Billingsgate

Billingsgate

This name has been variously used to designate: one of the City gates, a port or quay on the Thames, one of the principal City markets.

It seems probable, and recent discoveries tend to confirm the view, that in early times the City was enclosed by a wall on its southern side as well as on its northern, eastern and western sides, and if so there may well have been in this southern wall a City gate designated Billingsgate. Fitz Stephen writing about 1174 refers to this southern wall, which he says was washed away and destroyed in course of time by the encroachments of the River Thames. If this be true, the original position of the gate is not readily ascertainable.

In later times it formed a watergate to the river on the south side of Thames Street, opposite St. Mary Hill.

The tradition is that the City gate was erected by a British king named Belinus or Belin, but as Geoffrey of Monmouth's statement to this effect is unsupported by any other writer, it seems more probable, as Stow suggests, that the name was derived from some early owner, whether of a gate or quay, named Beling or Biling (S. 44), for the word "portus" would be used in either sense, and might be equally well translated "gate" or "quay."

In any case, whether originally a City gate in the wall or merely a port, or quay on the river, it has been in existence from early times, for in the "De Institutes Lundonie" in the Laws of King Ethelred (Thorpe, I. p. 300), provision is made for the payment of tolls and customs by vessels arriving at "Billingesgate."

Other forms of the names are: "Bilingkesgate," 12th cent. (H. MSS. Com. 9th Rep. p. 68). "Billynggesgate," temp. John (Anc. Deeds, A. 2445).

It maintained its importance as a port or quay for the lading and unlading of goods, so that in 1279 it was provided that all vessels should be moored at night either at Queenhithe or at Billingsgate and not elsewhere (Cal. L. Bk. B. p. 241).

The Customs of Billingsgate, temp. Ed. III., fixed the tolls that the several vessels were to pay according to their size and also the dues on their various cargoes of corn, coal, etc. (Lib. Albus, I. 237). In Stow's time it was even more frequented than it had been in earlier days, owing to the decline of Queenhithe (S. 207), which being situated above London Bridge was not as convenient of access as the port of Billingsgate.

In Agas' map there are several vessels shown in the dock which is clearly indicated in Leake's map adjoining the site of the present Custom House on the west, and in O. and M. 1677, this harbour is designated "Billingsgate Dock." This name continued in use as late as 1848–51 (O.S.), until the dock was filled up at that time, and the quay rebuilt in accordance with modern requirements.

The existence of the harbour or dock made the situation a suitable one for the establishment of a market there in early times. It is mentioned in the Liber Albus, I. p. 356, and is frequently alluded to in the Letter Books. In these days it seems to have been a general market and its trade unrestricted, but in 1 Eliz. an Act was passed restricting the nature of the goods to be sold there, and it was further regulated by a statute 11 William III. making it a free and open market for fish.

In Rocque's map, 1746, the market seems to be shown north of the dock, but in O.S. 1848–51 it is placed on the west side adjoining the dock. In 1849–53 the market sheds were rebuilt by J. R. Bunning, the City architect, on a more extensive scale, and being further enlarged in 1874, the market now occupies the whole site of the old dock and Darkhouse Lane, while the rents bring in a considerable revenue to the City every year.

Billingsgate, the only one of the "Wharfes and Keyes for Ladinge and Discharginge Places, within the Porte of London, for Merchandises" which was "Appointed to be an open Place for the landing and bringing in of any Fish, Corn, Salt, Stones, Victuals, and Fruits, (Grocery Wares excepted:) And to be a Place of carrying forth of the same, or the like; and for no other Merchandises" in the Order for the Wharfs, 1559.—Strype (1720), book 2, chapter 3, p. 49.

Billingsgate, listed by Strype (1720) as one of the 21 "Keys, Wharfs and Docks, which are now assigned and allowed to be lawful by an Act of Parliament, for shipping, lading and landing of Goods and Merchandizes" (book 2, chapter 10, p. 172).

Billingsgate, a kind of Square, which is a commodious Place for Hoys, &c. to lie, and take in and unlade Goods; the Ward here is so called from the Place, where is a free Market for Fish, lately made so by Act of Parliament; it is in Thames str. betn St. Mary hill N. and the Thames S.

Billingsgate, is situate as per Sect. 1. Here (by the Stat. 10 and 11 of William the 3d. Chap. 24.) is every Day a free Market for Fish, and any person may buy or sell any sort of Fish therein, the Fishermen or Sellers in this Market paying only

	per Day Groundage.	per Voyage
For every Vessel with Salt Fish	8d.	20d.
For every Lobster-Boat, every Vessel of fresh Sea Fish and every Dogger-Boat or Smack with Sea Fish	2	13
And for every Oyster Vessel or Cock	2d.	13d.

The Money to be disposed of as the Ld Mayor and Court of Aldermen shall yearly direct.

Billingsgate-Wharf and Market, Lower-Thames-Street,—at 19, about ⅒ of a mile below London-Bridge.

