A HISTORY OF LONDON which the wall formed its defence, and the line still marks the boundaries of the inner wards of the City, although the present area has been increased by the addition of the outlying liberties. Owing to the continuous occupation of London the base of the wall in the course of time became buried by the accumulated soil of the City, while the upper portion, through weathering and other causes, was in need of constant repair, and in later times its height was increased as the level of the surface was raised, but the old line was always preserved, subsequent rebuildings being carried upwards on the original structure (Fig. 13). The only alterations that have been made in the Roman boundary are first on the east, where a portion of the wall was removed at the building of the Tower, a further length (about 300 ft.) being pulled down by Bishop Longchamp in the reign of Richard I, in order to construct the Tower Ditch. Edward I granted leave in 1276 to Robert Kilwardby, Archbishop of Canterbury, to take down a portion of the wall on the west to provide space for the building of the Blackfriars monastery, on condition that a new wall should be built so as to include the monastery,' but the work was still unfinished in i 3 i o, when its completion was ordered by Edward 11." The new wall ran to a point a little south of Ludgate, and then due west as far as the Fleet, by the side of which it was continued south to the Thames. During later periods we have numerous records of repairs having taken place. After the depredations of the Danes, Alfred thoroughly restored the City defences,* and portions were also rebuilt by the Normans, some traces of whose work are still preserved, while in 1477, during the mayoralty of Ralph Joceline, an important restoration of the line from Aldgate to Aldersgate took place when the battlements were rebuilt of brick. '^ The Roman wall was, however, in a greater measure refaced than destroyed by all these subsequent repairs. The top had no doubt suffered by decay and damage, but the solid core of the substantial Roman masonry still stood in many parts to a considerable height above the ground, though hidden beneath the disguise of later coverings, and its venerable head crowned with alien battlements, placed there by ruder hands. Thus it continued and grimly guarded London until as late as the year 1766, when the Commis- sioners of Sewers applied to Parliament for leave to break down the ancient defence, on the plea that it was detrimental to the health of the City by obstructing the passage of air. Several large portions, however, for a time escaped the general destruction, and although most of these have since been destroyed, we are fortunate in having some excellent records of their appear- ance in the drawings of J. T. Smith,^ F. W. Fairholt,' and J. W. Archer.' Little now remains to be seen above ground, but there are still some por- tions incorporated with other buildings, and a few fragments which have '• Stow, Surt'. (ed. Thorns), 5 ; Ges/a Hen. II Ric. I (Rolls Ser.), ii, 106. ' Ca/. Pat. 1272-81, p. 25S. ' Stow, op. cit. 5. Stow's authority has not been found ; but on 15 Sept. 1312 a tower was ordered to be built beside the monasteiy on the bank of the Thames {Ca/. Pat. 1307-13, p. 495).
- ' Civitate restaurata, moeniisque decenter reparatis,' Matt. Paris, Chron. Maj. (Rolls Ser.), i, 421.
There is, however, no specific mention of the walls in the early authorities. 'The same year King Alfred restored London (gesette Lunden burg),' Atigl.-Sax. Chron. sub anno 886 ; ' Londoniam civitatem honorifice restauravit,' Asser, 'Life of Alfred' in Mon. Hist. Brit. 489. ' Stow, loc. cit. ' Topog. Antiq. ' Roach Smith, llks. of Rom. Land. ' Vestiges of Old Lond. 44
