92-457: London Stone is a historic landmark housed at 111 Cannon Street in the City of London . It is an irregular block of oolitic limestone measuring 53 × 43 × 30 cm (21 × 17 × 12"), the remnant of a once much larger object that had stood for many centuries on the south side of the street. The name "London Stone" was first recorded around the year 1100. The date and original purpose of
184-410: A "New Stone Age" date for it, but such claims do not find favour with modern archaeologists, since there is no evidence. By the early 19th century, a number of writers had suggested that London Stone was once regarded as London's "Palladium" , a talismanic monument in which, like the original Palladium of Troy , the city's safety and wellbeing were embodied. This view seemed to be confirmed when
276-482: A plinth , within a Portland stone casing loosely inspired by its 19th–century predecessor, and behind glass. The plaque adjacent to the Stone reads The remaining part of London Stone, which once stood in the middle of Cannon Street, slightly west of its present location. Its original purpose is unknown, although it may be Roman and related to Roman buildings that lay to the south. It was already called 'London Stone' in
368-523: A "mark-stone" on several ley lines passing through central London. It has also entered the psychogeographical writings of Iain Sinclair as an essential element in London's " sacred geometry ". There are two recent additions to the mythology surrounding London Stone. The first claims that John Dee – astrologer, occultist and adviser to Queen Elizabeth I – "was fascinated by the supposed powers of
460-414: A landmark character. Jack Cade [REDACTED] Henry VI of England [REDACTED] Jack Cade † Jack Cade's Rebellion was a popular revolt in 1450 against the government of England, which took place in the south-east of the country between the months of April and July. It stemmed from local grievances regarding the corruption, maladministration and abuse of power of
552-454: A pamphlet was published by the London printer Wynkyn de Worde . It comprised two anonymous humorous poems, the second of which, The Maryage ... , just two pages in length, purports to be an invitation to the forthcoming wedding between London Stone and the "Bosse of Billingsgate", a water fountain near Billingsgate erected or renovated in the 1420s under the terms of the will of the mayor Richard Whittington . Guests are invited to watch
644-418: A pardon on 7 July 1450, Cade was issued a pardon under the name "Mortimer", but once it was discovered that he had lied about his identity, the pardon was rendered void. Among his followers, Cade's dedication to having the people's complaints heard and restoring order within both local and central governments earned him the nickname "John Mend-all" or "John Amend-all". It is not known whether Cade himself chose
736-489: A property given to the cathedral by a man named "Eadwaker æt lundene stane" ("Eadwaker at London Stone"). Although not bound into a Gospel Book (it is now bound into a volume of miscellaneous medieval texts with a Canterbury provenance ( MS Cotton Faustina B. vi ) in the British Library ), it could be that it was this, or a similar text, that Stow saw. Like Eadwaker, other medieval Londoners acquired or adopted
828-556: A pseudonymous contributor to the journal Notes and Queries in 1862 quoted a supposedly ancient proverb about London Stone to the effect that "So long as the Stone of Brutus is safe, so long shall London flourish". This verse, if it were genuine, would link London Stone to Brutus of Troy, as well as confirming its role as a Palladium. However, the writer in Notes and Queries was identified as Richard Williams Morgan , an eccentric Welsh clergyman. In an earlier book, Morgan had claimed that
920-498: A series of tribunals dedicated to seeking out and convicting those accused of corruption. At Guildhall on 4 July, James Fiennes, 1st Baron Saye and Sele , the Lord High Treasurer, was brought in for a sham trial. Upon being found guilty of treason he was taken to Cheapside and beheaded. Fiennes' son-in-law William Crowmer (son of William Cromer , a former Sheriff of London , MP and twice Lord Mayor of London )
1012-470: A small hamlet near (old) Heathfield in East Sussex. This place had since become known as Cade Street. A monument dedicated to Cade has been placed along the roadside. The monument states that on this location the rebel leader Jack Cade was captured and killed by Alexander Iden. Given that the exact location of Cade's capture is under dispute it is possible that Cade Street was named in error. The monument
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#17327731070551104-550: A visit to town. During the 17th century the stone continued be used as an "address", to identify a locality. Thus, for example, Thomas Heywood 's biography of Queen Elizabeth I , Englands Elizabeth (1631), was, according to its title page, "printed by Iohn Beale, for Phillip Waterhouse; and are to be sold at his shop at St Pauls Head, neere London stone"; and the English Short Title Catalogue lists over 30 books published between 1629 and
