Names: and Their Meaning

Spring Gardens, during the days of the Stuarts, contained an ingenious contrivance by which any person stepping upon a hidden spring was suddenly immersed in a shower of water. Pall Mall is a modern spelling of paille maille, the title of a French game at ball, somewhat similar to our croquet, first played in this thoroughfare—then open to St. James’s Park—about the year 1621. Carlton House Terrace stands on the site of Carlton House, the palace of Frederick, Prince of Wales, the father of George III. King Street, St. James’s Street, and St. James’s Square were designated in honour of James I. Bury Street is properly “Berry Street,” after the name of its builder.

The Green Park deserves its title on account of its verdure, so refreshing to the eye. Hyde Park anciently comprised the manor of Hyde held by the Abbots of St. Peter’s, Westminster, but claimed by the Crown on the dissolution of the monasteries. Hyde Park Corner defines the position of the old toll-gate at the western extremity of London. Rotten Row is a corruption of route du roi, the French for “route of the King,” to the historic royal residence at Kensington. Albert Gate, Queen’s Gate, and Prince’s Gate are of modern date, named in honour of the royal personages indicated. The Marble Arch is an imposing structure of white marble originally erected in front of Buckingham Palace in 1830, and removed to its present position in 1851. Rutland Gate was designated after the mansion of the Dukes of Rutland hard by. Cumberland Gate and Duke Street, Grosvenor Square, were both named after the Duke of Cumberland, brother to George III. Grosvenor Gate, Grosvenor Street, and Grosvenor Square preserve the memory of Sir Richard Grosvenor, Grand Cup-bearer to George II., who died in 1732. The ancestral line of the Grosvenors may be traced back to Le Gros Veneur, “the chief hunter,” to the Dukes of Normandy prior to the Conquest. Stanhope Gate, Great Stanhope Street, and Chesterfield Street received their names from Chesterfield House, the residence of Philip Stanhope, Earl of Chesterfield, of epistolary fame. Park Lane was formerly a narrow lane skirting the east side of the Park. Portugal Street was named in honour of the queen of Charles II. Chapel Street owes its designation to its proximity to Grosvenor Chapel. Hamilton Place perpetuates the name of Colonel James Hamilton, Ranger of Hyde Park, and boon companion of Charles II.

That fine thoroughfare known as Piccadilly was designated after “Piccadilla Hall,” its most westerly building during the reign of Elizabeth, and utilized as a depôt for the sale of the then fashionable Piccadilly Lace, so called on account of its little spearlike points, piccadilly being the diminutive of pica, a pike, a spear. In the succeeding reign of James I., the high ruff worn by males was styled a piccadilly, though the lace had disappeared from its edge. Curzon Street was named after George Augustus Curzon, third Viscount Howe, the ground landlord. Charles Street and Queen Street were first built upon in the reign of Charles II., in honour of whom and his queen they were designated. Shepherd Street, Shepherd’s Market, and Market Street faithfully preserve the memory of the owner of the land upon which the ancient “May Fair” was held. Hay Hill, Hill Street, and Farm Street mark the situation of an old farm that stood upon the lands of John, Lord Berkeley of Stratton, an able officer in the army of Charles I., whose titles are perpetuated in John Street, Berkeley Square, Berkeley Street, and Stratton Street; while Bruton Street refers to the family seat of the Berkeleys, situated at Bruton, Somersetshire. Mount Street marks the site of one of the western forts or bastions hastily formed by the Parliamentarians in 1643 to resist an expected attack upon the Metropolis from this side by the Royalists. Clarges Street derived its name from the residence of Sir Walter Clarges built in 1717, and afterwards occupied by the Venetian Ambassador. In Half-Moon Street stood an old tavern bearing the sign of “The Half-Moon.” Arlington Street and Bennett Street were named after Henry Bennett, Earl of Arlington, whose town house was situated on the site of the former thoroughfare. Dover Street was so called in memory of Henry Jermyn, Lord Dover, who died in it in 1782. Albemarle Street contained the residence of Christopher Monk, second Duke of Albemarle, acquired from the Earls of Clarendon. Old Bond Street, of which New Bond Street is a modern continuation, received its name from the Bond family, now extinct. The land upon which it stands was the property of Sir Thomas Bond, Comptroller of the Household of Henrietta Maria, queen of Charles I. Clifford Street preserves the memory of Elizabeth Clifford, who became the wife of Richard Boyle, Earl of Burlington (died 1753), after whom Old Burlington Street, and subsequently, New Burlington Street were designated. In Cork Street resided Lord Cork, one of the four brothers of the Boyle family advanced to the peerage at the same time. Savile Row was named after Dorothy Savile, who became Countess of Burlington and Cork, and inherited the property. Vigo Street commemorates the capture of Vigo, in Spain, by the British on several occasions in the course of the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries. The street dates back to the year 1720. Sackville Street, built in 1679, serves its purpose as perpetuating the memory of the witty Charles Sackville, Earl of Dorset, whose friends were unwilling that his fame should be allowed to die. Air Street, Piccadilly Circus, was at the time of its erection in the year 1659 one of the most westerly, and consequently, open streets of the town. Swallow Street is a corruption of “Slough Street,” at one time a miry thoroughfare much infested by footpads. Vine Street recalls the ancient vineyard belonging to the Abbey at Westminster, situated here.

