Three views on one plate of the Priory of St John of Jerusalem, in Clerkenwell,” etching, by the Czech-British artist and printmaker Wenceslaus Hollar. 325 mm x 380 mm. Courtesy of the British Museum, London.
I find place name origins fascinating, especially when they turn out to be surprisingly literal.
Take the now cool Clerkenwell for instance:
In 1140 The Hospital of St John of Jerusalem and the nunnery of St Mary were founded nearby and would draw water from the local well. A custom in the Middle Ages involved Parish clerks performing morality plays around the well, hence the name ‘Clerk’s Well’ and somewhere along it gained an ‘en’, probably to make it sound more French!
The well was lost when the nunnery was disbanded in the 16th century and only rediscovered after building work in 1924.
Now located in an office building on Farringdon Lane, you can view the Clerk’s well through the street level window, though access to the exhibition room in the basement can only be arranged upon appointment with Islington History Centre in advance.