Bassishaw Ward, originally named Basing Hall after the family of Basing, was one of the smallest districts in medieval London. A mix of large residential buildings, compact rental tenements, and a labyrinth of small lanes and courtyards, it was located at the heart of city government as well as the cloth trade.
City merchants and tradesmen flocked to the area not only for buying and selling their wares, but also to seek legal advice and arbitration. Bassishaw's only parish church, St. Michael Bassishaw, benefited greatly from these circumstances due to the affluent merchants who chose to live within its jurisdiction.
In A History of Bassishaw Ward: c. 1200 - c. 1600, author Christine M. Fox, PhD, as commissioned by Alderman Timothy Hailes, JP, offers the first comprehensive, yet accessible, study of the medieval history of Bassishaw Ward.
Drawing from a wealth of surviving city records, Fox illuminates this area's past and examines its complex political and economic conditions. This detailed book presents a rich tapestry of the ward's life, its attitudes toward the poor, and even its handling of immigration. Many of these issues still resonate deeply today within twenty-first century Britain.
About the Author: Christine M. Fox, PhD, received her BA in humanities at Seattle University and her MA at Royal Holloway, University of London.
Fox recently completed her PhD under the supervision of Professor Caroline M. Barron at Royal Holloway on The Royal Almshouse at Westminster: c. 1500 - c. 1600, which has produced two forthcoming articles in Medieval Prosopography and London Topographical Record. She has also contributed two introductions in The Religious Houses of London and Middlesex as part of the Centre for Metropolitan History and Victoria County History project. From 2012-2013, she served as an assistant lecturer at Royal Holloway for the MA course entitled "Medieval London: Society and Literature."
In addition to her historical research, she also freelances as a researcher and writer for a business intelligence company that specializes in innovation in pharmaceuticals.
