West Smithfield

West Smithfield

A large area, about 3 acres in extent, lying to the north-west of the City, adjoining the Church and Hospital of St. Bartholomew on the west, at the northern end of Giltspur Street, in Farringdon Ward Without (P.O. Directory), and extending to the Bars of Smithfield. Formerly used as a large Cattle Market.

First mention: Confirmation by Henry II. of grant by Henry I. to the church of St. Bartholomew of the place called "Smethefeld" (Cal. P.R. Ed. II. 1317–21, p. 158).

Described by Fitzstephen, writing in reign Henry II., as "quidam planus campus re et nomine extra unam portarum."

Much of it marshy, full of water and mud as appears from Dugdale's account of the foundation of the Priory of St. Bartholomew, 1108, and from Liber S. Bartilmew, MS. Cott. Vesp. B. ix. (B.M.).

Forms of name: "Smethefelde," temp. Stephen (Anc. Deeds, A. 6683). "Smethefeud," 1275 (Ct. H.W. I. 23). "Smetheffeld," 1283 (ib. 64). "Smethefeud" without Neugate, 1293 (ib. 108). "Westsmythefelde," 31 Ed. I. (Lib. Cust. I. 238). "Weste Smethefeld," 1375 (Ct. H.W. II. 185). "Westsmethefeld in the Ward of Farndone Without," 3 Ed. III. (Cal. L. Bk. E. p. 279).

Justs held there 1357, 1362, and in subsequent years to 1467 (S. 383–6).

The pens or folds for the Cattle market existed in Stow's time (S. 374), and he complains that it had been so much enclosed and encroached on that there was but little room left for other markets, military exercises or justings, such as had formerly been held there (S. 383).

Bartholomew Fair (q.v.) held there (ib.). Paved 1614 at a cost of £1600 (Strype, ed. 1720, I. iii. 240).

In O. and M. "the pens" are on the western side, and a considerable portion remained open and unoccupied, and it continued in this state until the 19th century. But the whole of the northern portion is now entirely covered by the Central Markets.

The Cattle Market was moved to Copenhagen Fields in 1855 as the space available in Smithfield had become too restricted.

The name is now used to designate the buildings erected on the southern portion of the area, between King Street and St. Bartholomew's Hospital.

See Smethfeld del Barbican.

West smithfield, a spacious place, containing about three Acres, in Form of an Irregular Polygon, consisting of five unequal Sides. Here is the greatest Market for Cattle, both White and Black, and Horses in England, kept every Monday and Fryday; and another for Hay and Straw, kept every Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday; also a very great Fair for Cattel for 3 days, beginning on St. Bartholomew's Day: But that for Toys, and the Diversions of Drolls, Rope-dancing, and strange Creatures, lasts a Fortnight. The Center of this Field (so called, tho' built round with considerable Houses) is from PC near N. 630 Yds. Stow says it had its Name from being a smooth Field where the King used to see Justs and Turnaments; also a place where Malefactors were sometimes executed. It was first paved over at the Request of King James I. in the Year 1614. at the Charge of the Citizens, which amounted to 1600 Pounds Sterling, and was near 6 Months in finishing.

