Thavies Inn
Encyclopedia
Thavies Inn was one of the Inns of Chancery
and was situated on Holborn, near the site of the present side street and office block named Thavies Inn Buildings, at Holborn Circus
. It was associated with Lincoln's Inn
. Indeed it is this association that has become bound up with the origins of that Inn of Court. Thavies Inn is the first Inn of Chancery we have a record of and it was the earliest to be dissolved by its patron.
. It has been invested carefully through the centuries, and still provides for the church's current upkeep. . His name has been transcribed as 'Thavy', 'Tavy' and 'Davy' ie the Welsh surname.
In his Will the property is described as an Inn "wherein the apprentices used to dwell" (note the past tense) and the assumption is that these were 'law apprentices' who were known to lodge along Holborn, to be near the Chancellor's Court ie of the Bishop of Lincoln's establishment there. The property in question is best located by the present Bartlett's Buildings on the south-side of Holborn.
Thavie's original property, which was left for his endowment of the church, may still have been let to 'lawyers' by Thavies executors for income, and may have been the original home of Lincoln's Inn
before it relocated to its present site on Chancery Lane. However, there is considerable confusion as to just how the names of both the Inn of Chancery and the Inn of Court are derived.
The Will's statement uses the past tense and we know from the records of the Inn that the community of clerks had moved to the neighbouring house of John de Besvile; it is this site that is associated with the title of 'Thavies Inn' and the assumption is that the transfer of that name indicates the later lawyers association as having started in the original Thavy premises.
There is a reference, after the relocation but before 1400, to the clerks at Besvile's house being addressed as "treshonorable, tresage compagne de David Inn in Holborn" ie the 'Honorable and Learned Company of David's Inn in Holborn'. A deed of 1419 referring to "Davesynne" is extant. All of these references are important because they are the first record of any formal establishment of lawyers. Lincoln's Inn's own records, the 'Black Books', themselves start in 1422..
and built one of their characteristic round churches on the site, located at what is now Southampton Buildings, next to Chancery Lane. The Templars relocated to the present Temple area in 1161 selling the first property to Robert de Chesney Bishop of Lincoln
as his 'London' palace. The Bishops at that time were also senior government officers of the Crown and those of Lincoln where often the Chancellor, the king's most senior officer.
The Dominicans or 'Black Friars' arrived on Holborn street in 1224, extending and developing their estate between the Holborn/Fleet and Shoe Lane, southerly and down to Fleet Street. For obscure reasons the Archbishop of Canterbury induced them to relocate to the nearby Thames side and eastern side of the Fleet in 1279, the area better known since then as 'Blackfriars'. They sold their old property to Henry de Lacy, Earl of Lincoln in that year.. It is the claim of Lincoln's Inn that it derives its name from the Earl as its patron.
In 1369 the Benedictine Abbot of Malmesbury also required a London establishment for his affairs and the Order acquired "Lyncolnesynne", that of one Thomas of Lincoln, who was a Serjeant at law and so a local landlord and nothing to do with the ecclesiastic or lay magnates of similar title/name. The Abbot did not occupy all of the buildings but let them out to various tenants, perhaps some of these were law apprentices and their masters. Thomas's property is located at what is now Furnivall Street on the south-side of Holborn. That "Lyncolnesynne" was close to the Thavies Inn and Furnival's Inn sites.
The derivation of the present Lincoln's Inn name could simply be of the group that migrated to the present 'Chichester Inn' site on Chancery Lane from Thomas's inn. This was done at the latest by 1442, so that the group must have occupied at sometime something called 'Lincoln's Inn'. The Black Books start some twenty years before this move. However, Thavy's property itself was a sub-division of Earl Henry de Lacy's manor so that the association of lawyers may have acquired their collective name from any informal affinity with the leading magnate's interests locally.
Just how or why the Inns of Chancery became subject to the Inns of Court is itself open to conjecture. However, it is notable that the two subject to Lincoln's (Thavies and Furnival's
) where not adjacent to its present site unlike the dispositions of the other Chancery Inns to their patron Inns.
Lincoln's sold Thavies Inn for redevelopment in 1785, the proceeds were used to erect 'Stone Buildings'.
Inns of Chancery
The Inns of Chancery or Hospida Cancellarie were a group of buildings and legal institutions in London initially attached to the Inns of Court and used as offices for the clerks of chancery, from which they drew their name...
and was situated on Holborn, near the site of the present side street and office block named Thavies Inn Buildings, at Holborn Circus
Holborn Circus
Holborn Circus is a famous location in London, on the boundary between Holborn and Smithfield. Holborn Circus is a roundabout.On one side lies the Church of St Andrew, Holborn, an ancient Guild Church, that survived the Great Fire of London. However, the parochial authority decided, nevertheless,...
. It was associated with Lincoln's Inn
Lincoln's Inn
The Honourable Society of Lincoln's Inn is one of four Inns of Court in London to which barristers of England and Wales belong and where they are called to the Bar. The other three are Middle Temple, Inner Temple and Gray's Inn. Although Lincoln's Inn is able to trace its official records beyond...
. Indeed it is this association that has become bound up with the origins of that Inn of Court. Thavies Inn is the first Inn of Chancery we have a record of and it was the earliest to be dissolved by its patron.