Billingsgate Wharf and Market, Lower Thames-street, is a large square on the south side of Thames-street, between Darkhouse-lane and the new Custom House. It is a large fish market, public public wharf and landing place. The earliest notice of this market or water gate is in Dr. Howel's History of the World (vol. iii. part 4, chap. 2) under the date of A.D. 979, about which time Ethelred made laws at Wantage for the regulation of the customs on ships and merchandize, to be paid at Blynesgate or Billingsgate in the Port of London, then the only quay. This little haven was for a great length of time the most important place in the metropolis, for the landing of almost every article of commerce after Queenhithe was forsaken.—(See QUEENTHITHE.) But it did not become celebrated as a fish-market till the year 1699, when an act of parliament was passed, making it a free port and market for the sale of fish, six days in every week, with permission to sell mackerell on Sundays, before and after divine services; and for permitting the resale of the fish purchased there in every part of the city or elsewhere by retail, but no fishmonger or other person, is to engross or buy more than shall be for his own sale or use, under the penalty of £20. Many scandalous abuses that had existed in this market have been recently remedied, and it is now excellently managed, under the superintendence of the Committee of City Lands, and the active yeoman or clerk of the market, Mr. Goldham, who, although the accomplished master of the ceremonies at the Lady Mayoress's balls, is an equally efficient officer among the ladies of Billingsgate, whom he subdues by suavity and firmness, when he would not by endeavouring to equal their peculiar vocabulary.

Billingsgate market gives its name to the ward, which is bounded on the south by the Thames, on the east by Tower ward, on the north by Langbourn ward, and on the west by Bridge ward. Its principal streets are part of Thames-street, Botolph-lane, St. Mary's-hill, Rood-lane and Pudding-lane; and its chief public buildings are the churches of St. Mary-at-hill, St. Margaret Pattens, and St. George, Botolph-lane; and Butchers'-hall.—[See those buildings.]—It is divided into twelve precincts, and is governed by an alderman (Anthony Brown, Esq.), a deputy, and nine other common-councilmen.

Billingsgate, a river, gate, wharf, and fish-market, on the Thames, a little below London Bridge, the great fish-market of London. In very early times Queenhithe and Billingsgate were the chief City wharfs for the mooring of fishing vessels and landing their cargoes. The fish were sold in and about Thames Street, special stations being assigned to the several kinds of fish. Queenhithe was at first the more important wharf, but Billingsgate appears to have gradually overtaken it and eventually to have left it hopelessly in the rear, the troublesome passage of London Bridge leading ship-masters to prefer the below bridge wharf. Corn, malt, and salt, as well as fish, were landed and sold at both wharfs, and very strict regulations were laid down by the City authorities as to the tolls to be levied on the several articles, and the conditions under which they were to be sold.¹ As early as 1282 a message was sent from the King, Edward I., to the Serjeants of Billingsgate and Queenhithe, commanding them "to see that all boats are moored on the City side at night, and to have the names of all boats;" and in 1297 the order was repeated, but this time it was the warden of the dock [portus] at Billingsgate and the warden of Queenhithe who were "to see that this order is strictly observed." In a letter of Edward II., 1312, regarding the safe keeping of the City, Billingsgate is enumerated among the quays facing the Thames, which shall "be well and strictly bretached" [embattled, or defended by wooden turrets], and the lanes on either side be "well and stoutly chained." In 1370, when "the Mayor, Aldermen, and commonalty were given to understand that certain galleys, with a multitude of armed men therein, were lying off the Foreland of Tenet," [Thanet], it was ordered that "every night watch shall be kept between the Tower of London and Billingsgate with 40 men-at-arms, and 60 archers;" which watch the men of the trades underwritten "agreed to keep in succession each night, in form as follows: On Tuesday, the Drapers and the Tailors; on Wednesday, the Mercers and the Apothecaries; on Thursday, the Fishmongers and the Butchers; on Friday, the Pewterers and the Vintners; on Saturday, the Goldsmiths and the Saddlers; on Sunday, the Ironmongers, the Armourers, and the Cutlers; on Monday, the Tawers [Curriers], the Spurriers, the Bowyers, and the Girdlers."¹ Billingsgate was declared, 1 Eliz., c. ii. (1559), "an open space for the landing and bringing in of any fish, corn, salt stores, victuals, and fruit (grocery wares excepted), and to be a place of carrying forth of the same, or the like, and for no other merchandises." By 10 and 11 William III., c. 24, it was made, on and after May 10, 1699, "a free and open market for all sorts of fish."

How this gate took that name, or of what antiquity the same is, I must leave uncertain, as not having read any ancient record thereof, more than that Geffrey Monmouth writeth, that Belin, a king of the Britons, about four hundred years before Christ's Nativity, built this gate and named it Belin's gate, after his own calling; and that when he was dead, his body being burnt, the ashes in a vessel of brass were set upon a high pinnacle of stone over the same gate. It seemeth to me not to be so ancient, but rather to have taken that name of some later owner of the place, happily named Beling or Biling, as Somer's key, Smart's key, Frost wharf, and others thereby, took their names of their owners.—Stow, p. 17.

