Showell's Dictionary of Birmingham eBook

Thomas Harman
This eBook from the Gutenberg Project consists of approximately 737 pages of information about Showell's Dictionary of Birmingham.

Showell's Dictionary of Birmingham eBook

Thomas Harman
This eBook from the Gutenberg Project consists of approximately 737 pages of information about Showell's Dictionary of Birmingham.

Pitt-street and Porter-street were portions of Old Cross-street.

Priors Conigree-lane, or Whitealls-lane is now Steelhouse-lane.

Priory-lane—­Monmouth-street.

Rother Market—­New-street next to High-street and High-street next to
New-street was once so called.

Sandy-lane—­Snow Hill in the 16th century.  Lee Bank-road has also been called Sandy-lane.

Shambles—­Part of Bull Ring.

Swan Alley—­Worcester-street.

Swinford-street—­Upper end of New-street.

Temple Alley, also called Tory-row—­Temple-row.

Walmer-lane (in the 15th century Wold Moors)—­Lancaster-street.

Water-street—­Floodgate-street.

Welch End or Welch Market—­Junction of Bull-street, High-street, and
Dale End.

Westley’s-row, Westley-street, or London ’Prentice-street forms part of
Dalton-street.

Withering-street—­Union-street.

Wyllattes Green—­Prospect Row.

Old Cock Pump.—­This was the old pump formerly under St. Martin’s Churchyard wall, from which the water-carriers and others obtained their supply of drinking water.  The rule of the pump was “last come last served,” and frequently a long string of men, women, and children might be seen waiting their turn.  Many of us can recollect the old Digbeth men, with their shoulder-yoke and two buckets, plodding along to find customers for their “Warta;” and certain elderly ladies are still in existence who would fear the shortening of their lives were their tea-kettles filled with aught but the pure Digbeth water, though it does not come from the pump at St. Martin’s, for that was removed in 1873.  It has been written that on one occasion (in the days before waterworks were practicable, and the old pump was a real blessing), when the poor folks came to fill their cans early in the morning, they found the handle gone, and great was the outcry thereat.  It soon afterwards transpired that a blacksmith, short of iron, had taken the handle to make into horseshoes.

Old Meeting House Yard.—­The name gives its own origin.  One of the earliest built of our Dissenting places of worship was here situated.

Old Square.—­There are grounds for believing that this was the site of the Hospital or Priory of St. Thomas the Apostle; the reason of no foundations or relics of that building having been come across arising from its having been erected on a knoll or mount there, and which would be the highest bit of land in Birmingham.  This opinion is borne out by the fact that the Square was originally called The Priory, and doubtless the Upper and Lower Priories and the Minories of later years were at first but the entrance roads to the old Hospital, as it was most frequently styled in deeds and documents.  Mr. John Pemberton, who purchased this portion of the Priory lands in 1697, and laid it out for building, would naturally have it levelled, and, not unlikely

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Showell's Dictionary of Birmingham from Project Gutenberg. Public domain.