Boss Alley (Billingsgate) Author Constance N. Etemadi Guest Editor Amy Tigner Encoder Kate LeBere Proofreader Molly Rothwell Data Manager Lucas Simpson Programmer Martin Holmes Project Director Janelle Jenstad The Map of Early Modern Londonhttp://mapoflondon.uvic.ca/includes.xmlVictoria, BC, Canada
Department of English P.O.Box 3070 STNC CSC University of Victoria Victoria, BC Canada V8W 3W1
2016University of Victoria978-1-55058-519-3

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 Provider: University of Victoria Database: The Map of Early Modern London Content: text/plain; charset="utf-8" TY - ELEC A1 - Etemadi, Constance ED - Jenstad, Janelle T1 - Boss Alley (Billingsgate) T2 - The Map of Early Modern London ET - 7.0 PY - 2022 DA - 2022/05/05 CY - Victoria PB - University of Victoria LA - English UR - https://mapoflondon.uvic.ca/edition/7.0/BOSS5.htm UR - https://mapoflondon.uvic.ca/edition/7.0/xml/standalone/BOSS5.xml ER - Etemadi, Constance N. Boss Alley (Billingsgate). The Map of Early Modern London, Edition 7.0, edited by Janelle Jenstad, U of Victoria, 05 May 2022, mapoflondon.uvic.ca/edition/7.0/BOSS5.htm. Etemadi, Constance N. Boss Alley (Billingsgate). The Map of Early Modern London, Edition 7.0. Ed. Janelle Jenstad. Victoria: University of Victoria. Accessed May 05, 2022. mapoflondon.uvic.ca/edition/7.0/BOSS5.htm. Etemadi, C. N. 2022. Boss Alley (Billingsgate). In J. Jenstad (Ed), The Map of Early Modern London (Edition 7.0). Victoria: University of Victoria. Retrieved from https://mapoflondon.uvic.ca/editions/7.0/BOSS5.htm. Born digital. Burton, Richard. Historical Remarques and Observations of the Ancient and Present State of London and Westminster. London, 1681. Wing C7329. Dale, Hylton Burleigh. The Fellowship of Woodmongers; Six Centuries of the London Coal Trade. London, 1921. Remediated by Hathi Trust. Knight, Charles, ed. London, 1851. Remediated by Hathi Trust. Smith, John Thomas. The Streets of London, with Anecdotes of their More Celebrated Residents. London, 1854. Remediated by Hathi Trust. Billingsgate Ward

Billingsgate Ward is west of Tower Street Ward. The ward is named after Billingsgate, a water-gate and harbour on the Thames.

(BILL2.xml) Thames Street

Thames Street was the longest street in early modern London, running east-west from the ditch around the Tower of London in the east to St. Andrew’s Hill and Puddle Wharf in the west, almost the complete span of the city within the walls.

(THAM1.xml) Boss Alley (Queenhithe)

Boss Alley (Queenhithe) was in Queenhithe Ward. It is labelled on the Agas map as Boſs allee.

(BOSS1.xml) Boss (Billingsgate)

According to John Stow, the Boss of Billingsgate was a fountain of spring water continually running, which was set into the wall of Boss Alley (Stow 1598, sig. M2v). This boss was the subject of an early modern poem, which personified both the Boss of Billingsgate and the London Stone. In this poem, the Boss is described as a fallen woman, who the London Stone marries (Bosse of Byllyngesgate sig. A5v). While the Boss of Billingsgate was located on the north side of Billingsgate Ward, its exact coordinates remain unknown and it is not labelled on the Agas map.

(BOSS2.xml) The Thames Information is not yet available. (THAM2.xml) London

The city of London, not to be confused with the allegorical character (London).