[West Smithfield.] ... as it hath been a Place for such honourable Justs and Triumphs, by reason it was a soft Ground, and unpaved: So was it a Market Place for Cattle, Hay, Straw, and other necessary Provisions. And likewise (once in the Year) at Bartholomewtide, a general Fair, commonly called Bartholomew Fair, hath usually been kept in that Place. But in regard that it was continually subject to the iniquity of Weather, and being a Place of such goodly extendure, deserved to be much better respected; it pleased the King's Majesty, with the Advice of his honourable Lords of the Councel, to write graciously to the Lord Maior, and the Aldermen his Brethren, that Smithfield might be sufficiently paved; which would be the only means to have it kept in far cleaner Condition. And as no Motion (to any good End and Intent) can be made to the City, but they as gladly embrace, and willingly pursue it; even so this honourable Motion found as acceptable Entertainment, and it was very speedily proceeded withal. Some voluntary Contributions in the several Parishes (what each Man would willingly give) was bestowed on the Work; but indeed, hardly deserving any Report. Notwithstanding, on the 4th day of February, An. 1614. the City began the intended Labour; and before Bartholomewtide, then next ensuing, to the Credit and Honour of the City for ever, it was fully finished; and Bartholomew Fair there kept, without breaking any of the paved Ground, but the Booths discreetly ordered, to stand fast upon the Pavement. The Citizens Charge thereof, (as I have been credibly told by Master Arthur Strangewaies) amounting well near to Sixteen hundred Pounds.]	Smithfield being continually subject to extremity of Weather, by an honorable Motion made, it was paved all over, An. 1614. A. M. Batholomew Fair kept in much better manner, than ever formerly it hath been.
Where, besides the paving of this Place all over, and levelling it (which being in such a rude foul Condition, it was before thought impossible to be done) it was greatly raised and mounted in the middle; whereby it became a very fair, clean, and spatious Walk: And divers Conveyances were made for the Water, from the new Channels, made by the reason of the Pavement. It was also strongly railed on all Sides. And the middle Part had also substantial Rails round about, for the better Safety of Passengers, and for the Security of such as should walk there, from the danger of Coaches, Carts, Horses, Oxen, and other Cattle, of which Smithfield is seldom empty. And that, if Occasion were, it might serve for a Market Place; because Newgate Market, Cheapside, Leadenhall, and Grasschurch street (where the Markets in those times were kept) were unmeasurably pestered with increase and multitude of Market Folks, Carts, and other Annoyances attending them; to the great Vexation of the Inhabitants, and Trouble of Passengers. So that the Magistrates of the City, did seriously take it into their Consideration, how to make some new convenient Market Place, for the general Service of the City.	Smithfield railed and made and made convenient. J. S.
This Field, as it had antiently been (as was said before) a Place of Honourable Exercises of Justs and Turnements, so loose serving Men would commonly meet here, and make Uproars and Quarrels; insomuch that it was many Years called Ruffians Hall, being the usual Rendevous of Ruffians and Quarrellers, during the time that Swords and Bucklers were used: When every Serving Man carried a Buckler at his Back, which hung by the Hilt or Pomel of his Sword, hanging before him.	Ruffians Hall. E. Henry.
And now for a long time, the Fair kept here, instead of three Days, hath lasted a Fortnight; and became of little other Use, than for idle Youth, and loose People, to resort to, and to spend their Money in Vanity; and (that which was worse) in Debaucheries, Drunkeness, Whoredom, and in seeing and hearing Things not fit for Christian Eyes and Ears: Many of the Houses and Booths here, serving only to allure Men and Women to such Purposes of Impiety. Therefore the Magistracy often intending, fully, at last, resolved in the Year 1708. to reduce the Fair to that space of Time only, according to which it was at the first granted; that is, to three Days: And accordingly an Order was made. And at a Court of Common Council, in June, the said Year, when some Petitions were offered for revoking the former Order, upon certain Inconveniences; as the great falling of the Rents of St. Bartholomew's Hospital, and of the great Losses that many of the Inhabitants in and about West Smithfield must suffer. Yet, upon the Consideration of the great Mischiefs and Disorders that had arisen by the long Continuance of the said Fair, the Petitions for prolonging the Time were rejected, and the Order confirmed. Whereby the Fair was to be kept for three Days only, for the selling of Merchandizes, according to the Original Grants from the Crown.]	Order of Common Council, concerning this Fair, Anno 1708.

Smithfield-Market, or West-Smithfield,—at the N. end of Giltspur-st. from Newgate-street, or from Snow-hill the numbers begin and end at Cow-Lane, viz. 1 and 93.

