Pudding Lane

Pudding Lane

South out of Eastcheap, at No. 2, to 120 Lower Thames Street (P.O. Directory). In Billingsgate Ward and Bridge Ward Within.

Earliest mention: "Puddynglane," 1361 (Ct. H.W. II. 45).

Other names: "Puddynglane," otherwise "Retherlane," 1372–3 (ib. 153). "Fyncheslane" alias "Pudynglane," 1413 (Cal. P.R. H. V. 1413–15, p. 304). "Fynkeslane" now called "Puddynglane," 28 H. VI. (Anc. Deeds, A. 1723). "Retheresgatislane" alias dict. "Podynglane," 17 Ed. IV. (Harl. Ch. 44, F. 38). "Retherhethe Lane" alias "Podding Lane," 1552 (Lond. I. p.m. 8 Eliz. II. p. 51). "Raderiff Lane" alias "Pudding Lane," 1571 (H. MSS. Com. 9th Rep. 14).

The name "Retheresgateslane" seems to have been an earlier name than either of the others, for it occurs as follows: "Rederisgate," 1279–80 (Ct. H.W. I. 44). "Redereslane," 1301 (Ct. H.W. I. 153). "Rede Rose Lane," 1318 (ib. 278). "Redereslane," 1319 (Cal. L. Bk. E. 107). "Retheres lane," tith Ed. II. (Anc. Deeds, C. 3583). "Retheresgateslane," 1322–3 (Ct. H.W. I. 299 and 301). "Rotheresgatelane," 1325–6 (ib. 317). "Rederesgatelane," 1333–4 (ib. 393). "Rethergatelane," 1362–3 (ib. II. 76). "Rethereslane," 23 H. VI. (Anc. Deeds, C. 508). "Roderlane," 2 and 3 P. and M. (Cal. L. and 11. Feet of Fines, II. 92).

Sharpe suggests that "Rethereslane" is so called from "rother," a horned beast, from the beasts brouglit by the butchers to Eastcheap, and he says the cattle market at Stratford on Avon is known as "Rother Market" (Cal. L. Bk. I. p. 22, note).

The earliest forms of the name "Rederisgate," 1279–80, "Redereslane" in 1301, and "Rethereslane" suggest this.

Stow says called "Rother Lane" or "Red Rose lane" of such a signe there, now - commonly called Pudding Lane (S. 212). But he gives no authority for his derivation, and the sign may have been of more modern origin than the name of the lane.

Possibly the name is derived from the personal name of a former owner.

Now commonly called Pudding Lane, because the Butchers of Eastcheape have their skalding House for Hogges there, and their puddings with other filth of Beastes are voided down that way to theyr dung boates on the Thames (S. 212).

In support of this theory we find it granted in 1402, 3 H. IV., by the name of "Bethereslane" in parishes of St. Magnus and St. Botolph, to the butchers of Eastcheap, with licence to build a bridge over the Thames with houses thereon, whence they might cast offal into the Thames at ebb-tide (Cal. L. Bk. I. p. 22).

The Great Fire of 1666 commenced in this lane and an inscription was set up on the house to that effect. It was then a baker's, but now a Cooper's (Strype, ed. 1720, I. ii. 173)

Said to have originated in the house now known as No. 25.

A wall of tiles and ragstones found here 1836–41.

Pudding lane, on the N. side of Thames str. near Fish str. hill, it leads Nd to Little E. Cheap. Stow says, this Lane was formerly called Rother lane, or Red rose lane, from the sign of a Red rose there; but now called Pudding lane, because the Butchers of E. Cheap had their Scalding Houses for Hogs there, and their Puddings with other filth of Beasts, were this way convey'd to the Dung Boats on the Thames. See Monument yard.

Then have ye one other Lane called Rother Lane, or Redrose Lane, of such a Sign there; now commonly called Pudding Lane, because the Butchers of Eastcheap have their Scalding House for Hogs there, and their Puddings with other Filth of Beasts, are voided down that way to their Dung Boats on the Thames.

