Portpool
Encyclopedia
Portpool was a manor
or soke
in the district of Holborn
, London
. It is not recorded in the Domesday Book
but references to it occur from the 12th century onwards. For many years it was owned by the Dean and Chapter of St Paul's Cathedral
, who let it out to the Grey
family. The manor house
of Portpool subsequently became known as Gray's Inn
, acquiring a reputation for the teaching of law.
, stretching eastwards beyond Leather Lane
, northwards beyond present day Clerkenwell Road and southwards to the City
boundary. Its area diminished over time as parts were sold off.
The exact location of the manor buildings does not appear to be recorded, although it is assumed by most historians that they lay in the area of the current hall of Gray's Inn
.
The pool from which Portpool gets its name may have been located near the north-west corner of Brooke Street.
with the property, and they enfeoffed Reginald de Grey
, who held it of them in 1307. Before 1397 Henry Grey de Wilton had made a feoffment
of "Portpole maner called Grey's Inn" to certain persons in trust.
In 1505 the Grey family sold to Hugh Denny, Esq "the manor of Portpoole (one of the prebends belonging to St. Paul's Cathedral), otherwise called Gray's Inn, four messuage
s, four gardens, the site of a windmill, eight acres of land, ten shillings of free rent, and the advowson
of the chantry
of Portpoole." The manor was next sold to the prior and convent of East Sheen
, in Surrey, who leased "the mansion of Portpoole" to "certain students of the law", at the annual rent of £6 13s. 4d; and after the Dissolution
the benchers of Gray's Inn
were entered in the King's books as the fee farm tenants of the Crown, at the same rent as paid to the monks of Sheen.
John Stow
, writing at the end of the 16th century, stated that beyond Holborn Bars lay "Porte Poole, or Grayes Inne lane, so called of the Inne of Courte, named Grayes Inne, a goodly house there scituate, by whome builded or first begun I haue not yet learned, but seemeth to be since Edward the thirds time, and is a prebend to Paules Church in London."
The name Portpool is preserved today in Portpool Lane, which runs to the east off Gray's Inn Road
.
Manorialism
Manorialism, an essential element of feudal society, was the organizing principle of rural economy that originated in the villa system of the Late Roman Empire, was widely practiced in medieval western and parts of central Europe, and was slowly replaced by the advent of a money-based market...
or soke
Soke
The word soke has several meanings:* Soke , an early Western jurisdictional concept.* Soke or eke is a Tongan stick dance, originating from Wallis and Futuna., a Japanese title meaning "head of the family," and is usually used to denote the headmaster of a school of Japanese martial arts.* Soke of...
in the district of Holborn
Holborn
Holborn is an area of Central London. Holborn is also the name of the area's principal east-west street, running as High Holborn from St Giles's High Street to Gray's Inn Road and then on to Holborn Viaduct...
, London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
. It is not recorded in the Domesday Book
Domesday Book
Domesday Book , now held at The National Archives, Kew, Richmond upon Thames in South West London, is the record of the great survey of much of England and parts of Wales completed in 1086...
but references to it occur from the 12th century onwards. For many years it was owned by the Dean and Chapter of St Paul's Cathedral
St Paul's Cathedral
St Paul's Cathedral, London, is a Church of England cathedral and seat of the Bishop of London. Its dedication to Paul the Apostle dates back to the original church on this site, founded in AD 604. St Paul's sits at the top of Ludgate Hill, the highest point in the City of London, and is the mother...
, who let it out to the Grey
Reginald de Grey, 1st Baron Grey de Wilton
Reginald de Grey, 1st Baron Grey de Wilton was an English nobleman for whom one of the four Inns of Court is named. He was son of Sir John de Grey and grandson of Henry de Grey...
family. The manor house
Manor house
A manor house is a country house that historically formed the administrative centre of a manor, the lowest unit of territorial organisation in the feudal system in Europe. The term is applied to country houses that belonged to the gentry and other grand stately homes...
of Portpool subsequently became known as Gray's Inn
Gray's Inn
The Honourable Society of Gray's Inn, commonly known as Gray's Inn, is one of the four Inns of Court in London. To be called to the Bar and practise as a barrister in England and Wales, an individual must belong to one of these Inns...
, acquiring a reputation for the teaching of law.
Location
Documents from the 13th and 14th centuries indicate that Portpool included the present site of Gray's InnGray's Inn
The Honourable Society of Gray's Inn, commonly known as Gray's Inn, is one of the four Inns of Court in London. To be called to the Bar and practise as a barrister in England and Wales, an individual must belong to one of these Inns...
, stretching eastwards beyond Leather Lane
Leather Lane
Leather Lane is a street one block west of Hatton Garden, in the Holborn of London. It is home to a well-used weekday market which specialises in clothing and footwear....
