Written in street names
Over the centuries the name changed to Dudley Lane and then to Dudley Street, part of which still exists today.
It was originally an old route to Dudley and was named because it ran along the edge of pasture called The Dudwall that belonged to Birmingham’s lord of the manor. The name is most commonly thought to come from “dyke-path”, referring to a road on or alongside an embankment that was built to prevent flooding. This was one of the first streets in Birmingham to be paved. As the name suggests, it led to Edgbaston, a manor house surrounded by scattered farms. This was the name for the part of High Street near the junction with New Street. It was also known as Beast Market or Rother Street. Rother means “horned beasts”, so all three names refer to the cattle market that was held here. This could well be the oldest street in Birmingham. Historian John Leland described it (though he didn’t name it) as “one street going up alonge, almost the left ripe of the brooke, up a meane hill, by the length of a quarter of a mile.” Now known as Park Street, this ran along the northern section of The Little Park, part of Birmingham manor. A mercer is a trader, especially one dealing in textiles. So this was a street of shops run by silk and linen merchants.
It became Spicer Street and then Spiceal Street – suggesting that trading in spices took over from textiles – and still survives in name as a pedestrian walkway by the side of the church of St Martin in the Bullring. Also called Mole Street, but nothing with moles or molehills.
The name comes from the Latin word “molendum” meaning a grist – a quantity of corn sent to a mill to be ground into flour. to do Despite the name, it’s anything but new. The very first mention is a reference to a “le Newestret” in a deed from 1397-1398, suggesting it was regarded as new at that time. The middle word is usually written conygre and means a rabbit warren (coney or cony is an old rural word for a rabbit). This was an alley off New Street leading to the back of the Swan Inn. It survived until around 1820 when it became part of Worcester Street. This was where Welsh livestock owners sold off their cattle. Also called Welch End, it now forms part of High Street, near Bull Street. The top of Digbeth High Street near Park Street was known as Well Street in bygone times, taking its name from a public well situated there. It was also called Cock Street when there was an inn of that name on the spot.