St. John's Hospital, Barracks Square, Black Bull Inn

November 1935

EXCAVATIONS ON SITE OF ST. JOHN'S HOSPITAL

One important discovery was not mentioned in my article last month. At a depth of 10 feet a large quantity of oak beams and planks were found, morticed together, and at that time (about two years ago) I thought it may have been part of foundations for a building or a bridge, but since finding the wooden ford in the river near the Burges, mentioned a few months ago, I believe this to be a part of the same roadway. Did this roadway lead to the quarries of Broadgate, or a quarry discovered beneath the old cellars of Messrs. Caldicott & Feltham at the top of Palmer Lane ? or is it a part of the roadway discovered in 1818 in Broad-gate, at a depth or 8 feet, which at that time was stated to be a Roman road ? In fact a coin of Nero was found there, and also a small figure supposed to be Roman.

BARRACKS SQUARE

BLACK BULL INN

This site was once a large valley, and part of the Poddy Croft. Across it once ran the City Wall in a direct line from Grey Friars Gate at the bottom of Warwick Lane to Spon Gate near the Bablake or St. John's Church. The wall was discovered in the gateway leading into the Square, and in digging for the New Market a quantity of stone was discovered just outside the hoardings, which I believe to be a small tower of the wall shown on Speed's map of 1610, which tower gave a right of road to the Bull Inn. As it is two and a half years since I wrote the story of the Bull Inn, may I repeat myself for the benefit of any new readers? This Inn stood in Smithford Street, and a record in picture is to be seen. Its site was where Woolworths now stands. The old barracks was built on the site in 1793. In 1485 Henry the Seventh visited the Inn with part of his army on his return from Bosworth Field, where he was conqueror over Richard the Third. At that time Robert Olney held the Inn, being Mayor part of 1484-5, and after presenting King Henry with £100 he was knighted. This Robert Olney was also Mayor in 1474. In 1569 Mary Queen of Scots was imprisoned at the Bull Inn for two months. In 1642 the Earl of Northampton had to escape through the back doorway of the Inn when he found the Cromwellians held Coventry. The Gunpowder Plotters paid a visit also on November 4th, and hoped to have captured the Princess Elizabeth, who as a girl of 10 years was being educated at Coombe Abbey, by Lord Harrington. The story runs thus:

Princess Elizabeth, the daughter of James I., was well known to the plotters as being educated under Lord Harrington at Coombe Abbey. On Nov. 4th, 1605, there arrived at the Bull Inn one named Wyntour, and two brothers Lyttleton, along with about two more. Their plan was to meet as though for the purpose of hunting at Dunsmore Heath, where in the quiet of the country they might secretly make their way across Stretton towards Coombe, and knowing Coombe was not fortified, there was little to stop their plan, which was to take the Princess to Ashby St. Ledgers, where Catesby's mother lived, and there she was to be married to a Catholic, and then placed on the throne as Queen.

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