Daily entries from the 17th century London diary
If you would like to write a summary for this topic, email phil [at] gyford [dot] com
Milk Street is located in Cripplegate Ward, it ran North from Cheapside and formed a square at the crossroads with Cat Street, Lad Lane and Aldermanbury.
John Stow tells us that in this square “was of old time a fayre well with two buckets, of late yeares converted to a pumpe”, he also recorded ” there bee many fayre houses for wealthy marchantes and other”
Sir Thomas Gresham the builder of The Royal Exchange owned a house in Milk Street and Sir Thomas More, author of Utopia was born here in February 1478
Milk Street was also the location of St Mary Magdalene’s church which was destroyed in the Great Fire of 1666 and was never rebuilt.
Milk Street.
Adding to Dave’s note above…
Milk Street, “so called as early as 1140, was the section of Cheapside market where milk was sold” (Bebbington 220).
And from “curious adverts” in the Book of Days…
‘Whereas one John Stuart, of a tall stature, black brows, a wart upon his cheek, in a black periwig, and a tawny or black suit, and campaign coat, has been lately intrusted to sell several pieces of black worsted, crapes, hair chamblets, black philemot, and sky-coloured mohairs, watered and unwatered; with which goods he is run away, and cannot yet be heard of. Whoever gives notice of the man and goods (who, it is thought, is gone towards Ireland) to Mr. Howard, in Milk Street Market, shall have 40s. reward.’—1680.