E. Cobham Brewer 1810–1897. Dictionary of Phrase and Fable. 1898.
Shoreditch,
according to tradition, is so called from Jane Shore, who, it is said, died there in a ditch. This tale comes from a ballad in Pepys’ collection; but the truth is, it receives its name from Sir John de Soerdich, lord of the manor in the reign of Edward III.
1
“I could not get one bit of bread
Whereby my hunger might be fed… .
So, weary of my life, at length
I yielded up my vital strength
Within a ditch … which since that day
Is Shoreditch called, as writers say.”
Duke of Shoreditch. The most successful of the London archers received this playful title.
2
“Good king, make not good Lord of Lincoln Duke of Shoreditch!”—The Poore Man’s Peticion to the Kinge. (1603.)