1196-742: Is a seamark or daymark , a structure usually built intentionally to aid sailors navigating featureless coasts. Natural landmarks can be characteristic features, such as mountains or plateaus . Examples of natural landmarks are Mount Everest in the Himalayas , Table Mountain in South Africa, Mount Ararat in Turkey, Uluru in Australia, Mount Fuji in Japan and the Grand Canyon in
1288-571: Is done in American English as well. In urban studies as well as in geography , a landmark is furthermore defined as an external point of reference that helps orientation in a familiar or unfamiliar environment. Landmarks are often used in verbal route instructions ("Turn left at the big church and then right over the bridge.") Landmarks are usually classified as either natural landmarks or human-made landmarks, both are originally used to support navigation on finding directions. A variant
1380-537: Is none". However, his contemporary William Camden , in his Britannia of 1586, concluded that it was a Roman milliarium , a central stone from which all distances in Roman Britain were measured, and similar to the Milliarium Aureum of Rome. This identification remains popular, although there is no archaeological evidence to support it. Alternatively, writers in the 18th century speculated that
1472-410: Is often visible from long distances. In modern day use, the term can also be applied to smaller structures or features, that have become local or national symbols . In old English the word landmearc (from land + mearc (mark)) was used to describe a boundary marker , an "object set up to mark the boundaries of a kingdom, estate, etc.". Starting from around 1560, this understanding of "landmark"
1564-426: Is to say, that Brutus of Troy , the legendary founder of London, set up London Stone. This claim suggests that interest in the stone's origin and significance already existed. However, the story does not seem to have circulated widely elsewhere, and was not repeated in other chronicles. In 1598 the London historian John Stow admitted that "The cause why this stone was set there, the time when, or other memory hereof,
1656-457: The Bank of China ; London Stone was placed without ceremony in a specially constructed Portland stone alcove, glazed and guarded with an iron grille, in the new building. Inside the building it was protected by a glass case. The stone and its surround, including the iron grille, were designated a Grade II* listed structure on 5 June 1972. In the early 21st century the office building
1748-1092: The Château Frontenac in Quebec (city) , Place Stanislas in Nancy , the CN Tower in Toronto , the Palace of Culture and Science in Warsaw , the Atomium in Brussels , Gateway Arch in St Louis , and the Moai in Easter Island . Church spires and mosque minarets are often very tall and visible from many miles around and thus often serve as built landmarks. Also town hall towers and belfries often have
1840-495: The City of London . They were mostly peasants but their numbers were swelled by shopkeepers, craftsmen, and some landowners (the list of pardoned shows the presence of one knight, two MPs, and eighteen squires). Several soldiers and sailors returning via Kent from the French wars also joined in the fray. Hoping to disperse the rebellion before any real damage could be done, the king sent a small host of his royal contingents to quell
1932-1516: The Colosseum in Rome , Big Ben in London , the Tsūtenkaku in Osaka , the Forbidden City in Beijing , the Great Pyramid in Giza , Christ the Redeemer in Rio de Janeiro , Statue of Unity in Narmada , Bratislava Castle in Bratislava , Helsinki Cathedral in Helsinki , the Space Needle in Seattle , the Sydney Opera House in Sydney , the Brandenburg Gate in Berlin ,
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#17327731070552024-606: The Colossus of Rhodes are ancient structures built to lead ships to the port. In modern usage, a landmark includes anything that is easily recognizable, such as a monument , building, or other structure. In American English it is the main term used to designate places that might be of interest to tourists, due to notable physical features or historical significance. Landmarks in the British English sense are often used for casual navigation , such as giving directions. This
2116-503: The Copperplate map of London , dating to the 1550s, and also appears on the derivative "Woodcut" map of the 1560s. It was described by the London historian John Stow in his Survey of London (1598) as "a great stone called London stone", "pitched upright ... fixed in the ground verie deep, fastened with bars of iron". Stow does not give the dimensions of this "great stone", but a French visitor to London in 1578 had recorded that
2208-480: The byname "at London Stone" or "of London Stone" because they lived nearby. One of these was "Ailwin of London Stone", the father of Henry Fitz-Ailwin de Londonestone , the first Mayor of the City of London, who took office some time between 1189–1193, and governed the city until his death in 1212. The Fitz-Ailwin house stood away from Candlewick Street, on the north side of St Swithin's church. London Stone
