Cow Lane
Agas Map
Cow Lane, located in the Ward of Farringdon Without, began at
Holborn Street, and then curved
north and east to West Smithfield.
Smithfield was a meat market, so
the street likely got its name because cows were led through it to market
(Bebbington 100). A nearby bridge
over the Fleet Ditch was called Cow
Bridge, likely for the same reason, and led into Chick or Chicken
Lane (Stow 1:26). Just as
Ironmonger Lane and Milk Street in Cheapside market were named for the goods located
there, these streets leading into Smithfield meat market were named for the animals that could be
bought there.
Smithfield served many purposes in
various times. It was the location of two churches, St. Bartholomew the
Less, and St. Bartholomew the Great.
Public executions were at times held there, and each year it was the site of
Bartholomew Fair, which lasted three days (Stow 2:27). As its title suggests, Ben Jonson’s city comedy Bartholomew Fair was set there.
In modern times, Cow Lane no longer
exists (Bebbington 100). The old Cow
Bridge across the Fleet River (where
Farringdon Station is now) is recalled in the name of the modern Cowcross Street (the site of Chick Lane on the Agas Map).
See also: Chalfant 60.
References
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Citation
Bebbington, Gillian. London Street Names. London: B.T. Batsford, 1972.This item is cited in the following documents:
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Citation
Chalfant, Fran C. Ben Jonson’s London: A Jacobean Placename Dictionary. Athens: U of Georgia P, 1978.This item is cited in the following documents:
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Citation
Stow, John. A Survey of London. Reprinted from the Text of 1603. Ed. Charles Lethbridge Kingsford. 2 vols. Oxford: Clarendon, 1908. [Also available as a reprint from Elibron Classics (2001). Articles written before 2011 cite from the print edition by volume and page number.]This item is cited in the following documents:
