Knaves Post

Rob, Steve, Ben and I were at the Archives on Saturday for some more scanning/rummaging! There was a great find of a better image of the Post whilst at St Mary's. The full plaque is now visible -

If you look closely at his legs, it looks like they're on back to front. I'm guessing that the features were re-carved on the back of his head and body at some distant point.

Oh wow, I've never noticed that before. Perhaps someone called to him and he turned around too fast - so now his bum faces the front!

Prof's post at number 8 certainly does seem to have knees that others don't.

You're right Anne. Those bulges just above his socks could be knees.

Hands off the Knaves Bum! Any idea what number the house was in MPS Helen and why it was placed there. Where was it before that?

I believe it was just above the door of 131 which was east of the Lea Francis Works. You can see the Knaves Post Yard on the 1850 map and it's the northernmost end of the building fronting the yard. The building looks to be from the early 1800s but it's hard to tell the age of some of these properties. I assume that the tenure of the post in that location was much older. The niche looks to have been built specifically to house him. It's possible that he was part of the carved woodwork that adorned the earlier house and was salvaged as a curio when the new house was built (or brick fronted). Correction - the National archives say this - The oak whipping post, in the shape of a man holding a sword, set in a niche in the wall of a building. The post, set in the wall in the 18th century, had to be reduced in thickness as the niche was found to be too narrow.

Further information - CCA/2/3/313/12 Cov archives it seems I was right about the building being early 1800s. Let's hope that Mr Masters was better at measuring his clothes than his niches. 27 Dec 1819 Robert Kirby agreed to sell Richard Masters (of Coventry, tailor) the Much Park Street messuage with shop, etc. (lately occupied by Thomas Trickett, blacksmith) for £400 but that the money was not paid over; ninthly, that shortly thereafter Richard Masters took possession and demolished the existing premises, building there two messuages near the street and five behind with a factory or shop over them; Additional - the large garden area to the west of the yard was known as Trickett's Orchard, which ties in with details about Mr Wright's House. It was later owned by General Richard Hopkins and was connected to an Earl Street property.

The property known as Knaves post property number 130 and 131 Much Park Street were for sale in 1861, occupied by Joseph Coleman and 11 others. Several others newspaper articles mention that it had been repaired and painted many times over the years. Apparently people used to make holes and stick clay pipes in his mouth and his clothes were often painted to fit with the times. .

'the figure of a man placed in a niche in the wall on the west side of Much Park Street, but was probably an old statue removed from one of the religious houses at the dissolution (1536-1541). The origin of its name is attributed to the fact of parties committing depredations having been tied to the cart's tail and whipped from the Mayor's Parlour, in Cross Cheaping, to this figure. The last punishment was about fifty years ago" (1820s). A 'Knave' is an old term which means rogue, scoundrel, etc., Some clearer period detail of it here