Flampton court, Fore street.†
Fleece court, Rose and Crown court, Moorfields.*
Fleece yard, 1. Cornhill.* 2. Tothill street.*
Fleet Bridge, at the end of Fleet Ditch next the market. Since the filling up of Fleet Ditch, this can scarcely be termed a bridge; but as one of the walls of the bridge is still left, for the security of passengers, by preventing their falling into the ditch on that side, it still retains its ancient name.
Fleet Ditch, a part of the town ditch by which Turnmill brook, and the little river Fleet, fell into the Thames. In this ditch flood gates were erected in the year 1606; and after the fire of London, it was by order of the Mayor and court of Aldermen, cleansed, enlarged, and made navigable, for barges to come up by the benefit of the tides, as far as Holborn Bridge, where Turnmill brook fell into this channel. The sides were built of stone and brick, with warehouses on each side, which ran under the street, and were designed to be used for laying in of coals, and other commodities. It had five feet water at the lowest tide at Holborn Bridge: the wharfs on each side of the channel were thirty-five feet broad; and were rendered secure from danger in the night by rails of oak being placed along the sides of the ditch. Over this canal were four bridges of Portland stone, viz. at Bridewell, Fleet street, Fleet lane, and Holborn. The whole expence of sinking, clearing, wharfing, planking and piling, with that of paving, posting and railing, amounted in the whole to 27,777l. besides what was paid to the several proprietors, whose grounds were taken for the enlargement of the wharfs and keys, on either side of the channel. Camden. Stow.
In digging this canal between Fleet prison and Holborn Bridge, several Roman utensils were discovered at the depth of fifteen feet; and, a little deeper, a great quantity of Roman coins in silver, copper, brass, and all other metals except gold. Those of silver were ring-money of several sizes, the largest about the bigness of a crown, but gradually decreasing; the smallest were about the size of a silver two-pence, each having a snip in the edge: and at Holborn Bridge were dug up two brazen Lares, or Houshold gods, about four inches in length, which were almost incrusted with a petrific matter: one of these was Bacchus, and the other Ceres: but the coins lying at the bottom of the current, their lustre was in a great measure preserved by the water incessantly washing off the corroding salt.
Probably the great quantity of coin found in this ditch, was thrown in by the Roman inhabitants of this city, for its preservation, at the approach of Boadicea, at the head of her army; but all the Roman citizens, without distinction of age or sex, being barbarously massacred by the justly enraged Britons, it was not discovered till this time. Besides the above mentioned antiquities, several things of a more modern date were discovered, as arrow heads, scales, seals, with the proprietors names upon them in Saxon characters; spur-rowels of an hand’s breadth, keys and daggers coated over with a livid petrific rust; together with a considerable number of medals, with crosses, crucifixes, and Ave Maries engraven thereupon. Conyer’s MSS. in Sir Hans Sloane’s library in the Museum.
Fleet Ditch now extends no higher than Fleet Bridge, all above being arched, covered over, and converted into a market; and the building the fine bridge at Black Friars, will soon occasion all that is left of this ditch to be filled up.
Fleet lane, Old Bailey, extends to Fleet market.
Fleet Market, situated upon the canal called Fleet Ditch, was opened on the 30th of September 1737. Instead of stalls there are two rows of shops of a great length from north to south, with a handsome walk between, into which light is thrown by windows placed along the top; and in the center is a neat lanthorn with a clock; the whole of this part is paved with rag stones. On the south end, the fruiterers stands are made in the form of piazzas erected on each side, and these have proper conveniences to deposit their remaining stock.