2300-528: The 12th century and became an important city landmark. In 1450 Jack Cade, leader of the rebellion against the corrupt government of Henry VI, struck it with his sword and claimed to be Lord of London. In 1742, London Stone was moved to the north side of the street and eventually set in an alcove in the wall of St Swithin's church on this site. The church was bombed in the Second World War and demolished in 1961–1962, and London Stone
2392-418: The 14th century, that tradition had never reached print, and there is nothing to indicate that Morgan had encountered it. The spurious verse is still frequently quoted, but there is no evidence that London's safety has ever traditionally been linked to that of London Stone. In 1881 Henry Charles Coote argued that London Stone's name and reputation arose simply because it was the last remaining fragment of
2484-560: The 1670s with similar references to London Stone in the imprint. In 1671 the Worshipful Company of Spectacle Makers broke up a batch of substandard spectacles on London Stone: Two and twenty dozen [= 264] of English spectacles, all very badd both in the glasse and frames not fitt to be put on sale ... were found badd and deceitful and by judgement of the Court condemned to be broken, defaced and spoyled both glasse and frame
2576-613: The 1960s indicated that the stone is Clipsham limestone, a good-quality stone from Rutland transported to London for building purposes in both the Roman and medieval periods. More recently, Kevin Hayward has suggested that it may be Bath stone , the stone most used for monuments and sculpture in early Roman London and in Saxon times. The Stone is located on the north side of Cannon Street , opposite Cannon Street station , in an aperture in
2668-454: The Duke of Suffolk, the rebels explicitly called out Lord Saye and officials Crowmer, Isley, St Leger and Est for extortion. Affiliates of Suffolk, Lord Saye and his son-in-law Crowmer held prominent positions within the king's household and in the local administration of Kent. Both had served several terms as High Sheriffs of Kent and as members of the king's council. Furthermore, in 1449, Saye
2760-532: The London Stone and lived close to it for a while" and may have chipped pieces off it for alchemical experiments ; the second that a legend identifies it as the stone from which King Arthur pulled the sword to reveal that he was rightful king. Both these "legends" seem first to be recorded in 2002. The first may have been inspired by the fictionalised John Dee of Peter Ackroyd 's 1993 novel The House of Doctor Dee (see In literature below). So familiar
2852-670: The Romans arrived and their predecessors the ancient Britons found it on their arrival more than two thousand years before. It was erected by the people of the New Stone Age". In 1940 St Swithin's church was burnt out by bombing in the Blitz . However, the outer walls remained standing for many years, with London Stone still in its place in the south wall. In 1962 the remains of the church were demolished, and replaced by an office building, 111 Cannon Street, which originally housed
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2944-499: The Stone as if on a throne, to issue decrees and dispense rough justice to a follower who displeases him. In 1598, London Stone was again brought to the stage, in William Haughton 's comedy Englishmen for My Money , when three foreigners, being led about on stage through the supposedly pitch-black night-time streets of London, blunder into it. Later, London Stone was to play an important but not always consistent role in
3036-503: The Stone was prehistoric and had been an object of Druidic worship. Although this suggestion is now generally dismissed, it was revived in 1914 by Elizabeth Gordon in an unorthodox book on the archaeology of prehistoric London . She envisaged London Stone as an ancient British "index stone" pointing to a great Druidic stone circle , similar to Stonehenge , and claimed it had once stood on the site of St Paul's . As we have seen, in 1924 American archaeologist George Byron Gordon claimed
3128-495: The Stone. Some writers have argued that this fictional episode proves that London Stone was a traditional place for making official proclamations. The Jack Cade episode was dramatised in William Shakespeare 's Henry VI, Part 2 (act 4, scene 6), first performed 1591~1592. In Shakespeare's elaborated version of the event, Cade strikes London Stone with a staff rather than a sword, then seats himself upon
3220-504: The United States. Trees might also serve as local landmarks, such as jubilee oaks or conifers . Some landmark trees may be named, such as Queen's Oak , Hanging Oak and Centennial Tree . Bases of fallen trees, known in this context as rootstocks , are used as navigational aids on high-resolution maps and in the sport of orienteering . Because most woods have many fallen trees, generally only very large rootstocks are mapped. In
