St. Mary Colechurch 105/34

Introduction

This property lay on the S. side of Poultry, between 33 to the W., 35 to the E., and 26 to the S. It was one of 8 stone shops in front of and originally part of 26.

34 was probably the fifth shop from the W. in the row of 8 stone shops in ferronaria (31-35) granted in between 1220 and 1222 by Matthew Blund, who held 26 (q.v.), to Clerkenwell Priory. It measured 2 3/8 ells 1 in. (7 ft. 2 1/2 in.; 2.2 m.) in width E.-W. and 6 1/4 ells (18 ft. 9 in.; 5.72 m.) in length N.-S. Probably like the other shops, 34 was granted away by the priory, reserving only a quit-rent of 13s. 4d. John Hervi held a shop of Clerkenwell Priory to the E. of 33 granted by the priory to Peter de Ewree in 1231 x 1245; according to the provisions of that grant, distraint could be made in John (Hervi)'s tenement for arrears of the rent from 33, if it was not possible to distrain in that one. The shop probably passed to Thomas de Mymmes, who by his will proved in 1279, but probably dating from some years earlier, left his tenements in London to his wife Elicia for life, with remainder to his sons John and William and their issue, and in default of heirs to a chantry in the chapel of St. Mary de Conehop. The shop of John son of Thomas de Mimmes lay to the E. of 33 in 1275-6. By his will proved in 1292 John de Memmes or Memmys, clerk, who was son of Thomas de Mimmes left his shop in ferrar' in the parish of St. Mary Colechurch to his son Elyseus and his heirs, with remainder to his daughters Margery and Elicia. The reversion of a house in Coneyhope Lane (venella de Conehop), late of the testator's father, was left to the same if the testator's brother William died without heirs, and tenements in St. Mildred Poultry parish were left to the testator's wife for life with remainder to Elyseus and his two sisters (for these properties, see 132/6-7). Another John de Mimmes le Cuteler at the Conduit, evidently not identical with John de Memmes, clerk, but probably connected with the same family, was mentioned in 1305. (fn. 1)

The shop of Elyas son of John de Mimmes lay to the E. of 33 in 1305. Elias was an ironmonger and so presumably not identical with the Elyas le Poleter, who held the tenement to the W. of 35 in 1310. In 1306, 34 may have been occupied by John de Cotes. The tenement late of Henry de Farnebergh lay to the W. of 35 in 1345; he may have been a tenant of 34, or possibly the reference is to the family owning 33 at this time. No heirs of Elyas son of John de Mimmes, or of Elyas's two sisters, appear to have survived, and so the property descended to John de Mymmes, imager, who was Elias's cousin and son of William son of Thomas de Mimmes (cf. 132/5). By his will of 1349 John de Mymmes, imager, left his tenements in the parishes of St. Mary Colechurch and St. Mildred Poultry, sometime of Thomas de Mymmes, to his wife Maud for life, with remainder to his daughters Alice and Isabel and their issue, and if they died without heirs to the chapel of St. Mary de Conynghoplane, to support 2 chaplains there celebrating for the souls of himself, his wife Maud, and his parents, at £8. 13s. 4d. (13 marks), yearly. The residue of the profit from the tenements, after their repair, was to go to the aid of the chapel. Alice and Isabel had died without issue by 1378 and Thomas Deynes, citizen and cofferer, surviving husband of Isabel, held the tenements for life by the law of England. In 1381 he granted his interests in the lands and tenements late of John de Mymmes, imager, in the parishes of St. Mary Colechurch and St. Mildred Poultry, to Baldwin de Radyngton and Edmund Wodehull, citizen and cutler. They granted the same to the rector and parishioners of St. Mildred Poultry, who granted an annual rent of £2 from the same tenements to Thomas Deynes for life. In 1387 Deynes granted this rent to Adam and Henry Bamme, citizens and goldsmiths, and Paul de Midelton of Norfolk. (fn. 2)

In 1394 the rector and parishioners sought royal licence to establish a fraternity and gild of their church, in honour of Corpus Christi and St. Mary, and to transfer to it John de Mymmes's endowment, described as 3 messuages (presumably including 34) and a shop in Coneyhope Lane in the Poultry, in the parishes of St. Mary Colechurch and St. Mildred Poultry, since that was now proving insufficient to maintain his charges. This was granted for the sum of £33. 6s. 8d. (50 marks). In 1394 and throughout the 15th and early 16th centuries, the tenement to the E. of 33 was described as that of the church of St. Mildred Poultry. (fn. 3) In a rental of Clerkenwell Priory in 1489-90 the fraternity of Corpus Christi owed 13s. 4d. rent for a tenement in the parish of St. Mary Colechurch. The same rent was recorded from 1524 to 1547; it was paid to the Crown after the dissolution of Clerkenwell Priory in 1539. In 1548 the brotherhood of Corpus Christi in the church of St. Mildred Poultry had lands and tenements given by John Mymmes, worth £10. 8s. 8d. p.a., or £1. 14s. 4d. after all charges. Thelands passed to the Crown, and later in 1548 Edward VI granted to William Gunter of London, gentleman, and William Hobson of London, haberdasher, a number of former chantry properties, including a tenement with shops, cellar(s), solar(s), and chambers in the parish of St. Mary Colechurch, late part of the lands belonging to a chantry in the church of St. Mildred Poultry. The tenement was held on lease by Roger Nicholles for 30 years from 1544 at £2. 6s. 8d. rent. It had formerly been charged with quit-rents of 13s. 4d. to Clerkenwell Priory and 10s. to Elsing Spital, now extinguished, and was still charged with a rent of 2s. to the Skinners' Company. It is not known at what date these last two quit-rents had been created. Gunter and Hobson paid for this and the other properties late of St. Mildred Poultry at the rate of 17 years' purchase. (fn. 4)

It seems probable that not long after this 34 was acquired by the owner(s) of 33 (or vice versa), and the two were united to form one larger tenement. At the time of the Great Fire the tenement described under 33 (q.v.) had a frontage equal to two of the original stone shops granted to Clerkenwell in 1220x2. (fn. 5)