Portsoken
Encyclopedia
Portsoken is a historical district in the City of London
, located outside the former London Wall
, on the eastern part of the City, near Aldgate
. It is one of the 25 wards
of the City.
Aldgate
and Tower
wards lie to the west, and its eastern boundary is defined by Middlesex Street, in Whitechapel
. To the north, the boundary meets Bishopsgate
and Spitalfields
; to the south, the former liberties of the Royal Mint
.
The Sir John Cass's Foundation Primary School is now located in this (largely residential) ward, added in the 2003 boundary review, and is the only part of the ward within the former Wall.
's Survey records that the ‘soke’ (later ‘liberty’) was granted in Saxon times east of Aldgate to a Guild of Knights in exchange, essentially, for regular jousting. Norman kings confirmed these rights but later the land was voluntarily transferred to the Priory of the Holy Trinity by the descendants of the Guild.
In 1120 or 1121 (the exact date is unknown), Portsoken was granted as a liberty
to the Priory of Holy Trinity, which had been founded in 1107 by Queen Matilda, the wife of King Henry I
. The sitting Prior
of Holy Trinity became, ex officio, an alderman
of the City of London Corporation representing Portsoken ward, and remained so until the Dissolution of the Monasteries
by King Henry VIII
in 1531.
In 1332, a tax assessment showed twenty-three taxpayers in Portsoken ward; however, this figure consisted only of freemen of the City of London who possessed moveable property worth more than ten shillings, and so did not include the poor, non-citizens, or members of religious order
s. A later subsidy roll from 1582 showed that the ward's taxpayers had been assessed to pay a total of 57 pounds
, 11 shillings and 4 pence
.
The City of London boundary changes in 1994 altered the City-Tower Hamlets
boundary in the area quite considerably. A small part of Portsoken ward was removed to Tower Hamlets, however a much larger area was transferred to the City from Tower Hamlets, though not all initially to Portsoken. With the 2003 ward boundary review, much of the additional territory in this part of the City was given to Portsoken, as it consisted mainly of residential and related buildings. With the loss of some business-dominated parts, the gaining of this residential area and the gaining of the primary school, Portsoken is now regarded as one of the City's four residential wards.
The Alderman for the ward, Michael Bear
, is the Lord Mayor of London
for 2010-11. He was elected as Alderman in 2005, having previously served as a Common Councilman. In the most recent elections held for the Common Council, in 2009, the members elected for Portsoken ward were Ian Burleigh and Henry Jones.
Keith Joseph
, (Secretary of State for Industry 1979–1981 and Secretary of State for Education and Science 1981–1986, under Margaret Thatcher
) received a life peerage as "Baron Joseph, of Portsoken in the City of London", in 1987. His father was Lord Mayor in 1942-3.
Peter Levene
(Lord Mayor 1998-1999) adopted the title Baron Levene of Portsoken upon his elevation to the peerage, in 1997.
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...
, located outside the former London Wall
London Wall
London Wall was the defensive wall first built by the Romans around Londinium, their strategically important port town on the River Thames in what is now the United Kingdom, and subsequently maintained until the 18th century. It is now the name of a road in the City of London running along part of...
, on the eastern part of the City, near Aldgate
Aldgate
Aldgate was the eastern most gateway through London Wall leading from the City of London to Whitechapel and the east end of London. Aldgate gives its name to a ward of the City...
. It is one of the 25 wards
Wards of the City of London
The City of London , in the United Kingdom, is constituted of 25 wards. The City is the historic core of the much wider metropolis of London, with an ancient and sui generis form of local government, which avoided the many reforms enacted to local government elsewhere in the country in the 19th and...
of the City.
Aldgate
Aldgate
Aldgate was the eastern most gateway through London Wall leading from the City of London to Whitechapel and the east end of London. Aldgate gives its name to a ward of the City...
and Tower
Tower (ward)
Tower is a ward of the City of London and is named from its propinquity to the Tower of London. The ward covers the area of the City that is closest to the Tower....
wards lie to the west, and its eastern boundary is defined by Middlesex Street, in Whitechapel
Whitechapel
Whitechapel is a built-up inner city district in the London Borough of Tower Hamlets, London, England. It is located east of Charing Cross and roughly bounded by the Bishopsgate thoroughfare on the west, Fashion Street on the north, Brady Street and Cavell Street on the east and The Highway on the...
. To the north, the boundary meets Bishopsgate
Bishopsgate
Bishopsgate is a road and ward in the northeast part of the City of London, extending north from Gracechurch Street to Norton Folgate. It is named after one of the original seven gates in London Wall...
and Spitalfields
Spitalfields
Spitalfields is a former parish in the borough of Tower Hamlets, in the East End of London, near to Liverpool Street station and Brick Lane. The area straddles Commercial Street and is home to many markets, including the historic Old Spitalfields Market, founded in the 17th century, Sunday...
; to the south, the former liberties of the Royal Mint
Royal Mint
The Royal Mint is the body permitted to manufacture, or mint, coins in the United Kingdom. The Mint originated over 1,100 years ago, but since 2009 it operates as Royal Mint Ltd, a company which has an exclusive contract with HM Treasury to supply all coinage for the UK...
.
The Sir John Cass's Foundation Primary School is now located in this (largely residential) ward, added in the 2003 boundary review, and is the only part of the ward within the former Wall.
History
StowJohn 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...
's Survey records that the ‘soke’ (later ‘liberty’) was granted in Saxon times east of Aldgate to a Guild of Knights in exchange, essentially, for regular jousting. Norman kings confirmed these rights but later the land was voluntarily transferred to the Priory of the Holy Trinity by the descendants of the Guild.
