We get a fair few local history enquiries through the site, most of which i can help with pointers to online resources, but this question has me stumped – any clues folks? Put something in the comments if you know or email me.
I was just wondering if anyone could shed light on the reason why the streets around and including Judd Street seem to have links with Kent.
Judd is a school in Tonbridge, there is a Tonbridge Street and a Bidborough Street.
Bidborough is not far from Tonbridge and a Leigh Street which is even closer to Tonbridge.
Leigh the place near Tonbridge is pronounced Lye not Lee as people in Kings Cross say it.
There are other street with links to both Kent and Sussex in the area and I cannot work out why. As far as I know Kent and Sussex were and are both served by Charing Cross, Waterloo and London Bridge so I'm assuming its not a rail link thing.
I'm hoping to be educated on this and also hoping its not so obvious that I'm going to look silly! However that wouldn't be the first time!!!
Many thanks in anticipation,
Malcolm.
Kings Cross Environment 
A website called Knowledge of London (http://knowledgeoflondon.com/streetnames.html) has the following entry for Judd Street:
“# Judd Street W.C.1
Takes its name from Sir Andrew Judd, Lord Mayor, 1551-2, “erected one notable free schoole at Tonbridge in Kent” he was a land owner of St Pancras. Thus kentish names like Tonbridge Street in the area.
# Kings Cross N.1″
Not sure I can make complete sense of that though.
Aha! More on Sir Andrew Judd, which all makes more sense:
“Judde (also often spelt Judd) was born about 1492, the youngest son of a significant Tonbridge landowner John Judde, whose lands were mainly to the south of the Medway, including Barden Park.”
“In 1553 there were two exciting developments in the life of Sir Andrew Judde. The first was that he received a charter from Edward VI to found a school in Tonbridge. Perhaps wishing to invest some of his wealth for the benefit of the town in which he grew up, he bought 30 acres of pasture land known as ‘sand hills’ just to the south of St. Pancras in London. The rents from this land were to provide funds for the new Tonbridge School, raising the sum of £13: 6s and 8d in 1558.”
See http://www.tonbridgehistory.org.uk/people/sir-andrew-judde.htm
Judde’s connection with the Worshipful Company of Skinners is presumably the reason for Judd Street having the Skinners pub too.
great stuff tom – i passed it on to malcom who was both deligthed and astonished at the speed of your answer
I’m glad it was of use.
That kind of stuff is fascinating to me. I work in Bloomsbury where all the names are to do with estates of the Dukes of Bedford: Bedford Square, Tavistock Street, Russell Square, etc. I keep meaning to check Chalton Street (half way between KX and Euston on my way to work) too as there is a tiny little village near where I live in Sandy, Bedfordshire, called Chalton and I wonder if they are connected.
Hi,
Just to follow up on what Tom has posted,
Placenames usually reflect the interests of the landowners who first developed the land, such as noble families, the church or universities. Often in inner London the owners were City livery companies.
The land around Judd Street was owned by the Skinners Company who held the land to generate income to benefit the school founded by the Company, Tonbridge School in Kent. Hence the Kentish link. Probably nothing to do with Kentish Town!
Background info at http://www.british-history.ac.uk/report.aspx?compid=65565 and http://www.skinners-school.co.uk/?page=page&function=school%20history
Jo
Tom has a query about Chalton Street. I can’t answer it but you may well find an answer in the wonderful book about the original development of Somers Town (by the Somers family, also with a castle near Malvern) by Linda Clarke,(1991) Building Capitalism: historical change and the labour process in the production of the built environment, London: Routledge. I don’t have it near me or I’d look.
Hi, I am working in Tonbridge school in Tonbridge , Kent . When I speak to the pupils here they all are well versed in the founder Mr Judd. Also there is a Judd school these are both run by the Skinners company . It all surprised me as everyday I come back to somers town. I also went to the Tonbridge club on Jud street as a kid.