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Ancient history
It is thought that the name Smithfield came from a corruption of ‘smeth
field’ Saxon for "Smoothfield". The City of London gained
market rights under a charter granted by Edward III in 1327. Smithfield
was also the site of two monasteries, St Bartholomew-the-Great and Charterhouse.
St Bartholomew-the-Great and what was then the ‘hospital of the
church’, now St Bart’s were founded by Rahere in 1123.
When on a journey in Italy he dreamt he was taken up by a beast with
four feet and two wings to a ‘high place’ where St Bartholomew
appeared to him and addressed him: ‘I, by the will and command of
all the High Trinity, and with the common favour and counsel of the court
of heaven, have chosen a spot in the suburb of London at Smithfield'.
The ancient and famous Bartholomew Fair was also sited on West Smithfield
from 1133, the last one being in 1855 when it had degenerated into one
of London’s most raucous entertainments and was suppressed by the
Corporation. The fair was held on St Bartholomew’s Day, 24th August
and for many centuries lasted a fortnight, but in 1691 it was shortened
to four days only. By 1641 it had become so large that it involved four
parishes: Christ Church, Great and Little St Bartholomew’s and St
Sepulchre’s. It was customary for the Lord Mayor of London to open
the fair formally on St Bartholomew’s Eve and, on his way, to stop
at Newgate where he received from the governor a cup of sack (a white
wine). During its history the fair grew to be a vast national market and
the chief cloth sale in the kingdom.
Until 1854 it was usual for the representatives of the Merchant Taylors’
Guild to come to the cloth fair, which formed part of Bartholomew Fair,
and test the measures used for selling cloth there by the company’s
silver yard. In 1753, owing to the change in the calendar, the date of
the fair was changed to 3rd September. By then it was one of the most
spectacular national and international events of the year. The fair featured
sideshows, prize-fighters, musicians, wire-walkers, acrobats, puppets,
freaks and wild animals.
William Wallace was one of many executed at Smithfield. Sir William
evaded capture by the English until 5 August 1305, when Sir John de Menteith,
a Scottish knight loyal to Edward I, turned Wallace over to English soldiers
at Robroyston, near Glasgow. Wallace was transported to London and tried
for treason at Westminster Hall where he was crowned with a garland of
oak to suggest that he was the king of outlaws. He responded to the charge,
"I could not be a traitor to Edward, for I was never his subject."
The absent John Balliol was officially his king; however, Wallace was
declared guilty.
On 23 August 1305, following the trial Wallace was removed from the
courtroom, stripped naked and dragged at the heels of a horse to Smithfield
Market. He was drawn and quartered; strangled by hanging but released
near death, emasculated, eviscerated, beheaded, then divided into four
parts (the four horrors) at the Elms in Smithfield. His head was placed
on a pike atop London Bridge, which was later joined by the heads of his
brother, John, and Sir Simon Fraser. His limbs were displayed, separately,
in Newcastle, Berwick, Stirling, and Perth. A plaque stands in a wall
of St. Bartholomew's Hospital near the site of Wallace's execution at
Smithfield, people frequently visit the site, and flowers often appear
there. Edward I, was popularly known as "Longshanks" because
of his 6 foot 2 inch frame. His tombstone reads: Hic est Edwardvs Primus
Scottorum Malleus, "Here lies Edward I, Hammer of the Scots.
As a large open space outside the City walls, Smithfield was used for
jousting and gatherings such as public executions and was the meeting
place for the peasants in the Peasants' Revolt of 1381 and was the site
of Wat Tyler’s fatal meeting with King Richard II. Wat Tyler was
the leader of the Peasants’ Revolt - the first great popular rebellion
in English history. His leadership proved to be one of the chief factors
in the success of protest against the harsh taxation of the poor.
His Kentish rebels captured Canterbury on the 10th June and London Bridge
and the Tower of London on the 14th June. Although Richard promised concessions
Tyler’s men refused to disarm and disband. Tyler confronted Richard
on 15th June at Smithfield where Tyler presented more radical demands.
Fighting broke out, and the rebel was apparently stabbed by Lord Mayor
of London, William Walworth, his followers took him to St Bartholomew’s
Hospital where he later died. After Tyler’s death the government
quickly reasserted its authority and ended the rebellion.
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