Europe, British Isles, England, City of London, Roads, Cheapside Cross [Map]
On 14 Dec 1290 Eleanor of Castile Queen Consort England (deceased) body rested at the sight of the Cheapside Cross [Map] where, thereafter, a Cross was constructed. The Cross, built at an original cost of £300, was one of the most elaborate of the twelve Eleanor Crosses.
Chronicle of Gregory 1403-1419. 23 Nov 1415. And the xxiij day of November the kyng (age 29) come unto London whythe alle hys presoners a bove sayd. And there he was ressayvyd worthely and ryally, for the mayre, with alle the aldermen, whythe alle good comyners, roode and fette hym ynne. And whythe a ryalle processyon he was brought ynne; and there was mad, stondyng apone the brygge, Syn Gorge ryally armyd, and at the Crosse in Cheppe [Map] was made a castelle, and there yn was moche solempnyte of angelys and virgenys syngyng merely. And soo he roode unttylle that he came to Powlys, and there mette whithe hym xvj byschoppys and abbattys whithe processyon and sensyd hym, and brought hym uppe in to [th]e qwere whythe devoute songe, and there he offerde and the Franysche lordys alle soo. And thenne he rode forthe unto Westemyster; and the mayre and hys bretheryn brought hym there.
Chronicle of Gregory 1441. 1441. And the same yere the Crosse in Chepe [Map] was take a downe and a newe sette uppe there that the olde Crosse stode.
In 1441 London's Lord Mayor obtained permission of Henry VI (age 19) to rebuild the Cheapside Cross [Map], being by length of time decayed […] in more beautifull manner for the honor of the citie. This new Cross was completed in 1486. During the first half of the Tudor period, the Cross was freshly gilded nearly every decade for important visitors and occasions: in 1522 for the visit of Charles I of Spain (by then Holy Roman Emperor Charles V); in 1533, for the coronation of Anne Boleyn; for the coronation of Edward VI; and in 1554, for the coronation of Philip, the Spanish consort of Mary.
Chronicle of Gregory 1445. Apr 1445. And a gayne hyr comynge to London were ordaynyde many notabylle devysys in the cytte, as at the brygge of London, and in othyr dyvers placys, at Ledynne halle, and in Cornehylle, and in iiij placys yn Chepe, that ys to say, at the Grete Condyte, and at the Standarde [Map], and at the Crosse [Map], and atte the Lytylle Condyte.
Wriothesley's Chronicle 14 Feb 1554. 14 Feb 1544. The 14 of February divers of the rebells were putt to death, that is to saye, Bothe, one of the Queenes footemen, one Vicars, a Yeoman of the Garde, great John Norton, and one Kinge, were hanged at Charinge Crosse [Map]. And three of the rebells, one called Pollarde, were hanged at the parke pale by Hide Parke; three allso in Fleet street, one at Ludgate, one at Bishopsgate [Map], one at Newgate [Map], one at Aldgate [Map], three at the Crosse [Map] in Cheape, three at Soper Lane ende in Chepe, and three in Smithfield [Map], which persons hanged still all that daye and night tyll the next morninge, and then cutt downe.a And the bodies of them that were hanged at the gates were quartered at Newgate [Map], and the heades and bodies hanged over the gates where they suffred.
Note a. The Grey Friares Chronicle (p. 88) adds "the whych ware of London that fled from the Dnke of Norfoke."
Henry Machyn's Diary. 04 Jan 1552. The iiij day of Januarii was mad a grett skaffold [in Ch]epe hard by the crosse [Map], agaynst the kynges lord of myss[rule] cumyng from Grenwyche; and landyd at Towre warff [Map], [and with] hym yonge knyghts and gentyllmen a gret nombur on [horseb] ake sum in gownes and cotes and chynes [Note. chains] abowt ther nekes, every man havyng a balderyke of yelow and grene abowt ther nekes, and on the Towre hyll ther they [went in] order, furst a standard of yelow and grene sylke with Sant Gorge, and then gonnes and skuybes [Note. squibs], and trompets and bagespypes, and drousselars and flutes, and then a gret compeny all in yelow and gren, and docturs declaryng my lord grett, and then the mores danse dansyng with a tabret, and afor xx of ys consell on horsbake in gownes of chanabulle lynyd with blue taffata and capes of the sam, lyke sage (men); then cam my lord with a gowne of gold furyd with fur of the goodlyest collers [Note. colours] as ever youe saw, and then ys ... and after cam alff a hundred in red and wyht, tallmen [of] the gard, with hods of the sam coler, and cam in to the cete; and after cam a carte, the whyche cared the pelere [pillory], the a ., [the] jubett, [Note. gibbet] the stokes, and at the crose in Chepe a gret brod s[kaffold] for to go up; then cam up the trumpeter, the harold, [and the] doctur of the law, and ther was a proclamasyon mad of my lord('s) progeny, [Note. ie genealogy] and of ys gret howshold that he [kept,] and of ys dyngnyte; and there was a hoghed of wyne [at] the skaffold, and ther my lord dranke, and ys consell, and [had] the hed smyttyn owt that every body mytht drynke, and [money?] cast abowt them, and after my lord('s) grase rod unto my lord mer [Note. mayor] and alle ys men to dener, for ther was dener as youe have sene [Note. ie as great a dinner as you have ever seen]; and after he toke his hers [Note. horse], and rod to my lord Tresorer at Frer Austens, and so to Bysshopgate [Map], and so to Towre warff, and toke barge to Grenwyche.
