New Sarum
Minster Street, Signed Louise Rayner (1832 - 1924), courtesy of Wikimedia
SEX AND THE CITY
On my way to the Cathedral I passed the abandoned St. Luke’s Chapel in Love Lane. Does anyone know the history of this building? Also, according to Phil Harding (Wessex Archaeology and Time Team), Love Lane was the site of the Bishop’s Pound. Any idea what this was?
We all know that Love Lane was the centre of the Red Light district and was generally tolerated, even by the Church. An interesting fact is that one wealthy ‘madam’ (right, and delicately called ‘landlady’) founded Trinity Hospital on the site of a brothel. Agnes is believed to feature in St.Thomas’ Doom Painting.
In order to find out more about the medieval attitude to prostitution I turned to Robert Bartlett’s England under the Norman and Angevin Kings. He points out that as most writers were (supposedly) celibate it was difficult to get a balanced picture. In fact he does refer particularly to Salisbury. The statutes of the synod of Salisbury of about 1218 stated: It should be drilled into lay people in confessional and sermon that all sexual intercourse, unless it has the excuse of marriage, is a mortal sin. To balance this, at around the same time the theologian and Sub-Dean of Salisbury, Thomas of Chobham, described simple fornication as the common vice of almost everybody that seems quite excusable to many. I particularly loved the case of John and Maxilla of the diocese of Lincoln who lived together for ten years and had ten children but the Pope ruled that as they were not married they must separate.
Wm. Naish map of Salisbury 1751, courtesy of Salisbury Museum.
Naish's map of 1716 amended by Alastair Lack highlighting the 'canals'.
Sue Allenby informs me that the Bishop’s Pound - in Pound Chequer - was where stray animals were taken. There was much cruelty in the treatment of animals as attested by Hogarth’ prints. There is a painting of Hogarth with his pet ‘pug’ which bears the unfortunate name of ‘Trump’.
Sue also mentions that the original site of the cattle market was at Barnwell’s Cross (not Barnard’s Cross) around the junction between Culver Street and Paynes Hill where you will see a commemorative plaque.
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Referring to the item on Salisbury’s Red Light district, David Sherratt tells me that the Bishop of Winchester held land in London occupied by the largest bevy of brothels. I am not sure what the collective noun for brothels should be but I have come across a jam of tarts and a flourish of strumpets! The ambivalence of the Church can be seen in St Augustine’s (354 - 430) quote: Suppress prostitution and capricious lusts will overthrow society. The Bishop of Winchester, who pretty well owned Southwark, was supposed to control prostitution by the 15th century Ordinances Touching the Government of the Stewholders in Southwark under the Direction of the Bishop of Winchester. This simply add fines to the Bishop’s rental income. So profitable was this trade to the bishop that sex workers became known as Winchester Geese.
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As an aside, the words Stew and Bagnio (brothel) both come from the original Roman baths which I suppose were their equivalent of today’s dubious saunas. Even in the Close the Sub-Dean’s house is called Hooker House!!!!
Andrews' and Drury's 1810 map of Wiltshire (updated from 1773), courtesy of Wiltshire & Swindon History Centre.
MEDIEVAL STREET NAMES
As the city expanded so the streets were divided up by name and in some cases the names became applied to different streets.
High Street - Minster Street
Minster Street by Boots - Old Poultry
Castle Street - Minster Street
Endless Street - High Street/Endless Street
Queen Street - High Street/Carter Street
Catherine Street - High Street/Carter Street
St. John Street - Drakehall Street
St. Ann Street - St Martin Street
New Street - New Street
Mayor Ivy Street - New Street
Trinity Street - New Street
Barnard Street - New Street
Rolleston Street - Brown Street
Brown Street - Brown Street
Gigant Street - Gigant Street
Pennyfarthing Street - Gigant Street
St. Edmunds Church Street - Gigant Street
New Canal - The Town Ditch or Trench
Milford Street - Winchester Street
Winchester Street - Wyneman Street
Chipper Lane - Chipper Street
Salt Lane - Chipper Street
Greencroft Street - Culver Street/Mylkmonger Street
Culver Street - Culver Street
Dolphin Street - Culver Street
Love Lane - Love Lane
Scots Lane - Scots Lane
Bedwin Street - Rolveston
Bourne Hill - Rolveston