…

Pudding Lane. In this Lane it was that the dreadful Fire of London on the second of Sept. 1666 first began, which consumed about 13000 dwelling Houses.

On the House where this dismal Fire began is this Inscription, set up by Authority.

Here, by the Permission of Heaven, Hell brake loose upon this Protestant City, from the malicious Hearts of barbarous Papists, by the hand of their Agent Hubert. Who confessed, and on the Ruines of this Place declared his Fact; for which he was hanged: viz. That here began the dreadful Fire, which is decribed and perpetuated on and by the Neighbouring Pillar erected Anno 168— in the Maioralty of Sir Patience Ward, Knt. It was then a Bakers, now a Coopers House.]

And in Commemoration thereof, there is erected hard by a stately Monument of Free Stone, of a vast height, which taketh up a good part of the East side of Fishstreet Hill; to the end it may be obvious to all that pass that way, being a very great Through-fare to and from Southwark. Of this Monument more in Bridge Ward within. On the East side of this Lane is Fish Yard, a very small Court, with a Free Stone Pavement. On the West side is a Passage into Fishstreet Hill by the Monument; and more Northwards on the East side is Butchers Hall, a pretty handsome small Building, with a Free Stone paved Court before it, and hath a back Passage into Pudding Lane.

Pudding lane, Thames street. In this Lane the fire of London broke out, at a house situated exactly at the same distance from the Monument as that is high. Upon this house, which is rebuilt in a very handsome manner, was set up by authority the following inscription:

Here, by the permission of Heaven, Hell broke loose upon this protestant city, from the malicious hearts of barbarous papists, by the hand of their agent Hubert: who confessed, and on the ruins of this place declared his fact, for which he was hanged, viz. That here began the dreadful fire, which is decribed and perpetuated, on and by the neighbouring pillar, erected 168-- in the mayoralty of Sir Patience Ward, Knt.

But the inhabitants being incommoded by the many people who came to look at the house, and read this board, it was taken down a few years ago.

Pudding-Lane, Lower Thames-St.—at 120, the first on the L. from Fish-street-hill, it extends to Little Eastcheap.

Pudding-Lane, Lower Thames-street, is the first turning on the left hand from Fish-street-hill. In this lane the fire of London broke out, at a house exactly the same distance from the Monument, as that column is high. Upon the house that was rebuilt after the fire, was set up by civic authority the following inscription, that was afterwards removed by the same authority.

"Here, by the permission of Heaven, Hell broke loose upon this Protestant city, from the malicious hearts of barbarous Papists, by the hand of their agent Hubert: who confessed, and on the ruins of this place declared this fact, for which he was hanged, viz. that here began the dreadful fire, which is described and perpetuated, on and by the neighbouring pillar, erected 1681, in the mayoralty of Sir Patience Ward, Knight."

Pudding Lane, Eastcheap to Lower Thames Street.

Then have ye one other lane called Rother Lane or Red Rose Lane, of such a sign there, now commonly called Pudding Lane, because the butchers of Eastcheap have their scalding houses for hogs there, and their puddings with other filth of beasts are voided down that way to their dung boats on the Thames. This lane stretcheth from Thames Street to Little East Cheap, chiefly inhabited by basket makers, turners and butchers, and is all of Billingsgate Ward.—Stow, p. 79.

Phil. Come, Sergeants, I'll step to my uncle's, not far off, hereby in Pudding Lane, and he shall bail me.—Westward Ho, Act i. Sc. 2.

Venus. Right, forsooth, I am Cupid's mother, Cupid's own mother, forsooth; yes, forsooth. I dwell in Pudding Lane. ...

Christmas. Good Lady Venus of Pudding Lane, you must go out for all this.—Ben Jonson, Masque of Christmas, 1616.