(LOND5.xml) Greyfriars

Enduring for over three centuries, longer than any other London friary, Greyfriars garnered support from both England’s landed elite and common Londoners. Founded in 1225 on a tenament donated by London Mercer John Iwyn, Greyfriars housed London’s Franciscan Friars (known in England as the Grey Friars). The friary expanded from its original pittance of land on the west side of Stinking Lane to over four-and-a-half acres by 1354. With the patronage of Queens Margaret, Isabella, and Philippa throughout the fourteenth century, the Franciscans constructed a formidable church, London’s third largest after St. Paul’s and Westminster Abbey. After the friary’s closure in 1538 pursuant to the Dissolution of the Monasteries, the church became the centre of the newly established Christ Church parish, and the cloisters housed Christ’s Hospital (Holder 66–96).

(GREY2.xml) Whittington College

(WHIT21.xml)

Boss Alley (Billingsgate) is not labelled on the Agas map. According to Stow, Boss Alley was in Billingsgate Ward and ran north from Thames Street. Like Boss Alley (Queenhithe), it is named after a nearby water boss (Stow 1598, sig. M2v).

The Julian calendar, in use in the British Empire until September 1752. This calendar is used for dates where the date of the beginning of the year is ambigious.

The Julian calendar with the calendar year regularized to beginning on 1 January.

The Julian calendar with the calendar year beginning on 25 March. This was the calendar used in the British Empire until September 1752.

The Gregorian calendar, used in the British Empire from September 1752. Sometimes referred to as New Style (NS). Years run from January 1 through December 31.

The Anno Mundi (year of the world) calendar is based on the supposed date of the creation of the world, which is calculated from Biblical sources. At least two different creation dates are in common use. See Anno Mundi (Wikipedia).

Regnal dates are given as the number of years into the reign of a particular monarch. Our practice is to tag such dates with @calendar="regnal", and provide an equivalent date using a more systematic calendar (usually Julian) in a custom dating attribute.

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Links to page-images in the Chadwyck-Healey Early English Books Online (EEBO) repository. Note that this is a subscription service, and may not be accessible to those accessing it from locations outside member institutions.

Links to page-images in the English Broadside Ballad Archive (EBBA).

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Author A person or organization chiefly responsible for the intellectual or artistic content of a work, usually printed text. This term may also be used when more than one person or body bears such responsibility. MoEML uses the term author to designate a contributor who is wholly or partly responsible for the original content of either a born-digital document, such as an encyclopedia entry, or a primary source document, such as a MoEML Library text. Data manager A person or organization responsible for managing databases or other data sources. MoEML uses the term data manager to designate contributors who maintain and manage our databases. They add and update the data sent to us by external contributors or found by MoEML team members. They also monitor journals and sources regularly to ensure that our databases are current. Markup editor A person or organization performing the coding of SGML, HTML, or XML markup of metadata, text, etc. MoEML uses the code mrk both for the primary encoder(s) and for the person who edits the encoding. MoEML’s normal workflow includes a step whereby encoders check each other’s work. We use the term encoder to designate the principal encoder, and markup editor to designate the person who checks the encoding. Project director A person or organization with primary responsibility for all essential aspects of a project, or that manages a very large project that demands senior level responsibility, or that has overall responsibility for managing projects, or provides overall direction to a project manager. MoEML’s Project Director directs the intellectual and scholarly aspects of the project, consults with the Advisory and Editorial Boards, and ensures the ongoing funding of the project. Proofreader A person who corrects printed matter. MoEML uses the term proofreader to designate a contributor who checks a transcription against an original document, or a person who corrects formatting and typographical errors in a born-digital article. Note that we use the term markup editor to designate a person who proofreads and corrects encoding. Programmer A person or organization responsible for the creation and/or maintenance of computer program design documents, source code, and machine-executable digital files and supporting documentation. MoEML uses the term programmer to designate a person or organization responsible for the creation and/or maintenance of computer program design documents, source code, and machine-executable digital files and supporting documentation. Guest editor MoEML uses the term Guest Editor in two ways: (1) an instructor who participates in our Pedagogical Partnership and edits content generated by their students; and (2) a contributor who solicits, coordinates, and edits a number of entries written by other contributors. Moved encoded text from BOSS2 to BOSS5. Added resp statments to this file accordingly. Proofed and published file. Removed old geo coordinates now superceded by GeoJSON. Created file and added conttent. Boss Alley (Billingsgate)
Boss Alley (Billingsgate) Boss Alley (Billingsgate)