Billingsgate is at this present (1598) a large water-gate, port, or harborough, for ships and boats commonly arriving there with fish both fresh and salt, shell-fishes, salt, oranges, onions, and other fruits and roots, wheat, rye, and grain of divers sorts for the service of the city and the parts of this realm adjoining. This gate is now more frequented than of old time, when the Queene's-hithe [Queenhithe] was used, and the drawbridge of timber at London Bridge was then to be raised or drawn up for passage of ships with tops thither.—Stow, p. 78.

Until 1850 Billingsgate, according to the description of the City architect, "consisted only of shed buildings.... The open space on the north of the well-remembered Billingsgate Dock was dotted with low booths and sheds, with a range of wooden houses with a piazza in front on the west, which served the salesmen and fishmongers as shelter, and for the purposes of carrying on their trade."² In that year the market was rebuilt from the designs of Mr. J. B. Bunning, the City architect. If less picturesque, in neatness of appearance it was a great improvement on its predecessor, but it was soon found to be insufficient for the increased trade, and in 1872 the Corporation obtained an Act to rebuild and enlarge the market. By the plans of the late Sir Horace Jones, the then City architect, the neighbouring Billingsgate Stairs and Wharf and Darkhouse Lane were included, and the area of the market was nearly doubled. The works were commenced in 1874, and the new market was opened by the Lord Mayor on July 20, 1877. The building is of Portland stone on a granite plinth, Italian in character, and comprises, in the Thames Street and river fronts, a pedimented centre and continuous arcade, flanked at each extremity by a pavilion tavern. The general market, on a level with Thames Street, has an area of about 30,000 feet, and is covered with louvre glass roofs 43 feet high at the ridge. A gallery 30 feet wide is appropriated to the sale of dried fish. Beneath the whole is a well-lighted and airy basement 24 feet high, which serves for the shell-fish market. The market is said to be well adapted to its purpose, but already complaints are made of insufficient space, and the approaches greatly need widening and improving. The opening of the railways has altogether changed the character of the wholesale fish trade. By far the larger part of the fish, some 100,000 tons annually, is brought to Billingsgate by land, the Great Eastern Railway having the lion's share of the traffic. But all the fish that arrives by railway is not sold at Billingsgate, though disposed of by Billingsgate salesmen. The salesman is informed by telegram of the quantity and kind of fish consigned to him; he ascertains the state of the market, and if the supply is redundant telegraphs to the persons sending the fish not to send any more. Billingsgate Market opens at 5 o'clock every morning throughout the year, but it is not a place that it would be prudent for a stranger to visit then.

The coarse language of the place has long been notorious. "One may term this the Esculine Gate of London," says old Fuller. "Here one may hear linguas jurgatrices;"¹ and he places "Billingsgate language" among his proverbs.

At this rate there is not a scold at Billingsgate but may defend herself by the pattern of King James and Archbishop Whitgift.—Andrew Marvell, The Rehearsal Transprosed, 1672.

The style of Billingsgate would not make a very agreeable figure at St. James's.—E. Smith, On John Philips, the poet.

Hard by a sty, beneath a roof of thatch,
Dwelt obloquy, who in her early days
Baskets of fish at Billingsgate did watch,
Cod, whiting, oyster, mackrel, sprat or plaice:
There learned she speech from tongues that never cease.

POPE, Imitation of Spenser.

Addison, some three years before (Freeholder, April, 30, 1716), had spoken of the delicacy of certain modern critics who are offended with Homer's " Billingsgate Warriors"—

Our march we with a song begin;
Our hearts were light, our breeches thin.
We meet with nothing of adventure
Till Billingsgate's Dark House we enter;
Where we diverted were, while baiting,
With ribaldry, not worth relating
(Quite suited to the dirty place). HOGARTH'S Trip.

In Recollections of Samuel Rogers (p. 86), he relates that Dr. Lawrence told him that on one occasion he "dined with Burke and others at the Tun [Three Tuns] in Billingsgate: at dinner-time Burke was missed, and was found at a fishmonger's learning the history of pickled salmon."

The "Three Tuns Tavern," looking on the river, famous for a capital dinner at two shillings, including three kinds of fish, joints, steaks, and bread and cheese.

My Boy, I will bring thee to the bawds and the roysters.
At Billingsgate feasting with claret wine and oysters.

BEN JONSON, The Devil is an Ass.

This brings to my mind another ancient custom that hath been omitted of late years. It seems that in former times the porters that plyd at Billingsgate used civilly to entreat and desire every man that passed that way to salute a Post that stood there in a vacant place. If he refused to do this, they forthwith laid hold of him and by main force bumped him against the Post; but if he quietly submitted to kiss the same, and paid down sixpence, they gave him a name, and chose some one of the gang for his godfather. I believe this was done in memory of some old image that formerly stood there, perhaps of Belus or Belin.—Bagford in 1715, (Letter printed in Leland's Collectanea).

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¹ Liber Albus, p. 603, etc.

¹ Riley, Memorials, p. 345.
² Report of Mr. Horace Jones, 1874.

¹ Fuller's Worthies (London) ed. 1662, p. 197.