Hart Street

A Dictionary of London by Henry A Harben.

1) East from Newgate to Snow Hill, without Newgate (Hatton, 1708).


See Hart Row Street.

2) East out of Mark Lane to Seething Lane and Crutched Friars (P.O. Directory).

Earliest mention: "Hartstreate" (Lond. I. p.m. 9 Eliz. 1551, II. 66).

Former names or forms of name : "Herthstrete," 1351-2 (Ct. H.W. I. 659). "Herestrete," 31 H. VIII. 1539 (L. and P. H. VIII. D.S. XIV. Pt. 2, p. 34). "Hertestrete," 35 H. VIII. 1543 (ib. XVIII. Pt. 1, pp. 535, 543).

"Hertstrete," also called "Smythen-strete," in will of Tromy, 1463, P.C.C., quoted by Povah, p. 3, but no other reference found.

In Stow's time Hart Street seems to have extended to Woodroff Lane (Cooper's Row), along the present Crutched Friars (q.v.).

The name Hart Street is not given at all in Horwood's map 1799, the whole street from Mark Lane to Cooper's Row being called "Crutched Friars."

Derivation of name : Povah says there is a tradition in the parish of St. Olave that "Hart" stands for "Heart" Street and that there are four old pewter alms basons engraved with a heart with the initials O. S. S. with an ornamental border surrounding it (p. 3).

But the earliest form of the name "Herth" suggests the A.S. "Heorth," a hearth, rather than "heart," the earlier form of which would be "herte."

The mansion of Sir Richard Whittington stood in the lane.

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