Smithfield-Market, or West Smithfield, is at the north end of Giltspur-street, going from Newgate-street. It is the greatest market for black cattle, sheep and horses, in Europe; for the latter of which it is celebrated by Fitz Stephen, towards the close of the twelfth century. Its name is supposed to be derived from one Smith, its owner, and from being a large and level field. Henry II. granted to the priory of St. Bartholomew the privilege of keeping an annual fair at Bartholomew-tide, which has degenerated into the present "Bartlemy Fair."—[See St. Bartholomew's Church, Hospital, &c.] The management of this market is under the control of the Committee of City Lands and two Collectors, one of whom, Mr. J. Tisdall, was appointed March 21, 1777, and the other, Mr. Thomas Shank, December 16, 1819.

Smithfield, or, Smoothfield, the "campus planus re et nomine" of Fitzstephen, an open area in the form of an irregular polygon containing 5¾ acres,¹ for centuries, and until 1855, used as a market for sheep, horses, cattle and hay. It is sometimes called West Smithfield, to distinguish it from a place of smaller consequence of the same name in the east of London.

Est ibi extra unam portarum, statim in suburbio, quidam planus campus, re et nomine.—Fitzstephen (temp. Henry II.)

And this Sommer, 1615,² the Citty of London reduced the rude vast place of Smithfield into a faire and comely order, which formerly was neuer held possible to be done, and paved it all ouer, and made diuers sewers to conuey the water from the new channels which were made by reason of the new pauement: they also made strong rayles round about Smithfield, and sequestred the middle part of the said Smithfield into a very faire and ciuill walk, and rayled it round about with strong rayles to defend the place from annoyance and danger, as well from carts as all manner of cattell, becausejit was intended hereafter, that in time it might proue a faire and peaceable Market Place, by reason that Newgate Market, Cheapside, Leadenhall, and Gracechurche Street, were unmeasurably pestred with the unimaginable increase and multiplicity of market-folkes. And this field, commonly called West Smithfield, was for many yeares called "Ruffian's Hall," by reason it was the usual place of Frayes and common fighting during the time that sword and bucklers were in use. But the ensuing deadly fight of Rapier and Dagger suddenly suppressed the fighting with Sword and Buckler.—Howes, ed. 1631, p. 1023.

Falstaff. Where's Bardolph?
Page. He's gone into Smithfield to buy your worship a horse.
Falstaff. I bought him in Paul's, and he'll buy me a horse in Smithfield: an I could get me but a wife in the Stews, I were manned, horsed, and wived.—Second Part of Henry IV., Act i. Sc. 2.

This town two bargains has not worth one farthing,
A Smithfield horse and wife of Covent Garden.
Epilogue to Dryden's Limberham.

And if some Smithfield Ruffian take up some strange going: some new mowing with the mouth; some wrinching with the shoulder; some brave proverb; some fresh new oath that is not stale but will run round in the mouth; some new disguised garment, or hat, fond in fashion, or garish in colour, whatsoever it cost, how small soever his living be, by what shift soever it be gotten, gotten must it be, and used with the first, or else the grace of it is stale and gone.—Roger Ascham's Scholemaster, 1570 (Arber, p. 54).

December 4, 1668.—Mr. Pickering meets me at Smithfield, and I, and W. Hewer and a friend of his, a jockey, did go about to see several pairs of horses, for my coach; but it was late and we agreed on none, but left it to another time: but here I do see instances of a piece of craft and cunning that I never dreamed of, concerning the buying and choosing of horses.—Pepys.

Smithfield is famous in history for its jousts, tournaments, executions and burnings, and until 1855 for its market,—the great cattle market of the largest city in the world. Here Wallace and the gentle Mortimer were executed. [See The Elms.] Here, on Saturday, June 15, 1381, Sir William Walworth slew Wat Tyler. "The King," says Stow, "stood towards the east near St. Bartholomew's Priory, and the Commons towards the west in form of battle."³

1357.—In the winter following [the Battle of Poictiers] were great and royall justs, holden in Smithfield, where many knightly feats of armes were done, to the great honour of the king and realme, at the which were present the kings of England, France, and Scotland, with many noble estates of all those kingdomes, whereof the more part of the strangers were prisoners.—Stow, by Howes, p. 263.

