the Olde Swann

The Old Swan Tavern or Inn, in Thames Street. Early London addresses and placenames being notoriously vague, the location of the Old Swan Tavern close to the Old Swan Stairs is difficult to ascertain. Lillywhite suggests the Swan in Thames Street is the same as the Swan on the Hoop in Thames Street and "The Swan in Thames Street" "that doe sell Rhennish Wine."

John Taylor the Water Poet mentions four houses that sell Rhenish wine and are inhabited by Dutchmen only: "The Stilliyard, the Swan in Thames Street, The Swan in Crooked Lane, and The Sun at St. Mary Hill."—Travels through London, 1636.

June 14. Spelmonden.

122. Henry Quintyne to his master, John Browne, in Martin's-lane, near the "Old Swan," in Thames-street. Understanding of Mr. Hugh Lake's coming to London. I send this packet containing your several passes and Mr. Ferrers's account of Barden and Cowden pieces. I shall send you Branchley's account rectified, and what I find concerning Sir John Nulls. [½ p.] —Calendar of State Papers, Domestic series, of the reign of Charles I 1644–1645 volume 20 (Public Records Office, 1890), 591.

Kenneth Rogers states that the landing place called the Old Swan Stairs is generally assumed to be named after a famous old tavern called the Old Swan; he argues, however, that the name of the stairs, wharf, and district were derived from the ancient Old Swan Brewery.

There has been a curious and vexatious confusion concerning various "Old Swans": Burn (London Tradesmens' Tokens), in his notes on the token issued by "Richard Evans at Y^e Ould Swan in Thames Street, 1668," assumes the existence of a famous old tavern here, and says: "The Old Swan has been a house for public entertainment time out of mind. Rose Wrytell … by will, dated in 1323, bequeathed the "tenement of olde tyme called the Swanne on the Hope in Thames Street, in the parish of St. Mary-at-Hill, etc." It is necessary to remember that the ancient City parishes, and their boundaries, formerly meant a great deal, and that Rose Wrytell's "Swan" stood several parishes east of the Old Swan Stairs. It is important to emphasize this point, for the confusion has been repeated in various works on Old London—Wheatley, in his invaluable editions of Pepys' Diary, Williamson and Boyne (Tradesmens' Tokens), and Timbs (Club Life of London); whilst Hotten (History of the Signboards) introduces a further confusion by alluding to Pepys's visit to the Swan at Dowgate—much further west. The lesson is to study carefully the parish boundaries—which meant so much, and were jealously guarded and watched. …
     Richard Evans, who issued the two tokens at the Old Swan, was a baker near Old Swan Lane, either the present Lane of that name, or on the west side of the present Swan Lane, which marks the east boundary of the parish of St. Lawrence Poultney. I have to give these rather tedious details, since so much has, naturally enough, been made of the Old Swan "Tavern," with which these tokens have been associated. The rector of St. Mary Abchurch very kindly permitted me to see the old MS. Churchwardens' Accounts of the Church of St. Lawrence Poultney, from which I made these extracts:1663: "Paid to Evans y^e Baker for half years Bread for the poore—vj^li v^s." In 1664 Richard Evans paid 8s. 4d. in tithes, and Mr. Evans the baker was paid £12.10.0d. for bread for the poor. 1665, Richard Evans paid tithes, and in 1666 he was again paid for bread, and also: "paid Richard Evans Baker in full—j^li." A payment was made in 1676, and his name is in a long list in Old Swan Alley, 1676–7. …
     There was undoubtedly an Old Swan Tavern (or public house) by the Stairs …
     The fact remains, however, that there was no famous old tavern here ("the Shades," by Fishmongers' Hall excepted), and Pepys, after landing at Old Swan Stairs, would always walk the few yards to the end of London Bridge, and visit the Hoope tavern, the Castle and Swan, the King's Head, the Sun in New Fish Street, or the Dolphin in Tower Street for his liquid refreshment.
Signs and Taverns Round About Old London Bridge (1937), 33–4.

The Swan Inn is often identified as the place where the lady of Gloucester landed when doing her penance. The "Swan" referred to in that narrative, however, seems rather to be one of three landing places for the barge in which she travelled on the Thames and from which she proceeded through the City on foot (that is, the Temple Bridge, the Old Swan wharf, and Queenhithe):

In this time the lady of Gloucester had confessed her witchcraft as is aforesaid, she was enjoined by all the Spiritual assent to penance to come to London from Westminster on the Monday next ensuing, and landed at the Temple bridge out of her barge, and there she took a taper of wax of two pounds in her hand, and went so thro' Fleet Street on her feet and hoodless unto [St.] Pauls, and there she offered up her taper at the high altar; and on the Wednesday next ensuing she came from Westminster by barge unto the Swan in Thames Street (Temp'se strete), and there she landed, and went forth on her feet through Bridge Street Gracechurch Street, to the Leadenhall and so to Crichirch in the wise afornseyd. And on Friday she landed at Queenhithe, and so forth she went into Cheap, and so to Saint Michael in Cornhill, in the form aforesaid. And at each of the times the Mayor with the Sheriffs and the Crafts of London were ready at the places where she should land.—Cotton MSS. CLeop. C. IV, fol. 58 b.

The Old Swan, Thames-Street,

Was more than five hundred years ago a house for public entertainment: for, in 1323, 16 Edw. II., Rose Wrytell bequeathed "the tenement of olde tyme called the Swanne on the Hope in Thames-street," in the parish of St. Mary-at-hill, to maintain a priest at the altar of St. Edmund, King and Martyr, "for her soul, and the souls of her husband, her father, and mother:" and the purposes of her bequest were established; for, in the parish book, in 1499, is entered a disbursement of fourpence, "for a cresset to Rose Wrytell's chantry." Eleanor Cobham, Duchess of Gloucester, in 1440, in her public penance for witchcraft and treason, landed at Old Swan, bearing a large taper, her feet bare, etc.