3312-431: The animosity of the lower classes toward Henry VI was on the rise. Years of war against France had caused the country to go into debt and the recent loss of Normandy caused morale to decline and led to a widespread fear of invasion. Already the coastal regions of England such as Kent and Sussex were seeing attacks by Norman soldiers and French armies. Ill-equipped by the government, English soldiers took to raiding towns along
3404-456: The area of Cannon Street station . This has been tentatively identified as a praetorium , even the local " governor's palace ". It has further been suggested – originally by the archaeologist Peter Marsden, who excavated there from 1961–1972 – that the Stone may have formed part of its main entrance or gate. This " praetorium gate theory", while impossible to prove, is the prevailing one among modern experts. London Stone has been identified as
3496-539: The city Cade cut the ropes on the bridge so that they could not be raised against him. Upon entering London, Cade stopped at the London Stone . He struck the stone with his sword and declared himself Lord Mayor in the traditional manner. By striking the stone, Cade had symbolically reclaimed the country for the Mortimers to whom he claimed to be related. Once inside the city's gates, Cade and his men initiated
3588-423: The city, or that it was "set [up] for the tendering and making of payment by debtors". It appears to have been routinely used in this period as a location for the posting and promulgation of a variety of bills, notices, and advertisements. In 1608 it was listed in a poem by Samuel Rowlands as one of the "sights" of London (perhaps the first time the word was used in that sense) shown to "an honest Country foole" on
3680-524: The commons of Kent led by Jack Cade marched on London. It is estimated that about 5,000 people took part in the uprising. In the spring of 1450, Cade organised the creation and distribution of a manifesto entitled The Complaint of the Poor Commons of Kent . The manifesto represented not only the grievances of the people but of several MPs , lords and magnates as well. The document included a list of fifteen complaints and five demands to be brought before
3772-468: The couple dancing – "It wolde do you good to see them daunce and playe." The text, however, goes on to suggest that both London Stone and the Bosse were known for their steadfastness and reliability. London Stone also features in a tract The Returne of the renowned Caualiero Pasquill of England ... published in 1589. Otherwise known as Pasquill and Marforius it was one of three that were printed under
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3864-454: The different opinions on how England should proceed in the war with France led to party divisions. Henry favoured peace while his uncle the Duke of Gloucester and other nobles felt England should continue to fight for England's claim to the French throne. Internecine fighting in court eventually led to the banishment of the king's closest friend and advisor William de la Pole, 1st Duke of Suffolk . To add to England's troubles many believed that
3956-519: The door of St Swithin's Church , which had been rebuilt by Christopher Wren after its destruction in the Great Fire. It was moved again in 1798 to the east end of the church's south wall, and finally in the 1820s set in an alcove in the centre of the wall within a solidly built stone frame set on a plinth , with a circular aperture through which the Stone itself could be seen. In 1869 the London and Middlesex Archaeological Society arranged for
4048-474: The evening, a battle erupted on London Bridge between Cade's army and various citizens and officials of London. The battle lasted until eight the next morning, when the rebels retreated with heavy casualties. One writer estimated that at least 40 Londoners and 200 rebels were killed at the battle. After the battle on London Bridge, Archbishop John Kemp ( Lord Chancellor ) persuaded Cade to call off his followers by issuing official pardons, and promising to fulfil
4140-463: The first prehistoric settlement was founded on the site and treated as sacred ever after. Later, folklorist Lewis Spence combined this theory with Morgan's story of the "Stone of Brutus" to speculate about the pre-Roman origins of London in a 1937. By the 1960s, archaeologists had noted that in its original location London Stone would have been aligned on the centre of a large Roman building, probably an administrative building, now known to have lain in
4232-494: The house of Henry Fitz-Ailwin of London Stone ( c. 1135–1212 ), London's first Mayor, although London Stone was mentioned about 100 years before Henry's time, and the Fitz-Ailwin house was some distance from the stone on the other side of St Swithin's church. In 1890 the folklorist and London historian George Laurence Gomme proposed that London Stone was the city's original " fetish stone ", erected when
