Aeddan (pronounced Eden) and her sister Ystradwel (nickname Stree) are standing in front of me waiting for an answer to their question qabout where they would live in late 10th century Winchester. Their father is an armorer, so I am looking for a street whose Saxon name indicates their presence in that part of the city. One street in that list is designated at "Seyldwortenestret" or "Shield-maker's Street" so that seems like a reasonable place for armorer's as well. My one concern is that as its modern name, Upper Brook Street suggests, that street is where two brooks run through the town. Would armorer's find this useful or rather damaging to their craft?
The list of streets I located on the
City of Winchester's history site lists the old street names after the modern equivalents.
CURRENT NAME, PREVIOUS NAME(S)High Street,
Chepe Street (AS) Southgate Street,
Gold StreetTower Street,
Snidelingestret or Snitherlingastret (AS) - The Tailor’s Street
Jewry Street*,
Alwarenestret (AS)
St Peter’s Street,
Flescmangerstret (AS) - The Butcher’s Street
St Thomas’ Street,
Calpe Street (AS)
Upper Brook Street,
Seyldwortenestret (AS) -The Shield Maker’s Street Shulworth Street
Middle Brook Street,
Wunegrestret or Wongarestret (AS)
Lower Brook Street,
Tannerestret (AS) - The Tanner’s Street
Busket Lane ,
Bucchestret (AS)
Colebrook Street,
Colebrochestret (AS)
Parchment Street,
ParmentryWest of the Cathedral,
Menstrestret (AS) - Minster Street
High St to site of North Gate,
Scowertenestret (AS) - The Shoemaker’s Street
High Street Northwards,
Bredenestret or Brudenestret (AS)
Kingsgate,
St Michael’s GateMarket Street,
Thomas-GateLittle Minster Street, Burdon Street
Blue Ball Hill,
Redhouse Lane Staple Gardens ,
Bridney Street Minster Street,
Munkestrete (AS)
Canon Street,
Paillard’s Close St Cross
SperkefordeBack Lane to Upper Brook St,
Wode StreetBack Lane to Lower Brook St,
St Ruel StreetWharf Mill,
Segrim’s MillPrior’s Barton Mill,
Crepestre MillThe Piaza,
Penthouse* wholly or in part
The map below has all the modern names on it... thanks to Winchester City Councilman for Oliver's Battery, Dabvid Spender for this ... and one of my projects is to write the Saxon names into the map. You will see Upper Brook Street, or Seyldwortenestret in about 990 AD, is the first street to the right of the red dot.
Stree: Oh no, do we have to live there? The tanners and butchers are so close! When the wind blows from that direction it will be disgusting!
Aeddan: Mayhap Father will see if we can live outside the walls. That should solve the problem.
I hope so, for their sake.
I don't have a simple graphics program to crop this map, so I left it as a screenshot. I like this map because it denotes the gate names and a little more about what has been found by archaeologists.
erry gentle folk,
