Where was the Red Hart and it’s row of shops underneath ?, mentioned in the rental records of St Martin’s Church in the 16thC.

Was this our building, it fits the description, and also pageant records put it roughly in that location. It isn’t listed as having a garden, which those river side tend to have, so that places it on our side if the street. It seems to be have built with the purpose of raising money for the church, which then gives the pews and money to St martin’s and York Minster mentioned in the sales deeds in the 18th century, plus the communal kitchen below, make more sense. So many questions !

It is tenanted in by Henry Pulleyn Scrivener until his death who could certainly afford our ceiling, he is listed in 1584 in company of the other gentlemen for, it seems, the building

46. Grant, indented, by Reginald Beseley of York, esquire, and Richard Williamson of York, cordwainer, to Adam Bynkes of York, merchant. Thomas Myddleton of York, waxchandler, Reginald Faux of York, gentleman, and Miles Prynce of York, cordwainer, of four shops under a certain house called the Red Hart in Coney Street, and three tenements in Coney Street.
Warranty.
13 August 6 Edward VI (1552)
2 seals, red wax, round.
(annexed schedule of intent that the use of the
feoffment was to be towards the repairs of St Martin’s
church and the relief of the poor of the parish)

This is also information for the Red Harte and timeline of ownership, as referenced in the

the social and topographical context of drama in york 1554

Further property associated with Henry Pulleyn
brings back his father-in-law John Clerke, who
bequeathed him the lease of his own tenement in Coney
Street after the death o~ Mrs Clerke, and his law books
and precedent books. John Clerke’s father, Thomas
Clerke, had lived in North Street, where the family had
property; John Clerke bequeathed in his will of 20
March 1579/80 a tenement and orchard there first to his
wife (who in fact died soon after), then to his
daughter Jane Pulleyn, and then to his granddaughter
Jane (BI: Pr Reg 22B, f 495-495v). Henry Pulleyn as
executor of the will took over responsibility for this
property, and also in 1580 began to lease a moat in
North Street from the city that had previously been
taken by John Clerke (YCA: BR C 93:3). He also paid
for John Clerke’s burial, and o”,·ed the ~ee for the
burial of Mrs Clerke (BI: PH Y/MCS 16, pp 156 and 159) •
316
He continued the lease of the moat in North Street until
his death, and his son John then took it over (YCA: BR
C 96:4 and 5).
Apart from his tenement in Coney Street, John
Clerke had a shop which he leased from the church of st
Martin. Between 1552 and 1558, he is recorded by the
Churchwardens as paying 20d a year for a shop (see BI:
PR Y/MCS 16, pp 1, 2, 3, lJ and 27). From Martinmas
1558 he had two shops, and paid an annual rent of 40d (p
28), and this continued until Whit 1576, when he paid
20d, only the half year’s rent (p 127). A margin note
states that these and three other shops had been sold;
and amongst the Lammas receipts is entered a payment by
Henry Pulleyn of £10 for the shops under his house (BI:
PR Y/MCS 16, p 128). An earlier feoffee deed from st
Martin Coney Street cl~urch, of IJ August 1552, concerns
four shops under a house called The Red Harte in
Coney street, and three other tenements, which had been
the gift of Richard Plasket and Richard Howe to the
church (BI: PR Y/MCS F 5/46). Henry Pulleyn remained in
this house, The Red Harte, until his death. Although in
his will the bequest of this property to his son Edward
is vague, the Inquisition Post Mortem on his property,
on 23 December 1606, confirms that he lived in The Red
Harte (YCA: E 27, ff 68v-69v). It mentions his capital
messuage (The Red Harte J ) and after listing other
property, confirms the identification of the house:
3 The parchment volume containing this entry has been
badly damaged by damp, and many words are illegible,
even under ultra-violet light. The first part,
containing the description of his property, is
difficult to read, but the quotation from his will
is clear.
317
And the said capitall Messuage or Tenemente
called Read hart with thappurtenances in the
said citye of yorke he give and bequeithe in
thes wordes followinge, Also I give and
bequeathe [~ Tenemente with the gardene and
appurtenances therto belonginge wherein I
dwell to my sonne Edward Pulleyn and his
heires of his bodie Lawfullye begotten with
all the sealinges sett vp in the same and
all the buildinges therof (excepte sellers
and the parlors and seates now in the
occupacon of my sonne John Pulleye so longe
as be liveth, and convenyent agresse and
regresse for him to and from the same
(yeA: E 27, f 69)
Unfortunately, none of the deeds precisely locate the
shops or The Red Harte. A few deeds for other property
in Coney Street may indicate his house was on the west
side of the street (the left side of the pageant route).
John Robson bought a tenement in Coney Street from the
city in March 1562/3 which stood between the river and
the street, with one of Thomas Harrison’s tenements to
the south, and one belonging to Sir Christopher Danby on
the north (yeA: E 22, f l6v). A feoffee deed of st
Martin Coney Street church property in May 1581 refers
to its property in Coney Street, which was between land
belonging to Sir Thomas Danby on both north and south,
although the direction of Coney Street was not given
(BI: PH Y/MCS F 5/49). The property to the north was
said to be in the tenure of John Clerke (who had however
died by this time). A later deed of the same property
was made in September 1620 (BI: PH Y/MCS F 5/53): the
property on the north was by that time owned by John
Pulleyn and occupied by George Pulleyn, but the deed
noted it had formerly been occupied by John Clerke.
Further property included in the 1581 feoffee deed was
six tenements in the cemetery of St Martin Coney Street
church, also on the west side of the street, but it is
not possible to state that all the church property
described was close together.
318
This evidence is circumstantial; it relates moore to
John Clerke’s tenement than to the Red Harte, and relies
on the link with Danby family land to locate it on the
west side of Coney Street. If the property in these
deeds was on the left hand side of the route, it was
probably south of St Martin’s church4
, which puts the
area of this station near to the site of the George Inn,
which was about half way between Jubbergate End and the
Common Hall (it is marked on the 1852 Ordnance Survey
Map, and is now represented by the recently remodelled
Leak & Thorpe premises 5 ; see Plan 3, p 327 and
Illustration 4, p 161 above).

Henry Pulleyn is listed as paying for a pageant station there in 1572

He is also mentioned in The Pulleyns of Yorkshire on page 224 with his will whereby he leaves the dwelling he now lives in to his son Edward but not the cellars, he leaves those to his son Thomas. This is also mentioned on page 225 as below

An indenture dated April i6, 1588^ is among the Close Rolls which concerns the purchase by ” Henr}’ Pulleyn gentilman of the city of York ” of one of the inns which abounded in Coney street, and it may be of some interest to record the description of its site : —
” all that capital messuage called The Read Harte … in Connystiete … as the same lyeth in breadth between the tenement of Reynold Fawxe on the North side and the tenement late W”” Langton’s in the tenure of Tho^ Metcalfe gentilman on the South side of the same And in length between the Queens strete called Connystrete and the tenement of one Tho^ Burlande in the tenure of Rob^ Nicholsone pewterer behind.