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Category Archives: Medieval

The Modern Medieval: Day 5

A street called Distaflane appears on my City of London map from the year 1270. Today the street sign looks like this: Distaff is an Anglo-Saxon word for a very ancient tool. It was a staff on which wool or … Read More

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The Modern Medieval: Day 4

While walking from London’s Tower to St. Paul’s one evening, I started to pay close attention to the street signs that evoked London’s Anglo-Saxon past, and right away I spotted this: Anyone who walks through Cheapside today is passing through … Read More

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The Modern Medieval: Day 3

Street names in London are endlessly fascinating and many of them date from Medieval times, from St. Mary Axe* to Houndsditch** to The Barbican.*** But of more interest just now is this one: You could be forgiven if that name … Read More

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The Modern Medieval: Day 2

I have met residents of Shrewsbury who pronounce the city’s name like this: shrowsbry. I have met residents of Shrewsbury who pronounce the city’s name like this: shroosbry. I think this is a conspiracy to confuse and frustrate Yanks, and … Read More

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The Modern Medieval: Day 1

Welcome to a week of The Modern Medieval: a series of brief posts about modern day street names in England that evoke the medieval past. (Note: there are LOTS of them, but I’ll focus on just a few because otherwise … Read More

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