"Sir William Chatris, otherwise called Santre, parish priest of the church of St. Scithe [Osyth] the Virgin in London," was the first person burned for heresy in England. The decree of Henry IV., dated February 26, 1400–1401, directs that he shall be "put into the fire in some public or open place within the liberties of your City." There can be no doubt that Smithfield was the place selected. The next victim (March 1609) was John Badley, a tailor in the diocese of Rochester. According to Foxe Prince Henry (Henry V.) was present at Smithfield and did his best to save him, going so far even as to have the fire extinguished for a time.

1410 (11th Henry IV.)—This same yere there was a clerk that beleved nought on the sacrament of the Auter, that is to seye, Godes body, which was dampned and brought into Smythfield to be brent, and was bounde to a stake where as he schulde be brent. And Henry, prynce of Walys, thanne the kynge's eldest sone, consailed hym for to forsake his heresye and holde the righte wey of holy chirche. And the prior of seynt Bertelmewes in Smythfeld broughte the holy sacrament of Godes body, with xij torches lyght before, and in this wyse cam to this cursed heretyk: and it was asked hym how he beleved; and he ansuerde, that he beleved well that it was halowed bred and nought Godes body; and thanne was the toune put over hym, and fyre kyndled therein: and whanne the wrecche felte the fyre he cryed mercy; and anon the prynce comanded to take awey the toune and to quenche the fyre, the whiche was don anon at his comandement: and thanne the prynce asked hym if he wolde forsake his heresye and taken hym to the feith of holy chirche, whiche if he wolde don, he schulde have hys lyf and good ynow to liven by: and the cursed shrewe wold nought, but contynued forth in his heresye; wherefore he was brent.—A Chronicle of London from 1089 to 1483, p. 92, edited by Sir N.H. Nicolas.

In May 1538 Forrest, the Prior of the Observant Convent at Greenwich, was burnt for denying the King's [Henry VIII.'s] supremacy; and for some reason his punishment was made to differ from the usual form. A wooden image of a Welsh saint which had been regarded with peculiar reverence throughout North Wales had recently been brought to London, and was hewed into billets to serve as fuel for the occasion. Forrest was suspended over the fire in an iron cage and roasted to death. On July 28, 1540, three eminent Protestant divines, Barnes, Garret and Jerome, were burnt at Smithfield for heresy; and three papists, Powel, Fetherstone and Abel, were, at the same time and place hanged, drawn and quartered, for denying the King's supremacy. The Marian burnings, some 270 in all, were too numerous to particularise. The last of the burnings for heresy in Smithfield was in the reign of James I., when, on March 25, 1612, "Bartholomew Legate, the Arian" so suffered. For other crimes Smithfield witnessed burnings, at least occasionally, for many years longer.

May 10, 1652.—Passing by Smithfield, I saw a miserable creature burning who had murdered her husband.—Evelyn.

In March 1849, during excavations necessary for a new sewer, and at a depth of 3 feet below the surface, immediately opposite the entrance to the church of St. Bartholomew the Great, the workmen laid open a mass of unhewn stones, blackened as if by fire, and covered with ashes and human bones charred and partially consumed. This was doubtless the spot generally used for the Smithfield burnings—the face of the sufferer being turned to the east and to the great gate of St. Bartholomew, the prior of which was generally present on such occasions. Many bones were carried away as relics. The spot is indicated by a granite memorial with a suitable inscription placed (1870) in the wall of St. Bartholomew's Hospital (on the left of the entrance), nearly opposite the above site. A "Smithfield Martyrs' Memorial Church" was about the same time erected in St. John's Street Road, the nearest site available. In the first English edition of Foxe's Acts and Monuments there is a view, accurate enough as to the locality, representing the burning of Anne Askew and her two companions. The market-place was paved, drained and railed in 1685.