Henry Machyn's Diary. 04 Jan 1553. The sam day a-ffor non landyd at the Towre w[harf] [Map] the Kynges lord of myssrulle, and ther mett with hym the [Shreyffes] lord of myssrulle with ys men, and every on havyng a reby[nd of blue] and whytt a-bowt ther nekes, and then ys trumpet, [druws,] mores dansse, and tabrett, and he toke a swaerd and bare yt a-fore the kynges lord of myssrulle, for the lord was gorgyusly a[rrayed in] purprelle welvet furyd with armyn, and ys robe braded with spangulls of selver full; and a-bowt ym syngers, and a-for hym on gret horses and in cottes and clokes of ... in-brodered with gold and with balderykes a-bowt ther nekes, whytt and blue sarsenets, and chynes of gold, and the rest of ys servands in bluw gardyd with whytt, and next a-for ys consell in bluw taffata and ther capes of whytt ... ys trumpeters, taburs, drumes, and flutes and fulles and ys mores dansse, gunes, mores-pykes, bagpypes; and ys mass .. and ys gayllers with pelere [pillory], stokes, and ys axe, gyffes, and boltes, sum fast by the leges and sum by the nekes, and so rod thrugh Marke lane, and so thrugh Grasyus strett and Cornhylle; and .... trompet blohyng, makyng a proclamasyon ... and so the kyng('s) lord was cared from the ... skaffold; and after the shreyffes lord; and the kynges [lord gave] the shreyffes lord a gowne with gold and sylver, and a[non] after he knelyd downe and he toke a sword and gayff [him three?] strokes and mad ym knyght, and after thay dran[k one to t]hodur a-pon the skaffold, and ys cofferer castyng gold and sylver in every plase as they rod, and [after his co]ffrer ys carege with hys cloth-saykes on horsseback; [and so went] a-bowt Chepe, with ys gayllers and ys presonars; and [afterwards] the ij lordes toke ther horssys and rode unto my [lord] mare to dener; and after he came bake thrugh [Chepe] to the crosse [Map], and so done Wodstrett unto the shreyffes [house for] more (than) alff a nore, and so forthe the Olde Jury and Lo[ndon wall] unto my lord tresorer('s) plasse, and ther they had a [great] banket the spasse of alff a nore; and so don to Bysshopgate and to Ledenhall and thrughe Fanchyrche strett, and so to the Towre warffe; and the shreyff('s) lord gohyng with hym with torche-lyght, and ther the kynges lord toke ys pynnes with a grett shott of gonnes, and so the shreyffes lord toke ys leyff of ym and cam home merele with ys mores dansse danssyng and so forth.
Henry Machyn's Diary. 19 Jul 1553. The xix day of July was qwene Mare (age 37) proclamyd qwene of England, France, and Yrland, and alle domy(ni)ons, [as the] syster of the late kyng Edward the vj. and doythur unto the nobull kyng Henry the viij. be-twyn v and vj of the cloke at nyght, and ther wher at proclamasyon iiij trumpeters and ij harold(s) of armes, and the erle of Arundell (age 41), the erle of Shrossbery (age 53), th'erle Penbroke (age 52), my lord Tressorer (age 70), my lord of Preveselle, my lord Cobham (age 56), my lord Warden, master Masun, and my lord Mare, and dyvers odur nobull men; and thys was done at the crosse [Map] in Chepe, and from that plasse thay whent unto Powlls and ther was Te Deum Laudamus, with song, and the organes playhyng, and all the belles ryngyng thrugh London, and bone-fyres, and tabuls in evere strett, and wyne and bere and alle, and evere strett full of bonfyres, and ther was money cast a-way.
