III (p. 62) LONDON BRIDGE AND ITS MAINTENANCE
At the end of his edition of the “Liber niger Scaccarii,” London, 1771, vol. i. pp. 470*-478*, Hearne printed a series of curious Letters Patent relating to London Bridge. That of John, commending Isembert to the city, is given above (Appendix I.). There follow, an order of John applying the tax paid by foreign merchants established in London to the support of the bridge (Close Roll, 15 John, m. 3); a patent of Henry III addressed “to the brothers and chaplains of the chapel of St. Thomas on London Bridge, and to the other {428} persons living on the same bridge,” to inform them that the convent of St. Catherine’s Hospital, near the Tower, would receive the revenues and would take charge of the repairs of the bridge for five years (Patent 50 Hen. III m. 43, No. 129); grant of the same revenues and charge to the queen for six years (54 Hen. III m. 4, No. 11); patent of Edward I (January, 1281), ordering a general collection throughout the kingdom to ward off the danger resulting from the bad condition of the edifice (9 Ed. I m. 27); patent of the same king ordering the levy of an extraordinary tax on account of the catastrophe which, after all, had happened.
“Rex majori suo London’ salutem. Propter subitam ruinam pontis London’ vobis mandamus quod associatis vobis duobus vel tribus de discretioribus et legalioribus civibus civitatis prædictæ, capiatis usque ad parliamentum nostrum post Pasch’ prox’ futur’, in subsidium reparationis pontis predicti, consuetudinem subscriptam, videlicet, de quolibet homine transeunte aquam Thamisiæ ex transverso ex utraque parte pontis London’ de London’ usque Suthwerk et de Suthwerk usque London’, occasione defectus reparationis pontis predicti, unum quadrantem, de quolibet equo sic transeunte ibidem unum denarium, et de quolibet summagio sic ibidem transeunte unum obolum. Set volumus quod aliquid ibidem hac occasione interim capiatur nisi in subsidium reparationis pontis supra dicti. In cujus, etc. Teste rege apud Cirencestr’, iiijº die Februarij” (10 E. I m. 18).
The same year, on 6th July, the king prolonged the term during which this exceptional tax should be levied to three years (p. 476*); he also, “understanding that it would hurt neither himself nor the city,” granted to the mayor and commonalty of London three empty spaces, one near the wall of the churchyard “de Wolchurch,” the two others near the wall of St. Paul’s churchyard, for them to build thereon and let the buildings for the benefit of the bridge (10 Ed. I m. 11). Then, in the thirty-fourth year of his reign, Edward I established a detailed tariff of the tolls which all merchandise passing under or over the bridge should pay during the next three years (34 Ed. I m. 25). Even this was not enough, as we find Edward II asking all the archbishops, bishops, rectors and other ecclesiastical authorities of the kingdom to well receive the wardens of London Bridge or their delegates and allow them to piously persuade the people to make offerings for the repair of the bridge: “Eos populum ibidem piis suasionibus excitare et suarum elemosinarum subsidia ad reparationem Pontis predicti caritative invocare permittatis.” (14 Ed. II pt. i. m. 19, p. 477*). {429}