Origin of property
In 1349 John Thavie, an armourer based in the St Andrew's, Holborn parish, “left a considerable Estate towards the support of the fabric forever” of that church, a legacy which survived the English ReformationEnglish Reformation
The English Reformation was the series of events in 16th-century England by which the Church of England broke away from the authority of the Pope and the Roman Catholic Church....
. It has been invested carefully through the centuries, and still provides for the church's current upkeep. . His name has been transcribed as 'Thavy', 'Tavy' and 'Davy' ie the Welsh surname.
In his Will the property is described as an Inn "wherein the apprentices used to dwell" (note the past tense) and the assumption is that these were 'law apprentices' who were known to lodge along Holborn, to be near the Chancellor's Court ie of the Bishop of Lincoln's establishment there. The property in question is best located by the present Bartlett's Buildings on the south-side of Holborn.
Thavie's original property, which was left for his endowment of the church, may still have been let to 'lawyers' by Thavies executors for income, and may have been the original home of Lincoln's Inn
Lincoln's Inn
The Honourable Society of Lincoln's Inn is one of four Inns of Court in London to which barristers of England and Wales belong and where they are called to the Bar. The other three are Middle Temple, Inner Temple and Gray's Inn. Although Lincoln's Inn is able to trace its official records beyond...
before it relocated to its present site on Chancery Lane. However, there is considerable confusion as to just how the names of both the Inn of Chancery and the Inn of Court are derived.
The Will's statement uses the past tense and we know from the records of the Inn that the community of clerks had moved to the neighbouring house of John de Besvile; it is this site that is associated with the title of 'Thavies Inn' and the assumption is that the transfer of that name indicates the later lawyers association as having started in the original Thavy premises.
There is a reference, after the relocation but before 1400, to the clerks at Besvile's house being addressed as "treshonorable, tresage compagne de David Inn in Holborn" ie the 'Honorable and Learned Company of David's Inn in Holborn'. A deed of 1419 referring to "Davesynne" is extant. All of these references are important because they are the first record of any formal establishment of lawyers. Lincoln's Inn's own records, the 'Black Books', themselves start in 1422..
Bishops, Earls and Thomas 'of Lincoln'
The Templar Order had its first house on Holborn street from sometime in the reign of King StephenStephen of England
Stephen , often referred to as Stephen of Blois , was a grandson of William the Conqueror. He was King of England from 1135 to his death, and also the Count of Boulogne by right of his wife. Stephen's reign was marked by the Anarchy, a civil war with his cousin and rival, the Empress Matilda...
and built one of their characteristic round churches on the site, located at what is now Southampton Buildings, next to Chancery Lane. The Templars relocated to the present Temple area in 1161 selling the first property to Robert de Chesney Bishop of Lincoln
Bishop of Lincoln
The Bishop of Lincoln is the Ordinary of the Church of England Diocese of Lincoln in the Province of Canterbury.The present diocese covers the county of Lincolnshire and the unitary authority areas of North Lincolnshire and North East Lincolnshire. The Bishop's seat is located in the Cathedral...
as his 'London' palace. The Bishops at that time were also senior government officers of the Crown and those of Lincoln where often the Chancellor, the king's most senior officer.
The Dominicans or 'Black Friars' arrived on Holborn street in 1224, extending and developing their estate between the Holborn/Fleet and Shoe Lane, southerly and down to Fleet Street. For obscure reasons the Archbishop of Canterbury induced them to relocate to the nearby Thames side and eastern side of the Fleet in 1279, the area better known since then as 'Blackfriars'. They sold their old property to Henry de Lacy, Earl of Lincoln in that year.. It is the claim of Lincoln's Inn that it derives its name from the Earl as its patron.
In 1369 the Benedictine Abbot of Malmesbury also required a London establishment for his affairs and the Order acquired "Lyncolnesynne", that of one Thomas of Lincoln, who was a Serjeant at law and so a local landlord and nothing to do with the ecclesiastic or lay magnates of similar title/name. The Abbot did not occupy all of the buildings but let them out to various tenants, perhaps some of these were law apprentices and their masters. Thomas's property is located at what is now Furnivall Street on the south-side of Holborn. That "Lyncolnesynne" was close to the Thavies Inn and Furnival's Inn sites.
The derivation of the present Lincoln's Inn name could simply be of the group that migrated to the present 'Chichester Inn' site on Chancery Lane from Thomas's inn. This was done at the latest by 1442, so that the group must have occupied at sometime something called 'Lincoln's Inn'. The Black Books start some twenty years before this move. However, Thavy's property itself was a sub-division of Earl Henry de Lacy's manor so that the association of lawyers may have acquired their collective name from any informal affinity with the leading magnate's interests locally.
Just how or why the Inns of Chancery became subject to the Inns of Court is itself open to conjecture. However, it is notable that the two subject to Lincoln's (Thavies and Furnival's
Furnival's Inn
Furnival's Inn was an Inn of Chancery which formerly stood on the site of the present Holborn Bars building in Holborn, London, England.-History:...
) where not adjacent to its present site unlike the dispositions of the other Chancery Inns to their patron Inns.
Lincoln's sold Thavies Inn for redevelopment in 1785, the proceeds were used to erect 'Stone Buildings'.