Boss Alley is situated at the north side of Billingsgate Ward, the ward likewise positioned along the northern bank of the Thames. The name "Boss Alley" may serve to create some confusion, since it connotates the ruffian bosses or unkind overseers that bullied London’s seventeenth-century working class. However, the boss in the alley simply refers to a waterway.I.e., the Boss of Billingsgate In his 1921 text, The Fellowship of Woodmongers; Six Centuries of the London Coal Trade, Hylton Burleigh Dale researches the origins of the name, determining the boss to be a water conduit running out of a gore-bellied figure or a figure with a protruding abdomen (Dale 148). Dale reports that this boss was referred to in the title of a book published by Wynkyn de Worde in 1520 (Dale 148).

The streets and alleyways of seventeenth-century London were organized into a number of sections called wards. Boss Alley was sectioned into Billingsgate Ward, however like much of London, this area was devastated by the Great Fire of 1666. In 1681, Richard Burton describes the governmental structure of the ward, which includes an Alderman, his Deputy, and nine Common Council Men; 11 Constables, 6 Scavengers, and a Beadle (Burton sig. E1r). Undoubtedly due to its location adjacent to the Thames, Billingsgate Ward appears to have played a vital role in London’s economy. According to Charles Knight in 1875, regulation of cargo and trade from the river was managed by fellowship porters appointed by the Alderman of Billingsgate Ward, who is ex officio Governor of the Fellowship (Knight 365). This information indicates that Billingsgate Ward was of great import to the bustle of business within London, placing Boss Alley in a hub of economic activity.

The aldermen of London acted as administrators in their wards and were comparable to a Justice of the Peace, although they held greater power. At least one of the aldermen who presided over Boss Alley made his way into fame and folklore. In his 1854 text, The Streets of London, with Anecdotes of their More Celebrated Residents, John Thomas Smith indicates that the Boss of Billingsgate was erected by the executors of Sir Richard Whittington (Smith 378). The historical Whittington was a wealthy merchant of textiles, reaffirming the ward’s association with mercantile London. John Stow describes Whittington in his Survey of London as 3. times Maior, in the yeere 1421. began the Library of Gray Friers in London, to the charge of foure hundred l. his executors (with his goods) founded and builded Whittington Colledge (Stow 1633, sig. I2v). Stow’s account suggests Whittington to be a generous figure, interested in improving life for those in his ward and the residents of London as well.

Participants Molly Rothwell Molly Rothwell MR

Project Manager, 2022-present. Research Assistant, 2020-2022. Molly Rothwell was an undergraduate student at the University of Victoria, with a double major in English and History. During her time at MoEML, Molly primarily worked on encoding and transcribing the 1598 and 1633 editions of Stow’s Survey, adding toponyms to MoEML’s Gazetteer, researching England’s early-modern court system, and standardizing MoEML’s Mapography.

 Lucas Simpson Lucas Simpson LS

Research Assistant, 2018-2021. Lucas Simpson was a student at the University of Victoria.

 Kate LeBere Kate LeBere KL

Project Manager, 2020-2021. Assistant Project Manager, 2019-2020. Research Assistant, 2018-2020. Kate LeBere completed her BA (Hons.) in History and English at the University of Victoria in 2020. She published papers in The Corvette (2018), The Albatross (2019), and PLVS VLTRA (2020) and presented at the English Undergraduate Conference (2019), Qualicum History Conference (2020), and the Digital Humanities Summer Institute’s Project Management in the Humanities Conference (2021). While her primary research focus was sixteenth and seventeenth century England, she completed her honours thesis on Soviet ballet during the Russian Cultural Revolution. During her time at MoEML, Kate made significant contributions to the 1598 and 1633 editions of Stow’s Survey of London, old-spelling anthology of mayoral shows, and old-spelling library texts. She authored the MoEML’s first Project Management Manual and "quickstart" guidelines for new employees and helped standardize the Personography and Bibliography. She is currently a student at the University of British Columbia’s iSchool, working on her masters in library and information science.