Stow, in 1598, mentions the Old Swan as a great brew-house. Taylor, the Water-poet, advertised the professor and author of the Barmoodo and Vtopian tongues, dwelling "at the Old Swanne, neare London Bridge, who will teach them at are willing to learne, with agility and facility."

In the scurrilous Cavalier ballad of Admiral Deane's Funeral, by water, from Greenwich to Westminster, in June, 1653, it is said:—

"The Old Swan, as he passed by,
Said she would sing him a dirge, lye down and die:
Wilt thou sing to a bit of a body? quoth I,
                    Which nobody can deny."

The Old Swan Tavern and its landing-stairs were destroyed in the Great Fire; but rebuilt. Its Token, in the Beaufoy Collection, is one of the rarest, of large size.

1. O. RICHARD . EVANS . AT . Y^E . OULD = A Swan.         R. IN . THAMES . STREETE . 1668 = HIS HALFE PENY. R.S.E.        ½

The Old Swan has been a house for public entertainment time out of mind. Rose Wrytell, sometime wife of William Fairstede, clerk, by will, dated in 1323, 16 Edward II., bequeathed "the tenement of olde tyme called the Swanne on the Hope, in Thames Street," in the parish of St. Mary-at-Hill, to maintain a priest at the altar of St. Edmund King and Martyr "for her soul, and the souls of her husband, her father and mother." Rose Wrytell died in 1328, and the purposes of her bequest appear to have been established, as in the parish books in 1499 is entered a disbursement of fourpence "for a cresset to Rose Wrytell's chantry." The cresset was a brass socket for a candle; and the chantry ceased with all others, in 1548, under the mandate of King Edward VI.

Eleanor Cobham, Duchess of Gloucester, accused in 1440 of witchcraft and high treason, was sentenced to perform public penance in three open places in London. Her first was from the Temple to St. Paul's. On the second occasion, on Wednesday, November 15, she landed at the Old Swan, bearing in her hand a wax taper of two pounds weight, her head covered with a kerchief, her feet bare, and scrolls detailing the enormity of her crime attached to her white dress. She was there at noonday received by the Mayor, John Paddesley, goldsmith, and master of the Royal Mint in the Tower; John Sutton and John Wetenhall, the Sheriffs, and the Companies of London; thence, attended by them, she proceeded through Bridge Street and Gracechurch Street to Leadenhall, and at Cree-Church, near Aldgate, rendered the taper at the altar. On the following Friday she landed at Queenhithe, and, with the same ceremony, proceeded to St. Michael's Church, Cornhill. She returned to Westminster by water, from the stairs at which she landed to perform this penance.

Stow, in 1598, mentions the Old Swan as a great brewhouse.

Taylor, the water poet, in an advertisement to his "Odcomb's Complaint," printed 161, 4to., intimated: "If there be any gentlemen or others, desirous to be practitioners in the Barmoodo and Utopian tongues, the professor being the authour hereof, dwelleth at the Old Swanne neere London Bridge, who will teach them that are willing to learne, with agility and facility."

In the cavalier ballad of "Admiral Dean's Funeral," a scurrilous recital of the honours paid to the mutilated corpse of that brave man, in its passage by water from Greenwich to King Henry VII.'s Chapel, in June, 1653, it is said:

"The Old Swan, as he passed by,
Said she would sing him a dirge, lye down and die:
Wilt thou sing to a bit of a body? ouoth I.
                    Which nobody can deny."

The Old Swan Tavern, with its landing-stairs and all other adjuncts, were wholly destroyed in the Great Fire. The penny token appears to have been issued by the occupant of the new building after that disastrous event. It is one of the rarest of the large size.—[B.]

"So thence, after Council, having drunk some of the King's wine and water with Mr. Chiffinch, my Lord Brouncker, and some others, I by water to the Old Swan."—Pepys' "Diary," May 13, 1668.

Pepys records about a dozen other visits to this house.

11046 The Old Swan in Thames Street. Origin obscure and probably first known as the Swan, c1360s demised to S. Peter in Chepe, 1392; "olde Swann" 1483–85; "tenement and brewhouse callyd the olde swan yn Temystrete belongyng to the parysh church of seynt Peter" 1509–58; "Old Swan a great brewhouse” 1598; "Old Swanne neere London Bridge" 1613–16; "old Swan in Thames Street" 1636–66 consumed in the great Fire September 1666. "Old Swan" 1667–68; "Ye Ovld Swan in Thames Street" 1668–90s; "the Swane in Thams streat" 1690–98; "Swan at London Bridge" 1721–64 as "Old Swan at London-bridge" 1764. See Swanne on the Hope No. 14318; also Swan No. 14319. Old Swan Old Swan lane Upper Thames Street 1826–27.      The Old Swan has left its mark on Old Swan Alley, Old Swan Lane, Old Swan Pier, Old Swan Stairs, and Old Swan Wharf.

12353 Rhenish Wine House—"The Swan in Thames Street" 1636. See Swan No. 14318.

14318 "Swanne on the Hope [Hoop] in Thames Street in the parish of St. Mary at Hill" 1323. "Swan near Billingsgate" 1423; "olde Swann" 1483–85; "the Swane at Billynesgate" 1500–01. "le Whyte Swanne in the parish of St. Botolph, near Byllyngesgate 1553–54. "The Swan in Thames Street" "that doe sell Rhennish Wine" c1632–36.

14319 "Swan in Tempse strete" [Thames St. west of London Bridge] 1440–41; "olde Swann" 1483–85? See Old Swan No. 11046: Swanne on the Hope No. 14318.