Knightrider Street

Knightrider Street

East out of Addle Hill, at No. 23, to Queen Victoria Street at Friday Street (P.O. Directory). In Castle Baynard, Bread Street and Queenhithe Wards.

From a deed 26 Ed. III. (Anc. Deeds, C. 189) it appears that Knightrider Street at that time extended at least as far as and perhaps beyond Cordwainer Street or Bow Lane, which portion was afterwards known as Trinity Lane (q.v.).

The easternmost portion of the present street was called until 1872 "Old Fish Street" (q.v.), the middle portion to Paul's Chain "Little Knightrider Street," and the western portion "Great Knightrider Street."

A considerable portion of the street was removed for the formation of Queen Victoria Street.

First mention: "Knychtriderestrete," 3 Ed. III. (Anc. Deeds, C. 2795).

Other forms and names: "Knyghtriderestrete," 1349 (Ct. H.W. I. 560). "Knyghtryderestrete," 26 Ed. III. (Anc. Deeds, C. 189). "Knyghtrederistret," 1397 (Ct. H.W. II. 328). "Knightriders streete" (S. 365).

Stow says so called of Knights well armed and mounted at the Tower Royall, ryding from thence through that street west to Creede Lane and so out at Ludgate (S. 247).

See Little Knightrider Street, Trinity Lane, Old Fish Street.

Knight Rider street, see Great and Little Knight rider streets, which were so called for the same reason that Stow says, Gilt spur str. was formerly; that is, from the Knights Riding from the Tower Royal through this str. and so up Creed lane to Ludgate, and thence up Gilt spur str. to Smithfield. See Gilt spur str.

Knightriders street, of which there is the Great and the Little; being severed from each other by St. Benets Hill and Pauls Chain: The Lesser running towards Old Fishstreet, and the Greater towards St. Andrews Wardrobe Church.

Knightrider Street, Doctors' Commons, runs from Addle Hill to Queen Victoria Street.

Knightrider's Street, so called (as is supposed) of Knights well armed and mounted at the Tower Royal, riding from thence through that street west to Creed Lane, and so out at Ludgate towards Smithfield, when they were there to tourney, joust, or otherwise to show activities before the King and States of the realm. In this street is the parish church of St. Thomas Apostle, by Wringwren Lane. ... Then west from the said church, on the same side, was one great messuage, sometime called Ipres Inn, of William Ipres, a Fleming, the first builder thereof ... Over against Ipres Inn, in Knightrider's Street, towards St. James at Garlick hithe, was sometime a great house built of stone, and called Ormond Place, for that it sometime belonged to the Earls of Ormond. ... This house is now lately taken down, and divers fair tenements are built there, the corner house whereof is a tavern.—Stow pp. 92, 93.

Knightrider Street, says Strype, comprises the Great and the Little, whereof the Greater "is wider, better built and inhabited than the Little, that is by proctors and such as have dependence on Doctors' Commons."¹ The present Knightrider Street is a combination of Great Knightrider Street, Little Knightrider Street, and Old Fish Street. Many solicitors and proctors still inhabit it, though it has ceased to be distinctively a proctors' street since Doctors' Commons was demolished. The Faculty Office, the Marriage Licences Office, and the Archdeaconry Courts of London and Surrey are at No. 23. On this side is the church of St. Mary Magdalene; on the south side that of St. Nicholas Cole Abbey.

June 20, 1566.—Lease from the Dean (Alex. Nowell) and Chapter of St. Paul's to Simon Bland, of a tenement in Knight Ryder Street, near the Bakehouse of St. Paul's, for 31 years.—Cal. State Pap., 1547–1580, p. 274.

February 6, 1570.—Lease in rerersion from the Dean and Chapter of St. Paul's to John Incent, gentleman, Proctor of the Arches and Chapter Clerk, of certain tenements, called St. Erkenwald's tenements, in Knight Rider Street, abutting upon the capital messuage sometime called Montjoye Place, and now being the Doctors' Commons in the Arches.—Cal. State Pap., 1547–1580, vol. x. p. 363.

Then after a night or two, he [Hacket the enthusiast, 1591] was provided of his chamber and of his board at one Ralph Kaye's house in Knightrider Street, by Coppinger's means, and at his charges, for he cost Coppinger there eleven shillings by the week; but Kaye waxing weary of him (in part for that he feared Hacket was a Conjuror or Witch) in that the Camomil, he saith, in his garden, where Hacket either trod or sate, did wither up the next night and waxed black ... —Conspiracy for Pretended Reformation, p. 38.

December 2, 1608.—Geo. Cocks and Rob^t Carr petition Salisbury for a grant of the King's moiety of concealed rents in Knight Rider Street, due to the Crown since 2 Henry VII. Salisbury answers that he will grant no concealments of such antiquity.—Cal. State Pap., 1603–1610, p. 472.

No. 5 was the house of Linacre, the celebrated physician, and under the name of "The Stonehouse" was bequeathed by him to the College of Physicians. The armorial ensigns of the college were placed between the two centre windows of the first floor. Thoresby the antiquary lived in this street. A letter to him bears this address: "For Mr. Thoresby, at an oil-shop, near Old Parr's Head, in Little Knightrider Street." [See Giltspur Street]