Place Name
In the first half of the 14thCentury a dispute broke out between the Abbot of Chertsey and the Abbot of Hamme. Both men had shared use of a wharf on the River Thames but when it begun to rot, each claimed the other was responsible for its upkeep. The two clearly were prepared for the long-haul as the row over maintenance lasted 40 years with the inevitable result that the quay fell into the water. Sir Walter Besant believed that name referred to the City Wall and not the Wharf that was broken at this place. – but this was incorrect. Other old spellings are Broken Wharfe Kaia, Le Brokene Wharf, and La Brokene Werf.
