Chancery Lane

   South out of High Holborn at 310 to 192 Fleet Street. The southern end only is in Farringdon Ward Without, the northern portion lying outside the City boundary in the Borough of Holborn and the City of Westminster (P.O. Directory).

   First mention: "Chauncery lane," 32 H. VI. 1454 (Cal. P.R. H. VI. 1452-61, p. 153).

   Former names and forms : "Newstrate," 1227 (Cal. Ch. Rolls, I. 51). "Neustrate," 1231 (ib. 143). "Newestret," 1235 (ib. 199). "Vico conversorum," Convers lane," 1278 (Ct. H.W. I. 36-9). "Nova Strata," 10 Ed. I (Hust. Roll, 13, No. 80). In "nouo vico," called in English "Newstrete," 1232 (Ely Epis. Rec. G. 3 f. 225d). "Converslone," 1338 (Cal. P.R. Ed. III. 1338-40, p. 61). "Chauncelleres lane," 13 Ed. III. (Cal. P.R. Ed. III. 1338-40, p. 305). "le Chaunceler lane," 7 Rich. II. (Cott. MS. Nero, E. VI. f. 31). "Chauncler Lane," 11th H. VIII. (L. and P. H. VIII. III. (1), p. 126). "Channsler Lane," 6 H. VIII. (ib. I. p. 814).

   The original name "Neustrate" commemorates its erection, the second name, "vico conversorum," commemorates the House of Converts which stood in the lane, See (House of) Converts, while the name seems to have been altered to "Chauncellereslane" in the time of Ed. III., probably when the House of Converts was made use of as a Rolls Office for the security of the records (S. p. 396).

   In the course of excavations in 1898 for a new building on the site of No. 89 the gravel was reached at a depth of 12 ft.