4324-686: The indentations on the top "which are said to have been made by Jack Cade’s sword". In 1937 Arthur Mee , the founder of The Children's Newspaper and author of The King's England series of guidebooks, described it as "a fragment of its old self [...] said by some to have been a stone set up in Stone Age days". The archaeologist George Byron Gordon was more expansive (and fanciful) in the course of his Rambles in Old London , published in 1924. He described London Stone as "the very oldest object in London streets" and "an object of great antiquity when
4416-580: The installation of a protective iron grille and an explanatory inscription in Latin and English on the church wall above it. During the 19th and 20th centuries the London Stone was regularly referred to in popular London histories and guidebooks, and visited by tourists; during his stay in England in the 1850s the American author Nathaniel Hawthorne recorded a visit to London Stone in his journal, noting
4508-498: The king for scrutiny and dictated the causes of the revolt. The first issue to be addressed was that Cade's followers from Kent were being unjustly blamed for the death of the Duke of Suffolk. Despite the well-known anger of the peasants towards the Duke, the Bill of Complaints dismissed the idea that the rebels were responsible. In addition the rebels called for inquiries into cases of corruption within local and national governments and for
4600-430: The king had surrounded himself with advisors who were ineffective and corrupt. At the heart of the corruption scandal was the Duke of Suffolk. When the duke's body washed up on the shores of Dover the people of Kent feared retaliation. Rumours emerged claiming that the king intended to turn Kent into a Royal forest in retaliation for the duke's death. Tired of the exploitation that the Duke of Suffolk had come to represent,
4692-585: The king's closest advisors and local officials, as well as recent military losses in France during the Hundred Years' War . Leading an army of men from south-eastern England, the rebellion's leader Jack Cade marched on London in order to force the government to reform the administration and remove from power the "traitors" deemed responsible for bad governance. Apart from the Cornish rebellion of 1497 , it
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#17327731070554784-442: The last years of the 20th century and the early years of the 21st, the Stone has made an increasing number of appearances in novels of imagination and urban fantasy . 51°30′42″N 0°05′22″W / 51.5116°N 0.0895°W / 51.5116; -0.0895 Landmark A landmark is a recognizable natural or artificial feature used for navigation , a feature that stands out from its near environment and
4876-622: The legendary Brutus was a historical figure; London Stone, he wrote, had been the plinth on which the original Trojan Palladium had stood, and was brought to Britain by Brutus and set up as the altar stone of the Temple of Diana in his new capital city of Trinovantum or "New Troy" (i.e. London). This story, and the verse about the "Stone of Brutus", can be found nowhere any earlier than in Morgan's writings, and both are probably his own invention. Although London Stone had been associated with Brutus in
4968-485: The men of Sussex were more radical and aggressive in their demands for reform. It is possible the animosity felt by the men of Sussex had arisen in part because the king had revoked the pardons issued to Cade and his followers. An indictment following the Sussex rebellion accused the rebels of wanting to kill the king and all his Lords, replacing them with twelve of the rioters' own men. The rebellions in Sussex did not achieve
5060-985: The modern sense, landmarks are usually referred to as monuments or prominent distinctive buildings, used as the symbol of a certain area, city, or nation . Some examples are Tokyo Tower in Tokyo , the White House in Washington, D.C. , the Statue of Liberty and Empire State Building in New York City , the Eiffel Tower in Paris , Saint Basil's Cathedral in Moscow , the Lotte World Tower in Seoul ,
5152-467: The murdered William Cromer's widow Elizabeth Fiennes, and a future High Sheriff of Kent ). In the skirmish, Cade was fatally wounded and died before reaching London for trial. As a warning to others, Cade's body underwent a mock trial and was beheaded at Newgate. Cade's body was dragged through the streets of London before being quartered . His limbs were sent throughout Kent to various cities and locations that were believed to have been strong supporters of
5244-551: The name or not. One tale of the time claimed that Cade was the doctor John Alymere who was married to the daughter of a squire in Surrey. Another rumour suggested that he enjoyed dabbling in the dark arts and had once worked for Sir Tomas Dacres before fleeing the country after murdering a pregnant woman. In the years preceding the Jack Cade Rebellion, England suffered from both internal and external difficulties and
