referred to. It may be the same as a bridge, mended by the Mayor's orders in 1338-9, which he described as "the bridge towards the church of St. Sepulchre." It is mentioned in 1360 as "the bridge towards Aylestone which is called Coubrigg." Two hundred years later it is called "Cowpasture Bridge," and "Cowhey Bridge." It led to the ancient common pasture, known as Cowhey, so frequently mentioned in the history of the town, part of which is now the Freemen's Meadow.
There were some other small bridges that were occasionally repaired by the Corporation. Among these may be mentioned St. Anthony's Bridge, in Senvey Gate, and the little bridge outside the East Gate, both crossing the Town Ditch; and the Spital-house Bridge or "Lady Bridge," in Belgrave Gate, repaired in 1569 and 1600; which seems to be the bridge described by Leland as "a meane stone bridge," and "a little beyond it," he says, "is another stone bridge, through the which passit a litle land broke, cumming from villages not far of, and so rennith into Bishop's water." This little streamlet is now known as Willow Brook. There were also apparently two bridges in Humberstone Gate, one of which was known as the Antelope Bridge; and there was a "bridge at the Clay Pit."
The Leicester Bridges emerge into the light of history in the middle of the 13th century, when the independent burgesses of the town, resenting certain taxes, known as "Bridge-silver," and "Gavel-pence," took steps to obtain their remission. In the first place, an Inquest was held, purporting to enquire into the origin of these taxes. The Leicester Jurats told two stories, one relating to gavel-pence, the other to bridge-silver. Both are interesting, and, as they are intimately connected, it may be well to give both.
The gavel-pence story runs thus: "In the time of Robert of Meulan, then Earl of Leicester, it happened that two kinsmen, to wit Nicholas Hakon's son and Geoffrey Nicholas' son, of Leicester, waged a trial by battle for a certain land, about which a plea had arisen between them, and they fought from the hour of Prime to the hour of Noon, and longer, and so fighting with
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