The London Stone -- Staines-Upon-Thames, Surrey, UK
N 51° 25.954 W 000° 30.847
30U E 672794 N 5700861
Dating from 1285, the London Stone used to mark the jurisdiction of the City of London over the River Thames in terms of trade and revenue, as far as Staines-upon-Thames. It is located at the Staines Memorial Gardens along the River Thames.
Waymark Code: WMRVVV
Location: London, United Kingdom
Date Posted: 08/09/2016
Views: 2
The London Stone stands atop a wedding-cake style pedestal formed of several stones, each added over the centuries in commemoration of important visits and ceremonies. The original medieval boundary stone is so old the original inscriptions are weathered away, and the stone itself has worn spots where Thames riverboat tow ropes were tied to it.
The inscription immediately below the stone reads as follows:
"To perpetuate and preferve
this ancient Monument of the
Jurifdiction of the
CITIZENS of LONDON.
The fame was raifed on this
Pedeftal AD 1781.
S Watkin Lewis KN
Lord Mayor"
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History
Until 1350, the English Crown held the right to fish the rivers of England and charged duties on those people it licensed to fish. In 1197 King Richard I, in need of money to finance his involvement in the Third Crusade, sold the rights over the lower reaches of the River Thames to the City of London. Marker stones were erected to indicate the limit of the City's rights.
In Victorian times, the Lord Mayor would come in procession by water and touch the Staines stone with a sword to re-affirm the City's rights.
Control of the river passed from the City to the Thames Conservancy, and then below Teddington to the Port of London Authority and above it to Thames Water Authority and finally the Environment Agency.
In medieval times before the canalisation of the Thames, Staines-upon-Thames was the highest point at which the high tide was perceivable for a few minutes every semi-diurnal tide (twice a day), adding some millimetres to the water depth compared to more upstream parishes. This London Stone marked the upstream limit of the City's rights. The official role of a London Corporation stone of 1285 beside Staines Bridge was set out with a grant of associated privileges in a charter of Edward I. Its use by the river is confirmed by the semi-circular indentations (on the right hand face in the photo), to cater to tow ropes of horse-drawn boats rubbing against the stone."