The sharp practices in the horse and cattle markets early made Smithfield bargains a byword.

He [Gay] had made a pretty good bargain (that is a Smithfield) for a little pace in the Custom House.—Swift to Arbuthnot, November 30, 1727.

Shall I stand still and tamely see
Such Smithfield bargains made of me?
      Is not my heart my own?
H. Carey, The Honest Yorkshireman.

The inconvenience of holding the great horse and cattle market of the metropolis within the City was every year more obvious. The space was insufficient to meet the ever increasing growth of the trade, and the interference with the ordinary traffic and the public comfort had become almost intolerable. The place itself had, moreover, come to be a moral and physical nuisance. It was surrounded by bone-houses, cat-gut manufactures, slaughter-houses, and knackers' yards, and of the sixty-seven houses about it thirteen were public-houses. On market-days it was dangerous to pass and painful to witness. None too dark for the latter years of its existence was Dickens's sketch of Smithfield Market in 1838:—

It was market morning. The ground was covered, nearly ankle-deep, with filth and mire; a thick steam perpetually rising from the reeking bodies of the cattle, and mingling with the fog, which seemed to rest upon the chimney-tops, hung heavily above. All the pens in the centre of the large area, and as many temporary pens as could be crowded into the vacant space, were filled with sheep; tied up to posts by the gutter side were long lines of beasts and oxen, three or four deep. Countrymen, butchers, drovers, hawkers, boys, thieves, idlers and vagabonds of every low grade, were mingled together in a mass; the whistling of drovers, the barking of dogs, the bellowing and plunging of oxen, the bleating of sheep, the grunting and squeaking of pigs, the cries of hawkers, the shouts, oaths, and quarrelling on all sides; the ringing of bells and roar of voices, that issued from every public-house; the crowding, pushing, driving, beating, whooping and yelling; the hideous and discordant din that resounded from every corner of the market; and the unwashed, unshaven, squalid, and dirty figures constantly running to and fro, and bursting in and out of the throng; rendered it a stunning and bewildering scene, which quite confounded the senses.—Oliver Twist, chap. xxi.

At length the Corporation decided to remove the market. The necessary Parliamentary powers were obtained. A site of about 30 acres was obtained in what was known as the Copenhagen Fields and a new market constructed. On June 11, 1855, the last market for horses, cattle and sheep was held, and Smithfield Market finally closed; and two days later, June 13, the New Smithfield or Metropolitan Cattle Market was opened in Copenhagen Fields. [See Metropolitan Cattle Market.] On January 19, 1857, a large meeting of unemployed workmen of London was held in Smithfield. It was stated that the numbers were: carpenters, 9000; plasterers, 4000; painters, 4000; stone masons, 1000; bricklayers and labourers, 15,000; smiths, moulding decorators, etc., 2000, making a total of 35,000 men.

The general aspect of Smithfield has since greatly changed. It is still preserved as an open space, the hay market being still held here; but the area has been contracted by the appropriation of that portion of it lying north of Long Lane to the construction of the Central Meat, Poultry, and Provision Markets, a very remarkable structure described elsewhere. [See London Central Markets.] The centre of Smithfield has been laid out as a garden, with a handsome drinking fountain, etc. The greater part of the public-houses have been cleared away; a bank and other good buildings have been erected, and the approaches improved.

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¹ Answer 1372 to Question of Committee of House of Commons on Smithfield Enquiry, 1849–1850.
² The work began, Antony Munday informs us, on February 4, 1614–1615. "The citizens charge thereof (as I have been credibly told by Master Arthur Strangewaies) amounting well near to sixteen hundred pounds."
³ Stow's Annals, by Howes, ed. 1631, p. 288.