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English And Welch Markets

Vivienne14

Vivienne14

Kentish Brummie Moderator
Staff member
Marked on this 1553 plan of Birmingham (based on Bickley and Hill's plan) there are two streets marked; one is English Market the other is Welch Market (red dots). I think, although not certain, that English Market probably later formed an extension of High Street and Welch Market formed Dale End. Does anyone know why they were named English Market and Welch Market? Viv.

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Don't know of this helps.
From Bill Dargue:
The Beast Market (ie. cattle) stretched along High St with the English market at the Digbeth end and the Welsh market at Dale End.
From my notes on street names:
The Welch Cross is at Welch End at the junction of High street and Bull Street , and was where Welsh drovers sold their cattle. Known from the 15th century as Broad Street, by 1784 re/ named Dale End, very likely an older topographical name meaning the end of the town or the end of the street beyond which is a dale/ valley.
So presumably the Welsh market was where the welsh drovers sold their cattle. and the english market where the English farmers sold their's
 
Thanks Mike. All makes sense. Just goes to show how far cattle would be driven to markets. Can also see why it became Broad Street as the street really widens at Welch Market. Viv.
 
Viv, I know this is a couple of years late but I've just started researching the drovers and their routes. I'm in Llandegla, Denbighshire by coincidence and they passed through this village. I managed to get a small book yesterday in Llangollen which is an account of the lives of the Welsh drovers. Only just started it but it tells how some of them actually began their journey in Anglesey and the cattle had to swim across the Menai straits! I had heard this before but this confirms it. The book is called 'Hard Road to London' by Idris Evans and only mentions Birmingham in passing, however, we know they came here and to have a road named for them they must have come pretty often. I believe they came in from this side of town so to have the market there makes sense.
 
A nice snippet of history Lady P. I wonder if any of the Welsh drovers (or their descendants) decided to settle in Brum. I bet some family connections could be made on that score. Eg. drover's daughter takes a fancy to Brum smithy's son ! Potential for a historical novel. Viv
 
I'm sure someone had remarked on it before but I seem to remember reading that Bull Street was so called due to having a pub of the same name. Was this, do you think, because of the cattle market? I believe most of those sold would be bullocks as they would be destined to be fattened up on the lusher pastures of the midlands for the meat market.
 
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