5336-455: The proclamation Cade was charged with deceiving the people of England to assemble with him in his rebellion and stated that none of the King's subjects should join Cade or help him in any way. A reward of 1,000 marks was promised to whoever could capture and deliver Jack Cade to the king, dead or alive. Cade fled towards Lewes but on 12 July, in a garden in which he had taken shelter, was overtaken by Alexander Iden (eventual second husband of
5428-404: The pseudonym of the Cavaliero Pasquill , and contributed to the Marprelate controversy , a war of words between the Church of England establishment and its critics. At the end of this short work, Pasquill declares his intention of posting a notice on London Stone, inviting all critics of his opponent, the similarly pseudonymous Martin Marprelate , to write out their complaints and stick them up on
5520-493: The rebel uprising. To prevent further uprisings, Humphrey Stafford, 1st Duke of Buckingham was given permission from the king to seek out the remainder of Cade's followers and bring them to trial. The search took place in and around areas where support for the uprising was felt to be the strongest—Blackheath, Canterbury and the coastal areas of Faversham and the Isle of Sheppey . The inquiries by bishops and justices were so thorough that in Canterbury (the first area searched by
5612-401: The rebellion. The royal forces were led by Sir Humphrey Stafford (d. 1450), of Grafton in the parish of Bromsgrove , Worcestershire, and his second cousin William Stafford (d. 1450), of Southwick, Wiltshire (father of Humphrey Stafford, 1st Earl of Devon ). The royal forces underestimated the rebels' strength and were led into an ambush at Sevenoaks . In the skirmish on 18 June 1450,
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#17327731070555704-414: The rebels' demands. Although King Henry VI had issued pardons to Cade and his followers, a proclamation written by the King shortly after the rebellion voided all previously issued pardons. The document was entitled "Writ and Proclamation by the King for the Taking of Cade". In the document the King claimed that he revoked the previous pardons because they had not been created or approved by the Parliament. In
5796-444: The rebels, including Cade himself, began to engage in looting and drunken behaviour. Gradually Cade's inability to control his followers alienated the initially sympathetic citizens of London, who eventually turned against the rebels. When, on 7 July, Cade's army returned over the bridge to Southwark for the night, the London officials closed the bridge to prevent Cade from re-entering the city. The next day, on 8 July, at about ten in
5888-429: The removal of corrupt high officials. Cade's list of complaints goes on to charge King Henry with injustice for not choosing to impeach his underlings and lords even though they were guilty of treasonous and unlawful acts. The king's counselors and officials were accused of rigging elections, extortion, manipulating the king for their own gains and using their close position to the king to oppress those below them. Besides
5980-457: The request made by the rebels in Cade's manifesto that the king welcome the Duke of York as his advisor outright informed the king that the masses wished to see the duke return from exile. When Richard the Duke of York finally did return to England in September 1450 several of his demands and reform policies were based on those made in the manifesto issued by Cade. There is long-standing tradition that this clash between Iden and Cade took place at
6072-454: The rise of the House of York . Very little is known about the identity and origins of Jack (possibly John) Cade. Given that the rebel leader did not leave behind any personal documents, and the use of aliases was common among rebels, historians are forced to base their claims on rumour and speculation. According to Mark Antony Lower , Jack (or John) Cade was probably born in Sussex between 1420 and 1430 and historians agree for certain that he
6164-415: The route to France with their victims receiving no compensation. Henry's call to set warning beacons along the coastline confirmed peoples' suspicions that an attack by the French was possible. These fears and continuous unrest in the coastal counties inspired many Englishmen to rally in an attempt to force the King to address their problems or abdicate his throne in favour of someone more competent. At court
6256-427: The royal commission) eight followers were quickly found and hanged. Although the Jack Cade Rebellion was quickly dispersed after Cade's death, the royal commission failed to rid England of the feeling of rebellion. Inspired by Cade and his rebellion many other counties in England revolted. In Sussex the yeomen brothers John and William Merfold organised their own rebellion against King Henry VI. Unlike Cade's revolt
6348-413: The same fate and shocked by the rebels' military ability, the king sought refuge in Warwickshire . Gaining confidence through their victory the rebels advanced to Southwark , at the southern end of London Bridge . Cade set up headquarters in The White Hart inn before crossing the bridge and entering the city with his followers on 3 July 1450. To prevent any infringement on his comings and goings within