Note. Proclamation of queen Mary. A printed copy of the proclamation making known the title of queen Mary, is at the Society of Antiquaries.
Henry Machyn's Diary. 09 Jun 1554. The ix day of Juin was the crosse [Map] in Chepe covered with canves from the fott to the tope, and endyd, for the prynce's (age 27) coming, and gyldyd.
Wriothesley's Chronicle 18 Aug 1554. 18 Aug 1554. Saterdaye the 18 of August, in the after-noone, the King (age 27) and Queenes (age 38) Majesties rode throughe Sowthwerke, over the bridge [Map], and so throughe London; where they were with great provision receaved of the citizens, pageants in places accustomed, the crosse in Cheape [Map] new gilte, &c.
Memorandum: In the moneth of September the Duke of Norfolke (age 81) died at Framlingham [Map] in Norfolke, and there was honorablye buried [Map] amongst his auncestors.
Allso this moneth the Bishop of London (age 54) visited all his dioces, and had sermons in everie parishe and place where he satt, and sett owt divers goodlye articles in print for the true religion.
Allso he commaunded that the feast of everie saynte that was patrone of the churche, called Festum loci in everie parishe, should be kept holiedaye in everie parishe throughe his diocesse as a principall feast used in olde tyme, after the custome of the churche.
Henry Machyn's Diary. 27 Mar 1560. The xxvij day of Marche was proclamasyon [at the] cowrt and at the crosse [Map] in Chepe and at the strett tyme .. Lumbard street in dyvers plasses, of the Frenche [king] (age 16) and the Skottys quen (age 17), boyth in Englyus and Frenche, with [a] trumpett blohyng, and a harold of armes, master Clarenshux (age 50), in ryche cotte, with a serjant of armes with a grett masse, and the ij shreyffe(s) all on hors-bake.
Note. P. 229. Proclamation relative to the French king and Scotish queen. See in Rymer, vol. xv. p. 569, the treaty with James duke of Chateau l'Herault, dated 27 Feb. 1559, the object of which was to prevent the union of Scotland to France.
In 1643 the Cheapside Cross [Map] was demolished.
Evelyn's Diary. 02 May 1643. I went from Wotton, Surrey [Map] to London, where I saw the furious and zealous people demolish that stately Cross in Cheapside [Map].
On 04 May 1643 the Cheapside Cross [Map] was destroyed by order of the Committee for the Demolition of Monuments of Superstition and Idolatry.
Chronicle of Gregory 1432. And soo rode he forthe unto the Crosse in Cheppe [Map]. There stode a ryalle castelle of jasper grene, and there yn ij grene treys stondyng uppe ryght, shewyng the ryght tytyllys of the Kyng of Inglond and of Fraunce, convaying fro Synt Edwarde and Synt Lowys be kyngys unto the tyme of Kyng Harry the vjte , every kynge stondynge whythe hys cote armowre, sum lyberdys and sum flouredelysse; and on that othyr syde was made the Jesse1 of owre Lorde ascendyng uppewarde from Davyd unto Jesu. And so rode he forthe unto the Lytylle Condyte. And there was a ryalle mageste of the Trynyte, fulle of angelys syngyng hevynly songys, blessynge ande halowynge the kyngys whythe thes resonys in Latyn wrytyn: Angelis suis2 mandavit de3 te ut custodiant te, etc. Longitudinem dierum replebo in eum4 et ostendam illi salutare meum5. And thenne wente he forthe unto Poulys, and there he was ressayvyd whythe many byschoppys and prelatys whythe dene and the quere, and whythe devoute songe, as hyt longythe to a kynge. Ande so he offerryd there and thankyd God of hys goode speede and of hys welfare. And thenne he rode to Westemyster, and there he restyd hym; and on the nexte day folowynge the mayre and the aldyrmen6 whythe a certayne comeners that were worthy men, and they presentyde the kynge whythe an hampyr of sylvyr and gylte, whythe a M there yn of nobellys, &c.
Note 1. Jesse. Perhaps the writer meant "Geste," a history; but more probably he has left out some words. Fabyan speaks here of "the sprynge of Jesse, wherin was shewyd the genelogy of our blessed Lady."
Note 2. Angelis suis. Angelus suus, MS.
Note 3. de. This word is crossed through as if it were positively inaccurate, and the sentence read "Angelus suus mandavit te."
Note 4. Longitudinem - in eum. So in MS.
Note 5. meum. eum, MS.; see Ps. xc. (xci.) 11, 16.
Note 6. aldyrmen. aldyrman, MS.