Regent Street was named by John Nash, the architect, after his royal patron, the Prince Regent. It was commenced in 1813. Conduit Street received its name from the conduit or spring-head set up in the meadow formerly known as “Conduit Mead,” now swallowed up by Old Bond Street. Maddox Street was built by one Maddox in 1720. Brook Street reminds us of the pleasant stream that wound its way from Tyburn down to Leicester Fields, where it was designated the Cranbourne, and ultimately spent itself in the Thames. Mill Street affords us an additional memory of the rurality of London in bygone times. George Street (also St. George’s Church), Hanover Street, and Hanover Square were designations in honour of the Hanoverian succession in the person of George I. Davies Street, connecting Berkeley Square with Oxford Street, received its name in compliment to Miss Mary Davies, the heiress of Ebury Manor, Belgravia, who carried that estate by her marriage into the possession of the Grosvenors.

Crossing Regent Street, Argyll Street marks the situation of the old town mansion of the Dukes of Argyll. Marlborough Street, Great Marlborough Street, and Blenheim Street were so called in honour of the Duke of Marlborough, the victor of Blenheim. Wardour Street is in allusion to the family seat of the ground landlord, Lord Arundel of Wardour. Nassau Street was named in compliment to the royal House of Nassau, from which the Prince of Orange claimed his descent. Golden Square is a corruption of Gelding Square, derived from an adjacent inn sign, “The Gelding.” Shaftesbury Avenue is a modern thoroughfare named after Anthony Ashley Cooper, seventh Earl of Shaftesbury, who performed the opening ceremony but a short time before his death, which occurred in 1885. Windmill Street furnishes another pleasant reminder of green pastures and rural delights. Old Compton Street was built in the reign of Charles II. by Sir Francis Compton. New Compton Street and Dean Street derived their names from Bishop Compton, Dean of the Chapel Royal, Savoy, who originally possessed the living of St. Anne’s, Soho. Gerrard Street and Macclesfield Street perpetuate the memory of Gerard, Earl of Macclesfield, the owner of the site at the time when buildings were first put up hereabouts in 1697. Greek Street was so called from the Greek merchants who colonized this neighbourhood, and for whose spiritual benefit a Greek church was erected hard by. Carlisle Street was designated after the Howards, Earls of Carlisle, a branch of the ducal house of Norfolk, whose family mansion stood on the east side of what is now Soho Square about the middle of the last century.