6440-449: The same following as that of Cade's. While the minor rebellions inspired by Cade's rebellion did not produce a large number of deaths or immediate changes they can be seen as important precursors to the Wars of the Roses. These large battles over the crown of England would result in the end of the Lancaster dynasty and the creation of the Yorks. The weakness of the Lancaster dynasty and the English government had been exposed. In addition,
6532-432: The shop London Stone in its glass case was hidden behind a magazine rack and not usually accessible. In March 2016, planning permission was granted to allow the building to be demolished and replaced by a new one. The Stone was put on temporary display at the Museum of London while the building works were carried out. It was returned to Cannon Street in October 2018. The new premises publicly display London Stone on
6624-512: The stone are unknown, although it is possibly of Roman origin. There has been interest and speculation about it since the medieval period, but modern claims that it was formerly an object of veneration, or has some occult significance, are unsubstantiated. The present London Stone is only the upper portion of a once much larger object. The surviving portion is a block of oolitic limestone approximately 53 cm wide, 43 cm high, and 30 cm front to back (21 × 17 × 12 inches). A study in
6716-467: The stone was three feet high (above ground), two feet wide, and one foot thick (90 × 60 × 30 cm). Thus, although it was a local landmark, the part of it standing above ground was not particularly large. The earliest reference to the Stone is usually said to be that in a medieval document cited by Stow in 1598. He refers to an early list of properties in London belonging to Christ Church, Canterbury (Canterbury Cathedral), and says that one piece of land
6808-462: The two Stafford cousins were killed. Cade took the expensive clothing and armour of Sir Humphrey as his own. On 28 June, William Ayscough , the unpopular Bishop of Salisbury , was murdered by a mob in Wiltshire. William Ayscough had been the king's personal confessor and his position next to the king had allowed him to become one of the most powerful men in the country. Afraid that he might meet
6900-668: The visionary writings of William Blake . Thus in Jerusalem: The Emanation of the Giant Albion , his long illustrated poem on engraved plates begun in 1804, London Stone is a Druidic altar, the site of bloody sacrifices. Alternatively in Jerusalem and in Milton a Poem it is the geographic centre of Golgonooza , Blake's mystical city of London; it is a place where justice is delivered, where Los sits to hear
6992-525: The voice of Jerusalem, and where Reuben sleeps. Ray Nelson 's science fiction novel Blake's Progress (1975), based on the writings of William Blake , featured an alternative history in which Cleopatra won the Battle of Actium and an Alexandrian Empire replaced the Roman Empire . In the alternate London, called Gogonooza, the London Stone is present, standing in front of a Temple of Isis . In
7084-422: The wall of 111 Cannon Street (EC4N 5AR), within a Portland stone casing. When London Stone was erected and what its original function was are unknown, although there has been much speculation. The Stone was originally located on the south side of medieval Candlewick Street (afterward widened to create modern Cannon Street), opposite the west end of St Swithin's Church . It is shown in this position on
7176-533: The which judgement was executed accordingly in Canning [Cannon] Street on the remayning parte of London Stone where the same were with a hammer broken in all pieces. The reference to " the remayning parte of London Stone" may suggest that it had been damaged and reduced in size, perhaps in the Great Fire of London five years earlier, which had destroyed St Swithin's church and the neighbouring buildings; it
7268-462: Was London Stone to Londoners that from an early date it features in London literature and in stories set in London. Thus, in an often reprinted anonymous satirical poem of the early 15th century, "London Lickpenny" (sometimes attributed to John Lydgate ), the protagonist, lost and bewildered, passes London Stone during his wanderings through the city streets: Then went I forth by London Stone Thrwgheout all Canywike Strete ... In about 1522
7360-436: Was a member of the lower ranks of society. During the rebellion of 1450, Cade took on the title of "Captain of Kent" and adopted the alias "John Mortimer". The name "Mortimer" had negative connotations for King Henry VI and his associates because Henry's main rival for the throne of England was Richard, Duke of York , who had Mortimer ancestry on his mother 's side. The possibility that Cade may have been working with York
7452-475: Was a well-known landmark in medieval London, and when in 1450 Jack Cade , leader of a rebellion against the corrupt government of Henry VI , entered the city with his men, he struck his sword on London Stone and claimed to be "Lord of this city". Contemporary accounts give no clue as to Cade's motivation, or how his followers or the Londoners would have interpreted his action. There is nothing to suggest he