The Fire of London, commonly called the Great Fire, commenced on the east side of this lane between one and two in the morning of Sunday, September 2, 1666, in the house of Farryner, the King's baker. It was the fashion of the True Blue Protestants of the period to attribute the fire to the Roman Catholics, and when, in 1681, Oates and his plot strengthened this belief, the following inscription was affixed on the front of the house (No. 25), erected on the site of Farryner the baker's:—

Here, by y^e Permission of Heaven, Hell brake loose upon this Protestant City, from the malicious hearts of barbarous Papists by y^e hand of their Agent Hubert, who confessed, and on the ruines of this place declared the fact for which he was hanged, viz., That here begun thet dreadful Fire which is described and perpetuated on and by the neighbouring Pillar.—Erected Anno 1681, in the Mayoralty of Sir Patience Ward, Kt.

This celebrated inscription, set up pursuant to an order of the Court of Common Council, June 17, 1681, was removed in the reign of James II., replaced in the reign of William III., and finally taken down, "on account of the stoppage of passengers to read it." Entick, who made additions to Maitland in 1756, speaks of it as "lately taken away." The house was "rebuilt in a very handsome manner."¹ The inscribed stone was buried in the cellar of the house in Pudding Lane, where it was found when the house was pulled down in 1876 and presented to the City Museum, where it is carefully preserved.

Hubert was a French Papist, of six-and-twenty years of age, the son of a watchmaker at Rouen in Normandy. He was seized in Essex, confessed he had begun the fire, and persisting in his confession, was hanged, upon no other evidence than his own. He stated in his examination that he had been "suborned at Paris to this action," and that there were "three more combined to do the same thing." They asked him if he knew the place where he had first put fire. He answered he "knew it very well, and would show it to anybody." He was then ordered to be blindfolded, and carried to several places of the City, that he might point out the house. They first led him to a place at some distance from it, opened his eyes, and asked him if that was it, to which he answered "No; it was lower, nearer to the Thames." "The house and all which were near it," says Clarendon, "were so covered and buried in ruins, that the owners themselves, without some infallible mark, could very hardly have said where their own houses had stood; but this man led them directly to the place, described how it stood, the shape of the little yard, the fashion of the door and windows, and where he first put the fire; and all this with such exactness, that they who had dwelt long near it could not so perfectly have described all particulars." Tillotson told Burnet that Howell (the then Recorder of London) accompanied Hubert on this occasion, "was with him, and had much discourse with him; and that he concluded it was impossible it could be a melancholy dream." This, however, was not the opinion of the judges who tried him. "Neither the judges," says Clarendon, "nor any present at the trial, did believe him guilty, but that he was a poor distracted wretch, weary of his life, and chose to part with it this way." We may attribute the fire with safety to another cause than a Roman Catholic conspiracy. We are to remember that the flames originated in the house of a baker; that the season had been unusually dry; that the houses were of wood, overhanging the roadway, so that the lane was even narrower than it is now, and that a strong east wind was blowing at the time. It was thought very little of at first. Pepys put out his head from his bedroom window in Seething Lane a few hours after it broke out, and returned to bed again, as if it were nothing more than an ordinary fire, a common occurrence, and likely to be soon subdued. The Lord Mayor (Sir Thomas Bludworth) seems to have thought as little of it till it was too late. People appear to have been paralysed, and no attempt of any consequence was made to check its progress. For four successive days it raged and gained ground, leaping after a prodigious manner from house to house and street to street, at great distances from one another. Houses were at length pulled down, and the flames still spreading westward, were at length stopped at the Temple Church, in Fleet Street, and Pie Corner in Smithfield. In these four days 13,200 houses, 400 streets, and 89 churches, including the cathedral church of St. Paul, were destroyed, and London lay literally in ruins. The loss was so enormous that we may be said still to suffer from its effects. Yet the advantages were not a few. London was freed from the plague ever after; and we owe St. Paul's, St. Bride's, St. Stephen's, Walbrook, and all the architectural glories of Sir Christopher Wren to the desolation it occasioned.

Pudding Lane is now almost entirely occupied by wholesale fruit merchants and brokers.

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¹ Dodsley's London, 8vo, 1761, vol. v. p. 232.