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21
Although efforts to obtain a Royal Charter have proved
unsuccessful, Greenwich is unquestionably royal by association.
Early English kings normally had no settled domicile. They
travelled the country with their retinues and resided at various
castles and palaces within their kingdom, dispensing justice and
entertaining lavishly until they had exhausted the vicinity of its
food and victuals. It seems clear, however, that the early
Norman kings preferred Winchester but, at the time of St. Alfege's
martyrdom, the English king was resident and had a Royal
Treasury at Greenwich.
Subsequently, Eltham became prominent in royal affairs for
a period of 200 years and, as early as 1270, it is recorded that
Henry III, a somewhat reckless monarch, spent Christmas here.
It is interesting to note that Geoffrey Chaucer, author of "Canterbury
Tales" and a frequenter of Bella Court at Greenwich, was
Clerk of Works at Eltham between 1389 and 1391 and contributed
to the construction of the Palace. Prince John, son of Edward II,
was born at Eltham in 1316, a palace where Edward III, father
of the Black Prince and founder of the English textile industry,
was wont to hold tournaments and where, in 1347, he is reputed
to have instituted the "Order of the Garter". Eltham was the
favourite residence of Richard II who held parliaments at the palace
and whose appointment of a host of tax gatherers to collect his
iniquitous poll-tax led to the revolution of 1381. Headed by Wat
Tyler, a motley assembly of ill-armed ragged peasants camped on
Blackheath after pillaging the countryside of Kent on their way to
London to meet Richard II who undertook to redress their wrongs
but failed to keep his promise.
Blackheath Common, from which the Park was taken by
Humphrey, Duke of Gloucester, in 1433, was the scene of many
other interesting and important events. It would seem that, at this
particular time in English history, the Heath was the place where
distinguished persons from the Continent were usually received in
order to be conducted with proper state and ceremony to London.
In 1400. the Emperor of Constantinople was met by Henry IV in
great splendour and, in 1415, the Lord Mayor and Aldermen of
London attired in 'orient grained scarlet with rich collars and
great chains rode caparisoned horses' and 'accompanied by 400
commoners clad in beautiful murrie, all well mounted' greeted, in
triumph, Henry V on his victorious return from Agincourt. The
following year, Emperor Sigismund, King of the Romans, seeking
a peace between France and England, was met by the Duke of
Gloucester and conducted to the king at Lambeth. Thirty-four
years later, Blackheath witnessed another insurrection—that of
Jack Cade and, in 1497, 4,000 Cornishmen under Lord Audley