, northwards beyond present day Clerkenwell Road and southwards to the City
City of London
The City of London is a small area within Greater London, England. It is the historic core of London around which the modern conurbation grew and has held city status since time immemorial. The City’s boundaries have remained almost unchanged since the Middle Ages, and it is now only a tiny part of...
boundary. Its area diminished over time as parts were sold off.
The exact location of the manor buildings does not appear to be recorded, although it is assumed by most historians that they lay in the area of the current hall of Gray's Inn
Gray's Inn
The Honourable Society of Gray's Inn, commonly known as Gray's Inn, is one of the four Inns of Court in London. To be called to the Bar and practise as a barrister in England and Wales, an individual must belong to one of these Inns...
.
The pool from which Portpool gets its name may have been located near the north-west corner of Brooke Street.
History
Simon de Gardino de Purtepole left his house within Holeburne bar to his son-in-law Richard de Chygewelle or Chigwell. Chygewelle in 1294 enfeoffed the Dean and Chapter of St Paul'sSt Paul's Cathedral
St Paul's Cathedral, London, is a Church of England cathedral and seat of the Bishop of London. Its dedication to Paul the Apostle dates back to the original church on this site, founded in AD 604. St Paul's sits at the top of Ludgate Hill, the highest point in the City of London, and is the mother...
with the property, and they enfeoffed Reginald de Grey
Reginald de Grey, 1st Baron Grey de Wilton
Reginald de Grey, 1st Baron Grey de Wilton was an English nobleman for whom one of the four Inns of Court is named. He was son of Sir John de Grey and grandson of Henry de Grey...
, who held it of them in 1307. Before 1397 Henry Grey de Wilton had made a feoffment
Feoffment
Feoffment, in English law was a transfer of property that gave the new owner the right to sell the land as well as the right to pass it on to his heirs. It was total relinquishment and transfer of all rights of ownership in land from one individual to another. It was the granting of a fee simple...
of "Portpole maner called Grey's Inn" to certain persons in trust.
In 1505 the Grey family sold to Hugh Denny, Esq "the manor of Portpoole (one of the prebends belonging to St. Paul's Cathedral), otherwise called Gray's Inn, four messuage
Messuage
In law, the term messuage equates to a dwelling-house and includes outbuildings, orchard, curtilage or court-yard and garden. At one time messuage supposedly had a more extensive meaning than that conveyed by the words house or site, but such distinction no longer survives.A capital messuage is the...
s, four gardens, the site of a windmill, eight acres of land, ten shillings of free rent, and the advowson
Advowson
Advowson is the right in English law of a patron to present or appoint a nominee to a vacant ecclesiastical benefice or church living, a process known as presentation. In effect this means the right to nominate a person to hold a church office in a parish...
of the chantry
Chantry
Chantry is the English term for a fund established to pay for a priest to celebrate sung Masses for a specified purpose, generally for the soul of the deceased donor. Chantries were endowed with lands given by donors, the income from which maintained the chantry priest...
of Portpoole." The manor was next sold to the prior and convent of East Sheen
East Sheen
East Sheen, also known as 'Sheen', is an affluent suburb of London, England in the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames. It forms part of the London post town in the SW postcode area....
, in Surrey, who leased "the mansion of Portpoole" to "certain students of the law", at the annual rent of £6 13s. 4d; and after the Dissolution
Dissolution of the Monasteries
The Dissolution of the Monasteries, sometimes referred to as the Suppression of the Monasteries, was the set of administrative and legal processes between 1536 and 1541 by which Henry VIII disbanded monasteries, priories, convents and friaries in England, Wales and Ireland; appropriated their...
the benchers of Gray's Inn
Gray's Inn
The Honourable Society of Gray's Inn, commonly known as Gray's Inn, is one of the four Inns of Court in London. To be called to the Bar and practise as a barrister in England and Wales, an individual must belong to one of these Inns...
were entered in the King's books as the fee farm tenants of the Crown, at the same rent as paid to the monks of Sheen.
John Stow
John Stow
John Stow was an English historian and antiquarian.-Early life:The son of Thomas Stow, a tallow-chandler, he was born about 1525 in London, in the parish of St Michael, Cornhill. His father's whole rent for his house and garden was only 6s. 6d. a year, and Stow in his youth fetched milk every...
, writing at the end of the 16th century, stated that beyond Holborn Bars lay "Porte Poole, or Grayes Inne lane, so called of the Inne of Courte, named Grayes Inne, a goodly house there scituate, by whome builded or first begun I haue not yet learned, but seemeth to be since Edward the thirds time, and is a prebend to Paules Church in London."
The name Portpool is preserved today in Portpool Lane, which runs to the east off Gray's Inn Road
Gray's Inn Road
Gray's Inn Road, formerly Gray's Inn Lane, is a major road in central London, in the London Borough of Camden. It is named after Gray's Inn, one of the main Inns of Court. The road starts in Holborn, near Chancery Lane tube station and the boundaries of the City of London and the London Borough...
.