Boar's Head Court

Boar's-Head-Ct.—...is in King-street, Westminster, about three houses from Great George-Street. It leads into Delahoy-street.

Boar's-Head-Court, King-Street, Westminster,—two or three doors N. from Great George-st. leading into Delahay-street.

[Blue Boar's Head Yard] Up to the middle of the 18th century the site of Great George Street¹ was occupied by Antelope Alley, Blue Boar's Head Yard, George Yard and Bell Alley, all running east to west, that portion of the western side of King Street which lay between Antelope Alley and Bell Alley, and part of Delahay Street (Plate 13).

Antelope Alley was so called from The Antelope Inn, the first mention of which (Le Antelope) has been found in 1443.² A document dated 13th March, 1447–48³ refers to a transaction between Richard Saxilby and Richard Walsh on the one hand and William Norton on the other, concerning a messuage formerly called "Le hert on the hoop," but now "Le Antelope super le hope," in the street called "Le Kyngestrete," between "Le Boreshede" on the south and a messuage belonging to Westminster Abbey on the north.

Further references occur in 14914 and 1567.5 On the latter occasion it was still a single "mesuage and tenement comonly called 'The Antylloppe,' "but when next met with⁶ (in 1624) it had become a "greate mesuage "or tenemente or inne comonly called ... 'The Antilop,' now divided "into severall mesuages or tenementes" in eighteen occupations, abutting on "The Blewboare" on the south and a house of Thomas Johnson on the north. This appears to mark the origin of Antelope Alley, which continued in existence until purchased by Samuel Cox, under the title of 14 messuages in King Street, for the purposes of the formation of Great George Street.

South of Antelope Alley lay Blue Boar's Head Yard. A reference to "le Borishede" also is found in 1443.⁷ In 1539 the Abbot of Westminster let⁸ on lease for 40 years to William Jennings a tenement or inn called "Le Boreshed" lying between King Street on the east, the⁹ towards the tenement called Caleys¹⁰ on the west, The Antelope on the north and The George on the south.

It has been commonly stated that Oliver Cromwell once resided in a house in Boar's Head Yard, but the statement is incorrect.¹¹ Walcott, in mentioning the alleged residence,¹² states that the house in which Cromwell resided had only recently been pulled down when he wrote (in 1849). It is, however, quite certain that The Boar's Head of Cromwell's time, as well as every house in old Boar's Head Yard, was demolished soon after 1756, for the new buildings on the north side of Great George Street completely covered the site. The later Boar's Head Yard was situated over 70 feet north of the old yard.

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1. The site, that is, not only of the actual thoroughfare, but also of the houses on each side.

2. Westlake's St. Margaret, Westminster, p. 8.

3. Close Roll, 298.

4. Final concord between Thomas Randyll, Sir Richard Gylford, John More, Stephen Jenyns, Henry Castell, and Simon Lynche, quer: and William Averey and Joan his wife deforc: of a messuage called "Le Antelope" in Westminster (Easter 6 H. VII).

5. Indenture, 12th November, 1567, between William Meredith, and William Burde and John Fitzwilliams. (Close Roll, 766.)

6. Indenture 28th April, 1624, between John Newet and Abraham Colly. (Close Roll, 2594.)

7. Westlake's St. Margaret, Westminster, p. 8. See also document of 13th March, 1448, quoted above.

8. Augmentation Office, Conventual Leases Westminster, No. 117.

9. "fossam super le Sh...(?)"

10. Among the lands belonging to Westminster Abbey, which were intermingled with those attached to the Hospital of St. James, and which, together with the latter, were acquired by Henry VIII. for the formation of St. James's Park, was a "greate mesuage or tenement called Petye Caleys" (Ancient Deeds, A. 213). Its situation is roughly determined by the description of the southern part of the lands going to form the Park as lying on the north side of a line joining the lands called "Rosamundes" to the "land lately a parcel of the great messuage or tenement called Pety Cales" (Patent Roll, 659, 23rd December, 23 Henry VIII.). "Rosamundes" was at the south-western angle of the park, and Petty Calais was therefore probably within the southeastern angle. At the time of its acquisition by Henry VIII. it was held by John Bourchier, second Baron Berners, deputy of Calais (is this the origin of the name of Petty Calais ?), and two letters from him to Cromwell on the subject of the premises are preserved. (State Papers, Domestic, Vol. 69, pp. 173–4 and Vol. 70, p. 209.) According to him they comprised more than 20 acres.

11. Walcott (Memorials of Westminster, p. 70) says: "At the Boar's Head, in the court of that name, Oliver Cromwell lived while Member of Parliament: there is a notice in the Overseers' Books of a collection made for the poor from him here as General Cromwell." Wheatley and Cunningham (London Past and Present, II, p. 338) quote a MS. communication of Geo. H. Malme which goes more into detail. "Shortly before the great trial in 1833 between the Parish of St. Margaret and the Inhabitants of Privy Gardens, a very rigid examination of the old parochial ratebooks took place, and in one of them Lieut.-General Oliver Cromwell was found rated for a house in King Street, which was ascertained, with as much certainty as the extensive alterations in the vicinity would admit, to be one of two very ancient tenements lying between the north side of the gateway entrance to Blue Boar's Head Yard and the wall of Ram's Mews." The precision of the identification is staggering, for a careful examination of the ratebooks shows the "certainty" to be far from justified. The facts are as follows, it being premised that the ratebooks give the names for King Street in order, starting from the south end on the west side, going northwards as far as the King Street Gate (in the neighbourhood of the modern Downing Street) and thence proceeding southwards along the east side. No ratebook gives the name of Cromwell anywhere on the west side of the street. That for 1649, however, after giving the whole of the west side of the street, has a side heading "King Street East," and immediately following are the names: Colonell Whalley Captaine Middleton Lieutenant GenII Cromwell Mary Harper This by itself is fairly conclusive evidence that Cromwell lived at the north end of King Street on the east side. In the book for 1650 Cromwell drops out, and in that for 1651 Whalley also disappears, but Middleton and Harper persist for many years, and in all cases where side-headings are given they follow that of King Street East. They (and consequently Cromwell's residence also) were therefore on the east side. There is moreover other, and decisive, evidence for the east-side position of the houses of Whalley and Harper. In one of the surveys of Crown property, made in 1650 (Parliamentary Surveys, Middlesex, No. 48) is given the description of a house "now in the "occupacion of Collonell Whalley," bounded on the south by the house of Harper, and "con"tayninge by admeasurement from King-streete west to Whitehall orchard east 82 feet." It may, therefore be said quite definitely that Cromwell's house was on the east side of King Street, and near the north end.

12. Memorials of Westminster, p. 70.