Hanway Street, situated on the north side of Oxford Street, received its name from Jonas Hanway, who was the first to carry an umbrella through the London streets. This occurred in the year 1750. Rathbone Place, a somewhat exclusive thoroughfare, supporting its own police, was built by a Captain Rathbone in 1718. Newman Street and Goodge Street retain the names of their speculative builders. Castle Street took its title from an inn sign at the corner of Oxford Market. Wells Street is properly “Well Street,” so called after Well in Yorkshire, the seat of the Strangeways family, from whom Lady Berners, the original ground landlady of Berners Street, descended. In Foley Street stood Foley House, the town-mansion of Lord Foley. Charlotte Street received its name in honour of the queen of George III. Bolsover Street, Great Titchfield Street, Titchfield Street, Grafton Street, Cleveland Street, Fitzroy Square, Euston Square, Euston Road, and Southampton Street, are all designated after family names of the Fitzroys, Dukes of Grafton, Earls and Lords of Southampton, the ground landlords. Euston is the seat of the Earl of Euston, son of the Duke of Grafton and Marquis of Titchfield, situated at Thetford, in the county of Norfolk; while Bolsover is the Derbyshire seat of the Graftons. Tottenham Court Road anciently comprised the manor of Totten, or Totham, held by William de Tottenhall in the reign of Henry III. In Elizabeth’s time the manor was described as “Tottenham Court.” The lease fell into the possession of Charles Fitzroy, second Duke of Grafton, by right of his mother, Lady Isabella Bennett, who inherited it.

Oxford Street, formerly styled Oxford Road, Oxford Market, Mortimer Street, Harley Street, Edward Street, and Wigmore Street, derived their names from Edward Harley, Earl of Oxford and Mortimer, created Baron Harley of Wigmore Castle in Herefordshire in 1717, the owner of the estate. Cavendish Square, Old Cavendish Street, New Cavendish Street, Holles Street, and Henrietta Street, preserve the memory of Henrietta Cavendish, wife of the second Lord Harley, and only daughter and heiress of John Holles, the last Duke of Newcastle, who by her marriage carried all this property into the family of the Harleys. Her daughter, Lady Margaret Cavendish, became in her turn the wife of William Bentinck, second Duke of Portland; in honour of which connection there have been designated the various thoroughfares known as Bentinck Street, Margaret Street, Duke Street, Duchess Street, Portland Place, and Great Portland Street. Welbeck Street was named after Welbeck Abbey, in Northamptonshire, the seat of the Portland family; while Clipstone Street and Carburton Street were respectively designated after villages, the one in Nottinghamshire, the other in Northamptonshire, included in the ducal estate. Wimpole Street repeats the name of the seat of the Harleys situated on the borders of Herefordshire and Cambridgeshire, and purchased by Lord Chancellor Hardwicke in the last century. Stratford Place was built in 1775 by Edward Stratford, second Lord Aldborough, on ground leased from the Corporation of London for the purpose. The erection of Queen Anne Street dates from the reign indicated by its name. Mansfield Street is all that is left to remind us of the town residence of the Earl of Mansfield. Langham Place and Langham Street were named after Sir James Langham, whose mansion and grounds occupied the site of the latter. Vere Street recalls the existence of the De Veres, who for centuries held the Earldom of Oxford previous to the Harleys. Duke Street, Manchester Street, and Manchester Square, comprise the property of the Duke of Manchester. Spanish Place was originally so called from the residence of the Spanish Ambassador during the last century. Chandos Street derived its name from the mansion built by James Bridges, Duke of Chandos. Hinde Street perpetuates the memory of James Hinde, a speculative builder and one of the lessees of Marylebone Park more than a hundred years ago. North Audley Street and South Audley Street point to the existence of Hugh Audley, a barrister of the Middle Temple and owner of a landed estate hereabouts worth a million of money; which, at his death, in 1662, fell to Sir William Davies, Lord Mayor of London, the father of Miss Mary Davies already alluded to in connection with Davies Street and Ebury Manor, Belgravia.

Old Quebec Street commemorates the capture of Quebec by General Wolfe in 1759, about which period this street was first built upon. Seymour Place and Upper Seymour Street were designated after the Seymours, from whom the Portmans are descended. Montague Street and Montague Square were so called in compliment to Mrs. Montague of Blue Stocking fame, who, on becoming a widow, took up her residence in Portman Square close by. Orchard Street was designated in allusion to Orchard-Portman, one of the seats of the Portmans, in Somersetshire. Portman Square, Portman Street, Berkeley Place, Upper Berkeley Street, Lower Berkeley Street, Bryanstone Square, Bryanstone Street, Wyndham Place, Wyndham Street, Blandford Square, Blandford Street, Dorset Square, and Dorset Street, all have reference to the titles and estate of the sole landlord of this neighbourhood, viz., Edward Berkeley Portman, Viscount Portman of Bryanstone, near Blandford, Dorsetshire, many years M.P. for Dorset, and some time M.P. for Marylebone. Baker Street received its name in compliment to Sir Edward Baker of Ranston, a valued neighbour of the Portmans in Dorsetshire. Harewood Square and Harewood Street mark the position of the town mansion of the Earls of Harewood. Lisson Grove stands on part of the land formerly known as Lideston Green, really a corruption of Ossulton Green. Ossulton is the name of a Hundred mentioned in Domesday Book, and preserved in Ossulton Square, close at hand, and also in Ossulton Street, Euston Road.

