William Wire records 'A merchant mark taken from a carved cornice of a room from the Old Custom House near the pump at the Hythe. It was taken down in the early part of this year (1856) and the cornice is in the possession of Mr Start builder, St John's Green. The shield six and a half inches, the Mark 6 " high'.<1> The mark may be drawn in the original of Wires Diary, unfortunately the details are not produced in the copy. The mark is likely to date to the 13th or 14th century.