Crutched Friars

   South from Jewry Street and George Street and west to Hart Street and Seething Lane. In AIdgate Ward (P.O. Directory).

   Earliest mention found in reoords : Street called "le Crouchedfrerestrete" in parish of St. Olave near the Tower, 1405 (Ct. H.W. II. 381).

   Called "Chrocit Friars," 1601 (H. MSS. Com. Salisbury, XI. 147).

   In Stow's time the street seems to have been generally called Hart Street, and he uses the name "Crowched Friers" to denote the house and not the street (p. 141). Strype says it is more commonly called "Crutched Fryers" than "Hartstreet" (ed. 1720, I. ii. 74), as though he considered Hart Street to be the proper designation.

   In Horwood's map, 1799, Crutched Friars only extends from John Street west to Seething Lane, the northern portion to George Street being called Jewry Street (q.v.).

   Name derived from the House of the Friars of the Holy Cross, called Crouched or crossed Fryers (S. 149 and Strype, ed. 1720, I. ii. 74).

   It should be remembered that the Middle English form of the word "Cross" was "Crouche" from Latin "Crux," which readily gives the form "Crutched."

   Fragments of a tessellated pavement found near Northumberland Alley (Arch. XXXIX. 510), at a depth of 12 ft. Remains of the Roman wall of the City have been found at its junction with Jewry Street, at No.1 Crutched Friars, and Nos. 18, 19, and 20 Jewry Street, the City wall dividing these houses from the buildings in Vine Street. Wall about 40 ft. long (Arch. LX. 191 et seq).

   The remains of this wall were found at the rebuilding of Sir John Cass' Foundation to the north of these houses. On the outside of the wall was the filling of the city Ditch, sloped down to a depth of about 30 ft. below the present level (ib.).