7544-414: Was also executed by the rebels. The heads of the two men were put on pikes and unceremoniously paraded through the streets of London while their bearers pushed them together so that they appeared to kiss. Their heads were then affixed to London Bridge. Despite Cade's frequent assurances that his followers would maintain a proper and orderly demeanour, as the rebel host made its way through the city many of
7636-515: Was appointed to the prestigious office of Lord High Treasurer . Isley and St Leger also served as Sheriffs and MPs in the county of Kent. When the king failed to remedy their grievances the rebels marched on London. In May 1450, the rebels began to join together in an organised fashion and began to move towards London. Cade sent out delegates to the surrounding counties to elicit aid and additional men. By early June more than 5,000 men had assembled at Blackheath , 6 miles (9.7 km) south-east of
7728-407: Was carrying out a traditional ceremony or custom. By the time of Queen Elizabeth I London Stone was not merely a landmark, shown and named on maps, but a visitor attraction in its own right. Tourists may have been told variously that it had stood there since before the city existed, or that it had been set up by order of King Lud , legendary rebuilder of London, or that it marked the centre of
7820-507: Was described as lying "neare unto London stone". In Stow's account, the list had been bound into the end of a Gospel Book given to the cathedral by " Ethelstane king of the west Saxons", usually identified as Æthelstan , king of England (924–939). However, it is impossible to confirm Stow's account, since the document he saw cannot now be identified with certainty. Nevertheless, the earliest extant list of Canterbury's London properties, which has been dated to between 1098 and 1108, does refer to
7912-417: Was enough to prompt the king into moving against the rebels without delay. At the time of the rebellion the Duke of York was out of the country serving as Lieutenant of Ireland . To date, no evidence has been found indicating that he was involved in funding or inciting the uprising. It is more likely that Cade used the name "Mortimer" as propaganda to give his cause more legitimacy. When the rebels were issued
8004-403: Was incorporated into a new office building on the site. Following redevelopment it was placed in its present location in 2018. The Short English Metrical Chronicle , an anonymous history of England in verse composed in about the 1330s, which survives in several variant recensions (including one in the so-called Auchinleck manuscript ), includes the statement that "Brut sett Londen ston" – that
8096-570: Was later caught on 12 July 1450 by Alexander Iden, a future High Sheriff of Kent . As a result of the skirmish with Iden, the mortally wounded Cade died before reaching London for trial. The Jack Cade Rebellion has been perceived as a reflection of the social, political, and economic issues of the time period and as a precursor to the Wars of the Roses , which saw the decline of the Lancaster dynasty and
8188-415: Was later covered with a small stone cupola to protect it. In 1598 John Stow had commented that "if carts do run against it through negligence, the wheels be broken, and the stone itself unshaken", and by 1742 it was considered an obstruction to traffic. The remaining part of the Stone was then moved, with its protective cupola, from the south side of the street to the north side, where it was first set beside
8280-632: Was replaced by a more general one. A landmark became a "conspicuous object in a landscape". A landmark literally meant a geographic feature used by explorers and others to find their way back or through an area. For example, the Table Mountain near Cape Town , South Africa was used as a landmark to help sailors to navigate around the southern tip of Africa during the Age of Exploration . Artificial structures are also sometimes built to assist sailors in navigation. The Lighthouse of Alexandria and
8372-541: Was scheduled for redevelopment, and in October ;2011 the then landowners proposed to move the stone to a new location further to the west. Objections were raised by, among others, the Victorian Society and English Heritage , and the proposal was rejected by the City of London Corporation . Until February 2016 the ground floor of the building was occupied by a branch of WHSmith newsagents. Inside
8464-419: Was the largest popular uprising to take place in England during the 15th century. Despite Cade's attempt to keep his men under control, once the rebel forces had entered London they began to loot. The citizens of London turned on the rebels and forced them out of the city in a bloody battle on London Bridge . To end the bloodshed the rebels were issued pardons by the king and told to return home. Cade fled but
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