Regent’s Park was named in honour of the Prince Regent, for whom it was originally intended to build a palace on the ground now utilized as the Botanic Gardens. Albany Street and Osnaburgh Street perpetuate the memory of Frederick, second son of George III., nominally styled Prince-Bishop of Osnaburgh in Hanover, and created Duke of York and Albany, and Earl of Ulster. Cumberland Market, whither the hay-market was removed from what still bears the description of the Haymarket in 1831, received its name in honour of Ernest Augustus, Duke of Cumberland, one of the sons of George III., who subsequently became King of Hanover. Munster Square was so called in compliment to the eldest son of William IV., created Earl of Munster. Park Street is the direct approach from High Street, Camden Town, to the Regent’s Park. Brecknock Road, Brecknock Crescent, Bayham Street, Pratt Street, Jeffreys Street, Henry Street, Charles Street, Frederick Street, Edward Street, William Street, and Robert Street, repeat the titles, family and Christian names occurring in the family of the Earl of Brecknock, Marquis of Camden, the owner of the estate, who died in 1840. Great College Street, College Place, and College Street, are situated within a stone’s throw of the Royal Veterinary College. Oakley Square owes its title to Oakley House, near Bedford; and Ampthill Square to Ampthill Park, in Bedfordshire, the names of two seats of the Bedfords; while Harrington Square was denominated after the Earl of Harrington, one of whose daughters became the wife of the seventh Duke of Bedford. Mornington Crescent and Mornington Place were named in honour of the Earl of Mornington, Governor-General of India, the brother of the Duke of Wellington; and Granby Street after John Manners, the popular Marquis of Granby. Eden Street covers the site of the old “Adam and Eve” Tea Gardens. Skinner Street, Somers Town, was built, and is still owned by, the Skinners’ Company.

Pancras Road received its name from the parish church of St. Pancras. Battle Bridge Road marks the spot where the Romans defeated the Iceni, under Queen Boadicea, in the year 61. York Road owes its designation to the fact that the Great Northern Railway was originally styled “The London and York Railway.” Caledonian Road, which extends northwards to Caledonian Market, was so called after the Royal Caledonian Asylum, founded for Scottish orphans in 1831. Liverpool Street and Sidmouth Street recall the names of two popular Lords of the Ministry, at the accession of George IV. Burton Crescent memorializes its builder. Judd Street comprises the property bequeathed by Sir Andrew Judd, Lord Mayor in 1551, to the endowment of a school at Tunbridge, Kent, his native place. Great Coram Street affords us a pleasant reminder that the Foundling Hospital owes its existence to the benevolence of Captain Thomas Coram in the year 1739. Lamb’s Conduit Street preserves the name of William Lamb, a clothworker to whose enterprise “a faire conduit and standard,” constructed in 1577, was due. Harpur Street received its title in honour of Sir William Harpur, Lord Mayor in 1562, whose property hereabouts, together with that now known as Bedford Row, High Holborn, was devoted at his death to the foundation of a school and other charitable purposes at Bedford, his native place.

