Our Walks in London range from Walks that include Roman London, Anglo Saxon London and medieval London.
On each of this City of London walks we encounter and discuss the wall that once encircled the City.
The City wall extended from Aldgate to Bishopsgate, which guarded the Cambridge Road.
Bishopsgate was built about the reign of Henry II, for the purpose of making a new entry to the City between Aldgate and Aldersgate.
From the time of Edward VI to, that of James I, Bishopsgate was continuously in a ruinous state. James I, who was ever nervous for his crown, had a new gate built.
Moorgate was built or renewed about the year 1415 by Henry V, Stow, the London historian, says that no gate was here previous to this date, but there are reasons to believe that he was wrong.
Moorgate was rebuilt in 1472 and taken down about 1750, the stones being used to repair London Bridge.
Cripplegate was one of the minor entries into London, but was certainly one of the most ancient, and was rebuilt many times.
Stow records that it received its name through the many cripples who sat and begged there.
In 1010, when the Danes were approaching Bury St. Edmunds, the body of Edmund the Martyr was brought to London, and as it passed through Cripplegate it is said that many persons rose upright and began to walk.
Cripplegate was rebuilt by the brewers of London in 1244, and again, in 1491 at the cost of 400 marks left by Edmund Shaw, goldsmith and ex-mayor.
In the reign of Charles II it was repaired and made more elaborate.
All the country outside the wall between Bishopsgate and Aldersgate was a marsh. This gave rise to the names Moorfields and Finsbury (Fensbury).
Aldersgate or (Elders-gate) was one of the largest of the gates of London. It had crumbled into uselessness by the time of James 1, and was replaced by a new one.
In the early part of the 11th century there were only three gates to London — Aldgate, Aldersgate, and Ludgate.
Newgate was built at the time of Henry I. In common with the others, this was rebuilt many times, but final-1Y destroyed in the Gordon riots of 1780.
The prison, which met a similar fate, was rebuilt, but no steps were taken to replace the gate.
Ludgate had more history associated with it than any other . It is said that this was taken down in 1760 at the request of the inhabitants of the Farringdon wards.
According to tradition, this gate was built by the famous King Lud, in 66 B.C.
But a more feasible explanation of the name is given by historians, who suggest that its original name was Flood or Fleet.
Lud Gate was another through which the Barons entered London in the reign of King John. Once inside they appear to have raided the houses of the Jews, pulled down their buildings and used the stone for rebuilding Lud Gate.
Lud Gate was again repaired in 1260, and decorated with images of King Lud and other monarchs.
During the reign of Edward VI, when England was developing a conscience against idolatry, the heads of Lud and his family were cut off. Queen Mary, however, restored them.
In the reign of Elizabeth (1586) the old gate was pulled down and rebuilt, with images of Lud and a statue of the Queen. It cost £1500.
During the demolition a stone was found with the inscription: “This is the ward of Rabbi Moses, the son of the honourable Rabbi Isaac.”
When old Lud Gate was pulled down the statues of Lud and his sons were thrown into the parish bone-house.
They were eventually bought by the Marquis of Hertford and placed in Regent’s Park at Hertford Villa.
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The statue of Elizabeth was placed in a niche of the wall of old St. Dunstan’s Church on Fleet.She can still be seen in a niche on the wall of St Dunstan’s Church, whilst the statues of King Lud and his sons are also now located in a recess in the porch of this same church.