In 1120 or 1121 (the exact date is unknown), Portsoken was granted as a liberty
Liberty (division)
Originating in the Middle Ages, a liberty was traditionally defined as an area in which regalian rights were revoked and where land was held by a mesne lord...
to the Priory of Holy Trinity, which had been founded in 1107 by Queen Matilda, the wife of King Henry I
Henry I of England
Henry I was the fourth son of William I of England. He succeeded his elder brother William II as King of England in 1100 and defeated his eldest brother, Robert Curthose, to become Duke of Normandy in 1106...
. The sitting Prior
Prior
Prior is an ecclesiastical title, derived from the Latin adjective for 'earlier, first', with several notable uses.-Monastic superiors:A Prior is a monastic superior, usually lower in rank than an Abbot. In the Rule of St...
of Holy Trinity became, ex officio, an alderman
Alderman
An alderman is a member of a municipal assembly or council in many jurisdictions founded upon English law. The term may be titular, denoting a high-ranking member of a borough or county council, a council member chosen by the elected members themselves rather than by popular vote, or a council...
of the City of London Corporation representing Portsoken ward, and remained so until the Dissolution of the Monasteries
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...
by King Henry VIII
Henry VIII of England
Henry VIII was King of England from 21 April 1509 until his death. He was Lord, and later King, of Ireland, as well as continuing the nominal claim by the English monarchs to the Kingdom of France...
in 1531.
In 1332, a tax assessment showed twenty-three taxpayers in Portsoken ward; however, this figure consisted only of freemen of the City of London who possessed moveable property worth more than ten shillings, and so did not include the poor, non-citizens, or members of religious order
Religious order
A religious order is a lineage of communities and organizations of people who live in some way set apart from society in accordance with their specific religious devotion, usually characterized by the principles of its founder's religious practice. The order is composed of initiates and, in some...
s. A later subsidy roll from 1582 showed that the ward's taxpayers had been assessed to pay a total of 57 pounds
Pound sterling
The pound sterling , commonly called the pound, is the official currency of the United Kingdom, its Crown Dependencies and the British Overseas Territories of South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands, British Antarctic Territory and Tristan da Cunha. It is subdivided into 100 pence...
, 11 shillings and 4 pence
Penny
A penny is a coin or a type of currency used in several English-speaking countries. It is often the smallest denomination within a currency system.-Etymology:...
.
The City of London boundary changes in 1994 altered the City-Tower Hamlets
London Borough of Tower Hamlets
The London Borough of Tower Hamlets is a London borough to the east of the City of London and north of the River Thames. It is in the eastern part of London and covers much of the traditional East End. It also includes much of the redeveloped Docklands region of London, including West India Docks...
boundary in the area quite considerably. A small part of Portsoken ward was removed to Tower Hamlets, however a much larger area was transferred to the City from Tower Hamlets, though not all initially to Portsoken. With the 2003 ward boundary review, much of the additional territory in this part of the City was given to Portsoken, as it consisted mainly of residential and related buildings. With the loss of some business-dominated parts, the gaining of this residential area and the gaining of the primary school, Portsoken is now regarded as one of the City's four residential wards.
Politics
Portsoken is one of twenty-five wards in the City of London, each electing an alderman to the Court of Aldermen and Commoners (the City equivalent of a councillor) elected to the Court of Common Council of the City of London Corporation. Only electors who are Freemen of the City of London are eligible to stand for election.The Alderman for the ward, Michael Bear
Michael Bear (Lord Mayor)
Michael Bear was the 683rd Lord Mayor of London, whose one-year term began on 12 November 2010 and ended 11 November 2011. He is the Alderman of the ward of Portsoken and previously represented that Ward as Common Councilman and Deputy...
, is the Lord Mayor of London
Lord Mayor of London
The Right Honourable Lord Mayor of London is the legal title for the Mayor of the City of London Corporation. The Lord Mayor of London is to be distinguished from the Mayor of London; the former is an officer only of the City of London, while the Mayor of London is the Mayor of Greater London and...
for 2010-11. He was elected as Alderman in 2005, having previously served as a Common Councilman. In the most recent elections held for the Common Council, in 2009, the members elected for Portsoken ward were Ian Burleigh and Henry Jones.
Keith Joseph
Keith Joseph
Keith St John Joseph, Baron Joseph, Bt, CH, PC , was a British barrister and politician. A member of the Conservative Party, he served in the Cabinet under three Prime Ministers , and is widely regarded to have been the "power behind the throne" in the creation of what came to be known as...
, (Secretary of State for Industry 1979–1981 and Secretary of State for Education and Science 1981–1986, under Margaret Thatcher
Margaret Thatcher
Margaret Hilda Thatcher, Baroness Thatcher, was Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1979 to 1990...
) received a life peerage as "Baron Joseph, of Portsoken in the City of London", in 1987. His father was Lord Mayor in 1942-3.
Peter Levene
Peter Levene, Baron Levene of Portsoken
Peter Keith Levene, Baron Levene of Portsoken KBE is chairman of NBNK Investments plc and was Lord Mayor of London 1998 to 1999.-Life:Lord Levene has enjoyed a long and varied career in business, government and banking...
(Lord Mayor 1998-1999) adopted the title Baron Levene of Portsoken upon his elevation to the peerage, in 1997.
External links
- City of London Corporation Map of Portsoken ward (2003 —)
- Map of Early Modern London: Portsoken Ward - Historical Map and Encyclopedia of Shakespeare's London (Scholarly)