Southampton Row and Southampton Street, Great Russell Street, Russell Square, Bedford Square, Tavistock Square, and Tavistock Place, were named after Thomas Wriothlesley, Earl of Southampton, Marquis of Tavistock, and Duke of Bedford, father of Rachel, who became the wife of Lord William Russell, the patriot, already alluded to in connection with Southampton Street, Strand. Gordon Square perpetuates the memory of Lady Georgina Gordon, daughter of Alexander, fourth Duke of Gordon, and wife of John, sixth Duke of Bedford, who had had for his first wife a daughter of the noble house of Torrington, memorialized by Torrington Square. Montague Street and Montague Place occupy two sides of the site of Old Montague House, the nucleus of the British Museum. Brunswick Square and Mecklenburgh Square were built and designated at the time when it was considered the correct thing to honour the Hanoverian succession in every possible way. Thurlow Place was named in compliment to Lord Chancellor Thurlow, whose house was situated in Great Ormond Street, so called after the British general and duke of that title. Powis Place covers the ground formerly occupied by Powis House, the town mansion of William Herbert, Marquis of Powis, whose father was outlawed by James I. Bloomsbury Square is properly “Lomesbury Square,” marking the site of the manor-house described in olden times as “Lomesbury Village.” Hart Street received its name from “The White Hart” Inn; and Red Lion Square and Red Lion Street, from “The Red Lion,” both hostelries of some importance in the coaching days. Queen’s Square was designated in honour of Queen Anne, in whose reign it was laid out. Kingsgate Street was so styled because the King used it on his way to Newmarket; while Theobalds Road led to Theobalds, in Herefordshire, the favourite hunting seat of James I.

Coldbath Square, Clerkenwell, marks the situation of the celebrated Cold Bath, fed by a spring discovered by Mr. Baynes in 1697. The surrounding district before it was built over formerly bore the name of Coldbath Fields. Vinegar Yard is a corruption of the vineyard anciently belonging to the Priory of the Knights of St. John. Ray Street preserves the memory of Miss Ray, the mistress of Lord Sandwich, shot by her lover Hackman. Rosoman Street was designated after the enterprising Mr. Rosoman, who converted Sadler’s Musick House into a theatre in 1765. Aylesbury Street in olden times skirted the wall of the garden attached to the town mansion of the Earls of Aylesbury. Berkeley Street derived its name from Berkeley House, the residence of Sir Maurice Berkeley, standard-bearer to Henry VIII., Edward VI., and Elizabeth. Albemarle Street was built during the period that witnessed the popularity of General Monk, Duke of Albemarle. In bygone times the whole of Clerkenwell received the opprobrious title of Hockley-in-the-Hole, the name of a place in Bedfordshire noted far and wide for its impassable and sloughy character. Hockley is an Anglo-Saxon term, denoting a muddy field. Myddleton Square and Myddleton Street perpetuate the memory of Sir Hugh Myddleton, the founder of the New River Waterworks, opened September 16, 1613. Pentonville Road owes its title to the ville, or rural mansion, occupied by Henry Penton, Esq., Lord of the Admiralty and M.P. for Winchester, on the spot where Penton Street now stands. Mr. Penton died in 1812. St. John Street Road took its name from the Priory of the Knights of St. John of Jerusalem, of which St. John’s Gate is an interesting relic. Windmill Street marks the site of three large windmills erected in Finsbury Fields, on the mound formed by a thousand cartloads of human bones deposited there from the Charnel House, St. Paul’s, by order of the Lord Protector Somerset, in 1549. City Road was the regular highway from the City to the “Angel” at Islington, and thence to the north of England, viâ Highbury and Highgate. Shepherdess Walk was originally a pleasant path leading through the open fields direct from Finsbury to St. Mary’s parish church, Islington. Golden Lane, St. Luke’s, received its name from the number of goldsmiths who formerly made this neighbourhood their residence. In Curtain Road, Shoreditch, stood the Curtain Theatre, opened in 1571, so called because it was the first playhouse to make use of a drop-curtain. Ben Jonson’s “Every Man in his Humour” was produced here in 1596. By Norton Folgate is meant “the northern Falgate,” the latter word being the old English description of a four-barred gate. The Falgate is a common inn sign in the rural districts. Holywell Lane, near Shoreditch Church, was so called on account of a miraculous well discovered here in ancient times. In Nichols Square, Haggerstone, lived John Nichols, the antiquary; and in Sutton Place, Hackney, Thomas Sutton, the founder of the Charterhouse. Queen Elizabeth’s Walk, Stoke Newington, marks the position of a house and grounds occupied by the Earl of Leicester, and often visited by Her Majesty. Fleetwood Road covers the site of Fleetwood House, the residence of Charles Fleetwood, the Parliamentary general, and Deputy-Governor of Ireland.