 Janelle Jenstad Janelle Jenstad JJ

Janelle Jenstad is Associate Professor of English at the University of Victoria, Director of The Map of Early Modern London, and PI of Linked Early Modern Drama Online. She has taught at Queen’s University, the Summer Academy at the Stratford Festival, the University of Windsor, and the University of Victoria. With Jennifer Roberts-Smith and Mark Kaethler, she co-edited Shakespeare’s Language in Digital Media (Routledge). She has prepared a documentary edition of John Stow’s A Survey of London (1598 text) for MoEML and is currently editing The Merchant of Venice (with Stephen Wittek) and Heywood’s 2 If You Know Not Me You Know Nobody for DRE. Her articles have appeared in Digital Humanities Quarterly, Renaissance and Reformation,Journal of Medieval and Early Modern Studies, Early Modern Literary Studies, Elizabethan Theatre, Shakespeare Bulletin: A Journal of Performance Criticism, and The Silver Society Journal. Her book chapters have appeared (or will appear) in Institutional Culture in Early Modern Society (Brill, 2004), Shakespeare, Language and the Stage, The Fifth Wall: Approaches to Shakespeare from Criticism, Performance and Theatre Studies (Arden/Thomson Learning, 2005), Approaches to Teaching Othello (Modern Language Association, 2005), Performing Maternity in Early Modern England (Ashgate, 2007), New Directions in the Geohumanities: Art, Text, and History at the Edge of Place (Routledge, 2011), Early Modern Studies and the Digital Turn (Iter, 2016), Teaching Early Modern English Literature from the Archives (MLA, 2015), Placing Names: Enriching and Integrating Gazetteers (Indiana, 2016), Making Things and Drawing Boundaries (Minnesota, 2017), and Rethinking Shakespeare’s Source Study: Audiences, Authors, and Digital Technologies (Routledge, 2018).

 Martin D. Holmes Martin D. Holmes MDH

Programmer at the University of Victoria Humanities Computing and Media Centre (HCMC). Martin ported the MOL project from its original PHP incarnation to a pure eXist database implementation in the fall of 2011. Since then, he has been lead programmer on the project and has also been responsible for maintaining the project schemas. He was a co-applicant on MoEML’s 2012 SSHRC Insight Grant.

 Amy Tigner Amy Tigner

Amy Tigner is a MoEML Pedagogical Partner. She is Associate Professor of English at the University of Texas, Arlington, and the Editor-in-Chief of Early Modern Studies Journal. She is the author of Literature and the Renaissance Garden from Elizabeth I to Charles II: England’s Paradise (Ashgate, 2012) and has published in ELR, Modern Drama, Milton Quarterly, Drama Criticism, Gastronomica and Early Theatre. Currently, she is working on two book projects: co-editing, with David Goldstein, Culinary Shakespeare, and co-authoring, with Allison Carruth, Literature and Food Studies.

Amy Tigner’s UTA profile Constance N. Etemadi Constance N. Etemadi CNE

Student contributor enrolled in English 5308: Shakespeare and Early Modern Urban/Rural Nature at the University of Texas, Arlington in Fall 2014, working under the guest editorship of Amy Tigner.

 John Stow John Stow

Historian and author of A Survey of London. Husband of Elizabeth Stow.

MoEML ODNB Wikipedia Richard Whytyngdone Richard Whytyngdone Sheriff Mayor

Sheriff of London 1393-1394. Mayor 1396-1398, 1406-1407, and 1419-1420. Member of the Mercers’ Company. Financier of Greyfriars.

EB MASL ODNB Wikipedia Wynkyn de Worde Wynkyn de Worde

Printer.

Wikipedia Richard Burton Richard Burton

Author.