property against Pyel's widow, claiming that the earlier judgement was insufficient to exclude him, but he failed to prosecute his writ. Finally, in 1384, Mauchaunt complained against Joan of intrusion, but the outcome of the plea is not known. (fn. 3)

There are no later references to 6, which probably fell into decay and was demolished in the 15th century, at about the same time as 7. For sheds which appear to have been erected on the site in the 17th century, see 8.