Daily entries from the 17th century London diary
If you would like to write a summary for this topic, email phil [at] gyford [dot] com
Fish Street Westminster, I would have guessed, it would be near the water[Tems], so that it could receive the fish of the day “pisus novus” but with so much real estate growth, it has ended up under the stone masonary. An Assumtion made when looking at the 1749 Map.
Fish Yard was a very small yard which turned off St Margaret Street, between Old Palace Yard and New Palace Yard, roughly opposite the east end of St Margaret’s Chuch. It led into a group of old buildings which had built up around the west side of Westminster Hall and was very close to the tavern called ‘Hell’. In present day terms it would be approximately where the statue of Oliver Cromwell stands outside the Houses of Parliament
Wonderful annotation by Simon, thank you!
BTW, I wonder if it was called “Fish Yard” because the King’s Fishmonger had his workplace there? I ask because later, in 1709, the King’s Fishmonger was indeed in Fish Yard, according to a report in the House of Lords, pertaining to damage and loss of records of the Court of Wards, which were being stored in the King’s Fishmonger’s workplace in Fish Yard.
Thanks: here is the map, it doth show , “cannae rede sideways”old palace yard and St Margarets Church AND Fish Yard Sideways.
http://www.motco.com/map/81002/SeriesSearchPlatesFulla.asp?mode=query&title=Old+Palace+Yard&artist=384&other=385&x=11&y=11
Now we Know about the state of rotting records, very fishy. [so sorry]